《Basketball Court Above》

Ashley walked across the hall, reading the labels on the doors as she tried to spot the room she was looking for. Hadn't she seen it around here somewhere? Turning a corner to the right, she froze on her tracks when she saw Eros walking after Ally. She gulped and hid by the wall, poking her head to see them. Eros was the one to speak first,

"Ally."

She kept on walking.

"Allison." he called again, his voice strained as if he was restraining himself from yelling. He gripped her forearm and turned her, with one slightly rough flick of his wrist.

"What?" She snapped then clenched her teeth and looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Please." He somewhat pleaded, slowly getting ticked off.

"Why should I?"

There was silence as the two gazed at each other. Ally's eyes were narrowed while Eros had a blank look on his face, completely unfazed by her cold, icy glare. He sighed and wordlessly handed her a bunch of keys. Ally didn't move for what seemed like years but then she suddenly snatched them from him, and stomped off.

"I'm so trashing your car." She threatened, gritting her teeth and clenching the car keys hard in her left hand.

Eros stood there for a while longer before he forced himself to walk the opposite way down the hall, his jaw hardened.

Damn, Ashley thought and pursed her lips before she went on with her quest to look for the school's Biology class replaying the scene in her mind.

She couldn't skip another class though. What kind of first impression would that be?

🔱🔱🔱

Which way was the dormitories again?

It would have been more helpful if Casey, Blake or Jason were in the same building as she was, but unfortunately, none of them took complete AP classes for all subjects. Her best friend had explained that each building represents the level a student stood. There was the 'Novice Ground' building, that being those students who scored anything below a 'B+'

A fucking B!

Never in her life of schooling has a 'B' been the lowest grade in the whole Academy. Though she is smart, that was just ridiculous. She couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of competition she was going to have to face if she was planning on staying here. Though, a fully funded scholarship was apparently offered to the student how come up on top, she was sure she couldn't handle such pressure.

That thought brought her to recall the deal she made with her father and a shudder shot through her body for the second time that day.

I'm so screwed.

Suddenly, doing two courses felt like a bad idea. It was her first day, but she wanted out and she'd only had two bloody classes.

The lectures weren't very encouraging either.

Ashley looked around the eerie empty compound, noting that the building she was in, also apparently known as the 'Elite Grounds' didn't have as much students as Casey, Blake and Jason's building, 'Pioneer Grounds' which was the middle point of the three sections. Ashley shuddered as she thought about the competition once again. The top ten students in the Pioneer Grounds were given a scholarship, a chance to be elected student council—which was a great flex here apparently—and a monthly funding to utilize as they wish.

The Elite Grounds was the best of the three, or so she's heard from her former school. Grudgeford Academy has been a topic there on the daily, though mostly for boy talk, which was typical for an all girl schools. The top three in the Elite Section got rewarded with everything other grounds had, as well as a secure and guaranteed internship spot and later job offers to almost any of the biggest corporate companies around the globe. Ashley had been confident she would make it, but seeing how things were, she was starting to have second doubts.

Come to think of it she hadn't met anyone from this side of the university other than Akira, Eros and Ally. The hallway was almost always empty, and from the two classes she's attended so far, only about a dozen seats combined were occupied. It made her wonder what the rest were like, if there were others.

Sighing, she followed a random path, hoping that someone hadn't already helped themselves to her suitcases that were apparently already taken to her dorm room.

Sure, take the suitcases, but not their owner.

Casey had told her to take them to the office next to the reception and leave them with a man who would take care of them while she attended her classes. Ashley shook her head, she was disappointed at herself for not asking Casey where the dormitories were in time. She had been in a hurry though hence why Ashley was cluelessly wandering around the hallway. It made her feel like a ghost trapped in the school; forced to hover around the grounds for eternity.

This is my life now, isn't it?

Ashley looked out at the dark sky from the huge window standing tall beside her. She squinted at the setting sun and pursed her lips upon seeing huge, dark grey, clouds glaring down at her; mocking her and beckoning her to hurry up. 

She grimaced.

If it rains I—

She cut her thoughts short when she spotted a tall figure up in the distance, walking down the same path as her.

She increased her pace, her feet hitting the asphalt road, making almost little to no noise. As she got closer, she noticed they were dressed in a loose fitting, black vest and sweats; with their tattooed arms exposed.

He turned his head a bit to the side as he rounded the corner leading to where she assumed was outside the building—judging from the light that suddenly lit up his defined features. She was able to catch a glimpse of his face in that moment, though she had no idea who this person was.

Seriously, is everyone pretty in this school? What are they feeding them?

Sighing, she quickened her pace to catch up to him and ask him for the directions to the student dormitories. Turning the same corner he did, she was about to call out to him once she rounded the corner when she was grabbed by her forearm and pushed against a wall in an instant. Her back hit the wall causing her to scrunch her nose in a whimper at the sudden impact. The most captivating blue eyes stared down at her with a foul, hard look swimming in them.

Uh—oh

"You're following me." He stated, clearly agitated as his jaw pulsed.

"I—umm—Yes." She stuttered, pausing to clear her throat.

Was I walking that loud? She wondered, oblivious to how loudly she had been stomping her feet.

"I was heading the same way you're headed." She answered, realizing that she missed her chance to ask his for directions. To him, she could be a stalker or something.

His eyes narrowed dubiously, "Were you?" He asked, his tattooed arms caging her between the wall and his towering body.

Ashley nodded, suddenly aware of their closeness.

Jeez, she thought, his eyes are so—

He held her gaze with a slightly cocked eyebrow, obviously not believing her. His eyes however, weirdly revealed nothing; they held absolutely no expression. It made Ashley wonder if it was a Grudgeford thing. She however, gave him the answer to his silent question.

"The—uh—Basketball court?" She said unsure, winging it because he was wearing a vest. She remembered how people from her former school always made a big deal about their basketball team, mostly gushing about how cute they were. If she remembered correctly, there had been mentions of a guy with the bluest eyes anyone had ever seen leading the team.

Imagine if I'm wrong about this.

His arms dropped to his side as he took a step back with his lips pressed tightly into a thin line.

"The Dormitories are straight ahead and make a left, the buildings on both sides of the path. I don't think I've seen you before, so you must be new and lost." He instructed before he turned on his heels and did a little jog down the three steps that let out the Elite building.

Probably towards the said court, she thought

Ashley cocked her head to the side and wondered what would have happened if she had been someone else, someone who wasn't a newcomer.

She pursed her lips and looked at the path in front of him, then towards her left, where he was walking with long, hurried yet calculated steps. 

"Hey wait!"

But he didn't, just kept on walking. Ashley followed behind him once again with a giddy smile on her face.

"Mind if I come with? I used to play basketball in my old school." She said, hoping to get off on a better note. She walked besides him with her hands in her skirt pockets. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes before he shrugged and stuffed his own hands in to his front pockets.

"No, for real." She said with a chuckle when he turned his gaze towards her with his eyebrows scrunched in doubt. "I'll have you know, good sir, I am very athletic." She said, as she stuck her chin up in the air with a small smile playing at the corner of her lips.

"What's your name?" He asked, his voice a little less cold compared to before and his shoulders completely relaxed.

"Ashley Crowther. Just admitted today." She said and was about to ask about himself when the basketball court suddenly came to view. 

It would have been an understatement to say that it was the most beautiful court she'd ever seen. On the ground, dim white lights illuminated the floor despite the fact that they had street lights on the paths, and that it wasn't that dark out yet.

There was a multitude of people standing around, some were chatting among themselves and others throwing some hoops. It was almost as if they were waiting for something. A handful of them dressed in a black and red basketball jersey—obviously being the team—while the rest were out of their uniforms and either dressed casually, slutty or as if they threw on whatever they find. Ashley looked at her very short skirt, black knee length socks and school shoes. She suddenly became incredibly self-conscious and grimaced at the face that she was still in uniform.

She had found out that it was only to be worn in events that included all three sections of the Academy, and that there had been a sports day earlier today among the students, hence why she was required to admit wearing the uniform. On any other day, University students were free to wear whatever they choose, as long as it was within the school's official dressing code.

Ashley lifted her eyes back at the man—who was yet to tell her his name, confirming her hypothesis that he indeed was the guy everyone had been talking about.

She suddenly frowned, noticing that all the players were guys. She was about to ask how come when he beat her to it,

"They don't try out." He said, as they approached the black court with eyes slowly turning towards their direction.

More staring, she thought, great.

"I will." She muttered, softly, raising her chin proudly.

He frowned stopping on his tracks and causing her to do the same sub-consciously.

"Hey Ashley!" A new voice said, cutting their moment short.

They both snapped their heads to the voice.

Akira from her math class stood at the middle of the court with a group of friends and had his hand waving at Ashley from where he was. She smiled at him and waved back with as more enthusiasm as him.

He jogged over towards them with a grin on his face; stopping next to Ashley and nodding at the guy. He nodded back, his frown still on his face as his eyes raked around the court. Ashley raised an eyebrow at him but didn't question him any further.

"What are you doing here?" Akira asked her, a sweet smile on his face, "—in uniform too."

"I came to try out." She said with a shrug.

As soon as those words were out, tense silence oddly filled the air. She frowned at Akira's suddenly tensed state. He cast a brief look in the guy's direction then looked back at Ashley with his lips pursed.

"You sure about that?—" He paused as his eyebrows creased, "—the team is pretty strict with their training. Even I have a hard time keeping up."

"Well, I'll have you know that I was assistant captain in Green Field," She paused, "—so I'm pretty used to tough drills and all." She said, looking at the guy she followed here with a hope look in her eyes.

She shrugged for the second time since they met.

"Ten three pointers" He said, his cold demeanor from before now completely vanished. 

Ashley grinned and was about to thank him when he walked ahead and stepped into the court. The others automatically followed him as if he was dragging them with an invisible chain that was tied around their waists.

"Is he Captain?" Ashley asked Aki who shook his head with a snicker.

"No, he's just in charge. No one else could do it." he clarified with a shrug, "—are you sure about this though?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Ashley frowned.

Just how bad is it?

She thought and voiced her question. 

Akira shrugged, "Sometimes practice can go on for a whole day, in the weekends too. You get held back with your studies a lot too. Don't even get me started on the tournaments. It's hard to balance both basketball and school work."

"Still, it wouldn't hurt to give it a go. It was the same in my old school." Ashley said as she stuck her chin higher in the air smirked at him.

He shook his head, and let out a scoff.

"Alright. I just wish someone told me when I tried out." he said, crossing his arms across his chest "—had to find out the hard way." He finished then nodded his heed towards the middle of the court.

Ashley followed his gaze and met with those blue eyes once again. He raised an eyebrow at her with a spadling ball held on his right hand, "Guess that's my cue." She said, her lip twitching into an amused smile.

"Good luck," He said, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a light squeeze, "—you'll need it to impress him."

Ashley sent him a weak smile, suddenly feeling nervous about the whole thing. She took a deep breath and approached the man. She was yet to know his name, but that was the least of her worries. Akira followed beside her, placing a hand reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'll get your rebounds for ya." He offered once she looked up at him then jogged ahead on her and stood near the hoop.

The man stepped towards her and tossed her the ball saying nothing. He took a step back and crossed his arms. Ashley stood in front of the rim at the three point line the ball in her hands. She took a deep breath and dribbled it once, before she got into her shooting stance. The silence was killing her, but she assumed she was the only one in the court and went for the shot. The ball went straight through the rim, and out through the net under it. Akira caught her rebound and passed the ball back to her; adding an adorable little wink in the form of a cheer.

Six shots down the line and the crowd was cheering her on. She made the next three and was at the last shot. The tension was back and she grimaced.

Okay, Ashley, you can do this.

She dribbled the ball before getting to her stance once again. Taking a deep breath once again, she took her last shot and watched as the ball rolled rounded the rim before hesitating and finally falling into the rim. She grinned and turned to him.

"Ha!" she said, grinning like an idiot and almost did an embarrassing, cringe worthy happy dance.

His face remained completely cool, even after she finished her terrible dance and met his eyes. He looked away and let out a single, breathy chuckle. 

"Find a team for a mock game, if you can't let me know and I'll organize one for you. I want to see how you play." He said then turned, walked a few steps before he stopped and looked at her from over his shoulder. He was so tall that all he could see was the top of her head. Any lower and his neck would break.

"—good job, rookie." He continued,then turned back and walked towards a group that automatically formed as he approached. Ashley could guess that they were most likely the main team by how they carried themselves. They were all freakishly tall and seemed to be close to each other. One of the players had another in a head lock, but he didn't seem to mind and just stood there at an awkward angle.

Ashley cocked her head to the side as she watched them interact with the man in charge, talking animatedly with him and nodding to whatever he was saying. He must have mentioned her because all their eyes suddenly snapped in her direction. Ashley's shoulders jumped and she looked around the court in a feeble attempt to hide the fact that she had been staring at them.

"That was epic!" Casey's voice suddenly exclaimed, unintentionally saving Ashley some of the embarrassment. Ashley had seen them walk over on her fifth shot but for the sake of not losing her streak, she didn't acknowledge them.

She saw her, Blake, Jason and Ally approaching her from the left side of the court and smirked. hey blinked and stopped on their tracks once they saw the dark look in her eyes, cautiously rethinking their move.

Oh this is perfect, Ashley thought, her smirk widening sardonically.

Their eyes widened simultaneously when they caught on to what she was trying to do.

"Absolutely not." Casey said, taking a step back and narrowing her eyes.

"Come on, you guys, please?" Ashley said.

Blake, Jason and Ally's shoulders slumped in defeat while Casey chuckled nervously and took another step back.

"You—you know, I have—something to—uh—." she made a move to take off when Ally gripped her collar, her face hard yet playful at the same time; although the latter didn't show so much.

"I don't think so." She said, letting her go with a ghost smile hovering on her lips.

Casey sighed with a pout on her face and defeat in her brown eyes.

"Fine. But I'm warning you right now. I suck." She said, looking up at Ashley.

"Thanks, I owe you guys." She said, a smirk still plastered on her smug face.

"Like hell you do." Casey said, before suddenly clearing her throat, her eyes on something or rather, someone behind Ashley.

She turned and saw the guy in charge towering behind her, though this time, his eyes were fixed on Ally. He said nothing but frowned and instead looked outside the court with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"I'm not playing again." Ally suddenly said, her green eyes shining with an unreadable expression in them. 

The guy silently turned and walked back to his team who were watching the group before they quickly snapped their gazes at something other than them.

"Let's do this" Ally suddenly remarked.

"You used to play?" Ashley asked, genuine interested. A small part of her wished she would play again so she wouldn't have to be the only girl on the team. That is, if she made it.

"For a while. But I couldn't keep up." Ally said and walked to the half-line, the rest following behind her with unamused looks on their faces. Ashley frowned after them, wanting to rethinking her decision, but realizing it was too late. Besides, she really did enjoy basketball, she it couldn't be that bad.

I can always quit if it's too much to handle anyways.

VOTE. COMMENT. AND KEEP BEING AWESOME.

©