Chapter 17: The New NBA Player.

I'm sitting in the kitchen, minding my own business, when I hear a ball being tossed around in the driveway.

Well considering I live with a basketball player, the sound doesn't affect me anymore.

But Noah isn't home right now, it's only my parents and I, Sophia is (finally) on a date with Noah and Isabella and Blake decided to go out as well.

Leaving only one person as a culprit.

Oliver.

I opened the door and stepped out, "Hey," I called.

Oliver immediately stopped playing and looked up at me, yes, because I'm standing on the porch I'm taller than him, yay.

"Hey," he smiled softly, "I was waiting for Noah, he said he wanted to play today, but I think he kinda forgot." Oliver sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

I frowned a little, that's not nice.

"I can play with you." I suggested.

"You know how?" He asked.

"Not really, no, but you can teach me." I offered and stepped off of the porch, walking over to him.

"Okay," is he blushing? Why?

"Do you know how to dribble?" He asked.

"I think so," he passed me the ball and I started to, what I presume is, dribble.

"Yeah, just faster." He said.

I managed to do what he said and then he started to teach me how to run and dribble at the same time.

Is this a good time to say that I have no athletic abilities whatsoever, and I don't have enough coordination for this.

Fuck.

After about an hour of me running with the basketball in my hands, while trying to dribble, dribble is such an annoying word, I finally succeeded.

"Okay, now onto dunking the ball in the hoop," he started to explain how to do so.

I'm also wearing jean shorts with one of Noah's shirts, the shirt is comfortable, it's the shorts I have a problem with, they are so annoying.

Oliver started showing me the hand movements of dunking, it's not that hard.

"Now, put it all together." Oliver said.

And I tried, I really did, but when I got to the hoop and tried to dunk, I realized that I'm barely half the height of the thing and even when I jump, which isn't very high, I don't reach it.

I turn around, a whole ass frown on my face, I just spent an hour and a half on a stupid game that I can't even play properly, I prefer soccer. Oliver is trying to contain his laughter but he is failing miserably.

"Don't laugh," I punch his arm, that'll shut him up.

It didn't, I punch hard.

In fact he started laughing even harder, which made me laugh.

We sound like dying hyenas, well me more than him, he sounds normal.

"That was the greatest thing I saw in a while," he clutched his stomach, this guy needs a new entertainment system, "I just got reminded why I call you Smalls." He put his arms on my shoulders and crouched a little, he put his forehead on mine.

"Hi," I breathed with a smile.

"Hi," he replied, a smile also on his face, "You're beautiful." He randomly complimented.

"Thank you, you are beautiful too." Can someone slap me please? Hey, I haven't asked that in a while.

"Thank you, Smalls." His smile becoming impossibly bigger.

"I'll help you dunk if you want," he offered.

I nodded, well as much as one can nod with someone else's forehead on theirs.

He stepped away, "Start from the top." He said, so I went to the edge of the driveway, Oliver stayed standing near the hoop, and started running while dribbling the ball.

When I reached the hoop, I felt arms wrap around my waist and lift me up, so I come almost face to face with the hoop, I take my chance, and dunk.

I immediately lift my hands up in victory, I played basketball.

Oliver puts me down and turns me around, smiling, he's always smiling, cute.

"You did it." He said enthusiastically.

"We did it." I replied.

"Mhm,"

"Don't mhm me," I take it to heart.

"Mhm," oh he's in an annoying mood huh.

"Mhm," I replied.

"Mhm," it's like we're communicating by humming.

"Okay, stop." I put my hand to his mouth so he'll stop humming at me.

Then I feel something wet on my hand, the bitch licked me.

"Eww," I wiped my hand on his shirt, the muscle underneath is very strong, just a small observation.

"You taste like sweat," he's grinning like a little psycho. Weirdo.

"Cause guess what I've been doing for the past hour and a half?" I rhetorically asked.

"Sweated?" Idiot.

I need to stop insulting people in my head.

"Yes, dipshit." I chuckled, I decided to insult people out loud instead.

"Oh so we have an attitude now, huh?" He smirks.

"Yup," I try to untangle myself from him.

Which results in him tightening his hold, "You're a pretty epic player," he smiles.

"You think? I should've been a basketball player then." I tease.

"Absolutely."

I smiled.

"You know, everyone's on a date today, how about me and you go out too?" Oliver offered.

"That sounds good," I said while trying to contain the butterflies that have erupted in my tummy.

"Yeah?"

I nodded.

"Great, so I'll run home and get ready, you do that too and we'll meet here in half an hour, sounds good?"

"Yup," a broader smile taking over my face.

"Great, dress casual," he kissed my forehead and started jogging towards his house, oh yeah, Oliver lives down the road from me, thought I should mention that.

I turn to my house and go in, seeing my parents sitting on the couch, I look at the clock and see that it's six P.M. I have time.

I went over to the couch and sat next to my parents.

Even though I've been home for a month and a half, I barely see them, I miss them.

"Hey, honey." My dad looked over at me and smiled.

"How are you baby?" My mom ran her hands over my hair.

"Pretty good." I reply.

"I saw you played basketball with Oliver, how was that?" Dad asked.

"I dunked," I smile widely.

"Yeah?" He asked and I nodded, "That's my girl." He gave me a high five.

"We're actually about to go out in around twenty minutes," I mentioned.

"So what are you still doing here, go get ready, you smell sweaty." I love my mom.

I gave them both a bone crushing hug, which both of them had something to say about me being smelly, and went up the stairs to my room to get ready for date night.

***

Hey, hi, hello.

How are you?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, would you please vote? Thanks bb.

I suck at basketball terms so if I got anything wrong please tell me.

I decided to have the date thing on the next chapter cause I'm just cool like that, not really.

Anyhow, I finally finished where the crawdads sing and I was shocked, for some reason it took me like two weeks to finish it and I'm that of a slow reader.

QOTC☟︎

K, love you, bye *cue extreme hand waving*. <3.