LS: The Beginning (32 page)

The away team arrived on court before the school team left their locker
room, and when the home team entered the court, the cheers and screams from the spectators were incredibly loud. Lisa and I had to cover our ears
with our hands; that was the main reason why we avoided going to watch
basketball, baseball, football, and soccer games. The noise was unbearable. I noticed people staring at us whilst we covered our ears, but frankly we weren’t bothered.

Derrick looked almost like he did during the first game of the season, except for the minor injury on his left arm. It had been a while since we spoke. In fact, the last time I heard from him was through Facebook.

The game began with the away team gaining the tossed ball. The
coaches were seated throughout the first quarter of the game, and it
finished with the school’s team leading by two points. At half time, the
away team was six points behind Derrick and his teammates. During the half time break, Sharon and I left the court to enjoy the fresh air of Sloutenville – or at least that was the excuse we gave Lisa and Catherine, who stayed behind to watch the cheerleaders.

“How do guys approach you?” I asked her as we reached our
destination.

Sharon chuckled. “Why do you ask? And where is this coming from?”

I turned to look into her tawny brown eyes. “Because I’m scared,” I said.

“You’re scared of approaching a girl?” She raised her left eyebrow.

“Well, sort of. Don’t get me wrong, there’s this girl I’m crazy about.”

“But?” she asked.

“But, I don’t know if she likes me and I'm afraid that if I tell her
how I feel, it'll change our relationship as friends.”

Sharon edged closer.
“Who’s the girl? Do I know her?”

She asked the same question Lisa had asked me. I didn’t tell Lisa as she
was the one, but I had no good reason to keep it from Sharon. There was a problem, though: we weren’t far away from Lisa, and if I
admitted she was the one, she would probably hear. However, it would be
easier to confront her once she knew how I felt toward her, but then I still
contemplated. I was forced to tell Sharon after I heard her ask herself, “
Am I the one
?” But, of course, she didn't say it aloud. I had read her mind.

I looked away from her, because I couldn't stand to see her facial expression. “It’s Lisa,” I said, and then there was a long silence as we stood staring at each other.

“Oh, that’s awesome,” she said.

I was expecting a reply like,
“Oh,
I
see,”
or maybe just an ‘okay’, but her response was really hard to understand. She
was the true definition of what a friend should be: supportive, even when there’s no good reason to be.

“You guys are perfect for each other,” she added.

“You think so?” I asked.

“Yeah, people who aren’t close to you would think you guys are already
dating.”

Oh, really? No wonder Derrick had teased me the other day about being her boyfriend. I’d thought he was just jealous that she hardly talked to him.

I glanced at my wristwatch. It was time to return to the game.

“So what do you think I should do?” I asked.

“Talk to her and see how she feels. I believe she likes you too,” Her cheeks lifted a bit as she smiled.

“Why makes you say that?”

“Just the way she looks at you, like you’re other half,” Sharon
replied.

I smiled at the thought of what she said, but then how true was it? Only Lisa could give me the correct answer.

“Thank you so much.”

She laughed. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For your advice,” I replied as we walked back to the court.

“Okay. Well, thanks for confiding in me,” she said.

"Anytime."

We returned to our seats. Sharon had given me the courage to approach Lisa, but the question was, would I? Was it worth destroying everything I’d gained with her? What if she said: ‘No, Stephen, I don’t like you in that way, I just want us to be friends’?

Lisa smiled as I sat down. “We have a lot to discuss, mister,” she said.

“Oh, do we?” I asked. “All right, if you say so.”

We enjoyed the game; maybe because the school’s
team led the
away
team all through the game. There was a moment when
the commentator acknowledged my presence by discussing briefly how
I’d left the team after the first match I’d played.

Derrick turned out to be the best
player of both halves, with the highest number of points and assists, which
made me feel quitting the team, was the right choice. I’d have overshadowed his natural talents with my supernatural skills. It didn’t seem right.

Lisa suggested that we drop Sharon and Catherine off at Sharon’s house,
since they lived together because Catherine’s parents had sold their
old
house.

The girls mimicked
the songs that were playing during the ride home, even the driver. Lisa joined them. It felt a bit odd, since I didn't know the lyrics to most of the songs. It felt a bit uncomfortable being around the girls most of the time, but I had to be with Lisa no matter what.

“Thanks for driving us home,” Catherine said as we dropped them off.

“Anytime,” Lisa replied, and the two girls smiled at each other.

As Lisa drove away from their street, she turned to look at me. “I'm listening,” she said. Her voice was smoother than usual.

“I don’t understand?” I asked.

“What were you and Sharon discussing?”

I leaned back. “Oh, about that,” I said.

“Yes, that, so talk,” she said. Her two hands and eyes affixed on the steering as she drove.

“What did you hear?” I asked. There was no way in the world I could
open up to her in the car. I felt it was the wrong place and wrong time to
discuss what could be a life-changing topic.

She didn't reply, and so we remained silent until we reached her house. She pushed the car door and supersonically ran to
her room, which seldom happened. My attempt to dodge the conversation must have annoyed her.

She'd changed into her nightgown when I arrived at her room. Her expression was neither angry nor agitated. T
his was one of those moments I wished I could read her thoughts. Oh, how I longed to really know what she was thinking
.

“Why is it so hard for you to say?” she asked.

She hugged her pillow as she sat on the edge of her bed. I joined her.

“It isn’t to others,
but to look into your eyes and say it, that’s hard.”

"It shouldn't be," she stated.

"I know, but what can I do?"

Lisa scowled. "You can talk to me." I glanced at the huge portrait that was placed adjacent to the bed. It seemed as though the girl in the painting was staring right into my soul, just like the famous painting of Mona Lisa. "Look at me," Lisa yelled.

I slowly turned to face her.

"How long are we going to keep lying to each other?"

I stared at her for a while, thinking of the words to say as my heart pounded.
I was really nervous. Butterflies swarmed around in my
 
 stomach that felt like
dragons. I never thought I’d ever be in such a position. Most guys
wouldn’t be so insecure. I stood up from the bed and went straight to the balcony without
looking back at Lisa. I couldn’t bear to see her face.

She followed me to the balcony, resting her back on the railing. Her eyes seemed watery; was she about to cry? I hoped not.

“Please. You can tell me,” she urged in a low voice.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. She had pushed me to the point where excuses
and lies seemed foolish. “Well, remember the girl I told you about in the car today?” I asked.

Lisa's golden eyes narrowed and grew red, causing the tears to vaporize. He red eyes widened and then went back to golden.
Watching the transition of the two colors was amazing. I loved
the way she could control her powers.

“Yes, I remember,” she said. “What about her?”

I made certain my dark brown eyes gazed right into her glistening
hazel eyes. This was it: the right time - Now or never.

Slowly choosing each word with purpose, I said, “That girl is you. Lisa, I’m deeply in
love with you.”

The tears she’d evaporated from her eyes returned back with immediate alacrity and rushed down her cheeks like a small waterfall. Automatically, this made me suspect a pitiful rejection from her. I knew it; I was going get the cliché: ‘let’s be friends’.

She reached for my hands. “I love you too, Stephen,” she said.

It felt like an explosion, but a good one as I heard those words rush out from her mouth. We stood still, staring at each other’s lips, or at least I was staring at hers. This was the perfect time to seal this moment of honesty with a kiss, but did she want to? I was uncertain.

After a long minute of endless longing, she removed her hands from my grasp and stretched her arms forward, urging me to come closer to her. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, clinging to her soft, hot body. She didn't want to kiss, so we hugged each other. This was a new beginning.

Chapter Seventeen

The Invitation

Meeting Lisa was human, but knowing how she felt toward me was divine. Imagine if she'd said otherwise. I don't think this chapter would ever have been able to exits. I'd have probably gone MIA, or perhaps remained her friend and suffered the endless torture of not being with her, if her response had been any different than what it was – thank – God.

Lisa had informed Sharon and Catherine the next day
after our discussion. They were so pleased, especially Sharon, who couldn't stop smiling. I knew a part of her wished Lisa had said ‘I don’t love you or want to date you’, so I’d look to her for comfort. Well, I was one cake she couldn’t have or eat.
I didn’t bother to inform Stacey, because I was sure of
her reaction.

Asking Lisa out was weird. I'd always thought a guy would
propose and a girl would in turn say
yes
or
no. It was totally different in our
case. Once we knew how we felt toward each other, the relationship bit was easy. Calvin was surprised when he heard his elder sister and I were going out; he’d thought we were going out since the time I argued excessively
with his father.