Chapter 30 Ryder or Chase?
Uriel's POV
I didn't enjoy basketball much.
It was even worse that nobody on the team interested me to stay and watch
Though when Ryder was team captain, I had unintentionally stayed for one... or two of their games, watching from the back of a bleacher, hiding between tall bodies.
I wanted to see how good the idiot was that gave him the ego he had.
Honestly, he was fucking good.
A natural, I'd say.
Speaking of Ryder, we hadn't spoken since that incident.
I didn't know how to confront him about telling Emma about what happened between us.
It was too heavy to even speak out. Though, if I found out it was really him and it was about what happened, I'd never talk to him ever again.
"And lastly, micro microphone." Kathie called out. I held it out, smiling.
"Check."
"Okay girl. You sure you don't want to join?" Kathie asked Chloe who made it her duty to drop us off, after dressing us up.
"Nahhh. I can't face Peter." Chloe shook her head.
Suddenly I remembered something, holding the door open. "Have you... heard from Lance? I kinda shoved him off last time." I said nervously.
"Not at all." Chloe shook her head. Same with Kathie.
"Come on! The game has started." Kathie held my hand, pulling me with her. We waved Chloe a goodbye and hurried to get a good spot at the bleacher for better sight and reporting.
"I'll be back. I need to talk to Stacy. She's over there." Kathie pointed at the front row of the bleacher.
I nodded, taking a seat.
"Looks like a very hidden spot, doesn't it?"
I half-yelled, holding my chest as I turned to the direction of the voice. "R..Ry ... Ryder?"
He raised his eyebrow at me, probably wondering why I reacted the way I did.
"I didn't see you there." Breathing softly, I said.
"That's why I like this spot." He shrugged, running his hand through his neatly braided cornrow.
"I see."
The basketball began and Kathie was not back. I adjusted comfortably in my skin, my heart racing fast from just feeling the heat of his body.
His hand landed on my thigh, his pinky finger buried under my skirt. I sucked in long breath, my body freezing for a moment.
"Stop bouncing your legs. It's distracting." His tone was normal, not sultry but yet...
It made me hot.
When I turned to face him, his eyes were buried in the basketball, his hand still on my thigh.
I knew I should've worn trousers.
I really tried to concentrate but it wasn't so easy to do when he unconsciously or deliberately, I don't know, squeezed my thigh when the rival ballers were close to winning a point.
Let us not even talk about the way his pinky fingers grazed my inner thigh from time to time.
Having hand enough, I pushed his hand away shyly, asking him the one question I had dreaded to, "did you tell Emma a...about what we - the stuff that happened... You know."
His lips lifted up into an amused smirk, "you've been saying a lot without saying anything, Kinky?"
"Come on, don't make me say it. Somebody might hear." I leaned closer, talking in hushed tone.
"So?"
"Just answer me, please. A honest one." I told him, playing with my hands nervously.
The whistle sound snapped his attention to the field. Urghh!
"Shit!" He balled his hand into a fist. After a while, his shoulder relaxed, then he spoke again. "No, I didn't."
"Sorry?"
"That was the answer to your question, Uriel. I didn't tell Emma that I played with her sister's -"
"Ryder." My eyes widened.
He snorted, leaned into the dark corner, hiding his face.
Now I couldn't see how he looked when he laughed.
"Why are you not on the field, by the way." I asked, wondering out loud.
"What the fuck? That's a shit ass pass!" He spoke, his tone hard.
I snapped my mouth shut.
He continued scolding his team members from where he sat until he got tired.
"Life moves in circles. You don't know where you'd find yourself until you find yourself. So, do what you love."
Those were the only words he uttered before disappearing into the night.
The harsh wind of the evening blew hard, making me shiver lightly.
Curse you, Chloe.
She didn't let me carry my sweater. Something about how it was going to ruin my dressing.
The buzzer went off.
The crowd from my school yelled in jubilations. For me, I was just happy that I could finally go home.
"Sorry babes. Stacy wanted us to stay together for it so she could put me through. I'm so sorry." Kathie apologized sincerely.
"That's good. I've seen the game, can we go now?"
Kathie laughed, shaking her head. "You're not going to congratulate the team? Or the boy who made you come? What planet do you come from?"
"I have to return his head band by the way." I brought it out of my small pursue where I had kept it.
It should've been on my head but it just didn't feel right.
"Let's go to the boys locker room then, I need to interview them." Kathie pulled me by my hand.
"Huh?"
My mouth fell open.
Before I could protest, we were already close. A group of boys had gathered around, forming a circle.
"What's happening?" I asked softly.
"Make way!" Kathie yelled, passing through the crowd of boys until we were in front.
A loud gasp that got lost in the boisterous cheers, escaped my lips.
Why did I always walk into these type of things?
"Trust me, I'd make sure you get all the fucking dirty deets!" Chase smirked at Ryder.
Ryder pushed him back by his chest, fisting his hand and delivering a hard punch to Chase so fast that I almost missed it.
Chase spurted out blood from his mouth. His eyes was red. He tried to take Ryder by the face too but missed it, his knuckle just grazing his cheek.
"Don't get into this." Kathie held my hand.
"Someone has to stop them." My eyes snapped back to Ryder as he continuously threw his fist across Chase's face, while Chase pressed his thumb into his eyeballs.
Shutting everyone out and Kathie's plea, I pulled Ryder back with all my might, digging my nails into his arm.
"It's enough, Ryder." I placed my hands on his chest, holding his face down to meet mine. "Please. You'll get suspended if coach sees this."
His eyes softened a bit, his chest still heaving up and down. He shoved my hand off his face, eyeing Chase dreadfully.
I was pushing him away with me as I left when Chase held my forearm, stopping me.
"Hey. I thought you came here to watch me play, Uriel? Where are you going now?" Chase spoke softly.
"Yeah, I've seen you play too. It was a great game. Congratulations." My words sounded too dry, almost unbelievable.
Too monotone.
Chase wasn't satisfied, he asked, "better than the way Ryder played back then, isn't it?"
My eyes fluttered as I tried to understand where he was going with the question.
How would he compare?
"Motherfucker." I heard Ryder mutter and then he took me by my hand, "let's go, Kennedy."
My foot had already moved an inch with Ryder when Chase held my hand firmly.
"No. She stays with me."
Ryder frowned at me. Chase raised his eyebrow at me.
My pulse quickened.
I was suddenly feeling light headed from being in the middle of the dilemma.
"Let her choose then." Ryder's firm got stronger, possessive. "Chase..."
"Or Ryder?"
So I throw it back to you reading this...
Do I go back with the boy who was making my heart race wildly from only standing next to him
Or
Do I go with the school's golden boy who was trying his best to befriend me?