"It's quite rowdy today." Luke was tired of the nonstop buzz of activity. From the moment he entered school this morning to this moment on the courtyard bench, everything was a hype of activity.
"It's to be expected. The winter games did start today and we won't be done till the end of the week." Jess on the other hand bubbled with restrained excitement. In her opinion it was sure to be a fun week. Luke didn't share in her excitement, he'd rather spend the week avoiding everyone.
Jess' hand dipped to the cake between them. One taste and she couldn't get enough. They were meant to share it for lunch, but her sneaky hands shoveled it to her without notice. As always Luke didn't say anything, he barely acknowledged the rapidly disappearing cake. At most he would put up a very faint smile whenever her hands moved to grab another slice.
"Do you plan to participate in the games?" Luke posed her the question with an utter lack of interest. He wasn't planning to participate, just hole himself up reading or planning his next cake.
"Of course. I've already signed up for a few activities. I was hoping try my luck at volleyball and badminton. But I'm especially interested in the dance competition, I'll show of some awe-inspiring moves. Who knows I might invite a special guest to the stage when I win." She wiggled her eyebrows at him, earning a deep sigh and a reproachful gaze.
*BLUMM!*
There as a large blare of noise, the source—a rowdy bunch approaching with a horn. Lukehiem recognized the group after spotting the jerseys they wore. The basketball club, a rowdy long-limbed bunch.
He had very little regard for their sport—it was one that made very little sense to him and it was probably the most boring sport that involved a ball. The long-limbed bunch passed a basketball around themselves, blaring the horn with each successful catch.
A cursory glance at his bright-haired companion revealed her curiosity and excitement. "Do you also want to enroll for basketball too? They seem like a rowd–nice people." Jess just smiled and shook her head, her previously excitement gradually fading.
A fast moving projectile entered his perception, heading straight for him. Luke sighed and poised his hands ready to recieve it. A second layer it was cradled I his palms with a low *thud*. His annoyance rose a bit, and he flashed the perpetrator an empty stare.
Like a disembodied hive, the whole group approached in unison. The tall one that threw the ball was at the forefront of the group—tall was a horrible was to describe him, they were all tall. He needed a more defining characteristic. "Hey I'm r-really sorry about that. H-hope you didn't get hurt." There was a slight stammer in his speech, he'd found his descriptor.
Lukehiem tossed him the ball, choosing to remain quiet. The long-limbed youth with a light stammer caught the ball with ease but continued to just stand there. After a long while of awkward silence, Jess unable to beat the weight of their eyes—especially from a group as tall as they were—decided to 'nudge' Luke in the shoulder.
Lukehiem anticipated the coming blow but took it without complaint, his shoulder did hurt a bit though. He finally raised his head and gave Jess an inquisitory look. "You have a bunch of people waiting. Speak to them." She sounded miffed, Luke turned to the waiting group of eyes.
The group flinched slightly when they finally met the empty, forlorn, emotionless eyes that they had hoped to appease. Dorn, the one that threw the ball felt less inclined to spark conversation. It was like he wasn't being seen, or better yet being seen through, even though he was sure that the boy's eyes were meeting his.
"I'm r-really sor-ry about that. I miscalculated when I thr-rew the ball. Hope you'r-re okay?" Dorn finally gathered up some courage to apologise again. Those hollow electric-blue moons left him, darting to the people behind—long enough for Dorn to sigh in relief. He couldn't say the same for the others, they were as deeply unsettled as he was—prehaps worse, Sandra was prone to anxiety.
"Oh, it's quite alright. You can be on your way, I'm sorry for keeping you." There was a tranquil grace to the way he spoke and moved. It didn't match his eyes and it made him feel even more eerie, like delicate machinery hiding many traps. Dorn was glad that this interaction was over and was more than satisfied to leave it as is. But...
"That was a really good catch. Guys did you see that... He wasn't even looking at the ball and he caught it with so much ease," Dorn wanted to drive his fist into Jerry's head, why couldn't he keep his mouth shut and let them leave. "Hey dude, ever been interested in basketball, I'm sure you would make a great Center." Jerry's enthusiasm was not appreciated, neither by his friends or the person he was trying to recruit.
"Umm Jer-rry I don't think h-he is interested. Let's g-get going we have to get to pr-ractice." Dorn was quick to intervene, he noticed that the hollow-eyed youth frowned ever-so-slightly, his companion on the other hand bloomed with mischief. Her fist was already sailing towards his shoulder. "That sounds like a good idea. You wouldn't mind if we tagged along and gave it a try, would you?"
Lukehiem rubbed on his shoulder, his neck snapped to the pastel coloured hair when he heard her. He took in the mischief on her face, the smug snarl she regarded him with, he knew in that moment that fighting her maniacal plans would be fruitless. That aside he had sparked some curiosity about the sport.
All his earlier opinions were based on secondhand perspective. He had never experienced the game itself. Perhaps the experience will provide him new insight in his quest for self development, just like with the cake a few days prior. Up till that point he had never baked one for himself and now he had never played a game himself. A little stretch wouldn't hurt.
"I agree with my friend here, a trial of the sport would be a new experience. You wouldn't mind if we tagged along, would you?" For the first time ever Dorn was hesitant about sharing the wonders of the court with someone.
As tall as he was he couldn't even mouth the rejection, neither could he bring himself to accept. Those blank eyes didn't show a sliver of interest, nor of any good intentions whatsoever—they didn't show bad intentions either... but still...
"Of course, we'd be happy to have you. Ain't that right guys," Jerry piped out, the group was silent, eventually a few voiced they acceptance with subdued voices. "Don't mind them, there just a bit.. uh tired is all. Come on, you can follow us to the court." Jerry led the group to their predetermined destination, this time two new faces followed along.
***
"So I'll explain the r-rules, Jerry will take over and s-show you how to play once I'm done..." The court was a hive of activity behind Dorn, all his teammates were either practicing or stretching. They passed occasionally glances to the duo in front of him, he still wondered why exactly he had been chosen for this role.
Jess the bright, colorful, beautiful girl was enthusiastic, she kept flashing him a smile no matter what he did. The other one... he did his best to avoid eye contact with. He wondered if the boy, Lukehiem as he knew now, was even lucid. Those eerie twin moons were like a window to the soul—in this case, a window to abject nothingness.
"Well let's start with the rules and safety procedures. Basketball is....." He went into a long winded explanation, detailing all the rules, how to stay safe and he chipped in advice based on his own experience.
Jess as always was very engaged, asking him questions, posing scenarios and ways to tackle them. The bright smile and cheerful laughter also helped to lighten his mood and encouraged him to speak for much longer than he expected.
As for Luke, he barely glanced his way throughout the entire altercation. "So you d-did you get all that?" He asked Jess, she responded with a feverish nod. He didn't bother asking Luke the question, he wasn't even sure Luke knew that he was done talking. "In that case I'll hand you over to Jerry. I'll be pr-racticing over there, I will keep an eye out. Meet me if y-you have any issues."
Jess watched Dorn leave with a wave of her hand. She was very satisfied with the well taught class and she had gained a lot of insight about basketball. The rules were much more complicated than she expected and it added a lot of depth and grounded her perception of the game.
Henceforth she would show a bit more appreciation anytime she happened upon a basketball game. People that played it seriously needed more praise.
Jerry approached moments later seemingly excited to be begin his class. She made a sidelong glance at Lukehiem. He had been silent throughout Dorn's session and his apparent disinterest had taken a toll on the poor fellow. But she knew he was listening—he was always listening.