Page 23 of Tell Me Everything
Elena
Alex:I'm going to the basketball field. You coming?
Elena:Why not+(???)+
I threw on a pair of grey jogger pants, a white sports top, and red Supra Skytops. What can I say? I just love sports. And now that I was finally allowed to move, I certainly wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Basketball wouldn’t give me the same feeling of well-being as when I'd put on my pointe shoes, but I couldn't complain. Without wasting any time, I grabbed my keys and headed for the field.
The weather was strangely warm and sunny for an autumn day. After a twenty-minute walk, I spotted the basketball field. Several guys had already arrived. Mid-stretch, Alex waved and smiled at me. Not knowing his friends well, I positioned myself next to him, slightly behind. I wasn't as good at socializing as he was. I recognized Lucas and Yves. They were on the same soccer team as Alex. They smiled at me, although they were wondering why I was there.
“Where's Tiago? We haven't seen him in a while,” Lucas asked.
“At Kelsey's,” Alex replied, lacing up his shoes.
“Is our Wonder Boy finally getting serious?”
“Don't be ridiculous,” Yves said. “He'll get bored, he always does. Especially when it's the girl who's chasing him.”
I felt a little sick. Should I tell Kelsey? After all, she had been my friend for years. Then I remembered that I didn't owe her anything. She was a big girl. She'd do fine without me.
Yves shrugged. “Same for Alex. We all wonder how long he'llplay before he tires of Elena.”
Well, damn. Lucas gave me a panicked look, and Yves remembered that I was among them. He looked down. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. I wonder the same thing.”
Alex glared at me. I raised my hands in question. I'd been wondering for weeks when he'd get enough of me. I wasn't an interesting person.
“What?”
“Don't put yourself down like that.”
Two other guys named John and Gauthier joined the group. If Gauthier was more or less ignoring me, John kept watching me with a mischievous gaze. His eyes lingered a little too long on my bare stomach and breasts before raising his head and smiling. He was quite handsome with his tanned skin and short, curly hair, but the way he looked at me as if I were nothing but a piece of meat was unsettling.
Yves created the teams: Yves, Gauthier, and I versus Alex, John, and Lucas. John stood next to me and put his hand on my lower back, where my skin was bare.Just great. The voice inside my head was screaming for him to let go. Not wanting to make a scene, I smiled.
“Do you want me to explain how to play?” he whispered in my ear.
“Don't get the wrong idea, I know how to play,” I replied, stepping back slightly.
As soon as the game started, I pounced on the ball. God, it felt good to be moving again. My knee was still a little sore, but nothing crazy. Alex and John were leading the game, scoring the most goals. After several missed throws from my team, the winning team gave us a break that wasn't deserved.
Alex jogged over to me and patted my back with a smile. I hate to lose, but I didn't stand a chance against two guys who were nearly a hundred ninety centimetres. One of them grinnedat me from across the field.
“I don't like the way John looks at me,” I whispered.
He'd been giving me hungry eyes for a while. Was it because I was the only girl on the field or because he liked me? I couldn’t tell. Either way, it made me feel uneasy. I couldn't help wishing he'd look away.
Alex glanced in his friend's direction and sighed. “I don't like it either.”
I turned back to Alex, flashing my teeth. “Want to give me a hickey? Maybe he'll stop.”
Alex rolled his eyes, exasperated. “Where do you get your crazy ideas?”
“I'm just saying, it could work.”
My friend ruffled my hair before handing me a bottle of water, which I accepted gladly. “Don't tempt me.”
My cheeks turned crimson. He was joking, right? Alex moved closer to me, and his breath tickled the skin of my neck. Oh dear, was he really going to do it? Seeing that I was speechless, Alex pinched my cheek, laughing.
