Page 84 of The Pass
When we resurface, I wrap my arms around his neck, and he keeps us afloat.
“Who’s doing the fireworks?” I ask as another set of three goes off.
We lift our heads toward the sky to watch as the lights slowly disappear leaving a trace of smoke behind.
“Jonah and Ollie.”
“But you were so excited to blow shit up.”
“Jonah let me have the first two. That was enough to get the fire bug out of my system for another year and now I get to watch the finale with you.”
We adjust so that my back is against his front. He wraps his arms around me, and I lean my head against his chest.
“Best summer ever,” he whispers next to my ear. “How are we going to top it next year?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m looking forward to it.”
28
Tanner
As I walkonto the court at the fieldhouse, I breathe in the musty smell, the squeak of shoes, and the laughter and raised voices of the guys joking around.
A guy I recognize but haven’t met is talking with Datson. They look up as I approach.
Datson spins a ball between his palms. “Shaw, have you met Cameron Reed?”
“No.” I extend a hand to the sophomore transfer. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same.”
“Are you guys working on drills or just shooting around?” Official practices won’t start for a while yet, but most of the guys are back at Valley already and we’ll start conditioning and lifting together in the morning, and in the afternoons, we’ll most likely all show up to shoot around or work on agility drills. It’s a chance for us to find a rhythm again before school and regular workouts begin.
“Messing around,” Datson says and does a once-over of my outfit. “Where have you been?”
I grab a ball from the rack. “I met with Coach Wiles.”
“Oh yeah?” Datson pauses. “And?”
“And… I’m going to be busy again this year.”
“Good for you, buddy.”
“Yo, Shaw,” Benny calls to me from the sideline where he chats with Lawson. “I heard you and Sydney finally hooked up.”
Chuckling, I fire a shot at the basket. Benny rebounds and holds it, waiting for an answer. I glance over at Datson who smirks.
“They’d have found out eventually,” he says by way of an excuse.
“We didn’thook up. We’re together. She’s my girlfriend.”
“Congrats, man,” Lawson says. He’s one of the few guys on the team who has a steady girlfriend—the same one since our freshmen year.
“Thanks.” It feels weird to finally call her my girlfriend. Amazing but weird.
We shoot hoops and get to know Cameron. He’s a bit of a mystery, not because he’s quiet or shy—he isn’t, but because he transferred from one of the best college basketball programs in the country after only one year. He played as a freshman and even helped take his team to the final four. They were a young team, and everyone was already speculating that they’d make it back to the championship again this coming year.
Our Valley record is nothing to laugh at. We won the national championship my freshman year and the past two years we’ve done all right, but not so well that I can understand why he’d transfer.
