Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:09:39 -0700 (PDT) From: Esther Lee Subject: Two Different Worlds This is a work of fiction by the author and written solely for enjoyment. You can contact the author with the email above. We were in the middle of a game when I saw her in the bleachers. Her long black hair spilled down her back which complimented her dark complexion and she wore dark, thick rimmed glasses that surprisingly made her look more beautiful. She looked like she had a short stature; about 5ft 4in. Inevitably, there was a look of boredom displayed on her face almost as if she had to be here with her eyes staring off far into the distance. I had the feeling, almost a yearning to want to get to know her? "Maya! What are you doing?!" Coach started yelling. Damn. He was pissed. I hurried and got the ball from baseline and took it up court and put the play into motion. We did good on that play which was shown through the points of the players scored. Our defense was just as good and it pressured the other team and let to a lot of fouls. The game proceeded on until we were up by about twenty points and the game was already decided. The buzzer echoed around the walls of the gym and we were made to high five the other team telling them that they played great. We all took a seat on the bleachers hydrating ourselves and resting all the while laughing and joking around trying to break the tension from the game until the coach called us out to have a meeting in the small gym. We groaned but forced ourselves to walk into the small gym to face an unhappy coach. Kim I was sitting on the bleachers bored out of my mind wondering how much longer I had to sit here and watch these endless basketball games that seemed to last forever. I watched as our varsity team warmed up to get in their mood for the game. Suddenly, the door swung open from the small gym and the JV team came out in a bad mood despite their win. One girl that came out was the player that really helped the team get most of their points. I think her name was Maya? She was taller than the average person around 5ft. 7in. with brown hair messily tied up in a ponytail and by the looks of it, she was fuming. As she sat down on the bleachers with the rest of the team, her teammates broke the tension around her by making a few jokes and she was soon laughing and playing around like nothing ever happened. It was then that I noticed that she was really pretty. She turned her head and saw me staring at her and started staring right back at me. I don't know why but I quickly turned away and felt my face flush which usually never happens. My heart struggled to keep on beating as I suddenly felt out of breath. I concentrated on the game as it started and felt her gaze drop. I looked around for the hundredth time, forgetting about Maya, and didn't even see the slightest hint that Julian was going to be here. I sighed. I can't believe that I let him play me like that. I must be one hell of an idiot. I flipped open my phone and started to call my mom to pick me up until I spotted him in a corner with some other girl. I couldn't do anything but stare at them wide eyed as they started making out. I didn't know what to expect after seeing them but I got up, my anger raging through me, and stormed my way over there. As I made my way towards the other side of the bleachers, the girl that was watching grabbed my arm preventing me from going any further. "Hey, calm down. He wants you to react like this," she said with a blank expression. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes and I slapped her hand away and walked out through the gym and wanted to run all the way home. Little did I know, the girl was following me and eventually caught up to me. "Hey, stop. You can't run all the way home in your condition." "What do you care?" I snapped at her. "I care because this isn't my brothers first time doing this," she said seriously. I was shocked and stood there looking at her with my mouth slightly open. "He's?your brother?" I stammered. She just stared off into the distance with cold eyes and nodded. I could already guess that there was some family problems involved with her. She looked back at me, "Come on, I'll give you a ride home," she said with a smile, the friendliness slowly coming back in her eyes. We walked in silence back inside the gym and I waited while she gathered all her stuff and said bye to her teammates. She led the way to her car and as we left the gym I noticed that Julian was staring at me and Maya walking out together. I wonder why it bothered him so much? Maya I drove in silence with the exception of her giving me directions. As I continued thinking, I realized that I still didn't know what her name was. I shook the thought away and continued driving toward her house. I stopped in front of a nice house and somehow, I felt warmth radiating from the building. "You have a nice house," I commented. "Umm, thanks and thank you for the ride," she said with a smile. I smiled. "Anytime. Hey, I still don't know your name," I said. "It's Kim. Thanks again for the ride and also for you stopping me from snapping Julian's neck," she said half joking and half serious. "I actually wouldn't mind seeing that," I laughed. She gave another pleasant smile and leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek and smiled again. Kim opened the car door and walked toward her front door and silently went in after waving me goodbye. I started the car and drove to my apartment in a daze. I smiled to myself as I kept replaying the memory of Kim kissing me on the cheek. I let go of one hand on the steering wheel to let it slide up and touch the spot where she kissed. Why do I feel so happy right now? My heart wouldn't stop beating faster as my thoughts drifted to thinking of her. I followed the familiar path that led to my apartment and reached the building noticing that it was covered in darkness. I walked out of the car with my stuff until a dark figure emerged from the silhouette of the moon. "Why did you go near Kim?" he said dangerously. "Nice to see you too, Julian. Since you're already here, unfortunately, why don't you come in?" I said getting annoyed. "Why don't you just answer the fucking question?" he whispered lowly. "Why the hell does it matter to you? Is she another toy for you to fuck with?" I retorted. "What I do is none of your business," he hissed. "Then why the hell are you all the way over here? Are you worried that I'll take her away from you?" I saw his face contort in anger and he took a step forward and punched me across my face. I stumbled back a few steps from the impact and I glared at him. I grew angrier with feeling the pain and punched him back across the face, my knuckles stinging but all I wanted was to see him crumpled up on the floor. Julian balled up his fists looking ready to fight more and I readied mine. Suddenly, he released the grip on his fists and walked away. "That's a first," I thought. "Don't think that this is over, Maya," he said with his back turned. I gathered my stuff that was on the floor and went inside my apartment and laid it down. All of a sudden I felt so tired and just wanted some rest. I threw myself onto the bed and escaped reality a second later.