Chapter 3

Finley Age fifteen

I walked off the court feeling defeated. We lost, which is something that we don't do. We didn't lose a game my entire freshman year and this is the first and will be the last game we lose this year. I also think this was the worst game I've ever played since I was ten years old trying to figure out layups. Now I was the starting shooting guard for the varsity team. I was a starter as a freshman and most of the senior girls were less than impressed by that. I took someone's position and they all made me pay for it. But now that I'm a sophomore, it's not so bad. I get along with all the girls, and we've meshed really well as a team but for some reason we were all off tonight. 

Taylor slapped me on the back as she walked by, "Girl, don't be so disappointed, you had a great game."

"Thanks, but you're full of shit. I only had twenty-two points. That's crap for me." 

"It's only ten points below your average. We all had an off night." 

"James, office now," the coach yelled as he walked by. 

"Wish me luck because I'm about to be cut from the team." 

"Not hardly, you are the best player in the state, hell maybe the country, she isn't going to kick you off the team."

I got up preparing myself for the ass chewing that I was about to get. I walked into his office and shut the door. I sat down before he even told me to. 

"What the hell kind of playing was that?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know. I guess I'm having an off night."

"You don't get to have an off night. We've talked about your goals for basketball and the way you played tonight will get you nowhere."

"I know coach, it won't happen again."

"I know. Gym six am tomorrow morning. You have drills to run. Now get out of my office before I decide to make it at five am."

I got up and left his office as fast as possible. I grabbed my bag from the locker and left still in uniform. I was pissed and I knew that I was about to get it again as soon as I got into Konner's car. I walked out into the gym to find them and per usual they both had a girl hanging all over them. They never had girlfriends, but they had plenty of dates. It was obnoxious. I couldn't tell you how many times I got handed notes for one of the two of them. They always ended up in the trash. Or how many times they've asked me for their number, which I usually gave them the wrong one. It wasn't just our school either; I swear it was any girl within a hundred-mile radius.

"Can we please leave?" I snapped at both of them and kept walking. I went straight out to the car and waited and waited and waited. I was tired of waiting and just wanted to go home and soak in the tub and try to get some sleep. I took off walking and headed in the direction of home. 

We lived ten miles out of town, but I've been standing out here for thirty minutes. I threw my bag over my shoulder and headed out. Thankfully we didn't live in an area that was freezing cold. 

I had managed to make it off the main roads and was probably a mile into the walk when headlights lit the way for me, but it was just a few minutes later that the car slowed down and they rolled the window down. 

"Finny, get in," Colt yelled from the passenger seat. 

"It's fine, I'll just walk."

The car stopped and Colt got out. "It's nine fucking miles you aren't walking, either get your ass in the car or I'll put you in there myself."

"It's fine, go back to your girls." 

"Fine, we'll do it the hard way." He grumbled, grabbed my arm, jerked me to him, picked me up, and threw me over his shoulder.

"Colt, put me down."

"You wouldn't listen when we said get in the car, so no I won't put you down until you are in the car."

He opened the back door and literally threw me inside and slammed the door shut and got back in the passenger seat and Konner drove off. I righted myself in the backseat, just in time to get a lecture from both of them. 

"What were you doing in that game?" Konner asked. 

"I don't know, I was off my game."

"We noticed. You had three turnovers." Colt said. 

"Ya, I got it. I sucked tonight and now I have to pay the price in the morning. Can you just shut up and take me home so I can forget how crappy I played."

I walked into the gym early the next morning. I hated these early practices he would make me do. Him and I had a talk when I made the team about goals and that he would help me achieve them, but I would have to listen to him, and this was one of his favorite things to do. This was a punishment for my crappy performance. 

"Let's start, you had three turnovers and five missed rebounds and four more missed layups. That's twelve lines. Get moving." 

I dropped my bag and changed my shoes really fast and started on my lines. I had to run to each major line on the court and back again twelve times. By the time I was finished I was ready to puke but he didn't let up. Next, I had to make a hundred free throws without missing and then a hundred layups on each side and each time I missed I had to start over. By the time I was done with everything, I was dripping in sweat and ready to vomit. 

"Coach, I can't." I whined.

"You can and you will. Give me five laps for whining."

I wiped my face on my shirt, not that it made a difference because it was covered in sweat as well and took off running. He stood there yelling at me to move faster. By the time I finished the last lap I ran to the garbage can I vomited up everything in my system. 

"Stop being a baby about things."

"Coach, I can't," I said between heaving breaths. 

"Do you need another five laps?" 

"Please." 

"Go," he said.

"She said she was done. What part of her throwing up and her body covered head to toe in sweat makes you think she can do more." Colt said in a growl like he was ready to punch the coachs face in.

"Who do you think you are? She is my athlete."

"And she is mine to protect. She said she is done, so she is done."

"She will be done when I say she is done." 

I was looking between the two of them trying to catch my breath, but it wasn’t happening and then their voices got muffled and the room started spinning. I stumbled backwards before the world went dark. 

"Finny, wake up," Colt yelled and tapped my face. "Back the fuck up, you son of a bitch," Colt yelled at the coach. 

I opened my eyes to see Colt about four inches from my face. "Back up." 

He smiled, knowing that I was OK. "What the hell was that about?" He asked as he stood and held out his hand to help me up.

"I didn't eat this morning." 

"Finley, you know better than that and why in the hell are you the only one in the gym with him."

"Because I have to do this if I play badly. It's our agreement to help me." 

"I'm sure the school board will love to know that you are on school grounds while they are closed with a female student and no one else around. You damn fool. This shit doesn't happen again."

Colt grabbed my hand and dragged me out of there, grabbing my bag on the way. He took me out to his car and opened the passenger door and helped me inside and threw my bag in the back and then got into the trunk of his car. 

When he got into the driver's seat, he threw a granola bar and Gatorade in my lap. "Thanks."

"If you need more coaching, you come to Konner and me, not to numb nuts in there. That is a bunch of bullshit." 

"Why were you there?"

"Your dad called and asked if I could pick you up. Konner was busy this morning and your dad said something came up."

"Thank you." 

He dropped me off at the house and then left without another word. I took a long hot shower and then laid in bed the rest of the day because I felt like utter shit and tonight was the winter formal and this year I had a date. I purposely didn't tell my mom or anyone else because she would have freaked out. I bought a dress without her knowing and placed it in the back of my closet. Lucky for me she was on one of her many retreats she took with her girlfriends this weekend. 

I wasn't great at doing my hair or makeup, but I managed to make myself look halfway decent. I told my date Brandon to pick me up after Konner and Colt left. I knew they had dates as well, and I didn't want them to give him the third degree. 

I stood in front of the mirror before he got there. I felt pretty for one of the first times ever. This wasn't something my mother forced on me but something I wanted. I found a black dress that fit across my body and had a short flowy skirt, and my legs were so long that I thought it looked great. I skipped the heels and wore a pair of black vans, and I had curled my hair and left it down. 

Brandon was supposed to be here an hour ago. I had been sitting out front waiting and he hadn't shown up. I kept checking my phone, but I never got anything from him. He stood me up with no explanation. I didn't need one; it was exactly what my mother had preached. I was too much of a tomboy, I wasn't pretty, I didn't do girly things. I wasn't good enough for anyone. 

I sat on the front porch long into the night just watching the stars and feeling bad for myself. I knew the guys would be coming home soon, or they should be, and I didn't want them to see me like this. I knew my makeup was smeared all over my face from crying and my eyes were puffy and red. 

I went upstairs to my room and left the lights off, sat in the window seat, and looked up at the stars. Sometimes I wished that I could live on a different planet. Something where I could be accepted for the person I was. That people would want to be my friend because they like me and not because of my brother and Colt, or my ability to play basketball. Somewhere someone thought I was worthy of them or at least I hoped they were. Because here I didn't have that. Sure, I had Konner and Colt, but that was my brother and his best friend. It wasn't the same. 

A light knock sounded on my door and then it opened up slowly. Colt stepped inside and he took my breath away. I've always had a crush on him, but that is something that would never be returned. He saw me as a little sister and probably an annoying one at that. But seeing him standing there in his black slacks and black button up shirt that was tight across his muscular chest and I'm sure that if he turned around, they would be tight across his butt and man what a butt it was.

"What are you doing Finny?" He asked and that right there told me exactly how he saw me. Still a little girl.