Adolescent Love

“Hit the showers. I’ll see you next week,” Coach Jones shouted at his tired players, after blowing his whistle.

Jason groaned. He wanted to be home for Christmas but with the basketball games schedule, that wouldn’t be possible. He couldn’t understand why he was grumbling when it had been the same year in, year out.

He was somewhat happy that he sprained his shoulder a little when he tried to perform a layup during their last game, which they won 106-72. He guessed he was just fagged out from everything, which was amazing since the season began not long ago and he had already won the MVP twice.

As a shooting guard, he didn’t get to be benched often but at that moment, he wished he would be, so that he could for once, just stay at home and enjoy the Christmas holidays.

“Why do you look as if someone has shot your dog?” Max, his best friend since high school asked him, as they strolled to their locker rooms.

Jason raked a hand through his moist coffee brown hair and shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I’m burned out.”

Max did a double-take. “Is it you? I must be dreaming.”

His friend chuckled. “I am, truly. I just want to go home, have a slice of my mom’s chocolate cake and sleep all day.”

“You know you can’t do that, right?”

“I do,” he said and grimaced, “hence my sour mood.”

“Poor baby,” Max teased and Jason chased him into their locker room, bumping against their teammates on the way, who grumbled noisily.

“The two of you should get a room,” called out one of the guys they bumped into.

Jason and Max hit the showers, changed and went back to the room that they shared outside the campus. Jason hastily packed his stuff, while his friend dragged his feet about doing so.

“What’s up, Max? We need to get home!” Jason grumbled when his friend continued playing the NBA video game.

“I’ll meet you at home. I just need to finish this game,” Max replied, twirling his hands as he played.

“You said it thirty minutes ago,” Jason replied to his friend, who didn’t bother to look in his direction.

Max remained silent.

“What are you running from, Max?” Jason folded his arms across his chest and regarded his friend with suspicious eyes.

“Is it because Mandy is coming home for Christmas?”

“Damn! You made me miss that shot!” Max complained but turned to look at his friend. “Who told you that?”

“Chloe said so.”

Max’s eyebrow arched. “Since when did you listen to gossip from your sister?”

“It isn’t gossip. Anyway, you’re going to have to see her, Max. You can’t keep running away from your past.”

“Like you’ve faced yours?”

Jason grimaced and turned away. “Amy hasn’t kept her foot in Woody Hills since she left. The minute she does, I’m going to walk up to her and give her a piece of my mind!”

Max laughed heartily. “When I see that happen, then I’ll believe it. But for now, go away and let me continue my game.”

“See you at home.”

Jason left the apartment with a frown on his face. He didn’t like being reminded of how his ex-girlfriend dumped him and moved away with another guy. It was a good thing that she hadn’t come back to Woody Hills.

Bitterness flowed through every pore in his body. He had never thought that with how intimate they used to be, they would ever part. He had been the only one thinking of a future with her. She had other plans.

It galled him to think that after so long, he still harbored such a deep bitterness for the girl, who used to mean the world to him. Girls! Such fickle creatures!

Amy had spoilt relationships for him. Even though girls threw themselves at him wherever he went, he couldn’t hold on to one girl for more than six months. Everyone thought he was a player, but they didn’t realize that he was looking for something; something that he had shared only with Amy.

Damn Max for mentioning her. Usually, he kept her at the recesses of his mind but the fool had to drag the name out, simply because he didn’t want to face his breakup with Mandy.

Max and Mandy had been going steady until spring that year when the blonde-haired beauty suddenly decided that it wasn’t heading anywhere and broke things off with him. Max had been devastated. Jason had offered him his shoulder to cry on; just the way the latter had also comforted him when Amy had dumped him.

Max was still scowling when he got into his black sports car and drove home. It was about an hour’s drive from the University of Arkansas, where he was majoring in Computer Programming to Woody Hills. He spent those minutes torturing himself about his past relationship with the stunning brunette.

Her family was tightlipped about her whereabouts and truth be told, he didn’t care where she was. Yes, he wished he could meet her face to face someday to tell her off, but if he never did, he would still live a fulfilled life.

Jason parked the car in the snow-covered driveway. When he was well-rested, he would come out and shovel off the snow. His eyes appreciated the way his sister and mom beautified the house, with Christmas lights and adornments.

“Hey brat”, he called the moment he let himself through the front door.

Chloe, with her blonde hair tied at her nape, whirled around from her kneeling position beside the Christmas tree and smiled.

“You’re home.”

She rose and rushed to him to give him a tight hug. He tugged at her hair and she laughed. Although they saw each other on the Campus every week, it still felt good to see her.

“Where’s Mom?” he questioned, knowing that the woman would have hurried out of the kitchen at the sound of his voice if she was at home.

Returning back to her position by the Christmas tree, which she was adorning with ornaments, Chloe replied, “She’s at Mrs. Rivers. She’s having a baby shower.”

“Oh,” was all he could say to hide his disappointment.

Giving him a knowing look, she said, “And before you ask, yes, she made your favorite chocolate cake. It’s in the kitchen.”

Jason grinned broadly, dropped his backpack on the carpeted floor and headed for the kitchen, where a chocolate cake sat on the counter.

He just cut a huge slice from it, when Chloe entered the kitchen with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Guess who is back in town?”

Jason shrugged and bit deep into the chocolate cake. He didn’t care. All he wanted to do was sleep until the following day.

“Amy Byrne.”

The piece of cake fell from his hand.