Chapter Text
"Hey!" I just heard the voice entering the empty room that should have been my room, but that still didn't look like one due to the lack of furniture, which was arriving little by little along with the rest of the move. When I looked up, it was my dad, in his suit and tie. He had just arrived from his 1st day at the new headquarters of the company he now headed.
"Hey!" I replied without much excitement in my voice. It was clear to everyone that I didn't like this sudden change at all.
"Your mother said you went to school today... How was it there? Did you meet anyone? The team?" He asked approaching the floor, which was where I was lying on some kind of mattress only 100x harder.
"Yeah it was... cool! I mean, I didn't exactly meet anyone, and there was no practice today, so... No team" I replied. I didn't want my dad to see my frustration at having me moved because... his fault, I'm not a toddler who throws tantrums. He understood perfectly what this meant for our family, and how we should support him. He should have received this opportunity at least 7 years ago, but only now has all his merit been recognized. I didn't want him to think that everything he'd dreamed of was ruined.
"Izz, you know how important all of this is to us. It's a great opportunity for us to grow" He completed looking me in the eyes and brushing a few strands of hair from my face.
"Dad, I…I understand, don't worry! I'm adapting, I promise!" I replied directly looking into his eyes.
"Great! Your mom said dinner is ready, are you coming?" He said getting up.
"I'll be down in a moment! I'll text Nate," I replied, waving my phone.
"Give him a hug from me, tell him he's welcome to see our new home, and...well, we have rooms left over to put him up. If you know what I mean..." My dad liked Nate, although it was a difficult process at first.
It's just me and Josh, and he wasn't used to Josh taking girlfriends home, because Josh was always more reserved, but he was my best friend, since I was born, he was the only one I could count on. And when it came to Nate, well... he was enraged, he was enraged by the idea that Nate was "stealing" their helpless little girl. Men... I get tired of them.
Anyway, things between the three calmed down. Josh understood that he would not lose his place as the best brother and best friend in the world, and my father understood that ... he would not stop being my father, but it was difficult.
I loved my dad, but I couldn't deny that the fact that he didn't trust me, and let me stay in Connecticut with my grandmother, pissed me off. I left a lot behind, and Nate was among the main things.
I met him when we were still kids. Nate always had a slight crush on me, we were inseparable, but I didn't match what he felt. Of course, I liked him, he was attentive, responsible, but... it wasn't the same for me, he was my friend. Sometimes he was my only company, as Josh was at school all day. The day he pleaded, he was missing for 3 or 4 days, he wouldn't call me back, or pick up when I went to his house, even though I knew he was there.
I didn't know what to do at first, but then I got carried away by the feeling, but always with the certainty that I never wanted him the way he wanted me. I never knew how to tell him this, and here we are 4 years later. Still together, and I still don't know how to tell him, that maybe we got things mixed up.
____________
It was a rare sunny day in Salt Lake, East High was full, lots and lots of students arriving. I needed to see the whole campus, I wanted to find out where the art room was, and I wanted to be in time for practice today.
Arriving at the gym I met Hayley, the captain of the cheerleading team who introduced herself and introduced me to the team, the practice spaces, gym, locker room. God! How I hated it all, this sense of superiority, exclusivity. Athletes are... well not all, but most? Very self-centered.
I noticed that a basketball team was training on the court, fast play, always the same person in the spotlight. Some people in the stands, just women to be precise, shouting a specific name.
A tall girl, with short hair, athletic arms, long eyelashes, a smile on her face, wearing a Utah Jazz T-shirt, was crossing the court at a different speed than the others.
"Oh! Sorry, are you in shock too? Everyone is, and this is
"Casey! Casey Gardner" the girl approached saying her name. Pale skin glistening with sweat.
"Hey!" I answered partly embarrassed and partly confused. This is the owner of the name everyone is screaming.
"Casey is the captain of the basketball team here at East High, and the star of the school" I noticed that as Hayley said, the girl kept her eyes on me. I could see her face blush as she heard about she heard about herself, she seemed to be ashamed.
"No big deal, I'm just Casey!" she stretched out an arm to shake my hand "And who are you?"
"GARDNER!" a tall man was shouting her name, furious! "I didn't know practice was over!" He continued.
"Sorry, it's Coach, I have to go..."
I barely had a chance to say my name anyway, I would be here tomorrow if only she was kind and not one of the self-absorbed jocks I mentioned earlier.
When I turned to continue listening to Hayley, I saw her face of confusion. What was she thinking?
"Okay, that was too weird!" she said pulling me off the court.
"What… what does that mean?" I answered without knowing what she was talking about.
"Gardner is... different. I mean, he never gets too close. She seems to always be avoiding us. This may have been one of the few times I heard her voice, and well... did she seem like she wanted to talk to you?" she said, and each time she said it it made less sense to me "She doesn't go to parties, and some people swear they've seen her talking to mathlets and art students."
"And what's wrong with the mathlets?" I asked.
"No, nothing against it, it's just... it's weird. Casey is a star, he should be with other teams... not mathlets!" Hayley continued "Rumor has it the Utah Jazz has already invited her to play with them, and she's not even in her senior year here."
I didn't know what Hayley meant by all that, but it was weird after everything she said about Casey Gardner to know that she noticed me somehow.
________________
After getting to know the team, getting the uniform, and getting to know the facilities, it was time for the test to find out what my position in the team would be.
"Well, Izzie will jump 4 times. 2 at different heights and the other two at identical heights. Then a second jump away from the top, in that sequence" The trainer with the captain gave the orders. I joined the team boys to make the first jump.
After the 3rd jump, I could see movement in the stands. The last jump was the hardest, I had to go up and do what we call a basket to finish.
I felt my legs shaking, one of the boys whispered something like "what was she doing here?", but I couldn't lose my concentration. I went up in the last act, and when it was time to jump, I looked at the stands as usual. And there it was, Casey Gardner watching my audition.
I jumped in with confidence. spiked.
Perfect jump.
When I looked up again, she was whispering to another girl from the basketball team beside her. She didn't take her eyes off me.
What did this girl want?
Either way, she was accepted into the team. Some girls came to greet me, the trainer came to give some instructions, but I was relieved. I needed that bag.
As I was going through the railing to get to the locker room, I heard a voice I recognized just behind me.
"Someone didn't give me the name so I had to come get it" When I turned around with Hayley at my side, it was Gardner.
"Hey!" I replied feeling my cheeks warm.
'I realized you didn't tell me your name..."
"It's just that you ran off and...well, before I could answer"
"Sorry. Can I find out now, or…do I have to come more often before I hear Coach call for him?"
"Taylor. Izzie Taylor!" I answered almost formally.
"Well, Izzie Taylor, welcome to the Wild Silver Cats!" she reached out a hand again to squeeze mine. The grip was strong but gentle. Her hand was smooth and this time she wasn't sweaty. I noticed that her hair wasn't combed, but her clothes were dry this time. A gray and black T-shirt with the WSC logo, and a peculiar smell of wood and lavender that I liked.
"Thanks, I'll... get dressed... Well, get dressed in proper clothes, I mean"
"Okay, can I wait you for a slurpee or cheerleaders don't have slurpees?" Was she asking me out? Okay, now I was confused, but the star of the school was being nice to me, right after I thought all jocks were self-absorbed. I hope I don't end up like Carrie.
"Well, I don't know about the other cheerleaders, but I take it and I repeat it whenever I can" I said with a slight laugh. Hayley looked at me, whispered that she would text me later, and left.
"I'll wait for you outside, okay?" She concluded.
"Perfect!"