Immediately the whistle was blown, I fell down on my back, releasing the hard breath I was holding in, eyes looking up at the ceiling and was greatful that I made a difference in today's training.
“ Nice game Man, you definitely showed your best today....”, Francis said, squatting down beside me and looking into my face, the smile he was putting on was genuine, not like he was trying to pretend or something. He probably doesn't know that I knew what they have been doing, David told me that Stella has f**cked with every single one of them, and yet, they all see me everyday, acting innocent, acting like they haven't been stabbing a friend of theirs on his back.
I don't know whether I should even call them my friends anymore, they don't deserve that name, none of them do. I forced myself up from my back only to see Stella and her gang already there, Drew and Frankie was speaking with the coach, but I can see that their attentions were now drawn here, probably watching to see whether we're going to play out for them a scene.
“ Today's training was really impressive, by this performance, I guess we'll bring home the school tournament trophy as a special gift from us to the school....”, Stella said, her eyes on Francis who was now returning the smile they both were sharing.
“ Gotta get going now bro, see you later...”, I said to Francis, brought my hand out for a shake which he took before I was now standing on my feet and walking away.
I went inside the bathroom, changed into my clothes, I can see David was already walking out the door, Francis and the others were now seated together chatting with Stella and her friends who where all standing opposite them. I was about getting on my way out when I saw Jackie was still up there, hugging her school bag which rested on her laps and her eyes on me. She looked away immediately our eyes met, Wow.... I never guessed she would still be here, not when we finished the training late today.
“ You're still here, I thought you should have left by now?....”, I asked her, she was now standing immediately she saw me got there. “ I was actually about to... See you tomorrow then Jones ”, she said, walking past me, eyes always looking down. I checked the time and realized that it's almost getting to 18:00 in the evening, we really trained late more than before.
“ Wait, I will take you home....”.
I let David know that he should go without me, I told him that I will have to get Jackie home, she already told me that she usually come here to watch us train, and now she has also told me that she always takes the train to go home whenever she came to watch us train, that means that Jack always go alone any day we're training leaving his twin sister behind, probably because of her decision, I can't blame Jack for that.
Jackie has quite been a fan of the basketball too, she always comes with us whenever we go to watch the training back in our former school when we were still living at the Orphanage, she has been showing quite an interest in watching the game since our childhood, and I guess she still got that drive in her too to watch the game.
I walked out of the school with her as we went by foot to the train station which wasn't that far from our school, when we got there, she took a seat on the side, I joined her too, have to make sure that I watch her enter the train before I leave.
“ You know you should be going now Jones, it's almost getting late....”, “ Says the girl who's in the train station all by herself and still has quite a distance to go if I may presume....”, I replied her, making myself as relaxed as possible,by hands spreading on the long bench just the way we sat at the court before the resumption of today's training. She was also seating straight, exactly maintaining our former position.
“ You can rest your back Jackie, no one from the school is here watching, just relax....”, I said to her, she hesitated for a bit as if she wasn't sure whether she was doing the right thing, but for me, I know her more than anyone, maybe apart from her twin brother, but no one else. I have known her and what she can do right from our childhood, I know that she wanted to relax but was holding back because she might possibly not be sure how I might react to her action, but after the little hesitation, she was now resting on my arm, I can see the smile on her face but asking her about it will be creepy, other girls might find it comfortable and normal, but for her, you have to make her comfortable and relaxed before she can share whatever she wants to talk about with you.
“ The Orphanage has come to ruin Jackie, the children has been taken to different Orphanages because there's no more money to function the Orphanage, Mother Superior's plan was to take me to the monastery, but I ran, I ran away from her, I ran away from the plans she wanted for me, what if coming here was the wrong move?, What if things should have been better for me have I obeyed and went to the monastery?, I would never have encountered all this setbacks I have experienced lately....”, “ No, no Jones.... I don't believe you did the wrong thing, everything happens for a reason, that's my belief....”, I smiled at her, my hand holding her close to me for her comforting words, that's when we heard the sound of the train arriving, guess it's about time I be on my way.