HIT OR MISS {OPEN}

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

She definitely had the awe part down as well. Eli however had brother blindness and that was perfectly fine by her. She liked that he was innocent. That was also often causing for her to be extra vigilant about the way that the other girls- and some of the guys for that matter- around school treated him. Whenever someone was even beginning to hint at trying to use Eli compliments of his naivety Isabella got her hackles raised quickly steering people in the opposite direction of that idea. No one messed with her precious Elijah. That protective side of her was full fledged in his case. They might have started out talking about the same thing but the meanings behind them had deviated almost immediately. It was Isabella’s fault, entirely. She hadn’t been the one mentally keeping on topic.

His trash talking was remaining constantly and Isabella took that as a good sign that Eli was getting back into the rhythm of the game. She had a feeling all it was, was some rut he was stuck in and this was the way to push him out of it. There was that light back in his eyes and the joy back in his tone that she had been missing. Happy to have it back winning or losing didn’t seem as important to her. It was still important of course because Isabella was competitive but she wouldn’t be stomping her feet and throwing a tantrum or this one, probably wouldn’t even pout. Trying her best was encouragement for Eli to be his best and getting him back into the habit of it. ”Oh don’t worry I-“ Her words were cut off though as Isabella watched him dart around her and down the court.

Laughing lightly at herself for having the drop put on her she chased after him. Isabella hung back for a moment watching the way that Eli moved and how he handled the ball admiring his technique and control. He really was an excellent player and he had a grace to him as well, poetry. Isabella felt her body tense with anticipation as Eli went for the shot. This was what he had been having the most trouble with. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip- the action could have been construed as her nervous that it wouldn’t make it or excited that it would. Eli wasn’t looking at her though, instead keeping his eye on the prize, so to speak. That swish was a beautiful sound even though it meant that he had just gotten a point ahead of her taking the lead.

That front might have fooled some but it didn’t fool her. Isabella knew that Eli was giddy on the inside, maybe even internally jumping for joy. She couldn’t and wouldn’t blame him for that. It was something to get excited about and she found herself trying not to make any outward display of thrill over it either. That probably would have only proven to embarrass him and something like that might set Elijah right back to where he had been- Isabella didn’t want that. His grin was all that it took for her to confirm what she had already believed Eli was rejoicing his victory. It wasn’t to be snotty toward Isabella but rather the sense of success that he had been waiting for. ”That’s all you, Sweetie.” Isabella amended. He was in control of his own actions and talents she was just helping him remember that. She jogged over to Eli flashing him a smile and gave his cheek a small, affectionate pat. ”Back on defense, Superstar.” Isabella bent and retrieved the ball waiting for Eli to make his move before dribbling the ball on the court again and making her advancement toward her hoop.

[ELIJAH COLIN MASTERS]

Eli smirked to himself when she started to try to answer him before realizing what he had done. “And that, honey, is also how you win a race,” he shouted twangily over his shoulder as he ran. His deep-South accent tended to come out a lot when he was playing sports. He wondered what all the native northern people thought of it. He didn’t really care; he was just happy he still had it. It was a part of him and reminded him of his home. Eli couldn’t go home to see his family as often as some other students (it was a long way from Michigan to northern Alabama). He definitely missed the southern culture – most things here were a lot different. It took some getting used to when he first moved here at the beginning of his freshman year, but he was glad he did it. It made him cherish his time at home even more when he wasn’t there 24/7, especially now that he knew how much of a pain it was to do your own laundry every week.

He was trying to mask his excitement a bit at his successful shot, but it wasn’t working out too well for him. He gave up and punched the air. Eli turned back to Isabella, grinning like the giddy fool he was. He thought about it for a moment, then ran at her, throwing his arms around her and squeezing as he spun in a circle. He set her down, stumbling back a bit from spinning so quickly. He blushed, looking away from her and rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, I, uh…I guess I got a little excited…” he said quietly, looking up and giving her a small smile.

Eli checked the ball back to her, waiting for her to make her move. In some ways, playing in half of a court was harder than playing full-court. You had less space to move in, but you also had fewer people playing, so it wasn’t too crowded. He wondered how this second “round” would go, now that she knew that he was back in the swing of things. It would probably start getting pretty aggressive as they went on. As happy as Isabella might be for him, he knew she wouldn’t just hand him the game. If anything, she would push him even harder. As long as she didn’t manage to back him into a corner (figuratively speaking), he would be good. Getting out of corners wasn’t exactly his idea of fun, because it typically involved having to climb over the person. He didn’t mean any of this in a literal sense, but it made a good mental picture. Eli would probably have to start getting sneakier about the tricks he was pulling on her; she would catch on sooner or later, and that was when all hell would break loose on this game. If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that this would not be an easy game.

(OOC: Sorry it’s so short…)

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

She liked that he was getting excited and showing it. Isabella giggled as he spun her around feeling her pulse quicken immediately as she was lifted off the ground. She trusted him not to drop her of course it was just one of those things where you couldn’t help your stomach dropping slightly as gravity loomed over your head. Despite her not seeing any reason for him to feel sheepish over his reaction Isabella tried to understand where he might be coming from. Boys could be such touchy characters thinking that emotions were supposed to be buried underneath some display of macho-ness. As much as Isabella liked a strong, rugged man and the sense of security that came with that type of personality, she had to admit that it was nice being able to know what they were feeling too rather than having it like pulling teeth to have any semblance of a real conversation with them.

”It’s quite alright. I like seeing you happy.” Isabella freely admitted. She thought that Elijah was one of the good ones and while girls might not be able to appreciate that gentle and playful nature in him yet it was only a matter of time before realization hit. She saw it all the time, girls thinking that they wanted that bad boy that was so sizzling hot that you swooned just on sight, that them being a jerk was just a quirk- or that they could change them somehow, wear down that gruff exterior and find the sweetheart within. Isabella didn’t buy it though, thought it was delusional, and even more so wrong to want to change a person. If you were going to give your heart to someone shouldn’t you accept them for all that they were, the good and the bad? It wasn’t until later in life that people like Eli were recognized for how special they were and by that point all those girls that looked him over in the past would be kicking themselves for it.

Now that Elijah’s confidence and game was back though she could be more aggressive toward the situation. Isabella wasn’t a fan of losing. It wasn’t as though she would cross her arms, stomp her feet, and pout about it but it still wasn’t all that great of a feeling, especially if she didn’t put all her effort into it. She was the novice here but at least Isabella grasped the concept and had a small margin of skill available to her. Switching the ball from hand to hand, pivoting from leading with her left foot to her right- it was to get a feel for the ball again and a stall tactic to wait for a decent opening to take. That could be tedious though and Isabella was more in the mood to step up the tempo. Advancing on him Isabella only took a second to contemplate her next move. Being a dancer she had excellent footwork and coordination but this wasn’t her element, it was Eli’s. His territory had Isabella even more on the offense. Isabella dropped back, skidded to the left and then dodging right to slip under his arm, hopefully without getting the ball clipped from her. If she made it, she would be close enough to the basket and undefended that she could take her shot.

ooc: Its okay. To avoid any godmoding we might need to shorten it for game posts

[ELIJAH COLIN MASTERS]

He laughed at her comment about seeing him happy. He wasn’t sure if sarcasm or general thanks would be more acceptable, so he just kept his mouth closed and shrugged his shoulders. Eli knew she’d get the point because he had already made it clear to her before then that he appreciated her watching out for him and his well-being. He had to admit that he was actually a little too focused on the game to honestly think about anything else, especially sentimental things and emotions. There would be plenty of time for that after the game while he was stuffing his face with victory food.

He zoned out for just a moment, and she was passed him under his arm. He turned on his heel, swiping at the ball, hoping to knock it out of her hand, but he missed. He slid a bit, nearly falling, but took off after her before fully regaining his balance. “You sicken me, dancer girl!” he called after her, laughing gleefully. Because of his long stride, he caught up to her easily, but he couldn’t find a way to get a shot at the ball. He was on full-defense mode, but Isabella was honestly pretty good at offense. She did have the advantage of being shorter and thinner, and therefore able to slip past him more easily. Compared to her, he was big and gawky when he was used to being more in her place. He wasn’t necessarily shorter than other guys on various basketball teams, he was usually just a lot more agile. This game? He had skill and speed, but Isabella had the upper-hand on the agility, which could be enough for her if he wasn’t careful.

Eli fell back from her as she came closer to the goal. He ran a wide arc away from her, and began circling back toward the goal. He intended to try to swat the ball once she shot, but he hoped she didn’t figure it out sooner and try to change her plan as well. It might work as long as he acted like he was just circling around to get a better shot at her and not the ball. Never in his right mind would Eli try this in a real game, but when his opponent had little experience on the court? It might work. Might.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

There was a lot about movement that one could take from dance and apply to most sports. Isabella had toned her body to do some pretty incredible things and though she was mostly skilled with footwork on the court rather than anything else it could have been enough to win this game against Eli if he didn’t put himself into it. Without any doubt though Isabella could certainly give him a run for his money. Sometimes that was all that a person needed to gain the respect that they deserved. Isabella knew that Eli was better than she was and if she won this game it would have just been a circumstance of good luck but keeping him engaged was the next best thing. She was accomplishing what she wanted without handing him an easy win and coming across as condescending. Boys didn’t want you to baby them or simply hand them what they needed, they had to work problems out for themselves so they didn’t feel emasculated. At least that was what her father had always said and told Isabella to keep well in mind.

She was pretty focused on the game herself. A competitive streak being unable to tame and Isabella did genuinely want to try her best. That move she had made to get past him had filled her with a bit of smugness but until she made the shot she wouldn’t allow it to show all that much but for a small grin stretched across her lips. It had been satisfactory but there was that gut feeling that Eli was going to step up her game and bring something to the table that she hadn’t seen before. Seeing him play in games she had thought that she had a pretty good bead on his playing style but the rules were slightly different here. They were playing half court and it was one on one with nothing official and Isabella was a rookie so she couldn’t anticipate moves like one of the other boys on the team could. To say that she didn’t see it coming would have been inaccurate, but Isabella definitely hadn’t figured it out until it was too late.

As Eli got closer to her, thinking that he was coming for her to get the ball before she could shoot it, she had felt the pressure to make for the basket sooner than she had planned. It was caving under pressure, she knew it the moment that the ball grazed off her fingertips, but it was too late to take it back and as the ball arched toward the hoop Eli’s vertical leap was high enough to smack it out of the air. He swatted it with a violent thwack and it went plummeting to the ground leaving Isabella’s mouth dropping open. She was impressed but also a bit irritated considering that wasn’t a move that she would have been able to pull off. ’You little sneak.” She laughed trying not to be sour over it.

[ELIJAH COLIN MASTERS]

Eli gave her a sly grin as he grabbed the ball after it bounced once, turning around to shoot an easy two-pointer. He spun back around to face her and shrugged. “I suppose that wasn’t too kind of me, especially taking that shot,” he said, giving her his characteristic innocent grin. He would go easier on her if she asked, but the last thing Eli wanted to do was offend Isabella. If he asked, she might think he was saying that he didn’t think she could keep up. But he still didn’t want to leave her in the dust or feeling discouraged. It was a pretty large conflict for him. He felt like it would be wrong of him to say anything that might suggest he would help her because he knew she was very independent. If there was anyone that he believed could hold their own in almost anything, it was Isabella. She might not be the best at it, but she wasn’t the type to accept charity.

“How ya feeling?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her, as he retrieved the ball. He figured that was the most unoffensive way to ask her about it. He figured a few minutes of a break couldn’t hurt anything, if she wanted it. He passed her the ball and walked to the half-court line. Facing the goal, he sprinted toward it, jumping up at the last moment, wrapping his fingers in the net. He pulled himself up, the muscles in his arms clearly defined, and grabbed the rim on either side. He swung there for a moment, before kicking his legs up and dropping back to the ground. He shook his arms out, turning back to Isabella. That was honestly one of his favorite things to do, but he could never do it when the coaches were around. If they caught him, he would almost certainly be running laps. Not that he minded running laps, it was mostly just the whole getting-in-trouble thing. After all, Eli was what they called a “good kid.”

He walked back over to Isabella. “So, how’s life?” he asked. He was going to make small talk in order to give her time to prepare herself. It was her start next, so he figured he’d let her decide when that was. Eli was pretty bad at being forceful and/or decisive. Usually, he just preferred to let people do what made them happy as long as it didn’t encroach on his territory and his own happiness. Eli was nice, but not a pushover. Well, not most of the time. Like everyone, he had his moments and people who could get away with it. He would actually probably let Isabella get away with it sometimes. Typically, the more he cared about someone, the more they could get away with things.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

When it came to sports she hadn’t thought that being nice was any way to win a game. Isabella was comfortable with there being unfairness in it that was all part of the experience. She didn’t except him to coddle her while they were playing and truthfully it would have made her cranky if he tried to. Going into this Isabella had known that there were likely going to be points that she would be left feeling dumbfounded over and that was okay. Eli had his groove back and she had helped him get there. That just meant that it would be time to step up her own game and keep him from getting too comfortable or confident. She wasn’t the toughest of challenges out there but she felt as though she was the right person for the job at this particular point. Afterward, all renewed in his confidence, Elijah could always move on to bigger competition.

”Well enough. I do have more of an urge to beat you.” She announced loftily. Taking a break wasn’t a necessary thing for her, she was fit enough to have the stamina to keep on playing but it was accepted in favor of talking for a moment or two with him. Isabella had always been a fan of conversation. She liked engaging with others and learning new things, be it about them, herself, or some factoid that she had previously been ignorant on. Opinions were interesting things and it helped her figure out who a person was. She already like Eli, there was no question about that, but that sisterly bond that she had with him did often have her curious as to what was on him mind wanting to know if he was growing up proper. From what she saw on the outside Eli was going to grow into a fine man. She liked that it was a comforting thought. Dribbling the ball when it was handed over to her, her gaze was focused on Eli as he ran and jumped at the hoop heaving himself up and hanging as though he had just made a dunk.

The smile on her lips displayed her approval despite knowing that it wasn’t allowed in game. ”Hectic as always.” She kept herself busy and in doing so got a lot done. It was lucky that she had such a good sense of time management. With him back in position though Isabella got back to the game advancing toward him. ”We’re working on a new routine for the half time at your next game and I’ve a dance recital approaching next week as well.” There were other things that she was involved with but just the day-to-day stuff, which wouldn’t be news to Eli. Rather than getting any closer to the hoop though Isabella went for a three pointers. The ball faded away toward the backboard, circled the rim and then leaped out as though some invisible force had popped it up from underneath the net. She frowned at it a bit miffed but shook it off a second later. ”What’s new with you?”

[ELIJAH COLIN MASTERS]

Babying Isabella would be the biggest mistake Eli could ever make in his life. In a way, he was kind of glad. There were some days that he just didn’t really feel like having to take extra care to be gentle with girls. Some of them were just way too fragile for his liking. Being feminine and girly and all that was fine with him; he preferred girls to act like the women he was used to (those women being his mom and sisters). However, there was a fine line between being cute and being a china doll. He didn’t understand why some girls were so particular about their appearance that they created a state in which they couldn’t move a muscle without messing something or another up. He preferred to be around girls who didn’t care way too much. As long as they gave hygiene a good nod and at least attempted to look decent, Eli was good. That was one thing he liked about Isabella. She always looked nice, but she wasn’t afraid to have fun. Their current situation was the perfect example. Isabella was dressed up to go somewhere, and here she was, playing basketball with a kid who was practically her little brother.

”Challenge accepted, Miss Dias.” He smiled at her with big, innocent eyes. He knew how to turn on his cuteness. He didn’t use it too often for just anyone, but it usually worked on Isabella. She wasn’t the first one to compare him to a puppy. In fact, he figured that was how most people described him. ”But first, I just want to give you one piece of advice: bring it.” He was one-hundred percent joking, of course. He had to mess with her as much as possible before she graduated at the end of this semester. He didn’t know how much he’d get to see her after that, if at all. He supposed it all depended on whether or not she stayed in the area for college. He definitely wouldn’t see her over the summer; he’d be back home with his family in the South.

”You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen any of the routines that y’all do, besides at the random pep rally.” It wasn’t like he did it on purpose; he was just always in the locker room during half-time. The team usually took that time to rest for a bit and to have a short meeting to discuss things that they needed to do better or opposing players that they needed to keep an eye on. ”I’ll have to find a way to watch one sometime.” He wasn’t lying, either. Isabella took the time to pay attention to him during games, so he figured it was the least he could do. ”And good luck with that dance recital…or am I supposed to say ‘break a leg’ or whatever?” He watched her attempt at a three-pointer, his head slowly following the ball until it fell from the rim. He nodded slowly. Not too bad for someone who hadn’t played in two years. At least she didn’t have to worry about running laps or doing push-ups for missing shots. That didn’t usually apply for three-pointers, but there were days where the coaches were crazier than on others. ”Me? I actually don’t have much besides basketball this semester. Well, I have an English project due next Friday,” he answered, rolling his eyes slightly. Eli was reasonably intelligent, but he just really disliked projects where he didn’t necessarily get to be creative. Not with Her Highness the Ice Queen, Ruler of All Group Projects as the ‘leader’ of his group. It was hellish, to say the least.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

A clear adoration had formed toward Eli over the time that they had known each other. It was funny thinking back to when they’d first met. Isabella had been more easily riled, still rather young herself in spirit and mind. The reservation that she now held, that air of wisdom that surrounded her had been a far distant reality then. Instead she’d been haughty about her behavior, her nose up in the air at a degree that if it were to rain she very well might have drown. She had been a sophomore at the time, finally having clawed her way up the social ladder to be more than just a name on people’s tongue to be elevated to status as an individual and Eli had been a freshman just starting on his high school journey. At first she hadn’t bothered to give him the time of day but as he got into basketball and she a cheerleader it had been put in more of a position to know him.

It had gradually progressed into what it was now. Isabella felt as though it were her duty to look out for him and knew that Eli would do the same for her if need ever be. He had that loyalty that she herself possessed and now that they were as close as they were to each other it was a near unbreakable bound. Eli had sisters already but there was a difference between blood and choice and Isabella squarely landed on the latter. She had always thought he was a cutie but soon he’d rise into manhood and that baby face would fade away. What wouldn’t though without some extreme hardship wearing him down, was that youthfulness in his eyes. It played behind his gaze seeming to chase its own tail. In the future she could easily picture him doing something involving children, maybe a coach or a pediatrician.

She understood him not making it out to see her cheerleading and putting on a show. ”We have the gym to practice before you boys are allowed on the court.” It had been scheduled so that the cheerleaders practiced after the basketball teams but someone had made a complaint that the boys sweat too much and it wasn’t sensible for the cheerleaders to have to wait and then put up with that afterward. Isabella hadn’t much cared either way as long as it didn’t conflict with the rest of her schedule. Though she didn’t particularly enjoy the smell of sweat she didn’t get all uppity about it and gross out either. Her mother had always said that the musk of a sweating male was indication that they were a true man, which was partly a metaphor but the literal was true too. ”We never say break a leg, it’s considered a jinx.” She educated him as she retrieved the ball. ”What’s the English project on?”

[ELIJAH COLIN MASTERS]

”So, if I were to show up a bit early so that I could see you perform, d’ya think I would get mauled by angry hormonal teenage girls calling me a pervert?” he asked, only half seriously. People knew that he and Isabella were close. Well, they should by now. They had met during his first visit to the school to check out what it was like, and they’d stuck like glue ever since. It was the least he could do to see her do what she loved once, considering that she watched him do the same thing at least one night out of every week. There were probably a half of a gazillion other things that she could have done besides cheerleading both semesters, but she had stuck with it. He figured she must like it to some degree. The one thing Eli didn’t understand was how girls put up with all the hormones. Living in a house of girls, he knew a good bit about it. He just didn’t know how they put up with being around each other so much without killing each other. He figured he’d ask Isabella about it someday. Maybe that could be her graduation present. Either that or a big, sweaty bear hug.

Thinking about the upcoming graduation was a terrible feeling for him. He’d be giving up the girl that had practically been his mother-away-from-home for the past two years. She didn’t baby him, but she had made sure he stayed in line and out of trouble. He was thankful for that, because there were plenty of times where he could have chosen otherwise. Who knows where he would be now if he had done some of those things, a lot of them being parties hosted by the other members of the basketball team. Whatever may have happened, he was thankful for Isabella. He’d spent the past two years watching her grow and change, and he couldn’t help but think that he had had some influence on who she became. Odd as it sounded, he was proud of her. She had grown into being a marvelous young woman who would no doubt do well in life and find a good man to make her happy.

Eli honestly could have sworn the sayings were the other way around, but what did he know? He was a sweaty Neanderthal that could put a ball through a metal hoop. ”Well, thank you for informing me. I’d hate to wish you ill,” he replied in his usual slightly flirtatious tone. That was part of his problem – he flirted so much, but half the time, he had no interest in being anything more than friends with girls. He was waiting for someone truly special to come along. ”It’s on some book called A Separate Peace. I honestly never even read it, so I have no clue what I’m doing. I’ll probably just paint some canvases and hope the teacher is so amazed that she faints and forgets that I’m clueless.” Isabella was one of the few people that he had told about his paintings.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

”I think they would be more likely to maul you over how cute you are more than anything else.” On the sidelines the girls had a way of chattering away to entertain themselves. Isabella wasn’t much for that kind of conversation, instead focusing on the game so she could fully appreciate the people who she had come to see play, but she still overheard it and knew the common opinions of the others. They would point out how that player had a nice butt and how another’s smile could make them swoon. The popular opinion on Eli was that he was easily the most adorable player on the team. Some went further talking about how they’d like to taint his innocence some, which always received an annoyed look from Isabella. She knew that some people didn’t like her because she could come across as stuck up but that was usually only when they were acting like fools.

That was often the trouble with wearing your heart on your sleeve like Isabella did. It had gained her quite a few enemies, not that she was all that worried about it because those that judged her and had judgment passed on them were usually the people that she didn’t want to have much to do with in the first place. She had always been more partial to gaining friends based on personality than she was popularity and that didn’t sit well with some people, she spoke her mind and that too had people looking down on her for one reason or another. She wasn’t a perfect person and she knew that others were either but what she found difficult to tolerate was when people hid who they were in favor of acting like a jackass so they wouldn’t have to face themselves. Some emotions she swept under the rug, she even censored herself sometimes to make sure she conducted herself like a lady but never did Isabella pretend to be someone that she wasn’t like a lot of her peers did and when she called them out on it apparently she turned out to be the bad guy.

That flirtatious nature was part of the reason that the girls found him so adorable. Isabella had always accepted it but knew the difference between when he was being playful and when to take him seriously. Eli had been a pretty big influence in her life and she wouldn’t change it for the world. He meant a lot to her and when she did graduate, he’d only be a year behind her, but she really did want to keep in contact with him. Her living situation was as yet undecided. Would she end up back in Brazil or remain in the states? It wasn’t something that she could anticipate just yet. Isabella was a big art fan. She always had been and her appreciation for it had probably been what had Eli opening up to her about his talent after they had gotten to know one another because she valued it more than others did. ”I think you should read the book still and then do the painting, that way you can incorporate something from it in your art, maybe the morality of the story. That would be sure to gain you an A.”

[ELIJAH COLIN MASTERS]

”Oh, goodness…girls really are insane, aren’t they?” he asked before gauging the possibility of his statement being offensive. Eli figured Isabella wouldn’t take it personally, but he quickly backtracked anyway. ”Uh, what I meant to say was that…uh…,” he paused, his ears turning red. ”Um…girls are…very difficult to understand. Yeah, that’s it…” He looked around the room, all of a sudden finding the gymnasium lights quite fascinating. He looked back at Isabella after a moment, giving her a small, innocent smile. Even though he knew her quite well, she was still pretty impossible for him to understand. Living with mostly women for sixteen years hadn’t given him much leverage in that department, either. Eli knew that there were girls that had liked him in the past. Truthfully, girls were really weird about guys that they were interested in – they had a funny way of showing it. They could never just get up the guts to talk to the guy, which, in turn, made his part harder. Outgoing as he was, particular girls could still make him nervous. Even Isabella – he was afraid of disappointing her when he knew that all she wanted was for him to be the best piece of human being that he could be.

”I know I should read the book first…but it’s just so hard to focus. Whenever I read it, all I can see are little scenes and then I start zoning out. Before I know it, Gene Forrester is fighting Grendel from Beowulf in Mordor.” He sighed. ”Oh, well. Maybe I can find a good audio-book version. I still have two weeks until it’s due…plenty of time.” He knew that was probably the worst lie he could tell himself, and that Isabella would agree. Due dates had a way of sneaking up on a person, and two weeks would be gone before he even realized what was happening. Thankfully, the painting didn’t have to be some grand, wall-sized Michelangelo work of art. After all, this was tenth grade English, not sixteenth-century Catholics. For a “jock” Eli knew quite a bit of history and random trivia – especially if it related to art. If it was something that interested him, he was hooked, hence the random collection of art books hidden under his bed in his dorm and filling the shelves lining his walls in his room back home. Art fascinated him. A Separate Peace? Not so much.

Eli coughed to clear his throat, followed by a massive yawn. He looked at his watch. Nine thirty. Where had the time gone? It wasn’t necessarily late, but most people weren’t playing basketball in the school gym at nine thirty on a Friday night. ”So…because I’m starting to turn into an old man, what do you say if I can make it from half-court you buy me food, and if I miss, I buy you food?” He shrugged, arching his eyebrows at it. He was already preparing himself for wherever she wanted to go. He rarely ever made it from that much of a distance, even with a running start or lobbing the ball with all of his strength. He was actually pretty okay with it. It was nearing the end of the month, and he still had plenty of his allowance from his parents left. Besides, he’d probably become the world’s most modest eater if Isabella had to pay for his food.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

Even with her not taking it personally and no offense being taken she couldn’t help but give him that raised brow as though he might have said something wrong. She agreed with him in the aspect that girls were difficult, both in general and to understand. There were far too much internal grumbling involved in females that though they may say or do one thing it didn’t necessarily mean that they meant it. That complexity of their nature caused confusions and held high expectations toward people who didn’t know the circumstances. Females often assumed that others were mind readers when in fact they weren’t, or expected people to be so involved in their lives, as though they themselves had no lives of their own, to be able to guess what was making them upset or calculate what they wanted or needed. It wasn’t all girls though, and boys could be the same way sometimes, but in any case patience and understanding were typically key elements. Eli would learn eventually.

Aiding Eli in his avoidance to do his work properly wasn’t the best thing to do but Isabella’s protective nature over him and desire for him to succeed and do his best often came with her giving him more help than he ever asked for. It was of her own doing more than it was of any coaxing from him. Eli’s dilemma with mixing scenes from movies he’d seen had that tug in Isabella pulling her toward helping. ”Alright. You could take a concept of the book, such as jealousy or regret, paint it- expressionism that is, your interpretation of the emotion and take an exert from the book explaining to your teacher how you find it relatable in some way. You’ll have the visual to astound with your artist prowess as well as a notation that you might have read the book, and incorporating personal experience to give it that extra touch that the morals of the story hit home for you.”

The time did have a tendency to fly and Isabella rarely stopped long enough to realize just how quickly and slowly it could move. Half-court was a pretty risky bet to make but she had an idea of why Eli was going with it. She knew that he was forever the Southern gentleman and they had certain hospitalities and manners that they abided by. Isabella fully understood how obligated he would have felt given that he had won and she ended up paying. She didn’t have any money worries and even liked being able to pay for things for her friends- a way of showing that she cared. ”Deal.” She gave him a nod of approval. Isabella had needed to eat hours ago but as it was things had gotten her sidetracked and by that point in the evening her stomach was, unfortunately and unattractively, beginning to rumble.

[ELIJAH COLIN MASTERS]

Eli simply shrugged innocently at her raised brow. She didn’t make an attempt to combat his statement, so there must have been some substantial truth to it that Isabella was aware of. And if Isabella thought it was even the slightest bit true, it was probably a legitimate thought. He figured she knew the inner workings of the female mind much better than he did by now – after all, she spent twenty-four hours of the day inside of one. He was, however, highly thankful that she wasn’t like most other teenage girls. Isabella had matured quickly – but not in a negative way. He didn’t mean that she had ”matured” in the sense that she had become a licentious whore, but that she had grown into a respectable young woman, someone a guy could take home to their parents without worrying what they would think. If he didn’t already know her, he would never believe it if someone told him she was only a junior in high school.

He stood with his hands on his hips with one hip cocked to the side as he pondered her suggestion about his English project. Then a rather painful realization hit him – English didn’t work like his relationship with the school’s art teacher. He couldn’t just “anonymously” (the teacher always knew it was him) submit a painting – he would have to present it. In front of people who knew him. People who would no doubt mock him for painting. He cursed quietly under his breath. He closed his eyes, and put one hand to his forehead, turning his face up to the gym lights. ”Iz, you know what I just realized?” It was a rhetorical question, but he paused for a moment anyway. ”If I did a painting, I would have to present it. Show people. Get in their face and say ‘Hey, look what I can do!’…I really don’t think I can do it.” He let out a massive sigh and shook his head. It looked like he was going to have to read the book after all.

Eli shook his head to clear his thoughts, and grabbed a new ball of the rack by the bleachers. He bounced it twice, and put it back, picking up a second one. He went through two or three more before deciding on one. He was trying to act as though he at least had a chance of making it. Knowing his luck, this would be the one time he actually did make the shot. He walked toward center-court, dribbling slowly. He turned to face the goal and backed up a few steps. He bounced the ball twice, took two giant steps and chunked the ball with all of the force he could muster. He watched dumbstruck as it actually went in the direction of the goal. It collided with the rim, rolled around it slightly, and fell to the outside of the basket. He breathed a small sigh of relief. For a moment, he was afraid it was actually going to go in the basket. He turned to face Isabella. ”So, where would you like to go, senorita?” he asked, grinning at her. He wondered if she’d comment on his random Spanish usage. He only knew a couple of words and had no intention of learning any more. He’d take French if he had to.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

His fear of people finding out that he was a talented artist had many drawbacks to it. As much as Isabella sometimes would have liked to grab him by the shoulders and demand that he stop being afraid of what people thought about him she understood his concerns. High school was a shark tank and if you weren’t careful you could be eaten alive. Eli didn’t have much protection against the deities of high school royalty other than her and though she had no problem sticking up for him there was only so much damage control Isabella would have been able to do. There were still people that would make fun of him for being some fruity artist type. It was an irritant that Isabella had no tolerance for. Being such an art lover herself it was offensive to her on that level as well as her adoration for Eli against those who would think less of him for his talent.

She’d hoped that he wouldn’t have realized it and the situation would drive him toward getting his talent out there more, boosting his confidence about it. "I'd realized." It was a shame that Eli thought his art was something that he had to hide. There were many things about high school and society in general that she wasn’t fond of and the fact that people often had to hide who they were or what they did out of fear of disturbing the status quo had always miffed her. Eli wasn’t the only person that hid behind stereotypes or social norms. Though she couldn’t understand why they didn’t, what compelled them to need the approval of the masses, Isabella, when she accepted a person she accepted them wholly even for the faults just as she rejected a person, even the good in them, when they weren’t on the best of terms with her. Though she recognized gray areas she chose to keep her loyalties in black and white.

Eli put on a good show when it came to acting out his effort to make the shot. She was none the wiser that he was hoping for failure in this case, and why wouldn’t she? He’d nearly made it. Isabella was Brazilian and her mother language was Portuguese not Spanish, but she was fluent in both. Besides the difference between Miss in Spanish versus Portuguese was one letter in spelling but it was pronounced the same so she didn’t realize that Eli had it mixed up. Usually her diet was pretty healthy considering she liked to stay as fit as possible for both dance and cheerleader. Ballet didn’t really allow for much discrepancy in weight after all and she’d been dancing since she was a toddler so the routine of eating right had stuck with her. However, even Isabella let loose every once and a while. Tonight would be one of those nights. ”How about we get a pizza?” Moving over to him she wrapped an arm around his shoulder bringing Eli in for a side hug.