“Oh!Thatpractice.” Ariana looked at the time on her phone and widened her eyes. “Soon.”
“You better get going. This was fun,” Nicole said. “I think we made Chloe’s day.”
“You have certainly made mine, Nicole Neal.”
Nicole smirked and looked down at her drink.
“Now who’s blushing?” Ariana chuckled. She finished her drink and looked at Nicole. “Would you like anything else?”
Nicole shook her head. “Thanks for the smoothie. Next time it’s my treat.”
“Next time?” Ariana said with a hum. “Would it be all right if I texted you after my game?”
Nicole nodded.
Ariana wasn’t sure what was happening between them. Maybe she did have a little crush on Nicole. Nah. All she knew was that she had practice, a game to prepare for on Tuesday, and she was looking forward to playing one-on-one with Nicole.
They got up and threw their cups away and walked outside into the sunshine. Ariana loved this time of year. May in New York wasn’t too cold and it wasn’t hot.
“Don’t be crashing into any tables in DC,” Nicole said. “I won’t be there to catch you.”
Ariana gazed over at Nicole and gave her a salute. “Yes ma’am.”
“Come to think of it, you never apologized for landing in my lap,” Nicole said.
Ariana raised her brows and shrugged. “Because I’m not sorry.”
Nicole huffed and Ariana saw the surprise on her face.
“The way you looked at me with your pretty brown eyes,” Ariana explained, “I wouldn’t miss that, no matter how bad it hurt.”
Nicole’s gaze narrowed then she smiled and started to walk away. “Have a good practice.”
“Have fun studying,” Ariana replied. She watched Nicole walk away and remembered one thing she was going to do after practice. Google Nicole Neal.
Ariana had just enough time to get to their practice facility and hurried into the locker room to change. Once practice started and she was on the court, Ariana began to pay closer attention to her teammates as she went through defensive drills. She watched the ball, but she also glanced at their eyes and picked up on a few cues when a player would lean one way or the other.
“Dang, Villa!” Coach Bell said. “You’re on fire today. No one is getting past you.”
Ariana smiled and took her turn on offense. Once again she paid attention to her own habits and mannerisms when she made decisions to pass the ball or shoot. It was like she was seeing the game in a new light.
They finished practice with a three-on-three scrimmage and her team won every time.
After they went back into the locker room Ariana took a quick shower and changed back into the clothes she’d worn for the event that morning.
“Hey, how was the thing this morning with the kids?” Cameron asked her.
“Oh, it was fun. You’ll never believe who was there,” Ariana replied.
Cameron shrugged and waited.
“Nicole Neal.”
“Huh, your crush?”
Ariana chuckled. “More like my savior after catching me last night.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Cameron said. “Hey, I’m heading to Terrance’s. Do you want to come over?”
