Chapter 2: Gym

Miguel told Darius, “Come on, man, let’s shoot some hoops.”

“Alright, cool. Not much else to do.”

The two friends walked over to the far side of the school towards the gymnasium. They’d been friends for three and a half years since meeting at a house party as freshmen. Darius had bet him that he couldn’t hook up with one of the sophomore cheerleaders, and he was proven right. After Miguel wiped the beer off his face, the two became fast friends.

The two of them reached the darkened gym. Entering, the sound of the closing door echoed loudly throughout the cavernous room. There was only light from the exit signs and the three windows high above the bleachers. The little light they let in was obscured by the white snow blowing sideways past their vision. Darius felt along the wall for the lights and eventually found them. The room lit up, with the polished hardwood surface shining and the black and gold school trim along the baselines.

Darius headed to the supply room. “I’ll grab the rack,” as he disappeared for a few moments, then returned pushing a cart of basketballs. He pulled one off, tossed it to his friend, and picked one for himself.

“What a fucking day,” Miguel said after draining a short-range basket.

“Tell me about it. I never thought we’d be stuck here overnight. Like, I know I need to work on my free throws, but fuck.”

“How do you need to work on anything? You’ve had scouts here every game watching you. You’ve had offers from Georgetown, North Carolina, and half the Big Ten schools”.

“You know I don’t care about that. It’s just about getting better at whatever I’m doing, doesn’t matter what.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got to make a decision at some point.”

“I know. I’m still hoping the right thing will come along. I’ll know it when I see it,” Darius said as he drained his fifth straight basket from the line. Miguel caught the ball underneath the basket and held it.

“You’ve got to stop worrying, man. No offense to your brother, but it doesn’t have to go down that way with you.”

Darius was the youngest of five siblings: three brothers and two sisters. They were a tight-knit family. Jamal really looked out for Darius when he was young, and Darius idolized him.

No one in his family had attended college before his oldest brother, Jamal. He got in on a football scholarship, and they were all so proud. Jamal had focused entirely on football. His grades weren’t great, but he hoped to make it in the NFL one day or play professionally somewhere, maybe in Europe or Canada.

In the third quarter of his second game, the score was close. The play called for him to go to the outside and then hard cut across the middle. With his speed, he got a step on his defender, and the ball came his way. It was overthrown by about two feet, so he jumped to make the catch. Unbeknownst to him, someone else cut across to defend and chopped his legs out from under him. He landed and shattered his right knee. Doctors said he could never play again, and he lost his scholarship. It drove him to a deep depression, which led to his eventual self-inflicted death.

Darius didn’t want that for himself. He loved basketball but focused equally on his schooling to try to get an academic scholarship. He was truly holding out for that, but it was something he didn’t tell anyone about. He hoped his science fair project work would get him the grades and notice from academic school recruiters. Worst case, he’d take a basketball scholarship from somewhere and hope for the best.

“Yo, did you see Karla today? She’s looking good,” Darius said, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, I still don’t know why you dumped her. I’d be all over that.”

“I know you’d chase a skirt into a volcano if you thought it’d lift it up high enough,” Darius laughed. “You should ask her out. I’d put in a good word.”

“I don’t know how good your word is. You’ve only gone out with like three girls. You’re wasting your prime years, bro.”

“I want the right one, you know. Karla’s hot, but it just wasn’t the right fit.”

“The right fit is any girl that can stand up or lie down.”

“Maybe to you. What if I said that about YOUR sister?” Darius said before he briefly saw something in the doorway. “Hold up, who’s that?”

“I don’t know,” Miguel was starting to get warm. It must have been from moving around, “Hey, you at the door, come on in.”

The door slowly opened, and a black-haired Asian girl poked her head in. She seemed nervous, but the friendly and confident Miguel waved her over. She was short, about 5’2, with long, shiny hair, black jeans, and a purple sweater. The thickness of the shirt hid any potential curves from the hungry eyes of the lustful Latino.

“Why are you hiding out there? We don’t bite,” Miguel said with his usual charming smile.

“I ... I didn’t want to bother you. I was just wandering around and heard the noise from in here.” Her voice was soft and timid, and she spoke while staring at her feet.

“You’re welcome to join us. Not a lot else to do tonight since we’re stuck here,” Darius said as he towered over the diminutive girl by almost two feet. “I’m Darius, and this is Miguel.”

“I know. It’s like this school never stops talking about you two. I’m Maggie Jiao.”

“Hello, Maggie, have you gone here long? You don’t look familiar,” Miguel asked, attempting to get some details from this new turn of events.

“My family moved from Hong Kong a year ago. I’m still figuring this school culture out.”

“Your English is pretty good for someone from China,” Darius remarked as he twirled a basketball on his finger.

“Hong Kong used to be a British territory. My parents insisted I learn it with private tutors.”

“Huh, didn’t know that. Do you know how to play?” Miguel asked as he looked at his friend.

“Kind of, but I think I’ll sit over there and watch you two fight it out.”

Maggie walked over and sat in the first row of bleachers. The air felt stale and stifled, but the air conditioning was likely turned off during the evenings. She didn’t really know what to do. She didn’t intend to watch for long, not that she had anywhere to be. She just pulled her feet up to her chest and looked at the two guys on the court.

Miguel looked over at the cute girl and smiled. Until just then, he didn’t know she existed. Now, he had a target in sight. He would do anything to impress a pretty girl; at that moment, she was the prettiest girl in the gym. He held his hands out to Darius to check the ball and restart their game.

Darius passed the ball and play resumed. Miguel suddenly played more aggressively. He attacked the hoop on offense and applied heavy pressure on defense. It was more challenging than the lighthearted game they’d been playing, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He knew his friend well. TAddinga girl, any girl, really, within his vicinity, made Miguel want to show off. It was one of the reasons he did so well on game days.

The two sparred back and forth on the court, Miguel to impress and Darius for personal pride. The heat raised in their bodies as their clothes became soaked in sweat. Both assumed it was due to the frantic play, but on the bleachers, Maggie also felt a searing heat throughout her body. She became uncomfortable in her seat and struggled to cool herself off as best she could. There was something else, though, as her eyes couldn’t leave the sight of those two sexy men on the court, their muscles flexing as they played in front of her.

Darius’s mind became clouded as the heat built within him. He never remembered playing when the air felt so thick around him. His breathing was heavy as he took his next shot, and his skin burned against his clothes. He wanted to stop, but when he looked at Maggie, he felt some pull towards her that he had to fight off. He blocked Miguel’s shot, cleared it, and fired an easy bucket.

For Miguel, everything felt like standing next to a roaring bonfire in the heat of a July afternoon. Sweat poured off his body, his hands shook, and he struggled to continue playing. He couldn’t take it anymore and called time before he stumbled over to the bleachers and sat next to Maggie. Darius joined him soon afterward, out of breath and drenched in sweat. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the ground, which made a wet slapping sound. Miguel’s shirt was quick to follow. They both hovered near Maggie, who struggled with her own overloaded system. Compelled for reasons beyond her control and better nature, Maggie pulled down her pants to relieve some heat.

“What’s happening to us? I can’t stop,” Darius said as he fought a losing battle with his urges.

He walked behind the short girl and put his large hands on her hips. Miguel had his hands under Maggie’s shirt and was fondling her nearly flat chest, so Darius put his hands inside her small black panties. His fingers were entangled in a thick forest of black hair that ended just at the edges of her panties. She was soaking wet, both from sweat and from arousal. She moaned as his index finger made contact with the top of her slit.

With Miguel’s 7-inch cock in one hand, she reached around and grabbed Darius’ massive 9-inch monster. It was long, but she also felt how thick it was. Her small hand was barely able to wrap around it fully. The thought and feeling of that thing drove Maggie crazy. She pulled down his boxers to get a better look.