School got out by three but basketball practice ran till 5. Uncle David wasn't coaching the team today, he had to fly out of the state for work, and seeing as Tyler was my ride home I was stuck here, on the bleachers till 5.
I leaned against the backrest of the chairs on the bleachers and watched as the guys ran drills, they passed the ball, shot hoops, and did some complicated formations that went right over my head. They were really good.I wasn't the only one in the bleachers, turns out the guys had some serious fans, and with the way, they were sighing now and then I'd say they weren't here for the sport, more like for the guys.Dark eyes from across the field were staring at me like they were looking right through me like he was searching for my secrets'huh' I thoughtI guard those with my life.Ace Reed liked me. Or at least he was interested in me that much I could tell from the long stares and the short conversations we've had if you'd call that 2-second ramble between us a conversation.Not to sound presumptuous or full of myself but I've always been able to tell when a guy is interested.It's almost always in the way he looks at you, his eyes stay on you during a conversation, they search for you in a crowdhis eyes are fixated on you like he's afraid to blink in fear of missing something, like at the parking lot this morning when he thought I wasn't looking.He probably doesn't know it yet, he probably doesn't understand what he's feeling yet.But I doAnd I don't want it.I break the staring game we had going on and shove all my books into my bag and take my leave.I'll wait for Ty by the car.Tyler meets me in the passenger seat of his car doing my homework"we're going to Ace's house," he says getting into the driver's side and turning the ignition”Why?," I ask"We always hang out there after practice" he drives out of school and follows a fleet of cars"and this would be a great opportunity for you to make friends, and meet new people" he smiles at me.”This is Ace's house?""Yh, well technically it belonged to his Grandfather but he willed it to Ace when he died"Tyler and the fleet of cars we were following were driving on a long winding driveway into a gated property surrounded by tall trees.Entering through an enormous door we step into an impressive foyerThe foyer had a massive rug made from rich textiles and the wooden floors were polished to perfection.The stunning massive glass chandelier In the middle of the room illuminated the whole room giving off an elegant look.The main colors were brown and cream.Two wooden staircases on both sides lead to the first floor and open up to other parts of the house while the double doors in front of me lead to an exquisite parlor where everyone was going.The parlor also bore the same colors as the foyer with seats, two big windows, and a large flat-screen TV with game consoles underneath it.As everyone crowded around the Tv, probably to play video games, an aged woman in a maids outfit came in and dropped some refreshments on the table.Sky took the furthest seat she could find away from everyone. It was a single chair with a coffee table in front of it and another chair opposite it. It was also in front of one of the big windows.She was so engrossed in the book she was reading that she didn't notice that Ace had taken a seat in the chair opposite hers and he was gazing at her with a confused expression on his face and he remained in this position for a few minutes before she decided to break the silence"Can I get your notes now?" this broke his concentration and made him lean back a bitAfter a long pause, he said"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but makemusic for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest incorncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’sa sin to kill a mockingbird" Ace fluently recited a quote from the book Sky was so engrossed in"You have read the book" she brought the book down from her face and look at him in astonishment.Not really sure why that delighted him"Why do you look so surprised" he leaned forward resting his elbows on his thighs.It was so easy to get lost in her eyes, to stare at her until everything melted into oblivion cause at this point he was beginning to discover that nothing else mattered, everyone that came before her seemed to pale in comparison and he still didn't understand whyThis is the most they had spoken since they met and he realized that he loved her voice as much as he was beginning to love her eyes"Reading is a task that people tend to avoid" she closed the book and placed it on the table "Pardon me for thinking you were one of those people"He looked at her then he got up "My notes are in my room if you still need them" he gestured with his head toward the stairsSky held his gaze for a bit then dropped it and followed him.The both of them proceeded up the stair, Everyone was preoccupied with other things to notice what was going on between them. Everyone except for Ty and Ms. Mary.Ms. Mary had a good look at the girl her boss was fixated on when she took out the refreshments. She has known Ace since he was in diapers and she has never seen her boss look so enamored with a girl. So many girls had passed through these halls all in one state of undress or the other but this one, she had a feeling this one was different.Ace was confused. The feelings were beginning to overwhelm him and he still didn't understand them. He especially didn't understand what happened this evening with Amber.Amber was a regular part of the group, she was good friends with the girlfriends of some of the basketball players so that earned her a spot in the group. Amber, Tasha, and Laurel we're as thick as thieves. In a way, they kind of ran the school together. People said they were the perfect combination of beauty and brains.But Ace thought differently now, there was only one girl whom those terms perfectly qualified, and her sky blue eyes haunted him.It wasn't news to anyone in the group or at school that Amber had feelings for Ace. She knew about his sexual escapades, everyone knew he slept around.......a lot, he goes through girls faster than their high school ran out of toilet paper in the girl's bathroom. But she always thought 'Boys will be Boys' and when he was finally ready to settle down he'd pick her.Ace was
Ms. Mary has been working for Ace's grandfather for a very long time and when he died and Ace was willed the house she decided to stay and look after him, something she promised his grandfather she would do till he didn't need her anymore since his parents were so indifferent about him. She was practically his only family.Ms. Mary wasn't at all surprised to see Ace downstairs staring into space with a forlorn expression on his face. She was walking towards him clad in comfy grey pants and a well pressed white shirt using her walking stick for balance"Hello dear," she said softly so as not to startle him "He raised his head and gave her a short but respectful greeting in return as she took the love seat opposite the seat he occupied."can you tell me about Love Ms.M, more specifically Love at first sight"After a long pause..."Love is a mysterious thing my boy" Ms. Mary began "very powerful.....capable of changing even the strongest of hearts.And it can be very sneaky too.....espe
Ace walked through the high school languidly. He hadn't seen Sky in two weeks, he didn't know if she was avoiding him or if she just wasn't in school. Students were leaning against their lockers some of them were alone going through their phones, and searching through their lockers while some were in groups gossiping.He noticed eyes following him around as he made his way down the corridors of the school and towards his destination. They were the eyes of some of the girls he usually slept with. Girls, he'd slept with all the time trying to feel something.......Anything. Playthings he used to extinguish his boredom.Looking at them now though he wondered why he started it and kept on doing it, it never filled the void inside of him, at the end he was just left with some clingy females who didn't understand the word No. And the most shocking part of it was that now.....now he had no desire to seek them out.On getting to the lunchroom he moved towards the table his group was sitting a
Let's get some facts straight so we don't get confusedAce is the male lead of the book, he has never been in love, and the only type of love he has ever felt is familial love from his Grandfather and Ms. Mary, his nanny. That is why it seems he's messing things up with Sky, he has no clue what he's doing or feeling.Sky knows what love is but right now she's not really receptive to it because she has lost it too many times. How? Please keep reading the book to find out. She's smart and perceptive so she can tell that Ace likes her( I'm sure a lot of us here can tell when a guy or a girl is interested in us. It has nothing to do with being proud or presumptuous)Tyler is Sky's Cousin. Laurel is his girlfriend. Amber is her friend and is borderline obsessed with Ace. Jules Baker is Sky's Mum, She's in New York. I won't really be writing much about her.David and Loren Williams are Tyler's parents. David works for the NBA and Loren is a stay at home mom.If you have any questions pleas
"Sky if you want to keep up with this class this semester you're gonna need a tutor of a sort," The History teacher says to Sky just as she was about to run out of class, away from Ace.Throughout the class he was trying to make eye contact, trying to talk to her. They have nothing to talk about, Sky thought she made that clear the other day."I thought I told you to get Ace's notes," he said signaling Ace with his hands to come over 'Great! There goes my plan of avoiding him' Sky thought"She did get my notes, and I also volunteered to tutor her for a bit. We start today." Sky didn't know if Ace was covering for her or if he was just trying to get her to talk to him again but she wasn't having it.She opened her mouth to contradict Ace "well you really don't have a lot of options miss Baker" The History lecturer began. His name was Mr. Sugar, but there was nothing sweet about him. He was well known for his harsh expressions and stringent character."It's either you take Mr. Reed's
Tyler along with the rest of Ace's teammates was in the locker room when he walked in. He gave Ty and a few others nods before walking to his locker with his gym bag strapped to his shoulder. Dropping the bag on a bench he opens his locker and starts getting ready."You're not late today, Thank God," Tyler said as they walked together to the court. "Coach would've had my hide if he had asked me where you were and I couldn't provide answers. ""I've just been really busy" Ace shrugged, he caught the ball, Lance, a teammate threw at him and threw it in the basket."Nice shot dude" Lance ran after the ball after giving Ace a thumbs up.Tyler didn't know about Ace's feelings for Sky, Ace didn't want to tell him but it's been weeks and he's made no progress with her.'maybe telling him won't be such a bad idea' Ace thought 'what could go wrong"Hey Ace, you ok? I've been calling your name for a while now." Charles another of Ace's close friends walks up to him. The both of them clasp their
Sky shrugged his hand off her shoulder and gave him her signature cold glare."I thought you were supposed to stay away from me" she began"So you were eavesdropping...... I knew you were there" Ace gave her a small smile one of his eyebrows quirked up. He was always so happy to see her even if she had no qualms about expressing her dislike for him."I wouldn't call it eavesdropping when you guys were talking so loud" she countered " Where is Tyler anyway? "Your aunt called, said she needed him to meet her somewhere""Oh"Ace walked toward the fridge and pulled a beer out "want one?"Sky's expression changed from the cold glare she was wearing earlier to a somber one, she looked like she was physically in pain. "I don't drink....anymore" The 'anymore' was said so quietly like she didn't want him to hear it but he did and he was curious. "I can respect that" Ace replies softlyher heart flutters in her chest as he says that. Sky has been trying so hard to hate him because of the unw
Ace was seated in the cafeteria amid his friends, the popular crowd but he was distracted, he kept staring at the door every 5 seconds hoping the girl that has taken over his entire thoughts both conscious and unconscious was going to walk in. Since Sky agreed to be Ace's friend they've been civil. greetings in the hallway at school, regular texting, Ace got her number that evening before he left Ty's house and he has taken every opportunity to text her, even if it's just to send weird funny emoticons to get a reaction out of her. But she hasn't been eating lunch with them in the cafeteria so Ace was able to convince her to try it today and she agreed but now he was beginning to think that she had bailed on him. There was also the issue of Ty's objection to their relationship or lack of... and now he was glaring at him or was it staring intensely, well he was making his displeasure very obvious and the group was starting to notice if the looks some of them were giving him was anythin