elastic band and then rolled my neck back forth until I felt a pop at the base of my skull.
My chair was far more basic than her athletically designed one. Her wheels were thinner and wider, she had small wheels along the back for stability during play, and her backrest was only a few inches tall. While I got myself settled in the chair, she spun in tight circles, stopping and pivoting quickly to dribble the ball and flick it up to the net.
She wanted to prove something to Earl and Merl? No problem.
No really, it wasn't a problem. She was so much better than me in every single category, and not because of any attempt on my part to be chivalrous.
Without breaking a sweat, Jocelyn kicked the ever-loving shit out of me on that court. I saw her grin once—though it was gone as soon as I blinked—and it was because she hit a shot from so far past the key that I swore under my breath.
Great. The second thing I said to her was a curse word. My mother would rip my ear off.
Coach entered the gym, followed by a few of the players. They all watched from the sidelines as Jocelyn pummeled me into submission, shot after shot, until she rammed my chair hard enough that I pitched forward as she tried to snatch the ball after I bricked it off the rim.
"Oh, come on, that was a foul," I yelled out.
Jocelyn glanced over at Coach, who held his hands up. "Looked clean to me, Levi. Better hit some shots. You're embarrassing me out there."
Earl chuckled. Merl slapped his leg.
Jocelyn pursed her lips to keep from smiling, and I felt it again.
A tug. A reminder. Someone poking me in the back to get me going in the right direction.
Do something. You're not doing what you're supposed to be doing.
I held up a hand to pause the play even though there was no earthly way I could catch up to her. She stopped moving and set the ball in her lap.
"Do you give up?" she asked.
Under my breath, I laughed, running a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. "I have a strong sense of self-preservation, so yes, I concede."
Jocelyn tossed me the ball, and I caught it. "Good game."
I raised an eyebrow at her, which made her grin again. It was another quick one, just a hint of her full smile. The words were out of my mouth before I could think twice.
"Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"
Her face froze, the seemingly endless confidence I'd seen since she first came through the doors showing its first hiccup. "You wanna what?"
I breathed out a laugh, glad that no one was within earshot now. My body relaxed for the first time since she approached me. This is what I was supposed to do. "I'd love it if you'd allow me to take you out to dinner."
She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed me suspiciously. "You don't know me. What if I'm fourteen, and you just became the pervy coach who asked out a minor?"
My head cocked to the side. "Well, then you'd have some explaining to do since you have to be sixteen in order to play."
Jocelyn puffed air out of her mouth. Not quite a laugh, but it was something. "Do you even know my name? Because I don't know yours."
Liar, I wanted to say. Coach yelled at me every practice, but I let it slide.
I held out my hand. "Levi Buchanan. Born and raised in Green Valley, just turned eighteen, future exercise science major at Maryville College, and youngest of three boys. And I'm terrible at wheelchair basketball."
Her nose wrinkled like I'd thrown dirt in her face, but she shook my hand.
"Jocelyn Abernathy, not born or raised in Green Valley, sixteen years old, I'm not terrible at wheelchair basketball, and my friends call me Joss." She tilted her head. "Or they would if I had friends."
Again, I laughed, but her face didn't change from that same mildly amused expression. My smile dropped, and I cleared my throat, not quite sure what to say to that.
The other players, sensing that our match was over, started passing drills on the opposite side of the court, with Coach yelling suggestions. Jocelyn watched them for a second, her cheeks taking on a pink tinge that I couldn't decipher because she didn't seem pleased by my offer. Surprised, maybe, but there was no excitement in her eyes and