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Post by Elliot Amantius on Oct 13, 2011 23:10:57 GMT -5
The ball sailed in a clean arc through the air and he was lunging forward before it even clanged against the hoop to push off the balls of his feet, relishing the burn of the muscles through his calves and thighs. The ball came down hard on the tips of his fingers, but even that small friction was enough and with a yank, he pulled it in closer to back away, bouncing the ball lazily through the vee of his legs.
It brushed against the hem of his loose shorts and he nearly tripped over it once, but it was just like riding a bike, really. He'd never forgotten it, he just hadn't known where to look at first. It wasn't exactly quiet in the gym, but Elliot's half was very nearly empty save for the blue puddle of his soaked shirt and the half empty water bottle he'd dropped on it earlier. So maybe he hadn't screwed the cap on all the way.
It was the little things, really, that helped him ignore the fact that he'd been completely alone since he transferred here. The ball, slick under his fingers, bounced up into his hands as he drew himself to his full height, extending his arms above his head to shoot from the free-throw line. Poised on the balls of his feet, Elliot allowed himself a crooked grin as the ball sank cleanly through the hoop. "Nothing but net," he hummed, padding forward with the squeak of new shoes on polished wood to retrieve the bouncing ball as he lifted a hand to push a few wet strands of hair from his face.
Somewhere back behind him, someone laughed and he shuddered as if the sound had been cool air over his bare skin, sighing even as he bent to lift the ball in one palm. It was harder than he'd thought it would be, finding a new place for himself in a place where everyone was paired off or forever waiting for their other half.
The metal clamp on the worn hairband about his wrist caught his eye, and with a crooked smile Elliot lifted his free hand to give it a snap. She would've done it for him if she'd seen him moping, after all.
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Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 15, 2011 14:41:02 GMT -5
It was weird to see a kid playing basketball by himself, really. Gage couldn't imagine playing the sport alone. It was almost like playing soccer by yourself, only less...fun. In any case, the man was up for playing some sports, and while he didn't really know the guy, he figured he could get to know him while they played. He gave a small laughter as he watched whoever it was doing all kinds of moves and things that a lot of other people couldn't do. With a small smirk, Gage stepped over, gym shoes making small tapping noises as he crossed the court.
"Hey there, mind if I join you?" he asked suddenly, grinning at Elliot as he stood only a few meters away. He was wearing his typical black gym shorts and fitted red and black, sleeveless shirt. In his arms was his own basketball, although he was ready to throw it to the side of this kid said he would play.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the wet heap of clothes on the floor but didn't give it a second thought. "Just thought you looked a bit lonely." He winked.
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Post by Elliot Amantius on Oct 15, 2011 16:28:42 GMT -5
Elliot rocked back on his heels as he turned, giving his head a jerky little toss to throw his hair back out of his face and thinking fleetingly that it was in need of a trim before he just sort of...stopped. Thinking, that is. "Ah," he mumbled before realizing with a painful sort of clarity that he sounded very much like some sort of moron. That seemed to be what he needed to snap out of his surprise--was that nail polish?--and offer a crooked smile," I don't mind. Sort of boring just playing by myself."
"Lonely, too, I guess," he admitted, lifting bare shoulders in a sheepish sort of shrug as he strove to ignore the wink. It worked after a fashion, so he cocked a hip to rest his ball there against the low-riding fabric of his shorts," I'm Elliot, by the way. Whatcha wanna play?"
"There's horse or one on one if you think you can handle me," he offered with an unmistakably teasing grin.
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Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 17, 2011 18:29:09 GMT -5
"Good, good," he said, his voice sounding somewhat devious as he stepped in beside the other man now that he'd been accepted onto the court. He brought his hand to his chin as he inspected the other individual. His hair seemed to be a natural auburn, something a little off from Gage's bright red, and his eyes were a pretty shade of green -- they went good together. But the one thing he noticed above all else was the fact that this kid no longer had his ears. Which meant..
Gage nodded slightly to the introduction and grinned. Means he's experienced, then? "Nice. The name's Gage," he said aloud, shrugging. In his one hand he still held the ball, but the one he'd brought to his chin before had long since dropped to his side. "And it doesn't matter what we play. One on one sounds like it can be sorta fun, no?" He returned the grin gladly, knowing that this was gonna be a competitive little match. Which meant this was gonna be a lot of fun.
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Post by Elliot Amantius on Oct 17, 2011 18:50:22 GMT -5
Elliot let his shoulders drop in a lazy shrug, lifting his arm to let the worn gym ball drop, catching it on the bounce with his fingertips to give it a lazy push for the edge of the court. It bounced away, coming to a rolling halt somewhere along the sidelines. "Sounds good to me," he agreed," One point for normal shots, two for the rest. We can play to fifteen. You wanna shoot to see who goes first?"
The rules were safe enough to dwell on. he didn't quite trust himself not to stare as he'd been doing more and more often since he'd left home. It had been easier back then, hiding his...unusual interest in other boys his age, but there was nobody here to stop him. No one here even seemed to care, and Gage was damned good looking. He didn't know whether to praise his luck or curse it, so he just settled on trying to force some casual sort of acceptance. It didn't quite work.
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Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 17, 2011 20:13:52 GMT -5
Gage gave a nod, confirming that he understood the rules. It sounded fine to him, but he didn't really care what they were doing -- he just wanted to play some damn basketball. "Sure, sure. And you can shoot first," he suggested, throwing his ball in the boy's direction, hoping he'd catch it without getting hit. If the kid was any good at this sport, Gage assumed he'd be able to catch a ball thrown at him even if he wasn't expecting it. If not, he could imagine how things would get a little....awkward.
As he waited for the kid to make his shot, he cracked his knuckles in anticipation of the game that was about to take place. He couldn't deny he was excited -- usually there wasn't anyone to play basketball with, namely because Gage didn't enjoy joining games that had already started or asking groups of people he didn't know if he could play with them. While the guy was a social butterfly, he didn't seem the type to barge in uninvited on a group of friends spending time together.
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Post by Elliot Amantius on Oct 17, 2011 21:46:21 GMT -5
Elliot snapped up a hand without really thinking, curling it around the ball as it came at him to cradle it against the side of his chest. It landed there with a solid smack, but the ball hadn't been thrown with any sort of force so it hardly stung. Basketball was by no means his favorite sport, but he was a decent enough shot and his height had always given him something of an edge. Until everyone else had shot up like weeds as well, anyways.
Gage was cracking his knuckles and looking unusually excited about the prospect of a game, and the sight was amusing enough that he cracked a grin. "Not played in a while?" he queried as he toed the freethrow line, bouncing the ball a few times before making his shot. The ball had only just left his fingertips when he realized what would happen and jogged forward to catch it on the rebound, spinning neatly on his heels to toss the ball to the redhead. "Ah well, guess you're up first then."
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Post by Gage Reinhart on Oct 19, 2011 15:50:16 GMT -5
Gage cracked a smile when the other boy asked if he hadn't played in a while. "Not with anyone, no." He gave a shrug as he turned to watch the shot. But when Elliot had to run forward to catch the rebound, he knew he'd be going first. Suddenly, the ball was thrusted at him, and he caught it easily although the tips of his fingers were what had saved the catch. He grinned as he locked eyes with Elliot and began bouncing the ball.
He dribbled it expertly, passing the ball between each of his hands. After watching Elliot's expressions and actions, he figured he would know what to do next. In the split second it took for the other boy to reaction, Gage would try to strike -- no guarantees he would win, though. He was obviously overconfident -- no surprise there, he hadn't played in a few years.
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Post by Elliot Amantius on Oct 25, 2011 22:50:43 GMT -5
It was tempting to just fix his eyes on the ball and play when a fresh wave of unease ran through him, but Eli forced himself to relax, adopting a crooked grin as he closed the gap between them to loom close. Defense had always been something of his forte, given his height and reach and now was no different even if it had been a while since he'd played a proper game.
He faltered in the middle of curving his arms out toward the other boy, though, when it struck him as somehow obscene, and he balked for all of a moment, allowing Gage by.
((Sorry about the wait and the reply itself. Life's been sorta hectic lately between school and other recent happenings.))
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