lost boy.
andy’s body language mirrors her tone, though lean arms wrap around hayden and for a moment he is transfixed by her plump lips as they seal around the end of the blunt. he bites his own bottom lip when she hands it back. instinctively, warm hands run down and then up andy’s back. a frown begins to form on hayden’s face. he knows it doesn’t take much to have andy freezing and hayden nuzzles into her neck to press kiss behind her ear. it is selfish, but hayden knows he will perform better with his girl cheering him on. hazel eyes widen as he breaks free from her embrace, “here baby, wear my jacket,” before any argument can be verbalized, hayden shrugs out of his outer layer and tucks it over andy’s shoulders. hayden links their fingers together before bringing her knuckles up for a quick peck while his other hand rests on the curve of her lower back.
before andy can become a bigger distraction, hayden’s buddies tease him from where they’ve gathered on the court. he turns to flip them a playful bird before pressing another pleading kiss to andy’s mouth. “this won’t take long, lover.” nimble fingers zip and button the jacket to maintain its effectiveness, “i just gotta show these guys this white boy can jump.” hazel eyes lock onto gray, dark brows held aloft as hayden folds his hands in prayer, “don’t go anywhere, cutie.” long legs hustle to the court where they’ve already begun tossing the ball into the basket. hayden takes his spot at the end of the line and watches, hollering out barbs as each guy attempts the shot laid out before them. it’s kind of like an intense version of the game horse, but you only get one chance. once you miss, you’re out.
hayden lights another blunt and hands it to the guys who’ve already been knocked out. he can hear them offering the smoke to andy and hayden grins when he looks over to see her leaning against the fence to chat with a guy known as bolt. an uproar of shouts brings hayden’s attention back to the game just in time to witness a perfectly executed hook shot. keen eyes widen with false worry as hayden holds both of his hands up, ready for the ball as it is launched at his chest with an accompanying taunt.
“oh no, guys…” quick steps shuffle across the court into position, “is it too late to back out?” with an exaggerated eye roll, hayden jogs toward the basket, turning to grin at his opponents while hooking his arm over his head and jumping as he guides the ball through the hoop. a cocky grin and the glint of amusement dances in hayden’s eyes as he retrieves the ball, dribbling a few times before banking another clean shot. when it comes to basketball, there is nothing more fulfilling than the swish of the net and hayden’s voice echoes into the night, “who’s next?”
hayden’s feet move in time with his arms in a small victory dance as he reintegrates with the group who successfully made their shot. hayden takes a moment to offer andy his biggest smile, flexing both arms at his sides to show her he’s still got it. hayden watches as two more fail the shot he laid out for them, each one hitting the rim before falling through the net. bottom lip is bitten between his teeth, eyes focused on javier’s perfect replication of hayden’s shot. tension builds in his gut as javier walks into the center circle and crouches to toss the ball granny style at the hoop. disbelief is a shock to hayden’s core as the ball cleanly flows through the net, no rim involved.
hayden catches the ball where he stands, nerves on edge as he squares himself in the center of the court, eyes fixed on the backboard. both lips are tucked between hayden’s teeth as he lines up and takes the shot. a breath is held in his chest and is slowly exhaled as the ball circles the rim and falls to the right. an explosion of laughter and cheers for javier fill the night air. hayden’s shoulders slump in defeat as he shuffles toward andy. long arms wrap her in a sad hug as hayden buries his face in her neck. his voice is low as he speaks into her ear, honestly disappointed by his shortcoming, “i’m sorry you stayed out here for a loser.”
the smell of smoke lingers on hayden’s jacket as he settles it around andy’s shoulders. an aura of warmth blankets her skin, the HEAT of his body lingering to insulate her from the jarring climate. it’s clear in his eyes and the line of his mouth that he doesn’t want her to leave him on the courts and return to the pleasant refuge of the car. taunts from the painted CENTER-LINE draw his attention for a moment and she laughs when his only response is a vulgar hand gesture. he’s quick to turn back to her, but he leans in slowly and it only takes a simple kiss from soft lips to keep andy’s feet rooted to the spot, desire to leave waning with each passing second of his AFFECTION. she loves the weight of his hand on her back and the residual taste of alcohol on his tongue as she melts into him. the kiss ends too soon for andy’s liking, but they all ended that way. a small smile settles on happily distracted features as hayden secures her inside his jacket and backs away, hazel eyes pleading as he tells her not to go anywhere. ❝go get ‘em baby,❞ andy stage whispers as he turns to face his competition with the utmost CONFIDENCE. she was always in awe of his self-assured attitude, it didn’t make sense to the girl who was almost always second guessing herself. admiration of hayden’s self-confidence turns quickly to a study of his lean body and muscular legs, andy’s bottom lip tucking itself between her teeth. a small ❝mmm --❞ of appreciation slipping through that only she could hear. it was all too easy to get lost in the thought of her stripping off his sweat-soaked clothes and having her way with him. unfocused grey eyes remain trained on the court, but she couldn’t tell what was going on if anyone asked. her IMAGINATION was conjuring up plenty to keep her warm while bundled up inside his jacket. it isn’t until some of hayden’s friends get knocked out of their little competition that she’s forced from her reverie -- not that she minded, she’d get the real thing soon enough… all inclinations of being tired from the drive are long forgotten. a very gentlemanly individual, who introduces himself as bolt, passes her the blunt hayden had lit and she smiles and follows the few feet over to the fence they’re hanging by. she learns that he’s a performing arts major and he’s getting his bachelor's degree, the conversation EBBS and FLOWS easily between the puffs of smoke and the orange glow of the cherry. of course they discuss music, and where she goes to school, the roars and jeering of the ongoing game only drawing their attention away momentarily as the landmark events have more and more people joining the smoking group at the fence line. andy catches hayden’s VICTORY DANCE and the smile he tosses her as he shows off his very impressive guns, though she was bias and everything about him was beyond impressive to her - he knew that she got particularly WEAK over those biceps he was flashing with a cocky swagger that only made her anticipate their alone time even more. there’s only two of them on the court now so she turns her full attention to the game in a show of solidarity - she didn’t want to miss his big moment if he managed to score the WIN. she smiles at the subtle nerves that show in the line of his posture and the biting of his lip, small signals nobody else would even notice. it’s clear that hayden needs a cheering section so she curls her fingers between her lips and lets a shrill whistle pierce the night, followed by a loud round of shouting and clapping - her elbow finding the side of her new friend bolt to get him to join her. there’s a collective noise as the other man gets a clean basket from center court. she’d seen hayden make that throw in a jump-shot, but not in the weird crouched position the other choose, now she was nervous for him as well -- but she kept cheering as he stepped into position. the MISS was a not a frequent occurrence in hayden’s basketball history, maybe early on, but that was before she met the first sophomore on the junior varsity team and quickly a basketball legend where they went to high school. he still got mentioned in their newsletter every once in a while, she knew because she had GOOGLE ALERTS turned on for his name. andy tries not to smile at how cute hayden looks as he approaches her with defeat etched into his features and shoulders slumped. she pushes off the fence and envelopes him in a comforting hug. his voice speaks to his very real DISAPPOINTMENT and her heart aches for a moment, winning was important to him - but that was because of his ego and while she couldn’t help him win the game, maybe she could help mitigate the damage. ❝it’s okay baby,❞ she sets aside her normal bashfulness and speaks through the reddening of her cheeks, at least it was too dark to see, but she spoke loud enough that all the alpha males around them could hear her clearly. ❝ -- you’re still going to SCORE tonight.❞
