[05]

~Marina's Pov~

My five senses were in a literal discord.

There are very few times in my life when things take my breath away or make it get caught in my throat. This moment was one of them.

I just stared at him speechlessly as he gripped the white double convex fence which he basically towered over and expertly scaled.

His biceps flexed and I could spot three veins hardened in the process, he was wearing a white jockey boys' vest, black baggy cargo pant and black slides.

Then I finally found my tongue, "Scaling someone's fence isn't exactly friendly." I chorused and held my basketball under my arm firmly.

"Neither is staring at them," He said flatly as he walked up to me.

Two questions...

Marina Hunter why are you so unfortunate??

And

Dude! Don't you know how to forget??

Yep, I was right, he was taller than Jakob. His tranquil ever green eyes penetrated mine like one of those moments when you know something romantic was going to happen but then his virile voice broke the reverie of the moment.

"What stopped you from walking out your front door and saying hi?" He asked cockily as he stared down at me.

This stranger's voice put my insides in a turmoil but I kept my composure and just stared back at him. I could scarcely take in his tall and muscularly chiseled feature.

I blinked and stepped back, "That's far stretched and I don't even know you."

"Yet you're talking with me," He muttered and cocked his head to the side, "I'm Darnell." He mused nicely.

Darnell... I repeated in my mind like I was testing the name.

Titling my head to the side, I pouted, "You can call me MJ."

Oh shoot... I forgot to mention that I had a second name, any guesses?

"M for Marina, what does the J stand for?"

I was taken aback, how did he know?

"Don't look so surprised, I'm not stalking you, it's written on your basketball." He pointed out.

I nodded and mouthed 'ohh' obviously feeling dumb that I couldn't figure out something so simple.

"So Marina, or MJ, how about a game of ten, if I beat you, you'll have to tell me your name, if you beat me, I'll do whatever you want." He raised his hands in a surrender mode.

I gave a short laugh and shook my head in disbelief, he said that like he didn't just watch me fail woefully.

"How's that even fair? You're like six foot seven."

He chortled, "Six foot four, thank you, and I'm not saying slam dunk, it obviously won't be fair... just scores, I could stand beyond the fence if you want." He teased me.

I glared at him and slammed the ball to his chest, "Fine!"

His lips curved in a smile at my outburst and he went to stand outside the small fence.

I squinted as I watched him under the setting sun, I don't think he'd be able to make that shot, or would he?

"Bullseye!" He exclaimed in triumph.

Wait... WHAT??

HE DIDN'T JUST DO THAT...

"There's nothing special about that, anyone could do it, even my brother." I huffed as I went to pick the ball.

"How about you, MJ?"

"Watch and learn mystery boy." I mused.

OH NO–

I said it, didn't I?

Lucky for me, he hadn't heard or at least pretended like he didn't.

I stood on the green shooting line aiming my eyes at the two rim hooks facing me, I threw the ball at angular distance into the waiting net and it entered neatly.

"She shoots! She scores! And the crowd goes WHAT??" I grinned and did my victory dance.

"Pass the ball, Butterfly." He half yelled from across the street.

He had moved from the fence all the way to the front of his driveway. This boy is insane.

And did he just call me Butterfly? That's so ughhh in a cute way though.

I passed him the ball and he took on a shooting stance, much to my dismay, the ball entered.

Oh no wait, it didn't.

"Hahaha!" I mocked him loudly.

Time flew by quick, after ten rounds each, our shootout battle came to a subtle end. I say subtle because you won't believe who won.

I DID!

I beat him ten to nine, that first miss spoilt his game, and being a not so athletic nerd, I didn't miss any of my shoots.

"You had all the advantage Missy." He had whined.

Right now, we were sitting side by side on the coated basketball court under the cool evening sky, it was gradually getting dark.

"So Darnell, why'd you move to Silver Lake here in Palm Springs?" I asked.

Yeah Silver Lake was the name of our district, my school's name sounded tush I know and if you didn't know, you'd think it's a private school when actually it was more like a classical public school that's why we were civilian clothes and not uniforms.

He bit on his lower lip, "My mom got transferred, so we had to move with her." He said smoothly.

I nodded, I felt disappointed though, I was expecting some more backstory you know, just like in stories, the new cute boy always had this mystical air surrounding him like Darnell for instance his aura held enigma, He didn't mention his dad, so what are the odds? Should I keep my hopes up?

Also his hair...

Right now it was all messy, because he had kept trying to keep it laid back while shooting, then he'd forget and rake his fingers through it, but it was still in it's bun.

"I like your hair." I complimented.

I was the type of girl to compliment a guy consistently and let him know that I think he was cute and all but never really admit to liking him, I did it with Jason... Hey I'm not saying I have feelings for mystery boy who so happens to be a very good basketballer as well, yeah you're downright sure I'm impressed, like who wouldn't be? What? He's cute and plays my favorite sport, come on...

He stood up and held a hand out to me, then he shoved his hands in his pocket and stared down at me.

"I like yours too, Butterfly." He said with a lopsided smirk.

What's with the nickname?

"Butterfly, why?" I blurted out in a snigger.

"Because they are cute and I think your middle name is too."

I laughed then, cheesy much?

What harm could come from telling him my middle name... I mean you guys get to know it too, so why not?

"It's Jocelyn."

"I guess I was wrong," he sighed dramatically and backed up.

I gave him a confused glance and he smirked knowingly.

"See you around, Jocelyn." He mused and laid emphasis on the name like he was testing it.

Jerk.

Then he skidded over the fence and across the street into his house. Just then a familiar white Tesla came into sight and Jakob pulled up in our driveway.

"I see you've made a friend." Jakob grinned knowingly at me as he stepped out of his car and locked it.

"What? No!" I blurted out in a high pitched tone.

"Yeah right." he scoffed.

"I'm serious, we just had a shootout battle that's all." I defended walking up to him.

"Seemed more than that too me." Jakob kept the tease game on.

I gave up and breezed past him into the house.

"Antisocial dork." Jakob kept taunting me as he followed behind.

I glared at him feeling insulted, "First off I'm not antisocial, I just don't talk to people not like I'm afraid or anything and secondly, I am not a dork, I'm cool but you're fool." I smiled at my rhymes.

He just shook his head and made his way to the fridge.

"Anyways why did coach call an impromptu meeting today?"

"You ask that like you're on the team, but well Jeremy, our point guard has moved to like San Francisco for the rest of highschool and the team needs a filler for the upcoming winter regionals or we can't participate." Jakob explained while twisting the cap of a bottle of water.

"Ohh, cool."

"There's nothing cool about it, Marina." Jakob attacked me head on.

"Wow chill... I just didn't have the words."

Actually because I was absentmindedly thinking about Darnell, if the team needed a point guard maybe I could talk to him and get him to join. Oh the things we do for humanity.

Or ourselves...

"I know that look, you make that sided pout when you're thinking about someone, who is it?"

I stared at him like he'd grown horns.

"No one." I deadpanned.

"Yeah sure." He pursued his lips and went upstairs to his room leaving me with my thoughts.

I sank deeper into the cushion drowning in the cutest green eyes and curly brown hair, tall, beautiful, virile, athletic, agile and muscular.

Darnell...

This attraction is getting deeper.

*  *  *

A/N: do you like him or not?

Pls vote and leave an encouraging comment.

See you in chapter six.

TheShadyButterfly🦋.