Mavid (Moon of My Life)

David pulled the lace of his shoe one last time. He just finished trying his new shoes on. He stood slowly, and looked down at them. They felt pretty light. Bouncy, at least. David turned and walked over to the wooden benches and set down his regular shoes and water bottle. He turned to look out upon the vast court. There were like two other people playing and practicing. He hoped they would keep their distance, or at least not watch as he attempted the sport. He didn't feel in the mood to embarrass himself. He let out a breath. It had been forever since he'd played basketball. He hadn't attempted the sport since he had gotten to America, only playing in England at his home when Chris asked him to. And of course, Chris always beat him and rubbed it in. It wasn't a fair match at all, but David didn't want to upset Chris because he knew that Chris would've gotten back at him.

David walked over to one of the basketball goals, held up by a large black pole. Next to the pole was a silver metal rack of three rows, each filled with basketballs.  David trotted over to it, and picked one of the balls off of the rack. Using his palms, he pressed down on it from both sides to verify that it had air in it. Then, he bounced it a couple times. Satisfied, he bounced it back to a spot in front of the goal post. He then began to attempt shots. He missed the first time, but every once in a while afterwards he would make it. After he got the hang of it with repetition, he increased the distance between himself and the goal, trying long distance shots, and even practicing lay-ups.

After a good amount of time practicing, David had formed a decent amount of sweat on his brow. He wasn't the most athletic guy, so he wasn't fit and in shape, but he was enjoying the workout. Pausing a moment for a breath, David shot his last ball which hit the backboard at a good angle and bounced into the goal, vibrating between the front and back rim before wiggling through. After that, he walked over to the bench that he'd set his stuff down on, letting the ball bounce to a stop behind him. He grabbed the water and took a long drink, taking a seat.

The sky was blue and the air had a bite to it, but it was mostly still with the exception of a breeze which sent chills down David's spine and practically froze his sweat to him. The sun was out and about, however, which allowed for a higher temperature. As the day rolled on, and David watched the few clouds in the sky travel over him, people began to become more frequent at the basketball courts, meeting up for a game or two with their friends.

Suddenly, David heard a voice off to his side. At first, he was a little bit confused, as there were no goals to his left, but when he turned he saw a face up against the metal gate about ten yards away. Upon registering who it was, David's heart beat heavier. Maverick watched David from the other side of the fence, his fingers gripping the wires, with a skateboard positioned next to him. Automatically, David's eyes jumped around and came to a few conclusions, which he all immediately dismissed in an attempt not to judge. Yet, out of spite based off of previous experience with Maverick, his eyes narrowed.

"My name is David," he mumbled, turning away from the fence as if severing their contact, though he knew it was a feeble attempt. His eyes trained hard at the ground in front of him, and he gripping his water bottle tighter than before, knowing that Maverick was watching him.

David was staring down at his hands, trying to pretend that Maverick wasn't there. By now, David had pretty much realized what it was that this kid was doing. He was just trying to pick at him, trying again and again to get onto his last nerve. It was kind of working, and as much as David hated it, he was getting kind of angry with him. He didn't see any other appropriate response in this kind of situation. The only way to get someone off your back as persistent as this kid was to take some sort of action, and maybe get a little angry. If he just kept passively acknowledging the boy, he would never go away.

David's head bolted up when a loud, sharp noise shot through the basketball courts. What little people there were instantly looked towards the fence in Maverick's direction. A lone skateboard began to roll towards the bench on which David sat. And, to make matters worse, Maverick seemed to be climbing over the fencing to join the people in the courts. David watched with horror as the skater climbed over the fence and then jumped. Moments before he hit the ground, he suddenly slowed his fall somehow. David wasn't exactly sure how he'd done it until a small gust of wind tingled his skin. He knew that Maverick must've somehow conjured it up.

"Hardly," David replied. He didn't have any desire to control the wind. He was perfectly happy with his talent in music, a passion that he wouldn't trade for anything. Still, Maverick's comment accomplished it's goal of instilling annoyance into David. The son of Euterpe bit his lip, debating now whether to just pack up and leave right then. He really didn't feel like being joined by Maverick. Plus, maybe if he left, Maverick would get the message. "Are you planning on staying here, or did you just come to bid me hello?" he asked, trying hard to give him a small smile.