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Kel whistled to himself tunelessly as he walked down the sidewalk in front of the park, his mind and body seeming to float from all the endorphins he’d released into his bloodstream during his intense basketball practice earlier. It was late afternoon, and the sun made his golden-brown skin glow with a silky radiance as he shifted the strap of his gym bag off his shoulder and unzipped it. He snaked his fingers through the clammy interior of the bag, searching for loose change, and to his delight, he scrounged up enough to buy himself a can of Orange Joe from one of the vending machines near the park entrance.
He plunked the coins one by one into the vending machine and was soon rewarded with an ice-cold can of his favorite soda. It emitted a familiar hiss as he cracked it open and took a refreshing sip, his eyes wandering across the park, past the swing set and the slide and the basketball court –
Kel felt a cool stream of Orange Joe run down his chin as he spat up in shock upon seeing a familiar figure loitering on the court. That’s gotta be Sunny! And is he … playing basketball?
Finding himself unable to contain his curiosity, Kel clumsily slinged his gym bag over his shoulder and half-jogged, half-waddled over to the basketball court, where he quickly confirmed that it was indeed Sunny who he had seen. His lean, lanky figure, draped in a baggy white tank top and black athletic shorts, was leaning against the support poles of the basketball hoop, looking drained. Beneath one of his sneakered feet was a bright orange basketball that looked brand new save for a few fresh scuffs.
“Sunny!” Kel greeted him, so excited that his voice cracked. “I’ve never seen you on the courts before!”
With a groan, Sunny straightened himself up, stretching as he did so. His skin glistened with sweat that had soaked into his tank top. He was usually so pale, but there was a bit of a healthy glow to his skin today. “Yeah,” he said, kicking his basketball into his outstretched hand and scooping it up. “I miss middle school. High school sucks, Kel. They force you to take gym class.”
Kel grinned cheesily. “Are you kidding? Gym is my favorite subject!” He flexed an arm for emphasis. It wasn’t very muscular, but it did make the veins pop out a bit.
Sunny looked at Kel’s bare arm for a few seconds before he realized he was staring. He broke his gaze away and replied, “Of course it is, Kel. You’re in such great shape.”
Kel’s eyes went wide at this, and he felt himself growing a touch warmer. “N - no, I’m not,” he stuttered, too embarrassed to notice that Sunny’s skin was looking a bit pinker too.
“Yeah, you are, Kel. Well, anyway, I heard we’re gonna start playing basketball soon, and I don’t wanna completely embarrass myself, so here I am …”
“Well, I’m glad you are!” Kel said, stretching his neck in excitement so vigorously that his mop of dark brown hair flopped up and down like a jellyfish. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Sunny! I may not be good at … most things,” he admitted, “but I’m great at basketball! And I’ll teach you!”
Sunny looked touched by Kel’s offer, but he continued to stare down at the black tarmac of the basketball court, his shoulders slumped over. “No, don’t bother, Kel. I’m so bad at this. It’s just gonna frustrate us both.”
“Aw!” Kel said sympathetically. He laid a reassuring hand upon Sunny’s shoulder. “I won’t take no for an answer, Sunny! I’m gonna do my best to help you, and that’s that!”
Sunny looked up and saw Kel’s nurturing eyes. “A - are you sure? Seriously, I’m hopeless at this. I’ve been here since school got out, and I haven’t made one basket yet.”
“Yes! I’m absolutely sure,” Kel declared with conviction. “You’re my friend, Sunny! And that’s what friends do. They hug each other!”
Sunny froze, staring at Kel with his mouth agape.
“What?” Kel asked, seeing Sunny’s stunned reaction. Then he realized what he had said. “Oh! I meant – I meant, help each other! Geez, how did I get those words mixed up? …”
Sunny didn’t reply, but his cheeks were definitely pink – although certainly not as flushed as Kel’s. He looked positively flustered. He took a nervous chug of his Orange Joe and fumbled with his gym bag, getting tangled up in its shoulder strap before finally tossing it just off the edge of the court. He walked up to the free-throw line and motioned for Sunny to pass him the ball. Sunny rather clumsily obliged, lobbing the ball to Kel awkwardly.
“Oh-kay, we can work on your passing later,” Kel muttered as he received Sunny’s pass. “But for now … just watch me, okay?” He dribbled the ball a few times as he set himself up in his shooter’s stance. “I’m just in a basic athletic stance. You don’t wanna be too loose and casual. But you definitely don’t want to be too stiff. Keep your knees slightly bent and your weight on the balls of your feet. And –” Kel hesitated when he looked over at Sunny and saw a far-off, almost dreamy look in his eyes. “Um, are you still with me? Sunny?”
Upon hearing his name, Sunny snapped out of it.
“You okay, Sunny? You look like maybe you’re a little dehydrated, or something …”
Sunny shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I was just admiring – er, I mean, uh, just, that is …” He trailed off without ever actually “correcting” himself. The two boys exchanged a handful of furtive, shy glances, both of them taking note of the blushes that were now emerging in earnest upon one another’s faces …
It was Kel who awkwardly returned to the basketball lesson first. “Um, anyway … as I was saying … keep your shoulders square to your target …” As Kel continued his explanation, Sunny, too, did his best to leave his embarrassment behind and listen. “I know the backboard has a big square on it. Almost like a target. But you actually wanna aim for the center of the hoop instead. Then as you shoot … pretend you’re a spring unleashing your stored-up energy. Push off your feet, through your legs, and up into your arms, and” – Kel let the ball fly – “follow through. Don’t cut the motion short just because the ball isn’t in your hands anymore.”
Sunny watched as Kel’s shot arched gracefully towards its target and splashed through the rim with a soft, silky swish.
“Now, you try it,” Kel said, doing his best to ignore Sunny’s impressed expression but feeling himself blush a little anyway. Sunny stepped up to the free-throw line and did his best to imitate Kel, from his athletic stance to the position of his feet. Kel subconsciously held his breath as he watched Sunny prepare to take his shot, then urged the ball on with his eyes once he let it go …
Clank!
The ball bounced off the rim. Kel deftly recovered the rebound and spun around to face Sunny, passing the ball quickly to him. But Sunny’s attention was elsewhere. He was looking down dejectedly at the court’s surface again, disappointed at missing yet another shot, while the ball was rocketing towards his flank …
“Oof!” Sunny grunted as the ball collided with his ribs. He doubled over and collapsed to his knees as the impact knocked the wind out of him.
“Sunny!” Kel cried out in alarm. In a flash, he was kneeling behind Sunny, reaching both of his arms over his shoulders to feel the point of impact. “I’m so sorry, Sunny! I didn’t mean to hit you like that … It was just instinct taking over … when I have a basketball in my hands, I get into game mode … are you okay?”
Sunny’s rapid breath was slowing as he recovered from the unexpected impact. The pain was fading as well, leaving him more and more able to focus on the fact that Kel’s warm, svelte body was caressing him from behind …
“A - ah, yes, I’m fine …” he said, as he felt his cheeks burning from his being in intimate proximity with Kel. He craned his neck around to try to get a look at his friend. To his surprise, Kel looked even more shaken up than Sunny did. His eyes were full of concern, his brow furrowed, his lips quivery with worry.
“I’m fine!” Sunny repeated, more insistently. “I’m tougher than you think, Kel,” he said with a wink. “But it’s sweet that you’re so worried about me.”
“Of course!” Kel said incredulously, squeezing Sunny’s chest from behind. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Sunny. I really like you.”
As both boys realized what they had just admitted, several beats of awkwardness ticked by as they separated from one another in horror and started to trip over their own feet trying to walk back their statements.
“Er, well, that is, I mean … um, not sweet like that, I meant more like …”
“Uh, see, the thing is, ah, I meant I really like you as a friend …”
“Welp, I have to … go over there to grab the basketball now …”
“Yeah, absolutely, I need to, uh, get something from my gym bag, one sec …”
Conveniently facing away from one another now, the boys took deep breaths, trying to clear the blushes from their faces and slow their rapid heartbeats. After a few moments, Kel heard the hesitant, unrhythmic sound of Sunny dribbling the basketball, and turned back around to face him.
“Ah, so anyway, as I was saying … that was a great shot, Sunny! Let’s try it one more time.”
Sunny stepped up to the free-throw line again, easing into his athletic stance.
“Good, good! Make sure your shoulders are facing straight ahead. Now … get yourself in position to take your shot … use your off hand to keep the ball stable … perfect …”
Kel was circling Sunny to check for anything that he thought was out of position. He laid his hands on Sunny’s shoulders, gently pushing them so that they were perfectly in line with the rim. He clasped a hand around Sunny’s shooting wrist to bring it more in line with the rest of his body. All the while, Sunny did his best not to show any reaction to Kel standing so close to him, and touching him …
“That looks great! Now take your shot. Remember, uncoil like a spring and follow through!”
With a small, ungraceful hop, Sunny launched the ball. Both boys watched tensely as the shot reached its apex, then began to descend gently towards its target. It bounced off the left side of the rim, collided with the backboard, caromed off the rim once more, and spun around like a bubble circling the bathtub drain before finally falling through the net.
“He scores!” Kel shouted triumphantly. “Your first basket ever! High-five!” The court rang out with the slap of Kel’s palm upon Sunny’s. “How does it feel?”
“Pretty nice, actually,” Sunny said. For the first time all afternoon, there was a small smile on his face. “I just have one question.”
“Sure!” Kel said, smiling back at Sunny. “Is it about dribbling? Or lay-ups, maybe? Or rebounding?” he asked, excited at the prospect of passing on more of his vast basketball knowledge to Sunny.
“Not exactly,” Sunny said. The smile was gone from his lips now. In its place was a coy, almost nervous expression.
“Then, what is it?” Kel asked gently, seeing the worry on Sunny’s face.
“Um, it’s just …” Kel had to strain to hear Sunny’s voice over the gentle breeze now. “Can we … can we hug now?”
Kel looked entirely caught off guard by this. “W - what?”
“Well, it’s like you said,” Sunny said by way of explanation once he saw Kel’s stunned expression. “That’s what friends do, right? They hug each other.”
“True, I did say that,” Kel acknowledged with a grin. “Come here, Sunny …”
In the shadow of the basketball hoop, the two boys embraced one another fondly. Sunny, who was still a few inches shorter than Kel despite his recent growth spurt, nuzzled his head into Kel’s chest. Kel gasped softly at this show of affection, but swiftly recovered, cocking his head into the nape of Sunny’s neck and resting his cheek upon his shoulder.
“Thanks for teaching me today.” Sunny’s voice was muffled by Kel’s chest.
“No need to thank me,” Kel said dismissively. “I had a great time hanging out with you. And besides, you’re my friend.” Kel felt Sunny tighten his embrace slightly at that. “And sure, friends can hug. But you know what else friends do sometimes?” Kel whispered into Sunny’s ear as they held each other close.
“What’s that?” Sunny asked softly.
“Sometimes … they become more than just friends …”
Kel felt Sunny nod on his chest. “Yes … sometimes they do …”
Neither boy knew what the future held for them, but in the here and now, they had one another. And although it was Sunny who had made his first basket ever, it was Kel who had truly shot his shot that day …