Ruby and Isa crossed the school courtyard when a ball appeared in their peripheral. Ruby pulled Isa back to let it fly past them.
A smooth, off-white color ball bounced towards to gymnasium. It looked to be the size of a tennis ball.
“Jake, go apologize to them!” They heard from a distance.
Two boys were under the oak tree at the center of the courtyard. Jake carried a large stick with a net at one end, sighing at the sky. The other was sitting under the tree prompting him to talk to the girls.
Jake mumbled to himself as he walked towards them. Once he reached them, a pang of uneasiness crossed his face.
“Sorry about that...hey, you’re both in my freshman class!” He noted as his eyes lit up.
“Yeah, Jake. It’s me, Ruby. We’ve been in school together since the 6th grade, dummy.”
“Riiiiiiight, Ruby…” His hazel eyes revealed a vague remembrance before turning to Isa.
“But you’re definitely new, right?”
“Yeah, I’m Isa-..Izzy.” She said, offering a nonchalant wave.
“How come you hesitated? Did you forget your own name?” He asked as he carried his stick over his right shoulder.
“My real name is Isabel, but you can call me Iz-”
“Ee-sah-bel? Do you speak Spanish?”
“I do.”
“Nice! You should sit with me in Spanish class so you can give me the answers.”
Isa raised an eyebrow.
“Hold up, what if I’m in French class instead?”
“Are you taking French?”
She hesitated before admitting that she was not. After all, she wanted one easy class. She ignored his pleased smirk.
“Also, it’s the first day of school. How do you know if we have Spanish class together?”
“Well, let’s see your schedule!”
Jake extended his free hand out. Isa rummaged through her Jansport and pulled out a pink binder. It displayed an assortment of pictures and her schedule in its clear cover. He took the binder and scanned her classes.
“Ha! 4th period Spanish - just like me. And it looks like we have PE together, too. Nice pics, by the way.”
He returned the binder.
“So - Izzy? Right? - sit with me in Spanish class. I can tell this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”
He offered a cheeky grin at Isa before addressing both girls.
“And again, sorry for almost pelting you guys. Really!”
He scooped the ball with his net-stick and went back to the oak tree.
“Jake Taylor is a good guy, but he can be weird. That other guy is his brother, Brent. He’s a junior.”
Isa watched the boys interact with each other. Jake’s messy brown hair was typical for someone focused on their sport. This was a contrast to Brent’s curly and well kept hair. Their hair shared the same milk-chocolate color, but Brent’s clear green eyes complimented his features.
When she noticed Brent watching her, she quickly looked away.
“So what kind of sport does Jake play?”
Ruby stopped and stared at Isa.
“You’ve never heard of lacrosse?? What do you guys play in Miami?”
“The basics! Football, basketball, soccer…”
“Well, if you teach him Spanish, maybe he’ll teach you lacrosse.”
Ruby playfully tapped her shoulder, and was met with flippant laughter.
I like this, it's all slick and sleek. I've been reading a bit of 'craft' stuff lately and I must say, these are beautiful sentences.