It’s one of those days where, unless you keep yourself moving and your blood pumping, you stay warmer in one spot. The sun is finally shining which is the first time it has since I came to this state. No clouds but the dusty ones that are so stretched, they’re barely visible. I like days like this. The cool weather suits me since I’m always on the move.

“Maple Shore Park,” Danny tells me, opening his arms wide. “Where a lot of people go after school. Kids like the playground and we get the courts.”

He nods his head past a one floor structure not even worth calling a building. My guess is they’re the bathrooms. I move my gaze to watch the life all about. Laughter echoes behind us from the children on the playground. They range in age, the toddlers getting the smaller slides and the older kids have the swings. I hear a few of them letting off swear words but the parents don’t hear. They don’t have the heightened senses I do. I chuckle, remembering when I was that young. If my parents heard me say any of that, they would have knocked me senseless. It wouldn’t have been child abuse, it was called discipline.

Ahead of us, there are three separate types of courts; volleyball, tennis and, of course, basketball. The rectangular spot of sand for volleyball is empty and the net has been taken down. I doubt it gets much use, especially in colder weather. Two teens are sitting idly inside the gated court. They have little interest for the game, probably using it only to shield them from prying eyes as they light up their cigarettes.

On the opposite side of the small stream that divides Maple Shore Park, there’s a large field. Faded white lines mark the ground in a large rectangle. It’s one of those spots used for a whole mess of things. Right now it’s being used for color guard practice. They swirl their flags in synchronized movements and dance to a song my wolf hearing tries to tune out. The recording is of the school band and even at its best, I’m not one for brass instruments.

“Why’s it called Maple Shore,” I ask Danny, pulling my attention to where we’re going. He shrugs.

“The hell if I know. I just get to play basketball with my cousins here. They live a few miles over. They go to J. Buchanan High with the other dudes you’ll meet.”

I follow my new classmate to the basketball courts. Metal bleachers line the blacktop, sitting six levels high and rusting at the corners. Four girls lounge on them with vintage styled backpacks sitting beside their faux fur boots. They seem like the typical type of sport groupies, not totally girly but just enough to still be pretty, eyeing any of the more attractive guys playing. A girl in a white headband, which stands out against her jet black hair, sends me a half smile before coyly looking away. I set my sights forward, walking with a bit more confidence.

There are a few guys already playing. Most of them have their jackets off and are starting to sweat. I don’t know how long they’ve been there but with how tired they look, they should be pretty easy to beat. Danny and I toss our backpacks near their collective belongings and join up. I lean on the metal pole as the boys playing stop to welcome Danny. A round of handshakes into half hugs is given before he remembers to introduce me.

“Hey guys. This is my boy, Briggs,” he says pointing to me. I give a quick wave before stuffing my hands back in my pocket. They all look like pretty decent guys but their stares are protective. This is Danny’s group, his crew. They’re testing me in seeing if I’m game to hang with.

“Hey,” I start, removing myself from the sidelines and onto the court. Intimidation isn’t my thing but their respect is earned. I understand that completely. “Danny says you’re good. I hope I can keep up. I haven’t played in a bit.”

“Yeah, well we’ll find out. I’m Dominic,” the tallest one says. Dominic stands about a foot taller than me, in a navy blue sweat jacket and white basketball shorts. He holds out his thick hand and mine slaps it in a firm but friendly handshake. “That’s Jay, Terrance, and Matt. Over there is my sister Shianne and her friends.”

“Welcome to PA,” Terrance mumbles. He seems to be the most active of the group and probably the one to goof off most. I can sense his recklessness but all in good fun. He dribbles the ball, suddenly passing it to me. “Think fast.”

Having my senses already know what he was about to do, I catch the ball with ease. The smile partially slides off his mouth and Matt elbows him, knowing his attempt at making me look like the fool has failed.

“Dude, I thought you haven’t played in a while,” Dominic responds, covering his mouth to hide his laugh.

I remove my jacket with one arm holding the basketball and fling it back by out things. “I haven’t. I’m just that good.”

“Oh, he’s on our team,” Jay finally speaks up. I shrug and start to dribble. Matt, my other teammate, has me pass the ball and backs up to the midcourt line. He and Jay are the only one with red shirts so they’ll be easy to see. The other boys, Danny included, each take on one of us. Terrance stalks over with an eager laugh.

“Alright, Briggs,” Terrance says, with a competitive look in his eyes. He fixes his shorts as he crouches over, ready to play. “Let’s see who you got.”

The game begins with Matt and Dominic checking the ball and entering our half of the court. At once, Terrance has me shielded off. I shuffle my feet but he’s a large guy in comparison to me. Matt passes the ball to Jay but Danny steals it, making a quick pass to the one who was supposed to be covering me. Before I even have the chance to block Terrance, he turns and practically bulldozes me over. I hit the asphalt with a grunt and watch defeated as he makes an easy shot.

“Dick move,” Jay tells the gloating boy as he holds his arm out to help me up. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I reply, brushing off the back of my pants. “I’m just getting started.”

Terrance taps elbows with his teammates in victory and turns back to me. “Is that the best you got?”

Vito simmers inside. He’s raring for action and ready to play as rough as they willing to be. I let him surface as much as I can while still maintaining control. The rest of the guys take their new positions and Terrance eases his way next to me. My wolf’s send shivers of excitement up my spine. The fight is on.

Matt takes the ball out again and, after checking it, he makes eye contact with me. I signal to the right but shuffle my feet left. Terrance follows my moves though his back is turned to me. I can tell his arrogance got the better of him. Matt and Jay exchange looks like they’ve been playing since this they were kids. They probably have been. With just a simple nod of his head, Jay understands. He pushes against his guard, pretending to get ready for another pass. But instead, Matt stops dribbling and pivots twice. Dominic’s height doesn’t help in blocking the fake throw. He mimics the last play, making everyone turn toward Jay. I know better. I dart in the opposite direction, too fast for my massive guard to follow, and just in time to catch the ball from bouncing out of bounds. Terrance doesn’t realize my move until too late which makes him trip over his feet. I breeze past and shoot an easy layup, tying the game.

“Is that the best you got,” I repeat to Terrance, teasing him with his own joke. I help him up while he brings out more of his aggressive spirit.

“Alright,” he says. “I got you. Get ready, white boy. You’re going down.”

The rest of the game goes as intensely. Our score stays tied most of the time and we hardly ever switch who guards who. It’s all in good fun. I feel like I’m part of the group by the end of the day, making jokes and exchanging lighthearted insults with Terrance. All in all, they’re a good bunch of guys.

I wipe the sweat from my forehead as we end the game. It was close, with 15-13, but our last basket won it for us. Matt, Jay and I high five heartily with the excitement of our win. First time on this court and I show them what I’m made of. In their eyes, my respect is earned. Vito also feels the thrill of the win. His competitive nature has been satisfied for today. He slips down into his barely conscious state and lets me take back full control.

“Dude’s got skill,” Terrance compliments. He holds out his arm which I bump back. Our friendship will no doubt be filled with constant fun rivalry. I’m excited to see how this turns out. Another, feminine voice interrupts our conversation, taking me by surprise.

“If all y’all are done, I’d like to get going. It’s almost six and mom is making dinner.”

I turn to find Shianne talking to her two brothers, Dominic and Terrance. She stands with her hand on her hip and fire in her eyes. During the game, she and her friends eyed me up. I didn’t mind but the main girl practically undressing me with her mind was the little sister of my new friends. Every situation I’ve ever seen or have been in knows that’s a bad idea. I head away to my backpack to retrieve my phone. It gives me an excuse not to be near them.

I take out my smart phone and unlock the screen. A missed call from my mom made my shoulders drop. It’s never okay to ignore her. Luckily, she sent a text as well.

Mom: Call when you’re done. I’ll need directions.

Asking Danny where we are, he takes the phone and responds with a detailed text. I celebrate inwardly. If my mom didn’t get specifics, she would have a fit. He hands me back my phone and takes out his own.

“We come here every Thursday to play ball,” he tells me. “You in? It’d be nice to have an even number like today.”

I tilt my head to each side, undecided. “Is it always this extreme?”

“No way,” Danny says loudly. “The only reason it was so rough was you were killing it out there. Most of the time we’re goofing around.”

“Whoops,” I reply. Danny laughs at my embarrassment. I agree which puts everyone in a lighter mood. They’re probably not used to someone as hungry for competition as I am. I clear my throat and point behind me. “Be right back. Gonna hit the bathroom before my mom gets here to drive us home.”

Danny nods, jogging back to his cousins and friends while I head in the opposite direction. The small building that I saw earlier sits under a tree, reeking with the stench of neglect. I doubt they clean the place often. Vito’s senses don’t like it either. My lungs barely breathe as I do my business and my hands are washed quickly. Being in here smells like a sewer.

Back outside, I draw in a hefty amount of air. The perfume of the dogwood tree helps so I focus my sense of smell toward that. I’ve always admired its crisp scent of flowers and living wood. It’s one of my favorite trees, being so colorful. In the spring, white or pink flowers bloom which are then taken over by green leaves in the summer. Its leaves shrivel up for fall into beautiful red droplets. I inhale again, this time catching another scent drifting on the wind. It’s too fragrant for a natural aroma. I circle around and find Shianne standing there with her hands holding her purse and her false eyelashes beating like butterfly wings.

“Hi,” she greets me with a shameless smile on her face. “You’re the new player here, aren’t you? I mean, basketball player. Right?”

I clear my throat. “Yeah. I guess.”

“Good,” she says cheerfully. Shianne reaches into her pocket and pulls out her chapstick. She rolls it smoothly over her lips and puckers them in an attempt to be seductive. Seeing as her bright pink jacket makes her look like she’s still in middle school, it doesn’t work in her favor at all. “Then we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

“Uh… yeah,” I answer uneasily. “Sure we are.”

“Cool.”

With nothing else to contribute to the conversation, I awkwardly pass her. Shianne stands there with her gaze kept on me. I know as soon as I’m gone, she’ll return to her awaiting friends to talk about what we just said. She’ll probably over analyze everything even though I haven’t said anything to mirror her flirting. Girls are complicated creatures and, at times, very stalker-ish. Vito concurs as we meet back up with Danny and the rest of them.

“We have to get going but we’ll see you next week, Two-Step.”

“Two-Step?”

“Yup,” Jay says, heaving his bag onto his shoulder. “You play ball like it’s a dance. Hence, Two-Step.”

“If you’re hanging with us, you have your nickname picked for you, not the other way around,” Dominic adds. “Briggs isn’t happening with us.”

I open my mouth to say something but they’re all headed to Terrance’s car. The guys wave goodbye and I’m left with Danny, standing there feeling both enjoyment and dislike towards this day. On the one hand, I made friends. Not many times have I found a group of welcoming guy, no matter how rough and tough they are. Sometimes with our constant moving, I leave before even getting to know anyone. It’ll be nice to have company while we stay here.

On the other hand, it means that I’m going to be the jock type in this town. At least I found my niche. My fingers run through my hair as I pick up my backpack. Hopefully our stay here is only a short while; I won’t be able to function like this for long. Danny and I head toward the end of the park toward the spot my mom is to pick us up with our bags on our backs and a lot on my mind.

.