Naomi...

"Why did I agree to this?" I asked myself, as I stared at the players running up and down the court.

I had no idea how basketball worked, except that getting the ball through the hoop gives the team points. I could be home, getting my creative juices flowing, but noooo. I was dragged along with my sister to this horrid place. Well, it wasn't horrid, New York is a pretty cool place. But I'd rather be doing something else here other than watching the game of a sport I knew nothing about.

"You guys want something to eat? Or drink?" Brodrick, who was sitting on my left, asked.

"Uh, I'm fi-"

"You can get us popcorn, and diet cokes," my sister, who was sitting on my right, answered.

He looked at me to confirm, and I gave a small smile.

"Great, I'll be right back," he said before getting up and walking off to wherever the food stand was.

Once he was gone, my sister sent me a look.

"Don't even start with me Noelle," I said.

"The least you could do is be nice to the guy and have a conversation with him."

"I know what you and dad are trying to do, and I'm not down for it," I said.

"But he's a nice guy," she said.

"I don't care how nice he is, I'm not gonna date him."

Was he a nice guy? Yeah, I guess. Or maybe it was a front. Either way, that didn't mean that I would go out with him just like that.

Brodrick worked for my dad as his campaign manager. He was on the young side for a campaign manager, which was a big deal. My father found it rather impressive and thought he would also be great as my future husband. I was in no place to be anyone's wife, especially his. But my father didn't care, that's probably why he sent him after my sister and I to this game, hoping we could bond with him or whatever. But I was not going to fold.

"I really don't understand why you won't date him," my sister said.

"I have my reasons," I said. "And why are we even here?"

"Naomi, this is the NBA finals, it's like a big deal. Thought it would be fun to take my little sister to see the game," she said.

"First of all, you've never liked hanging out with me so I don't know why you would want to now. Second, since when do you care about basketball?"

"I've always wanted to hang out with you, you just never wanted to hang out with me. And I've always liked basketball," she answered.

"Sure," I didn't believe her one bit.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "When Broderick gets back, be nice. And fix your face when he's talking to you."

"Yes mother," I quipped.

There was more she wanted to say, but she kept her mouth shut.

My sister and I's relationship was like any other sister relationship. She was the oldest and I always looked up to her. We were inseparable as kids. But she grew up, and as expected, hanging out with her nerdy little sister wasn't particularly cool anymore. This, and other things, was the reason our relationship was now a little strained. We lived our separate lives and we were fine with it. For that reason, it made it even weird that she dragged me along to this. Which meant that this definitely had something to do with hooking me up with Brodrick.

He eventually came back, grinning widely with the snacks and drinks in his hand. Noelle sent me a look again, which I ignored. I grabbed my popcorn and drink and went back to watching the game. I was not about to be a part of their foolery.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I looked myself over in the shiny reflective glass of the elevator. This gold dress had been hiding in the back of my closet for years, and I couldn't believe it still fits. I pulled my lipstick out of my purse and reapplied it, making my lips more vibrant. I ran my hand over my hair, hoping that the slick ponytail stayed slick.

"Stop stressing over how you look Naomi, you look fine," my sister said.

"Yeah, you look beautiful," Brodrick added with a smile.

I knew he meant well, but I did not need this one-sided flirting thing happening tonight, I was already anxious as it was.

"Thanks," I gave a small smile back.

I thought the game was all I had to deal with, but my sister and Brodrick had other plans. Noelle had found out about an afterparty where all the basketball players were gonna be and insisted that we all go. I brushed it off, assuming that these things needed some exclusive invite. But I guess it didn't because here we were on our way up to this rooftop party.

We were a floor away, and I watched as my sister smoothed her tight blue dress down. She had chosen to be a little skimpy tonight with a low back and deep V-neck. Dad would not have been pleased, hell, he might not be pleased with mine either. There was a V-neck in mine too, and it was particularly short.

The elevator doors opened. A gust of wind and the sound of music hit me.

"Time to bring on the charm," I heard Brodrick say to my sister and she smirked in response.

What was that all about?

We walked off the elevator and onto the roof. I looked around taking everything in. First off, there were way fewer people than expected for a non-invite party by the winning team. I was starting to question if an invite was really needed and how my sister got one. The decor wasn't much, a few potted plants here and there, tables, chairs, and couches to accommodate the guests. There was a small dance floor in the middle of it all. What pulled the place together were the hanging lights. It set just the right mood for the environment.

I spotted a bar some meters away and knew where I was headed. I wasn't a big drinker, but it looked like the best spot to get a good view of the whole roof. It would be easier to gauge whether to engage or just stay away.

I wasn't the kind that was big on parties unless I was with my close friends. Back home in Maine, I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those parties unless I knew my best friend would be there too. I didn't quite feel like I fit into the rich kid crowd back home. But maybe the basketball stars, singers, rappers, and their groupies would be my kinda crowd? Guess we'll see.

I was about to make a B-line to the bar when Noelle grabbed my hand and pulled me along with her, making our way through the crowd. Once she found a free couch, we sat and she quickly grabbed a drink from one of the passing waiters. Brodrick took two and offered one to me. I accepted, again with a small pleasant smile, and took a sip. The three of us sat there, on the fancy brown couch, just looking around as people passed by. I saw random players from the game earlier that night and one or two random rappers. My eyes widened in excitement when I saw Neisha, an up R&B and Pop artist that my best friend and I were completely obsessed with since we were teens.

"Oh my god," I whispered, pulling my phone out of my purse.

"What?" Noelle asked.

"THE Neisha is here!" I said giddily and pointed to the star who was talking to a group of people not too far away from us.

"Oh," she said, seemingly annoyed at my excitement.

I rolled my eyes and opened my texting app.

"Is she a singer or something?" Brodrick asked.

"Only the best," I grinned. I hope he didn't think that excitement was for him.

I pulled up the chat with my best friend Celeste and texted her the exciting news. It didn't take long for the emojis and gifs to flood the chat. She started asking for proof and I began devising a plan to casually take a picture of the star when she wasn't looking. Or, maybe I could be a normal human being and just ask for a picture?

No, that would be too much. She probably came here to have fun and get away from fans like me.

I eventually got a picture and sent it to Celeste. As we gushed through the phone, I realized that I was the only one who seemed to be having some level of fun here. My sister and Brodrick just sat there and looked around, taking a sip of their drinks from time to time. That was regular behavior for me, but not for them. They were usually the center of attention in the middle of the dancefloor. I ignored it and continued my people-watching.

But all of that changed 30 minutes into us being there. The two shared a look, as if saying "It's go time", and the usual antics began. Noelle was dancing on tables with guys, having the time of her life. I had no idea where Bridrick ran off to.

The night went on, and I quickly found myself getting bored and regretting ever coming. I was ready to tell my sister I was leaving.

"Hey," a deep voice said from beside me. It was not Brodrick's.

I instantly froze. Was a man saying hi to me? Right now?

"Don't be weird, don't be weird," I chanted in my head, trying to get rid of the nerves.

I looked up, hoping that it didn't look as weird as I thought it did.

I braced myself for what I was about to see. Did he have a piercing jawline? Vibrant eyes? He had to by the way his voice sounded.

As my eyes went up I took note of everything. His shoes and pants seemed simple. His shirt was brown, with the two top buttons undone, a little peach skin, and chest hair showing.

Ooo, bonus points!

I finally got to his face and thanked the heavens that jawline was as sharp as I expected it to be. Then I got to the eyes. They were the kind of blue that would melt anyone that stared at them too long.

But then I noticed something. Those blue eyes weren't aimed at me. Instead, they were glued to the spot about a foot to my left, the spot where my sister was now sitting.

My chest instantly dropped and I wanted to sink into the floor over the embarrassment I felt.

"Hey," my sister said with that sultry voice she used when she talked to men.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked, pointing to the couch.

"Sure" she simply answered, scooting to the side to make space for him.

He walked past me like he didn't know I was there like she was the only one sitting on that damn couch.

I instantly grabbed my purse and got up, heading straight to the bar. I tried to hold back the tears that wanted to show themselves.

Guys had been throwing themselves at my sister all night, and I thought for once that someone had noticed me. But that wasn't the case, as always.

Living in the shadow of perfect, beautiful Noelle Washington was a struggle I dealt with since I was born. It wasn't her fault that she was good at a lot of things and people always compared me to her. But it sucked that she never seemed to notice how much it affected me.

I always held my own, proving that I was just as smart, athletic, and brave as she was. But the minute I was a teenager there was something I could never compete with.

Boys. Men. Dudes. Whatever you want to call them.

They always noticed her. Were always pulled towards her. Imagine having a crush on a boy and finding out he had a crush on your older sister. That kind of thing messes up a growing teen who was already bombarded by unrealistic images of what beauty was. Was I not pretty enough? Was it because her curls were looser than mine? Was it because her skin was lighter? That could be the only reason, right? It was the only thing between the both of us that was different.

Going off to college was a godsend. Being away from her shadow for four years was what I needed to get my confidence again. But it was times like these that the insecure teen in me showed her face and now, I had to stuff her back down with some booze.

And that's what I did for the next thirty or so minutes at the bar. The cocktail I had wasn't particularly strong but it was enough to get a buzz going.

With my nerves calmed, I resumed my people-watching. I quickly spotted Neisha with a group of players, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, all but the player sitting sluggishly on the couch. He seemed particularly bored with the environment and ready to leave. I remembered him from the game, he was the one that shot the winning shot and had the whole place going crazy. I heard random sportscasters on tv while I was getting ready say that he would be the next Kobe. If anyone was going to be wasted tonight and having the time of their lives, it should have been him. But he seemed done with it all. Probably tired from playing so much.

"He's kinda cute isn't he?" Said a voice in my head. "You should go up to him and say hi? Brighten his night."

I pushed the voice back down. Was he an absolute specimen of a man? Absolutely! But I was not in the right frame of mind to be rejected.

He got up from the couch, and out of nowhere a guy walked up next to him and they started talking. The guy then pointed to a group of girls at the bar. But his eyes didn't go to them, they went right to me.

My eyes widened and I quickly looked away. Was he coming over here? Please tell me he was not coming over here! I took a swig of my cocktail, finishing it off, hoping that would take the edge off.

"So what if he was coming over? Isn't that what you want?" Said the voice in my head.

Damn thing was actually right. I was just moping about not being noticed by guys and here one was actually noticing me. I should be excited damn it.

I took a deep breath. I had to look his way again to see if he was coming over. I was about to turn my head when Brodrick took the seat on my right.

The attention I needed was not from him, Lord!

"You seem lonely sitting over here," he flashed that charming smile of his. It worked on the other girls, not me.

"I'm fine," I answered.

"Why don't I buy you a drink?" He asked but didn't wait for me to answer. "Hey bartender, another one of these," he raised my empty cocktail glass "And a scotch."

I looked away from him and rolled my eyes. Why does he never understand that I'm not interested? I should probably say again that I'm not interested, but I've said it enough times before.

I casually looked over to my left again and was met with the intense gaze of the basketball player who was indeed heading my way.

My eyes widened, I didn't expect to see him this close already. I should have looked away, not stared back, but I couldn't. There was this odd pull that I couldn't quite make sense of. I waited for him to look away, but he didn't. He kept his eyes on me, and I kept mine on him.

But our gaze was cut short when a girl bumped into him, her drink falling all over him. I was pulled back to reality and instantly felt the urge to get up to go help him.

But that's when I saw my sister, sitting at the other edge of the bar. The teen in me took control again, and she had come to what she called an easy conclusion.

This insanely cute guy was going to show up, start talking to me, see my sister, and completely ignore my existence for the rest of the night. It had happened before, and I couldn't let it happen again.

I quickly got up from the stool and left the bar.

"Naomi? Where are you going?" I heard Brodrick say from behind.

I didn't look back, I couldn't.

I found the shiny doors of the elevators and quickly headed to them.

"Excuse me," I said, squeezing myself through the crowd that had gathered there.

It didn't take long for me to get to it. I aggressively pushed the button. The minute it took to open up felt like forever. It seemed to take even longer for the people who were on it to get off. Once they were all out I jumped in and quickly pushed the button for the ground floor.

I looked up. Through the smiling face of the crowd, I could see him at the bar and my sister smiling up at him. I watched as she grabbed a piece of tissue paper from the pile and started helping him wipe his shirt off.

I sighed and felt an instant sense of defeat.

Teen me was right. She was always right.

Sorry for the late update guys. I moved about a week ago to a whole new country and started school on Monday. I haven't quite settled in yet, so it might take me a while to get a proper schedule going. Once I have everything figured out, I'll le you know! So just bare with me a bit, Ok?