“I still have to study.”
“Well, I’m going to the party,” Stephanie said. “And I wish you would too. You’ve spent the past three years studying, Thea. High school’s almost over. You deserve to have a little fun on the way out.”
“I will,” Thea said. “We’ll do something fun before we go. But I’m not going to a party on a school night.”
Stephanie sighed. “I suppose it was a victory just getting you to come to the game,” she said. “I’ll take what I can get.”
At that moment, the buzzer went off, signaling that the game was over. Stephanie got to her feet.
“Do you want me to drop you off at home?” she asked Thea.
“I appreciate it,” Thea said. “But it’s only a few blocks. I’ll just walk.”
Stephanie nodded. “Get home safely,” she said.
“Enjoy the party,” Thea countered.
The gym started to empty out. Thea left the bleachers and headed for the bathroom in the hall—the women’s locker room off the gym would be full of cheerleaders right now, and Thea didn’t want to run into them.
She took her time in the bathroom, hoping that she would outlast all the students who were leaving the building. She enjoyed being at school at night, as a general rule—it was a quiet and peaceful place, and she often stayed late to use the library or the computer lab. But the basketball game had given the place a completely different energy.
Finally, she emerged from the bathroom. Sure enough, things were quiet. The players were probably still showering, but the lights were dimmed and she could see through the semi-open door leading into the gym that the bleachers were empty.
And then she heard the sound of a basketball bouncing rhythmically against the floor.
She frowned and moved closer to the gym. The place was empty—but the sound seemed to be coming from a little farther away anyway.
The practice gym.
Thea wasn’t sure what prompted her to make her way down the hall to the door that led into the practice gym. She wasn’t sure why she was so curious to see what was going on; she only knew that there was something about it that reminded her of herself. Whoever was in there was obviously choosing to practice even after the game was over. In a way, it was the same as her determination to spend tonight studying instead of going to a party with the other kids her age. Whoever was in there was dedicated.
She opened the door and peeked inside.
Rob Honeycutt stood at the free throw line. His blond hair fell into his eyes. He dribbled twice, then took his shot. The ball hit the backboard and dropped neatly through the net.
“Nice,” Thea called.
He looked over at her, obviously surprised by her presence. “Thanks,” he said. “You’re Thea, right?”
She hadn’t realized that Rob Honeycutt knew her name. “I am,” she said.
“I’m Rob.”
She managed to keep from saying I know. “You had a good game today.”
“You were there?”
“Sure. That’s why I’m at school so late.”
“It wasn’t really a good game,” Rob said.
“What are you talking about?” Thea asked. “You won. And you were the leading scorer.”
He nodded. “That’s true.”
“And you had more defensive rebounds than anyone. More than your center, even.”
That clearly surprised him. “You were watching.”