5. Yes or No?

January...

About Two weeks later...

"Hey Lilah! I've got the coolest story to tell you!"  I call out excitedly, swinging her dorm room door open and strutting inside.

Bad idea.

"What the fuck!? Justin don't you knock? Get out!" She screams and my eyes widen when she comes into view only wrapped in a large white towel.

"Oh shit." I snort, biting my bottom lip as I remain frozen in place, my eyes traveling over her frame. Damn she's got some pale ass legs.

"What the hell!? Get out...out!" She snaps with a horrific stare on her face.

"I'm sorry I..." Before I can finish my apology, she has a firm grip on my shoulder pushing me backwards and my mind suddenly drifts to the possibility of her towel falling since she's not holding it in place right now.

"Out!"

"I'm trying to apologize...I didn't know you were..."

"Save it Justin. Out! I'll be out in a minute!" Delilah hisses, swinging the door open and shoving me out into the hallway.

Before I can get another word in the door slams shut in my face and I cringe, taking a few steps back to rest against the adjacent wall.

"Huh, I guess I should have knocked." I chuckle to myself lightly as I post up against the wall waiting patiently for her to exit fully dressed and ready for us to go.

Damn, she said she was ready when I called.

I should have known in girl time that meant she was just getting out of the shower.

Oh by the way, I hate the whole shower setup here. Apparently, the dorms are too small to hold personal bathrooms so there are public bathrooms on each floor of each dorm.

Strutting into the bathroom seeing a bunch of guys practically naked is not my idea of a fun school experience but I'm dealing with it. I usually shower at times when I know not many people will be in there. I'm not exactly looking for some jerk to take my picture so he can try selling it on eBay to the highest bidder.

But anyway back to Delilah.

You know, it's against school rules for the guys to be in the girls dorms and vice versa without permission but I'm taking my chances because it's night time and the hallways are practically deserted.

Everyone is at the basketball game right now rooting for their school and I'd be there as well if Delilah wasn't such a girl. We were supposed to be there at least ten minutes ago. I'm sure they've started the pre-game warm-ups already.

But hey, I told her we'd go together so I can wait.

My art of persuasion is the only thing that got her to agree to tag along.

Apparently basketball games are also on her ‘things I don't do' list.

She's turning out to be quite the social outcast.

You know, the more time that passes, the more curious I become about her.

Delilah Marshall is a mystery to me.

Just the other day I was trying to get her to tell me a little bit more about herself, her life, her history and she dodged just about every question I asked except letting me in on the fact that she had an older brother going to Yale.

That was about it.

We were actually in the gym with the spring dance committee helping them set up the decorations for the dance tomorrow night so there were a lot of distractions.

I couldn't really push her to tell me anything at the time, but soon, I'll learn what I need to know about her.

I mean, I'm only interested because I think Delilah is a cool girl. I like her.

She's like the female best friend I never had aside from Rachel who's my cousin.

We get along really well, though sometimes I think that I really annoy her and push her buttons.

I still think that we have the potential to be really good friends and I'm hoping that when my time here at Higher Heights is up, we'll still be able to be friends and stay in contact with each other.

I'm not going to lie.

I came here a free agent only because my supposed girlfriend Jessica had trust issues with me for some reason.

She didn't think that I could survive a year without cheating on her while being surrounded by boarding school girls.

Women and their trust issues I tell you.

We had a huge fight about it too before I left. I mean I told her it wasn't like I was going to fall in love and marry any of the girls. I told her I'd have the entire summer off. It wasn't going to be a straight year, but no, she didn't want to hear it.

So, we decided to take a break.

According to her, depending on my experience here, it will determine if she and I have a future together.

I hated her for pulling that shit and for putting me through so much because I loved her and still do, but surprisingly I'm doing really well now.

I'm not sure what that says about me or our paused relationship but I'm not going to dwell on it.

My thoughts are interrupted when Delilah struts out of her dorm room fully clothed in jeans and a plain blue top.

Oh yea, apparently, we're actually allowed to dress casually when we attend school events like basketball games, fund raisers and so on.

That's why I'm in jeans, sneakers and a white t-shirt.

I don't know...the school is backwards or something.

"Took you long enough." I mutter. "I've been out here so long I practically recited all of William Shakespeare's plays in my mind." I muse, knowing that she hates when I talk about literature. Apparently, she hates the subject. Go figure.

"I've only been in my room for like ten minutes after you barged in." Delilah counters with a huff.

"Which makes us about twenty-five minutes late for the game. Come on." I grip her hand and pull her along with me.

"You're lucky I didn't physically hurt you for that stunt you pulled back there." She says softly and I smile as we stroll down the hallways to the exit of the dorms.

"What stunt?" I ask innocently and she laughs.

"I'll let it slide this time but don't press your luck. Imagine how much trouble you'd be in if you were caught. So, what was so important that you nearly walked in on me naked?" She inquires nonchalantly and I'm tempted to make a smart remark about her ‘naked comment' but I refrain.

"I spoke to the coach earlier today and he told me I could come in anytime after the dance when the gym was clear to try out for the basketball team. Isn't that cool? I always wondered what it would be like to really play basketball for my school and now I'm getting the opportunity to. And don't worry about the other jocks. They don't scare me in the least."  I say excitedly, turning to watch Delilah and her expressions.

She doesn't seem happy or even pleased as we walk side by side, exiting the dorms and heading in the direction of the school gym where the big game is taking place.

All the decorations are up for the dance except those that will take up the court space since the team needs the court to play tonight. We're planning on putting the finishing touches tomorrow when we have a break from class before the dance itself.

"You have to actually make the team first Justin." Delilah finally supplies, her voice low and unsure.

"You don't seem happy for me." I frown.

"No, no I am I just...you know...good luck." She voices, turning to lock eyes with me, giving me a small smile.

Well, it's not much but I guess I'll take it.

"Thanks." I grin, confident of my playing skills.

The cool thing about being part of the team is getting to play with guys that might actually make it to the NBA. Those that are on basketball scholarships that is. The NBA usually drafts players from the top school teams in the country and from the research I've done, Higher Heights has a pretty sweet record of winning past championships. Plus, they're one of New York's top boarding schools with the highest grades. It just sucks that we're located in the rural area out in the middle of nowhere. You'd never say we're in ‘the big apple.'

Anyway, the team also known as ‘Eagles' didn't win last year, but I'm rooting that they'll win this year with me hopefully being on the team to have that experience with them.

I'm not surprised they chose the name they did for their team. I mean their slogan is ‘soaring to higher heights.' It makes sense. Plus their mascot is an eagle. No surprise there...

The moment Delilah and I burst through the entrance doors of the gym, a slew of chattering and cheering engulfs us.

The gym is brightly illuminated and the bleachers are filled with students and faculty.

I can see the school team in their blue basketball uniforms in a circle on the side of the court getting their pep talk before the game starts.

The opposing team from the other boarding school is in red and on the opposite side of the court, also getting their words of encouragement from their coach.

Wow, this really does feel like school life to me now.

This definitely isn't courtside seats at a Lakers game but strangely enough I feel more excited here in this atmosphere.

"We should probably grab a seat before the game starts!" I shout over the noise to Delilah who's standing awkwardly silent next to me, her eyes wide and scanning the many faces in the crowd.

"Ok!" She replies about to lead the way but I stop her briefly remembering there was something else I wanted to tell her.

"Hey! You never told me if you made up your mind about the dance. It's tomorrow night you know!" I voice to her, watching her intently.

The school has some tradition thing about having themed dances in different seasons. For example, we're in winter and they're having a ‘spring dance.'

I'm not questioning it though. It's whatever. I've already decided that this school is weird.

Delilah's face creases into a frown and I wait patiently for her answer.

"Justin I don't think..."

"Come on Lilah! It'll be fun. Live a little. You're too uptight. Listen, I've been making some new friends and they asked me to come with them, but I told them I'd only go if you agreed to hang with us. I haven't gotten a chance for all of us to hang out together, but if you come to the dance you'll meet them. I'm sure you already know them. You're my deciding factor Lilah. Don't make me miss the dance, please!" I plead, giving her a cheeky grin and she flashes me a disbelieving glare.

"You're making me decide whether you go and have fun or not?"

"Pretty much!" I shout back when the crowd begins to cheer as both teams take the court with the referee. "Come on Lilah. Yes or no?"

"Justin I told you I don't..."

"Yes or no Lilah!"

"Justin..."

"Yes or no! It's easy. Just tell me yes you'll go to the dance, or no you won't go. But beware that you're answering for the both of us."

Guilt trips can be very effective if executed correctly.

"Well since you basically said I'd ruin your night if I didn't go..." She hesitates and I smile, gripping her hand to lead her towards the bleachers so we can take a seat and watch the game.

"Is that a yes or no?" I question, ignoring the stares we receive from the other students when they notice us making our way towards them.

They're pretty much gawking at us, or more me, but I'm used to it. I've only had a few encounters with some of the girls here. For the most part, people leave me alone and I like it that way.

Delilah and I quickly find a seat but before I can place my full attention to the game taking place on the court before us, I turn to face her for her definite answer.

"Yes or no Lilah?" I whisper since we're sitting closely.

She looks at me for a good moment, her gray-browns piercing my blues as she ponders her answer with apprehension on her face.

I know she wants to scream a massive, irrevocable ‘no' but instead she caves, shaking her head in disdain before uttering a soft ‘yes' which I hear clearly.

"Sweet." I beam with triumph, ignoring her supposed pained expression of actually relenting.

I easily put my focus on the game, pushing against her to bounce her shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Don't worry you'll have fun. I promise. It's not suicide like you probably peg it to be." I assure her and she laughs lightly beside me, responding seconds later.

"I hope so Justin...I hope so..."