Joana returned after two hours from Olive Junior High still mumbling cursed words as she walked in. Blue couldn't decipher why she had such extreme anger. Joana forbade her daughter not to have anything to do with sports. She couldn't understand why the head of a school had to make Blue a scapegoat for Tessy's crime. In other to avoid a future repetition of whatever was occurring, Blue had to stay away from any kind of sports. She was never to be involved in any sports without her mother's consent.
Jasmine Hanald's parents had almost sued the school for Jasmine's accident and that had made Mrs McCrane create a scapegoat who was, unfortunately, Blue Nane.
The following week, Joana placed a call to her older sister who lived in the town of Greenville. And on the weekend, she placed Blue on a bus moving to Greenville. Danielle Nane worked as the councilor for Greenville High School, she indeed had a prestige that preceded her. And at that, it made it easier for Blue to become a student of Greenville High School; a school meant only for the elites and rich.
"Mum, I'm never going there, you know that I won't fit in that school!" Blue wailed violently, her eyes were already misty with tears.
"I'm done with all of your nonchalant attitudes towards your studies. Your grades are low, yet all you do is breathe, eat, and play basketball. It's from one problem to another. Why can't you be just a normal kid? I've called Danielle, she was thrilled when I told her that you're going over to live with her. Danielle would be so pleased to see you," her mum smiled at her.
Blue gasped at that. She didn't even understand why her mum had that smirk on her face. Why won't her mom understand her? Why was her mum making life more miserable for her than it already was?
"Mum, Greenville High School is not just any kind of school that I can fit in," Blue attempted to sway her mother's thoughts one last time.
"What do you mean by that? If you can do basketball, then you can do this better," her mother told her.
"Mum...," she tried to talk.
"Don't mum me, you are going there and that is final!" her mother turned away abruptly, not willing to hear more of her embittered words.
Tears slid down Blue's hazel eyes as she was made speechless. What will she do? What will happen to her then? She knew she had no choice but to accept her fate. She lost her will to do what she loved. She must obey her mother and do what her mother wants.
*******
Aunt Danielle received her hours later quite warmly in the following weekend. Danielle was elegant, fair-skinned, robust, and had this bright aura surrounding her. She also had a replica of Joana. Thin wrinkles strained down the ridge of her neck, the years were already telling on her, Blue noticed.
Blue also wondered why her aunt never decided to settle down. Danielle Nane lived comfortably in the comfort of her own home, unlike her mother who was mostly pressured by her landlord to pay rent right on time.
"I heard about what happened at your previous school," Danielle started as they ate dinner quietly in the evening.
They sat opposite each other eating beans and pork. Blue was picking at her food, tears still lingering at the corners of her eyes. She didn't like the food Danielle served her.
"Who the hell eats beans and pork?" Blue's thoughts screamed.
All she wanted, all she missed were the soft covers of her home in Olive. She missed home, she wanted to return home. Home was where her heart was calling, home was where her heart was.
Blue sniffed for the hundredth time, wiping a tear with the back of her hand. She pushed her full, lengthy hair aside trying her best composure.
Danielle dropped her cutlery on her dish, drawing attention to herself, "You shouldn't be this stiff. All teary and pouty like a wee babe," Danielle was irritated by Blue's tears.
Blue looked up at her and then ignored her, dragging her spoon back and forth in the depths of her beans.
"Eat up. I can't have you wasting my food. You are not a baby. Tomorrow, you begin classes," Danielle stood up, picked up her dish, and left the dining room.
Blue waited till the running water from the kitchen was turned off, and the door of Danielle's was slammed shut, then she pushed back her chair and stared into space. After a while, she couldn't hold it in any longer, she covered her face into the palms of her hands and broke into tears.
She hated her whole life. She hated the fact that her mother was controlling the gateway of her life. She hated the fact that she had no choice but to conform to the rules of her mother. She hated the fact that she was thoroughly helpless. Above all, she hated the fact that her life wasn't going the way she had hoped and planned.
She wanted to be in Olive's basketball team and win trophies for the school; regional, districts, and states! She wanted so much more, but all that had been swept under the rug. What then would become of her? And for that, she let it all out... in tears.
********
The new week was rather too clumsy and sluggish for Blue. She was the tallest in her classroom which made the rest of her classmates gawk at her. Most would shoot her a dirty gnarl whenever she passes them. Her height was quite intimidating. And their stares at Blue were never comfortable in any way.
One of her classmates was warm to her, her name was Freya Ling. Freya Ling had freckles on both of her cheeks, she was 4 ft 10 but she never cared about heights. So, it was comforting to Blue to find that someone her age finally warmed up to her. Freya Ling was kind enough to show her around the school premises.
"I see that you have already made a new friend," Danielle Nane said when she came across them dressed in a black suit and skirt and a pink shirt within the suit. She was holding a couple of books in one hand while she tried to steady her eyeglasses with her other hand.
Blue scoffed when she heard that while Freya Ling gave Danielle a huge smile.
"Do well to show her around, will you, Freya?" Danielle smiled back as she continued downwards in the direction of her office.
"Wow, she seems to know you too," Freya blinked, looking up at her friend, "She knows almost all the students in the school," Freya added.
"She is my aunt," Blue told her, wondering why her aunt was well acquainted with almost all the students in the school.
"Well, a councillor must..., wait, she is your aunt! No way! I thought she was your mother! You guys look exactly alike," Freya howled.
Blue shrugged at that.
They walked down passing the basketball court. Blue stopped.
"What is it?" Freya turned to ask her.
"Is that a basketball court?" she asked Freya to which Freya nodded to that.
They walked into the hall where a team of boys was playing basketball. Blue watched them pleasantly, smiling to herself.
"Why don't the juniors have a basketball court?" Blue asked.
Freya shrugged, climbing up the stairs by the stands with her, "We just don't have one. We hardly have anyone interested in basketball in junior classes," Freya explained to her.
"Then, will they make one if there are interested juniors?"
"Nah, you take the tryouts and if you're selected, you join and train with the seniors. Other sports are frankly there. The interesting ones of course, such as tennis, football, hockey, handball, and the like," Freya rambled on, counting on each of her fingers.
One of the boys who had dribbled, and slammed the ball into the net, jumped missing a rebound a moment ago was yelling out to his partner.
"Can't you just pass the ball to me?" He yelled out, frustrated.
Blue studied him. He was almost 6 feet 5 from her perspective, he was good but only because the other team was terrible at passing the ball.
"Who is that?" Blue turned to ask Freya.
"That is Hanson Hills," Freya was delighted to point him out, "He won a couple of medals for the school, including states and nationals. He is exceptional at what he does," Freya grinned, "He is also quite wealthy and famous, his younger brother is into arts, he is known as the arts lord," Freya whispered to her ear and then laughed as if what she had just said was funny.
Blue shot him a last look as she walked down the lane close to the wing of the court. The ball flew in her direction. As if sensing that the ball was coming towards her, she swiftly swirled around and grabbed the ball, bouncing it with ease.
Most of the boys were astonished by that act, it took a perfectionist to be able to handle that sort of that style. Blue looked up at each of their faces. She caught Hanson's narrowed raised brows, he must certainly be intrigued.
Blue came close to the top of the wing, held the ball almost close to her chest, raised it high, and threw it into the net to the surprise of every one of them, including her friend, Freya.
"You are good. Aren't you a freshman?" a brown-headed boy asked her. He wasn't as tall as Hanson who played well.
"I'm not," Blue answered him.
"But you are new?" Hanson asked her, coming over to her as he collected the ball from the brown-headed boy, "I don't think I have seen your face," he added.
Blue looked back at Hanson, "Yes, I'm new. A sophomore in junior year," She told him.
"Wooaa, hear that boys!" another boy exclaimed, pleased at the performance of Blue.
Hanson smirked at that, "Will you play with me, with us? Will you?" Hanson turned back to ask her.
Blue paused then turned sideways to cast a glance at Freya. Freya was puzzled at first that she suddenly had to come down the rest of the stairs to speak up.
"We have a class in a few minutes," Freya said agitatedly to Hanson who was eyeing her, and to Blue, she mouthed, "You need to get away, now. Like right now."
Hanson must have seen that cause he said, "It will only be for a minute, I promise I won't take much of your time," Hanson pleaded.
Blue looked back at her friend, she took out a hairband from her breast pocket and tied her chestnut-colored hair into a ponytail, "I'm in." she beamed, jumping into the court.
"Awesome!" Hanson grinned widely, throwing back the ball at her which she caught.
Freya's mouth was slightly opened, she had to close it up, wondering if she looked stupid with her mouth agape. She turned to look at her fellow spectators who were in the hall to see if they were staring oddly at her. Unable to help herself, she took the stairs took her seat on the stands, and decided to watch the game.