"What?!" She had heatly taking off her jacket.
Her mother turned to her and then back to what she was doing "You...I never thought I'd see the day you gave up, you never gave up... ever."
"For once Mom I lost..face it."
"You gave up, you let the only thing you love more than basketball slip away, the man you love."
"And you Mom giving up your dreams for a guy my so-called father brainwashed you into becoming a damn housewife and then he left us all alone and you were 35 years old and hadn't learned your lesson and you did him again Mom you-"
Her mother quickly turned and slapped her as hard as she could and all Lisa could do was hold the place she'd been hit in shock she didn't feel the pain as her mother yelled at her "How dare you talk to me that way Lisa. I didn't.....give up my dreams, I put them on hold cause I feel in love and I got pregnant with you and I wanted to be here for you always, I wanted to go to all your games." Her voice started to crack watching Lisa crying already "I wanted to be here when you got home from school when you went to school, cook you 3 meals a day and just be there for you always cause you were all I had in this world to be proud of, watching you and Nick fall in love was so beautiful to me I knew you'd never be alone like I was, you love that boy Lisa and he loves you, you've both loved each other since you were kids and you letting him go to some model, you gave up!"
She knew her mother was right as she said "Mom, I'm sorry for what I said" afterwards she just ran out the room crying. Later that night he sat in his room alone thinking about Lisa. He didn't know why but he was thinking about Lisa since Donna was out of town again he was. He wondered if he loved her, that day at the airport he didn't know where that 'I love you' came from maybe he'd meant it.
**********
Lisa was playing with her little sister and her little friends at her mother's small cookout. She was dressed in blue jeans and a gray shirt with thin straps her hair in the usual messy ponytail. When she was done playing with them she went and sat on some steps looking at the ground pulling the grass out the ground thinking when her cousin Lily walked over and sat next to her. They never got alone cause they were total opposite and Lisa basically didn't like her cause she was everything she wish she could be more lady-like Lily spoke knowing Lisa would not "Hi"
"Hey" she said making sure not to look at her hoping she would go away.
"I guess nether of us got him."
"Got who?" she asked making sure to not reach her eyes knowing who she was talking about.
"Nick, I just knew you would."
"Lily, Why are you talking about it? If my mother told you too, save it cause I don't want to hear the shit."
"No..it's just..Cause I am getting married to Derrick soon and we have our son William and I just want you to be happy one day."
"I will....I'll get over him...one day."
"Lisa, you two met when..well you were only 11 and him 12 and that's what 9 years, please, you'll always love him."
"Yeah, well, whatever." She got up and walked off pissed at Lily for telling her what people have seemed to be telling her a lot lately. She went and sat in a chair far away from the crowd and began to think about them when they were younger.
She was in blue jean shorts and red tee shirt her hair in a very messy ponytail because she'd just beat him in a game of basketball and rubbed it in and they got into a big fight and she ran home.
His parents were out of town and his uncle was watching him and his brothers and sisters. His Uncle was fun but not a very good cook so he decided he'd have dinner with Lisa and her mother, he knocked on the door and her mother answered "Hey"
"Go away." Lisa said as she reached the door wrapped her arms around her mother's waist looking at him "Make him go home, I hate him."
"You two are fighting again huh, come in."
She stood looking up at her mother as she escorted him inside the house and she slammed the door when they got inside and her mother turned quickly "Lisa!"
"You know what he did to me today Mom, he pushed me again, I scraped my knee see." she lift her shorts a little and pointed at it "And look my elbow you see that." she pointed at it "Make him leave"
Her mother turned to him "You came over for dinner right" he nodded 'yes' "Well me and Lisa are going over to my sister's house for a engagement party for dinner."
"Yeah so leave" Lisa yelled at him and her mother turned back to him "But all you have to do is shower and change and ask your Uncle and you can go."
"He'll say yes, When are you leaving?"
"About a hour so take you time."
"Do I have to dress up?"
"Not if you don't want"
"Okay I will be back" He raced out the door and her mother turned to her as she closed the door.
"I don't want to go." she said crossing her arms.
"Lisa" her mother said knowing she was going to have a fight on her hands.
She started up the steps stomping as loud as she could as she yelled once more "I don't want to go!"
She locked herself in the bathroom screaming she didn't want to go cause she didn't want to see her cousin Lily because everytime they were around each other with Nick he would take all his attention off her and place it onto Lily. But after a while her mother talked her into coming out. She refused to wear a dress so her mother dressed her in a nice pair of blue jeans, with funny little flowers on the bottom leg and pockets, she had her hair curled and in a ponytail, she sat crossed legged on her mother bed watching her get dress as her mother said in a demanding tone to show Lisa she was serious "I want you to be nice and act suitable now. I didn't make you wear a dress but that means you have to act nice for me, for Mommy okay." Lisa didn't respond looking at the TV pretending not to hear her "Lisa"
"Okay, Okay Mom."
There was knock on the door and her mother just getting done grabbed her hand and they left out the room.
Lisa sat in the back seat of her mother car still mad with her arms crossed and pouting he was sitting across from her quiet
"Lisa" she looked over at him "I'm sorry about earlier."
"I know you are sorry, sorry at everything especially basketball."
They went back and fourth, her mother refused to break them up cause they would only start back up.
They walked in behind her mother to see all the adults talking and appearing to be having a good time and her mother lead them upstairs to the room where all the kids were. Both her and Nick went inside and as soon as her mother closed the door leaving the room Lily ran up to them.
"So it's Lisa and her little boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend." she said still mad about having to be there in the first place.
"Well you won't mind if he came and played with us, come on." she grabbed his hand and pulled him off. He actually liked Lily a little cause she was like other girls not a tomboy like Lisa and Lily had the biggest crush on him. Lisa just walked around the room a while and she found herself by a window and when she saw the basketball court she ran out the room.
After a while he noticed that she was gone and heard the basketball outside and knew exactly where she was.
He walked out the door to her laughing with her Mom who turned to see him "So you decided to join us."
"Yeah"
Lisa tossed the ball in the hoop as she said "Yeah right, he was up there with his girlfriend Lily."
"She's not my girlfriend." he said to defend himself as he took the ball out her hand and she pushed him.
"Yeah, one day you and her are gonna get married and kiss and all that other yucky stuff." she said as she grabbed the ball from him.
Her mother grabbed the basketball "No they are not Lisa"
Him happy she was taking up for him said "Yeah, Ha!"
"You two are gonna get married."
"We are not" she said moving away from him.
"Why not? That means you get to be together forever but anyway this party is boring how about we go and pick up something."
Lisa thought about what her mother had said earlier and at that age she wasn't scared to speak her mind as she walked him home she asked "Would you ever marry me?"
"Why?"
"She said we'd be together forever."
"But we'll have to kiss and stuff like my parents do."
She was quiet thinking about it as they reached his lawn "So..we kissed that day in the tent."
"But you were my girlfriend."
They walked onto his porch in front of his door and she was growing pretty mad by now "You just want to marry Lily, well fine I'll marry someone else."
She turned to leave and her grabbed her arm "No." she pulled from his grip "Then you.....we couldn't be together forever."
"So would you, would you marry me?" she asked excitedly.
"Yeah"
She smiled a little looking down he loved to see her smile which was very rare around him. She grabbed his arm "But we don't have to kiss all the time mostly we'll.....play video games, eat pizza, listen to music and read comic's and especially play basketball all day long."
"And we can live in the tent"
"And be together forever, but listen if I ever try and marry someone else you have to stop me and if you try to marry someone else I have to stop you."
"You promise"
"Yeah I promise." She heard her mother call her she turned and then turned back to him "I have too go, goodnight." she kissed him on the cheek and ran off and he turned and went inside.