Chapter 3: August

I was standing there waiting for Jenny to be done with her coding class that I did not see a black-haired person coming up to me. Justin Brown. He asked, "Hey Stranger, are you going for practice or too high and mighty to help lead your team?"

 I looked at him and wondered how could someone be this bitter that I replaced him as basketball captain. I said, "Yeah, I'm waiting for my sister." Justin said, "Oh you mean that dumb blonde." I scrunched up my nose and said, "She's not just a pretty face, you know?" 

 Justin scoffed and said, "Your sister can't even shoot a basket, all she's good at is applying makeup and looking pretty."

 I said, "Yeah but your technique is way off, no wonder you missed that shot on that one on one and lost your title." Justin looked livid and said, "Listen Stranger, I suggest you lose that big head of yours, I may not be your captain but you still got to respect me."

 I said, "I'm not gonna respect someone who likes to call my sister a pretty piece of ornament." Someone laughed and applauded. I looked up to see a black-haired girl. She looked at Justin and said, "You beating up him? Did your rich brat brain finally exploded?"

 Justin said, "Miss ABC, I suggest you shut up or you get beaten to a bloody pulp and begging me as I paint the canvas with your blood" She looked at him and said, "What did Harmony see in you? You may be an athlete but I have files, so I suggest you scram or I chopped off your hand before the fifty states America sports meet."

 Just glared at her and stormed off. She then looked at me and said, "You're welcome." I asked, "Thanks, um, do you like art? My mom got me tickets to an art show. What's your name?" The black haired girl said, "It's Fay and I don't like art, I just do sculpting lessons as an elective." I looked at her and said, "Same, or more like my mother said that either my sister or I had to take an elective that was arts, my mother said to give the extra ticket to someone because my sister wasn't going." 

 Fay said, "Well I'll take it, give it to my friend, she's the more passionate about art between the two of us." Then she saw the ticket and said, "No kidding, your mother got an art showcase to Melinda Parker?" I just looked at her and asked, "Don't you hate art?"

 That girl said, "Well, going to Melinda's art showcase is a big deal, her galleries cost more than five hundred bucks to go there? How did you even get a ticket?" I shrugged and said, "Well, my mother had tickets anyway see you at the art exhibition."

 On the showcase itself, my mother said, "I met someone that I like you to meet, she's charming and nice and an aspiring artist and a huge fan of me." I just rolled my eyes and nodded. I will let my mother try to set me up with one of her so-called fans. When I went to where she was pointing, I was shocked to see Harmony, but she looked different.

 She wore more dull clothes during art class and no glasses. Right now, she wore her hair in twin braids and wore glasses and colourful clothes. She looked shocked and asked, "Miss Parker, who is this?"

 My mother said, "Please, call me Melinda, Harmony, I like you to meet my son, August." 

 She laughed a nervous laugh and said, "It-it's so nice to meet you." She then extednded a hand and shook my hand. I just nodded and Harmony said, "I need to take a call."

 When she was a few meters away, I asked, "Mother, why did you bring me up to that girl? You know I don't want to take an arts career."

 My mother turned her blonde hair and said, "I know, you want to become an architect but she's pretty and sweet and so kind, look at her drawings."

 My mother handed me a sketchbook. I looked at it. It was loaded with surrealism drawings. I said, "These are good."

 My mother said, "She's going to have dinner with us and you have to be nice." She stabbed a finger at my chest. She then saw Dad and said, "Charlie, we got a guest, be nice."

 When we were at the place, I asked, "Hi, so where you come from?" She just looked at me and said to my mother, "So what sort of tips you want to do for the art." My mother smiled and told her the pointers. My father was saying, "Hey, Gus, who do you think I should bet my money on between the New York Knicks vs Lakers?"

 I was about to answer when Harmony said, "Vote for Lakers, they had won a couple of times." My dad looked at her and said, "Where you come from?" Harmony turned red and said, "Sorry to butt in but I originally came from Los Angeles then moved to Brooklyn, I'm on vacation."

 He said, "Big Lakers fan, I see." She smiled and said, "Well yeah." I looked at her and my father said, "Well August is having a sports meet, you should come." 

 She asked, "What is it and where is it?" My dad said, "50 states sport meet, all the 50 preparatory and high schools are going." 

 Harmony said, "Yeah sure, no problem." She looked even more flustered and went back to discussing sketches.

 After dinner, she said, "My vacation house is down the street, I'll see you another time." When I got home, my parents were like, "She's perfect for you." I said, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, she doesn't even like me."

 My parents exchanged looks. Then, someone opened the door. My parents said, "Jenny, where were you?" She said drunkenly, "Went with the girls."

 My father said, "Jenifer, if you keep getting wild, you're going to end up on probation, do you really want that on your college application." Jenifer said, "You need to calm down, I'm fine." She then went into her room.

 I said, "Well, that was anti-climatic, bye."