Chapter 9

2018 Nov 20th

This 11-year-old girl had only just returned home from a long and happy day of Children's Day celebrations at her new school. She had finally decided that she was going to go out and explore her compound a bit more, considering she just moved here.

She was immensely happy at this moment because it was 4:30 and all her homework for the day was over, which meant she could go outside and explore! It was a huge place with 6 identical buildings beside each other. Each building was built 20 ft ahead of the other but overall same structure. She lived in the last apartment on the first floor (there were only 2 floors in each building. Making 24 families in total)

She got out of the house in her casual and favorite outfit. She'd bought that short recently and it was the only shirt in her age group's section that didn't end up looking oversized when she put it on.

After tying her hair in a messy ponytail, she left her brother playing video games and got out of the house... She'd seen some boys around her age or maybe older playing, but she hadn't gotten a good look at them so far.

She began walking around the compound, going behind each apartment, and made her way back to her apartment from the back... Just as she was coming out of the part from the back of the last-but-one apartment, petting a cat, she talked and exclaimed to herself,

"This place is awesome!!! OMG!! If I had my friends from Denver here, we-"

She was cut off as she saw a cricket ball swinging at her just as she left behind the last building... She caught her old reflexes from playing cricket in Denver and caught the ball in one hand and gripped it tightly so she wouldn't scream out loud from the pain it caused as it hit her palm. She suddenly felt a boost of anger through her.

She stormed out from where she was and saw 3 guys standing there and one of them was headed her way, probably for the ball but he didn't even look up. He was looking for the ball on the ground, moving the bushes, about a few feet in front of her. He hadn't even noticed the girl yet.

She went near the guy and stood in front of him... he looked up and she noticed he was the same height as her, probably a bit older than her though. He looked surprised to see her.

"Excuse you!! What the heck is going on here?? Do you know how much your damn ball would've hurt if it hit someone!?!? If I hadn't caught it, the cat over there behind me would've gotten hurt badly!! 

Are you people crazy!? Can't you take any Precautions??? At least pay attention as to where you're hitting the damn ball!!! Who batted? I'd like to give that kid a piece of my mind!" 

She screamed with anger written all over her face & voice.

"Okay.. umm, we're sorry okay?? We'll mind it... Can we have the ball back now??" 

The guy said, ignoring her last question while rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand as he stretched out his right hand for the ball. 

She was about to give it to him when she was stopped by another voice. 

"Excuse me?? Who even are you? We have lived here and played here for a pretty long time and we know how to do what! You don't have to tell us anything!! Do you think aiming perfectly is that easy? Why don't you come, stand beside me, and bowl exactly so it hits the stumps while my brother is batting okay??? " A guy who looked pretty much younger than me, probably 9 or 10, spoke. 

He had a slight resemblance with 'The searching guy'. 

She raised an eyebrow as the 3rd guy, who was standing behind the stumps, pretty absorbed in his mobile, looked up. She thought he was actually kind of good-looking and mentally slapped herself for thinking that.

He looked up at her... He stared at her for a few moments as she stared back. His eyes... The perfect blue eyes shone at her, as her own hazel eyes glinted.

The searching guy cleared his throat. She broke off the stare as Mr. Mobile rolled his eyes, slipped his phone into his pocket, and stood there. She looked back again at him.

"I'm fielding," Mr. Mobile said. Was he the brother of Mr. Aiming-Perfectly guy?? She didn't see any resemblance though... 

"I'm his brother," the Searching guy said, almost like he read her thoughts... She nodded slowly.

"Dude, she's a girl. the only girl I ever knew in person to be able to play cricket without running off crying to their mommies was Andrea... And not that she's awesome, but she's fine... This girl? Man, I don't know" Mr. Mobile guy said...

She glared at him and stormed to Mr. Aiming-Perfectly Guy

"I'll do it, thank you very much, move over, idiot." She said to Mr. Aiming-Perfectly guy.

"Okay, okay, Rayan, go take the bat." 

So, the searching guy's name is Rayan... 

Okay... she mentally noted that down. 

"Dudes, remember I do not appreciate you doing that to her, but okay... Look, I'll bat a bit slow for ya okay ??" Rayan shouted across to her.

She shook her head... "Use your normal stamina, I want to test mine," she said calmly.

Rayan nodded and his brother half-yelled "Are y'all ready??" 

She nodded and Rayan did too...

And then Rayan hit the bat twice on the ground and before anyone could register what was happening, the ball zoomed past the air and hit the stumps perfectly making it fall backward due to the force... 

The 3 guys were staring at the ball open-mouthed and were unable to process what just happened and then a voice screeched, breaking through the silence.

"GIRL! OMG, WHOSOEVER YOU ARE! I LOVE YOU!!

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID!?!?!

OMG OMG OMG YOU'RE SOO AWESOME !!"

A girl with Black hair and Black-brown eyes came running up to this girl and held her hands while jumping up and down and up and down.

"Omg Omg!! Jordan, Rayan, Ace!! Come here all of you!! " She shrieked .. Everyone came and stood beside us.

"Okay, I'm sorry I said that, okay? I was angry you shouted at my brother" The guy who she assumed was Jordan and she knew as Mr. Aiming-Perfectly guy said... 

She was taken aback at the apology as she didn't think he would say sorry that easily... She just smiled easily and shook hands with him.

"I'm Jordan, By the way." Mr. Aiming-Perfectly said.

So Mr. Mobile was Ace!! She mentally thought.

"Mr. Mobile??? Omg" Everyone but Ace was laughing as she realized she said that out loud...

She flushed a bright pink and joined the laughter...

"And yeah, Mr. Mobile, as you call him, is Ace... Ace Mitchell... I'm Andrea Reynolds, Jordan & Raya n Martin" she said as she pointed to each of them. 

"I'm 11, Jordan is 11 but a few months younger than me, and Rayan & Ace are 13. Rayan is older by a few months" Andrea said and she nodded...

"And I'm 12," she said in response :)

The Ace guy was busy on his mobile all over again and Andrea snatched it out of his hand... He groaned and stretched out his hand for a handshake. 

She raised an eyebrow at him and folded her arms. 

He groaned again and mumbled an apology...

Andrea and the girl said, " We can't hear you!" 

He groaned again and yelled, "I'm Sorry I underestimated the both of you!!" 

We smiled and looked at each other and she stretched her hand towards Ace, he shook it and then everyone looked at her. Then she realized.

"Oh! Sorry, how rude of me!! I'm Veronica, Veronica Valdez !!" she smiled at them.