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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 13:54:00 GMT -5
Blaise tossed the ball high above his head, watching it cut smoothly through the air. Then, losing momentum, it shot back toward him. Blaise poised the racket, then gently hit the ball toward the wall. It rebounded off the top square, then soared back in the opposite direction. He dove to the side, narrowly managing to hurl the ball back at the wall of the gymnasium.
He'd been hoping to find a serious opponent other than the wall at this point, but his roommate this far was still doing well to hit the ball over the net. Blaise had to hold himself back in order to make the games remotely interesting. Still, it wasn't too bad when he did manage to play against his roommate. He enjoyed the banter, and he would never cease to be amused by just how uncomfortable he could make the other boy.
It occurred to him that it had been about a week since he had seen Alex, and with as shaken as he had seemed after... Well, Blaise was understandably curious what impact it had on the boy. He was beginning to suspect that he'd actually managed to make Alex upset with him. If that were the case, well, it wouldn't be the first time.
He hit the ball a bit too high, and it soared back over his head and across the gym. He sighed and stretched his arms a bit, then turned to look for it. He certainly wasn't on his A-game today.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 14:00:02 GMT -5
Alex shut the door of the gym behind him just as the ball came bouncing down several feet away from him. He flicked his hand in the middle of its arc and sent it flying softly back in Blaise's direction; it hit the floor a ways off, bounced twice, and came to a rolling stop maybe fifteen feet away from Blaise.
"Hi," Alex said neutrally, walking towards the other boy. "I ah, thought I'd find you here."
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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 14:20:41 GMT -5
Blaise gave the other boy a slight smile and jogged forward, scooping up the tennis ball. "Come for a match?" he called, bouncing the ball off of the floor. "With the way I'm playing today, you might stand a chance."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 14:27:54 GMT -5
He shrugged. "I could try, if you want; there's not much else to do today. Do you have another racket?"
Alex was still a little depressed, and a little nervous at seeing Blaise, as he wasn't completely sure what he wanted to say to him or why he had come. Nevertheless, he was much better than he had been.
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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 14:53:08 GMT -5
Blaise picked up his spare racket from the floor near his duffel bag and held it out to Alex.
"Have you ever played before?" he asked. "I can give you a few pointers, if you like. I think I've attended enough tennis lessons to know how to teach." He grinned. "If nothing else, I can probably teach you enough to beat my roommate."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 15:10:43 GMT -5
Alex shook his head and took the racket. "You're going to have to. Normally I'm about as athletic as a bowl of soup."
He smiled back at Blaise. "Are you enjoying Dunehelden so far?"
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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 15:30:35 GMT -5
Blaise smiled. "It has it's perks," he said, his eyes momentarily meeting Alex's.
Blaise stepped a bit closer to Alex, facing him. "The first thing, and one of the most important things for a beginner, is knowing how to hold your racket. There are several different grips you can use, but usually for beginners, you'll use what we call the Eastern Forehand Grip. Hold your arm out to your side so the racket is parallel to the floor," Blaise continued, demonstrating for Alex, "and keep your palm on the same side as the strings."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 15:52:37 GMT -5
Alex's eyebrows shot up, and he gave Blaise an amused smile. "This already sounds like it's going to be like learning chess again."
He held his arm out and turned the racket so it was aimed properly, then rolled it around in his hand until it was comfortable. He checked Blaise's pose; it may or may not have been correct.
"Roughly like this?"
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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 16:50:43 GMT -5
"Close," Blaise murmured, sliding behind Alex to judge his form. "Hold the racket a bit lower..." Blaise gently repositioned Alex's arm so it was level with his hips. "There. Keep your wrist and elbow straight, but not tense. The power comes from your upper arm and shoulder, so you want wide-arcing swings."
Blaise stepped a bit closer to Alex so that they were nearly touching, wrapping his hand over Alex's. He led Alex's hand in a slow swing, bringing the racket up about shoulder high. "Like that, for a basic underhand swing."
Blaise let go and took a step to one side. "We'll worry about backhand and overhand swings in a bit. Right now, just try swinging the racket like I showed you."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 17:15:26 GMT -5
Alex flushed slightly and gave Blaise a skeptical look. "Are you sure you're trying to show me how to play with a racket?" he said drily.
He swung his arm in a slow arc like Blaise had showed him; it was much easier than trying to mimic by sight. Alex slowly began to understand why he'd wanted to see Blaise again; advice was part of it, but that wasn't the only reason his words had struck a nerve.
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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 18:17:43 GMT -5
"Sorry. If it's bothering you, I can stop." He glanced at Alex, the corners of his lips drawing up in a thin smirk. "I wouldn't want your boyfriend to hex off any of the more delicate parts of my anatomy."
The swing was good, though not perfect. It would take Alex a bit to get the hang of it, but he seemed to have the form down if nothing else. "You're doing well, by the way. I bet I can have you kicking Rhys' ass by the end of the week."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 20:10:31 GMT -5
Alex sighed deeply. "If anyone were to hex you, it'd be me. We're not dating anymore." He glanced up at Blaise, wondering how he would take that. Depending, he could point some questions about tennis, or about Blaise's roommate, or...
"So what's next?" he said ambiguously.
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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 21:26:29 GMT -5
Blaise pursed his lips, studying Alex for a moment. He supposed Alex must have been more affected by what he said than Blaise had initially thought. He shrugged and gave Alex a reassuring smile.
"I'm sure it'll be for the best," he said. "Though I hope that doesn't make things too awkward for you, staying in the same dorm and everything. I hope he's not the jealous type, or that might cause some issues if you date someone else."
Blaise fished a few tennis balls out of his bag. "Try hitting one of these against the wall as much as you can."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 21:41:45 GMT -5
Alex took one of the balls, trying to keep the correct grip without being too awkward. He bounced it against the ground and didn't quite make it to trying to hit it before it whacked him between the eyes and dribbled off towards the bleachers.
"Ow!" He winced and dashed after it. "Stupid thing."
Alex managed to catch it just before it rolled under something and headed back.
"I guess. Would it be awkward for you with a girlfriend? I presume you have one, and your roommate does seem like the jealous type." He smirked and tried again to hit the ball properly.
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Post by Blaise Park on May 19, 2010 22:35:43 GMT -5
"Oh, he probably is," Blaise admitted. He was counting on it, actually, not that he was going to mention that to Alex. "And actually, no, I'm not with anyone at the moment. I've been single since January, which is probably a bit of a record for me. I've had a few people in mind..." Blaise looked pointedly at Alex. "But even if I was, it's not like he's even asked me out or anything. It's not my problem if he gets jealous."
The blond haired boy moved closer to Alex and hmmed to himself. "I think I see what part of your problem is. Do you mind if I reposition you again?" he asked. "I promise to be on my best behavior." Blaise grinned wolfishly.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 19, 2010 22:46:19 GMT -5
"Really? I couldn't tell," Alex teased. This was... different. It was nice not being the one to make the first move for once; not only was it nice to know for certain someone was interested, but it felt wonderful to get that sort of attention.
"Go ahead, if you think it'll help. I never did say I minded."
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Post by Blaise Park on May 20, 2010 0:04:58 GMT -5
"Alright, first of all..." Blaise pulled Alex by the waist, a bit more firmly than before, so that he was a bit further from the wall. "Your stance is weak. Your feet should be at least shoulder width apart at all times, let your right foot slide forward, and keep your knees slightly bent."
Blaise wedged his right foot beside Alex's and nudged the leg forward and out past his shoulder. Blaise kept one hand on Alex's waist, sliding the other over Alex's hand on the racket.
"You don't need to throw the ball so hard," he said, practically into Alex's ear, as close as he was standing. "Toss it up gently, then when it starts back down, swing just like I showed you."
Blaise took the tennis ball from Alex's hand and tossed it into the air, then swung Alex's racket at the ball. The ball hit the top square weakly, then bounced onto the floor a few times before dribbling toward Alex's feet.
"It helps if you put your hips and legs into the swing, but I don't think there's any way I can show you that without it degenerating into not playing tennis."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 20, 2010 0:18:00 GMT -5
As much as he tried not to, Alex turned bright red. Yes. Very different. He thought he knew a little more about how Hitoshi must've felt that day he cornered the other boy on his bed. He stepped a little away from Blaise before picking up the ball, getting into the stance Blaise had shown him, and tossing the ball in the air.
It landed soundly against the racket and Alex hit it pretty much square; it smacked into the line between the two left squares and back towards him, and he made a couple more respectable hits, grinning in triupmh, before the ball angled too much and went flying.
"Bah!" he said with good humor. "I've got to say, though, this is the most interesting lesson I've had in a while."
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Post by Blaise Park on May 20, 2010 0:59:02 GMT -5
Blaise sat cross-legged on the ground as Alex hit the ball. He was doing extremely well considering, which meant that Blaise was either better at teaching or worse at distracting than he had given himself credit for. He couldn't help but feel just a little proud of himself.
He rolled to his feet and chased the ball down. He managed to corner it before it rolled into one of the locker rooms.
"Not bad," he said, tossing the ball back to Alex.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 20, 2010 1:02:00 GMT -5
Alex ducked out of the way and went chasing after it for a couple of feet before catching it once again.
"As much as I'd love to continue learning the deep, inner secrets of tennis... do you think we could talk about something else?"
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Post by Blaise Park on May 20, 2010 1:07:13 GMT -5
"Sure," Blaise commented, zipping up his racket in its case. "I was actually wrapping up as you came in. Did you have something in mind?"
He placed the racket in his bag and slung it over his shoulder, then leaned against the wall.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 20, 2010 1:25:17 GMT -5
"You seemed to have several things in mind yourself," Alex mused. "I was thinking we could spend a little time figuring out what we have in common other than an appreciation for verbal sparring and discuss those things. Maybe discussing philosophy, or socializing, or we could grab your roommate and gently insist he watch a terrible romantic comedy with us."
He shrugged. "Just for a few ideas."
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Post by Blaise Park on May 20, 2010 1:39:02 GMT -5
Blaise smirked. "Well, we could probably commandeer my room for a bit to watch a movie," he suggested. "I'll grab a movie with Drew Barrymore or Colin Firth and Rhys can either watch it with us or crawl out of his little hole and get some sunlight."
He pushed himself off the wall and strolled beside Alex. "Either way, I think I need to take a shower and change first, since I was playing for about an hour or so before you showed up. Maybe you can take advantage of the time I'm away to try and convince Rhys to actually socialize with someone who isn't a family member for once."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on May 20, 2010 1:56:44 GMT -5
Alex grinned and shook his head. "Oh great, something I'm good at. All right; maybe we can grab some popcorn on the way there."
This was definitely the start of something interesting.
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