Shooting hoops.....Jett tag Any

[Jett Chen]

What the hell was going on with him. His mothers funeral was in a day and all he could think about was a petite little blond that seemed to be annoying the crap out of him and not in a good way. He could not get the damn girl known as Eden out of her mind. Good god, Ben was going to kill him for sure. He could never find out. However, Eden was good and Jett could not stay away. He was so going to hell now...even more so then before. He felt bad, that he was distracted the day before his mothers funeral, but in all honesty he had been dealing with that all week. He and Izzy both made arrangements. Izzy told Jett, Taki was coming. She also told him about meeting Mr. Kim. Oh that had to be fun. He would have paid to see it.

Jett had spent a week with Mr. Kim and the guy had this silent but deadly look. Saturday, all he had to do was make it to Saturday and the Koreans who invaded the house would leave. Jett loved his mothers extended family, but it was so hard dealing with everything. No wonder he found comfort some where else. Not to mention not one word had been talked about in terms of Izzy. Jett was eighteen and considered an adult, but Izzy was seventeen, she still needed a parent, no matter how soon her birthday was. So what would happen with her? One thing was for sure, Jett would not let Izzy leave the US. No way

Jett was in the gym for lunch. He was not hungry. Instead he was shooting hoops. Might as well work out a little during lunch. He would snack in his next class. Jett was busy moving from one side, to the other side going back and forth, working up a sweat when the ball finally got away from him and rolled over to the bottom of someone else's feet. "Hey mind passing me the ball." He asked smiling at the person. Jett held his hands out waiting for the basketball to be thrown back at him.

[Freddie Franklin]

Class finished with its usual bell and he found himself in need of either some serious caffeine or to get his adrenaline going to keep him active. Last night had been rough, the twins had fussed through the night and he was paying for the lack of sleep... pro plus had done nothing for him he had tried it, he had left the house after three cups of strong coffee.

So he found himself heading for the gym, he could eat at any time during the day right now he would just like to get through the rest of school without falling asleep in class. That would be embarrassing to say the least if he actually fell asleep in class and cause him to get a detention or something. He knew when he got home tonight he had a party to go to if he was awake to go to it. Penny and he had made sure the nanny was okay with that and she was... it was their coming out party and the first night they would have together without the kids since the twins were born.

He quickly changed into a pair of gym shorts and a fresh t-shirt before heading into the court... there was just one guy currently in the court and he seemed to be dribbling a basketball up and down the court. Each to his own he thought as the boy dropped the ball and it rolled right to him.

He heard the boy call for his ball back and picked it up for him.

"Sure heres your ball back." he said tossing the ball back to him lightly. Basketball really wasn't his thing but he needed something to wake him up a little and this would just have to do. "You mind if I join you?" he asked.

[Jett Chen]

Jett caught the basket ball easily. Sports came easy to him. Well except extreme sports. Those Jett could do without, but football, basketball, hockey and baseball, now those were his kinds of sports. Not that he played in all of them, but he would do a friendly game with a few of his friends now and then. Anything to keep active. Normally Jett preferred another form of exercise. Only for some reason jett was not in that mood. Perhaps it was his mothers death...or a certain blond that had him going crazy.

"Sure man...be my quest and join. It's kind of hard to play by ones self anyway. i would like the company." Jett said with a smile. "We can just shoot and or play a game of horse....or one on one...I am not picky." Jett just wanted to play. He would let the other man pick the game. "I'm Jett....I haven't seen you around...you new?" Even if he wasn't new Jett was bad with faces unless they were jocks, cheerleaders, other women, his sister or his other friends.

Jett took a warm up shot and went to retrieve the ball. He bounced it to the other guy. "I figured nothing was better then something to do before my last class. It's boring a heck and I know if i don't do something to keep my blood pumping I will end up zoning out..."

[fryn]

(ooc: hope its ok to leap on in!)

The morning had passed slowly despite Takumi concentrating on each class. He was too excited about this evening to really focus, though. Tonight Izzy would meet his family. He couldn't wait! To pass the lunch break Takumi decided to make a return visit to the basketball court. He was far from any good at the sport and, in fact, had only tried it the once and even then it was thanks to the fact he'd been on detention for skipping class (ok, others had also skipped - Izzy included - but Takumi had taken the wrap for them all). It was then that he'd encountered Ivan who had given the Japanese boy a few lessons. Takumi had been terrible but that hadn't squashed his enthusiasm. Maybe he'd be better if he practised a bit more?

It was a surprise to find the court already in use... and even more so when he recognised one of said users.

Izzy's brother, no less. The other boy he didn't know.

"Jett-san! Hai!" he greeted with a wave. "I am happy to see you here!" He looked at the other boy with a ready - and friendly - smile. "I am Takumi... and I am honoured to meet you." Formal? Perhaps... but that was his way.

[Freddie Franklin]

Freddie flashed him a smile, "Technically I started a while back, but my wife had my twins so I took time off to sort out things at home... nannies are disturbingly hard to come by, well good ones that will live in." Freddie said with a proud look on his face. "Nice to meet you Jett, I'm Alfred but you can call me Freddie." Freddie introduced himself.

Then a Japanese guy showed up which took Freddie by surprise as he hadn't seen the boy enter... have to do something to make sure people don't creep up behind me in future, he thought to himself with a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Takumi, I'm Freddie." he said formally not sure whether being so casual would be such a good idea... time would tell. Speaking formally lead to one thing however his true accent came out. "You should know that I'm English and we play cricket polo or football/soccer, so chances are your about to kick my ass at a sport I haven't really played before." Freddie explained. "I'm really here to try and keep myself awake, so I don't really care if I get beat... if you can get me through class this afternoon from the adrenaline or what ever I would be very grateful." he said.

[fryn]

"Cricket I have heard of but not... poro... What is poro? No, not poro... Polo," he repeated with forced concentration. 'L's were always hard for him to utter as they didn't exist in his language. The other boy explained something about horses and hitting a ball into a goal. It sounded very confusing to Takumi but he nodded politely enough throughout the entire exchange... albeit a one-sided exchange.

"You are to play basketball with Jett?" he asked. "I am bad at this. I think it doesn't help that I am so short," he added in a laugh. He remembered trying to keep up with the far bigger Ivan a few days ago... and failing pretty spectacularly. "I met Izzy's father lasy night, Jett," he added with a grimace. "It was... difficult. He thought I was sleeping with your sister!" Takumi laughed, belatedly hoping her brother would also find that funny. "I think he was happy with us by the time I left but... am not positive.

"I am dating Jett's sister," he explained to Freddie. "Izzy... Do you know her?" Most people within the school seemed to know Izzy Chen and Takumi knew he was lucky to be able to call her his girlfrriend.

[Jett Chen]

"Freddie, pleasure to meet you...a wife and twins...sounds like a good life for you so far. You seem happy when you talk about them." Jett had not met many teenage parents, but he was not one to judge. That life was not for him, but if Freddie was happy and enjoyed it, then Jett was happy for the other guy. "I can keep you awake...it's why I am here. My last class is boring as hell and if I don't play some friendly game I will fall asleep for sure." He told Freddie.

Thats when Taki appeared, "Hey man." Jett said giving the Japanese boy a high five. He let the two introduce themselves, but the whole part about Izzy's dad and thinking they slept together got his attention, "He thought what..." Jett asked. "Dude I feel sorry for you there...I could have told him the answer to that question." Jett said laughing. Izzy...having sex...yeah right....

"Since you both don't know how to play this should be easy for me." he winked. "How about a game of Horse...that can keep the flow going...it can be a boring game but get intense depending on where you have to make the basket from." Jett remembered playing with a friend who made a shot...a lucky one from half court..Jett failed at that shot miserably.

[Freddie Franklin]

Freddie listened to the boy struggling to find the right word, he knew it must be hard if you didn't speak English as a first language which apparently Takumi wouldn't. Probably moved here from Japan or China he thought to himself.

"Polo its a horse sport, tended to be played by the upper class of England but the Arab nations like it as well... its good fun if you like riding horses. If your confidant enough to ride one handed and hit a ball with a polo stick with the other." Freddie explained with a smile.

Freddie smiled at Jett, "It took some getting used to, but I knew from the age of like twelve that I was going to marry my wife... our parents arranged our marriage out of mutual business interest. But we have been best of friends since we were little so it wasn't like someone I didn't know. Penny is four years my senior so she stays at home with the kids while I come to school, we started early with family but I wouldn't change that for the world. My brother is actually coming to live with us soon so he'll be joining Gould. At first we all thought that it would be easier for me and Penny just to raise my sister, but I actually miss the twerp so bringing him over is eaasy." Freddie explained.

Jett was talking agin and he had Freddies attention once more, though Takumi intrigued him. But then he thought that he should get to know people in his school a lot more than he currently was, if time allowed him to he would make time to get to know them both.

"Sounds good to me, you may have to walk me through it or we can just get on with it and I can pick it up on the fly." Freddie said to him.

[fryn]

"Horse?" Takumi's eyes widened slightly. "You can't bring a horse into here... can you? The sensei will be pretty angry." Was Jett crazy? Surely he had to mean something else... didn't he? Freddie didn't seem to be so alarmed so Takumi had to wonder if he was over-reacting. Yet another cultural misunderstanding. He seemed to be stumbling into a lot of those lately. Instead of improving Takumi had a feeling his grasp of English was on the wane. Or, more liekly, it was that the people around him were just talking faster and using words or phrases he had yet to memorise. Hopefully that was the case, anyway!

He nodded politely and waited... At least Freddie didn't seem to know what was expected either... That was reassuring! Make the basket. What was it Ivan had said that meant? Get the ball in through the hoop. Yes, that was it. Takumi had been useless throuhout his one and only lesson at that other boy's hands. He would have to find out how he was supposed to 'pick it (the ball?) up on the fly'... whatever the fly was.

"I am game to try!" he stated with enthusiasm. Whatever he lacked in comprehension he easily made up for in determination. He braced himself for whatever was to come... praying it wasn't going to be the arrival of a horse!

[Jett Chen]

"Thats cool man. Knowing since you were twelve. You are lucky actually that is all worked out, and stuff. But like you said , you were friends first I guess that did make it easier for you both. I would like to meet this woman. She sounds pretty awesome. I know my sister would like to met her....her father has this thing with arranged marriages back in Korea....not that Izzy is going to be pulled into that..." Jett said giving Taki a look. "But you never know." He said giving Taki an I hope that doesn't happen look.

Jett started to laugh, "Taki i don't know if you try to be funny or if it just comes out like that, but thats a good one." Jett said smiling. "Horse is a game. I will take a shot like this..." Jett demonstrated and the ball easily went in. Then again they were right by the hoop. "Now both you and Freddie have to make a shot from this spot, if it goes in you are safe, if you miss you get an H....the goal is to make the shots, cause if you spell HORSE you lose."

Jett hoped the explanation made sense. "Do you guys understand...if not there are a million ways I could try and explain it." jett was happy to have people to play with finally. Sure he had teammates and stuff, but when teammates got involved it never ended good. Now he really could have a nice and friendly game for once. "So how are you both enjoying the US?" Jett asked.