Trish waved me over to her and the other girls who were warming up by taking shots. I saw Mary walking in the other direction and talking to my soon to be opponents on the basketball court.

“How are you doing, Riley? Are you ready to play?” Trish wanted to know.

“I am not sure. I will try my best.” I said more to myself. I made sure the sneakers that I received on loan were tied well.

Trish briefly introduced me to the other girls. They all seemed very nice and friendly.

Another girl jumped in to be the referee and soon our game was on the way. I remember watching a bit of NBA basketball with my dad but of course, I didn’t pay a lot of attention.

The two tallest girls set themselves up in the middle to get ready for the jump ball. Mary was that girl on the other team. It felt odd that I was going to play against my big sis.

Mary secured the ball and passed it to another girl. She threw another pass to a girl that was right in front of me. I tried to defend but without knowing what exactly happened, the girl blew past me and scored.

Wonderful. I messed up my first chance to at least show that I tried hard. Quickly the ball was passed to me by one of my teammates. I dribbled, walked forward and passed it to a girl on my team. That girl passed to another member of our team and she scored from beyond the arch. Three points!

I ran back but again wasn’t fast enough. A few quick passes and the ball ended in Mary’s hands who charged right to the middle and jumped all the way to dunk the ball. The people in the crowd cheered and applauded. I was impressed. My big sister never ceases to amaze me.

We played back and forth a few more times and I was glad and happy I didn’t make a fool out of myself like I thought I would. I even almost scored one time. Not bad for a clumsy non athletic girl.

When the game was over my teammates came up to high five and hug me. Finally, I got to hug my big sis.
“Mary, that was amazing how you dunked the ball.” I told her.

“Thank you, babe. You did well too for someone who isn’t athletic.” Mary assured me.

Mom and dad came up to hug us too.

“Good job, Riley.” Dad told me while giving me a big hug.

“Thanks, dad. It means a lot.” I told him.

Finally I talked to Katie.

“Good job, Riley. You did well.” Katie assured me.

“Thanks, Katie. I actually had fun even though I never play sports. I am more of a reader.” I told her.

“I know what you mean. I feel the same way. I can tell that you and your sister are close.” Katie pointed out.

“Yes, we sure are. She is my role model and my best friend.” I let Katie now.

“That is great. Why don’t you two change back and we shall finish our tour.” Katie encouraged us.

We changed back into our regular clothes. We didn’t shower even though we needed it but decided to save it for the hotel so we can be fresh for our afternoon shopping trip.After showing us a few more buildings and facilities, we had a delicious lunch in the cafeteria. I felt sad that the visit was almost over. I enjoyed being at this school.

Mary and I said goodbye to Katie and we were on our way back to the hotel.

“I loved watching you two play basketball against one another. This was something I have never seen before.” mom told us.

“I thought I was literally going to drop the ball or pass it accidentally to an opponent. I was glad I didn’t fail.” I told mom.

“I knew you wouldn’t fail. Trust your big sister.” Mary said while smiling at me.

“I do trust you. It’s just that sometimes I doubt myself.” I told my family.

“Everyone feels this way once in a while.” Dad added to the conversation.

Wasn’t that the truth. We chatted and laughed a bit more on our way back. Before we went on our shopping trip, Mary and I each took a shower and put on nice clothes. Mom and dad met with both of us in our room before they let us spend some serious cash.

“Riley, what do you think about Cherry Blossom Hill?” mom wanted to know.

“I loved it. I think it would be a good place for me to go to school and more importantly become the girl and later young woman I want to be.” I told my family.

“I feel the same way. I had an excellent impression of the school, students and people who run it. I believe that Riley could thrive there. We already experienced it with the basketball game and we were only at school for a few hours. Granted, Riley won’t be the next Michael Jordan within such a short time..That might take the whole school year.” Mary pointed out.

Everyone laughed.

“Maybe Karl Malone.” dad added to the conversation.

Everyone but me laughed again.

“Is he a basketball player too?” I asked my family.

Everyone was howling with laughter.

“Good one, Riley.” dad said.

“Oh yeah, you know me. Always up for a joke.” I told dad.

I made a mental note to google Karl Malone later.

Mom joined Mary and me for part of our Boston shopping extravaganza. The three of us decided to go to several department stores and also hit up more expensive individual stores downtown. Mary suggested trying on leggings which I haven't really considered yet.

I tried on a few pairs in combination with different kinds of tops and I liked them a lot. I ended up buying a few pairs. Mary approved of my good taste.

Dinner happened a little differently that evening. Mom and dad decided to go out by themselves and so it was just us sisters which was fine by me. Mary found a nice small restaurant near our hotel with the help of her phone.

We dressed up in pretty clothes and settled in.

“Mary, it is so much fun going out with you. I could do this every night. I especially like dressing up. ” I told my sister.

“I feel the same way. It’s always awesome to spend time with you.” Mary replied.

We ordered our dinners and talked about all kinds of things. We discussed fashion, our shopping trips and the private school. Suddenly Mary seemed serious.

“Babe, have you texted or talked to Sammy since we have left town?” Mary asked me.

“Oh no! I knew I forgot something.” I said, feeling ashamed.

“Babe, how come you forgot to talk to your girlfriend? I am a bit worried. She loves you a lot and I know you love her. You know I brought this up earlier. You do still love her, right?” Mary wanted to know, looking very concerned.

“I do. I do. It’s just that I was so excited to see the private school. I don’t know why I forgot. I feel bad.” I assured my big sister.

“It’s okay, Riley. I was thinking about this a lot today and sometimes it seems that you are in love with being a girl and with being in love in general. Does that sound right?” Mary inquired a bit more.

“Well, maybe. I am not sure, sis.” I said, feeling close to tears.

Mary noticed. She left her seat and came over to my side. She gave me a big hug.

“Listen, I didn’t want to make you upset. I wanted to make you aware of this. Whatever you do, it will be your decision. You have grown so much the last few months. I am so amazed by the person, the girl, you have become. I understand that this is all super exciting. If you go to this school, I know you will make new friends with light speed. This is just a suggestion, but maybe you should think about yourself and Sammy and if you will be able to continue your relationship if you decide to go to school here. Trust me, it will be hard. You two won’t see each other a lot which means your relationship cannot grow a lot while you are separated. Does that sound okay to you?” Mary asked me while looking at me with anticipation.

I stared at my big sister for a minute. I had to ponder this.

“Well, yes. It sounds plausible. I have not given these things much thought. I will think about it.” I said.

“Good. I feel as my big sister it is my job to watch out for you and also to tell you the truth. Even if the truth is uncomfortable.” Mary pointed out.

I nodded.

We finished our dinner with less talking. I was deep in thought considering Mary’s words. When we were almost ready to leave, Mary started talking again.

“You know what, babe? I can’t believe that you actually played basketball against me.” Mary said while smiling.

“I can’t believe that you dunked that ball.” I replied.

We both laughed. Back at the hotel we watched some silly TV, laughed, joked around and acted silly. We didn’t go to bed until 1 AM.

We checked out of our hotel at 8 in the morning and were on our way to the second private school. I liked that school too but not as much as Cherry Blossom Hill. After our visit we went home, happy and exhausted. Christmas was around the corner and I was excited to spend more time with my family and Sammy.

I texted Sammy after we left the hotel and when we were on our way home. We decided to meet the next day at Claire’s Cafe for a hot chocolate and a pastry.

Mary also had plans to hang out with Alyssa. I am sure the two of them had some smooching to catch up on. I was hoping for another fashion show with us four girls sometime soon.

When we arrived home, everyone settled in and took a break. We all agreed that I should ponder the private school for a few days before I make a decision. If I would decide in favor of a private school I would start right away after new years.

Now that I had some more time to think about it, I felt overwhelmed. The trip and meeting all these new people was so much fun. I didn’t have a lot of time to consider the big picture. Mary’s words left a lasting impression on me. What about Sammy if I should say yes to Boston and Cherry Blossom Hill?