Amber sunk her teeth into the burger in her hands, only pausing to look at Frederick when she got up to fetch a can of drink from the fridge.
Source
He was ranting about his half-brother again, and every time he did that, she blocked out his voice by thinking of Jamal.
Yes, he was different but that didn't make him an outcast.
Personally, She was attracted to the golden brown tone of his skin. His rich brown eyes were framed by long, thick lashes that moved sensually to reveal the charm in his eyes, and his hair, Unlike Frederick's short, spiky, blonde hair, Jamal had thick, black, tight curls that grew relentlessly almost to his shoulders.
She suspected this was one of the reasons Frederick couldn't stand him. Jamal was a work of art.
“.....and he had to be invited to the regional tournament too. Are you even listening to me?”
Amber dragged her mind from Jamal's physique.
“I heard everything you said, Fred. I think you're being unnecessarily worked up over Jamal. You've always been the better tennis player, and that is who you will remain”.
She pressed a kiss to his lips and walked out. She was the only one who constantly reminded him that he was the best tennis player. That wasn't her trying to be biased, he played well, just like his father. Only that people were more attracted to Jamal because of his calm-headed nature.
She knew she would catch a glimpse of him training as she rode past the family house on her bicycle.
At first, she pitied him. The boy was born out of wedlock and left to suffer in penury in Arabia until his dying mother's sister could locate his wealthy father in America. The boy who could never be loved or accepted no matter what he did, the boy who was always in competition with his younger brother. But these things seemed not to disturb Jamal who found solace in throwing his father's tennis balls around until they were forced to teach him the game. At this time, Frederick was already really good at it.
To Amber, the only thing that kept Jamal neck to neck with Frederick during games was self-mastery. While Frederick played with his emotions, Jamal played with his skill.
She saw a familiar figure as she brought her bicycle around the house, he was crouched with his head to the ground in the family court, racket in one hand. Curious, Amber brought her bicycle to a stop and called out to him.
“Hey,” he rose and jogged towards her
“Ready for the big game?” His smile was uneasy but it lit his eyes.
“I've prepared. I'll just hope for the best”
It was her turn to smile at him
“I'm sure you'll do well”. He smiled in appreciation again and turned back to the court.
The game came swiftly. Frederick was more irritated than she had seen him before any of his games with Jamal.
“You're going to do just fine,” she told him. She could see members of his tennis association cheering him on, Jamal looked rather alone.
The umpire signified the start of the match, Amber watched as the points on Frederick’s board went from 15 to 30 within the first two sets. She looked up at Frederick's father in the audience, his lips were curled rather satisfactorily. She took her eyes off him and back to the game.
Frederick suddenly sent the ball reeling with such force that Jamal had to dive to hit it back. As Frederick landed back on his feet, he suddenly slumped to the ground.
Jamal raised his hand to the chair Umpire immediately. A medical team was sent out to the court, from the way Frederick heaved his leg to walk, it seemed he sprained his ankle but instead of going away with the medical team, he insisted on going on with the match, leering at Jamal.
Amber shook her head, disgusted.
The game went on. As Frederick tossed the ball towards him, he bent his leg again so that Jamal thought he was going to fall, and lost focus of the ball.
The whistle sounded almost immediately. There was an uproar coming from Frederick's regional team, they had won the match.
Jamal went over to shake his hand and headed out of the court. Just as he headed towards his regional team, his father met him midway, a hand on his shoulder.
“You have displayed such sportsmanship today. Instead of competing against your brother, you looked out for him. You let him win. I am proud of you”
And for the first time, Amber saw the father and his unwanted son lock together in an embrace. She was right after all, it was a win-win for them all.