Now
GRAYSON
“Pinecrest is a sports university. They’re in the top five, and we’re lucky enough to be in the top ten. We’re going to get our asses kicked out there,” one of my teammates points out.
I stand beside Coach Taylor and look around the room.
“There’s no denying that Pinecrest are beasts when it comes to this sport, but so are we.
You have to stop thinking that way. We’re not going to get our asses kicked by them.
They’re going to get their asses kicked by us. So, let’s go win this homecoming game!”
“Yes, Captain!” they all shout in unison.
My teammates leave the locker room one by one, and Coach pulls me aside. “This is why I made you Captain of this team, Becker. You weren’t born to be shoved to the side. You were born to lead.”
“Thanks, Coach,” I say.
We all rush out of the locker room with me leading the team into the arena.
This is it. This is what we’ve been practicing like crazy for these past few months.
I’m standing behind the paper with the school’s logo on it. It’s the one we’re all going to break through when the announcer calls for us. My heart is beating fast and loud. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down.
The buzzer echoes throughout the gym, ringing in my ears.
Here we go.
“Welcome to the homecoming game of the season! I’d like to bring out the first team. They’re in the top five, and they’re here to defend that ranking tonight. Please welcome the Pinecrest University Timberwolves!” the announcer shouts over the speakers.
Five minutes go by, and I turn around to see how the guys are doing. They look at me with pride on their faces. They’re ready to kick Pinecrest’s ass, and so am I.
“Finally, we have our home team who is in the top ten, inching closer to a top five spot. Please put your hands together for the Sunset Cove University Stingrays!” the announcer says.
Pushing my way through the paper, it splits in half, and the crowd erupts in excitement. I scan the bleachers and my eyes almost immediately land on Violet. Her face lights up as she smiles at me. Suddenly, I’m seventeen years old again, and I feel like I can take on the world.
I walk up to Connor Preston, the captain of the Pinecrest Timberwolves, and smirk at him.
Connor is wearing the school’s signature brown and purple jersey with matching shorts and Nike sneakers.
“Good luck tonight, buddy.” He raises his eyebrows.
“You, too.”
We shake hands and turn our attention over to the referee. “Alright, let’s get this going.” He throws the ball in the air, and the buzzer goes off, signaling that the game has begun.
And it’s our ball.
I dribble the ball over to our side of the court and pay attention to see who’s open if I need to hand it over to someone.
Shit, nobody’s open.
Pinecrest is known for their defense, so I’m left with no choice but to shoot.
I’m at the three-pointer line. I decide to fake out the guy who’s trying his hardest to block me from making a shot.
I move my left foot out like I’m going to run closer to the hoop, but I put my legs back together and shoot.
All I can hear is the crowd shouting. The ball makes it inside the net without touching the rim.
That was lucky.
Now, it’s all about us playing our best defense and offense.
We’re down by five points, and there are seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.
I’m surprised there’s not a bigger gap in points because Pinecrest is known for dominating when it comes to offense and defense. We’ve played a pretty tight game since it started.
Pinecrest missed their shot, so it’s our ball now. I run to the three-point line because we can really use a three-pointer, while the rest of the guys are spread out near the basket and the free-throw line.
I get the ball thrown over to me and make a shot without any hesitation since there’s nobody blocking me.
“Becker makes a three…” There’s a pause, waiting to see what gravity decides to do with the ball. “And it’s good! Sunset Cove University is now two points away from catching up to Pinecrest!” The announcer shouts over the speakers.
After five minutes pass by, there are only two minutes left on the clock.
We managed to catch up to Pinecrest, and we’re tied seventy-five to seventy-five. It wasn’t easy, but we all worked together as a team and tried to implement different strategies to make this game ours. And those strategies seemed to have paid off.
Connor is holding onto the ball like his life depends on it. My eyes watch every move he makes, and my body reacts by mimicking his movements. He looks down for a second, allowing me to steal the ball from him.
Running over to our side of the court with supersonic speed, I pass the ball to one of my teammates who pops a three-pointer as soon as he steps onto the line.
I watch the ball lift into the air and gravity does its job, making the ball effortlessly sink into the hoop. Pinecrest loses their signature ability of good offense, missing the basket when the ball is turned over to them.
One of my teammates gives me the ball, and I breathe in and out at the two-pointer line to my right. I make a shot at a slight angle.
All I can hear is my heart beating fast and loud. The noise in the arena has been filtered out until the ball swishes inside the net. The crowd erupts in screams and cheers. The buzzer goes off, which means the game is over.
Holy shit, we won!
“And the Sunset Cove Stingrays advance to the semi-finals!” The announcer raises his voice.
I stand there frozen in time before my teammates embrace me, chanting things my ears can’t understand. The referee hands me our trophy, and I’m lifted up into the air by the guys.
After I land back down onto the ground, I take a seat on the bench until the arena is half of a ghost town.
I can’t believe we beat Pinecrest.
Noah and Xander walk over to me.
“Well, you beat Pinecrest’s ass,” Noah says.
“That was a close game though,” Xander adds.
“It was. I didn’t think we had it until Connor lost his focus. It gained me an opportunity that allowed us to win.”
Dani and Bella are chatting with Violet and this girl with ginger hair by the doors.
Noah blocks my view and stares into my eyes. “ I’m sure Coach Taylor is proud of you. And hey, you didn’t get distracted.”
I chuckle. “Surprisingly.”
“Are you going to the celebratory party?” Xander asks.
I narrow my eyes a little. “I kind of have to. I’m Team Captain, and it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t make an appearance of some kind.”
Xander gives Noah a worried look.
I huff. “If you have something else to say, just say it.”
“Are you going to be okay with all the drinking?” he asks, his chest slowly puffing in and out.
“I’ve been sober for a little over five years now. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
I have a countdown on my phone starting with the very first day I stopped drinking alcohol. It’s a small reminder of how far I’ve come since high school, and it’s something that will always be a part of me.
Xander nods, a small smile spreading across his face.
I watch as Violet heads over to me. Noah and Xander walk away as soon as they see that my attention is diverted over to Violet.
Her dirty blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail. She’s wearing a white tank top with an illustration of a rainbow across the front, ripped light-wash jean shorts, and white Converse.
Violet sits down to the left of me, and we both stare out in the distance for a moment. A bittersweet silence takes over the gym.
I can feel her staring at me out of the corner of my eye.
“Good job tonight, Captain,” she says.
I can’t handle it when you call me that.
“Thanks. I wouldn’t have been able to defeat Pinecrest without my teammates, so they’re a huge reason why we won.”
“I know.”
I adjust the way I’m sitting, so I can directly face her. “Thank you for coming tonight. It means a lot to me.”
“If I remember right, I believe you were the one who practically begged me to come.” Her tone is full of playfulness and sarcasm.
“Hey, now, wait a damn minute…” I trail off.
She bursts out into laughter.
Our laughs are piercing when they mesh together in a way that’s pleasing to the ears. For me, Violet’s laugh is one of the best sounds in the entire world.
All I hope is that she keeps her promise that she won’t disappear on me again.
Once the laughter dies down, we stare at each other. It’s almost as if it’s the first time we’re meeting each other back when we were pre-teens.
I can tell it’s gradually getting more difficult for me to catch my breath. Violet has always had that effect on me, taking my breath away. I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back.
“So, what are Captain Becker’s big plans for celebrating the big win?” She grins.
“I have to make an appearance at the after-party at the Stingray House.” My tone is stoic and emotionless.
She senses my false excitement. “Wow, could you be more enthusiastic about it for me?”
“Haha, very funny. I’m not much of a party guy, not since high school.”
“I don’t blame you. They’re fun for a little while, but they get old pretty fast.”
“They do. Do you have plans right now?”
“You’re going to ask me to go to the party, aren’t you?”
“I don’t think I can handle all the enthusiasm seeping out of you. Ah, it’s all too much.” I stick my tongue out to one side of my mouth.
“Okay, okay. That’s enough.” She looks down at the floor before her blue eyes bounce back up to meet my gaze. “I’ll go, but only if I can bring my friend.”
“Are you talking about the redhead that was standing by the door a bit earlier?”
She nods. “Yeah, that’s Willow. She’s my co-worker at Sweet & Salty.” Her eyes grow wide like a cartoon character. “Oh! Oh! Oh!”
“What? You’re freaking me out.”
“I had my shift at the store before I got here. I thought it was a normal day until Laura and I had a one-on-one conversation. She promoted me to assistant manager!”
“Holy shit! That’s amazing, Vi. I knew you’d be assistant manager one day. I can’t wait to see the things you do with and at the store. You’ve been working your ass off for years. I’m really proud of you.”
“Thank you. I was going to text you about it, but I wanted to tell you in-person. I hope it was okay that I told you in general. I missed being able to talk to you about these things.”
“Same here, and it’s more than okay.”
Violet and I stand up, facing each other.
She looks deep into my eyes as a big smile lights up her beautiful face. “Thank you for believing in me and supporting me, even when we weren’t on speaking terms.”
“Always.” I change the subject. “Thank you for keeping an eye on me through Noah. I know how angry I was when I found out about that, but I’m grateful that you still cared about me enough to ask my best friend how I was doing and what I was up to.”
“I never stopped caring about you, Gray.”
I never stopped caring about you, Angel.
“Thank you.”
That’s what came out of your mouth? This is why you’re captain of The Idiot Club.
A small smile appears on her face. “You’re welcome.”
“We should head over to the Stingray House. Noah, Xander, Dani, and Bella will most likely beat us there, which isn’t a big deal. Did you and Willow drive here together or separately?”
“Do you know where she went?”
“I’ll call her. One sec.” She picks up her phone, dialing a number and putting it on speaker.
Violet hangs up on Willow, sliding her phone back inside her purse and zipping it shut. “She followed our friends to the party at Stingray House, so off to the party we go!”
“There’s the enthusiasm I was looking for.”
Violet lightly shoves my shoulder with her own and gives me an annoyed look. “You’re a pain in my ass, Becker.”
We walk over to the entrance doors to the arena and make it to our vehicles.
“I don’t know if you know where the house is, so you can follow me!” I shout.
“Yeah, I’d get lost if I didn’t follow you there!” She shouts back.
Well, I guess we’re going to a party. Let’s see how shitfaced these guys get. Nobody has to worry about that with me because I’m going to be the only well-behaved one out of the team.
Oh, how I wish I could skip this thing and go home.