Chapter 33 - Reece
Alex: We made it. Hotel is nice. I’m going to nap now.
Reece: Sleep well
Perhaps in another lifetime, Reece could’ve been there with them.
He wanted to be there with Nick like Alex was with Declan.
Being left behind had been a fear of Reece’s for a long time.
It’s why he worked so hard in high school to get better so he could keep playing with them.
Basketball connected them, if nothing else could.
Things had changed with Nick because of how close they’d gotten.
Crossing the line meant they might not even be able to be friends anymore.
Reece didn’t know since he couldn’t reach out to Nick.
He didn’t know how to, or what Nick would think if he did.
Reece continued to work on himself, sending his polished portfolio to a few modeling agencies in New York. He’d worked hard on his portfolio and had been contacted by various agents over the years, but Reece had preferences and dreams of his own. He wouldn’t settle.
While Reece waited for news, he accepted whatever jobs appealed to him—any that didn’t require his face be shown because he was still struggling a bit with his expressions due to his mood, but Reece loved modeling clothes and shoes, loved using his hands—and he loved making money, anything to add to his savings.
In between jobs, Reece played basketball. It was a time when he was alone and calm and letting out all his pent up emotions in a healthy way.
But today, Draven and Ivory showed up at the park and the two of them were a perfect distraction from everything else. From the void he was trying to pretend didn’t exist.
“The fuck’s got you looking so down, Keys?” Draven asked and swiftly stole the ball out of Reece’s hand, stunning him when he dashed around Reece, dribbling with smooth movements.
“I didn’t know you liked basketball, Draven.”
“I like winning,” he said simply.
Reece shrugged and tied his bangs up with a hair tie. “Too bad you can’t beat me.”
Ivory stood aside cheering Reece and Draven on as they played one-on-one.
Reece was able to forget Nick and everything else for a little while.
He was able to just play, to feel the wind all around him, to work up a good and proper sweat, and have a competitive opponent whose determination to win kept Reece going harder.
Draven was better than Reece expected, though he shouldn’t have been surprised considering how athletic Draven was. Despite being fun to play, though, Reece was used to playing with professional level players.
Like Nick…
Reece won, the first to reach 21 points. Draven wasn’t happy about the loss and demanded a rematch, but he was as winded and sweaty as Reece, and Reece didn’t have another round in him, not when his ankle was already throbbing with a reminder that he should’ve wrapped it before playing.
Ivory took a selfie of them to commemorate the day and posted it on Instagram. It made Reece feel a little more alive and he hoped to get to see them more often.
He needed something, because people were starting to notice a difference in him. His fans were talking about it all over social media. Reece refused to acknowledge any of the comments and just kept doing his thing. Until another week passed and he finally got the call he’d been waiting on.
An agency in New York loved his portfolio and wanted him to fly out for an interview.
It was like fate aligned things for him because the draft was the same week of his interview.
It could be a mistake to attend, but Reece wanted to support his friends even if seeing Nick so close but out of his reach would likely worsen the never-ending longing he felt. It was something he had to do.