《Rebound: A 2nd Chance》


 Chapter 1 - Getting Tired And Getting Old

    In the back of the gym a group of men dressed in sweats holding clipboards were watching as different groups of people yed 5 on 5 basketball on different courts.

    One of the younger men asked an older man "So what do you think coach Bradford? Anyone catch your eye?" Coach Bradford seemed a bit older than middle-aged.

    His short brown hair was beginning to show signs of graying. And faint traces of wrinkles could be found on his face.

    He was tall at around six foot four and his body seemed to still be in good shape despite his age. Coach Bradford continued looking at the different groups "I thought having these guys scrimmage would help them look good but.... it''s not really doing much."

    As he continued to watch the different yers, coach Bradford''s attention was pulled towards one court in particr. There was a yer on that court who was hunched low in a defensive stance.

    The courts were like a melting pot of diversity where people of varying ages, hairstyles, skin tones and sizes were all gathered. But even among this pool of diversity one man stood out more so than the rest. But not because he was the most athletic or the most gifted.

    Standing six foot one in shoes he would be considered tall in regr society but out on the court he seemed to be dwarfed by every other yer here. His frame showed well-toned muscles but he was far from being physically intimidating.

    The straight ck medium length hair held back by his sweatbandbined with his stereotypical eyes and paler skin tone made it easy to see that he was of Asian descent.

    Although he didn''t have theteral quickness to stay with his defensive assignment who had good burst and tight handles.

    He was a tenacious defender who fought through screens, didn''t reach for risky steals, contested shots without fouling and seemingly stayed with his man using effort alone.

    The yer also showed great hustle diving for every loose ball and taking charges against muchrger yers.

    And although hecked the vertical to finish over defenders on his attacks to the basket he would go in strong taking all the contact head-on.

    His ystyle showed no remorse for his own body as the number of times he had hit the hardwood were hard to count at this point, and yet it didn''t seem to faze him. He would hit the floor and bounce right back on to his feet to get back into the y.

    "Over there on court 4, who''s the Asian guy wearing number 13?" asked coach Bradford. One of the younger men seemed to immediately know who he was asking about as he quickly answered

    "Oh that''s Jason Yang sir. He''s not on any rosters for any development league teams. He''s one of our regrs. He alwayses whenever we have open tryouts".

    The young man had a sympathetic expression on his face "This is his tenth year showing up to open tryouts" he then shook his head "The farthest he''s ever gone is getting a spot in our training camp".

    Coach Bradford was surprised "Tenth year!? I thought he was a four-year college athlete at most. How old is he?"

    The younger man answered back "Well, he was a four-year athlete at the University of Los Angeles.

    This year he turned 32 but I don''t me you, coach. He looks almost the same from his college days."

    Coach Bradford was surprised again "University of Los Angeles? If he yed for that school for four years.... and that was ten years ago... that means he was part of the teams that dominated college ball for a couple of years."

    Coach Bradford was deep in thought for a moment "I remember him now. He was the backup Point Guard that used to guard the opposing team''s best offensive wing yer. People used to call him Junkyard because he was as tough and as scary as a junkyard dog."

    Coach Bradford watched Jason y with a slight frown "He had winning DNA, the drive, relentlessness, and heart.

    Too bad he wasn''t blessed with just a little bit more. Just a little more height, just a little more athleticism and he might have been able to make it to the big league."

    The young man nodded "Yeah if he was just three inches taller and a bit more athletic he could make the league with his defense alone. "

    The young man continued " He''s improved on offense. Compared to college where he couldn''t shoot anything other than free throws he''s a decent three-point shooter now 37% is not bad. But that''s only on open catch and shoot opportunities, he can''t shoot off the dribble.

    Hecks the athleticism to finish over defenders at the rim and he doesn''t have the body control or finesse to adjust his shot in order to finish below the rim.

    His ymaking and court vision are decent but his ball-handling and dribbling aren''t at the professional level. He just doesn''t have the offensive ability to jump to the next level"

    The scrimmages were done and all the yers were gathered around the coaches. Coach Bradford called out a few names "- if your name was called please stay behind. For those of you who were not picked thank you for your time and effort, I wish you all good luck next time."

    Jason wore a calm expression on his face but his fist was gripped tight. ''God damn it! Again, another failure!''

    As Jason was yelling in his head a figure approached him. Jason recognized it as Martin Newman, one of the assistant coaches for the Los Angeles development team.

    Martin walked up to Jason with a big smile on his pudgy face "Jason, nice to see you as always. Sorry to see that you didn''t get a spot on our training camp.

    You might not be able toe to our training camp as one of our yers but we are looking for training partners and temp staff. Your defense would make you a great training partner for our guys. What do you think?"

    Jason smiled "Thanks for the offer, Martin. I''m not sure yet, but I have your number and I''ll definitely let you know if I decide to take you up on it."

    Jason was smiling as he shook Martin''s hand but inside his head ''Fuck you martin, how many times did I help you out already?!

    You guys hardly paid me, didn''t provide housing or transportation and I still signed up to be a training partner multiple times.

    After all that you couldn''t even pull a couple of strings and at least get me a spot on the training camp roster!?''

    On his way out of the gym yers and staff that had seen Jason before or were acquainted with him greeted him and wished him better luck next time.

    Jason smiled back at them and returned their greeting and well wishes. He made it out of the gym and walked to the parkingplex.

    He walked into the elevator and saw that it was empty besides him, once the doors closed "FUUUUUUCK!!! GOD DAMN IT!!!"

    He screamed and cursed as the elevator made its way down four floors. Right before the doors opened he stopped screaming and put a smile on his face.

    He unlocked his beat-up two-door car and tossed his gym bag into the passenger''s side before slumping into the driver''s seat.

    As he started the engine he pulled out his phone and checked the time " Fuck, is it already eight?".

    The tryouts started at six in the morning so Jason had to wake up at five in order to have enough time to get ready and beat the morning traffic.

    He ruffled his hair in annoyance "I have an hour to get back home, take a shower and get ready for work".

    He stared off into space for a moment with a nk expression on his face before punching the passenger seat "fuck!" The radio yed as he drove away from the practice facility.

    - - -

    A well dressed Jason sat in front of aputer in a small cubicle. His blue coat hanging on the back of his chair and he wore ck cks and a white button-up long-sleeved shirt.

    His brown leather shoes tapped the floor as he smiled and spoke on the phone "Yes Mr. Banes, we currently have a promotion for small local businesses.

    If you purchase anybination of ourputers plus essories we include the instation and set up free."

    The nasally voice that came from the phone asked "So if I buy one of your guys''puters I get an essory for free?"

    The corner of Jason''s mouth twitched as he continued to smile ''No bitch! Were you even listening!? That is not what I said!''

    Contrary to his thoughts Jason spoke in a very friendly tone "haha no sir, the offer is if you purchase one of ourputers and an essory lets say a monitor. We would then do the instation and set up free of charge".

    The nasally voice spoke out again "Oh okay, so the special offer is the free instation and set up." Jason responded "Yes sir" Mr. Banes then asked "So is the monitor still free if you guys do the instation and set up?" Jason''s face started twitching ''For the love of God!!!''

    Thirty minutester "Thank you for your business, Mr. Banes. The delivery of your order should happen by this Friday. Our technician will let you know when he is close by. Thank you again and you have a nice day." Jason sighed as he hung up the phone.

    Thinking back to thest thirty minutes he had to pull out a stress doll from his drawer. He squeezed it in his hand and the eyes of the doll popped out.

    He squeezed and let go repeatedly, and a few momentster the head popped off the doll. "Shit" Jason cursed under his breath.

    He tossed the doll into the trash bin under his desk. On closer inspection the trash bin was half-filled with simr stress toys.

    ''Why? why are there so many dumb asses in the world?''. He rubbed his face as he thought ''man, my face is getting tired. I hate having to put this fake smile on day after day.''

    He leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling ''what am doing with my life? I''ve been in this same fucking cubicle for five years now.

    And there''s not so much as a whisper of me getting a promotion. And I''ve been trying out for development league teams for a decade now... coach''

    As he got lost in his thoughts Jason was brought back to a memory from twenty years ago.

    - - -

    Inside an old gym sat a little kid on the floor of the basketball court. His ck hair was in a bowl cut and he cried as he was dressed in basketball shorts, a jersey, and sneakers.

    Either from having his head tucked into his knees or because his crying made it hard to hear he didn''t notice a figure approaching him.

    It was a young man dressed in sweatpants and a white shirt. His smooth dark skin contrasted against his bright white shirt.

    His figure was visibly muscr through his clothes and he sported a fashionable t top with a fade.

    The young man patted bent down to one knee and patted the child on the back "What''s wrong Jason? You were having so much fun during the tryouts?".

    Jason slightly moved his head up to make eye contact with the young man "Coach Butler. I tried, I really tried my best. I worked so hard in the weeks before the tryouts and I-I still couldn''t make the starting five"

    Jason broke out into tears again. Coach Butler let out a light chuckle "hehe is that what this is about? I almost thought it was something serious for a second".

    Jason was about to break out into even more intense crying but then he saw coach Butlers smile "Jason, I know that it hurts right now. You put in a lot of effort and you didn''t get the results that you wanted.

    But that work that you put in, it didn''t go to waste. It didn''t just disappear into thin air. That work went into here and here"

    He pointed at Jason''s chest and then at the basketball next to him. Coach Butler smiled even brighter "Whenever you put in work, that helps build up heart. And that''s something all champions have inmon, they have heart.

    Whenever you put in your best effort and as long as you don''t cheat the game or yourself that work will find its way to the ball. Because ball don''t lie"

    Seeing that Jason had stopped crying, Coach Butler ruffled his hair with one hand as he picked up the basketball with the other.

    "Ball don''t lie. That''s a quote from one of my favorite basketball yers of all time. It means that although yers and refs can lie.

    On the court the basketball will never lie to you. You might be able to lie to the ref and flop your way to the free-throw line but if you didn''t put in the work and your shot sucks then the ball won''t go into the basket.

    So from now on instead of crying whenever things get tough I want you to put your head down and just put in more work okay" with tears still in his eyes Jason nodded and got back up to his feet.

 Chapter 2 - A Fresh Start

    Jason was pulled back into the present as he heard his name called out by someone in the office "Jason, the chief wants to see you in his office".

    Jason stood up from his chair and massaged his temples real quick before putting the smile back on his face ing".

    Jason stood outside the door for about five minutes before he heard a voice from inside call for him e in". Opening the door Jason saw a man who appeared to be close in age to himself.

    The man had light brown skin and an average body build. His ck hair was cut to a short fade on the sides while the top had medium length curls.

    Jason walked in with a smile "heard you wanted to see me Mr. Collins".

    The man shook his head and looked at Jason with a grin "Come on man, is that what we''re doing now? You want me to start calling you ''Mr. Yang''? Boy, if you don''t get your fake ass manners out of my face"

    He stood up and extended his fist out to Jason and the two then proceeded to do a fist bump that transitioned to a handshake and then a bro hug.

    Jasonughed with a much more natural smile on his face as the two embraced each other "I was just ying my cards safe Devin. Who knows, the promotion might have gotten to that big cauliflower looking ass head of yours"

    Devin gave a sarcastic chuckle as he gave Jason a light punch to the shoulder "haha, real funny. d to see you didn''t lose that bad sense of humor while I was away, that and your fake ass smile that you wear all the time."

    Seeing that his friend hadn''t changed after a few years Jason feltfortable and at ease. He took a seat in the guest chair in front of Devin''s desk.

    Jason leaned back and stared at the ceiling, the fake smile was gone. The angles of his eyes that were constantly elevated to appear more friendly were now rxed.

    The fake smile and forced facial expressions were all gone, his bodynguage and facial expression made the energy surrounding his body seem much colder.

    Jason''s natural appearance was a far cry from his friendly self produced mask. His intense gaze and natural vibe felt far from warm and inviting.

    As Jason stared off into the ceiling "You think I want to wear that fake smile every day? You can me god for giving me the worst case of resting bitch face in the history of all mankind. If I don''t put on a fake face then everyone would just think that I was pissed all the time."

    Devin shrugged his shoulders "I know man, I know. I''ve been seeing that fake face since high school, no need to give me the schpiel."

    After a few moments of silence Jason moved his gaze from the ceiling to Devin "Nice to finally see you again man. I thought that you jumped shipped after tricking me into joining this fucking ce."

    Devin looked at Jason with an apologetic expression "I''m sorry bro. I know I''m the one that convinced you to work here. So for me to just up and leave.... I didn''t mean to do that to you."

    Jason seemed surprised with how seriously Devin had taken his words.

    Jason jolted upright into the chair "Come on man, I was just busting your balls. I know that thepany was sending you all over the world to get experience.

    Besides, we shot each other emails and video called every once in awhile. So wipe that look off your face alright? My bad for the bad joke."

    After hearing Jason''s words Devin started to smile "Alright, I''ll give you a pass for that bad joke. So how are your parents doing?"

    Jason leaned back into the chair and gotfortable again "You know them. They''re still running the diner and they''re both still in good health.

    To be honest my mom has been the happiest since I''ve had a real job thest couple years. How bout you man?

    You had a chance to see your folks yet? Auntie and Uncle been missing you real bad these past few years man."

    Devin smiled hearing that "Really? Cause I saw them yesterday and they barely noticed I was back.

    All they talked about was how they were thankful that they had at least one good son that cared about them."

    Jason threw his hands up into the air "Hey man, what can I say? My charm just works like that".

    Devin smiled and shook his head "If you''re done joking around I got something for you. A chance to move up the food chain." Jason gave him a questioning nce "Really?"

    Devin looked at Jason with his hands on his desk "I''ve been around you since high school. So I know that you probably ain''t too happy with being stuck at the same ce for five years.

    But now that I''m back and now that I got a little bit of power Ima try my best to help you out.

    But I can''t just move you up the chain with just my word. All I can do is give you the opportunity to move up."

    Jason responded "That''s all I need man. You know I don''t do handouts."

    Devin opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a flyer "Thepany is picking out ten people to make a basketball team to y in the Tech of Tomorrow charity fundraiser that''s gonna be in L.A. this weekend. I managed to get you a spot on the roster."

    Jason seemed a little disappointed "This is the opportunity you were talking about? How is balling out at a charity event supposed to get me a promotion?

    And even though I never made it to the big leagues I still yed high level collegiate basketball, wouldn''t it be cheating for me to be on the team?"

    Devinughed in amusement "Damn, and you said I had a big head? You think you''re some kind of cheat code huh?

    Well I hate to burst your bubble man but some of these otherpanies are trying to get a leg up to.

    Some of them have gave top high school recruits internships just so that they could have them y.

    There are even some ex college yers like you that will be ying so don''t worry. I didn''t put your name on the roster expecting you to carry the team to the chip haha.

    I just want you to make sure we don''t get booed off the court and get embarrassed."

    Jason''s face blushed just the tiniest bit in embarrassment "Alright I get it, I''m good to y. You still didn''t exin to me how I''m supposed to get a promotion from ying some ball".

    Devin exined "The CEO is a big fan of basketball. So he really wants hispany to do well in the sport that he loves.

    But most importantly, this charity event is gonna be broadcasted all over the world. So if we do well then that would be great PR.

    On the other hand, if we get our asses handed to us it wouldn''t look to good on thepany.

    So if you show out in front of the CEO I''ll have an excuse to bring your name up for a promotion, got it?"

    Jason nodded his head "Guess it''s time to ball out"

    A few dayster Jason and a group of other guys were standing around dressed in the same red and white jerseys with the name Tomo Electronics on the front.

    Jason looked around and was slightly worried about this team. One person yed basketball in high school but wasn''t even nationally ranked. Everyone else was a casual gym baller.

    The ex high school yer was 6''5 but everyone else was shorter than Jason. Devin was dressed in sweats and he was carrying a clipboard.

    Jason walked up to Devin and groaned "Why the hell are you coaching? Do you see what this team looks like? You should have suited up."

    Devin was an inch taller than Jason. And although he only yed up to the high school level Jason would have felt more confident in having one more baller on his squad.

    Devin shook his head as he smirked "Man I haven''t touched a basketball in years. Besides there wasn''t anyone else who even knew a thing about Xs and Os in thepany."

    Jason walked up to Conner, the ex high school yer. Conner was anky white guy with a blonde buzz cut.

    Jason asked "Hey Conner, what position did you y in high school?" Conner turned to Jason "I yed Small Forward and a little bit of Power Forward."

    Jason leaned towards Conner "I''m not trying to be mean but I don''t think we can expect to much out of our other teammates.

    If we''re going to do well in this tournament then it''s going to be up to us to carry them. You''ll slide up and y Center while I''ll y Power Forward, at least on defense. On offense I''ll be the main ball handler, you cool with that?"

    Conner thought for a second before responding "I was thinking the same thing. I''m kinda d that you''re on the team. Without you here they would probably want to rely on me to carry the team as the tall guy."

    Jason nodded " For offense let''s keep it simple. I''ll handle the ball and you be my screener on the pick and roll okay?"

    A pick and roll is an offensive y in which one yer (the screener) approaches the ball handler and uses his body to create a wall that the yer guarding the ball handler has to get around.

    This gives the ball handler space from his defender to attack the rim or to pull up from a jump shot. The screener can then either roll to the basket or fade to the perimeter.

    As Jason and Conner discussed how they would y Devin walked up to them "Alright guys, we''re gonna head over to court 13. Our first opponent is the team for H-Town Motors."

    The team made their way to court 13. Some appeared nervous, scared or excited. Jason was the only one with a calm smile on his face.

    But under his calm demeanor his blood was beginning to boil ''It''s been awhile since I''ve gotten pumped like this''

    As the teams got ready for the jump ball Jason looked at the opposing team. Their tallest yer was going against Conner for the jump ball.

    He was a few inches shorter than Conner and he didn''t look particrly athletic. The referee tossed the basketball into the air and Conner was able to tap it to one of their teammates who then gave the ball to Jason.

    Jason signaled for his team to spread out in order to give him enough space for an istion y.

    Jason decided to iso in order to gauge the opposing team''s strength. His defender was a dark skinned man with long dreads a few inches shorter than himself.

    Jason started off rhythm dribbling left, right, left right. Then he added a hesitation move faking to his right, the defender fell for it and went in that direction to try and cut Jason off.

    Seeing the defender fall for his hesitation move Jason then crossed the ball over to his left and made his way to the basket.

    The opposing team was ying man to man defense so by the time that they had seen their teammate being beat off the dribble it was toote, Jasonid the ball in with his left hand.

    The crowd watching started cheering after seeing Jason hit his defender with the hesi crossoverbo but got even louder after he made they up.

    Jason looked up at the scoreboard and saw that they added his 2 points. They were ying with 2s and 3s and the game stopped when a team reached 21, but the team has to win by at least 2 points.

    This time it was the other team''s chance at offense. Their point guard instructed for them to run a y but Jason was able to anticipate the pass.

    Jason left his defensive assignment and jumped into the passingne. He was able to steal the ball and then towards the opponents basket.

    Seeing that there wasn''t anyone close by Jason measured his steps to the basket focused his power into his right leg and jumped with everything he had.

    He elevated off the ground and dunked the ball with both his hands.

    The crowd went wild seeing Jason dunk the ball. As soon as Jasonnded back to the floor he turned to the crowd and shouted "LET"S GOOOO!!!"

    Jason walked past their bench and did an borate handshake with Devin that ended with both of them flexing their arms.

    Devin shoved Jason in the chest with a huge smile on his face "That''s what I''m talking about man! Ball out!"

    The game ended quickly as Jason and Conner dominated their opponents.

    Devin was smiling the whole game. ''Compared to when he was in college his offensive game has really developed. It might not be at the pro level but it''s more than enough to handle amateurs''.

    Jason yedpletely differently than how he would y at a team tryout or against high levelpetition. He shot off the dribble, he shot stepback jumpers and even managed to get a couple of dunks in.

    The day passed by with Jason and his team dominating most of their matches. They only lost to 2 other teams.

    One team had an ex college yer that was 7 feet tall and the other team had the number 5 and number 8 ranked high school yers.

    Jason and Conner just couldn''t do anything against the 7 footer even though he was older and less athletic he was still able to dunk on the both of them with ease.

    Against the 2 top ranked high school yers Jason did well enough guarding his assignment but Conner got cooked, he even fell to the floor after getting his ankles broken.

    Jason was elected to be the team representative as he stepped up to the podium where he received a bronze trophy to signaling the team''s 3rd ce ranking in the tournament.

    He stood with the 7 footer and 1 of the 2 high schoolers as they lifted the silver and gold trophy respectively.

    Jason shook hands with the 7 footer and then the high school yer "Hey, good game out there man. You and your friend over there have real bright futures ahead of you."

    The young man responded as he shook hands with Jason "Thanks man, you yed a hell of a game yourself. That was some of the most intense D I''ve ever seen."

    Devin walked toward Jason as he made his way down the stage. Jasonughed as he tossed the trophy to Devin "Here you go coach, good job today".

    Devin stumbled as he caught the trophy "Damn man, you could at least give me a heads up."

    He smiled as he put his arm over Jason''s shoulder "I got some good news for you. The CEO called me and said that he loved the show you put out there on the court.

    He was watching the game with a bunch of his rich friends and he couldn''t stop bragging. I can''t promise anything but I feel like you have a good shot of getting that promotion man."

    Jason was thrilled to hear that "That''s great! I can''t believe your n actually worked"

    Devin responded "Hey man you need to have more faith in me, other than in high school and college have I ever let you down?"

    Jason thought for a second but before he could respond Devin interrupted "Don''t answer that. Anyways, the CEO told me to use thepany card to host a celebration for the team.

    So everyone''s going to be meeting upter at the Smoke and Choke steak houseter, you better show up Mr. MVP."

    Jason pushed Devin away as he promised to join themter.

    Jason got in his car and he entered the address of the steak house into his phone''s GPS. Jason was in a great mood.

    He got to show off and put on a show on the court. His career prospects are looking better and his best friend is back in town. Everything seemed to finally be going in his favor.

    Jason sang along to the song ying on the radio. Just as he was driving through the street Jason turned his head to the side just in time to see arge semi-truck that had ignored the red light.

    Jason looked at the sleeping driver as the truck rushed towards him "You''ve gotta be kidd-" he didn''t get to finish his words as everything turned to pitch ck.

 Chapter 3 - The System

    A melodic hip hop instrumental began ying followed by mumbled lyrics. ''Shit, I must have gotten hammeredst night after the tournament. I don''t even remember getting back home''

    Jason tossed and turned in his nkets appreciating the softness and warmth before pausing for a moment ''That''s weird. I don''t remember setting my rm to a retro ylist?''

    Jason alternated between opening his left and right eye ever so slightly. His blurry vision began to clear but after a few seconds Jason rubbed his eyes ''Am I still half asleep?''

    Jason took a look around the room before he began to rub his eyes but even more vigorously than before.

    ''What the fuck? This....this can''t be right. This looks just like my room from way back when I was a little kid?''

    Jason sat up in a hurry and began looking around. He was so absorbed in his inspection of the room that he failed to notice that he was at the edge of the bed.

    "Ouch! Ooh shit!" Jason rubbed the back of his head but he then quickly forgot about the pain. ''That....was that my voice?'' Jason sat silently on the floor for a moment before opening his mouth "Hello?"

    Jason was startled by the high pitched voice "Hello, hello? My name is Jason. Spooky ghost peppers!" Jason was now visibly shaken.

    ''That really was my voice....'' Jason slowly stood up and made his way to the corner of the room. He slowly approached the mirror that was hanging on the wall.

    Each step seemed to take longer than thest. He felt as though he was dragging his feet through mud. Finally parts of his image began to show on the mirror.

    First was a pitch ck bowl cut. Then he saw a pair of sharp eyes followed by a t nose and a pair of thin lips. "AHHHHHH!!!" Jason fell t on his butt yelling.

    He mumbled to himself as he sat on the floor "This can''t be happening. That has to be a trick mirror. Yeah, that''s it. A trick mirror...."

    Jason slowly stood back up in front of the mirror and began pulling and stretching his face in all different ways and directions.

    Seeing the image on the mirror copy each of his movements Jason''s face paled "It''s not a trick mirror....."

    Jason''s arms limply fell to his sides as he became engrossed by the image in the mirror. Hepared it to the pictures he remembered seeing in his mother''s photo album.

    ''It''s exactly the same. The hair, the face, it all looks the same''. As he was staring at the mirror a voice that had a sweet yet stern tone called out "Jaya! Hurry up! It''s almost 8!"

    After hearing that voice Jason gulped. Not knowing what else to do he decided to push all his confusion and questions to the back of his mind for the moment.

    After looking around the room again he found a old model cellphone. After turning on the screen he immediately looked at the date ''2040... I''m 20 years in the past?''

    Feeling a headacheing on Jason sat down on the bed and ran his hands through his hair, massaging his scalp with his fingertips.

    ''I''m stuck 20 years in the Past. I''m 12 years old again'' as he reyed that thought in his mind a few more times the dimness in his eyes were reced with a vibrant light.

    ''I''ve traveled back in time 20 years! I have a second chance to do things over!'' The first thing that came to his mind was how he could take advantage of his knowledge of the future.

    ''I can get rich with the stock market! But I never really paid attention to stocks.....I can release pieces of tech and im them as my own invention! But I don''t have any blueprints or designs memorized.... Fuck!''

    Jason learned that it is hard to take advantage of future knowledge when you don''t have that much knowledge.

    After hitting so many walls in his n to take advantage of his knowledge of the future Jason decided to take a moment to think about the things that he actually paid attention to during his previous life.

    There was only one thing that came to mind ''Basketball!'' There weren''t many things that Jason could confidently say he was the best at. But when it came to watching basketball he could easily im the number one seat.

    Although he hasn''t memorized the results of every single game from the regr season for the next 20 years he could easily tell you the results of each yoff series. He also knew which prospects would jump from high school to college and from college to the big leagues.

    ''I can get rich betting on yoff series! Or I could get a job as a college recruiter! Or maybe a team scout!''

    As these thoughts came to his mind one idea in particr made his heart race ''Instead of trying to get a job for a team I can just y for them. I have a second chance to make it to the GBA!(Global Basketball Association)

    As his chest was pounding in excitement his door burst open "I swear Jaya! If you''rete on your first day at your new school. The first ce you''ll see won''t be a ssroom, it''s gonna be the infirmary!"

    Staring at him from his doorway was a slim woman standing 5''8, wearing blue pajama bottoms and a in white shirt. Her long ck hair was tied in a messy bun.

    Jason was stunned to see his mom young again "What are you still staring at!? Hurry up and get ready!". His mom closed the door and left, prompting Jason to get ready like she had instructed.

    Jason looked through his closet with a bad expression on his face ''I need to start going with mom when she goes shopping for my clothes...''

    Jason left his room and walked into the kitchen dressed in khaki shorts and a cored shirt. He put his backpack down as he took a seat at the dining table.

    His mom was eating her breakfast while doing some work on herptop while his dad stood in front of the stove in the kitchen right by them.

    Jason looked at his dad. He stood at around 5''10 with a slim build like his mother. His medium length ck hair was parted in the middle and he was wearing shorts and an apron over his white shirt.

    Jason''s dad turned his head and smiled "Well look who finally came down after all that yelling. Morning sleepy head, how do you want your eggs?"

    Jason felt a warmth in his chest. Being presented with this nostalgic scene that he hadn''t experienced in a long time overwhelmed him. A stream of tears flowed down his face.

    Both his parents were shocked. His dad was the first one to talk "Jason what''s wrong? Babe did you yell at him when you went to his room?"

    His mom closed herptop hurriedly said "No! I mean I did, but not more than normal!? Jaya why''re you crying? Is it because of what mommy said? You know that mommy was joking right? Mommy just talks with a loud voice sometimes!"

    Jason''s dad sighed as he looked at his wife "It''s probably because you keep calling him Jaya. He already asked you to stop calling him that. He''s not a baby anymore." His mom crossed her arms and pouted "What''s wrong with me calling him by such a cute nickname? The Ja from Jason and the ya from Yang sound so good together."

    But then she saw the tears on her son''s face "If it really bothers you that much then mommy won''t call you Jaya anymore" Seeing the concern on both his parents let him feel their deep love for him so clearly.

    Henry Yang and Naomi Yang. His parents were bothputer programmers but his dad decided to leave programming behind to open up a restaurant. His dad was gentle and understanding while his mom was passionate and ambitious.

    His parents were his only family. His parent''s never exined why neither side of their families were involved in their life, even after he became an adult. But he never paid it any mind, because for him his mom and dad were all that he needed.

    Jason wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled "Sorry, it''s not your guys fault, I just remembered a sad scene from a movie.

    And you can still call me Jaya mom, I changed my mind. It''s a cute nickname." Back when he was a kid he really did hate having his mom Call him Jaya.

    But now, seeing how lovingly she would call him Jaya he felt like it was just another way for her to express her care.

    His mom was surprised for a second but a smile quickly appeared on her face "See, I told you it wasn''t my fault."

    His dad gently smiled at the both of them before turning back around to focus on his cooking "Alright, you''re almostte. I''ll just make you a sandwich and you can eat that on the bus to school"

    Jason put the stic bag with his sandwich into his backpack, there were still too many thoughts going through his head for him to feel hungry. He put his shoes on before leaving the apartment "Bye mom, bye dad!"

    Jason was standing outside waiting for the school bus to show up when a group of kids showed up. ''They''re probably waiting for the bus to''

    Jason over heard one of the kids "Man did you see Delonte break Carter''s ankle with that crazy dribble move!" He then started dribbling the basketball he was carrying.

    One of the other kidsughed at his dribbling "Man that''s not how it went. He went through the legs, hesi, crossover, spin move"

    He took the basketball from the first kid and tried to execute thebo that he stated. But he messed up from the beginning.

    He hit himself in the nuts trying to dribble the ball through his legs. Jason couldn''t help butugh after seeing that "Hahaha!"

    The group didn''t seem to appreciate Jason''sughter. The first kid was dark skinned ck kid with a t top hairstyle. The kid that hit himself in the nuts was a pale white boy with a brown Jew-Fro.

    The kid was bent over in pain but looked at Jason after hearing himugh "Hey Brandon, I think the new kid isughing at us"

    Brandon looked at Jason "I think you''re right Matt. What youughing at huh? I bet you can''t even dribble without looking at the ball"

    Jason wasughing at the boys in his mind ''Haha these little shits don''t know who they''re messing with. Don''t even mind em Jason. You''re and adult, be the bigger person''

    Jason smiles at the kids "My bad, I didn''t mean anything by it. I''m sorry if I offended anyone." Matt didn''t seem to feel that Jason''s apology was enough.

    After getting himself to stand up straight Matt looked back at Jason "If saying sorry could fix everything then we wouldn''t need police orwyers"

    Jason''s eye twitched ''You little shit! Just because I was being nice you think I''m a pushover?'' Jason frowned "So what do you want then?"

    Jason was fighting to keep himselfposed ''You want to fight you little bitch!? Bring it! You don''t want no smoke bro! Especially not with me!''

    Matt picked the ball back up from the floor "Since you wereughing at my dribbling why don''t we settle it with that?

    We take turns doing dribble moves, whoever can''t do the other person''s moves loses. Win or lose I''ll forget about yourughing as long as you take my challenge"

    Jason wasughing maniacally in his mind ''Hahaha! You just dug your own fucking grave'' he smiled "Sure"

    Matt then added "Let''s put something on the line just to make this more interesting. Loser has to give the winner his lunch"

    Jason didn''t have a doubt in his mind that he would win. But he still felt ufortable with the idea of wagering the handmade lunch that his dad had prepared for him "what if I didn''t bring a lunch"

    Matt''s eyes brightened up "then your lunch money". Jason checked his wallet. It had colorful cartoon characters all over it, he had a few dors "Alright"

    The two then shook hands. Matt asked "is it okay if I start?" Jason nodded. Seeing this Brandon looked at Jason with a pitying gaze "I hope you brought enough to buy 2 lunches. Matt is on the school basketball team"

    Jason looked at Matt and searched through his memories ''I don''t remember a single thing about this kid. That must mean he never reached elite high school level''

    Matt started dribbling the ball up and down at a fast pace with his left hand "10 dribbles with the left, cross over and then 10 dribbles with the right. You have to look up, you can''t look at the ball"

    After he finished, his group of friends were pping for him and cheering him on, he had a confident smirk on his face. Jason yawned as he took the ball from Matt.

    He then proceeded to copy Matt''s moves but at an even faster and with his eyes closed. Everyone watched in silent amazement.

    After he was done Jason asked "So it''s my turn toe up with some moves and you have to copy them right?" Matt nervously nodded.

    Jason started dribbling "Through the legs, hesi, crossover, spin move". Jason casually announced each move as he performed them.

    At the end of his performance all the kids looked at Jason as if he was a monster for being able to do the same move that a professional did. But Jason wasn''t impressed.

    He knew that his dribbling just then was just for show. He could perform the moves but they had no substance.

    If he tried to use that move against a college level yer it wouldn''t fool him. In fact, he would probably have the ball stolen from him midbo.

    Matt''s face was bright red. He was silent for a moment before he opened up his backpack and pulled out a paper bag. He put the bag into Jason''s hand "There"

    Brandon looked at the paper bag for a second "Hey new kid. This was just a stupid bet. Think you could give ba-" he was interrupted.

    Matt shouted "A bet''s a bet Brandon! Just forget it". The bus pulled over and the kids started getting on.

    Jason didn''t get a chance to celebrate his victory. As soon as he hadpleted his dribblebo a string of words had appeared in the center of his vision.

    [Basketball system initiated]

    Jason silently took a seat on the bus as he continued to read the words.

    [Select yer Build]

    [Body, Heart, Mind]

    As Jason was reading the words he focused on ''Body'' and screen with text popped up.

    [yer build, Body: The focus of your development will be centered on bing a marvelous physical specimen of an athlete.]

    [Cons; It will be much harder to develop on the skills side of Basketball.]

    [If the Body build is chosen then the missions assigned for your development will be based on your body]

    He thought back to the previous screen and it reappeared. He then focused on ''Heart''

    [yer build, Heart: The heart is thebination of the body and the mind. You will be able to develop your body and your skills with the same amount of effort]

    [Cons; Your development in body and skills will be slower than if you would focus on one]

    [If the Heart build is chosen then the missions assigned for your development will be based on your heart]

    He then read about ''Mind''

    [yer build, Mind: The focus of your development will be on skills and the cerebralponents of the game.]

    [Cons; It will be difficult to develop on the physical side of the game]

    [If the Mind build is chosen then the missions assigned for your development will be based on your mind]

 Chapter 4 - The New Kid

    Jason was shocked by what he was reading ''This is just like a video game? This feels so unreal.

    Not only did I travel through time, now I have a cheat ability''. Jason thought about how he would grow depending on which build he chose.

    ''If I pick the Body option then the highest level I could reach would probably be a yer like Shaq?''

    Shaquille O''neal was a iconic yer in the history of basketball. He overwhelmed his defender with his colossal physic. He was unstoppable in the paint.

    Shaq''s enormous frame was unstoppable when he posted up but in his early years he also possessed unbelievable agility and quickness for a man his size.

    His only weakness was his inability to shoot a high percentage from the free throw line. This weakness lead to a strategy being named after him, the Hack-a-Shaq.

    ''But that''s only the best possible result. A lower more realistic version would probably be Deandre Jordan.''

    Deandre Jordan was an explosive athlete at the center position. He could jump incredibly high for a yer his size as well as run the floor at an impressive speed.

    During his prime in which he yed for the Clippers he was a shot blocker and lob target. Although he could dunk with the best of the best he was a limited yer.

    He couldn''t create his own shot unlike Shaq, so he was very reliant on his teammates to create scoring opportunities for him.

    He also suffered from the same problem as Shaq, he was a poor free throw shooter. Opposing teams would take advantage of this close to the end of games and foul him purposely.

    Jason didn''t look to favorably on the Body build. In the history of basketball there were numerous yers that depended on the advantages that their physical abilities provided.

    Once they suffered a serious injury or their bodies declined from aging they became shells of themselves.

    Derrick Rose was an incredible point guard, but the seasons that followed his knee injuries were sadpared to before.

    Shaq was a monster in his prime but after he started aging the decline was fast. In his final years he could barely dunk and his huge body became a burden instead of a gift.

    Jason was fascinated with the Mind build but that onlysted for a second. yers who didn''t have particrly amazing physical abilities but were amazingly skilled were yers like Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving or CJ McCollum.

    Those type of yers tended to be great offensive weapons but were either defensive liabilities or just a neutral factory on defense.

    For someone like Jason who was only able to take pride in his defensive impact, he simply couldn''t see himself bing that type of yer.

    That only left the Heart build, a yer with physical abilities that were matched by their skills.

    To be honest, yers of this mold were Jason''s favorite yers of all time. From Scottie Pippen and Kobe Bryant at the highest level.

    To yers like Jason Kidd or Rasheed Wace at a lower level. These were basketball yers who had a bnced game and could impact the court from a multitude of different areas.

    During his prime, Kobe was feared as a lethal and clutch scorer. However his ability to defend the opposing teams best perimeter scorer is undeniable.

    Scottie Pippen is often remembered as Jordan''s sidekick. He would defend the toughest assignment on the opposing team so that Jordan could conserve more energy for the offensive side.

    But Scottie was a decent scorer himself, and he was good y maker as well. Creating shots for his teammates.

    After just a moment of thinking Jason chose the Heart build. As soon as he selected the Heart build a flood of information rushed into his mind. He learned all the functions of the system and how to ess them.

    ''Skills'' Jason called out in his mind. A screen filled with information appeared in his vision.

    [Skills

    Free throw: A (SS+)

    Lay Up: A (SS+)

    Dunking: F

    Close Shot: A (SS+)

    Mid Range Shooting: A (SS+)

    Three Point Shooting: A (SS+)

    Dribbling: A (SS+)

    Passing: A (SS+)

    Ball Handling: A (SS+)

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: C (A)

    Rebounding: C (A)

    Post Control: B (S+)

    Perimeter Defense: A (SS+)

    Post Defense: B (S+)

    Steals: A (SS+)

    Blocks: B (A+)

    Athleticism: C ]

    These were the current levels of his basketball skills. The System grades skills depending on the users current stage.

    His dribbling might be rated SS+ which means it''s at the highest level for a middle schooler, at the high school level it would be rated lower and even lower than that at the college level.

    The rating in the parenthesis is the actually rating of the skill. The parenthesis mean that there are reasons preventing the full ability of the skill to be utilized. The rating outside of the parenthesis is the level of the skill currently usable.

    Jason was in the process of absorbing all this newfound information when the bus came to a stop. "Watch your steps. Get off one at a time" said the bus driver.

    Jason got his backpack ready and waited as the kids slowly made their way off the bus.

    Jason took his first steps off the bus and looked at the school ''Jefferson Middle School...Now that I think about it, this is where everything started huh?''

    There was aplicated swirl of emotions going through Jason as he looked at the school that meant of lot of different things to him.

    Jason took a piece of paper out of his pocket. It was his ss schedule. The first ss on his list was History.

    Jason frowned after seeing that ''Civil History with Mr. Rivera. I forgot that I had him for homeroom my first year here''

    Jason didn''t have any good feelings about this old teacher of his. He was looking at his schedule so he didn''t notice the person in front of him.

    He bumped into someone "Yo, what are you-" He didn''t finish his words. In front of him were a group of kids circled around 2 other kids.

    "Fight! Fight! Fight!" All the kids were shouting. As Jason peered through the crowd and got a better look at the 2 kids in the center he frowned after seeing a familiar face.

    The 2 kids were tall for their age. One was around 5''8 while the other kid was easily at least 6''1.

    They were both light skinned with short dreads but the taller kid had 2 gold braid rings on 2 of his locks.

    One of the kids in the crowd yelled "Fuck him up Trell". Trell looked at the taller kid with a pissed look on his face.

    "I told you to cut your hair Kyle!" Trell rained down a flurry of punches on Kyle. Kyle was tall but his presence was much weaker than Trell''s. Despite his size advantage all Kyle did was put his hands up to cover his face from being hit.

    Jason recognized Trell. He was the kid who made his middle school years miserable in his past life.

    He felt like Kyle seemed familiar but he didn''t have any clear memories of him. Even though Jason hated Trell and felt bad for Kyle Jason didn''t get himself involved.

    ''You''re lucky I don''t want to get in trouble on my first day back in the past Trell. Or I would totally fuck you up!'' As Jason was thinking in his head a message appeared in his vision.

    [Mission: Your heart is burning with a sense of Justice! Stop the fight and rescue Kyle. Both conditions must be met or the mission will be considered a failure. Reward: 10 body configuration points. Penalty: Downgrade on 3 current skills.]

    Jason was cursing in his mind after seeing the message ''You want me to stop the fight!? Are you blind?

    Trell is a 13 year old with a grown man body! That kid has a fucking 6 pack and biceps that look a gym rat''s.

    I haven''t started working out yet, what do you want me to stop with my noodle arms!?''

    Jason was tall for a 12 year old, at this point he was about 5''4. But he had yet to get involved in sports or start working out so he was weak and out of shape.

    Jason didn''t want to but he had to get involved now. Having 3 of his skills drop in grade was too heavy of a penalty. He pushed his way through the crowd "Leave him alone!"

    The crowd instantly became silent. Everyone was staring at Jason as walked his way towards Trell and Kyle.

    Trell stared Jason down "Who the fuck are you?" Jason calmly answered back "I''m the new kid. I''m also the guy asking you to stop beating on him. He''s not even fighting back"

    As soon as Jason finished speaking the the kids circled around them erupted "The new kid wants to fight Trell!!!"

    Some kids broke from the circle running to different areas yelling "Hey everybody! The new kid wants to fight Trell!!!"

    Shortly after more kids appeared and joined the crowd with expectant looks on their faces. Jason hurriedly put his hands up in denial as he shook his head

    "No! I''m not trying to fight anybody! Listen, Trell, I am sure that you don''t want to start the day off with getting into trou-"

    Jason never got to finish his words. A fist came flying straight towards his head. The punchnded right on the front of his face. Jason''s head snapped back as blood started dripping from his nose.

    Jason stumbled back 1 step but then managed to recover. He put his hands up and got into a fighting stance.

    In his past life the coach for the college basketball team had everyone learn and practice MMA in order to improve body control and bnce.

    Trell seemed surprised to see Jason get into a stance but he quickly got over it and began attacking again.

    Although Trell''s had horrible form and technique, hepensated with his amazing physique.

    Jason could do nothing but keep his guard up and try to mitigate the damage. Trell''s hands were fast and heavy, every punch left Jason in pain.

    The crowd was going nuts seeing Trell beat on Jason "Fuck him up Trell!" "Teach him a lesson!"

    Trell seemed energized by the cheering of the crowd as he went 1 gear higher and started throwing out even more punches at a faster rate.

    A few secondster and the opportunity Jason was waiting for had arrived. Trell''s punches started slowing down until he finally stopped to catch his breath. In that moment Jason sprang into action.

    Jason threw a jab with his right which caused Trell to raise his hands to block. But the jab was a feint, Jason then dived down and performed a double leg take down.

    The both of them crashed to the floor but Jason, who was anticipating this was much more prepared than Trell who was caught off guard.

    Jason recovered faster than Trell. Jason was able to maneuver himself to mount on top of Trell. Jason had a fierce gaze in his eyes as he looked down on Trell "You fucking bitch!!" Jason then proceeded to hammer his fist down onto Trell''s face.

    As his hands pounded against Trell''s unguarded face various memories swirled through his mind. All the times he had to make up excuses so that his parents wouldn''t worry about him. All the bruises he had to cover.

    The rhythm of the punching felt almost therapeutic as he could feel the bitterness disappearing from his heart with each punch.

    If it were up to Jason he wouldn''t mind having this momentst a few days. Unfortunately he was pulled away from this bliss.

    Kyle was surprised by the turn of events. At first he felt happy that someone had decided to stand up for him.

    But then he began to feel guilty, the first person to be nice to him would be beaten up in front of the school.

    He wanted to say something. He wanted to stop the boy from getting involved in his problems.

    But his legs were shaking and were rooted to the ground. He wanted to shout at Trell to leave the other boy alone but his voice was stuck in his throat, he couldn''t force out any words.

    At this point Kyle hated himself even more ''This is why you don''t have any friends. Someone actually tried to stand up for you and you can''t stop being a coward for even a second to help''

    Trell started throwing a storm of punches. Surprisingly the small boy was able to survive by guarding against the punches.

    Just as things were starting to look bad the situation reversed as the small kid got the upper hand.

    The small kid managed to get Trell to the floor and he starting beating him up from above. Kyle was surprised, happy and worried all at once.

    Just then one of the kids yelled "Teacher! There''s a teachering!!" Hearing this the crowd chaotically dispersed as they began running in all different directions.

    Kyle regained control of his body as he ran to Jason. He grabbed Jason''s shoulder "Hey! We need to get out of here!" Jason didn''t respond.

    Seeing that something was going on with Jason, Kyle pulled him up and dragged him as he ran away from the scene.

    Even with all themotion of the kids running and yelling there was only one thing on Jason''s mind. He was focused on the notification that had appeared in the corner of his vision.

    [Mission Complete! Rewards: 10 body configuration points.]

 Chapter 5 - A Long First Day

    Kyle dragged Jason through the hallways as he ran. Jason was reading the details from the system.

    Body configuration points could be used to increase the body''s potential to develop in certain areas but they wouldn''t show immediate effects.

    For example if Jason''s body was a cup the body configuration points could make the cup bigger and could make the water flow into the cup faster but they didn''t immediately fill it with water.

    Jason could use the points to increase his body''s potential for height but he wouldn''t grow to 6''5 overnight.

    Jason didn''t hesitate for a moment, he invested all the body configuration points that he had earned into height. ''In my past life it was my height that kept me out of the league''.

    Jason was pulled back to reality when he realized that he was being dragged by Kyle like a toddler dragging a teddy bear "Yo chill out bro! Where are you even going?"

    Kyle stopped running after hearing Jason''s voice. He let go of Jason and scratched his head in embarrassment "S-sorry, I kinda panicked"

    Jason shook his as he looked at Kyle "Well, it''s okay I guess. You did get me out of there while I was zoned out, so thanks"

    Kyle smiled after hearing Jason "No problem! I should be the one thanking you. You don''t even know me but you stood up to Trell and got beat up because of me"

    Jason frowned and pointed at Kyle "I didn''t get beat up ok? I let him punch me on purpose. It was all strategy, it was part of my n."

    Kyle nodded as he listened to Jason talk. Jason sighed "Besides, why would you let Trell beat on you without defending yourself? You''re a big ass dude. You should''ve knocked his ass out."

    Kyle looked down with a sad expression "I want to, but I can''t. Whenever people make fun of me I want to say something back but my head nks and I stutter like I forgot how to talk."

    Kyle continued "And whenever people start getting angry or aggressive my hands get sweaty, my back gets cold and it feels like there are dozens of needles stabbing me. I-I just can''t do anything"

    After hearing that Jason couldn''t say anything back. After a awkward moment of silence he ruffled his own hair in frustration "Well whatever, you can just stick with me. I don''t think Trell will mess with you while I''m around. And even if he wants to he''ll have to deal with me"

    Kyle looked up from the floor and smiled again "Sure. I have my own spot we can go to for lunch" Jason nodded "Sounds good".

    Jason saw the time on one of the clocks in the hallway "Shit! We are sote for first period!" Jason ran off and Kyle began running after him.

    Jason stopped right outside a door before looking to his side "Why did you follow me?" Kyle was panting for air "I-I wasn''t" Kyle then pointed to the door "I have this ss to"

    Jason silently opened the door. A man of ordinary stature was standing in the front of the ss. Luckily the door was next to the back of the ss and the man was focused on writing something on the whiteboard.

    Jason and Kyle tiptoed into the ss. Jason pulled out a seat from one of the tables and was about to sit down when a loud crashing sound caught the entire sses attention, including the teacher.

    Jason turned to the direction of the noise and saw Kyle next to a g pole that had been knocked over. Kyle nervously turned and looked at Jason "Sorry".

    The bell rang and the other children packed their bags as they left for their next ss. However Jason and Kyle simply stood up and waited by the teachers desk.

    Mr. Rivera was a stylishly dressed man in histe 20''s. His brown hair was styled in a short faux hawk and he had afortable smile on his tanned face.

    Mr. Rivera looked at Jason and Kyle with a kind smile on his tanned face but Jason was swearing in his head ''You fake ass bitch''.

    In his past lifetime Jason had thought that Mr.Rivera was a kind and understanding teacher. And when the bullying first started Jason confided in Mr.Rivera, unfortunately that would be thest time that Jason would reach out for help.

    20 years ago during Jason''s first life. A young Jason stood in front of Mr.Rivera with a nervous expression on his face. Jason opened his mouth "Trell and his friends have been bullying me for a few weeks now. Before it was just name calling and pranks buttely they''ve started hitting me"

    Mr. Rivera smiled and looked at Jason "I''m sorry to hear that you''ve had to go through that Jason. Trell and his friends are certainly in the wrong for doing those things but have you thought that maybe you did something wrong as well?"

    Jason was surprised to hear that. Mr.Rivera continued "I noticed that you always have a unpleasant look on your face. If you try to be friendlier maybe Trell and his friends will stop bothering you? I know you''re a good kid Jason. You should be like the other asian kids, I''m sure you don''t want to make any problems for your parents right?"

    And that was how a young and naive Jason was told that he should be like the other asian kids and be a silent and good student. Jason was told that if he kept bringing up the issue of bullying it would just be a burden for his parents.

    This was the start of Jason bottling up his feelings and wearing a mask. All because of one teacher that didn''t want to deal with his problems.

    Back to the present Jason was ring at Mr.Rivera "Listen guys, I''m not too strict of a teacher. I don''t mind if you''rete but could you guys at least sneak in quietly?"

    Jason thought in his mind ''Of course you don''t mind us beingte. Even if we skipped ss you would still mark us as present so that your attendance would look good. Fucking fake ass bitch''

    A notification popped up in Jason''s vision.

    [Mission: Release the anger that has built up in your heart over the years. Use your words and actions to insult Mr.Rivera. The higher you raise his blood pressure the greater a reward you will receive. Penalty: Have bad luck for the rest of the day]

    Jason was tempted for a second but then he gulped and buried any ideas ofpleting the mission ''No matter how much I hate the guy it just isn''t worth it to get in trouble and make problems for my parents''

    The penalty didn''t seem too bad and Jason didn''t want to do anything too over the top on his first day. That doesn''t include beating up Trell, in Jason''s mind that was perfectly within bounds.

    The gap between sses weren''t too long so Mr.Rivera had to dismiss Jason and Kyle. The two of them left the ssroom and started heading towards their next ss. After a bit of walking Jason turned to look at Kyle "Don''t tell me you have the same ss again?"

    Kyle sheepishly looked at the floor with a slight smile on his face "If you have English with Ms.Yuller next then I guess we do have the same ss". Jason stuck his hand out "Hand over your schedule" Kyle obediently handed Jason a piece of paper.

    Jason looked over Kyle''s schedule while they walked ''This makes no sense. He has the exact same schedule''. It wasn''t odd that the both of them had the same schedule. The odd part was that Jason had no recollection of Kyle from his past life.

    ''Well whatever'' Jason decided to stop thinking too much about it. There was no point in being fixated on it if nothing came to mind.

    Jason ignored the notification about him failing the mission as he and Kyle made their way to their next ss.

    Although slightly out of breath both Jason and Kyle were able to get to their next ss on time. But by the looks of it they were some of thest ones, almost all the seats were taken.

    Kyle pushed past Jason in a hurry as he raced to an open seat in the back corner. Kyle sighed in relief but then turned and looked at Jason with an apologetic expression.

    Jason looked at the ss. The only seats avable were the seats right next to a girl. Dressed in a graphic Tee of a band and ripped up Jeans. Her curly red hair covered part of her beautiful face and reached past her shoulders which were just as pale as Jason.

    Although Jason didn''t know her to well in his past life he knew about her. Samantha Doyle, she was one of the most popr kids back in high school. But it looks like her looks are too intimidating for these middle schoolers. A lot of kids at this age were either too shy or not great at interacting with the opposite gender.

    Jason made his way towards her and pointed to the chair next to her and asked with a polite smile "Mind if I sit here?". She looked at him for a second before responding "What would you do if I said yes?". Jason pointed to the other chair next to her "Then I would ask if you would mind me sitting there".

    Samantha''s eyebrow raised slightly as a mischievous grin appeared on her face "And if I said yes again?" Jason put his hands up helplessly and answered with the fakest sad expression you could imagine "I guess I would have to sit on the floor"

    Samantha giggled as she pulled the chair back from the desk "Go ahead and sit down Mr. Funny pants. I wouldn''t want you sitting on the floor, especially so close to me. People might think you''re my dog or something"

    Jason put his bag down next to his feet as he sat down. He turned and looked at Samantha "Isn''t that a little much? Even if I sit on the floor I don''t think anyone could mistake me for a dog"

    Samantha shook her head and cheekily said "Nope! Your face and your vibe are just like a dog. You remind me of my sweet little Chunkers" she then proceeded to pull out her phone.

    She held her phone in front of Jason showing a picture of a very..... well fed corgi. It''s fur was ck and white and it was lyingfortably on a coach. Jason didn''t want to admit it but there was an uncanny resemnce between him and the corgi.... especially the eyes.

    Jason lightly brushed her hand holding the phone away "You''re just seeing things. It''s impossible for a human and a dog to look alike. They arepletely different"

    Samantha put her phone back in her pocket "Or maybe you''re just in denial. Well whatever, my names Samantha but you can call me Sammy" She then stuck her hand out towards Jason.

    Jason reached out and shook her hand "Nice to meet you Sammy, I guess. I''m Jason, no nickname unfortunately. I''m new here."

    Jason and Samantha enjoyed some small talk until the teacher arrived. In his past life Jason was a shy kid but now he has already experienced swimming in the social pools of adult life. If he still felt shy in front of a bunch of kids it would be a travesty.

    As the ss went underway Jason couldn''t help but think ''And here I was getting worried about the bad luck penalty from failing the mission. Everything is going great so far.'' And that''s when it started.

    Jason felt something small hit the back of his head. He felt around his hair and found a wet spitball ''That is so fucking gross''. Whenever the teacher would turn her attention away from the ss, a flurry of spitballs would find their way to Jason.

    ''This must be the bad luck huh? at least it''s not too bad'' Jason tried his best to ignore their childish antics. He was following the teacher as they read a chapter from a book when he felt something a lot heavier hit his head.

    He started rubbing the back of his head ''Ouch! that fucking hurt!'' Jason angrily turned around and saw one of Trell''sckeys with a smirk on his face. Theckey pointed at the ground. Jason looked at saw a paper ball.

    Jason picked it up and removed the paper. The thing that was inside that gave it so much weight was an apple that now had a huge indent in it. Written on the paper was a note that read ''Meet me after school in front of the gym. If you ke out you and your sidekick are dead meat''

    Jason crumpled the paper up and threw it away ''Today''s gonna be a long day''

 Chapter 6 - Trouble On The Blacktop

    After ss finished Jason picked up his bag and was about to walk out when he felt someone grab onto him. Jason turned around and saw Samantha holding on to one of the straps of Jason''s backpack.

    She looked at Jason with a concerned expression "Hey Jason. You okay? Maybe you should talk to the teacher?". Jason smiled "Nah, it''s no big deal. But thanks for looking out. You might have earned yourself an invite to my birthday party. Bouncy house and everything"

    Samantha lightly shoved him "Yeah right. You''re gonna have to try harder than that if you want to get me to show up to your party." Jason chuckled and then waved goodbye "Alright, I''ll try again some other time. See you around Sammy".

    As Jason walked out the door he saw Kyle waiting for him "Well look who''s here. I thought you forgot all about me?" Kyle apologized "S-sorry Jason....I couldn''t sit next to her."

    Seeing Kyle''s sorry expression Jason couldn''t stay mad, he sighed "It''s okay. I get it. You probably didn''t want to deal with the jealous ass hats. I don''t get it. If they like her so much just sit next to her and talk. It''s not like she''s gonna eat you up or anything... although she is a bit cheeky."

    The next two sses went by fast. However that didn''t mean that nothing exciting happened. In one ss the teacher almost tripped while he was looking over everyone''s work. He nearly spilled his hot coffee onto Jason, luckily he had the reflexes to move away in time.... by falling out of his seat.

    In the next ss a baseball crashed through the window and knocked Jason upside the head. Luckily for him it made for an excellent excuse to take a nap... in the infirmary.

    Now it was lunch time. Jason and Kyle were carrying their bags and walking to the cafeteria. Kyle looked at Jason with a strange expression on his face "I don''t mean anything by it but Jason... Are you usually so-"

    Jason interrupted "What? Unlucky?" Kyle shook his head in denial "That''s not what I- I mean, yeah. Your luck seems pretty terrible.".

    Jason shrugged "Nah, I''m usually not like this. Something tells me that this is more of a one time thing." Kyle nodded "If you say so. Even if you do have bad luck I''ll still hang out with you. I don''t exactly have that many options."

    Jason turned to Kyle "Gee, that warms my heart. Good to hear that my bad luck won''t run you off as long as I''m your only friend". Kyle scratches his head in embarrassment.

    The two of them made small talk as they waited in line for food. There were only a few kids left in front of them when Jason was pushed to the side.

    Jason caught himself and stepped back to where he was. He looked to his side and saw Trell with a few of his goons. Trell opened his mouth "Thanks for saving my spot short shit"

    Jason retorted "Back off Twizzler dick. I only save spots for thedies and I don''t think an ugly bitch like you counts"

    Jason then stepped forward which caused Trell and his crew to step back. Seeing their reaction Jason smirked "Besides, I''d hate to make that ugly mug of yours any uglier"

    Trell''s swollen and bruised up face contorted in anger "You just got lucky bitch! I can beat your ass with my eyes closed" Jason could feel the attention from all around the cafeteria starting to focus on them.

    Jason tilted his head to the side pointing out the custodian "Cool it Trell. I thought you wanted to settle this after ss? There''s too many eyes here. I''m sure even you don''t want deal with unnecessary problems."

    Before Trell could respond Jason pulled Kyle to the open spot in front of the lunchdy. Jason grabbed a tray for himself and he shoved a tray into Kyle''s hands. As the both of them walked away with lunch trays Jason put his hand in the air and threw a peace sign out without looking back "See yater Trell"

    Jason found an empty table and put his tray down while taking a seat. Just as he was about to shovel some food into his face Kyle grabbed him and started shaking him "What are you doing Jason!? Are you out of your mind!?"

    Jason''s face twitched in annoyance as he then proceeded to remove Kyle''s hands "I should be the one asking you that. You just made me spill perfectly good food." Kyle then took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down "What I meant was back there, with Trell. What was the use in pissing him off like that? You just made things a hundred times worse."

    Jason took a bite out of the burger on his tray "Everything has a point Kyle. You''re worried about pissing Trell off? The same guy that was beating the shit out of you this morning? I hate to break it to you but it can''t get much worse. Me acting soft would just encourage him to make our lives miserable"

    Kyle was still sweating and shaking "But then what about the part about making a scene? You told Trell to back off because you didn''t want to cause another scene but then it almost seemed like you were trying to get everyone''s attention back there?"

    Jason continued eating "I actually did want to get their attention. The more witnesses there are the less likely Trell will go overboard and do something crazy. I just don''t want the school faculty seeing anything and getting me in trouble. Besides, I wanted to eat before getting into another fight"

    Kyle watched on as Jason devoured the school lunch. After finishing the food on his tray Jason then pulled out the lunch his dad had made him as well as the lunch he won from the bet this morning.

    The sandwich made by his dad was tasty just from the appearance. Two slices of roasted beef sat on two pieces of homemade white bread that was toasted on a buttered pan. There was a thinyer of mayo on the bread that helped keep the slice of cheese in ce. The sandwich that he won however was two pieces of bread with ketchup in the middle.

    Kyle was surprised "You sure you can handle that? You might end up in the infirmary with a stomach problem before you get beat up by Trell." Jason rubbed his hands together as he prepared himself for the food "I gotta eat a lot. Not everyone is lucky to be tall for no reason like you. Besides, who said that it was our side that''s gonna take the beating? You gotta be more confident man."

    Lunch quickly passed. Kyle was twitchy and nervous while Jason seemed unbothered and carefree. Eventually the bell rang signaling the end of thest ss. The students were busy as usual packing their things. But instead of rushing home they were running to the gym located at the back of the school.

    Kyle stood behind Jason, his back drenched in cold sweat and his hands shaky. There was only about five feet separating Trell and Jason as they stared at each other. Trell had five other boys behind him "So short stack, you ready to get beaten to a pulp?"

    Jason looked at Trell then began shifting his gaze to the crowd around them. They were standing in front of the gym with kids all around them. He stopped at smiled as he waved to a familiar face "Why don''t we make things interesting Trell. Just straight up fighting is getting kinda old, I had my fill from this morning."

    Trell sneered "What are you trying to say?". Jason looked back at Trell "How about we settle this with some ball. 2 on 2, first to 21 wins."

    Jason continued "You win and I''ll let you beat me whenever you want for a week. I won''t even raise a hand. But if we win then you and your goons are gonna be our personal butlers for a week."

    Trellughed "Haha. And why should we go through all that trouble instead of beating your ass right now?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "You could try. But just ask your face how good I am at throwing hands. You sure you want to get another taste?"

    Trell clenched his teeth "Alright" He then turned to the crowd around them "You heard it here. Pick up game, 2 on 2 first to 21. If I win I get to beat this little shit without him so much as lifting a pinky for a week. And if by some miracle they win they get to boss us around for a week. Whoever goes back on their word is a massive bitch that doesn''t have any pride"

    Jason couldn''t help but let out a chuckle "Hehe, you''re the one who said it. You better not regret." Jason and Kyle moved to inside the school gym, Trell and everybody else followed them. Kyle tapped Jason on the shoulder "Alright Jason good luck with the game. I''ll be rooting for you"

    Jason looked at Kyle with a confused expression "How are you gonna do that? It''s gonna be hard to root and cheer while you''re ying." Kyle pointed at himself "M-me? You want me to y?" Jason nodded "Who else would I pick to y with me in a 2v2? You are literally the only other guy I know. And as much as I think Trell''s a bitch I don''t think I could beat him if I yed with a girl."

    Kyle stood still but Jason pulled him onto the court "Let''s go man, you can do this. Besides, even if you suck I''ll just pull a Lebron and carry you." Jason bounced the ball around a bit before asking Trell "Lets shoot for it. First person to make a free throw gets first possession."

    Jason passed the ball to Trell. Trell caught the ball and walked to the free throw line. He took a breath and readied himself for the shot. Jason couldn''t help butugh in his mind ''Hehe, look at Trell''s ugly ass shooting form. I''d be surprised if he could make anything further than 3 feet with a shot like that''. The ball flew out of Trell''s hand and hit the right side of the backboard.

    Trell shouted "Damn! I felt like that was going in for sure." Trell turned to Jason with a condescending look on his face before passing him the ball "Well at least you''ll get a chance to touch the ball short shit. Consider yourself lucky that I missed"

    Jason caught the ball with one hand and he smiled as he walked towards the free throw line "Why don''t you save the trash talk for after you make a basket Trell, that is if it ever happens.". Jason bounced the ball before he started his shooting motion. He bent his knees and aligned his arm and hand to the basket. His body sprung back up and before he reached his apex he let the ball fly.

    The ball flew in a high arc towards the hoop, it seemed almost as if it was floating its way there. The ball had yet to touch the rim but Jason knew ''That one felt good. It''s going in for sure''. Jason looked at Trell before shifting his gaze to the crowd watching him "Looks like it''s our ball Trell" Jason''s voice was shortly followed by the sound of the ball swooshing into the.

 Chapter 7 - Talent Shines Through

    Trell stared at Jason in amazement before he quickly shook himself and regained hisposure "Whatever, lucky shot"

    Jason picked up the ball before walking outside of the three point line. He passed the ball to Trell "Check" who the passed the ball back to Jason.

    Jason gestured for Kyle to move to the other side of the court. Kyle stiffly ran to where Jason gestured. Jason looked at Trell, analyzing his defensive stance.

    ''Feet are too close together. Histeral movement is gonna be slow. He''s backing up a lot. Looks like he doesn''t respect my jumper yet. He has a pretty good wing span. And from what I saw this morning he has some pretty quick hands''

    Jason quickly came to a decision ''First things first I''ll teach you to fear my shooting hehe''

    Trell had backed off of Jason by arge margin. He gave Jason around six feet of space.

    Jason started dribbling casually with a rxed smile on his face "Why are you so far back Trell? You do know we''re ying basketball right? Not red light green light"

    Trell brushed Jason''sments off "Whatever loser. I won''t waste my energy trying to guard you from all the way out over there. You probably can''t even throw the ball far enough let alone get it in the hoop"

    Jason smirked "Don''t say I didn''t warn you" Jason set his feet, bent his knees and slightly dipped the ball down. His body sprang back up with his hand and elbow aligned with the basket.

    With a flick of his wrist the basketball started flying towards the hoop. The high straight arc had everyone gazing at the ball. After what seemed like a few seconds the ball once again swished through the.

    Jason turned to Trell with a big grin stered across his face "Well what do you know? Looks like I can throw it that far."

    Jason got the ball back and passed it to Trell "The scores 3-0. You''re up Trell. Let''s see if you got anything to back up that big mouth of yours"

    Trell muttered under his breath as he received the ball "lucky fucking shot. It had to be luck" Trell passed the ball to Jason who then passed it back to him.

    Trell looked at Jason "Alright Ling Ling. I''m about to show you how to really y ball" Trell started dribbling.

    Jason almost winced in pain after seeing Trell dribble ''The way he handles the ball is so sloppy. He lets it get too far on his crossover. And his dribbling speed is slow''

    After a few size up and rhythm dribbles Trell sprinted towards the basket. Trell was able to gain separation in the beginning but Jason managed to catch up and put his body on him. He stayed in constant contact with Trell.

    ''Damn! He almost got me. That''s a crazy fast first step. Lucky for me his handles suck. He had to slow down to match his movement with his dribbling''

    Jason rotated his hips, shuffled his feet and kept his hands up as he defended Trell. Then Trell went for a crossover but Jason was able to swipe the ball away.

    The ball rolled on the floor. Trell started running towards it but he was one step to slow. Jason dived for the ball. His body crashed into the hardwood and slide for about a foot.

    Jason grabbed the ball and jumped back to his feet. Coincidentally Jason found himself outside the three point line. He started his shooting motion and shortly after the ball fell through the.

    Jason held his right hand up in the air showing three fingers in celebration. He walked to the ball and passed it back to Trell "6-0. What Happened Trell? You still warming up?"

    Trell couldn''t help but gulp. He tried to think of something to say but his mind kept drawing a nk. It was Trell''s turn at offence again. He managed to separate himself from Jason using his quick first step again. This time he did his best not to slow down, even if it made his dribbling awkward.

    Trell managed to get close to the hoop. He was only a step away from the restricted area. He picked up his dribble and was getting ready toy the ball up with his right hand.

    All of a sudden Jason who had been maintaining contact with him throughout the posssession on his left side disappeared. Trell couldn''t Feel Jason on his side.

    Just before Trell could lift the ball up in order to do ay up, Jason appeared on the right side and knocked the ball out of Trell''s hand while it was still at its low point.

    Jason ran after the ball and managed to retrieve it before it went out of bounds but that was enough time for Trell to position himself back on defense.

    This time Trell smothered Jason. He stood right in front of Jason with his hands all the way up to contest any shot.

    Trell started trash talking as he pressured Jason with his body "I may have underestimated you short shit. Looks like you yed ball before but I bet you only know how to shoot. Lets see you try and score if I''m all up in your face"

    Jason panted a bit but there was still a smirk on his face "Nice to see you actually trying Trell. Just try not to get hurt".

    Jason sprinted to the basket attacking the left side. Trell had a poor defensive stance but his physical agility allowed him to keep up.

    Jason could feel Trell''s body running alongside him. Jason used a spin move to change direction.

    Jason was now attacking the basket from the right side. The spin move caught Trell totally off guard.

    Trell still ran a few steps towards to left before he could stop and change directions to follow Jason.

    But that was enough separation for Jason to reach the basket. He jumped jumped off his right foot andid the ball in with his right hand.

    Jason did a small fist pump before turning to Trell with a smile on his face"8-0 Trell. You better hurry or you won''t get a chance to score"

    In the corner of the gym there was the supply closet. Coach Swendel was dripping sweat from his shirt all the way to his jogging pants. He had been pumping the basketballs for over an hour.

    He ran his hand through his short blonde buzz cut to shake of the sweat. He had a fit build with a farmers tan. He stopped pumping the ball because his arms were starting to cramp up.

    "Jesus, I should have tried harder in school" He said. Coach Swendel looked at the dusty storage room and then at his drenched clothes.

    He frowned "How much longer am I going to have to do this? Teaching P.E. and coaching the worst middle school basketball team in the county. I''ll never get a chance to get any achievements under my belt."

    He continued talking to himself "I didn''t think it would be easy to move up the food chain but I thought I would at least have the chance to prove myself. If things keep up like this I might end up retiring with my whole tenure being with this shitty school"

    Just as Coach Swendel was about to get back to pumping the basketballs he heard some dribbling going on at the court.

    Coach Swendel was confused "No way. Thosezy shits were so excited when I told them that I was giving them the day off today. There''s no chance they would organize their own practice?"

    Coach Swendel peaked his head out of the supply closet and look at the court. There were a bunch of kids crowded around the court and they were watching what looked like a game of 2 on 2.

    Coach Swendel moved to a spot where he could watch the game. But since the kids were all focused on the game and since the Coach was away from the crowd no one noticed him.

    After Coach Swendel moved to a better spot he was able to make out the details of the kids ying. He was so surprised that he had to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn''t dreaming.

    He was surprised to see that one of the kids ying was Trell. Coach Swendel knew about Trell. He had tried to recruit him to join the basketball team but was quickly refused.

    All the sports teams of the school had been trying to recruit Trell ever since he got here in the sixth grade. He had amazing physical tools that screamed natural athlete.

    His quick twitch muscles made him fast and explosive. He had great endurance considering that he never did any training. And his physique was something that would leave some high school students jealous. He had the kind of muscles that didn''t look like they belonged to a 13 year old.

    But what shocked Coach Swendel even more was that a scrawny looking asian kid a few inches shorter than Trell was eating him alive on the basketball court.

    That gifted athlete that all the sports teams wanted couldn''t do a thing to stop a kid who was giving up a good size advantage in both height and weight. And he didn''t even seem that athletic.

    The asian kid wasn''t particrly fast or explosive. And he didn''t have the body build to absorb contact and get to the basket at will.

    But what he did have was skill and know how. On the offensive side Coach Swendel couldn''t see any sloppy or wasted movements. Everything was precise and on the money.

    The dribbling wasn''t anything too fancy but every move had a purpose and a goal. And the shooting, Jesus. He had never seen a kid like the kid in front of him.

    His shooting motion was the same every time. it didn''t matter if he was shooting with the ball starting from his left or right hand or even off the dribble. The ball always followed the same path.

    But that wasn''t the most shocking part. Coach Swendel gulped as he realized that the kid was also locking down Trell on the defensive side of the ball.

    ''Giving up that much size and he can still shut Trell down...Jesus, this kid might be the real monster. He''s making Trell look like a cuddly puppy''

    Coach Swendel watched on as the game continued. Eventually Trell couldn''t take it anymore as he yelled "Get your ass over here man! Help me double team him!"

    Trell''s goon ran towards them in a hurry. In a few seconds he was able to team up with Trell as they tried to pressure Jason.

    Coach Swendel began to frown ''So they''re going with a double team huh? Makes sense. That asian kid''s been the only one scoring so his teammate must just be there for decoration. I wonder how he''ll handle it?''

    Coach Swendel shortly got his answer, and frankly it frightened him a little. Jason managed to protect the ball from Trell and his goon even with the both of them pressing him.

    Jason then shouted "Run to the basket Kyle! Don''t just fucking stand around!". Kyle was brought back to his senses as he began to run to the basket.

    Jason was able to hold out long enough for Kyle to get to the hoop. He found an opening between Trell and his goon. Jason threw the ball towards Kyle "Just jump and try to put the ball into the basket!"

    The ballnded in Kyle''s hands. Kyle felt like the ball was gonna slip out of his sweaty hands but he tried his best to follow Jason''s instructions.

    Kyle jumped as high as he could ''Don''t fuck up Kyle. Don''t let Jason down again!'' At the peak of his jump Kyle''s right hand was just inches away from the rim. He tried his best to gently drop the ball into the hoop.

    Kylended back to the floor and he stared up at the basket. The ball hit the side of the rim, then it bounced of the back board, then it bounced on the rim again before finally falling through the.

    Kyle couldn''t understand the feeling that was building up inside him. He couldn''t help but do something that seemed out of character.

    Kyle looked up at the sky and yelled "Yeah!!". Jason ran up to Kyle and shoved him "Good shit bro! That''s what I''m talking about!"

    Coach Swendel looked at the boys cheering as a smile began to spread across his face ''I just found my Golden Ticket!''

 Chapter 8 - Rising Star

    The crowd around them was going crazy in celebration. Jason was ruffling Kyle''s hair "Way to go man! Nice basket". Kyle looked back at Jason. The fiery expression no longer visible on his face. Instead he returned to the shy giant that he normally was.

    Kyle blushed "I can''t take any credit. You''re the one who did all the work the entire game. Even on thest basket. I could only do that because you pulled my defender away from me"

    Jason smiled as he pped Kyle on the back "Of course I did most of the work. But you deserve some credit for thest shot. You did good"

    Jason had his arm around Kyle''s shoulder but because of the height difference it almost seemed like he was hanging on Kyle''s neck.

    Jason then turned to Trell and his goons. Trell was panting and his shirt had a giant sweat stain on the back "You lost Trell"

    Trell''s jaw was tightly clenched. He was gripping his shirt so tight that streams of sweat were being wrung out "Yeah. We lost"

    Trell motioned for his goons "Let''s go". Kyle sighed in relief but just after Trell and his crew had taken a few steps they were stopped by a voice "Who said you could go?"

    Everyone turned to the voice in surprise. Jason took a step forward "You lost so that means you and your goons are our butlers for a week. Right Kyle?"

    Kyle was urgently shaking his head and motioning for Jason to shut up but it appeared as though Jason didn''t see it.

    Jason pointed to the vending machine in the gym "I''m feeling kinda parched after all that exercise. Go get me a water"

    Kyle nearly passed out, he could feel all the blood leaving his body. The crowd around them stared in nervous silence.

    They had seen Trell make the bet. But they also knew that Trell had a terrible temper and that he never let anyone tell him what to do. Even the teachers.

    One of Trell''s goons grew red in the face as he stepped forward "Fuck the bet Trell. Lets beat the shit out of this bitch. You think just because we-" but the goon never got to finish his sentence.

    Trell got him right in the face with a left hook. The goon crumpled to the floor. Everyone was now staring at Trell.

    The veins were bulging out of his neck as his nostrils red "SHUT UP!" Trell grabbed his goon by the cor of his shirt and lifted him off the ground.

    Trell lifted his goon till they were face to face "Did I say you could talk!? Who the fuck do you think you are!" He then tossed his goon back to the floor.

    Trell didn''t spare another look at his goon on the floor. He looked at one of his other goons and tilted his head motioning to the vending machine "Go get a water"

    The goon was surprised at first but then he caught a nce at the other goon groaning on the floor. Without saying a single word he ran to the vending machine, pulled out his wallet, and used his own dor to buy a water bottle.

    He ran up to Jason and presented the water bottle to him with shaky hands. Jason nodded nonchntly and took the water bottle to drink, as if he had expected it all along.

    Jason drank half the bottle in one go. After drinking he wiped his sweaty face with his shirt in satisfaction "Alright Trell. You guys can go now. All OF YOU"

    Trell understood thest part of Jason''s message. He turned to the crowd "Alright! Shows over. Get the hell out!"

    The crowd quickly dispersed. They knew that even though Trell was listening to Jason that he wouldn''t hesitate to beat up someone else.

    Shortly after everyone was gone. Kyle was smiling and was just about to celebrate their victory again with Jason but it quickly disappeared after he saw Jason''s face.

    Jason''s face was flushed red and contorted in pain. His breathing was uneven and odd. Jason motioned for Kyle "Help me get to the bleachers."

    Kyle ran to Jason''s side and practically lifted him to the bleachers. Kyle let go of Jason, letting himy across the bench on the bleachers. He asked in a shaky voice"What''s wrong? You okay?"

    ''Fuck! I over did it. I forgot that my body had never done a day of exercise before this. To just all of a sudden push it to the limits andpete against that freak of nature was too much''

    Kyle was wondering what to do when he heard a voice yell "Oh my god!" Samantha ran over to Jason and Kyle. Jason couldn''t help but think ''What the hell is she doing here? I thought she left''

    She looked at Jason and Kyle "Are you okay?! Should we bring you to the school nurse!?" Kyle was just about to carry Jason to the infirmary under Samantha''smands when they heard another voice "I think he''ll be okay"

    Jason wasying across the bench ''Jesus christ! Another one!? How many people are trying to just randomly pop up? I asked everyone to leave so that I could get some peace and quiet''

    Coach Swendel walked up to the bleachers approaching the kids. He looked at Jason with a smile on his face "He just overdid it a little, he''s cramping up. Here, let me help"

    Coach Swendel pushed Kyle and Samantha away slightly to clear up some space. He bent down to Jason and began massaging his muscles.

    But the more massaging he did the more he was surprised ''I thought it would just be a minor calf cramp. But this kid has cramps all over. His hips, calfs, shoulders, even his triceps are cramping up. This kid really is a monster. Even adults would be crying out in pain''

    After about twenty minutes of Coach Swendel''s massaging and drinking some water, Jason''s cramps began to subside for the most part.

    Jason sat up and looked at Coach Swendel "Thanks uh.." Samantha added "Coach Swendel. He''s one of the P.E. teachers"

    Coach Swendel interjected "P.E. Teacher and Basketball coach. I''m the coach for the schools basketball team."

    Coach Swendel smiled brightly at Jason "And that''s actually why I''m here to see you. I think you can be a star-" He was interrupted "No"

    Coach Swendel was stunned by the quick response. He came back to his senses "Wait! why not!? You didn''t even let me finish"

    Jason wasn''t interested in ying for the middle school team. He remembered that in his past life that they were constantly the worst team in the county.

    If he yed for such a bad team it would only negatively affect his stock on the recruitment market.

    Jason was nning on spreading his name through the AAU circuit.

    Coach Swendel was at his wits end. He thought that he had finally found a way out of his mundane life. But before he could even grab onto that chance it slipped right through his fingers.

    Beads of sweat began forming on his face as his breathing began to get heavy. In contrast he stared at Jason who was sipping water seemingly without a care in the world.

    Coach Swendels hid his trembling hands in his pocket as he spoke to Jason "H-hey Jason. I have some sports drinks and supplements that could help with your recovery. Why don''t you stop by my office?"

    Jason was slightly surprised, he raised his brow as he looked at Coach Swendel. He thought for a moment before nodding "Alright." He turned to Samantha and Kyle "It should only be a few minutes, if you guys want to wait for me"

    Jason entered Coach Swendel''s office that was in the same building as the gym. The AC was on which felt great for Jason who''s body still felt hot from the game.

    Jason didn''t really know what to expect from Coach Swendel. He didn''t have much interaction with him in his past life. All he knew about him was his horrible record as the coach of the basketball team.

    Jason jumped back startled. As soon as Coach Swendel closed the door to his office he got on his knees and started bowing "Please Join the basketball team!"

    Coach Swendel didn''t hesitate to get on his knees ''I need to bring out the big guns from the get go. I cannot afford to lose this chance. If this kid joins the team we are bound to win the county championship. Maybe we can even go further than that!''

    Jason''s jaw dropped. For the first time he was left speechless. He was stunned after experiencing this for the first time. He had never had someone get on their knees and beg him for something. If anything he had only ever experienced being on the other end.

    Jason was silent in thought but Coach Swendel took it the wrong way. He added "If you join the team it''ll be your team. We''ll run the offense through you. We''ll change our defensive schemes to whatever you want. I''ll even let you decide the practice schedule. Please join the team, no, make the team yours."

    Hearing Coach Swendel''s offer Jason couldn''t help but be tempted. His entire life he had been a role yer. Just a small piece of the machine.

    This would be the first time that he would be allowed to be the man on the team. Coach Swendel felt that he was getting closer ''Just a little bit more!'' but there was nothing left for him to add to his offer.

    Coach Swendel tried his best to think of anything he could add. After a few seconds he clenched his teeth and pulled out his wallet.

    Coach Swendel looked up at Jason "If you promise to keep this only between you and me I''ll even throw in some money." He looked at the inside of his wallet and frowned.

    Coach Swendel pulled out two $10 bills "I''ll give you $20 a week just to be on the team. Just please keep this between you and me"

    Coach Swendel knew that what he was doing was hical but most importantly illegal! But to him it was well worth the risk. He would rather gamble on a chance to live extraordinarily than to continue stumbling through mediocrity.

    Jason looked at Coach Swendel ''Looks like this guys really desperate. People like this are my favorite'' Jason smiled ''They are willing to do anything to chase their goals''

    Coach Swendel saw Jason smile and he forgot to breath. It wasn''t until he heard Jason''s answer that he was able to take some air in "You know what? Sure, I''ll join the team. But I''m going to do things my way"

    Coach Swendel jumped to his feet and grabbed Jason''s hands and started shaking them "You won''t regret this" Jason added "But I''m going to need you to do somethings for me Coach"

    Coach Swendel didn''t know why but he couldn''t help shuddering as he felt a cold chill climb up his back ''I hope I didn''t get myself into something I''ll regret''

 Chapter 9 - A Deal With The Devil

    Coach Swendel nodded "Sure. I''ll try my best. As long as it''s something that''s realistically possible ." Coach Swendel looked at Jason awkwardly "So...what''s your name?"

    Jason chuckled as he realized that he hadn''t even introduced himself to Coach Swendel and yet he made him agree to all his request.

    Jason looked at Coach Swendel "My name is Jason Yang. I just transferred here. Today was my first day at the school."

    Coach Swendelughed nervously "Hehe, looks like you made a pretty big ssh on your first day. So what is it that you wanted me to do for you?"

    Coach Swendel was nervous ''I really need this kid on my team. I just hope that he doesn''t ask me to do anything crazy like get him drugs or take him to a strip club''

    Coach Swendel began to worry ''What if it is drugs? Which ones would be the cheapest? No! What am I thinking. I can''t give a young basketball prodigy drugs. Especially not cheap ones''

    Jason looked around the office "Nothing too crazy. I''m just going to need a ride back to my ce if I''m going to stay after school for practice"

    Coach Swendel let out a sigh of relief "Oh sure thing. That shouldn''t be a problem-" Jason added "I''m also going to need you to bet on basketball games for me"

    Coach Swendel was cursing in his head ''I knew he was going to ask for something crazy.'' But he was also slightly relieved ''At least it''s not drugs or a strip club''

    Jason was thrilled when Coach Swendel agreed to bet on the games for him. It was still a ways away but there is a situation that''s going to pop up in the future.

    And he''s going to need a lot of money if he wants to take care of someone important to him.

    Meanwhile, back in the gym, Kyle and Samantha were waiting in awkward silence. Finally she couldn''t take it anymore.

    Samantha turned to Kyle "So....how long have you known Jason?" Kyle yed around with his hands in his pockets.

    He looked around the gym avoiding eye contact "Just a few hours longer than you have" Samantha''s mouth opened into a O shape.

    Both of her eyebrows raised up "But I heard that the only reason he even got involved with Trell was because of you?"

    Kyle felt his face and ears heat up "Yeah. Trell was beating me up because I coincidentally did my hair in a simr style to his and Jason jumped in and saved me"

    Samantha couldn''t help but giggle "Hehe, I can''t believe Trell would react like that over such a petty reason. Fighting about a hairdo sounds like something a girl would do"

    Kyleughed a little when he heard Samantha say that. After a little bit of small talk the vibe around the two wasn''t as awkward as before.

    Without him realizing it Kyle went from slightly participating to initiating in the conversation.

    Kyle began recounting all the events leading up to the basketball game. As well as Jason''s miraculously bad luck.

    Kyle wasughing "And while everyone was trying to listen to the teacher talk about the different kinds of clouds"

    He wasughing so hard that he had to pause to catch his breath "Out of nowhere a baseball crashes through the window and hits Jason in the side of the head"

    Samantha burst outughing. She was hugging her sides "That''s hrious. It hurts, I can''t stopughing"

    They were so immersed in theirughter that they didn''t notice Coach Swendel and Jason as they walked towards them.

    Jason rolled his eyes with his usual deadpan face "d to know that my misery was able to bring you guys so much entertainment"

    Kyle''sughter gradually subsided "Sorry Jason. But you have to admit that it was pretty funny"

    Samantha wiped the tear out of her eye with her hand "I have to thank Kyle. Everyone only knows the bad ass side of you that beat Trell. But now I know that you''re a clumsy, unlucky little piggy that likes to stuff himself"

    Jason couldn''t help but let go an exhausted sigh "First youpare me to a dog, now you''re calling me a pig. Can you at least make up your mind?"

    Samantha was about to say something when a high pitched scream followed by a guitar solo interrupted her. She pulled out her phone "Oh you''re here already? Gotcha. Yeah I''ll be right there."

    She turned to Jason and Kyle "Looks like my ride is here. I''ll catch you guys tomorrow" She picked up her backpack and waved as she ran off.

    Jason pulled out his phone "Yeah. I should probably be heading home to. But before that-" Jason tilted his head towards Kyle "Give this guy a roster spot to Coach"

    It took awhile for Kyle to process that Jason was talking about him. But as soon as he finished taking it in he jumped back in surprise. He pointed to himself as he stuttered "Y-you mean me?"

    Jason facepalmed "Who else would I be talking about Kyle? You really need to start redirecting the vitamins going into your big ass body so that some will go to your brain"

    Kyle shook his head "I don''t even watch basketball let alone y. The most I ever yed was today" Jason smiled as he put his arm around Kyle''s neck again "Kyle. I feel like I''ve done a lot to help you in the one day that we''ve known each other. Wouldn''t you agree?"

    Kyle slowly nodded his head. Jason added "Are you in any clubs or teams? Do you have a lot going on outside of school?"

    Kyle thought for a second "I''m not on any teams but I''m part of a really cool group online. We normally just post stuff and talk whenever someone is on."

    Jason''s smile grew even wider "So what I''m hearing is that you don''t have a reason to not join the team? I would go even further to say that you are wasting your God given gifts by not ying basketball"

    Kyle shook his head even faster "No! I might not have anything going on after school that other people would think is important but it''s plenty important to me! Besides, I already gave you the biggest reason why I won''t join. I don''t like basketball. I don''t watch and I don''t y"

    Jason removed his arm from Kyle and took a couple steps back. He sighed "Alright. I guess asking you to take a couple of hours out of your day to help me out is asking for too much. I mean it''s not like I ever did anything for you right? There''s no reason for you to bother with helping me."

    Kyle looked at Jason''s back. Guilt started creeping into his stomach like an ufortable knot "If it was anything else Jason I would help you no doubt. You want me to take notes for you? Or how about helping you with any homework?"

    Jason waved his hand as if he was waving the suggestions out of the air "No. You don''t need to do that. I wouldn''t want you to lose any time for your online thing. That''s way more important than helping me out"

    Kyle scrunched up his face as he held his breath. He thought back to the various things that happened to him today. He thought about how happy he was to have someone to talk to when the teacher wasn''t paying attention instead of just watching other people do it in ss.

    He thought about how happy he was to have someone else sit with him at his usual spot for lunch. About how different the food tasted when he wasn''t alone.

    Kyle took another look at Jason. He could see the back of his shirt that still had a huge sweat stain. The bruises on his arms that probably came from Trell this morning.

    Kyle squished his face together with both hands ''I am so going to regret this'' "Jason" Jason turned around and looked at Kyle "I''ll join the team"

    Jason felt bad ''I really hate guilt tripping. I wouldn''t even do all this if it was just about basketball. But I feel like he really needs this. The Kyle that showed up after he scored thest basket felt so alive, so happy. I feel like basketball can give Kyle the same thing it gave me. A new view on life''

    Jason walked to Kyle and patted him on the back "Just try it ok? If you really hate it after a couple weeks you can drop it. That''s all I''m asking" Kyle dejectedly nodded his head. Jason patted Kyle a few more times before turning to Coach Swendel "Think you could give us a ride Coach?"

    Jason and Kyle rode in Coach Swendel''s environment and wallet friendly electric car. Kyle had to sit shotgun because it was more amodating to his height than the back seats.

    Kyle''s house was the closest so he got dropped off first. Coach Swendel followed Kyle''s directions until they pulled into a nicemunity. It was full of seemingly newly built one and two story homes.

    Kyle had them stop in front of a house with a moving van parked in front "Stop right there. This is my ce. Thanks for the ride Coach Swendel. Thanks for everything Jason. Really. Thank you" Jason gave him his backpack from the back "No problem man. See you tomorrow."

    The car drove off as Kyle waved goodbye. Eventually he couldn''t see them anymore. Kyle took a deep breath before he started walking towards his house.

    He pulled his key out of his pocket and unlocked the front door. He pulled up the sleeves on his denim jacket before walking in. Making sure to cover any bruises that may be on his arms.

    As soon as he walked in he could see differentlybeled boxes throughout the different areas of the empty house. After he shut the door closed he heard a sweet voice "You home Kyle?"

    Kyle saw his mom walk down the stairs. She was tall for ady standing at 5''10. Her ck shoulder length hair was t ironed and she was dressed in dark green medical scrubs.

    She walked down the stairs and wrapped her arms around Kyle "I was starting to get worried. If you didn''t send that text I was about to call 911!"

    Kyle hugged his mom back as the scent of apples and cinnamon tickled his nose "Sorry mom. I didn''t think I was gonna be sote."

    She backed away from the hug as she began to inspect Kyle which made him nervous. After she was satisfied she went back to hugging him "So how was your first day back to school baby? Did you have fun?"

    Kyle smiled thinking back to his eventful day "Yeah. I had a great day. And I think I even made a new friend"

    Kyle''s mom squealed in joy "I''m so happy for you baby! It was the hair wasn''t it? I told you a new hairstyle would help"

    Kyleughed "Yeah, it kinda was the hair" He originally wanted to change his hair back to how it was before. But after thinking about how happy his mom was and how much effort she put into doing it he couldn''t change it back. And surprisingly enough the new hairstyle did help him meet Jason.

    Coach Swendel Dropped Jason off at his apartmentplex. Jason picked up his bag as he stepped out. He gestured for Coach Swendel lower the car window "Thanks for the ride Coach. Have the team meet up on Friday. I need to see what I''ll be working with"

    Coach Swendel nodded "Sure thing Jason. Make sure you look both ways before you cross any roads. Eat a bnced diet. And don''t open any umbres when you''re indoors ok?" Coach Swendel just found his golden goose. He didn''t want anything bad to possibly happen to it.

    Jason nodded with a confused expression before he started walking away. He walked up the stairs to his apartment, pulled out his keys and opened the door.

    He took his shoes off at the front. He saw that a pair of his mom''s and dad''s shoes were missing so they were probably both at work.

    He walked into the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of cereal ''I gotta drink more milk. And I should probably start exercising more. Even if I have the system that''s no recement for good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle''

    Jason turned on the TV and put it on the sports channel. He was shoveling the soggy cereal that he loved as he watched the game. "Ohe on! How could you fall for that pump fake" Jason was in the middle of criticizing a yers defense when a notification popped up in his vision.

    [Congrattions forpleting Hidden missions "Iron will" and "Go getter". Each mission has awarded you with a special prize!]

 Chapter 10 - Watching The Game

    Jason expanded the windows

    [Iron will: Push your body well beyond your limits! No pain no gain! Requirements: Damage your body to a critical level and persevere to win in apetitive game. Rewards: Skill badge, Ironman.

    Ironman(Bronze): Gives you a tougher body. You will be less likely to experience an injury as well as recover from injuries at an improved rate. Effectiveness decided by badge rank.

    Go getter: The early bird gets the worm! Early to bed early to rise! Requirements: y apetitive game on your first day after unlocking the system.

    Rewards: 10 body configuration points , 1 skill unlock]

    Jason chewed the cereal in his mouth as he thought ''hmmm ording to the system for every 100 points I put into height I can increase my height by an inch.''

    Jason activated the system ''Estimated height''

    [Estimated height a year from now: 5 foot 6 inches tall''

    That was tall for a 13 year old but this growth trajectory was the same one from hisst life ''I need to put more points into height'' Jason dropped all the points towards his height. 20 out of 80 for the extra inch of growth.

    Jason shoveled another spoonful of soggy cereal to his mouth as he switched topics ''Ironman seems like a pretty good skill. I wonder what the skill unlock is?''

    He focused on the skill unlock.

    [Skill unlock: Let''s you choose a one skill to remove its limiting factors. Allowing you to use the skill to your current highest capability.]

    Jason chugged the milk that was left in his bowl "Ahhh". He licked his lips and smiled ''The skill unlock is really good too. Who knew Trell''s bullshit would actually turn out useful''

    Jason continued to watch the game as he thought ''But Go getter''s requirements are time-based. If I didn''t y that 2 on 2 today I would have missed out on it forever. I wonder if there are any more missions like it?''

    Thirty minutes passed by as Jason continued watching the game. Jason wasying on the couch, digging in nostril with his pinky when the door suddenly opened "Jaya!"

    Jason almost fell off the couch. At first he thought it was his mom but then he realized that his mom never barges into the apartment like this.

    Jason was about to turn to see who it was but before he could he felt something fall on top of him. Jason turned his head and saw a familiar face sitting on top of his back.

    She seemed just a few years older than Jason. She had a medium length ck hair cut into a bobcut and a huge grin on her cute face.

    Her bronze skin and fit physique gave off the aura of youth and energy. She was dressed in grey joggers and a in ck T-shirt.

    The familiar face caused a torrent of emotions inside of Jason. The youngdy didn''t seem to notice the change in Jason "So how was your first day Jaya? How''s the school?"

    It was only after he heard her voice that he was pulled back to the present "It was okay Tory. Now could you please get off me?" Jason''s nostrils red as he caught a whiff of something "Did you just get out of practice? You stink!"

    She smiled "You''re not getting off that easy. You need to cough up the detai-" she stopped as she noticed the bruises on Jason''s arms.

    She jumped to her feet and pulled Jason up by his arm "Who did this to you? I told Aunty that I should have dropped you off instead of letting you take the bus. We''re going to your school and you''re going to point out all the people who need to get their skulls cracked"

    Jason pulled his arm "Jeez Tory. You''ll never find a guy if you keep talking like that. To answer your question no one did this to me. I was trying out for the basketball team and I got these bruises from diving for loose balls"

    Jason had gotten pretty good at hiding bruises and marks in his past life. But he didn''t want to do that this time around. This time he wanted to do things differently.

    During the car ride home he had discussed with Coach Swendel in order toe up with an alibi. Jason had originally prepared this lie for his parents. He never expected Tory to just pop up out of nowhere.

    Tory Kim was the daughter of his mom''s coworker/friend who also happened to live in the same apartmentplex as them. Tory was pretty much like an older sister to Jason.

    Tory frowned "Hmmm. Alright. You better not be lying to me or those bruises are gonna get a whole lot worse"

    Her frown lightened up as she ruffled Jason''s hair "So how was your first day? And you tried out for the basketball team? Never thought you were the type"

    Jason "Today was pretty cool. I think I hit it off pretty well with a couple people. sses were boring, nothing much to talk about there."

    Jason started fixing his hair even though it didn''t change all that much "I just thought I would try ying in a team after watching for so long.I think a new school makes for a perfect opportunity to reinvent myself"

    Tory smiled as she then put her arm over Jason''s shoulder and pulled him into a side hug "New school new you huh? That''s good. Sports are definitely a great way to enjoy school"

    Jason rolled his eyes but then he returned the hug "If you''re not doing anything do you want to watch the rest of the game? I can go fix you a bowl of cereal if you''re hungry"

    Tory couldn''t help but squeal as she pulled Jason into an even tighter embrace "A! My little Jaya wants to spend time with me. And he''s even worried about me being hungry. All the time this noona spent taking care of you didn''t go to waste"

    Jasonined in protest but he didn''t try to pull away from her hug "Whatever Tory. I was just offering to be polite. Can you please let go of me so that I can get back to watching the game?"

    After a few more minutes of hugging Tory let go of Jason. He then went back into the kitchen and got another bowl out. He filled it with Tory''s favorite peanut butter vored cereal and some milk.

    Tory and Jason spent the next few hours watching different basketball games and other TV shows. Every once in a while Jason would sneak in a nce at Tory that would linger for just a second. As though he were afraid that she would be gone the next time he wanted to look.

    Tory had been a part of Jason''s life as early on as he could remember. The first Halloween in his memories included him trick-or-treating as a little salt shaker while Tory dressed up as pepper. She spent the entire night shaking her head trying to make the adults who were passing out the candies sneeze.

    On his third birthday his parents threw him a party at the park. He was so excited and hopped up on sugar that he climbed to the top of the monkey bars. The only problem was that after he made it to the top he couldn''t get down because he was afraid of heights.

    All the adults tried to carry him or pull him down but he hugged the bars for dear life while he screamed his lungs out. It wasn''t until little Tory climbed up and sat down next to him to pat his back and reassure him that he was able to climb down albeit with tears and snot running down his face.

    Tory and her dad are practically family to Jason. And that''s why no matter what Jason will make sure that they live long and happy lives this time around.

    During Tory''s senior year of high school she was a top athlete with good grades. She had sport''s schrship offers from multiple schools. She had a bright future ahead of her. Unfortunately that future would nevere into existence.

    That year Tory''s father found out that from his doctor that abnormalities were detected during his colonoscopy. He already lived a fairly healthy lifestyle but he did as much as he could to lower his risk for colon cancer.

    But some things just happen no matter what. Tory''s father began chemo. He was okay at first but the chemo eventually started taking it''s toll. He eventually lost the ability to work so Tory dropped out of school in order to work and support her father.

    Their financial burdens forced her to work two full time jobs and any small part-time gigs she could fit into her schedule. One day she fell asleep at the wheel and got involved in a lethal collision that would end up iming her life.

    Tory''s father was already barely hanging on to life. His rail thin body shook after he heard the news. Jason and his family spent the whole day with him afraid to leave him alone. They invited him to spend the night at their apartment multiple times but he refused.

    They unwillingly left his home after being reassured that he would be alright. The next morning Jason woke up early in the morning to deliver a warm homemade breakfast. After more than ten minutes of knocking and getting no response Jason''s heart dropped to his stomach.

    It wasn''t until the police showed up and forcefully entered that they found uncle Kim''s body lifelesslyying in bed with a picture of Tory gripped tightly in his hands. Dried tear stains still visible on his cold sunken face.

 Chapter 11 - A Good Nights Sleep

    Jason entire body felt warm and rxed as he slept peacefully. He only started to wake up after he felt something poking him in the cheek. He raised his head which had been resting on Tory''s shoulder.

    Tory was watching Jason''s sleepy and dazed face "Thanks for the cereal Jaya. I gotta go do some homework and clean up. I got a text from my dad and he said that the whole office was pulling some overtime tonight"

    Jason started to stretch "Oh. Guess dinner''s gonna be just me and dad tonight. See ya around Tory"

    Jason waved to Tory as she walked out the door.

    Jason continued to stare at the door minutes after Tory had left. A few momentster Jason turned to the window and saw that the sun was beginning to set ''I might have missed out on the chance toplete any hidden time rted missions but I don''t regret it one bit''

    There wasn''t any pain or sadness about losing the chance to earn any rewards. To Jason the few hours that he spent with Tory were worth more than any prize the system could possibly give. He was about to get up to clean the bowls on the table when a notification popped up in the corner of his vision.

    [Congrattions! You''vepleted the hidden mission "Heart''s eye"

    Heart''s eye: Requirements ???? Rewards: Skill badge, Heart''s eye.

    Heart''s eye(Obsidian): Allows you to see other''s skills and badges.]

    It was a short description but it was enough to stun Jason ''This is probably one of the most OP skills I could even imagine. Even if things don''t go well for me as a yer I could probably be the best scout to ever live''

    Jason came back to his senses ''No! I can''t say things like that. I have to want it, I have to be hungry. If I keep thinking about backup ns I won''t be able to keep my focus and intensity up''

    Jason cleaned the table and washed the dishes. An hourter his dad got home. Jason''s dad walked through the door carrying two ck Styrofoam food containers "Hey Jason! I have dinner"

    Jason walked out of his room and to the dinning table "Thanks dad. How''s business today?" Jason''s dad ced a food container in front of Jason as he smiled "Today is going pretty good. I''m going to have to go back after we eat. I just left one of my workers in charge so I could sneak in a quick break"

    Jason smiled as his chest felt warm. This was one of the things that Jason remembered the most fondly of his childhood. No matter how busy both of his parent''s were they would make sure that at least one of them would be around so that Jason would never have to eat dinner alone.

    It might have been a small thing that seemed insignificant to others but to Jason who had to hide his problems in his past life, that warmth and love was what let him make it through each day.

    Jason opened up his container to find a freshly made cheeseburger with a side of fries. The smell of the freshly grilled beef mixed with the aroma of the melted cheese was irresistible.

    Jason took a huge bite out of the burger and he couldn''t help but exim"Hmmmm!" Jason''s dad smiled after seeing his son enjoy his cooking "So how was school? Anything interesting happen?"

    Jason could tell that thest part was pertaining to the bruises on his arm. He liked that about his dad. He would let you know if he thought something was happening but he would let you be the one to start the conversation the way you wanted to.

    Jason swallowed the food in his mouth "School was okay. I think I hit it off pretty well with a few people from ss. And the reason I got homete today was because I tried out for the basketball team after school. I dived for some loose balls and ended up with some bruises"

    Jason got up from the table and run to his room. He came back out with a sheet of paper "The coach said that I made the team. I just need you or mom to sign the permission slip"

    Jason''s dad stood up and went to the kitchen to wash his hands. He came back with a pen and he signed the paper "I''m d to see that your taking things so well. Me and your mom were a little worried if you would be okay going to a new school"

    The two of them them talked as they ate. They talked about what happened during their days. About the games that were yed today and other things.

    As the two of them finished their dinners Jason volunteered to clean up so that his dad could leave for work right away. They both said their goodbyes and Jason''s dad walked out the door.

    Jason watched TV for a bit to let the food digest. After that he spent a few hours working out. He did some push ups, sit ups, squats, and mountain climbers.

    By the time he was done he was dripping wet with sweat again. He took a nice warm shower and put on a clean set of clothes. He stretched and massaged his body for around thirty minutes before he finally decided to call it a night.

    Heid in bed as he stared up at his ceiling. The room was barely illuminated by a small night light located in the corner of his room.

    The night light was there because he didn''t like bumping into things in the dark whenever he had to go to the restroom at night. Not because he was afraid of the dark. Or at least that''s what he told everyone that asked about it.

    He continued to silently stare at the ceiling with no special reason why. And as his eyelids began to feel heavier and heavier his body started to rx.

    ''Man. I can''t remember thest time I was able to just rx like this without having to worry about much. I guess that''s one of the perks of being a kid'' Those were hisst thoughts before he fell into the sweet embrace of the night.

    Morning was the standard routine. Jason woke up and he brushed his teeth .He got dressed, ate breakfast, said his goodbyes to his parents and left for school.

    Jason saw Matt and Brandon with the rest of their crew as he waited for the school bus. Matt was the first one to begrudgingly acknowledge Jason''s presence with a head nod.

    Brandon noticed Jason after he saw Matt''s gesture "Sup guy". Jason nodded "Morning guys" he then proceeded to walk towards them.

    Brandon seemed okay but Matt had his guard up. He had been part of the crowd yesterday and he saw Jason dominate Trell on the court.

    Jason pulled a paper bag out of his backpack and he presented it to Matt "Here man. I know I won the bet and everything yesterday but I still feel bad about it. Take it as a gesture of goodwill"

    When Jason saw what kind of lunch Matt had given him yesterday he got an idea of what kind of situation he had at home. Although Jason and his parents never enjoyed an overlyvish lifestyle they never had to worry about food or having a roof over their head.

    So when Jason saw the humble lunch that he had taken from Matt all the negative feelings he had towards him disappeared. That''s why he asked his dad if he could pack him an extra sandwich for lunch today.

    Matt looked at the paper bag. He wanted to refuse. His pride made it hard for him ept the lunch from Jason but then he thought about his siblings ''I can eat the lunch I have packed and just save the lunch that he''s giving me for my sisters''

    Matt hesitated but eventually he reached his hand forward and received the paper bag from Jason "Thanks man but you didn''t have to do that you know. If I had won the bet yesterday I would have taken whatever you had without a second thought"

    Jason couldn''t help butugh after hearing Matt''s shameless honesty "I know. And that''s cool. But people don''t have to do nice things for me to do em. I just do what I feel is right"

    Matt was surprised after hearing what Jason had to say. He paused for a second before he stuck out his fist "I''m Matt and this is Brandon" Brandon nodded towards Jason "Sup new kid"

    Jason returned the gesture and fist bumped Matt "Nice to officially meet you guys I''m Jason. I think we can just scratch yesterday off the records" Matt smiled "You know what? Maybe you''re not so bad new kid"

    Compared to yesterday where Jason spent the whole bus ride sitting by himself in silence today waspletely different.

    He sat with Matt and Brandon''s group as they talked nonstop about Basketball. Matt was the only one actually on the team right now but Brandon and the rest of the kids were crazy about basketball.

    They asked Jason all sorts of questions ranging from ''How did you get so good at shooting? Did you use to y at your old school?'' to ''What was it like to defend Trell?''

    Jason didn''t mind all their questions. In fact he had a st talking about ying ball. Jason told them about different methods they could use to train the different areas of their game. And he even gave them pointers about ying defense.

    The group was surprised at how friendly and easy to talk to Jason was. His usual deadpan face and intense eyes coupled with how he one-sidedly beat Trell into submission on the basketball court gave everyone the impression that he would be an intimidating person.

    By the time that the school bus had reached the school all the kids had added Jason to their online friends list and they had all exchanged numbers.

    They all got off the bus and they walked towards the school as a group. Without even realizing it Jason had be the center of the group. They wereughing and joking around as they were about to enter the school when they were stopped by a familiar voice "Yo Jason"

    Everyone turned around and saw Trell. He was by himself. His group nowhere to be seen. He walked towards Jason "Follow me".

    Jason''s eyebrow raised "But it''s almost time for ss?" His voicecked any sense of nervousness. Trell scrunched up his face "It doesn''t matter. I heard that you have Mr.Rivera for your first period. Even if you skip his ss he''ll mark you present"

    To be honest Jason really didn''t want to see that teacher''s face. And he was confident that he could easily ace the ss without even having to show up. But that didn''t mean that he would just back down to Trell.

    But before Jason could say anything he was surprised by the figure that he saw step forward. Matt had stepped forward from the group,

    His body was shaking and his face was paler than usual "Y-you lost the bet yesterday Trell. You better not be thinking about doing some dirty shit"

    Trell''s face got red hot in an instant "I lost the bet to Jason! But that don''t mean I won''t beat your ass white boy!" Matt flinched after hearing Trell yell. He instinctively closed his eyes but after a few seconds the punch that he was expecting nevernded.

    He opened his eyes and saw Jason standing in between him and Trell. Jason patted Trell on the shoulder like he was petting a cat "Cool it Trell. Alright I''ll follow you."

    Jason didn''t think too much about following Trell. If he really wanted to hurt him there was no point ining up with an borate n.

    He could just gang up on him with all of his goons. And if he had no ns of following the rules of the bet then he would never have gotten the water bottle for him after the game.

    Jason turned to Matt and the rest of the group "I''ll be okay. Catch you guyster" he waved as he started walking away with Trell.

    After a good ten minutes of walking Jason began to wonder ''Where the hell are we going?''. It wasn''t until a few more minutes of walking had passed by that he finally saw something ''Is this a park? I think I see a basketball court''

 Chapter 12 - First Encounter

    Jason followed Trell to what seemed to be a park. It was empty except for the basketball courts where a few people were ying.

    They seemed to know Trell as they all greeted him. Trell walked up to one of the guys and asked "Ya''ll got a ball I can borrow real quick?"

    The man was easily at least 6''4. He had dark brown skin and his hair was short all around. He looked at Trell "What you mean borrow a ball? Bruh. Ain''t you supposed to be in school?"

    Trell pointed to Jason "I told ya''ll yesterday I was gonna hoop with the dude that beat me after school. You gonna let me borrow a ball or nah Tyreek?"

    Tyreek tossed the ball to Trell but then he looked to where Trell was pointing and he erupted intoughter.

    "Hahaha! Yo Trell. You have got to be kidding right? I thought you said you lost in a basketball game not a dumpling making contest"

    Jason wasn''t surprised to hear the joke that Tyreek made. Ever since the modern era of basketball the sport had been a predominately ck sport. Majority of the pro yers in the Basketball Association were ck.

    And even among the different races that yed in the professional Basketball Association Asian yers made up the smallest number.

    If this had happened in the past Jason would have felt mad at being mocked or out of ce for being the only Asian person here.

    But Jason had made it all the way to the collegiate level of basketball in his past life. He had been around African Americans so much that he felt right at home.

    Tyreek continued "I would understand if you lost to a Yao ming looking ass dude but this little guys a shrimp man. How the fuck you lose to him Trell?" Tyreek couldn''t stopughing.

    Trell ignored Tyreek. He turned to Jason "Let''s y one on one. If I win me and my crew are free. If I lose I''ll add another day to the bet. But that only counts for me and not my crew"

    Jason smiled "Sure. You wanna shoot for it?" The two of them walked toward one of the empty courts.

    Trell went first. Just likest time his shot was way off. He hit the top of the backboard. Jason walked up to the free throw line and took a shot.

    Everyone watched as he started his beautiful and fundamentally sound shooting motion. The ball flew in a high straight arc before swishing through the.

    Jason took the first possession. This time Trell started off guarding Jason extremely tight. He pressed Jason with his body and put his hands up and to the side.

    Jason couldn''t help but notice the improvement in Trell''s defensive stance ''Feet are further apart giving him betterteral movement.

    Hands are up and to the side to contest a shot as well as to help prevent dribble drives. Looks like he did a little practicing.''

    Jason thought it would be a great chance to try out the new Badge that he just unlocked. He activated the badge ''Heart''s eye''

    [Skills

    Free throw: F

    Lay Up: F

    Dunking: D+

    Close Shot: F+

    Mid Range Shooting: F

    Three Point Shooting: F

    Dribbling: F+

    Passing: F

    Ball Handling: F+

    y Making: F

    Post Scoring: F

    Rebounding: D

    Post Control: F

    Perimeter Defense: D

    Post Defense: F+

    Steals: D-

    Blocks: D-

    Athleticism: AA ]

    Jason saw Trell''s skill grades ''Looks like he doesn''t have any badges'' But he was disappointed that Trell didn''t have any skill badges.

    Jason smiled "Looks like someone went home and watched a couple videos on how to y defense" The vein on Trell''s neck bulged "Shut up and start already"

    Jason was standing in triple threat position when he jab stepped to the right. Trell fell for it and took a slight step to the right as Jason began driving towards the left.

    Trell turned and started running for Jason but just as he was about to catch up Jason nted his foot into the ground and came to a stop with a behind the back dribble. Trell ended up running past Jason by a couple steps.

    Jason was wide open and he took the mid-range shot. It was another swish as the ball hit nothing but.

    Jason kept his hand in the air from the follow through of his shot "I''d give you an A for effort Trell but that''s about it"

    Tyreek whistled in amazement "Damn! Looks like Jackie Chan Jr. got some moves on the court" Trell ignored Tyreek. He clenched his jaw as he pushed the words through his teeth "Next possession"

    It was Trell''s turn on offense. This time he tried his pure power to drive to the basket. But Jason stuck by his side never losing contact for a second.

    Trell managed to get to the basket but Jason used his positioning and a good angle to put his hand up and contest the shot.

    Trell shouted in anger after seeing his shot miss "Fuck" but Jason chased after the ball and got the rebound.

    He ran to the outside of the three-point line. Trell ran after Jason after he realized that he had gotten the rebound but it was toote. Jason bent his knees, aligned his elbow and his wrist with the basket and shot the ball.

    The ball flew straight to the hoop and fell through the with a swish. Tyreek was ck-jawed for a moment before he pped the guy next to him on the back "You see that?! Little dude got range for days bruh. Looking like a sniper out here."

    The game went by much like yesterdays. Trell struggled to guard Jason while Jason would then lock Trell down on the defensive side of the ball.

    Butpared to yesterday Jason missed a couple shots and Trell was able to make two shots. The final score was 21 to 4.

    Jason was tired but the fatigue wasn''t as bad as what he felt yesterday. He still had some cramps but they were a lot milderpared tost time.

    Jason wiped the sweat off his face with his shirt before turning to Trell "Looks like I got you for another day."

    Trell wiped the sweat off his head with his forearm "Yeah I know. I don''t go back on my word." He took the ball and walked back to Tyreek "Thanks man."

    Tyreek took the ball and passed it to the person next to him "No problem Trell." He then got up and walked towards Jason.

    He patted Jason on the back with a huge grin on his face "Sup little guy. You really showed out. Mad respect. I was wrong for clowning you earlier. You a certified hooper."

    He continued "Anytime you want toe around and hoop on these courts you''re always wee. If anybody tries to give you problems just let em know that you friends with Tyreek"

    Jason smiled back at Tyreek "Sure thing. And don''t worry about the joking around. No hard feeling here" Jason was slightly curious so he used Heart''s eye on Tyreek. He was shocked.

    [Skills

    Free throw: SS+

    Lay Up: SS+

    Dunking: SS+

    Close Shot: SS+

    Mid Range Shooting: SS+

    Three Point Shooting: SS+

    Dribbling: SS+

    Passing: SS+

    Ball Handling: SS+

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: SS+

    Rebounding: SS+

    Post Control: SS+

    Perimeter Defense: SS+

    Post Defense: SS+

    Steals: SS+

    Blocks: SS+

    Athleticism: SS+ ]

    Tyreek looked like he was around 20 years old. And even though these were the grades of his skills inparison to the middle school level it was still impressive.

    Jason was curious "Hey Tyreek. Do you y college ball?" Tyreek smiled "Haha! How''d you know? Did you see me on the newspaper or did you see the interview on the news? I guess I''m starting to be a small time celebrity around these parts."

    Tyreek puffed out his chest "I was scouted by the University of Riverside. All I need to do is ball up for myst year of high school and I''ll be guaranteed a spot"

    It was like pieces of a puzzle snapped together in Jason''s brain after he heard Tyreek say that he was scouted by UR.

    Tyreek Hills. He was a promising local athlete who had the ability to make it to the next level after college. Many scouts thought he would be ate first or a early second round pick.

    Unfortunately he would never see himself walk onto that bright stage. The night after he hit a buzzer beating shot to win thest game of the college season that secured their spot in the yoffs bracket he was hit by a drunk driver on his way home.

    He survived the ident but he was never the same athlete afterwards. Jason was lost in his memories before he was pulled back by the notification that popped into his vision.

    [Mission: Second Chance. Your heart is burning with ambition after meeting someone who had their dreams stolen from them! Help Tyreek get drafted into the professional Basketball Association. The higher in the draft he is selected the better the rewards you will receive]

    Jason thought to himself ''Getting him drafted shouldn''t be hard. If it weren''t for the ident in my past life he would have made it all on his own. The problem is if I want to get better rewards. How can I get him drafted higher?''

 Chapter 13 - Settling In

    Jason was thinking about how to maximize the reward from the mission but he suddenly remembered something. He pulled out his phone "Shit!"

    He was about to run back to school when he remembered about Tyreek. He asked Tyreek "Hey Tyreek think you could add me to your friends list?"

    Tyreek smiled as he pulled out his phone "Sure thing bro. What was your name again?" Jason introduced himself and Tyreek added him as a friend online as well as exchange numbers.

    Jason waved to Tyreek "See you some other time Tyreek. I gotta go or I''ll bete for my next ss." Jason was making his way back to the school when he saw Trell walking alongside him "We''re just headed the same way. This don''t mean we cool"

    This time around Jason ran instead of just walking so he was able to get back to the school in five minutes. ''Just enough time to get to ss''

    Jason ran past the doors just as the bell rang. Ms. Yuller rolled her eyes as the door mmed behind Jason "Nice to see that you decided to grace us with your presence Mr. Yang. Maybe next time you can try for a less dramatic entrance?"

    Jason could feel his face and his ears heat up. He nodded as a blush began to spread on his face "Sorry Ms. Yuller. It won''t happen again"

    Jason scanned the ssroom and saw that everyone sat in the same seats as yesterday. Which only meant one thing.

    "Pst! Over here" There was a familiar face waving down Jason. Jason walked toward the empty seat. Samantha was patting the seat with a smile on her face "Good boy! Now sit"

    This time it was Jason''s turn to roll his eyes. He was d that his face was already red so that it couldn''t get any redder.

    He put his bag down and pulled the chair out further so that he could sit down "Still on that dog thing huh?"

    Samantha stifled herugh with her hand "Hehe! I would give you a treat if I was carrying any around. Guess you''ll have to settle for this" Samantha pulled out her phone and started ying a video.

    Jason turned to make sure that Ms. Yuller wasn''t paying attention to them. After he saw that she was busy writing something on the whiteboard he started to watch the video on Samantha''s phone.

    The video was kinda shaky but thanks to the quality of cameras on phones nowadays it was crystal clear. It was Jason and Trell ying ball after school.

    Jason was surprised "What''s this?" Samantha''s voice wasced with sarcasm "You can''t tell by watching? It''s a video of you and Trell ying"

    Jason fired back with his own sarcasm "Oh gee thanks Captain obvious. You know that''s not what I meant. Did you record this? Why do you have this?"

    Samantha put her phone away after she saw Ms. Yuller beginning to turn back around to the ss. After a few minutes the teacher went back to writing on the whiteboard.

    Samantha whispered to Jason "I didn''t record this. It''s on youtube. And you have-" She pulled out her cell phone and checked something really quick "about Ten thousand views already"

    Jason was surprised. He couldn''t think of anything to say for a few seconds "Wow! Ten thousand views!? But that was just yesterday!?"

    Jason caught himself and kept his voice to a whisper. Samantha grinned in satisfaction after seeing Jason''s reaction "I heard you missed your first ss so maybe you don''t know yet. But you''re the talk of the town Mr. Superstar"

    The ss passed by quickly. Jason and Samantha made small talk through the whole ss while making sure not to catch Ms. Yuller''s attention.

    The bell rang as everyone got packed and ready to head to their next ss. Jason and Samantha said their goodbyes before leaving the ssroom.

    Jason waited by the door until he saw Kyle walk out. Kyle smiled after he saw Jason but then he looked nervous as he asked "I heard Trell called you out this morning and took you somewhere? Everything okay?"

    Jason patted Kyle on the shoulder "It''s all good man. I told you Trell wouldn''t even dream of messing with me after the beating I gave him yesterday morning."

    They started walking to their next ss. They maneuvered their way through the crowded and bustling hallways. Just as they were about to walk through the door to their next ss Jason turned to Kyle "Oh yeah. Let''s head to the gym after school today. Ask your folks if that''s cool with them"

    The day passed by quickly. Jason and Kyle walked to the gym. Jason stopped by Coach Swendel''s office. He knocked on the door and a few secondster he heard Coach Swendel''s voice "Come in "

    Coach Swendel was sitting with his feet on his desk and his chair reclined all the way. He was chewing a mouthful of food and holding a half eaten sandwich as he watched a video on his cellphone. He was mumbling with food in his mouth "Damn! His basketball skills look even better on video"

    After he saw Jason''s face he almost fell out of his chair. He identally dropped his phone as he quickly tried to remove his feet from his desk. He started choking and coughing on the food in his mouth.

    After a bit of coughing and chugging half the red sports drink out of the bottle Coach Swendel smiled at Jason "Hey Jason. I was just thinking about you"

    Jason heard some screaming and cheering. He looked around and saw Coach Swendel''s phone on the floor. It was still ying the video of him ying against Trell "I can see that"

    Coach Swendel grabbed his phone and stopped the video before he put it away in his pocket. He smiled at Jason "So what can I do for you Jason?"

    Jason didn''t bother to take a seat "I just stopped by to ask if you could take some of the equipment out and If I could use the gym. As long as that''s alright with you"

    Coach Swendel jumped to his feet "Whatever you need Jason. I told you I would try my best to amodate you"

    Coach Swendel pulled all the equipment out of the storage closet andid them all out in the gym. Jason grabbed a ball and started dribbling it. Kyle turned to Jason "So what are we doing here?"

    Jason focused on his dribbling as he imagined a defender to practice against "We in the gym. We on the court. And we got all this equipment out here. What else could we possibly be doing Kyle?"

    Jason stopped dribbling and he let the ball bounce away from him. He walked to Kyle and pulled him to the Basket.

    Jason picked a ball up from the floor and tossed tossed it into the basket. The ball fell through the but it bounced back out after hitting the device attached to the bottom of the rim.

    Jason then tossed the ball to Kyle "That''s a practice ring for practicing rebounds. It spits the ball back out after it falls through the. I want you to practice rebounding" Jason had taken a look at Kyle''s skills and their levels.

    [Skills

    Free throw: F-

    Lay Up: F

    Dunking: D-

    Close Shot: F

    Mid Range Shooting: F-

    Three Point Shooting: F-

    Dribbling: F-

    Passing: F

    Ball Handling: F-

    y Making: F-

    Post Scoring: D-

    Rebounding: D-

    Post Control: D-

    Perimeter Defense: F

    Post Defense: D-

    Steals: F

    Blocks: D-

    Athleticism: B+ ]

    Jason was surprised. Kyle was a better athlete than he showed. If his athleticism was a B+ then that meant that it was only a few notches below Trell''s.

    Jason thought that the best way to utilize Kyle''s height and athleticism in the shortest amount of time would be to make him a better rebounder and rim protector.

    Right now all he wanted to do was to get Kyle used to using his quick twitch muscles in the context of jumping and grabbing rebounds.

    Jason could always teach Kyle about boxing out and positioning some other time.

    Kyle caught the ball. He moved it around in his hands for a few seconds ''You already came this far Kyle. Might as well just go with the flow. Who knows. You might even have fun''. He threw the ball into the basket and started practicing. After doing it a couple times he asked Jason "So how long do you want me to do this?"

    Jason went back to practicing his dribbling against his imaginary defender. He was in the middle of connecting a hesitation to a spin move when he heard Kyle''s question. He answered while he executed his moves "Until practice is done"

    Jason''s answer caught Kyle off guard. He lost focus for a second and got hit in the face with the ball as it fell from the basket "Ouch! You''re kidding right Jason?"

    Sweat dripped from Jason''s nose as he kept his focus on his dribbling "Nope. Dead serious". A couple minutes passed by with Jason and Kyle working up a sweat in the gym before they heard a set of footsteps approaching.

    Matt walked in through the halls. He saw Jason and Kyle practicing. Jason spoke to Matt as he dribbled "Sup man. Did you do the thing I asked?"

    Matt set his backpack against the wall "Sorry I''mte. I did what you asked for. I talked to the other guys on the team. I asked them if they wanted to get some runs in but they said they wanted to enjoy the time off that Coach gave them until Friday."

    Matt hesitated for a second "I don''t get it. If you wanted them to show up you could have just told Coach to call them. If it''s him then they would have to show up"

    Jason kept his attention on the defender he created "I didn''t want to force anyone Matt. You could have skipped out too. This is just for whoever wants it. I''m only giving out tes to whoever''s hungry. So how about you?"

    Matt thought back to the game yesterday. Just thinking about the season they were going to have ahead of them with Jason on the team made his blood boil "I''m starving man"

    Jason took a break from his dribbling to take a quick look at Matt''s skill levels.

    [Skills

    Free-throw: D+

    Lay Up: D

    Dunking: F

    Close Shot: D

    Mid Range Shooting: D-

    Three Point Shooting: D

    Dribbling: D

    Passing: D

    Ball Handling: D+

    y Making: D

    Post Scoring: F

    Rebounding: F+

    Post Control: F

    Perimeter Defense: D-

    Post Defense: F+

    Steals: D-

    Blocks: F

    Athleticism: C+ ]

    It was just about what Jason expected ''His best skills are free-throws and threes. This is his second year on the team so I was expecting his defense to be a little better. But I guess I can''t ask for too much from the worst team in the county''

    Jason looked at Matt " Go to the other court and practice your threes with Coach". Matt nodded and looked at Kyle practicing his rebounding "Look''s like you brought everyone huh?"

    Jason shook his head "Nah. It''s not everyone yet". Kyle and Matt looked questioningly at Jason. Everyone at this point knew Jason but Jason himself didn''t know that many people at the school.

    Matt thought to himself ''Did he invite Brandon? Or maybe someone else from our group? No that can''t be it. He would have just told me to bring them with me if that was the case''

    It was then that another set of footsteps could be heard walking through the corridor. Coach Swendel, Kyle, and Matt turned to the entrance. All of their jaws dropped to the floor after they realized who it was.

    Trell stared at Jason with a displeased expression on his face "What''d you call me out for man?" Jason tossed a basketball to Trell "You said you were a man of your word right?"

    Trell caught the ball with one hand "Yeah. And that''s why I''m here and not beating your face in right now" Jason rolled his eyes "I''m not sure if that''s the reason why but okay. Whatever you need to tell yourself."

    Jason turned and looked at everybody in the gym "I hope we can all get along with each other. Because for the foreseeable future we''re going to be meeting up everyday to drop some blood sweat and tears on this hardwood"

 Chapter 14 - The Days Pass By

    Everyone was in shock. For a moment everything was silent except for the ball that was bouncing because Kyle forgot to grab the rebound.

    Trell was the first one toe back to his senses "Hell nah man! You must be crazy. Just because I''ve been leaving you and your sidekick alone you think you can push it even further!? Man I''m out of here"

    Trell turned around and walked two steps before he was stopped by Jason "I thought you were a man of your word Trell? Besides you only need to be on the team until you can beat me."

    Jason continued "You know that thing you tried to pull earlier this morning at the park? I''ll give a chance everyday after school to win back your freedom. Same rules as this morning. You win and you''re free. I win and I get you for another day. Pretty simple if you ask me. That is unless you don''t think you could ever beat me?"

    Trell squeezed his hands in his pockets as he clenched his jaw tight. He turned to Jason with an intense look in his eyes "Deal. You''re on"

    And so two hours passed with the gym filled with the noise of balls pounding against the hardwood and sneakers squeaking.

    Kyle spent the entire time catching rebounds. His sense of timing improvedpared to when he first started. He could time his jumps better when he went for the ball.

    Matt was practicing his three-point shot with Coach Swendel who would get the rebound on his missed shots and pass him the ball.

    Jason and Trell spent the entire time ying one on one. Jason imposed a rule on himself to make it fair for Trell.

    Jason gave himself only 4 dribbles before he had to shoot while Trell could y normally. After two hours passed everyone was tired.

    Kyle wasying on the floor gasping for air. A small puddle of sweat forming around him on the ground.

    Matt''s arms and legs were shaky. His arms trembled as he struggled to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He wobbled as he walked to the water fountain for a drink.

    Trell was in the best condition even whenpared to Coach Swendel who didn''t do that much. Trell had some perspiration on his forehead and sweat all around his body but his breathing was just slightlybored.

    Jason on the other hand had taken his shirt off because it had be heavy with sweat. He picked up his shirt from the ground and use it to wipe his hair.

    Drops of sweat were flicked out of his hair as he continued drying up. Jason was gasping for air ''Damn! I really need to start doing more cardio. I can''t believe something like this is enough to get me winded. Back in college I could have done four more hours easy''

    Coach Swendel couldn''t help but look at Jason with some admiration in his eyes ''This kid has more than just the skills on the court. He has the qualities of a leader. Just the fact that he was able to make Trell show up and practice is a miracle on its own''

    Coach Swendel looked around at Matt, Kyle, and Trell ''But the fact that he was able to push these guys into giving it a hundred percent effort. It takes a special type of person to pull the best out of others like that''

    Jason had his soaking wet shirt thrown across his shoulder. He drank some water out of his bottle before pouring the rest over his head. The ice cold water made Jason feel refreshed.

    Jason then turned to everybody with a rare smile "That was a good workout guys. Thanks for letting us do this Coach". Coach Swendel smiled "Any time Jason. Just let me know"

    Jason nodded "Well you might as well get ready to prepare the gym everyday after school Coach. Because if we want to go from the worst team in the county to county title contenders and beyond then this needs to be a natural part of our lives"

    Jason paused for a second before starting again "Just as natural as breathing and eating. If we can do that then something else will be natural too. Winning"

    Everyone groaned in unison. They were all tired and sore but in each of their eyes was an undeniable glimmer.

    The next few days passed by in a blur. Everyday was busy and packed. After the practices in the gym Jason would get home and do his own workouts in his room in order to build up his body.

    Jason and Trell''s one on one games continued every day after school. Trell was slowly improving on the defensive and offensive side of the ball but it still wasn''t enough to beat Jason. Trell lost every single game he yed against Jason.

    Jason''s parents were thrilled to see their son so passionate and engaged. Everyday they would ask about how practice went and about how the other boys were doing.

    They were also excited and asked Jason about when their first game would be. Jason told them that they had a practice game against Mt. Vernon middle school. They were a middle of the pack team in the county.

    They weren''t one of the best teams in Riverside but they weren''t one of the worst either. But they were a lot betteredpared to Jefferson middle.

    It was just a scrimmage and it didn''t count towards their record for the season but Jason thought this game was important.

    ''This game can help me evaluate where the team''s at without worrying about it affecting our record. But most importantly depending on how this game goes it might set the tone for the rest of the season.''

    Tomorrow was Friday. The day that Coach Swendel scheduled the first team practice of the year. And Just on week before the practice game against Mt. Vernon.

    Jason and Samantha were chatting andughing in Ms. Yuller''s english ss. They were assigned a project together and the teacher assigned the rest of ss time to work on the project. So they could talk without having to worry about getting in trouble.

    Samantha sighed as she blew as strand of her red hair out of her face "Ms. Yuller really had to give us this freaking project on a Friday. I was so ready to spend this weekend chilling"

    Jason didn''t pay attention to her whining. He continued reading the book in his hand as he answered "It''s not that bad Sammy. You want to do Chapter four or five?"

    Samantha pouted "I forgot I was talking to Mr. No life over here. Obviously you wouldn''t mind having to spend your weekend doing this dumb project"

    Jason put his book down as he looked at Samantha "What do you mean Mr. No life? I will have you know that I live a very busy life."

    Samantha rolled her eyes "Dribbling a ball until you smell like armpits and sweaty socks doesn''t count"

    Jason cracked a small smile "Oh yeah? And what does our all knowing Overlord consider as fun". She smiled as soon as she heard that "I''m d you asked"

    Samantha pulled out her phone and searched something up before showing it to Jason "Ms. Yuller said we could either read two chapters from the book and write our own opinions on them or we could watch the movie adaptation and reenact a five minute scene"

    Jason didn''t seem as excited as Samantha "That sounds like a lot more work than just reading and writing a short paper"

    Samantha looked at Jason with a pitying expression as she patted him on the back "It''s okay Jason. You don''t know how to have fun. But you are lucky that you have me as your project partner. I will teach you all about having fun"

    Jason gave up "Alright. I''ll watch the movie tonight or tomorrow. Just let me know which scene you want to practice"

    Samantha got worked up for some reason "Wait! You can''t just watch the movie on your own! That takes the fun out of it!"

    She pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper "Just give me your address and I''ll stop by". Jason took the pencil from her hand and started writing which created a small smile on her face.

    Samantha hesitated for a second but while Jason was writing she added "Y-you should probably put your number on their too. Just in case I get lost or something"

    Jason thought ''I mean it would be pretty hard to get lost if you use gps but whatever'' he still decided to write down his number.

    Jason just realized "Hey. If you don''t have anything nned for today you could wait for my game to finish and then we could just head to my ce together. Just have your ride pick you up. If you can''t then we can just watch the movie tomorrow"

    Samantha shook her head "I don''t have much nned for today. I can stay and watch your game. That way we can get this project out of the way sooner"

    English ss ended and Jason and Samantha made their ns to meet up after the game. During the day Jason would find time during sses to talk with Kyle about the game.

    "So when I do this sign that means I want you to set a pick for me alright? If our defenders switch on the pick and roll I want you to dive to the basket and establish positioning for a post up"

    "If your guy posts you up remember to bump him back whenever he tries to back you down. Don''t body him too close because then he can spin off you. Use your forearm and your hands to help defend while giving you some cushion space. Remember to keep your hands up and active in the post."

    Even during lunch all they talked about was basketball.

    "If they send you to the free-throw line don''t get nervous. Just try your best. You''ve only been ying ball for a week and we haven''t really practiced free-throws. No one is expecting you to be amazing"

    The day passed by like that. The bell range signaling that school was finished. Jason and Kyle walked towards the gym "Hey Jason. This is gonna be our first time meeting the rest of the team. Doesn''t it feel kinda weird that we''re only meeting each other right before our first game?"

    Jason nodded "Yeah. We haven''t even practiced with each other. This game might be sloppy" Even though Jason said that his voice didn''t have a trace of nervousness or worry.

    In fact it sounded rather nonchnt "But it doesn''t really matter. We''re still gonna win." Kyle turned towards Jason "How can you be so sure?" Jason took a look at his stats.

    [Skills

    Free throw: S (SS+)

    Lay Up: A+ (SS+)

    Dunking: F

    Close Shot: A+ (SS+)

    Mid Range Shooting: A+ (SS+)

    Three Point Shooting: A+ (SS+)

    Dribbling: A+ (SS+)

    Passing: A+ (SS+)

    Ball Handling: A+ (SS+)

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: C+ (A)

    Rebounding: C+ (A)

    Post Control: B+ (S+)

    Perimeter Defense: A+ (SS+)

    Post Defense: B+ (S+)

    Steals: A+ (SS+)

    Blocks: B+ (A+)

    Athleticism: C+ ]

    Jason shrugged "I can''t even imagine us losing as long as I''m on the court" Kyle was surprised by Jason''s answer.

    He was stunned for a moment. It took him a couple seconds to recover "Hey wait up!" he started running to catch up with Jason.

 Chapter 15 - The First Half

    Jason stepped through the doors to the locker-room and saw Coach Swendel dressed in jeans and a white cored shirt.

    Coach swendel was holding a clipboard and talking to someone when he noticed Jason walk in "Jason! I''m d to see you. I have your jersey right here. Oh and this wasst years team captain. Udonis this is Jason. The newest member of the team"

    Udonis was a year older than Jason. He was about 5''9 tall for a 13 year old. His skin was darker than Kyle and he had a bit of heft to him. He wasn''t fat but rather husky. He had his short hair styled in waves all around his head.

    Jason shook his hand "Nice to meet you Udonis" Udonis smiled "Nice to finally see you in person. I''ve only seen your video so far"

    Udonis thought back to the conversation he had with Coach Swendel when he first walked into the locker-room ten minutes ago.

    Coach Swendel had shown Udonis the video of Jason ying against Trell "Udonis I''m telling you. This kid is special he has future superstar written all over him"

    Udonis nodded "You ain''t lying Coach. He look nice with it. But what''s this got to do with me? Why''d you tell me toe here earlier than everyone else?"

    Coach Swendel hesitated for a moment before he decided to just bite the bullet "In order to get him to join the team I had to promise him that he could run the show"

    Udonis was surprised "What!?" Coach Swendel looked at Udonis "And your reaction is why I called you here. If everyone else on the team sees Jason getting special treatment it might cause some friction. You''ve been with those boys for years Udonis. Think you can keep the locker-room in check?"

    Udonis answered right away "So you''re asking me to sponsor this kid? I''m sorry but I don''t cosign people that easy Coach. That''s my name I''m putting on the line"

    Coach Swendel pleaded "Please Udonis. Just give it some thought huh? How about you just try it for this game. If it turns out he''s not worth the trouble then you can forget about it"

    Udonis thought for a moment "Alright Coach. I''ll be watching him during the game. If he ain''t worth it then I''m sorry but I ain''t sticking my neck out for him"

    Back to the present. Jason and Kyle put on their Jerseys as the rest of the team arrived. There were fifteen of them in total.

    Trell was wearing his Jersey as he listened to some music on his headphones. Jason tapped him on the shoulder "Hey thanks for showing up Trell"

    Trell sneered "You just lucky I ain''t beat you yet. But since I am here we better win. Bet or no bet I''ll beat your ass if you dragged me here just to take another L"

    Jason took a look at all the kids as they gathered around and listened to Coach Swendel give his speech about sportsmanship and winning.

    Jason wasn''t trying to be mean but he couldn''t really remember the name of any of the kids besides the one that wasst years team captain, Udonis.

    This was a problem in his past life too. If you couldn''t give him a reason to remember your name or face then he probably wasn''t going to.

    It was only five minutes to game time. Coach Swendel announced the starting five. Jason (PG), Matt (SG), Trell (SF), Udonis (PF), and Kyle (C)

    Some of the kids got upset after hearing the starting lineup "Coach! How you gonna have three kids who just joined the team be on the starting five! This ain''t fair!"

    Coach Swendel looked at Udonis. Udonis noticed the look Coach Swendel was giving him. He stepped forward and faced the other kids.

    "Heye on guys. This is a practice game so that we can see what we got and how good we are. This is the best time to give the new guys minutes because even if we lose it won''t affect our record"

    Udonis looked at the rest of the team "I don''t want to hear anyone elsein okay? Let''s just y hard today"

    The ones who wereining lowered their heads. No moreints were raised. Jason looked at Udonis with some admiration.

    ''He was able to bring things under control pretty quickly. I guess being team captain wasn''t just for show''

    The team walked out of the locker-room and onto the court. Jefferson middle school wore their team colors white and ck. Mt. Vernon''s jerseys were silver and ck. The opposing teams center was the same height as Udonis.

    He was going to face off against Kyle for the jump ball. The referee held the ball as Kyle stood there staring at it.

    Kyle was nervous. His hands shaky and sweaty. But then he remembered what Jason told them as they walked out of the locker-room.

    "Everyone gets nervous Kyle. Just remember that you just need to try your best. If you fuck up I''ll have your back."

    The referee tossed the ball into the air. The look in Kyle''s eyes intensified ''Just try your best. Jason is right behind you''

    Kyle jumped as the ball reached it''s apex. His long arms extended towards the ball. The opposing team''s Center was still on his way up when he saw Kyle''s finger tips reach the basketball.

    Kyle managed to tip the ball over to Jason. The opposing team went to 2-3 Zone Defense.

    Jason sneered ''This is pure disrespect. I better let them know who they''re ying against''

    In middle school the three point line was a little less than 20 feet. Jason dribbled the ball up to the top of the arc before he shot the ball.

    Not only was the opposing team surprised Jason''s own teammates were surprised as well. Udonis stared as the ball flew through the air. He even forgot to position himself for the rebound.

    Swish. The ball fell through the. The referee was stunned for a second before he remembered to blow his whistle as he raised his hand in the air with three fingers to indicate that a three pointer had been scored.

    It had only been five seconds since the start of the game but Jason had already scored a three. The opposing teams coach was yelling "Stick with the n! Don''t let them shake you up! That was just a lucky shot! Run the offense!"

    The opposing team inbounded the ball to their Point Guard. But as soon as he received the ball Jason was pressing up against him.

    The opposing coach was surprised again ''Full court press!? No it''s just that one kid. The rest of his team is ying normal defense''

    The opposing team''s Point Guard struggled to get past Jason as he suffocated him. In his panicked attempt to get past Jason he lost his dribble. The coach began yelling again "Pass the ball! Just get rid of it!"

    But it was toote. The referee blew his whistle "Ten second vition!". In the professional Basketball Association you had eight seconds to advance the ball past the half-court line once the ball has been inbounded. In middle school you had ten seconds.

    Jason managed to steal a possession. His nostrils red as he stared his opponent down before walking back to his team. Jason was dribbling the ball once again as Mt. Vernon stuck to their 2-3 Zone Defense.

    As Jason approached the top of the arc his defender hesitated between sticking to his zone or closing out on Jason.

    The coach could see the hesitation in his yer "Stick to the zone! That was just a lucky shot! focus on protecting the paint!" After hearing his coach the yer decided to stick to his zone.

    Jason was wide open. As soon as he reached the top of the arc he let the ball fly once again. The opposing coach was swearing in his mind.

    ''What the hell is the other coach thinking! He''s just giving his yer the green light like that!? Is he even treating this game seriously!?''

    But he had to swallow his own words as he saw the ball once again swishing through the. Udonis stared at Jason ''Damn! Guess coach wasn''t lying. This kid''s even better than on the video. We might really have a shot at the county title''

    The opposing team had to inbound the ball again. Jason stuck close to the Point Guard before they could even throw the ball in. In the end they had to inbound it to a different yer.

    The opposing team tried to run their offense. As they were executing a y Jason was trash talking the Point Guard "You see that? I took you out of the y. Your coach don''t trust you to y against me"

    The Point Guard scowled "Shut up man. It''s just the beginning of the game. You guys are gonna lose that lead real soon"

    Trash talking was a part of basketball. If done right you can get in your opponent''s head and under their skin. You can prevent them from ying to their best potential.

    Jason had an abundance of experience in trash talkingpared to these little kids. In fact he was already toning it down. He didn''t want to go overboard and make a little kid cry.

    The y continued as Mt. Vernon''s Shooting Guard managed to make his way into the paint. Kyle met him at the rim.

    Jason had taught Kyle the basics of protecting the rim.

    "If someone manages to get into the paint the first thing you need to do ise up to him and put your arms straight up. Only jump if you feel like you can block the shot. And if you do jump only jump straight up. Don''t jump into the offensive yer or you''ll get a foul"

    The Shooting Guard underestimated the length of Kyle''s arms. Kyle was able to block the shot without jumping. Udonis got the rebound and passed it up court to Jason.

    Jason was running the fast break. He scanned the court before a smile grew on his face. He threw the ball ahead to the person who was originally one of the people who were furthest back.

    Trell might have lost every game he yed against Jason but that was only in terms of skill. When it came to raw horsepower you would have a hard time finding someone that outshines him.

    He was originally guarding his assignment in the corner but as soon as he saw the ball getting pushed up court he revved up his engine and started flying down the hardwood.

    He soon found himself alone as he ran towards the opponents basket. He ran with everything he had. He ran with conviction.

    ''As long as I''m in position to score that Jackass will make sure the ball gets to me. I hate to admit it but he never misses anything happening on the court''

    It went just as he imagined. As soon as he ran past everyone else and had a clear runway to the basket Jason threw a bullet pass to him.

    Trell caught easily caught the ball. The pass was thrown with pinpoint uracy. Everyone expected Trell to justy the ball in but his next move left everyone in awe. Even more than when Jason had made back to back three-pointers.

    Trellunched himself into the air as he jumped off his right foot. He extended his arm out as far as he could. As he was in the air he began regretting his decision.

    ''Shit! I might not make it! Gotta stretch my arm out!'' Everyone held their breath as they watched Trell move through the air. Trell barely managed to get the ball over the rim before his body started falling back down to the ground.

    It wasn''t the most powerful or graceful dunk. In fact it was kind of a rinky dinky rim grazer. But you had to remember that this was a thirteen year old. And he was only 5''8.

    Jason ran up to Trell and chest bumped him "Crazy shit bro!" Jason then stuck out his fist. Trell looked at it for a second before bumping it back with his own fist "Good pass"

    Trell''s athleticism didn''t improve over the week he spent training and practicing with Jason. But Jason did help Trell improve his body mechanics. He taught Trell how utilize more of his athletic ability.

    Jason smiled as he looked at Trell''s skills again.

    [Skills

    Free throw: F

    Lay Up: F+

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: F+

    Mid Range Shooting: F

    Three Point Shooting: F

    Dribbling: F+

    Passing: F

    Ball Handling: F+

    y Making: F

    Post Scoring: F

    Rebounding: D

    Post Control: F

    Perimeter Defense: D+

    Post Defense: F+

    Steals: D

    Blocks: D

    Athleticism: AA ]

 Chapter 16 - End Of The First Half

    Mt. Vernon was able to score their first basket. Their SG managed to get past Matt as he attacked the basket. He bumped into Kyle again on his way to the rim.

    But this time he was lucky enough to get his shot up and over Kyle''s extended arms. The ball bounced off the backboard before dropping through the.

    Kyle had a dejected look on his face as he inbounded the ball to Jason. Jason caught the ball and walked by him as pped him on the back "Good defense Kyle. Keep it up"

    Kyle turned to Jason "Good defense? He made the shot Jason. He wouldn''t have made the shot if my defense was good"

    Jason slowed down slightly "Kyle. All you can do is y the best defense you can. You can''t stop every shot. Even the best defensive yers in history got cooked once in a while. So keep up the effort okay? Effort is the most important part of defense"

    Jason then ran past the half-court line to avoid getting the ten second vition. As the coach saw Jason approaching he gave up "Switch to man to man defense!". He could feel his face heating up slightly after he yelled that.

    The yers on the court adjusted their positions as they switched from their zone defense to man to man defense.

    Jason scanned the court ''Looks like they finally learned their lesson. Too bad it won''t help them much'' Jason raised his hand and threw out a signal for Kyle.

    Kyle saw the signal and started running from the paint to Jason. He spread his feet shoulder lengths apart as he guarded his torso and groin with his hands and arms.

    Jason saw that the pick was ready so he began running his defender into Kyle. Jason rushed past Kyle causing his defender to crash into him.

    Jason was about to shoot a mid-range shot when he heard the referee blow his whistle "Illegal screen!"

    Jason walked over to Kyle "Don''t sweat it bro. It''s your first time. You''re still getting the hang of things. Just remember that after you make contact with the defender you can''t stick out your shoulders or your hip okay"

    Kyle nodded as the both of them made their way back on defense. The score was 8-2 with Jefferson in the lead. The opposing team let their SG initiate the offense as the PG stood in the corner guarded by Jason.

    Jason watched their opponent''s offense "Switch Kyle! Now drop back to the paint!" Jason shouted out instructions as he helped coordinate the defense from back in the corner.

    There was no shot clock for middle school basketball so Mt. Vernon spent almost a minute reorganizing and executing different ys, But Jefferson was able to stop all their attempts.

    Trell used his athleticism to keep his defensive assignment in front of him. Jason was stuck in the corner as he locked down their PG.

    Udonis kept the opposing team''s PF in check by boxing out and denying him post position. Matt was the only one who was struggling to guard his man but Kyle was there sitting in the paint to clean up any mistakes.

    After a few more resets Jason found an opening. Jason left his defensive assignment as he leaped into the passingne.

    Jason managed to steal the ball. He began running his way to the opponents basket. Trell was running the fast break as well. He followed just in case Jason missed and needed someone to get the rebound.

    Jason wasn''t as physically gifted as Trell so he wasn''t able to leave his defender far behind. By the time he made it to the basket his defender had caught up to him ''Doesn''t matter. I''ll just bank the shot off the backboard''

    Jason picked up his dribble as he got ready toy the ball in off of the back board when he felt something crash into the back of his head. Jason crashed to the hardwood.

    The referee was running from the back as he tried to maintain his view of the action. But because of his location and the angle at which it happened he didn''t see the hit take ce.

    The referee blew his whistle and signaled for a block. Giving possession of the ball back to Jefferson middle school.

    Trell went up to the yer that had hit Jason. He started yelling in his face "What kind of bitch move was that!" Jason was still on the floor. He was slightly disoriented from the hit to the head and the fall.

    The opposing yer ignored Trell. The referee blew his whistle again "Technical foul! On number 13!" Trell got even more upset as he heard the referee.

    He was about to walk up to the referee toin when he was held back by someone. He turned around and saw Jason.

    Jason had gotten up and rushed to Trell in order to minimize the situation "Just let it go man. We still have the ball. We''ll get em back with our offense"

    Trell took a second to cool down "Alright". He took a step before looking back at Jason "You good?" Jason rubbed the back of his head as he smiled "You know me man. I can take one hell of a beating"

    Jason managed to get an assist off of Kyle. Jason and Kyle ran the pick and roll again. This time Kyle set a clean pick.

    Mt. Vernon was so focused on Jason that both defenders swarmed him. Unfortunately for them this left Kyle open and with a clearne to the rim.

    Kyle cut through the paint and scored ay up. On defense Jefferson continued to shutdown Mt. Vernon.

    The next few possessions followed the same flow. Jefferson yed a slow tempo offense while locking down their opponent.

    Middle school basketball had four eight minute quarters unlike the twelve minute quarters in the professional Basketball Association.

    With three minutes left in the first quarter Coach Swendel called a timeout. Everybody made their way to the bench as they turned their attention to him.

    Coach Swendel gave a thumbs up with a big smile on his face "Great game so far guys! We are up 14-4 against one of the better teams in our county"

    He continued "Jason, Matt, Trell, Udonis, and Kyle. Great effort. You guys deserve a breather". He benched them and put the other kids in.

    Jason fist bumped all the kids who were subbing into the game "Good luck guys. y hard"

    The bench yers did their best but it was easy to see that there was a drop in quality. With Jason and the rest of the starters off the floor Mt. Vernon was able to slowly eat away at their lead.

    Jefferson''s bench unit had failed to score a basket three possessions in a row. Mt. Vernon however was able to score two quick baskets off ofy ups on the fast break.

    By the end of the 1st quarter the score was 17-13. Their 10 point lead had dwindled down to just 4 points in three minutes.

    Jason and the rest of the starters came back into the game at the start of the second quarter. Jason came in with his intense defense and lead the others in shutting down their opponents offense.

    Jason began to worry ''If I keep up this pace I''m going to get gassed. I need to change things up a bit''

    Jason fed the ball to Udonis who had established good post positioning. He began backing his defender down. Udonis bumped and knocked against his defender who seemed to be having trouble with Udonis''s physicality.

    [Skills

    Free throw: D+

    Lay Up: D+

    Dunking: D-

    Close Shot: D+

    Mid Range Shooting: E+

    Three Point Shooting: E

    Dribbling: E

    Passing: D-

    Ball Handling: E+

    y Making: E+

    Post Scoring: C

    Rebounding: C

    Post Control: C

    Perimeter Defense: D-

    Post Defense: C+

    Steals: E+

    Blocks: D+

    Athleticism: B- ]

    Jason had used Heart''s eye on Udonis back when they were in the locker-room before the game started. He was impressed by his skill levels but he was even more impressed by the fact that Udonis had two skill badges.

    [Post Scorer (Bronze): Increases the level of technique for moves used to score in the post. Increases your ability to control post position on the offensive side of the ball.

    Locker-Room Leader (Bronze): Increases your ability to control the team''s emotions.Does not stack. If multiple yers posses this skill the one with the higher grade will be used ]

    Jason watched on as Udonis worked down in the post ''I knew his post scoring woulde in handy. He can help slow down the tempo and help me conserve some energy''

    After backing down his defender a couple times Udonis found himself deep enough into the paint to get a good shot. He turned over his shoulder and threw the ball up with a hook shot.

    The ball rolled around the rim a bit before finally sinking through the. The score was now 19-13. Mt. Vernon continued to struggle with their offense.

    Their SG called for a pick and roll with their PF. Udonis switched onto the SG and Matt forgot to switch onto the PF.

    The PF found himself with an openne to the rim. But just as he had leaped into the air for they up Kyle rushed towards him from the side.

    Kyle jumped into the air with everything he had and stretched his arm out as far as he could. Kyle swatted the ball down. Spiking it out of bounds.

    As hended he could feel a familiar emotion well up from within as a heat began burning in his chest. He tilted his head up and roared "Ahhhhh!!!!!"

    The referee blew his whistle signaling that the ball was still Mt. Vernon''s. Jason ran up to Kyle to chest bump him "Nice block man!" Kyle had an intense look in his eyes. He nodded and smiled at Jason.

    Jason and the team were able to shut down Mt. Vernon on another possession. Jason had the ball as he dribbled it up the court.

    He did the same thing asst time. After seeing that Udonis had established post position Jason passed him the ball.

    Udonis backed his defender down until he found himself close to the basket again. He put up another hook shot but this time it rolled off the rim.

    Luckily Kyle was there to get the rebound. After he got the ball Kyle put it back up. Udonis fist bumped Kyle as they made their way back on defense. The score was now 21-13 with Jefferson in the lead.

    The quarter progressed in a simr matter. Jefferson was able to run an effective slow tempoed offense lead by Jason. While snuffing out Mt. Vernon on the defensive side of the ball.

    Half the quarter had gone by before Coach Swendel was forced to call a timeout ''They''re getting drained'' Coach Swendel frowned as he looked at them.

    Jason and the rest of the starters were breathing heavily as sweat rolled down their faces. Coach Swendel looked at the scoreboard and saw 26-17.

    Coach Swendel was getting nervous ''The fatigue is starting to get to them. They were shutting them down at the beginning of the quarter but thest few possessions Mt. Vernon was able to make some baskets''

    Coach Swendel thought for a second before making up his mind "Alright. You guys are gonna hit the bench and get some rest. We''ll have the reserves jump back in."

    Jason nodded as he took a seat on the bench. Trell, Matt, and Kyle followed suit as they all sat down. Coach Swendel looked at the reserve yers that were going into the game "Listen up. It''s okay if you guys can''t score a basket okay? Try and use up as much of the clock as possible whenever we have the ball. What I really want you guys to do is key in on defense"

    Coach Swendel continued "I want you guys locking them down okay? No easy baskets I want you to make them work for their points. Now go give them hell!"

    Jason and the rest of the starters watched on in dismay. By the time the quarter had finally ended Jason had a grim expression on his face ''This is gonna be rough''. The scoreboard read 28-26.

 Chapter 17 - Trouble In The Locker-room

    With the end of the second quarter the team got up from the bench and made their way to the locker-room. As soon as he walked in Trell mmed his fist into one of the lockers "Shit!"

    He looked at the bench yers "What the fuck are you guys doing out there!? Are you even trying!?" Udonis walked over and put a hand on Trell''s shoulder "Cool it Trell. We''re a team and that means we have to have each others backs"

    Trell rolled his eyes before taking a seat "Oh we''re a team really? These assholes wereining about the three of us getting a spot on the starting line up. But look at the shit show they put on. You guys really think you deserve to y over any of us?"

    He drank some water from his sports bottle before continuing "I honestly can''t believe you guys even had the nerve toin about the starting spots. It was us who were killing ourselves at the gym day in and day out. While ya''ll were probably fucking around taking it easy"

    One of the bench yers stood up and threw his sports bottle at the wall "Shut the fuck up Trell! You think you can wave that week of practice in our faces!? We''ve been on the team for years shithead!"

    Udonis shouted "Enough! WE ARE A TEAM! A team is supposed to be a second family. Now you might not vibe with everyone in your family but you deal with it. The same goes for a team. Now I don''t want to hear anymore arguing"

    Udonis turned to the bench yers "Trell has a right to be upset. He''s only been on the team for a week but he''s been ying with more heart than any of you! I haven''t seen any hustle from anyone of you guys off the bench"

    Udonis then turned to Trell "But you in the wrong too Trell. These guys been on the team for a year or two. They paid their dues. You gotta put some respect on the time that theymitted to the team"

    Trell went silent as did the bench yer that was shouting. Udonis then turned to Coach Swendel "Sorry about that Coach. Go ahead and say what you have to say"

    Coach Swendel cleared his throat ''Damn! I''ve been coaching these guys for a few years now and I''ve never seen them like that. Even when we lost eight games in a row it wasn''t as intense as this. And this is just a practice game!?''

    "Now listen up. In the first quarter we did a good job of containing their offense. We packed the paint and closed out on their shooters. But starting from the second quarter I started to see some slipping especially from the bench"

    Coach Swendel continued "I know you guys are tired. Defense drains you and it''s not as pretty as scoring a bucket. But I need you guys to pull through the fatigue. I don''t want to see anyone with their hands down and dragging their feet"

    Coach Swendel looked at his clipboard "Starting from the next quarter I am going to be changing the minutes distribution. Jason you y for the first two minutes then rest for four minutes on the bench beforeing back in for the final minutes. We are going to do this for thest two quarters alright?"

    Jason emptied out his sports bottle. After he heard what Coach Swendel had to say he nodded "Whatever you need Coach"

    The ten minute halftime break went by quickly. Jason took the opportunity to get as much rest as he could.

    Coach Swendel spent the whole ten minutes trying to iron out the small wrinkles in their defensive schemes and offensive ys.

    The break ended and the team walked back out onto the court. Jason entered the game with the rest of the starting lineup.

    Since Jason knew that he would only be on the floor for two minutes he pushed the tempo. He called for a pick from Kyle but before Kyle could set up for the pick Jason took off.

    The unexpected drive towards the basket threw his defender off. Jason managed to gain separation from his defender. He analyzed the court and noticed that the opposing team''s C was ready to drop to the paint and protect the rim.

    He also noticed that weak-side help wasing to help defend him. This left Trell open in the corner. He was running out of time. He had to make a decision ''Should I take the shot or pass it to Trell?''

    Jason tried his best to kill his momentum as he jumped into the air and took an off bnce mid-range shot. As he began readying himself for the shot his body began fading to the right due to the momentum from the drive.

    ''Shit!'' The degree of difficulty on this shot was high even for Jason. But the reason why he took the gamble on attempting it was because Trell didn''t have a reliable jumper.

    And in order to gain momentum for the team they needed to start off strong. They couldn''t afford a miss to start off the quarter. Jason believed that he had a higher chance of making this shot than Trell had at making a three.

    Jason tried his best to adjust his shooting form topensate for his body fading to the side. Finally with the flick of his wrist he sent the ball flying.

    Unfortunately Trell''s defender was running towards Jason at full speed. So even though he saw that the ball had already left Jason''s hand he couldn''t stop his body on time. As Jason wasing back down to the ground Trell''s defender crashed into him.

    Jason hit the floor with the defender falling on top of him. The referee blew the whistle and gave the foul to the defender. Jason heard the whistle and looked up just in time to see the ball.

    The ball''s arc was extremely t unlike Jason''s usual shot. A t arc meant that it had less chance on making it into the basket from bouncing off the backboard. It had to be perfect.

    Time slowed down for Jason as his gaze locked onto the ball. Jason held his breath until the final moment before the ball fell through the.

    Udonis ran over to Jason and helped pick him up. After he was back on his feet Jason thumped his chest in silent celebration. Udonis smiled as he then pped Jason on the back "Nice shot Jason"

    Jason went walked to the free-throw line and got into position. The referee passed the ball to Jason. He took two dribbles, a deep breath, and then began his shooting motion.

    Textbook. That was the only word you could use to describe the mechanics of Jason''s shot. The arc was perfect. There was no excitement as the shot went in like everyone thought it would.

    Jason continued to call out instructions on the defensive end. He would yell out whether to switch on the pick or fight through the screen.

    He called out when yers were trying to get open on the perimeter. He called out backdoor cuts. He was talking nonstop on the defensive end.

    Mt. Vernon''s Coach was clenching his jaw as his hands gripped his clipboard tightly ''God damn it! What kind of fucking kid is this!? How can he see so much on the court!? And the way he anchors the defense. You would think this was a seasoned college vet calling out defensive instructions''

    Jason left his defensive assignment on the left wing to help double team Matt''s assignment who was at the top of the three-point line.

    The SG saw Jason leave his man to help double team him so he passed the ball to the open PG. Unfortunately for them Jason anticipated the pass and was able to jump out and steal it.

    Jason once again ran the fast break. As he made his way down the court the SG closed in on him. The SG was an inch taller than Jason and was defending him tightly.

    Jason stopped on the right wing with the SG closely guarding him. With a quick nce he spotted Trell cutting straight down the middle.

    Jason bounced the ball through the SG''s legs as he connected the pass to Trell. Trell caught the pass and measured his steps more carefully this time. He took off a little closer to the basket and was able to dunk the ball more cleanly.

    Jason and Trell fist bumped as they made their way back on defense. Jason looked at Trell "Is it me or are you actually having fun?" Trell "I just don''t like losing. Don''t get it twisted"

    The two minutes passed by quickly. The score was 36-27 when Coach Swendel called for a timeout and subbed Jason out with the bench yer. Jason fist bumped the yer going in for him "Good luck man. y hard"

    The game resumed with the bench yer filling in for Jason. Mt. Vernon went for a pick and roll with their PG and C.

    The bench yer fought through the screen but Kyle was switching onto the PG. Not only did they leave the C open but the bench yer bumped into Kyle and got in his way.

    The PG passed the ball to the C who was able to get an openy up. Kyle turned to the bench yer "We''re supposed to switch why did you fight through the screen?"

    The bench yer turned to Kyle "Coach said to read and react on defense. I thought you were in a bad position to switch so I tried to fight through the screen"

    Theck of chemistry on the court showed. Trell caught his defender ball watching and had an openne as he cut to the rim.

    The bench yer didn''t see this and instead passed the ball to Udonis who was on the elbow. Udonis tried to pass it to Trell immediately after he got the ball but by then the opportunity to score was gone.

    After a failed possession on offense Trell turned to the bench yer "What the fuck! I was wide open dipshit! How could you miss that!?"

    The bench yer wiped the sweat off his forehead "My bad". Possession after possession Jefferson struggled to get into rhythm on the defensive and offensive side of the ball.

    But even with their struggles they managed to do a better job of containing Mt. Vernonpared to when they had the whole bench unit on the floor.

    On offense without Jason to lead them they had to rely on Udonis scoring from the post or Kyle getting the offensive rebounds to keep the possessions alive.

    On defense the quality of their teamwork proved to be a tier lower without Jason to call out ys and to anchor them.

    But they managed to do decently with Trell''s quick hands and feet on the perimeter.While Udonis and Kyle formed an intimidating presence in the paint.

    The game went by until it eventually reached the final two minutes of the quarter. Coach Swendel called a timeout.

    Coach Swendel could feel the moisture on his hands as he held his clipboard ''Shit I hope this works. Jason has yed great with the starters but I don''t know how he''ll do if he''s surrounded by lower tier talent''

    Coach Swendel waved for Jason to stand up "Jason you''re going in. Matt, Trell, Udonis, and Kyle you guys hit the bench and try to rest up."

    Jason subbed in alongside the other bench yers. They inbounded the ball to Jason. Jason casually brought the ball up the court.

    Jason analyzed the court ''Looks like they''re sticking to man to man defense. There''s only two minutes left. If I lower my intensity on D I can go all out on offense without draining myself too bad''

    Jason signaled for an iso y for the first time this game. The defender began nervously stepping back after seeing everyone clear the floor for Jason.

    Jason started with some rhythm dribbles left, right, left, right and then he hit his defender with a hesitation move. The defender fell for it as he preemptively stepped to the right.

    Jason then began driving to the left with a crossover. The defender was a stepte as he tried his best to catch up with Jason.

    Jason then stopped with a behind the back dribble that got the defender leaning. Jason snatched his ankles as the defender hit the floor. To seal the deal for a highlight Jason nailed the mid-range shot after staring his defender down for a second.

    The two minutes passed with Jason scoring eight points. He lowered the intensity of his man to man defense but he still anchored them by calling out ys and surveying the court. By the end of the quarter the score was 52-46.

    The fourth quarter followed a simr tempo to the previous on at the beginning, But as the clock ticked down Mt. Vernon lost their spirit as they began making more and more mistakes. For the first time in years Jefferson middle school had beaten Mt. Vernon.

    The final score was 66-52. Jefferson had blown the opposing team out of the water in the fourth quarter. Jason had a monster game with 22 Pts, 6 Ast, 4 Reb, 4 Stl, and 1 Blk.

 Chapter 18 - Celebration

    As Jason was going over the game in his head he was interrupted by the notification that popped into his vision.

    [Congrattions on your victory! Based on your performance you have earned the following rewards: 30 body modification points, 1 random gift]

    Jason was about to redeem the random gift when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Coach Swendel "Great job out there Jason"

    Coach Swendel had a huge grin across his face ''I knew this kid was the real deal! It should be impossible for us to beat a team as good as Mt. Vernon. Last year we lost every game we yed against them by more than twenty points''

    Jason joined the rest of the team as they lined up to shake hands with Mt. Vernon. Jason went down the line as he shook hands with everyone from Mt. Vernon.

    Thest person was the coach. He smiled at Jason "Great game out there kid. What grade are you in?" Jason answered "Seventh grade sir"

    The coach pulled Jason close before whispering "I don''t know what kind of conditions they''re offering you but just know that Mt. Vernon will wee you with open arms any time. And we are very generous"

    Coach Swendel saw this and immediately pulled Jason away "Haha good coaching against you. Hopefully we see each other in the tournament."

    Jason walked into the locker-room with the rest of the team. There wasn''t a shower at the school so Jason just changed into a change of clothes as he packed his jersey into his bag.

    Jason saw that Trell was already changed and was about to leave "Hey Trell". Trell turned around "What?" Jason stuck his fist out "Good game man. See you Monday?"

    Trell had the same mean look on his face but he returned the gesture and fist bumped Jason "Yeah. See you then"

    Everyone on the team congratted Jason on having a great game. Udonis was changed out of his jersey.

    He walked up to Jason put his hand forward "That was a sick game man. That was some future star type shit" Jason shook his hand "Thanks Udonis. You had a hell of a game too. 12 points and 13 rebounds ain''t nothing to sneeze at"

    Udonis smiled after hearing that "Hey man you can just call me UD. Hey Coach told me about the deal between you two. Go ahead and do what you got to do. I''ll try my best to keep things cool with the rest of the guys."

    He then paused for a second "Just... Just try and keep Trell under control okay? If it''s you it looks like he listens. He''s a great addition to the team but that''s only if he can get along with everyone else"

    Jason nodded "I''ll try my best UD". Udonis waved as he left the locker-room. Jason walked out of the locker-room and saw his parents.

    Jason''s mom rushed to him and embraced him "You were so good Jaya! I can''t believe it!" Jason''s dad walked to him and patted his head "Your mom''s right. You were great. When did you get so good?"

    Jason knew he couldn''t hide it from his parents. Luckily he already spoke with Coach Swendel to create an alibi "I honestly don''t know. I tried out for the teamst week and as soon as I picked up the ball everything felt natural"

    It wasn''t a great exnation but it''s not like there was anything else that could exin Jason''s talent and abilities.

    Jason saw Kyle walk out and immediately pulled him over in order to change the subject "Mom, Dad this is Kyle. He''s the first friend I made after transferring"

    Kyle blushed after hearing that. He extended his hand out "Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Yang" They both smiled as they shook hands with Kyle.

    Jason''s dad patted Kyle on the back "That was a great game you had Kyle. You really made them scared to go into the paint" Kyle nodded his head as he thanked Jason''s dad for thepliment.

    Jason''s mom asked Kyle "Would you like to join us Kyle? We were just about to go celebrate your guys'' win. We wouldn''t mind having one more person to celebrate with. That is if it''s okay with your parents"

    Kyle shook his head "Thank you both for the invite but my mom is here to pick me up. We were going to eat real quick before she goes to work"

    Jason shook hands with Kyle before he left. He turned to his parents "Looks like it''s going to be just us." Just as he finished saying that he felt a hand on his shoulder "I''d love to tag along if it''s okay with you Mr. and Mrs. Yang"

    He turned his head and he was face to face with Samantha. Girls tended to grow quicker than guys at this age so she was just a bit taller than Jason.

    Jason turned back to his parents "This is Samantha. We''re working on a English project together" Samantha pouted "Wow. So you introduced Kyle as your friend and I''m just your project partner?"

    Jason chuckled "Sorry it''s just too fun messing with you." He reintroduced her "This is Samantha. She''s another friend I made at school"

    Samantha smiled and extended her hand out "Nice to meet you both". Jason''s mom couldn''t help but reject Samantha''s handshake and instead pulled her into a hug "Oh what an adorable little girl!"

    Jason''s dadughed "You really know how to pick em son. She''s a real looker". Both of his parent''s had fun trying to embarrass him.

    Samantha''s cheeks grew rosy after hearing Jason''s parents. Jason felt his face and ears get hot "Haha you guys had your fun. Can we please go get something to eat? I''m starving"

    Jason and Samantha sat at a table with his parents. Samantha looked stared at Jason and his dad in amazement "No way! Your dad owns the Rice&Burger Diner!?"

    Jason''s dad smiled "I take it you''re a fan?" Samantha nodded "This ce has the best cheeseburgers in Riverside. Not to mention your awesome milkshakes" Samantha started to drool thinking of the menu.

    Jason''s dadughed "Pretty and she has good taste. You better be careful Jason. You never know when someone will try to snatch her up"

    Jason just rolled his eyes "I thought we were done with the jokes dad". The four of them made small talk before giving their orders to a waitress.

    Jason suddenly remembered "Hey is it okay if Samanthaes over to the houseter? We need to watch a movie for our project"

    Both of Jason''s parents agreed but his mom asked "That''s okay with us but do you need a ride home sweetie?

    Samantha shook her head "No that''s okay. My ride wille pick me up". Samantha pulled out her phone "Hey Jason. I have the movie on my phone if you want to get a head start?"

    Jason thought for a second "I don''t mind but I don''t think we''ll be able to hear it all that well inside the diner"

    Samantha pulled out a pair of wired earbuds "I got us covered". Jason looked at Samantha in astonishment "Are those wired earbuds!? Those things are practically antiques. Why don''t you use something a little more modern?"

    Samantha shrugged her shoulders "I just like retro stuff okay? Now do you want to watch the movie or not?"

    Jason nodded his head as he reached out for an earbud. Samantha ignored Jason''s hand as she directly ce the earbud into his ear.

    She then ced the other one into her''s "Be careful. The wire is kinda short so be careful not to pull it".

    Because of the shortness of the wire Jason had to lean in as to not pull the wire from Samantha''s ear. Samantha''s cheeks got a little redder after Jason''s face moved closer to her''s. While Jason had the same deadpan face as usual.

    Samantha started the movie and ced her phone leaning against the ketchup to hold it up. Jason and Samantha watched thirty minutes of the movie sitting shoulder to shoulder.

    Jason''s parents couldn''t help but smile as they watched the two kids. Jason''s mom whispered "I like her. She goes after what she wants"

    Jason''s dadughed before leaning in to whisper back "Well it looks like she''s going to have to go after it a lot more. Because Jason doesn''t look like he''s noticed anything"

    Jason''s mom giggled as she turned to her husband "I wonder who he get''s that from?". Jason''s dad shrugged his shoulder''s "Beats me". Jason''s mom then leaned her head onto his shoulder.

    After a few minutes the waitress came back carrying their food. Jason raised his gaze from the phone "Looks like the food''s here"

    Samantha whispered under her breath "I should have ordered something that takes longer to cook". Jason turned to her "Did you say something?" Samantha shook her head "No just yawning"

    They quickly consumed everything that arrived at their table. Jason was thest one to finish as he had ravaged two double cheeseburgers and a vani milkshake.

    Samantha gulped as she saw Jason clean his te "Wow. I was wrong. You''re not a little piggy. You''re a huge piggy. I can''t believe you ate all that"

    Jason''s momughed at Samantha''s reaction "Me and his dad we''re surprised too. At least at the beginning. But ever since he started going to Jefferson he''s been eating way more than he used to"

    Jason''s dad added "But then we saw how much he worked out at the house and he would tell us about his practices everyday after school. It makes sense that if you drive a lot you''re gonna need a lot of gas. And Jason''s always telling us that he''s a growing boy that needs his food if he wants to get taller"

    Jason''s dad took care of the bill. The four of them got into the car and left the diner. Jason''s parents dropped him and Samantha off at the apartment parking lot. Jason asked "You guy''s aren''ting?"

    Jason''s mom shook her hear "Me and your dad are gonna catch a movie. It''s been a while since we had a date night" Jason nodded "Okay mom. You guys have fun".

    Jason turned to Samantha "Well guess it''ll just be us for a bit". Samantha nodded her head as she began following Jason to the apartment.

    As they were walking she turned her head to Jason "Hey Jason". He turned his head to her "What?" Samantha smiled "Your parents are awesome"

    Jason wasn''t really sure what she was talking about about but he had to agree "Yeah. They are pretty awesome". They stopped talking as the two of them walked through the door of Jason''s home.

 Chapter 19 - English Project Or Chemistry?

    Jason turned on the lights as he weed Samantha into his home with the most pretentious voice he could do "Wee to the Yang residence. Please do remember to take your shoes off before entering"

    Samantha pretended to curtsy as she responded with a impersonation of a southern belle "Why thank you kind sir"

    Samantha took her shoes off as she walked into the apartment. She looked around "So this is theb that created the monster"

    Jason sighed "You really have to stop it with the weirdparisons. I''m pretty sure most people would be offended if you call them a monster"

    Samantha took a seat on thefy leather couch in the living room "I meant monster in a good way. Don''t you sports guys always say someone''s a beast if they are doing good?"

    Jason sat down on the couch leaving a spot empty between him and Samantha"For some reason it doesn''t feel like apliment when you''re the one saying it."

    He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV "So you want to start the movie?"

    Samantha pulled out her phone from her pocket so that she could stream the movie to the TV "I''ll start it from where we left off"

    They got thirty minutes into the movie before Jason stood up from the couch "Hey Sammy. Can you pause it real quick?"

    Samantha paused the movie before turning to Jason "What''s up?" Jason started walking towards the kitchen "I''m going to make some popcorn"

    After a few minutes Jason came back with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. The smell of melted butter filled the living room.

    Samantha frowned "You still want to eat? Didn''t we just have dinner?". Jason sat back down as he scooped up some popcorn and shoveled it into his mouth "I need the nutrients. My body''s growing"

    The two of them resumed watching the movie. Samantha sneaked a few nces and Jason before she scooted towards him.

    Jason turned to Samantha "hmm? What is it?". Samantha reached her hand into the bowl of popcorn "N-nothing. Just wanted some popcorn is all."

    Time passed as the movie yed. Eventually the credits started to show signaling the end of the movie. Samantha sighed with a disappointed look on her face.

    Jason turned to her "What''s wrong? You didn''t like the ending?" Samantha blew a lock of hair out of her face with an annoyed look "Yup. I definitely didn''t like the ending. It wasn''t what I was expecting that''s for sure"

    Jason nodded "Yeah it wasn''t really my type either. I mean why would a vampire sparkle in the sun? I don''t know why Ms. Yuller would have us read this book anyways."

    Samantha was messing around on her phone "She said it was a piece of ssic literature. Something about it ''embodying the emotional currents that shook the youth of that generation''" She mockingly said in a Ms. Yuller impression.

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Or maybe she just has a thing for vampires. Especially the handsome ones"

    Samanthaughed "I''m more a fan of the ''I vant to suck your blood'' type vampires myself" Her bad Transylvanian ent made Jason want to cringe.

    Jason washed the popcorn bowl in the sink beforeing back out "So which scene did you want to do? I kinda liked the part where he stopped the car with one hand"

    Samantha''s face started to brighten up thinking about the project "I liked the part where he carried her on his back and climbed the tree"

    Jasonughed "Unless you''re gonna be the one doing the carrying you can count me out". They talked back and forth for around ten minutes before deciding on a scene.

    Jason was standing still with Samantha right behind him "Tell me again why you get the guy''s part?" Samanthaughed "Because it''ll be hrious having you pretend to be a chick. Besides you have the same emotionless expression that the actress had for most of the movie"

    Jason rolled his eyes "Whatever. Let''s just get it over with". Jason closed his eyes before taking a deep breath as he tried his best to get into character.

    They began rehearsing their lines. Samantha stood close behind Jason as she asked "Are you afraid?"

    Jason turned around "No"

    Samantha then paused for a second "Then ask me the most basic question. What do we eat?" Jason answered "You won''t hurt me"

    That was her cue. Samantha grabbed Jason''s hand as she began pulling him from one side of the living room to the other.

    Luckily she was the one in front pulling him because her face was bright red ''I''m holding his hand. It''s no big deal. Just holding hands''

    Unfortunately before Jason could recite his next line the door mmed open "Hey Jaya! I heard you won the-huh!?"

    Tory barged in and the first thing she saw was Samantha with her tomato red face holding Jason''s hand. And it looked like they were on their way to Jason''s room.

    Tory was stunned for a moment "Boy. You weren''t kidding when you said new school new you..." Samantha felt like her heart was about to burst though her chest.

    Just as she was thinking of a way out of this situation her punk rock ringtone went off. She pulled her phone out so fast that her hand was like a blur "Oh you''re here!? Okay I''ll be right there"

    She waved at Jason "Thanks for having me over. We can practice again some other time." As her frantic steps lead her towards the entrance she stopped and waved at Tory "Nice to meet you. Bye" And she bolted out the door.

    Tory had an amused smile on her face "Our little Jaya is all grown up. Look at you bringing a girl home. Just try and take it slow. I think it''s a little early for you to be bringing a girl to your room while your parents are out"

    Jason rolled his eyes "That''s not what we were doing. It was for an English project" Toryughed "Are you sure you were working on English? Cause it kinda looked like you guys were focused on Chemistry"

    Jason sat down with Tory as he exined the situation. Tory nodded her head "Alright. I get it now. Sorry I ruined your practice session" Jason waved it off "That''s okay. We have until Monday. We can practice during the weekend."

    Tory asked about the game and gave a y by y recap. After he was done Tory pulled him into a hug as she ruffled his hair "Look at this kid. Just joined the team and you''re that good? I''m going to have to go to your next game for sure. When is it?"

    Jason had an annoyed look on his face but he didn''t fight very hard to get out of her hug "Our next game is in three weeks. We''re going to y against one of the schools close by. I think it was Cider Grove middle school?"

    Cider Grove middle school was in the same tier as Jefferson although not as bad. Out of all the schools in the county they constantly ced towards the bottom of the rankings for basketball.

    Jason wasn''t worried about the game at all. He was even excited ''ying against a weaker team can be a great way to boost the other guys'' confidence. It might even help with team chemistry.''

    Tory got up "Alright Jaya. I''m going now. I just stopped by to ask you about your game and to drop off some side dishes my dad made. Sorry again about ruining your practice thing"

    With Tory gone it was just Jason in the apartment ''Now that I''m alone it''s the perfect chance to open the random gift from the system.''

    Jason opened the system and selected the random gift. It looked like a stereotypical wrapped birthday present with a tag.

    As soon as he touched it the top opened up.

    [Congrattions! You have unlocked the Recovery Boost function!

    Recovery Boost: For the cost of one Body Configuration point you can triple the effectiveness of your night of sleep. During your sleep any damage caused by training or ying will heal three times faster. The cost is per night of sleep.]

    Jason thought that this was a perfect reward. The cost didn''t bother him too much. During the week before his practice game Jason discovered something.

    As long as he worked out our practiced Jason would earn Body Configuration points at the end of each day. The amount of points earned seemed to change depending on how he much worked out and what kind of activities he did.

    Jason found that by pushing himself as hard as he could go he could earn 6 points a day. Jason had saved up his points during the week. Right now he has 36 points avable.

    He decided to put 30 points towards his height and he kept the 6 to use for the Recovery Boost. He was currently 50 out of 100 points for his next inch of height increase.

    Jason''s parent''s came back after their date night. He told them goodnight before taking a shower. Afterwards he got ready for bed and called it a night.

    Jason woke up feeling great. He had tried out the Recovery Boost functionst night. He couldn''t feel any soreness or fatigue from yesterday''s game.

    He got up and brushed his teeth before walking to the kitchen, He saw his dad flipping pancakes and frying some bacon while his mom was on herptop as usual "Morning Mom. Morning Dad"

    Jason''s mom lifted her head up and smiled "Morning Jaya" Jason''s dad turned to him "Good morning superstar. How are you feeling? I wouldn''t be surprised if you were sore till tomorrow. You had it pretty rough yesterday"

    Jason stretched and Yawned "Surprisingly I am not that sore. I actually feel really good this morning. Hey is it okay if I go to the mall after breakfast? I want to go get a haircut"

    Both of his parents were a little surprised. Jason had never cared about his hairstyle or appearance before. Jason''s mom agreed "Sure go ahead Jaya. Ask Tory if she can take you. She''s been looking for any excuse to drive ever since she got her license."

    Jason''s mom pulled out her wallet "I''ll give you some money so that you can go shopping for some new clothes while you''re at it" She handed Jason 40 dors.

    Jason called Tory "Hey Tory. If you''re not busy right now do you want to head down to the mall? I''m going to get a haircut and get some new clothes for school"

    Tory let out a long yawn. She sounded like she just got up "Sure. I don''t have anything going on today. I''ll be there in fifteen minutes"

    Jason sat in the living room dressed up in his khaki shorts and blue cored. He yed on his phone as he waited for Tory.

    After a few minutes Tory came in dressed up in her grey sweatpants and white T-shirt. She said hello to Jason''s parents before putting down a stic bag on the counter.

    "Hey Uncle. Hi Aunty. My dad wanted me to drop off some more side dishes" Jason''s dad wiped his hands dry and left the dishes that he was doing as he walked to Tory.

    He hugged her "Thanks Tory. You tell your dad that we loved the kimchi he gave usst week. It might have been the best that he''s made so far"

    Jason''s mom smiled "You be careful on the road okay? And make sure you keep an eye on Jaya." Tory and Jason waved as they left the apartment.

    The car ride to the mall was filled with Tory''s tone deaf singing as she sang along to the same few songs that yed on the radio.

    While they were driving Tory asked "So new haircut huh? What kind of look were you thinking?" Jason answered "I don''t know yet. I just know that I want something other than this bowl-cut"

    Tory pulled into the parking lot. It took a few minutes but they were eventually able to find a spot. Tory stepped out and startedining "I know it''s the weekend but sheesh. It''s more packed then usual"

    Jason nodded "You''re right. Maybe they have something going down at the mall." The two of them began walking towards the mall.

    After a bit of walking they saw a banner. There was also a section of the parking lot that was closed off with a bunch of people standing around.

    Tory saw the banner "So that''s what it was. They''re shooting for the new TV show" Jason turned to look at her "New TV show?"

    Tory answered "Yeah. You know the new show being filmed by one of the bigworks. It''s supposed to be about basketball. I think it was called Through the Hoops?"

 Chapter 20 - Smile For The Cameras

    Jason and Tory walked up to the crowd. The section of the parking lot that was right in front of the mall was closed off.

    There was one of those backyard basketball hoops standing in front of the crowd along with a three-point line and free throw line that was drawn on the floor with some chalk.

    Jason and Tory joined the crowd. A middle aged man with a mic walked up and started speaking "Hello people of Riverside California. Thank you so much foring out to our shooting"

    He wiped some sweat off his forehead before resuming "The basis of our show is following talented young people through their journey with basketball. I would like to introduce our star from L.A. Jerome Bonner"

    A young man walked up to the front of the crowd. He had brown skin and an athletic build. He was tall at around 6''3.

    His ck hair was styled into a frohawk with the tips bleached blonde. He was wearing red basketball shorts and a white workout shirt that showed off his well developed muscles.

    He smiled and waved at the crowd before taking the mic from the man "Thank you all foring out. As the producer said my name is Jerome and I''m currently a top 20 ranked yer in the nation"

    Jerome stopped for a moment as the crowd drowned out his voice with their cheering. After they quieted down he began speaking again "I am currently here with the crew to shoot some promotional material while also spreading the word about our show."

    Jerome passed the mic back to the producer "Jerome will be here today to y against anybody who wants to take the challenge. And to make things fair you only have to score 1 basket to win while Jerome will need to score 21 points."

    The producer continued "And for anyone that manages to win we have a special prize" The producer then gestured for the crew to take something out. The crew brought out a giant check that said 1000 dors.

    Everyone erupted into a frenzy once again as they saw the giant check. People started lining up to take the challenge.

    Jasonughed at all the people who thought that they actually had a chance. He used Heart''s eye on Jerome.

    [Skills

    Free throw: SS+

    Lay Up: SS+

    Dunking: SS+

    Close Shot: SS+

    Mid Range Shooting: SS+

    Three Point Shooting: SS+

    Dribbling: SS+

    Passing: SS+

    Ball Handling: SS+

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: SS+

    Rebounding: SS+

    Post Control: SS+

    Perimeter Defense: SS+

    Post Defense: SS+

    Steals: SS+

    Blocks: SS+

    Athleticism: SS+ ]

    It looked the same as Tyreek''s. Jason also knew Jerome from his past life. Jerome was a talented scorer that became known for his ability to attack the rim at will.

    He had a great handle andbined with his insane athleticism it was hard for opposing teams to keep him out of the paint.

    In college he was a decent three-point shooter but once he got to the professional level he couldn''t adapt.

    But even without a great three-point shot Jerome was able to lead the team that drafted him into the yoffs his rookie season.

    While in college he wasn''t known for his defense but after getting drafted he gave more effort into that side of the ball and became an elite defender.

    The only downside to his game besides his three-point shooting was the fact that he wasn''t a great y maker. And although he was a great defender he would sometimes struggle guarding bigger guards.

    He wasn''t a good enough y maker to run the point but he was too undersized to slide over to the SG position. This lead to some awkward rosters being built around him.

    Jason watched on as the first person stepped up to y against Jerome. Jerome gave the guy a couple feet of space.

    The person looked at Jerome and then at the court. After a few seconds he decided to try taking the three. His form was horrible. You could tell he had never yed at any kind ofpetitive level.

    The ball didn''t even hit the backboard as it flew to the left side of the basket. One of the crew members got the ball and passed it to Jerome.

    He started off with a jab step before driving right to the basket. The guy didn''t even have a chance as Jerome drove right passed him before scoring with a thunderous tomahawk dunk with his left hand.

    Jerome made easy work of all the people who went up to challenge him. Meanwhile the camera man was busy moving around trying to get the best angle of all of Jerome''s highlight ys.

    Not everyone yed against Jerome until he scored 21 points. Some of them quit after the first bucket. But after thirty minutes it looked like Jerome was all out of challengers.

    Tory was about to pull Jason to the mall "Well that was fun while itsted-huh?" but when she reached out to grab his hand she found that Jason was gone.

    "I want to try" She turned around when she heard his voice. Jason had walked up to challenge Jerome.

    The producer smiled seeing Jason "Looks like we have onest adorable challenger. You up for it Jerome?" Jerome nodded before walking up to Jason.

    He extended his hand forward with a smile "What''s your name little guy?" Jason shook his hand "My name is Jason. Jason Yang"

    Jerome smiled "Jason is a cool name. I would love for myst game to be against a kid as cool as you" Seeing Jason brought Jerome back to when he was a little kid meeting the basketball yer that he idolized.

    It was that moment that drove him to be where he was today. And if he could make today mean just a fraction of what that day meant to him he would dly y no matter how tired he was.

    The producer walked up Jerome and whispered in his ear "Take it easy on the kid okay? It would make for some bad PR if we made the kid cry. Let him shoot a couple of shots but don''t let him score"

    Jerome nodded "Don''t worry sir. This isn''t my first time ying with a little kid. I host training camps for the kids in my neighborhood every year"

    Jerome tossed the ball to Jason "You get the first shot big man" Jason looked at Jerome standing 3 feet away "You sure?" Jerome nodded.

    Jason turned to the producer "I just need to make one shot for the check right?" The producerughed "Yup. Just one shot. Doesn''t matter if it''s ay up or a three"

    Jason nodded after he heard the producers response. He passed the ball to Jerome who then passed it back.

    As soon as the ball came back to his hands Jason started his shooting motion. Jerome was so startled by how quickly and fluidly Jason started his shot that he was a fraction of a secondte in closing out on Jason.

    Jason dipped his knees and aligned his elbow and wrist to the basket. His body shot up as heunched the ball with the flick of his wrist.

    The ball flew in a straight high arc before finally swishing through the. Jason turned around to the crowd. When he found Tory he smiled as he yelled "I did it Tory! A thousand bucks!"

    Tory was stunned silent and the rest of the crowd was just like her. They all stared at Jason in amazement. After a while the crowd started going crazy again as they cheered and screamed.

    After a few seconds Tory was able to process the situation. She started jumping up and and down as she yelled "He did it! Jason you did it!"

    Tory ran through the crowd. As soon as she reached Jason she pulled him into a tight hug "Oh my god Jason! I can''t believe it! You won a thousand dors!"

    Jerome watched in silence ''Damn! Little dude actually did it'' The producer walked over to Jerome "It''s okay Jerome. We knew there was a chance someone would get lucky. It would have been nice if we could have kept the prize but this also makes for some good promotional material."

    The producer then walked to Jason "Congrattions little guy. You just won a thousand dors. What''s the first thing you''re going to do with the money?"

    Jason thought for a second "The first thing is probably a haircut. Then I''ll probably go shop for some clothes."

    The producer gave Jason a regr sized check for a thousand dors. The giant check was just a prop. They took a couple pictures of Jason with the producer and Jerome. Jason and Tory were about to leave when they heard a voice "Wait!"

    They turned around and saw Jerome "Jason right? If you don''t mind I would love to y against you again. No prize this time. Just for fun."

    The producer looked at Jerome questioningly "What are you doing Jerome?" Jerome leaned in and whispered "You said you were looking for someone to fill in a empty spot right?"

    The producer whispered "Yeah but what does that have to do with this? You think the kid is good enough?"

    Jerome shook his head "I''m not sure yet. That''s what I''m trying to figure out." He looked at Jason as he awaited a response.

    Jason thought for a second ''I don''t see a reason to say no. This could even be a good chance to see what my limits are'' Jason nodded his head "Sure. I don''t mind ying a quick game"

 Chapter 21 - Lights, Camera, Action!

    Tory had a frown as she looked at Jason "Are you sure you want to do this?" Jasonughed before giving her a quick hug "We''re just going to y some basketball. Don''t worry"

    Jason spent a few minutes stretching and warming up before turning to Jerome "I''m ready. You want to shoot for it?"

    The two of them began shooting free throws but after five rounds of no one missing they decided to change it to three-pointers. But even that didn''t end things quickly.

    Jerome looked at Jason as they were getting into their third round of threes ''Damn! This kid is a sniper. That consistent shooting form is a telltale sign of a long range bomber.''

    After six rounds of shooting threes Jerome finally came out on top. Jerome was already feeling some pressure and all they did was shoot for first possession.

    Seeing Jerome''s massive body hulking over Jason anybody would say that this was an unfair match. It didn''t look like it was possible for Jason to win.

    But Jason didn''t think about losing. He only had one thought on his mind ''I''m going to stop him. I''m going to lock him down''

    Jason passed the ball to Jerome before focusing on every little detail. He noticed tiny changes like the position of his hand on the ball. The weight distribution of his feet. The rhythm of his breathing.

    Jerome looked at Jason as he began his own observation ''He has a solid defensive stance. So not only is he outside threat he also seems to be a two way yer. I better start off easy. I don''t want to hurt him or crush his spirit.''

    Jerome started with a shot fake but Jason didn''t bite on it. He then jab stepped to the right. Jerome saw Jason fall for it as he took a step to the right.

    Jerome began driving to the left but he was surprised to see that Jason was able to beat him to his spot ''He faked it!?''

    Jason had pretended to fall for the jab step. He didn''t put any weight into his foot so he was able to quickly recover and beat Jerome to the spot where he was going to dribble to.

    Jason began bodying Jerome up as he began pressing his tiny frame against him. Jerome didn''t want to abuse his huge strength advantage.

    He opted to go for a spin move to try and maneuver around Jason. As his body was spinning he felt the ball get heavier before slipping out of his hands.

    He abandoned the spin move and looked around to see Jason running back to the three point line with the ball in his possession.

    Jerome exploded with a hundred percent of his athleticism for the first time today as he rushed to close out on Jason.

    By the time Jason made it back out to the perimeter Jerome had already recovered on defense. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to get off a three-pointer.

    Jason sized up Jerome ''Crazy bounce, great size,teral speed that I can''t beat, long arm''s and good focus. Jesus this is going to be hard''

    Jerome didn''t get all in Jason''s face and press him but he didn''t give him a ton of space either. He was ready to defend the drive or the shot should Jason decide to take a three.

    Jason began ying out different scenarios in his head. Each one a reflection of what would happen if he tried a different approach. After a few seconds Jason decided to start with some rhythm dribbles.

    Left, right, left, right, Hesi, crossover, through the legs then driving to the basket. No matter what Jason tried Jerome was able to stay on his hip.

    At this point Jerome seemed to have forgotten that he was one of the best high school yers in the country ying against a middle schooler. He was using everything he had in the tank as he defended Jason.

    Jerome shuffled his feet as he followed Jason. Jason suddenly came to a stop with a behind the back dribble. He finally managed to build a step of separation between him and Jerome.

    Jerome saw Jason starting his shooting motion ''I don''t think so Jason!'' He nted his foot and jumped towards Jason to block his shot.

    But as soon as he was in the air Jason stopped and started driving towards the basket ''Shit! He got me with a head fake!''

    Jason knew that he got Jerome with the head fake. He dashed to the basket as fast as he could ''I can do it! Thene is all clear!''

    Jason jumped as he got ready toy the ball in with his right hand. All of a sudden he felt a presence behind him.

    Jason tried to adjust mid air. He went for a double clutch. He tucked the ball back towards his body before swinging it to his left side.

    But it wasn''t enough. Jerome was still in the air by the time the ball left Jason''s hand. Jerome brutally spiked the ball towards the ground.

    Their bodies collided in the air. Jerome was high up and had jumped with good form so he was able to catch himself andnd.

    Unfortunately Jason had alreadypromised his positioning when he contorted his body mid air to change his shot. Thatbined with the collision caused Jason to hit the ground.

    Falling on the hardwood of a basketball courtpared with falling on the concrete of a parking lot were two vastly different experiences.

    Jason tried to fall as safely as he could. He tucked his chin into his chest as he covered his head with his arms. Tory screamed as soon as she saw him hit the floor "Jason!"

    The producer ran to Jason. His face paled as he saw the pool of blood beginning to form under his head "Turn off the fucking cameras! Turn them off!"

    He then saw the crowd of people around them. Some people were pulling out their phones "Get those people out of here! NOW!"

    Jason''s mom and dad were cleaning the apartment. Jason''s mom was vacuuming the living room when she felt her phone vibrate.

    She turned the vacuum off and answered her phone. It was a man''s voice on the other side "Hello is this the mother of Jason Yang"

    Jason''s dad popped his head out of the kitchen "Who is it baby?" But Jason''s mom ignored him. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach "Yes this is she. Can I ask who''s calling?"

    After hearing what the man had to say Jason''s mom was speechless. Her mind seemed preupied as she let the vacuum fall and her phone slipped out of her hand.

    Tory was sitting in the waiting area of the hospital crying her puffy red eyes out. Tears were streaming down her face. She had her knees tucked into her chest and her arms covered her face as she sat on the chair.

    Jerome had a guilt stricken look as he stood alongside the producer "What the hell was that Jerome? I thought you had experience with kids?"

    Jerome kept his head down staring at the floor "I-I''m sorry Mr. Giorgio. I don''t know what to say. The intensity felt like I was ying in a tournament and mypetitive spirit took over. I forgot I was ying against a kid"

    If it was against someone more identical in size or stature the collision would not have been that bad. The other person would probably have been able to recover enough to at leastnd safely.

    But because of the huge size mismatch Jason had no chance to try and recover before he hit the ground. And the collision caused his fall to be much harder.

    Giorgio was wiping the sweat off his bald head with a white handkerchief ''Jesus! This might turn into a huge problem. We might lose advertisers if we take a PR hit!''

    He continued worrying ''I can see the headlines now. TV show intended to encourage youths to pursue their dreams sends young boy to the hospital! We might even get cancelled!''

    Jerome hesitated a few times before raising his head "Mr. Giorgio. I know that I messed up but I think we really found something. This kid is special."

    Giorgio sighed "He looked good but I don''t know if you can say he was special. He''s smallpared to the other prospects we saw around his age."

    He continued "And he seemed ordinary in terms of athleticism. Some of the thirteen year olds we''ve seen could jump out the gym or move like lightning. While I was watching you two y all I saw was regr kid that knew how to dribble a little"

    Jerome was silent for a moment before he decided to speak "I hope you don''t take any offense to what I''m about to say Mr. Giorgio. I know that you''ve seen a lot of kids y because of this show."

    Jerome continued "But I have been ying against the top tier talent of every age bracket that I''ve been in since I was a little kid. And my gut is telling me that this kid is special"

    Jerome tried his best to exin "The timing of his dribble is spot on. He knows the best time to execute a move to get the fullest effect. And his dribble selection is insane. He never dribbled just for the sake of dribbling"

    Jerome went on "And that''s without even talking about his defense. It looks like he''s a natural born defender. His feel on that side of the ball is something else"

    Giorgio listened intently "Man. You really got some high praises for this kid"

    Jerome nodded "I feel like I can confidently say that he is one of the most refined yers at his age. And he does it on both sides of the ball! Other kids might be better athletes but I think you would have a hard time finding a better basketball yer"

    Giorgio heard what Jerome said and started thinking. Giorgio knew Jerome well. If it was any of the other talented kids from the show they wouldn''t be so quick to praise someone like this.

    But Jerome was unique. Although he was talented and widely hailed as a future star he was incredibly humble. He was the most honest in terms of evaluating talent from other yers.

    The other yers might downy their peers if they didn''t want to acknowledge that someone might be better than them. Or they would even over-hype them in order to set them up for failure.

    Giorgio was about to say something when he saw a couple frantically run in. Jason''s mom and dad ran to Tory.

    Tory looked up and saw them. She started sobbing even harder "A-aunty, uncle I-I''m so sorry. I said that I would watch Jason a-and now-"

    Jason''s mom pulled Tory into her embrace. She rubbed Tory''s back and kissed the top of her head "It''s okay Tory. It''s not your fault"

    Giorgio really did not want to throw himself into the fire but he knew that the fate of the show was possibly riding on his shoulders.

    He wiped his head again with his handkerchief before putting it away in his pocket. He took a deep breath before putting the friendliest smile on his face that he could muster as he approached them "Hello. My name is Giorgio"

 Chapter 22 - The Hospital

    Jason''s parents turned to Giorgio after hearing his voice. Seeing that he had their attention Giorgio continued "I know that this isn''t the best conditions to be meeting under but first things first I would like to make sure that something finds it''s rightful ce."

    Giorgio pulled out a check from the inner pocket of his suit "Here you go" He then handed the check to Jason''s dad.

    Jason''s dad had questioning look on his face as he observed Giorgio. He then nced down to look at the check "5,000 dors? What is this for?"

    Giorgio kept his smile up "That is the prize money your son won fair and square when he managed to beat someone that is a top 20 ranked high school yer as well as the number 1 ranked sophomore"

    Tory was still in the embrace of Jason''s mom as she looked up in confusion "But you already gave Jason the check for the prize money? And wasn''t it only supposed to be a thousand dors?"

    Giorgio smiled as he scratched his head "You''re right sweetheart! I guess I''m just being forgetful today. I forgot that the prize was only a thousand dors and I forgot that I already gave Jason the prize. Well you might as well keep it. And don''t worry about the hospital bill we''ll tak-"

    He never got to finish his sentence. Jason''s dad had the cor of Giorgio''s white dress shirt and suit gripped tightly in his hands as he used them to choke him.

    The veins on his arms and neck bulged as he spoke "The first thing you say to us after putting our son in the hospital isn''t about how concerned you are about his health or how sorry you are for doing this-"

    His nostrils red as he continued "But about prizes and money? You don''t need to worry about making sure that the check finds it''s rightful ce"

    Giorgio''s face was changing from red to purple as Jason''s dad spat the words through his teeth "You''re going to have to worry about making sure you can still breath without a machine helping you. Because if anything bad happens to my son. Today will be the first time I have ever been to the hospital and police department in the span of one day"

    Tory was shocked. This was a side of her uncle that she had never witnessed in all the years that she had know him.

    Jason''s mom however wasn''t surprised. She knew what kind of man she fell in love with. She knew that underneath the warm and caringyers of her husband was a line that couldn''t be crossed. She knew about the fierce and unyielding spirit that existed underneath his cheerful and loving energy.

    Giorgio''s vision began to darken. Just as he felt like he was about to lose consciousness Jerome jumped in.

    He faced Jason''s parents and apologized in a shaky voice "I-I''m so sorry. It''s all my fault. I know that I can''t say anything to excuse what I''ve done"

    He wanted to look them in their eyes and sincerely apologize but his head felt like it was chained to the ground.

    All he could do was stare at the floor "I shouldn''t have even suggested ying a game against him. With the difference in our age and size you could even call it bullying instead of a game."

    He continued "But something about your son drew me to y against him. He''s special. He''s got a real talent. I''m not trying to make excuses for myself-"

    He hesitated for a moment before continuing "But your son pushed me to the point where I forgot I was ying against a middle schooler in the parking lot of a mall. I felt like I waspeting against realpetition at a tournament."

    He then looked at Giorgio before finally being able to look up at Jason''s parents "And I''m sorry for how Mr. Giorgio introduced himself. He is actually a very nice man if you get to know him."

    Jerome continued "It''s just that ever since we''ve started scouting for this show arge number of the parent''s we''ve met have been the kind that just wanted to know how big of a check could they get in exchange for their kids."

    Jason''s dad didn''t want to forgive them so easily. These were the people who brought harm to his family. Physical harm to his son and emotional harm to his wife as well as himself.

    But seeing the guilt ridden face of a kid who didn''t hesitate to wear his heart on his sleeve softened him up. Especially since Jerome was only a few years older than his own son.

    Giorgio''s face returned to a normal color after Jason''s dad let go of his cor. Jason''s dad took a deep breath "Let''s just wait to hear from the doctors"

    Giorgio nced at Jerome and gave him a thankful look. Jerome and Giorgio moved away from Tory and Jason''s parents to give them some space.

    After a few hours of waiting a doctor came out. He walked over to Jason''s parents "Mr. and Mrs. Yang. The results for the scans havee back and-"

    Kyle was sitting at the dinning table helping himself to some of the meatloaf that his mom had just made. There were still boxes here and there but the house was beginning to feel and look more like a home.

    The TV was on but Kyle and his mom weren''t paying much attention to what was on. Kyle smiled as he talked with his mom "And that''s when Jason passed me the ball. I was wide open and I managed to score with ayup"

    Kyle''s mom smiled as she listened to her son talk about the game "Wow! Good job baby. Momma''s so sorry that she couldn''t watch your first game. But I already told the hospital that I needed to be off in in three weeks. I will be there to cheer on my little hooper"

    Kyle smiled after hearing that. Kyle''s mom took a bite of her cooking before continueing "I really need to thank this Jason boy. He seems like he''s been a great influence on you in the one week that you''ve been friends."

    She drank some water "You know that I support you and your inte hobby baby. Heck I even help you with your wigs. But I''m d that you''re getting some exercise instead of just dressing up like cartoon characters all day"

    Kyle groaned "Mom! I told you it''s called cosying. And it''s anime not cartoons. I stopped watching cartoons a long time ago"

    Kyle''s momughed and apologized "Right. Anime and cosy. Sorry about that baby. But my point still stands. I''m also happy that you have a friend you can actually invite over for dinner one of these days. Not that I don''t like your inte friends."

    As they were chatting and eating their meal Kyle turned to the TV after hearing his school get brought up.

    A woman in a blue dress was on the screen as she presented the news "Good evening everybody. Our story for today is about a local Riverside city middle schooler from Jefferson middle school."

    The video with Jason ying one on one on his first day as well as a video of what looked like the game against Mt. Vernon yed on screen.

    Thedy continued "This middle schooler had been gaining fame recently from these two videos that showed off his amazing abilities with a basketball."

    Kyle''s mom saw Kyle in the video of the game against Mt. Vernon "Wasn''t that you and your school on the TV Kyle?"

    Kyle smiled and boasted "Yeah. I was in one of the clips. But that''s the friend I was telling you about, that''s Jason. It looks like he has a whole story about him on the news"

    But the smile on his face soon disappeared. The news then showed a video of Jason hitting a three pointer against Jerome and the one on one game they yed after that.

    The news anchor continued "Jerome Bonner the star Point Guard for McDaniels high school in Los Angeles was with the crew of an uing TV show called Through the Hoops.

    Through the Hoops is a docuseries focused on young talented basketball yers one of whom happens to be Jerome Bonner.

    Jerome Bonner and the crew were in Riverside today to film promotional material for the show. But after losing to a middle schooler Jerome seemingly loses control of his emotions.

    He challenges the middle schooler to a rematch that unfortunately ended with the young boy being sent to the hospital. We have yet to receive any updates on his condition at this time."

    Kyle was speachless. He just gazed at the TV. The news station had blurred out Jason''s face in all the videos that they showed but Kyle knew. He knew it was Jason.

    And even though they blurred Jason''s face Kyle still saw the pool of blood that had collected under his head.

    Kyle''s mom knocked down her chair as she hurriedly got up. She hugged her son as she rested her head on top of his "Its going to be okay Kyle"

    Samantha was in her room sitting in her chair in front of her desk. The wall behind her was empty but on the floor were a bunch of posters and pictures of Punk Rock bands.

    She was dressed very differently than how she normally did when she went to school. Instead of her standard graphic Tees and ripped up jeans she was wearing a green dress that matched her light green eyes.

    On herputer screen was a middle aged man who had the same green eyes as her. He was slightly tanned and had short blond hair that wasbed over to the side.

    Samantha drowned out the man''s voice ''Oh my god. How long is he going to yap for. The calls been going on for over an hour now'' Samantha blew a lock of her red curly hair out of her face in frustration.

    The man said "Make sure you take your school work seriously. You need good grades if you don''t want to end up as a bum." Samantha modded her head before coldly answering "Yes father"

    He began talking again after hearing Samantha''s response. Samantha continued to block out his voice as she yed with her phone out of the camera''s view.

    She stopped as she noticed a trending topic ''Jefferson middle school''s basketball star gets sent to hospital''

    Coach Swendel was dressed in nothing but his white boxers that had pink hearts all over. He was sweating as he cooked in the kitchen section of his studio apartment.

    He leaned over the pot as he mixed the instant ramen "Fucking hell! I''m sweating my balls off. Stupidndlord. I know the rent is cheap but the least they could do is fix the AC"

    He was cooking when he saw the same news segment that Kyle did. He started smiling after he saw the first two videos "Haha That''s my golden ticket. We''re going to be known as a powerhouse school with him as our secret weapon"

    But after the news got to the part where Jason and Jerome yed one on one the smiled disappeared from his face. And after they showed Jason''s blurred out face with blood pooling underneath his head Coach Swendel fainted. His body crumpled to the floor.

 Chapter 23 - Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

    The doctor was in the waiting area speaking with Jason''s parents "The results from the scans have confirmed that he doesn''t have any internal bleeding or any other potentially long term damage."

    Jason''s parents breathed out in relief. The doctor continued "The only damage sustained from his fall is theceration located an inch above his right brow and a mild concussion that shouldn''t have any long standing effects on his health.

    He should be okay to go back to school in three days but he should abstain from any strenuous activity for ten days. My rmendation is that he stays here for three days for observation just to be safe"

    Jason''s mom was a little worried after hearing that her son had suffered a concussion but she felt reassured after hearing that it wouldn''t impact him long term.

    Jason''s mom was still hugging Tory as she asked the doctor "Is it okay if we go see our son now?" The doctor nodded his head.

    "That''s okay but make sure to talk one at a time. He should also avoid looking at screens or monitors for the next couple of days.

    Also don''t be worried if he seems easily distracted or if he responds a little slower than usual. He should return to normal by the time he is discharged."

    Both of his parents were happy to hear that they could finally see their son after having waited for hours.

    Giorgio and Jerome stood there awkwardly. They both wanted to ask if they could go in with them to see Jason but they also felt like it would be inappropriate to ask.

    Jason''s mom saw the expression on their faces. She thought for a second before nudging her husband with her elbow. She then tilted her head to the two of them.

    Jason''s dad saw her gesture and took a deep breath before walking over "The two of you cane in as long as you use this chance to sincerely apologize to my son." The two of them eagerly nodded.

    A nurse guided them to Jason''s room. They opened the door and saw Jasonying in a hospital bed with a white sheet pulled up to his chest. He was hooked up to a machine that monitored and disyed his vitals.

    The first thing his parents noticed was the three inch long section of stitches thatid horizontally above his brow.

    Jason heard the door opening. He opened his eyes and turned his gaze in that direction and saw his parents along with Tory, Jerome and the producer from the show. He smiled "Sorry. I really thought I could win."

    Jason''s mom wanted nothing more than to just run to her son and hug him as tight as she could. But she fought that urge.

    She slowly walked to her son. She gently held his face with both of her hands before kissing the top of his head. As his mom kissed him he felt hot droplets hit his face. His own eyes began to moisten.

    Tory stood by the side as she watched the touching scene. After a few minutes Jason''s mom looked back and gestured for Tory toe over.

    Tory looked over to Jason''s dad. She felt like he should get the chance to see his son up close before she did. Jason''s dad simply smiled as he patted Tory on the back before nudging her towards Jason.

    Tory nodded and walked over to Jason. As she got closer she could see the stitches more clearly. She started crying after seeing how the skin above his brow had to be forcefully pulled together.

    Jason noticed Tory as she slowly walked over to him. He could see her puffy red eyes and the random strands of hair that clung to her face.

    Jason felt sorry for her and his parents. He knew that he put them through a lot with this whole ordeal.

    When he took up the rematch against Jerome he obviously couldn''t have known that this would happen.

    But he was also selfish in not considering the consequences that it would have had on everyone around him. All he was thinking about at the time was basketball.

    He should have known better. If he had sustained a serious injury it would have affected his family, his friends and his team.

    Jason hugged him mom and Tory "Sorry. I''ll try to be more careful next time." Toryughed with tears in her eyes "You are so stupid. And I''m even more stupid for letting you do that"

    Jason''s mom hugged the both of them "Sometimes things just happen. No matter how hard you try to n and prepare things just happen. That''s what life is"

    Jason felt a slight headache so he closed his eyes in order to try and rx "I really am sorry Mom, Dad, Tory. After I get out of here let''s go out and shop a bit. I just won a thousand dors after all."

    Tory and Jason''s parentsughed after hearing him say that. The all spoke for the next thirty minutes. A lot of the conversation was asking Jason if he really felt okay.

    Tory suddenly remembered something. She pulled Jason''s cellphone out of her pocket "They gave me your cellphone after they took off your clothes and changed you into the hospital dress.

    I turned it off so that it wouldn''t run out of battery in case you needed to use it but the doctor said you shouldn''t spend too much time looking at screens yet."

    She turned his phone back on and instantly saw a bunch of missed calls and texts "Uh Jason. You might have a little bit of a situation"

    Jason looked at her questioningly "What do you mean?" Tory was able to easily open Jason''s phone because it didn''t have a password set "You have a bunch of missed calls from Kyle, Samantha and your coach"

    Jason felt another headachee along ''Jesus! Please don''t let this be a big deal. Please. All I want to do is y basketball''

    Jason had Tory call Kyle for him. She dialed his number and put it on speakerphone. Kyle''s voice could be heard.

    Kyle was sobbing on the other end "He''s dead mom! He has to be. I''ve been trying to call him for two hours! Hello?"

    Jason sighed "Thanks for killing me off Kyle. I''m d you''re not the director in charge of the movie" It took a second for Kyle to recognize Jason''s voice "huh? Jason!"

    He heard Kyle drop his phone and then rush to pick it up "Jason! You''re not dead! Mom he''s not dead!" Jason could hear a woman''s voice on the other side "I told you baby. You really should trust the opinion of a medical professional more."

    Jason was confused about something "How did you know something happened to me?" Kyle was silent for a few seconds "Uh I don''t know how to tell you this Jason. But everyone kinda knows." Jason was stunned when he heard that.

    Kyle sent Jason a link to the news segment talking about him. All he could do was listen to the video since the doctor told him to avoid looking at screens for the next few days.

    After the video finished everyone turned to Giorgio and Jerome. Giorgio''s face was whiter than a sheet of paper as all the blood had seemingly left his face.

    All the major news stations were running with a simr story. They were reporting that Jerome was embarrassed about losing to a kid much younger than himself in front of the cameras and a crowd.

    And that he took revenge by asking for a rematch and then sending Jason to the hospital. This hurt not only Jerome''s reputation but it was hurting the show. There were even people posting about how the show should be cancelled.

    He muttered to himself "That can''t be right. I would have gotten a call by now if something had happened?" He pulled out his phone only to see that the battery was dead.

    He turned to Jerome"How about your phone Jerome?" Jerome checked his pockets only to find that he didn''t have his phone on him "I think I left it in the trailer back at the mall"

    Giorgio had borrowed Jason''s phone to make a call and for thirty minutes he had to listen to his boss yell at him.

    "Giorgio you limp dick brick shitting dumbfuck! What the hell kind of shit storm did you get into!? I got the station heads breathing down my god damn neck!"

    Giorgio apologized "I am so sorry sir. I promise I will take care of this whole thing. I will get it all sorted out."

    The man on the other side of the phone continued "You better get it done you bargain bin knockoff Italian prick. You know how many people wanted to be in charge of the Californian yers?

    There were a shit ton of people who wanted to be where you are now. I went out on a limb putting you in charge of California. If you can''t fix this the whole show might be in jeopardy!"

    The call ended and Giorgio''s legs buckled. He had to put his hand on the wall to keep himself upright. His entire face was filled with droplets of sweat.

    He took a deep breath and tried topose himself before walking back into the room. He smiled and gave the phone back to Jason who then handed the phone to Tory.

    Giorgio thanked Jason "Thank you for letting make that call. I am terribly sorry for what happened at the mall Jason. And please don''t worry about the hospital bill. Ourwork will be taking care of that."

    Jason nodded. He looked at Giorgio and could tell that something was wrong "Are the news stories causing problems for the show?"

    Giorgio hesitated to answer. He looked at Jason''s parents who both gave him a nod of approval. Jason''s mom was petting her son''s head " You can tell us the truth. I think our Jason can handle it."

    Giorgio decided to be honest and let them know the situation over at thework. Jason''s parents silently processed the situation in their minds.

    No one knew what would be the best way to handle this situation. Surprisingly it was Jason who broke the silence "I think I know how we can fix this whole thing."

 Chapter 24 - The Interview

    Everyone was surprised to hear Jason say that. Giorgio was stunned for a moment before sighing ''I can''t believe I let myself get caught up in a kid''s pace.''

    He smiled politely "Thanks Jason but I don''t-" Jason''s mom could tell that Giorgio didn''t take her son''s words seriously.

    She knew that it was unlikely that a 12 year old boy would be able to fix something that even the heads of a broadcastingwork were getting headaches over but she never liked it when people looked down her family.

    She looked at Giorgio "What do you have to lose Mr. Giorgio? You should just hear what my son has to say." Her voice was firm and slightly irritated.

    Giorgio scratched the back of his bald head "You''re right. I can at least let him talk. So what''s your idea Jason"

    Giorgio still didn''t really believe that the little boy would have anything insightful to say. But he wasn''t in the ce to argue considering it was his fault that he was in the hospital.

    Jason wasying in the hospital bed "Since it''s the news that''s blowing this whole thing out of proportion why don''t we just do a quick interview and say that I''m okay?"

    Everyone was surprised about how simple yet effective Jason''s suggestion was. Jason looked around at everyone''s faces before continuing.

    "And we can even use this situation to give the show some good advertisement if we say that the one on one between me and Jerome was supposed to be a scripted intro and we just messed up. But we can only do that if you''re okay with me being on the show."

    Jason thought that he was the one taking advantage of the situation to gain some benefits ''If I can join the show I''ll be on more scouts radars. And if I can get Tyreek on the show he''ll get more exposure too.''

    Jason was sure that the only reason Tyreek wasn''t drafted higher in hisst life was because he yed for a lesser known school and didn''t get to showcase his talents on a bigger tform.

    Both of Jason''s parents had their own concerns. They were worried about how this would impact Jason''s life. They didn''t want Jason to lose out on the chance to live a normal life like any other kid.

    But after Giorgio exined how they would shoot the show they feltfortable with letting Jason make his own decision. If this was what he really wanted they would support him.

    Giorgio exined that a camera man would film Jason during his practices and his games. They would asionally record him outside of practices and games but for the most part Jason could go about his normal life.

    Giorgio and Jerome looked at each other awkwardly. They didn''t expect the situation to unfold so perfectly. They were already going to ask Jason to join the show.

    But now not only was Jason the one proposing that he join the show himself. They can even kill two birds with one stone.

    Giorgio walked towards Jason after he saw him waving for him toe over. Jason looked at Giorgio "I would like to join the show. But there''s one more person I would like for you to add."

    Giorgio concealed his concern ''I hope he doesn''t ask me to add one of his bum friends.'' Jason continued "I want you to add a high school yer. He''s a senior and his name is Tyreek Hills."

    Giorgio thought for a moment. He had heard of Tyreek Hills before. Tyreek was talented and could definitely y ball at a high level but he was currently outside the top 50 in terms of ranking.

    Giorgio decided that it would be worth it to add Tyreek as long as it meant being able to add Jason to the show ''If anything I can just give Tyreek low minutes on screen. I have to prioritize the yers that the audience wants to see.''

    Giorgio and Jason came to an agreement. He called his boss and exined the situation. Giorgio''s boss emailed the contract right away so that they could finalize the decision.

    Less than thirty minutes after Jason had agreed to join the show Giorgio was making calls and using his connections to set up a video interview with one of the news stations.

    Within two hours Jason''s face would be on TV again. But this time without the mosaic censoring of his face.

    Kyle was sitting on the coach in his living room hugging one of the pillows. His mom was next to him as she snacked on a bowl of fruit sd "C''mon baby. You already talked to your friend. So why the long face?"

    Kyle sighed "I don''t know mom. I guess I''m just in a bad mood from seeing that newsdy talk about Jason like that. She was talking as if it was Jason''s fault for challenging that high school yer. And she made it sound like Jason did all this for some publicity."

    Kyle''s mom smiled "It''s nice to see that you care so much about your friend Kyle. But like I said before your friend is doing okay and that''s all that matters. Now cheer up and have some fruit sd."

    Kyle picked up his bowl from the coffee table. He scooped a sweet spoonful into his mouth before his attention was pulled back towards the TV.

    The same female news anchor that originally reported Jason''s story was back on the screen "This just in we have some breaking news. We have an exclusive interview with the little boy from Riverside."

    The TV showed Jasonying in a hospital bed on the right side while the news reporter was on the left. She politely smiled "Hello young man. Can I ask you for your name?"

    Jason responded "My name is Jason Yang. My friends call me Jason. I don''t believe I got your name?"

    The news reporter was a little surprised by Jason. She was sure that Giorgio had told him her name before the interview.

    She cleared her throat "My name is Cassidy Nemwen. Now Jason ording to our reports Jerome was the one to ask for a rematch at the mall after losing to you. Is that correct?"

    Jason didn''t like this reporter. The way she reported the story was negative towards Jason, Jerome and the show. He could also tell that she was trying to stir up trouble with her questions.

    Jason answered "That is correct. Jerome did ask for a rematch after our first game. But I epted because I thought that it would make a great learning opportunity. It''s not everyday that you get to y against a top 20 ranked high school yer.

    Another thing that I have to add is that the reason I yed against Jerome was to record some promotion material for the show."

    The reporter asked "What do you mean record promotional material? Can you exin?"

    "The whole thing at the mall was supposed to be an intro for me. We just had a small ident while recording."

    The reporter was surprised "Are you trying to say that you are joining the show?"

    Jason nodded "That is correct. I am joining the show and Jerome was kind enough to agree to be part of my intro to the show.

    That is why I feel so bad about all the hate that has been targeted towards him. I told him to not hold back.

    Even if it was for the show I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity topete against top level talent.

    Jerome was nice enough to agree but now just because of a little ident he''s being hated on. But for the people at home watching this I just want to tell you something.

    I understand that if you don''t y basketball that the incident with Jerome would look malicious. But for those who do y it is very obvious that it was a clean y. Basketball is a physical sport and idents can happen all the time. Injuries are amon thing. yers get dinged up all the time."

    The reporter could feel that the momentum and control of the interview was being shifted to Jason. She could tell that she wouldn''t get any good soundbites out of this interview so she wanted to end it quickly.

    She smiled "Thank you for the interview Jason. All of us here at the station hope you have a speedy recovery."

    Jason could smell the bsing out of her mouth "Thank you. Before I go I would like to thank Through the Hoops for thinking that I deserve to be on the show.

    My parents for letting me be on the show. Jerome for shooting with me today. Andst but not least I have to thank my mentor and friend Tyreek Hills. He helped me get my game to where it is today and I wouldn''t be the yer that I am without him.

    I know that this wasn''t the best first impression to make but I hope you all tune in to Through the Hoops so that I can show a different side of myself. Thank you."

    The camera showing Jason turned off. Back at the hospital Giorgio was holding Jason''s phone. They used the phone as a camera for the interview.

    Giorgio handed the phone back to Tory and gave Jason a thumbs up "Great job Jason. But that news reporter really surprised me. I didn''t think she would try to interview you like that."

    Jason closed his eyes and rxed "That''s okay. The interview ended up going well anyways." Jason felt like the interview went very well.

    He was able to leave a good image of the show and Jerome while also advertising Tyreek ''I hope that Tyreek doesn''t mind me making that whole mentor thing up.''

    Jason massaged the top of his scalp. Today had been a very busy and eventful day for him and he was finally starting to feel the fatigue ''I just hope that tomorrow is a little quieter''

 Chapter 25 - Sunday

    It was the morning after Jason had been on the news. Kyle wasying in his bed curled up in his nket that had various anime characters on it. Underneath he was cuddled up with his waifu body pillow.

    There was a cute chibi anime character shaped clock on the table next to Kyle''s bed. As soon as the time hit 6:30 the rm went off. The opening song from Kyle''s favorite anime started ying.

    Kyle rubbed his eyes and soaked in the Japanese lyrics as he gradually began to wake up. He started stretching out his arms and legs while under the nket.

    After a few more minutes he finally managed to get out of bed. He walked over to his chibi clock and patted it on the head which turned off the rm.

    Kyle brushed his teeth and washed his face before walking downstairs to the kitchen. He pulled out two pans. He started frying some rice in one pan and an omelette in the other.

    Kyle''s mom walked in through the front door. She heard some cooking soundsing from the kitchen and smiled ''This boy.''

    She walked into the kitchen "Morning baby" Kyle turned around and smiled at his mom "Breakfast is almost ready. It''s still going to take a bit so you can go take a shower first."

    Kyle''s mom nodded "I wish I could hug you right now but I''m still in my scrubs. I''ll go ahead and clean up. Thanks baby."

    She went upstairs and got cleaned up. By the time she had walked back down in her pajamas Kyle had finished cooking. He made fried rice with an omelette on top. The omelette had a big heart drawn with ketchup on it.

    He ced a te in front of where his mom was sitting before getting a te and taking a seat himself "I feel like this is the best Omurice that I''ve made so far."

    Kyle''s mom began eating "It''s delicious sweetheart and I really appreciate you cooking breakfast for me. But do you think we can switch it up a little? Momma''s starting to get tired of eating eggs and rice."

    Time passed by as the two of them happily talked while eating breakfast. Kyle looked up and asked "Some of the guys from the team are going to visit Jason today. Is it okay if I go?"

    His mom thought about it for a second before answering "Sure baby. Do you need me to drive you?" Kyle shook his head "No that''s okay mom. I''ll just use my bus pass. The rest of the guys are gonna take the bus too."

    After they both finished eating, Kyle started cleaning up while his mom went to go sleep. After cleaning Kyle went back to his room and got dressed up to go out.

    His closet was full of colorful costumes, different types of props and wigs of different colors and hairstyles. But he put on a regr pair of jeans and a brown hoodie over his white Tee-shirt.

    Kyle walked out of the house with his wallet and bus card. He waited for the bus and got on when it arrived.

    Kyle''s hands were shaking and his leg was bouncing the entire ride. After fifteen minutes the bus stopped at Kyle''s destination. He got off and started walking.

    After walking for a few minutes he stopped at a familiar ce. It was the basketball court where Trell had dragged Jason to.

    Kyle nervously walked his way over. He saw Trell and some of the other kids from the neighborhood sitting on the benches in the park.

    As Kyle approached them he was noticed by one of the kids sitting with Trell "Huh? Yo check it out guys looks like Kyle decided to drop on by. What happened Kyle? I thought you was too good for the hood?"

    Kyle was nervous but he responded "I just moved fifteen minutes away guys. I''m still from here." The other kidughed.

    "Ten minutes can make a big difference Kyle. I heard you living it up with the rich people now. You probably too clean to rub elbows with grimey folk like us. You don''t belong here Kyle."

    Kyle stood still and looked at Trell. Trell noticed Kyle''s look and sighed. He looked to the kid sitting next to him "Chill bruh. What you want Kyle? You should know better than to be walking up in here like this."

    Kyle hid his shaking hands in his pockets "Udonis said that he couldn''t reach you so I thought I would drop by and let you know that we were going to visit Jason in the hospital today."

    Trellughed "He couldn''t reach me because I''ve been ignoring his calls and texts. Let me fill you in on something alright?"

    Trell sat forward and looked at Kyle "I respect Jason because of his skills on the court. Same goes for you. You earned a little bit. But that don''t mean we homies or friends okay?

    I''ll keep showing up to practice and the games because it''s fun for me. But don''t think we all buddy buddy now."

    Kyle hesitated for a second "But we''re a team. We are supposed to have each other''s backs like Udonis said. A team is supposed to be a second family."

    Trell startedughing "Wake up Kyle. Udonis might have said that but you know that the rest of the team don''t fuck with us like that.

    They see us as outsiders man. Even with how good Jason is you seen anyone of the team ept him? You had to have noticed it during the game versus Mt. Vernon.

    Every time Jason stuck out his hand to dab up the bench while he was on the court they just gave him the cold shoulder. They left him hanging like crazy. Sometimes they ignored him while he was wide open.

    We won that game despite the rest of the team. Not because of their help. If it was up to them they would ditch us in a heart beat."

    Kyle left dejectedly after hearing what Trell had to say. He didn''t want to believe what Trell said. He was beginning to feel like he had somewhere he belonged outside of his online group.

    He didn''t want that to turn out to be a lie. He texted Udonis that he wasn''t able to get Trell. Udonis texted him to just meet up at the hospital.

    After about thirty minutes of riding the bus Kyle managed to reach the hospital. He was excited to visit Jason and meet up with the rest of the team.

    But the smile on his face quickly faded and the excitement inside him died down as he only saw Matt and Udonis. He remembered what Trell said ''They see us as outsiders man....If it was up to them they would ditch us in a heart beat''

    - - -

    Inside of a well decorated office sat a dark skinned man with an athletic build. He was dressed in grey sweatpants and a white shirt.

    In front of his desk stood a white man in a suit. The man sitting behind the desk smiled as he extended his arm forward "Hey Jonathan. I wasn''t expecting to see you today."

    Jonathan smiled awkwardly as he shook hands "I wasn''t expecting to be here today either Coach Butler. But I got a ton of callsst night and this morning."

    He cleared his throat "Coach Butler. I know you''re trying your best but the sponsors and school alumni who have been financing the team are running out of patience.

    If you can''t show any promise for improvement you might be done after this season. I really don''t want that to happen. I was a big fan of yours when you were in the league.

    I can try to get them to give you some more time but you have to give me something to sell them on."

    Coach Butler sighed. This was his third year coaching the team. He was specifically hired to transform Beach Side Academy into a high school basketball powerhouse.

    But each of thest two seasons have ended in failure. And this season wasn''t looking to shape up any differently. Their current roster was weak in terms of talent and their chemistry was barely holding up.

    Coach Butler sighed "I''ll try my best to scout out some talent and recruit. Just try to buy me some more time." Jonathan nodded "Thanks Jonathan. I owe you one."

    Jonathan left his office and Couch Butler sat in his chair in silence. He massaged his temples while breathing in deeply.

    Although he said he would try to scout and recruit he wasn''t all that confident. When he first started the coaching job he thought it would be easy to recruit talented yers using his status as a retired professional yer.

    But things aren''t always how you expect them to be. Nobody wanted toe y for him. No one wanted to risk ying for a bad school and end up ruining their stock on the college recruitment boards.

    Beach Side Academy was located in Santa Barbara. Both the school and the city were not known for having excellent sports programs.

    Just as he was feeling like he was standing on the edge of a knife Coach Butler got a text from one of his friends back in his hometown.

    It was a link to a video. He tapped on it and a new segment about a middle schooler started ying. As the video went on Coach Butler''s facial expressions went from surprised to serious.

    ''His ball handling is simple but tight. No sh but a lot of substance. His shooting looks lethal and his confidence to pull up without any hesitation is impressive. And his defensive is remarkable for a yer his age.''

    And then the video got to the part where Jason yed one on one versus Jerome ''His defense raised to another level against tougherpetition!? He has that dog inside him. I can tell he''s hungry. Huh! he changed his shot mid air!?''

    He watched the video all the way to the end. Afterwards he watched the interview as well. Coach Butler had a smile on his face "Jason Yang. I think I might have found my solution"

 Chapter 26 - Friends

    Kyle walked over to Matt and Udonis "Hey guys. It''s just the two of you?" Kyle fist bumped the two of them. Udonis awkwardly smiled "Yeah. I asked the other guys but they all had something going on."

    Kyle didn''t believe Udonis but he didn''t say anything. He checked the time on his cellphone "So do you guys know what room he''s in?"

    Matt shook his "I texted Jason. He said to just wait. I think someone''s gonnae down to bring us over."

    The three of them waited in the waiting area of the hospital for about five minutes. Their attention was pulled when they heard a sweet voice enter their ears "Hey are you guys the ones visiting Jason?"

    They all looked up from their phones in unison as they turned to where the voice came from. They were greeted with the sight of a cute girl in sweats.

    Tory had on a pair of ck sweatpants and a gray shirt. Her hair was slightly messy but it just gave her the charm of a girl that had just woken up.

    Tory was a tall girl with a fit body. She was 5''11 so she towered over everyone except for Kyle. Kyle stammered "Uh-we-Jason-"

    Toryughed after hearing Kyle "Hahaha! I''m guessing you must be Kyle? Jason described you perfectly. Tall and awkward."

    After she finishedughing she gestured for them to follow her "Here. I''ll take you guys to see Jason." She turned and started walking. The three of them looked at each other and gulped before following her lead.

    The three of them followed behind Tory. Udonis whispered to Kyle "Who is she?" Kyle shook his head as he whispered back "I don''t know. I''ve met Jason''s parents before but it was really quick. And Jason never mentioned anything about having a sister."

    Matt gulped as he looked at Tory "I don''t know either. But she feels kinda different than the girls at school right?" None of them could exin exactly what it was but Kyle and Udonis nodded their heads in unison.

    While the boys were having their own little discussion Tory was happily leading them ''It''s nice to see that Jaya is making friends. He''s already doing better than at his old school.''

    After a few minutes of walking and taking the elevator they reached Jason''s room. Tory opened the door "I got your friends Jaya!"

    Jason was resting with his eyes closed but as soon as Tory yelled he opened his eyes and turned to her "Thanks Tory but you didn''t need to yell."

    Tory grinned "I didn''t need to but it was fun." She then put on her headphones andid down on the pull out bed that was in the corner of the room "I''m still tired so you guys have fun. I''ll be snoozing over here."

    Tory then covered herself with a nket. Kyle was the first one to walk up to Jason "Good to see that you''re doing okay." The two of them fist bumped.

    Jason smiled at Kyle then he turned to Matt and Udonis "It''s good to see you guys too. Thanks for showing up. I didn''t think this was going to be how we would be meeting after our game against Mt. Vernon."

    Mattughed "Yeah well I didn''t think that you would be TV star the next time I saw you." Udonisughed "Yeah. Looks like you''re a real star now Jason."

    Jason rolled his eyes "You guys wouldn''t even believe how this all happened." Jason told them the story starting from when Tory took him to the mall.

    After Jason was done talking Matt, Udonis and Kyle were dumbstruck. After a bit they all looked at each other and then at Jason. Udonis was the first one to talk "You really are a ma for trouble."

    Jason replied with his deadpan face "It''s not my fault. Trouble just always seems to follow me." The three of themughed after hearing Jason say that.

    They all sat around Jason''s hospital bed in the guest chairs and talked about all sorts of things. After an hour passed by Jason''s stomach growled.

    Jason scratched the back of his head "My bad. I''m just really hungry. Hospital food isn''t exactly the most appetizing."

    Matt looked up from his phone "You want us to grab you something?" Jason nodded. He pulled out his wallet from the drawer and took out a twenty dor bill.

    "There''s a burger ce close by. You guys can get whatever you want. I just want a cheeseburger and a milkshake."

    Matt took the twenty from Jason''s hand "Dang! Look at this guy. We got a big baller over here. Let''s go grab some grub UD." Udonis got up and left the room with Matt.

    After Udonis and Matt left to go get food it was just Kyle and Jason in the room. Except for Tory who was still in the room snoring in the corner.

    Kyle and Jason sat in awkward silence for a few seconds before Kyle started talking "I tried to bring Trell here.... But he didn''t want toe."

    Jason saw Kyle''s serious face and he couldn''t help butugh "Why are you so surprised?" Kyle looked at Jason "I thought we were starting to get closer. He seemed like he wasn''t a terrible person while we were ying or at practice."

    Jason sighed "Not everyone can be friends after just a few days Kyle. Especially with Trell. You do remember that he was beating the shit out of you right?"

    Kyle silently nodded. Jason added "Just give it time. I don''t know for sure if we''ll all ever be friends but don''t expect it to happen overnight. You have to take baby steps. As long as you''re making progress that''s all that matters."

    Kyle felt better after hearing Jason say that. Kyle was hesitant to say it but he wanted to get it off his chest. He told Jason what Trell had told him about the rest of the team not epting them.

    Jason looked at Kyle "Honestly Trell is probably right. The rest of the team probably doesn''t like us." Kyle had a sad look on his face after hearing that.

    Jason saw Kyle''s expression andughed "Kyle. You gotta stop caring about what other people think. I think you''re cool. Matt and Udonis like you. Trell... well at least he doesn''t want to beat you up like before.

    My point is that as long as you have a few people that you know have your back you shouldn''t care what other people think."

    Kyle nodded his head as he listened to Jason "I don''t know how you can say stuff like that so easily Jason. Sometimes it feels like you''re not a kid like me. You sound like my mom when she gives me advice."

    Jason choked on the water he was drinking when he heard Kyle say that. He coughed and wiped his mouth "I guess I''m just built like that."

    After about thirty minutes Matt and Udonis came back with the food. Jason inhaled his cheeseburger and milkshake. Matt and Udonis were surprised at how much and how quickly Jason ate. Kyle had gotten used to Jason''s eating habits so he wasn''t affected.

    After everyone finished eating Jason told them "The doctor says that I can go back to school in a few days but I won''t be able to practice for ten days."

    Matt nodded "That sucks but at least it wasn''t anything serious. When I first saw you fall on the news and the shot where there was blood under your head I was really worried."

    Udonis agreed "Yeah. The fall looked pretty bad especially since it was on concrete instead of the hardwood on the court. But it looked like you were giving that guy the business. He was a top ranked high school yer right?"

    Jason gave them a y by y description of the one on one game he yed versus Jerome. Udonis looked at Jason in amazement "You really cut from a different cloth. We both ball yers but I can''t even imagine doing the shit you do."

    Matt nodded his head in agreement "Whenever I watch Jason y it doesn''t feel like I''m watching someone the same age as me."

    Jason waved them off "You guys just need to practice. You guys can get better than me as long as you put in the work."

    They spent the next few hours talking about their game against Mt. Vernon. All the things they did good. The things they did bad and what they could improve before their next game. Tory did her homework in the corner while the boys talked.

    At around three in the afternoon they started getting ready to go. Matt, Udonis and Kyle waved to Jason before awkwardly smiling and waving to Tory as they left the room.

    Tory smiled at Jason "Looks like you made some good friends." Jason smiled back as he looked at her "Yeah I think so."

 Chapter 27 - First Day Back

    Jason ended up missing ss on Monday as he stayed in the hospital. Luckily after three days of observation the doctors discharged Jason with a clean bill of health.

    Jason had wanted to try using the Recovery Boost function but he decided against it. He wasn''t sure if the concussion would fall under the umbre of things that the Recovery Boost function could heal and he didn''t want to waste any of his points.

    Tuesday Morning. Jason slept through most of Mr. Rivera''s ss. Kyle only woke him up when the teacher started passing out a pop quiz. Jason nced at the quiz and casually filled it out.

    At the end of ss Jason packed up his stuff and dropped off his quiz at the teacher''s table on his way out.

    Kyle walked next to Jason as they made their way to their next ss. Kyle looked at Jason and shook his head "I don''t know how you do it man. You always sleep in ss, you never study, and you still manage to ace the quiz."

    Jason asked "How do you know I aced the quiz?" Kyle smiled before pushing up an imaginary pair of sses "You underestimate me. I saw your answers on the way out. And you had the same answers as me."

    Jason rolled his eyes "And just because I have the same answers as you that means I aced the test? Maybe both of us failed the quiz."

    Kyleughed "I''m a straight A student so there''s no way I would ever fail a quiz. Besides that quiz was too easy. I didn''t even need to power up into my next form!"

    Jason could feel the attention of everyone gathering on him and Kyle. Kyle didn''t seem to notice it though as he continued to pretend to charge up his energy.

    Jason nudged Kyle in the side with his elbow "What are you doing? Everyone''s starting to look man."

    Kyle looked at Jason "You don''t know what this is? You don''t watch anime? And why would you care if everyone is looking? You were the one who told me not to care what other people think."

    Jason couldn''t refute what Kyle said. He did say that. Jason shook his head "Yeah you got a point I guess. But to answer your question no I don''t watch anime."

    Kyle stopped mid sentence "But you''re As-" He hesitated to finish. Jason jumped in "What? Asian? That don''t mean I watch anime. You''re ck Kyle but you didn''t y basketball until you met me. Tell me do you listen to hip-hop?"

    Kyle shook his head "You got a point Jason. But you should watch anime. It''s so good! Magic Girl Squad just came out with a new season!"

    Jason smiled "Alright man. You started ying basketball because I asked you to. I can give anime a shot if you really want me to."

    Kyle put one of his arms over Jason''s shoulder and hugged him in excitement "Yes! If you really get into it I can even add you to my online group."

    They were still halfway to the ssroom when Jason felt something bump into his side. He turned his head and saw a familiar face "Oh. Hey Sammy."

    Kyle turned and was about to say hello to Samantha but then he saw her face "Y-You know what Jason. I forgot that I had something to ask the teacher. I''ll go on ahead." He quickly walked away.

    Jason noticed that Samantha looked upset "Sup Sammy. Something wrong? You don''t look too happy."

    Samantha pouted "I don''t look happy huh? Maybe it''s because I was supposed to work on a project with someone but then that person ignored all of my calls and texts the whole weekend!?"

    Jason smacked himself in the forehead. The entire time he was in the hospital he felt like he was forgetting something. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn''t remember what it was.

    He had forgotten about the English project that he was supposed to do with Samantha. Jason apologized "Sorry Sammy. That waspletely my bad. I totally forgot about the project."

    Samantha felt a little better after hearing Jason apologize but she was still upset "The project is one thing. What makes me more upset is that the friend that I was so worried about couldn''t even take a second to text or call me.

    I saw your interview on the news but after that I didn''t hear anything else. I was worrying about if something happened when all of a sudden I see Kyle post a picture of him and the other guys with you at the hospital."

    Jason stood there awkwardly scratching the back of his head "I really am sorry Sammy. I''m not going to lie I forgot about you. And that makes me a really shitty friend. If there''s anything I can do to make it up I''ll try my best to fix this."

    Samantha finally smiled after hearing Jason say that "You''re the one who said it so you better not try to back out." Jason was surprised by how quickly her mood changed.

    Jason nodded his head "I won''t. Just try not to ask for anything too crazy." Samantha smiled as they made their way to ss.

    "I talked to Ms. Yuller while you were in the hospital. You''re wee by the way. She said that since you were in the hospital for most of the weekend she''ll give us an extension on the project. We have to act out the scene on Friday."

    Jason sighed in relief after hearing that they had gotten an extension on the project. He smiled "Thanks Sammy. You''re the MVP for sure." Samantha smiled even brighter as they made their way to ss.

    The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. After school was done Jason and Kyle made their way to the gym.

    Kyle asked "I thought the doctors told you not to do any exercising for ten days?" Jason nodded "Yeah they did. But I''m not going to do any exercising."

    Kyle looked even more confused "So then why are we going to the gym?" Jason patted Kyle on the back.

    "Even if I can''t exercise that doesn''t mean that you should skip practice Kyle. Besides I just wanted to see what kind of practice the team normally does."

    Jason and Kyle eventually reached the gym. But after a few minutes of watching the team practice Jason couldn''t help but frown.

    ''What the hell is this? I''ve seen little kids practice better than this.'' Jason watched as the team casually yed. Some of the kids were ying horse, some of them were bouncing the balls off the wall.

    The only ones who looked like they were practicing seriously were Matt and Udonis. Matt was doing the defensive drills that Jason had showed him while Udonis was practicing his post moves.

    After watching for ten minutes Jason couldn''t take it anymore. He walked up to Coach Swendel. Coach Swendel was sleeping on the bench with his sunsses on.

    He felt someone tap on his shoulder "You guys are doing great. Keep it up." He felt the tap again "If you need some water go and help yourself."

    He wasfortably resting with the clipboard in hisp. But as soon as he heard Jason''s voice he jumped to his feet "I don''t need any water Coach. But I do have some questions."

    Coach Swendel hurriedly took of his sunsses and picked up the clipboard from the floor "Oh hey Jason. d to see you out of the hospital. What can I do for you?"

    Jason pointed to the team out on the court "I thought there was practice today. What are they doing?"

    Coach Swendel nervously answered "This is uh... This is practice. I know it doesn''t look like it but they are practicing."

    Jason felt like like pping himself. No wonder the team was so bad. Even if they were on the team for 2 or 3 years it wouldn''t make a difference if this was what they did for practice.

    Jason looked at Coach Swendel "You call this practice? No offense Coach but this looks like a bunch of kids at recess. The only ones I see doing anything productive are Matt and Udonis."

    Coach Swendel hesitated for a second "Well you see... I tried doing actual practices when I first became the coach for the team. But they kind of took it in a bad way."

    One of Jason''s brows raised "What do you mean they took it in a bad way?" Coach Swendel scratched the back of his head "As in threatening to quit the team."

    Jason massaged his temples and the sides of his head as he felt a headache re up. He looked at the kids messing around on the court and his headache got even worse.

    He swore in his head ''Fucking hell! How am I supposed to win anything with a team like this!?''

 Chapter 28 - Friendly Competition

    Jason continued to massage his head until his headache subsided. Afterwards he looked at Coach Swendel "Coach even if I try my best we won''t be able to win too many games if our bench is trash. We need to do something"

    Coach Swendel hesitated but eventually he nodded his head "We''ll do things your way Jason. So what did you have in mind?"

    Jason thought about the teamposition ''I''m probably the only real consistent offensive option on the team. Udonis can make some shots from the post but I don''t think we can rely on him to run the offense.''

    Jason had to think about what would be the best way to run the offense ''When I''m with the rest of the starters I should probably y more of a y-maker role. And when I''m with the bench unit I can y more of a scoring role.''

    The offense would be a very simple system. Jason would be the primary offensive option. And whenever he''s on the bench Udonis would be the main point on offense. Everyone else will just y a supporting role.

    Since their offense was going to be very simple that meant that their defense had to be strong enough to make up for it.

    Jason told Coach Swendel "Call everyone together Coach. I''ll take care of the rest." Coach Swendel nodded his head before blowing his whistle.

    Everyone turned towards Coach Swendel and started walking over after hearing the whistle. In less than a minute everyone was gathered around the two of them.

    Jason looked at the kids gathered around him "The doctors told me that I should avoid any type of intense activity for at least 10 days.

    But I came here anyways just so that I could see what a day of practice looks like for you guys. I hate to say it but Ipletely regret doing that.

    I thought that I would be able to learn something about all of you by watching your practice. But all I got was a massive headache. Well at least now I know why our school has been in veryst ce thest few years."

    Jason added "Starting today we are going to do actual training and actual practice. Not the bullshit time wasting you''ve been doing until now."

    Most of the boys looked down in shame but a few of them red at Jason as they balled their fist. Jason stared back at the ones who seemed upset "What? Do you think I said anything wrong?"

    One of the kids stepped up towards Jason. He was a tanned skinned Hispanic boy who looked to be around 5''7. His short brown hair was curly.

    Udonis looked at the boy "Try and be calm Manny." Manny answered back "How you want me to be calm when this bitch is shit talking all of us!?"

    Jason didn''t remember the boy''s name but he recognized him as one of the ones whoined about the starting lineup. He was also the one who argued with Trell during the game.

    Manny red at Jason "Listen up dickhead! Not everyone is as lucky as you. We don''t have the talent that you do.

    We can''t dream about ying college or pro ball. For us normal people this is just a way for us to have fun. So I don''t think there''s anything wrong with how we spend our time during practice."

    Jason could feel the vein in his head throbbing as his face got hotter by the second. Jason didn''t have any talent in hisst life.

    He had to scrape and fight for every little thing. So the one thing he couldn''t tolerate was when people usedck of talent as an excuse to not put in effort and to just ept mediocrity.

    Jason pointed at all the boys who were staring at him in anger "You guyse here." He walked over and picked up a basketball.

    Jason looked at Manny and the 4 other boys "I really shouldn''t be doing this but you guys just pissed me off so fucking bad. Let''s y a little game. King of the hill.

    We take turns ying offense and defense. You get knocked out if you get scored on and the next person hops in.

    If any of you guys can score on me I will quit the team. But if I win I don''t want to hear anymore bitching from you guys.

    I''ll even give you guys an advantage. Every time I knock someone out I will start again on defense. You guys up for it? Or are you too scared to y against someone that just got out of the hospital?"

    Udonis wanted to step in and say something but he was stopped by Manny. Manny looked at Jason "You''re on."

    Jason gave the ball to the bench yer and immediately started pressing him with his tight defense. Jason didn''t even bother with trying to steal the ball.

    Jason stayed tight against the other yer and maintained constant contact. The bench yer couldn''t create any separation no matter what he tried.

    The other yer eventually decided to try and force his way to the rim. Jason shuffled his feet as he followed the yer all the way to the paint.

    The yer picked up his dribble and got tried to shoot ay up but Jason used the best angle possible to contest the shot. The ball ended up rolling off the rim.

    Jason got the rebound and brought it outside of the three-point line. The bench yer pressed against Jason as he tried to guard him tightly.

    Jason started driving to the right at his full speed. The defender shuffled his feet as he followed Jason.

    Unfortunately for him when Jason used a through the legs dribble toe to a stop he hit the ground. He fell while trying to turn his body to stay with Jason.

    Jason stared him down for a second before letting the ball fly with his mid-range jumper. As the ball fell through the Jason looked at the boys lined up to y against him "Who''s next?"

    The second bench yer tried to surprise Jason with a three-pointer as soon as he got the ball. Unfortunately for him he didn''t seem to be a the long range bomber he thought he was.

    The ball flew to the right side of the basketpletely failing to hit anything. On offense Jason was able to freeze his defender with a hesitation move that transitioned to a crossover.

    Thebo created enough space for Jason to take the ball all the way to the paint for an easyyup. After that Jason made short work of the other yers as he drained 2 straight three-pointers.

    Jason was panting slightly as he used his shirt to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. He tossed the ball forward before getting into a defensive stance "Looks like you''re up Manny."

    Manny caught the ball. He looked at Jason with a mix of emotions. Anger, jealousy, fear he couldn''t tell what he was feeling more ''Let''s see how much longer you can keep acting so smug.''

    Manny was in triple threat position. He jabbed to the right but Jason didn''t even flinch. He then started dribbling but no matter what he tried he couldn''t create any space between him and Jason.

    Jasonughed as he bodied up Manny "Looks like you''re having a hard time there Manny. And you can''t even use talent as an excuse this time because defense is 90% effort."

    Manny clenched his teeth and started driving to the paint with Jason on his hip. Jason shuffled his feet as he followed Manny.

    Jason was in the middle of stepping to the side to stay with Manny when he suddenly crumpled over. Coach Swendel blew his whistle "Offensive foul Manny!"

    During the drive to the rim Manny had used the elbow closest to Jason to strike him in his gut. It knocked the air out of Jason as he was forced to double over and catch his breath.

    Coach Swendel ran over to Jason "Are you okay? I knew this was a bad idea. I should have never let you do this. We are stopping this little game right now."

    He then turned to Manny "What was that Manny!? You guys are teammates. This is just supposed to be friendlypetition. There was no need to resort to a cheap and dirty foul like that."

    Manny grinned as he looked at Jason "I don''t think there was a foul right Jason? I''m sure our superstar here can take a little bit of contact. Or are you going to start bitching about a little bit of physicality?"

    Jason took a few seconds to gather himself. After he got his breathing back under control he smiled and looked up at Manny "No harm no foul. Let''s roll it back. Your ball."

    Coach Swendel worriedly jumped in "I don''t think so. Practice is over and this little game is over. I want you to stay behind Manny. I think I need to talk with you and your parents."

    Jason straightened himself up and put his hand on Coach Swendel''s shoulder "I told you Coach. No harm no foul. We''re going to roll it back and I''m going to whoop his ass properly."

    He looked at Manny with a twisted smile "This game ain''t over. In fact I would say that it''s just barely getting started."

 Chapter 29 - Out Of The Pan Into The Fire

    Jason passed the ball back to Manny with a crazed smile on his face "Go ahead man. It''s your ball." Jason got into a low defensive stance.

    There was about three feet of space between Jason and Manny. But even with that much space Manny felt like Jason''s defense was suffocating.

    Manny tried to fake a three-pointer but Jason didn''t bite on it. After an unsessful jab step and a few wasted dribbles Manny decided to try forcing another drive to the paint.

    Jason stayed on his hip as Manny forced his way to the paint. Just as they were getting closer to the rim Manny pulled the same dirty trick as before.

    He felt Jason bodying him up from the left so he sent his elbow out again. But this time Jason was ready.

    He was in a lower defensive stance than before so the elbow hit him on his chest instead of in the gut. And this time he was mentally prepared to take the hit.

    Jason absorbed the hit while maintaining his defensive presence. As they finally neared the rim Manny had run out of space and was forced to throw up a heavily contestedyup.

    - - -

    Kyle was worriedly watching the game between Jason and Manny. Jason had just managed to convince Coach Swendel to allow them to continue.

    Manny had the ball and was about to start his offense when Kyle''s phone started to ring. He checked his phone to see who it was and his expression immediately got worse ''It''s Sammy!''

    Kyle hesitated for a few seconds before finally answering the call "Oh hey Sammy. I wasn''t expecting you to call me... What''s up?"

    Samantha''s voice could be heard from the phone "I was just wondering if you and Jason were still at school. Wait is that dribbling I hear in the background? I thought the doctors told Jason that he couldn''t y?"

    Kyle was sweating bullets and his hand that was holding the phone started to shake "No! I mean yes! I mean-uh it''s just a video game. Me and Jason are at his c-"

    Before Kyle could finish what he was trying to say one of the kids on the team yelled out "Damn! He took another hit and this time it didn''t even faze him. Jason''s a beast bro. He''s a monster"

    Kyle''s voice got stuck in his throat. After a second of silence Samantha''s voice sted out from the phone "Kyle! What did he mean by ''took another hit''!? Is Jason ying- no forget it. I am heading over there!"

    Kyle tried to stop her "Sammy wait! Don''te! You don''t even know where we are!" But it was useless. She had already hung up.

    - - -

    Jason boxed out Manny as he was going after the rebound. While he was boxing out he could feel some elbows hit him in the ribs and in the back.

    Coach Swendel wanted to blow his whistle a hundred times already. But after remembering what Jason had told him he had no choice but to choke on his whistle ''If I don''t call it then that means that there was no foul alright Coach?''

    Despite Manny''s best attempts Jason managed to box him out and grab the rebound as the ball rolled off the rim.

    Jason took the ball back out to the three-point line. Manny had taken a defensive stance and started pressing against Jason.

    Jason had the same crazy smile on his face as he trash talked Manny "What''s wrong Manny? Your elbows getting tired alread? I hardly felt thest one. I thought a butterflynded on my chest for a second."

    Manny was clenching his teeth so hard that he had to push the words out of his mouth "Shut up you fucking twig!"

    Jason jab stepped to the right and ripped through to drive left. Manny was left a step behind and had to go all out to try and catch up.

    But as soon as he made contact Jason dipped his shoulder slightly down and gave Manny a bit of a bump.

    Unlike what Manny had done earlier Jason''s move was perfectly legal and frequently used by dominate shers like LeBron.

    The power-dip takes advantage of the fact that the defender has yet to establish legal guarding position to get the defender off bnce and strongly initiate contact on the way to the basket.

    Jason was in the air already getting ready toy the ball in with his right hand. He noticed that Manny was right behind him and that he had jumped in an attempt to block the shot.

    Jason sneered ''Maybe if you were Jerome. But don''t you even dream of blocking my shot with your pathetic defense.''

    Jason pulled the ball back,tucked it towards his body and swung it around to his left side before shooting theyup with his left hand.

    The ball bounced off the backboard before falling through the hoop. But before Jason couldnd and celebrate he felt something hit his face.

    Manny had jumped from behind Jason after he was already in the air. So it was only natural that he would be higher up than Jason. On his way down Manny positioned his elbow to smash into Jason''s face as hended.

    A metallic taste filled his mouth as warm streams started to drip from Jason''s face. But he didn''t even seem to mind. With blood dripping from his nose Jason smiled at Manny.

    "Looks like I beat you Manny. Now you better shut up and put in some actual effort at practice. I don''t want see anyone just wasting time on-"

    Jason was interrupted when a figure suddenly appeared. Samantha walked through the team and stormed towards Manny. Without warning she pped him in right in the face.

    "You should be ashamed of yourself. He just got out from the hospital for a fucking concussion and you elbow him in the face!? Are you crazy?" Manny was stunned by what she did.

    She then turned to Coach Swendel "And you! You''re a teacher! A full grown adult! You should know better than to let something like this happen!"

    Coach Swendel was at a loss for words. Before he could say anything Samantha had dragged Jason and Kyle out of the gym.

    Samantha dragged Kyle and Jason for a few minutes all the way to the front of the school. On the way there Jason kept apologizing while Kyle was silent.

    Samantha stopped and red at Jason "What the hell were you thinking!? You told me that the doctors didn''t want you ying for at least 10 days. So what the hell was that!?"

    Jason was wiping his nose with the towel that Samantha had pulled out of her bag and handed to him "Sorry. But I had to do it."

    Samantha was fuming after she heard that "That''s bullshit Jason! You didn''t have to do anything! You shouldn''t have even gone there after school since you know you can''t y."

    Jason was still holding the towel up against his nose "Listen Sammy. I appreciate that you care and I appreciate the towel. But let''s just drop this okay? You wouldn''t understand."

    Samantha stomped her feet "I wouldn''t understand? Why? Because I''m not one of the bros? Or is it because I don''t y ball? Why don''t you try exining it to me Kyle? Maybe you understand."

    Kyle was surprised at suddenly being dragged into the argument. His back started sweating and his hands got sweaty as he struggled to think of something to say.

    Jason sighed as he saw Kyle''s condition "Take it easy on him. He probably wouldn''t understand either. Heck he probably can''t even drink from a sippy cup in the condition he''s in right now."

    Samantha angrily put her hands on her hips "Now is not the time for jokes Jason. Now tell me why it was so important for you to go against your doctors orders?"

    Jason saw how upset she was and gave in "The guys that have been on the team for a few years see me, Kyle and Trell as outsiders. They would never follow behind someone that they didn''t think was one of them. This was the only way I could think of to make them fall in line."

    Jason''s answer did nothing to ease Samantha''s anger. She yelled back "So what Jason! If they don''t want to listen to you just let them do whatever they want.

    You can just y how you normally y and you would still be amazing. I don''t even watch basketball but I could tell how much better you were than everyone else during your game against Mt. Vernon."

    Jason tried to exin "To be honest that would be the easiest thing to do. I could just get my stats and not care about the team. But I want to win more than I want to get numbers.

    A team can''t win without a leader and that one on one game was the only thing I could think of that would make them see me as their leader.

    I''m not like Udonis. I haven''t known those guys for a few years and I''m not charismatic or friendly enough to get them to like me.

    The only thing I can do is lead by example. I have to put in everything I have every time down. That way they won''t have to like me.

    I''ll just force them to recognize and respect the blood and sweat that I''m dripping on the hardwood. Because I don''t hold anything back. I leave everything out on the court."

 Chapter 30 - Heart To Heart

    Samantha wanted to stay angry. She hated that Jason would risk his health for something that didn''t even seem that important.

    But after hearing him pour his heart out in such an honest way she couldn''t keep her anger burning for much longer.

    But after her anger disappeared instead of feeling happiness or relief she just felt a deep sense of sadness.

    Her eyes were beginning to moisten as she looked at Jason "It''s just basketball Jason. I can see that you love it but it''s just a game.

    You''re not even in high school yet can''t you take it easy even just a little bit? I''m sure that your parents must have been heartbroken to see you in the hospital.

    Why would you even risk doing something that could hurt them like that again?" By the time she had finished talking tears were streaming down her face.

    Jason was surprised by her reaction. He didn''t think she would care so much. They had only known each other for a little more than a week.

    Jason was touched to see how much Samantha valued their friendship. Her words also hit him right in the heart.

    Jason hated that he caused his parents heart ache and pain when he went to the hospital. It was the same in his past life.

    On every team that Jason had been in his only valueid in his defensive intensity, his motor and his hustle. All of which required that you put your body on the line.

    He remembered all the times he woulde home with bruises all over his beat up body. And each time his mom would cry and beg him to stop.

    Jason had always pleaded with his mom "Just one more year. Just one more tryout." It wasn''t until his fifth year out of college when Jason started working a normal job that his mom was finally able to smile and rx again.

    Jason really loved his parents and he didn''t want to hurt them. He always told himself that this time would be thest. And yet whenever ites to basketball he seems to lose sight of everything else.

    Jason didn''t know what to do. He loved his parents deeply and he didn''t want to hurt them. But basketball felt like part of him. A piece of who he was.

    Jason looked at Samantha. She had taken a seat on the steps in front of the school. She buried her head into her arms as she cried.

    Jason sighed as he went over and sat down beside her. His arm hovered over her awkwardly for a second before pulling back.

    He hesitantly stretched his arm back out before finally patting her on the back "I''m sorry Sammy. I really mean it.

    I know what I did was stupid. I can''t promise that I won''t act like a dumb ass again but I''ll try my best okay?"

    Samantha cried even harder after hearing Jason''s apology. After a few minutes of Samantha crying, Jason patting her back, and Kyle awkwardly standing to the side she eventually calmed down.

    Samantha looked up at Jason with her puffy red eyes "You know what Jason? I hate you." Jason was surprised at first but after hearing that there was no anger or malice in her voice heughed "And why is that?"

    Samantha responded "Because you tricked me. I only wanted to be your friend because you seemed really funny. You joked around and looked just like my corgi.

    But ever since we''ve been friends you''ve just been making me sad or angry. You''re a con artist. I should sue you for false advertisement."

    Jason chuckled after hearing what Samantha said "You know what? You''re right. I haven''t been the best example of a friendtely.To you or Kyle.

    How about I make it up to you guys? We can hang at my ce today. Just chill out and watch TV. y some video games and snack out until we fall into a fooda."

    Samantha smiled brightly after hearing Jason''s offer "Sure! I''m totally down!" Kyle was about to ept the offer too but then he saw Samantha''s threatening expression.

    Kyle nervouslyughed "You know what. I just forgot that I have a ton of homework to to today. I think I''ll have to rain check you on that one."

    Jason looked behind him to see Samantha smiling. He turned back to Kyle with a confused look "We have the exact same schedule Kyle and I don''t remember getting any homework today?"

    Kyle looked over Jason''s shoulder and saw Samantha ring at him "Did I say homework? I meant chores. I have a ton of chores to do at home. Gotta clean clean clean. I''ll see you guyster."

    Kyle waved as he walked away. Jason turned back towards Samantha "That was weird. I mean Kyle is normally kinda weird but that was extra weird. Even for Kyle."

    Samantha nodded "I think you''re overthinking it. That was just Kyle being Kyle. Anyways are you going to get a ride from your parents or do you want to take my ride? It''s already here."

    Jason pulled out his phone and texted his parents "Let me ask my parents first." Jason''s mom quickly responded with a thumbs up emoji after he mentioned that Samantha wanted toe over "My mom gave us the go ahead."

    Samantha smiled "Cool. Let me text my ride to drive around to the front." After a little more than a minute Jason was surprised to see a limousine park right in front of the school. Samantha pulled him "Come on. Let''s go."

    A tall bald man with a muscr physique that was obvious even under his suit got out of the drivers side of the car and opened the door "Hello Miss Doyle."

    Samantha pulled Jason towards the limousine "Thanks Victor. This is my friend Jason. We''re going to go to his apartment. It''s the same ce asst time."

    Jason nervously gulped before waving "Hi Victor." Victor held the door open and didn''t respond. Jason got into the limo after Samantha.

    Victor closed the door. Jason looked around at the limo in awe "Sammy is this how you normally ride around?" Samantha nodded her head "Yup."

    There was a tinted ss that separated the drivers section from the back but Jason felt like he was being watched.

    The two of them sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Jason started talking "So-uh... You''re rich huh?"

    Samantha shook her head "No. My dad is rich. He''s the head numbers guy for some techpany." Jason didn''t really understand much from her unenthusiastic exnation but he nodded his head "That''s cool. And what does your mom do?"

    Samantha frowned slightly "She''s dead." Jason felt like he had stepped on andmine "I am so sorry. I didn''t know." Samantha shook her head "That''s okay. I know you were just asking."

    Samantha continued "In a couple of months it''s going to be a year since she''s been gone. I had almost forgotten until you brought her up."

    Jason still felt bad ''Damn. It seems like everybody I know has a sad or messed up story. I hope Kyle doesn''t tell me that he had a brother in the military that died overseas or something''

    Jason patted Samantha on the shoulder "If you ever need anything Sammy you can just let me know. I don''t know how much I can actually help but at least you''ll have someone to talk to."

    Samantha smiled "Thanks Jason" Jason smiled back "No problem. That''s what friends are for right?" Samantha''s glowing smile dimmed down a bit "Yeah.... Friends."

    Jason took his hand off of Samantha''s shoulder after he sensed a chilling from the direction of the front of the limo.

    After a fifteen minute ride in the limousine Jason and Samantha reached the apartmentplex. Victor parked the limo and opened the door for the two of them.

    Samantha gave Victor a quick hug as he stood still "Thanks for the ride Victor. I''ll let you know when to pick me up."

    The corner of Victor''s mouth raised just the tiniest bit "You''re wee Miss Doyle." Jason got out of the limo "Thanks Victor." He ignored Jason and went back into the limo and drove off.

    Jason looked at the limousine driving off before turning to Samantha "Not exactly much of a talker is he?" Samantha giggled "That''s just how Victor is. But I think he likes you."

    Jason chuckled "If that''s how he acts when he likes someone I can''t imagine what he''s like with people he hates."

    Jason put in the code for the gate to the apartmentplex and walked in with Samantha by his side.

    "My mom said that she''s gonna be at the office tillter tonight and my dad just texted me that something popped up at the diner so he won''t be home until after closing. Looks like it''s going to be the two of us."

    Jason added "It''s kinda weird that whenever youe over my parents are always out." Samantha nodded "Remember what I saidst time? About you''re parents being awesome?"

    Jason nodded his head "I still don''t get why you said that but yeah I do." The two of them walked through theplex "I was right. You''re parents are awesome Jason." Samantha smiled brightly as she said that.

 Chapter 31 - Be Careful What You Wish For

    Jason entered in the password for the apartment door and opened it "It''s not your first time here so I don''t think you need the luxurious wee fromst time. Just remember to take off your shoes please."

    Samantha fake pouted as she took off her shoes "You''re no fun. Just because it''s my second time here doesn''t mean that you shouldn''t put on a show."

    Jason rolled his eyes "This is my home. If you wanted a show you should have gone to a theater or something."

    Samantha stuck out her tongue "Whatever. You''re lucky I''m not picky." Jasonughed "That was a joke right? You not picky?"

    Samantha lightly shoved him "Shut up. You should listen to your mom and be nicer to me." Jason rolled his eyes again "If I listened to everything my mom said I would have invited a hundred different girls over by now."

    The two of them yfully argued as they looked for something to watch on TV. After a few minutes of browsing they settled for a Superhero movie.

    While Jason was absorbed in the movie that was ying Samantha sent a text to Kyle ''Thanks Kyle. I owe you one.''

    As the movie yed Samantha gradually moved towards Jason closing the gap that had been between them.

    Samantha''s hand shyly crawled on the coach towards Jason''s. Her hand paused when it was just an inch away. Just as they were about to touch Jason turned to Samantha.

    Samantha was surprised "Ah!" She pulled her hand back and put it on top of herp. Jason looked at Samantha strangely "You okay?"

    Samantha enthusiastically nodded her head "Yeah! I just got a little surprised by the movie." Jason responded "Okay.... I was just going to ask if you wanted some popcorn."

    Samantha nodded her head again "Sure. I would also like some water if you could grab me some." Jason agreed before heading to the kitchen.

    After a few minutes Jason came back to the living room with a bowl of buttery popcorn and a ss of water.

    Samantha sighed in relief after Jason sat back down in the same spot as before. Jason wanted to put the bowl of popcorn on the table but was stopped by Samantha.

    She scooted a bit to widen the space between them just big enough to fit the bowl "Why don''t you put it here? I don''t want to reach over to the table every time I want to eat some."

    Jason thought about it for a second "Alright I guess. Just make sure you don''t make a mess or my parents will kill me."

    With the bowl of popcorn between them and the movie ying everything was set ''Act natural. Just put your hand in the bowl for some popcorn at the same time as him.''

    Samantha tried to focus her peripheral vision on the popcorn bowl while watching the movie. As soon as she saw Jason reach for some popcorn she reached down as well.

    ''Huh?'' She was surprised to feel nothing but popcorn ''I just missed the timing. I''ll get it next time.'' She kept on reaching down every time she noticed Jason getting some popcorn.

    Attempt after attempt she failed. All she ended up doing was eating popcorn. After the movie Jason picked up the bowl "I''m surprised we finished it. That was a pretty big bowl."

    Samantha nodded but answered grumpily "I guess." Jason looked at her "You want to watch another one?"

    She thought about it for a second ''Don''t give up Sammy. You can do this!'' She looked back at Jason "Sure and let''s have another bowl of popcorn to go with the movie."

    Jason went back to the kitchen and after a few minutes came back out with another bowl of freshly popped popcorn.

    This time they picked a sci-fi action movie. As the movie started ying Samantha set out on her n again.

    Unfortunately for her she got the same results asst time. Every time she reached down expecting to bump into Jason''s hand all she got was a handful of popcorn.

    The credits started rolling and Samantha groaned ''I''m stuffed. I shouldn''t have eaten so much popcorn.''

    Jason looked at Samantha as she flopped onto her back "You must have been craving popcorn. This is the first time I''ve seen someone eat as much as me."

    The two of them spent the next hour practicing their scene for their English project. Afterwards Samantha called Victor. A few minutester they exchanged goodbyes as she left.

    - - -

    In the parking lot of the apartmentplex. Victor stepped out and opened the door for Samantha as she approached "Hello Miss Doyle. And how was your evening?"

    Samantha angrily blew a lock of her red hair out of her face "Operation popcorn was a no go Victor. We''re going to have to think of something else."

    Victor''s brow raised just ever so slightly "Well that is surprising. This might be the first failure that I''ve encountered on a mission."

    He closed the door after Samantha got in and headed got back into the limousine. The tinted ss separating the drivers side from the back rolled down.

    As they were driving Victor looked into the back using the mirror "It seems as though you are still in a good mood despite the failure Miss Doyle."

    Samantha was smiling as she looked at the apartments through the window "Yeah. I guess it was still pretty fun."

    - - -

    Back in the apartment. A few hours after Samantha had left. The first one to get back home was Jason''s father.

    They both asked each other how the other''s day had been. Jason decided not to tell his father that he had yed today despite the doctor''s orders.

    Instead he mostly talked about hanging out with Samantha after school. After listening to his son''s story he helplessly shook his head ''This kid is really clueless.''

    After their little talk Jason told his dad goodnight. He went ahead and took a shower and got ready for bed.

    Matt texted Jason asking if he coulde to the school a little early because he wanted to work on his shot.

    Jason asked his parents and after promising that he would only watch they agreed to give the two of them a ride to school early.

    Jason and Matt walked to the gym and asked Coach Swendel to set up the gym. He happily did it seeing as how Jason was the one asking.

    Jason watched from the side as Matt got a couple shots up. After carefully looking at his jumper a few times Jason spoke.

    "You''re elbow res too far out Matt. Try keeping it closer inside. And your release is kindate. You''re losing some momentum that way."

    As the two of them were working on Matt''s jumper they heard Coach Swendel rush out of his office. They turned around and saw that he was chasing after Manny a couple of the other guys from the team.

    Coach Swendel was breathing heavy and sweating as he looked at Manny "What do you mean you guys want to quit?!"

    Manny and Jason locked eyes for a second before he turned back to Coach Swendel "We only joined the team so that we could hang out and have fun after school Coach. Now that we can''t do that there''s no point in us being on the team."

    Jason walked up to them. He could feel his heart rate quickening as his face was getting hotter "What do you mean you guys are quiting!?"

    Manny didn''t seem fazed by Jason''s yelling "You got what you wanted Jason. Now you won''t see us goofing around on the court and you won''t hear us bitch."

    Jason felt all the blood rush to his head. He wanted to curse out Manny like the piece of shit he was. But before he could say anything he felt a throbbing pain in his head.

    He clutched at his head with one hand and had to bnce himself against the wall with the other just to keep himself upright.

    Coach Swendel rushed to Jason "You okay!?" Manny and the rest of the boys didn''t pay Jason or Coach Swendel any mind as they left the gym.

    Jason wasying on the bleachers as Matt passed him a ice cold bottle of water "Here man. Try to cool off a bit."

    Jason took the bottle "Thanks." He drank some of the water before nkly staring at the court in front of them.

    Matt was worried after looking at Jason "It''s not your fault man. I know you did what you did because you thought it was best for the team."

    Jason looked down "It doesn''t matter now. I messed up. Manny took all the other 8th graders with him. Udonis is the only one left. How are we supposed to y with only 8 people?"

    Matt couldn''t think of anything to say to cheer Jason up. He looked at his phone before turning back to Jason "We have to go now. It''s almost time for 1st period."

    Jason and Matt both said their goodbyes as they went to their own sses. Kyle was worried after seeing Jason be more expressionless and cold than usual.

    Samantha was also worried after seeing Jason behave so detached. He simply nodded his head to everything she said. She wasn''t even sure if he was listening or not.

    Kyle walked alongside Jason as they made their way to their next ss "Jason you okay? I already heard what happened from Matt. I don''t think you did anything wrong."

    Jason nodded his head "Thanks Kyle." He didn''t say anything else. But as they were walking Jason all of a sudden rushed forward.

    He ran to Udonis. Udonis turned around after feeling a hand on his shoulder and saw Jason. His expression became annoyed.

    Udonis red at Jason as he tried to apologize "I''m sorry Udonis. I know I fucked up." Udonis pushed Jason''s hand off of him.

    "I know that they weren''t the best basketball yers but they were my friends Jason!" After yelling he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

    "I know that you were only doing what you thought was best for the team okay Jason? I''m not angry at you. I just need some time to cool down. So please don''t talk to me."

    Despite what he said Jason could tell that Udonis was upset because of his face and how he stormed off.

 Chapter 32 - Leadership

    The rest of the day passed by slowly for Jason. He knew that even though he did what he did with good intentions that he had messed up.

    He was operating in the mindset of an adult who had already lived life once. An adult who had regrets and unfulfilled wishes of making it to the professional level.

    But the other members of the team were just kids who wanted to hangout with their friends after school and have fun. It was a simple and honest desire.

    Jason felt terrible thinking that he had done the same thing that had once been done to him. He might have stolen some precious memories from those kids.

    - - -

    Back in Jason''s first lifetime. His AAU team had just lost the game by 4 points. It was close until the end but Jason was involved in the ys that lost them the game.

    Jason had missed a slightly contestedyup on the fast-break while also allowing his man to score a quick basket on the other end.

    One of the parents had stormed into the locker room and started yelling at Coach Butler in front of the team "Why the hell did you take my RayRay out for that little Asian boy!?"

    Coach Butler tried to pull her aside "I don''t think we should be talking about this here. I''ll talk to you outside."

    She shook his hand off of her "We could have won this game if you had kept my son in. We lost because of you and that little Chinese boy."

    Coach Butler had a serious expression on his face "First of all mam he is Korean. Second of all I put him in because I thought that we needed his defense more than your son''s offense as we tried to hold onto our lead."

    Thisdy was the same parent that was yelling belligerently throughout the whole game. She was yelling at the kids from the other team as well as the other parents.

    She had single handily sucked the fun and energy out of the game. Instead she turned a regr AAU game with nothing on the line into a bitter game with bad blood between the two teams.

    Coach Butler continued "I give out minutes based on merit. Jason has been working harder than anyone else on this team and I am very proud of that. He earned those minutes tonight.

    The whole point of youth league sports isn''t just trying to win. We are trying to raise respectable young men here. How do you expect me to do that if I don''t reward motivation and hard work?"

    Thedyughed "These games might be pointless life lessons for your other yers but my son is a 5 star recruit. Each game that he ys can affect his stock on the college boards.

    So if you''re not going to y these games with the intent to win I am going to have to pull my son out of the league. Even if he drops out of here he still has high school ball."

    The next day Coach Butler called Jason in to talk to him privately after practice. He looked at Jason with an apologetic expression.

    "I''m sorry Jason. I got a call from the higher ups and they told me that under no circumstance could I let Ray drop out. I''m going to have to cut your minutes and give them to Ray."

    The young Jason tried his best to hide his feelings but his eyes started to moisten "Okay Coach." Coach Butler put his hand on Jason''s shoulder.

    "This is only temperary Jason. I''m sorry that I can''t do much even though I''m the coach. There''s only one thing I can help with. If you want to I can help you get more practice in.

    I''ll be honest Jason this whole situation is messed up. It''s not fair to you but sometimes the world isn''t fair.

    But that''s when you need to put in more work. That''s when you have to grind even harder. You need to show the world that you won''t back down or be broken down."

    - - -

    Thanks to that one parent Jason would ride the bench for the majority of the games. Despite the hours of back breaking work that he put in he was robbed of the chance to create memories with his teammates out on the court.

    And now he had done the same thing to Manny and the other 8th graders. They didn''t have the skills to make it past any tryouts for a high school team.

    This was theirst year to y with eachother and create memories that would be with them for the rest of their lives. And he took that from them.

    At this point Jason couldn''t even be mad at Manny for hitting him in the face. He probably would have done the same thing to Ray in his past life had he gotten the chance.

    The next day Jason wasn''t as bad as before. He was talking to Kyle and Samantha like normal. And even though they could tell that he was still a bit off at least it looked like he was getting better.

    As Jason was making his way to the school bus to head back home he got a text from Udonis asking him to meet up at the gym.

    Jason walked over to the gym to find it empy. He flipped the lights on and took a seat on the bleachers.

    After a few minutes Udonis walked in. He looked at Jason before taking a seat next to him "Sorry I blew up on you the other day man. You didn''t deserve that."

    Jason shook his head "It''s cool man. I could see where you wereing from. A new kides in starts acting like a boss and makes your friends quit. If it was me I would have been heated too."

    Udonis looked at Jason and sighed "You got the qualities to be a leader Jason. You have the skills to lead on the court.

    You have the work ethic to lead off of the court. And most importantly you ain''t afraid to admit when you wrong.

    Not everyone can do that. Some people are too scared to hurt their pride and own up to their mistakes when they mess up.

    Hell I been leading this team for 2 years now and I still needed a day before I could talk to you. I needed a day before I could admit that I messed up too."

    Jason was surprised to hear Udonis say that "How did you mess up UD? This is all my fault. I thought everyone wanted to win as badly as me.

    I thought that I could force my way on them by beating them into submission. I thought that by showing them how big of a difference there was between me and them that they would be motivated to work harder to close the gap."

    Udonis thought for a second " I messed up because I thought that you were ready to lead the team Jason. You know how I said you had the qualities to be a leader? Well I wasn''t lying but you arecking something.

    Be honest with me Jason. Do you know anyone''s name other than me and your friends? Did you even bother to ask about the three other guys that decided to stay?"

    Jason was surprised by the suddenness of the question "Uh-to be fair Trell isn''t really my friend." Udonis didn''tugh.

    "Now isn''t the time for jokes Jason. What I''m trying to say is that you didn''t put in any effort to get to know any of the guys on the team.

    Let me tell you a quick story. You know who LeBron is right? One of the greatest to ever y the game.

    Season after losing the chip to San Antonio hees back home to Clevnd. Him, Kyrie and Kev Love.

    The best yer on the ying with two top 5 yers at their positions and they were in the weak East. They should have been stomping everybody right?

    But halfway through the season you know what they record was? They was 20 and 20. A team that was supposed to be wrecking their way through the East was barely .500

    You wanna know why? LeBron was used to yelling and hollering at Mario Chalmers. His old Point Guard.

    Mario Chalmers''s old man used to be in the Air Force so he was used to that kind ofmunication and discipline.

    But that method ofmunication didn''t vibe with LeBron''s new teammates. It took him a whole season before he really got to know his team.

    What I''m trying to tell you with that story Jason is that you need to put in some effort to get to know your team. Because not everybody built like you bro. Knowing who on your team and how to lead them is part of being a leader"

    Jason looked up at Udonis "You right UD. It might be toote to fix things with Manny and the other guys but I won''t keep making the same mistakes. Ima try my best to learn how to be a leader. That is if you''re willing to teach me?"

    Udonis smiled before reaching his hand out. After Jason shook his hand he was pulled into a hug by UD "Damn right I''m going to teach you! If I don''t then who will?"

 Chapter 33 - Team Meeting

    The entire ss looked at Jason and Samantha as they stood in the front of the ss about to perform their scene.

    Jason could feel his face and ears heating up but he took a deep breath and tried his best to forget that the ss was watching.

    ''Why am I getting nervous so about doing this stupid scene? I''ve yed in packed college arenas and in front of huge audiences. Pull yourself together Jason!''

    Samantha smiled before whispering into Jason''s ear "Let''s start." Samantha stood close behind Jason as she asked "Are you afraid?" Jason turned around "No"

    The two of them perfectly acted their scene. Ms. Yuller was engrossed in their act as she watched them perform.

    By the time the two of them finished Ms. Yuller was on the edge of her seat. She jumped out of her chair and started pping enthusiastically while the rest of the ss gave out a halfhearted round of apuse.

    Ms. Yuller hugged Samantha and Jason "Well done you two! That was a wonderful performance. Especially you Jason.

    The way you lost yourself and became Be was amazing. Your delivery of her emotionally cold persona was breathtaking! You may have a future in theater young man."

    Jason smiled as he epted the teacher''s praise but in his mind ''Yeah right. The only future I have in theater is if they make a documentary about me after I be a basketball star. People are gonna snack on some popcorn while they watch my story''

    Jason and Samantha went back to their seats. Samantha was all smiles as she looked at Jason "Good job out there. I was worried that I was going to have to feed my little doggy his lines."

    Jason rolled his "Haha Sammy. Real funny." Samantha paused for a second before asking "Hey uh if you don''t have anything going on today you want to hang out? We could-"

    Jason cut her off "Sorry. I can''t today." Samantha was surprised ''Is he mad because I called him doggy? Or maybe I was being too pushy?''

    As Samantha was worrying herself in her head Jason stretched and sighed "I''m nning on doing some team bonding with the guys today.

    UD was right about me not putting any effort in getting to know the guys before. I thought that I knew how to lead them but I ended up pushing them away.

    I might have fucked up with Manny and the other 8th graders but I won''t make that same mistake a second time."

    Samantha was relieved to hear that he didn''t reject her because of something she did. But the next second she was frowning.

    "Fuck Manny. I don''t care what you say. There was no excuse for what he did to you. He''s lucky he got away with just a p."

    The rest of the day quickly passed. Jason and Kyle were walking side by side to the gym. Kyle looked at Jason "You sure you want to do this?"

    Jason nodded "Yeah. You can only start to fix something after you acknowledge that it''s broken in the first ce."

    The two of them walked into the gym. Coach Swendel was sitting in his fold-up chair while everyone else was standing around on the court.

    Trell, Udonis, Matt and the three other bench yers that had decided to stay, turned their heads after they heard Jason and Kyle walk in.

    Jason put his backpack down on the bleachers before walking up to them "I want to apologize to you guys for how I acted before.

    I thought that by showing off how much better I was than you guys that you would follow me and listen to what I had to say.

    I realize that not only was I arrogant but that I didn''t even try to spend the time and effort in getting to know the teammates that I was trying to lead."

    Jason then turned to the three 7th graders who had decided to stay "I want to thank you guys for choosing to stay. DJ, Nick, Vince thank you guys."

    Jason had texted Matt yesterday and asked about the three boys who didn''t leave. Matt had been on the team for a year so he knew a bit about them.

    DeShawn Jackson nicknamed DJ. A light-skinned boy with a stocky build. His hair was styled in a short fade all around and he looked to be about 5''6 (1.67m).

    [Skills

    Free throw: E+

    Lay Up: E+

    Dunking: F

    Close Shot: E+

    Mid Range Shooting: E+

    Three-Point Shooting: E+

    Dribbling: E+

    Passing: E+

    Ball Handling: E

    y Making: E

    Post Scoring: E-

    Rebounding: E

    Post Control: E+

    Perimeter Defense: E+

    Post Defense: E

    Steals: E+

    Blocks: E+

    Athleticism: B ]

    He along with the two other boys joined the team at the same time as Matt. DJ is like Jason in the sense that any food you put in front of him has a good chance of getting finished.

    Nichs Hoult aka Nick. The only other white boy that was on the team besides Matt. He was a slim 5''5 (1.65m).

    [Skills

    Free throw: D-

    Lay Up: E-

    Dunking: F-

    Close Shot: E

    Mid Range Shooting: D-

    Three-Point Shooting: D-

    Dribbling: E-

    Passing: E-

    Ball Handling: E

    y Making: E

    Post Scoring: F+

    Rebounding: F+

    Post Control: F+

    Perimeter Defense: E+

    Post Defense: F

    Steals: E-

    Blocks: F

    Athleticism: C+ ]

    His medium length blonde hair was usually slicked back with gel. He started ying because his dad is a huge basketball fan.

    Vincent Santos aka Vince. He had a head of medium length curly hair that looked like he just got a perm. He was the next tallest yer behind Udonis. He looked to be about 5''8 (1.72m)

    [Skills

    Free throw: E+

    Lay Up: E+

    Dunking: E+

    Close Shot: D-

    Mid Range Shooting: E

    Three-Point Shooting: E

    Dribbling: F

    Passing: F+

    Ball Handling: F+

    y Making: F+

    Post Scoring: D-

    Rebounding: D

    Post Control: D

    Perimeter Defense: E

    Post Defense: D

    Steals: F+

    Blocks: D-

    Athleticism: B ]

    Vince was a mixed kid. His dad was Filipino while his mom was ck. His parents forced him to start ying basketball as a way to try and get him off the streets.

    The three of them looked at Jason silently. It was Vince who was the first to speak up "Honestly Manny was this close to convincing us to leave with him."

    DJ continued for Vince "But we remembered something. When we first joined the team we wanted to y hard and win too."

    Nick nodded his head "It was only after we spent a year with the older team members that we forgot about that. But after listening to what you had to say it brought back out the desire to win and get better."

    Vince looked at Jason "It was fun goofing around and rxing. But I''m tired of being a loser. When we won that game against Mt. Vernon I felt a rush that I ain''t felt in a long time."

    Nick added "I''m sick of losing too. My dad was so proud when he first starteding to our games. But now even though he doesn''t say anything I know that he''s disappointed. Not because of the losing but because he can tell that I wasn''t trying my best."

    DJ put his hands behind his head "To be honest I don''t have a touching reason, unlike these two bozos. I just stayed because I thought it would be more fun than quitting. Working hard and sweating doesn''t look too bad."

    Jason looked at the three of them with a gratified look ''I wasn''tpletely wrong. There were still people who wanted to win. People who are willing to go through the grind.''

    Jason was happy to see that the people who had stayed seemed to be willing to put in the work to get better. He had originally thought that he was going to have to take it easy on them. It doesn''t look like that would be the case.

    Jason pped his hands together "Alright. Now that we got the heavy emotional stuff out of the way we can move onto business.

    Since my doctors said that I should stay away from any physically demanding activities for at least ten days I''ve been drawing up some new ys and helping Coach out with creating a new ybook.

    If you guys are willing we are going to run these ys until they are burned into your brains and your bodies. And after that we are going to work on our team defense as well as our man to man defense."

    Jason could hear the rest of the guys gulp. He saw Udonis who seemed to have a worried expression on his face.

    Jason smiled "But we can start doing all that stuff after this weekend. For now I think the most important thing to do is to build some team chemistry."

    Everyone was pleasantly surprised to hear Jason say that. They hadn''t expected that out of him.

    Jason continued "And I think the best way to build some team chemistry is with some pizza and old school arcade fun. Courtesy of Coach Swendel of course."

    Coach Swendel was surprised "Huh? I''m paying for pizza?" Jason cheered "You heard him. Pizza''s on Coach Swendel tonight. Eat your hearts out guys. Because after this weekend you guys are gonna get worked."

 Chapter 34 - Team Building

    Jason and the team went to the local pizza ce with Coach Swendel who borrowed the school van. They ate their fill of pizza before emptying Coach Swendel''s wallet by having him buy them tokens to use at the arcade.

    After that Jason spent the whole weekend organizing more team-building moments. Jason called up the whole team.

    Trell was the only one who hanged up as soon as he heard that they wouldn''t be doing anything basketball rted.

    They spent the whole Saturday watching anime and ying video games at Kyle''s house. Kyle''s mom was more than happy to cook up her best dishes for her son''s friends.

    This was the first time that her son had brought any friends over. And despite Kyle''s embarrassed pleas she took a ton of photos tomemorate this special moment.

    Jason left the other boy who were in the living room ying video games. He walked into the kitchen to refill his ss of lemonade where he bumped into Kyle''s mom.

    Jason smiled at her "Thank you for having us over Mrs. Robinson." Kyles mom shook her head "You don''t need to be so polite child. You can just call me aunty Vee.

    Besides, I should be the one thanking you young man. Ever since my boy''s been hanging out with you I''ve seen nothing but good things.

    He has more friends now, he''s getting some exercise instead of just locking himself up in that room of his, and he seems more confident now.

    Don''t tell him I told you this but my boy used to be so shy. If a waitress got his order wrong he wouldn''t say anything. But now he can actually talk to them and let them know."

    Jason was happy to hear that he brought some positive changes to Kyle''s life "You don''t need to thank me Aunty Vee. I feel like I''m the one who''s lucky to be friends with Kyle."

    Kyle''s mom smiled after hearing Jason say that. She went and hugged him "You are the sweetest little thing. My house is always open to you boys so I hope y''all show your faces often."

    The next day Jason called up the team again and organized a group study session to help with any subjects anybody was struggling with and to help with homework.

    Once again Trell hung up as soon as he heard that there wasn''t anything basketball rted. But the rest of the team thought that it was a great idea.

    Everyone agreed to meet up at Jason''s apartment. Jason''s parents were going to be out the whole day and they gave Jason permission to use the apartment.

    They were d to hear that their son was going to be having friends over. It was 11 in the morning when Jason got a text that Kyle was there.

    Kyle was the first one to arrive. Jason let him in and told him to make himself at home. After about thirty minutes the rest of the guys from the team showed up.

    Jason walked over to the front of the apartments and let them all in. Vince whistled in amazement as he looked around Jason''s apartment "Nice ce J."

    Jason smiled "Thanks Vince. Come on in guys just make sure you take off your shoes." Everyone left their shoes by the front as they walked in.

    Jason took them to the living room "Go ahead and sit wherever. Ima go grab my bag and then we can start."

    While Jason was getting his bag Udonis unpacked andid his book and some paper down on the table "You heard the guy. Go ahead and getfortable."

    The rest of the guys took a seat on the floor or on the couch. They all opened up their backpacks and started taking out their books and other things.

    Jason came back out and went over to one of the empty spaces "Let''s go ahead and get started. Who has something that they want to start with?"

    Jason and the rest of the team spent the next few hours doing homework and going over material that they didn''t understand in ss.

    Everyone was impressed by how Jason was easily able to exin the material in a way that they were able to understand. Even Udonis who was one grade higher had to ask Jason for help from time to time.

    They were engrossed in their studying until they heard a loud sound. They all turned to Jason as his stomach was growling "Hehe my bad. How bout we take a lunch break? I''m starving."

    After a bit of discussion they all agreed on ordering pizza. Jason called a close by pizza ce and ordered some delivery.

    Jason used the money that Coach Swendel had given him to pay for the pizza. As they were all in the middle of enjoying their gooey cheesy slices the door to the apartment mmed open "Jaya!"

    Jason rolled his eyes and facepalmed "Tory! I told you to stop mming the door." Tory walked in and took a deep breath through her nose.

    "Ah! the delicious smell of pizza. You are such a meanie Jaya! How could you order pizza and not invite me!?"

    It wasn''t until she was done appreciating the aroma of the pizza that she noticed that Jason had somepany with him "Oh? Who are you guys?"

    She took a look around and recognized Kyle, Matt, and Udonis. After a little bit of thinking, she could guess who the other boys were "Are you the other kids on the basketball team?"

    Everyone except Jason gulped as they slowly nodded their heads as they looked at Tory. It was a standard day in California so Tory was wearing a pair of gray shorts and a white Tee.

    Jason looked at Tory "I didn''t invite you because this is a guy''s thing. We''re trying to do some team building Tory."

    Toryughed "My bad. Let me just grab a slice real quick and I''ll be on my way." She got a paper te and took 2 slices of pizza before walking out "See ya Jaya! Have fun team building."

    A few seconds after the door closed Vince, DJ and Nick jumped to their feet and rushed to Jason. They were asking him about who that girl was.

    Jason pushed them off of him and straightened out his shirt "Damn! Why are you guys going crazy? That was just my friend. She lives in the same apartmentplex."

    They asked all sorts of questions from "What''s her name?" to "What''s her favorite color?" Jason took a seat on the couch as he rolled his eyes.

    "You guys act like you ain''t seen a girl before. Howe I don''t see you guys being this way with the girls at school?"

    Nickughed "You have to be kidding right? There are no girls at the school that are like that." DJ nodded his head "Yeah. The ones at school are girls. But Tory is a woman."

    Jasonughed before lightly punching DJ in the shoulder "What do you mean women? She ain''t even grown. You guy''s probably don''t even know what a woman is yet."

    The study session went well. As time passed it felt like the guys were slowly getting closer to each other.

    They spent the next couple of hours studying. After everyone finished their homework they all started heading home.

    Jason cleaned up the apartment. He didn''t want his parents toe home to a mess. At 7 his mom came home.

    They got a quick bite to eat while they talked about each other''s day. Jason''s mom was happy to listen to her son.

    The next day Jason was in the gym watching the team run a y in practice. After Jason saw one of the guys make a mistake he picked up his whistle and blew it.

    Everyone stopped and turned to Jason " Vince you moved to early. You have to make sure you make solid contact with the defender before you start moving or the pick is useless. Run the y again."

    The team was practicing the same y when Jason blew his whistle again "Matt you need to guide your defender into the pick. I need you to get active earlier on in the y."

    Coach Swendel watched as Jason coached the team ''This kid really is a monster. Forget his court vision when he''s on the floor. The way he can direct the team from the sidelines is crazy for his age.

    His understanding of the game is crazy. I can already tell that he would coach circles around me. If this kid can learn to win over his teammates'' hearts he''ll be the perfect floor general.''

    After practicing the new ys in their ybook Jason had the guys work on their defense. He had them running drills that focused on some defensive-oriented aspects.

    He had them rundder drills to increase their bnce, speed, and quickness in moving in all directions.

    He then had them stretch their hips and doing exercises that focused on increasing hip mobility. In defenseteral quickness is a huge factor and hip mobility ys a big part interal quickness.

    Jason saw that although everyone was tired and fatigued they seemed to be happy and having fun ''We might just be able to make this work. I don''t need talent. I just need some dogs who are hungry. And these guys look like they are ready to eat.''

 Chapter 35 - First Practice Back

    The week passes by quickly. Every day at practice Jason had the team run their ys. Afterward he would have them do drills and work on their defense.

    During the weekend Jason went with his parents to the bank to open up a bank ount. On Saturday they deposited the money that they got from Giorgio.

    Jason was surprised at the 6,000 dors. He asked his parents where the money came from and was surprised to find out that Giorgio had given them extra money.

    After listening to his parent''s lecture about how to be responsible with money they signed a paper with the bank that would allow him to have a debit card.

    The first thing he did was ask his parents to take him to the mall so that he could finally get a haircut and buy some new clothes for school.

    The barber cut the sides of Jason''s hair short while keeping the top long. Jason liked the way the taper fade looked. Jason''s parentsplimented him on his newb-over.

    Next his parents took him to buy some new clothes as well as shoes. Jason bought some more stylish clothes than what his mom would normally buy.

    He bought some joggers and graphic tees. He also picked up some nice jeans and some hoodies. When he got to the shoe store Jason started salivating.

    Sneakers were closely tied to basketball culture and Jason was a huge sneakerhead in his past life. He bought a couple pairs of the newest releases for when he felt like looking good.

    And for ying basketball Jason chose a couple pairs of the more practical shoes ''Ooh this one has pretty good traction. And this one has good support. Damn that''s a nice colorway!''

    Jason enjoyed his day out with his parents. He also enjoyed breaking in his brand new debit card.

    The next day Jason organized another study session. This time they met up at Kyle''s house to study. Kyle''s mom happily weed them in.

    Everyone was able to get through all of their homework during the study session. Kyle''s mom hugged everybody on their way out.

    Monday morning. Jason was smiling and whistling as he walked to his next ss with Kyle "Dang Jason did something good happen? I don''t think I''ve ever seen you this happy."

    Jason had a huge smile on his face as he turned to Kyle "Do you know what today is?" Kyle thought about it for a second "Um... Monday?"

    Jason happily shook his head "Yeah it''s Monday but most importantly today is the day I can start ying again!"

    Jason walked out of the locker room in his shorts and practice jersey "It''s been a while since I''ve put this bad boy on."

    Udonis walked up to Jason and high-fived him "Yo Jason. Today''s the day you start ying again?" Jason nodded "Yup"

    After Udonis saw that everyone was there he looked at Coach Swendel who then gave him a thumbs up. After seeing that Udonis walked up to the front and looked at everybody.

    "Alright guys. We yed well against Mt. Vernon and managed to beat one of the better teams in the county. But I don''t want to see anyone cking because of that.

    Because that was just a practice game. Our first official game of the season is against Cider Grove. They''re usually close to us when ites to ranking but that doesn''t mean that we can take it easy.

    I want everyone shooting for the stars this season. This is our year! And that county championship is ours!"

    Everyone was pumped up by Udonis''s speech. They were all fist-pumping and yelling. Udonis waited until their excitement died down.

    "Unfortunately we lost some teammates this year but we can''t let that stop us. I talked with Coach Swendel today and we came to an agreement.

    Starting from today we will be holding mandatory practice during the weekends. From 2 in the afternoon until 5. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

    Udonis looked around but everyone was silent. There were noints. Udonis smiled "If no one''s got anything to say then let''s get started."

    This was the first time that Jason was able to practice running the ys with the guys on the court. Jason called out "Horns! Horns!"

    Jason ran his defender into the screen set by Kyle. Then he passed the ball to Matt who was running to him from the corner before setting a screen for him.

    Matt caught the ball and ran passed Jason. He was about to shoot when Jason stopped the y "Stop! Matt you ran passed me with too big of a gap.

    If you had a defender he would still be on you. You need to squeeze by me that way your defender would be forced to run into the screen. Let''s run it back guys."

    Matt nodded his head as he reyed Jason''s words in his head. They ran the same y again. This time when Matt ran passed Jason they brushed shoulders.

    Jason didn''t stop the y this time as Matt went by Jason and took a three-pointer from the wing. The shot bounced off the rim but Jason was smiling "Don''t worry about missing the shot.

    What''s important is that we learn how to run the ys properly. That was good Matt. Keep it up."

    They practiced all the different ys that Jason came up with for their new ybook. They practiced iso ys, post ys, and inbound ys.

    After running their ys for over two hours everyone was sweating and tired. Jason wiped the sweat off his face with a towel before drinking half of his bottle of water in one go.

    Udonis looked around with a satisfied smile on his face ''Everybody was giving it a hundred the whole time but no one looks like they''re done.''

    Udonis pped his hands to get everyone''s attention "Good job on the ys today guys. If any of you feel like you need to rest or stop then go ahead. You can go home now."

    There was just silence as everyone looked at Udonis. After a few seconds Udonisughed "That''s what I thought. Now let''s work on some defense."

    They ran a drill that Jason rmended. One yer starts off defending in the post against another yer.

    After that he has to defend the rim against someone shing to the paint for ayup. Thest part of the drill is closing out on a perimeter yer and guarding him.

    After defending all three positions you reset the drill until you get scored on. This drill is useful for getting your body used to the different movements involved in defending on three different levels.

    The drill also helps mimic the chaotess and disorder of when the offense is able to break down your defense and you''re forced to scramble and recover.

    Kyle was the first one up. He had to defend Udonis in the post. Udonis started backing him down. Even though Kyle was taller than Udonis it looked like Udonis beat him in terms of strength.

    Kyle got backed down until they were close to the basket. Udonis faked a hook shot but Kyle didn''t jump. He just kept his hands straight up.

    Udonis was in a good position to score but Kyle''s length was a hard wall to ovee ''Damn this kid is long! I don''t think he even needs to jump to block my shot!''

    After a few more fakes that didn''t work Udonis was forced to settle for a fade-away jump-shot from the post. The ball bounced off the backboard and on the rim a couple of times before rolling off.

    As soon as the ball hit the floor Trell was already running towards the basket "How you gonna block this!?"

    Trell pushed off the ground as hard as he could jumping off of his right leg. He stretched out his arm for the dunk.

    Kyle was surprised but before he could even think his body movedpletely on its own. Kyle jumped straight up off of both of his feet.

    His arms extended straight up. Trell''s right hand was mming the ball towards the rim when the ball mmed into Kyle''s hand instead.

    Then as the two were still in the air both of their bodies collided. After the initial impact Kyle''s other hand reached toward the ball as he then grabbed it with both hands and snatched it from Trell.

    Trell managed to correct his bnce while he was in the airnding properly on both his feet. Kyle on the other handnded on one leg before losing bnce and crashing his butt to the floor.

    Kyle''s face was hot with excitement ''I just did that? I just did that!'' Kyle was pumping his fist while sitting on the floor "YEAH!!!"

    Jasonughed while looking at an excited Kyle on the floor "Don''t get so excited. You''re celebrating a little early."

    Kyle was brought back to his senses after hearing Jason. He looked around and saw that Matt was on the perimeter with a ball in his hands.

    ''Shit!'' Kyle jumped to his feet and ran as hard as he could to close out on Matt. But before he could get within a few feet Matt had shot the ball.

    The ball flew in a straight arc toward the basket and swished through the. Matt kept his hand up from the follow-through of the shot "Oh yeah."

    Jasonughed before walking up to Kyle and patting him on the shoulder "Alright Kyle''s out. Who''s next?''

 Chapter 36 - Intensity

    Udonis was the next one up. Kyle took his spot as the post scorer as Udonis was forced to defend him.

    Kyle tried to back down Udonis but he had his body in a low stance giving him a lower center of gravity making it harder for him to get pushed back.

    After Kyle realized that he wouldn''t be able to get better positioning he simply turned over his shoulder and tried to utilized his height and reach advantage to shoot a hook shot.

    Udonis saw how high Kyle''s hand was as he held the ball and he knew that he wouldn''t be able to block the shot. But he extended his hand as far as he could to try and contest it as best as he could.

    Udonis had his hand in Kyles''s face but he still managed to get the shot off as the ball left his hand and flew towards the basket.

    The ball was too low as it hit the side of the rim before falling back down. After he saw that the shot missed Udonis got ready to defend against the next yer.

    It was Trell again attacking the basket. Udonis closed the distance before Trell could leap into the air. Without a clear runway Trell wasn''t able to build up enough momentum to dunk.

    Instead, he tried his best to push past Udonis and jump as high as he could for ayup. Trellunched off the ground as hard as he could but because of the contact from Udonis he wasn''t able to get as high as he normally would.

    Udonis kept as close to Trell as he could and when he saw Trell jump he followed him a split secondter and jumped to contest the shot.

    The defensive pressure from Udonis caused Trell to mess up his release. He flung the ball out of his hand as it then crashed into the backboard before falling back down.

    As soon as he confirmed that Trell had missed the shot Udonis began scanning the perimeter. He quickly found Matt on the wing on the opposite side from where he wasst time.

    Udonis ran as hard as he could to close out on Matt. Before Matt could get his shot up Udonis was already close by.

    Matt pump-faked which got Udonis slightly. Udonis reached up and almost left the ground but he managed to keep himself from jumping at thest second.

    Matt used the small window of separation and started dribbling towards the basket. Matt made it tot he paint and went up for theyup unfortunately for him Udonis had caught up and blocked the shot from behind.

    Udonis''s husky frame bumped into Matt while they were in the air. Matt hit the floor but quickly got up "Damn UD. Nice block man."

    Udonis got eliminated on the second round when he was a little too slow closing in on Matt. Matt drained the three right in his face.

    Udonis had sweat flowing down his face as he walked to Jason "Damn this drill kills you. Having to defend nonstop like that ain''t no joke."

    Jasonughed as he saw Udonis''s sweaty and worn-out appearance "Defense is the side of the game where it''s easiest to see if a yer is tired or not.

    When a defender starts getting tired the first thing you notice is that they start having their hands down more often."

    Udonis thought about what Jason said for a moment "You right Jason. On my second time closing out on Matt I had my hands down until the veryst second."

    Jason nodded his head "That''s you unconsciously trying to save energy. After you start getting tired the first thing your body starts doing is look for the little ways it can save energy.

    Whether that be closing out just a little bit slower or not keeping your hands up on defense. This drill helps build up the physical tools for defense but it also helps you ovee that mental wall.

    The more you run this drill the better you get at pushing through the limits of your fatigue on the defensive side."

    Udonisughed after hearing what Jason had to say "Damn bruh. Listening to you talk I almost forgot we was talking about ball.

    You sounds like a psychologist or something talking about breaking through them mental walls and shit."

    Jasonughed at Udonis''s joke before turning his attention back to the team as they ran the drill. Matt got eliminated on the first position.

    He couldn''t stop Vince as he simply backed him down all the way to the paint before turning around and squaring up as heid the ball into the basket.

    The same thing happened to Nick. He was quickly eliminated because he couldn''t deal with Udonis''s strength and physicality in the paint.

    Vince and DJ were able to make it past the first defensive position of the drill. DJ''s stocky build helped to keep him from being easily bullied by Udonis.

    While Vince had abination of strength and height that allowed him to pressure Udonis defensively. They were both eliminated by the second part of the drill.

    Even though they were able to defend Udonis his heavy frame and physical y style had tired them out. Afterward, they both struggled to recover to a defensive position to defend against Trell.

    DJ was caught t-footed under the basket as Trell went up and jammed the ball on him. Vince tried to close the distance and block Trell''s runway.

    But he was a step toote and Trell had managed to jump before making contact with Vince. Trell had managed to build enough momentum to push through the contact but not enough to dunk.

    Trell put up a contestedyup that somehow managed to go in. It was finally Trell''s turn to be the defender.

    Trell had the size and strength to defend Udonis as he posted him up. It didn''t matter how much Udonis tried to back Trell down he couldn''t get better positioning.

    After Trell defended Udonis he readied himself to guard against the sher. DJ was the one ying the sher for Trell.

    Trell ran and quickly closed the distance between him and DJ. DJ tried to use his frame to push passed Trell.

    But that proved to be ineffective as not only did Trell not get pushed back he even closed in tighter than before.

    DJ tried his best to ignore the defensive pressure as he made his way to the basket. He gave Trell onest bump as he went in strong for theyup.

    The bump caught Trell by surprise so he was pushed back slightly. DJ jumped as hard as he could as he shot theyup with his right hand.

    Trell shot forward as quickly as he could. DJ was already in the air by the time Trell had caught up. He jumped as DJ started his shot and blocked it as it was on its way to the basket.

    Trell crashed into DJ''s back as they both hit the floor. Trell was the first one to get up. He walked over to DJ who was still on the ground.

    "You good DJ?" DJ looked up at Trell and smiled "It''s all good bruh. That was a nice block bro." Matt was just standing on the perimeter as he waited for Trell to get ready.

    Trell looked at Matt and shook his head "I''m out. You could have taken the shot by the time I got up. Next one up."

    Trell walked off the court and looked at Jason "Looks like you up Jason. Let''s see what you got." Jason smiled as he walked onto the court.

    He got into position and started guarding Udonis in the post. Udonis started backing him down and was surprised when he found that he was having a hard time despite hisrge size advantage.

    ''This is crazy. He''s small so why does he feel so heavy?'' Jason was doing the same thing that Udonis did.

    He got into a low defensive stance to give him a lower center of gravity. But that wasn''t all. Jason was mimicking Udonis''s rhythm.

    He was predicting when Udonis would push and he was actually pushing back at the same time. This helped to mitigate Udonis''s size and strength advantage.

    Udonis gave up trying to get deeper positioning as he turned over his shoulder to fake the hook shot. But as he was turning Jason stripped the ball away from him.

    Jason then got ready to defend against Trell. The two of them collided as Trell tried his best to force his way to the basket.

    Jason stuck to Trell''s hip as they both moved toward the paint. Trell tried his best to take advantage of his physicality but Jason wouldn''t budge.

    As Trell readied himself for theyup Jason used the best angle to contest the shot as he put his hand out.

    The ball hit the backboard and then rolled off the rim. Jason didn''t even have to look around. He spotted Matt on the edge of his peripheral vision.

    Jason ran to the perimeter with everything that he had. His hands were up as he approached Matt.

    The defensive pressure that Jason was putting on Matt made him hesitate to take the jumper. He tried to pump fake but Jason didn''t fall for it one bit.

    Jason then started suffocating Matt with his tight defense. He pressed him with his body as Matt tried his nest to protect the ball from Jason.

    Matt tried his best to create something but his handles just weren''t good enough against Jason''s lockdown defense. He was soon stripped of the ball.

    Jason quickly got back into position to defend the post as he got ready for the drill to reset.

    - - -

    Trell had a serious expression on his face as he looked out at the basketball court "He''s a monster."

    Kyle gulped and nodded his head as he looked at the basketball court "Monster sounds a little nice at this point. I already lost count. How many rounds has it been?"

    Udonis shook his head and paused for a second before answering "He''s cleared 4 rounds already. We had to swap the offensive yers for his 5 round because they were getting tired."

 Chapter 37 - Show Out

    Jason''s legs were trembling as he was defending Vince in the post. Maintaining his position was getting harder and harder with each push.

    Vince felt Jason lose his bnce for a moment as he used that opening to spin out of the post and towards the basket.

    Just as Vince felt like he had finally gotten passed Jason he felt the ball get heavier for a split second before it got ripped away by Jason.

    Jason immediately repositioned himself to guard the paint against DJ as he tried to cut baseline. Jason initiated contact and stuck as close as he could.

    DJ tried to use a spin-move to seal Jason''s lead foot but he was able to read the move ahead of time and counter by moving into the space where DJ was going to move to.

    By upying the spot before DJ could get there Jason jammed him up and forced him to take an awkward and off-bnce shot.

    If DJ hadn''t taken the shot he would have lost his dribble and been in an even worse position. The ball hit the right side of the backboard beforeing back down.

    In the edge of his periphery Jason could see Nick as he was catching the ball. He immediately ran toward him. Jason soon closed the distance between them but Nick had already started his shooting motion.

    Jason managed to get a hand in Nick''s face before the ball left his hand. The ball flew toward the basket but missed as it was slightly short hitting the front of the rim.

    Everyone expected to see Jason get back into position and defend for the 6th round but instead he started walking off the court while crossing his arms signaling for a timeout "I''m done."

    Udonis walked up to Jason and worriedly asked "You okay?" Jason pointed to his calves which were clearly tightened up "I got a nasty cramp in both of my calves. I can hardly walk right now let alone defend."

    Jason took a seat on the bleachers next to Coach Swendel who smiled at him "You looked great out there Jason."

    Jason nodded "Thanks Coach." Kyle took a seat next to Jason as he looked at him with amazement "That was awesome Jason! How were you able to defend like that for so long? Did the drill not tire you out?"

    Jason rolled his eyes "Of course I got tired Kyle. ying good defense drains your energy and I''m no exception.

    The reason I managed tost so long isn''t because I don''t get tired or because I''m a great athlete. If we''re talking about what kind of engines we''re rocking I would probably be way behind you or Trell.

    I just know how to keep mine running longer. I know when to conserve energy on defense and I know how to push through fatigue.

    If we use another car analogy it would be like you and Trell stopping for gas when you still have a third of the tank left. I just pushed until I hit E and then some.

    And if you don''t stop even after you run out of gas you end up like me. Your car will stop for you whether you like it or not."

    Kyle was looking at Jason and shook his head after Jason finished talking "I thought your exnation would make sense. But now I just have more questions."

    Jasonughed before pointing to the court "It''s okay if you don''t get it yet. You''ll get it eventually after running the drill a couple of times. Pay attention. You can learn something even if you''re not the one ying."

    The team ran the drill a few more times. It might have been because of Jason''s inspiring performance or because they got a sense for the drill after having ran it a few times.

    But everyone made it a little further than they did on their first try. Some of them even managed to get past the first round. Udonis was the only one to make it past the 2nd round besides Jason.

    Coach Swendel smiled as he got up and blowed his whistle. The team stopped the drill and started to gather around him. Jason got up from the bleachers and joined the rest of the team.

    Coach Swendel still had a bright smile on his face as he looked at the exhausted yers around him ''These guys almost seem like apletely different team. I''ve never seen them go this hard at practice before. To think that one kid caused this huge change is crazy.''

    After he saw that everyone was giving him their attention he spoke "That was a good practice but that was just the start.

    This is the kind of intensity we need to have all year long if we want that county title. But if we can keep this up I guarantee you that not only can we shoot past county title.

    We can aim for the state championship! So what do you guys say!? Do you want to aim for that state trophy!?"

    Everyone was hyped up by Coach Swendel''s speech. They started yelling and fist-pumping. But their enthusiasm quickly died down when they heard a voice "No"

    Everyone turned to Jason in surprise. Jason looked back at them "I don''t think we should aim for a state trophy."

    Coach Swendel was sweating bullets as he cursed in his head ''Damn it! Even if I said something unrealistic you should just go with it! Why would you kill the mood you little shit!?''

    Jason smiled as everyone looked at him "I don''t think we should aim for a state trophy. Because if we keep practicing like this I think we could go all the way. We should be aiming for a national title."

    - - -

    Jason was sitting at the dining table at home. He had just gotten a ride back from Coach Swendel. Both of his parents happened to be home today as they all sat down for dinner.

    Jason''s father passed him a bowl that he had just filled with rice "So how was practice today?" Jason took a bite of mixed veggies before shoveling some rice into his mouth with his chopsticks.

    After he swallowed the food in his mouth he answered "It was good. Everyone definitely worked up a sweat today. We ran a pretty intense drill."

    Jason told his parents about their practice and the drill. Jason''s momughed as she listened to her son talk.

    "Oh my god Jaya! That''s hrious and adorable all at the same time. That sounds just like something Kyle would do."

    Jasonughed "Yeah. It was pretty standard Kyle behavior." The three of them happily conversed and talked about their days. All of a sudden Jason felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

    Jason pulled out his phone and saw that it was Giorgio calling. He looked at his mom "Sorry mom. I think this is important. It''s Mr. Giorgio."

    Jason''s mom looked at him seemingly a little upset "Alright Jaya but hurry up. Your dad''s cooking might get cold."

    Jason smiled gratefully at his mom before picking up the call "Hello? Is this Mr. Giorgio?" Shortly after Jason could hear Mr. Giorgio''s voice through the phone.

    "Yes it''s me. How are you doing Jason? I heard that you were able to attend practice for the first time since the little mishap at the mall. How did it go?"

    Jason answered "Practice went well. I think I''ve made a full recovery from the concussion. We went at it pretty hard today and I felt perfectly fine."

    Giorgio happily responded "That''s great to hear Jason. I was thinking of sending a crew over so that we could get some film of your first practice back.

    But then I thought that it would be better to make sure you were back to a hundred percent before we officially start shooting with you for the show.

    So what do you say? Are you ready to start filming? It''s just going to be when you''re at practice and maybe a few minutes of you outside of basketball."

    Jason thought about it for a second before answering "Let me just ask my parents if it''s okay to start tomorrow.

    Jason looked up and asked his mom and dad. After both of Jason''s parent''s gave him the okay he immediately told Giorgio to send the crew over for tomorrow.

    Jason didn''t see anything wrong with the show. The station was willing to pay him 300 dors a month just to record his practices and it was a great way to spread his name and get on other people''s radars.

    Just as Jason was about to hang up and end the call on a good note he remembered something "Uh Mr. Giorgio. So what''s the word on adding Tyreek to the show?"

    Giorgio went silent for a second before answering "I thought you would have heard about it from Tyreek himself.

    I got the okay from the station and I even went to him in person to invite him to the show but he refused. He said that he didn''t have time to waste shooting some TV show."

    Jason had shoveled some food into his mouth while Giorgio was talking. As soon as he heard what Giorgio had to say he started choking and coughing up the food that he was eating.

    He dropped his chopsticks as he rushed to pick up his ss of water and chug it. Jason couldn''t believe what he had just heard "What did you say!? He refused!?"

 Chapter 38 - A Little Adventure

    Jason went to sleep thinking about Tyreek''s refusal to be on the show ''Why would he say no to being on the show? He would get paid and get great exposure. I just don''t understand.''

    Jason woke up and brushed his teeth. As he was getting dressed he was still thinking about Tyreek. He sent him a text before getting ready for school.

    As Jason was eating breakfast he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out to check and saw that he had gotten a text from Giorgio saying that the crew was there.

    Jason told his parents before going out to let the filming crew into the apartment. Although calling them a crew is a little generous. There were only two people. One camera guy and an interviewer.

    The guy holding the camera had a tan and was on the heavier side. He had long brown hair tied into a ponytail and he was dressed in a red t-shirt and cargo shorts.

    The interviewer was fairly good looking. he had smooth brown skin and his short ck hair was neatly styled.

    He was dressed in a white long sleeve shirt that had the sleeves folded around the elbows and a nice pair of jeans.

    The interviewer smiled as he walked into the apartment and saw Jason''s parents "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Yang.

    I''m Javier and this is Greg. I''ll be in charge of interviewing and asking questions during our shoots as well as acting as a liaison for Giorgio.

    If you or Jason ever need anything just go ahead and contact me. It doesn''t matter what time it is please feel free to call or text me.

    Greg will be in charge of recording and handling the material that we get. If we happen to catch something that you would rather not be shared just let us know.

    But part of the appeal of our show is showing the real and gritty parts of our athlete''s lives as well as their athletics so please keep that in mind. "

    Javier turned to Jason and then to his parents "So are we ready to do a quick interview? Just a short one with the whole family."

    Jason and his parents agreed. Javier and Greg moved around some of the furniture so that they could film the interview in the living room.

    Javier asked some generic questions to Jason and his parents. He would sometimes throw in a more interesting question to mix things up.

    The interviewsted about ten minutes. After the interview Javier and Greg moved the furniture back to the way it was before.

    Javier talked with Jason before he left for school and they agreed to record his practice today after school.

    - - -

    Jason was sitting in English ss but he seemed to be daydreaming. He was pulled back to reality when he felt something bump into his arm. He looked down and saw a small paper ball.

    He unfolded the ball and saw that there was a small note written inside ''What''s up? You look like you have something on your mind.''

    Jason turned to Samantha who quickly turned her head away. Jason smiled before ripping a small piece of paper from his notebook and writing his own note.

    ''I''m good. Thanks for asking Sammy. How about you?'' Jason crumpled up the note into a small paper ball and rolled it to Samantha.

    Jason pretended to look away but he was watching Samantha in the corner of his eye. Samantha quickly grabbed the paper and read it.

    After she read the note she smiled before ripping out another small piece of paper from her notebook.

    She started writing a note but then she erased everything and started writing again. She did this three more times before she just crumpled the paper and threw it away.

    Jason chuckled as he watched Samantha. She turned to Jason and leaned in to whisper "I''m doing good but I''m gonna be so bored today after school. All of my other friends have ns and none of them include me."

    Jason looked at Samantha before whispering back "Dang that''s gonna suck. Hopefully you find something to do."

    Samantha lightly kicked him under the table "You''re such a dick. This is the part where you''re supposed to go ''I''m sorry to hear that Sammy. How about you hang out with me so you don''t get bored.''

    Not just ditch me and wish me luck. What kind of friend are you? Don''t you care about my impending boredom?"

    Jason rolled his eyes "Impending boredom? Doesn''t exactly sound all that dire if you ask me. Maybe you can take this chance to study or read."

    Samantha stuck her tongue out at Jason before pouting "You are such a meanie. If you were the one asking me I would totally be down to hang out. You''re probably busy with practice again huh?"

    Jasonughed "Of course you would be down to hang out. You''re always down to hang. I do have practice today but I need to take care of something first."

    Samantha''s curiosity was tingling ''What could be so important to make this basketball freak prioritize it over practice?''

    Samantha smiled as a lock of her curly red hair fell to her face "And what''s so important that it''s got our Mr. Basketball so worked up?"

    Jason was about to answer but he stopped as he saw Ms. Yuller turn to the ss for a moment. After she turned back towards the whiteboard he started talking.

    "It''s nothing crazy. I just need to go to Newberry High School really quick to talk to a friend about something."

    Samantha''s eyes widened in excitement. She grabbed the sleeve of Jason''s hoodie and started shaking his arm "Can I go!? Can I go!? Can I go!? Please let me go!"

    Jason was startled but Samantha''s outburst. He looked to Ms. Yuller and thankfully she hadn''t noticed yet.

    Jason moved closer to Samantha and started shushing her "Hey! Shut up! You''re gonna get us in trouble with Ms. Yuller!"

    Samantha either couldn''t hear him over the sound of her own noise or she was ignoring him because she continued to do what she was doing.

    Jason couldn''t take it anymore as he caved in "Alright you can go! Just please shut up." Samantha immediately became quiet.

    Jason couldn''t help but facepalm. He checked on Ms. Yuller again and saw that she was continuing ss as usual.

    He sighed in relief. Samanthaughed as she saw Jason''s relieved expression. She leaned in again to whisper "Thanks. It''s going to be fun. You''ll see."

    The day passed by quickly and uneventfully. By the time thest bell rang to signal the end of school all Jason could think about was what he was going to say to Tyreek.

    Kyle walked up to Jason "Hey Jason. You ready for practice today? You went at it pretty hard yesterday. I hope you''re okay."

    Jason looked up at Kyle "Yeah I''m doing good. A good night''s rest is all I needed. I have something I need to do real quick before practice. Tell Coach that I''m going to bete but I''ll definitely be there."

    Jason had used the Recovery Boost functionst night and it worked great. When Jason woke up this morning he felt refreshed and energized. He didn''t feel any lingering soreness from yesterday.

    Jason patted Kyle on the back before heading to the front of the school. Jason texted Javier and told him that he was going to bete to practice. Javier texted back saying that it was no problem.

    As Jason was walking he felt someone bump into him from behind. He turned around and saw Samantha''s grinning face.

    She pped him on the back "You weren''t thinking of sneaking off without me were you?" Jason guiltily chuckled "Hehe of course not. I would never."

    Samantha looked at Jason suspiciously for a second before pulling out her phone "Whatever. So should I call victor to give us a ride?"

    Jason rushed to stop Samantha "No! I mean there''s no need for that. We can just take the bus. Newberry high school isn''t that far."

    Jason didn''t want to attract any unwanted attention. Newberry high school was in the rougher part of Riverside. So showing up in a limousine probably wasn''t the best idea.

    Samantha blushed ''He''s holding my hand.'' She then put away her phone "Okay. This is a great chance to test out my bus pass. I''ve never used it before."

    The two of them walked for a few minutes until they reached a bus stop. After a little bit of waiting the bus arrived and the two of them got on.

    Samantha was amazed as she watched the scenery change outside her window. She was surprised by how much of a difference ten minutes makes.

    She saw things that she had never seen in real life before. She saw stores with graffiti all over the side, cars on cinderblocks missing their tires, and a homeless man relieving himself in public.

    Samantha embarrassedly looked away as soon as she saw thest one. Jasonughed at her reaction "Never been to this part of Riverside huh?"

    Samantha shook her head "Even when I lived with my mom we were fairly well off. I''ve never seen the world like this except for on TV."

    Jason responded "Well this is what real life is like for some people. Some of the kids at our school are used to seeing stuff like this.

    They just got lucky with how the zoning works for the school districts that ended up letting them go to Jefferson. Trell will probably go to Newberry after he passes Middle school. That is unless somethings change."

    After a few more minutes Jason tapped Samantha on the shoulder as he looked out the window "Looks like we''re here. Newberry High School."

 Chapter 39 - A Little Adventure-part 2

    Jason and Samantha got off the bus. Newberry High School looked a lot different than what Samantha was expecting.

    There was a thick metal fence that went all around the school buildings. Samantha was also surprised when she saw an armed police officer.

    Jasonughed when he saw Samantha staring at the cop "A lot of public schools have cops. They''re called SROs.

    It stands for school resource officers. They are mostly assigned to schools in the rougher parts of a town or city. They''re here to break up anything that teachers aren''t ready to handle. Kinda like that"

    Jason pointed to two students who were getting into each other''s faces. At first they were just throwing punches but one person suddenly pulled out a knife which lead to the other kid responding in the same way.

    The cop walked toward them and pulled out his taser "Put that shit down if you don''t want to get fried!" The two students dropped their knives after they saw the police officer. He handcuffed both of them and lead them away.

    Samantha''s mouth was in a huge O as she was stunned silent. Jasonughed before patting her on the back "Come on let''s go."

    Jason walked around looking for the gym. After a few minutes with no progress Jason decided to try and stop someone for directions.

    Most of the students were either ck or Hispanic. Jason stopped one girl who was walking with her friend "Hi sorry to bother you. I''m looking for a friend of mine and he''s on the basketball team. Could you please point me in the direction of the gym?"

    The girl looked at Jason before nudging her friend "Girl look it''s a cute little Chinese boy. How old is you?" Jason cursed in his head ''I''m fucking Korean!'' Jason forced a chuckle before answering "I''m 12."

    The girl then pinched Jason''s cheek "12 years old!? Ain''t you the cutest lil thang. What you doing here baby? This ce for the grown folk"

    Jason wanted to roll his eyes but he fought the urge ''Girl you ain''t even grown! You still in high school!''

    Jason smiled as he freed his cheek from her pinch "Like I said before. I''m here to see a friend of mine. He''s on the basketball team. His name is Tyreek Hills."

    The girl thought for a second before answering "Oh Tyreek. Yeah I know him. If you looking for the gym it''s gonna be passed this building and in the back."

    Jason repeated the directions in his head in an attempt to memorize it. He thanked the girl and walked back to Samantha.

    Jason was surprised to see that Samantha was pouting as he made his way back to her "What''s up? You look like you found a fly in your food or something."

    Samantha grumbled under her breath "More like a cockroach trying to steal my cake." Jason couldn''t hear what she had said "Sorry I didn''t catch that. What did you say?"

    Samantha puffed and blew a lock of her curly red hair out of her face in annoyance "Nothing. Let''s just go to the stupid gym already."

    Jason had no idea why Samantha was in such a bad mood ''We just got here. Sorry if I''m a little lost in a ce that I''m visiting for the first time. Sheesh for someone that always talks about having fun she needs to loosen up more.''

    The two of them followed the directions that Jason got from the girl. After a bit of walking they could hear the sounds of basketballs pounding against hardwood and sneakers squeaking.

    As they walked through the doors of the gym the first thing that caught Jason''s attention was how physical and intense the practice was.

    Tyreek had the ball at the top of the free-throw line posting up his defender. Tyreek did a small shoulder fake to the left before quickly turning over and spinning right.

    As he got passed his defender he blew by another who tried to intercept him. He was just too fast for anyone to catch up.

    There was a big man probably the other team''s PF or C guarding the paint but Tyreek didn''t seem to care. He bent down and uncoiled his body as he shot up into the air.

    Tyreek''s body collided with the big man''s as he jumped to try and block the shot. His shoulder made contact with Tyreek''s abdomen but he still managed to power through and m the ball in with his right hand.

    There was a loud bang as Tyreek dunked the ball. Tyreek hanged on the rim while the big man hit the floor and fell on his butt.

    After Tyreek saw that he had enough space tond safely on the court he let go of the rim. His teammates were all yelling and going crazy over the dunk.

    Tyreek was smiling as he dapped up his teammate "Man why''d he even jump with me. Fool know''s he ain''t got no bounce. He must have thought he was Dikembe just cause he got the same cookie monster ass voice."

    Tyreek was about to get back into the scrimmage when he noticed Jason and Samantha standing at the entrance of the gym.

    He told his teammate "Hold up. Looks like I got a visitor. Ya''ll keep the scrimmage going just sub me out. Oh and Tell Hash that he needs to stop skipping leg day if he wants to jump with me next time haha."

    Tyreek walked over to Jason and Samantha with a smile on his face "Hey if it ain''t Young Buckets. And it looks like you brought along a little cutie with you haha. How''s it going kid. What can I do for you?"

    Jason smiled as he looked at Tyreek "Hey Tyreek this is my friend Sammy. Did you get my text?" Tyreek shook his head "I forgot my phone today. Why? What''s up?"

    Jason paused for a second as he tried to think of the best way to bring up the show. After a while he just gave up and decided to be blunt "I heard that you rejected the offer to be on the show. Can I ask why?"

    Tyreek''s face became serious for a second before he gave a tired sigh "Yeah I told them no. I just don''t have the time to be doing no shows. I''m working full time at the warehouse and I''m grinding out here on the court."

    Jason was surprised to hear Tyreek say that he was holding down a full-time job while going to school and ying basketball.

    Jason asked "The show was willing to pay you right? Isn''t that enough? This could be a great chance for you to get your name out there Tyreek. It could boost your stock on the college radars and even your draft stock."

    Tyreek shook his head "It ain''t enough man. 300 a month just for ying ball sounds good but I''m the only one bringing in any bread. And a got a kid that I need to feed."

    Jason was shocked to hear that Tyreek had a kid "You have a kid!?" Tyreekughed "She ain''t mine. She''s my older brother''s.

    He got locked up doing some street shit. But he did it to put a roof over my head and food in my stomach. It''s only right that I do right by him and take care of his little girl while he doing his time."

    Something caught Jason''s attention "Tyreek be honest with me. It''s not just the money right? Because you could do the show and still work your warehouse job.

    The show wouldn''t take up any extra time. If anything the show would help by putting extra cash in your pocket. What''s the real reason you don''t want to do the show?"

    Samantha spoke up "I can go if it''s something personal." Tyreek shook his head "Nah it ain''t nothing too crazy shortcake. You can stay. It''s not like it''s a secret or something."

    Tyreek took a deep breath before continuing "It''s my niece man. Just like any little kid her age she idolized her old man. She wants to be just like him.

    She was a lot like you Jason she was a basketball genius. She had amazing talent for her age. She even got a sport''s schrship for Saint Mary''s private school for girls.

    But after my big bro got locked up two years ago she started acting up. She started hanging with a bad crowd saying she gonna bang and rep the hood like her daddy.

    She already got kicked out of three different schools. She''s going to a remedial school right now. If I do the show it''s going to put her under the microscope for people to judge.

    Even if she don''t show up on camera if people see me on TV they gonna hop on social media talking bout how she my niece and they gonna talk shit about her. I don''t want her to have to put up with having a million eyes on her judging her."

    Jason felt bad for Tyreek "But saying no to the show won''t make a difference Tyreek. If you get drafted and make it to the league people are still going to talk about your niece."

    Tyreek''s eyes looked dim "I know that man. I''m honestly at the end of my rope. I feel like if she doesn''t change she''s going to end up in a cell or in a casket soon."

    Jason had a bad feeling after hearing Tyreek say that. During the time that Jason wasn''t able to practice he learned something about the system.

    It didn''t just give missions rted to basketball. Since he chose the heart build the system would asionally give out missions based on how Jason felt in his heart.

    It didn''t happen all the time but it did happen. And a few secondster just as Jason had feared the system popped up in the corner of his vision with a notification.

    [ Mission: Change of Heart. Tyreek is holding himself back because he is worried about his niece. Convince Tyreek''s niece to change her way of life and save not only her but Tyreek as well. Penalty:??? Rewards:???]

    Jason facepalmed after reading the notification ''I just want to y basketball! Why does everything need to be so hard!?''

 Chapter 40 - Young Buckets

    Jason was getting a headache thinking about all of this. He didn''t think that convincing Tyreek to do the show would be soplicated.

    Jason ran his hands through his hair before he ruffled it in annoyance ''Fuck it! I''ll do it! I''ll convince Tyreek''s niece to stop the gang bullshit and I''ll get Tyreek to do the show! I''ll do it you fucking system!''

    Jason took a deep breath before looking up at Tyreek "What if I talk to your niece? What if I can convinve her to change?"

    Tyreek was surprised "Jason that''s really nice of you to say but you don''t know my niece. She''s got a hell of a temper bro. If you think the sidewalks in Cali get hot you just wait till you meet Shania."

    Jason insisted "You just leaving the convincing to me. If I can get her to promise to change will you do the show?"

    Tyreek thought about it for a second "Even if you can get her to promise it won''t make much of a difference if she''s going to be surrounded by the same bad influences. And I can''t afford to move us out the hood. I''m living off that section 8 housing man."

    Jason felt like smashing his head into the wall ''If it''s not one thing it''s another. Problem after problem just keeps popping up!''

    Jason massaged his temples "Let''s just take it one step at a time Tyreek. I''ll talk to your niece tomorrow okay? Just keep your mind open about the show."

    Tyreek smiled at Jason "Hey little man that means a lot to me. That you willing to talk to my niece. She might listen to you. Prodigy to prodigy type thing. But why you willing to go so far for me? We known each other for just a few weeks."

    Jason cursed in his head ''Because the system is forcing me to! Shit!'' But honestly Jason did have a good impression of Tyreek.

    He was willing to apologize to Jason for the jokes he made when they first met. And Tyreek''s work ethic and dedication to family really touched Jason.

    Jason smiled "I''m just helping you out cause I think you''re a great guy Tyreek. And I feel like you deserve to have good things happen to you."

    Tyreek was caught off guard for a second but then he smiled before pulling Jason into a hug "Damn bro. You a real one man. Even if it don''t work out when you talk with my niece I appreciate it."

    Jason and Tyreek talked for a bit. Tyreek teased Jason a couple times for bringing a girl with him. Jason rolled his eyes while Samantha blushed.

    As the two of them were saying their goodbyes and were about to leave one of Tyreek''s teammates walked over.

    He was the big man that Tyreek had dunked on during the practice. He had dark brown skin and had a build that was even chubbier than Udonis. His hair was styled into short twists.

    He put his arm over Tyreek''s shoulder and started leaning on him with a smile "Damn bruh you using messengers to shit talk now?

    And for your information I don''t skip leg days. My big ass bones just weigh me down when I jump. But I got you next time. Try dunking on me again Ima pack that shit in like bah!"

    He looked at Jason and Samantha before turning back to Tyreek "Yo was up with the little kids? You trynna start up a daycare or some shit?"

    Tyreekughed "Nah bruh. You better be careful. You gotta put some respect on little dudes name. This Young Buckets over here. He''s the kid I was talking to you about."

    Hash did a double take as he looked at Jason and then at Tyreek "Oh shit! This here''s Young Buckets!?"

    Hash stuck his hand out and started dapping up Jason "What''s good man? I heard a lot about you From Tyreek.

    Hey think I can see some dem skills right quick? We got a short break so the courts gonna be empty for a bit and Coach Willie won''t mind."

    Tyreek knew that this friend of his liked to stir up trouble "What you trying to do Hash? Leave the boy alone."

    Hashughed "Come one Tyreek. I just want to see Young Buckets in action. We can have him y against one of the freshmen real quick."

    Tyreek was about to say something when Jason jumped in "I don''t mind. I just can''t do a long game. I still have to get back to school for practice."

    Hash pped his hands andughed "That''s how it ought to be man. You gotta learn to have some fun Tyreek.

    We''ll make it short. Ones and twos first person to score three points wins. That sound cool to you little man?" Jason nodded his head "Sure."

    Jason was getting excited ''Last time I was ying against one of the best highschool yers when I went against Jerome. Now I can see howpare to a normal high school yer.''

    Hash called over one of the freshman "Hey Ricky! Come over for a second." A light skinned guy with a t top haircut walked over.

    He looked to be about 5''8 (1.72m) but he was rail thin. He looked like he might weigh the same or even less than Jason.

    Ricky walked up and asked Hash "What is it man? I''m trying get some rest before the next scrimmage bro."

    Hash gestured to Jason "This the young buck Tyreek been talking about. This here''s Young Buckets."

    Ricky looked at Jason before extending a fist forward. The two of them fist bumped "Respect. Hey it''s nice to meet you man. I heard a ton bout you from Tyreek."

    Hash added "We weren''t expecting to have him here today but since he is I thought it be a waste to let him leave before we can see him in action. You down for a quick one on one?"

    Ricky was surprised. He turned to Hash and then Tyreek "Me? You want me to y against a little kid?"

    Hashughed "He ain''t no normal little kid Ricky. You gotta remember that you looking at Young Buckets. Put some respect on his name"

    Ricky thought about it for a second ''Hash is probably just messing with me. No matter how good the little kid is he''s only 12.

    And I got like 4 inches on him. Hash is probably just trying to get me to waste some of my rest time so I''ll be more tired in the next scrimmage.''

    Ricky nodded his head "Sure. I''m down. What we yin to?" Hash smiled mischievously "Ya''ll ying ones and twos. First to 3 wins."

    As the two of them walked onto the court Hash was smiling on the side. Tyreek turned to him "You still angry at Ricky from this morning."

    Hash sneered "Hell yeah I''m angry. Dude called me a burnt ass chicken nugget. He was talking so much shit just because he beat me during the drill.

    Well let''s see how long he can keep talking shit after he loses to a fucking brat." Tyreek shook his head "You petty as hell you know that?"

    As Jason and Ricky stepped onto the court all the other yers that were resting started to turn their attention toward them.

    Ricky could hear everyone murmering in the gym ''This gon be quick. But I better not go too hard. I''ll look like a dick if I make the little kid cry.''

    Ricky looked at Jason "So you want to shoot for it? Or you want to just straight up start witht the ball? I don''t mind giving you first possession."

    Jason smiled at Ricky "How about rock paper scissors?" Ricky nodded his head. The two of them yed rock paper scissors and Ricky ended up winning.

    Jason passed the ball to Ricky as he got ready to defend him. He had taken a look at Ricky''s skills earlier with Heart''s eye.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B+

    Lay Up: B

    Dunking: B

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B

    Three Point Shooting: B

    Dribbling: B

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: B

    y Making: C

    Post Scoring: C

    Rebounding: C

    Post Control: C

    Perimeter Defense: B

    Post Defense: C+

    Steals: B-

    Blocks: B-

    Athleticism: B+ ]

    Ricky caught the ball and got into triple threat position ''Let''s take it easy'' He jabbed to the right and then faked a shot.

    Jason didn''t respond to either move. Seeing that Ricky then started to dribble. He was dribbling at about 70 percent his usual speed ''Let''s see how he likes this.''

    Ricky crossed over to the right and hesi''d but Jason kept one arm to the side and one arm up with his hand in Ricky''s face to contest any shots.

    Jason stayed in his low defensive stance as he stayed in front of Ricky ''Huh?'' Ricky started dribbling seriously but Jason still stayed on his hip ''What the hell!?''

 Chapter 41 - Too Much Sauce

    Ricky was surprised by how tight Jason''s defense was ''I can''t get any space!'' He was a good bit faster than Jason in terms of speed but it was like Jason could read all of his moves.

    Ricky couldn''t get Jason to fall for any of his moves. And worst yet his advantage in athleticism didn''t seem to help as Jason was able to beat Ricky to his spots.

    Ricky was sweating now ''This kid is like smoke on a bbq you can''t get rid of him!'' Not only could he not get passed Jason. It seemed like he had figured out his rhythm.

    Jason was now the one pressuring Ricky with his defense. Ricky had to turn and his body to shield the ball from Jason.

    Ricky tried posting Jason up since he was turned toward him but because of his thin frame and Jason getting down low to defend him Ricky couldn''t back him down.

    ''Fuck it!'' Ricky decided to just try and force his way to the rim and use his size advantage to it''s fullest. He turned over his right shoulder as he began to sh his way to the paint.

    Jason attached to Ricky''s hip as they both made their way to the rim. Along the way Jason would bump Ricky. Making it hard for him to get in rhythm.

    ''Damn it! Almost there!'' As the two approached the basket Jason''s concentration was at its highest ''He has four inches on me and he has that eagle-like wingspan.

    I won''t be able to do much once he has the ball in the air. I have to get him before he can properly gather for the shot.''

    Jason ignored everything else that was going on. The only thing that existed at this moment was Ricky and the ball.

    ''Almos. Almost... Now!'' Jason was focused on every single small detail about Ricky. As soon as he picked up his dribble and started getting ready for the shot Jason jumped into action.

    Ricky picked up his dribble and was about to tuck the ball into his body to protect it from Jason beforeying it into the basket at thest second.

    But Jason was able to stab his hand through the air and rip the ball free as Ricky was in the process of bringing the ball towards his body.

    Ricky was caught off guard. He wanted to stop and turn towards the ball as soon as it left his hand but his momentum carried him for another step.

    Jason on the other hand had been able to predict that the ball would be ripped free from Ricky''s possession. He was a step ahead in running towards it.

    Jason got to the ball first. He kept his eyes on Ricky who was just a foot away as he brought the ball back out to the perimeter.

    Ricky was breathing hard with sweat trickling down his face as he stared at Jason in disbelief ''That was a hell of a possession. Shit was intense.

    Tyreek wasn''t kidding. This kid do mp down on you on D. Does that mean Tyreek was telling the truth about his offense too?''

    Jason smiled as he sized up Ricky ''Good sized wingspan, goodteral movement but he seems tock explosiveness.

    He has good size but he also seems to becking in the strength department because of his thin frame.''

    After a second of thinking Jason hade up with a n of attack. Ricky was guarding Jason with a little bit of space.

    ''This should be enough space for me to react if he starts attacking the basket. And it''s just close enough where I can contest his shot if he tries to shoot.''

    Jason started rhythm dribbling. Left, right, left, right, then he dashed to the right at his top speed.

    Rickyughed in his head ''You''re too slow.'' He had no problem keeping up with Jason. The two of them made contact.

    As Ricky stayed attached to Jason as he made his way right Jason switched directions with a behind the back dribble.

    Ricky was a little surprised by how smooth Jason''s handle was but it wasn''t enough to create any space.

    Ricky turned his hips and began moving to the left in order to stay with Jason. But it was a fake!

    Jason wasn''t going left. He did a double behind the back dribble. Bringing the ball back to his right hand.

    Ricky was caught off guard ''What!'' He tried to force his body to turn back. He had to use more power in order topensate for his body''s bad positioning.

    But it was toote. Jason took advantage of the space created. He drove passed Ricky while he was turned to the side.

    By the time Ricky had managed to recover Jason was a few feet away from him. Ricky exploded forward as he began chasing Jason from the back.

    As Ricky was closing in on Jason he couldn''t get that y out of his head ''How did he get me? His handles aren''t fast and he isn''t an explosive athlete. I just don''t get it.''

    Jason was almost at the rim but Ricky wasn''t nervous as he had caught up and was now only two steps behind ''I can block it.

    With my height and wingspanbined with my bounce I just need to jump with him and I''ll block his shot.''

    Ricky kept his eyes on Jason. Trying to time his jump with Jason''s so that he could block theyup. But Jason''s next move took him by surprise again.

    Jason jumped and moved the ball into his right hand in preparation for theyup. Ricky jumped as soon as he saw Jason jump. His right hand extended forward in order to block the shot.

    But while they were in the air Jason tucked the ball back towards his body and held it below his torso.

    This move ruined Ricky''s attempt to block the shot. His hand was already halfway through swinging down while Jason still had the ball.

    Right before Jasonnded back on the floor he tossed the ball up and towards the using just the flick of his wrist.

    Jason managed to sessfully avoid getting blocked. The ball hit the backboard before rolling on the rim. After it went halfway around the rim the ball finally sinking through the.

    Jasonnded awkwardly as he moved his arms in an attempt to stay bnced. Luckily he managed to catch himself without falling.

    ''Damn! I almost fell on my ass again. I''m really not used to doing these acrobatic finishes. I need to practice these some more.''

    Jason looked up just in time to see the ball as it fell through the. He turned to Ricky with a smile "I guess the scores 1-0"

    Ricky stared at Jason with his mouth in a O shape. He was in awe after that y ''This kid is no joke. He''s got lockdown D and his handlesbined with his crafty finishing around the rim make him a dangerous scorer.

    The craziest part is that he''s doing all this without being a crazy athlete. He doesn''t have any bounce, he''s not crazy strong, and his speed isn''t even that fast. How does he do it?''

    Before Ricky could say anything the whole gym erupted into a crazy atmosphere. Everyone was yelling and swinging their jerseys in their hands as they went wild for Jason''s highlight y.

    One person even ran on to the court and towards Ricky as he recorded a video with his phone. He put his arm around Ricky beforeughing.

    "Say hi to the inte bro. How you feeling? You okay or do you need a ride to the police station? Because from what I saw you just got assaulted bruh! Hahaha.

    You don almost got yo ankles snatched by Jackie Chan''s great great grandson! Homeboy cooked you up son. Little dude hit you with the double clutch scoopyup!"

    Ricky pushed him away "Man if you don''t get yo bootleg do store phone out of my face. It was only one point. We ying to three so get yo musty ass off the court."

    Samantha was on the side watching. She was surprised "I knew that he was good but I didn''t think he was so good that he could go against a high schooler."

    Tyreekughed after hearing what Samantha had to say "To be fair Ricky is still just a freshman. But your boyfriend over there really is something special. "

    Hashughed as he added "Damn right he''s special. At first I thought you was just gassing him up Tyreek. But you was keepin it a hunnid. Young Buckets is no joke."

    Samantha blushed as she responded "He''s actually not my boyfriend." Under her breath she whispered "At least not yet."

    Back on the court Ricky was seeing Jason in a whole new light. When he first took Hash up on the offer for the one on one he never in his wildest dreams thought it would y out like this.

    He was a little embarrassed to be beaten by a 12-year-old kid in front of the whole team but he had to get them out of his head ''It was only one point. You just need to get to three first.''

    Jason tossed the ball to Ricky "Your ball man." Ricky started off at a hundred percent this time around.

    He no longer saw Jason as just some little kid ''I should have taken this more seriously from the start. Tyreek never gasses people up for no reason.''

    Ricky was shielding the ball from Jason with his body again. He faked turning over to the left and instead spun to the right.

    However Jason didn''t fall for the fake. He anticipated the spin to the right and met Ricky at his spot.

    Ricky tried to ignore Jason as he forced his way to the basket. Jason took a couple bumps from Ricky as he stayed with him on the way to the paint.

    Right before they got into the paint Ricky hit Jason with the Euro-step. Ricky was anky kid. Meaning that his legs were long just like his arms.

    Jason tried his best to angle himself as best as he could to contest the shot but Ricky''s Euro-step managed to create enough space for him to get his shot off.

    It was Ricky''s turn to smile this time. He turned to Jason as the ball swished through the "Scores 1-1 dog. Let''s see what else you got."

 Chapter 42 - Everyone Got What They Wanted

    Ricky felt confident again after having scored that bucket ''The kid is good but I have too much of an advantage. I can do this.''

    Ricky was guarding Jason with just a bit of space between them. He had one arm to the side and the other up and ready to contest a shot should Jason try to shoot the three.

    Jason started off in triple threat position. He stared down Ricky before jabbing to the right. Ricky twitched a little bit but he managed to keep himself from falling for the fake.

    Jason jabbed to the right again. Before his jab was even done he knew that Ricky wasn''t going to react to it so he turned it into an actual drive to the basket.

    Ricky had thought that it was just going to be another jab step. His initial n was to wait out the fakes from the triple threat and force Jason to start dribbling again.

    He didn''t expect Jason to drive off of the jab step. He started chasing after Jason. Ricky was a better athlete than Jason. His speed let him close the distance that Jason created.

    After he caught up with Jason he started shuffling his feet as he maintained contact. Jason gave Ricky a quick bump before stepping back with a quick dribble through the legs.

    The bumpbined with the stepback created enough space for Jason to safely get a jump shot off.

    Ricky saw Jason starting his shot and jumped forward with everything he had as ast-ditch effort to defend.

    Unfortunately for him as he was flying through the air he saw Jason driving around him and towards the basket ''It was a head-fake!''

    By the time Rickynded back on the court Jason was already close to the paint. He knew that there was no way for him to catch up.

    All he could do was turn around and watch as Jason effortlesslyid the ball into the basket. Jason turned around and looked back at Ricky.

    He held up his hands and showed the score with his fingers "2-1 Ricky. Shit is almost done." The crowd was still making noise and cheering from when Jason got Ricky into the air with his fake.

    Ricky stared at Jason as he passed him the ball ''What the hell? This doesn''t make sense. His stepback wasn''t even that fast. I should have had enough time to recover.''

    Ricky started to dribble right away. He didn''t bother to use triple threat knowing that Jason wouldn''t fall for it.

    Jason was being physical from the start. He pressed against Ricky and didn''t give him any space to operate.

    Normally ying tight defense like this is dangerous because although it creates pressure for the offensive yer it also leaves the defender more vulnerable to dribble moves and drives.

    However for Jason this problem was almost nonexistent. His defensive IQ and defensive instincts that have been honed through years of experience gave him the confidence to y this brand of smothering defense.

    Jason''s body pressed against Ricky as he tried to shield the ball with his body. He turned over his right shoulder and started driving to the paint.

    He was hoping to get the same results asst time. He tried his best to push passed Jason as he drove toward the paint. Jason shuffled his feet and maintained contact as he defended Ricky.

    Jason''s focus was locked in on Ricky ''His long strides got mest time because I didn''t know the rhythm of his Euro-step but it won''t work against me again. I''ll shut him down this time!''

    Ricky picked up his dribble and started his Euro-step. He was confident in this signature move of his that utilized his best attributes. His long arms and legs.

    Ricky took his first step to the right and as he was about to take his second step to the left he was surprised to see that Jason was already there waiting to intercept him.

    Jason reached out and ripped the ball away from Ricky. Ricky saw everything as it unfolded but he was helpless to stop it. His body was already in motion and it was toote to react.

    Jason ran after the ball after it was ripped free from Ricky. By the time he managed to get control of the ball Ricky was able to get into a defensive stance as he approached Jason.

    Jason smiled as he looked at Ricky "Looks like this is thest possession Ricky. I hope you''re ready." Ricky pped his hands before spreading his arms open "Bring it dog."

    Jason started rhythm dribbling. Left, right, left, right, then he did a crossover to the left as he started driving.

    Ricky tried to meet Jason at the spot he was moving to but before they made contact with each other Jason changed directions with a behind-the-back dribble.

    Ricky''s hips and feet were already turned to the left. So when he saw Jason change direction he had to lean his body that way in order to try and follow him.

    It was hard but Ricky managed to force his body to the right. He took a step toward Jason expecting to be able to lean on him and regain his bnce.

    Just as his footnded on the floor Jason dribbled through his legs and stepped back. Without Jason there to act as a stopper Ricky''s body fell over. Leaving him on all four like a dog.

    Inside his head Ricky knew ''It''s over.'' He didn''t even bother turning around. He just heard the sound of the ball going through the.

    After Jason''s through the legs stepback he locked his vision onto the basket and let the mid-range jumper fly.

    When Jason started his dribbling the whole team became quiet in anticipation. They started making a bit of noise when Jason started to get Ricky leaning.

    But it wasn''t until Ricky fell to the floor and got on his hands and legs like a dog that they exploded into a frenzy. The whole gym was shaking from their noise.

    The whole team ran onto the court cheering and yelling. They gathered around Jason and started dapping him up, ruffling his hair, giving him bro hugs, and pouring their water bottles on top of him.

    Samantha all smiles as she watched Jason getting swarmed by all these high schoolers.

    Ricky embarrassedly stood up and watched as his team celebrated Jason. They started chanting "YB! YB! YB! YB!"

    Jason was overwhelmed by their reaction at first but he started smiling after a few seconds. Thankfully after a few minutes of craziness they all calmed down.

    After Jason got acquainted with the whole team and added them as friends. Even Ricky wanted to join in. It looked like he held no bad feelings toward Jason and had nothing but respect for him.

    Afterwards Jason told them that he still had to go to practice. He said his goodbyes and left the gym with Samantha.

    Samantha was grinning as she looked at Jason''s disheveled appearance. Jason looked at her and he couldn''t help but chuckle "What?"

    Samanthaughed as she responded "Now I know why you wanted toe here. You just wanted to show off."

    Jason helplessly shook his head "Trust me. I had no idea that this would happen. I just came to talk to Tyreek about doing the show."

    Samantha giggled before giving Jason a light bump with her shoulder "Whatever you say Jason. Or should I say Young Buckets? Hahaha."

    Jason blushed after hearing Samantha call him that "Stop it. That nicknames so embarrassing." Samantha stuck her tongue out

    "You didn''t seem to think so when it was everyone else calling you that. Besides, I think it matches you pretty well."

    The two of them made it to the bus stop. After about five minutes the bus showed up and the two of them got on. The two of them were making their way back to their school.

    Jason had gotten used to taking naps in the car whenever his parents drove. That coupled with the fact that he was kind of tired from the one on one against Ricky lead to him falling asleep on the bus.

    Samantha noticed Jason falling asleep. She kept sneaking nces at him until she finally confirmed that he was actually sleeping.

    She looked at his peaceful resting face and smiled. She got an idea as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

    She leaned her head toward Jason and took a picture. She took a couple of different shots. She took a picture with her holding up a peace sign.

    She took another one where she pretended to be asleep and one where she was acting goofy. She hesitated at first but then she took a picture where she was resting her head on Jason''s shoulder.

    After she was done she looked at all the pictures that she had taken and she was smiling from ear to ear ''This just might be the best day of my life. These pics are so going into my scrapbook.''

    As the bus was driving they hit a pothole. The entire bus shook a bit causing Jason''s head to fall to the side and lean on Samantha''s shoulder.

    Her entire face became red hot. She had to stop herself from squealing in joy ''I stand corrected. Today is officially the best day of my life.''

 Chapter 43 - Finding Gold

    After a few minutes Samantha was disappointed to see that they were back at Jefferson middle school.

    She turned her head and looked at Jason who was sleeping peacefully on her shoulder ''Why does Newberry have to be so close? I wish this bus ride would go on for at least an hour.''

    As the bus stopped Samantha had an evil idea pop into her mind ''If I just pretend to be asleep we can identally miss our stop. Who knows how long it''ll take for either one of us to wake up.''

    But that onlysted for a second. She quickly shook her head and got rid of that idea. She looked at Jason''s sleeping face ''I can''t do that to him. This guy''s a total basketball freak. He''d hate to miss practice.''

    Samanthained in her head ''I hate being such a softy. I''m just way too nice.'' Samantha started gently moving her shoulder up and down "Wake up sleepy head. We''re back at school."

    Jason rubbed his eyes as he slowly opened them "Are we already back?" Samanthaughed "Yeah we''re back. And you''re still on my shoulder."

    Jason raised his head. "My bad. I guess that one on one got me more tired than I thought I was." The two of them stood up and got off the bus.

    Jason stretches and yawned "That was a good nap. You''re shoulder makes for a good pillow Sammy. I''d give you 10/10 review."

    Samantha rolled her eyes at Jason "Sorry to say I can''t say the same for you. I''d give your fat head a 3/10 rating. I think I might need to go to a chiropractor after having all that weight on my shoulder."

    The two of them walked side by side from the bus stop back to Jefferson middle school. After they reached the school Jason looked at Sammy "Well that was fun. Thanks foring with me on my little trip."

    Samantha smiled at Jason "No problem. It might sound crazy but I actually had fun. I got to see a different part of Riverside, I got a chance to see you beat down a high schooler, and I learned your new nickname Young Buckets hahaha."

    Jason smiled after hearing that Samantha had fun. He started waving at her "I still have to go to practice so I guess this is where we split. See ya tomorrow."

    Jason made his way to the school''s gym. He and Samantha had been gone for an hour. That meant that there was just one hour of practice left.

    He went into the locker room and changed into his practice shorts and Jersey. After he came back out he saw Coach Swendel watching the team as they ran the 3 level defense drill.

    Coach Swendel smiled as he saw Jason walking toward him "Hey Jason. Were you able to take care of whatever it was you needed to take care of?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah I did. Sorry about missing part of practice Coach." Coach Swendel shook his head "No problem. You can just jump right into the drill. Go ahead and line up."

    Jason lined up behind the rest of the guys. Everyone dapped him up and greeted him when he walked over.

    After Jason greeted everyone he saw that Javier and Greg were at the side recording. Jason thought to himself ''They work fast. They probably already talked to the principle and Coach Swendel and got permission to film.''

    Everyone went hard during the drill. Unsurprisingly Jason still had the highest streak as he managed to clear 5 rounds of the drill again.

    Udonis managed to clear the second round but he got eliminated on the 2nd part of the 3rd round.

    Overall everyone had simr results from yesterday. The one who made the biggest improvement was surprisingly Trell. He almost cleared the 2nd round.

    Coach Swendel congratted everyone on another good day of practice before letting the team hit the showers.

    Jason had a towel on his head as he dried his hair while walking out of the locker room. He saw Coach Swendel getting interviewed by Javier.

    Greg was behind Javier recording as Coach Swendel answered all of Javier''s questions cheerfully.

    Javier asked "So Coach Swendel. Jefferson middle school managed to beat Mt. Vernon. Although it was just a practice game it must have felt good considering that thest time Jefferson beat them was almost 3 years ago. Can you describe how it felt to win that game?"

    Coach Swendel was smiling brightly "Hahaha Yes that was a good game to win. Not only did it feel good because of Jefferson''s personal record against them.

    We managed to beat one of the better schools in the county. I took that win as a very good sign for whats toe this season.

    Jefferson middle school isn''t the same as it wasst year. I would like to tell our students and their parents that they can look forward to watching us this season."

    Javier smiled and nodded his head "That''s great to hear. I for one will definitely be keeping my eyes on this team.

    Back to the game against Mt. Vernon. Not only did you beat them you managed to win the game by 14 points.

    I hope you don''t take this the wrong way coach but considering that your team came in veryst ce the season prior what lead to such a drastic change. What allowed you to beat one of the better teams in your county?"

    Coach Swendel puffed out his chest "Well I don''t mean to brag but I feel like I have made some major strides as a coach over the summer.

    I was surprised by how basic Mt. Vernon''s defense seemed to be. It took almost no effort for me to dissect them ande up with the most optimal n of attack on offense.

    That game against Mr. Vernon felt like a chess game that was over by the first 3 moves. I almost felt sorry for them really.

    I do hope I can find some more worthy opponents to sharpen my wit against as the season progresses hahaha."

    Coach Swendel was leaning back as he bragged but as soon as he looked over and saw Jason standing outside the locker room he almost fell out of his chair.

    Coach Swendel sat in a more modest position as he coughed and cleared his throat "Of course I also have to give credit to Jefferson middle school''s newest star yer Jason Yang.

    I would even go so far as to say that this change in performance and team culture can be credited to him. Not only has he made his teammates better this season. I felt like I have be a better coach just from being around him hahaha."

    Theughing at the end of Coach Swendel''s answer was a lot different to his firstugh. It sounded nervous and guilty.

    Javier finished up the interview with Coach Swendel and walked over to Jason. He smiled "That was a great practice Jason. We got a lot of good shots.

    Since we''ll be recording you every practice do you want us to give you a ride home afterwards?"

    Jason nodded his head "Sure. That actually works out pretty well for me." After Jason made sure to say goodbye to everyone on the team he left the school with Javier and Greg.

    They got into a pretty decent car. It wasn''t a luxury ride or a sports car but it was a brand new car that still had that new car smell.

    Greg got into the drivers seat while Javier got into the passengers seat and Jason hopped into the back.

    After a few minutes Javier started talking in order to avoid any awkward silence "So you had to do something before practice?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah. I went to talk with Tyreek about doing the show. I think it would be a waste for him to pass up on such a good opportunity."

    Javier nodded his head "You''re right. Through the Hoops gives young basketball yers great exposure. It could really help him show up on more peoples scouting reports.

    So you went to Newberry high school to talk to Tyreek? I heard that it was only about fifteen minutes away. Why did you end up an hourte for practice?"

    Jason leaned back into the seats to appreciate the soft leather "Well somehow for reasons that are still unknown to me I ended up ying a quick pick up game against someone from their basketball team."

    Javier continued to nod his head "I see. So you ended up ying a pick up-Wait! What did you say!?"

    Jason casually retold the story and gave them a y by y ount of how the game went. Javier''s mouth was wide open as he stared in amazement at Jason.

    Javier finally recovered after a few seconds. He asked Jason "Do you happen to have a video of the game? Or maybe your little friend that went with you. Did she record it?"

    Jason shook his head "No I don''t have a video. And I''m pretty sure Sammy didn''t record it either."

    Javier dejectedly looked down as he answered "Oh. That''s too bad." But then Jason added "But I think one of the guys from Newberry might have a video. Let me go ask."

    Jason texted the guys from Newberry in a groupchat asking if any of them had a video of his game against Ricky.

    After just a few seconds Jason''s phone started to ring nonstop as it seemed like everyone waspeting to send their video over.

    Jason thanked everyone and started sorting through all the different links. Jason chose the one with the best angle and sent it to Javier.

    Javier watched the video. After the video was done ying he was silent for a few minutes. Then he turned to Greg and then to Jason "I think we just struck digital gold! This video is going to make your introduction to the show legendary!"

 Chapter 44 - Danger

    Jason came home and had dinner with his family. As they were eating they all talked about each other''s day.

    His mom was initially angry after she heard that her son had gone to the rougher parts of Riverside without first letting them know.

    But Jason''s dad was on his side saying that it wasn''t such a big deal. After a bit of soothing from her husband Jason''s mom eventually calmed down.

    As Jason''s dad was hugging andforting his wife he secretly gave his son a thumbs up. Jason smiled as he returned the gesture.

    After dinner Jason watched a little TV with his parents before getting ready for bed. As heid in bed and stared at the ceiling he couldn''t stop thinking about what he would do tomorrow.

    ''Fuck! How the hell am I going to convince a wannabe gang banger to get back on the straight and narrow?

    Maybe I should try carrying a bible with me tomorrow. Have you heard of our lord and savior Jesus Christ?''

    Jason smacked himself in the face with his pillow ''Get your head in the game Jason! What the hell was with that garbage idea? Think harder man.''

    Jason tossed and turned in his bed. Eventually he kicked his nkets off ''I can''t think of anything! Fuck!

    Whatever. I''ll just do what I do best and improvise. It''s not like I ever know what I''m doing anyways.'' Jason tossed and turned a few more times before falling asleep.

    - - -

    Jason got off the school bus with Matt and the rest of his crew. He told them that he had to do something really quick before ss so he left them at the front of the school.

    On the way to Jefferson Jason had sent Tyreek a text asking where his niece was. He replied saying that she was at the park ording to the location of her phone.

    So Jason decided to skip his first ss and talk to Tyreek''s niece ''No test today and no homework to turn in. There''s actually no reason for me to show up. Fuck you Rivera.''

    After about fifteen minutes of walking Jason could see the park where he yed against Trell and first met Tyreek.

    Jason looked around and found a group of kids hanging out at the pic tables under the shade ''I guess she must be one of them.''

    Jason made his way toward the group. One of the boys in the group wasying down on the table with sunsses on.

    He gestured for the group to look in the direction of Jason "Ay yo check it out. Anyone order any Chinese food? Or is this dude just in the wrong neighborhood? Hahaha."

    The rest of the group startedughing. Jason tried his best to ignore the joke ''You punk ass bitch! You''re lucky I have more important things to take care of.

    Otherwise I wouldn''t mind serving you up the 2 piecebo. With aplimentary ck eye and busted lip.''

    Jason smiled ''I''m actually just looking for Shania. Do any of you happen to know where she is? Tyreek told me I could find her here?"

    Everyone became quiet as soon as Tyreek was brought up. They all turned to one of the girls that was sitting on the bench on the left side of the table.

    Surprisingly it was the youngest girl in the group. She didn''t look like she was older than 13 ''I guess I did forget to ask Tyreek how old his niece was.''

    She was a lot lighter skinnedpared to Tyreek. Herplexion was simr to Kyle''s and Trell''s.

    She had a slimmer build but she wasn''t all skin and bones. Her ck hair was braided into two long braids that went all the way to her shoulders.

    She was dressed in basketball shorts and a in white tee-shirt. She scratched her neck in annoyance "I swear to god. Tyreek don''t know how to mind his own damn business."

    She turned her head toward Jason "What the hell does Tyreek want now? I already told him I was skipping today. If I go to that damn school I might beat one dem bum ass teachers up. They be gettin on my nerves."

    Jason didn''t know what to say next ''I should have practiced some more. Why did I just go to sleep? Past Jason really screwed over future Jason.''

    After a few seconds of silence Jason finally thought of something to say "Actually Shania Tyreek didn''t send me. I asked him where you were. Would you minding with me so that we could talk in private?"

    The guy that wasying on the table startedughing "Yo Shania. I think kung-fool over here got the hots for you. He tryin to get his egg roll wet."

    Jason''s face started to get hot after hearing what the guy said. He shook his head and his hands in denial "No! I just want to talk to her about something private. I swear."

    Jason''s reaction just made the other kidsugh even harder than they already were. Shania was slightly blushing as she frowned.

    The guy managed to talk through some of hisughter "Why don''t you give little mans a chance to shoot his shot Shania. Go talk with the dude."

    Shania flipped the guy off "Fuck off Marcus." Then she turned to Jason with an annoyed face "And you. If you got somethin to say then say it. Cause I ain''t going nowhere with you."

    Jason wanted to p himself and this girl ''Why! Why can''t anything just be easy!?'' He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

    He smiled at Shania " Your uncle is really worried about you Shania. He doesn''t want you to end up dead or locked up. Do you think you could stop it with all this gang nonsense?"

    Everyone stoppedughing after they heard what Jason said. Marcus stood up and took off his sunsses and put them on top of his head. Laying down on his tall t top.

    He had a serious look on his face "Listen little homie. It looks like you know Tyreek so in respect to his name Ima let it slide this one time.

    But I better not catch you calling our street hustle nonsense again. Otherwise you might catch some heat. Ya dig?"

    After he was finished talking he lifted up the corner of his shirt to show the handle of a gun that was tucked into his pants.

    Shania ran up to Marcus and tried to calm him down "He probably didn''t mean anything by it Marcus. Look at him. He prolly don''t know nothin bout street life."

    Marcus put down his shirt and smiled as he put his sunsses back on "Now if you ain''t got nothing else to say little man I think you best be going. We got business to talk about."

    Jason had been scared out of his mind as soon as Marcus had shown his gun ''Fuck! That''s a real fucking gun! Tyreek I thought you said your niece was a wannabe?

    She doesn''t look like it to me. She hanging out with real gangsters!'' Jason had been around ck people a ton in his past life.

    But non of the ck people he knew were gangsters or criminals and he had never been threatened with a gun before.

    He started walking away as soon as Marcus had told him to leave ''Guess I''ll just have to give up on the 2 missions.

    You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don''t take but you also don''t make all the shots that you shoot.

    At least I tried. It sucks for Tyreek but I don''t know the guy that well for me to risk my life for him. I''m not trying to get shot today.

    No sir not me. I like my body without any bullet holes thank you very much.'' As Jason was convincing himself that he was doing the right thing by giving up he overheard the groups conversation.

    Marcus was talking to the group "One of the OGs told me about a business opportunity that he wanted to share. He said that we''re guaranteed to make triple our money back.

    He put that on his momma. The only thing is that the buy-in is a little high. He said he needs a whole stack 1k if you want to get in on it. Is anyone interested?"

    Shania wanted to jump on this opportunity badly. This would be the first real move that she would make in the streets. But she just didn''t have the funds to buy-in.

    As she was silently thinking of a way toe up with the money she heard a familiar voice "If you want the money Shania I think I can help you out."

    She turned her head and was surprised to see that Jason was back "What the hell you still doing here son?

    You need to go before you end up with a couple shells in your stomach and I ain''t talking bout no damn tacos."

    The group looked at Jason and then at Marcus. Marcus lowered his sunsses as he looked at Jason "Let the little dude talk. I''m interested in hearing what he got to say."

    Jason gulped ''I shouldn''t be doing this. This is so fucking stupid.'' He took a deep breath before smiling as he looked at Shania.

    "I identally heard you guys talking about the business opportunity. It looked to me like you wanted to get in on it but you just don''t have the funds right Shania?"

    Shania didn''t say anything as she just looked back at Jason. Jason chuckled awkwardly before continuing.

    "Anyways. I think I can help you out. I just so happen to have the money that you need. Not on me of course but I can transfer it to you. You just need to do something for me."

    Shania rolled her eyes "I ain''t no prostitute so if you were hoping to get some poon poon then you just straight outa luck."

    Jason almost fell over after hearing her say that "Girl you ain''t even all that!. I wouldn''t want any even if you were giving it away!''

    Jason tried his best to keep a straight face "No! That wasn''t what I was suggesting at all. I just heard you were kind of a basketball star before.

    I was hoping to see your skills live. If you can beat me in a one on one then I''ll give you the money. But to make things fair I have to get something if I win.

    So my prize is that you stop all your street business and start living properly. No more getting in trouble and you have to try and do well in school. How does that sound?"

    Jason nervously awaited Shania''s answer ''Shit. Why is it that the only way I know how to fix things is with basketball?

    I mean I guess it''s because I''m not good at anything else but still! One of these days I would like it if things just worked out well for me and I didn''t need to challenge people to pick up games.''

    Shania thought about it for a second "Alright. You got yourself a deal. All of these guys are witnesses to the bet so you better not back down after I whoop you."

    Jasonughed inside his head ''Hehehe I should be the one telling you that.'' As they were walking to the court Jason used Heart''s eye on Shania.

    [Skills

    Free throw: A (S)

    Lay Up: B+ (S)

    Dunking: E

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B (S)

    Three Point Shooting: C- (B)

    Dribbling: A (SS+)

    Passing: B+ (A+)

    Ball Handling: A (SS+)

    y Making: B

    Post Scoring: B

    Rebounding: C-

    Post Control: C-

    Perimeter Defense: B+

    Post Defense: C+

    Steals: B

    Blocks: C

    Athleticism: B+ ]

    Jason gulped as he stared at Shania in amazement ''This might be a little harder than I originally thought.''

 Chapter 45 - Jason Vs Shania

    As the two of them walked onto the court Shania borrowed a ball from some of the people that were taking a resting on the side.

    Shania looked to be about three inches taller than Jason so she must have been around 5''7 (1.7m). Jason looked at her "How old are you?"

    Shania was stretching and warming up. She answered without stopping "I don''t know why its any of yo business but I''m 13 alright little boy.

    I''m also in 8th grade in case you was about to ask. Just thought I would save you the hassle of having to open yo damn mouth and start yappin again."

    Jason rolled his eyes as he turned away from her and started doing his own stretches to warm up ''Sheesh you don''t have to be such a bitch. Looks to me like somone needs to go to anger management.''

    But as he was about to rotate his hips he heard Shania''s voice "Hold up. Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Jason didn''t want to piss of the wannabe gang banger.

    He quickly responded "No! Of course not. You must have imagined it hehehe." After hearing Shania not pursue the matter Jason wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    ''Damn this chick is scary. How the fuck did she notice me rolling my eyes? I could have sworn she wasn''t looking.''

    After a few minutes of stretching Shania looked over at Jason "You ready?" Jason nodded his head "Yup."

    Shania was about to walk to the free-throw line to start shooting for the ball but Jason interrupted her "Let''s do three-pointers instead."

    Shania didn''t want to agree right away. She knew that even when she was actively ying on a team that three-point shooting wasn''t her forte.

    But Shania felt confident that her three point-shooting was still good enough to beat a normal person ''He probably can''t even hit the rim.''

    She agreed to Jason''s idea. Jason was cheering in his head ''Don''t me me for using your weakness against you. It''s not my fault that I have the Heart''s eye skill. Besides you could have said no.''

    After carefully setting up and aiming Shania made her first three-pointer. She turned to Jason with a smug smile on her face.

    But that smile quickly disappeared as soon as Jason started his shooting motion ''No fucking way.'' She was surprised by how good Jason''s jumper looked.

    His release was perfect as the ball swished through the. He turned to Shania and smiled "Your turn."

    Shania and Jason went at it for another round but Jason won the first possession as Shania failed to make her third shot while Jason drained his.

    Shania red at Jason as she held the ball in her hand "You dirty ass liar." Jason looked at her "What do you mean? I don''t remember lying about anything."

    Shania squeezed the ball between both her hands "You know what I mean! You hustled me! I didn''t know that you was a baller when I made that bet."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "I didn''t hustle you. You were the one that didn''t ask. Besides it''s a little toote to back out of the bet don''t you think?"

    Jason pointed to the side where Marcus and the group of kids had moved to watch them y "You agreed to the bet in front of everybody. If you back out now won''t it ruin your street cred?

    I can''t imagine that you would be able to keep ying gangster if everyone finds out that you don''t keep your word."

    Shania threw the ball at Jason as hard as she could "Fuck you! Skinny noodle lookin ass bitch! All I need to do is beat you. Don''t get cocky just because you got first possession. That don''t mean nothin."

    Jason caught the ball while trying to look casual ''Fuck! That shit was this close to smacking me in the face. Ouch! And now my hands hurt.''

    He looked at Shania "Ones and twos, losers ball, first to 21 wins. That sound cool?" Shania responded "Whatever. Just get started. I ain''t trynna waste my time whoopin yo ass."

    Shania got up close and started pressing Jason with her body as she tightly guarded him "This dude prolly only knows how to shoot. Let''s see how you like this.''

    Jason didn''t feel anything unusual at first. He had been pressed like this many times before. This type of defense was nothing new to him.

    But then he caught a whiff of a pleasant tropical and flowery smell. And then he could feel his arm making contact with something very soft that he had never felt when he yed against boys.

    Jason blushed "Hey! Quite it!" Shania smiled smugly "What can''t handle a little bit of defense?" Shania kept up her defensive pressure.

    Jason turned around thinking it would solve the problem but then he just felt the softness touch his back ''Fuck! Don''t think about anything other than basketball.

    Forget that she''s a girl. Just treat her like a dude Jason. You can do this. Don''t get in your own head.''

    He turned back around and ripped the ball from left to right. Then he jabbed like he was driving right.

    As soon as Shania saw this she shifted her weight and went towards the right to stay with Jason. This was what he was looking for.

    Jason then used a spin move to change directions to the left. He used his foot to seal Shania''s foot and prevent her from making a quick reaction.

    Jason''s spin move was so smooth that Shania was till going to the right by the time Jason had spun around her.

    Shania ran with everything she had as she tried to catch up with Jason who was a few steps ahead of her.

    She saw Jason stop and get into his shooting motion so she jumped and tried to block his jumper.

    Unfortunately for her she had just fallen for Jason''s pump fake. As soon as she flew by he shot his actual shot.

    Jason turned to Shania after he saw the ball fall through the "Loser''s ball right? I guess that means it''s your turn."

    Shania ground her teeth ''Oh you acting tough just cause you made one basket? Let''s see how you feelin after I drop 21 straight.''

    Shania didn''t bother using the triple threat. She went straight into her dribbling. Her handles looked tight and under control.

    She sized Jason up as she dribbled. Left, right, left, right, Jason was watching her every move. He kept his hands up and to the side as he made small adjustments ording to Shania''s movements.

    Shania did a small crossover to the right. Jason watched and as the ball got to the lowest point and Shania positioned her body to go right.

    Jason moved to the right to stay with her. But then Shania brought the ball back up from its low point and did a big crossover.

    Jason was shocked as one name popped up into his head ''AI!?'' Her crossover was identical to one of basketballs greatest legends.

    That''s not to say that it was executed to the same level as Allen Iverson''s but the overall style was very simr.

    Shania managed to create a little bit of space as she drove to the left after her big crossover. Jason turned his hips and immediately went after her.

    Shania saw Jason approaching. Before he could catch up she dribbled once and stepped to the left and back before shooting a mid-range shot.

    Jason angled himself at the best position possible as he threw his body toward her and extended his arm out to contest the shot.

    He had his hand in Shania''s face as the ball flew out of her hand. Shania didn''t think of anything as the ball was leaving her hand. But after it was in the air a few thoughts filled her mind.

    Shania was surprised by how quickly Jason had recovered from her signature crossover. She had gotten rid of many defenders in the past using that move.

    Most of them were lucky if they didn''t have their ankles broken. And not many would have been able to recover and contest her shot.

    Shania had to admit that Jason''s defense was just asmendable as his offense. But there wasn''t a shred of doubt in her mind as she watched the ball fly through the air.

    With how the ball felt as it was leaving her hand and how her body felt as she was executing her move she was filled with confidence ''It''s going in.''

    As the ball swished through the She smiled brightly before turning around to Jason. Jason was standing still as he reyed the previous y over and over in his head.

    ''That crossover was pretty crazy. The execution was at a level way higher than I''ve seen from any middle schooler so far.

    But what was even crazier was that stepback jumper. I have to admit that she was able to create a little bit of separation but my contest was still pretty solid.

    Was it just luck? Or is she a tough shot maker? I guess I''ll just have to find out.'' Jason was pulled back to reality after he heard Shania''s voice.

    Shania had a big grin on her face as she threw Jason''s own words right back at him "Loser''s ball right? I guess that means that it''s your turn now."

 Chapter 46 - Winners And Losers

    Jason caught the ball from Shania ''Girl I wouldn''t get so excited if I were you. You might have scored a basket but you are still going to lose.''

    Shania pressed up against Jason once again as she guarded him tightly. Jason tried his best to ignore everything that was unrted to basketball as she pushed her body against his.

    Jason drove hard to the right. But after a single step he came to a stop with a through the leg dribble.

    Shania had been preparing to chase Jason during his drive. She tried her best to force her body to stop after she realized that Jason was no longer driving to the right.

    But her momentum forced her to take another step. Jason had sessfully created space with his through the leg dribble but he wasn''t done yet.

    He stepped back and to the left as he shot a three-pointer. The space created from the through the leg dribblebined with the space created from the stepback meant that Jason was practically wide open.

    Jason held his hand up from the follow-through of the shot as he watched the ball fly through the air in a straight high arc toward the basket.

    After the ball swished through the he blew on his hand as though it were scorching hot "Looks like the scores 3-1."

    Shania responded with a serious face "Not for long" As soon as she caught the ball from Jason she drove left.

    She had a quick first step. It was almost as good as Trell''s. But Jason had been going up against the better version every day at practice so he wasn''t intimidated in the slightest.

    Jason predicted where she was trying to go and beat her to her spot. After he made contact he put his hands up and made sure to shuffle his feet.

    Shania went deep into her bag of tricks but no matter what she tried she couldn''t get rid of Jason. He was staying on her hip and pressuring her the entire time.

    The two of them were to the left of the free free-throw line. Shania tried to go for a spin move but Jason predicted the direction she was going to spin in and jammed her up.

    She had managed to keep possession of the ball but she had lost her dribble in the process. Jason started pressuring her even more ''She lost her dribble! She doesn''t have many options.''

    Shania turned around and used her body to protect the ball from Jason. It looked like she was posting him up.

    Things weren''t looking good for her but she didn''t give up. She pivoted to the right and pushed Jason back with her body.

    Afterward she quickly pivoted back to the left before shooting a turn around jumper over her left shoulder.

    Jason was pushed back slightly by Shania but he recovered almost instantly and exploded toward her. He reached out and contested her shot to the best of his ability.

    Jason had his hand all in Shania''s face as she shot her turn around jumper. This contest was even better than the one from Shania''s crossover.

    But to Jason''s dismay he watched as the ball hit the rim, bounced a few times, and fell through the.

    Jason was still in the same pose as when he contested Shania''s shot ''I guess she really is just a tough shot maker.''

    There were some yers who could make shots despite facing pressure from the opposing defense. The best example would probably be Kobe Bryant.

    Kobe was known for having the courage and skill to shoot over multiple defenders using a wide variety of moves.

    But tough shot makers also existed at lower levels. Such as JR Smith. Not only did he take tough shots in the face of defenders. He even took shots from the halfcourt.

    Jason had checked out Shania''s skills before but he remembered that he forgot to check to see if she had any badges. He activated Heart''s eye once again.

    [Tough Shot Maker (Silver): Decreases the effect that defense will have against your shot by a small margin and increases the speed of your release when defense is close by.

    Human Highlight Reel (Silver): Performing highlight ys will temporarily give you a slight boost to your abilities. Keep performing highlight ys to keep the boost active. But if you make a mistake or if a highlight is performed against you the boost disappears.

    Jason was surprised that only did Shania have two incredible badges. They were both at the silver level.

    The badge that Jason was most jealous of was the one that had Dominique Wilkins nickname Human Highlight Reel.

    Nique was an incredible athlete and one of the most ferocious dunkers in basketball history. You could make a feature length film with his highlights alone.

    Shania had a smug look on her face as she watched Jason standing still ''Yeah. Now you know what you goin up against.''

    She called out "Hey! How long you gon act like a statue? We got a game to y and I got an ass whoopin to serve. Hurry the hell up."

    Jason pushed the thoughts of her badges out of his mind as he focused himself back on the game.

    The game continued as the two of them went back and forth at each other. Although Shania had the ability to make tough shots that didn''t mean that she could make them at the same consistency as someone who was taking good shots.

    And that is what lead to Jason getting ahead in the score. Jason''s consistent lockdown defense proved to be effective against Shania''s tough shot-making.

    Jason missed a few shots as well because no one can make all the shots that they take. But he was able to force Shania to miss more shots than him.

    Jason used his ability to maneuver around the court with his handles as well as a variety of fakes and offensive moves to create good looks for himself.

    Whereas despite Shania''s amazing ball-handling ability she was constantly forced to taking and trying to make bad shots. She was able to make a few of them but not enough to stay ahead of Jason.

    - - -

    On the side of the court Marcus was sitting on the bench in the shade along with the other kids from the group.

    Marcus lowered his sunsses as he watched Jason drain another shot "Yo what''s the score so far?" one of the boys answered "15-6"

    Marcus pushed his sunsses back up and smiled "He really givin Shania the business haha. She might end up having to go clean for real. Who is this cat?"

    One of the boys spoke up "I think I know him Marcus. You heard about the kid that beat up Trell right?"

    Marcus whistled in amazement "So that''s him?" The boy nodded his head "And that''s not all. Check this out Marcus."

    The boy pulled out his phone and showed the video of Jason ying against Mt. Vernon as well as the new''s segment, and his interview.

    Marcus was so absorbed in watching the video that he took his sunsses off. After Marcus had watched all the videos he was silent.

    After a minute Marcus smiled as he put his sunsses back on "Looks like Riverside got anotha Tyreek Hills in the makin. I just hope that this a good thang."

    - - -

    Jason hit Shania with the double behind the back, hesi, stepback move and got her leaning. Afterward he nailed the mid-range shot.

    Sweat was pouring down his face and he was gasping for air. But he still smiled as he looked at Shania who was in disbelief.

    Jason wiped his head with his shirt "21-10 Shania. Looks like I won." Shania was silent. She didn''t know what to say.

    The silence was broken up by the sound of pping. Jason and Shania turned their heads and saw Marcus walking onto the court.

    Marcus walked to Shania "Don''t look so down Shania. Just treat this as a chance to get out of the street life.

    Normally it''s a lot harder to get out but considering that yo pops was an OG who did a lot for the streets we can just close our eyes this one time. Besides you need to stop giving your uncle such a hard time."

    Then he walked toward Jason. Jason was a little nervous as he watched Marcus getting closer to him.

    ''He''s not just going to shoot me right? I''m sure he wouldn''t do it in broad daylight.'' Despite his own words of self-encouragement Jason still looked around to make sure that there were surveince cameras around.

    Marcusughed after seeing Jason''s nervous face "Chill bruh. I ain''t gon do nothin. You beat the breaks off of Shania fair and square.

    I just came by in hopes of making a connection with one of Riverside''s future superstars. Who knows? I might have to ask you for yo autograph after you make it to the league haha."

    Jason tried his best to smile despite being close to pissing himself out of fear ''This dude has a gun!'' That was all Jason could think about.

    Jason smiled at Marcus "Well that is very kind of you Marcus. I will definitely remember to give you an autograph if I ever make it big haha.

    Now if you''ll excuse me I still need to get back to school. My next ss should be starting soon. I hope you all have a nice day. Bye."

    Jason turned around and tried to speedwalk out of there. He hadpleted his goal of talking with Shania. He had no reason to stay their with those dangerous people for a second longer.

    But before he could take a single step he felt a hand on top of his shoulder. He turned around and saw Marcus''s smiling face.

    "I got something to talk to you about in private. It shouldn''t take too long. I hope you don''t mind?" Jason gulped ''Shit! What did I just get myself into?''

 Chapter 47 - An Offer From Marcus

    Jason was sitting next to Marcus on one of the benches at the park. Jason was holding an ice cream cone that Marcus had bought him from one of the vending machines at the park.

    But despite the delicious looking ice cream Jason didn''t devour it like he normally would. In fact he had a stomach ache as he sat next to Marcus.

    Marcus was enjoying his frozen treat while Jason was feeling physically sick from his fear ''Please don''t shoot me. This might be my second life but I''m technically too young to die.

    Jesus, Buddha, Cthulhu, flying spaghetti monster, Chuck Norris, I don''t care who it is I hope you hear my prayer and keep me alive.''

    Marcus turned to Jason andughed "Don''t be so nervous. I already told you I ain''t nning on hurtin you.

    Go ahead and enjoy the icecream little man. It ain''t every day that I treat other people like this. You should count yourself lucky."

    Jason started eating the ice cream in fear of upsetting Marcus ''Just do what the crazy gang banger with a gun tells you to.''

    Marcus smiled as he saw Jason eating the icecream "Now what I wanted to talk to you about was your recent rise in fame."

    Jason looked at Marcus in surprise "Uh sure. What did you want to talk about?" Marcus finished up his icecream before taking a bite out of the cone.

    "I noticed that you a little too carefree. Take today for example. Not just anyone would walk around these parts the way that you did. I know that you know Tyreek.

    And trust me if it was just any regr dude from out here he would leave you alone as soon as you mention Tyreek. But Tyreek''s name only goes so far.

    And with your rising fame some these dudes might not treat you so nice. For some people ball is all they got. It might be they only shot at a better life.

    Those boys in San Bernardino don''t y. And some dem LA boys is straight demonic. Ain''t no way to know what kind of shit they willing to pull. If you don''t trust me you can ask Tyreek about that."

    Jason spent a few seconds digesting what Marcus said. Jason had an idea of what Marcus was going to say but he wanted to make sure. He looked back at Marcus "So what are you trying to say?"

    Marcusughed before finishing the rest of his cone "You seem like a smart kid Jason. I''m pretty sure you know where I''m going with this.

    Sometimes you gotta fight fire with fire. An eye for an eye type a thang. I can make sure you and your friends stay safe."

    Jason wanted to refuse Marcus on the spot. He didn''t want to have any dealings with these types of people.

    Jason didn''t know what his story was but Marcus seemed a little toofortable with having a gun to be a normal person.

    Jason was thinking of a way to politely decline Marcus but before he could Marcus passed him a piece of paper.

    "You ain''t gotta give me an answer now. Here''s my number. Go ahead and keep it just in case. And if you want Shania off the streets don''t worry. I''ll make sure she stays clean."

    Jason was surprised. Despite his better judgment he asked Marcus "Why are you doing this?"

    Marcusughed before standing up and dusting himself off "I like doing favors for people with potential. You could think of it as kinda like investing.

    But I only invest in winners. So if you want to make sure that Shania stays off the streets then you better keep on winning.

    Sometimes it''s real easy to close your eyes for a second. And that second is enough time for someone to get mixed up in some serious trouble" Marcus lowered his sunsses as he looked at Jason "You catch my drift?"

    Jason gulped before nodding his head. Marcus pushed his sunsses back up andughed "Hahaha alright. Let''s go ahead and get you back to school. And don''t worry about giving me an answer right away. I''m a pretty patient guy."

    Jason couldn''t refuse. He got into Marcus''s modified electric car which had a custom paint job and the back seats reced with speakers.

    The speakers were jumping with some heavy bass as they drove. Jason''s face was paler than usual as he suffered from a terrible stomach ache the entire ride back to Jefferson middle school.

    Jason wobbled into Ms. Yuller''s English ss right before the bell rang. He slumped down into his seat next to Samantha.

    As Ms. Yuller was taking attendance Samantha nced over at Jason and whispered "You okay? You look like you just got off a rollercoaster and now you''re about to hurl."

    Jason shook his head before pulling out his water bottle and taking a long drink "I don''t want to talk about it. Just some bad ice cream first thing in the morning."

    Samantha rolled her eyes before whispering back "I know you''re a pig but even for you that''s a bad idea. Who eats ice cream first thing in the morning?"

    Jason felt like he just got smacked in the back of the head with a frying pan ''You think I wanted to eat that ice cream!? I would give up ice cream for a year if it meant not having to deal with Marcus!''

    Jason felt too weak to reply to what Samantha said. Heid his head on the desk and prayed for the day to pass by faster.

    - - -

    As the bell rang for thest ss of the day Jason stretched and Yawned. Kyleughed as he walked over "This is the worst I''ve ever seen you. You look like you need a senzu bean."

    Jason looked at Kyle confused "A senzu what?" Kyle sighed "Nevermind. Why do you look so drained? Are you going to be okay for practice?"

    Jason packed his bag and stood up "Trust me I''ll be fine. In fact I think practice is just what I need to distract myself right now. I just have too much stuff swirling around in my head."

    The entire day Jason had been thinking about Marcus and his offer, about Tyreek, and about the mission.

    If Marcus said he was going to keep Shania away from gang shit then why hasn''t the system given him the missionplete notification? Was there still more for him to do?

    Anyways Jason was d that the school day was over. The only thing he had to look forward to was basketball practice.

    Jason hoped that he could distract himself and take his mind off things even if only for a couple of hours.

    Jason and Kyle came out of the locker room in their shorts and practice jerseys as they joined the rest of the guys.

    Jason changed theposition of practice. Instead of practicing their ybook for an hour and finishing off by spending thest hour doing defensive drills.

    Jason had them practice their ybook for half an hour, defensive drills for half an hour, and then thest hour was spent doing personalized training.

    Trell is a great athlete but in terms of a basketball yer he was very raw and unpolished. So his training was focused on building up his basics. Jason tried to fix his shooting form and teach him how to handle the ball.

    For Kyle and Vince Jason focused on teaching them how to box out and how to y better defense in the post. Jason taught them how to use swim moves and other techniques to fight for positioning in order to get rebounds without getting called for fouls.

    For Matt, DJ, and Nick Jason focused on improving their man to man defense out on the perimeter as well as improving their off-ball movement and off the catch shooting.

    After practice everyone was tired but they all seemed to be in high spirits. Jason got a ride home with Javier and Greg. During the ride home Jason brought up the topic of getting Tyreek to join the show.

    He exined the situation to Javier. Javier was silent for a few seconds before he turned his head back to Jason "Well if you managed to convince his niece to change and all he''s worried about is his living situation then we might be able to help.

    The station signed a lease for a property nearby for me and Greg to live in for the next two years as we film your journey in Jefferson middle school.

    There''s an extra room that''s currently not being used. I''ll have to ask the station if it''s okay first but I''m sure Greg and I wouldn''t mind having him and his niece stay with us.

    The house is in a pretty good neighborhood and if Tyreek stayed with us he wouldn''t even have to pay any rent or utilities."

    Jason was surprised by Javier''s suggestion ''If this works out not only will Tyreek join the show. Without having to worry about paying any bills Tyreek can drop his warehouse job and focus solely on basketball.

    He can end up a way better basketball yer than he was in myst life. I wonder how much better?'' Jason waved at Javier and Greg as they drove away after dropping him off at his apartment.

    - - -

    The next couple of days passed by quickly as the team had gotten used to their practices to the point where it became part of a routine. Everyone knew what to expect and what kind of work they had to put in.

    As Jasonid in bed staring at the ceiling he could only think about one thing ''Tomorrow is our first official game of the season. This one actually counts.

    Cider Grove I hope you''re ready to step into the doghouse. Because we''re about to bring our A game tomorrow.''

 Chapter 48 - Winning Streak

    It was finally Friday. Jason sat on the bench as he tied his hair up into a small bun before putting on his white headband. Then he looked out into the bleachers.

    There weren''t a ton of people there to watch the game. The bleachers were half-filled allowing Jason to find his parents with rtive ease.

    Jason then looked at the away section. The bleachers on that side were even emptier. It looked like the only ones who showed up were probably the parents of the yers from Cider Grove.

    It was almost time for the game to start. Jason turned and smiled at Kyle ''He looks a lot less nervouspared to the first game.''

    He patted Kyle on the back "You ready?" Kyle nodded his head before smiling "You know what? I don''t feel nervous at all. In fact I kind of feel excited."

    Jason was surprised but happy to hear that. Heughed before standing up from the bench "Let''s go out there and kick some ass."

    Coach Swendel sent out Jason at PG, Matt at SG, Trell at SF, Udonis at PF, and Kyle at C. They all walked out on to the court and shook hands with the opposing team before getting into position to start the game.

    Cider Grove''s Center was about the same height as Udonis. The height advantagebined with Kyle''s athletecism allowed him to easily win the jump ball.

    Jason brought the ball up court as he scanned the floor ''Looks like Cider Grove is using the same zone defense as Mt. Vernon. First things first I''ll have to teach them to respect my jumper.''

    Jason started the game off the same asst time as he nailed a quick three-pointer just a few seconds in.

    The coach for Cider Grove was surprised but he tried his best not to show it as he quickly began to instruct the team on offense.

    Unfortunately for them as they were in the middle of running one of their ys Jason saw an opportunity and stole the ball from one of their big men as he double-teamed him with Udonis.

    Jason started pushing the ball down the court for the fast break. As he was running he smiled as he saw Trell speeding down the hardwood.

    He tossed the ball ahead to Trell who caught it and continued to run toward the basket. After getting into the paint he timed his steps and mmed the ball in with his right hand for the statue of liberty dunk.

    Trell pointed to Jason to acknowledge the assist. The two of them made their way back on defense. It had been less than a minute and the score was already 5-0.

    Jason did his usual thing and orchestrated their defense. With Jason''s focused gaze scanning the floor and directing the rest of the team they were able to hold Cider Grove scoreless.

    After three minutes had passed Coach Swendel called for a timeout as he subbed Jason and Trell out for Nick and DJ. At this point the score was already 15-0.

    With Jason off the floor they switched their ystyle and began ying more through the post with Udonis.

    By running their offense through Udonis in the post they slowed down the tempo of the game dramatically as they yed to their strengths.

    Udonis had a clear advantage against his defender in the post. And even in the off chance that he would miss his shot Kyle would be there to crash the boards and keep the possession alive.

    They switched through their rotation every few minutes. The rest of the team was also in better shapepared to their first game. So the fatigue wasn''t as bad.

    The final score for the game was 64-27. Jeffersonpletely dominated Cider Grove and Jason didn''t even have to y that many minutes.

    His stats for the night were 24 pts, 8 ast, 3 reb, 3 stl, 1 blk. Udonis was the second biggest contributor with his 14 pts, 3 ast, 7 reb, and 2 blk.

    Udonis walked up to Jason and put his arm around him with a huge smile on his face "We stomped em tonight bro! We was on fire tonight!"

    Jasonughed "Nah bro. This wasn''t us on fire. This is our baseline. We gotta show out again on Sunday when we y against Bell View."

    - - -

    Sunday was Jefferson middle school''s second game of the season. They had slightly more people in attendance this time around.

    Bell View was a slightly below-average team in the county but that meant that they were better than a bottom-feeding team like Cider Grove.

    Jason propelled Jefferson''s offense early by scoring 6 straight points as he sliced his way through their defense and into the paint.

    This early pration caused them to focus on defending the paint which ended up letting Matt and Nick get off on the offensive end.

    They both ended the game in double-digit points. While Jason had another great night with 22 pts, 10 ast, 4 reb, 3 stl, and 1 blk.

    The final score was 59-36 as Jefferson came out with another dominant disy. This time against more challengingpetition.

    - - -

    Tuesday night. Jefferson made their way down to Moreno Valley as they were the away team for the first time this year.

    Tonight they were ying against Vista Heights middle school for their third game of the season.

    They were ranked slightly higher than Bell View and this season they were in even higher spirits as just like Jefferson they dominated in their first two games.

    The home section was packed with parents and students from Vista Heights. Jason''s mom and dad felt slightly nervous as they sat in the away section.

    This was their first time experiencing what it was like toe to a different school as visitors. It also didn''t help that their own section wasn''t as packed or as noisy.

    Jason''s dadughed as he put his arm around his wife "Look at us. Jason would beughing his butt off if he saw us like this."

    Jason''s mom smiled "You''re right. He would be having a st right now. I still don''t know how Jaya could be so calm.

    When we got here he saw the crowd and acted as if it was nothing. I guess he must get that from his dad." She turned her head and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

    As they were chatting and joking around a talldy sat down next to them. They turned their heads and smiled as they saw Kyle''s mom.

    Kyle''s mom had her arms full of stuff. She had made some noisemakers at home by fillingrge empty soda bottles with stic marbles.

    She handed them out to some of the parents and students in their section and then gave some to Jason''s parents.

    She smiled at them "Hey Henry hi Naomi, sorry I''mte. I had a small emergency pop up at work and then I still had to rush home to shower and change out of my scrubs.

    Thanks again for giving Kyle a ride. I made thesest night so we could make some noise and cheer for the boys." Jason''s mom smiled before hugging Kyle''s mom.

    "No problem Veronica. I already told Kyle that he should just let us know if he ever needs anything. He''s practically like Jason''s brother at this point.

    In fact we should be the ones thanking you for having Jason and the rest of the team over at your house so often and feeding them.

    Knowing how Jason''s appetite can get it can''t be easy to cook that much food." Kyle''s momughed "Jason has a huge appetite but that''s no problem.

    I love to cook anyways. If anything I''m hoping that my baby picks that up from Jason. I always tell him to eat more because he''s so skinny.

    Especially now since he started ying basketball. I tell you what I just about damn near fainted when I saw my poor baby getting pushed around in the paintst game.

    Ever since then I''ve been puttin gravy on everythang and adding extra helpings of meat to his te haha."

    A couple minutes passed as Jason''s parent''s and Kyle''s mom talked about the team and how exciting it was that they were doing so well so far.

    Vista Heights''s home section went wild as they cheered for the team as they made their way on to the court.

    Their cheer team got the home crowd even more pumped upped as they got them to start chanting "Let''s go Vista let''s go! Let''s go Vista let''s go!"

    After that it was Jefferson''s turn as the team made their way out on to the court. The gym went silent as the team walked down.

    The away section had been intimidated by Vista Heights home section''s thunderous cheering.

    But that onlysted a second as Kyle''s mom jumped to her feet and started yelling at the top of her lungs "Let''s go Jefferson! We came here to kick some butt!"

    She was yelling and shaking her noisemakers all by herself. Shortly after Jason''s mom and dad stood up and joined her.

    The rest of the away section joined in as they cheered for Jefferson middle school. They weren''t as loud as the home section because of theirck of numbers.

    But their passion was just as high. Jason was focused as everyone got into position for the tip-off ''This is going to be a real test for the team.

    It''s time we show that we can dominate on other team''s courts. We might be in your house but we''re gonna make you y our game.''

    The referee tossed the ball into the air as the game officially started.

 Chapter 49 - Kyles Battle

    For the first time in a while Kyle was feeling somewhat intimidated as he stood face to face with the opposing teams Center.

    Vista Height''s center was the same height as Kyle but he had broader shoulders and more meat on his bones.

    Although Vista Height''s Center wasn''t as athletic as him, for the first time Kyle lost the tip-off.

    It looked as though he had mistimed his jump ''Get your head right Kyle. You need to focus!''

    The opposing team''s Point Guard brought the ball up the court. He waited for the rest of his team to get into position before calling out a y.

    Jason was focused on the PG but he also scanned the rest of the floor with his peripheral vision. He saw Trell''s man attempting to cut backdoor and called out "Trell! Backdoor cut!"

    Trell was paying attention to the other yer that wasing up to set a screen that he didn''t notice that his defensive assignment had already started cutting to the basket.

    After he heard Jason''s warning he exploded forward and caught up with his man. He put his hands up and closed off any passingnes.

    The opposing Point Guard was frustrated at the ruined y but he kept his cool and had the team reset. He then called for a screen from their Center.

    Jason went under the screen and instructed Kyle to stay with his man. Jason was confident that with his ability that he could contain his opponent even after giving him a bit of space.

    Vista Heights showed why they were a step above a school like Bell View. Even after having their offense stifled by Jason''s on the floor coaching and man to man defense they kept calm and didn''tmit any dumb mistakes.

    Two minutes passed as both teams were still scoreless. Jason had the teampletely focused and locked in on the defensive end.

    Then as the other team''s Point Guard was attempting to throw a pass to their Shooting Guard who had gotten open from a screen Jason poked the ball loose.

    Jason scooped the ball up and ran down the court as fast as he could. There were no defenders close by except for his own who was chasing after him.

    Jason could feel that his defender was hot on his tracks as he made his way closer to the paint. Finally he picked up his dribble as he was just a few steps away from the basket and shot theyup.

    The defender that was chasing after him was just a half step too slow to do anything as Jason sessfully scored the first basket of the night.

    Jason continued to anchor Jefferson''s defense against Vista Heights''s offense as he helped to slow down their offense.

    After three minutes had passed Coach Swendel called for a timeout. He subbed Nick and DJ in for Jason and Matt.

    As Jason took his seat on the bench he looked at the scoreboard. Jefferson was up 12-4. This game was a low scoring one so far.

    All of Jefferson''s points were either scored by Jason in istion or off of his assist after he broke down their defense.

    So far the opposing team was doing a good job guarding against all of their different ys. Luckily Jefferson was able to depend on their incredible defense to build a lead.

    In the past two games the bench unit had done a pretty good job of keeping up the intensity on the defensive side of the ball without Jason.

    Although there was still a clear drop in the quality of their defense without Jason on the floor to orchestrate things.

    They had been able to make things hard for the opposing team''s offense. The same held true for this game.

    With Udonis slowing down the tempo by running the offense through the post not only were they able to create scoring opportunities without Jason.

    The slow tempo and offensive rebounds made it so that they could limit the amount of possessions that the opposing team had. This made it easier for them to defend as well.

    Only two minutes had passed since Jason had been subbed out. There were still three more minutes to go until the end of the quarter.

    Jefferson had done a good job as a whole on the defensive end as they were up 19-10. Jason watched as Vista Heights tried something new on offense.

    The entire game so far Vista Heights had started most of their offense from out in the perimeter.

    But this time they fed the ball directly to their Center down in the post. Their Center backed down Kyle as they bumped down low.

    As the Center pushed Kyle back he found himself in a good position under the. He then hit Kyle with the drop-step before going up strong andying the ball into the basket. The score was now 19-12.

    Jason watched the sequence andined "Shit! Kyle what are you doing?'' Jason noticed that something was wrong with Kyle.

    ''I hope I''m not toote. Hopefully the other team didn''t notice yet.'' Jason turned to Coach Swendel "Call a timeout Coach. Sub out Kyle and Udonis. Put me and Vince in."

    Coach Swendel was slightly surprised "Are you sure? It''s a little earlier than usual. Normally we would let them y for another minute before doing another rotation."

    Jason shook his head "I don''t have time to exin right now Coach. It''s just important that you sub us in now."

    Coach Swendel didn''t hesitate to call for the time out as soon as he heard Jason say that. He took Kyle and Udonis out as Jason and Vince made their way on to the court.

    With Jason back on the floor it was like the whole team got an energy boost. On offense scoring opportunities were much easier to find with Jason breaking down the opponent''s defense.

    While on defense everyone was more focused and effective as Jason called out instructions to ruin Vista Heights''s ys.

    As the first quarter came to a close Jason managed to widen their lead to 24-12. Although he had to expend more energy than he expected at this point.

    Jason took a seat next to Kyle. He hesitated for a moment but then he decided to just say it outright.

    "Kyle. I want you to be honest with me okay? Are you scared of their Center?" Kyle was shocked by Jason''s question.

    He didn''t think that Jason would have noticed. After a moment Kyle answered "I thought I was over letting other people scare me.

    Ever since you got me to start ying basketball I haven''t felt like the old Kyle. At least until now.

    Going against someone that is equal to me in height and even has an advantage in strength made me feel like the old Kyle. Like there''s nothing I can do."

    Jason patted Kyle on the back and smiled "Okay. Now that I know the problem I''m going to help you fix it."

    Kyle looked at Jason questioningly "How are you going to do that?" Jason thumped his chest "By showing you that size doesn''t matter.

    It doesn''t matter if he''s the same height as you or that he''s stronger than you. It''s not about the size of the dog in the fight. It''s about the size of the fight in the dog."

    The break ended as both the teams stood up and made their way back out on to the court. Jason was pumped upped ''Let''s do this.''

    On offense Jason continued to run the show the same as usual. But on defense Jefferson made a change that shocked the whole audience.

    Jason was being posted up as he guarded the opposing team''s Center. He got down low into a defensive stance.

    Not only did Jason not shy away from the contact and physicality. He was fighting back. For every push and shove that he took Jason tried his best to dish it back.

    Jason was able to make it surprisingly difficult for the Center to establish deep post position. He eventually decided to give up.

    He put his hand out as he asked for the ball. But as soon as he did that Jason started fronting him and denying him the ball.

    It was a battle for positioning as the Center tried to get himself open while Jason fought to stay in front of him. Jason also kept his hands active in order to make it difficult to throw any passes their way.

    After having their offense stopped and then giving up a quick bucket in transition Vista Heights called a timeout.

    During the timeout Jason talked with Kyle "Did you see that? I''m way smaller than you but I was still able to stop that guy.

    It''s all about heart Kyle. You gave up half the fight before it even started. All you need to do is believe in yourself and not back down."

    Kyle took a moment to take in what Jason had said. Afterward he nodded his head and smiled "You''re right Jason. I can do this! This isn''t my final form!"

    Jason didn''t understand thest part of what Kyle said but he seemed to be pretty hyped up and he didn''t want to ruin that so he didn''t question it.

    Jason pped Kyle on the back and cheered him on as they made their way back on to the court.

    With Kyle focused and motivated Jefferson performed a lot better than before. Kyle was more effective in defending the opposing team''s Center.

    He also did a better job in protecting the paint. With his newfound focus Kyle had a monster game on the defensive side of the ball as he swatted shots away left and right.

    It ended up being a low scoring game but Jefferson pulled out the win thanks to their defense. The final score was 52-30.

    Jason led the way as he put in 20 pts, 10 ast, 4 reb, and 3 stl. Although Kyle didn''t have a huge scoring night there was no denying that he contributed the most behind Jason as he put in 9 pts, 8 reb and 6 blk.

    The team lined up as they shook hands with Vista Heights once the game was finished. Jason was about to make his way to his parents when he saw Javier walking over to him.

    Javier smiled as he pointed to Greg behind him "Great game Jason. I mean all your games so far have been great but this one in particr gave us some great shots. Right Greg?"

    Greg gave a thumbs-up as he continued to record with the camera. Javier continued "Anyways I just wanted to congratte you on another good win.

    Oh and I also have a few pieces of good news. First is that the station gave me the green light. They said it was okay for Tyreek to join and live with us.

    They even said that his story might boost our ratings. Second piece of news is that they gave me a date for when your first episode will air. It''s going to be this Friday!"

 Chapter 50 - Going Against A Powerhouse

    Jason was excited to hear that his first episode on the show was about to air. He had been anticipating this moment ever since he agreed to join the program.

    He was also d to hear that the station had agreed to let Tyreek stay with Javier and Greg. Just as he was about to thank Javier for both pieces of good news he saw a notification pop up.

    [Congrattions! You have earned the following skill badge: Defensive Anchor (Bronze)]

    Jason was shocked to hear that he had unlocked his first skill badge ''Finally! The days of being jealous of other people''s badges is over.'' Jason focused on the description of the skill badge.

    [Defensive Anchor (Bronze): Your presence on the court inspires your teammates to do their best on defense. Your teammates will be more focused on the defensive side of the ball.

    Your teammates will y defense with more energy and be less likely tomit small mistakes. Effect only applies to teammates while you are on the court.]

    Jason was on cloud nine as he read the description ''This skill is perfect for our current situation!

    With our defense getting a boost like this it won''t matter if the team struggles a little bit offensively.''

    Jason came back to his senses as he realized that he was still in the middle of a conversation with Javier.

    Javier added "The station told me that this episode was just going to be your introduction so they won''t be using any footage from your official games.

    They told me that they were saving those shots for next week''s episode. But hopefully you like your introduction episode. Me and Greg tried our best to have you look good haha."

    He thanked Javier for all their hard work, the good news, as well as for being willing to take Tyreek and his niece in to live with them.

    Javier and Greg waved goodbye as they went to go organize the footage that they captured from today''s game.

    Jason noticed another notification pop up but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he saw his parents and Kyle''s mom walking towards the team.

    Jason''s parents came over and congratted Kyle on his amazing performance. Jason''s dad patted him on the back.

    "That was amazing Kyle. You looked like a man amongst boys tonight the way you swatted those shots out of the air. You looked like King Kong pping helicopters out of the air."

    Jason''s mom hugged Kyle "Yeah you yed great Kyle. We were so proud to see you blocking all those shots during the game.

    You should have seen your mom. We thought she was going to have a heart attack from how excited she was getting."

    Kyleughed "Thanks uncle H. Thanks aunty Mimi. You don''t need to tell me about my mom. We could all hear her from the bench."

    Kyles momughed before pulling Kyle into her embrace. Kyle got embarrassed thinking about his mom going crazy and cheering for him.

    "Oh my gosh mom. It''s not like this is your first time watching me y. You didn''t need to go so crazy with the noisemakers. We could hear you all the way from the court."

    Kyle''s momughed as she hugged her child "That''s the whole point of noisemakers baby and besides. Ain''t nothin wrong with a momma being proud of her child."

    She then cupped Kyle''s face with her hands as she looked him in his eyes "And I was so proud of you tonight.

    Out of all the games you yed so far this was the first time I saw you so confident and assertive. This was the first time I saw you having so much fun.

    I hope I get to see this side of you more often. Even outside of basketball" Kyle''s eyes started to moisten but he turned his head to hide them.

    "You''re so corny mom. You always act like we''re in some kind of TV melodrama. But I guess I love that about you too."

    Kyles momughed as she yfully smacked her son on the head. Seeing how touching the moment was Jason felt awkward about jumping in.

    Luckily Kyle''s mom came to his rescue. She saw Jason and walked up to him to pull him into a tight hug "You were great out there too Jason.

    I mean you''re great every time you y but tonight was special. Especially when you guarded that big ol boy from the other team.

    It was a literal David versus Goliath moment if I''ve ever seen one. You should have the faces on your mom and dad when you did that.

    They were teasing me about having a heart attack but they were the ones who looked like they were about to faint haha."

    Jason''s dadughed as he had a bit of a blush on his face. He patted Jason on the back "Well now that the game is done how about we go out for some food?

    It''s not every day that we''re here in Moreno Valley and I happen to have a friend that runs a Filipino restaurant here.

    He says that they serve the best Lech��n in the state. Let''s go see if he''s telling the truth. Dinner is on me and Coach Swendel and the whole team is invited."

    That night the whole team and all of their parents that attended the game went out to eat at the restaurant ran by the friend of Jason''s father.

    His friend was kind enough to give them a very generous discount. Otherwise the bill would have been a lot scarier than it ended up being.

    Everyone had a great time and they thanked Jason''s dad for the meal. On the way home Jason finally decided to take a look at the notification that he had been ignoring.

    [Congrattions for unlocking your first skill badge. Now that you have a skill badge you have unlocked the yer DNA function.

    The yer DNA function allows you to choose one badge to be the core of the yer. Once a badge is selected the yer will develop quicker in the areas affected by the badge.

    Offensive badges will allow the yer to develop faster offensively. While defensive badges will allow the yer to grow faster defensively.

    A badge that has been chosen to be the core of the yer can also be activated during a game by expending DNA points.

    Once activated the badge will grant other bonuses and effects on top of what the badge already does.

    DNA points can be earned during a game by performing well but can also be lost by making mistakes. Once a badge has been chosen it cannot be changed for a month.]

    It''s a good thing that Jason''s parents were in the front and couldn''t see his face. His current expression was one of intense shock and joy.

    Jason was so surprised that he had forgotten to breathe ''This new function sounds amazing. Not only does it have long term benefits in the form of faster development.

    It also has immediate short term benefits as it allows you to activate the badge and get bonuses during a game.

    First was Kyle''s leap in attitude during the game, then there was Javier''s good news, and now I unlocked my first badge and a new function.

    Who knew that today would be so full of pleasant surprises.''

    - - -

    Friday night. Jefferson middle school''s bleachers were packed for the first time in years as the crowd sat in anticipation for the game to start.

    Tonight would be the toughest test for Jefferson as they were ying against Lakeside middle school. A school that managed to rank top ten in the countyst year.

    Tory sat next to Jason''s parents as she bounced her legs up and down nonstop. She turned to Jason''s dad "I can''t believe how many people showed up to watch.

    It''s one thing for the home team to have a ton of fans and support. But why is the away section so packed? Did they have everyone drive down?"

    Jason''s dad didn''t know the reason either. It was Kyle''s mom who was also sitting close by that answered.

    "From what I heard Lakeside middle school is a basketball powerhouse in Temec. They managed to rank within the top ten in the county for over 10 years now.

    I guess it makes sense that they take their basketball real serious. That''s probably why they have so many fans that drove all the way down here."

    A cheer squad started doing chants as they performed in front of the away section.

    Kyle''s mom grumbled "What''s wrong with this school? I think I need to talk to the principle. Howe we ain''t got a cheer squad?

    We letting a different school show us up in our own building. That is just disgraceful. Our boys deserve better than that."

    After a few more minutes both teams made their way out of the locker rooms and walked out on to the court.

    Both sides were going crazy making noise as they didn''t want to lose out to the other. The teams lined up and shook hands.

    Jason joined the rest of the starting five as he got into position for the game to start. Most of the yers on Lakeside were white but they had a few ck yers.

    One of whom happened to be their Center who was also about an inch taller than Kyle.

    But unlikest time Kyle had a focused look on his face as his eyes locked on to the ball in the referee''s hand.

    As soon as the ball was at its highest point Kyle jumped. Not only did he jump high but the speed at which he left the floor was iparable to the other Center.

    Kyle easily won the tip-off as the ball was then passed to Jason. He was surprised as the opposing team had a defender pick him up all the way from behind the halfcourt.

    Lakeside''s Point Guard had a smug smile on his face "You should feel honored. We actually deemed you guys worthy enough that we watched some tape from your past games.

    Your winning streak was cute but it''s time you see what a real basketball team looks like. We came up with a n just for you and your little friends."

 Chapter 51 - Going Against A Powerhouse: Part 2

    Jasonughed at his defender "You must be blind if you''re calling our Center a little friend. Your school must be so nice letting a disabled person y for their team. Do you get to cut to the front of the lines at Disnend too?"

    Jason chuckled to himself as he brought the ball up court ignoring his defender ''If he wants to try trash-talking me he''s a couple decades too early. He''s gonna need more practice before he can get under my skin.''

    Jason waited until everyone was in position to call a y. He passed the ball to Matt who then called for Kyle toe out to the left-wing.

    After Kyle was out on the perimeter Matt passed the ball to him before dashing to the right wing-as Jason used his body to set a screen for him.

    After making contact with Matt''s defender Jason then ran passed Kyle for the handoff. Jason noticed something.

    Lakeside''s yers were all sticking to his teammates even at the cost of giving him a little bit of space.

    Just to confirm his theory Jason chose to reset and run another y instead of improvising off of the first one.

    The coach for Lakeside middle school had a smile on his face as he watched Jefferson reset for the third time this possession.

    His assistant looked at him "I know that it was part of our n but I still don''t understand it coach.

    ording to our scouting report and all the videos we''ve watched Jason Yang is their primary weapon on offense. So why are we focusing our defense on his teammates?"

    The head coach chuckled "You''re still wet behind the ears son. You''re right that Jason Yang is their primary offensive weapon.

    Most people would think that you would need to focus your defense on him in order to neutralize him.

    But the reason Jason Yang is so effective for Jefferson is that he creates scoring opportunities for his teammates as well as for himself.

    So by preventing him from assisting his teammates we are already taking away half of his greatest abilities.

    Basketball is a team sport. No matter how good one individual yer is he can''t beat a team that runs like a well oiled-machine.

    We might not have any star yers like Jason Yang but our boys y hard and they y smart. They know what they need to do and when to do it.

    Just look at the 2015 finals. LeBron James was one of the greatest to ever step on the hardwood and he was still at his peak.

    He put up some monstrous numbers during that series but he ultimately lost to the baby Warriors before they became the unstoppable dynastic team that they would end up bing.

    Do you know why? It''s because his second-best yer on the team was Matthew fucking Devedova. His two other star yers Kyrie and K-Love had gotten injured.

    After that he had to rely on a scrappy defensive Point Guard who wasn''t good for much else to be his second inmand."

    As they were talking their attention was pulled back to the court as the crowd began making noise.

    Jason put his defender on skates as he drove right, came to a stop with a behind the back dribble, got his defender leaning with the hesi to the left, before finally dropping him to the floor with a quick crossover to the right.

    The home section of the bleachers were going crazy as Jason nailed the mid-range shot after dancing on his defender.

    Lakeside''s coach chuckled "He may be able to force a few buckets with his offensive toolbox. But let''s see how far that takes him.

    All he''s going to aplish is tiring himself out before the end of the first half. Forget the physical strain of having to do all of those moves just to score one basket.

    The kid will probably crumble under the mental pressure. The weight of knowing that you need to score or your team will lose isn''t something that just anybody can handle."

    The game continued as Lakeside focused on forcing Jason to score as they took the rest of his teammates out of the equation.

    Even though they couldn''t do much to help on offense that only seemed to motivate them to work even harder on the defensive side of the ball.

    Maybe it was the effect of Jason''s new skill badge, maybe it was the effect of them being frustrated at not being able to help on offense, or maybe both.

    But the whole team was focused and full of energy as they yed defense. Even Matt came out and showed some defensive intensity.

    He was turning his hips and shuffling his feet as he kept his hands up and stayed on his man as he tried to iso.

    When he poked the ball loose and managed to gain possession of it by diving to the floor he was thumping his chest and yelling as Jason pulled him up and helped him to his feet.

    The quarter ended and the score was 15-7. All but one basket was scored by Jason as he yed more minutes than he normally would.

    Matt was the only one outside of Jason that scored any in the first quarter as he hit a contested three-pointer after running off of a screen from Udonis.

    During the break Trell threw his sports bottle to the floor "Fuck! Why the hell are they ying me so tight in the corner!?

    I can barely shoot free throws let alone threes. And with these dudes huggin my nuts so damn tight I can''t even cut to the basket."

    Jason picked up the sports bottle and handed it back to Trell "Don''t sweat it man. You gotta keep your cool.

    You getting heated like this is just what they want man. You gonna let them y you like that? The Trell I know wouldn''t let such weakpetition get to his head."

    Trell rolled his eyes "Whatever man. Ain''t nobody gettin in my head aight? I just needed to vent. And I don''t need to hear no corny ass motivational talk from you."

    Despite what Trell had said he seemed to have calmed down by a significant amount after Jason''s little talk.

    The team walked back out to the court for the second quarter. Once again the opposing team''s defense was focused on not allowing Jason''s teammates to score.

    Points were hard toe by for both teams this quarter. Kyle managed to get a monster block as he grabbed the ball out of the air with both hands after one of Lakeside''s Guards tried to shoot a floater over him.

    Since Trell couldn''t score at all his energy was focused solely on defending. After Matt turned the ball over with a bad pass to Kyle Lakeside pushed the ball down the court for the fast break.

    As their yer was running to the basket he took a quick peek to check if there were any defenders close by.

    He saw that the closest defender was Trell and even he was over a few feet behind. So he continued running and went for theyup.

    What he didn''t take into ount was that Trell would explode forward covering that distance in the blink of an eye.

    Trell went up and stopped the basket with a spectacr chase-down block. He spiked the ball against the backboard beforeing back down.

    The rest of the game followed a simr pattern. Jefferson''s points were almost exclusively scored by Jason while the rest of the team yed their hearts out on defense.

    It also helped that Jason was spending his DNA points and activating his skill badge at the most critical moments. Jason found out that it took roughly one quarter for him to fill the bar up.

    The first time he activated his skill badge he had a flood of information pass through his brain instantly as the system exined the effects of his activated badge.

    [Activated badge: Defensive Anchor (Bronze). Effects: For eight seconds increase all of your teammates'' defensive skills by a letter grade.]

    The great sequence where Matt mped down his defensive assignment as he managed to get the steal? Jason had activated his badge for that moment.

    When Kyle snatched the ball out of the air for the insane block? Jason had also given a small helping hand by activating his badge.

    Trell''s crazy chase-down block during Lakeside''s fastbreak? That one had nothing to do with Jason. That was just Trell''s superhuman athleticism at full disy,

    With the score on the board being 45-27 and the time winding down Lakeside''s assistant coach looked at the head coach silently.

    The head coach blushed for a second before clearing his throat "I seemed to have made a small miscalction.

    I designed our defensive scheme thinking that Jason Yang was a scoring ymaker like LeBron James or Chris Paul.

    But it turns out that he was actually a lethal scorer like Kobe Byrant or Kevin Durant instead. He did a good job hiding his true colors.

    I think that the fact that we were able to unveil this secret should count as enough of a victory, Next time we y we will be able toe up with a more effective n."

    Jason ended the game with his highest-scoring performance yet as he recorded 36 pts, 2 ast, 3 reb, 3 stl, 1 blk.

    Jason'' parents and Kyle''s mom came by to congratte the team on another great win this season.

    After a few minutes of talking and congratting the team Kyle''s mom invited everyone over to her house to watch and celebrate Jason''s debut episode of Through the Hoops.

 Chapter 52 - Party At Aunty Vees

    Kyle''s house was packed as everyone showed up to watch Jason''s first appearance on the show.

    Samantha showed up with some of her friends, all of Jason''s teammates came, and even the guys from Newberry''s basketball team joined in on the fun.

    Kyle''s mom was smiling brightly as she looked out at the group of people in her house as she worked in the kitchen.

    Jason''s mom and dad were helping her as they warmed and prepared some food. Kyle''s mom put a tray in the oven "Thanks you two. I really appreciate the help in the kitchen."

    Jason''s momughed "You don''t need to thank us Veronica. If anything we should be the ones doing the thanking.

    We wanted to do something special like this to celebrate Jason''s first episode but our ce is so tiny. We wouldn''t have been able to fit that many guests."

    Jason''s dad added "Naomi is right. We should be the ones thanking you. It is so kind of you to let us use your beautiful home to throw this party.

    Not just that. I can''t believe you spent all day cooking all this food. I don''t know how you managed to do that beforeing to watch the game. You put together a real feast."

    Kyle''s mom took a big bowl of potato sd out of the fridge "Well I guess it worked out for the both us then.

    I got to do the thing that I love the most which is cooking and I got to put this big ol house to good use for once.

    I''m just d that we can all get together for a good time like this. If you told mest year that Kyle would have so many friends that would want toe over to his house I would have sworn that you was on something haha.

    I really do have to thank you for that sweet child of yours. He''s brought so much good energy into Kyle''s life."

    Tears started to stream down her face. She had to move the potato sd so that none would fall into it "My biggest fear that had always been on my mind was what would happen to Kyle if anything ever happened to me,

    My folks is gone and I''m an only child. Kyle ain''t never really had no friends before. He had never brought anyone to our home before he met Jason.

    Kyle had always been big for his age but deep down he''s a real soft and gentle kid. I was always terrified of the thought that without me Kyle would be all alone.

    Now even if god forbid I take myst breath tonight I can rest peacefully knowing that Kyle has someone in this world that truly cares for him."

    Jason''s mom burst into tears and hugged Kyle''s mom while Jason''s dad came over and patted her on the back.

    They could rte somewhat to how she felt. Before Jason started going to Jefferson he didn''t have any friends either.

    But at least Jason had Tory so he was never truly alone. And even if they didn''t have their parents in the picture if something happened to one of them the other one would still be there for Jason. It must have weighed down on her mind a lot as a single mother.

    Jason''s mom still had tears in her eyes but sheughed "Kyle was right Veronica. You are a walking melodrama. Look at the waterworks you turned on."

    Kyle''s momughed "You''re right. I gotta pull myself together. We still got a whole house to feed.

    Especially those Newberry boys. They look like they ready to eat the leather off my couch if we don''t serve em some meat soon."

    Jason was sitting in the living room with the rest of the guys from the team. Jason was about to scoop some mac n cheese into his mouth when he saw Samantha walk in with some other girls.

    Jason put his te down on the table and stood up. He walked up to Samantha and gave her a quick hug "Hey Sammy. Thanks foring. Are these your friends."

    After their quick hug Samantha nodded her head and smiled "Yeah these are my friends. You told me it was an open invite so I thought your teammates would appreciate having some cute girls to talk to."

    Samantha and Jason introduced the guys from the team with Samantha''s friends. After that was done Samantha went to the kitchen to get a te.

    She came back with a heavy-duty paper te full of food and sat down next to Jason "Wow! Kyle''s mom does not y when ites to putting together a te."

    Jason took a bite out of a piece of fried chicken. After he was done chewing he smiled "I know right? She''s the best. I''ve never left here hungry. Not even once."

    Samantha burst outughing after she heard Jason say that "Of course that''s all you would care about.

    So how do you feel Mr. Hollywood? How''s stardom been treating you? Any run-ins with the paparazzi? I would love to hear some celeb stories."

    Jason was used to Samantha''s teasing by now but he still rolled his eyes "Come on Sammy. This is literally my first time being on TV.

    No one knows who I am. The only people that have asked to take a picture with me are my parents and Kyle''s mom. How would I have any celeb stories?"

    Samantha took a bite of mac n cheese "Well technically this isn''t your first time being on TV. There was that whole mall thing that happened not too long ago."

    Jason chuckled ''She''s got me there'' "Whatever Sammy. You know what I meant." Samantha asked "Where''s Tory? I can''t imagine that she would miss out on this."

    Jason pointed to the kitchen "You probably just missed her. She''s helping out in the kitchen. Ima be back. I''m just going to go say hi to the guys from Newberry."

    Samantha wiped her mouth with a tissue before standing up "Ooh let me go. It''s been a while since I said hi to Tyreek and Hash."

    Samantha and Jason walked over to the garage where all the guys from Newberry were eating on some stic chairs and tables that his parents had borrowed.

    Everyone started making some noise after they saw Jason. They were all congratting him and teasing him about being on the show.

    After saying hi and catching up with everyone Jason and Sammy took a seat next to Tyreek and Hash.

    Hash looked up from his te and smiled "Well if it ain''t the man himself. How you doin Young Buckets? It''s been a hot minute since thest time we saw each other."

    Tyreekughed "He''s in middle school dog of course you ain''t about to be seein him every day.

    Maybe they should send yo dumbass back. That way you can see him as much as you want and they could try to fill that empty head of yours again."

    Jason and Samanthaughed from hearing Tyreek and Hash''s friendly banter. Jason took a sip from the can of soda that he had brought with him.

    "So how''s your niece Tyreek? Everything been good so far?" Tyreek smiled and shook his head "I don''t know how you did it man but she actually been going to schooltely. And she ain''t been in no trouble either.

    Ima keep it straight with you. I didn''t believe you when you first hit me up and told me that you convinced her to drop the gang shit.

    But the proof is in the puddin. You turned me into a believer man. You''re a miracle worker." Jason chuckled "So how about the show Tyreek?"

    Tyreek smiled "I ain''t good for much other than basketball but I''m a man of my word. I''ll hit the producer up and let him know that I''m willing to join the show."

    Jason was waiting for the notification to pop up telling him that he hadpleted the mission but it never came. Nevertheless Jason was thrilled to hear that Tyreek would join the show "Awesome! And I got some more good news Tyreek.

    You know how you said that you wanted to take your niece out of the hood? Well the station agreed to let you stay in one of the houses that they''re renting for the crew that will film you and me.

    Best part is that you won''t have to pay anything. You can drop your job at the warehouse and focus on ying basketball."

    Tyreek was stunned for a moment. After a couple seconds of silence tears started streaming down his face.

    Hash pped him on the back "Congrats man. Not only is you gonna be on TV. You get to take yo niece outta the hood just like you always talk about."

    Tyreek wiped the tears off of his face with his huge hands. He smiled at Jason "Thank you man. You been a real blessin.

    When I first saw you y against Trell at the park I had no idea you would bring so much change into my life. If Shania was here I would drag her over to thank you.

    But as soon as I mentioned your name her face twisted like she just ate a lemon and she got real salty. But I''m sure she''ll appreciate this once she gets older."

    Jason told Tyreek that he was just happy to help. After about ten minutes Jason could hear everyone inside the house shouting "Everyone hurry up! The show is starting!"

    - - -

    The screen was all ck. Then in big white letters "Through the Hoops" showed up. The screen then turned into a slideshow of Jason''s baby pictures.

    A slow song was yed on a piano as the slideshow continued. Javier''s voice could be heard "So how long have you been ying basketball?"

    There was a moment of silence before Jason''s voice answered "You probably won''t believe this but I''ve only been ying for less than a month."

    Javierughed "I don'' think anyone would believe you if you told them that. You''re just so good and so young. You look like you''ve been ying since you could walk."

    The picture changed to one from Halloween showing Jason and Tory dressed as salt and pepper shakers.

    Jasonughed "I honestly don''t know what else to say. I was shocked too. As soon as I picked up the ball for the first time it was like my body already knew what to do. It felt so natural."

    Javier asked a few more questions and Jason answered naturally. Their conversations went smoothly.

    After three minutes of easy and generic questions Javierughed "Well Jason I think that we teased the audience more than enough. Are you ready to share your life with the world?"

    The slideshow faded out and revealed Jason sitting on the floor of the gym back at the school.

    He was dripping sweat and his face was slightly flushed. It was obvious that he had just been practicing.

    Jason smiled at the camera and waved "I''m ready. My name is Jason Yang and this is my story. Through the Hoops."

 Chapter 53 - Fame?

    The screen faded to ck and then transitioned to showing Jason in the dining room of the apartment eating breakfast.

    The camera turned to Jason''s dad who was cooking in front of the stove and then to Jason''s mom who was working on herptop at the seat across from Jason.

    The screen then transitioned to showing Javier sitting in front of Jason and hIs parents who were sitting down in the living room.

    Jason and his parents all had their names below them.

    Javier asked "So Jason had never yed basketball before?" Jason''s dad shook his head "No. In our house we''re all pretty big basketball fans.

    We used to have Jason watch the games with us before he could even talk but he had never yed before he went to Jefferson."

    Jason''s mom added "In fact me and my husband were surprised to hear that Jason had tried out for the team. Not that we didn''t think that our son could y. It was just that it seemed so sudden."

    Javier nodded his head "So what made you transfer Jason? You weren''t originally attending Jefferson middle school correct?"

    Jason was about to answer but his mom jumped in "There''s nothing much to it really. After Jason''sst year at his old school they changed their zoning rules so we ended up having to transfer him to Jefferson."

    Javierughed "I bet they''re really kicking themselves over that one. They missed out on the chance of a lifetime."

    Javier asked a few more questions before the scene changed. On the screen now was Jason at practice.

    They showed him doing the three-level defensive drill. They shortened it and just showed his highlights.

    The scene then showed them interviewing Udonis in the gym. They put his name and the title ''Team captain'' underneath him.

    Javier asked "So Udonis how long have you known Jason?" Udonis wiped the sweat off of his face with his jersey.

    "Uh- a couple weeks I guess? I met him for the first time about 5 minutes before we yed our practice game against Mt. Vernon."

    Javier nodded "So in the weeks that you''ve known him what is your impression of Jason? As a basketball yer and as a person."

    Udonis smiled "I honestly ain''t got nothin negative to say about the guy. As a basketball yer I don''t think I''ve seen anyone as good as him at his age.

    He gets things done on offense and on defense. He can get you a bucket when you need it, he runs the offense and gets everyone involved and right after that he''ll lock down his man on the other side.

    The craziest part to me is that he manages to do all that while being the smallest guy on the team. And it''s not like he''s the fastest guy on our team. That title would have to go to Trell.

    Jason is the type of dude that shows you the difference between an athlete and a basketball yer. The way he does things is always big brain type.

    As a person I would have to say that a lot of people misunderstand Jason. They see his cold face and intense eyes and they immediately think that he''s a mean guy or that he''s not friendly.

    But if you get to know him he''s actually the opposite. He''s a super chill guy that can get along with just about anybody.

    I mean he managed to get Trell to join the team and they didn''t exactly have the best first impressions of each other."

    Javier then asked "You said that he can get along with just about anybody but I heard that there was an incident involving Jason and some former members of the team?"

    It was obvious that Udonis was surprised. He paused for a moment before answering "Yeah there was. I won''t go into details but all I can say is that there was a difference in opinion about the goals of the team.

    Jason thought that practices should be taken more seriously so that the team could improve.

    While the other members thought that the whole point of ying was to have fun. They also believed that the changes that Jason wanted to make would make it impossible for them to enjoy being on the team.

    I won''t say that one side was wrong and that one side was right but I believe that both sides could have handled the situation better. But I know that Jason did what he thought was best for the team."

    After they were done interviewing Udonis they went around and interviewed the whole team while introducing them and showing clips of them practicing.

    Matt: "Jason? He''s crazy but in a good way. He puts in way more work than anyone else on the team."

    Kyle: "Uh- Jason''s best attribute? I guess it''s the fact that he always does things with a hundred percent effort. Oh and he''s pretty funny in like a sarcastic way."

    Nick: "Jason''s a cool guy. He''s a great basketball yer but he''s super smart too. He organizes these group study sessions and he always helps everyone with their homework."

    DJ: "Jason is probably the only dude that I know that can pack away just as much food as me haha. Oh and his jumper is wet. He''s probably the best shooter on the team."

    Vince: "Jason doesn''t care how much size he''s giving up. Have you seen him guard UD? That [bleep] is wild. Even me and Kyle have a hard time guarding his fat [bleep] in the paint. Am I allowed to swear? Hehehe my bad."

    Trell: "What makes him so good? Why are you asking me? You should go ask him that."

    - - -

    In the house everyone was getting excited and making some noise whenever one of the guys from the team showed up on the TV.

    Udonis teased Trell "You act like you don''t like Jason but you showed up to watch his first episode." Trell rolled his eyes "I just wanted to see how I look on TV. Don''t get it twisted Udonis."

    - - -

    The screen then changed and showed Jason sitting down on the bleachers and drinking some water.

    Javier looked at Jason"So I noticed that a lot of your teammates loved to talk about your tough mentality and your gritty defense but I also heard that your offense is just as good. Is that true?"

    Jason wiped his face with his practice jersey "I'' don''t have Trell''s crazy bounce, I''m not as tall as Kyle, and I can''t post people up like UD.

    But I think my jumper is pretty wet and my handles are tight. Other than that it''s just the way I put those two together that lets me score."

    Javier smiled as he asked "Even against high school levelpetition?"

    Jason smiled and shook his head "Are we going to talk about that now?"

    Javier nodded his head "I''m sure our audience would love to hear the story. Do you mind sharing it?"

    Jason shook his head again "No I don''t mind. I even asked Ricky, the guy that I yed against, if it was okay and he said no problem. He was even excited about being on TV. So for a reason that I won''t say I ended up going to Newberry high school-"

    - - -

    The guys from Newberry were whistling and making noise at the mention of their school. Hash put his arm around Ricky''s neck and started teasing him "Looks like you about to be on TV bruh."

    Ricky pulled out his cellphone and started recording "I need to get this. Ima show this to my whole family."

    Tyreekughed "You didn''t tell em to watch the show tonight?" Ricky shook his head "I told em but they wouldn''t believe me.

    They all told me to shut mynky ass up. But they gonna be the ones shuttin up after I show them this clip."

    - - -

    A hip-hop instrumental began ying as they showed the video of Jason going against Ricky in Newberry''s gym.

    It showed the game from the beginning to when Jason snatched Ricky''s ankle and nailed the mid-range jumper for the win.

    It also showed the teams'' crazy reaction as they ran to the court and surrounded Jason. Javier smiled "So Young Buckets? Hahaha that''s a pretty interesting nickname. How did thate about?"

    Jason pointed to the camera "Shout outs to Tyreek Hill from Newberry man. One of my friends and one of the top high school ballers in the country.

    He''s the one that gave me that nickname. I asked him about it and he said that it fits me perfectly because I''m young and I get buckets."

    Javierughed "It does fit you pretty well. Are there any other nicknames we should know about?"

    Jason scratched his head in embarassment "I honestly don''t know if I should share this but I guess I''ll keep it a hundred. My mom and my childhood friend call me Jaya. Ja from Jason and ya from Yang."

    Javier covered his mouth andughed "That is such a cute nickname hahaha. Anyways back to the game. How did it feel to beat a high schooler who had a pretty good size advantage?"

    Jason smiled "Before I say anything shout out to Ricky man. Not only did he agree to y me one on one he was cool with me using that video.

    That''s my dude right there. But back to your question. It felt pretty good to beat someone that yed at a higher level. But Ricky was a freshman so the age difference wasn''t too big."

    Javier smiled "You say that Jason but there''s another incident where you yed against a high schooler correct? One that was ranked top 20 in the country?"

    Jason shook his head "You already know the story Javier. Why do you have to beat around the bush like that?"

    Javierughed "Sorry Jason force of habit. You have to add a little bit of a show when ites to interviews like this. Besides, some of our audience may not know about this."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "It was all over the news so it would be pretty hard to miss it. Anyways for anyone that doesn''t know I yed against one of the other guys on the show.

    Jerome Bonner and the crew were here in Riverside to shoot some promo stuff for the show. And since I was going to be on the show they thought it would be a good idea to shoot some stuff for my intro too.

    It was supposed to be a casual one on one but you know how it gets. Me and Jerome are pretty simr.

    Not in skill obviously. He managed to beat me pretty easily. But we''re both dogs on the court. When we smellpetition we get excited.

    Is that too cocky of me?paring myself with a top ranked high school yer? But anyways, just the fact that he thought I was good enough for him to get serious was a huge honor.

    It just so happened that during the game there was a small ident." They then showed the video of Jason ying against Jerome. Even the part where Jason and Jerome crashed in the air.

    Javier asked "So how bad was that fall? Did it leave a scar?" Jason paused for a second "It wasn''t too serious. I feel like the blood and the censoring made it look way worse."

    Jason took off his white headband. His hair was still tied up in a small bun so the scar above his right brow was visible.

    Jason chuckled "I got the stitches taken out after about ten days. I normally wear my hair down or have a headband on so it''s not really all that noticeable but I do have a small scar."

    After a few more questions they showed a bunch of highlights of Jason in practice. Then the show transitioned to another athlete.

    - - -

    The house was shaking from all the noise that everyone was making. Everyone was in high spirits after seeing Jason''s segment of the show. The Newberry guys were whistling and pping.

    Jason''s parents and Kyle''s mom were both cheering while the guys from the team were hugging Jason and ruffling his hair. Trell was the only one silently eating from his te on the side.

    Tyreek pulled out his phone "Yo let''s check out what everyone is saying about the show. Who knows? Our little dude over here might be an overnight celebrity."

    Everyone seemed to like the idea as they all got on their phones and started checking their social media for anything rted to the show.

    They soon saw somements about the show.

    - - -

    BrandonDuhGOAT: Yo this Chinese kid seems pretty nice with it. JLin 2.0?

    OwOBigG: ^ This was the dumbest post. Your probably 5 and never watched him y. First off the kid is Korean they literally said so in the show.

    Second, the kid is no JLin. His jumper looks a little better than Lin''s was at that age but Lin had a killer first step. Something that the kid clearlycks.

    LeBumForever_40: Kid seems pretty good. He must have something if he could make Jerome take him serious.

    GKennedy: Who cares about the kid. Did anyone see that interviewer? Such a hottie lol.

    BigBenDPOY: ^ Why would you watch a show about basketball if you don''t care about the actual basketball yer? Stupid *****

    ChristianWu_000: Dang! Jason doing us Asians Americans proud lol maybe there''s still a chance for me

    CelticsRings4Days: ^ Only if you''re another Jason Yang xD. He might make it look easy but don''t fool yourself. Not everyone can ball without being a crazy athlete.

    JayasBiggestfan: Jaya is such a cute name. I can already tell he''s gonna be so hot in the future lol

    - - -

    They wereughing and having a good time as they took turns reading some of thements out loud.

    But the room soon went silent as they noticed somements that were a little different.

    - - -

    LameloTheGoat: What kind of corny *** name is Young Buckets? and Jaya is just as bad loooool

    RodricGetsBuckets: Do these stations really think that we''re all stupid? ying for a month and he''s this good? Please. Even if you''re desperate to give the kid attention try thinking of something a little more believable hahahahaha

    CertifiedCaliBaller: ^ This! and the kid isn''t even that good. I would beat the dog **** out of him. Did you see how slow he looked? The only thing that was ok was his jumper smh

    BigHatJoe: This was 1 of the wrst episodes so far. I thought this was supposed to be a docu-series not a reality tv show. Im sure that scene with him ying at Newberry was staged. Did you see the way the dude hit the floor? totally fake

    KDstillAsnake: Bro they probably faked that scene at the mall too. You can see where they cut the video pour the blood. Loooool kid is garbage at ball and acting

    - - -

    The energy in the room seemed to have dissappeared in an instant.

 Chapter 54 - Good Times Coming

    Jason had been on his phone just like everyone else so he also saw the negativements about him.

    But Jason didn''t let it get to him. Back when he had yed in college a lot of their games were nationally televised so he was used to seeing and hearing these types of things.

    Thements of the show were mostly positive with just a few negative ones mixed in every once in a while.

    Jason wasn''t bothered but that wasn''t true for everyone else. Jason''s mom was fuming "What the heck! Jaya is an adorable name!"

    Ricky was angry too "Man who they calling fake!? I ain''t proud of it but that shit was all real! I had my ankles snatched."

    Jason could tell that everyone was starting to get upset. He stood up andughed "Come on guys. Let''s not get worked up over a few dumbments.

    We still have an hour of the show to watch and I think I can smell aunty Vee''s pie in the oven. We should just fill ourselves up with some tasty food and enjoy ourselves."

    Everyone startedughing as soon as they heard Jason talk about food. If the person themself wasn''t upset then why should they be?

    Everyone was soon digging into a delicious slice of apple pie as they watched the rest of the show.

    Jason was enjoying his slice of hot apple pie with a scoop of vani ice cream on top when he saw a notification pop up.

    [ Mission acquired: Silence the haters. There are those who doubt your skills on the court. Win your next five games to prove them wrong.

    Prizes: unlock one random badge. Penalty: One skill will be demoted a letter grade.]

    Jason rolled his eyes ''Stupid system. I would have done that without you asking. I don''t need a reason to show out other than winning.''

    - - -

    Everyone was saying their goodbyes as they got into their rides and started leaving. Jason was waiting in front of the house and getting some fresh air while his parents helped Kyle''s mom clean up.

    As Jason was looking up at the moon he heard some footsteps approaching. He turned his head "Oh, it''s just you."

    Samantha was standing behind him. She pouted "Geez! Why do you seem so disappointed? Your face looks terrible. Don''t tell me that thosements are starting to get to you?"

    Jason chuckled and shook his head "My bad. Trust me thements don''t bother me at all. And I''m not sad or disappointed about you.

    I always feel a little down when a party or event ends. I don''t know why. I can''t exin it. Maybe I just hate saying goodbye to good times."

    Samantha smiled as she walked to his side "Well it looks like you''ll have a bunch of good times in the future.

    A lot of thosements were from girls saying how cute and adorable you are. Who knows? Your future wifey might be in thosements."

    Jason rolled his eyes at Samantha''s teasing "Yeah right. They''d have to have something be seriously wrong with them to like me.

    Besides, It''s not like it matters. They would probably get sick of me after they realize that I''m a dense basketball freak. Girls want a dude that''s romantic and charming.

    Not a guy that can''t spot love when it''s right in his face." In his past life Jason lived and breathed basketball. That didn''t leave much time for girls.

    Growing up a lot of girlsined about Jason and how he would coldly reject them or give them the cold shoulder.

    But that was just Jason not knowing that they were trying to get at him. It wasn''t that Jason was blocking all their attempts. He just didn''t know that they were shooting their shots in the first ce.

    Samantha chuckled "You''d be surprised. Some girls might actually be into that." Jason shifted his gaze from the moon to Samantha "What are you doing out here? Where''s Victor?"

    Samantha whistled with her hands behind her back as she looked up at the moon and then at Jason "He''s on his way. He had to go pick something up real quick. I''m here to get some fresh air like you."

    After a few minutes Victor pulled around the corner with the limo. Samantha gave Jason a quick side hug "Congrats again Jason. You looked cool tonight."

    Samantha gave Jason a thumbs up as she hopped into the limousine door being held open by Victor.

    The tinted window rolled down as Samantha stuck her head out and waved goodbye until the limo made its way around the corner.

    Jason had a smile on his face ''I don''t know about the part with girls but Samantha got one thing right. The good times are just getting started.''

    - - -

    Monday afternoon. The whole team was allowed to leave school early as they got on the bus and made their way to their next opponent.

    They were on their way to y against Granger middle school in San Jacinto. The school was only about thirty miles (48.2km) away so it shouldn''t have taken too long.

    Unfortunately California traffic was very much a real thing. The drive ended up taking an hour and a half. But it wasn''t anything that they weren''t expecting.

    That''s why they all took the bus instead of going with their parents. And that''s also why they had to leave school early.

    Ever since Jason''s debut episode on Through the Hoops everyone on the team started calling Jason Jaya, even Trell. It seemed that they really liked it.

    During the long bus ride, the guys did everything they could think of to not go crazy. They took turns shooting balls of trash into each other''s bags, they tried freestyling and beatboxing, and they even yed I spy.

    Luckily they reached the school before Trell could go crazy from the 112th round of I spy. They arrived at 3:30 so they had thirty more minutes before the game would start.

    The guys went into the locker room and quickly changed into their jerseys beforeing back out into the gym to warm up.

    Jason was working on his dribbling to warm up and loosen up his body when he felt some eyes on him.

    He ignored it and continued to dribble. A few minutester he saw some people walking toward him. They were wearing Granger jerseys.

    The rest of the guys from Jefferson tensed up. They stopped what they were doing and turned toward Jason.

    Trell was the fastest to react. He walked up to Jason''s side "Y''all got a problem? Game ain''t start yet in case you didn''t notice"

    San Jacinto wasn''t as bad as LA or San Bernardino but it still had its rough side so the guys from Jefferson were still on alert.

    One of the Granger yers put his hands up and smiled "My bad dude. We wasn''t tryin nothin by walkin up on y''all. We just wanted to ask something."

    He turned to Jason "You Jaya right?" Hearing it from his teammates was one thing but he was surprised to be called Jaya by aplete stranger.

    Jason nodded his head. The Granger yer turned to his teammates with a smile on his face "Yo I told you it was Jaya! It''s cool if we call you Jaya right?"

    Jason saw their excited expressions and chuckled "If you guys rock with me then go ahead man I don''t mind."

    The guy took his phone out "Yo we all saw you on Through the Hoops. Is it cool if get a couple pics with you bro?"

    After they heard what the guy had to say all of the guys from Jefferson almost busted outughing. Trell''s face twitched before he just walked away.

    Jasonughed "Sure man. We got time before the game so it''s cool." Jason ended up taking a few pictures with all the yers from Granger and even their coach before the game started.

    From the beginning, it was clear that Jefferson was in a different leaguepared to Granger. Jason managed to score four straight baskets off of pure istion.

    Both of Jefferson''s big men put up big numbers as Jason constantly fed Kyle and Udonis off of the pick and roll.

    And Udonis got to show a different side of him this game as he dominated in the post as he yed bully ball all game long with his husky frame.

    Constantly having to be defended by Jason during practice seemed to have helped him in polishing up his post moves.

    The game ended with a lopsided score of 73-35. Jason posted 25 pts, 10 ast, 3 reb, 3 stl, 1 blk. While Udonis put up a new personal record of 26 pts, 4 ast, 14 reb, 2 blk.

    The game ended and both teams lined up to shake hands. After changing out of their jerseys and hitting the showers they made their way out.

    As they got on the bus for the long ride home Jason only had one thought on his mind ''One game down just four more to go. Let''s do this! I''m getting that skill badge.''

 Chapter 55 - Two Is Better Than One?

    The weekend quickly passed before Jason continued to lead Jefferson on a dominant win streak against the schools in the county.

    - - -

    On Wednesday Jefferson yed a game where everyone was feeling it from behind the three. Matt beat his own personal record as he drained 5 three-pointers out of the 10 he attempted.

    What was more surprising was that Udonis actually managed to make a three as they blew the other schoool out of the water with a score of 88-37. The only ones that didn''t hit any were Kyle, Vince, and Trell.

    In the bus ride home Udonis was all smiles as he teased Trell "Ain''t you supposed to be the perimeter yer bro? How you gonna let yo big man make more jumpers than you? Hahaha"

    Trell stood up from his seat and yelled to Jason who was sitting a couple rows ahead of him "Yo Jaya! Next practice we workin on jumpers man. My handles are already good enough.

    I don''t need to do no crazy ankle snatchers like you. Not like I''ll ever need to handle the ball with you on the team. I just need to start hittin my shots."

    Jason had his arms pulled back inside the sleeves of his hoodie while his face was covered with the hood. This was Jason''s signature move for napping on the bus.

    He was stillzily leaning against the bus window when he answered "What are youining about? You have the second-highest field goal percentage on the team."

    Trellined "That''s because all I do is dunk man! And it''s not even like I can jam it on people. All I do is dunk in transition or off of cuts."

    Jason replied "Alright man. We''ll start working on your jumper more during practice. Just let me get some sleep. I was uptest night."

    Trell rolled his eyes and chuckled "Yeah talking with Samantha." As soon as he said that the other guys on the team simultaneously went "oooh"

    Jason didn''t even bother to look back as he justughed "Shut up you guys. I was just helping finish her math homework. Why she always waits until thest minute to do it is beyond me."

    - - -

    Friday evening. The team was sitting all together on the bench as they looked out at their packed bleachers.

    Dj shook his head "I know this isn''t our first time ying in front of a packed house but man. I still have a hard time believin it bro."

    Vince nodded "Yeah man. Shit is wild. Last year the only ones who showed up to our games was our parents. But now even the other sports teams areing to cheer us on."

    Mattughed "Of course they are. We''re undefeated going into our 6th game of the season man.

    Our basketball team is the best performing sports team in Jefferson''s history. We''re practically rockstars."

    Udonisughed "Hey it''s good to enjoy the attention and praise. We done earned it for sure. But don''t forget the reason why all this love isin our way.

    All this glory and shine is because we''re winning and dominating. If we take our foot off the gas for even a second any team could swoop in and steal it all. Are we going to let that happen?"

    The entire team stood up and yelled in unison "No!" Udonis yelled out "Where we at!?" The team yelled "Jefferson!"

    Udonis yelled again "Whose house!?" the team shouted out "Our house!" Udonis smiled as he pped Jason on the back "Then let''s go show em!"

    Jason couldn''t help but smile as his heart rate started speeding up ''I gotta admit. When ites to talking to the team and getting them pumped Udonis is definitely top ss.''

    Both teams made their way to the court as they then lined up and shook hands. Jason''s gaze stopped as he shook hands with two particr yers one after the other ''Twins?''

    They looked almost like perfect copies of each other. They both had dark brown skin, both of them had their hair styled into short t tops that had waves stenciled on the sides.

    The only thing that made it so you could tell one person apart from the other was their body builds.

    One twin was taller and had a stocky build while the other was shorter and thinner but had longer limbs in proportion to his height.

    The taller twin was about 5''8 (1.72m) and was wearing number 1 on his jersey. While the shorter one was about 5''5 (1.65m) and wore number 2 on his.

    Jason felt like their faces were familiar so he searched through his memories of his past life. After a split second of thinking he was stunned ''The Silva twins!?''

    In Jason''s past life these twins dominated the world of college ball for four straight years before getting drafted into the league.

    The only reason that they never won any titles in college was because UCLA had Jasoning off the bench to help lockdown one of the brothers whenever he was on the floor.

    ''Shit! I didn''t know that they yed for this school. They only started getting some buzz around high school.''

    Now that Jason knew that the Silva twins were ying for Verde Gardens middle school this game that was supposed to be a walk in the park just became a whole lot harder.

    Jason used Heart''s eye on the taller twin.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B

    Lay Up: B

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B

    Three Point Shooting: B

    Dribbling: B-

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: C

    y Making: C

    Post Scoring: B

    Rebounding: B

    Post Control: B

    Perimeter Defense: C+

    Post Defense: C

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: C+

    Athleticism: A ]

    The taller brother was a dynamic scorer that could get a bucket at all three levels: The perimeter, mid-range, and the post. He was also a great athlete.

    Jason then used Heart''s eye on the smaller brother.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B

    Lay Up: C+

    Dunking: E

    Close Shot: C

    Mid Range Shooting: B-

    Three Point Shooting: B

    Dribbling: C

    Passing: B

    Ball Handling: B

    y Making: B

    Post Scoring: D

    Rebounding: D

    Post Control: D

    Perimeter Defense: A-

    Post Defense: B-

    Steals: B+

    Blocks: C

    Athleticism: B ]

    The smaller brother was a lockdown defender who was also good at running the team''s offense as well as knocking down the asional open jumper.

    - - -

    The yers from both teams got into position as they got ready for the tip-off. The opposing team''s center was an inch taller than Kyle.

    But instead of nervousness or tension, the only thing that could be seen from Kyle''s face was concentration and focus.

    As the ball left the referee''s hand Kyle and the opposing Center locked onto the ball. Kyle was the first one to jump as he exploded toward the ball.

    The opposing Center was still on his way up when Kyle pped the ball toward Jason. As soon as hended he stared his opponent down for a split second before making his way on offense. Jason caught the ball and began dribbling up the court.

    Jason was being guarded by the shorter brother Alex. After Jason passed the half-court Alex began guarding him tightly.

    He could feel Alex''s concentration through his defense. Jason had to use his body to shield the ball as he scanned the court.

    He saw that Trell was being guarded by the taller brother Danilo. Jason threw up a sign indicating that Kyle should set a screen for Trell.

    Kyle nodded his head as he pretended to go up and set a screen for Matt who was on the left-wing. But before making contact he slipped the screen and ran toward Trell who was in the corner.

    Trell used the screen and started cutting baseline toward the basket. Danilo wasn''t prepared so he hit the screen pretty hard.

    Trell saw that the paint was wide open. It would take some time for even the closest defender to reach him.

    He picked up his dribble andunched into the air as he jumped off his left foot. He stretched his arm out and was ready for the dunk.

    But somehow Danilo managed to leap into the air as well. He had managed to catch up to Trell despite getting hit with the screen.

    The two of them were side by side in the air. Trell tried to swing his arm down to dunk the ball faster but Danilo swiped forward with his right hand.

    Trell had the ball in his hand as it made contact with Danilo''s palm. Trell felt the initial impact and then his body started tilting back as the ball flew out of his hand.

    Trellnded awkwardly on his feet before falling on his butt. The referee blew his whistle indicating that it was still Jefferson''s possession.

    Danilo thumped his chest three times before looking down on Trell. He smiled and then walked back to his team. Trell had a nk look on his face as he sat on the floor.

 Chapter 56 - Tempers Flare

    Kyle saw that Trell was still on the floor so he walked over to help. He extented his hand out toward Trell.

    Trell saw Kyle''s hand and pped it away "Get that shit outta here man. Ain''t nobody need that." He jumped to his feet "I''m good okay? Just get back on offense dude."

    Udonis looked around the court before he inbounded the ball to Jason who was out in the perimeter. Once again Alex was guarding him tightly.

    ''Damn! That block was crazy. I don''t think I''ve seen Trell get rejected like that before. This is gonna be tricky for sure.''

    Jason managed to gain some initial seperation from Alex by driving right and thening to a hard stop with a through the legs dribble.

    Alex saw Jason going for a jumper so he jumped forward to try and close the step of seperation and contest the shot.

    After Jason got his defender in the air with the head fake he simply dribbled two steps to the left and drained the mid-range shot.

    The home section errupted into cheers and apuse as Jason scored Jefferson''s first basket. Now it was their turn to y some defense.

    Verde Gardens tried to run some off-ball screens and cuts but with Jason directing the rest of Jefferson''s defense they were able to prevent their opponent from creating any good shots.

    After not being able to make any open looks from their ys they kicked the ball out to Danilo on the right wing.

    The rest of his teammates cleared the paint and moved to the sides as they opened the floor for his iso.

    Jason was yelling out instructions and directing the defense when he was interrupted by Trell "I got this man! Just mark your guys!"

    Jason sighed as he gave up on instructing the defense. He decided to give Trell what he wanted as he left him in charge of guarding Danilo by himself.

    Trell pped his hands before spreading his arms wide open as he got into a defensive stance "What you got son!? Bring it on!"

    Danilo smirked as he started dribbling the ball. He stared Trell down as he sized him up. He hit Trell with a quick crossover to the right as he began driving in that direction.

    Trell side stepped and made contact as he tried to stick with him. All of his teammates were surprised as Trell seemed to be overwhelmed physically.

    Danilo didn''t seem to be bothered by Trell''s defensive presence as he drove all the way into the paint.

    Trell was focusedpletely on Danilo ''It don''t matter that you got here cause you ain''t about to hit a shot over me.''

    With Trell on his left hip Danilo jumped into the air for theyup. Trell jumped as well and and put his arms out to try and block the shot.

    While the two were in the air the referee blew his whistle. Danilo had the ball resting in his right hand as he readjusted before tossing it toward the basket.

    The ball fell through the right as the two of themnded. Danilo flexed his right arm and pped his bicep before yelling "AND ONE!"

    Danilo high fived his teammates as he made his way to the free-throw line "I''m too strong bro! He can''t guard me man! Let''s gooo!"

    Trell ground his teeth and his hands started shaking at his side from how hard he was squeezing them.

    Jason walked over and patted him on the back "It''s okay Trell. You tried your best and that was some solid D. That time great offense just beat good defense."

    Trell turned to Jason "I don''t need the cheesey cheer up lines alright? I got him next time. It won''t happen again."

    Jason responded "Trell I don''t think we should do that. Let''s just-" Trell interrupted him "I said I got it! He won''t score on me again!" Jason shook his head as he went to the side so that Verde Gardens could shoot their free-throws.

    After Danilo drained his free-throw Kyle inbounded the ball to Jason. After he got passed halfcourt Alex started his tight defense.

    Instead of calling for a y Jason called for the team to spread out so he could iso. After the floor was cleared he called for a pick from Kyle.

    Jason ran his defender straight into the pick and started attacking the basket which forced Kyle''s defender to switch on to him.

    Jason pulled Kyle''s defender with him all the way to the basket before throwing the bounce pass under his legs.

    Kyle caught the pass and went up strong for theyup. Alex was behind Kyle but he didn''t do anything as he knew that he was toote.

    After making the basket Kyle pumped his fist in excitement. Jasonughed before walking over and lightly punching him on the chest "Nice one bro. Let''s keep it up."

    The game continued at a pretty even pace. Jefferson would score on one end and Verde Gardens would answer back with a bucket of their own.

    Jason facilitated most of Jefferson''s points this quarter either by scoring in istion or with the pick and roll with Kyle and Udonis.

    On the other end most of the baskets that Jefferson allowed were scored by Danilo in istion as he was guarded by Trell.

    Danilo scored on Trell in a variety of ways. One possession he posted Trell up before hitting a turn around jumper right in his face.

    The possession after that he jab stepped to the right which caused Trell to step in that direction. And with the little bit of space created he hit a three pointer.

    Because of Trell''s stubborn desire to guard Danilo one on one he was able to get plenty of good open looks.

    The only reason Jefferson was still slightly ahead was because Danilo didn''t make every shot that he took.

    With only three minutes left in the quarter Coach Swendel called for a timeout. He looked at his yers "Alright good job out there guys.

    We''re up 18-15 but let''s try and make that lead bigger before the quarter ends. Jason and Trell you guys take a break. Dj and Nick you guys are in."

    Jason spoke up "Actually Coach I''ll stay in. But Nick cane in for Trell." Coach Swendel looked at Jason questioningly.

    "You sure about that Jason!? You''ve been going at it this whole quarter. We''re gonna need you down the stretch. You can''t afford to run out of steam early."

    Jason shook his head "Don''t worry Coach. I know how important it is to pace yourself. But right now is the time to make a push. I can feel it."

    Coach Swendel hesitated for a few moments before finally agreeing "Alright Jason. You know your body best so I won''t try to tell you when your tired. Just make sure you listen to your body okay?"

    Jason nodded his head before stepping back out on to the court with the rest of his teammates. As they were walking he talked with them.

    "We''re gonna switch things up on defense this time around. I want Nick to defend their Point Guard while I''ll take on their Small Forward."

    Everyone except for Udonis seemed surprised. Udonis nodded his head and smiled "Alright bro. You got this." He then extended a fist out to Jason.

    Jason smiled as they fist bumped "Let''s go show them what Jefferson is all about. Let''s end the quarter strong."

    Jason started with the ball in his hand as he scanned the court from the perimeter. Alex focusedpletely on Jason.

    He thought he saw an opportunity as Jason moved his eyes to the court. He lunged forward to try and steal the ball.

    Jason sneered ''You''re a decade too early to be thinking about picking my pockets kid.'' Jason dribbled the ball behind his back avoiding Alex''s attempt to steal it.

    He then drove passed Alex while he was off bnce from lunging for the steal. The person that was guarding Trell had gotten so used to leaving his man in order to help on defense.

    Unfortunately for him he was guarding Nick now instead of Trell. He went into the paint to try and help.

    As soon as Jason saw that Nick was open he passed the ball to him in the corner. The pass was perfect as Nick was able to catch it and shoot in one fluid motion.

    The ball flew toward the basket and swished through the. Nick held his hand up after the follow through of his shot before pointing to Jason to acknowledge the assist.

    Verde gardens brought the ball up the court. Alex was surprised to find that Nick was the one defending him.

    Danilo was the most surprised as Jason guarded him. Jason smiled at Danilo "I hope you enjoyed your scoring disy earlier. Because that might be thest time you score today."

 Chapter 57 - Duo Vs Duo

    Jason took a look at Danilo''s badges with Heart''s eye.

    [Post Scorer (Bronze): Increases the level of technique for moves used to score in the post. Increases your ability to control post position on the offensive side of the ball.

    Strong finisher (Bronze): Increases your chance of making shots despite contact from a defender/s.]

    Daniloughed "You think you''re hot shit just because you''ve been on TV huh? Well, let''s see just how good you are then."

    Danilo went out to the perimeter and demanded the ball. After Alex passed it to him he then cleared his teammates out of the way as he got ready to iso.

    As he stared down Jason he began rhythm dribbling. Finally, he did a quick crossover to the right before driving in that direction.

    Except that after his first step he realized that he didn''t have the ball. Jason anticipated the crossover and had stabbed his hand into the path of the ball.

    Jason ran down the court as he pushed the fastbreak. But even with the headstart that he had Danilo was able to easily catch up.

    He stuck to Jason''s right side as they sprinted their way down the court ''I dare you to shoot it! I''ll swat that shit out of the gym!''

    Danilo was focused on Jason looking for any indicator to base the timing for his jump. Finally, as they approached the paint Jason picked up his dribble and jumped into the air.

    Danilo''s eyes burned with excitement ''Now! Block it!'' He jumped off of both his feet and reached toward the ball with his right hand.

    But instead of the ball going toward the basket Jason had tossed it into the air behind them. Danilo was caught off guard ''What the hell!?''

    A figure lept into the air and caught it with both hands. It was Kyle! Kyle was surprisingly quick for his size so catching up to them wasn''t too hard considering that Danilo was going at Jason''s pace.

    Jason had also told Kyle before they got back into the game that they would change the way that they would guard Danilo''s istion ys.

    "Their Center is a non-factor out on the perimeter. So when he calls for an istion just leave their Center and let him stand in the corner.

    I want you to float out to the middle of the paint. That way if Danilo does manage to beat me then you can still protect the rim.

    Just be careful to keep an eye on the Center. You don''t want him catching you by surprise with any cuts to the paint."

    So Kyle was already higher up on the court than he normally would be. Thatbined with Kyle''s natural athleticism allowed him to sessfully trail Jason on the fastbreak.

    Kyle held the ball with both of his hands while he was in the air. Jason had put the pass in the best location possible with amazing timing.

    Everyone was expecting Kyle toe back down and quicklyy the ball up. But what he did next shocked everyone and had the whole gym rocking.

    Kyle was still in the air as he got closer and closer to the rim. Finally, he smashed the ball down and through the with both hands.

    As he hanged on the rim he started yelling "Yeaaahh!!!" He let go of the rim and started pumping his fist as he fell back down to the ground.

    Jason ran up to Kyle after hended and chest bumped him "Yooo! I told you that you could dunk man! That shit was nice!"

    Kyle smiled and scratched the back of his head "I guess I just needed you to push me into trying it haha."

    When it came to athleticism Kyle was second only to Trell who had a rank of AA in that category.

    Jason had designed a workout n for Kyle to do outside of practice. Kyle had been doing it wholeheartedly and the results were starting to show as his athleticism was now at an A-.

    Jason had analyzed Trell''s athleticism ranking and determined that the main thing separating Trell and Kyle was power.

    Kyles figure was thin andnky while Trell had well-developed muscles all over his body. But in terms of agility, body coordination, and jumping ability they were fairly close to each other. With Trell just barely beating Kyle.

    But Kyle had a huge advantage over Trell when it came to dunking. His amazing height and his great wingspan.

    Jason had been telling Kyle that he should try dunking but Kyle had been denying it until now. The reason he was afraid to try was because he didn''t believe that he could actually do it and he didn''t want to disappoint Jason.

    But because Jason had thrown the pass at the height where Kyle had to jump with everything that he had and at just the right distance from the rim. Jason was able to force Kyle into dunking.

    Back on defense, Jason was guarding Danilo once again. Verde Gardens tried to run a few ys but they were ruined by Jason''s amazing ability to direct his team''s defense.

    After resetting the possession a few times Verde Gardens decided to just go for another istion y with Danilo.

    Danilo had a serious look on his face as he stood in front of Jason out on the perimeter "Last time was just a fluke. I hope you''re ready little guy."

    Jason smiled "I think you''re getting fluke and skill mixed up dog. But that''s cool because Ima take you to school today man. You gonna learn today."

    Danilo red at Jason as he started posting him up out on the perimeter ''Last time I got a little too cute with it. I''ll just keep it simple and bully this guy,''

    He started driving to the paint with Jason on his hip. Jason shuffled his feet and stuck close to Danilo despite the physicality.

    Defending a physical sher like this is difficult enough on its own but when you are at a size disadvantage it''s even harder.

    Danilo was used to having his defenders bounce off of him whenever he attacked the paint so he was surprised that Jason was able to stick with him all the way to the paint.

    ''It doesn''t matter. It''s not like he can do anything to affect my shot. If their strongest yer couldn''t guard me don''t even dream of stopping me with this midget.''

    Jason kept his hands up as they got closer to the basket. Danilo ignored him as he focused on the basket.

    Danilo jumped into the air with the ball in his right hand. The ball was just about to leave his hand when he saw another figure with him in the air. Once again it was Kyle!

    Just like Jason had told him he left the opposing team''s Center alone in the corner. When he saw that Danilo had gotten passed Jason he had started making his way to the paint.

    When he saw Danilo pick up his dribble for theyup he began timing his block. As soon as Danilo jumped up so did Kyle.

    Jason might not have been able to stop Danilo from getting to the paint but he was able to guide him into an angle that gave Kyle the best chance to block his shot.

    Danilo gritted his teeth ''You think this is enough to stop me!? I''ll just out wait you. I can adjust my shot and shoot at thest moment.''

    Kyle had his arm stretched back ready tounch for the block at any moment. It became a game of chicken as the two of them were in the air waiting for the other to make a move.

    To Danilo''s horror, he was beginning to fall at the same time as Kyle. He had to throw a shot up before he fell back to the court otherwise it would result in a turnover.

    He tried to bring his arm to his side in order to shoot the ball with a hook shot in an attempt to keep the ball out of Kyle''s reach.

    The ball left his hand with a good angle. If nothing happened it looked like it would sessfully make its way into the basket.

    Kyle shot his arm out toward the ball as it flew over his head ''Come on! It''s so close! Just a little bit more!''

    Kyle stretched his arm as far as he could. Just as it looked like the ball would pass over his head Kyle managed to hit the ball with the very tip of his middle finger. The ball shot up slightly and ended up going over the basket.

    Kyle had put his body in an awkward position in the air as he stretched for the block so when hended he fell to the floor.

    Jason ran over to Kyle with a huge smile on his face. He lightly punched Kyle on the chest a few times as he cheered him on "That was crazy bro! Nice block!"

    After that possession things seemed to click for Jefferson on both the defensive and offensive ends of the ball.

    On offense, Jason could score in iso, break down the opponents'' defense before kicking it back out to the perimeter, and create opportunities with the pick and roll with Kyle. He was able to y his game despite Alex''s best efforts on defense.

    When it came to them defending Verde Gardens things became simple now that Kyle and Jason were working together to contain him.

    Coach Swendel was sweating wildly as he watched the team out on the court. As the quarter came to an end he couldn''t help but gulp ''H-he actually yed the whole quarter.... I can''t believe it.''

    Jefferson was in the lead with a score of 28-15. They had kept Verde Gardens scoreless for thest three minutes.

 Chapter 58 - Hot Heads

    Jason walked over to the bench and dropped his body into his seat. He grabbed a towel from the side and poured out the ice cold water from his sports bottle onto it.

    The cold towel helped to drain the heat from his face as he covered his whole face except his mouth.

    He sighed deeply infort as the towel helped to cool him down ''Shit. Having to deal with ALex''s tight defense on one side and then having to guard Danilo''s big ass on the other is killer.''

    As Jason was focusing on recovering as much as he could during the break he heard a voice "You okay Jason?"

    Jason knew who it was already but he still pulled the corner of the towel up and uncovered one of his eyes as he looked at Coach Swendel.

    "I''m good Coach. Just trying to charge up as much as I can before the next quarter starts."

    Coach Swendel smiled at Jason "Alright Jason. I was just a little worried for a second. You yed the whole quarter. That couldn''t have been easy."

    Jason dropped the corner of the towel down "I know you''re worried about me draining myself early Coach.

    But you can trust me. We won''t lose this game because of me running out of gas early. I got this. Now if you don''t mind I''m going to get back to resting."

    The break soon ended as the yers walked back on to the court to resume the game. Jason would join the guys to start off the quarter despite Coach Swendel''s concerns.

    With their starting five out on the floor the bench felt confident. Jason started doing his usual thing as he instructed the guys on defense.

    Seeing that Trell was the one defending Danilo now they decided to go straight for an iso instead of trying to run some other ys.

    Jason saw Verde Gardens clearing out the floor for Danilo so he reminded Kyle "Get a little higher up in the paint Kyle."

    But Trell turned around and shouted at Kyle "Stick with your guy Kyle! I don''t need any-" But before he could finish what he wanted to say Danilo had let the ball fly as he shot a three-pointer.

    The ball traveled through the air before rattling around the rim and falling through the. It had only been a few seconds since the 2nd quarter had started but the score was now 28-18.

    Jason swore in his mind ''Shit!'' Thest three minutes of thest quarter had gone so well. And when he had gotten to the bench he was so focused on resting that he had forgotten to talk to Trell about his problem with Danilo.

    Jason crossed his arms as he called for a timeout. Coach Swendel was surprised that Jason was calling a timeout just a few seconds after the quarter had started but he didn''t question him.

    Jason walked over to Trell "What the hell was that Trell!? Who the hell turns their head away from their defensive assignment while they''re on defense?

    And why were you trippin about Kyleing up in the paint a little? You saw how effective this defenseive scheme wasst quarter right? We held them scoreless thest 3 minutes."

    Trell rolled his eyes "Oh is it my turn to talk now? Cause you was doing a whole lot of it. I was just trying to tell Kyle to stick with his man cause I don''t need any help guarding that dude."

    Jason was about to explode on Trell but he held it in as he took a deep breath "Trell I hate to say this but he''s been scoring on you the whole time you''ve guarded him.

    He''s too good of an offensive yer for one person to stop by themself. It''s going to need to be a team effort to contain him."

    Trell ignored Jason as he just sat down and started drinking water. Jason sighed "Coach take Trell out and sub him with Nick."

    Trell stopped drinking his water as he threw his sports bottle on the floor "What the hell man! Coach you can''t do this. Is he runnin the show or are you?"

    The clock buzzed indicating that it was time to head back into the game. Coach Swendel hesitated for just a split second before turning to Nick "Get in Nick."

    With Jason controlling the offense on one end and defending Danilo on the other Jefferson was able to maintain their lead.

    The quarter passed with Jason having to y every minute. The other guys could be subbed in and out but Jason had to stay in the game as he was the only one capable of sticking with Danilo and working with Kyle to defend him.

    But this was incredibly draining on him. Jason had to take it down a level on the offensive end in order topensate.

    He allowed Udonis to post up and run the offense through him, Jason turned into a three and D type yer instead of his normal scoring ymaker.

    Although Udonis wasn''t as lethal a scorer as Jason he still managed to do a decent job against his defender.

    And even when he missed Kyle was there to grab the offensive rebounds. His agility and the quickness of his jumps gave Kyle a huge advantage on the boards.

    Matt and Nick both yed an active role on the offense as well. Without Jason breaking down the opponents defense with his isos and pick and rolls with Kyle they had to be more active off the ball.

    They were constantly running around anding off screens. They had their defenders running around all over the ce chasing them.

    Even with Jason and Kyle''sbined efforts there were a few moments where Danilo was still able to get a good look.

    Luckily Jason had his badge activation charge for this quarter. He was able to prevent one of the baskets from going in.

    Kyle was doing a hand-off for Nick. But as Nick was going around Kyle he fumbled the ball. Danilo managed to scoop it up as he went for the fastbreak.

    Jason saw that Kyle was chasing after him so he activated his defensive anchor badge. Kyle seemed to have gotten a small boost as he started closing the distance between him and Danilo even faster than before.

    Danilo noticed Kyle chasing him from behind. He decided to go up strong with a dunk in order to decrease Kyle''s chance of blocking it.

    He jumped into the air and tried to dunk the ball with his right hand. Kyle exploded forward as he jumped into the air and swung his left hand at the ball.

    The momentum of the two met as Kyle''s hand made contact with the ball as it was being pushed toward the rim with Danilo''s hand.

    The power strugglested for less than a split second as Danilo''s body started tilting back. The ball flew out of his hand.

    The entire crowd was going crazy after seeing Kyle''s amazing chase down block. He looked straight up and shouted "Yeaaahhh!!!"

    Danilo was still in shock as he sat on the floor. Kyle looked down at him and stared him down.

    Jason ran over andughed as he smacked Kyle on the back "That was another sick block man. I like the swag but let''s get you out of here before the ref gives you a tech haha."

    The quarter ended with Jefferson leading with a score of 42-26. Jason slowly walked into the locker-room before slumping into a chair.

    The rest of the team was drinking their water and listening to Coach Swendel but Jason had his face covered with a wet towel as he leaned back into his chair.

    He felt the cold towel get ripped off his face. He opened his eyes and saw Trell ring at him "What the fuck bruh!? So you just gon not let me y?"

    The entire team turned toward him and Trell. Jason sighed as he sat up "You''re the one that doesn''t want to follow the game n Trell."

    Trell punched the locker next to him "I told you that I don''t need any help. Just give me another chance to lock him up. This time I''ll-"

    Jason interrupted him "Trell all I hearing out of your mouth is me me me. I don''t need help, give Me another chance, this time I''LL.

    Basketball is a team sport Trell. Everyone is trying to work together to aplish a simr goal. We all love basketball and we want to win. How about you?"

    Trell''s face became grim "You tryin to call me selfish? You callin me out?" Trell grabbed a bottle and poured it out on Jason.

    "You don''t know me dog. You don''t know the things I been through. You don''t know what I had to give up just to hoop with y''all.

    And you damn well ain''t got no right to be questioning my love for the game. It''s funny how you tryin to y team captain.

    That worked out pretty wellst time right?" Trell smirked as he said hisst words. Those words hit a sore spot in Jason''s heart.

 Chapter 59 - Hot Heads- Pt 2

    Jason didn''t know how to respond to Trell ''Am I in the wrong again? I''m just pushing for us to use the most effective gamen to win.

    If Trell was capable of defending Danilo one on one I would let him do it even if it meant giving up a couple baskets. But the problem is that he''spletely outmatched.''

    Udonis could sense the tension so he got up and walked to the two of them. He put his hand on Trell''s shoulder.

    "Come on Trell. That was a hell of a cheap shot and you know it. You know that Jaya was just doing what he thought was best for the team.

    He didn''t say that he didn''t want you to y or that he didn''t want you guarding Danilo. He just wants you to follow the gamen and use some help. Can''t you just trust in Jaya and follow his n?"

    Trell turned to Udonis "Sorry UD butst I check trust was a two-way street. I been trusting this dude since day one.

    Ever since I been on the team you ain''t heard anyints from me. Now that I''m asking for y''all to trust me and give me anotha chance I can''t even get that?"

    Trell then turned to Jason "I ain''t ever raised no noise like this before bro. I''m asking you to trust me.

    I know that I got cooked the first quarter. Hell I''ll probably get cooked a couple more times. But how the hell do you expect me to learn if you don''t give me the chance to make a couple mistakes?

    I promise you man. Just give me another chance to guard this guy. I feel like I''m slowly starting to get it."

    Jason was struggling to make a decision ''Should I just let him guard Danilo? It''s true that this is a great learning opportunity.

    It''s not every day that you get to guard such a good offensive yer that has abination of size, athleticism, and skill.

    But it''s not guaranteed that he''ll be able to learn to stop him. And is it fair to everybody else to risk losing a game just so that Trell can develop as a yer?

    And there''s still that mission where I need to win five games. If we lose today then that means that I''ll fail. One of my skills will get demoted a whole letter grade if that happens.

    Not to mention that Marcus gave me that vague threat of having to keep winning. Things are just starting to turn around for Tyreek.

    It would crush him if his niece got mixed up in some bad stuff again. There''s no way to tell what he might do if that happens.''

    There were so many things that were riding on the team''s sess. After a few moments of struggling in his head, Jason finally came to a decision. He turned to Trell with a saddened expression.

    "Trell this isn''t a movie or one of those animes that Kyle watches. Just because you try your hardest it doesn''t mean that things will go your way.

    You can''t just get a sudden boost during the middle of a game. You won''t just all of a sudden be a lockdown defender that can stop that guy.

    It''s not just about you learning his scoring habits or getting used to his rhythm. What you''recking is basic defensive principles and a solid foundation.

    Those are things you can only improve through hours of practice. I admit that Verde Gardens'' Small Forward is a great chance to learn and improve as a defender.

    But the things that you''ll pick up from guarding him won''t be enough for you to stop him. You can still learn a lot even if you use some help defending him Trell. Can you please just follow the gamen."

    Trell shook his head "You can sugarcoat it all you want man but you basically sayin that you don''t trust me."

    He turned around "I should have known. I don''t know why I was trickin myself into believin in all this ''We a team, we got each other''s back, kumbaya'' type shit."

    Trell sat down and took off his Jersey "Y''all can y the rest of the game without me. And you ain''t got to worry about me ruining the mood of the team cause after today I''m done man."

    Everyone was stunned. They didn''t expect this out of Trell. Besides Jason, Trell had been the one who had been working the hardest out of the team.

    Udonis walked over and sat down beside Trell "Come on bro. You just angry right now and saying shit in the heat of the moment. We done came too far for you to just call it quits like this."

    Trell looked at Udonis "I know I''m heated right now UD but I ain''t just sayin shit for the sake of sayin it.

    I done gave up so much to hoop with y''all and I can''t even ask for a second chance? Y''all can just ball and it''s a part of your life.

    But for me I had to sacrifice to make it a part of mine. You know how many enemies I got? How many people just waitin to take they shot at me?

    Everybody sayin that Trell got soft, Trellckin nowadays, he ain''t about that life no more, people fuckin with me now and I can''t do shit!

    It was cool scrappin and throwin hands before cause I didn''t have shit to lose. But ever since I joined the team I had to cut that crap out otherwise I would have been kicked off.

    I used to be out in the streets hustlin and grindin. But I had to change how I spent my time. I had to start studying to keep my grades up to stay on the team.

    I had to spend time practicing and working out. That don''t leave much time to get money." Trell then turned to Jason and Kyle.

    "I''ll let y''all in on a little secret. You ever wonder why I showed up to your party even though I ain''t neva showed up to anything else you invited me to?

    I really didn''t give a fuck about your little TV debut. I swallowed my pride and showed up cause my stomach been empty for days!"

    After everyone heard Trell say that the mood in the locker-room became strange. No one knew what they could say to help the situation.

    Everyone sat in silence as the strange atmosphere filled the locker-room. Even Coach Swendel didn''t know what to say.

    ''Jesus! This kid dropped one hell of a bomb. Why the fuck couldn''t you just keep your mouth shut Trell?

    You could have at least waited until the fucking game was over before making everyone depressed. I already bragged to the principle that we would go undefeated in the county this season! Shit!''

    The ten-minute break felt both quick and long. Quick because everyone still felt tired, as though they didn''t even rest. Long in the sense that every second kept them in that stuffy room.

    After the time was up the team made their way out of the locker-room and back to the court. As they stepped back on to the hardwood it was clear that everyone''s spirits were down.

    Jason looked around at his team ''Shit! We still have two more quarters to y. There''s no way we can win with the team like this. What can I do to get everyone pumped again?''

    Jason felt like the burden of fixing this situation was on him as the most mature person with the most life experience.

    The only problem was that he didn''t know how. As much as heined about never having been the star of the team and having been stuck as just a cog in the machine it came with it''s own perks.

    When the team loses no one mes the role-yers. When a situation is getting out of hand everyone looks to the Jordans, Kobes, and LeBrons. They don''t look to Ron Harper or Derek Fisher to fix things.

    As a defensive specialist, Jason had only ever had to worry about doing his job and filling his role.

    He always left it to the star yers of the team to make the motivational speeches and to control the mood of the team.

    And as much as Jason would hate to admit it, Trell''s words were still lingering in his heart. Almost making him hesitant to act like he was the captain.

    It was at that moment when they were walking towards the court that Udonis walked to the front "Before we get on the court guys you need to fix your heads.

    I know we just had a lousy halftime break. But now is not the time to worry about that. When we''re on the court that''s the only time we can forget about everything else.

    Out on the court, the only thing that matters is ying the sport that we love. So let''s save the problems for after the game. Right now all we need to do is y our hearts out."

    Udonis stuck his arm out "I want you guys screaming your lungs out. Jefferson on the count of three."

    The rest of the guys smiled as they put their hands out on top of each other. They were all in sync "ONE! TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!"

    With the team brought back to life they were able to confidently walk back out on the court. Verde Gardens switched up their offensive gamen.

    They seemed focused on draining Jason''s energy as much as possible. As they had Danilo post up in the paint rather than iso on the perimeter.

    And whenever Kyle woulde over to help on defense Danilo would just kick the ball back out and then rinse and repeat.

    Having to take the brunt of Danilo''s physical ystyle and frame in the post proved to be more tiring as Jason could feel his legs turning to jelly as the quarter passed.

    And on the defensive end, they were beginning to double Udonis whenever he began attacking in the post.

    If Kyle had a decent jumper even from the mid-range this wouldn''t have been a problem but Kyle was still raw as a basketball yer in terms of skills.

    The best Udonis could do is try and pass the ball to Kyle as he would cut to the paint. But the paint was so congested that it was hard for Kyle to make his shots.

    It became a gritty battle down low as Udonis and Kyle fought against their opponents for rebounds and put-backs.

    As the quarter was halfway done the score was 48-36. Jason was trying his best to keep Danilo from simply bullying his way into the paint.

    Jason was leaning his whole body against Danilo as he continued to back him down. Then out of the blue Jason just felt all the strength leave his legs.

    His legs became soft like jelly as he fell to the floor. Danilo was in the middle of backing him down and wasn''t expecting him to stop resisting so he ended up falling as well.

    Danilo ended up falling on top of Jason. The referee blew his whistle as he called a dead ball and signaled that the possession was now Jefferson''s.

    Even though they had just stolen the possession from Verde Gardens no one was happy or smiling. They ran over to Jason.

    Danilo got off of Jason and walked back to his team. Kyle was the first one to reach Jason "You okay man?"

    Jason wasying on the ground. He smiled "I''m okay. Just had the wind knocked out of me." Jason reached out to Kyle''s outstretched hand.

    Jason tried to stand up but as soon as he was on his legs he wobbled before falling back down. Luckily Kyle was quick and managed to put his arm under Jason''s shoulder as he held him up.

    Jason frowned ''Shit! My legs have no strength left. I can''t even stand up straight.'' Udonis saw Jason''s expression and quickly crossed his hands as he called for a timeout.

    Udonis and Kyle had Jason''s arm over their shoulders as they carried him to the bench. Coach Swendel had a worried expression. Everyone except for Trell were looking at Jason worriedly.

    "Are you okay Jason? Did you feel a pop in your knee!? Please dear god tell me you didn''t feel a pop in your knee!"

    Jason shook his head "I''m good Coach. I didn''t tear anything. My legs are just jelly right now. I can''t put any strength into them."

    Coach Swendel sighed in relief before turning to DJ "DJ you''re in. Get some rest Jason. The quarter is halfway done. We should be able to hold out until some time into the next quarter."

    As thest half of the remaining quarter yed out Jason''s frown got worse and worse. Danilo was a better athlete than Jason and he didn''t really expend that much energy when Jason was out on the court.

    He looked fine as he attacked in a multitude of different ways. And on offense things weren''t looking much better.

    Kyle and Udonis seemed to be hitting their limit. Kyle''s normally quick jumps were taking getting slower and Udonis was breathing heavily as posted up his opponent in the paint.

    With one minute left in the quarter, the score was 56-49. Jason tapped on Coach Swendel''s shoulder.

    Coach Swendel turned his attention from the court to Jason "What is it Jason? Are your legs getting worse!?"

    Jason shook his head "They still feel like jelly but they haven''t gotten worse. But I think I need to jump back in Coach." Coach Swendel was shocked "Didn''t you say that your legs still felt like jelly?"

    Jason leaned toward Coach Swendel "If you tape up my legs real tight I think I can at least y into the middle of the 4th quarter."

 Chapter 60 - Pressure

    Coach Swendel was shocked to hear Jason''s suggestion "Listen Jason I want to win this game just as much as anybody. Hell my career is riding on how well we do this season.

    But even I know that it''s more important to put your body and well being first. What are you going to do if you get hurt?"

    Jason wasn''t too worried about any potential injuries. The first thing that gave him the confidence to suggest taping up his legs was the fact that Jason already knew first hand what it felt like to push his body to the breaking point.

    In his past life Jason had yed well beyond his limits a number of times. Some of which were to the point of injury. Jason could tell that his body wasn''t at that point yet.

    The second thing that Jason was counting on was the system. Although Jason never really thought about it much because it wasn''t a skill that actively affected his or his team''s performance Jason did have a badge before Defensive anchor.

    [Ironman(Bronze): Gives you a tougher body. You will be less likely to experience an injury as well as recover from injuries at an improved rate. Effectiveness decided by badge rank.]

    Jason felt that with Ironman making it less likely for him to get injured and the recovery function in case something does happen. That the risks weren''t that high.

    Jason reassured Coach Swendel "Don''t worry Coach. I know my body well. I have such a bright future ahead of me. I wouldn''t do something if I felt that it was dangerous."

    Coach Swendel was hesitant but after he saw Jason''s determined expression he gave up "Alrighte over here. I''ll start taping you up."

    As he was getting taped up Jason was surprised by the focused look on Coach Swendel''s face.

    Ever since he had first met him Coach Swendel had always given him the impression of someone that was never serious.

    The third quarter had ended but instead of talking to the yers as they sat down on the bench Coach Swendel''s attention was soley on Jason as he taped him up.

    ''It''s been a while since I practiced this in college. I have to make sure I tape it up perfectly. If Jason gets injured we''ll go back to being one of the worse teams in the county!''

    From the midsection of his calves to the middle of his thighs Jason had his leg taped up tightly.

    Only a small portion around his knee was left without medical tape in order to still allow some movement to flex.

    Coach Swendel''s face was dripping with sweat by the time he finished. Just as he finished taping Jason up the clock buzzed again indicating the start of thest quarter.

    He looked at Jason before patting him on the shoulder "Good luck Jason." Jason stood up and started slowly feeling out how his legs felt in the tape before nodding his head "Thanks Coach."

    As Jason was walking back out to the court Kyle walked to his side "Are you gonna be okay?"

    Jasonughed before yfully punching Kyle on the shoulder "Just focus on ying Kyle. It''s dangerous to be on the court if you''re not focused on the game."

    Kyle inbounded the ball to Jason as he then proceeded to bring it up the court. On the floor with Jason were Kyle, Matt, DJ, and Vince.

    Udonis wanted to start off the fourth quarter but he had to sit on the bench as he started cramping up. He was currently getting massaged by Coach Swendel.

    The score was now 56-51. It was one of Jefferson''s closest games of the season. Jason threw out a signal with his hand as he called out a y from their ybook.

    Kyle stepped out to the right side of the perimeter. Jason was on the left side as he passed the ball to Kyle before moving further left to set a double screen for Matt alongside Vince.

    As Matt came off of Jason and Vince''s screens he was left wide open. Kyle passed him the ball.

    As Matt was getting into his shooting motion he saw Alex chasing after him. Although he was just a couple steps away now Matt ignored him ''It''s just you and the ball Matt. Ignore everything else.''

    Matt went up with the ball and shot it toward the basket. Jason''s instructions on the fundamentals of having good shooting form yed in his head.

    Matt was able to get the ball out of his hands a split second before Alex was able to reach him.

    Maybe it was the fatigue setting in but Alex''s closeout was sloppy as he wasn''t able to kill his momentum in time.

    The referee blew his whistle as Alex bumped into Matt while he was on his way down. Everyone stared at the ball as it flew through the air.

    Jason ran up to Matt and started ruffling his hair after he saw the ball go through the "That was nice man!" It was potentially a four-point y!

    Matt made his way to the free-throw line. As he was walking the lights seemed brighter than they were before and it seemed as though the audience had be three times louder.

    He couldn''t hear what everyone around him was saying as all he could hear was the noiseing from the bleachers. His heart started to race and his hands started to be slick with sweat.

    Matt had shot thousands of free-throws in practice and dozens of them in games. But he had never felt like this.

    Jason was on the side as he saw Matt looking like a deer caught in the headlights and instantly knew what was going on ''The pressure is getting to him.''

    Jason might have never been a star yer in his past life but he knew what it was like to be a role-yer put into a high-pressure situation.

    He walked over to Matt and put his arm over his shoulder "You need to chill Matt. Just take a deep breath and rx.

    You already did the hard part, you made the three-pointer. This is just the icing on top of the cake. You''ve made thousands of free-throws before. This is just one more hash mark."

    Jason had to walk away and get into position as the referee got everyone ready for the free throw.

    The referee gave the ball to Matt as he tried to calm himself down ''Jason''s right. Rx and breathe. This is just another drop in the bucket. I''ve shot a ton of shots just like this.''

    Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath before dribbling the ball. He was trying to get himself into the same state that he was in when he shot the three-pointer.

    But just as his head was about to reach that rity there would be something popping up to interrupt him. The argument in the locker-room, Jason as he got his legs taped up, Trell sitting on the bench.

    Time was ticking down as finally, Matt had to just shoot the ball otherwise it wouldn''t count. He started his form and shot the ball.

    It was a bit to the left as it hit the backboard. It bounced on the rim a few times before seemingly standing on the side for a second. It then fell off.

    Matt looked down in disappointment. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Jason smiling.

    Jason patted him on the shoulder "I told you before. That free throw was just the icing on top of the cake. Don''t worry about it.

    You need to focus and get ready for the rest of the game. Who knows? You might hit another three and get the chance for another four-point y haha"

    Matt cracked a tiny smile before making his way back on defense with Jason.

    - - -

    Two minutes had passed so far in the fourth quarter. The score was 63-53. Even though his legs had a restricted range of motion Jason was able to defend Danilo effectively as he shuffled his feet as best as he could.

    Udonis had just finished getting massaged by Coach Swendel as he watched the game "Crazy to think that Jaya''s depending on some tape to help him stand and yet he''s still putting out that same intensity."

    Trell was sitting next to him but he didn''t respond. He acted as if he didn''t hear anything. Udonis sighed "I know that you feel like you just been done dirty Trell.

    But you gotta see things from Jason''s point of view. Try taking a couple steps in his shoes. Everyone has been puttin in some serious work this season.

    Would it be fair for Jason to let you gamble on whether or not you can learn to defend the opposing team''s best scorer?

    You ain''t just yin with your own money Trell. You gamblin with everybody''s blood and sweat man. Tell me, you ready to carry that kind of weight?

    Cause I can tell you one thing. Jason been carryin that weight since the first game. Every game we y if we lose it''s gonna be on Jason.

    It''ll be because Jason didn''t score enough, because he didn''t get the rest of the guys involved more, because he didn''t y better defense.

    I''m sure you saw how Matt looked when he had to walk up to the free-throw line. You saw how badly the pressure got to him.

    Now imagine instead of just short moments every time you stepped out on the court you had that kind of pressure on you.

    That''s what Jaya''s got to go through. He carryin the weight of everyone''s hard work, dreams, and expectations.

    Even when his own body is tellin the dude to rest he forcin himself to go out there. I guarantee you forget just taping his legs.

    He would go out there lookin like a mummy if it meant bringing in the W for his team. Can you really say that someone that cares that much for his team don''t trust his guys?"

    Trell sat silently on the bench as he looked out on to the court. His eyes locked on to Jaya as he stiffly moved around the floor.

 Chapter 61 - Leadership

    The quarter was reaching it''s halfway mark. Danilo could tell that his defender was exhausted as Jason was breathing heavily with sweat streaming down his face.

    ''Even I''m feeling tired. There''s no way this stick of a kid is doing any better. Hehe I can smell the blood in the water. It''s feeding time.''

    Danilo began dribbling as he stared down Jason. He hit him with a quick crossover to the right before pulling the ball back into his left with a through the legs dribble.

    Jason stepped to the left on the crossover and was about to push off his foot to go back right when he heard something tear. His knee buckled before giving out on him as he fell to the floor.

    Luckily Jason managed to swipe at the ball on his way down so although it was still Verde Gardens'' possession it was a dead ball.

    Coach Swendel smartly called for a timeout before they could inbound the ball. Kyle ran over to Jason "Oh my god Jaya! Are you okay!?"

    Jason had managed to get himself into a sitting position. He looked at his knee and smiled as he lifted the leg of his shorts "I''m okay. The tape just ripped."

    Kyle helped Jason hop over to the bench. Coach Swendel rushed to him "Oh my god Jason! I knew we shouldn''t have let you yed! I was stupid to listen to you. Why did I agree to tape you up!?"

    Jasonughed as Kyle helped him sit down "Everything is okay Coach. It wasn''t my ACL or anything. The tape just gave out and ripped while I was defending Danilo.

    Just tape me back up and I''ll be good to go." Coach Swendel was hesitating on what he should do when he heard a voice speak up "No."

    Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and saw Trell standing up. He put his jersey back on as he looked at Jason "We''ll hold things down. Just go get some rest."

    Jason was shocked. He just stared at Trell not knowing what to say. Trell stepped forward "This don''t mean that everythings good between us. We gon have to talk after the game.

    But UD was right about one thing. I don''t know what y''all think of me. But I think of y''all as my team. And it don''t sit right with me to just give up on everybody like that.

    So go ahead and rest. I can''t promise that I''ll shut down that number 1. Hell I might not even be able to do half as much as you.

    But for three minutes we won''t let them get ahead of us. So rest up and make sure that you''ll be ready for thatst minute of the game."

    Jason nodded his head. He told Trell the basics of the defensice scheme for guarding Danilo. Jason emphasized forcing him to drive at an angle instead of straight even if it means giving a little bit of space.

    The clock buzzed indicating that the timeout was done. Trell was about to walk back out on the court with the rest of the guys when he turned back around and extended a fist toward Jason. Jason smiled before extending his own fist forward to bump against Trell''s.

    Danilo smiled as he saw Trell making his way toward him "What happened to chopsticks? He get too tired to y?"

    Trell got into a low defensive stance and ignored Danilo''s taunting. Verde Gardens'' Center inbounded the ball to Alex out on the perimeter who then passed the ball to Danilo on the left wing.

    Trell didn''t try to guard Danilo as tightly as he was before. He gave him an arms length of distance ''Focus Trell. You don''t need to stop him. Just slow him down.''

    - - -

    Jason watched as Trell did his best to work with Kyle to defend Danilo. It was sloppy inparison to what Jason was doing earlier but he was following the basics of the n and his team work with Kyle was smooth as they seemed to know each other''s rhythm.

    Jason shook his head and turned towards Udonis "I don''t know what you said UD but you did a hell of a job."

    Udonisughed "What makes you think I did something? Maybe Trell decided to let things go after watching you y so hard."

    Jason cracked a smile "Come on UD. We both know that Trell is he stubborn . He would need a ton of convincing to do anything. And besides, I saw you guys talking while I was on the court."

    Udonis smiled as he shook his head "How the hell you manage to see that while guarding that dude?

    I guess the cat''s outta the bag. I did talk to Trell but it wasn''t nothin too special. Just a quick chat. But I was being serious you know.

    When I said that maybe Trell changed his mind after he done seen you y. Because no matter what I said it wouldn''t have been enough if you weren''t yin your heart out on the floor."

    Jason was silent for a moment "You know what UD? Sometimes I just can''t help but be jealous of you."

    Udonis almost fell of the bench when he heard what Jason had said. He was caughtpletely off guard as he wasn''t expecting him to say that.

    "Come on man. You ain''t gotta pull my leg like that. You jealous of me? You got it mixed up dog. It should be the other way around.

    Some of the shit I done seen you do on the court is like the stuff out of sports movies man. I couldn''t even dream of pullin off half the shit that you do on a daily basis. How the hell could you be jealous of me?"

    Jasonughed after hearing Udonis'' response "You gotta take another look in the mirror and reevaluate yourself UD.

    Don''t sell yourself short. You''re a decent basketball yer all around but the most amazing thing about you is how you seem to know just the right thing to do or say in every situation.

    I know for a fact that I wouldn''t have been able to convince Trell to get back in the game if I was the one in your shoes."

    Udonis smiled as he put his hand on Jason''s shoulder "Everybody got things that they good at and things that they bad at.

    Sometimes instead of forcing someone into a role that they don''t fit it''s better to just find them a new role.

    Kyle''s in charge of blocking shots and protecting the paint, I''m in charge of running the offense when you''re not here, and Matt and Nick are in charge of providing some shooting out on the perimeter.

    It wouldn''t make sense for me to try and have Matt rebound and protect the paint right? But that don''t mean that you can''t grow into a new role either.

    K-Love was used to being the man in Minnesota. He was putting up big numbers and getting all the praise. At that time he was considered to be one of the top Power Forwards in the league.

    But eventually he got tired of putting up empty numbers without any sess behind them. So he asked to be traded and ended up with LeBron and Kyrie.

    But things didn''t click for him right away. He had to learn how to be lower on the totem pole. He had to grow into his lesser role.

    The same thing goes for you. I know that you are a hell of a talent. For how long you''ve been yin I don''t think that there is anyone else that cane close.

    But don''t try to do everything on your own. Don''t try to force things to speed up. I''m sure you''ll learn how to be a great leader if you let yourself grow into that role the same way K-Love let himself grow into his."

    Now it was Jason''s turn to be surprised. He thought that as someone who had lived life once and had years of life experience that he would be the one giving out wisdom to these kids.

    He never expected to get such deep and meaningful advice from someone who was still in middle school ''I guess everyone really does have their own unique talents.

    Udonis might not be anything too special as a yer but as a leader and a locker-room presence he really is top notch.''

    - - -

    It was rough for Trell and the whole team to y without Jason. Even if he wasn''t in his peak condition with his legs taped up he still helped the whole team by directing their defense.

    Without his on the floor coaching everyone had to expend more energy on the defensive end of the ball.

    But with that said Trell stuck to his words. Although it was hard they managed to stay in front of Verde Gardens up until thest minute, even if just barely.

    With a score of 65-62 Jefferson was clinging on to a sliver of a lead as Coach Swendel used up hisst timeout.

    DJ wobbled to the bench before copsing onto the seat. Jason extended his fist forward and the two of them exchanged a fist bump.

    Jason stood up and started slowly feeling out the condition of his legs and the new tape that Coach Swendel had applied "Thanks for sticking it out DJ. I''ll take care of things from here."

 Chapter 62 - The Last Stretch

    The timeout ended as Jason stood up and looked at Kyle, Udonis, Matt, and Nick. They all smiled and fist bumped him as they stepped back on to the hardwood.

    Danilo was surprised to see Jason back in the game "Well if it ain''t chopsticks. Not gonna lie I''m a little surprised to see you back in the game.

    Then again it makes sense that your team would want to close out the game with their best yer. What happened to Roid Rage? You took him out so you could have the two white boys y?"

    Jason smirked as he looked Danilo "I would be more concerned about your own teammates my guy.

    You know you ain''t got anyone that can defend me and that might prove to be a bit of a problem considering that we''re in thest minute of the game."

    Danilo was somewhat right. As much as Jason wanted to put Trell in and have him y out the game to reward him for giving into the gamen and doing what was best for the team.

    Jason just couldn''t do it. Trell''sck of shooting could prove to be very detrimental in thisst stretch of the game.

    Considering that the spacing was already tight as it was with Kyle and Udonis clogging up the paint.

    Having Nick and Matt on the floor at the same time provided more shooting. Even if it meant lowing their defense on the perimeter Jason could minimize that with his great defensive coaching.

    Kyle recieved the ball from the referee and he began to scan the court as he looked to pass the ball to Jason.

    Jason was surprised as Verde Gardens had switched from using Alex to defend him to now using Danilo.

    Danilo was sticking close to Jason and trying to deny him any clear angles to recieve the inbound pass.

    Kyle was running out of time. If he didn''t inbound the ball soon then it would result in a turnover. Kyle threw the inbound pass to Matt.

    Danilo was trying his best to keep Jason from getting the ball. He was using his long arms and his big frame to deny the ball.

    Jason faked a cut to the right but then spun left. He looked like a football yer (American football) juking his defender on the field.

    Matt saw Jason open so he passed him the ball. Jason caught the ball as he was cutting toward the paint.

    Verde Gardens'' defense copsed as their yers closed in on the paint to stop Jason. Their coach was going red in the face as he yelled his lungs out.

    "What the hell are you doing!? Don''t leave the perimeter open! It''s better to give up a two than a three!"

    But it was toote. Jason was able to see the floor clearly with just a quick nce. He saw Matt open on the wing and Nick open in the corner.

    Jason''s head was telling him to pass the ball to Nick because corner threes are the shortest three-pointers and are the easiest to make.

    But something was telling him to pass it to Matt. Jason wasn''t sure if it was his insticts or his heart talking to him but he decided to trust it.

    Jason was in the paint going head to head with Verde Gardens'' Center when he turned his back to him and threw a bullet pass to Matt.

    The explosive pass was aimed right at Matt''s shooting pocket. The pass was so quick that Matt didn''t have time to think.

    His body moved on it''s own as he automatically went into his shooting motion. By the time that he knew what was happening the ball had already left his hand.

    The gym seemingly went silent as everyone held their breathes and watched the ball fly through the air.

    And just as sudden as the silence had appeared, the cheers and celebrations from the home section was the same.

    The crowd errupted into a frenzy so great that the building felt like it was rocking once they saw the ball fall through the.

    Jefferson quickly went back on defense as Verde Gardens inbounded the ball. With only fifty seconds left on the clock they were up 68-62.

    Alex brought the ball up the court and called out a y. Their team quickly began moving as Danilo went onto the left side and started posting up Jason on the elbow.

    The rest of his teammates moved to the perimeter and to the side in order to give him ample space to operate.

    Danilo did a couple fakes that Jason didn''t bite on before starting to drive toward the paint. Except that instead of going toward the basket the drive was actually targeted at the perimeter.

    Jason saw that two of Verde Gardens'' yers were lining up for the double scree. But even with his heads up awareness he could only dodge it by so much.

    Jason didn''t get hit hard by the screens but it was enough to give Danilo a bit of seperation. Knowing that he wouldn''t be able to close out on time Jason did the only thing that he could do as he pushed Nick toward Danilo.

    Nick wasn''t expecting the push as he stumbled a bit but it still helped to get him in Danilo''s proximity. Nick raised his hand to contest the shot as Danilo shot the three.

    Wheter it be becaue Nick''s close out wasn''t enough, Danilo had great luck, or because of his ability to make tough shots Danilo was still able to make the three.

    The spirit of the homecrowd seemed to have been sucked away by Danilo''s shot as they instantly became quiet. The small number in the away section instantly began making some noise.

    The referee handed Kyle the ball to inbound again. He began scanning the floor looking for a person to pass the ball to. He was surprised to see that Verde Gardens'' was guarding everyone tight as the tried to deny any open passingnes.

    Not just that. Verde Gardens'' Center was standing in front of Kyle as he jumped up and down while waving his arms nonstop. This was the first time that Kyle was experiencing this and he wasn''t sure on how to handle it.

    Time began winding down so he hurriedly passed the ball to Matt as soon as he saw an opening. As soon as Matt caught the ball another Verde Gardens'' yer left his assignment to swarm him.

    Matt was surrounded and pressured by the double team. They kept trying to rip the ball out of his hands. Matt panicked and tossed the ball to the closest Jefferson jersey that he could find. Unfortunately that was Kyle.

    Kyle was surprised but he managed to catch the ball. As soon as Verde Gardens saw that Kyle was the one with the ball they fouled him intentionally. The ref blew his whistle and called for Jefferson to get two free throws.

    Matt instantly knew that he had messed up. He apologized to everyone "Sorry. I panicked, I thought that they were about to rip the ball out of my hands."

    Jason patted him on the shoulder "It''s okay Matt. Don''t look so down. It''s not like we lost the possession. Kyle just has to shoot some free throws.

    And even if he misses both of them that still doesn''t mean that we lost. They would still have to score a three to tie things up. So everyone push any negative thoughts out your head and focus on thisst stretch of the game."

    Everyone nodded as they got into ce for the free throws before they could get a technical for slowing the process of the game.

    Kyle stood at the free throw line. He wiped his hands on his shorts to get rid of the sweat before taking the ball from the referee.

    Jason looked on as Kyle stood at the free throw line ''He doesn''t look nervous like Matt was but instead it looks like he''s overplicating things.

    He looks like he''s thinking about a million different things right now. Just empty out your head and focus on your shots bro.''

    Kyle dribbled the ball and held it in his hands ''You gotta make this. You can guarantee the win Kyle. Right here right now. All you need to do is make these free throws.''

    Kyle awkwardly shot his first free throw. His shooting motion was mechanical and was made up of 2 motions. There was a hitch in his shot as the ball reached the top before flying out of his hands.

    Kyle''s first shot was short as it barely hit the front of the rim. The away section had been booing Kyle as he was shooting while the home section tried to drown them out with their cheers.

    The gym went quiet after Kyle missed his first free throw. Kyle bit his lip in frustration ''Come on man! How could you miss that!?''

    He took a deep breath as he took the ball from the referee for his second andst free throw.

    ''Please just make this one. God if you''re listening I promise to cut down on my anime to just 3 hours a week if you help me make this.''

    Kyle focused on the basket as he dribbled the ball once again before shooting it. Maybe it was a result from hisst free throw but Kyle seemed to have strong armed this one.

    The ball smashed into the backboard before falling to the floor. Kyle''s mouth twitched as he looked down in disappointment.

    Jason patted him on the shoulder before making their way back on defense. Jason was focused on every yer on the floor as they got ready to defend thisst possession.

    Alex called another y as the Verde Gardens'' yers began moving. Jason chased Danilo around two screens as he cut to the basket.

    Jason then saw a double screen being set to get Danilo open on the wing. Jason was about to fight through the screens when his legs buckled.

    ''Shit! What kind of dor tree bootleg tape did Coach Swendel use?'' Jason''s moves on offensebined with Chasing Danilo around the court seemed to have been to much for the tape as they gave out while Jason was fighting through the double screen.

    Jason couldn''t let his teammates know about his situation because then the opposing team might hear and take advantage of the situation.

    Jason pushed Kyle forward as they switched assignments on the screen. Jason did his best to stay standing as he followed Verde Gardens'' Center to the other side of the perimeter.

    Danilo smiled as he began to get into rhythm with his dribbling. Kyle was left alone on an ind as he now had to defend Danilo on the istion.

    With only 25 seconds left on the clock this possession could decide the fate of the game.

 Chapter 63 - Its All About Will

    Kyle got into a defensive stance as he bent his knees and spread his arms out. He stared down Danilo ''Just remember what Jason told you.''

    Kyle didn''t spend too much time guarding out in the perimeter but Jason had given him a crash course during one of their practices.

    In an instant Jason''s voice yed itself in Kyle''s head ''Keep your knees shoulder width apart. Point your feet forward and position them slightly wider than your knees.

    Stay on the balls of your feet and keep your heels off the floor. Make your back t but slightly arched. Keep your hands active and most importantly you need the right mindset.

    You gotta be hungry, You have to want to y defense. Don''t just y defense because you have to. Make it your goal to make life miserable for whoever you''re guarding.''

    Jason nervously watched as Danilo began dribbling ''I still have the badge activation for Defensive Anchor. But it onlysts 8 seconds so I''ll need to time it perfectly.

    They have to go for a three if they want to tie things up.'' Jason yelled out "Stick to your guys on the perimeter. We can give up a two. No threes and no fouls."

    Danilo frowned after he heard Jason yelling out instructions ''Shit! looks like things will be a little harder now that their defense won''t copse inside.''

    Danilo did a quick crossover to the right. Jason decided to activated his Defensive Anchor badge. Jason watched as the bar for his DNA points emptied out.

    Kyle turned his hips and started running to stay in front of Danilo. He came to a stop with a through the legs dribble.

    Kyle stopped on a dime and turned his hips again as he prepared to move left and right. Danilo was surprised at how well Kyle had stuck with him.

    Danilo did a hesi toward the right before crossing over to the left. Kyle bit on the hesi and took a step to the right.

    He saw that Kyle was a step slow in recovering from the hesi-crossoverbo so he decided to capitalize on the seperation that was created.

    Danilo stepped back after the crossover to the left and entered his shooting motion. The building went silent again as they watched Danilo try and take the game into over time with this three-point attempt.

    While everyone had their eyes on Danilo Jason was watching Kyle. He saw Kyle turn at thest second and explode off of his feet as he shot towards Danilo.

    Just as the ball was about to leave Danilo''s hand he saw Kyleing toward him in the corner of his vision ''What the hell!? How did he manage to recover so quick?''

    Kyle covered the distance between them almost instantly. Kyle opened his hand and extended his arm toward the ball as he tried to reach for the block.

    Danilo couldn''t readjust or change his shot otherwise he would lose some power and the shot would end up being short.

    All he could do wasmit and hope that either Kyle couldn''t reach him or that he could get off the shot before Kyle could block it.

    Kyle wasing at Danilo as he focused his attention to the ball. The ball had just left Danilo''s hand when it was swatted down by Kyle.

    Kyle chased after the rebound. Since he was the closest and there wasn''t really any time for the others to react Kyle was able to gain possession of the ball.

    Kyle then hurriedly passed the ball to Jason before he could be fouled intentionally again. Jason hugged the ball tight against his body as Verde Gardens had no choice but to foul him.

    Jason had to get some help from Kyle as he walked to the free throw line. Even with his legs as exhausted as they were Jason was able to sink both of them in.

    The rest of the game went quickly as Verde Gardens tried for another quick three-pointer that missed. They allowed Jefferson to dribble out the rest of the clock.

    Jefferson won their closest game of the season with a score of 70-65. Jason leaned against Kyle as the teams lined up to shake hands onest time.

    When Jason got to the twins he smiled "Good game out there guys. Both of you were some toughpetition. You guys twins?"

    Jason already knew all about them but seeing as how this was his first time meeting them he didn''t want to seem suspicious by knowing too much about them.

    Danilo smiled and extended his hand toward Jason "Yeah we twins. I''m Danilo and this my lil bro Alex. Guess they was right about you on TV. You one hell of apetitor dog."

    Jason was happy to talk to the twins. He had numerous battles against them in his past life. The two of them were like him in the sense that he would talk trash to whoever he was ying but after the game he could be cool with them almost instantly.

    Alex jabbed Danilo in the side with his elbow "You were only born like a minute earlier than me so don''t act like the big bro."

    He then smiled and extended his hand toward Jason "This was my first time meeting someone that I couldn''t guard. That was a hell of a performance man."

    Jason chuckled "Thanks. If you guys don''t mind me asking, why is your team''s record so bad? With how good the two of you are I would think that you guys would be undefeated just like us?"

    Alex embaressedly scratched his head "Well we kind of got into it with the guys from our old school. They didn''t like two 6th graders making the starting lineup.

    We just transferred to Verde Gardens. And because of that we weren''t eligable to y a few games."

    Verde Gardens terrible record finally made sense to Jason. He patted the two of them on the shoulders before leaving "If you guys ever want to win a national title juste to Jefferson. I would love to y with the both of you next year."

    Jason made his way into the locker-room with the rest of the guys. He took off the medical tape wrapped around his legs before hopping into the showers.

    As he was letting his body rx in the warm water he saw a notification pop up in the corner of his vision.

    [Skill badge level up.]

    [New skill badge unlocked.]

    [Ironman (Silver): Gives you a tougher body. You will be less likely to experience an injury as well as recover from injuries at an improved rate. Effectiveness decided by badge rank.

    Workhorse (Bronze): Lowers the affects of fatigue on your performance. Allows you to y at your optimal level for short moments when low on stamina.]

    After the shower Jason was changing back into his clothes. He was sitting down and about to put his shoes on when Trell came over and sat down next to him.

    Trell didn''t look at Jason but he began talking "It really hurt that you didn''t trust me enough to give me a second chance at guarding that dude by myself."

    Jason was silent for a moment "I know that you wanted a chance to redeem yourself Trell. But I just couldn''t let you take that gamble. Not when everyone elses time and hardwork was on the line."

    Trell nodded his head "The entire time I was sittin on the bench I was thinkin about why I was so bothered by it. Why did I care so much about guarding that guy?

    I realized that I was bothered because that Silva kid was the first person that ever made me feel so helpless.

    When I lost to you I could at least think in my mind ''Oh he''s just a little more skilled than me. If I can learn to do half of what he knows then I can kick his ass.

    But with Silva he was just as athletic as me but he had the skills that you did. It felt like it would be impossible to catch up to him.

    I hated feeling like no matter what I did there would be someone better than me. And when Udonis started talking to me I realized that I was ying selfishly while you was out on the floor bustin yo ass to try and get us the win.

    I''m still pissed that you didn''t let me try and guard him by myself, and I''m pissed that you wanted Nick and Matt on the court with you during thest minute instead of me.

    But I can''t me you for that. I can only me myself. If I was better then I''m sure you would have wanted me out there."

    Jason smiled as he put his hand on Trell''s shoulder "The way that you feel right now is perfectly normal Trell.

    Even if we know that something was for the better it''s okay to feel upset about it. I didn''t handle the situation perfectly either.

    I wish I was as good as Udonis when it came to leading a team but I''m just not. And as long as you have the desire to get better then I''m sure you''ll pass the Silva kid in no time.

    But I''m kinda d that this whole thing happened. If it weren''t for this little situation then I don''t think that you would have ever opened up about what you were going through.

    And I just hope that you know that it''s okay to ask for help Trell. No one will think that you''re weak or soft.

    Sometimes life just throws shit our way that''s a little too heavy for us to handle on our own.

    Basketball is a team sport with clear and defined roles because it''s impossible for one yer to do everything by himself.

    So if you ever need anything just let me or one of the guys know. Because just like UD said a team is a second family. And we need to be there for each other."

    Trell looked at Jason and smiled "I hear you dog. I''ll definitely keep that in mind." Jasonughed "Good. Now you want toe over to my ce?

    We''re having another get together to watch this week''s episode of Through the Hoops. It''s going to be smaller thanst time though. It''s pretty much going to be the team and Kyle''s mom because our apartment is small."

    Trell hesitated for a second before responding "I guess I can go. I ain''t got much else to do today."

 Chapter 64 - Another Friday Night

    This game against Verde Gardens was Jason''s lowest scoring game This season. As he finished with only 18 points.

    During the game Jason spent most of his energy defending Danilo. But Jason also finished with 8 assist, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds.

    - - -

    Jason''s small apartment was crowded as the team sat on the floor of the living room while the adults sat down on the couch.

    Kyle''s mom sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn "Ooh lord thatst game had me on the edge of my seat. Those twins were really good."

    Jason''s mom sat between Kyle''s mom and her husband. She smiled "Tell me about it. I could feel my blood pressure getting high just from watching the game.

    And when Jaya fell on the floor I almost ran down to the court haha. Luckily Henry is always cool headed and he managed to stop me."

    Jason''s dadughed "Oh trust me I wanted to get down there just as much as anybody when I first saw Jason hit the floor.

    But then I saw him smiling and it looked like he wasn''t in any pain so I knew that he was alright." As they were chatting they heard a knock on the door before it swung open.

    At the door was Tory and a middle aged man dressed in business casual, a pair of gray cks and a white button up longsleeve with the sleeves folded up around the elbows.

    He was around the same height as Jason''s dad at 5''10 (1.77m) But unlike Jason''s dad who was slim he had a bit of a gut and a thick upper body.

    The muscles on his shoulders and his arms were visible even underneath his clothes. His hair was tied into a ponytail that reached the base of his neck.

    He shook his head with a helpless smile "What''s the point in knocking if you''re just going to bust right in?"

    Tory turned to the man and smiled "My bad dad." Then she turned back to the rest of the people "Hey Aunty hi Uncle. We just got back from mypetition. We brought back a whole bunch of goodies!"

    Tory and her dad put down the boxes that they were carrying on the kitchen counter before walking back into the living room.

    Tory''s dad shook hands with Jason''s parents "Hey Henry, Naomi, sorry I missed another game. But Tory''s meet ended up taking a little longer than we thought. She ended up getting first ce again.

    The sponsors gave us a bunch of energy drinks and health suppliments as a bonus prize. Feel free to help yourselves. We have four more boxes in the car haha."

    Jason''s dadughed "That''s alright Jin. We know that you have your hands full with your own little superstar.

    Oh I don''t think you guys have met yet. Let me introduce you to Veronica Robinson. She''s Kyle''s mom and the one who threw the wonderful party for Jason''s first episode on TV."

    Jason''s dad then turned to Kyle''s mom "Veronica this is Tory''s dad Jinyoung Kim but everyone just calls him Jin."

    Tory''s dad extended his hand forward "Pleasure to meet you. I''ve only heard wonderful things. Mostly about how awesome your son is and how deliciously you cook."

    Kyle''s mom giggled "The pleasure is all mine. I''ve heard a lot about you as well but they never told me that you were in such great shape.

    At least now I know where Tory gets her great genes from. Did you wrestle also?" Tory''s dadughed "Yeah I wrestled back in high school. But I can''t take the credit for my little girl.

    She''s a way better athlete than I was. She''s dominating on her school''s wrestling team but she also does the same in Judo and in boxing. Sometimes I wonder where she gets all the energy to keep up with so many sports."

    Kyle''s momughed "I hear you. My boy has been spending way more time yin basketball but somehow still finds a way to get on hisputer and watch all those cartoons." Tory''s dad sat down next to Kyle''s mom.

    Tory went to go sit down next to Jason. The rest of the guys on the team had been chatting and joking around with Jason but as soon as they saw Tory walk in through the door they all got quiet.

    Jason scooted to the side to make some space for Tory "So first ce again huh? Maybe you''re the one that needs to get their own TV show."

    Tory smiled and put up a peace sign "Hehe you already know how you''re noona gets to work. If I put my mind to it there''s no one that can beat me."

    Tory started flexing her muscles and goofing around as soon as she sat down next to Jason. Jasonughed before passing her the popcorn bowl.

    Tory took the bowl from him and started ruffling his hair up "But enough about me. I heard that your game today was super duper close? And I heard that you yed almost the whole game?"

    Jason fixed his hair "Yeah this game ended up being a lot closer than we thought it was going to be.

    The other team had a bad record but that was only because their best yers missed their first few games because of transfer rules.

    But those twins were something else. They were probably the toughestpetition that we''ve yed so far this season. I had to y a little more than usual because they were just that good."

    They were chatting andughing but as soon as they saw that the episode was starting they all went quiet as they focused on the TV.

    - - -

    The first athlete that they showed was Jerome Bonner. They showed a minute long clip of him at practice before showing some of his recent in game highlights.

    While his highlights yed there was a voice asking questions "So first you were the number one ranked freshman and now you''re the number one ranked sophemore.

    Do you ever think about next year? Do you think about where you''ll be as a junior?"

    Jerome''s voice answered "I don''t think about those types of things. I don''t pay attention to the noise because one second they''ll be throwing nothin but love your way. Next thing you know they throwin you unda the bus and ain''t nothin you can do right."

    The voice was slightly surprised "Oh? Are you perhaps talking about the mall incident from a while ago? Would you like to set things straight on record?"

    The scene then changed to Jerome sitting on the bleachers at his school''s gym. He was drenched in sweat.

    Jerome smiled and shook his head "There''s nothing for me to set straight. Jason took care of that pretty quick. Shout out to little dude.

    I never expected to be pushed so hard ying against a middle schooler but he was legit. I would keep my eyes on him for sure."

    The interviewer then asked "So if you don''t pay attention to the noise then what does someone like Jerome Bonner , a top ranked athlete, pay attention to?"

    Jerome thought for a second "Well to be honest it might seem a little boring but all I pay attention to is the game."

    Jeromeughed "Basketball is the most honest and loyal thing that you can have in your life. If she were a girl you would have no problems haha.

    If you pay attention to the game then you can see where you need to improve, you get to see where you''re doing good, and you can even see other people that you can learn from. And if put in the work to get better then you get rewarded."

    The interviewer smiled as he asked "So is it safe to say that basketball is your dream girl?" Jerome wiped his face with a towel andughed "Most definitely. Too bad she just ain''t a real girl."

    After asking a few more questions they showed more clips of Jerome practicing. They asked him about thepetition that he''s face so far and they showed him volunteering in hismunity.

    Jerome''s segment of the show was about twenty minutes long. They showed two more athletes for ten minutes each before getting to Jason.

    They showed highlights from Jason''s first official game against Cider Grove including him draining the three-pointer just seconds after the game had started.

    They then showed him stripping the ball away from one of their yers before passing it to Trell for the fastbreak dunk.

    After showing highlights from that game for a few minutes they then showed highlights from Jason''s second and third games of the season.

    They focused on highlighting Jason''s on the court coaching as they showed him yelling and directing the team.

    After a few more minutes of Jason''s highlights the scene changed to him sitting on the floor of the gym.

    Javier was standing in front of him with a big smile on his face "So it looks like someone''s been busy since thest time he was on."

 Chapter 65 - Another Friday Night: Part-2

    Jason smiled as he looked at Javier "Well technically I already yed those games before my first episode aired. Howe you guys like being a week behind?"

    Javier chuckled "Well it''s not that we like being behind but it''s just the speed of production. But anyways I believe this interview is supposed to be for you.

    So how did you feel that first game? Any butterflies in your stomach? Any first game jitters that you had to get out of your system?"

    Jason paused for a second to think about the question "Well not really first game jitters but I was nervous."

    Javier was slightly surprised "Oh? I was kind of asking that question as a joke because from where me and Greg were watching you looked sofortable on the court.

    So even Jaya gets nervous. Can you tell us what exactly you were nervous about?"

    Jason scratched his head "Well it wasn''t a nervousness about performing or ying. It was more like.... I don''t know how to exin it."

    Jason paused again to think out his answer "This was our first game after some of the older yers left the team.

    I was worried about winning the game more than anything else. Even if I had a terrible game I would have been happy as long as we won.

    The older yers left because I suggested some changes in the practice schedule with the intentions of improving the team.

    So if we lost our first game after those yers left it would have been a heavy hit to me and the team. I would have questioned if I really did the right thing.

    That was the only thing that was weighing down on my mind during the first game. I was worried to see if I had made the right choice or if I had just hurt the team."

    Javier raised his eyebrow "That is a very different answer than what I was expecting. I imagine most kids your age would be worried about ying well or putting together some good highlights.

    Especially considering the fact that all your games would be shown on TV like this. You seem more concerned with your team as a whole and not just your performance with them."

    Jason''s smile disappeared for a second before he put it back on "To be honest Javier I never really had any friends.

    I''m sure that the rest of the guys can confirm this but I''m not exactly the best when ites to social interactions.

    It''s not like I''m a weirdo that doesn''t know how to act in public. But when ites to the deeper more intimate stuff like getting to know people, or knowing how tomunicate with them in a way that fits that person best, I get kinda lost.

    To me basketball is the only thing that I can do so naturally. Whenever I''m on the court I feel like I don''t need to worry about controlling my every action to fit in.

    The reason I care about my team so much is because I''m thankful that they gave me somewhere I can feel like I belong. And thest thing I would want to do is something that would destroy that."

    - - -

    Everyone became quiet after Jason started talking about his first game on the TV. Udonis was the first one to break the awkward silence.

    Heughed "Come on man. You should have told us if you was really thinkin like that. Even if we lost that game no one would have med you bro.

    We all know that you was doing what you thought was best for the team. No one would question how much you care about the team."

    The rest of the guys nodded and voiced their agreements with Udonis. Trell smirked "You really be worryin about the most useless things." Jason couldn''t help butugh after seeing everyone''s reaction.

    - - -

    Javier was stunned by Jason''s honest and open answer. It took him a moment to recover "Wow that was a very insightful answer. Thank you for that Jason.

    So looking back at those highlights. I see that you are a very vocal yer on the court. Can you describe why that is?"

    Jason chuckled "I''m not sure if that was apliment or if you were taking a shot at me Javier. But back to your question yes I am very vocal whenever I''m on the court.

    I feel like in basketballmunication is a skillset in and on its own. I try to make sure that everyone is on the same page when we''re on the court together.

    So that''s why you see me talking so much whenever I''m on the floor. It''s mostly on the defensive side of the ball though."

    Javier asked "Can you expand on that? What are you saying when you''re on the court? How do you keep track of the game whilemunicating with your teammates?"

    Jason thought about the question for a second "Well when it''s on defense I''m mostly calling out the opposing team''s offense.

    I tell the guys when to fight through the screen, when to go under, and when to switch. I also call out things like backdoor cuts or screens. Just things like that.

    I''ve never had any troublemunicating and paying attention to the game. I wish I could tell you how I do it but I just do."

    - - -

    Kyle chuckled "That''s the most Jaya answer ever ''I don''t know how I''m so awesome. I''m just like that.'' You couldn''t think of anything else to say man?"

    Jason rolled his eyes at Kyle''s impression of himself "Geez I was just being honest. What was I supposed to do?"

    Jason really couldn''te up with an expaination for his ability to direct his teammates so well while keeping track of the court.

    It''s not like he could tell them that it was a result of the years of experience that he had from ying ball in his past life.

    After that Javier spent the next few minutes asking about Jason''s training schedule and his diet. He made a few jokes about how much Jason ate and he simply rolled his eyes in response.

    Jason''s segment of the show ended with Javier teasing about his next few games that would be included in next weeks episode.

    Tory''s dad stood up and started stretching "Well that was fun. You looked super cool on TV Jason." He gave Jason a huge thumbs up and a bright smile.

    Toryined "Geez dad. Who says super cool? You sound so old. Ooh I know. You should try saying swag or on fleek."

    The corner of her dad''s mouth twitched "Honey I''m pretty sure those are even older. You really need to stop going through my old dvds."

    Jasonughed "Thanks Uncle Jin. I appreciate it. You and Tory are super cool too." Everyoneughed after hearing Jason say that.

    Jayson''s mom was about to start cleaning the living room when she got an idea "Hey let''s go check thements for this episode."

    Jason looked at her questioningly "I don''t think that''s such a good idea mom. Rememberst time? Doing that just ruined the mood."

    Jason''s mom stomped her feet "There''s no way anyone could find anything negative to say this week. This episode had nothing but good moment for you Jaya."

    Jason didn''t know how to exin to his mom that people on the inte would always find a way to say something negative no matter what.

    So he just let her do whatever she wanted. Everyone else seemed to be interested as well as they all pulled out their phones and got on to their social media.

    - - -

    OGfromCali: I was surprised to see how mature this young man seems to be. The fact that he understands the importance of being a team at such a early age speaks volumes on his character.

    He reminds me of Damian Lird or Kyle Lowry. The kind of guys that pull the best out of their teammates. Boy do I miss those good ol days lol.

    OwOBigG: Afterst week''s episode I thought that he was decent but I didn''t think he was anything special.

    But I changed my mind after thistest one. His handles are so smooth and his iq on the court is so high.

    Whether it''s on offense or on defense he just knows what the best y to make is. I''m definitely a Jaya fan now lol.

    Fredo_Nice26: Little dude might not have a high top speed but the way he utilizes his change of pace is crazy.

    He slows down just enough to catch you off guard and he does the same when he speeds up. He''s had some of the nices highlights so far because he does it on both ends.

    ChristianWu_000: Because of Jason I decided to join my school''s basketball team. I''ve never yed before but Jason inspired me to just try my best. Wish me luck everyone!

    BrandonDuhGOAT:^ You should start a vlog. That way we can see you get your ankles snatched on the daily XD JK bro. Good luck man.

    JayasBiggestfan: I''m here for my prince! I love you Jaya!!!!

    - - -

    Jayson''s mom was full of smiles "See! I told you that they wouldn''t have anything bad to say." Jayson didn''t want to pop everyone''s bubbles so he he just stayed silent.

    But after a few moments, just as he had expected, the smiles on everyone''s faces started to disappear.

    - - -

    CertifiedCaliBaller: This kid will never make it to the next level. He doesn''t have the body to withstand the physicality against top high schoolpetition. That Trell kid looks like he has a better chance.

    RodricGetsBuckets: What were those other kids doing? Do they not know how to y defense? If you''re letting a slow *** kid like this beat you off the dribble then you should just retire from basketball early and stop wasting everyone''s time.

    BigHatJoe: What kind of weak bull**** was that? He was worried about what the other guys on the team would think?

    Maybe you should stop acting like such a ***** and man up. If you''re really the best yer on the team then you should stop being such a pussy and make everyone fall in line.

    If that was me no one would even think about not falling in line. That''s why he''s not the team captain. No one could respect a whiny little ****. He looks and acts like a little girl XD

    - - -

    Jason put his phone down and looked around. Everyone was visibly upset. Jason sighed and shrugged his shoulders "What did I tell you? You just gotta ignore the haters." Jason picked up the popcorn bowl and started snacking.

 Chapter 66 - Ups And Downs

    Unfortunately, the others weren''t able to just brush off the negativements. Even if it wasn''t them being badmouthed on the inte it still frustrated them knowing how hard Jason worked day in and day out.

    Jason''s mom stood up and turned to Jason who was still snacking on the popcorn "It''s good to not let other''s opinions bother you sweety.

    But are you really okay? You can tell us if you''re upset. You don''t need to hide it. It''s not good to bottle things up."

    Jason startedughing which almost caused him to choke on the popcorn that he was eating. He turned to his mom with a smile.

    "I know mom. Trust me I wouldn''t hide my feelings from you or dad. Thosements really don''t bother me in the slightest."

    Jason''s mom let out a long sigh before giving him a faint smile "You really are something special Jaya. You''ve really changed ever since you started ying basketball.

    Everyone else is so upset at thosements and we aren''t even the ones being talked about. How can you be so calm?"

    Jason swallowed the mouthful of popcorn that was in his mouth "This is what I like to do. Imagine all those people that are hating and doubting me.

    Imagine them at home watching TV. They had been posting all thesements about how bad I am and how I won''t be a top level yer.

    Now imagine their faces when I keep proving them wrong. What kind of face will they have when I win a state championship? How about when I win a national title?"

    Everyone was following along with Jason''s story. They startedughing after Jason mentioned what kind of faces the haters would make after he proves them wrong with his sess.

    Jason smiled after seeing everyone in a better mood "Now the big kicker is when I get drafted and make it pro. Imagine how stupid they''ll feel for talking so much trash about me."

    Jason''s dad wasughing as he came over and put his hand on Jason''s shoulder "I like how confident you are son. Just remember that even if you fall short on your goals you should be proud of the work that you put in."

    Jason smiled and nodded "I know dad. As long as I know that I did everything I could that''s all that matters. Now can we please get out the pie that Aunty Vee made? I''ve been waiting this whole time."

    Kyle''s momughed as she stood up "Naomi, let''s go warm up that apple pie so that our little MVP can fill up his lil stomache."

    Everyone ate their fill of the pie as they talked andughed for a bit. After an hour everyone said their goodbyes as they left with full stomaches and bright smiles.

    Jason helped his parents clean up before getting ready for bed. As heid down staring at the ceiling he opened up the system.

    Jason currently had 130 points that he had earned from his daily training and from doing small misceneous quests for the system.

    [Estimated height in a year: 5''7

    Points to increase height: 50/100]

    Jason was surprised that his estimated height had increased without him putting in the full 100 points ''Maybe it''s because of the lifestyle changes that I''ve made.''

    Jason put in 50 more points to his estimated height.

    [Estimated height in a year: 5''8

    Points to increase height: 00/100]

    Jason smiled as he slowly began to fall asleep ''Things are looking really good.''

    - - -

    The weekend quickly passed as Jason and the rest of the team practiced hard on Saturday and Sunday.

    The switch in focus for Trell''s training program showed some results as he made a little bit of progress in his shooting.

    [Skills

    Free throw: E-

    Lay Up: E

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: E-

    Mid Range Shooting: E

    Three Point Shooting: E

    Dribbling: E-

    Passing: E

    Ball Handling: E-

    y Making: F+

    Post Scoring: F

    Rebounding: D

    Post Control: F

    Perimeter Defense: B-

    Post Defense: F+

    Steals: D

    Blocks: D

    Athleticism: AA ]

    Trell made some improvements in his shooting. But his daily one on one games against Jason also improved his perimeter defense and his dribbling. Although not to the point of being able to be a secondary ball handler.

    Jason also spent some time with Kyle to teach him more about boxing out and how to defend the post. As well as teaching him more about ying defense on the perimeter.

    [Skills

    Free throw: E+

    Lay Up: E+

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: E+

    Mid Range Shooting: F-

    Three Point Shooting: F-

    Dribbling: F-

    Passing: F

    Ball Handling: F-

    y Making: F-

    Post Scoring: D

    Rebounding: D+

    Post Control: D+

    Perimeter Defense: E-

    Post Defense: C-

    Steals: F+

    Blocks: C+

    Athleticism: A- ]

    Jason was surprised by how quickly Kyle had improved considering where he was when he first started ying basketball.

    Even without Jason focusing on certain areas in Kyle''s training he made improvements just through the course of ying and gaining experience.

    With Udonis Jason was confident and at ease. He knew that even without him there holding his hand as long he gave him instructions Udonis would be able to figure things out.

    [Skills

    Free throw: C-

    Lay Up: C-

    Dunking: D-

    Close Shot: C-

    Mid Range Shooting: D-

    Three Point Shooting: E+

    Dribbling: E+

    Passing: D

    Ball Handling: D-

    y Making: D

    Post Scoring: C+

    Rebounding: C+

    Post Control: C+

    Perimeter Defense: D

    Post Defense: C+

    Steals: E+

    Blocks: C-

    Athleticism: B ]

    Udonis made the most improvements to his game. He was already a solid yer back when he was ying on a garbage team and getting not so great training from Coach Swendel.

    But now that he was ying on a top level teampeting against toughpetition and getting training and advice from Jason he was really beginning to show his true potential.

    As Jason trained with Matt he couldn''t help but smile. He knew that Matt had the least amount of natural talent out of everybody but he consistently worked his heart out every day. So to see his hardwork finally begin to payoff overjoyed him.

    [Skills

    Free-throw: C

    Lay Up: D+

    Dunking: F

    Close Shot: D

    Mid Range Shooting: C

    Three Point Shooting: C+

    Dribbling: D

    Passing: D

    Ball Handling: D+

    y Making: D

    Post Scoring: F

    Rebounding: F+

    Post Control: F

    Perimeter Defense: C

    Post Defense: F+

    Steals: D-

    Blocks: F

    Athleticism: C+ ]

    As happy as Jason was to see his teammates making progress he was still happiest in seeing that he had also improved.

    [Skills

    Free throw: SS+

    Lay Up: S (SS+)

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: S- (SS+)

    Mid Range Shooting: S (SS+)

    Three Point Shooting: S (SS+)

    Dribbling: S (SS+)

    Passing: S (SS+)

    Ball Handling: S (SS+)

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: B (A)

    Rebounding: B (A)

    Post Control: A (S+)

    Perimeter Defense: S (SS+)

    Post Defense: A (S+)

    Steals: S (SS+)

    Blocks: B+ (A+)

    Athleticism: B- ]

    The limiters that were holding back some of Jason''s skills loosened up after his physical condition improved. His physical training outside of practice were finally showing fruit.

    Jason was pushing his body to the limit every day and using the Recovery Boost function in order to maximize the effects of his training.

    - - -

    On Monday Jefferson came out with another dominant disy as they won the game with a score of 86-34.

    Jason had already clocked in 24 pts, 8 ast, 4 reb, 4 stl, and 2 blk by the end of the third quarter. He sat out the entire fourth quarter to let DJ get some more runs in.

    At this point Jefferson middle school was getting a ton of local coverage for their basketball team. The principle had given them a certificate and a speach that was showed on the local news.

    On Friday Jefferson was back in San Jacinto as they yed against another school from there.

    The school only had one locker-room so Jefferson had to get suited up in the bus while it was parked in the back.

    It was hardly anypetition as they coasted to an easy win with a score of 88-42. The teams lined up and shook hands after the game was done. Some of the yers asked to take pictures with Jason.

    The team began walking off the court. Trellined "Man I can''t believe we gotta go here again next week to y anotha team. We the best team in the county bruh, they should be drivin they asses to us."

    Udonis chuckled "Hey man I like the confidence but don''t let it get to yo head. Next week the school we yin against is actually pretty decent.

    They surprisin everybody this season cause they only got two losses under they belts. Some people got them as a dark horse for the county championship."

    Trell rolled his eyes "Whatever UD. For once I''m actually agreein with what Jaya said. We ain''t even gotta think about the county championship. We gotta aim for a national title."

    Jasonughed after hearing Trell say that. As the team was about to step on to the bus Jason stopped.

    He turned to Udonis "Hey I gotta go take a leak real quick. I''ll be there in a minute." Jason took off his jersey and put it into his bag "You mind holding this for me Kyle?"

    Kyle took the bag from Jason "No problem bro." Jason walked back to the school in his shorts and hispression shirt.

    He went into the closest restroom and walked toward a urinal. As he was relieving himself the door opened and some guys walked in.

    They looked a little too old to be in middle school. One of the guys asked "Hey you Jason Yang?"

    Something didn''t feel right to Jason but he just smiled "I am but I would really appreciate it if you let me finish before asking for a picture."

    The guy had a serious expression "We ain''te here for no damn picture. You two keep an eye out." Two of the guys seperated from the group and left the restroom.

    Jason gulped ''This doesn''t look good.''

 Chapter 67 - A Sticky Situation

    Jason was so scared that he stopped in the middle of relieving himself. He tried to look calm as he casually searched through his pockets ''Shit! My phone is in my bag.''

    Jason''s actions seemed to have caught the guy''s attention "Yo what the fuck you doin!?" Jason quickly took his hands out of his pockets.

    "I was just scratching myself because I''m itchy man. I just got out of a basketball game bro. I''m all sweaty and shit okay?"

    The guy looked at Jason questioningly for a second " Ain''t nobody yo bro little man. Whatever, Keep yo hands where I can see em aight? Unless you want to get fucked up."

    Jason gulped as he kept his hands up. The guys in front of him looked like they were between 18-24 years old.

    The one that seemed to be in charge was arge guy at about 6''2 (1.87m) and 300lbs (136kg). He was a bulky light skinned dude with a smooth bald head.

    He was dressed in jeans that sagged down a bit despite the presence of a belt and a baggy ck shirt.

    One of the guys that had stepped out went back in and walked toward therge guy in charge "Coast is clear Mook."

    Mook had an annoyed expression on his face as he shoved the man back "Come on cuh I don told you not to use my name. And I told you to keep an eye out not to tell me what it look like dumbass."

    The guy ran back out the door. Mook sighed "I swear they be gettin dumber and dumber every year man."

    Then he turned to Jason "Listen I ain''t here to hurt you aight? But that don''t mean that it ain''t on the menu. It all depends on how much you willin to work with us got it?"

    Jason nodded his head ''Damn it! You''re just lucky that I''m a kid right now and you guys got like five dudes on your side.''

    Mook smiled "Looks like you know what''s good for you. Y''all areing back here next week to y against Tustin right?"

    Jason was surprised by the question ''I think the name of the school we''re ying against is Tustin middle school.''

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah I think we y them next week." Mook smiled "And your camera guys are gonna be there to record the game right?"

    Jason was suprised by the question again ''What the fuck? What do these guys want?'' Jason didn''t bother asking them as he answered.

    "Yeah, if you''re talking about the Through the Hoops guys they show up to all my games to record me."

    Mook crossed his arms "Listen up. Next week when you y against Tustin you''re gonna guard Julius Newman.

    You''re gonna let him cross you up and brake your ankles. He''s gonna score a ton of points and Jefferson is gonna lose in a close game.

    When you''re little camera guys try and do an interview you''re gonna tell them that Julius is a once in a lifetime talent and that he''s way better than you''ll ever be. Got it?"

    Everything clicked in his head after he heard Mook''s demands. Jason was fuming on the inside ''They can''t beat us on the court so they want to y dirty like this!?

    And this Newman kid wants to be a star by the sounds of these guys demands. He''s probably a garbage ass yer if he needs to do something like this.

    Real hoopers do their talking on the court and let their game speak for them. Whatever I''ll just agree so that I can get out of here. I don''t mind lying to shit heads like these anyways.''

    Jason smiled "Sure sure, whatever you want man. I''ll let him cross me up and I''ll hit the floor and everything."

    Mook was surprised "Wow, uh that was a whole lot easier than I imagined it would be. I thought we was gonna have to beat yo face in or somethin."

    Jason replied "No that won''t be necessary. I like having my face the way it is now. I''ll go along with your n. Can I go now?"

    Mook was nodded his head "I guess. We ain''t got no mo business with you." Jason was in such a hurry to leave that he didn''t even try to wash his hands.

    Just as he was about to step out the door he heard a voice "Hey wait! We need to get the pictures to ckmail him to make sure he actually follows the n!"

    Jason didn''t know what kind of pictures they wanted to take but he didn''t want to stick around and find out.

    He sprinted toward the door but was stopped by a hand that had grabbed on to his arm. Jason turned around to see one of the goons smiling.

    Jason didn''t bother to say anything as he kicked up with everything that he had ''I know it''s dirty but I gotta do what I gotta do.''

    The goon let go of Jason as he yelled out and reached for his crotch before falling to the ground.

    Unfortunately the brief moment that Jason was slowed down by the goon was enough for Mook and his one other goon in the bathroom to catch up to Jason.

    Jason tried to run through the door but Mook grabbed him by his arm and lifted him off the ground.

    Despite Jason''s huge appetite and all the exercising that he had been doing he was still only 115lbs (52kg)

    Mook carried Jason by his arm as he walked to the back of the restroom and away from the door. Jason kicked Mook in the face but he justughed it off.

    "You thought you was slick huh? I was born at night but I wasn''t bornst night son. I ain''t stupid enough to just trust you to follow the n.

    And now you done fucked up one of my guys. Ima have to fuck you up even worse now to even things out." He punched Jason in the sr plexus with his free hand as he dangled him in the air.

    Jason could feel the air getting hit out of him. There wasn''t any pain initially. But after a split second his guts started to feel like they were heating up and he wasn''t able to breath.

    It took a few seconds before Jason was able to take squeeze a breath in. Mook smiled after seeing Jason''s pained expression.

    "Now we just gotta beat ya a little bit more and then strip you naked and take some pictures. If you don''t want those pics gettin on the inte then you better follow the n."

    Just as Mook was about to put Jason down and start his evil ns the door swung open. Mook turned around "I told you guys to keep an eye-huh?"

    At the door wasn''t his goons. At the center was a tall dark skinned dude with blonde dreadlocks tied into a short ponytail.

    He was about 5''11 (1.8m) and dressed in jeans and a white tank top. His well defined muscles were visible. At his side were two other guys.

    Mook had a serious expression on his face "Who the hell are y''all? Where the fuck are my boys?"

    The blonde haired guyughed "If you talkin bout ya dogs that was outside they okay. They was just barkin too much so I had to give um a little discipline na mean?"

    Mook put Jason down as he cracked his fists "You lookin to scrap bruh? Cause if you ain''t tryin to get yo ass whooped today I rmend gettin the hell out of here."

    The blonde guy smiled "Sure thang man we just gotta pick up the little homie and we''ll be on our way." He pointed to Jason.

    Jason was surprised ''Do I know these guys? None of them look familiar. And who said that I want to go with them? I might just be switching from one kidnapper to the other.''

    Mook snarled "He ain''t goin nowhere dog. And you testin myst nerve. If you and ya boys don''t get to steppin real quick then we gon have a problem."

    The blonde guyughed "Hahaha! I was just about to say the same thang." He quickly pulled out a pistol that was hidden behind him.

    He had his gun aimed right at Mook''s scared face. The blonde guyughed "Look at this dude. I can tell by his face that heckin right now."

    He walked up to Mook and ced the barrel of his pistol against his temple "How you gonna run around the wild wild west without yo piece bruh?

    If you ain''t strapped on the daily then you ain''t ready for no warzones. So I suggest that you stop messin with our little homie.

    Cause me and my boys are soldiers straight outta the trenches. And I don''t think you ready to be rollin round in the mud with us. Got it?"

    Mook hurriedly nodded his head. The blonde guy smiled "Go pick your dogs up and scram. Before I change my mind pussy ass bitch." He pistol whipped Mook.

    Mook got hit hard and he even started bleeding on the side of his head. But he didn''t even react to it as he just took his goons with him and left.

    Jason was speechless as he silently stood in the corner of the restroom ''What the hell just happened?''

    After a few minutes the blonde guy didn''t even bother to look at Jason as he just tossed a cell phone toward him before leaving with his crew.

    Jason caught the phone as his body moved on it''s own. After a few moments he finally came to his senses ''Who the hell were those guys? Why did they help me? And what''s with the phone?''

    Jason couldn''t think of anything ''Well no matter what I guess it was a good thing that they helped me.

    Shit everything happened so fast that I didn''t even get a chance to check my rewards from the quest for winning five games in a row.''

    Just as he was about to open up the system Jason got a text. It was from an unkown number. The text said ''You''re wee'' with an emoji of a smiley face wearing sunsses.

    A few things clicked in his head ''No way? That guy? How did he even know that I was in trouble?''

 Chapter 68 - A Sticky Situation: Part-2

    The number wasn''t listed in the contacts but it seemed familiar ''Marcus? Really? How did he know I was in trouble?''

    Jason hesitated for a moment before sending a text ''Marcus?'' A secondter he got a response ''No.''

    Jason was even more confused but then he got another text ''Hahaha jk yeah it''s me'' with the same smiley face wearing sunsses emoji at the end.

    Jason decided to call him. After a few rings the call went through as Jason heard Marcus'' voice "Well if it ain''t Riverside''s young MVP. How you doin? You liking the phone? It''s the newest model."

    Jason frowned "How did you know I was in trouble?" Marcusughed "Damn son, you actin he cold for someone that just had their ass saved you know that?

    Most people would be sayin thank you for saving me or thanks for the new phone ya know?" Jason paused for a second "Thanks Marcus, I appreciate you saving me and the phone is cool.

    But some people would also be suspicious about getting a phone from a stranger. It could have all sorts of stuff on it to let you spy on me.

    People would also be suspicious seeing as how you somehow knew the exact moment when I would be in trouble to send help."

    Jason heard Marcusughing on the other side "Hahaha! Bro just to let you know, I swear I didn''t n this shit and I ain''t set you up. Aight?

    I already told you when we metst time that you toox little man. For you ball is somethin you y to have fun or because you love it.

    But for other people? That shit is their only way to a better life. I done seem some people do the stupidest shit tryin to push they friends, they siblings, or they kids to go pro.

    I noticed that you didn''t listen to me so I just sent one of my shootas to tail you at all yo games. You lucky I did that otherwise yo ass would be in a pretty tight spot right now."

    Jason was silent for a moment. Marcus noticed the silence and jumped back in "I know it''s hard to believe but shit like this do happen.

    Especially when you get to the point where yous at right now little man. You got so much clout right now. You the secondin of Tyreek.

    Best trust that there some folks out here that would do anything to snatch that shit away. They would turn demonic in a heartbeat.

    And I know you don''t trust me but I just don''t want anotha story like Tyreek''s to happen. I think Riverside needs people like you and Tyreek.

    Some these kids out here in the streets cause they think it''s they only option. The schools done gave up on most of em.

    But if you and Tyreek can make it big it''ll show em that they ain''t just tied to being what everyone thinks they''ll be.

    You can open up they eyes to all the possibilities around them even if it ain''t ball. If they see this little ass Asian kid ballin and showin out it''ll tell em that we ain''t limited by the perception of those around us."

    Jason thought about what Marcus'' had said ''If he''s really been having someone tail me at all my games then I guess that exins how the help came at such a good time.

    But I still don''t trust him. And I''m not sure if I buy this whole ''Bringing hope to the hood'' dream that he''s trying to sell me. And what did he mean by not wanting another story like Tyreek''s happening?''

    Jason asked "What did you mean by not wanting another story like Tyreeks happening? And what do you want from me Marcus? I might be a kid but even I know that favors don''te for free."

    Marcus answered "If you want to know about Tyreek''s story I would ask him little man. It ain''t my ce to say.

    And you right, favors ain''t free. Shootas don''t grow on trees and having one follow you around means one less person around me that''s packin heat.

    I''m telling the truth when I say I want you to be a role model for some these kids. But I''m also helpin you out because my guts are tellin me that you''ll make it big.

    I told you I only invest in winnas. That don''t mean that I''m tryin to use you tho. I want our partnership to be a two way street.

    Remember how you wanted Shania off the streets? She didn''t just wake up one night and all of sudden be squeeky clean.

    It''s been some real work keepin her off the streets and outta trouble. And I helped your ass out again today. This can be a win win type deal for the both of us.

    When you make it big you gonna need an entourage, you gonna need some muscle to help keep yo hands clean, and I can help with all dat. And in return you just gotta make sure that my guys get paid. It''s that simple."

    Jason thought about it for a few seconds ''This might not be thest time I run into a situation like this... I guess I can try trusting him for now but I''ll probably have to ask Tyreek more about this Marcus guy.''

    Jason answered "Alright Marcus. So what do I have to do now?" Marcus justughed "Nothin man. I already told you, all you gotta do is keep on winning.

    But I feel like our rtionship got a little bit closer after today. I feel like you''ll learn to trust me eventually so I''llpromise.

    Even in the off chance you lose I''ll still keep you safe and I''ll keep Shania off the streets. All you gotta do is make sure you make it to the league. Aight?"

    Jason thought about it long and hard before he agreed to the deal. Marcusughed "Nice to have you on board then young buck.

    You might still be doubtin me but I treat my people right. You go ahead and keep that phone. Use it however you want. And don''t worry about anyone messin with you.

    You in good hands with Amare. He been through the proper QA testin if you know what I mean haha."

    Marcus hanged up the call. Jason took a deep breath ''Shit. I honestly hope that I don''t end up needing his help much.''

    Jason washed his hands before walking out the restroom. Just as he had gotten out he bumped into somebody.

    "Ahh!" Jason reflexively punched out "Ouch! What the hell man!?" Jason took a closer look and saw that it was Trell who was now holding his bleeding nose.

    "Oh shit. My bad-ow!" Trell socked him right in the face. Jason held on to his bleeding nose as heined "What the hell man!? I punched you on ident. But you did that shit on purpose."

    Trell replied "Yeah? Well now we''re even. The fuck was taking you so long? Coach had mee in here to look for you."

    Jason answered "Nothing man. I just got lost looking for the bathroom. Let''s go." The two of them made their way back to the bus and got on.

    During the long ride home Jason checked on his prizes forpleting the mission of winning five games.

    [Congrattions! Mission "Silence the haters" has been aplished. Prize: Unlock one random skill badge. Would you like to redeem now?

    Yes ----- No ]

    Jason chose yes and as soon as he did a generic looking birthday gift appeared in front of him. Judging by how no one else was reacting Jason assumed that he was the only one that could see it.

    Jason nced around before casually reaching out toward the box. As soon as he touched it the top came off as confetti shot out before fading away.

    [Congrattions! You have unlocked the skill badge: Hustle (Bronze) Increases your chances of ses when diving/fighting for loose balls. Slightly increases rebounding.]

    ''Really? Hustle? Man I didn''t need a badge for that. I already do that on my own. I could have used a badge for shooting or dribbling. Oh well, it''s not like it hurts to have it I guess.''

    - - -

    After they got home Jason asked his parents if it was okay for him to hang out at Kyle''s. His parents smiled and agreed.

    They gave Jason some side dishes to bring for Kyle and his mom. After Jason ate dinner with Kyle and his mom he went to Kyle''s room.

    Kyle was watching some anime on his TV when Jason nudged him "Hey, you know anything about cellphones?"

    Kyle kept his eyes on the TV "Bro shut up. You''re about to miss the epic fight scene. This ones a ssic. Rock Lee has to fight this guy with the red hair, his name is Gaara, and-"

    Jason interrupted him "Bro this is important." Kyle saw the serious look on Jason''s face "Fine. I guess we can watch itter."

    Kyle turned off his TV before turning to Jason "So what were you asking?" Jason repeated his question.

    Kyle scratched his head "What do you mean by know anything? Like how to use one? Because if that''s your question then you would have a hard time finding someone that doesn''t."

    Jason rolled his eyes "You know what I mean Kyle. Do you know anything about the hardware? How about software?"

    Kyle smiled "You''re just in luck. I originally didn''t know anything about cellphones other than how to use them.

    Butst year they started airing this anime about a dude that starts working at an electronics repair shop.

    Did I mention that he inherited the shop from his grandfather that died of mysterious causes?

    Oh and after he starts working there he starts being able to see and talk to the spirits of all the electronics that are brought to his store-"

    Jason interrupted him again "Kyle, you''re doing the whole anime rambling thing again." Kyle scratched his head.

    "My bad. Ayways I know a pretty good deal. I do all the repairs for me and my mom. Last week I reced the motherboard on my mom''s phone. Why?"

    Jason hesitated before pulling out the cellphone that Marcus'' goon had given him. He had kept it off ever since the call with Marcus.

    "Would you be able to find any bugs used for spying or listening in?" Jason told Kyle about what had happened in the restroom.

 Chapter 69 - Sorry, Not A But I Hope You Read Anyways

    So I''ve been debating on whether I should post something like this. I know that for a lot of us we read to escape the problems of life and the things that bother us.

    But I can''t continue to write a story that so heavily features ck characters and is about a sport that is where it is at today through the efforts of so many ck athletes without talking about BLM.

    First I would like to say that I am against all the looting and rioting as I believe most people would be. But I support those who are trying to make a change through peaceful protest which I''ve seen to be the majority.

    Although I am in support of the protest the inner healthcare worker in me just has to say a couple of things. If you are thinking of protesting please try and distance yourself as best as you can. Also please wear a mask.

    The mask''s primary function isn''t to protect you from getting it but to prevent you from spreading it. So if everyone wears the mask they can protect each other from the virus. And if you or anyone in your home is immunpromised please consider what would happen should you or your loved one end up on a venttor.

    I was honestly going to bite my tongue on this matter. I felt like it would be inappropriate to post something like this on this tform. But yesterday I heard a song titled "The bigger picture" by one of my favorite artist Lil Baby.

    Ever since I heard that song it has been eating away at me. How can I in my good conscience write a story about basketball , a sport that is where it is at today because of the work and dedication of so many ck athletes, without bringing this subject up?

    I am Asian American but I grew up in Moreno Valley California and went to schools that were primarily cks and Latinos. So just about all my friends are ck and I feel like to not use my tform, as small as it may be, to try and spread words for change would be a p in the face of our friendship.

    I am sorry if you don''t like seeing posts like this on a tform meant for entertainment. But like Lebron said "I will not shut up and dribble." For all my ck friends, readers, haters, you are not alone and we will stand with you until change is made. If you like hiphop I really rmend the song by Lil Baby. And don''t worry today''s chapter is stilling out lol.

 Chapter 70 - Questions

    Kyle had a freaked out look on his face as Jason told him about the thugs that ran up on him at the restroom. But after Jason told him about Tustin middle school Kyle became furious.

    "What the hell!? They actually sent people to try and do that to you!? We have to destroy them next week!"

    Jason was surprised by how pumped up Kyle was "Wow, I didn''t think you''d be pumped like this. I thought you would be more scared or nervous."

    Kyle looked at Jason "Oh don''t get me wrong. I''m plenty scared. But the number one rule of shounen is that you always have to have your nakama''s back!"

    Jason was confused "Naka-what?" Kyle shook his head "Nevermind. It just means that you can count on me. Here let me see the phone."

    Kyle spent an hour dismantling the phone that Marcus had given to Jason. He carefully went through all the parts.

    After going through all the parts carefully he put it back together and plugged it into hisputer.

    After about another hour Kyle unplugged the phone and handed it to Jason "I''m not sure if we can trust Marcus but this phone isn''t bugged.

    I checked through all the parts and everything seems good. I looked through everything and I didn''t find any suspicious or malicious programs on the phone. So far everything checks out as far as the phone is concerned."

    Jason took the phone from Kyle before tossing it and catching it a few times "Thanks Kyle. You were the only one I could ask for this kind of thing."

    Kyle smiled "Jaya, I might be a huge scaredy cat but you know that I always got your back. Oh shit that kinda rhymed haha."

    Jason and Kyle spent another hour ying video games. It was starting to gette so Jason texted his dad to pick him up.

    - - -

    The next day Jason went to visit Tyreek at his new ce. After being dropped off by his mom Jason texted Tyreek to let him know that he was there.

    Jason waited in front of the gates for a few minutes before Tyreek came down to get him. As soon as Tyreek saw him he smiled as he started to dap him up.

    "What''s good man? I really appreciate you offering to help me and Shania move our stuff in and get settled."

    Jason smiled back "No problem bro. So this is the newmunity huh? Looks pretty nice man. You excited to live in the same townhouse as Javier and Greg?"

    Tyreek started guiding Jason as they walked and talked "I''m stoked bro. Javier and Greg seem like super chill dudes.

    But the best part is that without having to worry about rent I was able to leave the warehouse gig behind.

    I been zeroed in on ball for thest two weeks and I can already feel the difference man. Ima bout to be a beast when ites to college."

    After a bit of walking Tyreek stopped as they reached one of the townhouses that had a moving truck parked in front of the open garage door.

    Tyreek called out "Shania! Get yo ass out here. I got your favorite person to pay you a visit." Shania walked out of the garage but as soon as she saw Jason standing next to Tyreek she rolled her eyes.

    "Why the hell you bring him over here? You already know he be gettin on my nerves!" Tyreekughed as he patted Jason on the shoulder.

    "Don''t mind her. That''s just how Shania shows her affection. She be calling me all types of stuff. Here just start movin the stuff from the truck into the garage. I''ll go grab you a pair of gloves."

    As Tyreek passed by Shania on his way into the house he whispered into her ear "Looks like the white girl ain''t got him tied down yet. I would make my move if I was you."

    Shania punched him in the shoulder "Shut the fuck up Tyreek!" He justughed as he made his way inside the house.

    Jason helped Tyreek and Shania move their things off of the moving truck and into the garage. After a few hours they stopped to take a break.

    Tyreek turned to Shania "Yo Shania. Go grab some water from the fridge. And go make some sandwiches" She turned to him with an annoyed look.

    "Why the hell can''t you do it?" Tyreekughed "Okay I can go grab em. I guess you want some alone time with Jaya."

    She jumped up and stomped her feet "Geez! Fine I''m gettin the water and the food. You startin to get on my nerves too Tyreek."

    Jasonughed "Good to see that she''s taking the move well. Where are Greg and Javier?" Tyreek answered "Oh they inside. They busy lookin at some footage from me and you."

    Jason nodded his head "Okay. Hey Tyreek I got something I wanted to ask you about." Tyreek looked at Jason "Shoot for it bro. I''m all ears."

    Jason asked "You know Marcus right?" Tyreek was surprised for a moment "I know him. Me and Marcus grew up together.

    We was friends and teammates until high school. He was just as talented as me but he stopped yin ball when his folks passed.

    That was when he started fucking heavy with the street shit. Marcus got a good heart , at least that''s what I want to believe, buttely he been gettin into some dangerous stuff.

    But why you askin bout him? Anything happen?" Jason hesitated but in the end he decided to tell Tyreek about what had happened in San Jacinto.

    Tyreek sighed "Damn man, not again. I was hoping that shit would change but I guess a few years ain''t enough."

    Jason looked at Tyreek "Marcus said that he didn''t want another story like yours happening again. What did he mean?"

    Tyreek looked around before taking a deep breath "This bout to be the first time I talked to anyone about this."

    He looked Jason straight in the face "You gotta keep this to the grave aight? You can''t let anyone know. Especially not Shania."

    Jason felt the mood get heavy as he nodded his head. Tyreek looked out in front of him "This was a little more than two years ago.

    I was finally startin to blow up. My name was pickin up traction as I lead Newberry to our first undefeated season.

    I was getting coverage on the news and big youtube channels were going to my games to record my highlights.

    We were about to y against our first team on the way to the state championship. One day Marcus came up to me and told me that the school we was gonna y against hired some thugs to scare me to give up the game.

    Maybe I didn''t believe him because I wanted to believe in the good that was inside of people. Or maybe I didn''t think that they would really do anything and that it was all just a bluff.

    I can''t remember anymore. But I ignored him. Me and Newberry went to LA and whooped that schools ass. We blew em outta the water.

    My big bro decided to treat the whole team out to some food to celebrate. We was eating and chillin when all of a sudden bullets started flyin.

    Two of the homies got hit before everyone realized what was happening. We hit the floor and prayed to god that we was gonna make it out.

    My bro was the only that was strapped up. He pulled out his piece and started firing back. Cameras caught him shooting back and even though it was self defense he got hit with illegal possession of a firearm.

    And since he already had some dirt on his track sheet he got hit with a felony. Just because I didn''t listen to Marcus'' warnin Shania had to see her old man get locked up."

    Jason asked "Shania doesn''t know this?" Tyreek shook his head "No one except for you and Marcus know.

    Police chalked it up as a random gang fight. I was 16 and scared. I didn''t know any better so I just rolled with that story."

    Jason was deep in thought for a few seconds "So do you think I can trust Marcus?" Tyreek thought for a moment before answering.

    "I honestly wish I could tell you. A couple days after that I got a text from Marcus. It was a link to a news article about three gang affiliated men in LA who died after being shot while buying food. And then he sent a text that read ''An eye for an eye.''"

    Jason checked the time and saw that it was almost time for practice. He told Tyreek that he couldn''t stay any longer but that he woulde back another day to help move stuff.

    Jason ended up leaving with more questions than he had when he first came.

    - - -

    Jason poured all his frustration and anger into practice as he used it to fuel himself to work even harder.

    The weekend soon passed as Monday quickly arrived. Jefferson made their return trip to San Jacinto to y against Tustin middle school.

    As the teams lined up to shake hands before the start of the game Jason was smiling and shaking hands with all the yers until he came to a certain yer.

    He was about 5''7 (1.7m) with a medium frame. He was a lighter shade than Kyle or Trell and had a small afro.

    His jersey had the number 15 and Newman on the back. Julius smiled and extended his hand toward Jason "Nice to meet you!

    I can''t believe I get to y against the famous Young Buckets. Let''s have a good game." The rest of the guys from Jefferson ,except for Kyle, were surprised as Jason didn''t even aknowledge the kid.

    Jason passed by him with a nuetral face. The rest of Jefferson were even more suprised as they saw Kyle do the exact same thing.

    Jason began clearing his head and getting tuned into his game mindset ''Let''s do this. TIme to show this clown how real hoopers handle business.''

 Chapter 71 - A Foul Mood

    Kyle was focused as he stood face to face with the other team''s Center as they got ready for the jump ball.

    Other than focus there seemed to be a hard to describe light that burned in Kyle''s gaze ''Come on Kyle. Time to put these bad guys in their ce. You can do this.''

    As soon as the ref tossed the ball into the air Kyle was locked in. When the ball reached it''s apex Kyle jumped up and reached for it.

    Kyle''s speed getting off the ground was incredible and so was his uracy as he was able to tap it directly to Jason.

    As soon as Jason touched the ball he yelled out "Run Kyle!" Kyle heard Jason''s voice and before he could fully understand what he had just said his body was already moving on its own as he dashed to the basket.

    Even though Kyle was the tallest one on the court his coordination and foot speed were just as incredible as his height as Kyle outran all the nearby defenders.

    Just as Kyle was about to step into the paint Jason threw a touchdown pass to get him the ball. Kyle caught the ball before going up strong and dunking with his right hand.

    The home section went quiet after seeing their team give up a basket just seconds into the game. As Kylended back on to the court he thumped his chest as he yelled into the sky "Yeah!!!"

    As Kyle made his way back on defense Jason high-fived him. Tustin middle school inbounded the ball to Julius.

    As he brought the ball up the court Jason was locked-in on him. Jason used Heart''s eye to check out his skills.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B-

    Lay Up: B-

    Dunking: D

    Close Shot: C+

    Mid Range Shooting: B-

    Three Point Shooting: B-

    Dribbling: B

    Passing: C+

    Ball Handling: B

    y Making: C+

    Post Scoring: C

    Rebounding: D-

    Post Control: C-

    Perimeter Defense: B-

    Post Defense: D-

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: E+

    Athleticism: B ]

    At first Jason was surprised by how good Julius was. He couldn''t recall any memories of him from his past life.

    But then Jason became even more furious ''You have skills like this and you still choose to use dirty tricks!? I''ve never seen anyone cheat the game more than this.

    You had to have put in work to get the kind of skills that you have. And now you''re tainting it all and ruining your efforts by acting so grimey.''

    Jason picked him up as soon as he crossed half court. Jason started pressing up against him as he pressured him with his defense.

    Julius couldn''t move the way he wanted because of Jason''s defense. He turned his body as he had to guard the ball against Jason.

    Jason was smothering Julius with his intense defense when he saw an opening. Jason shot his hand out as he poked the ball away from Julius.

    Jason was about to run to the ball and start the fastbreak when he heard the referee blow his whistle.

    The referee pointed at Jason "Personal foul number 17!" Jason was shocked by the call ''That was a clean steal. Did he have a bad angle?''

    The game had just started and his team was in the lead so Jason didn''t bother arguing with the referee as he just re-positioned himself on defense.

    On defense Jason toned down his man to man defense. He wasn''t ying defense aggressively but he was still locking down Julius.

    He also did his usual thing by directing the rest of the guys as he neutralized the opposing team''s game-n.

    With Julius guarding him Jason was motivated to score whenever the other guys couldn''t get open or make their own shot.

    Jason crossed him up with his handles, hit him with multiple different fakes, and scored with his jumper or by taking it into the paint.

    Jason had fifteen points in the first quarter and there were still four more minutes to go. But Coach Swendel called for a timeout and subbed DJ in for Jason so that he could get some rest.

    Without Jason to direct them their defense took a slight dip in quality as they allowed more space to be created.

    But their effort was still there as they tried their best to stick with their marks and contest shots.

    Without Jason to defend him Julius finally felt like he had some breathing room. He got past DJ with a inside-out to crossoverbo.

    As he was attacking the paint he saw that Kyle was in the vicinity but still far away enough so he went up for theyup.

    Kyle left his man as he bolted toward Julius. His speed was faster than what Julius had expected. Before the ball could leave his hand it was pped down by Kyle.

    The impact sent Julius falling to the court on his butt. Kyle was about to celebrate the block when the referee blew his whistle as he pointed at him"Personal foul! Number 12!"

    Jason jumped to his feet and started yelling "Where are your eyes ref!? That was all ball!" Coach Swendel walked up to the referee and started arguing the call.

    "What the hell? How was that a foul? My kid got all ball on that block." The referee looked at him "Oh yeah? Well from where I''m watching I saw contact on the wrist. Call stands as it is."

    Coach Swendel''s face turned bright red. Just as he was about to yell at the referee he saw the scoreboard 24-8 with 2 minutes left to go.

    He took a deep breath before turning to the referee "Just keep a closer eye okay?" Those were hisst words to the ref as he walked back to the bench.

    Jason saw Coach Swendeling back "What did the ref say?" Coach Swendel punched the air in front of him "The shit head said that he saw contact on the wrist."

    Jason rolled his eyes "We both know that''s a load of bull. That was a clean block. Kyle got nothing but ball on that one."

    Coach Swendel grabbed a sports bottle and started dumping some of the ice cold water on to his head.

    "I know that and you know that. The only one who disagrees is the ref. We''re still up by a lot so it''s not worth it to get into a shouting match for now. Let''s see how things go."

    Jason nodded his head as he agreed with Coach Swendel ''I hope these shitty calls don''t go on for the whole night.''

    Thest two minutes passed as the quarter ended with Jefferson in the lead with a score of 26-14.

    Jason was back on the floor to start off the second quarter. On the court with Jason were Vince, Udonis, Nick, and Matt.

    Jason called for a y that involved Vince and Udonis setting a double screen for Matt as he made his way from the right corner to the wing.

    Vince and Udonis set some solid screens as the defenders got stuck. Matt red out to the wing wide open.

    But before he could get the pass from Jason the referee blew his whistle again. He yelled out as he pointed to Udonis "Foul on number 40! Illegal screen!"

    Udonis calmly walked over to the referee "Sorry sir but how was that a illegal screen? I was set before the defender ran into me and I didn''t move after contact was made."

    The referee didn''t bother to look at him in the face even though they were the same height "You stuck out your hips to dy the defender."

    Udonis frowned "Sir I didn''t. I was still the whole time." It was only the two of them in the vicinity as the referee turned to Udonis.

    "I called it that way so that''s how it is. So stop talking and go y ball." The referee then walked away leaving Udonis standing there as he gripped the edges of his jersey.

    Udonis walked toward Jason as he made his way back on defense "Sorry, my bad." Jason asked "How''d it go with the ref?"

    Udonis shook his head "He on something else bro. He kept saying that I stuck my hip out during the screen but I know I didn''t."

    Jason frowned ''Looks like this dude is in love with his whistle. We might be in for a long night.'' Jason patted Udonis on the shoulder "It''s cool man. We''re still up by a lot."

    The referee continued his streak of bad calls throughout the quarter as Tustin began shooting free-throws whenever they threw up a shot.

    But despite the bad calls and ghost fouls Jefferson still sat at impressive lead of 33-22 as the quarter neared the halfway mark.

    Jason had the ball at the top of the perimeter as Julius stood in front of him. Jason started putting on a show as he started to dribble.

    Julius seemed jumpy and on his toes as he kept twitching and moving slightly to all of Jason''s moves.

    Jason drove toward the right at full speed beforeing to a sudden stop just as Julius was about to make contact with him.

    Jason then stepped back and did a head fake. Julius thought Jason was getting into his shooting motion so he jumped toward him to contest the shot.

    Jason smiled as he saw Juliusing at him. He jumped into the contact as he shot the ball. Jason ended up on the floor as Julius fell on top of him.

    He saw the ball swish through the and started yelling and cheering in anticipation of the foul call that he would make it into a four-point y.

    The referee blew his whistle but what he said next made Jason furious "Technical foul! Unsportsmanlike conduct!"

    Jason was fuming ''What the hell is wrong with this ref!?'' Jason jumped to his feet and started stomping toward the referee.

 Chapter 72 - A Foul Mood: Part-2

    Jason made his way to the ref with his head burning hot ''The fuck is wrong with this ref!? He acts like I banged his wife or something!''

    Just as Jason was about to start arguing with the referee he was pulled back by Udonis "Bro I know that this ref is ass. But you gotta calm down. I can see it on your face how pissed off you are.

    I know that these calls are a load of bs but you can''t just go over there and start a yelling match. You won''t do the team any good if you get ejected."

    Jason calmed down a bit after hearing what Udonis had to say. In the heat of the moment Jason had forgotten that he was currently a twelve year old kid.

    In college since just about all the yers were 18-22 the referees treated them with a little more respect. They also listened a little bit more if you had anyints about calls.

    But in this situation seeing as how Jason was just a kid in the eyes of the referee. He probably wouldn''t give much thought to anything Jason had to say and yelling or raising his voice would just lead to an ejection.

    Jason took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second before looking back at Udonis with a smile "Thanks UD. You''re right. I just have to focus on ballin out."

    Udonis smiled as he extended his fist toward Jason. The two of them fist bumped before making their way back on defense.

    - - -

    Javier was watching the game from the side as he stood next to Greg who was holding up his camera and recording the game.

    They just got the shot where Kyle blocked Julius''yup even though he started pretty far away.

    Javier did a small fist pump "Nice one Kyle!" But then he heard the referee call it as a foul "What the hell ref!? Where are your eyes at!?"

    Greg continued to aim the camera at the game but he turned his head to Javier and put his finger on his lip telling him to shut up.

    Javier chuckled as he whispered "My bad. I forgot that you were recording for a second. Just y some music over that part."

    Greg nodded his head and turned his focus back to the camera and the game. Javier wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a handkerchief that he took out from his pocket.

    ''That was a pretty bad call. Oh well, maybe the referee had a bad angle. Hopefully he does a better job for the rest of the game.''

    As the game progressed the expression on Javier''s face became worse. Even Greg who was normally stone faced had a slight frown.

    After Jason had made the three-pointer and got called for unsportsmanlike conduct Javier stomped his feet "What are you on ref!? That should be a four-point y!"

    Greg turned to Javier but instead of gesturing for him to be quiet he just nodded his head in agreement.

    Javier and Greg should be acting like professionals and just record the content unbiasedly. However after spending so much time with Jason and seeing how hardworking he was, and how honestly he loved the game, they were slowly bing invested in him as a person.

    Javier had a mischievous smile on his face "You picked the wrong game to make so many bad calls.

    Greg make sure you record everything carefully. I think this will make for some good material hehehe." Greg gave a thumbs up as he continued to record the game.

    - - -

    Despite the referee''s best attempts, Jefferson was still able to dominate the game all the way through to the third quarter.

    As the yers were resting before the start of the fourth quarter Coach Swendel stood up as he looked at them.

    "Great game so far guys. I know that we''re in a little bit of foul trouble but that''s okay. A lot of those calls were questionable and not our fault.

    We are up 56-47 which I feel like is a hell of a lead considering how tonight has been for us. So let''s just focus on finishing strong and ying smart basketball alright?"

    The yers nodded their heads in agreement and let out a small cheer after Coach Swendel was finished speaking.

    The clock buzzed indicating that the fourth quarter was about to begin. Jason made his way to the court with Kyle, Vince, Matt and Trell.

    Jason dribbled the ball down the court and called for a y. After having run a few different sets without having created any good looks Jason signaled for the team to clear the floor for the iso.

    Jason looked at Julius as he stood in front to him to guard him. Jason started off his dribbling with two big crossovers before going into a hesi.

    After the hesi Jason did a quick small crossover to the left which got Julius going in that direction.

    After the initial seperation Jason dribbled the ball through his legs and stepped back for the three-pointer.

    After he drained the shot Jason didn''t even react ''Fuck this bitch ass ref. I can''t even celebrate making a nice ass shot after a sweet move like that because I might get hit with a tech.''

    Even with all the bad calls going against them Jefferson was able to y their game and force the tempo into their favor.

    Udonis had a hard time as he took some hits while he would post up but he was still able to score and rebound at an effective rate.

    Kyle had the hardest time adapting to how physical the opposing yers were ying. He was more athletic than Udonis but his slim frame put him at a disadvantage when it came to physical y like this.

    But he was still able to protect the paint and block shots while grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds.

    There were only two minutes left in the game and Jefferson was up 70-58. Trell wasing off of a screen from Kyle as he began driving to the paint straight down the middle.

    Trell saw that he had an openne and grinned from ear to ear. He nted his foot before exploding off of it as he leapt toward the basket.

    As he was about to reach the rim, before he could dunk the ball, one of Tustin middle school''s yers decided to try and take a charge at thest second.

    The yer slid in front of Trell while he was in the air. As Trell made contact with him it threw himpletely off bnce as his body began shifting in the air.

    Before he began falling Trell somehow managed to toss the ball into the basket. He fell t on his left side.

    Trell clutched at his elbow as he yelled out in pain "Fuck!" Jason and the rest of the team rushed over to him.

    Jason tried to help Trell sit up "You okay man?" Trell shook his head before looking at his elbow "I don''t think anythings broken but it really fucking hurts right now."

    Jason turned around furiously before walking up to the yer that had slid in front of Trell "What the fuck! Did your parents drop you or are you just fucking stupid!?

    He was already in the air numbnuts! Are you trying to get people hurt!?" The yer was overwhelmed by Jason''s energy to the point where he couldn''t speak.

    Jason then turned at walked toward the referee "Yo ref! That had to have been a blocking foul. Trell was already in the air by the time he tried to take the charge."

    The referee ignored him as he started instructing the teams to get back to the game. Jason saw that and fumed ''Fine you bitch. Don''t be surprised when karma bites you in the ass.''

    They subbed Nick in for Trell before resuming the game. Jason whispered something as he passed by Kyle. After listening to what he had to say Kyle had a big smile on his face.

    Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson took their foot of the gas as they cruised through the remainder of the quarter.

    There were only thirty seconds left on the clock as Jefferson had all but won the game. They lead 76-64 and the results seemed final.

    Jason let Julius get by him as he drove into the paint. Kyle didn''t run up to him right away. Instead he let him throw up ay up before jumping into the air.

    Kyle took a quick nce before spiking the ball in the direction of the referee. The ball was clearly on the way down before Kyle got to it but he still hit it with everything that he had.

    The referee wasn''t expecting the ball toe his way as he took it square in the chest. The referee fell over as his face started to turn bright red.

    The whistle was in his mouth still but he was having a hard time breathing so he couldn''t call Kyle for goaltending at the moment.

    Jason walked to Kyle and gave him a discrete low-five and a thumbs up. Kyle smiled and nodded his head.

    After a short break the referee stood back up and continued to officate thest few seconds of the game.

    When he called for the teams to meet back up in the center of the court to shake hands Jason and the rest of the team refused to do so.

    The home crow started to boo Jefferson as they shouted insults toward them. They even began throwing their popcorn, sodas and other trash in their direction.

    The referee walked over to Coach Swendel "If your team doesn''t go over to shake hands then I''m going to have to give you and the team your first strike of the season."

    Coach Swendel crossed his arms as he stared him down "If my team doesn''t want to go then I won''t force them. And you can go ahead and give us the strike.

    Because I''ll be talking to theittee anyways to talk about tonights clearly biased officiating.

    And I''m sure that the country is going to enjoy watching tonight''s game in a week when the next episode of Through the Hoops airs.

    You think you can threaten my team!? You just messed with the wrong people you shit smeared ass wipe!"

    Coach Swendel turned around and started getting his yers into the locker-room. The referee stood there fuming with a bright red face.

    - - -

    After the end of the game Julius got cleaned up and changed. Just as he got out of the locker-room he smiled as he ran up to hug somebody.

    It was a man with a bulky build. He looked to be about 6''1 (1.85m) and 230 (104kg) of muscle.

    He looked simr to Julius but his hair was styled in a short buzz cut and he had a few tattoos on his face.

    Julius frowned "Sorry bro I let you down. I thought for sure we could take on Jefferson. The ref was even calling a lot of stuff our way and we still lost."

    Julius'' brother smiled as he patted his shoulder "That''s alright man. You can still make a run for the county championship.

    You''ll get em next time. You go wait at the front aight? I just gotta go take care a somethin right quick."

    Julius smiled as he nodded his head. Julius'' brother smiled as he watched him walk away. Then he pulled up his cellphone and dialed a number.

    "I want you and the boys to meet me at the parking lot. Make sure you bring the masks. We''ll get those bitches while they gettin on the bus."

 Chapter 73 - A Tough Night

    Julius'' brother was just about to walk out to the parking lot when he was stopped by the referee from the game.

    The referee ran up to him "Hey Rnd!" James looked at him with a pissed expression "The fuck you want dog!?"

    The referee shrank back a bit but he continued "You still owe me some money. You said 200 before the game and 200 after. I''m here for the other 200."

    Rnd put his hand up which caused the referee to shrink back even more "I ain''t givin you shit!

    The deal was you help us win the game dumbfuck! Not just call a bunch of fucking fouls! You lucky I''m in a hurry otherwise I''d smack the fuckin moles off yo ugly ass face!"

    Rnd shoved the referee away before walking back toward the parking lot.

    - - -

    A few minutes passed by as Rnd waited for his crew to show up in the parking lot. Just as he was about to call again he saw Mook carrying a bag followed by the rest of the crew. They were all carrying a baseball bat, a pipe, or something simr.

    Mook walked over to Rnd before putting the bag on the floor in front of him "I got the boys and the masks just like you asked Rolo.

    We really gonna do this? I told you what happenedst time. The dude was strapped Rolo. How the fuck are we supposed to fight someone that''s packin?"

    Rnd unzipped the bag and pulled out a ski mask "He was bluffin you dumbasses! Think about the reason why we don''t carry guns.

    It''s because if you get caught with that shit you gonna serve some real time. You think he wants to risk serving some real time over shit like this?

    As soon as he takes one shot he risks the police tracing everything back to him. Not to mention if he actually kills somebody. Dude would be locked away for life.

    Now you tell me if you think he would be dumb enough to do all that?" Mook couldn''t think of any arguements to Rnds points so he just nodded his head.

    Rnd put the ski mask on and started passing the bag around. All of the others took a mask and put it on as well.

    Just as they were about to start discussing the details of their n they heard a set of foot steps approaching them.

    Mook turned around and his body started shivering "It''s him Rolo! It''s the guy!" Rnd turned to see Amare with his two boys at his side.

    Amareughed as he looked at the crew in front of him "Yo I like the masks but ain''t it a lil too early for Halloween?"

    Rnd stared down Amare "You best get on outta here man. Unless you lookin for trouble." Amare justughed.

    "Y''all must be a new type a stupid. Don''t you remember what happenedst time? And besides I got a little somethin for you."

    Amare pulled out his phone and started ying a video. The audio was loud enough for everyone to hear.

    Rnd heard his voice as he argued with the referee in the hallway. Everyone silently listened to the video.

    After it was done Amareughed as he put his cellphone away. He tapped the shoulder of the guy to his side.

    "Bruh Marcus is too smart sometimes. He told me that if I kept an eye on ol Rnd here that I would be able to get somethin nice.

    I never thought it would be this good hahaha. 200 before the game and 200 after huh? I wonder what the sportsmittee is gonna say after they find out?

    Tustin middle school might have their season invalided. And your little bro might catch some serious heat."

    After hearing Amare''s threat Rnd justughed "You forgetting one thing man. You and yo boys is outnumbered.

    It don''t matter what kind of video you got. We just gotta beat yo ass and take your phone." Rnd gestured for his guys to get ready.

    They all began to brandish their baseball bats and pipes in a threatening manner. Amare startedughing even harder "Y''all think you tough huh? That''s cute."

    He pulled out his pistol again and aimed it at Mook "I thought I warned y''all. If you ain''t strapped then you best stop actin like soldiers."

    Rnd stared down Amare "We know you bluffin dog. You don''t wanna risk gettin locked up for life. You ain''t gonna pull the trigger. You ain''t gonna do shit!"

    - - -

    Jason and the rest of the team had just finished cleaning up and were getting changed into the clothes that they had brought when they heard the sound of gunshots being fired.

    *BANG BANG*

    Everyone instinctively took cover. They all hid themeselves with various thoughts racing through their minds as the sound of gunshots continued to st through the building.

    Everyone was already in high tension so they were all scared senseless when they heard the door m open.

    But after seeing that it was Coach Swendel they all let out a collective sigh of relief. Coach Swendel rushed toward them.

    "Everyone get together and move to the back of the locker-room." After guiding them Coach Swendel pulled out his phone and called the police.

    Coach Swendel and the kids took cover in the back of the locker-room for over an hour until two policemen came in and told them that it was now safe.

    As Coach Swendel and the team walked through the parking lot to get to the bus they saw the police investigating a taped off portion of the parking lot.

    Jason didn''t see any bodies but he saw a lot of blood stains on the floor ''That doesn''t look good. I hope I''m wrong but something tells me that this has something to do with Marcus.''

    - - -

    The next day Jason and Kyle were walking to Ms. Yuller''s English ss. Jason yawned heavily as the dark circles under his eyes made it clear that he didn''t get much sleep.

    Kyle yawned as he looked to be in the same shape as Jason. He turned to Jason "Didn''t get much sleep huh?"

    Jason shook his head "Everytime I was close to falling asleep I would hear the gunshots and be wide awake again. From the looks of it I would say that you had a rough night too."

    Kyle nodded his head "I kept having nightmares about some guy breaking into the house with a gun.

    I was too scared to fall asleep so I kept myself up the whole night binge watching anime. I made it through half of the first season of Puffy Puffy Magical Girl Hikari."

    Jason didn''t bother to look at Kyle "I don''t know if I even want to ask." The two of them made it to ss on time as they took their seats.

    As soon as the both of them sat down in their seats they both fell asleep. Jason was in the middle of raising up a championship trophy when he was shaken awake by a gentle touch of the shoulder.

    As Jason opened his eyes he was surprised to see Ms. Yuller staring at him with a kind and concerned look.

    "Jason ss is over. I understand that you and Kyle must have had a difficult night after experiencing something as traumatic as that.

    I just want you to know that should you, Kyle, or anyone else from the team need someone to talk to that I am always avable."

    Jason was a little freaked out because he had only ever seen Ms. Yuller with two different expressions.

    The first was her bored and tired of life face that she normally had. And the second was her crazed fanatical face that she had whenever she talked about her favorite pieces of ssical literature.

    Jason just nodded his head "Thanks Ms. Yuller. I''ll make sure to keep that in mind and to let the rest of the guys know."

    Ms. Yuller smiled a little more after hearing Jason say that "You and Kyle are some of my best students.

    The fact that both of you manage to bnce your school work along with your lives as athletes is trulymendable.

    I hope you don''t think that I''m just another adult that is looking down on you two because you''re kids.

    I know that you two are very tough boys who can take care of themeselves. But even adults need help from others every once in a while. So please don''t be afraid to reach out."

    Jason nodded his head as he woke up Kyle and left the ssroom. After they walked out they bumped into Samantha.

    Samantha bumped Jason on the side as she grinned "From the look on your face I''m guessing Ms. Yuller did her whole ''Nice teacher'' thing right?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah. She was super nice and really caring. It was kinda weird to be honest."

    Kyle yawned "I was alseep the whole time so I didn''t catch any of that." Samantha chuckled "Of course you didn''t see anything.

    Ms. Yuller saw that the two of you were asleep but instead of calling you guys out and waking you up she told us to let you guys get some rest.

    She said that you two went through a potentially life changing experiencest night and that we should be caring enough to understand.

    I wish she was like that when I fell asleep in ssst week. She called me out in front of the whole ss and woke me up by mming her book on my desk."

    Jasonughed "That''s because you were upte trying to watch your favorite band livestream from their garage. Me and Kyle went through something a little more life altering than that."

    Samantha looked to Kyle and Jason "I heard. So you two doing okay? My phone is always charged and I am always down to talk in case you guys needed someone to vent to."

    Kyle shook his head as he rubbed his eyes "I think I''ll be okay. I should be back to normal after two more seasons of Puffy Puffy Magical Girl Hikari."

    Jason nodded his head in agreement "I''m with Kyle. Not the part about the weird anime but the I''m okay part. I should be back to normal after a few days of practice. I think I just need to sweat the stress away."

    Samantha responded "Cool. Good to hear that you guys are okay. Since you guys were sleeping I''m sure you guys didn''t catch the part where Ms. Yuller decided to make it mandatory for the ss to participate in the end of the year talent show."

    Jason and Kyle both stopped in their tracks as they heard Samantha say that. They both asked in unison "End of the year talent show?"

 Chapter 74 - Communication

    Samantha looked at the both of them "Yeah, end of the year talent show. She said that participation is going to be made into an assignment that''s worth ten percent of your grade."

    Jason stared out in front of him with lifeless eyes "What am I going to do? I don''t really have any talents outside of basketball. And it would be some to go on stage and dribble or shoot some shots."

    Kyle nodded in agreement "You''re right. It would be prettyme to do that. How about ying an instrument?

    Don''t Asian parents make their kids learn to y the piano or violin?" Jason shook his head "My parents didn''t want to push me into it so when I told them that i didn''t want to learn to y anything they just dropped the subject."

    Kyle ced his hand on Jason''s shoulder "RIP. Hopefully you figure something out bro." Jason looked at him.

    "Why are you acting so cool about this? Do you already know what you''re going to do for the talent show?"

    Kyle smiled "You betcha. Haven''t you seen the keyboard in my room? That''s not just for show. I can actually y some piano."

    Jason felt even more defeated after hearing that even Kyle had a talent outside of basketball "Lucky you. I feel like I''m going to end up dribbling a ball on stage for the talent show."

    Samanthaughed at Jason''s reaction "Hey why don''t we make a band for the talent show? I know how to y the guitar." Kyle looked at her questioningly.

    "A band? But Jaya doesn''t know how to y any instruments. And I don''t think we have enough time for him to take any lessons. How much can he learn in two months?"

    Samantha shook her head "He can just sing. If we do an easy song I''m sure Jaya can manage. Or is singing too much for Young Buckets over here?"

    Jason rolled his eyes at Samantha''s teasing "Ha ha Sammy. Real funny. Jokes on you because I actually don''t mind singing."

    Samantha seemed surprised "Really? You can sing?" Jason nodded his head. In his past life a ton of his coworkers at thepany were Filipino.

    Due to being forced to go to some of the parties Jason had a fair bit of experience with Karaoke "I don''t think I''m amazing or anything but I should be okay."

    Samantha pped her hands with a big smile on her face "Then it''s settled! We''ll make a band and perform for the talent show."

    The three of them split up and made their ways to their next ss as it was almost time for the next period to start.

    - - -

    At practice Jason was working with Kyle on his rebounding and boxing out "Make sure you use your hips.

    The lower you get the easier it is to hold your position but it also means that you have more disntance to cover when you''re going up for the rebound so be careful.

    If you''ve lost the battle for positioning you can always try and use a swim move to try and get around the other yer."

    Other than helping Kyle improve Jason was also using this opportunity to get better in the areas where his skills were the lowest such as rebounding.

    Jason wasn''t an expert when it came to rebounding. He had yed on the wing his entire life. But he knew enough to guide someone that was aplete novice like Kyle.

    Today''s practice consisted of defensive drills for an hour and then specified skills training for the remaining hour.

    "Alright Kyle you keep working on your box outs Ima get some water real quick." Jason went toward the water fountains to refill his sports bottle.

    As Jason was filling up his sports bottle he saw Javier and Greg walking toward him. He smiled at them "You guys getting some good footage?"

    Greg gave a thumbs up while Javier smiled back "We always get good footage whenever you''re in it.

    We could probably film you eating cereal and your fans would love it. I''m honestly a little surprised. For all the haters you have it seems like the number of brain dead fans equals things out."

    Jasonughed "Some of those fans are kinda weird not gonna lie. I think I saw one person asking for my usedpression shirts."

    Javierughed while Greg cracked a small smile after hearing that from Jason. Javier remembered what he hade to talk about with Jason.

    "Hey Jason, just to let you know we got some pretty good footage of your game against Tustin middle school.

    I''m sure if we show all the bad calls and if we emphasize it during the interview for next week''s episode we can pressure themittee to investigate the referee."

    Jason smiled as he high-fived Javier "Nice! I knew I could count on you guys. I can''t wait to see that stupid ref''s face when he gets investigated. He has to be dirty, there''s no other exnation."

    - - -

    After Jason and the team''s amazing performance the school decided to reward them by installing showers in the locker-room.

    Jason and the rest of the team loved having the showers. Now they could clean themselves up right after they were done.

    After practice Jason showered up before getting a ride home from Coach Swendel. Jason''s dad was still working at the diner so dinner was just him and his mom.

    They talked to each other about how their days went. Jason''s momined about all the new projects that she had lined up to work on and Jasonughed.

    Jason talked about lunch with Kyle and Sammy which made her smile. After Jason told her about Ms. Yuller''s oddly kind and caring attitude she paused.

    After a second she smiled "She sounds like a wonderful teacher sweety. She''s right you know? Even adults need help sometimes and there''s nothing wrong with asking for help.

    I hope you understand. I know that you''ve been growing and I know that you''re my tough little boy.

    But if you ever need anything please don''t be afraid to ask for help. I just don''t want a repeat of what happened before..."

    Jason saw his mom starting to tear up. He got out of his seat and hugged her "I know mom, I''m sorry. I won''t let it happen again. I''ll make sure to get help if anything pops up okay?"

    Jason''s mom wiped the tears from her eyes andughed "Look at me. I think hanging out with Kyle''s mom has made me more emotional like her."

    Jason and his mom finished eating dinner. After cleaning up the table and helping with the dishes Jason did his own personal training before taking another shower and getting ready for bed.

    Jason hopped into bed and covered himself up. Just as he was about to fall asleep he heard his phone ring.

    ''Fuck, is it Kyle? Nah toote. Sammy? Is she calling for more help with her homework? At least let me get some rest. Just ten minutes.''

    Jason was about to nap and ignore the call for now but then he realized that it wasn''t the ringtone for his normal phone that was ringing.

    He jumped out of bed and picked up the phone that Marcus'' goon had given him. He saw that it was call from Marcus.

    He hesitated for a few seconds as he watched the phone ring in his hand before answering the call "Hello? That you Marcus?"

    All he heard was augh before Marcus started talking "Hahaha, bro why do you sound so scared for? Like damn you still worried about me?"

    Jason cleared his throat and tried to ignore what Marcus had said "It''s almost midnight Marcus. What do you want?"

    Marcus let out another chuckle "No small talk huh? Just straight to the point? Well that''s cool. You still learnin to getfortable around me, I get it.

    I just called to see how you was doin. Still shook from hearin dem fireworksst night?" It looked like Jason''s worst case scenario was right.

    Jason answered "I lost a bit of sleep but nothing serious. Was that youst night? Were you responsible for the..... noises?"

    Jason was about to say gunshots but he decided against it. He didn''t know if any of these phone calls would end up screwing him over in the future.

    Marcus answered "That wasn''t mest night." Before Jason could sigh in relief Marcus added "That was Amare that put on the showst night.

    I wish I could take the credit but Amare was the one doin the heavy liftinst night. I would tell him thanks if I was you.

    You and the whole team was about to be in some real hot water after the game against Tustin. They had a whole crew masked up and ready to do something to y''all."

    Jason was cursing in his head ''Why the hell is this happening to me? I just want to y basketball. I don''t need this action movie type bullshit. I never signed up for this.''

    Jason sighed "Thanks Marcus. And tell Amare that I said thanks too." Marcusughed "Sure thang little man. I actually had something else to talk to you about. If you got the time that is."

    Jason got a little nervous "Sure. I have a few minutes to spare." Marcus continued "Cool, did your TV crewe with you to the Tustin game?"

    Jason answered "Yeah, they said they got some good shots of all the bs calls that the ref was making all night."

    Marcus paused for a second before jumping back in "You think you can tell em to y down the bad calls?"

    As soon as he heard that Jason got confused "Why? If we show how bad the ref was officiating then the sportsmittee will have to investigate him."

    Marcus answered "That''s the problem. If they investigate the ref then he goes down and so does the person that paid him.

    But I got dirt on the both of em. Amare managed to get a video of Julius Newman''s big bro and the ref talking about their deal.

    It''s always nice to have a ref that owes you favors. And Julius'' big bro is a small time thug that might be useful to me."

    Jason''s heart started racing as his hands became sweaty "You sure you want to do this Marcus? This doesn''t sound like it''s all on the up and up.

    And besides, how do you know that you can use his big bro? If he came up with a n like the one he used on me before then what''s to say he won''t do it again?"

    Marcus just let out anotherugh "Hahaha you smart for your age man. But you got a lot to learn when ites to the world.

    Bitches make good guard dogs because they have that protective instict. It''s written in their DNA. But that''s also their biggest weakness. They want to protect their pups."

 Chapter 75 - To Sammys Place

    Jason woke up and started getting ready for school. The entire time he couldn''t help but think about what Marcus had saidst night ''I can''t believe I agreed to that.

    But then again I wasn''t really in the ce to say no. He did save my ass like two times in a row. I just hope that things start to calm down.''

    - - -

    Jason and Kyle were sitting at their usual spot in the cafeteria. Kyle watched on in amazement as Jason inhaled the school lunch before pulling out a brown paper bag from his backpack.

    "You know what Jaya? No matter how many times I watch you eat I can never get used to it. How do you pack away so much food? It''s like you have the stomach of a shounen protag."

    Jason pulled out a sandwhich from the paper bag and unwrapped it "I don''t know what thatst part meant but I''ll take it as apliment.

    I gotta eat like this if I want to bulk up and give my body the nutrients to grow. Not everyone is as lucky as you when ites to gics.

    I want to at least be six feet (1.82m) before I get to high school. You should really consider beefing up to you know?

    You''re okay now because you have a pretty decent height advantage but once we get to high school you might find yourself having a hard time banging down low in the post.

    You need to have some more meat on your bones if you''re gonna be working in the paint against tougherpetition."

    Kyle gave out a nervous chuckle before pulling out a simr brown paper bag from his backpack.

    "You don''t have to tell me. Ever since my mom heard that you pack two lunches she''s been doing the same for me.

    She keeps telling me the same thing. That I''m too thin and that I need to fill out more. But I don''t know how you do it man. It takes me the whole day to snack through the extra lunch. I don''t think I could ever down it the way you do."

    As they were talking someone walked up to their table and put their tray down. They both turned to the side to see Samantha.

    She had a big smile across her face "What''s up fes?" Jason smiled back "Nothing much. We were just talking about 2nd lunches."

    Samanthaughed as she pointed to Kyle''s second lunch "Looks like your piggy syndrome is contagious. I might have to start being more careful. I wouldn''t want you to infect me."

    Jason rolled his eyes "Well sorry. I just told Kyle this but not everyone is as lucky as you guys when ites to gics.

    We were the same height when we first met. It''s only been like two months and you''re already an inch taller than me. Shit''s not fair.

    I''ve been eating, sleeping, and exercising like crazy and I''m still 5''4! I even drink milk everyday! I don''t Know what else I can do."

    Kyle and Samantha both startedughing from Jason''s outburst. Samantha wiped a tear away from her eye.

    "Don''t worry Jaya. I''m sure you''ll get taller. But even if you don''t I wouldn''t worry. You can always switch careers from a basketball yer to a horse jockey hahaha."

    Kyle startedughing even harder after hearing Samantha''s joke. He struggled to breath and he had to close his eyes.

    "Dang Sammy. You didn''t have to be so savage. I was gonna say that he could be a stunt recement for actresses hahaha. He''s athletic enough and if you put a wig on him he could look like a chick"

    Jason cracked a small smile before rolling his eyes "Haha you guys are hrious, Real dynamicedy duo."

    Samantha calmed down a little bit "Oh don''t be upset Jaya. I know what''ll cheer you up. Why don''t the both of youe over to my ce after you''re done with the whole basketball thing?

    We can get some practice in for the talent show and afterwards we could watch a movie or y some video games."

    Jason nodded his head "I have to ask my parents but they should be okay with it." Kyle nodded his head as well "Same. I''ll have to ask her but my mom should be cool with it. Should I bring my keyboard?"

    Samantha shook her head "Nah that''s okay. And don''t worry about getting there. I''ll just have Victor pick you guys up from here."

    Kyle gulped before turning to Jason and whispering "Is Victor the scary buff bald guy that you were talking about?"

    Jason nodded his head which made Kyle gulp again "Great. I can''t wait. This is going to be so fun hehe." He let out a nervous chuckle as he finished talking.

    - - -

    During practice Jason worked on rebounding again this time with Kyle and Vince after they finished running some defensive drills.

    Matt, Nick, and Trell worked on their shooting with Coach Swendel while Udonis focused on polishing up his post up moves.

    After boxing out Vince and somehow beating him to the the rebound despite the size disadvantage Jason turned to him and Kyle.

    "You guys keep at it. I''m going to take a short water break. My bottle is just about empty." Jason then walked away.

    On the way to the water fountains Jason stopped to talk to Javier and Greg who were filming at the side.

    "Hey Javier, sup Greg, you guys got a minute?" Javier smiled "Sure thing Jason. What did you want to talk about?"

    Jason couldn''t think of any better ways to say it so he decided to be straight forward "Remember the game against Tustin?

    Do you think you could y down the bad calls and not focus on it so much for next week''s episode?"

    Javier and Greg were both confused by Jason''s request. Javier cleared his throat "But don''t you want to get back at the ref? If we don''t focus on the bad officiating then themittee won''t be pressured to investigate him."

    Jason answered "Well the thing is after thinking about it and giving it a day to process I don''t think it''s worth the trouble.

    The guy is probably living a miserable life. He''s not worth the hassle. Besides, it''s not like he really did anything. We still won the game."

    Javier thought about it for a second "I mean if that''s what you want Jason. We haven''t submitted our footage to thework yet so I guess we could do somest minute editing to y down how bad the referee was.

    And for the interview we can probably just skim over the Tustin game and not talk about it much."

    Jason let out a sigh of relief after hearing that Javier was okay with it "Thanks Javier, thanks Greg. I know that I''m making more work for you guys but I really appreciate it."

    Greg gave a thumbs up while Javier chuckled "No problem Jason. We are here to help you after all. And don''t worry about being a bother.

    You''re actually awesome to work with. Greg and I have heard from some of the other hosts and cameramen that they hate working with their athletes.

    They''ve told us horror stories that were hard to believe. Some athletes treat them like their assisstants making them get their towels and water bottles.

    Some athletes want to redo shots over and over again just because their hair didn''t look good or if the shot didn''t turn out the way they wanted it to.

    You have been a saint and our coworkers don''t believe us when we tell them how great you''ve been." Greg nodded his head in agreement with Javier.

    Jason thanked them once more before walking to the water fountains and refilling his sports bottle. He then made his way back over to Kyle and Vince to finish practice.

    After practice was over Kyle and Jason hit the showers and cleaned up. After getting changed they said their goodbyes to the rest of the guys before making their way to the front of the school.

    Jason was about to call up Samantha and ask her when Victor was going to be there but as soon as the two of them reached the front he tossed that idea out.

    Parked right in front of the school was a long ck limousine. And right next to the limousine stood Victor''s hulking body dressed in his usual all ck suit.

    Kyle saw Victor''s huge frame that towered even over him and gulped. He leaned toward Jason and whispered.

    "Can''t we just take the bus? Or how about calling our own ride? There are literally hundreds of different apps made for that sole purpose!"

    Jason pushed Kyle away "You need to learn about personal boundaries bro. You were way too far in my bubble.

    And why would we call a ride when we have one right here? Don''t worry about Victor. He just looks scary but I''m pretty sure he won''t hurt us."

    Kyle looked back at Victor "I don''t know man. It looks like he''s been standing under the hot sun in a all ck suit for a while and he''s not even sweating.

    He''s probably some sort of robotic bodyguard wearing human skin for camouge. He could be trying to blend in to our society so that he can get a better understanding of humans so that he can kill them more effectively."

    Jason justughed "Bro you really have been watching too much anime. If all the stuff that you said is true then I''m a magical girl that''s undercover. Just get in the limo man. You got me dying out here under the hot ass sun."

    Jason and a reluctant Kyle made their way to the limo and got on after Victor opened the door for them ''So we''re going to Sammy''s ce. I wonder what it''s like?''

 Chapter 76 - A Different Lifestyle

    Jason and Kyle were silent for the first few minutes of the ride. But even though he was silent Kyle was scanning the inside of the limousine in amazement.

    Kyle started fiddling with the control panel at his side and pressing different buttons. After he pressed a random button a small TV came down from the ceiling "Awesome."

    Jasonughed "You don''t look so scared anymore." Kyle shook his head "Nope. I''m definitely scared still. But there''s no point in being scared and ufortable."

    After saying that, Kyle put his feet up as he started drinking a can of soda that he got from the mini fridge beside him. He then started watching some anime on the limo''s TV.

    Jason opened up the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water as he joined Kyle in enjoying theforts that the limo had to offer.

    After about ten minutes Jason moved his attention away from the anime that Kyle had ying as he looked out the windows.

    Jason was stunned for a moment. After a few seconds he finally came back to his senses as he called out "Kyle.... look outside the window."

    Kyle noticed the expression Jason was making and became confused. But after he looked out the window he understood.

    The limousine was in front of a majestic looking gate that had a gold que that read "Pueblo de Oro."

    The road leading to the gate was a mile long (1.6km) and was lined with palm trees that looked to be about 70 feet tall (21.3m).

    The limousine was stopped at the guard station in front of the gates. Victor rolled down his window and showed something to the guards.

    After seeing whatever it was that Victor showed them the guards opened up the gates as the limousine made it''s way in.

    As they passed by the gates Kyle read the que "Pueblo de Oro? I wonder what that means?"

    Jason had taken spanish in high school and in college "Pueblo de Oro means the town of gold. Or the golden town."

    Kyle nodded his head for a second before pausing "Wait, how do you know that?" Jason was caught off guard by Kyle''s question.

    Jason lifted his phone as he answered "Google trante hehe." Kyle seemed to have been satisfied by Jason''s answer. Jason let out a sigh of relief.

    Jason and Kyle were in awe as they passed by houses that looked like they belonged to millionaires. These properties were huge in size and had various designs.

    They pulled into the driveway of a house. The driveway was 4 cars wide and was long enough to be a decent warm up if you jogged up and down it once.

    Victor parked the limousine and opened the door for Jason and Kyle. As soon as they stepped off of the limo they were stunned by two things.

    The first was the guards that were patrolling the property. The second was how beautiful the actual house was.

    The front was painted all white and the architecture was very modern and chic. Samantha opened the all ss doors and ran toward them.

    "What''s up guys! Wee to my humble abode." Kyle chuckled "I don''t think you can really call this humble..."

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah, this would probably be the least humble abode that I''ve ever seen. If anything it would be a fancy smansy abode."

    Samantha brought the two of them past the guards and lead them inside. The inside of the house was decorated with various pieces of modern art.

    From deformed and warped sculptures, to confusing sshes of paint on pieces of canvas, to a banana that was taped to the wall.

    Kyle and Jason feltpletely out of ce as Samantha took them to the living room. There were more pieces of modern art and a projector TV that used the whole wall.

    Samantha seemed pleased with Jason''s and Kyle''s reactions. She smiled at the both of them "So what do you think? Pretty cool huh?"

    Kyle started crying "Is that the Yamata 36g projector?" Samantha thought about it for a second "I think that''s what it''s called."

    Kyle gulped "8k resolution and the fastest refresh rate on the market. I think I''m in heaven. Just imagine all the different games you could y, all the different animes you could watch...."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Sounds cool. So are we gonna start with practice or do you guys wanna get something to eat first?"

    Samantha rolled her eyes "You just saw a super dope entertainment set up and all you can think about is food?"

    Jason nodded his head "Sounds about right." Samantha couldn''t help butugh at Jason''s response "Geez, fine. Let''s head to the kitchen."

    The kitchen was right next to the eating space which made it possible to sit and watch as the food was being prepared.

    The kitchen itself seemed to be of the quality of a high ss restaurant. Awaiting them in the dining area was Victor.

    "Miss Doyle, what will you be having for dinner?" Samantha thought for a second "I think I''m in the mood for some tacos ooh and a milkshake. How about you guys?"

    Kyle asked "What does he know to cook?" Samantha paused "You know what? I''ve never asked. I always just tell Victor what I want to eat and he makes it."

    She turned to Victor "Is there anything you don''t know how to cook?" Victor looked at Kyle and Jason before returning his attention to Samantha "No."

    After hearing Victor''s bold im Jason felt the urge to y a small prank. He leaned toward Kyle and whispered something to him.

    Kyle chuckled a bit before nodding his head. He turned to Victor "I''ll have some Takoyaki and a bowl of katsudon."

    Jason then gave his order "I want a bowl of Jajangmyeon and some soondubu." Jason wasughing in his mind ''Even if you know how to make those I doubt you would have the ingredients on hand.''

    Victor nodded his head before walking into the kitchen. Samantha turned to Kyle and Jason "You guys want to get some practice in? It''ll probably take some time for Victor to finish cooking."

    Kyle and Jason nodded their heads in agreement before following Samantha deeper into her house.

    Samantha opened a door and walked in. Jason and Kyle were once again stunned. The room looked like a professional grade recording studio.

    Jason''s voice quivered just a bit "Oh wow, this-this is pretty cool. Why do you have a recording studio in your house?"

    Samantha answered in a bored voice "Oh my dad decided to put one in after he heard that I liked to y guitar. I told him it was overkill but he said that it wasn''t."

    Kyle was looking around and appreciating the quality of the room "Dang Sammy! You and your Pops is loaded.

    Why do you go to Jefferson if you''re so rich? Shouldn''t you be going to one of those fancy private schools?"

    Samantha''s smile dimmed down as she took a seat and leaned her head on her arm "Jefferson was the middle school my mom went to.

    I went there because she said it was a great school. When my mom passed my dad wanted to move me to a private school but I didn''t want to."

    Kyle panicked "My bad, I didn''t mean to bring up any bitter memories Sammy." Samantha looked up and smiled.

    "It''s okay. Jason did the same thing when he rode around the limo for the first time. I know you guys are just asking questions. And that''s how friends get to know each other better."

    Samantha jumped back to her feet "Now enough with the sad stuff. You guys ready to practice? I had Victor buy a keyboard just for this."

    From the way Kyle reacted it must have been a high end keyboard. He was hugging and cleaning it non stop.

    Everyone got into position. Samantha picked up her guitar, Kyle sat down in front of the keyboard, and Jason picked up a mic.

    Jason looked around "So what song should we do for the talent show?" Kyle raised his hand "We should do the opening of Puffy Puffy Magical Girl Hikari."

    Jason then looked to Samantha "Please tell me you have a different suggestion." Samantha smiled "We should do some punk rock or some alt rock. I know a bunch of ssic songs that are easy."

    Jason rolled his eyes "What makes you think we can do rock? You have to remember that Kyle is ying a keyboard not drums."

    Samantha answered "We can just do a version with piano instead of drums. It shouldn''t be too hard to rearrange a song.

    And besides, alternative rock should be easy for you. You already kinda have the high pitched voice of a Kellin Quinn. We just gotta work on your screaming."

    Jason had been more of a hip-hop kind of guy in his past life. He mostly listened to ssic rappers such as Kendrick or J-Cole.

    He had never listened to alternative rock before but he was already starting to get nervous "Screaming? Why would I need to work on my screaming?"

    Samantha had a mischievous smile stered across her face "Don''t worry about it. It''s gonna be fun. You''ll see."

    Jason''s hour long suffering would begin there as he was forced by Samantha to switch between singing and screaming throughout the song.

    After a little more than an hour, but what felt like an eternity for Jason, Victor opened the door "Dinner is ready Miss Doyle."

    Jason felt like he found new life after hearing the word ''dinner''. His energy was instantly refilled as he followed Samantha back to the dining area.

    Kyle and Jason were both surprised to see that the dishes that they had asked for were actually on the table.

    Jason looked at the bowls carefully ''I can''t believe it. He actually cooked these? How the hell can he cook Korean food so well?''

    After Jason and Kyle took their first bites they were already impressed. Jason used the pair of metal chopsticks that were ced down for him to scoop some more noodles into his mouth.

    ''The taste is on point! It''s almost as good as my dad''s. I guess Victor does know how to cook everything.''

    Jason smiled at Samantha "You know what Sammy? I think I might have been wrong. I don''t think that practicing for the talent show is gonna be that bad."

    And that''s how practicing for the talent show became another part of Jason''s routine ''Nine games done just 11 more to go until the tournament.''

 Chapter 77 - No Rest For The Weary

    Jefferson continued their scorching hot streak as Jason lead them on their dominant stretch of games. The game against Tustin would be thest time they yed a game that close.

    Ever since then Jefferson had been blowing their opponents out of the water. At least that was the case up until now.

    - - -

    It was Friday evening. Jefferson was hosting Nashton academy, a school that ranked third in the countyst season, after what could only be considered a packed week.

    Jefferson had yed games on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and now they would y their fourth game of the week against their toughestpetition yet.

    Trell was tying his shoes as he sat on the bench. He looked to Coach Swendel "Hey Coach! Why we yin so many games this week? Shouldn''t we be gettin a chance to get some rest?"

    Coach Swendel helplessly put his hands up "Sorry Trell but there''s nothing I can do about it. The schedules were made before the season even started.

    Every school has a week like this where they have to y multiple games. We''re just unlucky that our opponent after such a tight week is such a strong school."

    Udonis came over and pped Trell on the back "You tired already dog? Man, what''s the use in all dem big ass muscles if you gettin gassed that easy?"

    Trell rolled his eyes "Don''t hate on me just cause you jealous UD. If you stopped eating like you was Jaya maybe you''d have some more muscles too instead of all that blubber."

    Udonis rubbed his stomach "Hey! I''ll have you know that I did lose some weight aight? It''s not that I''m fat I''m just big boned."

    Udonis took a look around and saw that only one person was missing "Hey speakin of Jaya, where the heck is he? We got like three minutes before tip-off."

    Trell smirked "If you talking about our big star then he out front taking pics with the principal. Instead of Young Buckets we should start callin him Young Hollywood hehe."

    Just as he finished saying that Trell heard a familiar voice "I heard that." Jason walked into the gym dressed in his jersey and shorts.

    He took a seat next to Trell and started changing into his game shoes "Just so you know, Young Hollywood doesn''t sound too bad. It kinda has a nice ring to it."

    Udonis and Trell startedughing. Udonis asked "Since when did the principal turn into yo biggest fan? Ain''t it like the fourth time he took you to take some pics with him this week?"

    Jason finished tying his shoes and started fixing his hair and headband as he answered "Honestly I lost track. But I think you''re right.

    Considering that this is the fourth news station that''s asked for an interview piece it would only make sense.

    I just wish that they would stop asking to do these types of things right before the game." Jason turned to Coach Swendel.

    "Hey Coach, I thought you were going to talk to them about doing a better job scheduling these types of things.

    It''s kinda hard to get focused and to get in the right mindset for a game when you have to go out and do an interview with the principal and take a couple pics."

    Coach Swendel looked at Jason apologetically "Sorry Jason. I''ll make sure to talk to the principal again. Let''s just do our best and get through tonight."

    The clock soon buzzed as Jason and the rest of the starting five lined up and shook hands with the opposing team before getting into position for the tip-off.

    This was the first time that Kyle met someone that towered over him like this as he faced off against Nashton academy''s Center.

    Kyle took a deep breath as he recalled the team meeting they had yesterday after their game.

    - - -

    Coach Swendel wheeled a TV into the locker-room "Thanks for staying behind guys. I know that we''ve had a busy week so far and that you''re all tired.

    But I thought that this little meeting would help a lot with our game tomorrow against Nashton academy.

    Last year they finished third in the county and this year they are on pace to have an even better record.

    And a lot of their sess both this year andst has to do with their star yer." Coach Swendel turned on the TV.

    On the screen was arge kid with a dark bronze skin tone. He was tall standing at 6''4 (1.93m) and his wide frame made it hard to believe that he weighed anything less than 230 pounds (104kg).

    A video of Nashton academy started ying as Coach Swendel spoke "Trinity Diaz aka 3D. He''s the starting Center for Nashton academy as well as their star yer.

    He''s the focal point of their offense. Every possession they start off by feeding him in the post. He''s currently the top scorer in the county averaging 30 points a game.

    He also has pretty decent court vision. He typically finds the open man when he get''s double teamed.

    He''s also a pretty decent rim protector. He doesn''t have the bounce to get up and block shots but he is tall and he seems to know how to position himself well in order to deter shots at the rim.

    But his biggest strength outside of his scoring is his rebounding. Which is another stat that he''s leading the county in with over 15 rebounds a game."

    Coach Swendel turned at looked at Kyle "If we want to win tomorrow against Nashton academy the battle to control the paint is going to be vital."

    He then turned to Udonis "The team''s sess is going to depend on our front court tomorrow. Get some good rest tonight because tomorrow you''re going to be in for some real work."

    - - -

    Kyle''s eyes burned with determination as he locked on to the ball in the referee''s hand. He followed it as it rose higher and higher into the air.

    Just as it was about to reach it''s apex Kyleunched himself into the air. Kyle and Trinity had jumped at the same time.

    But even though they left the ground at the same time Trinity was still on his way up while Kyle had already knocked the ball over to their side.

    The ball was knocked toward Udonis who then quickly passed the ball to Jason. Even without Jason''smand Kyle was already running toward the basket.

    But it seemed as though Nashton academy had done their homework. As soon as it was clear that they had lost the tip-off they sent a yer to run with Kyle and to guard him.

    Jason saw that they wouldn''t be able to get an easy bucket so he dribbled the ball up the court and called out a y as soon as everyone else was in position.

    Matt ran from the corner all the way to the wing using a screen from Udonis to try and get open.

    As soon as he saw that he didn''t generate enough separation from his defender he ran to Jason and set a screen for him.

    Jason drew the attention of Matt''s defender as well as his own as he pretended to attack the paint.

    After he saw that he drew them far away enough he kicked the ball out to Matt who was wide open. As soon as he caught the ball Matt let the ball fly as he shot the three-pointer.

    The referee raised three fingers as the ball fell through the. The crowd erupted cheered for Matt as Jason ran up to him for the high-five.

    Their was a clear sense of tension as Nashton academy dribbled the ball up the court. Strangely enough everyone''s attention wasn''t on the yer with the ball.

    Everyone was focused on thergest person on the court. He didn''t have the ball yet but the battle had already begun.

    Kyle was trying his best prevent Trinity from establishing good post positioning. He was putting his entire body into it and yet he could feel himself being pushed back.

    ''This is like pushing a concrete wall! I thought that UD felt heavy but he can''t evenpare.''

    Finally it was time. As soon as Nashton academy''s Point Guard crossed half-court he passed the ball to the wing where they then passed the ball to Trinity in the post.

    Kyle tried his best to prepare himself mentally ''Here ites Kyle. You can do this. Just pretend that he''s a bigger UD.''

    But once Trinity started backing him down Kyle knew that he was in for a tough fight. With every collision Kyle could feel his entire body shaking to the core.

    But Kyle didn''t give up on the fight. He was bracing his body and pushing forward with his own bumps and pushes.

    Without him realizing it they were already under the basket. Kyle saw Trinity picking up the ball and his dribble and knew that he was about to make his move on offense.

    Trinity jumped up with the ball in his hand. Kyle jumped up as well and tried to reach for the ball to block the shot.

    As he was on his way up Kyle felt himself getting bumped by Trinity''s shoulder. The impact was enough to push him out of the way.

    The referee blew his whistle as Trinityid the ball into the basket. After making the shot and drawing the foul he smiled and high-fived his teammates as he walked toward the free-throw line.

    Kyle was looking at Trinity with aplicated gaze. Jason saw this and sighed ''I can''t believe it''s actually him. I almost forgot about 3D. We''re going to be in for a long night.''

 Chapter 78 - Playing With The Big Boys

    Jason walked up to Kyle and gave him a quick pat on the back "Don''t mind it. That was just good offense beating good defense. You just gotta keep up the intensity."

    Kyle nodded as the two of them got into position for the free-throw. 3D''s shooting form only used his arms as his lower body hardly moved.

    But despite how unorthodox his form was he was able to sink the free-throw cleanly.

    - - -

    In Jason''s past life Trinity Diaz had gone to Georgetown for four years before being drafted as ate lottery pick.

    He averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds a game during his tenure as a Hoya. His rookie season in college was enough to make him a lottery pick.

    But because of his massive size and frame , 6''10 (2.08m) at 320 pounds (145kg), there were a lot of concerns about his health that prevented him from being drafted.

    There were also concerns that hisck ofteral movement could make him a huge liability on the defensive side.

    But after four years without suffering any major injuries the Sacramento Kings felt confident enough in his durability to take him with the 10th pick of the draft.

    For the first half of the season Trinidad Diaz showed that he belonged in the league. His sheer size and strength made him a legitimate presence in the paint.

    While his soft touch around the basket and his polished set of offensive moves in the post made him into a potential franchise caliber yer.

    Although his team was still out of the yoffs 3D was averaging 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block per game.

    He was also leading the Kings to an improved recordpared tost season. But just as the future was looking bright for the young Center he met with misfortune.

    The kings were up by one point with Just fifteen seconds left on the clock. Their home crowd was silent as tension filled the air.

    The Kings yed tight defense as they tried to deny the Jazz any opportunity to inbound the ball.

    Just as they were running out of time, the Jazz managed to toss the ball into the hands of their own young star.

    Jerome caught the ball ten feet out from the three-point line. One of his teammates tried toe over to set a screen but Jerome waved him off.

    He signaled for his teammates to clear the floor as the clock slowly ticked down second by second.

    With the floor cleared and only eight seconds left on the clock Jerome began his attack. He went for a hesi that transitioned into a quick crossover.

    With the tiniest of openings created from his movebined with his explosive first step Jerome managed to get past his defender.

    With his amazing speed Jerome was able to get into the paint before the defense could copse and focus on him.

    Jerome saw that there was only one defender that was close enough to do anything. With a clear runway he nted both his feet as heunched off the ground.

    3D was the only one in the area. He stepped up and jumped with everything he had as he reached out to block the shot.

    3D tried his best to reach toward the ball but Jerome''s insane hang time and body control allowed him to maneuver the ball away from him.

    Jerome cocked the ball back as far as his arm could stretch before mming it violently into the rim.

    While they were in the air their bodies collided. The fact that Jerome was able to knock 3D''s huge body off bnce was a testament to the power in his dunk.

    The both of them ended up falling to the hardwood but only one of them would end up standing as the buzzer signaled the end.

    The Kings lost the game and their bright future star. 3D had fractured his right foot as well as torn his ACL.

    That game would be thest time that 3D would ever stand under the lights of professional basketball.

    He tried his best to rehab and he tried his best to cut his weight down but he wasn''t able to seed with either one.

    And before he knew it his rookie contract was done with no other team willing to take a chance with him. He was then out of the league and out of the game.

    - - -

    Jason brought the ball up the court. He scanned the floor and came up with the best line of attack.

    "Horns! Horns!" It was a y that they had run a thousand times. Even with their minds and bodies tired they were able to execute it perfectly.

    Jason ran his defender into the screen set by Kyle. Then he passed the ball to Matt who was running to him from the corner before setting a screen for him. Matt was running the route so tightly that he and Jason knocked shoulders.

    Nashton academy seemed prepared as they had anticipated the screens. But even though they weren''t caughtpletely in the screens it did work to slow them down. And that split second of daylight was enough for Matt.

    If it was him at the start of the year then he would never take a shot like this where the defense was so close.

    But after going through so many battles with Jason and the rest of the team Matt felt confident in his own abilities.

    Just as the defender had reached him and put their hand up in his face the ball had left his hand as he held it up for the follow through.

    The home crowd went wild as the ball sank through the. Jason ran up to Matt and lightly punched him on the shoulder.

    "Way to go man! That''s two in a row!" Matt smiled before clenching his fist ''We can do this. We''re going to win.''

    The quarter continued as the two teams'' strategies were bing apparent. Nashton academy was focused on feeding 3D in the post who would then kick it out as soon as he saw signs of a double team.

    While Jefferson was ying outside in. Jason was initiating the offense from the perimeter with their different ys to generate open shots from the outside.

    Whenever a set of ys failed to produce any good looks then Jason would simplify things and call for a pick and roll y.

    With 3D being the liability that he was out on the perimeter Nashton academy couldn''t switch on the pick and rolls.

    And with 3D staying down low to stick with the roller Jason had ample time to take the open mid range shot.

    But as good as 3D was it wasn''t as though everyone else on his team was a scrub that depended on him to do everything.

    Although no one else was at the same caliber as 3D. All of his teammates were solid yers with their defensive skills were around the C range while their offensive skills hovered between D-C.

    After Coach Swendel subbed Jason and Kyle out for Vince and DJ Nashton academy started a bit of aeback.

    In three minutes their 14 point lead shrank down to just 8 points. Vince had a bit more strength whenpared to Kyle.

    But he didn''t have the height, reach, or athleticism to put up a good fight against 3D. This force Udonis toe over and double team more than they were doing before.

    Which in turn resulted in 3D finding his open teammates for easy shots. Luckily for them the quarter ended with them still in the lead.

    The scoreboard showed 28-20. Coach Swendel let out a sigh of relief as the quarter finally came to a close.

    Coach Swendel bit down on his lip as he looked across the court at 3D ''This kid''s a monster! What the hell did his parents feed him? He scored 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds all by himself this quarter.''

    Jason sat down and started downing the ice cold water from his sports bottle ''Things are pretty manageable so far.

    We don''t have any one person that can defend 3D but if we just keep throwing bodies at him it should start to work.''

    Jason then took a look to his side. Kyle, Udonis, and Vince were both breathing hard while Kyle''s legs were even trembling just ever so slightly.

    Jason frowned ''The only problem is if our bodies are gonna make it long enough to see that happen.''

 Chapter 79 - Playing With The Big Boys: Part-2

    Jason looked across the court to Nashton academy''s bench. He saw 3D breathing pretty hard as he dumped all the ice cold water from his bottle on to his head.

    ''Hehe still the same as ever. I wonder if 3D ever knew about how much info he gave with just his bodynguage.''

    Jason and 3D had shed numerous times before in his past life. The both of them yed all four years at college which resulted in many encounters.

    Through all of their timespeting against one another Jason had learned some of 3D''s telltale signs.

    Such as right now. Whenever 3D dumps water on his head it means that he''s tired and that his body needs to cool down.

    ''Normally whenever he does this it means that he won''t y the first half of the next quarter.''

    Coach Swendel gave the team a quick pep talk "You guys are doing great. I know that our front court is still getting a feel for the other team''s Center but I''m sure you guys will get it soon.

    Let''s keep up this level of energy alright guys? I want to see you guys hustling on offense and defense."

    Jason spoke up "Coach, I know that we would normally start the next quarter with me, Nick, Trell, Udonis, and Kyle.

    But I''ve been watching Nashton academy''s bench and it looks like their Center is gassed. He probably won''t y for the first few minutes of the quarter.

    I think we should y DJ at Point Guard, Matt at Shooting Guard, Nick at Small Forward, Trell at Power Forward, and Udonis at Center.

    This way me and Kyle can get some rest and have more energy for when their Center gets back into the game."

    Coach Swendel thought about it for a second ''The kid''s instincts have never failed us yet.'' Finally he nodded his head "All right. We''ll go with Jason''s suggestion."

    Jason just barely managed to finish telling the team the new game n for this specific roster rotation when the clock buzzed signaling the start of the second quarter.

    There was a bit of awkwardness in their movement as this was their first time ying with this lineup but most of it was on the defensive end.

    Nick and Matt weren''t in sync as they defended the pick and rolls. Sometimes they hesitated to fight through the screens sometimes they switched withoutmunicating.

    But after a few possessions they were getting into rhythm with one another as their on court y became smoother.

    Trell also had trouble in the beginning as he had to box out and fight for rebounds more than what he was used to.

    But with his muscr frame and amazing athleticism Trell was able to assert himself as a presence in the paint.

    Trell didn''t have the reach that Kyle did. Nor did he have the polished offensive move set if Udonis.

    But he became a lethal part of the offense with his ability to rim run on the pick and roll. His ability to beat even the perimeter yers with his speed made it so that Nashton academy had to sag off of someone in order to ensure that they would have a body to protect the paint.

    But even with them sagging off of someone it didn''t prove to be effective. They couldn''t sag off of Nick or Matt because of their threat as perimeter shooters.

    And so they tried to sag off of Udonis but with his improved mid-range although he wasn''t automatic from there, it was enough to keep them honest.

    The quarter passed as the new lineup did a good job of building upon the lead that they already had.

    By the time the quarter reached its halfway point and Nashton academy called for a timeout Jefferson was up 40-28.

    Jason saw 3D getting ready to hop back in and was happy to see that the information that he had from his past life proved to still be right.

    Coach Swendel put Jason, Kyle, and Vince in while Nick, DJ, and Udonis went to go rest up on the bench.

    The clock buzzed indicating that it was time for the game to resume. Before they made their way back to the court Jason had the guys huddle up really quick as he discussed something with them.

    As Jason watched the opposing team''s Point Guard bring the ball up court he couldn''t help but feel irritated.

    ''All he does is bring the ball across half court before tossing it to the wing so that they can feed 3D in the post.''

    It had only been a little more than two months since Jason had traveled back in time to his twelve year old body but he had already grown used to ying a major role on both offense and defense.

    The fact that he couldn''t help his team by guarding 3D got on his nerves a little. But just because he couldn''t guard 3D himself didn''t mean that he had to just stand around and watch.

    Jason locked on to his defensive assignment. He was watching every little detail from the way he distributed his weight to his feet to how he held the ball.

    ''Now!'' Jason noticed that the Point Guard was getting ready to pass the ball to the wing so he preemptively jumped into the passingne.

    Before the other yer was aware of what was happening Jason already had the ball and was making his way to the basket.

    With the huge head start that Jason had there wasn''t anyone close by him as he made the easy fast breakyup.

    Ever since that possession Jason started doing something that would drive Nashton academy''s coach crazy. He was guarding the ball handler full court.

    Jason was all up in their faces and their jerseys as he suffocated them with his intense defense.

    He knew that he couldn''t help his teammates much with guarding 3D but the least he could do was make it hard for the opposing team to get the ball to him.

    Even though Jason couldn''tpletely stop them from bringing the ball up court. The fact that he was slowing them down lessened the amount of post ups that 3D could do.

    But Jason wasn''t done with just that. Whenever a shot went up they left the rebounding up to Kyle as they started going all in on the fast breaks.

    Even though he had a hard timepeting against 3D''s strength and bulk Kyle was still able to put up a fight on the ss with his amazing leaping ability.

    With how fast Jason was pushing the tempo everyone was getting tired more quickly. But this was exactly what Jason wanted.

    Jason saw that 3D was breathing even harder as sweat was pouring down his face ''Looks like you''ve been skipping out on cardio 3D. I''m feeling generous today so I''ll help you out with that.''

    Jason made it a point to try and tire out 3D by pushing the tempo of the game. For the remainder of the quarter Jefferson was ying a run and gun style of offense while ying a physical grind it out style of defense.

    The physical and gritty defensive possessions often times tranted into high pace offense as Jefferson put the fast in fast break.

    There were only thirteen seconds left on the clock. It was Nashton academy''s ball. They inbounded the ball to the opposite wing.

    Their perimeter yer gave 3D a few seconds to establish post position before feeding him the ball down low.

    Kyle''s breathing wasbored as his sweat dripped down his nose. But inside his eyes there was no fear or hesitation to be seen.

    Instead it seemed as though he burned with the excitement for battle. Like a diator awaiting for the cage of the beast to be opened.

    Jason saw the ball getting tossed to 3D in the post and he immediately activated his Defensive Anchor skill badge.

    Kyle felt a surge of energy flow into his body. The once immovable force in front of him now seemed more manageable.

    3D also noticed the change as it became harder to back down his opponent ''What the hell is going on? Was he holding back this whole time?''

    Finally after a few bumps that didn''t get him much closer to the basket 3D nted his foot as he hit Kyle with the drop step.

    Kyle was pushed back from the initial force but he quickly recovered as he tried to press against 3D with his hands all the way up.

    3D went up with the ball in his hands and Kyle exploded off the ground following him. Kyle went straight up.

    3D tried to readjust his shot in the air to avoid Kyle''s long arms but it proved to be useless as Kyle spiked down his shot.

    Jason ran up to Kyle as he smacked him on the chest before pulling him up from the floor "Nice shit bro! That''s what I''m talking about man!"

    Everyone from Jefferson walked off the court with a smile on their tired faces as the quarter came to an end. Jefferson was now up 54-40. This was proving to be a high scoring game.

 Chapter 80 - Shaking Things Up

    The team made their way into the locker-room. They all quickly took a seat and began drinking their water from their sports bottles.

    Everyone looked tired but Udonis, Kyle, and Vince seemed especially gassed as they were breathing harder than the others.

    Jason sat down next to them and smiled "You guys are getting a hell of a workout huh?" They all rolled their eyes.

    Udonisughed "Yeah we doin some real heavy liftin. Dude looks like they been feedin him cornbread and concrete as soon as he popped outta his momma. I ain''t never seen no kid as big as him."

    Vince nodded his head in agreement "Yeah, I thought Kyle was huge but next to that 3D guy he''s practically a little kid.

    His post ups are brutal man. My entire body was shaking every time he tried to back me down."

    Kyle nodded his head as well "His body feels like a brick wall. I was already using my arm and my shoulder to cushion his pushes but it still felt like getting hit with a sledge hammer."

    Jason felt bad for them. He wished that he was just a bit bigger so that he could help them guard 3D.

    Jason could defend Udonis in the post because his defensive techniques and fundamentals were enough to ovee the slight size disadvantage.

    But that wasn''t the case with 3D. The size and power difference was so big that it didn''t matter how good of a defender Jason was.

    It would be like asking Scottie Pippen to guard Shaq. Even though Pippen was one of the best defenders to ever y the game he just didn''t have the strength or size required to guard someone as physically imposing as Shaq.

    Coach Swendel pped his hands as he got his team''s attention "Great job out there guys. We''re ying faster than what we''re used to but you guys haven''t missed a beat.

    I especially like what I saw from our front court. You guys yed with some real heart during the first half.

    Trell, I know that you''re not used to ying the four but you''ve adapted well. Udonis, Vince, and Kyle, great job defending 3D so far.

    I know that it isn''t easy but I''m going to need you guys to keep doing what you''ve been doing." Jason raised his hand "Coach, can I say something?"

    Coach Swendel nodded his head. Jason then began speaking "You guys have been great so far but one thing I''ve noticed is that Kyle is the only one who''s been proactive.

    You can''t wait for 3D to catch the ball in the post. You need to bring the fight to him even before they get the ball across half court.

    As hard as it might be, you need to make him fight for his post positioning. You need to try and keep him from establishing good position.

    And if he does manage to establish a deep position you need to front him and deny the pass. Just be careful that they don''t lob it over you.

    As soon as you start fronting him and notice that they want to pass it overhead, you need to spin back and position yourself behind him again."

    Coach Swendel was surprised by how good Jason''s analysis of the game was. After a few seconds he coughed and cleared his throat "Good job Jason. I was just about to say the same thing."

    Jason chuckled before raising his hand again "There''s just one more thing I wanted to add. I think we should have Trell y Power Forward some more.

    Just for tonight at least. I feel like we''ll need to add Trell to the rotation of big men so that Udonis, Vince, and Kyle can focus more on guarding 3D."

    Coach Swendel was silent for a moment as he thought about Jason''s suggestion "But what about the back court?

    If Trell slides up to the four then that means that Nick or Matt will have to spend more time ying the three.

    You''ll have less people to rotate in the back court. Won''t you guys get tired? We still have two more quarters to go. We can''t afford to have you guys empty out your tanks too early."

    Jason shook his head "Some of us are going to get close to ying on empty. It''s unavoidable because of our small roster.

    But I think it''s better to do it this way. Our front court is going to y the biggest part tonight.

    So far our Guards haven''t had to y as hard as our big men. I feel like they''ll be able to hold out longer than our front court."

    The only thing that Jason was worried about was if Nick and Matt would be able tost the whole game.

    He was confident in his own ability to conserve energy, y efficiently, and to y through fatigue.

    His own stamina had been improving from all the minutes he''s been ying as well as all the training that he had been doing outside of practice.

    Jason was also confident in the system and his badges.

    Workhorse (Bronze): Lowers the affects of fatigue on your performance. Allows you to y at your optimal level for short moments when low on stamina.]

    Jason felt like he was going to be putting this badge to good use today.

    Coach Swendel paused for a second before nodding his head "All right. We''ll go with Jason''s n."

    Coach Swendel then turned toward Trell "Is that okay with you? You''ll be in the paint for most of the game."

    Trell didn''t hesitate to nod his head "Whatever. As long as it means that we get the dub. Hell, if you guys need me to I''ll guard the fat ass myself. Show you guys what real muscle can do" The teamughed after hearing Trell''s joke and seeing him flex.

    Coach Swendel spent the rest of the halftime break massaging Udonis, Kyle, and Vince. He wanted to make sure that their legs were as fresh as could be before the start of the next quarter.

    Jason spent the time resting and sorting through his memories from his past life. He wanted to make sure that he didn''t overlook any information that could be useful for tonight''s game.

    The break felt short. Everyone was still resting when they heard the buzz indicating for them to walk back out.

    The lineup that they were using to start the third quarter consisted of Jason at Point Guard, Nick at Shooting Guard, Matt at Small Forward. Vince at Power Forward, and Kyle at Center.

    Nashton academy was trying to inbound the ball but Jason was suffocating their Point Guard. He wasn''t giving them any space to throw a pass.

    They ended up having to inbound the ball to their other guard to avoid getting the turnover for failing to inbound the ball in time.

    But as soon as their Shooting Guard caught the ball Jason ran over and switched on to him. He began pressing him with his tight defense.

    The Shooting Guard couldn''t even pass the ball away because Jason was keeping his hands active and denying him the passingnes.

    Before he knew it Jason had his hands on the ball and was ripping it away from him. With the ball in one hand Jason used the other one to guard himself from the defender as he drove to the basket.

    They were originally close to the basket so it didn''t take long for Jason to reach a distance that was good for a shot.

    Jason noticed the Shooting Guard reaching in, either out of frustration or desperation, Jason wrapped the ball around his body as he avoided getting stripped by the defender.

    Jason took the swipe to the arm. And as he heard the referee blow his whistle he focused as he tossed the ball toward the rim.

    The ball bounced a few times before finally sinking through the. The crowd was going wild as they shouted out "JAYA! JAYA! JAYA!"

    Jason flexed before smiling and shouting at the crowd "Yeah! This is our house!" Jason''s teammates ran over to high-five him and hyped him up.

    Jason wouldn''t be able to pressure their ball handlers like that all game. But Jason did it anyway in order to shift the momentum more toward Jefferson.

    He also wanted to nt that fear in Nashton academy. Now even if Jason didn''t go all out in pressuring them they would still have a bit of doubt crawling in the back of their minds.

    Jason walked to the free-throw line and took the ball from the referee. Jason took a deep breath before dribbling the ball once.

    Jason then locked on to the basket as he got into his shooting motion ''This is the start of our attack. We''re going all out.''

    The ball swished through the. Jason and the rest of the team made their way back on defense. Jefferson was now up 57-40.

 Chapter 81 - Pushing The Tempo

    Since Nashton academy didn''t really run any ys Jason''s ability to help his team''s defense by directing the other yers was minimized.

    However he made up for that by exerting pressure on the ball handlers as they brought the ball up the court.

    Jason also helped by switching on to Nick or Matt''s defensive assignments out on the perimeter when they would go to double team 3D in the post.

    Outside of the front court Jason was the busiest one out on the floor as he ran around guarding multiple assignments.

    Although they weren''t able topletely stop 3D. Jefferson''s aggressive form of defense helped to exhaust 3D faster as he had to work harder in the post to score.

    Nashton academy passed the ball to the wing. Nick backed off of his defensive assignment a bit as he put his hands up to try and obstruct the passingne.

    The wing yer then threw and overhead pass that went over the top of Nick. As soon as he saw this Nick went toward 3D to double team him.

    3D saw the double teaming and passed the ball out to the wing yer that had given him the ball.

    The wing yer caught the ball and was about to shoot the three. But before he could even start his shooting motion Jason was standing in front of him with his hand up in his face to contest the shot.

    He then tossed the ball to Jason''s original defensive assignment knowing that since Jason was guarding him now he was wide open.

    But as soon as the ball left his hand Jason was already running back to his old defensive assignment.

    He managed to catch the ball despite the messy pass. He saw that Jason wasing toward him but felt that he had enough time so he let the ball fly as he shot the three-pointer.

    He went into his shooting motion and just as he was about to flick his wrist to send the ball out of his hands Jason managed to get a hand up in his face.

    The ball flew in a high arc toward the basket but ended up hitting the side of the rim as it fell short.

    3D tried to get the offensive rebound but he was being boxed out by both Kyle and Nick. And although Nickcked the physical presence to affect 3D''s positioning he was still able to restrict his movements somewhat.

    With Nick''s help Kyle was able to stay in good position as he jumped up high and grabbed the rebound with both hands.

    He then tossed the ball to Jason before going into an all out sprint toward the basket on the other side.

    3D was soon left behind as his team went to go chase Jason and the rest of Jefferson as they ran to push the fast break.

    Even though Kyle was almost underneath the basket when the fast break started he was now running with Jason as they made their way to the basket.

    Jason was taking up the left side as Kyle ran straight down the middle. It was 2 on 1 fast break as the only defender stuck with Jason.

    The defensive pressure didn''t seem to bother him as Jason just smiled as they continued down the court.

    Finally as they neared the basket Jason lobbed the ball towards his right. The ball flew over the head of the defender before being caught in Kyle''s right hand.

    Kyle had jumped awkwardly as he wasn''t able to properly measure his steps. So he didn''t have the lift to produce enough power to m the ball into the basket.

    His hand guided the ball into the rim before he started to fall back down to the ground. But the crowd was going crazy nheless.

    The home crowd was on their feet as they screamed their hearts out. If Kyle had actually managed to dunk the ball they might have torn down the building.

    Jason ran over to Kyle to pull him off the floor. Jason was all smiles as he wrapped his arm around Kyle''s neck before ruffling his hair.

    "That was crazy bro! Way to run the floor Kyle!" He was all smiles after hearing Jason hype him up.

    The fast tempo would continue as Jason and the team focused on making 3D run. And the more he ran the more exhausted he became.

    His growing fatigue was obvious as he became less and less active in the post as well as less and less effective.

    It even got to the point where the double teams were no longer necessary as Kyle alone was enough to guard the tired Center in the paint.

    By the time the quarter had reached its halfway point Jefferson was up 70-48. This quarter was full of nonstop scoring for Jefferson.

    Nashton academy called a timeout as they pulled 3D out of the game. Jason also took this moment to rest along with Kyle and Vince.

    DJ, Trell, and Udonis subbed in for them. Without 3D on the floor Udonis was able to get back to scoring in the post as they ran the offense through him.

    They also asionally mixed in some pick and rolls using DJ and Trell. Trell''s amazing speed forced the defense to focus a lot of their attention on him. Creating more space for DJ to operate.

    DJ was able to make a few pull up mid-range jump shots as well make a few nice passes as he hit Trell on his rolls to the rim.

    On defense Jefferson no longer had to worry. Without 3D demanding so much of their focus they were able to y their man to man defense to full affect.

    And even without Jason there to direct them they were able to hold down Nashton academy to an inefficientst half of the quarter.

    Jefferson didn''t let up though. They were capitalizing off of their good defense by running the fast break after every missed shot.

    In the open court was where Trell shined the brightest. As he run the floor with everything he had he was able to get three dunks alone off of transition ys.

    Every time he mmed the ball down the basket the crowd was going nuts. The atmosphere couldn''t get any better as they were all in a celebratory mindset. To them the game seemed all but over.

    By the end of the third quarter Jefferson was leading with a score of 84-57. Everyone made their way to the bench with bright smiles on their faces. At least on Jefferson''s side.

    Over across the court on Nashton academy''s bench everyone was silent and looking down. The atmosphere was heavy and their energy seemed low.

    Jason saw as 3D flipped one of the empty chairs over with a flick of his hand. He was animated as he talked to his team.

    He was using his hands as he talked. He gestured different things and started pointing at all of his teammates. He even pointed at his coach before saying something.

    Jason was surprised. This wasn''t like the 3D that he yed against in college. The 3D he knew was always calm and collected.

    He almost never showed any emotions when he yed on the court. His polish in the post and his cool as a cucumber demeanor drew many earlyparisons to the greatest Power Forward of all time Tim Duncan.

    ''If he wasn''t always like that then I wonder what made him change? Oh well, it''s none of my business. I''m just d that it looks like we''ll walk away with the win.''

    The start of the fourth quarter came as Jason and the rest of the lineup stepped back on to the court.

    The odd part was that Nashton academy seemed to be having a problem. Their coach knelt beside 3D and talked to him.

    But it seemed like he was refusing to y. They ended up putting their back up Center into the lineup.

    Without 3D there Jefferson steam rolled Nashton academy. 3D''s absence also seemed to have demoralized his team as they didn''t have any of the energy and effort that they had when the game first started.

    Jefferson won the game with a score of 94-62. They probably could have scored more and set a new season high record for points but they took their foot off the gas and cruised to the end of the game.

    The teams lined up to shake hands onest time. When Jason got to 3D he smiled "You were some toughpetition man.

    I can''t remember thest time one yer gave us so much trouble." 3D nodded his head as his giant hand covered Jason''s.

    "You yed a hell of a game yourself. The TV show didn''t overhype you one bit. You might have won today but if we meet again during the county tournament it won''t happen again."

    The crowd started to disburse after giving their team onest cheer. Jason saw his parents walking over.

    He smiled as he walked into his dad''s embrace. Jason felt a warmth in his chest as his dad steadily patted him on the back "You were amazing tonight Jason. You all were."

    His mom joined in on the hug "Fantastic as always Jaya! You guys yed great against that giant.

    I''ll be honest, I was a little nervous when I saw him walking up to shake hands at the beginning of the game. I wanted to go down there and check if he was really a middle schooler haha."

    Jasonughed after hearing his mom say that. After they were done congratting and praising him they went around and congratted the rest of the team on another job well done.

    Jason was smiling as he watched his dad and mom praise Kyle. Kyle couldn''t help but sheepishly smile as Jason''s dad brought up their amazing lob y on the fast break.

    While he was watching Jason felt a tap on his shoulder. Jason turned around and was stunned. It was thest person he would expect.

    "Shania?!" Jason instinctively stepped back. Shania rolled her eyes "Boy, why the hell you look so scared for?"

    Jason coughed and cleared his throat before smiling awkwardly "You''re imagining things haha. This is just my tired look."

    Jason looked around but didn''t see Tyreek anywhere "Uh where''s Tyreek?" Shania answered "He ain''t here I took the bus."

    Jason was even more confused ''Why the hell would she be here without Tyreek?'' Shania had done everything in her power to avoid Jason ever since she lost the bet against him.

    But what she said next caught him even more off guard "I came by myself cause I needed to see you. There''s somethin we gotta talk about."

    Jason gulped ''Please don''t tell me they''re having more problems. It''s not that I don''t like helping but I really just want to focus on ball!''

 Chapter 82 - The Season

    Jason stared at Shania nervously. She flipped her braids over her shoulder before she began to speak.

    "I need you to talk to Tyreek. He keep tryin to get me to go to another all girls private school. I already told him I don''t want to go but he keep buggin."

    Jason breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that it wasn''t anything serious. He looked at Shania "Your uncle is just trying to do what he thinks is best for you. Why don''t you just go?"

    Shania put her hands on her hips "I didn''te here to ask for your two cents. I came here so that you could talk to Tyreek and get his bum ass to stop buggin me about going to another private school."

    Jason rolled his eyes "Why don''t you just tell him it''s too expensive? I heard that he quit his warehouse job. I can''t imagine that he can afford to pay the tuition prices with the $300 a month he gets from the show."

    Shania answered "You think I didn''t try that? Too bad for me that the school actually wants to give me a sports waiver for the tuition.

    This private school goes from middle school to high school. They want me to y for their high school team next year."

    Jason shrugged "Well that sucks. I wish there was something I could do. But if Tyreek is dead set on sending you to a private school then I don''t think I can change his mind."

    Jason turned around and was about to walk away but he felt someone grab on to the corner of his jersey.

    He turned back around and saw Shania holding on to his jersey. But instead of her usual fierce and intimidating expression she seemed like a nervous and worried girl.

    Shania bit her lip before looking at Jason "Listen, I know I''ve been a real bitch to you. And I know that it isn''t your fault, you were just listening to my uncle.

    But please I''m begging you. Talk to my uncle and convince him to let me stay at my school." Jason was surprised by Shania''s change in attitude. He had never seen this soft and meek side of her before.

    Jason struggled in his head ''Why does it look like she''s terrified to go to a private school? I would imagine that the people she deals with on a daily basis are ten times scarier than any preppy rich girls she would have to put up with.

    And why should I get involved? This isn''t any of my business and the system didn''t give me a mission. I am staying out of this. I just want to focus on basketball.''

    But despite what Jason had told himself he kept feeling a nagging pull at his heart as Shania looked at him with a pleading gaze.

    Jason sighed "I don''t get it. You''re a tough girl Shania. What about going to a private school has you so scared?"

    Shania let go of Jason''s jersey as she looked down. After a moment of hesitation she began to speak.

    "Yeah I''m a tough girl that grew up in the streets. But that''s the problem. I don''t fit in with them. I''m not like those preppy rich girls.

    I don''t want to go back to that. Having to be somewhere you don''t feel like you belong. Having to pretend that you don''t notice that you''re different from everyone else every day.

    I was able to trick myself into thinkin that I could do it back when my Pops was around. But I can''t go back to that.

    The streets might be more dangerous but at least I don''t feel like an outsider. I get to feelfortable being with other people that are like me."

    Jason felt bad for Shania after he heard her exnation of why she didn''t want to go to another private school.

    If anyone understood what it was like to be somewhere you felt like you didn''t belong it would be Jason.

    From high school all the way to college Jason was the only Asian person on his basketball teams.

    In a sport that was predominately ck Jason never seemed to fit the mold of a basketball yer.

    All the times he was told that he should switch to a different sport or that he should try going overseas to one of the Asian basketball leagues.

    It just worked to reinforce the thought that he didn''t belong. That he wouldn''t make it as a pro down here in the US.

    Jason shook his head to clear his thoughts. He smiled kindly at Shania "Listen Shania, I know what it''s like to feel like you don''t belong.

    I''m a scrawny Asian kid trying to y basketball. I can''t go to a single game without someone bringing that up.

    When most people get trash talked it''s usually along the lines of ''You suck'' or ''You got no handles'' but when I get trash talked eighty percent of the time it has to do with my eyes or something about China. Even though I''m not even Chinese.

    My point is you can''t live your life caring about what those unimportant people think. The only opinions that should mean anything to you are the ones from the people you really care about.

    Why don''t you just give this whole private school thing another shot? This time you have to go into it with a ''I don''t care'' attitude."

    Shania sighed "That''s easy for you to say. You can just show everyone that you''re good at hoopin and they''ll have to take back the shit they say. How am I supposed to do that?"

    Jason thought about Shania''s situation ''She needs someone to teach her to not care about what other people think.

    It can''t be me because honestly I am a bad teacher. At least when ites to life. It would probably be easier if it was another girl....''

    Jason pped his hands as an idea popped into his mind "Shania I know someone that might be able to help you.

    You just need to talk to her and she''ll teach you how to stop caring about what other people think."

    Shania had a hesitant look on her face. Jason put his hand on her shoulder "You won''t know if it will work or not until you give it a try.

    There''s a pretty popr sports'' saying ''You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don''t take.'' You won''t know if you''ll make or miss the shot until the ball leaves your hands.

    Now you tell me. Down by one with five seconds left on the clock. Will you crumble under the pressure as time is winding down? Or will you rise up over your defender and take that shot?"

    Shania looked at Jason "You sure you can''t just talk to him?" Jason scratched the back of his head before responding.

    "If you give this a shot and it doesn''t work then I''ll talk to your uncle about transferring you back to your old school. But you gotta try first."

    Shania nodded her head "Fine. But you have to promise me that you''ll talk to my uncle if this doesn''t work."

    Jason nodded his head "I promise."

    - - -

    Saturday afternoon. Jason, Kyle, and Samantha were sitting at one of the tables of the food court in the mall.

    In front of Jason were two trays jam packed with all sorts of different foods. It looked like he made a stop at all the different food ces in the food court.

    While Kyle and Samantha only some burgers and fries on their trays. Jason unwrapped a huge burrito before taking a bite out of it "Thanks for showing up Sammy."

    Samantha smiled "You''re wee. I wouldn''t pass on a chance to hang out and get out of my house."

    Kyle took a bite out of his burger "I don''t know why you hate staying inside your house Sammy. With an entertainment set up like yours I wouldn''t mind being locked up for a few years."

    Jason and Samanthaughed after hearing Kyle say that. They ate and talked for a while as they enjoyed each other''spany.

    As Jason was getting close to finishing the food that was on his tray he looked at Samantha "Listen Sammy, there''s actually something I wanted to talk to you about."

    Samantha was sipping some soda from her cup. She put it down and smiled at Jason "Shoot for it. I''m all ears amigo."

    Jason told her about Shania and how she needed someone to teach her to not care about what other people thought.

    Samantha scowled at Jason "I should have known that you needed something. You never invite me to just hang out."

    Jason smiled apologetically "Sorry Sammy. I swear we''ll start hanging out more. The seasons almost over and we''ll just have the tournament left. Please can you help her?"

    Samantha took a french fry from Jason''s tray and ate it "She doesn''t need help learning how to now care about what other people think.

    She needs to learn to befortable with who she is no matter what situation she''s in." Jason nodded his head "So will you do it?"

    Samantha thought about it for a second "You''re lucky I''m such a nice person. Fine, I''ll do it. But you so owe me for this."

    Jason nodded his head as he smiled at Samantha "Sure Sammy. Thanks for doing this. It really means a lot."

    Samantha smiled "Now that we got the business out of the way. Let''s go enjoy the rest of our hangout day."

    - - -

    Time passed by quickly. Jason, Kyle, and Samantha went to a Halloween party hosted by one of the popr kids at Jefferson.

    The media coverage on Jefferson intensified as Jason lead them to an undefeated season for the first time in school history.

    They dominated all of their opponents in theirst five games of the season. As they outscored all of theirpetition by at least twenty points.

    In the gym of the school all the students were gathered as the principle gave a short speech before congratting the basketball team.

    Jason bowed his head as the principle ced a medal on him. For others this might have seemed like a momentous asion in their life.

    But Jason only had one thing on his mind at this moment ''The county tournament starts now. And after we win it''s straight to the state championship.''

 Chapter 83 - Good News

    Jason was at home doing his personal training. He was in his room as he did squats, lunges, knee raises, and some cool down stretches.

    As Jason was stretching he couldn''t help but think about the past three months ''I can''t believe it''s already been that long.

    I feel like it was justst week that I woke up as a twelve year old. But now it''s November and the year is almost over.

    So many things have happened since I got here. I''m on a TV show, I became the star yer for Jefferson''s basketball team, and I lead them to their first ever undefeated season.

    And now the county tournament is gonna start next month. I already now that I''m the best yer in the county heck I even have the hardware to prove it.''

    Jason looked to the side where he had his RIverisde County MVP trophy sitting on a shelf ''But I wonder how well I stack up against higher levelpetition.

    There''s no point in being the big fish in a little pond. But then again I was a college level hooper back in my past life. It would be sad if I couldn''t beat a bunch of little kids.''

    Jason allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts as he stretched his body. After a while he opened up the system to take a look at his badges.

    [Ironman(Silver): Gives you a tougher body. You will be less likely to experience an injury as well as recover from injuries at an improved rate. Effectiveness decided by badge rank.

    Defensive Anchor (Silver): Your presence on the court inspires your teammates to do their best on defense. Your teammates will be more focused on the defensive side of the ball.

    Your teammates will y defense with more energy and be less likely tomit small mistakes. Effect only applies to teammates while you are on the court.

    Lock Down Defender (Bronze): Lowers the effectiveness of your opponents offensive badges and increases your ability to not fall for different fakes and moves.

    mps (Bronze): Increases your ability to stick with your defensive assignment. Also improves your ability to recover after being broken down on defense.

    Pick Pocket (Bronze): Increases your ability to steal the ball away from the ball handler. Decreases your chances of being called for a reach in foul.

    Hustle (Silver): Increases your chances of sess when diving/fighting for loose balls. Slightly increases rebounding.

    Workhorse (Silver): Lowers the affects of fatigue on your performance. Allows you to y at your optimal level for short moments when low on stamina.

    Ankle Breaker (Bronze): Increases the effectiveness of your dribble moves in breaking down your defender.

    If you manage to make your defender fall or stumble you will get a momentary boost to your shot making.

    Tight Handles (Bronze): Increases your ability to dribble through traffic without losing the ball. Decreases your chances of having the ball stripped away while dribbling.

    Dimer (Bronze): Slightly increases your ability to throw urate passes. Gives a slight boost to your teammates scoring ability if they attempt to score right after receiving a pass from you.

    Pick and Roll Ball Handler (Bronze): Increases your ability to pass to the roll man during a pick and roll.

    Also slightly increases your scoring ability momentarily aftering off a screen after performing a pick and roll.

    Floor General (Bronze): Your presence on the court gives your teammates the confidence to perform to the best of their ability. Your teammates will be tuned in on offense.

    Your teammates will gain a small boost to their offensive abilities and be less likely to perform small mistakes. Effect only applies to teammates while you are on the court.

    Sniper (Bronze): Gives a slight bonus to your ability to make shots from the three-point line. Slightly lowers the energy used to attempt a long distance shot.]

    During thest five games of the season Jason was ecstatic as he had gained an insane amount of badges.

    The badges Jason was most excited about getting were Floor General, Dimer, and Pick and Roll Ball Handler.

    He was happy to unlock these badges because it helped to improve the team and not just Jason. The better his teammates could perform the easier his life would be.

    After looking at all of his badges and going over them Jason had a bit of a problem ''I wonder if I should change the badge that I''m using for my core?

    Defensive Anchor was a no brainer back when I didn''t really have any other badges to choose from.

    But now I have so many badges. I wonder which one would make for the best core? I need a badge that will have a big impact whenever I activate it.''

    After arguing with himself for almost an hour Jason decided to stop thinking about it ''Fuck, I''m just giving myself a headache.

    Defensive Anchor has been working fine so far. Maybe I don''t need to change it. I can''t recklessly make any decisions.

    If I change the badge that I''m using for my core then I won''t be able to change it for a month. I should only change it if I need to.''

    Jason then opened up the system again. This time to take a look at his skills.

    [Free throw: SS+

    Lay Up: S (SS+)

    Dunking: E

    Close Shot: S (SS+)

    Mid Range Shooting: SS (SS+)

    Three Point Shooting: SS (SS+)

    Dribbling: SS (SS+)

    Passing: SS (SS+)

    Ball Handling: SS (SS+)

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: B (A)

    Rebounding: B (A)

    Post Control: A (S+)

    Perimeter Defense: SS (SS+)

    Post Defense: A (S+)

    Steals: SS (SS+)

    Blocks: B+ (A+)

    Athleticism: B ]

    Jason was happy that his athleticism had gone up from a B- to a regr B. And with his improved athleticism the limitation for his other skills also loosened up a little.

    Jason was most excited about the improvement in his three-point shooting and his ball handling.

    The improvement in those skillsbined with the badges that he had unlocked should prove to y a vital part in their sess in theing tournaments and games.

    Jason was about to go back to stretching but then he heard his phone ringing. So he got up and picked up his phone from the bed.

    Jason smiled after seeing who was calling on the caller ID. Jason answered the call "Yo Tyreek. What''s up?"

    Jason could hear Tyreek chuckle before he began to talk "Nothin much Young Buckets, nothing much.

    I just called to congratte you and the boys on bringin Jefferson its first undefeated season. It ain''t everyday you get to make history ahaha."

    Jasonughed after hearing Tyreek say that "Thanks Tyreek. Congrats to you and the rest of the guys from Newberry. I heard that you guys did pretty well yourselves."

    Tyreek responded with some moreughter "Haha yeah we did pretty aight. But we ain''t do the same as y''all and go undefeated.

    Boy I wish we did though. I heard that y''all get to skip the first two rounds of the tournament, that true?"

    Jason answered "Yeah it''s true. Going undefeated ended up getting us first ce in the regr season rankings which got us the top seed.

    Because of that we get to skip the first two rounds of elimination. But to be honest my body is itching to y ball man.

    It''s kinda hard to go from having games and practice be a part ofyour daily routine to not ying for a month and waiting to see how things go."

    Jason took a seat on his bed as he continued to listen to Tyreek speak.

    "Hahaha I knew you was like me bro. We both hoop junkies that need to get our fix. I bet it''s driving you crazy not bein in theb and workin on yo game.

    That''s why I went ahead and did a somethin a little extra. I thought it would be a great chance for you so I signed you up for somethin. I think yous about to have a st man."

    Jason chuckled "ording to how psyched you sound I''m not sure if I should be excited or worried. Spit it out Tyreek. What did you sign me up for?"

    Instead of just answering Jason''s question directly Tyreek began by telling a story "So me and Hash were at this function down in Riverside.

    We was dancing and spittin our game at some pretty young thangs and enjoying the night. Usual celebration type shit right?

    Then all of a sudden I see one of my homeboys that done moved to MoVal right? I start dapin him up and sayin what''s up.

    We catch up with each other, I see Hash gettin shot down by all the girls he walks up to, the usual shit.

    Then all of a sudden my dude from MoVal tells me that a NBA legend ising back to the ol stompin grounds to hold a quick training camp.

    He told me that the registration lists were full but that he could get you in using some of his connections."

    Jason was speechless ''An NBA legend was going to host a quick training camp? And I''m getting the chance to go?''

    Jason was thrilled at the idea of picking the brain of someone that not only made it to the league but was able to be sessful enough to have beenbelled a legend.

    But he was also curious as to who it was ''Tyreek said that he wasing to Moreno Valley to check out the old stomping grounds.

    Who''s an NBA legend that''s from Moreno Valley?''

 Chapter 84 - Live Life

    Jason thanked Tyreek immensely for giving him this opportunity. An opportunity like this was priceless and couldn''t be described with mary value.

    Tyreekughed after hearing Jason thank him so much "Yo chill bro. You don''t need to be thankin me like that.

    We ain''t strangers. You done helped me out so many times that I lost count. Just treat this as me repaying some of those favors back.

    And besides, friends look out for each other and that''s just what did. I was just lookin out for one of my friends."

    Jason''s chest felt warm as he was touched by Tyreek''s words. Jason smiled "I still have to thank you Tyreek.

    This opportunity means a lot to me. But you''re so close to jumping to the college level. Shouldn''t you use this opportunity for yourself?"

    Tyreekughed "Trust me I would if I could dog. This is a training camp for 13 and under and I don''t think I can pass off for a middle schooler haha."

    Jason thanked Tyreek once again before they said their goodbyes as they both hung up the call.

    Jason decided it was time to call it a night. He took a quick shower before getting ready for bed.

    - - -

    The next day. It was a bright and clear Sunday morning. Jason and Kyle were at the school''s gym getting some shots up.

    Kyle was shooting some shots with his awkward form as Jason gave him advice on how to improve his shooting mechanics.

    "When you''re shooting you want to line up your forearm and your elbow with the basket. You want to shoot it in one motion so that you don''t end up with the hitch in your shot."

    Kyle was listening to Jason''s advice as he tried to fix his form. While they were shooting Kyle asked "Hey Jaya, Coach told us that we had this weekend off.

    He told us to rest up so that we would be ready for the tournament next month. So why are we here getting some shots in?

    I don''t even shoot the ball that much during games. I eithery it in or dunk it. And how did you open the gym up without Coach Swendel?"

    Jason answered as he continued to shoot "To answer your first question, I just had to get outside the apartment and y some ball.

    I was starting to go crazy from theck of basketball thest few days. And you''re getting shots in because it''s never a bad thing to try and add new things to your game.

    I was watching a documentary on the sports channel the other day. Did you know that LeBron didn''t really start ying from the post until he started getting older?

    You would think that a dude that was 6''8 (2.03m) and 260 pounds (118kg) of pure muscle would be eating people up in the post.

    But he mostly started ying from the post more often after he got to the Lakers. I guess it just goes to show that it''s never toote to teach a old dog new tricks."

    Kyle nodded his head "Okay. So that exins why I''m out here with you shooting the basketball instead of chilling under my Magical Girl Hikari nket watching some anime.

    But that doesn''t exin how you were able to open up the gym and get to the equipment without Coach Swendel around."

    Jason had a wide grin on his face as he pulled out a key card from his pocket "The principal gave this to me. Gives me ess to the gym and all the equipment in the storage closets."

    Kyle dropped the ball and walked over excitedly "Bro, no way! How did you get the principal to give you this?"

    Jason gave the key card to Kyle so that he could hold it and take a look "It was back when the principal did the whole medal ceremony.

    After he gave his boring speech and the whole thing was done he asked if we could talk in private.

    He said that it was an honor for the school to have such a gifted basketball yer attending sses there.

    He then asked what it would take to convince me to guarantee my return to Jefferson next year."

    A worried expression appeared on Kyle''s face as soon as he heard Jason say that "What did he mean? Is there any question about whether or not you would go to Jefferson next year?"

    Jasonughed after seeing Kyle''s worried expression "Haha don''t worry bro. The principal was just worried because he had been hearing about all the different middle schools that were asking around about me.

    My parents also got a ton of calls from schools that want to recruit me. But I told my parents that I want to keep going to Jefferson.

    Anyways, even though I knew that I was going to go to Jefferson next year I thought that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

    So I told the principal that it would be great if I had constant ess to the gym and all the equipment so that I could get some practice in whenever I felt like it. That''s pretty much how it went."

    Kyle was impressed and after hearing Jason''s story and his curiosity was satisfied. They went back to shooting the ball.

    After a bit Jason stopped as he turned around and looked at Kyle "There was actually one more thing I wanted to tell you."

    Kyle held the basketball in his hands as he looked at Jason "What is it? You want to ask me for another anime rmendation?"

    Jason chuckled "Nah bro, I''m still chillin with that one show you told me about. Kuroko''s basketball is pretty tight even though it''s kina unrealistic."

    Kyle cringed "I told you to use the Japanese name. Call it Kuroko no Basuke. I hope you''re watching subbed. Otherwise I may have created a monster."

    Jasonughed after hearing Kyle say that "Nah but for reals I got something I want to talk to you about.

    I just recently got told that I would get the chance to attend a weekend long training camp hosted by an NBA legend.

    I''m honestly really excited and I didn''t know anyone else that I wanted to tell about this more than you."

    Kyle walked over and hanged his arm around Jason''s neck as he started ruffling his hair "d to hear that I was option number one.

    Congrats Jaya, I''m sure you''re gonna kick some major ass at the training camp and show out for Jefferson."

    Jason smiled as he freed himself from Kyle "Hopefully man. I would hate to show up to the training camp and act a clown in front of an NBA legend."

    Kyle hesitated for a moment but decided to ask "Hey Jaya, I actually had a favor that I wanted to ask you. It''s probably not your cup of tea but I would really appreciate it if you would help me out."

    Jason nodded his head "Whatever it is bro you know I got your back. All you got to do is ask."

    - - -

    Jason had a horrible expression on his face as he stood in front of a mirror dressed in a kimono with a pink wig on.

    "I hate you Kyle. I regret agreeing to do whatever this is." Kyleughed after hearing Jason''s light-heartedints.

    Kyle was finishing up the final touches to Jason''s costume "I know that cosying really isn''t your thing Jaya so thanks for helping me with this.

    The contest I''m entering is for duos. My mom didn''t want to help me and you were myst resort."

    Jason sighed "Yeah yeah, just hurry up and get this over with. This pink wig is starting to get my scalp itchy."

    After Kyle finished getting Jason ready he started a mini photo-shoot where he directed the poses and handled the lighting.

    As they were taking the photos Jasonined "Why do you get to dress up as the super cool half robot half demon guy while I''m stuck wearing a dress and a pink wig?"

    Kyle continued to take the photographs with his camera and the button that he had in his hand "My character is Cadence. A failed rapper who finds himself transported to feudal Japan.

    You''re character is Hibiki Minoru. A wandering entertainer that uses his street magic to earn a living after being exiled from his n after one fateful day leaves him with a different hair color. And that isn''t a dress it''s a Kimono."

    Jason shook his head "Okay bro, I didn''t need the whole backstory. Let''s just hurry up and finish this."

    Despite what Jason said he found himself having more and more fun as the session went on. They finished with a personal picture that wouldn''t be submitted to the contest.

    It was the two of them standing next to each other with silly grins on their faces as they both threw up peace signs.

    - - -

    Jason got a ride home from Kyle''s ce with his dad. As he sat in the passengers seat Jason went through the photos that Kyle had sent him.

    Jason couldn''t help but smile andugh as he scrolled through the pictures ''I guess taking a break from basketball every once in a while isn''t too bad.''

 Chapter 85 - Start Of Camp

    The week quickly passed as practices were the only thing that took up Jason''s time. With more free time in his schedule Jason made an effort to hang out with Kyle and Samantha more often.

    They went to the mall and watched movies. As well as went shopping with Kyle for different things he could use in his cosying.

    After doing that they spent the rest of the day putting on different costumes and wings as Kyle taught Samantha and Jason more about cosying and anime.

    And somehow on one of their hang out days Samantha managed to drag both Kyle and Jason into one of her favorite alternative lifestyle stores, The Dirty Ditch.

    She told Kyle and Jason about thetest bands to pop out of the underground scene as they looked at relics of the past known as CDs.

    And she had Kyle and Jason try on different outfits. The two of them put on all sorts of different things from ripped ck pants to chokers and chain bracelets.

    Samantha had so much fun that despite Jason and Kyle''s strong refusal she ended up buying the outfits for the two of them.

    After Jason told the rest of the guys from the team that he would be attending a short training camp hosted by a former NBA legend they were all excited for him.

    They cheered him on and told him that he would do a great job of representing Jefferson middle school.

    - - -

    It was Saturday morning. There was a bit of fog as Jason rode with his mom in the car. His dad had to go open up the diner so he wasn''t able toe drop him off at the camp.

    As his mom parked in front of Canyon Springs High School she couldn''t help but look at her son with a worried expression.

    "Make sure you eat your regr three meals alright Jaya? And don''t forget your snacks in between. I know that you get real hungry waiting for the meals.

    Don''t forget to brush your teeth in the morning, after lunch, and before you go to bed. And try not to wear the same clothes for too long because then your skin will get irritated and-"

    Jason smiled as he cut off his mom with a hug "I know mom. Thanks for driving me out here and thanks for being so worried.

    But I promise that I''ll be okay. I can take care of myself. And besides, the camp is only for two days. You''ll be back to pick me up tomorrow night."

    Jason''s mom wiped the corner of her eyes as tears were beginning to form "I know that sweety but I just can''t help but worry.

    You''ve never been away from me or your dad for this long before. I know that you''re ready to spread your wings and fly off but I don''t know if I''m ready."

    Jasonughed as he patted his mom on the back "You''re making it sound like I''m moving out. I''m only twelve mom.

    I''m only going to be gone for two days. And after that you''ll have me at home for at least a couple more years okay?

    So don''t get all sad with the goodbyes. Or you might start to make me cry." Jason''s mom pulled herself away from his embrace so that she could take onest look at her son''s face.

    She smiled brightly before pulling her son into onest hug before dropping him off. Jason had his bright white Nike duffel bag hanging off his shoulder as he looked at the school.

    Jason had bought his new bag using some of the money that he had made from the show. It was packed with all of his clothes and other things.

    As Jason looked on he saw other kids arriving and waiting in front of the school like him ''Hmm? Wait a second, some of these guys don''t look like middle schoolers?''

    After seeing a lot of kids who looked like they were in high school Jason decided to walk over and ask some questions.

    He found a kid that looked to be around his age and decided to approach him "Hey man. My name is Jason."

    The kid turned around "Sup man, my name is Ju-Holy shit! You''re Jaya!" He was normal for a split second but as soon as he recognized Jason he seemed to have lost his senses.

    Jason smiled as he put his finger to his lip as a gesture to be more quiet "Haha yeah it''s me. But do you think you can keep it down a notch?"

    The kid noticed that everyone else was starting to look at them and whispering among themselves.

    He shook his head in embarrassment "My bad, I just lost my cool for a second. My name is Justice and I''m a huge fan."

    Jason shook hands with him. Justice looked to be about 5''6 (1.67m). He had a solid frame and wasn''t as thin as Jason.

    He had a short t top and was about the same skin tone as Udonis as the both of them leaned a little more on the darker side.

    Jasonughed "Thanks man, I appreciate the support. Hey do you know if this training camp is for thirteen and under?"

    Justice seemed surprised by the question but he answered anyway "You don''t know where you''re at?

    This training camp happens every year around this time. It''s open to all ages but not just anybody can get in. To attend the camp you need an invitation."

    Jason was stunned after hearing that ''Did Tyreek get invited but then decide to give this opportunity to me?''

    Jason decided that he would ask Tyreekter. He smiled at Justice "So do you know how long we''ll have to wait out here?"

    Justice nodded his head "It shouldn''t be too much longer. They''re just waiting to the end of the hour to give anyte people a chance to show up."

    Justice and Jason made small talk as they waited for the final people to arrive. As the clock reached nine o''clock a man made his way to the front.

    He was tall at 6''7 (2m). His hair was done in clean and stylish cornrows which have yet to show any signs of graying.

    He was dressed in simple ck sweatpants and a hoodie but he had this undeniable aura around him.

    The first thing Jason noticed was his long wing span and his huge hands ''That wingspan is crazy! And those hands are no joke. They look like they''re at least ten inches long!''

    The man grabbed a microphone before letting out an awkward and mechanical soundingugh.

    "Huh heh HAEHH heh. Good morning to all of you. It''s a honor and a privilege for me to be able toe back to the ce where I grew up and to help raise the young talents of tomorrow."

    As soon as Jason heard theugh he instantly recognized who it was ''It''s Kawhi Leonard! I''m actually attending one of his training camps!''

    Jason was a huge fan of Kawhi even though he never got to see him y while he was still in the league.

    Jason studied hours of Kawhi Leonard''s game footage. He wanted to model his game after Kawhi''s because of how simr their stories were.

    Kawhi was first seen as a defensive specialist when he was drafted. Scouts didn''t think that he would ever develop into a lethal offensive weapon.

    Kawhi won his first championship and Finals MVP at the young age of 22. Although that year he was mostly a role yer and won Finals MVP because of his great defense on LeBron James.

    Kawhi Leonard showed shes of potential. He showed signs that he could be a franchise level yer.

    The years after that he would continue to build upon his game until he became an MVP caliber yer and one of the best two way yers in the world.

    Unfortunately for Jason he wasn''t able to emte Kawhi''s sess as he struggled to develop on the offensive side of the ball.

    It wasn''t until years after college that Jason was able to develop a semi reliable jumper and offensive moves that worked against high levelpetition.

    But by then Jason was already too old to be desirable for any NBA franchise and hisck of athleticism and size made it hard for him to appeal to any organizations.

    Jason listened on as Kawhi gave a speech in his same monotone voice. Luckily for everyone there Kawhi didn''t attempt to crack anymore jokes orugh.

    Kawhi added a fewst words as he ended his speech "I hope you all work hard this weekend.

    Don''t be upset with yourself if you don''t see the improvements that you want to see. It takes time to build a stable foundation.

    Now we''ll start the camp by having you all go inside so that the trainers can take your measurements."

    Jason was pumped up as he stood in line to get in the building ''Training camp starts now. I need to learn as much as I can!''

 Chapter 86 - First Day At Camp

    The lines were a little long. It looked like there were at least two hundred students attending the camp.

    After spending around fifteen minutes talking with Justice it was finally Jason''s turn as he was taken inside the school building.

    Jason was taken to one of the rooms in the infirmary. Inside was an olderdy with a kind smile.

    She had some slight graying in her hair but her face was devoid of any wrinkles or any other blemishes.

    She was slightly tanned and her long hair was tied in a ponytail. Her hairstyle, demeanor, and whiteb coat made her look the part of a stereotypical doctor.

    She pointed to the back of the room as she smiled at Jason "Hello young man. Please strip down to your underwear and then get on the scale for me."

    Thedy gave off the gentle and kind feeling that Jason imagined would belong to grandmas.

    Although Jason didn''t really have a baseline to judge that off of considering that he had never met his own.

    Jason walked to the back and stripped down to his underwear before stepping on to the scale.

    Thedy turned on the scale and started adjusting the bar on top of Jason''s head beforewriting some notes down.

    "Current height without shoes is 5''5 (1.65m) t. Current weight is 120 pounds (54.43kg). Hmm your''re a little on the light side young man.

    I would highly suggest that you increase your caloric intake. A diet high in protein and high in carbohydrates could increase the effectiveness of your training and provide you with more energy."

    Jason sighed after hearing thedy say that. His size had always been a problem for him even back in his past life.

    By the time Jason graduated high school he was 6''1 (1.85m) but only weighed 150 pounds (68kg).

    Not only was he slightly undersized in the height department but he was so slim and thin. He tried his hardest every year to gain weight but even after his four years at UCLA Jason had only gained 20 pounds.

    And by gaining weight it obviously meant muscle. It wouldn''t do a perimeter yer like Jason any good to just put on weight for the sake of putting on weight.

    Jason looked at thedy "It might not seem like it but I''m actually trying really hard to gain weight already mam.

    I eat double what kids usually eat for all three of my meals. And I also eat snacks in between all of my meals."

    Thedy seemed surprised to hear Jason say that. She smiled at Jason "No need to call me mam young man.

    You can just call me Patricia. I''m going to be your sports doctor as well as your nutritionist for the next two days.

    So just let me know if you get a little banged up or if you get a couple nicks and bruises. I''ll fix you right up.

    That''s interesting that you say that. Can you tell me what you normally eat in a day?" Jason told her everything that he ate yesterday.

    "In the morning I had two bowls of rice with three fried eggs on top. I also had a bowl of clear broth vegetable soup.

    Before lunch I snacked on two sandwiches which were packed with ham, bacon, lettuce, red onions, tomatoes ooh and my dad put some Sriracha mayo on it. Those sandwiches were so good."

    Jason continued to tell her about his food intake for yesterday. As he continued the expression on her face became weirder and weirder.

    Finally, as Jason finished recounting all the things he ate, with a slight bit of drool in the corner of his mouth, it was her turn to sigh.

    "I guess I can''t really tell you to increase the amount of food that you''re eating considering that you already haverge diet.

    The only suggestion that I could make at this point to help you put on weight would be to add high concentration protein shakes to your snacks in between meals.

    It looks like you just have a body type that makes it hard to put on weight. It reminds me a lot of Kevin Durant or Brandom Ingram.

    Except that they were incredibly tall andnky men while you on the other hand... Well I''m sure you''ll grow.

    You''re still young and have plenty of time to fill out. Just continue to do what you''ve been doing up till now and try your best."

    Jason was surprised to hear her talk about such amazing basketball yers like it was nothing.

    "Excuse me Patricia. I don''t mean to be nosey or anything but you talked about Kevin Durant and Brandom Ingram as if you''ve worked with them before. Have you?"

    She cracked a small smile "Yes I did. I worked with Kevin Durant the first year he was able to y back in Brooklyn.

    I ended up working with him for a couple years. After that, because of my experience with him I ended up working with Brandom Ingram.

    The Pelicans wanted someone that had the experience of working with an athlete with a simr body type to Brandom Ingram."

    Jason was instantly impressed and enamored with her as he began asking a multitude of questions.

    He had the excitement that would have you forget that he was an adult inside of a child''s body instead of just a regr child.

    Patricia justughed as she answered the questions she could answer while saying "Patient confidentiality." to some of the others.

    She then continued to take Jason''s measurements as he continued to ask his questions. She got his shoe size, she measured his wingspan, the size of his hands, and she even measured the length of his legs individually.

    After writing down all of her notes she instructed Jason to put his clothes back on "Go ahead and dress up.

    If you step out this door and walk for a bit you should reach the canteen. They will serve all the kids breakfast before starting the training.

    Give them this note. This is my rmended meal n. They will use this to design all of your meals.

    Good luck young man" She gave Jason a note that had her signature on it before waving Jason goodbye with a smile on her face.

    Jason took the note from her before waving back as he started walking out of the infirmary.

    Just like she said, Jason walked out of the door and went straight before seeing a building that had arge sign at the side that said "Canteen."

    Jason went in and lined up for some food. After a few minutes of waiting Jason made his way to the front.

    Jason handed the food worker the note. He took it and after a quick nce he walked past some doors into the back.

    After a few minutes he walked back out with a tray that had three tes and a bowl. Jason couldn''t tell what was inside because they all had tinfoil covering the tops.

    Jason thanked the man wearing a hair as he took the tray and began looking for a spot to eat.

    Just as he was walking past a table for the fifth time Jason heard someone calling out his name "Yo Jaya! Hey bro! Come sit over here!"

    The canteen was loud and filled with the chatter of about two hundred kids but Jason managed to hear that familiar voice because of how loud he was shouting.

    Jason turned his head to the direction where he heard the voice and started walking toward the table.

    Jason smiled as he put down his tray and sat down next to Justice "Thanks for saving me a spot man. I was thinking that I might have to eat outside for a second."

    Justice gave Jason a thumbs up "Hey man, as long as I''m here don''t worry about not having a spot to eat at.

    There ain''t no wayI''m about to let Riverside''s youngest superstar get done dirty like that. So what did they give you?

    I''m totally bummed out that they left any sweets off of my tray. The guy that took my measurements said that I needed toy off the sugar."

    Jason replied "I don''t know yet. I haven''t checked out what''s under the foil." Jason then proceeded to unwrap the tes and thebowl.

    On one te was a baked white potato that was split open with some butter in the middle and sour cream on the side.

    Along with a sweet potato that looked to have been roasted with the skin still on. On the other te were all the proteins.

    There was a whole piece of grilled chicken breast that looked well seasoned. Right next to that was a piece of grilled fatty fish.

    Jason drooled as he could practically taste the omega 3 as he watched the oil dripping from the fish.

    Inside the bowl was just some in cottage cheese. Jason frowned after seeing that ''I hate cottage cheese. It''s the only food that actually looks nasty.''

    But despite all of Jason''sints he was prepared to eat everything on his tray. He had been taught since a young age to not waste any food.

    Jason could still hear his mom lecturing him ''You shouldn''t waste food Jaya. There are kids starving all over the world that would be happy to eat that.''

    Justice saw the contents of Jason''s tray and his jaw dropped to the floor "Holy cow! That''s your breakfast?

    Are you going to be okay if you eat all that? That''s gonna feel like having cement in your stomach."

    Jason chuckled after hearing what Justice had to say "Too be honest this is just about right in terms of how much I usually eat.

    I''m just kind of disappointed that there''s no rice on my tray. The potatoes look good and all but it''s just not the same. For Asians it''s like the meal isn''t as satisfying if there isn''t rice."

    Jason began to chow down on all of his food as Justice watched on in amazement.

    - - -

    Inside one of the buildings of the school. Kawhi was seated behind a wooden desk as the medical professionals handed him their notes.

    Patricia had a smile on her face as she dropped off her stack of papers in front of Kawhi "Looks like you''re really going all out with this training camp.

    I see a ton of familiar faces. It couldn''t have been cheap hiring so many doctors and nutritionist that have NBA experience."

    Kawhi smiled but his voice remained the same "When you have as much money as me Patricia you just want to see it be put to good use.

    And nothing would make me happier than to see talent sprouting in the same small town that gave me my start.

    And you would be surprised how many people came here just for the sake of doing some good. You were actually the hardest one to convince."

    Patricia chuckled "Well I might have to thank you for convincing me. Because of you I got to meet a very interesting young man."

    Kawhi raised his brow "Oh? He must be something special for you to say that. Can I see his notes?"

    Patricia sorted through the stack of papers until she found Jason''s notes "Here you go. At first I was just curious because of his personality and eating habits.

    But after looking the kid up I was genuinely impressed. I might not be a former athlete or a professional sports analyst but I''ve been around enough talent that I''m confident enough in my ability to tell when it''s there."

    Kawhi began reading through the notes. After a few minutes of reading he then searched somethings up on his phone.

    After a staring at his phone for a few minutes Kawhi began to scratch his chin "So he''s an elite defender huh? Looks like he came to the right ce then. Huh heh HAEHH heh."

 Chapter 87 - First Day At Camp: Part-2

    Jason made small talk with Justice as they both ate their meals. After about fifteen minutes Jason was all done with his tray while Justice had barely made a dent in his.

    Jason asked "What''s wrong? Not hungry?" Justice shook his head "I actually ate breakfast beforeing here. I didn''t know they would serve us breakfast."

    Jason was about to look for somewhere to put his tray away when the doors were swung open by one of the trainers who had just walked in.

    "Alright Everybody! You have ten minutes to finish eating. Whatever you can''t finish gets tossed.

    We will start camp with a quick warm up in ten minutes. When I get back just leave the mess here. We''ll take care of cleanup."

    After his quick announcement the trainer left. Justice turned to Jason "I think I''m done man. I''m ready for the actual training to start."

    The ten minutes passed and the trainer came back "Alright everybody please step outside for me. We are going to head over the the gym and then group you guys up by age."

    Jason followed the rest of the students as they made their way out of the canteen and started walking toward the gym.

    Once they were inside the gym they could see that there were trainers holding up signs for different age groups.

    The students were separated into the following groups: 13 and under, 14 and 15, 16 and up. Although the sign said 13 and under 13 was the standard age. Jason was actually the youngest one attending the camp.

    Jason looked around the group. It looked like there were about 40 kids in his group. The training camp was made up of primarily high school students.

    The trainer that was going to be responsible for their group introduced herself "Hi guys! My name is Brianna Mason.

    But you guys can just call me Brie like the cheese haha. I''m going to be in charge of you guys for the next two days so I hope we all get along!"

    Her overwhelmingly positive and cheerful energy was almost painful for Jason ''It''s almost like eating a bowl of cereal that''s half filled with sugar.''

    Brie looked to be very fit. She stood at a short 5''5 (1.65m) the same height as Jason. But she had muscr lean arms and well developed muscle tone that was visible all around her body.

    She had a head of long bright blonde hair that was tied into a pony tail as she was dressed up in bright pink breathable workout clothes.

    Brie had Jason and the rest of the group warm up with some stretches and a quick run around the gym.

    After they were done she set up some orange cones as she then blew her whistle to get everyone''s attention.

    "You guys should all know by now that Kawhi Leonard, the NBA legend that is hosting this training camp, was a historically great defender during his ying days.

    So today the first thing we are going to work on is yourteral movement and your defensive footwork."

    The drill was a very basic one. Jason had done it countless times in his past life when he was first starting out.

    You had to get into a defensive stance and move side to side as you maneuvered yourself between the cones.

    Jason had even ran the more advanced version where the trainer wears a padded chest piece and you have to avoid running into his screen all while moving through the cones.

    This drill was mostly for building up the physicalponents of defense such asteral movement and footwork.

    It didn''t do much in terms of skills development so it wasn''t very appealing to Jason who wanted to develop and nurture his skills more.

    But he decided to go along with it for now ''I just got here. It probably wouldn''t be the best idea to rock the boat just yet.''

    Jason didn''t have much interest in the drill so he let everyone else go before him. Jason wanted to yawn as he watched all the kids perform the drill.

    ''What the hell? These guys were invited to be here? Nick is probably the worst defender on the team right now but he''d do a way better job doing this drill.''

    Some of the kids were slow in shuffling their feet. Some of them knocked over the cones. And one of them even tripped over his own foot.

    Jason checked their skills and a majority of them had a D to D- for perimeter defense. Some of the better ones had a C.

    Justice was the one who did the best so far with the drill as he was able to smoothly make his way through the cones.

    Jason checked and was impressed when he saw that Justice had a B for his perimeter defense.

    Brie pped her hands and smiled as she patted the kid on his back "Great job out there! You were great! Just next time try and not to hit your face on the ground.

    Alright, next is Jason Yang. Please step to the front and start whenever you''re ready." Jason casually walked to the front.

    He checked his shoes to make sure that they were tied properly before checking the bottom of his shoes to make sure that their traction was still good.

    After making sure that everything was in proper working condition he got into a low defensive stance and started.

    Jason zed through the cones as he moved nonstop. His feet moved smoothly across the floor as he shuffled his way to the end.

    It barely took him twenty seconds to go through a course that took everyone else a minute or longer.

    Brie''s had a shocked expression on her face as her mouth was shaped like an O for a few seconds.

    She soon came back to her senses as she pped madly "Bravo Jason! Very well done! You were the fastest to finish the drill. Congrattions!"

    Jason smiled at Brie as he took herpliment. But as soon as he turned around the corner of his mouth was twitching slightly as he smiled.

    Brie continued to have them run more basic drills. And the more Jason watched the more he became disappointed.

    During one of the drills Jason and Justice were standing in the back. Jason leaned over and whispered.

    "Yo Justice. You said that you need an invite to attend this camp right? Not to be mean or anything. But why are these guys so.... not good?"

    Justice scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he awkwardly smiled at Jason "Yeah you''re right. These guys aren''t exactly the best.

    This training camp is invite only. But for the 13 and under they only send invites to yers in Moreno Valley.

    For the 14 and up they expand to Moreno Valley and Riverside. But only Riverside the city not the County.

    And to be honest, even though this is a training camp hosted by an NBA legend like Kawhi Leonard not that many people opt to join.

    All the elite talent would rather pay for a shooting coach or pay to go to a training camp to work on their offense instead of going to a camp where the main focus in defense."

    Jason shook his head ''I guess it makes sense. If they limit their talent pool it would make it harder to find high level yers.

    I just wish young kids would realize that defense is just as important as offense. Sure it''s not as sexy and you don''t get as many highlights but you need defense to win games.''

    As they were finishing up yet another basic drill Jason turned his head and saw the 16 and up group doing their drill.

    There were four buttonsid out on the floor three feet apart from each other. They were about the size of Jason''s palms and they would light up at random.

    Jason watched as the kid moved side to side in a defensive stance as he pressed the buttons as soon as they lit up.

    The trainer would then mix things up by throwing a tennis ball randomly at the sides of the yer or through his legs as the yer then had to try and catch the tennis balls.

    Jason tried to resist the urge to walk over and try the drill for himself ''This drill looks like it works on your dynamic vision,teral quickness, situational recognition, and hand speed all at once!''

    Jason was captivated by the drill as he continued to watch. Brie set up their side of the court for another drill "Alright guys here''s another fun drill for you!

    Who wants to go first? Why don''t we try someone that hasn''t gone first yet?" She then looked at the kids before her gaze locked on to Jason "Jason! Why don''t you go first?"

    Jason looked at Brie''s peppy smile and then at the boring looking drill set up. He hesitated for a moment before awkwardly smiling.

    "Actually Brie, is it okay if I go over to the 16 and up group? I kind of want to try out the drill that they''re doing right now."

 Chapter 88 - A Familiar Face

    Brie was stunned for a moment. After she came back to her senses sheughed "Haha real funny Jason. Just go ahead and start the drill whenever you''re ready."

    Jason shook his head "I wasn''t kidding Brie. I want to go over to the 16 and up group and try out the drill that they''re working on right now."

    Brie paused for a second "Jason that''s not how things work. The groups are separated by age for a reason.

    The camp''s training was specifically designed to take into ount your age and your current stage as a yer.

    For the thirteen and under group what we want to work on the most is helping you build up your body to the point where you can y elite defense.

    We only go over technique and fundamentals so that you can be be exposed to them and get a feel for them. But they''re not our focus.

    Once you get to theter groups is where we start working more on your skills and fundamentals. You can''t build a nice house without a solid foundation right?"

    Jason took a second to process what Brie had to say. He then thought of the nicest way for him to say what he wanted to say.

    After a few seconds with nothinging up in his head Jason became a little annoyed ''Fuck! I can''t think of a way to say this nicely. I guess my only option is saying it straight up.''

    "I don''t want to sound rude or mean Brie. But I think that I''m already pretty solid when ites to defense.

    I don''t need to teach my body how to move properly. The drills you''re having us do is mostly to develop muscle memory but I don''t need that.

    What I need is to develop my defensive skills and my knowledge of the game. And I don''t think that I can do that in this group."

    Brie was stunned again. She had never expected a little twelve year old kid to talk back to her. Especially not with such a eloquent and logical response.

    Brie was stumped as she didn''t know what to say. Jason added "Can I go talk to the trainer for that group? I just want to ask him."

    Seeing as she didn''t have any better ideas for how to handle the current situation she nodded her head ''Hopefully Ben can convince the kid.''

    Jason walked up to the 16 and up group and tapped the trainer on the shoulder "Hi my name is Jason."

    The trainer turned around and smiled as he shook hands with Jason "Nice to meet you buddy. My name is Ben. Did you need something?"

    Ben was just average in terms of height as he stood at 5''9 (1.75m) but he had broad shoulders and biceps that you couldn''t fit your hands around.

    He had a short brown buzz cut and had a friendly and easygoing demeanor.

    Jason nodded his head "I came over to ask you if I could join your group. I saw you guys running this drill and I really want to try it out."

    Ben was surprised by Jason''s request. Before he could give Jason an answer Brie had walked over from her group.

    "Sorry Ben, I don''t want to bother you in the middle of your drill but I have a bit of a situation on my hands.

    This little guy over here saw you guys doing the drill and thought that it looked fun. I tried to tell him that training schedule designed by the camp was made to take into consideration the athlete''s age and physique.

    But he insisted oning over here to ask you if he could join. To be fair Jason here is a little advanced for his age group."

    Ben put his hand on his chin as he began to contemte. After a few seconds he spoke "Why don''t we just let him try it out?"

    Brie was surprised by Ben''s suggestion but he then leaned in and whispered to her "That way the kid can see how hard it is and realize how far he still has to go."

    Brie couldn''te up with an argument to Ben''s suggestion so she just nodded her head. With the permission of the two trainers Jason got ready.

    The entire gym was focused on Jason. He had never intended to make himself stand out but It ended up bing a bit of a show as Ben told his group that Jason was about to try out the drill.

    Jason got into a low defensive stance as he spread his arms out and focused on Ben in front of him.

    Jason took a deep breath as he began to focus ''Just rx Jason. Let your body do the work. Don''t overthink this.''

    Ben blew his whistle and yelled "Start!" The first light to turn on was the one on the far right. Jason immediately sidestepped to it.

    Just as quickly as it had turned on Jason had pierced his hand toward the light and turned it off. The next light turned on and it was the one right next to him.

    Jason didn''t even have to take a step as he just leaned a bit further out to the side and pped the light off.

    Jason saw the light on the far left turn on and was about to shuffle towards it when he saw Ben throw a tennis ball to his right.

    Without missing a beat Jason caught the ball in his right hand as he then made his way to the light to turn it off.

    Brie along with the rest of the kids in the gym watched on in amazement as Jason continued his impressive disy during the drill.

    Most of the high school yers were able to keep the drill going for two or three minutes. The better ones could get up to five minutes.

    Everyone held their breaths in anticipation as Jason continued the drill. Brie was shocked as she looked at the time on her phone "He''s been going for three minutes already."

    Sweat rolled down Jason''s face as he shifted from side to side catching the tennis balls and reaching down to turn off the lights.

    The mental energy used to focus and make split second decisions was draining on Jason. Even more so than the physical fatigue.

    Just as Jason was reaching over to the left side to p the light off he saw a ball heading to his right side.

    The mental fatigue must have caught up to him as a split second dy in his decision making caused him to miss the ball.

    Jason stood back up regrly from his defensive stance and wiped the sweat off of his face with the bottom section of his shirt.

    "Damn that was hard. But it was so much fun! This is a great drill. I haven''t had a workout like that since before the season ended."

    Brie walked up to Jason "Watch yournguage young man." Jason awkwardly smiled before apologizing.

    Brie then smiled at Jason "But that was an incredible performance Jason. I honestly didn''t think you would be prepared to run the drill but you did fantastic."

    Ben walked up to Jason and patted him on the back "Yeah, that was a great run. You managed to run the drill for three minutes and forty seconds.

    You did just as well as some of our high school athletes. That was a job well done bud."

    Jason smiled "Thanks. That was so much fun to do. Whoever made this drill is amazing. Like borderline genius amazing.

    All the different aspects of defense that it makes you use. How easy it is to control the intensity of the drill to match the person''s skill level. Everything about this drill is top notch."

    Jason then looked at Brie and Ben "So since I was able to do so well on the drill that means that I can join the 16 and up group right?"

    The smile on Brie''s face dimmed down as her peppy attitude dampened. Ben went silent as well as he had aplicated expression on his face.

    Brie walked closer to Jason and whispered "I know that you''re way ahead of your age group Jason. And you would probably do alright doing the high school level workouts.

    But think about how the other kids will feel. Some of them have been going here since they were 13. They might not be too happy to see someone skip over them."

    Jason took a look around the gym and noticed that everyone was staring at him. Some of the kids were clearly mean-mugging him.

    Some of the other kids were hiding how they were feeling or didn''t care at all. While a part of them actually looked at Jason with a smile or were giving him a thumbs up.

    Jason was confused ''I get what Brie is saying. It never feels good to have someone cut you in line.

    I understand why some people would be ring at me and why they would be pissed. But why do some of them look like they''re cheering me on?''

    While Jason was scanning the crowd of kids he heard a familiar voice "Dang man. Look at all these big ol dudes mean-muggin a little kid.

    Y''all think you tough for that? Must take some real cojones to try and punk a middle schooler."

 Chapter 89 - Rivalry

    Jason smiled as a familiarnky body walked towards him and dapped him up. Jason then gave him a bro hug.

    "Yo Ricky! What are you doing here bro? Tyreek didn''t tell me that you got an invite to the camp too."

    Ricky smiled as he replied "Tyreek a sneaky mofo man. He didn''t tell me that you were going to be here either.

    Too be fair tho I should have known. He told me that there was someone at the camp that he wanted me to keep my eyes out for and that he wanted me to look after him.

    You the only real culprit but I just neva pieced two and two together." Ricky then turned to the two trainers.

    "Sorry Ben, sorry Brie. You guys might not know cause you ain''t from around these parts. But Jason is something like a local celebrity.

    I can say with a hundred percent confidence that my boy over here is the best middle school yer in the county. Shoot he might even be the best in the state.

    So why don''t you guys make a small exception for him? It''s not like he ain''t ready for it. You saw how well he did with the drill."

    Ben and Brie were both silent as they looked at each other. Brie was the first one to begin speaking.

    "Listen umm... I think your name was Ricky right? I think I heard Jason call you that. Well anyways Ricky.

    It doesn''t matter who Jason is. Even if he is a local celebrity rules are rules and they were made to be followed.

    The training for this camp was designed by Kawhi himself with the assistance of professional trainers and medical experts who have had experience working with top level athletes.

    Now I''ll admit that Jason was good. Very good actually. He might even be the most impressive talent that we''ve seen for his age.

    But that doesn''t mean that we can just drop all the rules and do whatever we want. Rules are there to keep things in order."

    Ricky turned to the kids that were all watching them "I think Jason over here can handle the high school level training in the 16 and up group. Raise your hands if you agree and ain''t got a problem with it."

    Jason was surprised to see that half of the kids had raised their hands in support of him. He didn''t think that the numbers would be so equal.

    Ricky smirked as he looked at the kids who kept their hands down "Y''all MoVal dudes a bunch of weirdos man.

    You ain''t gotta be so petty just cause us Riverside boys built different. It ain''t our fault we got all the sauce while y''all dry as a bone."

    One of the boys from the 16 and up group that had kept his hand down stood up after hearing what Ricky said.

    "You pushin it Ricky! This only your second year at the camp. You better chill out. You and your Riverside boys ain''t got Tyreek and Hash to carry y''all this year.

    And we ain''t being petty. We just trying to follow the rules. You start of with the basic stuff until you reach the 14 and 15 group. That''s how it''s always been."

    One of the other kids from the same group stood up "We ain''t like you Darnell. We don''t need nobody to carry us.

    We gon woop all yo behinds just like we always do. When was thest time y''all ever managed to beat us? Riverside been winning for five straight years now."

    After listening for a bit Jason finally got an understanding of what was going on in the training camp.

    ''So all the kids that were in support of me joining the 16 and up group are from Riverside. While the ones who were against it are from Moreno Valley.

    And by the looks of it there must be a pretty intense rivalry going on between the two groups.

    I feel a little bad saying this but I really don''t care. I don''t care if one side thinks that they are better than the other. I just hope that the trainers let me change groups.''

    Ben and Brie were standing worriedly at the side as the two sides were arguing. Ricky was trying his best to stay calm but even his voice was starting to get louder.

    "Just admit that y''all MoVal boys don''t want Jaya to change groups cause y''all afraid how how good he''ll get. Y''all are mad jealous that you ain''t got someone like him on your side."

    Multiple different people stood up and shouted against what Ricky said "We ain''t jealous. We just trying to follow the rules.

    Little dude should stay in his group and work his way up just like how all of us did it. Just cause he on TV we supposed to let him get special treatment?"

    The energy in the gym was getting vtile as both side were beginning to get heated. Just as Brie was thinking of a way to deescte the situation Ben blew his whistle.

    "Alright guys! Break time. I can tell that we''re all tired from working out for a few hours and for some of us our heads are getting hot. So take this time to go rest and cool down. You guys have thirty minutes."

    Ricky put his arm over Jason''s shoulder "Haha I know that must have seemed pretty intense. But just know that you ain''t alone.

    You got people that are on your side. Here let me take you to go meet some of the other dudes from Riverside."

    Jason followed Ricky as they went to the other side of the court where some of the guys were just sitting around and talking.

    Ricky smiled as they approached the group "Yo what up fes. This here is Jason aka Jaya aaka Young Buckets. But I''m pretty sure y''all know that."

    Jason was weed into the group with open arms as everyone was all smiles as they introduced themselves.

    Jason had a hard time trying to remember everyone''s names. But one that actually managed to stick was Nav.

    The only reason that Jason managed to remember his name was because Nav was also the name of an old rapper that Jason used to listen to in his past life.

    Nav seemed to be the leader of the Riverside faction as the rest of the guys seemed to have a deep sense of respect for him.

    He was of a darker shade like Tyreek or Udonis. He had short twists that were blonde at the tips. He looked to be around 6''4 (1.93m).

    The whole group were all interested in getting to know Jason better as they all had questions that they asked nonstop.

    "Ain''t no way you only been ying for a couple months. You just said that for the cameras right?"

    "Honest answer alright? How does it feel to be the only Asian dude whenever you go out hoopin?"

    "Was that one on one against Jerome at the mall really faked? I always see people saying that it was all fake."

    Jason was grateful that everyone seemed to have already considered him as one of their own. Jason answered their questions with a smile on his face.

    "I know it doesn''t seem like it but I swear that it''s true. The first time I picked up a basketball and actually started ying was when I transferred to Jefferson.

    Up until then I''ve just watched basketball and asionally shot some jumpers on the yground. But only casual stuff, never organized y."

    "My honest answer is that..... I''m still figuring out how I feel about it. Whenever I step out on to the court I just consider myself a basketball yer.

    But it''s impossible for me to see myself as just that because every single time the fact that I''m Asian gets brought up."

    "Well the truth is a littleplicated. The scenario was scripted. Jerome and the crew were going to be at the mall doing their promo stuff and the director thought that adding me on towards the end would make for a great intro.

    But the game itself was all real despite what other people think. I really did try my best against Jerome and he really did beat me down that badly."

    Just as Jason and the others in the group were chatting and getting to know each other they turned their heads to the side as they heard a set of footsteps approaching them.

    It was Darnell. The first kid from the Moreno Valley faction to oppose Jason being moved to the 16 and up group.

    He was tall at about 6''7 (2m) and he had broad shoulders to go along with the rest of his stout build.

    He was light skinned with a big afro that looked reminiscent of Dr. J or the disco era. Nav was the first one to open his mouth.

    "What you want Darnell? Last time I checked this was our side." Darnell replied "I came over here to settle things.

    When there''s beef between hoopers the best way to settle it is on the court. We y a quick three on three.

    If we win then y''all can just drop the idea of adding Jason to the 16 and up group. If by some miracle y''all actually manage to beat us then we''ll be cool with it.

    Of course little dude gotta be one of your three yers. So what do you think? Y''all down for the challenge or are you too chicken?"

    Jason sighed as he listened to all of this from the side ''Not this again. I don''t remember basketball being soplicated in my past life.''

 Chapter 90 - Three On Three

    Nav and the rest of the group turned to Jason as though they were asking for his opinion on the matter.

    Jason thought for a moment ''I guess ying the three on three is the only way? At the very least I don''t see how it could do any harm.''

    Jason nodded his "Sure I''m down. Who else is gonna be on our team?" Nav raised his hand "I feel like ying. Should make for a good warm up before the next set of drills."

    Next was Ricky who stepped forward "This sounds like fun. I''m down for a quick three on three."

    And with that Jason''s team was decided. It would be him, Ricky, and Nav. Darnell went back to his side and brought back two other people.

    Nav told Jason that their names were James and Mack. James was the second tallest one in his group as he was 6''2 (1.87m).

    Mack was the shortest and the skinniest one on the team as he looked to be around 5''11 (1.8m) and 160 pounds (72.5kg).

    Ricky looked like he had a small growth spurt since Jason hadst saw him. He looked to have grown two inches as he was now around 5''10 (1.77m).

    Jason was curious to know about his teammates skills so before the game started he checked out Ricky with Heart''s eye.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B+

    Lay Up: B+

    Dunking: B+

    Close Shot: B+

    Mid Range Shooting: B+

    Three Point Shooting: B+

    Dribbling: B+

    Passing: B

    Ball Handling: B+

    y Making: B

    Post Scoring: B

    Rebounding: B

    Post Control: B

    Perimeter Defense: B+

    Post Defense: B

    Steals: B

    Blocks: B

    Athleticism: A- ]

    Jason was impressed that Ricky had managed to make improvements in all areas of his game in only a few months.

    Jason then checked out Nav with Heart''s eye.

    [Skills

    Free throw: A+

    Lay Up: A+

    Dunking: A

    Close Shot: A+

    Mid Range Shooting: A+

    Three Point Shooting: A+

    Dribbling: A+

    Passing: A

    Ball Handling: A+

    y Making: A

    Post Scoring: A

    Rebounding: A

    Post Control: A

    Perimeter Defense: A+

    Post Defense: A

    Steals: A+

    Blocks: A+

    Athleticism: AA+ ]

    Jason was a little disappointed after seeing Nav''s skill grades. They looked impressive with their high grades but that was inparison to the middle school level.

    Jason was half expecting to see a list of skillsparable to Tyreek''s where everything was well beyond the middle school level.

    ''I guess I had my expectations set a little high. There''s a reason why Tyreek was projected to be an NBA level talent.''

    - - -

    The rest of the gym watched as Jason, Ricky, and Nav stepped onto one of the courts and started warming up.

    After a few minutes of dribbling and shooting around they all felt like they were ready. They told the other team and they began to shoot for first possession.

    Jason was selected to be the shooter for their team while Mack was chosen to shoot for his team. First to 21 wins or if they don''t have enough time highest score wins. They were ying by 2s and 3s.

    Jason was the first to shoot. He walked up to the free-throw line before taking a deep breathe.

    Jason focused on the basket as he bent his knees down and began his shooting motion. With his forearm and elbow aligned with the basket Jason flicked his wrist as the ball went flying.

    His form was still the perfect textbook example of good shooting mechanics and yet it seemed even smoother than before.

    The ball flew in a high arc before swishing through the. Jason smiled as he walked away to let Mack shoot his shot.

    Mack''s shot was very unorthodox as his hand that was supporting the ball was positioned toward the middle of his torso.

    And when he began to shoot his elbow red out to the right as his release point was low. He let go of the ball before it even got past his face.

    But despite how unpleasant his shooting form was to look at the ball managed to reach the basket and go in.

    Jason and Mack went blow for blow as they continued their shootout. Finally, in the sixth round of shooting Jason managed to gain first possession as he sunk his shot while Mack''s bounced off the front of the rim.

    With the first possession Jason started off with the ball. Without having yed with Nav or Ricky before Jason decided to feel things out first.

    He called for a screen from Nav who then started making his way toward him. After seeing both defenders focusing on the screen before it was in ce Jason decided to skip the screen and drive to the basket.

    Jason caught both defenders off guard with his sudden drive in the opposite direction of where the screen was being set.

    But despite the factor of surprise Jason''sck of explosiveness gave Ricky''s defender enough time to meet him in the paint.

    But that was what Jason had wanted. After seeing that the defender hadmitted to switching on to him in the pain Jason kicked the ball out to a wide open Ricky.

    The pass was spot on as Ricky was able to catch the ball and start his shooting motion all in one fluid movement. He didn''t have to readjust or reposition himself at all.

    The ball flew out of his hand and toward the basket. The ball bounced against the rim before hitting the backboard as the shot missed.

    Ricky had an awkward smile on his face as he shouted out "Damn! I can''t believe I missed that. My bad y''all."

    Jason and Nav justughed it off. Even pro yers didn''t make all the shots they took. Jason and his team positioned themselves on defense as it was now the other team''s chance to attack.

    Jason guarded Mack as Ricky was matched up with James and Nav guarded Darnell. Jason wasn''t worried about Ricky.

    Despite the height disadvantage Ricky''s elite wingspan and athleticism gave Jason a lot of confidence in him as a defender.

    Jason didn''t know the exact measurement for Ricky''s wingspan but if he had to guess he would think that it was in the range of 6''2 (1.87m) or 6''3 (1.9m).

    The match up that worried Jason the most was actually Nav and Darnell. Nav was definitely in good shape but he was on the leaner side while Darnell had a height and weight advantage.

    Things ended up just as Jason had suspected. The other team tossed the ball to Darnell in the post as soon as they got the ball.

    Darnell backed down Nav a couple of times before turning over his right shoulder as he drove baseline toward the basket.

    Jason had to give Nav credit though because he didn''t let Darnell have an easy time. Nav stuck with Darnell after the spin move.

    As they approached the basket Darnell jumped as he attempted a reverseyup. Nav jumped as well as he tried his best to contest the shot.

    With his clear height advantage Darnell was able to keep the ball safe and away from Nav as he softly dropped it into the basket.

    After making the shot Darnell stared down Nav "I thought y''all said we was dry as a bone? Cause from where I''m standin it looks like we the ones with the sauce."

    Nav chuckled "That was one basket Darnell. I wouldn''t be celebrating too much over it cause you bout to see us get a whole lotta those."

    Jason started off with the ball again but this time Nav was calling for the ball. Jason nodded his head as he threw a pass to him.

    With the ball in his hands Nav began to slowly find his rhythm as he dribbled while sizing up Darnell out on the perimeter.

    Darnell was down in a defensive stance with his arms spread apart as he watched Nav begin to dribble.

    Nav exploded to the right with an amazing first step. Darnell tried his best to slide toward him as he moved his feet in a hurry.

    But just as they were about to make contact Nav came to a sudden stop with a behind the back dribble.

    The sudden stop created some space as Darnell was still moving to the right. By the time that he was able to try and fix his positioning Nav had already let a three-pointer fly.

    Jason was impressed as he saw the ball nk around the rim a few times before going in. Nav''s explosivenessbined with his shifty handles and shooting made him a legitimate weapon on offense.

    A few more possessions passed as the flow was easy to see. Darnell''s team scored mostly on the inside from his post ups and cuts.

    While Jason''s team were able to score out on the perimeter and slowly build up a lead by making three-pointers.

    - - -

    The doors to the gym opened as a few people walked in. But everyone''s attention was on the game taking ce on one of the basketball courts so they didn''t notice the new people.

    "Huh? Looks like we''re littlete. They started the party without us Huh heh HAEHH heh."

 Chapter 91 - Three On Three: Part-2

    Kawhi walked into the gym with a few of the doctors and trainers that were a part of the meeting in his office.

    The first thing that they saw was the game of three on three that was taking ce on one of the courts in the gym.

    Kawhi pushed up the sunsses that he was wearing "Huh? Looks like we''re littlete. They started the party without us Huh heh HAEHH heh."

    Kawhi looked at the yers that were on the court before turning to Patricia who was standing to the right of him.

    "Isn''t that the kid you were just talking about?" Patricia looked to the court and saw Jason "Yes, that''s him. It would be hard to mistake him for anyone else. He''s the only Asian kid here."

    Kawhi replied "He must have a ton of energy if he''s ying a three on three during the scheduled break time."

    Patricia watched them y for a few possessions before saying "I don''t think that this is just a simple scrimmage. Both teams are going at it pretty hard."

    Kawhi responded "What if they''re just ying hard? A lot of hoopers are like that. They take even practice games serious."

    Patricia shook her head "Sorry Kawhi, I know that you''re a expert when ites to basketball.

    But I''m an expert when ites to people. And right now I can feel some emotions on the court besidespetitive spirit."

    Kawhi shrugged his shoulders "Well hoopers are human too. Ain''t nothing wrong with settling things on the court. Let''s watch and see what these young cats do."

    After hearing Kawhi say that the entire group moved to a spot where they could see the game from a good angle without being noticed by the rest of the people there.

    - - -

    Jason was currently sizing up his defender as he had the ball out on the perimeter behind the three-point line.

    Jason called for a screen from Nav once again. But this time after Nav was set Jason used a hesitation move to the right which caused his defender to preemptively jump the screen.

    After seeing his defender was already on the other side of the screen Jason crossed over to the left as Nav flipped the screen to give Jason even more space.

    Darnell was guarding Nav and had sank on the screen in order to defend the roll. But after seeing Nav flip the screen he tried to step up and cover Jason.

    Unfortunately for him before he could even get close to Jason he had already let another three-pointer fly.

    Everyone watched as the ball flew toward the basket in a high arc. Darnell was fighting to gain rebounding position in case the shot missed but it ended up being a waste of energy as the ball swished through the.

    Jason and Ricky high-fived as Ricky turned to Darnell "Haha looks like we know who really got the sauce. We up 16 to 10 Darnell. It looking worse and worse for y''all."

    Darnell wiped the sweat off his forehead before ring at Ricky "We yin to 21 Ricky. You best be careful. You might be diggin your own grave."

    Darnell''s team had the ball again as they tried to feed him in the post. Mack dribbled the ball to the right wing before tossing the ball to Darnell as he posted up Nav.

    With the ball in his hands Darnell began to back down Nav. After backing Nav down a few times Darnell turned overhis right shoulder as he began to spin towards the basket.

    Nav stuck with Darnell through the spin move but there was nothing he could do as Darnell powered his way to the basket.

    Darnell saw that Nav was struggling just to stick with him and decided to throw up a baby hook shot as he ran toward the basket.

    But just as he was raising the ball in his hand for the hook shot he felt something knock the ball out of his hand.

    Darnell turned his head and saw a determined looking Jason with his hand still in the process of swinging down.

    Jason had ran over to to Darnell after seeing himmit to making an offensive move. He found the perfect opportunity to block the shot as Darnell didn''t expect to have another defender on him at that point.

    Jason ran after the loose ball and managed to gain possession of it. Jason called for another screen from Nav.

    Nav set the screen on Jason''s right side. This time Darnell switched on the screen as he pushed his teammate toward Nav.

    Unfortunately for him since Mack wasn''t expecting the switch he was a step behind on sticking to Nav.

    Nav rolled hard to the wide open paint as Ricky and James were in the corner. James hesitated for a moment but decided to copse into the paint again.

    But Nav was already at the free-throw line by the time he started moving. Jason smiled as he lobbed the ball toward Nav.

    Nav saw the pass and jumped as high as he could. Heunched off the ground using both feet as he soared through the air.

    The pass was in just the perfect ce as he managed to catch it with his right hand before mming it toward the rim and through the.

    Nav hanged on the rim for a second as he spun around a little bit before letting go. As hended on the ground he pointed at Jason to acknowledge the assist before thumping his chest and yelling.

    "Hell yeah! That''s what I call sauce! We stay cookin in the kitchen man! Y''all can''t take this typa heat."

    Jason ran to Nav as they jumped into the air and bumped hips. Nav dapped up Jason before the two of them made their way back on defense.

    All the kids from Riverside were going wild as they saw Jason throw the alley-oop to Nav. But all the kids from Moreno Valley were dead silent as they watched the other side of the gym celebrating.

    That alley-oop y seemed to have ignited the Riverside crowd and pulled the momentum toward Jason''s team.

    The flow of the game from that point on waspletely in favor of Jason and his team. They would asionally get the stop on defense before making a three or another y on offense.

    Although they weren''t able to stop Darnell and his team a hundred percent of the time they were still able to build a lead by utilizing the three ball.

    The final score of the game was 21 to 16. Ricky had a huge smile on his face as he walked toward Darnell and his team.

    "Guess it''s official. We know who really got the sauce and who really be cookin in the kitchen. Guess that means y''all are just the bus boys or the dishwashers haha."

    Nav patted Ricky on the back "Cool it Ricky. We won the game and that''s all that matters. You ain''t gotta rub it in too bad." He then looked at Darnell.

    "I remember you said that if we won that y''all would be cool with Young Buckets over here switching to the 16 and up group right?

    Well it''s time to pay the bill. Y''all want to talk to the trainers or should I do it?" Darnell clenched the sides of his shorts.

    "Yeah. A bet is a bet. You ain''t gonna hear no more noise from us about Jason switching groups. But y''all can be the ones to talk to the trainers."

    After hearing Darnell say that Ricky and Nav made their way to the trainers and exined to them the situation.

    Brie and Ben looked at each other withplicated expressions. Ben was the first one to talk "It''s great that you guys were able toe to a peaceful conclusion to this.

    But just because the other half of the camp is okay with it doesn''t mean that we can just switch what group he''s in.

    The groups are separated by age for a reason. Jason might be skilled enough to handle the drills but what about his body?

    There is a reason why doctors and physical trainers don''t rmend working out with weights until the person has reached a certain age.

    By pushing for Jason to do training that''s more advanced than what he should be doing at his age he may damage his body.

    It might not be obvious the day after or in the nearby future. But what if years down the road Jason finds himself with nagging injuries?"

    Everyone went silent after hearing Ben say that. They couldn''t refute what he had just said. Just as the silence was growing they heard a familiar voice.

    "Is that what the big problem was? The answer is easy. If the kid is ready for more advanced training then just let him do it. Just remember to have him sign a waiver Huh heh HAEHH heh."

 Chapter 92 - First Impression On An NBA Legend

    Everyone turned their heads as soon as they heard the voice. All of their jaws dropped as they were surprised to see Kawhi Leonard along with the trainers and doctors.

    Kawhi took his sunsses off as he looked at Jason and then at Patricia "You were right. He is pretty interesting."

    Kawhi then turned to Brie and Ben " Would any of you two care to exin what kind of situation is happening here? What''s all this noise about switching groups?"

    Brie and Ben gulped before looking at each other. After an extended moment of silence between the two Brie nudged Ben with her elbow.

    Ben rubbed his hands together before putting on an awkward smile "Well you see.... the situation is a littleplicated Mr. Kawhi."

    Ben told the story from the very beginning. About how Jason was cruising through all of the basic drills designed for his age group.

    To Jason asking for permission to join the 16 and up group as they ran their drill. All the way to the three on three game.

    After hearing what Ben had to say Kawhi became silent as he seemingly fell into his thoughts.

    The gym was dead silent as everyone awaited Kawhi''s response. After a few moments of contemtion Kawhi looked at Jason.

    " Your notes say that you''re only twelve. Do you really think that you''re ready to skip all the way to the highest age group?"

    Jason nodded his head without any hesitation as he looked Kawhi straight in the eyes "I think that I''m more than ready.

    If I stick with my current age group I think that not only will the training not be effective. I feel like I might even regress doing nothing but those basic drills."

    Kawhi was slightly taken aback by Jason''s response, although his facial expression wouldn''t suggest that.

    ''This kid has some real backbone. Some of the newer trainers can''t even look me in the eyes and yet he''s out here speaking his mind like it''s nothing.

    I gotta hand it to Patricia. She really does have a nose for sniffing out interesting people. I can''t speak on his talent seeing as I only got to see a bit of it from that three on three.

    But when ites to heart and spirit this kid definitely looks legit. I like the hunger in his eyes.''

    Kawhi pped his hands together "Well, if you think that you''re ready then why don''t we test you out and see if you really are?"

    Kawhi turned to Brie and Ben who still had a worried look on their faces "You guys don''t need to be so worried.

    You guys handled the situation well. Go ahead and continue the training for your groups. Me and the doctors are going to give our little friend here a private test."

    Brie and Ben hurriedly nodded their heads before heading back toward their respective groups.

    Kawi looked at Jason "Come with us. We''ll test you in private." Jason followed Kawi and the doctors to the back of the gym.

    They walked through some doors into a room that looked like the weight room of the high school.

    Kawhi had some of the trainers clear out the equipment in a section of the room before having them set up their own things.

    After a few minutes the trainers had everything set up. Kawhi looked to Jason "Go over there and do whatever the trainers tell you.

    We are going to have you run some drills so that we can measure your baseline and see where you are physically."

    Jason went over to the cleared off section and began to follow the trainers'' instructions. First they had him do some shuttle runs.

    After six sets of 10m shuttle runs the trainers gave him a minute to rest before having him go on to the next drill.

    They had Jason practicing close outs while being tied to one of the walls with a long resistance band.

    After doing the close outs for a few minutes they brought out a machine meant to test and work out hand speed, reflexes, and dynamic vision.

    The machine was a metal frame in the shape of a square. They adjusted it so that it was just a bit taller than Jason and a bit wider than his wingspan.

    Jason already knew what the machine was but he still pretended to pay attention while the trainer was exining it.

    "This machine is meant to test your reflexes and hand speed. All around the frame of the machine are buttons that will light up.

    What you need to do is press them and turn them off as soon as you see them light up. It starts off slow but it progressively gets faster so don''t getfortable just because it seems easy in the beginning."

    Jason nodded his head as he got down low into a defensive stance. Jason looked out in front of him as he focused on his peripheral vision.

    The first light turned on as Jason quickly turned it off. As the drill went on the lights began to turn on faster and faster as Jason''s hands began to move nonstop.

    After two minutes of throwing out his hands constantly the lights finally got past the rate at which Jason could turn them off.

    The whole machine blinked red three times before turning off. Jason got up from his defensive stance and wiped his dripping wet face with the bottom section of his shirt.

    The entire time he was doing the drill and after he was done the doctors and trainers were writing down notes.

    After that they had him get into a defensive stance before asking him to move side to side with a resistance band around his ankles and his knees.

    For the next drill they had Jason stand on one leg while being on top of a bncing board. They then handed him a medicine ball.

    Jason''s hands sank a bit when he took the medicine ball from the trainer ''Shit! This thing must be at least 15 pounds (6.8kg).''

    The trainer exined the next exercise "This next workout is going to focus on your bnce, core strength, lower body, and upper body strength.

    With the medicine ball in your hands I want you to extend your arms out fully and then bring it back to your chest before lifting it up over your your head.

    After you bring it back down that will be one rep. I want you to give me 6 8 rep sets okay? after three sets switch legs."

    Jason nodded as he began to move the medicine ball. For the first three reps he felt alright. As he got to thest rep for the first set his arms were beginning to feel warm.

    By the time he got to the fourth rep for the second set he was unconsciously moving faster. The trainer had to remind him to slow down in order to get the full affect of the workout.

    The minute of rest between sets wasn''t enough as Jason''s arms were already trembling from the intensity of the workout.

    Jason switched legs as he began on his fourth set ''Shit, I don''t know if I can finish thesest three sets. My arms are dead tired and this medicine ball feels like it got thirty pounds (13.6kg) heavier.''

    After his second rep of the set Jason took a deep breathe as he closed his eyes ''Just forgot everything Jason.

    You don''t exist. You''re just a machine designed for moving this ball. You don''t feel anything. All you''re here for is to move the ball.''

    Jason let go of his sense of self as all thoughts disappeared from his mind. His body continued to move as though it were a machine programmed for one sole function.

    As Jason powered through his fatigue and muscle pains he even forgot to take the breaks in between sets.

    - - -

    Kawhi was standing a distance away from Jason as he was watched him do the medicine ball exercise along with the doctors and trainers.

    Some of the trainers looked like they wanted to say something but were unable to. Patricia was the first one to break the silence.

    "He''s switching legs now but I don''t think it''s a good idea to let him continue this exercise. He has clearly hit his physical limit.

    Doing anymore than this could prove to be not only ineffective but could result in some serious damage if not at least pose a risk for injury.

    We should stop the test. We have gathered a substantial amount of information already. We cane up with an effective training n with the data that we have."

    Kawhi turned his eyes away from Jason as he looked to his right where Patricia was standing "You said that you were an expert when it came to people right?

    Looking at the kid it''s easy to tell that his body is tired and that he shouldn''t be able tost for much longer. But why don''t you take a look at his eyes and tell me what they say?"

    Patricia turned her head at Jason''s trembling body standing on the bncing board. As she looked into his eyes she sighed.

    "His eyes are burning with spirit. They''re practically screaming out that he''s not ready to give up yet."

    Kawhi nodded his head as he went back to watching Jason do the workout. Patricia bit her lip as she decided to continue watching Jason as well.

    To her surprise Jason was not only able to finish the remaining sets of the workout. He did thest two sets without taking a break in between.

    It seemed as though Jason had gone on autopilot mode as he didn''t even stop when he hadpleted the sets. The trainer had to stop him and tell him that he was done.

    Patricia thought that they were done with the drills and the testing so she was surprised when she saw the trainer setting up for another workout.

    She stepped in front of Kawhi "What the hell is going on? I thought that was thest workout?"

    Kawhi had his usual nk face as he shrugged his shoulders "I think what they''re doing is called battle ropes.

    And I don''t know why you thought the medicine ball was going to be thest exercise. I never told you that."

    Patricia stomped her feet "You never said it but I thought it was implied considering that the kid barely managed to finish thatst exercise.

    He is seriously not in the condition to be doing anymore of this. He should at least take an hour to recover from some of the fatigue."

    Kawhi pointed to behind Patricia "You want to tell him that?" Patricia turned around and was shocked to see Jason working the ropes.

    As Jason began to violently move the ropes up and down the corner of Kawhi''s mouth raised up "I gotta hand it to you Patricia. You got one hell of a nose for finding interesting people."

 Chapter 93 - Limits

    Jason was exhausted as he watched the trainer set up for the next workout ''Fuck. My entire body hurts. I thought that this was just going to be a quick test. How much longer is this going to be?''

    But despite hisints and the pain he was feeling all around his body Jason didn''t miss a beat in following the exercise after the trainer exined it.

    "You''re gonna hold on to these ropes, one in each hand, and I want you to move them up and down as fast as you can.

    For the range of motion your hands holding the rope should go higher than your shoulder and should go down to your knees.

    I also want you to bend your knees and keep your back straight as you stand in a defensive stance.

    During the workout I am going to give you different directions such as different ways to move the ropes or different ways to move your body.

    Like telling you to start sliding side to side. I want you to follow the instructions until I tell you to stop okay?"

    Jason nodded his head as the trainer gave him the thumbs up to begin whenever he was ready.

    Even though his arms were dead tired and they felt like they were made out of lead Jason forced them up as he began to swing the ropes up and down.

    After just a few seconds Jason could feel his face and the rest of his body heating up as his breathing becamebored. Soon a trail of sweat was flowing down the sides of his face.

    ''Up, down, up, down, fuck! Keep moving arms!'' Every movement of his arms was a struggle as Jason could feel the muscles tightening up.

    Just as Jason''s movements began to slow down he heard a set of footsteps approach him. He couldn''t turn his head to see who it was but as soon as he heard the voice he recognized who it belonged to.

    "Is that all you got? I thought you said you were ready to join the 16 and up group? You''ve barely been working the ropes for a minute."

    Hearing Kawhi say that brought Jason back to his past.

    - - -

    A eighteen year old Jason was standing in the basketball court back at UCLA. Jason''s thin frame was covered in sweat as he was kneeling on one knee struggling to catch his breathe.

    The coach shook his head as he looked at Jason "Is that all you got? I thought you were a nationally ranked yer?

    You don''t have much of a handle. You can''t score and you''re shooting mechanics are horrible. You probably need to build your shooting form back up from scratch.

    I don''t want to sound like an asshole but you should probably call it quits kid. I don''t think you''ll be able to crack our rotations let alone make it pro.

    Focus on your schoolwork and get an education. That''s probably your best bet. You already made it further than most people."

    - - -

    Jason had been told multiple times before that he would never make it. Or that there were things that he would never get done.

    In his first year his college coach never thought that Jason would be able to crack the rotations because of hisck of offense.

    But after a tiny opportunity presented itself Jason found himself in his first game as he yed a total of three minutes.

    It might seem insignificant but those three minutes soon turned to five. And those five soon turned to ten.

    By the middle of his second year at UCLA he was ying consistent minutes as one of the first guys off the bench. Jason did it by pushing through and not giving up.

    What Kawhi said and the memory that it invoked stoked the fire burning in Jason''s chest as a second wave of energy filled him up.

    Jason seemed to havee back to life as he began to move the ropes up and down with renewed vigor.

    Kawhi continued to watch Jason "Now instead of moving the ropes up and down I want you to swing them side to side while you slide.

    I heard that you were famous for your defense. I want you to show me how you move your feet."

    After hearing Kawhi say that Jason changed the way he moved the ropes as he began to slide side to side.

    Kawhi saw Jason begin to do the defensive slides "You call that a defensive slide? You couldn''t guard a eighty year old man with how slow you''re moving your feet."

    Jason picked up his speed as he forced his arms to swing the ropes while trying to move his feet faster.

    ''Come on Jason! You can do this! There''s no such thing as a wall. Just push through it! Push push push!''

    Kawhi stood behind Jason "Is this how much you want it? Because if so you must not really care. Show me that you want it. Show me how dedicated you really are!"

    Jason pushed his body even harder as he tried to squeeze out every ounce of power that he had left "AHHHHH!"

    Kawhi started pping "That''s it. That''s what I''m talking about. Now keep it up-huh?" Just as he was starting to cheer Jason on he found that the boy had fainted as his bodyid sprawled across the floor.

    - - -

    Jason saw that he was still in the gym doing the ropes ''Gotta keep going. Gotta keep pushing. I want this more than anything.

    I want to get better. I want to keep on ying the sport that I love. I want to get to the top of basketball!''

    But despite how much Jason didn''t want to stop his body just wouldn''t listen. His arms began to feel heavier as his shoulders began to tighten.

    The ropes felt like they were chained to the ground as they became harder and harder to swing.

    ''No! This can''t be it. I don''t want to stop. Please not yet!'' His hands didn''t feel like they belonged to him anymore as the ropes slipped from his grasps.

    Just as the ropes were about to hit the floor Jason bolted upright ''Huh?'' He took a look around him and saw that he was back in the room where Patricia had taken his measurements at the beginning of the camp.

    He wasying on one of the padded benches with a thin white sheet over his body. He tried to get up from the bench but stopped as soon as he felt a pain in his shoulders "Ouch!"

    "Well look who''s up. I hope you enjoyed your little nap. You definitely earned it considering how hard you pushed your body.

    You''re lucky that you didn''t fall outside of the mat. Otherwise you would have more problems right now than just some muscle soreness."

    After hearing what Patricia said Jason could piece together what had happened "So I fainted during the workout huh?

    I probably just blew one of the best chances that I''ve ever had then. I can''t imagine that fainting during a workout would have left the best impression on Mr. Leonard"

    Patriciaughed "I don''t know if I would say that. In fact I think you left a really good impression on him.

    And you can just call him Kawhi. He doesn''t like people calling him Mr. Leonard. If you really have to call him something even slightly formal he prefers Mr. Kawhi."

    Jason quickly turned his head toward her "You think I left a good impression on Kawhi?! Did he say anything?"

    Patricia pulled a chair out and put it in front of Jason before taking a seat "Well he didn''t say much.

    All he said was ''Damn, the kid fainted. Patch him back up Patricia. He seems like he''ll be interesting to watch.'' And then he left the room."

    Jason slumped his shoulders in disappointment "Oh." He tried to straighten up his sitting position but as soon as he put any weight on them his shoulders would hurt.

    Patricia noticed Jason wincing in pain "You fainted because of a drop in blood pressure. You were pushing your body really hard which caused it to go up and when you rxed your blood pressure dropped quickly.

    Strongmen and power-lifters sometimes suffer the same thing. But other than you''re muscles being overworked there shouldn''t be any other damage that was done to your body."

    Jason nodded his head before smiling at her "Thanks Patricia." She kindly smiled back "You don''t need to thank me for anything.

    I didn''t even need to do much. The range of motion for your arms and your shoulders may be limited but that should onlyst for a day or two. You should be feeling back to a hundred percent in just a few days."

    Just as she was going to say something else she got a text on her cellphone. After reading it she cracked a slight grin.

    "You must have some amazing luck Jason." He turned to her with a questioning look "What makes you say that?"

    Patricia smiled as she shifted her gaze from her cellphone to Jason who was still sitting on the bench with his legs hanging off the edge.

    "I just got a text from the very man you were asking about." Jason gulped as he held his breath awaiting to hear what the text was about.

    Patricia closed her phone before slipping it back into the pocket of her white coat "Kawhi said that he wants to see you."

 Chapter 94 - Tough Love

    Jason was slightly nervous as he followed one of the trainers to Kawhi''s office ''I wonder what he wants. Is he bringing me to his office just to tell me that I didn''t pass the test to switch groups?

    Nah, he wouldn''t do that right? If I failed he could have just texted Patricia to tell me that I failed. So does that mean that I passed?

    That can''t be it either. He would have just texted Patricia to tell me that I passed. Damn it! The anxiety is killing me. I just want to know why he asked for me to head over to his office.''

    After a few minutes of walking Jason stopped as the trainer that was guiding him had stopped. She pointed down the hall to a door at the very end.

    "That''s Mr. Kawhi''s office over there. Just go straight it''s the veryst door. Knock and wait for him to let you in."

    The trainer left Jason alone in the hallway. Jason took a deep breathe before making his way to the door.

    Jason hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. He stood outside the door in silence for a few seconds before hearing Kawhi''s monotone voice "Come in."

    After opening the door the first thing Jason saw was Kawhi sitting behind a wooden desk that had papers spread all over in front of him.

    Jason closed the door behind before walking closer to Kawhi. He stood awkwardly in front of the desk for a few seconds before Kawhi looked up.

    "Did you get some good rest? I would hope that you did considering that you were out for almost two hours."

    Jason didn''t say anything as he didn''t know how to respond to that. Kawhi pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk "My bad. I forgot to offer you a seat. Make yourselffortable."

    Jason pulled out one of the chairs and took a seat. After sitting down in the chair and fiddling around with his fingers for a few seconds Jason broke the silence "So what did you call me here for?"

    Kawhi put down the paper he was reading "I am going to be honest with you Jason. When I came into the league I was projected to be just a defensive specialist.

    And even after I made the jump to an MVP caliber yer and improved my offensive game to the point where I could be the focal point my calling card was still my defense.

    So I have a soft spot for defensive oriented yers. And it makes me happy to see such a young athlete like you that is so skilled and disciplined on defense.

    But you''re just not suited to being a defensive yer. You have small hands for your age, your wingspan is an inch shorter than your height, and you''re not an incredible athlete.

    There have been basketball yers with small wingspans that were good defenders such as Jimmy Butler. But they usually had theteral speed and explosiveness topensate for that.

    You don''t have the physical tools to be an elite defender at the highest level. In my opinion if you want to be the best yer that you can be you need to focus more on your offense."

    Kawhi''s words were like a shbang as they left Jason disoriented. Jason had known that he didn''t fit the physical profile of a lock down defender.

    But to hear it from Kawhi it had a different impact. If it was anyone else then Jason could have brushed it aside.

    But to hear it from someone that was widely regarded as one of the best defender to ever y on the wing. Jason didn''t know how to react.

    The wind seemed to have been knocked out of Jason as he slumped down into the chair ''My entire life the only thing that I could take pride in was my defense.

    I thought that even thought my offense wascking as long as I yed hard on defense I would be able to make my way to the pros.

    Even after I woke up in the past I never abandoned the pride that I had in my defense. That''s why I chose the heart build out of all the different builds.

    But was that a mistake? Was I never meant to be an elite defender? Have I been wasting my time trying to focus on defense and offense at the same time?''

    Seeing Jason''s reaction Kawhi couldn''t help but sigh "Seeing how you''re taking it I can tell that you really care about ying hard on that side of the ball.

    But there''s nothing wrong with not being an elite defender. Even if you can''t defend at a high level that doesn''t mean that you have to y bad defense.

    James harden was a horrible defender during his first few years with the Rockets. You could find videos everywhere with his defensive lowlights.

    But after a few seasons he managed to be an okay defender. And for what hecked on defense he more than made up for it with his amazing ability to score.

    What I''m trying to tell you is that you can focus on your offensive game right now. You should focus on developing into a lethal scorer. That way your average defense will be a plus instead of a minus."

    Jason just silently sat in the chair with a shell shocked expression. Seeing this all Kawhi could do was shake his head.

    "I know that I just dropped a massive bomb on you. You don''t have to make a decision right away. And you don''t have to listen to me.

    I was just giving my own personal opinion because you have so much talent and I want to make sure that you get the best chance possible to make it to the league.

    But at the end of the day it''s you decision to make. You decide how you''re going to shape your game. You decide your own destiny."

    Kawhi then took a look at the clock that was hanging on the wall "It looks like it''s just about time for lunch. Why don''t you go to the Canteen and get something to eat?

    You can make your decision after you''ve filled yourself up. And even if you can''te to a decision today just know that I''m willing to take you under my wing so to speak.

    I like to offer myself to all the young talents that catch my attention. All of my knowledge and experience is there if you ever have any questions."

    Kawhi wrote something on a piece of paper before folding it up and handing it to Jason. He stood up from his chair and took the paper from Kawhi.

    It was as if Jason''s body was on autopilot. All Jason could think about were the words that Kawhi had said. Before he even knew it Jason was standing in line at the Canteen.

    A familiar voice pulled Jason out of his trance "Yo Jaya! We were worried about you bro." Jason turned around and saw Justice approaching him.

    Jason managed to put a smile on his face "Hey Justice. You lining up for food too?" Justice stopped dead in his tracks. He took a look at Jason''s face.

    "You okay dude? You look like you just saw a ghost. Oh and how was the test? You were gone for a long time."

    Jason shook his head "The test was pretty rough but I think I did I alright. At least they haven''t told me that I failed yet."

    Justice high-fived him "Alright! I knew you would do good. There''s no way that Riverside''s youngest star would fail.

    So how was it? Did they make you do anything crazy? Like catching a basketball with a blindfold on? Or shooting threes with your eyes closed?"

    Jasonughed after hearing Justice''s questions. Jason gave a quick recap of the exercises that they had him do during the test.

    After hearing about all the different things that Jason had to do during the test Justice was left speechless.

    Jason and Justice continued to catch up as they made their way through the line. As they picked up their trays and looked for a table to eat at they were chuckling andughing.

    They finally found a spot as they put their trays down and sat down. Justice sighed as he looked at Jason with an envious gaze.

    "You''re so lucky man. You have the talent and ability to be in charge of you''re own fate. You''re not like us normies. All we can do is try our hardest and hope we can catch a break."

    Something clicked in Jason''s head after hearing Justice say that. Jason shifted his attention from his tray back to Justice.

    "What did you say Justice?! Can you say it again." Justice looked at Jason with a confused look.

    "I said that you''re lucky that you have the talent and ability to be in charge of your own fate."

    Jason mmed his hands on the table ''That''s right! I''m in charge of my own fate. Kawhi said that I don''t have the physical tools to be an elite defender. But I have the system!''

 Chapter 95 - Training Camp Continues

    Justice jumped out of his seat when Jason mmed his hands down on the table "What the hell!? You good bro?"

    Jason realized what he had done and awkwardly smiled "Sorry. I just remembered something really important."

    Jason sat back down and started uncovering the tes that were on his tray ''My height is easy to fix with the system.

    And although I haven''t used it I know that I can put the points towards my athleticism as well. Now the only question is can the system help with my hand size and wingspan?''

    After removing the foil from his tes Jason started to drool. On one te was a leg and thigh of grilled chicken with some light barbecue sauce. As well as a few slices of roasted beef covered in brown gravy.

    On the other te was a mixture ofveggies and corn cooked with some butter. Jason took a big whiff of the aromaing off of the tes.

    He then uncovered the bowl that was on the side of the tray and found that the bowl was filled with berries that were lightly drizzled with condensed milk.

    Justice stared at Jason''s tray beforeining "Man, that is so bs. I get that super star treatment is a thing. But they could have at least not made it so obvious. You want to switch trays Jason?"

    Jason chuckled before taking a look at Justice''s tray "I don''t think so Justice. I''m good with the tray that I have.

    And I think you''re overreacting a bit. Your tray doesn''t look bad at all. Grilled salmon fillet with fried rice sounds pretty dang good. The only thing you''re actually missing is the dessert."

    Justice covered his face with both of his hands "But that''s the best part! You eat your meal with the expectation of having that kick of sugar at the end. Without it the whole thing seems kinda pointless."

    Jasonughed before starting to dig into the meal that was prepared for him. During the meal Justice and Jason talked andughed.

    While they were talking Jason was actually using the system. He opened up the menu and began looking at the different options for using his body modification points.

    ''No no that''s not it. Yes! There we go.'' After a bit of looking Jason finally found what he was looking for.

    [Wingspan D-

    Hand size D]

    It was under the same category that Jason had gone through multiple times in the past to es his expected height. But unlike the expected height function there were a few differences.

    With the expected height there was a clear measurement that was showed and the value of the points spent were detailed.

    But for wingspan and hand size there were just letter grades and it didn''t tell how many points you had to spend or how much they would increase from the points spent.

    As he continued to think about the system Justice told Jason about how the group training went after he left and how everyone was curious about the test.

    After hearing how the rest of the training went after he had left Jason was d that he had decided to take the test that Kawhi had offered.

    The 13 and under group spent the majority of their time doing more basic drills before doing a full five on five scrimmage before lunch.

    Jason finished all the food that was on his tray as he then began to pat his stomach. Just as he was taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of being full the doors to the Canteen swung open.

    It was one of the trainers. The chatter inside the Canteen immediately died down as everyone focused their attention on him.

    The trainer coughed to clear his throat before starting to speak. "Alright guys. I hope you all enjoyed your lunch.

    In ten minutes we are going to be resuming the training. I''ll be back to take you guys back to the gym in ten minutes."

    Everyone thought that the trainer would leave the Canteen as soon as he was done giving his message.

    So they were all slightly surprised to see him walking toward one of the tables. He made his way to Jason.

    "Mr. Kawhi told me to let you know that you will be joining the 16 and up group for the next segment of the training camp."

    After saying that the trainer turned around and made his way out of the Canteen. The room had been quiet so just about all of them had heard what the trainer had said.

    As soon as the trainer left the entire room erupted into an uproar as they began to talk about Jason being moved up to the 16 and up group.

    Justice put his hands on Jason''s shoulders as he began to shake him furiously "Brooo! You did it! They actually moved you up to the 16 and up group!"

    Jason nodded his head as he tried to free himself from Justice''s grasp "I don''t know why you''re so surprised. I told you that I did pretty well during the test."

    Justice paused as he smiled awkwardly "I know that you said you did alright. But to be honest I still wasn''t to sure if you were going to be moved up to the 16 and up group.

    But I should have never doubted you. I have learned my lesson. I will never doubt the abilities of Riverside''s youngest star ever again."

    Jason just chuckled as he listened to Justiceplimenting him. After a while the trainer came back to bring the kids back to the gym.

    After making their way to the gym Jason and Justice said their goodbyes as they went toward their respective groups.

    The 16 and up group spotted Jason as he made his way toward them. Half of them stayed silent as they pretended to not notice him.

    While the other half of the group began to p and cheer for Jason. Some of them even stood up as they awaited their newest addition to the group.

    Nav had a huge smile on his fave as he extended a hand out toward Jason "Wee back man. I knew it was just a matter of time until you ended where you really belong."

    Jason stuck his hand out for the handshake and was immediately pulled into a bro hug by Nav.

    Jason chuckled "Thanks for the vote of confidence Nav. Too be honest I wasn''t all that sure if I was going to be able to convince them to move me up to this group. I guess I must have done something right."

    Nav guides Jason to the spot that he had saved just for him. Jason sat close to the center of the group.

    After gettingfortable Jason turned toward Nav and asked "Any idea what we''re doing next?"

    Nav smiled again as he answered "These training camps been following the same schedule ever since I started I done started going back in the eight grade.

    I know what''sing next but I don''t wanna spoil the surprise for you little man. Y''all heard that? I don''t want to hear any of y''all talking bout it.

    If any one of you mofos spoil it for Young Buckets over here don''t be surprised if I smack you upside the head."

    The rest of the group smiled andughed as they promised Nav that they wouldn''t spoil the surprise for Jason.

    After a few minutes the trainers were able to organize all of their groups and get them settled down in the gym.

    As they all sat on the floor the kids all had different expressions as they waited for the next part of the training camp to start.

    The younger kids who had never attended the camp before were all confused as they waited. While the older kids who had been to the training camp before all had excited and expectant looks on their faces.

    After ten minutes of waiting, although for some it felt like an eternity, the doors to the gym opened as a group of people walked in.

    But as impressive as their resumes were there was only one person in the group that everyone in the gym was focused on. Kawhi Leonard.

    The rest of the group stood to the side as Kawhi made his way to the center of the basketball court. All the kids gazed were fixed in him as he walked nonchntly.

    After reaching the center of the court, with all the kids around him, Kawhi pped his gigantic hands together before looking over the crowd of kids.

    "First of all I would like to thank you all again for epting the invitation to my training camp.

    I started hosting these camps because I wanted to make sure that I do my part in making sure that young talent has the best resources avable to them.

    And although it is true that I am a little greedy in hoping that the talent that will be the future of the sportes from my hometown it stilles down to nurturing the next generation.

    So for this next part of the camp I will be personally guiding your training and providing my knowledge and experience for the sake of your development."

 Chapter 96 - Guidance

    As soon as he heard Kawhi say that Jason''s heart started racing at the thought of getting a chance to learn from an NBA legend like Kawhi personally.

    After he was done giving his speech Kawhi told the groups to split in half and that they would be ying king of the court.

    Jason followed half of the group as they moved to the court beside them. They began to shoot around to see who would start off first.

    Not surprisingly it was Jason that ended up winning the shoot out. Jason found himself the one to start off the game of king of the court.

    Jason stared down his defender ''Without Nav in my group I don''t think that there is anyone else that could potentially beat me.''

    Jason noticed that his defender was sagging off of him just a bit. He hit his defender with a jab step to the right with his right foot.

    The jab step got the defender to react. Seeing that Jason fired off a quick three-pointer. As he was shooting his shot Jason''s face contorted in pain.

    ''Fuck! My shoulder.'' Jason''s arms and shoulders were still hurting from all the different workouts that he did during the test. Jason did his best to ignore the pain as he continued to shoot.

    His defender tried to contest the shot but the small opportunity that was created from the jab step was enough for Jason to get off his shot.

    The pain disappeared from his face. Jason smiled as he watched the ball swish through the "Next."

    - - -

    Kawhi was watching the different courts as the kids yed king of the court. Every once in a while he would walk to one of the courts and give the kids advice.

    "That crossover was good but you could make it better. You''re lettingthe ball get too far away from you. That means that it''s taking longer to pull it back."

    "You got burned because you were too scared of his jumper. If you''re going to y your man tight on defense make sure that you''re ready for the drive as well."

    "Don''t hesitate when you see the space. You got your man with the pump fake but you didn''t make your move soon enough after you got the space."

    "You don''t always have to for the block. Contesting the shot is more than just trying to swat it out of the air. Position your hand to cover your opponents view of the basket as they''re trying to shoot."

    As he was making his way through the different courts Kawhi''s gaze locked on to one court in particr.

    The corner of Kawhi''s mouth lifted up just the smallest bit ''Looks like the kid is the real deal. His body can''t be in the best condition right now.

    It''s impressive how he''s ying through the pain. Even if he misses his shots he''s managed to stay king of the court by getting multiple stops on defense.''

    But then Kawhi''s face went back to normal before sighing ''If only the kid had the right tools to be an elite defender.

    It''s a real shame to see someone who ys with so much heart on both sides of the ball be limited by their body.

    It''s almost like seeing a person with Jimmy Butler''s defensive grit and intensity being locked away in Jimmer Fredette''s body.''

    - - -

    Jason was currently going against his fifth opponent so far. Ever since Jason''s first round of being the king of the court the pain in his shoulders had be unignorable.

    The uracy of all of his shots had dropped because of the pain affecting his ability to move his shoulder.

    But despite the pain and difort Jason had managed to y his standard hard-nosed defense.

    His ability to mp down and keep his opponents from scoring bought him multiple chances to score the ball and stay king of the court.

    With the ball in his hands Jason winced in pain as he dribbled the ball ''Damn my shoulders are killing me. Even moving them just a bit sends pain shooting down my arms.''

    Jason did a left to right crossover before doing a hesitation move to the right. Seeing that his defender didn''t respond to the hesi Jason began to drive right.

    His opponent''s reaction was slightly dyed as he tried to slide over and initiate contact. But just as they were about to collide Jason pulled out the spin move as he spun to the left.

    With his right foot sealing the defender''s back foot Jason blew past him as he continued to drive toward the paint.

    The defender saw Jason spin around him and drive toward the basket. He turned his hips and went into a full sprint in an attempt to catch up to him.

    Jason saw the defender running after him as he stopped driving and stepped back to the left. The defender saw Jason going into his jumpshot as he jumped toward him in an attempt to block the shot.

    But Jason simply held on to the ball. He got his defender into the air with a pump fake. After his defender flew past him Jason got into his shooting motion as he shot the ball from the free throw line.

    The ball nked around the rim a couple times before falling through the. Everyone pped and cheered as Jason managed to stay king of the court for five straight rounds.

    But to their surprise Jason didn''t wait for his next opponent to step up to the court. Instead Jason walked off the court as he shook his head.

    "I''m dead tired y''all. Next person up can take my spot. I might be done for a bit. I need some serious rest."

    Jason didn''t even stick around the group. He walked to the bleachers at the side and took a seat. Jason was expecting to be alone for a while so he was surprised to hear a set of footsteps approaching him.

    Jason turned his head and was even more surprised to see that it was Kawhi that was walking toward him.

    Kawhi stuck his huge hand out as he dapped Jason up a bit "You really showed while you were ying king of the court. You were winning against juniors and seniors back there."

    Jason shook his head "I was lucky that Nav put me in with all the Riverside guys. So even if they were taking me serious they weren''t going all out and ying super physical.

    If I was ying with those Moreno Valley guys they probably wouldn''t have had any problems ying me super physical and roughing me up a little. I have the skills but my body right now just can''t take the physicality thates at the next level."

    Kawhi nodded his head "Impressive. I thought you would let the fact that you were beating older guys get to your head. But you were able to honestly evaluate yourself. That''s a skill that not everyone has."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "When you''re as small and unathletic as me you need to use your head to be able topete. You need to use it even more if you actually want to win."

    At this point Kawhi had lost count of how many times he had been surprised by the kid in front of him.

    ''This kid doesn''t seem like a kid at all. It sounds like I''m talking to an adult. He is such a cerebral yer. From his offense to his defense the real magices from upstairs.

    He might not have the physical tools to lock down his assignment or beat his man off the dribble but he makes up for it with knowing how to position himself and how to move on the court efficiently.

    He hasn''t even yed at the high school level and yet it seems as though he had aspects of an old man game. He uses small tricks that even some college yers don''t know.''

    Kawhi patted Jason on the back with his enormous hand "You know what? You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. You have the same cold and emotionless face when you''re out on the court.

    You y hard on defense and although you have an asional outburst of emotion for the most part your cool and collected when you y.

    Although there are a couple differences. I was never as vocal a yer as you are. And I was way more athletic. I also had big hands, a long wingspan, I was also-"

    Jason interrupted Kawhi "Okay I get it. We''re simr but also different. Anything else?"

    The corners of Kawhi''s mouth raised just the tiniest bit "I feel like it''s my fault that you overworked your shoulders. You probably won''t be able to get the most out of this camp since your not at your best condition.

    So whenever the rest of the guys are doing group training you cane to me and I''ll guide you one on one. I''ll let you pick my brain for whatever you need."

 Chapter 97 - End Of The First Day

    Jason''s mind went nk after hearing that. It took him a few moments to regain his senses ''I can''t believe Kawhi is really offering to tutor me one on one about basketball.

    This is like a dreame true! I never even came close to guys like him in my past life. I guess this means that all the changes I''ve made are really making a difference.''

    Kawhi went back to walking around the gym and watching the different groups y. But not before adding Jason as a friend on his social media.

    Jason stared at his phone screen for a moment ''I can''t believe Kawhi added me as a friend. This must be how it feels to fanboy over a celebrity.''

    After a while Jason put his phone away as he began to watch the rest of the guys y on the court.

    The only people that caught Jason''s attention were Nav, Darnell, Ricky, and Justice. Ricky was interesting to watch because of hisnky body giving him a unique ystyle.

    Ricky had a respectable jumper but because of his long and effortless looking strides a majority of his shot attempts came at the paint.

    He was deadly with his euro-step that allowed him to maneuver around his defenders. And it looked like he had been working on his ability to finish with both hands.

    Although it was clear to see that he was mostfortable finishing with his right he shed the ability to change things up every once in a while with a left handed finish.

    Nav was fun to watch because of the stylistic re in his y style. It wasn''t the most efficient as there were definitely moves that could be cut out. But he still managed to get the job done all while putting on a show.

    His ball handling was full of creativity as he showcased moves ranging from the ordinary crossover to more saucy moves like the shamgod to moves that were just straight disrespectful like the off the heezy.

    For some of the people that yed against him they didn''t seem to mind all that much. However afew of them took it up with Nav after having bounced the ball off of their foreheads.

    Nav''s response to them was always the same "Stop bitchin bruh. If you got a problem with it then you shouldn''t have let it happen in the first ce.

    How slow do you gotta be to let someone bounce a ball of yo damn head? If you got the skills then you can go do that shit to me.

    But best believe that you losin the ball tho if you try. Cause I actually y D unlike you bums. Y''all beening to these camps for how many years and I stay saucin on all y''all."

    The king of the court usually alternated between Nav and Darnell when it came to their court.

    Darnell was just a big guy with solid post moves. He also had a soft touch around the rim and a bit of a jumper when it came to the mid-range area.

    Justice was the most surprising one to Jason. Justice didn''t have one area that he excelled in like posting up or dribbling around his defender.

    However he was solid enough in all the different areas of the game that he could take advantage of the mismatch.

    If his defender was smaller than him he would back him down and post him up. If his defender was bigger but slower than him he would break him down with his handles.

    If his defender wanted to sag off of him to prevent the drive then he would just pull up with the jumper. If his defender guarded him tight to protect against his jump shot he would drive past him.

    The only weak point in his game was that since he wasn''t elite in any of these categories sometimes he couldn''t make the shot even if he took advantage of the mismatch.

    The king of the court games went on for over two hours. After they were done Kawhi and the rest of the trainers gathered the kids back up as they turned off a few of the lights.

    They wheeled in a projector and began to y some old iconic footage of Kawhi Leonard as he defended some of the NBA''s greatest stars

    They showed the Finals series in which a young Kawhi Leonard, who had yet to reach his super star franchise yer status,guarded LeBron back in 2014 when LeBron was still on the heat.

    Kawhi broke down the game y by y as he described what it was like to guard a LeBron James who was in his athletic prime as a basketball yer.

    He exined the Spur''s defensive philosophy that series as well as all the adjustments that coach Gregg Popovich, one of the greatest coaches in basketball history, made during those games.

    There seemed to be aplicated current of emotions flowing through Kawhi as he talked about his days as a Spur.

    Kawhi talked about how he came in to the league as a raw defensive specialist and how he began to develop his offensive game while continuing to y incredible lock down defense.

    He also spoke fondly of the Spurs culture and how they yed a big part in his development as a yer.

    The film session went on for a little more than an hour and a half as Kawhi and the trainers ended it by telling the kids to go back to the Canteen for dinner.

    They also told them that after they were done with dinner they were free to do whatever they wanted as long as they didn''t leave the campus.

    However they also suggested that they shouldn''t stay up toote as training would begin bright and early tomorrow as the trainers would get them up by five.

    - - -

    Jason sat at the table with a smile on his face as he looked at his tray ''Two double cheeseburgers with a side of fries and a sd. And to cap it all off a protein milkshake.''

    Justice sighed as he looked at his te of Grilled chicken breast and rice pf "I thought this was a basketball training camp. Not a weight loss program."

    Jason just chuckled as he shook his head "Man you must have a terrible diet if this is the type of food that they''re giving you. What did you tell them?"

    Justice shrugged his shoulders "I don''t know what their problem is. When they asked me about my eating habits I just told them what I normally eat.

    I start off in the morning with a stack of pancakes topped with butter and drowned in syrup. Then for lunch I eat the sandwiches that my mom packs for me along with a slice of whatever kind of pie my mom decided to bake that day.

    When I get home I eat a bowl of cereal and have a bag of starburst. And for dinner I eat whatever my mom cooked and some more pie."

    Jason shook his head "And you''re wondering why they didn''t include any sugar in your trays? I''m more surprised by the fact that you don''t have diabetes or liver problems."

    Justice looked at Jason with a fake hurt expression "Hey! I work all that sugar out of my system at practice okay?

    And besides I need the energy. I have five siblings back home that I need to look after when my mom and dad go to work."

    During the meal Jason was taking another look at the system ''There really isn''t any info on the Wingspan and Hand Size section of the body modifications.''

    After contemting for a few minutes Jason decided to put some points into them anyways to see what would happen.

    All thought the system hasn''t been as activetely in giving him missions Jason currently had 332 Body Modification Points from all the practices and workouts that he had been doing.

    Jason put one hundred points into the Wingspan category and hundred points into Hand Size.

    After Jason put in the points he checked to see if anything changed.

    [Wingspan D

    Hand Size D]

    Wingspan had gone up from a D- to a solid D where as Hand Size had stayed the same ''Maybe the higher the grade the more points are required to move up?''

    After finishing all the food on his te as well as his protein milkshake Jason rubbed his stomach in satisfaction.

    Justice asked "So what are you gonna do with your free time? Some of the other guys from the 13 and under group wanted to run fives. You down?"

    Jason shook his head as he politely rejected Justice''s offer "Sorry Justice. Maybe some other time. I have someone that I need to talk to tonight."

    Justice smiled "Alright man. The invitations still open. We''ll be in the gym if you change your mind."

    Jason waved goodbye to Justice as he left the Canteen. He walked into the main building and began to walk toward Kawhi''s office.

 Chapter 98 - End Of Camp

    Jason saw through the bottom of the door that the lights were on inside. Jason raised his hand and knocked on the door to Kawhi''s office.

    After a short moment he could hear some things being moved around and papers being shuffled before getting a response "Come in."

    Kawhi looked up from the papers that he was reading "I had a feeling it would be you. You didn''t even give it a second for the invite to get cold did you?"

    Jason tly answered "You said that I could talk to you whenever I had a question. Last I checked right now counts as whenever."

    Kawhi smirked a bit "You''re right. But most people would be at least a little hesitant on using an offer like that so freely."

    Jason just looked at Kawhi "Well I guess that means that I''m not like most people. Is it okay if I take a seat?"

    Kawhi pointed to the chair "Go ahead. You already invited yourself over might as well make yourselffortable."

    After Jason pulled out the chair and sat down Kawhi continued "So what can I help you with? I''m assuming you came here because you needed something?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah, actually I had some questions that I was hoping you could help me out with."

    Kawhi opened up the drawer to his desk and began putting the rest of the papers away. After it was all cleared up Kawhi looked at Jason "I am all ears."

    Jason''s first question was rted to the NBA Finals where Kawhi guarded LeBron. Jason asked how Kawhi positioned himself during LeBron''s drives to the basket. As well as how he managed to deal with his superhuman strength and physicality.

    Kawhi was impressed by Jason''s question. He began to exin the different angles he took on defense and how he tried his best to stick with LeBron through his power and funnel him toward Tim Duncan.

    Time passed by as Jason and Kawhi continued their one on one basketball tutoring session. Jason asked a multitude of questions ranging from read and react situations on defense tote game clock management.

    The more questions Jason asked the more Kawhi was impressed. All of the questions that Jason asked showed how advanced his understanding of the game was already for his age.

    Kawhi didn''t hold anything back as he continued to answer all of Jason''s questions. He shared the things that he learned from personal experience as well as the things that he learned from other vets during his time in the league.

    Time passed by without them knowing. Their exchange of answers and questions was so engaging that neither side felt the hours pass by.

    It wasn''t until Kawhi nced at the clock that they realized the time. Kawhi looked at Jason "Looks like it''s gettingte.

    You better call it a night if you want to wake up on time in the morning. Although I doubt that you''ll be able to participate in the training considering the condition your arms and shoulders are in."

    Jason stretched his arms out and yawned "I think you''re right. I better get some shut eye soon. But I wouldn''t be so quick to write me off.

    You never know. I might pull a miracle out of nowhere and be fully healed and ready for tomorrow''s training. I might not be athletic but I have a pretty tough body."

    Kawhi let out a small chuckle "Why don''t we make a small bet out of it? If you can actually take part in the training tomorrow I''ll get you a signed jersey from any yer you want."

    Jason stood up from his chair in a hurry as he looked at Kawhi with an excited look "Are you serious?! Can it be a retired yer?"

    Kawhi nodded his head "I am dead serious. It can be a retired yer, a current yer, or even a future yer. If there are any prospects that you want a signed jersey from just let me know. That is if you win the bet."

    Jason smiled as he nodded his head "Alright! But wait, if it''s a bet then that means that I have to put something up if you win. What do you want?"

    Kawhi went silent as he thought about it for a moment "If I win how about this. In the future if you manage to get into the league I want you to show up to my camps as one of my trainers for at least the duration of your rookie contract. How does that sound?"

    Jason was surprised by Kawhi''s proposal. There wasn''t any downside to the bet. Jason wouldn''t lose anything even if he lost the bet.

    After taking a few seconds to think it through Jason smiled as he epted the bet "Sure, I''m down for a friendly bet. Thanks for letting me bug you for a couple of hours Kawhi."

    Kawhi stood up from his chair and patted Jason on the shoulder "No problem kid. I told you I got big hopes for you. I think you got what it takes to go far. Just make sure you stick with the grind."

    Jason left Kawhi''s office with a smile on his face. The amount of knowledge that he gained from those few hours of guidance from Kawhi were equivalent to a few years of ying.

    ''Tonight was like finding a treasure trove. I learned so much from Kawhi in those few hours. But it''s starting to gette. I should call it a night.''

    But as Jason was making his way to the designated sleeping area he passed by the gym and heard the squeaking of sneakers and the pounding of a basketball on hardwood.

    After hearing the sounds of a game take ce Jason was tempted to take a peek. After looking into the gym Jason found the guys from the 16 and up group running fives.

    ''It''s not actually thatte. A quick game shouldn''t be too much.'' Jason walked into the gym and joined in on the scrimmage.

    - - -

    In the morning Jason woke up to a siren ring as a trainer walked into the students sleeping area with a megaphone.

    Jason yawned as he began to stretch. Despite the grueling workout and the drills that Jason went through yesterday his body felt like it was in tip top shape.

    ''Thank you recovery boost function. This might be the best perk of the system. I get to push my body as hard as I want and my body won''t even feel it the next day.

    In my past life I worked my body as hard as I could but there were still times when I had to take it easy and give it time to recover. But now I don''t need to worry about wasting any time.''

    The trainers had all the kids running. They didn''t tell them how long they would run or how fast they had to go.

    The kids all came up with their own rules as some of them ran hard and some of them just went into a light jog.

    As the run hit its first hour some of the kids that had been running hard began to slow down. After the second hour even the kids that had been running were now jogging and some of the kids had even dropped out.

    It became a test of will as the nagging fatiguebined with the stress of not knowing how much longer the run would be began to ovee the kids.

    Jason felt confident in the beginning because of all the conditioning he had been doing and all the minutes he had been ying in thest few games of the season.

    But even he was struggling as the run hit the third hour. Jason had sweat pouring down his face as he looked up at the sun while it was beginning to rise.

    After what seemed like forever Kawhi and the rest of the trainers showed up as Nav, Jason, Ricky, and a few others were the only ones left in the run.

    The rest of the training camp after the run was pretty much a continuation of yesterday. The groups went over all the drills and workouts that they had done the day prior.

    But Jason didn''t take part in the group training. He took advantage of all the time he had to pick at Kawhi''s brain.

    Jason spent every avable second asking Kawhi for advice on how to improve his game as well as for more effective training.

    - - -

    The sun was setting as all the kids were getting picked up by their rides. Jason made sure to add Justice as a friend as well as Nav.

    Kawhi watched on as Jason got into his mom''s car. As they drove off Kawhi turned to one of the trainers with a smile on his face.

    "Make a note for me. I''m going to have to make some calls and ask for a signed jersey Huh heh HAEHH heh."''

    Jason also had a smile on his face as he got into his mom''s car but it was for a different reason.

    [Mission: Friendships. Develop a close friendship with Kawhi Leonard and earn his respect. Reward: Earn a Kawhi Leonard exclusive badge.]

 Chapter 99 - Expectations

    Jason and Kyle were sitting next to each other at a table in the food court of the mall. Jason was snacking on a cheeseburger while Kyle was sipping on a milkshake.

    Jason turned to Kyle "So did Sammy tell you why we''re meeting up at the mall?" Kyle shook his head "Nah. I was in the middle of grinding for a new Epic armor set for my favorite waifu when she called. She didn''t tell me anything other than toe here."

    Jason sighed "She should at least be on time. She''s the one that called us here and she''s runningte?"

    Kyleughed "Well at least we get to meet up before the tournament starts. I don''t think we''ll have much time to hang out once the games start."

    Jason nodded his head "I guess. But we have to wait even longer before we can go back to ying actual games.

    We have the number one record for the season so we don''t even get to y during the first two rounds."

    Kyle put down his milkshake as he startedughing some more "Most people would be happy about getting to skip some games.

    That means that we only have to beat three other schools to get to the championship game. My mom is so hyped for the tournament to start.

    She already has a bunch of shirts made with the school''s name on the front and all of our names on the back."

    Jason chuckled after hearing that "Your mom is so cool. My mom was literally in tears when she picked me up from the training camp.

    By the time we got home my face was covered in lipstick smears. I was only gone for a day and she acts like she hasn''t seen me in years."

    Jason and Kyle continued to talk about their weekend so far. Other than doing the personal training regimen that Jason designed for him Kyle spent his weekend ying video games and watching anime.

    Jason told Kyle about the training camp. After hearing about the drills and practice games Kyle''s eyes started to shine "Yoooo that sounds so fun!

    That training machine with the lights and the buttons sounds like it''s straight from an anime. Did you get to use a healing chamber or anything?"

    Jasonughed "There was a cryogenic chamber that belongs to Kawhi. He let all of us try it out during our second day. Only for a couple minutes though. There were like two hundred kids at the camp."

    Just as Kyle was about to throw another question about the camp at Jason they heard a familiar voice.

    "Sup guys. How''s your weekends going so far?" Jason and Kyle turned their heads to see Samantha dressed in her usual band shirt and ripped jeans.

    Jason was the first one to answer her question "Training camp was cool. I learned a lot and I even got to make a connection with an NBA legend."

    Kyle added "I was grinding Neptunes pce for like the five hundredth time and I still haven''t gotten thest piece of Athena''s battle te. But at least my pdin reached level 78."

    Samantha face palmed "Why do I even bother asking? It''s either basketball this with you and anime or video game that with you." Samantha pointed at Jason and then at Kyle as she was talking.

    She pulled out one of the chairs at the table and took a seat before flipping her hair back. Jason took another bite out of his burger before asking.

    "Nice to see you too Sammy. So did you want to tell us why you called us here or should we just take some random guesses?"

    Samantha took a fry from Jason''s tray and tossed it into her mouth "Hey I did this as a favor for you.

    You''re the one that asked me to teach Shania how to not care about what other people think. And I thought you''d be interested in seeing the results of our hard work."

    Jason and Kyle looked around but they didn''t see Shania anywhere. Kyle looked at Samantha with a confused expression.

    "Uh Sammy. There''s no one else here in the food court except for a kid in a stroller and a middle aged ser mom."

    Samantha pulled out her phone "Yeah she was feeling a little shy. Let me make a call real quick."

    She dialed a number on her phone "Shania what are you doing? No it won''t be that bad. Juste over here. I promise you look amazing."

    Jason and Kyle were a little confused but they just patiently waited. After about five minutes their jaws dropped as they saw Shania.

    She had her hair tied into twin buns but that wasn''t the biggest change. Instead of her usual tomboy apparel she was dressed.... like an alt girl?

    She had ck lipstick on and a white long sleeve shirt with ck stripes under a ck My Chemical Romance shirt.

    She also had on a ck pair of shorts with ck stockings on. For her shoes she was wearing a ck pair of boots.

    Jason and Kyle just looked on in amazement. Shania had made aplete one eighty turn in terms of her style.

    Jason gulped before turning to Samantha "I told you to teach her not to care about what other people think. Not to turn her into one of your undead minions."

    Samantha put her arm over Shania''s shoulder and pulled her over to the table "You''d be surprised.

    As I went through the process of getting to know her we found out that she really resonated with the alternative lifestyle.

    She agrees with the idea of not conforming to everyone''s expectation of normal and she fell in love with the music as soon as I started ying ssics like Bullet for my Valentine and Sleeping with Sirens. Isn''t that right Shania?"

    Shania was gripping the edges of her shirt as she looked down at the floor "This was a mistake Sammy.

    I shouldn''t be dressed like this. This style doesn''t go well with me. I done made myself look like a clown."

    Samantha put her hands on Shania''s shoulders and turned her toward her "Why? I told you that you looked amazing. Jason and Kyle can agree. Right guys?"

    Jason and Kyle nodded their heads but Shania didn''t seem to believe them "I shouldn''t be dressed like this. This just isn''t how ck girls roll."

    Kyle stood up and walked toward Shania "I get where you''reing from Shania. Trust me I had a hard time when I first started out as a cosyer.

    From the people around me I was told that I should try to be more normal. Listen to hiphop and watch more basketball or football.

    And from themunity that I was trying to be a part of I got a lot of hate. I was told that I shouldn''t cosy certain characters because they aren''t ck.

    But I loved anime and video games so much that I stuck through it. And because of that I learned that I wasn''t the only ck person that was into anime.

    And that not all cosyers were mean and hateful people that just wanted to gatekeep. Sure emo, punk, goth, or whatever else isn''t widespread with ck people.

    But I''m sure that you aren''t the only one. And I would hate to see you give something up that you enjoy just because you feel like you don''t match the general image of peoples expectations."

    Jason added "Yeah Shania. If you really dig this whole alternative lifestyle like Sammy then don''t let you being ck make you feel like you don''t belong.

    If you don''t see a lot of people like you doing what you like then just change that. It can start with you."

    Samantha pulled Shania into a hug "Being alt isn''t just a fashion sense or taste in music. It''s all about being who you are no matter what other people say.

    If you feel like you belong then that means that you belong. Don''t worry about people telling you that you can''t be alt just because you''re ck.

    There are dickhead gatekeepers that get off on telling people that they don''t belong no matter what kind of niche subculture it is."

    After a while Shania hugged Samantha back "Thanks Sammy. I think you''re right. I was attracted to the alt lifestyle for a reason.

    The music matched the anger and sadness that I was bottling up this whole time. And the idea of not caring about others'' thoughts is the core of being alt.

    I think that I''m ready to be who I want to be. And to give the new school that my uncle wants me to go to a try."

    Jason felt his chest warm up at the touching scene but his attention was pulled away by the system notification that popped up in the corner of his vision.

    But before he could check to see what it was Jason got a phone call. He pulled out his phone and saw that it was his mom "Hello? What is it mom?"

    "I know that I said that you could spend the day hanging out with your friends sweet heart. But I think you shoulde back.

    You have a guest here and I think it might be important. He said he was a coach and that he was interested in recruiting you for his high school."

 Chapter 100 - Coach Butlers Offer

    Jason had taken the bus to the mall and that was how he nned on getting back home. But considering how urgent his mom sounded Jason decided to take out his phone and ask Tory for a ride home.

    After answering the call Tory quickly agreed to pick him up. Jason talked and joked with the group for about fifteen minutes until he got a text from Tory telling him that she was at the parking lot.

    "It was cool hanging out. Sorry about dipping early. My mom called and said that someone was at the apartment looking for me.

    Congrats on finding something that you love Shania. Things might get tough every once in a while but I''m sure you can handle it. You''re a tough girl."

    Jason bro hugged Kyle and the girls as he said his goodbyes. As he left the group and made his way to the parking lot he was stopped a few times by a couple of strangers.

    They were fans of the Through the Hoops show and had recognized Jason. After taking a few pictures and giving out a few autographs Jason finally made it to the elevators to the parking lot.

    Jason saw Tory''s car parked close to the front. Jason tapped on the window and waved before hopping in.

    "Thanks Tory. I was nning on staying at the mall for a couple hours but my mom called and said that there was a guest at the apartment looking for me."

    Tory reached over and ruffled his hair before pulling him into a side hug "You''re wee Jaya. I told you whenever you need something all you need to do is call your noona.

    You''ve been so busy with basketball and I''ve been so busy with all of my different things that we haven''t been able to spend any time together.

    I feel like my little Jaya is growing up so fast. You used toe knocking on our apartment door to ask if I wanted to watch some basketball or a movie."

    Jason hugged her back "Geez Tory you''re acting like my mom now with this melodrama mood.

    I know that we haven''t been able to spend that much time together because of our schedules but I promise to hang out with you more after basketball season is over."

    Tory smiled as she kissed him on the top of his head before pulling out of the parking lot. The drive to the apartment was short but filled withughs and smiles as the two of them caught up with each other.

    After about fifteen minutes of driving they reached the apartmentplex. Jason thanked Tory for the ride home.

    The two of them said their goodbyes in the hallway as they went to their respective apartments.

    Jason unlocked the door with his key card and knocked before walking in. His mom greeted him but Jason didn''t respond.

    His focus was on the face of the person sitting in front of his mom across the dining table ''I can''t believe it. It''s really him.''

    After a few seconds Jason came back to his senses "Hey mom. Is this the guest you were talking about?"

    The guest stood up from his chair and walked toward Jason. He smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake.

    "Nice to finally meet you Jason. My name is KeyShawn Butler. I used to y in the league but now I''m coaching the team for Beach Side Academy over in Santa Barbara."

    Jason was slightly surprised after hearing that coach Butler was still coaching at Beach Side Academy.

    ''ording to the memories from my past life coach Butler should have been fired from Beach Side Academy already. Why is he still coaching there?''

    Jason shook his hand "Nice to meet you Coach Butler. Me and my parents are huge fans. I was too young to remember but my parents love showing me the videos of us going to the parades every time you and the Lakers won a ring."

    Coach Butlerughed as he patted Jason on the shoulder "Haha you and your parents are too kind.

    I loved my run with the Lakers. It''s a shame that we only got three rings. But my knee''s just couldn''t keep up with the constant wear and tear."

    Jason took a seat next to his mom at the table and coach Butler sat across from them. He smiled.

    "Like I said Jason it''s a pleasure to finally get to meet you. While you were gone I had the opportunity to talk to your mother and I heard that you don''t have any ns for high school yet?"

    Jason nodded his head "Me and my family have gotten some calls from a few different high schools in the area but I haven''t really made any decisions yet.

    I''m still in the seventh grade so I have a whole year before I even need to start thinking about what high school I''ll go to."

    Coach Butler began to shake his head "I know that you still have a whole year of middle school left after this year.

    But I wouldn''t push aside making a decision about this. Your high school career ys a vital role in your chances of making it into the league.

    If you do well in high school you could get a schrship to a good school and showcase your talent at the next level.

    Or if you y well enough in high school you could get drafted as soon as you''re done. It''s not like before when you had to be a year removed from high school.

    Although it doesn''t happen as often because teams like to see a yer at the college level before making the decision to draft them it does still happen.

    So the high school you go to can y a big part in deciding how hard or how easy it will be for you to make it to the league."

    Jason listened to coach Butler. After he was done talking Jason nodded his head "I get what you''re saying Coach Butler. So I''m guessing that you''re here to recruit me for your school?"

    Coach Butler smiled "Yes sir. That is why I am here. I would like to offer you an invitation to attend Beach Side Academy with a full schrship. You wouldn''t have to pay for a thing."

    Jason''s mom interrupted "I remember that you said that your school was in Santa Barbara correct? How could my son possibly attend when the school is over three hours away?"

    Coach Butler turned to her before answering "At Beach Side Academy we have a dormitory where we offer housing for our yers who aren''t from the area.

    We currently have seven students who are living there and there may be more by the time Jason moves on from middle school.

    The housing as well as the meals would be covered by the schrship of course. There is even a washing machine and dryer avable 24/7 for whenever you need to doundry."

    Jason''s mom looked at him as she began to tear up a little "So my boy would be living in a dorm all by himself?

    What if the meals aren''t enough for him? My son is a very big eater. And what kind of detergent do you guys use for your washing machine?

    I''ve only used one brand ever since my Jaya was a little baby. If you use a different detergent it might irritate his skin."

    Jason held his mom''s hand as he smiled at her "Calm down mom. I haven''t even decided if I''ll go yet.

    And besides I still have a whole year of middle school to go after this one. There''s no need to get so worked up right now."

    Coach Butler gave the two of them a moment to handle things. Once it seemed like Jason''s mom had calmed down he continued.

    "I understand your concern Mrs. Yang. But like you said the school is only a couple of hours away.

    If for any reason you or your husband need to see your son you are wee to drive down at any hour of the day. I can guarantee you that you will be weed at the school.

    And Santa Barbara is a wonderful city. Especially the area where the school is located. Everyone in that area are doctors, Lawyers, or big time business men. I''ll be honest Jason.

    I''m from Riverside just like you. I grew up here and lived here until my second year of college when I got drafted into the league.

    I love Riverside. It''s a part of who I am. Riverside has a way of toughening you up and getting you ready for the world.

    I wouldn''t trade being from here for anything in the world. But I also know about the bad side of this city.

    It''s not to the level of ces like LA or Chicago. But there are folks who live less than honest lives around here.

    And for an up anding star like you it''s easy to get mixed up with those kind of things. I''ve seen it countless times before.

    A bright and rising star that gets pulled into the mud before it really gets a chance to shine. But if you go to Santa Barbara and attend Beach Side Academy you can steer clear of those distractions. What do you think?"

 Chapter 101 - Coach Butlers Offer: Part-2

    Jason thought about Coach Butler''s offer ''This is way different than the timeline in my past life. I don''t know how things will turn out if I ept his offer.

    Originally Coach Butler was supposed to get fired from Beach Side Academy. He would then move back to Riverside and take up a job coaching AAU basketball.''

    Jason looked at Coach Butler "I have a few questions for you Coach Butler. That is if you don''t mind me asking?"

    Coach Butler shook his head and smiled "Not at all son. You go ahead and ask whatever you need to ask. I''ll try my best to answer."

    Jason nodded his head "No offense but I''ve never heard of your school before. A private school that has a ex NBA yer for a coach should have made at least a little noise. Can I ask why it hasn''t?"

    Coach Butler sped his hands together and took a deep breath before answering "It''s because I haven''t done that great of a job."

    Jason and his mom were surprised by Coach Butler''s honest and direct answer. They didn''t expect him to answer the question so candidly.

    Coach Butler continued "I thought it would be easy. I know basketball and I know talent. But what I didn''t know was how dirty this coaching game is.

    I was trying to honestly recruit kids while the rest of these coaches from these other programs were offering them money under the table.

    If it was college I wouldn''t mind the students getting paid. Student athletes of the past fought for their right to get paid in college.

    But high school basketball is still regted where paying the students is illegal. And I will notpromise myself or my yers."

    Coach Butler looked Jason straight in the eyes "I know that you might be tempted to ept these schools money.

    But trust me Jason. That kind of dirty money is never worth it. No amount of mary gain is worth selling your self worth and your beliefs.

    I can''t offer you the money that Montverde Academy or Sierra Canyon could. I won''t. But what I can do is promise you that I will be dedicated to your development as a basketball yer.

    I promise you that you will be the centerpiece of the team and that you will learn how to y to your full potential.

    And although I refuse to offer you any money if you have any requests that don''t go against any rules I will try my best to get it done. How does that sound?"

    Jason was silent as he began to think ''I love Coach Butler. He''s practically like a second father to me.

    He''s the one that taught me my love for the game. He helped guide me to the person that I am today.

    But I don''t know abouting over to Beach Side Academy and ying for him. In my past life that school never made any noise in the world of basketball.

    If I join a no name program it might hurt my chances of getting into the league. High school isn''t like middle school.

    High school can make or break your basketball career. I went to a pretty decent high school program and yet I struggled just to get into UCLA.

    How much harder would it be if I go to a no name program like Beach Side Academy? Would I even be able to make things work?''

    After struggling toe to a decision Jason looked up at Coach Butler "Thank you for the offer Coach. But for now I can''t make any decisions. I will keep your offer in mind though."

    Coach Butler stood up from his chair and shook hands with Jason and his mother as he smiled.

    "That is perfectly alright son. It''s a big decision to make and I understand if you need some time to discuss it with your mother and your father.

    I left my number with your mother so if you have any questions about the school or our offer you just go ahead and get in touch. My phone is avable 24/7 if you need anything.

    Thank you Mrs. Yang for hosting me at thiste a time. I hope the both of you enjoy the rest of your evening."

    Coach Butler closed the door on his way out. Jason looked at his mom "So Santa Barbara huh? I heard the beaches look great."

    Jason''s momughed as she yfully knocked him on his head "Are you sure it''s the beaches that you''re interested in? I think you might be looking at the girls in bikinis more."

    Jason sat in the living room and watched TV with his mom. Because of his busy schedule it had been a while since thest time he was able to just sit down and spend some time with his mom.

    Jason''s mom talked as she watched TV "That coach was something else wasn''t he? I can''t believe that someone that we used to watch on TV actually came over to our apartment."

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah, it almost doesn''t seem real. For someone that yed an important role in the Lakers repeat and then a final ring a couple yearster he seemed really nice.

    He was really honest about why the school''s basketball team hasn''t done so well. And he seemed pretty adamant about doing everything clean and by the books."

    Jason''s mom nodded in agreement "He seemed like a good man. If it''s him I might not be so worried leaving you in his care."

    Jason turned to his mom in surprise "Wow mom. Is this your way of telling me that you want me to go to Beach Side Academy in Santa Barbara?"

    Jason''s mom chuckled before pulling him into another hug "No dummy. That was my way of saying that we can talk about it with your dad when we all have time to sit down and talk."

    The two of them continued to enjoy each other''spany as they sat watched the TV.

    - - -

    Later that night Coach Butler unlocked the door to his motel room. The inside was dusty and in the corner of the room Coach Butler could see a cockroach crawling on the wall.

    Coach Butler tossed his bag onto the bed, which caused some more dust to start flying around, before pulling out his phone and making a call.

    "Hey Jonathan. Just wanted to call and let you know that I got to the motel safely. I''ll drive back to the school in the morning."

    Jonathan''s asked "d to hear that you made it to the motel safely. So how does it feel to be back in your old hometown?

    It''s been a couple of years since you werest there right? Things still feel the same?" Coach Butler shook his head and smiled as he answered.

    "Riverside is still Riverside that''s for sure. Especially in the area where this motel is. I''m pretty sure I saw a crackhead getting his fix outside in the parking lot."

    Jonathan gasped "Jesus Shawn. Why didn''t you just spring for a nicer ce? I told you that the school would cover you if you stayed at an actual hotel."

    Coach Butler shook his head "That money is supposed to be for the yers and the team Jonathan.

    I''m not about to spend our budget just so I can spend a night at a fancy hotel."

    Jonathanughed.

    "Well if you''re paying out of your own pocket anyways why didn''t you just spend a little more for a nicer ce?

    You were in the league for twelve years Shawn. I''m sure you''re not hurting for cash to the point where you need to pinch pennies like this."

    Coach Butler unbuttoned his shirt before sitting down on the bed "I might have been gone for a few years but I''m still from Riverside Jonathan.

    I think you''re forgetting that before I got drafted and got that NBA money I was actually living a rough life. One night in a dusty motel won''t hurt me."

    Jonathan sighed "If you say so Shawn. So how did the recruitment go? Were you able to get him tomit to Beach Side Academy?"

    Coach Butler paused for a second before sighing "I wasn''t able to get him tomit. But he also didn''t seem to bepletely against the idea. And I think that I made a good first impression."

    Jonathan was shocked "What!? He didn''t want tomit!? He didn''t want to give you an answer even after the $100,000?"

    Coach Butler went silent for a second "I didn''t offer him the money Jonathan. You know how I feel about that. It''s illegal to offer high school athletes money."

    The frustration was clear in Jonathan''s voice "Can''t you just make an exception this once? This is yourst chance Shawn.

    If you can''t get him tomit to us next year could be yourst. You''re lucky that we were able to convince themittee to keep you for another year. They wanted to fire you just a couple of months ago."

    Coach Butler massaged his forehead "I know Jonathan. And I appreciate you sticking up for me. But I won''t offer anyone money to y for the school as long as it''s not legal.

    Did you already forget about Virgil Taylor? Or how about Nicky Martin? Two young athletes with bright futures.

    They were supposed to have been drafted already but now they''re ying overseas because they had their draft and ying eligibility postponed after it was found out that they took money from their high schools.

    I will not risk the careers and reputation of my yers Jonathan. If I really can''t make it as a coach by ying by the books and being clean then maybe this coaching thing just isn''t for me."

 Chapter 102 - Thanksgiving

    After watching TV for a few hours Jason and his mom ordered a pizza for dinner. After they told each other good night Jason made his way to his room.

    After he closed the door Jason took a deep breathe to calm himself down. He opened up the system to take a look at the notification that he had been ignoring.

    [Congrattions! Mission "Change of Heart"pleted. Reward: ???]

    ''Finally! This fucking mission has just been sitting there for the past few months and its been driving me crazy! Now it''s time to see what my reward is.''

    Jason reached out to the floating wrapped gift box. As soon as he touched it confetti flew out as the top popped off.

    [You have received a random badge as well as the ability to equip another badge as your core!

    Badge recieved: Box-Out King (Bronze): Gives a slight boost in your ability to control post positioning. Boosts your ability to box out and fight for rebounds.]

    Jason was slightly disappointed in getting another badge that he probably wouldn''t be using all that much but he was excited about being able to equip another badge as his core.

    ''I can have two badges equipped as my core now! Not only can I put an offensive and defensive badge so that I develop quickly in both areas.

    I can have another badge that I can activate during games! Defensive anchor isn''t useful in every situation so I can activate another badge depending on the state of the game.''

    Jason was excited about finallypleting the mission about Shania. But then the excitement drained out from his face as he thought about one important thing.

    ''I don''t know how Marcus is going to react after he hears that I was recruited to go to Beach Side Academy.

    Even if I''m not nning on epting the offer Marcus might think that I will and use it as a chance to run away from him and his squad.

    And as scared as I am of telling him it''s probably better than if he finds out from an outside source.....''

    After a few moments of internal struggles Jason decided that he would tell Marcus in person about the offer from Beach Side Academy as soon as he got the chance.

    What he didn''t expect was that the offer would present itself so quickly. Jason got a text but it wasn''t from his regr phone.

    Jason picked up his other phone and saw that it was a message from Marcus ''Sup Young Buckets. How was the whole training camp thing?''

    Jason texted back and answered ''It was good. I feel like I really learned a lot from going to the camp. I feel even better going into the tournament.''

    Another text came in with a sunsses smiley face emoji ''Good to hear man. Good to hear. Hey I got something nned the day before Thanksgiving. I would really appreciate it if you could stop on by.''

    Jason was caught off guard by the invite. After moment to think about the offer Jason sent his reply.

    ''Sure thing Marcus. If it''s the day before Thanksgiving then I don''t have anything nned. I''ll see you then.''

    After a few seconds another text came in ''Cool. I''ll send someone to pick you up so don''t worry about getting a ride. Oh and make sure you bring yo appetite hahaha.''

    - - -

    A few days passed uneventfully as Jason spent most of his time doing his personal workout routine and helping out with some shopping as his parents got ready for Thanksgiving.

    Before he knew it it was already the day that Jason agreed to meet up with Marcus. Jason told his parents that he was going to go hang out with some friends before stepping out of the apartment.

    It was around one o''clock as Jason waited in the parking lot. He had just eaten lunch with his parents but he was already beginning to feel hungry as he stood under the shade of one of the nearby trees.

    After about ten minutes of waiting Jason saw a car pulling in to the parking lot. The roof of the car was folded down as Jason saw a familiar face.

    Jason walked up to the car as he extended his hand out "Amare right? I didn''t really get a chance to thank you the first time we met."

    Amare dapped Jason up as he smiled "No need for thanks dog. Marcus said to treat you like a part of the fam and that''s all I was doin.

    I ain''t too good with the nnin and big brain shit that Marcus does but if anybodye after my family best believe I''m ready for war.

    And besides we outta be thanking you Young Buckets. You really showin out for Riverside. You got folks excited the same way Tyreek been doing for years.

    It''s good to know that even after Tyreek makes it to college and hopefully into the league that we got another star in the making."

    Jason smiled as he got into the car. After a fifteen minute ride they pulled into themunity close by the park where Jason and Trell had their bet.

    Jason was amazed by what he saw. The cul de sac was filled with stalls and people as the entire neighborhood seemed to be partying.

    As they were getting down from the car Jason turned to Amare and asked "What''sgoing on here? It looks like a huge party."

    Amare put his arm over Jason andughed "Bruh you ain''t never been to a block party before? You missing out man.

    We gon change that today. You gonna taste some of the best food and have a hell of a time here."

    Amare took Jason with him as they walked deeper into the cul de sac. A bunch of people seemed to have recognized Jason as they were constantly stopped and asked for pictures.

    "No fuckin way. Yous Jason Yang right?! Yooooo! I told you that was him. Is it cool if we snap a few pics with you?"

    "Yo that''s the Asian kid I was tellin you about. He on that TV show about basketball. Can we get a couple shots with you?"

    A few females fans also stopped him for some pictures and autographs.

    "Girl that''s the little Chinese boy that was on TVst week. He so cute! Just like one them Kpop idols. Is it okay if these big sisters get a picture with you?"

    Amareughed as Jason wiped the different colored lipstick marks off of his face "Damn bruh you he popr. Remind me to take you out as my wingman next time hahaha."

    After walking for a bit they finally bumped into Marcus. He was wearing his sunsses as usual as he was in line for what appeared to be a hot dog stand.

    Marcus smiled at Jason "Hey Young Buckets. d to see that you could make it. Can I interest you in a freshly made dog?

    You ain''t gonna find a better dog in Riverside my man. I give all of Willie''s hot dogs the Marcus stamp of approval."

    Jason nodded his head "Sure I guess. I am feeling a little hungry." Marcus turned to Willy and ordered two hot dogs with everything on it.

    Jason took the hot dog from Marcus and bit into it. The grilled bell peppers and the crisp onions formed a symphony of vors with the ketchup, relish, and mustard.

    The bun was soft and fluffy while the hot dog itself had the perfect amount of snap and a well bnced vor.

    Jason''s eyes glowed with happiness as he inhaled the hot dog. After wiping his mouth with a napkin he turned to Marcus "You weren''t kidding Marcus. That hot dog was delicious."

    Marcusughed "I had a feelin you''d like it. I ain''t never ran into a person that didn''t like ol Willie''s dogs."

    Jason turned around and looked at the man behind the hot dog stand "Why does he seem so familiar?"

    Marcus tipped his sunsses up for a bit as he looked in the direction that Jason was looking at.

    "Who? Old Willie? If you''ve been to Newberry then you''ve probably seen him before. He''s the coach for the basketball team.

    He also works a hot dog stand, he clips grass, delivers packages on the side, paints walls, you name it.

    If you got a job you need done and some extra cash to spare ol Willie is the first person people call around here."

    Jason was a little confused "Isn''t he a little old to be doing all that work? He should take it easy and watch his health."

    Marcus put his sunsses back down and sighed "Yeah I''m pretty sure he wishes he could do that too.

    Ol Willie didn''t have any kids that were his blood. He adopted a son in histe thirty''s. If you saw those two together it would have put a smile on your face.

    I ain''t never even seen anybody look at they kid the way Willie looked at his son. You could tell that that boy meant the world to him.

    He was even more overjoyed when he found out that he was gonna be a grandpa. His son got married to a real nice girl that he met after college.

    The two of them had just moved into their own ce in a nice neighborhood when they were killed during a botched robbery.

    It''s been a couple of years now but Ol Willie been taking care of the twin girls that his son and the wife left."

    Jason was speechless. He didn''t know what to say after hearing such a sad story. Marcus looked at him.

    "Jason part of the reason why I asked you toe here today was so that you could see the part of Riverside that not everyone gets to see.

    You can see the people that are struggling to get by and yet they still know how to smile and enjoy life.

    I know that me and my boys ain''t no saints. We got dirty hands and stains that won''t wash away. But we ain''t heartless monsters.

    Who do you think helped Ol Willie get that hot dog cart? Who got him all the papers so that he could sell those hot dogs without having to worry?

    When he didn''t have enough to buy his little girls new clothes and school supplies it wasn''t the government or the city that came through for him.

    We was the ones that pulled together some money and made sure that his little girls didn''t have to wear clothes with a bunch of holes in em.

    We was the ones that worked our asses off to make sure that his son and daughter inw could get the proper farewell that they deserve.

    I ain''t tryin to make excuses. Me and Amare both got blood on our hands. But we didn''t do that shit for fun.

    We out here trying to make the best out of what we got. And after you get into the league we can do so much more for this ce."

    Jason was touched by what Marcus had to say. After a moment of hesitation he decided toe clean with Marcus "There''s something that I want to tell you Marcus."

 Chapter 103 - Thanksgiving: Part-2

    Marcus looked at Jason "Go for it little man. I''m all ears." Jason took a deep breathe and tried to calm himself down before telling Marcus about Coach Butler''s visit.

    He was nervous the entire time. As he was retelling the story he looked at Marcus'' face but he didn''t see any changes in his facial expression.

    Finally, after he was done talking Jason just looked at Marcus. After a few moments of silence Marcus spoke up "Okay. And?"

    Jason was surprised "What do you mean and?" Marcus chuckled "I meant is there anything else to the story?

    I don''t understand why you were so serious about bringin this up. And the entire time you was talking you looked shooked haha."

    Jason looked at Marcus with a confused look on his face "You''re not upset?" Marcus pped his leg and startedughing.

    "Bruh why would I be upset? You didn''t even decide if you''re going to the school yet. And even if you did I wouldn''t be feeling no type of way about it.

    I was already sure that you would end up going to a school that''s a ways away. There ain''t a school close by that''s good enough for someone as good as you.

    I''m a little surprised that yous still considering going to a no name program like Beach Side Academy.

    But even if you leave that don''t change the fact that you from here bruh. Whenever we see you ballin out on TV or hear about you on the news we still gonna be proud as hell.

    We can point at that dude on TV and say that he''s from Riverside. That we went to school with him. That he went to our block party.

    We ride for our own like it ain''t nobody''s business. So no matter where you end up going for high school just remember that your roots are here.

    No matter how rough things get for you out there you got people back here that got your back no questions asked.

    Just don''t forget about us when you make it big alright Young Buckets? You don''t want to end up like some of those other folks that blew up and act like they forgot where they came from."

    Jason nodded his head ''I don''t think I could ever turn my back on this ce. From Amare and Marcus to the random people that I bumped into they all showed so much love.''

    - - -

    The day passed quickly passed as Jason''s family threw their usual Thanksgiving party with Tory and her father.

    But there was a new addition this year as Kyle and his mom showed up as guests. The most shocking part happened during the dinner.

    Just as Jason''s dad was about to start carving up the turkey Tory''s father announced that he had something to tell everyone.

    He made it official as he and Kyle''s mom announced that they had been seeing each other for a while but now they were officially in a serious rtionship.

    Tory was the first one to react as she jumped out of her chair squealing in joy "Oh my god dad! Congrats!"

    She then ran over to Kyle''s mom and pulled her into a tight hug "Congrats Aunty Vee! I knew something was up. My dad had been to happy recently."

    Tory''s dad chuckled "Geez, sorry for being happy. You say that like it''s a bad thing for your dad to be smiling."

    Kyle was shocked as he turned to his mom "You and Tory''s dad are dating? You guys are like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

    Kyle''s momughed as she pulled him into a hug "I know it might be a little shocking baby. I should have told you sooner but I didn''t want to say anything just in case it didn''t work out.

    But it looks like things are getting serious so I thought it would be best to tell you along with everyone else."

    Kyle had aplicated expression on his face. It wasn''t so much sadness or anger. It was more along the lines of confusion.

    Everyone congratted uncle Jin and aunty Vee on their rtionship. The dinner continued as Jason''s dad went back to carving up the turkey.

    Jason took a look at Kyle''s confused face before turning to Tory who was bouncing up and down on her chair from excitement.

    ''Well this never happened in my past life. For better or for worse I guess I really am making some serious changes.''

    - - -

    The first two games of the tournament finished. With December rolling around it was finally Jefferson''s turn to start ying some games.

    Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson were warming up as they shot the ball around on their half of the court.

    Jason shot the ball five feet away from the three point line. He held his right hand up from the follow through as he watched the ball hit nothing but.

    Kyle walked up to Jason and patted him on the shoulder "Dang bro that was like your tenth shot in a row. You might be in for a real hot scoring night."

    Jasonughed as he yfully elbowed Kyle in the side "Don''t you know you''re not supposed to bother a sniper when their in the zone?"

    Kyle smiled ashe shook his head "Not like it''s actually going to affect you. I''ve never seen you get bothered by anything when you''re standing on the court."

    Jason responded as he shot another three pointer "It doesn''t matter Kyle. It''s all about the principles.

    So you ready? First game of the tournament and we''re starting things off on our court. Tonight would be a bed night to wet the bed."

    Kyle shot a three pointer that came close but ended up nking off the ss "I guess I''m ready. To be honest I don''t feel any type of way about it.

    I feel like tonight''s the same as ourst game of the regr season. I don''t feel any butterflies in my stomach and I''m not really super hyped.

    If anything I''m just excited that we get to y some ball again. I feel like that short break was more like a long detention.

    I never thought I would miss the feeling of sweating in a gym as much as I did during the break."

    Jason smiled "That''s a sign that you are officially a hooper Kyle. If you get a chance to rest and all you can think about is putting the ball on the hardwood then you a hooper for real for real.

    During the break all I could think about was getting some runs in. I almost went down to the park just so I could get a couple reps against some casuals."

    Kyle shot another three pointer that ended up hitting the front of the rim "I hate to break it to you but I don''t think you would be able to get a single game in.

    Everyone that''s remotely interested in basketball around here knows your face. I don''t think they would want to end up on a episode of Through the Hoops as one of your highlights."

    After a few minutes the clock buzzed indicating that it was time for the game to begin. Jason went with the rest of his team as they went to go shake hands with theirpetition for tonight.

    Their first opponent of the tournament was a school that they had yed against earlier on in the year.

    They would be ying against Vista Heights tonight. Vista Heights had what they would consider an incredible year so far.

    Not only did they finish as one of the better teams in the county. They managed to make it through two rounds of the tournament.

    If they could make it on to the next round they would have set a new school record in terms of sess.

    The yers got on the floor as they positioned themselves for the tip off. Kyle managed to make it look easy as he effortlessly jumped into the air and swatted the ball in Jason''s direction.

    It looked like Vista Heights had done their homework as they scrambled to get a defender to mark Kyle.

    Unfortunately for them Kyle had began sprinting to the basket as soon as he tossed the ball toward his team.

    With the ball in his hands Jason threw aser of a pass as it went straight to Kyle''s hands as he was running toward the basket.

    With no defenders around him Kyle decided to show off what he had been practicing in his backyard during the break.

    Kyle measured the distance to the basket as he positioned his feet for the jump. As he jumped off of both his feet he began to spin.

    Kyle spun aroundpletely before mming the ball down toward the rim. He hanged off the rim with one hand for a second before letting go.

    As hended Kyle turned toward the home section and started moving his arms up and down at his side gesturing for them to get hyped "This our house! Make some noise!"

 Chapter 104 - First Game Of The Tournament

    The entire home section got on their feet as they cheered crazily after seeing Kyle''s amazing dunk.

    Kyle''s mom was shaking her homemade noisemakers as Jason''s parents and Tory''s dad did the same.

    Tory didn''t have anything in her hands but she was going red in the face as she screamed her head off "That''s my brother! Way to go Kyle!"

    Jason walked up to Kyle as they both jumped into the air for a chest bump. They then began an borate handshake that ended with the both of them shooting imaginary energy beams out of their hands toward each other.

    Jason had a huge smile on his face "Since when did you start dunking like that bro? That was sick as hell."

    Kyleughed as he scratched his head "I was working on that the whole time we were on break.

    My mom bought a basketball hoop for the backyard as soon as I brought it up. She seemed even more excited than I was haha."

    The two of them stopped their small talk as they ran back on defense. Vista Heights inbounded the ball to their Point Guard as he then brought the ball up the court.

    As soon as he crossed halfcourt Jason began to pressure him with his suffocating defense. The Point Guard had to give up initiating the offense as he hurriedly passed the ball of to their Shooting Guard in order to avoid having the ball stripped away by Jason.

    But before their Shooting Guard could catch the ball Matt caused the ball to bounce away as he deflected the pass.

    He had been fighting to maintain contact with his defensive assignment. And when he saw him trying to catch a pass he stuck his hand out and deflected it.

    Jason used his body to block his defensive assignment from running for the ball as he made his way toward it.

    As Jason ran he didn''t stop for the ball. He scooped it up from the floor in one fluid motion that didn''t disrupt his running.

    With the ball in his hand Jason lead the fastbreak. The roles had reversed as Jason''s old defensive assignment was now chasing him in order to prevent him from scoring the ball.

    Jason was just a half step ahead of the defender as he went up for they up with his right hand on the right side of the basket.

    The defender saw this and jumped toward Jason in an attempt to block the shot from behind. But as his hand was flying toward the ball Jason switched from ay up to throwing the ball behind him over his shoulder.

    Matt who had been trailing Jason and the defender caught the pass. Matt held onto the ball for less than a second beforeying the ball up.

    It had been less than thirty seconds and yet Jason had propelled Jefferson Middle School to two straight baskets.

    On the sidelines the head coach for Vista Heights'' basketball team had a furious expression on his face as he looked at his team and then at the scoreboard.

    ''It hasn''t been more than thirty second yet and we''ve already given up a turnover and two straight baskets. What the hell is going on?!

    That white kid was supposed to be one of their worst defenders.? Did we mess up on the scouting report? No that can''t be. I went over film with the team myself.''

    What he ,along with everyone else, didn''t know was that during this short break Matt had made it a point to work on his defensive awareness.

    He spent hours going over film of himself as well as Jason in order to try and improve himself on that end of the ball.

    Jason walked over to Matt and high-fived him before making their way back on defense. Jefferson set the tempo for the quarter early on as they stifled all of Vista Heights attempts at running their offense.

    While on the other end they scored the ball by moving it meaningfully and methodically. Even with Jason on the floor there were a few possessions where they let Udonis run the offense.

    He would have the ball as he posted up his defender while Jason and Matt ran off of screens from Trell and Kyle.

    asionally one of the two would shake things up even more by slipping the screens early and instead cut straight to the basket.

    With their offense being headed by the two of them they were able to switch things up often enough that Vista Heights couldn''t adjust their defense to match them.

    By the end of the first quarter Jefferson Middle School was up with a score of 38-12. There was a clear disparity in talent between the two teams.

    Jefferson was in full control of the game as the momentum waspletely in their favor. Everyone was making their shot''s and giving their all on defense.

    Kyle and Udonis had a block party of their own as the two of thembined for thirteen rejections before the second half was even finished.

    And Nick and Matt were on fire from the three point line as the both of them made three three pointers in the third quarter.

    Trell and Kyle turned the game into all star weekend as they caught different lobs and passes from Jason before finishing the y off nice with a dunk.

    The score was a lopsided 76-32 as both teams went into the fourth quarter. Jefferson''s yers were all smiles and in high spirits as they stepped back on to the hardwood.

    Vista Heights on the other hand couldn''t be anymore different. Their coaches as well as all of their yers had grim and ugly expressions on their faces.

    Their bodynguage and facial expressions made it clear that they would rather not get back out on the court.

    With the ball in his hands as he stood at the top of the perimeter Jason called for a y. Everyone began to move ordingly.

    Jason handed off the ball to Kyle as he ran past his screen. Jason then set a screen for Matt who was making his way over from the corner.

    Matt came off of the screens from Jason and Kyle. As he ran past Kyle he took the ball into his hands.

    He saw the defender trying hard to fight over Kyle''s screen. He started his shot but stopped as he saw his defender jumping toward him.

    After getting his defender into the air with a pump fake Matt then jumped into the defender as he got his shot off.

    The referee blew his whistle as everyone''s attention went to the ball as it was making it''s way through the air.

    As the ball swished through the the entire gym started shaking as everyone was on their feet making some noise.

    Jason was the first one to run over to Matt but the rest of the team quickly followed. They all had smiles on their faces as they lifted Matt off the ground and started hyping him up for the potential four point y.

    With a confident look on his face Matt sank the free throw. With that four point y Jefferson began to y with even more energy and intensity.

    With only two minutes left in the quarter Jefferson had actually managed to keep Vista Heights scoreless in the fourth quarter.

    Jason threw the ball over to Trell beforeing off a screen from Udonis. He then called for the ball back but Trell waved him off.

    Trell had a smile on his face as he signaled for everyone to clear the floor. Everyone was surprised by this, even the fans. This was the first time that Trell had ever called for an istion y all year long.

    Jason smiled as he shook his head ''Were up by so much that it''s impossible for us to lose. I guess there''s no harm in letting Trell get an iso y in.''

    Everyone cleared the floor for Trell as he began to dribble the ball. Although his ball handling wasn''t yet at the point where he could function as a primary ball handler in real game situations Trell had improved tremendouslypared to where he was at the beginning of the season.

    Trell was able to crossover to the right, hesi, and then explode off his back foot as he drove to the right side of his defender.

    The move itself didn''t help Trell get to the basket but it did give him the opportunity to take advantage of his insanely quick first step.

    After getting past his defender Trell saw that he had an openne to the rim. So he nted his right foot into the ground before exploding into the air.

    Trell felt like he had gotten the most bounce out of this jumppared to any other jump he had done in the past.

    Feeling a little courageous Trell cocked the ball back a little bit. He almost lost control of the ball but he was able to corral it as he mmed it down into the basket.

    As hended Trell faced the crowd before yelling out in excitement "Yeahhh!!!" But just as he was about to turn around and get back on defense he was pushed in the back.

    "The games over already asshole! You don''t have to act like such a bitch!"

 Chapter 105 - Ejections And Suspensions

    Trell turned around in a hurry as he then rushed forward to push the yer from Vista Heights. The yer was caught off guard.

    Before anyone could get over to separate the two they were grabbing each other by the cors of their jerseys while throwing punches at each other.

    "You guys already won the game! There''s no reason for you to show off like a bitch!"

    "You the one actin like a bitch bruh! There''s still more than a minute left. If you don''t want to get scored on then y some defense motherfucker!"

    Kyle was the first one to get there as he then tried to separate the the two. He was joined by a yer from Vista Heights.

    With thebined effort of the two they were able to separate Trell from the Vista Heights'' yer that he was fighting with.

    The referee came over and blew his whistle as he ejected both Trell and the yer from Vista Heights from the game.

    Udonis had to hold back Trell as he was fighting to get back at the yer that had pushed him "Fuck you lil bitch! Meet me outside! I''ll fuck you up bruh!"

    The other yer was also being held back by one of his teammates as he yelled "Fuck you bruh! Ain''t nobody scared of yo ass!

    Y''all lucky you got that Asian dude on you''re team. Y''all are garbage without him. You dribble like you got two left hands you goofy ass fuck face!"

    It took a few minutes to get the situation under control. Trell and the other yer from Vista Heights ended up getting ejected from the game.

    Trell went to the bench and sat down. Nick ended up subbing in for Trell. The teams came back out to the floor to finish up the game.

    Since there wasn''t a shot clock Jason was prepared to just dribble out the clock even though there was still over a minute left.

    ''Looks like Vista Heights has got their panties tied up in a bunch. I can''t believe he lost it just because he got beat.

    Trell didn''t do anything wrong. Just because we''re up by a lot doesn''t mean that the game is done. There''s a clock for a reason. If you don''t want to get scored on then y some defense.''

    But just as Jason was approaching the three point line he could hear his defender starting to talk some trash.

    "Thank god they finally got that thug out of the game. I would say something about his bad sportsmanship but what else would you expect from someone that never had a dad to teach him how to act like a real man."

    Jason stopped in ce as he continued to dribble the ball while looking at his defender "Yo what the fuck did you just say?"

    The defender smirked "You heard me. They shouldn''t be letting goons like him y in the first ce. This is a basketball court not the parking lot of a liquor store. He doesn''t belong here."

    Jason''s head was getting hot as he let out a furious smile "Thanks for making this easy. I was thinking of taking it easy on you guys but now I changed my mind."

    Instead of dribbling out the clock Jason began his attack on offense. He started dribbling in front of his defender.

    The home section began to make some noise as Jason began to dribble and show out. He crossed over a few times before going behind the back and doing a hesitation move.

    He got his defender shifting to the side with the hesitation move. He then bounced the ball off of his defenders forehead before stepping back and taking the three.

    The crowd went absolutely crazy as soon as they saw Jason bounce the ball off of his defenders forehead. This was the first time that they had ever seen Jason put some extra sauce on his moves.

    They had never seen Jason go out of his way to embarrass and humiliate his defender like this before.

    As the ball flew through the air the gym was dead silent as everyone''s attention was locked on to the ball.

    The ball ended up hitting the rim and bouncing a few times before falling through the. And as soon as it did everyone got on their feet and started making some noise.

    Vince and DJ were on the bench and their reactions were priceless. DJ fell into Vince''s arms as he pretended to faint from shock.

    Vinceid him down on the floor and pretended to bring him back to life with his hands as the paddles for a defibritor.

    DJ then began to pretend to get shocked as he bounced his body up and down on the floor. Jason smiled as he held his hand up from the follow through of the shot.

    But the good vibes didn''tst long. The referee crossed his arms before pointing to Jason and blowing his whistle.

    "Shot does not count. Unsportsmanlike conduct on number 17. Dangerous behavior on the court by number 17. Ejection for number 17."

    Jason didn''t bother to argue with the referee. As he walked past his defender Jason spoke at a volume that only he could hear.

    "Punk ass bitch. What kind of lousy slow ass defender lets his assignment bounce the ball off his head?"

    The yer from Vista Heights began walking after Jason but before he could reach him he was stopped by one of his teammates.

    Vista Heights ended up with control of the ball and they just dribbled the ball out. When it came time for the teams to line up and shake hands with each other Jefferson was the only team that went straight to their locker room.

    In the locker room everyone was curious about one thing. They asked Jason nonstop about what had happened between him and his defender in hisst y.

    Jason didn''t intent to hide it from his team so he told them about how the yer from Vista Heights was talking trash.

    After Jason told them about what had happened they were all worked up as they all sided with Jason. Some of them even said that the defender had gotten off easy.

    They all spent a few minutes to celebrate their well earned victory before getting ready to leave.

    - - -

    The next day Jason was at home enjoying the day off. They would get the weekend off before having to y two more games next week.

    Jason was watching some TV with his parents when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had gotten a text from Kyle.

    The text read ''You have to check this out! You''re on the news again bro! The whole school is!'' In the text was a link to a video.

    Jason clicked on the link and ended up on a news video. On the screen of his phone was the same news reporter that he had done his interview with in the past.

    She looked straight at the camera "And for today''s story we have a returning face. A few months ago we had Jason Yang on the show as he ended up a heartwarming story of hard work and talent.

    But tonight he makes a return in a fashion that sours the good image he left us with months in the past.

    It appears that bing a recognizable star on a nationally televised show along with having an undefeated record in his first season has caused this young man to be cocky and arrogant.

    In Jefferson''s first game of the County tournament they had an incredible lead going into the fourth quarter.

    As the minutes ticked down on Jefferson''s inevitable victory they decided to start showboating. They gave the ball to one of their yers and ran a y specifically for him for the first time of the year.

    All just to let him get a highlight y in during the meaningless stretch of game that was left." They showed the clip of Trell calling for an istion y.

    They then showed Trell dunking and getting hyped. The video then got to the point where Trell and the yer from Vista Heights grabbed each other''s jerseys and started punching at each other.

    She added "He didn''t just allow his teammate to do some showboating. He lead the charge himself as he proceeded to do something even worse."

    The screen transitioned to a clip of Jason where he danced on his defender for a little bit before bouncing the ball off of his forehead and stepping back before taking and making the three pointer.

    The news anchor cleared her throat before continuing "We have just gotten word that the yer known as Trell McDaniels has been issued a one game suspension by the middle school basketballmittee.

    We are still awaiting to hear if the yer known as Jason Yang ,or Jaya for those who follow him on the Through the Hoops show, will be issued any form of disciplinary punishment."

 Chapter 106 - More News

    Jason was surprised by the fact that the small incident from yesterday''s game had made it to the news. But he was even more surprised by how biased the report of the story had been.

    They didn''t even try to hide their negative view of him in their coverage of the incident. Jason checked online and a few other news stations had covered the same story but in a much more objective fashion.

    Some news stations only reported on the known facts while a few made some spections on what had caused the incident in the first ce.

    But only that particr news station reported the story without even trying to give Jason and the rest of Jefferson Middle School a side of the story.

    Jason''s mom was the first to notice that something was up as she saw that Jason''s face was slightly scrunched up "Something on your mind Jaya? You look like something is bothering you."

    Jason''s dad turned around to look at him after hearing what his wife had said "If there''s something troubling you feel free to talk about it.

    Me and your mom might not be able to fix it but we can at least listen to you and let you vent." Jason''s parents had been at the game yesterday.

    And although Jason didn''t give them the specifics he told them about the yer from Vista Heights that was talking trash.

    Jason told his parents about the news stations covering the incident from yesterday''s game. After hearing what their son had said they got on their phones and began looking up these videos for themselves.

    After spending a few minutes to watch a few different videos from a couple of different websites both of his parents got quiet.

    Jason''s mom was the most worried as she asked "So Trell got a one game suspension? Is something like that going to happen to you Jaya?"

    Jason thought for a second before shaking his head "I honestly don''t know. I feel like the referee overreacted at yesterday''s game.

    Was it unsportsmanlike behavior to bounce the ball of that stupid kid''s head? Yeah, most people would agree that it probably was.

    But was it dangerous behavior with the intent to cause harm? I don''t think anyone would say that it was. I guess it''s going to be up to themittee whether or not I get punished.

    I don''t even think that Trell should have gotten a one game suspension. Sure he fought but he was provoked and the other guy got physical first."

    Jasons parents had switched the channel on the TV to the news channel. Jason was about to call up Coach Swendel to see if he had heard anything from themittee when he saw the news anchor back on screen.

    "We have just gotten word that not only Trell McDaniels and Jason Yang are under investigation by themittee. The whole team is as well.

    ording to our sources after our first segment covering this story a flood ofints against Jefferson Middle School were raised. Let''s take a look at the clip that has so many people outraged."

    The screen transitioned to a clip that showed Jason and Kyle refusing to shake hands with Julius Newman before the start of the game.

    The screen then showed Jason and the rest of the team as they got up and headed straight to the locker rooms instead of lining up to shake hands with Tustin Middle School''s team.

    They also showed a red faced Coach Swendel as he pointed and shouted at the referee. The news station just conveniently left out the part where the whole Jefferson team had garbage thrown at them on their way out.

    The news anchor turned to her coworker on the right "What did you think of that Hank? I for one was very bothered by the video.

    It looks like the rise to stardom has really gotten into the heads of Jason Yang and his teammates.

    Not only did they exclude one of the yers on the opposing team. Theypletely disregarded the whole school by not shaking hands at the end of the game.

    Aren''t sports meant to teach our youth the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship? It looks like for Jefferson Middle School they forgot all about that."

    Hank turned toward her "I agree with you a hundred percent Cassidy. I just don''t understand what their thinking behind that was.

    You already won the game don''t add all this extra nonsense. Don''t be a drama queen. Go out there and shake hands like real men.

    The kid has only been on TV for a few months and he''s already acting like he''s Mr. Hollywood. I''m afraid to see how he''ll be acting in a year hahaha."

    - - -

    Coach Swendel was nervously holding his cellphone up to his face as he sat on the floor of his studio apartment in nothing but his white boxer shorts with hearts all over.

    Coach Swendel wiped some sweat off of his forehead with a towel "Yes I understand Principal Morris. I saw the news segment.

    So how should we handle this? I got a call from themittee just a few minutes before you called.

    They told me that they received an influx of calls demanding that we publicly apologize to Tustin Middle School.

    They also said that a separate apology from Jason and Kyle is being requested along with an apology from Trell.

    I was told that considering the two incidences where we clearly allowed the team to perform in a manner that they deemed as unsportsmanlike if we don''t issue an apology then we may be facing some disciplinary actions."

    Principle Morris could be heard as he sighed on the other end of the phone "I know. I got a call from themittee as well.

    They told me that if we don''t issue an apology then although it won''t affect their decision in regards to Jason''s punishment they would have to punish the school in some way in a show of force.

    They told me that most likely you would be stripped of your position as coach for the remainder of the county tournament and potentially the state tournament should our team make it that far."

    Coach Swendel went silent after hearing what Principal Morris had to say. Principal Morris added "It''s your call Swendel. You know the boys better than I do."

    - - -

    Jason''s parents were arguing with the news anchor on TV when he got a phone call. He pulled out his phone and saw that it was Coach Swendel.

    "Hey Coach Swendel. I heard that Trell got issued a one game suspension today. Is that true?"

    Coach Swendel sighed before answering "I hate to say it but unfortunately that''s true. We won''t have Trell in our next game.

    On the bright side I just found out from themittee that although you bouncing the ball off of your defenders head was indeed unsportsmanlike.

    They have decided to roll back their decision in calling it unsafe behavior. So you won''t be getting suspended for any games."

    Jason was happy to hear that he wouldn''t be facing any punishments from themittee but he was disappointed to hear that Trell would still be suspended for a game.

    Coach Swendel continued "I was also told by themittee that the video of you and Kyle not shaking hands with Julius Newmen is blowing up.

    Especially since it also shows us heading straight to the locker room instead of lining up to shake hands at the end of the game.

    Themittee told me that they got a whole bunch of calls demanding that you and Kyle apologize for that.

    They also want you and Trell to apologize for the incidents in yesterday''s game. But I talked to the principal and we have decided to let you make the call on this.

    How do you want to handle this Jason?" Jason was stunned by what he had heard. He didn''t think that the public would be demanding him and his teammates to apologize publicly.

    But he was even more surprised when he heard that Coach Swendel had talked to the principal on his behalf and said that they would respect his wishes in regards to everything.

    Jason''s respect for Coach Swendel shot up immensely for not just crumbling under the pressure of public scrutiny and demanding that he and his teammates apologize in order to get the situation under control.

    Jason smiled as he answered "You know me Coach. I have no problem apologizing when I do something wrong.

    But I will never apologize just because some people demand for it. I don''t think me or anyone else on the team did anything wrong to warrant an apology."

    On the other side of the phone Coach Swendel had a helpless smile on his face ''I knew he was going to say something like that. The kid has some real balls that''s for sure.''

    He took a deep breathe before smacking himself in the face a few times as he hyped himself up.

    ''There''s hundreds of people pissed right now and they need a target to be pissed at. This is the type of responsibility meant for adults.''

    Coach Swendel put the phone back up next to his face "Alright Jason. Don''t worry about anything. I''ll take care of this."

 Chapter 107 - Coach Swendel

    It had been a few hours since Jason had talked to Coach Swendel over the phone. He was beginning to worry after not getting an update on the situation for so long.

    Jason tried to push the matter to the back of his mind as he helped set up the table for dinner with his parents.

    Jason''s dad was about to scoop some rice into his mouth when he saw his son nkly staring into space.

    "What''s wrong Jason? Still worried about what happened with Vista Heights? Jason? Earth to Jason your dad would like to talk."

    Jason didn''t even notice that his father was trying to talk to him until thest part "Huh? Oh sorry dad. Guess I was just spacing out a bit."

    Jason''s dad justughed it off "When I was your age the only thing that had me spacing out was your mother.

    I still remember how nervous I was to write her a note. I must have written up at least fifty rough drafts before finally settling for one."

    Jasonughed after hearing his dad say that. His mom smiled as she said "Fifty rough drafts?

    And you ended up picking the one that said ''Hey you''re super pretty and I was wondering if you wanted to get boba after school?'' I wonder what your runner up would have looked like."

    After listening to his mom and dad go back and forth with stories from their younger days Jason was able to rx a bit.

    But even with his father''s delicious cookingid out right in front of him Jason''s appetite wasn''t at a hundred percent ''I wonder how Coach Swendel ns on fixing this whole thing.

    The situation has blown up to be a pretty big mess. I see people all the way from different states bashing us online.

    And the thing that pisses me off the most is that fucking news anchor Cassidy Banks. She keeps talking and posting about how the fame has gotten to our heads.

    Like bitch what? I might have over fifty thousand followers online but I don''t even post shit. And none of the guys on the team care about the fact that they''ve been on TV a few times.

    How the fuck did they evene up with these crazy ass ideas? They would have known the truth if they had just taken the time to interview one of us.''

    Just as Jason was about to fall deeper into his thoughts he saw a different news anchor from a different news station pop up on the TV.

    This news anchor had a bright smile on her face with her long brown hair tied into a professional looking bun.

    She smiled at the camera "Hello and good evening. I am Gloria Hern��ndez with the Riverside daily news station.

    We interrupt your normally scheduled programming to bring you an exclusive interview with the coach of Jefferson Middle School''s basketball team Mr. Addison James Swendel."

    The TV then showed a Coach Swendel dressed in a nice dark blue suit with a matching tie as he sat on a metal folding chair.

    The screen was split between Coach Swendel and the news anchor. Coach Swendel smiled before waving to the camera "Thank you for the introduction Gloria.

    I''m not as popr as the yers on my team so I feel like it was necessary haha. Thank you and the news station for having me."

    Gloria smiled back "Thank you for giving us the exclusive interview Mr. Swendel. Now I am sure that everyone in Riverside city is curious as to what will happen with Jason Yang and most importantly the team.

    This has been the first time in a few years where a school from Riverside city was the strong favorites to win the county championship."

    Coach Swendel answered "Please Gloria just call me Coach Swendel. The Mr is so old sounding. I am a young man in the prime of his life haha.

    But to answer your question we have just gotten a confirmation from themittee that Jason Yang will not be facing any disciplinary actions for the incident in yesterday''s game.

    I would also like to point out that Jason did not do anythingpletely out of bounds despite what some ill informed news stations would tell you.

    The move that he did is called the Off The Heezy. Although It is a move that is not normally seen in high level organized y it can be seen in street ball tournaments and exhibition games.

    Even themittee ruled that although it was on the side of being unsportsmanlike because of how it embarrasses the defender.

    The way that Jason performed the move showed that he wasn''t intending on causing any physical harm to his opponent.

    I recall hearing some news anchors talking about how my yer could have broken somebody''s nose or given them a concussion.

    I guess they must feel real stupid now. Maybe next time they should do a little bit of reading before they decide to open their uneducated mouths.

    I''m not talking about you or anyone else from the station Gloria. You guys have done a wonderful job of covering this story objectively."

    Gloria was so surprised by Coach Swendel''s obvious attack that she needed a second to respond to hispliment.

    "Th-thank you Coach Swendel. We try our best to cover stories objectively here at the station.

    I heard that some people have been demanding that some of your yers make a public apology as well as an apology from the whole team.

    Can you verify these reports? And if so what is the school''s decision on this matter?"

    Coach Swendel straightened out his suit jacket before looking at the camera with a serious expression.

    "I can verify that themittee has indeed received numerous calls asking for some of my yers to apologize for unsportsmanlike behavior.

    However I have discussed this matter with the higher ups of the school and their stance is the same as mine."

    Coach Swendel signaled for whoever was holding the camera to move closer. After the shot closed in on his face Coach Swendel continued.

    "Our yers did nothing wrong. They did nothing to warrant an apology. In regards to the situation with Vista Heights one of our students did get into a physical altercation with a yer from the opposing team.

    However it was our student that was attacked first! Trell McDaniels was simply ying basketball when the yer from Vista Heights pushed him from behind.

    And if you look at any of the videos that are readily avable online you can see that Trell had his jersey grabbed first.

    So in both situations it was the yer from Vista Heights that initiated and escted the altercation.

    Yes my yer threw some punches. Yes he could have decided to turn the other cheek and not retaliate.

    But how realistic is that? We are all humans. And those are some fine young men on my team but they are not the seconding of Jesus.

    If anyone still has aint about any of my yers then I invite them to sit across from me on live television.

    If they can keep a smile as I smack them up a few times and then thank me as I spit on their face then I will dly have my yers apologize.

    I remember one of the news anchors saying that sports is about teaching young boys about teamwork and sportsmanship.

    But you know what''s even more important than that? I am trying to teach the boys on my team how to live like human beings.

    I am preparing them for what the world has in store. And the most important part of being human is your dignity.

    I told Jason to put a little something extra on his moves in that final y because his defender was talking trash about Trell.

    And he was talking trash that clearly went over the line of what would be eptable in the context of basketball.

    That''s the same reason why I had the team walk away from Tustin Middle School instead of lining up to shake hands.

    So was the move a little disrespectful? You bet it was. That was the whole point. But if you act in a manner that tosses all notions of respect aside you better believe that we will return that in full.

    Jason did nothing wrong because what he did was stand up for his brother''s dignity on the basketball court.

    Our team isn''t just a team, It''s a family. So if standing by your family and making sure that your brother''s know that you have their back counts as unsportsmanlike conduct I will dly have my yers toss aside their sportsmanship.

    How''s that for an apology?" Coach Swendel then stood up and walked out of the videos frame before the signal from his end was cut off.

    Gloria was stunned. After a few seconds she was able to regain herposure as she coughed to clear her throat.

    "Well there you have it folks. After a passionate interview from Coach Swendel we have found out that Jason Yang will not be facing any disciplinary actions from themittee.

    This has been Gloria Hern��ndez with the Riverside daily news station giving you the inside scoop."

 Chapter 108 - Coach Swendel: Part-2

    After walking out of the frame of the video Coach Swendel walked up to the person holding his cellphone as he disconnected the video call.

    The person that had been acting as his camera man was actually a pimple faced teenager with oily hair and baggy clothes.

    Coach Swendel pulled out his wallet and took out a five dor bill "Here you go. Thanks for being my camera guy rk.

    But what was with the speech? Don''t you think it was too emotional? I feel like we should have gone for something more sophisticated and smart sounding."

    The teenager named rk pushed his oily hair away from his forehead to wipe some of the sweat off "Hey you gave me an hour and ten bucks. That was the best I coulde up with.

    Now where''s the rest of the money? You said I would get another ten for being your camera guy for the interview."

    Coach Swendel nervously chuckled before pulling his wallet back out. He flipped it upside down and all that fell out was some lint.

    "You know that I''m good for it. I''m just a little tight on cash right now. Just give me a couple days alright?

    And besides it''s not like I''ll try and pull a fast one on you. We literally live in the same apartmentplex."

    rk put the five dor bill into his pocket before staring back at Coach Swendel "You have three days."

    After rk walked out of his studio apartment Coach Swendel went over to his bed in the corner and fell back into it.

    After letting out a sigh of relief he unbuttoned the white dress shirt he had underneath his suit jacket and loosened up the tie around his neck.

    "Damn this thing is ufortable. Thest time I wore this was back when I was job hunting.

    Back when I had just graduated college and still had the energy and dreams that a young person would have."

    As he was reminiscing about his younger self and how he hadrger than life goals and dreams Jason''s face popped up in his mind.

    When he had first met Jason he had only seen him as an opportunity to finally get out of his repetitive and mundane life.

    But after spending so much time with him and being exposed to his genuine unfiltered love for the game Coach Swendel''s view on Jason had changed.

    He smiled to himself ''The ability to not think about the hows and whys is really the best part of being a kid.

    Those kids are going to be perfectly fine without me. They could probably win a national title with a monkey for a coach as long as Jason and Udonis are there.

    I guess there''s nothing wrong with sacrificing a useless person like me if it means protecting those kids from any problems.''

    - - -

    The next day. Monday morning was slightly chilly for California standards as the temperatures began to lower indicating winter''s arrival.

    Jason and Kyle both had on Jefferson Middle School hoodies as they mindlessly made their way through their sses.

    It wasn''t that they didn''t want to pay attention in their sses. Their minds were just too preupied with everything that had happened on the news.

    Everyone on the team had tried to get in contact with Coach Swendel after seeing him on the news but no one was able to get a hold of him.

    This morning all of the guys came to the school early to try and see Coach Swendel in his office but the lights were off and the door was locked.

    Normally Coach Swendel would be in his office leaning back in his chair with his feet on top of his desk as he ate a sandwich for breakfast while browsing the inte on his phone.

    Jason and the rest of the guys from the team left in low spirits after seeing that Coach Swendel wasn''t there.

    - - -

    After Ms. Yuller''s English ss Samantha ran up to Jason and Kyle as they were walking to their next ss in the hallways.

    Samantha had a worried expression on her face as she looked at the two of them "You guys are still bummed about the whole thing with the news huh?"

    Jason turned around and saw her "Oh hey Sammy. Yeah, and it''s not just me and Kyle. The whole team is kinda running on low right now.

    Everyone''s been trying to call Coach Swendel''s phone since yesterday but no one has been able to get a hold of him.

    And we went to Coach Swendel''s office this morning but there was no one there. Coach never shows upte. "

    Kyle sadly nodded his head "Normally Coach is there first thing in the morning watching our highlights on his phone and smiling his face off. It felt so weird to see the door locked and the lights off."

    Samantha patted the both of them on their backs "That really sucks guys, I''m sorry to hear that. But I''m sure things will turn out alright.

    There hasn''t been any news yet about Coach Swendel losing his job so at least there''s that. We just need to keep a positive mindset and put out some good energy into the universe.

    I''m sure Coach Swendel wouldn''t want to see you guys moping around all day." Jason nodded his head in agreement with Samantha.

    "You''re right Sammy. Coach wouldn''t want to see us acting like this. No matter what the situation is like we gotta get our heads ready for this week''s games.

    And like you said we haven''t gotten any bad news about Coach Swendel. We should have a positive mindset."

    Just as Jason had finished talking the intes of the school turned on as Jason heard Principal Morris'' voice while they were out in the hallways.

    "Hello student''s of Jefferson Middle School. This is Principal Morris speaking. If you are a part of the school''s basketball team pleasee to the gym after school. Thank you."

    The intes turned off as everyone in the hallways turned around and began to look at Jason and Kyle as they all whispered among themselves.

    Jason gulped ''I don''t have a good feeling about this.''

    - - -

    The entire day everyone on the team was on pins and needles as they waited for school to finish so that they could finally go to the gym.

    Everyone had worried expressions on their faces as they all took a seat on the bleachers. It was as though no one dared to talk as they all just waited in silence.

    Finally after about five long minutes of silently sitting around they heard the doors open. Everyone hurriedly turned their faces in the direction of the doors.

    But their excitement died down after seeing that it was only Principal Morris by himself. Coach Swendel was nowhere to be seen.

    Sweat could be seen rolling down his round dark brown face as he walked over to the bleachers.

    "Good afternoon children. I know that the past few days must have been hard on you all. But I can assure you that things will be getting better."

    Jason ignored the principal''s pleasantries as he raised his hand and got straight to the point "What''s going to happen to Coach Swendel?"

    Principal Morris was shocked by Jason''s blunt approach. After an awkward pause he coughed to clear his throat.

    "Hmmm yes Coach Swendel. He was an admirable coach and his years of service will always be something that the school will be thankful for.

    His fiery spirit and his never back down attitude wasmendable and he did a wonderful job protecting the reputation of his yers and his team.

    Unfortunately after iming that it was his idea to have you not shake hands with Tustin Middle School as well as the incident with Vista Heights we had to make a decision that was not easy toe to.

    This morning I received a call from the Middle School''s Basketball Committee. They told me that despite their own unwillingness to bring down any disciplinary actions they had to punish us in some way.

    Because it is part of their rules that teams must shake hands before and after each game. If they were to turn a blind eye to us then they would be under scrutiny by all the other schools.

    Luckily since they themselves didn''t feel that we should be punished too harshly they kept their hands light with the punishment.

    Coach Swendel will be suspended from his duties as coach for Jefferson''s basketball team for the remainder of the team''s activities for this season.

    He will not have his name attached to any achievements the team produces during the time of his suspension and he will not be allowed to attend any of the games.

    Now I know that you have all grown fond of Mr. Swendel and that some of you have known him for years now but I guarantee you that I am trying my best to find the most suitable candidate to take the role of interim coach. The school will spare no expense to-"

    After they heard that Coach Swendel would be suspended for the rest of the season the heart''s of all the yers sank.

    Everyone had grown ustomed to seeing Coach Swendel''s goofy smile and hearing him celebrate proudly whenever they did even the smallest of things.

    To all of a sudden hear that he would no longer be involved with the team felt like they were having the rug pulled out from underneath them.

 Chapter 109 - Changes

    The principal continued to talk as he tried tofort and reassure the yers that everything would be just fine.

    But everyone had begun to tune him out as soon as they had heard that Coach Swendel would be suspended for the remainder of the season.

    The worst part was that even if they got a county, state, or national title Coach Swendel wouldn''t get any of the credit.

    It would be the interim coach''s name next to all of the yers'' on whatever trophies or ques they earn this year.

    The principal continued to talk for another ten minutes but none of the yers were listening to him. After a while he eventually finished up his speech and left.

    No one moved a muscle as everyone just sat in the empty feeling gym. Trell was the first one to break the silence.

    "Yo how about we do a strike or something? We can tell em that we won''t suit up unless they undo Coach''s suspension.

    We the hottest team in the state right now. Everybody talkin bout us. Ain''t no way in hell themittee or the principal would be okay with us not ying."

    Some of the guys started nodding their heads at the idea of going on strike for Coach Swendel. But Jason and Udonis were shaking their heads.

    Jason spoke up "I want Coach Swendel back just as much as you guys. But we can''t just go on strike.

    You must of heard it. The Principal and themittee didn''t want to do this. If it was up to them they would have just given us a p on the wrist.

    The only reason they did anything was because of all the heat they were catching from the other schools and the students and parents."

    Udonis nodded his head in agreement with Jason "What are y''all trying to do by going on strike? Get more people in trouble?

    You know how much Principal Morris has been supporting the team this season. He was the one that worked hard to make sure that we got some showers in the locker rooms.

    He was the one that fought to get our budget increased so that we could get new training equipment. He been one of our biggest fans this year.

    If we go on strike I''m pretty sure that he''ll lose his job before they decide to remove Coach Swendel''s suspension."

    Trell stood up and kicked the rails of the bleacher as hard as he could "Then what the hell are we supposed to do!?

    Just sit around with our thumbs up our asses and pretend that Coach didn''t just take the fall for us!?

    We all know that Coach didn''t have shit to do with Vista Heights. Just because I had to show off like a fucking dumbass Coach Swendel got suspended.

    And he won''t even get any credit for all the things we do this year. Some ass wipe will get his name on all of our trophies when it should be Coach Swendel."

    Udonis walked up to Trell and patted him on the back before sighing "It ain''t your fault bruh. There was still time on the clock.

    The game was still going and the other team knew that. Sure you were puttin on a lil bit of a show but if they didn''t want you scoring on them then they should have yed some D."

    Udonis looked around and saw that other than Jason everyone was pretty shaken by the sudden loss of Coach Swendel.

    He walked back down the bleachers and stood in front of everybody "Y''all are really lookin down on Coach Swendel right now."

    Everyone was surprised to hear Udonis say that. After seeing that he had gotten everyone''s attention he continued.

    "It ain''t no one''s fault that Coach Swendel got suspended. He knew what he was getting himself into when he did that interview.

    He made that hard ass decision by himself so don''t look down on him by acting like it was my fault or your fault.

    He wanted to to take all the heat so that we wouldn''t have to. He took the fall for us because he wanted to.

    So I''ll be damned if any of y''all try to minimize the weight of the decision that he made by trying to take credit.

    The school and themittee might not want to give Coach Swendel his dues but I know damn right that we ain''t built the same as them.

    So we gonna go out there, y some good ass basketball no matter who the coach is, win the county title, win a state championship, and when we lifting up that national trophy at the end of the season.

    They gon pass us a mic and ask us who helped us get this far. We gon thank our mamas, our pops, all our family, and then say that we would have never made it without Coach Swendel.

    No matter what the school ormittee says we gon make sure that he gets all the credit that he deserves on the biggest stage we can get on. Who''s with me?"

    Everyone crowded Udonis and stuck there hands on top of each other. Udonis shouted "Coach Swendel on the count of three!"

    Everyone began to shout in unison "ONE! TWO! THREE! COACH SWENDEL!"

    - - -

    Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Without a coach it was up to the yers to organize their own practices.

    They held their first practice without Coach Swendel on Tuesday. Everyone was motivated as they gave it a hundred and ten percent during the whole session.

    Wednesday morning the whole team came to school two hours early to get some more practice in.

    As they were in the middle of running the three level defense drill the principal walked in. He had an important announcement to make.

    He said that despite his best attempts he wasn''t able to find someone to take the role of interim coach.

    He already contacted themittee and told them of the situation. He then told the yers what themittee had told him.

    Since the suspension of their coach was so close to their next game ,which was today, they would be given an exception and be allowed to y without a coach.

    But that would only be for this game. After today if Jefferson Middle School wanted to continue ying they would need to find someone to take the position of interim coach.

    - - -

    Wednesday evening. The team was sitting on the bench as they waited for the game to begin. The only yer missing on the bench was Kyle.

    It was the same filled up gym and the same court but everyone could tell that something felt different about tonight.

    Jason turned to Udonis "Where the heck is Kyle? Doesn''t he know that it''s almost time for the game to start?"

    Udonis answered "I just texted him. He said that he''s running his way over here. His mom got stuck trying to find a parking spot."

    Just a minuteter Kyle ran into the gym and made his way toward the rest of the guys. He was carrying a bag.

    "Sorry I''mte guys. There was literally no parking left in the school. That shit was looking like a convention bro. Oh and my mom made us these."

    Kyle opened up the bag and took out some white headbands that had the word ''Coach'' stitched on to the side in ck.

    "My mom said that Coach Swendel might not be out on the floor with us but he''s out there rooting for us from wherever he is. And this way at least we can feel like he''s still with us in spirit."

    Everyone epted the headbands as Kyle handed them out. Everyone began to put it on. Even the ones who normally didn''t wear a headband during games.

    Jason took off the white Nike headband that he had been wearing all season long and reced it with the headband made by Kyle''s mom.

    After seeing that everyone had their shoesced up and were ready to go Udonis stuck his hand out.

    "I know that tonight is going to be weird because it''s gonna be our first time yin without Coach standin on the sidelines.

    But that ain''t a excuse to y a wack ass game. I want to see us ying our hearts out tonight alright boys?

    Let''s make sure that no matter where Coach Swendel is right now he gon hear about how fucking nice tonight''s game was.

    Who''s house?" Everyone shouted out in unison "OUR HOUSE!" Udonis shouted "This game is for Coach Swendel.

    If you guys are pumped then let me hear it! Swendel on three!" Everyone began chanting in unison "ONE! TWO! THREE! SWENDEL!"

    After tossing their hands into the air they all broke out of the huddle with an intense energy around them.

    They lined up and shook hands with the opposing team but none of them had a smile on their face. Everyone had the look of a soldier about to step foot on a battlefield.

    After shaking hands they all positioned themselves on the court as it was finally time for the tip off.

 Chapter 110 - Eyes On Us

    Just about ten minutes before Kyle arrived in the gym. There was a man with an overly serious facial expression holding a camera in his hand as he sat among the crowd.

    He had short brown hair that was styled neat and tidy. He looked to be in histe thirties or early forties as there weren''t any wrinkles or signs of advanced aging on his face.

    He was dressed in a dark blue button up shirt and a nice pair of jeans. Combined with his tanned skin tone it helped to give him the impression of a rugged cowboy from the midwest.

    Another man walked over and took a seat next to him "Well if it isn''t old Billy Hinrich. What''s a high school coach like you doing at a middle school game like this?"

    Billy didn''t even shift his eyes over as he kept his focus on Jefferson''s bench "You already know what I''m here for Troy.

    I''m assuming it''s the same reason why the assistant coach for Los Angeles'' best high school basketball team is here.

    Don''t you guys already have enough talent? You already swooped in and stole Jerome Bonner. Can''t you leave some talent for the rest of us? Other coaches and scouts have to eat to you know."

    Troy was about 6''1 (1.85m). He had a sturdy build that made it obvious that he went to the gym and cared for his health.

    He was dressed in jeans and a in white shirt. His medium length blonde hair wasbed back. He looked to be a good bit younger than Billy.

    Troy patted Billy on the shoulder a few times as heughed "Hahaha for someone that doesn''t smile all that much you have a hell of a sense of humor Billy.

    You know how this game works. It''s a dog eat dog world out here in the coaching biz. There''s no such thing as taking it easy."

    Billy scoffed before going silent. He continued to monitor Jefferson''s bench. Troy smiled "Ohe on Billy. Are you really about to give me the cold shoulder?

    Are you still hung up on Jerome Bonner? You lost him fair and square. If you guys really wanted him that bad you should have just upped your game."

    The vein on the side of Billy''s head began to throb ''Fucking hell! Please just fucking go sit somewhere else.

    I swear this guys is the worst out of all the others. If he loses he has a thousand excuses and when he wins he makes sure to rub it in your face every opportunity he gets.''

    After a few more minutes passed by the teams lined up and shook hands before positioning themselves for the tip off.

    Billy raised his camera and began recording. Kyle once again managed to easily secure the first possession as he smacked the ball over to his team.

    It looked like their opponent did all their homework as before Kyle could even turn around he already had a defender on him. Preventing him from scoring an easy bucket with a dunk.

    Billy continued to record the game as he focused on Jason who currently had the ball in his hands.

    Jason stopped at the top of the perimeter and threw out a signal as he called for a y. Kyle came out to the perimeter.

    Jason tossed him the ball and then ran by him for the hand off. Instead of setting a screen for Matt and following the normal progression of the y Jason began driving to the paint.

    The Center on the opposing team noticed him making his way to the paint so he left Kyle alone as he moved up to cover Jason.

    Jason saw this and threw up a floater before the Center could get close enough to provide any defensive pressure.

    Troy whistled in amazement "Kid is something else. Not everyone has a floater this early in their game.

    And I heard that he only started ying organized basketball a couple of months ago? Geez, some guys just have all the luck huh?"

    Bill didn''t say anything as he continued to film the game. Troy sighed "I know I said that it was a dog eat dog world but we can at least make small talk can''t we?

    This is going to be a boring two hours if we just sit and watch the game. We already know who''s going to win. At least we can kill some of the boredom with some barbershop talk."

    Despite his dislike for Troy after a few moments of silence Billy caved in "Who do you think is going to win?"

    Troy put his hands behind his head and leaned back a bit as he smiled "We all know that Jefferson is going to win.

    They just lost their coach recently and that might have shaken up some of their yers but their talent more than makes up for that.

    They don''t have anyone to coach them tonight and that might make things harder but Jason is too good for this team to lose."

    As they were talking Jason jumped into the passingne as the opposing team was trying to get into their offense.

    He pushed the ball up court as he lead the fast break. He got the defender twice as he made his way to the basket.

    The first move that got his defender was the behind the back pass fake. His defender looked back but quickly focused on Jason again when he realized that he still had the ball.

    After the pass fake Jason then faked they up which got his defender into the air. But instead of ayup toward the basket Jason lobbed the ball behind him and toward the left.

    Kyle caught the pass mid air and collided with the defender that Jason had tricked. The contact kept Kyle from dunking the ball but he was able to guide it into the rim.

    The referee blew his whistle signaling the and one. Jason pulled Kyle up from the floor and they did their signature hand shake that ended with them firing off imaginary energy beams at each other.

    Troy smiled "That Jason is a hell of a kid isn''t he? That was two well used fakes in the span of a second.

    Most kids are still working on the big stuff like handles and shooting form. I''ve seen some kids with polished games but none as polished as his.

    I imagine that you guys have the same evaluation right? Or they wouldn''t have you scouting him out like this."

    Billy sighed "I thought we were just going to make some small talk? This sounds more like you trying to get our scouting info."

    Troy pped his leg as heughed "Come on Billy. We''re just having some fun. If it makes you feel better we can do it like this.

    You ask me a question, I answer, then I ask you a question, and you answer. And besides, there''s no way for us to know if either of us are telling the truth. We could be making shit up as far as the other person knows."

    After thinking about it for a bit Billy nodded his head "So I''ll start off then. What do you guys see as Jason''s biggest weakness at the moment?"

    Troy easily answered "I thought you were going to start off with a fastball not a gimme. Well lets see...

    Right now Jason''s biggest weakness is his physical tools. I just got a hold of some new information recently.

    Jason went to Kawhi''s training camp during the short break and one of my guys was able to get me his measurements.

    He has a negative wingspan, his hands are slightly below average for his height, and he is severely under weight."

    Billy looked at Troy with a questioning expression "You got a hold of his measurements? Isn''t that breaking the yers privacy? He hasn''t made those public."

    Troy chuckled before responding "Dog eat dog world remember? And besides it''s not like I''m sharing the numbers with everybody. Only one other person has seen the actual numbers besides me. Anyways it''s your turn to answer my question."

    Billy got another good shot of Jason breaking down his defender and forcing the opposing team''s defense to copse.

    After drawing all the nearby defenders toward him Jason then kicked the ball out to Udonis. After catching the ball he then drained the wide open mid range jumper.

    Troy asked "We all know that Jason Yang is the biggest reason that anyone is talking about Jefferson Middle School.

    But other than him are there any other yers that are on anybody''s radar? Who are the other school''s targeting?"

    Billy answered tly "Jason is the biggest reason that Jefferson is on most people''s minds. But even he isn''t a a guaranteed thing.

    Most people are high on him but there are some skeptics who are iming that he''s a sh in the pan type yer.

    Right now the schools that are targeting him are the second or third rate programs. I think that you''re the only tier one program that is actually interested in him.

    As for his teammates.... There honestly isn''t much to talk about. If I had to say anything I think that Trell has the most potential.

    He currently doesn''t have much of a handle and his range is poor. He even struggles with free throws.

    But his physique and athleticism make him one of the best talents in terms of raw potential. If he can develop some skills and if his body continues to grow at the same rate that he has been then he could be an all star caliber yer in the pros."

 Chapter 111 - Eyes On Us: Part-2

    Billy continued "After Trell would probably be Udonis. He has a big frame that looks like it'' still growing and his athleticism isn''t too bad.

    He has a nice mid range jumper that shows the potential of stretching out to the three point line and his touch around the rim is advanced for his age.

    He also has a wide variety of post moves that he can go to when he needs to score a bucket. He has some vision and he can make some nice passes on asion but he seem''s more suited to being a secondary y maker rather than being the focal point."

    Troy spent a few seconds thinking about what Billy had just said "What about their Center? I think his name was Kyle?

    I heard that he only started ying basketball at the same time as Jason. If you think about how well he''s been ying it''s just as incredible as Jason''s story.

    I feel like the only reason that he doesn''t get more attention is because instead of having the system be based around him the way that it is for Jason he ys his role in the system instead.

    You were saying just a few minutes ago how some school''s were interested in Trell just because of his physical gifts.

    But in my opinion Kyle is just as gifted physically. I don''t have his exact measurements unlike Jason but just from a casual nce you can tell that Kyle has an elite wingspan.

    He also has good hands. You hardly see him struggling to catch passes. His bounce is crazy for his age just like Trell.

    And the kid is 6''1 in his second year of middle school. He might hit 6''3 by the time he gets into the eight grade.

    And he runs the floor like a gazelle. Most kids his size look uncoordinated when they''re on the floor or are just straight up slow.

    But this kid moves like a guard. There is a reason why teams scramble to put a defender on him as soon as tip off is done. He is a real threat every time he rim runs."

    Bill was listening to Troy but his attention was still focused on Jason and the game. He watched on as Jason gave his team time to set up.

    Jason called for a few different ys but their opponent was doing a good job of denying any open looks.

    After seeing that his team was struggling to get into a position to score Jason took matters into his own hands.

    He waved off the screen from Udonis and signaled for everyone to clear up the floor. After getting everything set up for an istion y Jason went to work.

    He crossed over a few times before bringing the ball up high for a big crossover that tempted his opponent into reaching for the ball.

    As soon as he saw his defender fall for his trap Jason crossed the ball over to his left and started driving toward the paint.

    The crowd started making some noise after seeing Jason pass by his defender with the nice move.

    His defender recovered pretty quickly as he turned around and went into a full out sprint in order to catch up with him.

    The opposing team''s Center knew that Kyle wasn''t a threat from outside the paint so he left him alone in the corner in order to sit back and protect the paint.

    Jason was now in a tough situation. There was a defender in position to protect the paint and he had his own defender making his way toward him.

    Jason pressed on the breaks as he pulled up for the mid range shot. The momentum forced Jason to spend a little bit of effort in fixing his shooting form but he was able to get the shot off fine.

    The ball bounced on the rim a few times before finally sinking through the. The home section was going wild as they cheered him on.

    Jefferson was now leading with amanding score of 10-2

    Billy shook his head in amazement after seeing Jason''s incredible y. After a while he remembered that Troy had just asked him a question.

    "I won''t lie Kyle is an interesting prospect. He does have some amazing god given talent just like Trell.

    But there''s a difference between Trell and Kyle. First off is that Trell is projected to be either a Shooting Guard or a Small Forward based on if he can polish up his skills.

    However even if he doesn''t develop into an yer with elite skills as long as his body continues to develop at the pace that he has been then he could be a deadly Power Forward at the college level.

    He''s shown in some of Jefferson''s games that he''s capable of ying the Power Forward spot with his sheer athleticism and his crazy body that allows him to deal with the physicality in the paint.

    But Kyle is a lot more limited. Even though Trell''s handles and jump shot are rtively raw at least they are there.

    You can tell that Kyle doesn''t feelfortable moving around the court when the ball is in his hands.

    Kyle''s only foreseeable positions are Center or maybe Power Forward depending on how versatile your Center is.

    And to be honest it is hard to see Kyle developing into a power house Center. He has looked great in the short span of his career so far.

    But I feel like that has more to do with how well Jefferson has been able to utilize him as one of Jason''s weapons out on the court.

    You said that he has good hands but we don''t even know if that is an urate statement. Therge majority of the passes that he catches are from Jason who is a savant in regards to his y making.

    He has never thrown a pass that even looked like it was out of control. So we don''t really know if he''s got good hands or if he''s just lucky to be ying with a dominant Point Guard like Jason.

    And although he does have some nice bounce and his wingspan is as elite as theye he has the same problem as Jason.

    He''s way too underweight for a Center. He''s able to cover that up for now because he''s so much taller than the majority of hispetition.

    But as soon as he hits the next level in high school kids like him are going to be easier toe by.

    His bounce and speed on the court won''t mean anything if he''s constantly getting abused down in the block.

    His thin build just doesn''t have the strength to really bang down low against actual physical Centers.

    He was getting bullied by Trinity Diaz the whole game. Luckily the rest of Jefferson was able to put in a collective effort in stopping him.

    Trell has a much better body for basketball right now. And with how Kyle''s frame is he doesn''t project to be the kind of yer that can easily put on weight unlike Trell.

    Trell has nice broad shoulders and his muscle development is already a couple of years ahead of his age group."

    Troy was nodding his head as he secretly smiled inside his mind ''This dumbass is really giving me all this info.

    He probably has no idea that all this small talk is being recorded by my phone that''s in my pocket right now. How can you have so much gray in your hair and still be so gullible haha.''

    - - -

    Jason was in the locker room as the guys were dumping water on each other in celebration of their big win.

    Trell wasn''t able to y but he sat on the bench in his street clothes as he cheered on his teammates.

    Without Trell their already short rotation became even shorter which forced Jason to y the most minutes that he has had to y yet.

    But even without much time to rest and recover on the bench Jason was able to dominate the game.

    He broke the record as he scored the most points yet during this years tournament by dropping fifty points.

    Jason was smiling as his teammates handed him a white piece of paper that had the number 50 written in the center.

    They all took pictures of him holding up the paper. They were all excited to post the pictures online.

    Although Jason wasn''t too big of a fan of social media this moment felt like a special one that deserved to be shared.

    So he asked Udonis to send one of the pictures to him so that he could post it on his ount. Under the picture he put the caption ''Hard work and good guidance. I feel blessed.''

    After he was done posting the picture he saw that a lot of his online followers were tagging him on a different post.

    Jason tapped on it and saw that it was a video clip from his least favorite news station featuring his least favorite news anchor.

    ''Jesusdy. Can''t you keep our names out of your mouth for at least a couple days?''

 Chapter 112 - Finding A New Coach

    Jason''s least favorite local news anchor was back at it again as she stared into the camera with her usual fake smile.

    "Hello Riverside thank you for tuning in again. My name is Cassidy Nemwen and for today''s story we have a name that has been creating some buzz recently.

    Mr. Addison James Swendel or Coach Swendel as he has be fondly known as after making some regr appearances on the Through the Hoops show.

    Mr. Swendell has been suspended from his position of head coach over at Jefferson Middle School.

    We have also learned that he will not be allowed to attend any of their games for the remainder of this season and that he will not be credited with any of the sess that the team achieves for during his suspension.

    Meaning that his name will not be included in any banners, trophies, and or ques that the team earns while he is suspended.

    The cause of Mr. Swendel''s suspension is due to the fact that he admitted to being the cause of Jefferson''s recent troubles during an exclusive interview with another news station.

    During his interview Mr. Swendel admitted to instructing his yers to act in a manner that promotes showboating and disregards sportsmanship.

    And the most surprising part was that he seemed to have taken a couple of shots at the news stations and news anchors that covered this story.

    He made personal attacks on their professionalism as well as their intelligence by calling said reporters uneducated.

    Well I guess the joke is on Mr. Swendel now because those uneducated reporters still have a job while he doesn''t.

    I for one am d that a negative influence such as him will no longer be instructing young children. Hopefully this suspension bes a more permanent thing.

    And just a piece of advice to Mr. Swendel. Maybe you shouldn''t be calling news reporters uneducated when a majority of reporters such as myself have graduated from UCs or other state universitys unlike you who only barely managed to get a degree from amunity college."

    After the clip was done Jason felt like throwing his phone into the locker in front of him as hard as he possibly could ''Fucking bitch!''

    But he knew that doing so wouldn''t aplish anything other than making him spend some money to buy a new phone.

    Udonis walked up to Jason "You good bro? You look like someone just dropped your collection of kicks into a river or somethin."

    Jason just shook his head and tried his best to smile "Nah bro I''m good. I''m just feeling some type of way because there are already negativements on my post. Like how the hell can these haters be so fast?"

    Udonis shrugged his shoulders "You know how it is bro. Haters is just another way to spell fans. They be the ones puttin in the most effort to stalk you and shit."

    Jason nodded his head in agreement with Udonis. Kyle started yelling out in excitement "Yo guys hurry up and get ready!

    My mom just texted me and she said that she''s treating everyone out to some pizza!" Everyone started to move faster after hearing that.

    Jason got ready as the whole team and their families went out for pizza that night.

    - - -

    It was four in the morning. Outside the windows the sky was still dark as not even the faintest traces of orange or yellow could be seen.

    The sounds of sneakers squeaking and a basketball pounding against the hardwood were the only thing you could hear other than the almost silent sound of Jason''s breathing.

    Jason felt sorry for waking his parents up so early. Even though Jason had always wanted to maximize his time for practice he had never practiced so early before because he still wasn''t able to drive himself and he didn''t want to bother his parents.

    But he made an exception today because his mind was just a mess. He hadn''t been able to sleep at allst night.

    He kept hearing Cassidy Nemwen''s voice in his head and all the hateful things that she had said on the news.

    His parents were surprised and concerned that Jason was asking to be taken to the school so early in the morning.

    Jason''s mom wanted to ask her son if there was anything going on with him or if there was something on his mind but before she could say anything her husband gently held her hand and gave her a look.

    Not a look of annoyance or of anger but a look that asked for her trust. After a brief pause she nodded her head.

    Jason''s dad smiled as he patter her on the head and told her to get some sleep. He said that he would drive Jason to the school himself.

    The drive to the school was a silent one. Jason didn''t say anything and neither did his father. As they pulled up into the parking lot and Jason stepped out of the car Jason''s dad only said one thing. He smiled at his son "Good luck."

    Jason wasn''t sure what his dad meant but he felt as though his dad understood him. He then used his key card to get into the gym and the storage for the equipment.

    The fact that he was so bothered made his mind even more of a mess. Jason had previous experience dealing with the media in his past life.

    He had gone through his star teammates being criticized unfairly, his coaches, his trainers, and even himself.

    He knew that her opinion didn''t matter and that she was just saying whatever hot take she could think of that would get her and the station some more viewers.

    And yet it bothered him to a degree that surprised even himself. It was too the point where he wished that she had just focused on him and left everyone else alone.

    And the only way that Jason knew how to deal with and sort his emotions was by doing what he knew best: Basketball.

    As he dribbled the ball and got into his shooting motion over and over again he gradually began to lose sense of himself.

    Cassidy Nemwen''s voice and face finally left his mind. And despite his breathing getting rougher and morebored his heart felt more at peace.

    Jason''s body and mind felt felt calm for the first time since yesterday. Even though he was working his heart out he felt even better than when he was resting.

    After reaching that state Jason lost all sense of time. His whole world shrunk down to the gym. There was nothing other than him and the ball.

    Udonis was heading to the gym when he saw that the lights were on and the doors were unlocked. He smiled ''Must be Jason. Sheesh, bro does not know how to chill.''

    But the smile disappeared from his face as soon as he walked through the doors. He ran to Jason''s body that was sprawled on the court.

    Jason''s clothes were soaking wet and his legs and arms were visibly trembling. Udonis was about to pull out his phone and call 911 when a sound caught his attention.

    Udonis looked down and saw that Jason was snoring. Not only was he snoring he had the most rxed expression that Udonis had ever seen on his face.

    Udonis let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to get back up he heard someone shout "Holy shit!"

    Udonis turned around and saw Matt running toward him and Jason. Udonis chuckled as he gestured for Matt to rx.

    "Chill bro. I know how you feel. I damn near lost my mind when I saw him. But he''s just sleeping."

    Matt felt his legs go weak before falling on his butt. He looked at Udonis "Get that smile off your face UD.

    This shit ain''t funny. I was this close a fucking panic attack. After seeing the news clip from yesterday and seeing Jason like this so early in the morning my imagination kinda went wild."

    Udonis looked back at Matt "Wait a minute. What news clip are you talking about?" Matt pulled out his phone and showed Udonis the news clip from yesterday.

    Udonis sighed after watching the clip "This is probably what Jaya was lookin atst night after the game. Why didn''t he say somethin?"

    Matt replied "You know how he is. He probably didn''t want to ruin the night for everyone. It was our first win without Coach Swendel."

    Udonis had Matt help him as they made a make shift bed out of the foam mats from the storage room. They then carried Jason over to let him get some rest.

    Jason was woken up by the sound of basketballs dribbling and some shouting and grunting. Everyone turned to him after noticing that he was awake.

    Udonisughed "Alright guys. Looks like sleeping beauty woke up just in time. We need to hit the showers and get ready. First period starts in fifteen minutes."

    Jason and the rest of the guys went to the showers to get ready for school. After the intense workout and a nice refreshing shower Jason was feeling much better.

    - - -

    The day passed by quickly. Jason already understood all the material from all his sses so he spent most of his time drawing up ys or looking back at his memories from his past life to see if there was anything else he could use.

    During lunch while he was hanging out with Kyle and Samantha the intes turned on again as Principal Morris called for the basketball team to meet up at the gym after school.

    - - -

    Jason and the rest of the team were eagerly awaiting Principal Morris'' arrival in the gym as they sat on the bleachers.

    Udonis asked "What do you think he wants to talk to us about?" Trell answered "You already know man.

    He probably gon walk up in here with some wack ass dude that wants the coaching gig so that he can get some easy Ws."

    Matt nodded his head in agreement "Yeah I think Trell is right on the money. He''s probably going to walk in here with some douche bag that just wants to fill up his resume."

    After a little over five minutes of waiting the doors to the gym swung open as Principal Morris walked in.

    He wiped his round sweaty face with his handkerchief as he talked to the team "I know how tough things have been for you young men.

    I thank you for giving it your all despite how hard this situation has been. I told you all that I would spare no expense in finding your recement coach but it looks like I ran into some trouble.

    Other than the temporary nature of the job there were some rustlings about why no one was interested in being our coach.

    From what I have gathered a lot of the coaches avable are hesitant to take up this position because if they lose they would instantly get all the me.

    While if they win they feel like all of their credit will be diminished as most people will give therge majority of the credit to Jason.

    Non of the coaches are interested in working for us. Thankfully I was able to find a member of our staff that was interested in working with you young men just in time for tomorrow''s game."

    Jason then heard a all too familiar voice "I heard that there is a troupe in need of a director! Fret not for I am here and my services are avable."

 Chapter 113 - The New Coach?

    As soon as Jason heard the voice his mind starting racing at a hundred miles per hour ''It can''t be her right? Please tell me that my head is ying tricks on me.''

    Unfortunately for Jason the voice belonged to exactly who he thought it did. Ms. Yuller stepped into the gym with a bright smile on her face.

    Her 5''8 frame was dressed in an all ck dress that went down to a little over her knees. Her lips were colored a dark shade of red thatplimented her paler skin tone and her long ck hair was tied into a bun.

    Ms. Yuller waved at Kyle and Jason before stopping in front of the team "Hello gentlemen. Some of you have had me in the past.

    And some of you I have yet to have the pleasure of instructing. But I feel like I should introduce myself regardless.

    My name is Ms. Yuller and I teach seventh and eight grade English. I am also in charge of the drama club.

    But since we don''t have any productions currently in the works I thought I would lend a helping hand."

    Trell leaned in and whispered to Jason "Yo, ain''t she the crazy ass teacher in charge of those weirdo theater kids?"

    Jason was about to nod his head when Ms. Yuller suddenly turned in their direction. She began to wave her finger.

    "No no no monsieur Trell. I am not crazy. entric is the more apt description. And yes a majority of my theater children are weirdos.

    But in order to pursue an art such as theater one must have the same sliver of insanity that is found in geniuses and revolutionaries!" She threw her hands up into the air as she finished speaking.

    Everyone stared at her in silence as their mouths dropped into big O shapes. Including Principal Morris.

    But he was the first one to recover. He coughed and cleared his throat "Uh-yes. I was in the teachers lounge looking for someone to take up the position of coach.

    Unfortunately all of the faculty seemed to have their hands full as all I received were rejections.

    Luckily enough Ms. Yuller was walking in the hallways and overheard me asking one of the teachers.

    She promptly jumped into the room and asked for the details." Ms. Yuller began to nod her head after Principal Morris was done talking.

    "Luck is just the right word. I was so busy grading all of the papers that I had just gotten that I have practically been living under a rock the past few days.

    Thankfully I overheard Principal Morris during his search for a new director. Otherwise I would have never known that you guys were in need of an adult such as myself."

    Principal Morris wiped his face onest time with his handkerchief before leaving the gym. There was an awkward silence as the guys on the team just looked at Ms. Yuller.

    Jason was the first to say something "Not that we don''t appreciate you applying for the coaching position Ms. Yuller.

    But why exactly did you? I''ve heard you say it yourself that you have absolutely no interest in sports."

    Ms. Yuller took a seat on the bleachers before smiling as she answered Jason''s question "You''re right Jason. I have no interest in sports. None what so ever.

    However I do have a deep interest in my students. An interest that makes me want to make sure that they achieve everything that they are capable of.

    And that interest is what lead me to applying for the position. In fact I feel as though I should be the one asking questions here Mr. Yang.

    I do believe I told you and Kyle to let me know if there was anything I could help you with. Honestly speaking I was slightly hurt to find out that none of you brought this up to me."

    Jason saw Ms. Yuller in a new light now. He had met many people who would say simr things and provide the same lip service but when it came down to actually doing something those people were usually hard to find.

    Jason apologized "Sorry Ms. Yuller. Too be honest I wasn''t all too sure if you were just saying that to be nice or if you actually meant it.

    Adults tend to say a lot of things that they don''t mean. And besides, I kinda thought that the principal would find an actual coach.

    Like someone that went to school for it or someone that had some previous experience. If I had known that he would end up asking the teachers then your name would have been my first suggestion."

    Ms. Yuller smiled after hearing Jason say that "Thank you Jason. I whole hardheartedly ept your apology.

    And now I hope you know that I am a hundred percent serious when I tell you that I am always avable if you need help.

    Whether it be about your next paper on the second book of one of the most impactful series of novels of all time or simply life."

    She then scanned over the team as she looked everyone in the eyes "And that goes to all of you fine young men.

    Ms. Yuller''s doors are always open to those who are trying to be the best version of themselves."

    Ms. Yuller instructed the boys to proceed with practice as they normally would. Once they got the equipment out of the storage and started practicing she left the gym.

    Trell looked over at Udonis "Yo did Ms. Whatsherface really just dip as soon as Principal Morris was outta here?"

    Udonis shook his head "You can''t really me her bruh. She probably has a shit ton of work to do. We should be grateful that she applied to be our coach even if it''s just on paper.

    Besides we already know what we need to do during practice. It ain''t like we really need her here anyways. As long as she shows up to the games that''s all we need."

    After about five minutes Ms. Yuller came back to the gym. She had brought a stack of papers with her and her bag had even more inside.

    She took a seat in the stic folding chair that Coach Swendel normally used and began going over the papers.

    Jason smiled as he got some warm up shots up ''I don''t know how well she''ll do as a coach but at least her heart seems to be in the right ce.

    I''m kind of surprised. This second trip on life has really given me a new perspective on people that I didn''t really know much about before.''

    - - -

    Later that day. The sun was just beginning to set as Ms. yuller opened the door to her apartment.

    There wasn''t much furniture or other decorative items. The biggest thing in the living room was a book shelf that upied a whole wall.

    It was filled with books of every genre from all sorts of different authors. Ms. Yuller went straight to her bedroom.

    She ced her bag against the side of her desk before falling backwards into her bed. She moaned infort.

    For the past few hours she had been reading and grading papers while sitting down in a stic folding chair.

    Her back was happy at the opportunity for a well earned rest. Just as she was beginning to doze off she heard her phone ringing from inside her bag.

    She begrudgingly got up and opened up her bag. After pulling her cellphone out and seeing that it was a number she didn''t know she tossed it back into her bag and fell back into her bed.

    After a couple more seconds of her phone ringing she sighed and got back up. She took her phone out again but this time she answered the call.

    "Hello? May I ask who I have the privilege of speaking with tonight?" On the other end of the phone was a very familiar voice.

    "Oh hey Tess. I was just calling in to see if you''ve stopped by to see the boys." Ms. Yuller sighed before responding.

    "I would prefer it if you referred to me as Ms. Yuller Mr. Swendel. And to answer your question yes.

    I check in on them today. And just so you know I didn''t do it for you. Jason and Kyle are some of my brightest students.

    I would have checked in to make sure that they were doing fine even without you calling and asking me to."

    Coach Swendel chuckled "Thanks Ms. Yuller. Although I would like it if we could go back to calling each other James and Tess."

    Ms. Yuller''s eyes moistened up a bit "Yeah well that''s too bad. I don''t let assholes call me by my first name.

    By the way you are incredibly Lucky that I bumped into Principal Morris at a good time and overheard about the situation.

    Why didn''t you tell me the team was so desperate for a coach? The boys almost got disqualified from ying in tomorrow''s game."

    Coach Swendel was surprised "Disqualified?!" He had only asked Ms. Yuller to stop by and check on the boys to see how well they were doing with their new coach.

    He didn''t know that they had been struggling to find someone to rece him after he had gotten suspended.

    Ms. Yuller added "Yeah. They haven''t been able to find anyone to take over your role ever since you got suspended. And why do you have a new number?"

    Coach Swendel replied "Don''t worry about my number. Give me some info. I''ve been out of the loop ever since I got suspended."

    Ms. Yuller told him about how hard Principal Morris had worked to try and find a good coach to rece him.

    She also told him why no one wanted to take over his role and how she ended up bing the new coach.

    Coach Swendel sighed "Thanks again Te- I mean Ms. Yuller. I owe you one. You went further than you had to. I appreciate you taking care of my boys like that."

    Ms. Yuller sighed "You don''t need to thank me. I was just doing what any teacher would do by making sure that my students have the right tools to reach their full potential."

    - - -

    After hanging up on the call Coach Swendel walked to the kitchen portion of his studio apartment. On the table next to his bed you could see overdue phone and rent bills.

    "Now that I know that the boys are in good hands it''s time for some grub. I''m definitely going to need the energy. Got a early day of job hunting ahead of me."

    He opened up his cabs but they were all empty "Damn, guess I ate thest pack of ramen yesterday."

    He then went to his fridge. As soon as he opened it he could see that there was hardly anything in there.

    Just a few bottles of water that he had refilled from the sink, a pack of bologna with two pieces in it, and some cheese and pepper packets that were probably fromst week''s pizza.

    He paused to think for a couple seconds "Maybe I can fry these all together? Or maybe I can make a soup."

 Chapter 114 - First Game With The New Coach

    The next day. Jason and Kyle were sitting at their usual spot in the cafeteria. As they were eating Samantha put her tray down on the table and sat down next to Kyle.

    She waved and smiled at the both of them "So I heard you guys got Ms. Yuller as your new coach. How was that?"

    Kyle took a gulp from his milk box to wash down the food that was in his mouth before answering.

    "She was pretty cool. She knows that she''s just their to be a coach on paper so she hasn''t tried to make any changes."

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah I''m actually kinda d that Ms. Yuller ended up being our interim coach.

    If Principal Morris had actually seeded in finding a actual coach to rece Coach Swendel I''m not sure how things would have worked out.

    They would probably make their own changes to the training and they would probably want to implement their own ybook and defensive schemes."

    Samantha nodded her head as she listened "You guys are lucky. We just finished our performance of Twilight and there aren''t any more ys for a couple months."

    Jason looked at Samantha "I forgot that you were in the drama club. Since you''ve spent more time with her outside of ss is Ms. Yuller normally... like that?"

    Samantha smiled "Like what? Crazy? Haha she is pretty unique. I think she''s the only teacher that would let her students throw water balloons at her so that they could get more in character as they yed french revolutionist."

    Jason and Kyle looked at her with confused expressions. Kyle asked "Water balloons? French revolutionist?"

    Samanthaughed as she shook her head "It''s a long story. And it made a lot more sense in my head before we actually did it."

    The three of them talked andughed as they ate their lunches. After twenty minutes the bell rang indicating that it was time to head to their next ss.

    Samantha waved goodbye to Jason and Kyle "You guys have a game tonight right? I''lle by to cheer you guys on. Good luck."

    - - -

    Friday evening. It was time for Jefferson to y their first game with their new coach. Ms. Yuller was wearing jeans and a shirt instead of her usual ck dress.

    Inside the locker room the guys were seated around Ms. Yuller. She smiled as she looked at all of the boys in the team.

    "Alright boys tonight is our first game with me as your coach. I know that I can''t really help much when the game actually starts but there is something I can do for you."

    She pulled out a bundle of nts from her bag. She then lit the tip of the bundle on fire. She then began to wave the bundle around spreading the smoke.

    "Before each performance I like to burn some sage as I have the cast speak out their desires. Other than helping to remind each person what they had worked hard for it also helps to speak your desires into existence. Or at the very least it can''t hurt.

    Why don''t we start with Jason?" She passed the bundle of burning sage to Jason. He had a confused expression on his face but after some urging from Ms. Yuller he decided to give it a try.

    He closed his eyes as instructed by Ms. Yuller before speaking "I want to y well and make my parents proud.

    I want to give everyone in Riverside something that they can be proud of. I want to be the best version of me."

    After finishing Jason passed the sage to the person closest to him. Matt took the bundle from Jason.

    "I want to show off in front of my little sisters who are watching in the crowd tonight. I want them to be proud of their brother."

    Matt the passed the sage to Trell "I wanna make my life better with basketball. I wanna get out the hood. I don''t want people to look down on me anymore."

    Trell then passed the sage to Kyle "I want to have fun tonight. I want to create memories with my friends that I can smile about when I''m old and wrinkly."

    Kyle passed the sage to Udonis "I want to y well and get the attention of some scouts. I want to keep ying basketball for as long as I can. I want to keep going and see how far I can go. And I want to make Coach Swendel proud."

    Everyone took turns closing their eyes as they all spoke about what they wanted to aplish tonight and what theirrger goals were,

    As thest person finished Ms. Yuller took back the bundle of sage and blew it out before smiling at the team.

    "Alright boys. You go out there and do your best. Or as they say in the world of theater, break a leg."

    - - -

    The boys from Jefferson lined up as they shook hands with theirpetition. Tonight they were ying against Millbrooks Middle school.

    In terms of regr season records they were only two spots behind Jefferson. They were currently ranked third in the county.

    After shaking hands Jason and the rest of the guys got into position for the tip off. Kyle once again managed to easily gain the first possession for Jefferson.

    After tipping the ball over to Udonis Kyle went into a full out sprint toward the basket. Millbrooks wanted to get a defender on him but he had given them no time to.

    Udonis passed the ball over to Jason who then threw aser of a pass to the sprinting Kyle. The passnded perfectly in Kyle''s hands as he went up for the right handed dunk.

    Afternding back down on the ground Kyle motioned for the crowd to get hyped before making his way back down on defense.

    Jason high fived Kyle as the two of them got into position to y defense. As soon as his defensive assignment crossed halfcourt Jason began to press him with his tight defense.

    He made it hard for his defender to move around the court while also trying his best to deny any passingnes by keeping his hands active.

    Jason ended up getting caught in a screen but he recovered almost instantly. His defensive assignment thought that he had gotten free with the pick and decided to pull up for the mid range shot.

    Unfortunately for him Jason''s calling card even in his past life was defense. Jason came from the side and blocked the jumper.

    Udonis was able to gain control of the ball as it was rolling on the floor. He immediately threw it up court to Jason.

    With the ball in his hand Jason began pushing the fast break. There was only one defender close by Jason and it was the person who he had just blocked.

    With a defender on his left sticking on to his hip Jason continued sprinting down the floor. Jason could feel his defender getting physical as he tried to bump him off bnce.

    Jason did his best to counter act the physicality with his own bumps. Just as they were getting close to the basket Jason hopped stepped to the left in order to slip his defender.

    The hop step was enough to create a tiny bit of separation as Jason then finished the y off with a left handedyup.

    Jason pointed to Udonis to acknowledge the assist and to thank him for the unselfish y. It had been less than thirty seconds and Jefferson was already up 4-0.

    - - -

    In the crowd Billy could be seen with his camera as he was once again doing some scouting work for his school.

    ''Damn! That recovery after getting hit with the screen was amazing. And he even knew the best angle to block the shot so that the ball would go in the direction of his Power Forward.

    Most kids would have a hard time just contesting the shot after losing their defender on the screen. But this kid had the state of mind to direct the ball in the best location possible.''

    Billy pulled out his phone and began typing out some notes. Just as he was about to focus on the game again an unwanted visitor popped up.

    Troy pped Billy on the shoulder before sitting down next to him "Look who it is. I thought you would have gone back to Long Beach Billy."

    Billy ignored Troy as he kept his focus on the game. He watched as Jason orchestrated their defense by calling out screens and backdoor cuts.

    Finally after forcing their opponent to reset their offence multiple times they were able to force a bad shot.

    Troy grinned as he looked at Billy "Ohe on Billy. I thought we went over this already. There''s no point in giving me the cold shoulder.

    Besides, I have some new info in regards to Jason. I thought you would be interested in hearing about the schools that are scouting him out."

 Chapter 115 - First Game With The New Coach: Part-2

    Billy tried his best to focus on the game but his curiosity ended up getting the best of him as he caved in.

    "Alright Troy. What''s your new infor?" Troy chuckled "I knew you wouldn''t be able to resist. Anyways word on the streets is that old coach Butler is trying to recruit Jason."

    Billy was surprised to hear that familiar name "Coach Butler? As in KeyShawn Butler?" Troy nodded his head.

    Billy paused for a second "I am actually surprised that he even tried. He has to know how bad of a reputation Beach Side Academy has for their basketball program.

    They haven''t had one athlete make it to a division one college in the years that he''s been coaching there."

    Troy smiled "Well I don''t think he really has a shot of recruiting Jason. He''s only been ying for a few months and he already has the attention of 2nd and 3rd rate programs.

    I''m sure that by the time he finishes middle school he''ll have the attention of other tier one programs like mine."

    Billy rolled his eyes ''And there it is. He had to slip in a brag somehow. It''s not even your program! You''re an assistant coach!''

    Troy didn''t seem to notice Billy''s irritation as he continued "Like I said, I don''t think that Butler has any chance at recruiting Jason.

    The only thing he has is that they are both from this shit hole city. But that ain''t much of a leg to stand on.

    The realpetition we have to watch out for isn''t him. I''ve been hearing whispers that there are some real interest with a few tier one programs."

    Billy raised his eyebrow "Are you going to say more or did you just want to show off that you have info?"

    Troy chuckled as he pped his hands "Calm down Billy. I was just having fun. A little teasing never killed anybody right?

    Anyways from what I''ve been hearing Gonzaga Prep, Mater Dei, Chino Hills, and Sierra Canyon have some real interest in Jason.

    They are just waiting to see him on a bigger stage. They want to see how well he does under some brighter lights and against tougherpetition."

    After hearing what Troy had to say Billy''s face went red and he almost threw his camera at the floor.

    ''God Damn it! I thought we had a chance at recruiting Jason because he wasn''t a shy yer that attracts that much attention.

    But now that the tier one programs are eyeing him it''s going to be close to impossible to steal him away from them.''

    Troy startedughing after seeing Billy''s reaction "Hahaha I know exactly what you''re thinking. You really need to work on your poker face man.

    Anyways, just thought I would let you know. I would hate for you to get your hopes up thinking that you had a chance at recruiting Jason hahaha."

    - - -

    There were only three minutes left in the first quarter as Jefferson sat in front with afortable lead.

    The score was 18-6. Jason was on the bench as he had subbed out earlier on in the quarter to better conserve his strength.

    ''Alright, that should have been enough time for a quick rest.'' He tapped Ms. Yuller on the shoulder.

    "Hey Ms. Yuller I think it''s time for me to get back into the game." Jason had to ask Ms. Yuller to call the timeout because only yers on the court or the coach could call for a timeout.

    Ms. Yuller looked at Jason before getting up "Sure thing Jason." She then started shouting at the referee.

    "Hello there, the gentlemen in the stripes. I would like to call for an intermission. One of my boys would like to get back into the game."

    The referee had his whistle in his mouth as he just looked at Ms. Yuller with a confused expression.

    Jason facepalmed ''Shit! I forgot that she doesn''t know anything about sports.'' He went up to Ms. Yuller.

    "Ms. yuller just cross your arms like this. And it''s called a timeout not an intermission." Jason showed her the gesture for a timeout.

    Ms. Yuller chuckled "Ah I see." She then crossed her arms the way that Jason had showed her. After which the referee called for a timeout.

    DJ went back to the bench as Jason went out to the court. As they passed by they high fived each other.

    Kyle inbounded the ball to Jason. After catching the ball he made his way down the court. After crossing halfcourt Jason passed the ball to Matt on the wing.

    After catching the ball Matt then tossed the ball to Udonis who was down in the post. As soon as he caught the ball Udonis went to work.

    He started backing down his defender and making his way into the paint. The other Big on the team saw that his teammate was being overwhelmed so he made his way over.

    Udonis saw the double teaming. He waited until he pulled the other defender a little bit closer to him before throwing the ball over his shoulder.

    Both of the defenders turned their neck to see where the ball would go. What they saw was Kyle as he jumped into the air.

    Kyle caught the ball with both of his hands before mming it into the basket. Kyle hung on to the rim for a second beforeing back down.

    Udonis ran over to Kyle and the two of them bumped their sides as they jumped into the air. Even though Kyle was taller than Udonis his skinny body almost fell to the floor from the impact.

    Udonisughed as he helped him to stay bnced "Nice one bro! That dunk was crazy." Kyle smiled "That was a hell of a pass too UD. I thought you were Jaya for a second."

    Udonis chuckled before pping Kyle on the back as the two of them made their way back on defense.

    The quarter passed by with Jefferson maintainingplete control on the offensive and defensive side.

    All of their hard from the beginning of the season was finally showing fruit as the whole team moved like a well oiled machine.

    Everyone was ying their roles to perfection. Udonis and Kyle were crashing the boards hard and protecting the paint.

    Trell was being a hound on defense as he used his long arms and his inseral movement to pester his defensive assignment.

    And Matt was running all around the court as he used screens and off ball movement to try and get open while nailing the three point shot whenever he got so much as a sliver of space.

    Not just that. Matt was also ying his heart out on defense. He didn''t have the wingspan that Kyle had and he didn''t have the athleticism that Trell possessed.

    But after watching Jason for this season he learned one thing. Defense was eighty percent heart and that was the one department where he wasn''tcking.

    Matt knew that he was the weakest link on defense. During the season whenever he had the chance he would ask Jason for advice on how to be a better defender.

    And now during this game it was like everything Jason had told him was clicking in his head ''Don''t watch the ball or your defenders eyes. They can use both to trick you.

    Keep your eyes on your opponent''s torso because that is the part that is hardest to manipte. Often times it can tell you where your opponent is trying to go.''

    Jason''s voice was stuck on rey in Matt''s mind as he talked about all the different points of ying good defense.

    ''Keep your hands up and active but don''t reach for risky steals. You should think of your hands as shields as you try and deny your opponent any easy passingnes.

    You want to stay in a low defensive stance. Stay on your toes but don''t be jumpy. Slide your feet and shuffle.

    You want to maintain a good distance from your assignment. Not too far away to the point where they have an open shot but not too close to where it will be easy for them to blow by you.''

    Even though he still had room to grow Matt showed that he understood the basics and that he was really putting everything he had into ying defense.

    Matt saw one of the yers from the other teaming over to set a screen. He fought hard to get over it and actually managed to force his defensive assignment to lose control of the ball.

    Matt saw a familiar figure run past him so he smiled as he dived for the ball. He managed to scoop and fling the ball down court.

    Jason caught the ball after Matt threw it. He then began running down the court for the fast break.

    As Jason was running he saw that there were no defenders near by ''That was some nice ass defense Matt.

    Guess I gotta do a little something special to cap it off'' Instead of going for the easy wide openyup Jason Pulled up for a three pointer that was almost two feet (0.6m) behind the three point line.

    The crowd went silent as they watched the ball fly through the air. The excitement could be felt building up inside gym.

    After seeing the ball swish through the Jason pointed to Matt with a smile before turning to the crowd.

    The audience was going crazy as they screamed and shouted "JAYA! JAYA! JAYA!" Jason held up three fingers in his right hand as he raised it into the air.

    Jefferson now lead 32-9 as the quarter had less than a thirty seconds left on the clock. Jason screamed his heart out as he faced the crowd "Lets gooo! This our house!"

 Chapter 116 - A Change In The Game Plan

    Thest thirty seconds of the quarter passed by as Millbrooks was forced to put up a heavily contested three pointer that ended up nking.

    As the team made their way to the bench Jason walked up to Matt and extended his right fist toward him "Good hustle bro. That was some lock down type shit. You really put the mps on him."

    Matt smiled as he bumped back Jason''s fist with his own "What can I say man. I guess I just learned from the best."

    The two of themughed as they took a seat. Ms. Yuller had the clipboard in her hands as she tried her best to look like a coach. Or at least what she thought a coach should look like.

    She walked to the front of the team "Good job gentlemen. That was a magnificent performance in the first act. The audience waspletely enthralled!

    Now we must ensure that we maintain this quality of performance after the interlude all the way until the curtain draw!"

    Jason and Kyle looked at each other before giving an awkward smile. Kyle didn''t say anything but he mouthed ''Is she serious?''

    Jason chuckled before mouthing back ''Hey at least she''s trying. And it looks like she''s really feeling it right now so let''s not ruin the moment.''

    - - -

    On the other side of the court. All of Millbrook''s yers had a defeated expression on their face as they sat on the bench.

    They knew that they were the underdogsing into tonight''s game but they thought that they would at least have a chance.

    Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that the game would be such a one sided ughter.

    The head coach for Millbrook''s team had an unsightly expression on his face as he looked at his yers.

    ''God damn it! We''re the third ranked team in the county. We''ve been one of the most consistent team for years.

    How the hell are we losing to a team that was one of the worst teams in the countyst year? Can one yer really make such a huge difference?

    We can''t afford to lose. Especially not in such a lopsided way. I have a fucking pay raise riding on the line.''

    The assistant coach saw how upset the head coach was and gulped. After a minute of hesitation he walked up to the head coach and whispered.

    "There is still n B. Remember what we found out in thetest scouting reports? Jefferson is known for being a hot headed team. Especially Jason Yang and Trell McDaniels.

    In Trell''s case he just got back from a one game suspension. I think if we y a little physical and get under their skin we might have a shot of winning the game.

    At the very least it should improve our chances. Honestly speaking we are getting our asses handed to us sir. It''s not like changing things up could make things any worse."

    The head coach for Millbrook took a few moments to process what his assistant had said. After thinking it over for a bit he sighed as he nodded his head.

    "Let''s go with your suggestion. We are going to be changing things up starting from the beginning of the next quarter."

    The head coach went to the front of his yers and got their attention. He spent the majority of the break time exining the new game n to his yers.

    The clock buzzed just as soon as he finished talking to his yers. But before they headed back out to the court he gave them another reminder.

    "Remember guys, I want you to y physical out there. Don''t go overboard and do anything grant.

    Make sure you keep it within the confines of the sport. You can foul but don''t do anything grant. Just be physical and make sure that they feel your presence."

    - - -

    The teams went back out on to the floor as the start of the second quarter was underway. Trell had yed out most of the first quarter.

    So right now Jefferson''s lineup consisted of Jason at Point Guard, Matt at Shooting Guard, Nick at Small Forward, Udonis at Power Forward, and Kyle at Center.

    Millbrook inbounded the ball to their Point Guard who then began to dribble the ball up the court.

    As soon as he crossed halfcourt Jason started moving toward him in order to defend him. But the Point Guard passed the ball off to the wing before Jason could even initiate contact.

    Matt was now the one guarding the ball handler as he called for a screen from one of his Big Men.

    Matt saw the screen and fought to get over it as his defensive assignment began his attack. However as he was trying to get over the screen he felt the screener grab on to the edge of his jersey.

    The moment of dy caused by the jersey grab caused Matt to give up a bit of room to his defensive assignment.

    Luckily Udonis noticed the sudden change as he quickly went from sagging on the screen to stick with the roller to stepping up in order to contain the ball handler.

    Udonis did a good job of contesting the shot as the yer from the opposing team pulled up for the mid range shot but after a few lucky bounces the ball ended up falling through the.

    The yers on Millbrook''s bench cheered as they managed to score the first basket of the quarter. The score was now 32 to 11.

    Matt went over to Udonis and apologized "My bad UD." Udonis shook his head "Nah, it ain''t your fault bro. I saw the guy grab your jersey like a kid grabbin at his mamma''s hand."

    Matt had a frustrated expression on his face as he sighed "I''m d that at least somebody saw that shit. Now it would be nice if the refs weren''t so blind."

    Udonis chuckled before patting Matt on the back "Hey it happens sometimes. Refs are gonna miss the asional call. Let''s get back on D."

    Matt nodded his head as the two of them made their way back on defense. Kyle inbounded the ball to Jason who then brought it up the court.

    Jason gave his team a moment to get ready before starting the y. He called for a screen from Kyle.

    Kyle made his way over from the left side of the block to set a screen for Jason who was at the top of the perimeter.

    As soon as Kyle was in ce Jason began to drive to the left. Forcing his defender into the screen that Kyle had set.

    Jason got past Kyle but before the y could develop any further he heard the referee blow his whistle.

    Jason turned around and saw Kyle bent over slightly as he clutched at his side. The referee shouted "Personal foul on number 0."

    Jason took the ball from the referee and walked over to Kyle who was in position to inbound the ball again.

    "You okay bro? What happened?" Kyle rubbed his side before smiling in pain "Nothing much. Your defender just got a little too eager in trying to fight over my screen. I''m good though."

    After hearing what Kyle had to say Jason got a weird feeling in his stomach ''First the jersey grabbing now they get a foul for forcefully trying to get over the screen?

    It seems kinda odd that all of this happened as soon as we started the second quarter. Does this mean anything? Or am I just reading too much into it?''

    Although Jason hadn''t said anything he did see Matt get his jersey grabbed, he never misses anything that happens on the court, but he didn''t think too much of it.

    He simply chalked it off as the frustrations of a yer on a team that was getting beaten ck and blue.

    But now that there was the thing with the defender getting too aggressive with fighting over Kyle''s screen Jason was starting to get suspicious.

    Jason made a note but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he handed the ball over to Kyle.

    "Alright bro, as long as you say that you''re good. Just remember to let us know if you need to sub out okay? Don''t try to be a tough guy."

    Kyle smiled before grabbing the ball out of Jason''s hands "You''re literally thest guy that should be telling me that. Hurry up before we get a technical for slowing down the game."

    Jason caught the inbound pass from Kyle before setting up the offense. Jason decided to run a different y.

    He passed the ball to Nick who was on the left side of the wing. Nick then tossed the ball down to Udonis who was posting up down in the block.

    The other team learned their lesson fromst time as they didn''t send their other Big down to help in the post.

    After backing down his defender a few times Udonis found himself with deep positioning down in the pain.

    He faked to the left before turning over his right shoulder for the hook shot. The defender fell for the fake which made it hard for him to contest the actual shot.

    The ball fell straight through the. Udonis pumped his fist before heading back down the court. Jason and Kyle high fived him as he passed.

    Now it was Millbrook''s turn on offense again. As soon as their Point Guard crossed the halfcourt Jason began pressing him with his tight defense.

    The Point Guard had no choice but to turn his back to Jason and use his body to protect the ball from being stolen.

    The Point Guard then called for a screen from one of his Bigs. Kyle followed his defensive assignment as he made his way out to the perimeter.

    The Big set the scree on the right wing. After seeing that his teammate was ready and in position he began driving in that direction.

    Jason followed his defensive assignment as he stayed on his hip. He also saw the screen and changed course so that he would go slightly under the screen.

    Just as the Point Guard and Jason were about to go by the screen the Big Man stepped forward at thest second.

    Jason didn''t have the time to change directions or step on the breaks so he ended up running straight into the six foot (1.8m) Big.

    The opposing Big Man had been anticipating the impact and had the chance to brace himself.

    Unfortunately Jason didn''t have the same opportunity. The sudden impact blindsided him. Jason crumpled to the floor.

 Chapter 117 - A Change In The Game Plan: Part-2

    Ms. Yuller and the rest of the guys on the bench jumped to their feet after seeing Jason run into the screen at full speed.

    The referee blew his whistle before shouting "Number 3 illegal screen! Jefferson gains possession!"

    Kyle was the closest one during the y so he ended up being the first to reach Jason as he ran over to him as heid on the floor.

    He didn''t move him but he knelt down beside Jason "Hey you okay? Can you hear me? Jason?"

    Jason wasn''t able to respond right away. He was a bit rattled after the impact. He also had some difficulty breathing as he felt the wind get knocked out of him during the collision.

    Trell was about to run on to the court and give the screener a piece of his mind but he was stopped by DJ.

    He shook his head at Trell "Cool it bro. It might have looked bad but that was still a basketball y. It ain''t like he socked him in the face."

    Trell shook DJ''s hand off of his shoulder "Hell it was. How in the world did that look like a clean y to you? The bitch moved just as Jason was about to go by him. That was an illegal screen!"

    DJ grabbed Trell by the shoulder again "I never said that it was a clean y. Obviously the screen was illegal.

    But that was still an action that can be exined as a basketball move. You can''t just go out there and throw hands in the middle of a game Trell."

    Trell snorted before pushing his way forward "Oh yeah? Then how about I set a screen and give that jack ass a taste of his own medicine?

    I might not be as tall as him but I bet you can set a screen hard enough to make the dude wake up in a different country."

    DJ was getting dragged by Trell. He knew that he wasn''t strong enough to stop him by himself so he yelled out for some help "Vince get your tall ass over here!"

    Vince ran toward the two of them as he put Trell into a bear hug in an attempt to keep him from getting on the court.

    Unfortunately for them they had underestimated Trell''s insane strength. Even without working out or doing any kind of training Trell''s physique was enough to put him at the top of the food chain at Jefferson Middle School.

    After ying basketball for several months and following the personal training regimen that Jason had designed for him he had only added to his immense god given strength.

    DJ began to panic after realizing that both he and Vince were being dragged toward the court by Trell "Why the hell does this crazy fuck have to be so strong."

    Vince yelled as he tried to plea with Trell "Come on bro! Just take a fucking seat and cool down!"

    But Trell couldn''t hear them. All he could think about was how Jason got himself ejected from the game because of him.

    And how Jason willingly put himself under the scrutiny of the media just to send a message to the yer that was talking trash about him.

    He then thought about Coach Swendel who took all of the heat from the news outlets and the middle school basketballmittee in order to minimize the impact it would have on the team.

    He kept thinking about the words that Coach Swendel had said during his interview on the news ''I am trying to teach the boys on my team how to live like human beings.

    And the most important part of being human is your dignity.-

    Jason did nothing wrong because what he did was stand up for his brother''s dignity on the basketball court.-

    Our team isn''t just a team, It''s a family. So if standing by your family and making sure that your brother''s know that you have their back counts as unsportsmanlike conduct I will dly have my yers toss aside their sportsmanship.''

    Just as Trell was about to step on to the court he felt a pair of gentle hands touch the sides of his face.

    Trell saw Ms. Yuller looking at him straight in the eyes with a kind smile on her face "It''s admirable to see how much you care for your teammate Trell.

    I know that you just want to do what you feel is best. You probably feel like you have to step on to the floor and exact some sort of vengeance.

    But even though Jason is on the floor take a look at his eyes. Do they look like the eyes of a man that has been defeated?

    Do they look like the eyes of someone that has given up on the fight and needs someone toe to his rescue?"

    Ms. Yuller''s cold and soothing touchbined with her gentle gaze was enough to quell some of the anger burning in Trell''s heart.

    He did as she said and took a look at Jason who was stillying on the floor of the court. Although it was clear to see that Jason was having some trouble catching his breathe his eyes were shining with excitement.

    Those were the eyes of someone who was ready to ept the challenge that was just thrown before him.

    DJ and Vince were able to rx after feeling Trell let go of his strength. The two of them sighed in relief.

    Ms. Yuller smiled at Trell "Bravo Monsieur Trell! ? est magnifique! I am d to see you making such a beautiful choice. Now as they say in the world of theater, the show must go on!"

    - - -

    Billy and Troy were both in the crowd as they saw the brutal results of Jason running full speed into the screen.

    The two of them were then surprised to see Jason try to sit up just second after the collision. Troy whistles out in amazement.

    "Damn! The kid is a trooper that''s for sure. How much weight you think he''s giving up? Fifty (22.67kg) maybe sixty pounds (27.21kg)? And he ran into that screen at full force."

    Billy shook his head as he answered "I don''t know. But Jason was giving up a lot of size to the screener.

    But I don''t get it. Millbrook''s yers are all seasoned athletes who have been ying since a young age.

    They were lucky that the ref didn''t see the jersey grab. Then there was the lost possession from being too aggressive in getting over the screen.

    And now they set a clearly illegal screen? It doesn''t make sense for them to have so many sloppy ys back to back."

    Troy thought about it. After a few moments he spoke "Do you think they''re doing it on purpose?"

    Billy was shocked by Troy''s proposal "You think they''re doing all of this shit on purpose? Why the hell would they do that?"

    Troy shrugged his shoulders "Maybe they''re being more physical to send a message to Jefferson. Something like ''Even if you beat us we won''t make it easy''?

    Or maybe they just want to get under their skin. Because of their recent incidents everyone knows that Jefferson has a short fuse. Especially Trell and Jason.

    Haha speak of the devil. Hey Billy, why don''t you take a look at Jefferson''s bench real quick?" Billy turned his attention to Jefferson''s bench just as Troy suggested.

    He saw one of the bench yers trying to calm down Trell. He then saw as another bench yer joined in an attempt to prevent Trell from stepping on to the court.

    Billy sighed "Jesus, the kid just got off of a one game suspension and now he wants to do this? I don''t know if they''ll get away with just having to get a new coach if they have another incident on their hands."

    Billy was then surprised to see that Jefferson''s new coach had managed to calm down Trell. Billy turned to Troy.

    "Hey Troy, do you know who Jefferson''s new coach is? I don''t think I''ve ever seen her before. Did they bring her in from out of state? Was she a coach for a female program?"

    Troy cracked a smile before shaking his head "Beats me. She''s as fresh a face to me as she is to you. But if she did coach before then she has to be from out of state.

    There is no way in hell I would have let a flower as fine as that coast under my radar" Troy then began to lick his lips.

    - - -

    Back on the court. After a few minutes Jason was able to catch his breathe and stand back up. Kyle looked at him with a worried expression.

    "Yo Jaya that was a really hard hit man. I think you should sit this one out. Or at least take a break. You hit the floor pretty hard."

    Jason shook his head as he smiled at Kyle "It''s okay Kyle. You forget that I grew up with Tory as a childhood friend.

    She didn''t learn how to control her gori strength until she got into high school. I''ve taken way harder hits before.

    And besides it''s not like I cked out or anything.If I did then I would have to go under concussion protocol."

    Kyle was still worried but after seeing how confident Jason looked he decided to concede for the moment "Alright, but if you feel even just the tiniest bit off make sure you let us know okay?"

    Jason nodded his head "You gotta stop worrying so much. I took a way harder fall back at the mall remember?

    And besides, I''m not the type of guy to back down from a challenge. And I think I know what kind of game Millbrook wants to y. Well I hope they''re ready cause this was just round one."

 Chapter 118 - Straight Eating

    Billy was looking out at the court as Jason got up and began to talk with his teammate "How do you think he''s going to respond?"

    Troy shrugged his shoulders "I don''t know. We know that Jason is a bit of a hot head but he''s never been touched up like that ever since he''s started ying.

    Some guys act big and bad until somebody puts their paws on them. I think that hard screen was a message from Millbrooks.

    They''re probably trying to intimidate him. Truth be told I''m not all that confident that Jason will be able to bounce back from that one.

    The psychological affect of being put on your back that hard can be pretty strong. I''m sure you''ve heard about how things were during the 80s and 90s era of basketball.

    The Bigs from back then were all taught two things: One was no easy baskets in the paint, two was make sure they feel you down there.

    If you were a guard that was trying to score in the paint the Bigs from back then used to take offense to that.

    ''This little dude thinks he cane here and chill with the big dogs?'' Type of mentality. Shaq used to say it himself that if you were a guard trying to get ayup or a dunk he would put you on your back.

    Some people needed to be taught a lesson three times some only needed to be taught once. But after being put on your back by Shaq a lot of them starting opting for jumpers instead haha.

    Although it''s not so grant and prevalent as before this kind of thing still exists at all levels of the game.

    There are guys in the league right now who are only on a roster because of their ability to rough people up on the court and put some fear in them."

    After hearing what Troy had to say Billy nodded his head "You have a point there. I guess the real question is how much heart does Jason have? Is he built to step up to the te or will he end up whiffing?"

    - - -

    The referee passed the ball to Kyle who then inbounded it to Jason. After making sure that everyone was in position he called for a screen from Kyle.

    Kyle made his way from the left block out to the perimeter so that he could set the screen. Jason began to drive to the right.

    Kyle''s defender switched on to Jason after the screen. But just as he thought that Jason would continue to attack he suddenly stopped.

    Jason then went back out to the perimeter before smugly looking at the opposing team''s Big and gesturing for him toe over.

    The Big took a quick look and saw that his guard had already followed Kyle out to the corner so it was toote to switch assignments again.

    He had no choice but to go out to the perimeter to guard Jason. Jason then waved his hand as he gestured for the rest of his teammates to clear the floor for an istion y.

    The opposing Big gulped as he realized that he was alone on an ind facing the best yer in the county.

    Jason began sizing him up with slow rhythmic dribbles. Left,right, left, right, Jason then crossed over to the left and faked the drive.

    The fake got his defender going left as Jason quickly pulled the ball back and went right. The Big did a decent job of recovering as he nted his foot and changed directions to follow Jason.

    But Jason suddenly stepped on the breaks and came to a stop which caught the Big off guard. As his brain was trying to process what had happened his butt had already fallen to the floor.

    Jason pounded the ball into the floor once and stepped back. After making sure that he was behind the three point line he stared down the defender for almost two seconds.

    The other yers from the opposing didn''t bother trying to close out on Jason as they knew that he had more than enough time to get his shot off.

    After staring down his defender that was sitting on the floor Jason then looked back up at the basket and fired the three pointer.

    The home crowd was going crazy after seeing Jason drop his defender to the floor. And when he stared his defender down the crowd got even more hyped up.

    Some of the students stood up and started whistling or pumping their fist in the air. And as they watched the ball sink through the the whole gym felt like it was shaking as the noise intensified even more.

    Jason turned to the crowd and with one hand pretending to hold a bowl and the other hand holding an imaginary pair of chopsticks it looked like he was eating up a bowl of noodles.

    The crowd got even more excited after seeing Jason''s celebration. Kyle ran over to Jason as the two of them jumped up and chest bumped.

    The crowd eventually chilled out a little after Jason and Kyle made their way back on defense. It was Millbrook''s turn at offense again.

    Jason began guarding the opposing Point Guard as soon as he crossed halfcourt. He then saw him call for another screen.

    This time Jason knew exactly what he had to do. As the two of them approached the screen instead of him fighting over it he pushed Kyle forward as he yelled "Switch!"

    Jason then followed the Big as he tried to roll to the rim while Kyle moved up to contain the ball handler.

    The ball handler was surprised after seeing that Jason opted to switch on the pick and roll. He smiled asughed at the thought of getting a chance to go one on one against a Big on the perimeter.

    He grinned at Kyle ''Don''t me me after I cook you up. You can me your guard for turning into a bitch after getting hit by one screen.''

    - - -

    In the crowd Billy and Tory watched as Jason pulled the opposing team''s Big out to the perimeter after the screen from Kyle.

    They watched as Jason confidently yed around with the Big before putting him to the floor with his handles.

    The could feel the energy in the gym rising and then Jason stared down his defender before shooting the three pointer which caused the crowd to go wild.

    Everyone was hyped up until Jason and Kyle made their way back on defense. After the noise finally started going down Billy wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    "I guess that answers the question of whether or not Jason would back down. You gotta admit that even though the kid isn''t the most athletic he still knows how to make some real highlight level ys."

    Troy nodded his head "The kid is normally so fundamentally sound and he normally opts for the most efficient y.

    So most people don''t think of him as a shy yer. But that doesn''t mean that he''s not capable of doing shy things.

    He picks and chooses his moments. Just like in the game where Trell got ejected. He can go deep in his bag when he needs to."

    Billy nodded his head in agreement. Even with his years of experience as a coach Billy couldn''t deny that even he got excited watching that y from Jason.

    ''This kid definitely has the IT factor. This kid is the perfect Point Guard. He has deep range and he can score at all three levels.

    Even though he isn''t the quickestterally his defensive iq and instincts more than make up for it. And he actually anchors down their defense.

    Normally that responsibility goes to the Bigs because they are normally positioned in the back which gives them a better view of the court.

    But this kid can be at the top of the key and be guarding the opposing team''s primary ball handler while still seeing everything that happens on the court.

    This kid might be the next great Point Guard. Every generation seems to have a guy like this. Someone that changes the game with their impact.

    The 80s had Magic Johnson, the 90s had John Stockton, the 2000s had CP3 and the 2010s had Stephen Curry and Russel Westbrook. Jason has a chance to be the next one up.''

    Just as Billy''s mind was racing from the possibility of witnessing the next great Point Guard in the making he heard Troy talking.

    "That was a nice y but I don''t know if that really proved anything yet." Billy looked at him in surprise "What do you mean Troy?"

    Troy continued "Jason responded on the offensive side of the ball but you have to remember that Jason took the hit while he was ying defense.

    It won''t mean anything if Jason can score the ball if he gets scared to y defense. Part of Jason''s value is his ability to lock down the opposing team''s primaryball handler.

    Without Jason locking down the opposing team''s primary ball handler that would instantly drop the effectiveness their defense. And it''s not like you can easily rece him.

    Trell is the second best perimeter defender on the team but that''s mostly because of his athleticism and he is nowhere near as effective as Jaso-"

    Troy stopped talking out of shock as he watched Jason switch on the pick and roll during Millbrook''s possession.

    Billy was surprised as well. Jason was normally so effective at defending the pick and roll that he always fought over it or went under.

    It wasn''t verymon to see him switch defensive assignments. Troy shook his head "Looks like I was right.

    Getting knocked to the floor seems to have nted some fear in his heart." Billy thought for a moment "What if it''s just part of their defensive scheme?"

    Troy scoffed "Come on Billy. You''ve seen their defensive scheme this whole game has been Jason sticking with the ball handler.

    So why would they just suddenly change that now? And besides, teams always want to avoid putting their Bigs on an ind out in the perimeter.

    You saw what happened to Millbrook''s Big after he switched out on to Jason. I feel bad for Kyle.Now the same thing is about to happen to him."

 Chapter 119 - Lock Em Down

    Kyle bent his knees as he got down low into a defensive stance. The opposing team''s ball handlerughed after seeing Kyle do that.

    He then began dribbling the ball slowly before wagging his finger side to side at Kyle as he stared him down.

    Seeing the ball handler get so cocky Kyle felt a surge of energy in his body. He remembered the gesture that Jason had taught him.

    Kyle bent down slightly as he pped the floor in front of him with both hands. After pping the floor twice he looked up at the opposing team''s Point Guard "LET''S GOOO! BRING IT!"

    At first he was intimidated by Kyle''s energy and presence. But after a second that intimidation turned into anger and frustration.

    ''You think that you''re hot shit or something huh? Well let''s see if you can keep up the attitude after you get turned into a highlight motherfucker.''

    He did a slow crossover to the left before exploding to the right with a fast crossover. He had thought that he had beaten Kyle with that move so he was surprised to see that Kyle had managed to stick with him.

    He then changed directions with a behind the back dribble but Kyle was once again staying in front of him.

    He tried a variety of moves in order to try and get away from Kyle but no matter what he did Kyle was always there in front of him.

    ''Fuck! How the hell is he so good at guarding on the perimeter?'' Unfortunately for him Kyle was just a bad match up.

    Kyle''s main weakness was hisck of size and strength in the post. However the thing that he had over a majority of other Centers was his agility and nimbleness.

    Kyle was light on his toes and could run the floor like a guard. Even though his fundamentals in perimeter defense he more than made up for it with his agility.

    At this point the opposing team''s Point Guard was beginning to get frustrated as he retreated back to the top of the perimeter for the fourth time.

    He could hear his coach yelling at the sidelines telling him to dump the ball into the post so that their Center could take advantage of being matched up with Jason.

    However at this point his pride was damaged by the fact that he couldn''t take advantage of his match up with Kyle.

    This clouded his judgment as he decided to force the issue. He went at Kyle full speed before crossing over to the right.

    He saw Kyle step in that direction and stepped on the breaks before dribbling once and stepping back for the jumper.

    The move has actually managed to create a bit of space between him and Kyle ''I can do! I have enough space to get my shot off!''

    But before he could flick his wrist and get the ball out of his hands Kyle jumped forward as he extended his arm as far as he could.

    Kyle''s long arm managed to reach just in time to deflect the shot upwards into the air. Kyle then gathered himself and jumped for the ball.

    After gaining possession of the ball Kyle passed it over to Jason who was running toward him the the two of them began to push the fast break.

    Jason had left the opposing team''s Big alone after seeing the Point Guard try to shoot over Kyle ''He''s underestimating just how long and athletic Kyle is.''

    Jason didn''t even feel the need to activate his Defensive Anchor badge. Ever since the game against Verde Gardens Kyle had been practicing his perimeter defense against Jason.

    Now only elite scorers at the level of Danilo Silva could pose a problem for Kyle. Although he could still be overwhelmed in the post by stronger yers his defensive versatility was an amazing strength that more than made up for this weakness.

    There was a defender that was running up the court alongside Jason as he tried to defend the fast break.

    Jason didn''t mind the defender on him as he continued to run toward the basket. As they approached the paint Jason jumped into the air as he held the ball up in his right hand.

    The defender was on his left side and jumped as soon as he saw Jason jump. He tried to contest theyup.

    However, instead of releasing the ball with his right hand Jason brought the ball back behind his back, moved it over to his left hand, and threw a lob pass from behind the back of the defender.

    The defender lost sight of the ball and only realized that he had been tricked by Jason when it was toote.

    Kyle jumped off of his right foot from behind the restricted circle before catching the ball on the left side of the rim.

    Kyle then mmed the ball toward the basket with his right hand. After dunking the ball Kyle fell back down to the court and flexed toward the crowd.

    The audience began making more noise as they chanted Kyle''s name. As Kyle made his way back on defense he pointed to Jason and the two of them high fived.

    - - -

    Troy and Billy were both shocked as they watched Kyle defend the opposing team''s Point Guard.

    They watched on as Kyle chased him around the perimeter and forced him to retreat and reset a few different times.

    And finally they watched as Kyle blocked the attempted jump shot even after getting beat by the dribble move before finishing up the fast break the alley-oop dunk.

    Troy pped his leg beforeughing enthusiastically "Hahaha Damn! I like this kids spirit. Did you see him hype up the crowd and himself with that floor p?

    That''s the kind of shit that says you''re ready for a fight. And then the way he managed to lock up the Point Guard and block his shot was fantastic."

    Billy nodded his head in agreement "That was an amazing defensive sequence. He moved his feet well and even though he doesn''t have the fundamentals down his long arms let him sag off of the ball handler.

    This allows him to give himself some extra leeway in guarding shifty ball handlers while still being able to contest shots.

    But what about that fast break? The dunk was great but the pass in and of itself was a highlight. Being able to maneuver the ball like that isn''t easy."

    This time it was Troy''s turn to nod his head "Yeah that pass was some a real big brain move from Jason.

    He baited the defender into jumping with him so that he could fully clear thene for Kyle. Because even though Kyle has great bounce and body control for his age I''m not sure if he''s at the point where he can dunk on people on a consistent basis."

    The two of them continued to watch the game as Jefferson learned to deal with Millbrook''s new more physical game n.

    On offense whenever Jason or Kyle would attack the basket they found themselves getting hammered as they took all kinds of blows to their arms and shoulders as they went up for the shot.

    Some of the fouls went uncalled but because of the frequency Jason and Kyle still ended up shooting multiple free throws.

    And on defense all of Jefferson had to deal with Millbrook''s Bigs sticking their hips and elbows out during screens, jersey grabbing, and extra physicality in the paint.

    Udonis was the most unfortunate one as he caught a elbow to the side of his face while guarding his man in the post.

    Jason wanted to run up to the yer from Millbrook and give him a piece of his mind but was stopped by Udonis.

    "Cool it Jaya. We winnin right now. Ain''t no point in trying to speak the samenguage as a bunch of losers bro."

    Jason also continued his exhibition as he called more istion ys than usual and got deeper into his bag of tricks.

    During one y the opposing team''s Big was ying the pick and roll aggressively so Jason decided to split the screen as he bounced the ball through the defenders legs.

    He almost lost control of the ball as he stumbled during his drive to the basket but he managed to cap off the y with a floater just as another defender was making his way toward him.

    Ever since Jason had gone back in time he had made it a point to improve his ball handling and to add more moves to his arsenal.

    As the second quarter reached a little over the midway point Jason called for a timeout. The score was a whopping 46 to 15.

    Ms. Yuller congratted the boys as they made their way back to the bench "That was a brilliant performance gentlemen! The audience is simply loving it!"

    The boys all smiled at herpliment as they sat down. Jason was worried about one thing so he made his way over to Trell.

    "Yo Trell. I think I should give you a heads up before you get back into the game. I think Millbrook''s is doing this shit on purpose to get under our skin."

    Trell rolled his eyes at Jason "No shit bro, anyone with a pair of eyes coulda told you that. Don''t worry about me.

    I ain''t about to be throwin hands out in the court. Ima show these bitches up the right way. So just sit back and enjoy the show."

 Chapter 120 - Flex

    Now with a little more than thee minutes left on the clock Jefferson''s lineup consisted of DJ at Point Guard, Nick at Shooting Guard, Trell at Small Forward, Udonis at Power Forward, and Vince at Center.

    With the timeout over Vince inbounded the ball over to DJ who then gave the team a moment to set up.

    After seeing that everybody was ready DJ began to run the y. Vince came out from the paint to set a screen.

    Trell also came over as he set another screen for DJ who then began to run his defenders into the screens.

    However Trell actually slipped the screens and started rolling to the rim before any contact was made with the defender.

    DJ saw Trell with ane to the rim so he lobbed the ball overhead to him. Trell caught the ball on his way to the paint.

    Nick''s defender had left him alone in order to copse in on Trell. As Trell was running to the paint he noticed this.

    The defender was now in front of the basket but Trell didn''t seem to mind one bit as he nted his feet and got ready for the jump.

    The defender had initially intended to help contest Trell''s shot. But as soon as he felt Trell jump into him he was pushed back.

    Trell was in the air as he heard the referee blow his whistle. He concentrated as he tried to focus on the basket.

    He tossed the ball toward the basket with his right hand before his body started toe back down to the court.

    The crowd held their breathe as they watched the ball bounce around the rim a few times. And as soon as it fell through the they jumped to their feet and started cheering.

    Trell was all smiles as he looked out to the crowd "He can''t guard me man! I''m too strong! Let''s go!" He then pped his bicep.

    Trell started flexing his biceps as he high fived his teammates on his way to the free throw line. His shooting form was a little rough but he was able to sink the free throw.

    On defense Trell didn''t even bother to fight through the screen as he yelled for Vince to switch.

    Trell followed the opposing team''s big as he rolled towards the basket. He then began posting up Trell and calling for the ball.

    Shortly after the ball was tossed down to him. He began to back down Trell but to his surprise he found that he couldn''t gain any ground on Trell.

    If anything he was slowly losing positioning as Trell pushed him out from the paint. He tried to spin over his shoulder.

    He began driving to the basket after the spin and as he got deeper into the paint he got ready for theyup.

    But Trell was still next to him and as soon as he saw his man getting ready to shoot he jumped up with him.

    With both of his arms going straight up he jumped a little bit higher than his man. Trell then mmed both hands down as he stuffed the defender and the ball toward the ground.

    It was bad enough that he got blocked in such an embarrassing way but to add insult to injury the ball had hit him in the face as he fell down before bouncing out of bounds.

    The referee pointed to Jefferson "Jefferson''s ball!" The crowd was going wild once again. This time they were chanting Trell''s name "TRELL!TRELL!TRELL!"

    DJ and Nick both high fived Trell as they hyped him on the great defensive y. Then the three of them made their way back on defense.

    Millbrook tried their best to y Trell physically. But to their surprise not only was the physicality ineffective against Trell.

    They couldn''t seem to rile him up. Whether it was jumping on his back as they fought for rebounds or giving him an elbow in the post none of it seemed to work.

    Trell''s amazing muscles allowed him to fight through the contact without getting knocked out of his spots.

    Even when they would get him switched on to their Center Trell would stand his ground as he protected the paint.

    It didn''t matter if the one that was posting him up was 6''1 (1.85m) Trell would put on his hard hat and get to work.

    Sitting on the bench Jason was surprised as he watched Trell y. This was the most focused Jason had ever seen Trell y.

    He watched as Trell yed every possession with a hundred and ten percent effort. Trell was ying without taking a single possession off.

    As the 2nd quarter came to an end as Jefferson''s lead only grew. They sat in afortable lead with a score of 54-17.

    In Jefferson''s locker room everyone was all smiles as they wiped their faces with their towels and took drinks out of their sports bottles.

    Udonis pped Trell on the shoulder "This dude right here man, you was a savage bro. You blocked the dude with both hands and you smacked him in the face with the ball haha!"

    Everyone started whistling and cheering at the mention of Trell''s amazing block during the quarter.

    Trell smiled as he looked at the team "I had to put on a lil bit of show after seeing what this mofo did." Trell was pointing to Jason.

    Trell shook his head as heughed "This dude was making it hard for the guys on the bench. How the hell you expect us toe out after you put on a show like that?

    You was hittin em with ankle breakers and nutmegs the whole quarter. And that one y where it looked like you was about to fall and lose control of the ball but you ended up throwing a floater over a defender.

    Sheesh, that move was more savage if you ask me." Everyone startedughing after hearing what Trell said.

    In the guest locker room Millbrook was theplete opposite. All of their yers were low in spirit as the mood was solemn.

    The starting Point Guard looked over to their starting Shooting Guard "Why don''t we have you guard Jason for the 3rd quarter?"

    The Shooting Guard immediately began to shake his head "Hell nah bro! That''s your man right there. I got the white boy."

    The starting Point Guard angrily looked at him "You been guarding the white boy the whole game. You taller than me, you might be able to do a better job of guarding Jason."

    The starting Shooting Guard then looked over at their starting Small Forward "If you talking about height why don''t we have him guard Jason? He taller than me."

    The starting Small Forward shook his head "Hey leave me outta this man, This between the guards.

    You can''t put a slower yer on Jason.You asking for that person to get murdered bro. No thank you."

    The guards started arguing with each other about who would be going out on the court and who would be the one to guard Jason.

    The head coach sighed as he looked at his team ''We are done. These guys are arguing about whose going to guard Jason like they''re afraid of him.

    They already gave up inside of their minds and hearts. Jesus, I never thought we would ever get ughtered like this.''

    - - -

    The rest of the game followed Jefferson''s tempo. They continued to score at an effective rate on offense while shutting down Millbrook on defense.

    Jason continued to go deep on his bag of tricks as he didn''t let up. He scored off of istion ys as well as in the flow of the offense.

    If Millbrook tried to send the double team Jason would simply pass the ball out to one of his teammates before running off a screen and getting the ball back.

    He would then run a y or if there was enough space he would let the three pointer fly. Millbrook had no answer for Jason.

    And on defense Jason continued to orchestrate the rest of the guys. At first Millbrook continued with their strategy of ying physical.

    But after seeing that no matter how much they roughed up Jason that he would just get up and go back to work, they eventually gave up on it.

    But that didn''t mean that Jason started taking it easy. He still went at Millbrook with everything that he had.

    And even as they went into the 4th quarter with amanding lead Jason continued to y.

    Normally if the team was winning and in a good position Jason would sit out the 4th quarter and get some rest.

    But Millbrook''s strategy of getting physical had lit a fire in Jason''s heart. It was no mercy as Jason continued to humiliate and embarrass his defenders.

    Spine moves, fakes, ankles breakers, floaters, bank shots, Jason pulled out every trick that he had as he broke the record that he had just set in thest game.

    And everyone else was motivated to give it a hundred and ten percent as well as they continued to swarm on defense.

    The game eventually ended as Jefferson put up a almost disrespectful 103 points as they also kept Millbrook to only 34 points.

    Jason and the rest of the team were all smiles as they lined up to shake hands at the end of the game.

    But this time it was their turn to get a taste of their own medicine as Millbrook''s team refused to shake hands as they went straight to the locker room.

    Their coach was the only one that stayed as he nervously shook hands with Ms. Yuller as he congratted her on the game while apologizing for his team''s behavior.

    Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson were allughing as they watched Millbrook leave their gym.

    The crowd on the other hand was booing. Jason could feel that the atmosphere was getting bad so he walked over to the scoring table and asked to use the mic.

    Jason faced the crowd and got everyone''s attention "Thank you guys foring out and supporting us tonight.

    We are just one game away from bringing Jefferson it very first county championship. I hope you can alle back again next week for the big game."

    The entire crowd started pping and cheering as Jason put down the mic and walked back over to his team ''Just one more game until we can call ourselves county champions.''

 Chapter 121 - A Trip To The Mall

    Jason was in his house as he took a nap on the couch in the living room of the apartment. Ever since he had gone back in time this had turned into one of his habits.

    During his free time Jason would take a nap in the living roominstead of his bedroom. He liked hearing the sound of his mom and dad in the house.

    Whether it was the sound of their voices or just the sound of them moving around the apartment and doing things.

    Just being able to hear traces of them being around was rxing to Jason. In his past life Jason had gotten into an argument with his mom and gotten kicked out of the house.

    In America most people would move out as soon as their were financial able to. But in Asian culture it''smon to live with your parents even after you get married.

    Jason had just finished college and was still living with his parents when his mom finally asked him to give up on basketball.

    She got tired of seeing her son abuse his body time and time again to no avail. Jason''s mom grew tired of seeing her son go to the hospital from different injuries.

    But Jason was still in the prime of his youth and felt like he had a chance to make it as a pro so he couldn''t just give up.

    This lead to them arguing until Jason''s mom kicked him out. Although she apologized the next day and said that she had just said what she had said out of frustration Jason still moved out.

    He realized that he was being selfish forcing his mom to see all of his suffering. It wasn''t until yearster that he would eventually put his pursue of basketball on the side and focus on getting a real job.

    So Jason was happy to be able to hear his parents'' voices again and to feel their presence on a daily basis.

    Jason was woken up from his nap by a tapping on his shoulder. He then heard his mom''s voice "There''s some people here to see you Jaya."

    Jason rubbed his eyes and saw his mom smiling over him. He smiled "Okay mom, thanks." Jason got up and went to the front of the apartmentplex.

    He opened the door and saw Kyle, Samantha, and Shania all standing there. He yawned before scratching his head.

    "Sup guys. So why didn''t you call?" Samantha rolled her eyes before looking over to Kyle "Oh gee I wonder why didn''t we call. You want to tell him?"

    Kyleughed before pulling out his cellphone. He then showed his call log to Jason "We tried calling you bro. But your phone is dead."

    Jason pulled out his phone and found out that it was indeed out of battery. He chuckled before putting it back into his pocket.

    "Hehe my bad. So what''s the n? You guys trying to hang out today?" Shaniaughed as she looked at Kyle.

    "Haha I told you he would forget about it. Don''t you remember Jaya? We agreedst week that we would go shopping today.

    We need to buy you guys outfits for your end of the year talent show. You can''t put on a concert in just anything."

    Jason facepalmed after realizing that he did agree to that "My bad guys. I just forgot because I''ve been busy. Gimme a sec."

    Jason went back into the apartment and asked his mom if it was okay for him to go out with his friends.

    His mom said okay and asked if he wanted her to give them a ride. He told her that they would be taking the bus and that they would be okay.

    He then changed out of his white shirt and house shorts into a pair of ck joggers and a gray athletic shirt.

    As he stepped out of his apartment he put on a pair of gray and ck high top sneakers that had a picture of a lion breathing fire on the tongues.

    Jason stepped back out of the apartmentplex and saw Kyle, Samantha, and Shania taking goofy pictures.

    Heughed "d to see you guys were having fun while I was gone. Let''s go?" The four of them left as they walked to the nearest bus stop.

    After waiting for a few minutes a bus arrived. The four of them scanned their bus passes before taking a seat in the back.

    Shania sat down next to Samantha while Kyle and Jason sat in the row right behind them. Shania turned around and smiled at the two boys.

    "Congrats on the winst night. I wasn''t able to go but my uncle told me that some of the guys from Newberry went. And they said you guys were cookin em them the whole game."

    Kyle was smiling from ear to ear after hearing that "Did they really? Haha yeah we had a pretty good gamest night. Especially Jaya man.

    The game before that he had set a record for the most points scored during the tournament by dropping 50.

    But he broke that record against night after dropping 56 points. And it''s not like he was just focused on scoring too because he had like 6 assist and 3 steals for the night."

    Kyle wrapped his arm over Jason''s neck and ruffled his hair "This dude is such a beast. Now the only thing missing from his game are some nice dunks."

    Jason cracked a smile after hearing Kyle''s light jab at him. He then rolled his eyes "Hey I''m making progress okay? I''ll have you know that I''ve grown an inch since school started."

    Jason was pretty proud of being 5''5 as he puffed out his chest a bit but this only cause the others tough even harder.

    They chatted andughed as the bus made its way to the mall. They talked about Shania''s new school and how she was doing.

    Even though she couldn''t y for her school''s middle school team because of her transfer status she was still working out with the team so that she would be in shape and ready for the high school season next year.

    Shania giggled "You wouldn''t believe how many of the girls on the team are talking about Jaya. They would probably go crazy if they knew that I was hanging out with him like this.

    They''re either talking about his appearances on Through the Hoops or about his games at Jefferson."

    Kyleughed before going "Aye that''s my bro." He then extended his fist out as him and Jason fist bumped with smiles on their faces.

    Samantha on the other hand didn''t seem to pleases as she just grumbled under her breathe. Shania yfully elbowed her as sheughed.

    Jason chuckled "I hope they''re not saying anything bad about me. With all the negative media attention I''ve been getting I wouldn''t be surprised if people actually thought I was an asshole."

    Shania answered "Nah those girls are always talking about going to one of your games and asking for an autograph and taking pictures with you.

    Speaking of the media. I''m surprised that the blonde bitch that been doggin you been real quiettely."

    Kyle smiled as added "I wouldn''t be surprised about that. After she talked all of that shit about coach Swendel and Jason she took some heat online too.

    The news station said that she''s taking some time off because of family reasons but I''m sure that she''s trying toy low so that things can blow over."

    Jason scowled "That''s still too good for the bitch. She should get her bum ass fired. Every time I think about her my blood starts boiling."

    After about fifteen minutes the bus reached the mall as the four of them got their things and stepped off the bus.

    Kyle and Jason followed Samantha and Shania into their favorite store The Dirty Ditch. As they were walking they had to stop as asionally Jason would get random people that wanted to take a picture with him.

    Jason happily agreed as he posed for a few photos. One person even went into a sports store just to buy a basketball for Jason to sign.

    Some of the people also recognized Kyle as they asked him to join them in the photos. Kyle was surprised by the request but he smiled as he nodded his head.

    After dealing with a few more fans they were finally able to get back to walking. Samantha nudged Jason in the side as she smiled.

    "Look at Mr. Hollywood over here. I didn''t know that you were doing a fan event at the mall. Got any tips on how to get famous?"

    Jason teased "Haha Sammy. That was hrious. If you really want to get famous you should take a shot at stand up."

    Just as they were making their way past the food court Jason and Kyle heard a familiar voice "God damn brats. Who the hell pours ketchup on the floor like this?"

 Chapter 122 - Trip To The Mall: Part-2

    Jason and Kyle turned their heads in the direction of the voice. As soon as Kyle saw the familiar figure he ran toward him.

    As soon as Kyle reached him he grabbed him up into a huge hug "Coach! It''sbeen forever!" Coach Swendel was taken by surprise.

    "Who the hell!? Kyle!?" Coach Swendel was surprised as he looked up and saw that the one that was hugging him was Kyle.

    Coach Swendel was dressed in a gray janitor''s uniform. Jason made his way over as he watched Coach Swendel get swung around by Kyle.

    Heughed "Haha I know you''re happy Kyle but why don''t you put Coach down? He looks like he''s gonna yak."

    Kyle stopped swinging Coach Swendel around as he gently ce him back on the floor. Coach Swendel fixed up his uniform before looking at Jason and Kyle with a big smile on his face.

    "It''s good to see that you haven''t gotten weaker while I was gone Kyle. Then again it''s only been a few days.

    It''s also great to see you Jason. You boys have been doing great without me. You guys didn''t miss a beat."

    Jason walked up to Coach Swendel and hugged him from the side "Thanks Coach. For everything. Everyone on the team misses you."

    Coach Swendel was touched by Jason''s response to seeing him. He smiled as he patted him on the head.

    "Alright alright. That''s enough of the mooshy gooshy stuff. You guys should probably getting so close to me.

    My uniform is pretty dirty." Only after hearing Coach Swendel say that did Jason and Kyle realize that he was dressed up as a janitor.

    Kyle looked at Coach Swendel sadly "Why are doing this Coach? You were the coach for the number one team in the county. You''re too good to be cleaning up other peoples messes."

    Coach Swendel patted Kyle on the shoulder "There is no such thing as being too good for a job Kyle.

    As long as it''s clean and honest work there''s nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, I might have found my hidden talent. Even when I was your guys'' coach I was in charge of cleaning up your messes haha."

    Coach Swendel suddenly remembered something as he pulled out his cellphone. He started ying a video of Jefferson''s previous game.

    "You see this Kyle? You stepped up toote on the rotation. You already knew that there was a cutter approaching the paint but you still stuck to your man.

    With your wingspan and your ability to jump off the floor in a hurry you could have contained both of them.

    But because you gave the cutter too much space he was able to get the floater off on you. But still this was a good defensive possession. You just need to keep that in mind the next time you''re in a situation like that."

    Coach Swenel continued to talk to Kyle about the things that he could improve in his game. Seeing this Jason was happy to see Coach Swendel''s growth.

    In the beginning when Jason had first met him Coach Swendel had a very basic understanding of the game and his coaching ability matched that.

    But after a few months of picking at Jason''s brain and having in depth discussions about Xs and Os Coach Swendel''s understanding of the game improved.

    Although Jason still had a better understanding of the game because of his years of experience ying at a high level Coach Swendel had made huge leapspared to where he was at the beginning of the season.

    Instead of just being in charge of menial tasks such as Pumping the basketballs and cleaning the equipment Coach Swendel was able to help Jason coach the others during practice so that they could train effectively.

    Now not only did they have to take care of the maintenance work themselves. Jason had to spend more time coaching the other guys by himself.

    Jason asked "You have a degree right Coach? Why don''t you get a job as a personal trainer?"

    Coached Swendel answered "I put in my applications Jason don''t worry. I just took this job because I wanted to make sure I was making money instead of just sitting on my but waiting for a call that might note in.

    But that doesn''t mean that I''ve given up. As soon as I get a call telling me that they are ready to hire me I''ll drop this janitor job.

    Now you kids better get on your way. We should give it a few weeks for things to blow over. If you''re caught talking to me you don''t know what kind of bs the news stations cane up with.

    Tell the rest of the guys on the team that I might not be able to go to the games in person but I am cheering you guys on."

    Jason and Kyle were a little sad as they waved goodbye to Coach Swendel but they understood that it was for the best that they distance themselves for a while.

    Jason and Kyle walked back over to Samantha and Shania. After meeting back up they continued on their way.

    As they were walking Samantha looked over at Jason and Kyle "Seems like you guys really liked Coach Swendel."

    Jason shook his head "It''s hard to exin. When I first met him I thought that the guy was pretty key and unreliable.

    But after a while he kinda grew on me. He showed that he was willing to learn and that he wanted to do what was best for his yers."

    Kyle nodded his head in agreement "Coach Swendel would be the one to pump all the basketballs, clean all the equipment, and he always made sure that we were stocked up on sports drinks.

    I didn''t know until he was gone but Coach Swendel was the one paying for all the supplements out of his own pocket."

    After a few minutes of walking the four of them eventually reached The Dirty Ditch. As they stepped through the entrance Samantha waved one of the people in the store.

    "Hey Larry. Me and my friends have a show next week. I hope you saved the good stuff for us."

    Larry looked to be a sixteen to seventeen year old high schooler. His shoulder length ck hair had streaks of neon blue and his nostril had a small piercing.

    He was dressed in ck skinny jeans that were ripped at the knees and a ck Asking Alexandria shirt.

    Larry looked up from the shelves of shirts that he was restocking and smiled at Samantha "Well if it isn''t Little Red. Nice to see you and your friends.

    We got a fresh shipment of skinny jeans in different shades of ck and a few more ssic band shirts.

    I haven''t put them out on disy yet. They''re over in the usual spot so help yourselves." He then went back to restocking the shelves.

    Jason and Kyle followed Samantha as they went deeper into the store. The decorations consisted of fake spider webs and cracked tombstones.

    The store was dimly lit to give it a bit of a spooky vibe. Samantha grabbed on to Shania''s hand before turning around to the boys.

    "We''re going to go get some stuff for you guys to try on. You can wait for us here." The two girls slowly disappeared as they went deeper into the store.

    Jason his head to Kyle "If they''re looking for stuff for us to try on shouldn''t we have gone with them?"

    Kyle smiled as he shook his head "If my mom has taught me anything it''s that you don''t argue with ady when you''re out shopping Jaya."

    Jason thought about it for a second "I guess you''re right. When I go shopping with my mom I usually follow her lead."

    Jason and Kyle pulled out their phones as they waited for the girls toe back. After a few minutes they heard some new voices as more customers walked into the store.

    "Yo Livin Legend Larry. How''s it hanging bro? Me and Skeets are just gonna look around okay?"

    Jason then heard Larry''s voice "Alright Luke but make sure you guys don''t light up while you''re in here.

    And keep the Monsters closed okay? Last time you spilled a can all over the new chains and I had to spend the whole afternoon cleaning them up."

    Jason then saw two figures walking in their direction. The two of them were tall and skinny. They looked to be about 5''11 (1.8m) and 140lbs (63.5kg).

    They were dressed up in ripped up blue jeans and they were both wearing ck hoodies and Vans.

    They were both holding skateboards as they approached Jason and Kyle "Yo Skeet check it out. There are some normies at the Ditch."

    Skeet opened up his can of Monster Energy drink and took a sip. After he was done he looked over at Jason and Kyle "Yo Luke I think you''re right. What are normies doing over here?"

 Chapter 123 - The Talent Show

    Jason was dressed in joggers and an athletic shirt with a pair of sneakers on so he definitely didn''t fit the vibe of the store.

    And after spending so much time with Jason Kyle''s sense of fashion had be simr to his own, although still slightly different.

    Kyle was wearing a white Tee shirt with a picture of a girl dressed as a magician printed on it along with a pair of ck joggers.

    His sneakers were the same model but each of them was a different color. One was ck and one was white. But they were both low cut sneakers that went well with the rest of his outfit.

    The two of them couldn''t deny that they stuck out like a sore thumb. Jason smiled at the two guys "Don''t mind us guys. We just came in with our friends. They''re the alt ones not us."

    Kyle nodded his head "Yeah one of our friends is punk while the other one was.... I think she said post new wave emo? Or was it pre new age metal?.... I kinda forgot. There were too many words."

    As the two guys got closer and closer to the two of them Jason could smell the overbearing stench of cigarettes and motor oil from them.

    Skeets chugged down his can of Monster Energy drink before crumpling it up against his skull "So being alt is too good for you two?

    Hey Luke I think they think that being alt is below them. That really grinds my gears." Jason could see as Kyle began to tremble.

    Seeing Kyle get intimidated so easily Jason sighed. Although Kyle had made huge strides in regards to his confidence he still wasn''t able to deal with confrontation.

    Although that was only if he wasn''t on the basketball court. Whenever Kyle was on a basketball court it was like a switch being flipped as he turned into a confident and reassured yer.

    Jason could see that things were not going in a good direction "We never said that being alt was bad.

    We also didn''t say that we were too good to be alt. It''s just that being alt isn''t really our thing. We''re both basketball yers but our school has a talent show for the end of the year.

    One of our friends suggested making a band and the song we''re going to perform is a ssic by one of the really old bands.

    That''s why we''re here. Our friends went to go get us some clothes to try on. But we are going to be really respectful about the culture. We are not going to make fun of it or anything like that."

    Skeet stopped and looked at Jason and Kyle "Really?" Jason and Kyle hurriedly nodded their heads.

    Skeet then burst out intoughter as he patted Jason and Kyle on the back "Well that sounds awesome dudes.

    It''s always great to hear about outsiders respectfully taking part in alt culture. As long as you don''t just treat it as a weird costume then you guys will be fine.

    You said that you guys were going to perform at your school''s talent show right?" Jason and Kyle once again nodded their heads.

    Skeet asked "What school do you guys go to?" Kyle answered "We go to Jefferson Middle School."

    Skeet and Brad smiled "No way this tall ass mofo is in middle school? You guys are pretty tall for middle schoolers.

    Me and Luke went to Jefferson. How''s Principal Morris doing? That fat fuck used to catch me all the time for smoking in the parking lot.

    But he was pretty chill. He never ratted me out to my parents for skating at school and he let me eat at the cafeteria for free even after my meal benefits ran out.

    Me and Luke will bring some of the guys over to Jefferson to watch you guys jam out. The altmunity is pretty diverse but that also means that there are some assholes in it.

    So I want to make sure you guys have some fun with the show. Nothing bums me out more than having a dead crowd after you y your heart out. Laters guys."

    Jason watched as Skeet and Luke went to a different section of the store. After those two left Jason realized that even though Kyle had been trembling he had stood in front of Jason the whole time.

    Jason yfully punched Kyle in the side "Way to go Kyle. You managed to stick up for yourself."

    Kyle looked over at Jason questioningly "What do you mean? I didn''t do jack shit other than shake the whole time."

    Jasonughed "Sure you were shaking. But you didn''t back down and you were able to answer their questions while looking them straight in the eyes."

    Kyle was surprised by what Jason had said "Your right Jaya. I answered their questions and I looked them straight in the eyes the whole time! I didn''t back down!"

    Kyle excitedly lifted Jason up from the ground as he started swinging him around while hugging him.

    Samantha and Shania walked back over with a bunch of clothes in their arms. Shaniaughed "Y''all in the middle of something?

    We caneback if you want us to. Wouldn''t want to spoil the romantic mood y''all set up." After hearing that Kyle put Jason down before scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

    The two boys then began to try on all the different things that the girls had brought back. After a few rounds of trial and error they were able to find outfits for the two boys.

    The four of them then went to the food court and got some food. After eating and chatting the four of them decided to catch a movie at the mall''s movie theater.

    Since they were all under the age of 18 they had to settle for a generic superhero movie. Samantha and Shania went to go find the seats while Jason and Kyle picked up the snacks from the concession stand.

    As they were waiting for the food Jasonined "Jesus man. I can''t believe we paid that much for popcorn and soda. We could have just eaten out at an actual restaurant at that price."

    Kyle smiled as he popped a piece of candy into his mouth "You my friend arecking in the culture department.

    You''re not just paying for the food. You''re paying for the experience of snacking while watching a movie on a huge disy."

    After getting the snacks the boys made their way over to the room that was showing their movie.

    As the trailers ended and the actual movie began Jason smiled as he looked at his friends ''Taking a day to rx isn''t so bad.''

    - - -

    The weekend passed by as Jason had a full schedule. Jason, Kyle, and Samantha spent theirst day practicing as much as possible to make sure that they wouldn''t mess up during the actual show.

    During the day of the show it was finally time as Jason, Kyle, and Samantha stepped out on the stage.

    They were dressed in all ck attire and they even had some makeup done as they looked out into the audience.

    Jason had been in front ofrge crowds of people before but even for him this was a brand new experience.

    He could feel his hands getting sweaty as his heart rate started climbing up. He looked back at Kyle who was behind his keyboard "You ready?"

    Kyle nodded his head. Jason then turned to his side where Samantha was "You ready Sammy?"

    Samantha smiled brightly "You bet." Jason then grabbed the microphone as he began singing "Hey there,

    I know it''s hard to feel like I don''t care at all. Where you are and how you feel.

    Put these lights off as these wheels"

    As Jason continued singing Kyle was ying his keyboard and Samantha was ying her guitar when she joined in on the vocals.

    Jason and Samantha sang together "And I can''t make it on my own.Because my heart is in Ohio."

    Jason tried his best to match Samantha''s singing as the two of them sang the rest of the song together.

    After a while the song was done. Jason was breathing hard as sweat dripped down his face. The three of them looked out into the crowd.

    At first the crowd was silent. And then Skeet and Luke stood up along with the rest of their friends as they began pping and cheering.

    Eventually the rest of the crowd joined in as everyone cheered for the three of them. Jason, Kyle, and Samantha went back stage as they cleaned themselves up a bit.

    The three of them then waited as thest of the acts finished up. At the end of the night Jason was surprised as their band actually won 1st ce.

    As the three of them went up stage for thest time Jason couldn''t help butugh in his head ''First ce at the end of the year talent show. Now I just need to cap things off by winning Jefferson its first county championship.''

 Chapter 124 - Fight For The County Title

    It was Wednesday Night. Tonight was more than just a night in the middle of the week. Tonight would be the night that a new Riverside County Champion was crowned.

    Because of their regr season record the championship game would be taking ce at Jefferson tonight.

    Inside the locker room Ms. Yuller was holding another bundle of sage that she had set on fire. She waved it around gently as the smoke began to spread through the room.

    She then passed the bundle of sage to Kyle. He took the bundle and closed his eyes "Tonight we will win make a memory that will stay with us for a lifetime."

    Kyle then passed the bundle to Udonis who also closed his eyes "Tonight we''re going to make our parent and our friends proud."

    Udonis then passed the bundle to Trell who did the same "Tonight we gon y our hearts out and get some respect."

    The bundle of sage made its way around as everyone said what was in their hearts. Eventually it was Jason''s turn.

    He took the bundle of sage and closed his eyes "Tonight we are going to make history and bring Jefferson Middle School its very first County title."

    After he was done he passed the sage back to Ms. Yuller who had a warm smile on her face "Now that we have spoken the wishes we have deep within our hearts it is time for us to manifest them into reality. Go y your young hearts out!"

    Udonis stuck his arm out "Jefferson on three." Everyone piled their arms on top of each other as they gathered around.

    Everyone shouted in unison "ONE!TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!" They then threw their hands up before making their way out of the locker room.

    Principal Morris went the extra mile in ensuring that tonight would be a special night for everyone at the school.

    The lights were off as the gym was dark. Then all of a sudden a spotlight shined on Jefferson''s bench.

    A voice boomed out of the speakers in the gym "Introducing number 3 your starting Shooting Guard. He''s a sniper from long range. Give it up for Mathew Cohen!"

    Mathew stood up as the spotlight shined on him. The crowd pped and cheered as he walked over to the court.

    The voice then boomed out again "Now introducing number 1 your starting Small Forward. He''s the muscle of the team. Give it up for Trell McDaniels!"

    A spotlight shined on Trell as he stood up. The audience once again started pping and cheering. Trell high fived everyone that was still on the bench before making his way over to the court.

    "Now introducing number 12. He''s your starting Center. The one with the most bounce for the ounce. Give it up for Kyle Robinson!"

    Kyle stood up and enjoyed the cheers of the audience. He walked over to Jason and did their signature handshake which caused the crowd to go even crazier. After they were done he walked over to Matt and Trell.

    "Now introducing number 40. He''s the starting Power Forward as well as the team captain. A big body in the paint with the heart to match it. Give it up for Udonis Bembry!"

    Udonis stood up and waved to the crowd before throwing up a kiss to the sky. He then made his way to the court.

    "Last but certainly not least. I don''t think he needs an introduction but I''ll give him one anyway. He''s your starting Point Guard.

    He wears the number 17 but I think you all know him better as Jaya. Give it up for the hometown hero Jason Yang!"

    The entire gym was rocking as the audience cheered wildly for Jason. He stood up and smiled at the crowd as he waved to his parents.

    Jason''s mom and dad had tears in their eyes as they watched all these people shower their son with love and adoration.

    Jason made his way to the court where the rest of the guys were standing. He high fived all of them before standing in ce.

    The crowd gave the boys onest round of apuse before the actual start of the game.

    - - -

    The game began as both teams got into position for the tip off. Tonight they were ying against a familiar team.

    Nashton Academy fought their way to the finals as they would now battle against Jefferson for the county title.

    Kyle stared down 3D as they waited for the referee to toss up the ball. Kyl''s eyes were burning with excitement.

    The referee tossed the ball into the air as Kyle easily leapt up and tapped it over to Udonis. He then passed the ball over to Jason.

    Jason scanned the floor and saw that although the opposing team managed to put a defender on Kyle he was running to the basket with a smaller defender on him.

    Jason ran the ball up the court and yelled out "Go up strong Kyle!" He then tossed the ball up high where only Kyle could reach it.

    Kyle heard Jason and instinctively jumped up with everything that he had. The defender saw that Kyle was going up to catch a pass and pushed him while he was in the air.

    Kyle felt the contact at his hips as his body began to tilt off bnce. But he was still able to reach the ball with his right hand before gently pushing it toward the basket.

    As Kyle awkwardlynded on the court he heard the referee blow his whistle "Foul on number 2! Free throws for Jefferson!"

    Jason ran up to Kyle and pped him on the shoulder "Good finish bro!" Kyle smiled at Jason and then made his way to the free throw line.

    After getting into position the referee passed the ball over to Kyle. He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe.

    After opening his eyes he focused on the basket, bounced the ball, and shot the free throw. The ballnded on the right side of the rim and bounced a few times before falling back down to the ground.

    Kyle sighed in disappointment but Jason patted him on the back as the two of them made their way back on defense.

    Nashton Academy had their Point Guard bring the ball down the court. As he crossed half court he passed the ball to one of their wing yers before Jason could even start guarding him.

    The wing yer tried to pass the ball down to 3D in the post but Trell was moving his hands and making hard for him to get the pass off.

    After a few seconds he was finally able to find an opening as he bounce passed the ball to 3D down in the post.

    Kyle was already sweating from fighting 3D for post position. Now he had to endure as 3D started to back him down.

    Kyle tried to get into rhythm as he timed 3D''s backdowns to his own pushes. He pushed back with his shoulder and forearm but he could feel himself getting pushed deeper into the paint.

    ''I won''t let you have it easy you big fuck!'' Kyle got down even lower as he tried to anchor himself down to the floor.

    Kyle felt a change and knew that 3D would go for a spin move. Just as he predicted 3D turned over left shoulder as he began going baseline toward the basket.

    Kyle shuffled his feet as he tried his best to stay with 3D. Just as they reached the bottom of the basket 3D went up for the reverseyup.

    Kyle saw this and jumped into the air as he began stretching his arm out as far it could go in order to contest the shot.

    Unfortunately for him 3D was able to get the shot off safely as the ballnded on the rim. It rolled around a bit before sinking through the.

    Kyle pped in his hands in frustration "Fuck!" He then took the ball and inbounded it to Jason.

    Jason caught the ball and looked at Kyle "Rx bro. Just keep it up. You''ll get him next time."

    He then brought the ball up the court and signaled for a y. Udonis came out to the perimeter as Jason passed him the ball.

    As soon as he passed the ball to Udonis, Jason ran toward him for the hand off. Jason squeezed by Udonis before driving toward the paint.

    Udonis rolled toward the rim but then stopped as he saw that both defenders were focused on Jason.

    Jason had the attention of both his defender and Udonis'' defender as they both chased after him.

    After seeing that he had pulled both of them far enough away Jason bounced the ball between his legs as he passed the ball to Udonis who was behind him and slightly to the left.

    Udonis saw that there was no one close to him so he took the wide open 12 foot (3.65m) mid range jump shot.

    The crowd cheered as the ball hit nothing but. Udonis pointed to Jason with a smile. Jason walked toward Udonis and high fived him.

    As the two of them made their way back on defense Jason smiled at Udonis "Let''s go run these guys out of our gym and grab that trophy."

 Chapter 125 - Rematch, A Battle In The Paint

    This time around Nashton Academy ran a pick and roll y with their Point Guard and 3D. But as good as 3D was at setting screens Jason easily went under it before quickly sticking back to his defensive assignment.

    The amount of space Jason allowed between him and his defensive assignment was small and the length of time where that space was avable was short as well.

    The Point Guard had no chance to get a shot off using the screen. 3D made his way back down to the post as they tried to run another y.

    Nashton Academy tried to run some off ball screens but with Jason directing the defense they were able to prevent any open looks.

    3D waved off his teammates as he decided to go one on one against Kyle again. He began backing down Kyle.

    Kyle tried his best to fight against 3D''s physicality but after a few seconds he found himself getting closer and closer to the basket.

    3D gave onest push before turning over his right shoulder for left handed hook shot. The push forced Kyle back but he was able to recover as he jumped forward and extended his arm out.

    Despite Kyle''s contest 3D got the ball to the rim safely. The ball bounced around the rim before falling back down.

    Kyle boxed out 3D as he watched the ball. As soon as he saw iting back down he got ready to jump for the rebound.

    But before he could leave the ground he felt himself being moved out of position. 3D pushed him out of the way with his hip as he chased after the rebound.

    Kyle reached for the ball but with being in such a bad position all he could do was watch helplessly as 3D snatched up the ball.

    He was about to put the ball back up for another shot but before he could even raise his arms he felt the ball disappear from his hands.

    3D looked down and saw that Jason had stolen the ball from him and was now running to the other side.

    Before Jason could even get out into the perimeter a defender reached in trying to steal the ball away.

    Jason bounced the ball through the defenders legs before running to get the ball back. Jason looked up and saw that Trell had a clear line to the basket.

    Jason yelled out "Trell!" before throwing aser of a pass. Trell didn''t have to slow down as the ball reached his hands mid stride.

    Trell measured the distance from the basket and as soon as he saw that he was close enough he nted both of his feet before leaping into the air.

    Trell mmed the ball toward the basket with both of his hands. Afterwards he came back down to the ground as he bent his knee''s to absorb the impact.

    Trell flexed to the crowd before making his way back on defense. He smiled as he pointed to Jason to acknowledge the assist.

    The game was neck and neck as Jefferson scored off of a fast paced offense that took advantage of their athleticism and shooting.

    As Trell and Kyle helped to push the pace with their speed on the fast break while Jason and Matt helped with their ability to quickly get a shot off from the perimeter.

    On defense although Kyle was doing his best to defend 3D and was able to cause him some difficulty in the post they still weren''t able to build much of a lead because of 3D''s amazing ability to grab the offensive rebound.

    It was just too much for Kyle to defend 3D in the post and then have to fight for the rebound.

    All the second chance points that 3D was able to put on the board caused the game to be so close.

    As the quarter neared the halfway point Jefferson was barely in the lead as the score was 18-16

    And the scariest part was that 14 out of the 16 points that Nashton Academy had scored was done by 3D himself.

    Jason crossed his arms as he called for a timeout. The yers all walked toward their respective benches.

    Kyle took a seat and then punched the cushion of the chair next to him "Fuck!" The frustration was clear as day on Kyle''s face.

    His breathing wasbored as drops of sweat fell from the curls on his head. Jason walked over and put his hand on Kyle''s shoulder.

    "Bro you''ve been doing a great job of guarding 3D. You don''t need to be so pissed." Kyle angrily shook his head.

    "I''ve been doing a great job? The fat ass scored most of his teams points! Everyone else is doing their job and guarding their mans and I''m the only one who can''t fucking do that!"

    Jason was surprised by Kyle''s outburst. This was the most emotional he had ever seen him behave. Even in their first go around with Nashton Academy Kyle hadn''t been as frustrated as this.

    As Jason was thinking of what to say Trell walked over and poured some ice cold water from his sports bottle on to Kyle''s head.

    Kyle angrily turned around to Trell "What the fuck man!" Trell just smiled "So this is how I looked when we yed against Verde Gardens huh?"

    Kyle was surprised by what Trell had said. Trell kept on smiling "You know how stupid I made myself look so don''t do the same shit to yourself bruh.

    Besides, you normally be smiling like a goofball. This angry shit is outta character for you and it don''t match you."

    Kyle paused for a second before taking a deep breathe. He then wiped himself dry with his towel before smiling at Trell and Jason.

    "You''re right Trell. Being pissed just doesn''t match well with me. I guess I just got angry from being scored on so much. I''m good now."

    Jason was happy to see that the situation was able to resolve itself. Jason yfully punched Trell on the arm.

    "Look at you man. I never thought I would see the day where you would be the one cooling someone else down. You normally the hottest head in the room bro."

    Trell yfully knocked Jason on the head for revenge as he smiled "Shut yo smart ass up." Trell then took a seat and focused on resting.

    Jason took a look at Nashton Academy''s bench and saw that 3D was dumping his water from his sports bottle on to his head.

    Seeing this Jason smiled ''Looks like our n worked. We didn''t do all that running for nothing. With 3D out it should be easy for us to build a lead.''

    As the timeout ended Jason stayed in the lineup while Trell and Kyle got subbed out for Nick and Vince.

    With Jason at Point Guard, Matt at Shooting Guard, Nick at Small Forward, Vince at Power Forward, and Udonis at Center Jefferson made their way back to the court.

    As for Nashton Academy 3D was still on the bench as his team went back out to the court. Udonis inbounded the ball to Jason.

    Jason crossed half court and called for a screen from Udonis. Instead of driving to the paint off of the screen Jason used it in an attempt to get open on the perimeter.

    This forced the opposing team''s Big to switch out on to Jason as the guard then switched on to Udonis as he rolled toward the basket.

    Jason saw this and lobbed the ball overhead to Udonis at a height where the guard could not reach it.

    Udonis caught the pass and as he approached the paint he spun to the right. This sudden move allowed him to get around the guard that was defending him beforeying up the ball.

    Udonis smiled as he pointed to Jason. On defense Jefferson was able to do a much better job at containing Nashton Academy without 3D''s interior presence there to pressure them.

    While on offense Jason did a good job of getting everyone involved as he ran the ybook and found the open man.

    Nashton Academy had their hands full trying to chase Nick and Matt as they ran around the court,ing off screens, and cut to the basket.

    Udonis would asionally take matters into his own hands as Jason would start off some of the possessions with a Udonis post up.

    Udonis was able to get a few buckets with his offensive post moves but he was also able to y make from the post as he found the open man on a few asions.

    The quarter ended as Jefferson was able to build a bit of a lead with a score of 34-22. Jason made his way to the bench along with the other guys.

    Jason gulped down the water from his sports bottle before pouring some of it over his head. The ice cold sensation was refreshing after having to y the whole first quarter.

    As the break was just about done Jason was surprised to see that on Nashton Academy''s bench it looked like 3D was getting ready to start the 2nd quarter.

    ''No way! He recovered already?!''

 Chapter 126 - Grinding It Out

    As the yers went back on to the court for the 2nd quarter Jason was surprised to see that 3D was already getting back into the game.

    ''This doesn''t make sense. Whenever he pours water on top of his head it always means that he''s too tired and needs at least a full quarter to rest. Why is he getting back into the game so soon?''

    Nashton Academy inbounded the ball to their Point Guard and had him bring the ball up the court. The Point Guard then called for a screen from 3D.

    3D left the paint and came out to the perimeter to set a screen. Jason saw the screening and prepared himself to go under it.

    As Jason was going under the screen the Point Guard hurried to take the three point shot in order to take advantage of the space.

    Unfortunately for him Jason soon came back to him as he contested the shot. Jason stretched his arm out as he contested the shot from the best possible angle.

    The Point Guard was able to get the shot off but the ball ended up hitting the right side of the backboard before falling back down.

    Udonis grabbed the rebound and threw a outlet pass halfway up the court to Jason who was already running the fast break.

    Jason caught the ball before quickly scanning the court. There were only 2 other people in the vicinity.

    One was the Point Guard that took the three point shot and the other was Kyle who was brought out to the perimeter when he followed 3D as he went to set the screen.

    Jason was running on the right as Kyle sandwiched the defender between them. As they got closer to the paint Jason softly tossed the ball into the air. The defender tried to intercept the ball but it was just too high for him.

    Kyle nted his right foot before exploding off the ground. With his left hand extended as far as it could go he caught the ball after it bounced off the backboard.

    Kyle mmed his left hand down into the basket as he thunderously dunked the ball. Kylended a little awkwardly but he was still able to absorb most of the impact by bending his knees at the right time.

    Kyle got up and smiled as he quickly flexed for the crowd while they were going crazy for the dunk.

    As Jason and Kyle were making their way back on defense they high fived and saluted each other beforeughing.

    - - -

    Out in the crowd Billy was recording as Jason and Kyle ran the fast break. He smiled as he helplessly shook his head after watching Kyle cap off the fast break with another incredible dunk.

    His attention was pulled away from the game when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned his head and the smile quickly disappeared from his face.

    "What are you doing here Troy? Shouldn''t you have gotten enough scouting material?" Troy smiled as he looked at Billy.

    "I could say the same thing to you Billy. What are you still doing here? You should know that you don''t have a snowball''s chance in hell of recruiting Jason."

    Billy didn''t even get upset at Troy''s remark as he tly answered "I''m not here as a scout. I''m just here as a fan of basketball."

    Billy then gazed out into the court before ncing at Jason. Billy smiled "The kid has this weird way of getting your attention.

    His charisma on the court is something I don''t think I''ve experienced before. I heard my grandpa tell stories of Magic Johnson and he said that he had the same effect on people."

    Troy was surprised by Billy''s heartfelt answer. After a moment he took a seat beside Billy "I never thought there would be a day where I would agree with you."

    Billy looked at Troy questioningly. Troy looked back at Billy andughed "I''m here for the exact same reason as you.

    I''m not here as Troy Gafford the assistant coach for McDaniels High School. I''m just here as Troy the basketball fan."

    Billy paused for a second before nodding his head "So who do you think is going to win? I feel like this was the worst possible match up for Jefferson."

    Troy nodded his head in agreement "Nashton Academy really was the worst possible match up. They have the ability to take advantage of Jefferson''s only major weakness.

    Jefferson has the best perimeter defense in the county and they also have the highest number of blocks per game out of any team in the county.

    But when ites to their post defense they actually don''t have anyone that is great. Kyle has been able to do a decent job of guarding in the post because of his size advantage.

    So far there hasn''t been a yer that was able to pressure Kyle on the inside because of his elite wingspan and his amazing bounce.

    But to 3D Kyle is pretty much a little kid. He''s taller than Kyle so his wingspan doesn''t bother him as much as it did other yers.

    And his incredible strength and size allows him to easily move Kyle out of position making it hard for him to utilize his athleticism.

    And it''s not like they have anyone else that is better suited to guarding him. Udonis might have better defensive fundamentals in the post and he''s certainly stronger than Kyle.

    But his height and reach is far shorter than Kyle''s and he doesn''t have the bounce that would allow him to at least bother 3D''s shot like Kyle."

    Billy processed what Troy said "How did they manage to beat Nashton Academy the first time around? I didn''t watch the game but I did see the box score and it looked like they beat them pretty handily."

    Troy went silent as he switched his attention back to the game which caused Billy to do the same.

    The two of them watched on as 3D once again posted up Kyle down in the block. Kyle lowered his stance as he tried to leverage himself against 3D.

    But despite Kyle''s best efforts after a few seconds he found himself getting pushed underneath the basket.

    3D drop stepped which forced Kyle out of position. And as 3D got into position to go up for theyup Kyle hurriedly tried to recover.

    Kyle jumped up and stretched his right hand out in order to contest the shot but 3D''s bulky frame kept Kyle from getting too close.

    The shot went up but it quickly rolled off the rim. Kyle tried fighting 3D for the rebounding position.

    But even though he had 3D boxed out he was moved to the side as 3D grabbed another offensive rebound.

    3D didn''t even bring the ball back down. As soon as itnded in his right hand he flipped it back up into the basket.

    This time the ball fell through the as Nashton Academy scored a basket. The score on the scoreboard was now 36-24.

    Troy sighed before continuing where he had left off "Jefferson won theirst game against Nashton Academy by running them out of the gym.

    They pushed the tempo and kept things fast paced. Forcing Nashton Academy to y at a higher tempo than they were used to.

    This caused their main weapon ,3D, to run out of gas quicker. During the gaps where 3D wasn''t on the floor Jefferson built up their lead."

    Billy nodded his head after hearing that "That sounds like a good strategy. Why can''t they just do that again?"

    Troy exined "They have been Billy. It looks to me like Jefferson has been making a concentrated attempt to push the pace.

    But there is one problem with a strategy like that. Take a look at Jefferson''s yers and their bench."

    Billy looked over at the court and noticed that besides Jason all the other yers were breathing hard. Especially Kyle.

    He then looked over at Jefferson''s bench and it was the same thing. All the yers were soaked in sweat and their breathing was noticeablybored.

    Troy added "These kids have been ying games nonstop. The umtive fatigue is starting to show.

    And not only that tournament games are typically more mentally and physically exhausting than regr season games.

    More fatigue with less time to rest in between is a quick recipe for draining and over taxing your yers.

    This problem is even worse for Jefferson as they only have 8 yers on their roster. Their rotations are already short so the amount of time each yer has to rest is even smaller.

    Not only that. Right after this is the state tournament. If Jefferson pushes themselves too hard it could negatively impact their performance against the toughest teams the state has to offer.

    Should they y it safe and risk losing to Nashton Academy? Or should they go all out tonight and make things harder for themselves at the state tournament? Neither one of those is an easy decision to make."

 Chapter 127 - Grinding It Out: Part-2

    Back out on the court Jason was scanning the floor as he thought of the y that would best suit their current situation.

    ''Kyle''s starting to get tired so I should probably give him a possession or two to catch his breathe. I guess I''ll go with a simple pick and roll with UD.''

    Jason signaled for Udonis toe out and set a screen. After seeing that Udonis came out from the block to the perimeter.

    As soon as Udonis was set Jason began driving to the right. Jason forced his defender into the screen as he ran tightly by Udonis.

    Udonis'' defender sagged off of Jason which gave him just enough time to pull up for the long mid range shot.

    The ball went straight through the which excited the crowd as they pped and cheered. Jason pped Udonis on the back as he went past him "Nice screen UD."

    Nashton Academy''s Point Guard passed the ball to the right wing as soon as he crossed half court. Jason yelled out to Nick "Switch!"

    Jason switched on to the wing yer and Nick switched on to the Point Guard. Jason kept his hands active in order to make it hard for the wing yer to dump the ball down low to 3D.

    But despite his efforts after a while the wing yer found the opening to pass the ball to 3D down in the post.

    With the ball in his hands 3D began to back down Kyle. He braced himself and got ready as best he could but each push still shook him to his core.

    Kyle felt like his body was being smashed with a sledgehammer every time he collided with 3D. He could feel his body shaking.

    3D had pushed himself deep into the paint and was just about to make his move when he saw Jason running over to double team him.

    Normally Jason''s tiny body wouldn''t be able of hindering 3D''s massive frame as he attacked in the post.

    But since Jason made his move at just the right time it ruined 3D''s rhythm and jammed him up. 3D was forced to kick the ball back out to the perimeter.

    Jason already started closing back out on his defensive assignment as soon as 3D started to throw the pass.

    The yer on the wing caught the ball as Jason was rushing toward him. He started his shooting motion as he began to shoot the three.

    After running with everything that he had, Jason just barely managed to contest the shot before it left the shooters hand.

    The ball flew through the air before hitting the front of the rim. Luckily for Jefferson the long rebound fell right into Matt''s hands.

    Matt passed the ball up to Jason who was already running as he then pushed the fast break. It was a 1 on 2 fast break as two defenders chased after Jason.

    Jason pulled the defenders with him as he made his way to the basket. As he got into the paint he spun to his right as he sliced in between his two defenders.

    As he was spinning, with his back facing the basket, Jason threw aser of a pass out to the perimeter where Matt was located.

    Matt caught the ball in rhythm as it made its way right to his shooting pocket. He fired off the three point shot.

    Jason''s shy move got the crowd excited once again as they then held their breathes while watching the ball fly through the air.

    As the ball swished through the and the referee raised three fingers to indicate that the three pointer was good the crowd erupted into cheers.

    Jason ran over to Matt as the two then chest bumped in the air. Although his breathing was slightlybored Jason was smiling brightly at Matt.

    "Nice shot man!" Matt pped Jason on the back as heughed "Nah bro. It was all about the pass. That shit was wild. I don''t know how you managed to keep track of where I was after that spin move."

    The two of them were clearly fired up as they made their way back on defensive. The rest of the team congratted the two on the highlight y as well.

    The quarter passed as the game fell into a delicate state of bnce. Jefferson would chain together a few possessions where they were able to lock down 3D and Nashton Academy.

    And then the opposite would happen as 3D and Nashton Academy would catch fire and minimize the lead that Jefferson had worked so hard to put together.

    After getting lucky and hitting a few heavily contested threes the perimeter yers on Nashton Academy seemed to have caught fire.

    They had a few possessions where their shooters ran off of screens before taking and making contested three point shots.

    And 3D was ying much harder than he had in their first game against Jefferson. He fought hard for offensive rebound.

    Even beating both Udonis and Kyle as they tried to box him out together on a few possessions. 3D''s presence in the paint was just too much for them to handle.

    As the quarter reached its halfway point the score had be 46-38 as 3D posted a ridiculous 24 points and 16 rebounds.

    Jason called for a timeout as both yers then made their way back to their respective benches.

    As Jason took a seat he looked around the team and noticed that everyone was breathing pretty hard.

    Jason gripped his sports bottle tight ''Damn! This game is way more tiring than thest time we yed Nashton Academy.

    It''s because 3D is ying so many minutes. Not only that, he''s ying even harder than in our first game. Will our rotations hold up?''

    Jason got all of the guys attention "After the timeout we''ll go with me, Trell, Vince, DJ, and Nick.

    Whenever 3D is in we need to make sure that we keep up a high tempo. We need to make sure that 3D runs out of gas."

    Udonis interjected "What about you Jaya? You yed every minute so far. Don''t you need to get some rest?"

    All of the guys turned to Jason with concerned looks on their faces. Jasonughed "You guys might have had a point at the beginning of the season.

    But now I''m thest person you should be worried about. I might not be the fastest or the strongest on the team but I have the best motor out of anyone of you guys.

    You guys know that I have the best endurance on the team. I run miles everyday after practice."

    Trell shook his head "Yeah you got a good motor. But you also got the heaviest load out of all of us.

    At least we can chill a little bit during the possessions. But you be runnin around like the whole court on fire."

    Matt nodded his head in agreement "You also have the most responsibilities on offense. Even if you got some extra gas it won''tst too long if you keep going a hundred miles an hour."

    Jason smiled as he shook his head "Here''s the n. I''ll y out this quarter and take a break in the 3rd.

    I can''t afford to sit out yet. We need to finish this quarter strong and make sure that we take control of the game.

    If we give Nashton Academy any breathing room then they could take advantage of that tounch theireback.

    We need to make sure that we keep the pressure up until the veryst moment. We need to break their spirit if we want to guarantee the win. Alright?"

    The rest of the guys hesitated for a moment but they all ended up nodding their heads. After talking strategy the guys all focused on recovering as much as possible before the timeout was over.

    Jason took a look out into the crowd. He saw his parents sitting next to Tory and her dad. Next to Tory''s dad was Kyle''s mom.

    All of them started waving excitedly at Jason when they saw that he was looking in their direction. Kyle''s mom was carrying a huge homemade poster that read ''Let''s Go Jefferson!''

    Jason was surprised to see that Samantha was also in the crowd sitting close by his parents. She was holding up a poster that said ''Go Jason! Go Kyle!''

    There was also Tyreek and Shania in the crowd along with Hash, Rick, and a bunch of the other guys from Newberry.

    They all stood up and started waving around their posters at Jason when they saw him look in their direction.

    Jason smiled as he waved back at the crowd. Even with all the games that Jason had yed in his past life this game felt special to him for some reason.

    Jason felt a surge of warmth flow through his chest that then began to spread throughout his body.

    ''We can''t afford to lose this game. I can''t afford to lose this game.''

 Chapter 128 - Come Hell Or High Water

    As the clock buzzed signaling the end of the timeout Jason and the rest of the guys made their way on to the court.

    Their lineup currently consisted of Jason at Point Guard, DJ at Shooting Guard, Nick at Small Forward, Trell at Power Forward, and Vince at Center.

    Vince inbounded the ball to Jason who then dribbled it up the court. As soon as he crossed half court Jason signaled for a y.

    Trell went to set a screen for DJ who was standing in the left corner. DJ ran off the screen out into the perimeter.

    DJ then positioned himself at the top of the perimeter as Jason passed him the ball. Jason then began running toward DJ.

    Jason ran by DJ to the right as he got the hand off from him. DJ then used his body as he screened for Jason.

    Jason had a bit of space as he approached the right wing because his defender had gotten caught in DJ''s screen.

    This forced the opposing team''s starting Small Forward to leave Nick alone as he closed out on Jason.

    Jason got him slightly into the air with a pump fake before driving toward the basket. This caused the Small Forward to chase after him after he recovered from the pump fake.

    Jason also had the attention of his previous defender as both of them chased him into the paint. After pulling both of them far enough Jason tossed the ball over his shoulder as he kicked the ball out to Nick on the perimeter.

    Nick caught the ball and was about to shoot the three when he noticed that DJ''s defender was rushing toward him.

    He slowed down his jumper by just a bit to give the defender more time. As soon as he got close he passed the ball over the defenders head to DJ.

    DJ caught the pass without a single defender in the vicinity so he took the three point shot. He bent his knees and aligned his hip and elbow to the basket.

    His release was a little past his forehead as he let the ball go with a flick of his wrist. He held his right hand up from the follow through as he watched the ball glide through the air.

    DJ''s shot was t as it didn''t have much of an arc. It was going straight for the basket. The crowd had gotten excited from the amazing disy of ball movement.

    But the the crowd released a collective sigh of disappointment after seeing the ball bounce off the front of the rim.

    Luckily for the audience as well as for Jefferson that wasn''t the end of the story. After hitting the front of the rim the ball bounced high up.

    And as it came down there was a Jefferson jersey there to grab the offensive rebound. The muscr figure that didn''t match the image of a 13 year old had jumped straight up and caught the ball with his fully extended right hand.

    As soon as Trell came back down to the court with the ball in his hands he was covered by the arms of Nashton Academy''s backup Center.

    Trell tried to look up at the basket but all he could see was the shadows of the Center''s arms ''If you ain''t the big tub ofrd then don''t even think of stopping me!''

    Trell bounced the ball once before trying to clear some space by jumping into the Center and pushing with his back.

    The Center had underestimated Trell''s strength as he ended up getting pushed back a step and a half ''How the hell!?''

    Trell then went up strong with the ball as he held it with both hands. The ball bounced off the backboard before falling through the.

    Trell punched the air before looking up at the ceiling and yelling passionately yelling out "Yeaahh!!!"

    The audience pped and cheered as they chanted his name "TRELL! TRELL! TRELL!" For that brief moment Trell felt a warmth in his chest that he had never felt before.

    - - -

    Billy and Troy watched as Jason and the rest of Jefferson put on showed the whole gym a lesson on how to pass the ball.

    They watched as Jason pulled the defenders away before kicking the ball out to Nick. They then watched as Nick purposeful pulled the defender toward him before passing the ball over to DJ.

    When they saw that the three pointer had missed the two of them joined the rest of the crowd as they sighed in disappointment.

    But then a figure came out of nowhere to grab the offensive rebound. The both of them felt their heart rate begin to quicken.

    As Trell fought underneath the basket before finally scoring the second chance points off of the offensive rebound the both of them had forgotten who they were as they jumped to their feet and began cheering.

    After realizing what they had done the both of them smiled in embarrassment. Troy coughed to clear his throat.

    "That was a hell of a basket don''t you think?" Billy nodded his head in agreement "That offensive rebound was something else.

    He got off the ground quicker than anyone else that was there. And the power needed to move a defender out of position like that... That''s the kind of move you expect out of a Center. Not your wing yer slotting in for a few minutes at Power Forward."

    Troy began to rub his hands together as he greedily looked out into the court "This kid could end up being a match up nightmare.

    All he needs to do is make sure that his game develops properly. If he can add some more polish to his game while developing physically the same way that he''s been then there''s no way that this kid won''t make it to the league."

    Billy chuckled before looking over at Troy "I thought you said that you turned scouting mode off. What happened?"

    Troy pped his leg beforeughing "What can I say? The kid just showed me something that was too good to ignore.

    I feel like you''re the only other guy that I kinda get along with in this industry Billy so I''ll give you a warning.

    Don''t even think about recruiting Trell. We''re the only school that can make sure that he maximizes his potential. He''s going to be ying for us next yeare hell or high water."

    - - -

    Without 3D in the game Jefferson was able to control the game as they locked down Nashton Academy''s on defense while also slowing down the tempo and ying methodically on offense.

    Since 3D wasn''t on the floor there wasn''t a point in pushing the tempo and ying high paced basketball.

    Jefferson forced the game toe to a grinding and slow pace as they honed in on D while ying slow half court offense.

    This change of tempo made it hard for Nashton Academy to adjust to Jefferson''s new offense as they were forced to change the way they guarded the yers.

    This change in tempo also allowed for some of the yers on Jefferson to catch a breather now that they weren''t constantly running up and down the court.

    Jason allowed DJ to be the primary ball handler as he initiated the majority of their offense.

    They repeatedly ran the pick and roll with DJ and Trell. If the opposing team''s Power Forward stepped up to contain DJ then he would simply pass the ball to Trell as he rim runned.

    This would either lead to a easy basket by Trell or if the other team''s Big went up to guard him then Trell would simply pass the ball to Vince who would be waiting in the paint.

    If the opposing team''s Power Forward didn''t step up to contain DJ then he would take the mid range jumper.

    He wasn''t Jason but DJ could still hit a pretty decent amount of his mid range jumpers. And if he missed then Trell and Vince would fight for the rebound.

    If Nashton Academy switched on the pick and roll then DJ would just pull the Power Forward out to the paint before passing the ball to Trell as he posted up the Guard.

    With Trell''s freakish strength and his improved ability to finish around the rim there was no chance for the guard to stop him.

    The second quarter came to an end as Jefferson built up a sizable lead. The score on the scoreboard was now 60-44.

    Jason and the rest of the guys slumped down into their chairs aftering back over to the bench. Ms. Yuller walked up to them with a bright smile on her face.

    "That was an amazing performance gentlemen. Go ahead and rest up during the intermission. You have all deserved it."

    Jason got his towel and soaked it in some ice cold water from his sports bottle beforeying it over his face.

    "Hmmmm" Jason groaned as the ice cold towel met his hot face ''Just two more quarters Jason. You just need tost two more quarters.''

 Chapter 129 - Giants Fall

    Jason was rxing with the towel over his face. He closed his eyes as he lost himself in the cool sensation.

    As he was enjoying the relief from the overbearing heat he felt someone sit down in the chair next to him.

    He then heard Udonis'' voice "You good bro?" Jason replied "Yup. I ain''t ever felt better UD. Especially now that I got this towel on my face."

    Udonisughed "Well you should keep that towel on your face then. Let DJ run Point next quarter and just chill here for a bit."

    Jason lifted up a portion of the towel so that he had one eye exposed as he looked at Udonis.

    "You know I can''t do that UD. I just told the guys that so that they would stop worrying. I can''t sit out until we crush Nashton Academy''s spirit."

    Udonis shook his head "I know that you want to grab the dub more than anyone else Jaya but you gotta take care of your body.

    I ain''t gon front. You been working on your stamina like crazy. But you still human bro. You keep pushin like this and you gon end up ridin the tread off those tires.

    You the only one that ain''t been out of the game ever since we started. Give yourself a break and trust us."

    Jason paused for a second before nodding his head "Alright UD. I''ll y the first minute or two to make sure that we the momentum is in our favor and then I''ll sub out for DJ okay?"

    After hearing that Udonis smiled "Alright bro. I know that I might sound like I''m buggin or that I''m naggin you he hard.

    But sometimes we need people to protect us from ourselves right?" Udonis then extended his fist toward Jason.

    Jason smiled as he dropped the towel back on to his face before extending his own fist forward "Yeah, I get you UD. We cool." The two of them then bumped fists.

    Jason spent the remainder of the break trying his best to rest ''Man I miss Coach Swendel. Right now he would be massaging my legs and asking about my condition.''

    As the clock buzzed to indicate that it was time for the game to resume Jason took the towel off of his face.

    As the other guys got up to get back into the game Jason noticed that Kyle''s legs were slightly trembling.

    Jason called out "Yo Kyle. You sure you''re good to y? You can take a longer break if you need to."

    Kyle smiled as he shook his head "Nah bro I''m good. My legs just fell asleep a little from all the sitting. I''ll be good after ying for a minute or two."

    Jason paused for a second before nodding his head "Okay. Just let us know if you need to rest."

    Jason got the guys attention "We''ll go with me at Point, Nick at Shooting Guard, Matt at Small Forward, Udonis at Power Forward, and Kyle at Center."

    The guys made their way to the court. Nashton Academy had the first possession of the 3rd quarter as they inbounded the ball to their Point Guard.

    As soon as the Point Guard crossed half court he passed the ball over to the wing yer on the right wing.

    Jason instructed Matt to switch defensive assignments as Jason made his way over to the right wing.

    As Jason and Matt were switching defensive assignments the wing yer took advantage of the small window of opportunity as he passed the ball to 3D down in the post.

    As soon as he had the ball in his hands 3D began to back down Kyle in the post. Kyle braced himself for the impact as he tried his best to keep 3D out of the paint.

    With 3D''s enormous frame hammering against him Kyle could feel the impact throughout his whole body.

    After a few seconds 3D had managed to push his way deep into the paint. But just as he was about to turn over his shoulder for the hook shot he felt another body guarding him.

    He looked down and saw as Jason had made his way over in order to double team 3D in the paint.

    3D didn''t try to force the issue as he kicked the ball back out to the perimeter to his wing yer.

    As soon as he began to pass the ball Jason was already running back out to the perimeter to close out on the wing yer.

    Jason was running toward the Small Forward with both of his hands up in the air as he closed out on him.

    Jason''s presence on defense must have made the Small Forward ufortable because he chose to not take the three point shot.

    In the meantime 3D had to step back out of the paint in order to avoid getting hit with a three second vition.

    After he was in position again he called out to the Small Forward to pass him the ball. Jason kept his hands active as he tried to make it hard for the Small Forward to pass the ball.

    As the Small Forward tried to go for a bounce pass to 3D Jason managed to deflect the pass. Unfortunately the ball flew over the baseline as it went out of bounds.

    Jason pped his hands together out of frustration "Shit! I almost had it." Nashton Academy inbounded the ball from the baseline to 3D as he posted up against Kyle.

    Just as he had gotten deep positioning in the paint Jason once again came for the double team.

    However this time 3D decided to power through the two of them as he drop stepped, pushing Kyle and Jason out of position.

    Kyle was the first one to recover as he tried to cover 3D again before he could get his shot off underneath the basket.

    Kyle kept his arms straight up as he tried to cover 3D without fouling him. Jason recovered as he hurried to join Kyle in guarding 3D.

    Before he could get to him 3D had already flipped the ball up and toward the basket with his hand.

    Jason and Kyle immediately started to box him out as they all watched the ball to see where it would end up.

    The ballnded on the right side of the rim before bouncing off on the opposite side. It was two against one as they fought for the rebound.

    Because of 3D''s strength and size, even though Kyle was boxing him out he couldn''t utilize his athleticism to it''s fullest potential.

    And Jason was so small that the only real help that he could provide was to try and push back 3D as much as he could.

    Kyle saw the balling down and jumped toward it as best as he could. 3D on the other hand just extended his arm toward the ball.

    Kyle almost had the ball in his possession but it was tipped back up into the air by 3D. As it came back down the same thing happened.

    After tapping the ball out of Kyle''s possession for the second time 3D was able to grab the rebound t footed.

    He then shot the ball one handed toward the basket. The ball hit nothing but as 3D scored 2 points for Nashton Academy.

    Jason saw the frustrated look on Kyle''s face. He smiled as he pped Kyle on the back "We did what we could. Let''s get back at them on the offensive end."

    Kyle reluctantly nodded his head before getting the ball and inbounding it to Jason who then dribbled it up the court.

    After passing half court Jason waited for the rest of his team to get in position before calling for a screen from Kyle.

    Jason''s defender preemptively went under the screen to try and beat Jason but he simply flipped the screen by going back.

    The defender got slowed down by Kyle and as 3D had sagged back in order to contain the drive and the roll from Kyle Jason a open look.

    Jason pulled the trigger as he quickly got off his shot. The ball flew through the air before swishing through the.

    Jason held up three fingers on his right hand before holding it up and smiling at the crowd. This caused them to cheer wildly.

    After a sessful defensive possession where Jason was able to deflect the pass before 3D could catch it in the post Jason called for a timeout.

    Both teams made their way to their respective benches. Jason took a seat and wiped the sweat off of his face with his towel before looking at the rest of the guys.

    "Y''all are doing great out there. We just need to keep this up and we''ll be hanging the very first county banner in Jefferson''s history.

    After the timeout I want DJ to run the Point. We''ll rotate the rest at our next timeout okay? I know you guys are tired but just keep at it until the next timeout."

    Udonis smiled as he nodded his head. He added "We right there fes. We at the finish line. We just need to cross it.

    Let''s keep the tempo up so that Nashton can''t getfy, you feel me? We gon run these fools outta our gym.

    Let''s hear it. Jefferson on three." All of the guys piled their hands on top of each other as they shouted in Unison "ONE! TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!"

    Shortly after the timeout ended and the guys made their way back to the court while Jason stayed on the bench to catch his breathe and to get some well deserved rest.

    Without Jason there to direct their defense the team allowed a few points to be scored by Nashton Academy as they sessfully ran a couple ys.

    There were backdoor cuts, screen slips, and cuts to the basket that would have never happened if Jason were still on the floor.

    But their effort was still there as all the guys on Jefferson put their hard hats on and went to work. They put their bodies on the line as they yed defense.

    They dived for loose balls, bent their knees and remained discipline on defense as they didn''t gamble for risky steals, and they even took a charge as on yer from Nashton drove to the basket.

    On offense Jefferson struggled a bit without Jason''s shot creating and ability to shoot of the dribble.

    But they still managed to get things done by utilizing Kyle''s inherit advantages in the open court as they ran the fast break every single time down.

    As the quarter passed there were only a minute and a half left as Jefferson held onto a small lead of 74-66.

    Jason was surprised by 3D''s amazing performance. Not only had he yed arge amount of minutes.

    All of his time on the court was highly productive as he was single-handedly keeping the game close.

    Jason had decided that he had gotten enough rest and that he would jump back into the game after this possession.

    Nashton Academy ran a pick and roll with their Point Guard and 3D. After the screen the Point Guard lobbed the ball overhead to 3D who began driving to the paint.

    As Kyle shuffled his feet to keep up with 3D while trying not to get knocked off bnce by his huge figure Kyle felt his leg buckle.

    He felt himself falling so he tried to catch himself by nting his foot down again but he identally stepped on 3D''s foot.

    For a split second Kyle''s foot ended up in a unnatural shape as he rolled his ankle. Kyle came falling to the floor as he screamed out in pain "Ahhhh!"

    DJ purposefully fouled the closest Nashton yer in order to stop the game. Everyone ran over to Kyle as he grasped at his ankle with tears in his eyes.

 Chapter 130 - Worries

    Jason''s mind went nk as his body moved on its own. He didn''t even have the time to process what had happened.

    The next thing he knew he was standing over Kyle as he grasped at his ankle with one hand while burying his face and tears into the other.

    Jason had seen his teammates get injured before. If you y basketball long enough an injury is something that you will experience sooner orter.

    Whether it is your own or a teammates, injuries are bound to rear their ugly heads. But this was the first time that Jason had ever seen someone that meant so much to him writhe on the floor in pain.

    All of the guys from Jefferson just had a mix of anger and sadness on their faces as they all shook their heads.

    Trell cursed underneath his breathe "Damn" While Udonis had both of his hands on top of his head as he seemed to be in disbelief.

    Jason got close to Kyle and knelt down "You''re gonna be okay bro. I''ve seen way worse sprains.

    After a little bit of rest you''ll be back on the court throwing down the same nasty dunks that you''ve been doing."

    Kyle''s tears intensified as he then took the hand that he was using to hide his face and mmed the floor "Shit!"

    Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson helped to get Kyle up. Just as they were about to pick him up a figure came running on to the court.

    It was Kyle''s mom. She ran to Kyle and knelt down beside him before grabbing both sides of his face with her hands.

    "You gon be okay baby. Momma was so proud of you during the game. You yed hard and you yed with heart. This is just gonna be a tiny break okay? You''ll be back out there in no time."

    She followed as Trell and Udonis each carried him on the side by going under his shoulders. They carried him into the locker room.

    And as they did the entire crowd got up on their feet as they began to p for Kyle to show their support and to wish him a quick recovery. Even the yers and the coaches from Nashton joined in.

    After a few minutes they came back out and Ms. Yuller asked "How was Kyle?" Udonis shook his head.

    "Kyle''s mom is a nurse so she''s taking care of him right now. She said that she would take him to the hospital but Kyle wanted to wait until the game was over."

    Everyone looked down at the floor after hearing that. This was the first major injury that the team had experienced.

    As somber as the current energy was in the gym they still had to continue the game. And thus the yers made their way back to the court.

    - - -

    In the locker room sat Kyle and his mom. It had been a little more than five minutes since Udonis and Trell had carried Kyle in.

    The room was silent as the two of them sat without saying a word but the sound of the game and the crowd could be heard faintly as they leaked in.

    Even though she was a tall women standing at 5''10 (1.77m) Kyle''s 6''1 (1.85) frame made her seem small as he rested his head on her shoulder.

    Just as it seemed like he had finally calmed down tears began flowing down his face as he began to sob.

    Kyle''s mom sighed before patting her son on the head "It''s gonna be okay baby. It was a pretty bad sprain but that''s all that it was.

    After a few weeks you''ll be back on the court doing the same things you were doing before. You won''t even feel any different."

    Kyle buried his face into his mom''s shoulder "That''s not it mom. It doesn''t matter that I''ll be okay in a few weeks. The team needs me now!"

    Kyle''s mom was surprised by his outburst. Kyle fought to hold back the tears "We were supposed to win tonight and win Jefferson it''s very first county title.

    Then we were going to win the state championship and hang that banner in the gym before beating the best teams in the country and bing the best team in the nation.

    W-we were supposed to do all these great things. Make all these great memories and experience all these amazing things.

    But now none of that is going to happen. We won''t be able to give Udonis and Trell a chance to stand on that big stage before graduating from Jefferson.

    We won''t be able to prove all the haters wrong and show them that Coach Swendel put together and helped raise the best middle school basketball team in the country.

    All these amazing things we had nned. All the people we were supposed to make proud. It''s all gone now because of me! I messed up bad mom!"

    Kyle''s mom was left speechless after hearing what her son had to say. She didn''t know what what she could say in order tofort her little boy.

    It was only now that she felt how much pressure her son had been under. She had a heartbroken expression on her face as she held her son.

    ''I can''t believe I didn''t see all the pressure that he was feeling. He just started ying basketball a few months ago but people already call him Jefferson''s 2nd best yer.

    He must have felt so obligated to live up to everyone''s expectations. I''m such a bad mom. All I saw was the new friends that he made and the smiles on their faces. I didn''t even think about all the things that could be happening under the surface.''

    Kyle''s mom ended up leaning her head on top of her son''s as he leaned on her shoulder. She sighed.

    "Ain''t no one in the world perfect baby. You gotta ease up on yourself. This wasn''t even your fault. It was a freak ident."

    Kyle weakly replied "You''re wrong mom." She turned to her son "What do you mean baby?" Kyle continued.

    "You were wrong when you said that no one is perfect. Jason only started ying a few months ago and he''s already one of the best yers in the country.

    He''s not even as athletic or as tall as me but he can do all these amazing things on the court. He''s also super smart.

    He''s always napping in ss or goofing around with Sammy but he still get''s perfect marks on all his homework and tests.

    And he doesn''t even game that much but whenever a new gamees out he''s great at it. It''s like he''s been ying them for years. There''s nothing that Jason can''t do.

    And if I can''t keep up with him then he''ll probably leave me behind. A MC doesn''t need side characters in his party that aren''t on the same level as him. They just make the battle harder...."

    Kyle''s mom sighed again ''Not only did he have to deal with the pressure of trying to live up to everyone''s expectations.

    He''s been crushing himself with his own unrealistic standards. My poor baby been having it rough.''

    Kyle''s mom thought for a second before opening her mouth "I know that Jason is an amazing kid.

    He managed to get you outta your shell and he helped you gain some confidence. And for that I am so grateful.

    But even he ain''t perfect baby. And I ain''t saying that to try and be mean. I look at that boy like he was my own son because of how he treats you as a brother.

    But you''ve seen for yourself how human Jason is. All he does is try his best but even he makes mistakes.

    Remember the incident with the 8th graders? I don''t think that Jason was in the wrong at all. He just wanted those kids to put in some more effort and to treat the team seriously.

    But you have to admit that he didn''t handle that situation in the best way possible right?" Kyle thought about it for a second before nodding his head.

    Kyle''s mom finally shed her beautiful smile as she continued "And you''ve seen all those girls that show up to every game.

    A ton of them don''t even go to school here. They always crowd around him after games and ask for pictures and autographs.

    Do you think that Jason even has a clue that those girls have their little hearts pounding over him?"

    Kyle chuckled as he answered "That dude doesn''t even know that Sammy is crushing over him. There''s no way that he knows about how those random girls feel."

    Kyle''s momughed "I feel so bad for that girl. She really fell for one of the most clueless nice guys I have ever seen.

    But my point is that even Jason who you think is this perfect guy has his own faults. That''s because no one is perfect Kyle.

    And do you really think that Jason is the type of kid to throw you away just because you''re not as good as him at basketball?

    I raised you to be such a sweet, gentle, and caring boy. So I would like to think that I am a great judge of character.

    And if Jason was the type of kid to stop being friends with you just because you guys lost a basketball game then I would have never opened my home to him.

    You know how that boy sees you as family. You guys are inseparable. And that''s something that''s bigger than basketball baby.

    So don''t stress over this injury. You don''t even know if the guys will lose. There''s a chance that they keep winning long enough to wait for your recovery."

    Kyle smiled before taking his head off of his mom''s shoulder. He turned to her and gave her a hug "Thanks mom. You''re right. I need to believe in the guys."

    - - -

    Back out on the court Jason was sitting on the bench watching the game with a frown on his face ''This ain''t good.''

 Chapter 131 - Keep The Fire Burning

    Jason watched as 3D scored another easy point in the paint after posting up Vince. He just didn''t have the ability to properly defend him in the post.

    On offense DJ waited for the rest of the team to get in position before calling out for a y. Vince came to the perimeter to set a screen for Matt who was out on the right wing.

    Matt then used the screen to run to the top of the perimeter. As he was running he took a nce at the clock and noticed that there were only five seconds left.

    DJ got into position to hand the ball off to Matt as well as to set a screen for him. Matt took the ball from DJ and used his screen in an attempt to get open.

    Matt''s defender as well as DJ''s defender swarmed him after the screen. This left DJ open as he began to cut toward the basket.

    Matt saw this and threw an overhead pass to DJ. The ball flew over the heads of the defenders but it was a little out of control.

    It took a little extra work for DJ to catch the pass as he ended up fumbling it a little. DJ saw that there was less than a second left as he threw up a rushed shot from mid range.

    The crowd watched as the ball just barely left DJ''s hands right before the clock buzzed indicating the end of the quarter.

    The ball flew in a straight arc toward the basket. The arc was good and the shot looked like it had a chance to go in.

    As the ball hit the rim the tension in the gym could be felt. Bounce, bounce, bounce, eventually the ball rolled to the right side of the rim before falling off.

    The entire crowd let out a collective groan in disappointment after seeing that the shot had failed to go in.

    DJ had been holding his right hand up from the follow through of the shot. After seeing the shot roll off the rim he hung his head in shame.

    It wasn''t until Vince came over and patted him on the back that he was able to brush the thoughts in his mind aside and make his way over to the bench.

    As the yers made their way back to the court everyone on the bench held their hands out to high five them.

    But despite that the mood on the bench was somber as no one had the energy to even start up a conversation.

    The small lead that Jefferson had before Kyle''s injury was now almost gone as the score was 78-74 with Nashton Academy down by just 4 points.

    Jason had wanted to jump back into the game after Kyle had gone down with a sprained ankle but Udonis had stopped him.

    "Just focus on gettin some rest right now Jaya. It won''t do much for you to jump in now. Just make sure you ready for a battle in the 4th."

    After hearing that Jason reluctantly stayed on the bench and watched as Jefferson''s lead was nibbled away by Nashton Academy.

    Jason took a look around and shook his head ''Kyle''s injury is really getting in these guys head. I can''t really me them though.

    It''s taking everything I have to keep calm. But I know that Kyle would want us to focus on getting the win.''

    Jason stood up "You guys are making me sick. What''s with the dead faces? I get that you guys are sad because Kyle got hurt.

    But do you think he would be happy to see us acting depressed and shit? Kyle told his mom to wait until the game was finished to take him to the hospital.

    You think that was so that he could hear that we lost? We need to get the win so that we can tell him that we''re the best team in the county!"

    Udonis joined in "Jaya''s right. Why the hell are y''all acting so fuckin dead for? We need to win this game and tell Kyle that we got the dub."

    The rest of the guys looked up as the fire in their eyes was beginning toe back to life. Jason stuck his hand out.

    "We need to y our hearts out. This is our house and this is our court. I''ll be damned if we let some other team get that county banner here.

    So onest time guys. Jefferson on three!" All of the guys stacked their hands on top of each other as they began to shout in unison "ONE! TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!"

    The break came to an end as both teams made their way back to the court to start the 4th quarter.

    Their lineup to start the quarter was Jason at Point Guard, DJ at Shooting Guard, Trell at Small Forward, Vince at Power Forward, and Udonis at Center.

    After Udonis inbounded the ball to Jason he began to scan the court with a passionate fire burning in his eyes ''We''ll get that dub for you Kyle. Just wait for the good news.''

    - - -

    After seeing Kyle sprain his ankle both Billy and Troy shook their heads in sadness and disappointment.

    And as he stood up with the help of his teammates they joined the rest of the crowd as they pped for Kyle.

    They watched as the 3rd quarter came to an end with the score being close. Billy sighed "That was a pretty bad ankle sprain."

    Troy nodded his head in agreement "And it came at the worst possible time. Kyle was the only one who could make things at least a little hard for 3D.

    Without Kyle there to secure the paint not only will things be too easy for 3D. It''ll be easy for the rest of Nashton Academy too.

    Kyle''s rim protection made him a vital piece of Jefferson''s defense. If Jason was the anchor out in the perimeter then Kyle was the chain that helped tie things together in the paint."

    Billy added "Not just that. Even if Jason can drag Jefferson to a win tonight there''s no way that Kyle can recover in time for the state tournament to begin.

    Their rotations were already tight as things were when they had 8 yers. Now with only 7 yers avable there''s going to be practically no time to rest.

    And Kyle was a starter too. Now they are going to have to bump someone up from the bench into the starting lineup.

    This was the worst thing that could have happened to Jefferson. I feel bad for those kids. They were ying their hearts out this whole season.

    I think it would be a miracle if they could even get past the first round of the state tournament."

    Troy sighed "Forget the state tournament. It would take a signature performance from Jason just to pull them through tonight.

    But I think that this will turn out to be good for them in the long run. A smooth road leads to a soft traveler.

    Things have been going too well for Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson. You can only forge a sword by putting it through some fire.

    It''s better that they experience some hardships now thanter down the road. Next year Jefferson will be a real threat. I could even see them making it to the national level."

    - - -

    Jason crossed half court and waited for the rest of the guys to get in position before calling for a screen from Udonis.

    Udonis came out to the perimeter with 3D following him as he set a screen for Jason. As soon as Jason saw that Udonis was set he faked to the right.

    Jason''s defender fell for the fake as he dived under the screen in order to defend the pick and roll.

    Unfortunately for him Jason didn''t even drive in that direction. As soon as he saw his defender falling for the fake Jason pulled the trigger and shot a quick three pointer.

    Inside the gym everyone''s attention was on the ball as it flew through the air. The ball rattled around inside the rim before falling through the.

    The crowd began to cheer after seeing the three pointer go in. Jason held up three fingers on his right hand before using it to salute the crowd.

    He then screamed out "LET''S GO!" The energy in the crowd went up as they began to make some noise.

    They were pping, stomping their feet, and chanting "Let''s go Jefferson, let''s go! Let''s go Jefferson, let''s go!"

    On defense Jason was standing in front of the opposing team''s Big as he then jumped up and down while waving his hands to make it hard for him to make the inbound pass.

    After a few seconds he finally found a passingne as his Shooting Guard ran to an empty section of the court.

    The Shooting guard then began to dribble the ball up the court. Before he could cross half court he heard one of his teammates shout out "Look out!"

    But before he could even turn around he felt the ball as it was poked away from him. Jason had silently attacked him from behind as he poked the ball free.

    The basketball bounced and was about tond out of bounds but Jason ran toward it and jumped with everything that he had.

    He barely caught the ball in his right hand. He didn''t have time to fix his hold on the ball as he then began to fall toward the ground.

    Jason didn''t even think about braking his fall. His gaze locked on to the Shooting Guard who he had just stolen the ball from.

    They were only a few feet away. As Jason was falling down to the ground he threw the ball toward the Shooting Guard.

    Jason crashed to the floor and skid a few feet until he hit the bottom of the bleachers. Nashton Academy''s Shooting Guard was caught off guard as the ball hit his leg before going out of bounds.

    The referee blew his whistle before shouting "Jefferson''s ball!" Jason wasying on the floor as he heard that.

    His breathing was rough and his back was hurting slightly but there was nothing but happiness on his face as he grinned before shouting out "Yeahhhh!"

 Chapter 132 - All Out!

    Some of the people that were in the bleachers came down as they surrounded Jason. They were all smiling as they cheered him on.

    "You the man Jaya!" "You guys got this!" "Show em what Jefferson is all about!" "Ahhh! We love you Jaya!" "Oh my god! I touched his hair!"

    They helped to pick him up while patting him on the back, yfully punching him on the shoulder, and ruffling his hair.

    Jason smiled as he shook hands, high fived, and thanked them. A few of them hugged him from the back and the side which mad himugh.

    He then adjusted his mindset before going back into the game. The referee handed the ball to Udonis who was standing at the sideline.

    He gave Jason a thumbs up before inbounding the ball to him. Jason then began to dribble the ball up the court.

    After crossing half court he gave his team a few seconds to get into position before signaling and calling out a y.

    The opposing team''s Point Guard turned his head to get a quick look to see how the y was developing.

    Jason didn''t let that opportunity slip away. He crossed the ball over to his left hand as he began to drive before the y he had originally called for could even begin.

    This caught his defender off guard as he was two steps behind him now. The rest of Nashton Academy was in a simr situation as the sudden drive made them scramble.

    Jason''s defender went into a sprint as he tried to catch up with him. Meanwhile, as Jason was driving toward the paint Nashton Academy''sst line of defense stepped up in an attempt to contain Jason.

    As 3D stepped up toward Jason this left Udonis open in the paint. Jason saw this and threw a pass fake in Udonis'' direction.

    The pass fake caused 3D to turn back toward Udonis. But as soon as he saw that he didn''t have the ball he knew that he messed up.

    He turned back toward Jason as fast as he could but it was toote. Jason stepped on the brakes as he tossed up a floater that went over 3D''s outstretched hand.

    3D tried his best to block and contest the shot but Jason had stopped a few steps away from him before tossing up the high arcing floater.

    Not just that. Jason''s original defender had been chasing him at full speed. He wasn''t prepared for Jason to suddenly stop.

    As Jasonnded back on the court after putting up the floater the defender bumped into his side which caused the referee to blow his whistle.

    The crowd grew excited after knowing that there was a possibility for a three point and one y. They all watched the ball in anticipation.

    The ball traveled high over 3D''s outstretched hand as he jumped. It then floated for a second before sinking straight through the.

    The crowd all jumped to their feet as they roared in excitement. The apuse and thunderous cheering showered down.

    Jason had a fierce expression on his face as he chest bumped Udonis. Jason snarled with his nostrils ring as Udonis patted him on the back.

    Jason thumped his chest twice with his right hand as he psyched himself up before making his way to the free throw line.

    Their wasn''t any doubt as Jason easily sank the free throw line. His shooting form stayed smooth and technically sound showing his confidence.

    The 4th quarter started off in Jefferson''s favor as Jason''s passionate, firey, hard-nosed y set the momentum on their side.

    But after getting hit with the pass fake from Jason 3D made it a point to not be outyed as he put his head down and bulled his way in the paint.

    Even with Kyle locking down their paint Jefferson didn''t have anyone capable of defending 3D one on one.

    This problem only became worse with theck of Kyle''s length and shot blocking. 3D murdered anyone when they tried to defend him one on one.

    Vince and Udonis felt like tiny pebbles being carried down a vigorous stream as they were easily pushed around by 3D in the post.

    And even when they opted to double team 3D instead of kicking the ball back out to the perimeter he would just throw up a shot at the basket.

    Best case scenario was the ball went in. But even when the shot would miss 3D would simply grab the offensive rebound and shoot again.

    Without the ability to beat him for the rebound 3D was able to make Jefferson''s team look like a bunch of kids ying against an adult.

    Thankfully although Jeffersoncked the ability to stop 3D from scoring the same could be said about Nashton Academy and Jason.

    Jason took matters into his own hands as he took control of the offense. The rest of the guys turned into auxiliary pieces as he became the main focus of attack.

    Off the pick and roll Jason was killing Nashton Academy. If the defender went under the screen then Jason would fearlessly pull the trigger and shoot the three point shot.

    If they tried to fight over the screen then Jason would drive to the paint and either finish over and around 3D with his wide array of tricky finishes or pull up with the mid range shot.

    Jason would also asionally mix things up as he split the defenders on the pick and roll which also helped to copse the defense. He would then kick the ball out to the open man.

    Defense seemed to have be an after thought as the game began to resemble the ssic western movies of the past.

    The game turned into a shoot out that would have fit in the setting of the wild wild west. However this wasn''t because of ack of desire to y defense or because the team''s not valuing defense.

    It was just that both team''scked the necessary personal to y the level of defense required to contain the other''s lethal offensive weapon.

    As the 4th quarter reached it''s halfway point Nashton Academy had possession of the ball when they called for a timeout.

    The teams were tied at 90-90. This was proving to be an incredibly high scoring game.

    Jason''s wobbly legs barely managed to get him to the bench before his body crumpled into a chair.

    His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to pull in air for his body. Every breathe felt like it wasn''t enough as his lungs desired for more.

    He took off the headband made by Kyle''s mom as he then wrung out the sweat from it. Arge portion of sweat was squeezed out as it then sttered on to the floor.

    Jason took off the hair tie that was keeping his hair tied into a bun. As his hair fell to the sides of his face he then gulped down mouthfuls of water from his sports bottle.

    He then turned it over above his head in an attempt to pour the water over himself. But to his surprise only a drop of water fell on his head.

    He brought the bottle to his face to inspect it but he had a hard time concentrating his vision on the bottle ''Guess I drank more than I thought...''

    Udonis saw Jason''s hazy gaze as he worriedly shook him "Yo you alright bro? You don''t look so good."

    Jason''s gaze rified a little as he turned to Udonis and chuckled "My bad. Just a little tired. I''ll be good by the time the timeouts over."

    Jason then reached down toward the box of fresh sports bottles and pulled one out. He poured the ice cold water over his head.

    As the cooling sensation fell over him he felt as though he had found his second wind. His vision went back to normal and his breathing calmed down a bit.

    Udonis was still worried as he stared at Jason "There''s no need to go so hard Jason. I know that you want this win bad.

    But you and the other guys still have next year. You would have to be stupid to risk doing something that could affect you for the rest of your life just for a single game."

    Jason let the ice cold water stay on himself for a few seconds before drying up a bit with his white towel.

    "Trust me UD I know that. I''m not about to gamble the rest of my life for a single game. But just because we have another shot next year doesn''t mean that this shot is less important.

    You know me. I go all out. I leave a lot of things on the court. Blood, sweat, tears, but one thing I don''t leave out there is regrets.

    I don''t want to think about tonight years down the road and think that I didn''t give it everything I had. But trust me, I know my body."

    Technically Jason wasn''t lying. Although he was gambling a little bit Jason believed strongly in the system.

    He had the Iron Man badge that made his body tougher and made it harder to get injured as well as the Recovery Boost function that made it much easier for his body to heal up.

    After hearing Jason say that Udonis reluctantly nodded his head as he decided to follow Jason''s lead.

    After drying up Jason put his headband back on and tied his hair back up into a man bun. Although Jason was still tired he wasn''t too worried as he looked out across the court at Nashton Academy''s bench.

    During the timeout Nashton Academy''s head coach and assistant coach had taken off 3D''s shoes and had sprayed his feet with something out of a can.

    They also spent the timeout massaging his legs and helping to cool him off. Even now 3D looked like he was tired as his breathing was rough andbored.

    The clock buzzed indicating that the timeout was over. Jason looked at Trell "Tell me one thing. How badly do you want this win?"

    Trell smirked as he replied "Bro, is that even a question? We don put too much into this season just to take it easy at the finish line."

    Jason smiled as he nodded his head "Here''s our lineup. I''ll run the Point, Nick at Shooting Guard, Matt at Small Forward, Udonis at Power Forward, and Trell at Center."

    The guys all had shocked expressions on their face as they stared at Jason. Jason lightly punched Trell on the chest "I want you to guard 3D."

 Chapter 133 - 3,2,1

    Trell looked at Jason with his mouth in the shape of a big O as he was dumbstruck. After a split second he finally regained his senses he pointed at himself "Me?"

    Jason patted him on the back as he pushed him toward the court "We don''t have much time to talk. The clock already buzzed so we gotta get on the court.

    Just trust me. You can do it. I believe in your muscles. You''re the strongest guy on the team." Trell''s expression became serious after hearing Jason say that he believes in him.

    Trell nodded his head as he made his way to the court with the rest of the guys. Nashton Academy inbounded the ball to their Point Guard.

    The opposing team as well as everyone watching the game was surprised when they saw Trell guarding 3D.

    Jason was about to go pressure the ball handler when he quickly passed the ball over to the wing yer on the right.

    Matt tried his best to block the passingnes by guarding him tight and keeping his hands active but after a few seconds the wing yer was able to throw a bounce pass to 3D.

    With the ball in his hands 3D smirked ''You really lookin down on me huh? Just cause I''m a little gassed don''t mean you can put a Small Forward on me.''

    He was anticipating the easy bucket that he would score. But to his surprise as soon as he started backing down his defender he found that he wasn''t able to easily push him.

    ''So you''re a little strong. But don''t think that it will be enough. I''ve gone against strong guys before. And no one has been able to stop me yet!''

    3D began to attack more aggressively as he started pushing harder on his back downs. He was giving it everything that he had.

    Trell braced himself after feeling 3D start to put more power into his back downs. He bent his knees and got into a lower stance in order to get better leverage.

    ''Fuck you, you big ass tub of do tree knockoffrd.'' The veins on his neck were visible as he began to pull all the power that he could out of his muscles.

    He used his forearm and shoulder to push back against 3D''s hulking frame. The sight of Trell holding his own against 3D was made even more impressive by the huge disparity in size.

    After not being able to establish deep positioning despite his best attempts 3D decided to turn over his right shoulder for the hook shot.

    The ballnded on the rim but ended up falling after a few bounces. Trell didn''t even try to go for the ball as he instead focused on boxing out 3D and keeping him away.

    With Trell holding back 3D Udonis was able to swoop in for the rebound. He then threw an outlet pass to Jason who was already running for the fast break.

    There was just one defender on Jason as he ran the fast break and that was the defender that was the Point Guard the he was guarding back on defense.

    Although Jason had been working on his athleticism he was still barely above average in that aspect.

    So he didn''t have the ability to simply blow past his defender with his speed. The defender managed to stay close by.

    The defender was on Jason but not stuck to his hip as he got closer to the paint. With the ball in his right hand Jason began his attack.

    Jason dribbled the ball toward the left with his right hand before quickly pulling it back to the right.

    The fake to the left got the defender to change directions. And that momentary opening was enough as Jason then went around him.

    After getting into the paint Jason finished the y off with ayup. The crowd cheered and pped in excitement after seeing Jason''s in and out dribble move.

    As Jefferson was on defense everyone watched as Trell guarded 3D again. Everyone watched with one question in mind.

    Was it a fluke or was Trell really capable of defending 3D in the paint? 3D began his attack as he started to back down Trell.

    Just likest time although 3D was able to move him slightly he wasn''t able to develop deep post positioning.

    3D gave one final strong push before turning over his left for the turn around jump shot. The push managed to create enough separation between 3D and Trell.

    Trell tried to recover as he rushed forward but he was already at a disadvantage because of his size.

    As he put extended his arm forward in an attempt to contest the shot the ball already left 3D''s hand.

    The ball flew through the sky toward the basket in a t arc. It rattled around the rim a few times before falling through the.

    The game continued at an even pace for the two teams. Whenever one team would score a basket with their star yer the other team would respond in kind.

    However it was clear that the fatigue was beginning to creep in as both 3D and Jason began to miss more and more of their shots.

    It was getting harder and harder for both 3D and Jason to create their own shots as well as to make the shots that they take.

    - - -

    Billy and Troy were on the edge of their seats the whole time after Nashton Academy''s timeout.

    They watched as Jason and 3D turned the game into a one on one shoot out. The game had be a simplepetition of seeing who could score the most buckets.

    The defenders on Nashton Academy could not contain Jason with his advanced court vision and ball handling.

    While Jefferson could not stop 3D with their own defenders. And since they didn''t want to risk giving up a three point shot they could not afford to double team.

    Although Trell was doing an amazing job of making things harder for 3D that didn''t meant that he was able to keep him from scoring.

    Billy sighed out in amazement as he stared out at toward the court "This generation of yers are something else.

    It''s good to know that the game is going to be in good hands for a long time toe." Troy nodded his head in agreement.

    "You are a hundred percent right about that. These kids are gonna be carrying the game in the future.

    I can picture Jason being one ofthe elite guards of the league while 3D has a chance to be one of the most dominant Centers."

    After watching the two teams trade baskets for two possessions Billy added "That Trell kid is doing a hell of a job guarding 3D."

    Troy agreed "He is. When Jefferson first had Trell guard him I thought that they were crazy. But after seeing how well he''s managed to make things hard for 3D I can''t say anything else."

    Billy asked "I don''t understand. If Trell had the strength to defend 3D in the post why didn''t they have him guard him since the beginning?"

    Troy shook his head as he answered "I don''t think that Trell would have been able to guard 3D since the beginning of the game.

    The reason he can do such an effective job is because they had 3D running and work all the quarters leading up to now.

    And take a look at Trell." Billy looked over at Trell during Jefferson''s possession. He was standing in the corner and he was visibly tired.

    Troy continued "He''s only been guarding him for a few minutes and he''s already exhausted. Imagine if he had to defend him for a whole quarter.

    Trell is strong but it is clear to see that he needs to use all of his strength in order to defend 3D. He wouldn''t be able to hold up if he had to do that for too long.

    But in short spurts I feel like Trell could be a dangerous small ball Center. It would just depend on the system. I can''t wait to polish up a diamond in the rough like him hahaha!"

    - - -

    The quarter was just about done as Jefferson was barely in the lead. Jefferson was up 102 to 101 with only 30 seconds left on the clock.

    Jason had just scored the go ahead shot after breaking his defender''s ankles with a crossover and then nailing the mid range jumper.

    The entire crowd was on their feet cheering and chanting his name. As he made his way back on defense he patted Trell on the back.

    "Let''s get this win bro. We just need to get one stop and the county banner will be hanging in our gym." Trell nodded his head as his gaze was razor sharp.

    Nashton Academy inbounded the ball to their Point Guard who then dribbled it up the court.

    He then passed it over to his wing yer who then waited for an open passingne as he then passed it to 3D down in the post.

    With sweat flowing down his face he began to back down Trell. He locked in on 3D as he tried to read all of his movements.

    After a few back downs 3D dropped stepped before going up for theyup. Trell saw this and jumped in an attempt to block the shot.

    Unfortunately for him after his body was in the air 3D was still on the floor. He had fallen for the pump fake!

    With Trell still in the air 3D jumped into him. And as his huge frame absorbed the impact he then flipped the ball up and toward the basket.

    The referee blew his whistle calling the foul on Trell. The crowd watched as the ballnded on the rim. It rolled around a little bit before falling through the.

    The entire crowd collectively groaned in displeasure after seeing that the shot had gone in. Trell hung his head as he couldn''t even muster up the strength to look up.

    ''I can''t believe it. The whole squad about to take the L because of me.'' Trell finally looked up after feeling a hand on his shoulder.

    He turned around and saw that it was Jason "Don''t worry bro. We still have 20 seconds to pull out the dub."

    The crowd once again experienced disappointment as 3D made the free throw. With only 20 seconds left on the clock Jefferson was now down 102 to 104.

    Trell inbounded the ball to Jason who then calmly brought the ball up the court. In order to make things easier for himself Jason tried to run a y.

    However all of Nashton Academy''s yers were ying defense harder than they had been all game as they were fired up and motivated.

    Jason had to reset the offense a few times before finally giving up. He called for the ball back and decided to do take things into his own hands.

    Just as he was about to begin his attack he was surrounded with a double team. Jason scanned the court and passed the ball over to Matt who was open at the top of the perimeter.

    He was going to go for the hand off so that he could also use Matt to screen for him. But just as he was about to run by him a defender managed to knock the ball out of Matt''s hands.

    Jason scrambled to the ball as it rolled on the floor. Jason took a quick look at the clock and noticed that there were only 5 seconds left!

    Not just that. There was a defender right in his face with another one running toward him ''It''s now or never!''

    Jason activated his the second badge that he had chosen for his core ''Activate Ankle Breaker!''

    [Ankle Breaker badge activated: For 5 second you will get a boost to your ball handling as well as a boost to your ability to score off the dribble.]

    Jason drove hard toward his right before stopping with a behind the back dribble. However even though it was a good move with excellent execution the defender managed to stick with him.

    ''4 seconds left!'' Jason dribbled to the left before pulling the ball back into his right hand. However even that wasn''t enough as the defender was right in front of him with his hand in his face.

    ''No time left. I just got to go for it!'' Jason leaned back as he shot the fade away shot. The ball flew through the air.

    Jason fell on the floor. He stared at the ball as heid on his back. 3,2,1, the clock buzzed indicating the end of the game right as the ball swished through the.

    The entire crowd jumped to their feet as they flooded the court. Jason was stillying on the floor as his mouth was in the shape of an O in disbelief.

    ''We won... WE WON!!!''

 Chapter 134 - New County Champions

    Jason had his head held up to watch the ball as it flew toward the basket. But after seeing it fall through the just as the clock buzzed he felt all the strength leave his body as he then rested his head.

    All around him were the thunderous noises of the crowd as they pped, cheered, and screamed in celebration.

    But all he could hear was the beating of his own heart as heid on the floor rxed and content.

    ''We did it.... We did it Kyle. We''re the new county champions. We brought Jefferson its very first banner.''

    Just as he was about to get lost in his thoughts Jason felt his body being lifted up from the ground. He looked around and saw that it was Udonis and Trell pulling him to his feet.

    Jason''s man bun became undone as Udonis ruffled his hair "Hahah! What are you still doin on the floor bruh?

    You got everyone hyped as fuck! It''s only fair that you join in on the fun." Trell smiled and nodded his head before shouting out "Let''s give it up to the hometown hero!"

    Udonis and Trell lifted Jason up into the air. It was then that Jason realized that it wasn''t just Trell and Udonis close by him.

    The entire crowd had gone down the bleachers as they flooded the court. And they were all surrounding Jason.

    Udonis and Trell passed Jason around as the he began to crowd surf. Jason could hear all of the cheers of support as he made his way around.

    This was the first time that Jason had ever experienced something like this. The smiles of the people as they carried him across the room was something that Jason felt like he would never forget.

    After a while Jason finally made it back to where he was in the beginning as Trell and Udonis helped put him down.

    The referee and the principal asked for the people to clear out the court so that they could officially end the game with the end of game hand shake.

    It took a few minutes but the crowd made their way back up to the bleachers as they all took a seat.

    The two teams lined up. The yers from Jefferson and Nashton Academy then began to shake each other''s hands.

    When Jason reached 3D he smiled as he stuck his hand out "That was a hell of a game bro. I got nothing but respect for your game."

    3D had a serious expression on his face but he couldn''t fight it as he ended up smiling. He shook his head.

    "I wanted to be pissed at you. This was myst chance to try and get a county title. Oh well. Guess I''ll have to wait until you''re in high school to get my revenge.

    That was a damn good game. I really thought I locked the win in after making that free throw.

    Enjoy the win while you can. Cause when we meet at the high school level I''ll be whoopin your ass.

    Tell your big guy that it was a hell of a fight. He really gave me problems." Those were thest words that he said before he began to walk away.

    The smile on his face disappeared as he thought about Kyle ''You hear that Kyle? You put up a hell of a fight.''

    He was thinking of what he would say after seeing Kyle''s face in the locker room. He was happy that he would be able to give him the good news.

    But he didn''t know how Kyle was feeling right now and he didn''t know what kind of face he should have when he goes to see him.

    But before Jason could make his way to the locker room he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

    He turned around and saw a familiar face "Hello Jason. My name is Gloria Hern��ndez and I am with the Riverside daily news station.

    I know that you are probably very tired after such a hard fought win. But if you don''t mind would it be possible to get a quick interview?"

    It was the same news reporter that had interviewed Coach Swendel in the past. Honestly Jason was really tired and he just wanted to give Kyle the good news.

    However since he had a good impression of the news reporter he decided to go ahead and let her do the interview.

    He nodded his head "Sure." The news reporter smiled brightly after hearing Jason agree to the interview.

    She straightened out her clothes and made sure that she was presentable as her camera man began to record.

    "Hello Riverside This is Gloria Hern��ndez bringing to you today''s big story. Tonight is a special night as Jefferson Middle School has just earned their first county title in the school''s history.

    Tonight is also the first night in over 5 years that a middle school from Riverside City has actually won the tournament for Riverside County.

    Here with me is one of the stars on Jefferson''s team Jason Yang." The camera man turned to Jason as he smiled and waved.

    Gloria continued "Thank you for giving us this interview Jason. I know that you and your team put in a lot of work for this season.

    But it''s often said that behind a great athlete is a great supporting cast. Is there anyone in particr that you would like to thank?"

    Jason wiped the sweat off of his face with the bottom portion of his jersey before answering "That''s true. I wouldn''t be here today celebrating this wonderful moment if it weren''t for the collective effort of all the people that supported me.

    I want to take a moment to thank both my parents for dealing with all of the nonsense that I''ve put them through.

    All the times that they''ve called off work or had to find someone to cover for them just so that they coulde and watch our games.

    I have to thank my close friend Tory for always being there to talk to me whenever things were tough.

    As a star athlete herself she has been able to help guide me to deal with all the things thate with getting so much attention.

    Obviously I need to thank my teammates because I wouldn''t be here celebrating this win if it weren''t for them.

    I also need to thank all the fans for cheering for us and showing their support in every game.

    Also I would like to give a big thanks to Coach Swendel for helping to shape the yers that we are.

    And a special thanks to Kyle. He yed his heart out tonight and it''s a real shame that he wasn''t able to be out on the court with us at thest moment.

    But he yed just as a big a part as anyone else in getting us this county title. Thank you so much bro."

    Gloria smiled as she added "I know that you just started ying basketball fairly recently so this is just the start of your journey.

    But what does a moment like tonight mean to you? As one of the biggest pieces of Jefferson''s first county title can you tell us how you''re feeling right now?"

    Jason didn''t know what to say. He tried to think back to his past life to see if he had ever been asked a simr question.

    And as he was going through all of his past memories tears began to flow down his face. He wasn''t sobbing and he felt at peace. But the tears just kept oning.

    ''It just hit me. I have never been in a situation like this. I''ve never yed such a big part on a team.

    My life is really changing. I''m not just the small piece in the machine that I was in my past life. I''m the star of the team. I''m important.''

    Gloria was shocked by the sudden outflow of tears from Jason "I''m sorry, did I ask something I shouldn''t have?"

    Jason wiped the tears off of his face "No, you didn''t do anything wrong. I just thought about your question.

    You''re right that I''ve only been ying for a few months. I guess that''s why tonight meant so much to me. I feel like tonight is a night that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

    When I think back to all the work that me and my team put in and how all of it finally paid off for tonight I couldn''t help but cry a little.

    Tonight was hours of practice, hours of working our bodies till they were tired, hours of not spending time with our friends and family, and we finally got to taste what it was for.

    But this is just the beginning. I know that some people will want to count us out for the state tournament because of us losing Kyle.

    But we''re not thinking like that. The only thing on our minds is getting the next win." That was thest thing that Jason said before making his way to the locker room.

    He walked in and saw the rest of the guys smiling and surrounding Kyle and his mom. The two of them were also smiling.

    Jason walked up to Kyle before extending his fist toward him. Kyle saw this andughed as he bumped his fist back.

    Afterwards Jason gave him a bro hug from the side as tears once again began to run down his face "We did it Kyle. We got the win."

 Chapter 135 - Big Dogs

    Kyle began to cry as Jason hugged him. He patted him on the back "I heard from the guys. Great job."

    His voice began to waver as he shakily said "I-I''m sorry. I should have been more careful. I should have paid more attention while I was on the court. Now I can''t-"

    Jason stopped him as he then looked him straight in the eyes "It wasn''t your fault Kyle. You yed your heart out while you were on the court and that''s all that matters.

    Now it''s up to us to keep on winning and to make sure that we stay in the tournament long enough for you to make a full recovery. You did your part now the rest is up to us."

    Now that the game was officially done and Kyle got to hear the good news his mom took him straight to the hospital to get his ankle checked out.

    Jason and the rest of the guys felt that it wouldn''t be right to celebrate without Kyle so they decided to save the party for another time.

    The guys just washed up and changed into a fresh change of clothes before saying goodbye to each other.

    As Jason stepped out of the locker room he was surrounded by a crowd of people. They all asked to for a picture, a autograph, and sometimes both.

    Jason saw that his parents were standing at the side with big smiles all over their faces. He turned to the crowd "Wait, I need to ask my parents."

    He walked over to his mom and dad. Jason''s mom immediately wrapped him up in a tight hug "I can''t believe my little Jaya is the new county champion. I am so proud of you baby."

    Jason''s dad joined in on the hug as he wrapped his arm''s around his son and wife "I second that motion. We were so proud of you Jason. You worked so hard to get to where you are. You definitely earned it."

    Jason hugged his parents tightly before pulling away. He smiled at them "Thanks mom. Thanks dad. That means the world to me.

    There are a bunch of people that waited for me. They''re asking for some pictures and autographs. It might take a while. Is that okay?"

    The two of them nodded their heads. After getting the okay Jason gave his parents onest hug before making his way back to the crowd.

    The crowd cheered in excitement as Jason began to take pictures with them. Some of them asked if Jason could pull out his jersey from his bag and to hold it up for the picture.

    Jason didn''t think much of it so he went ahead and pulled out his jersey as he then held it up for the pictures.

    All of the guys were hyped as they threw up peace signs, and did different poses as they took their pictures.

    After the guys were done it was just a bunch of girls left. One girl smiled as she asked Jason "Hey Jaya um... Is it okay if you take off your headband and put your hair down?"

    Jason was surprised by the request but he didn''t mind. He shrugged his shoulders "Sure." He took of his headband and removed the hair tie that was holding his hair together.

    Jason had been maintaining the sides so they were short and freshly cut. But his top had been growing out.

    His hair fell down as they reached his cheek bones. His hair naturally parted in the middle. The girls screamed as they saw this "Kyaaa!!!"

    Jason covered his ears as he looked at the girls with a confused look "What the hell was that?"

    The girlsughed as one of them said "Sorry, we just got a little excited. Congrats on winning the county title."

    Jason paused for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. He then proceeded to take some pictures with the girls.

    Jason noticed that the girls were a lot more touchy than the guys as they hugged him from the side, asked him to put his arms over their shoulders, and stuck close to him.

    ''These girls sure are touchy.... Could it be that they like me? I hope not. These are a bunch of little girls. Maybe that''s just how girls are and I don''t understand.''

    As he was in the middle of taking some pictures with two girls they suddenly kissed him on the cheeks.

    Jason backed away. The girls giggled as they said "Sorry that was just for the picture. I hope you don''t mind."

    Before Jason could say anything a figure pushed her way through the crowd of girls until she was in front of Jason and the girls who had just taken the picture.

    Her long red hair covered half her face as he she walked up to the girls. As she came face to face with them she blew the hair out of her face before giving a polite smile "Is it okay if I get a picture too?"

    Jasonughed "Haha, what are you doing Sammy?" She smiled as she put herself between Jason and the girls.

    "Oh nothing. I just thought I would get a picture with you to celebrate your big night." She didn''t wait for a response as she nudged the girls out of the way with her hips.

    Samantha then handed the girls her cellphone "Thanks." Before posing for some photos. She took one where Jason and her were holding up peace signs.

    In one picture she was hugging Jason from behind as they both smiled. In another one she jumped on his back before putting up another peace sign.

    Jason was most likely the only one who thought that he was still just taking some simple pictures. All of the other girls got a clear message ''This is how close we are. So back off.''

    After Samantha was done taking the pictures she took her phone back before waving off the crowd "Alright girls shows over.

    Thanks foring to the meet and greet we appreciate all of your support. Have a wonderful day. Don''t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya."

    Jason didn''t even have to say anything as Samantha got the girls to disperse on her own. He smiled at Samantha "Thanks Sammy."

    She lightly punched him on the shoulder "Thanks my ass. What the hell are you doing letting those girls get so close to you for?"

    Jason acted as thought he punch actually hurt as he rubbed his shoulder "Ouch Sammy. We were just taking pictures. Geeze."

    Samanthaughed at Jason''s acting. She flipped her hair before smiling at him "Whatever. Go home and get some rest. I''m sure aunty and uncle are ready to go."

    As she walked away Jason waved "Night Sammy. Have a good one." Without looking back she just raised her right hand before throwing out another peace sign.

    Jason then walked back to his parentsas they then walked to their car. After getting home Jason''s dad cooked up up a quick meal.

    After finishing up three full servings Jason took a shower and went to sleep.

    - - -

    It was a nice and sunny Saturday. The day passed as Jason was deep asleep. It was already three o''clock in the afternoon and Jason was still asleep.

    He had woken up at ten to eat breakfast and after that he had gone back to sleep as he napped in the living room.

    His parents understood that he must have been tired from ying almost the entire game yesterday so they let him sleep in peace.

    It wasn''t until Jason felt his phone vibrating in the pocket of his shorts. With his eyes still closed he pulled out his phone and answered the call.

    "Hmmm hello?" Kyle''s voice replied "Yo Jason you''re on TV! And it''s not Through the Hoops. You''re on ESPN!"

    Jason was jolted wide awake as he sat up in a hurry. He grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. He then set the channel to ESPN.

    The screen transitioned to show four people as they sat inrge brown leather chairs. The one sitting on the chair at the far right spoke first.

    He smiled at the camera "Thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of Big Dogs Big Talk. I am one of your hosts Karl Anthony Towns aka Kat."

    The one sitting to his left then spoke up with his deep voice "I am your other host as well as the funniest guy on the show Joel Embiid."

    The person to his leftughed "I don''t know about funniest but you''re definitely the one that cracks the most jokes. I''m your other host Nik Joki? but you can just call me Joker."

    Then it was thest person on the left. He was the shortest one out of all the others but his suit was the most filled out as his muscles threatened to burst through at any second.

    "And I''m yourst host Zion Williamson. And for today''s show we have some basketball to talk about as well as a great clip from an incredible young yer."

 Chapter 136 - Big Dogs: Part 2

    Zion turned his head to the other hosts "First of all how have you guys been? We had a pretty good week for basketball. A ton of good games."

    Embiid pped the arm of his chair "Good games for you guys maybe. It was rough watching the 76ers go scoreless in the 4th. If they don''t fix things soon then this could be another season they spend outside the yoffs."

    Joki? chuckled "That''s true. They have the talent. They just need to find a way to make things click. If they can''t mesh this season then I think they just need to trade some of their pieces to find better fits."

    Kat leaned forward in his chair "Are you guys suggesting that the 76ers need to trade away one of their young stars? If so who would you trade?"

    Embiid shook his head "I don''t want them to trade anyone. It''s too soon to say that they need to trade someone. Everyone was doing the same thing with me and Ben back in the day."

    Zionughed "And look how that ended. You guys stayed together but got no rings." Joki? chuckled as he added "No rings but a bunch of 2nd round exits."

    Embiid couldn''t say anything. Even though he was one of the most dominant yers of his time so was everyone else in this group.

    He looked at Kat with an annoyed expression "I don''t know why you''reughing. You needed a super team to get your only ring."

    Kat fired back "Man you act like me and Dlo were still in our primes. We were both old by the time Booker joined us in Minnesota. It was just like the old big 3 Celtics."

    Zion waved his hand "Alright alright. That''s enough clowning around. Let''s talk about the clip that blew up overnight.

    I think this took ce in Riverside. Just to give you guys some context this game was to decide who would be the new county champion."

    The screen then showed a tiny box in the corner where a video of Jason fromst night''s game could be seen while still showing the hosts and their reactions.

    The video showed as Jason passed the ball because of the double team and how the ball was poked free.

    The guys sighed as the saw the ball rolling on the floor but then Jason somehow made it to the ball first.

    And then when he began his attack the defender did a great job of sticking with him. Kat eximed "Damn that''s some good defense!"

    Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. But when Jason took the fade away three pointer with the defender''s hand right in his face the guys went silent.

    As the ball swished through the all the guys pped in admiration. Joki? smiled "That was an amazing shot. It kind of reminded me of the shot Booker made over Kawhi and George back in the bubble all those years ago."

    Embiidughed "Damn that was over 20 years ago huh? That virus had everyone ****** up. But if I''m remembering correctly one of us didn''t make it to the bubble."

    Kat waved off Embiid "Haha real funny. I might not have made it to the bubble that year but who has a ring?"

    As Embiid and Kat were beginning to trade shots at each other Zionughed as he pped his hands together.

    "Alright alright. Enough trash talking. Lets get back to talking about the kid and the clip. I think I remember seeing him before. He''s on that one show."

    Kat jumped in "Through the Hoops right? I think I remember seeing him. I don''t keep up with the show too much but from what I can remember he only started ying basketball a few months ago."

    Embiid looked at Kat in amazement "He only started ying a few months ago?! That''s pretty amazing. I had ate start in basketball so I can imagine what kind of work he had to put in to get to that level in such a short time."

    Zion added "I forgot that you started basketballte. How old were you when you first started to y?"

    Embiid answered "I originally wanted to be a professional volleyball yer when I was growing up. I didn''t start ying basketball until I was 15."

    Zion whistled in amazement "Wow I can''t even imagine. I already knew that I would be a professional basketball yer. I think I told my mom that I wanted to be the number one pick when I was 5 years old."

    Everyoneughed after hearing Zion say that. They threw a few more jokes at each other before finally giving the segment a close.

    Kat looked at the camera "Anyways, back to the topic at hand. I think that we can all agree that that was an amazing shot that Jason hit."

    All of them nodded their heads. Kat continued "I don''t know if you''re watching this Jason but if you are just know that you got our attention. We''ll be keeping our eyes out for you.

    Stick to the grind young man and hopefully we''ll get to see you taking and making more shots like this on the pro stage.

    Now that we''re done with that segment. Stay tuneddies and gentlemen after a short break we''ll be talking about Today''s Big Men and the evolution of the position."

    After they cut tomercials Jason was still staring at the TV with a mixture of joy and amazement ''I was on TV..... And all those past superstars were talking about me!''

    Jason was shaking in his seat. Even though he had been on TV plenty of times by this point it still felt different to him to hear his nameing out of the mouths of people who had stood at the top of the basketball world.

    He had only ever met one past superstar and that had been Kawhi Leonard. So to hear four past stars talking about him had put him on cloud nine.

    And little did he know that this was just the beginning. Thanks to that one clutch shot his name would make its first real ssh in terms of national attention.

    A few hours after watching Kat, Zion, Embiid, and Joki? talk about him on their show Jason just so happened to be watching TV as another show began talking about him.

    - - -

    The screen transitioned to show a group of four sitting behind a table. The first one to speak was the female in the middle.

    She had dark brown skin that looked vibrant and youthful. Her long ck curls yfully bounced on her shoulders whenever sheughed and her figure fully filled out the beautiful yet professional looking red dress that she wore.

    She smiled at the camera and waved "Hello and thank you for tuning in to today''s episode of The Dribble.

    I am your host Kelly Johnson and today with me are my friends and fellow basketball enthusiast. To my right is a former NBA champion as well as a former defensive yer of the year Bam Adebayo."

    Bam was dressed in a ssy blue suit as he waved his hand while the camera panned over to him "Thanks Kelly. Always a pleasure to be here."

    Kelly then pointed to her left "And to my left is another former champion as well as a multiple time Three-Point Shootout winner Tyler Herro."

    Tyler was dressed in a sharp ck suit with a red dress shirt underneath. He smiled at the camera before shaking Kelly''s hand.

    "Thanks for having me Kelly. I know that you said that you were going to have a mystery guest but after seeing Bam and me here I think I know who it is."

    Kelly smiled "Well I think that the audience knows who our next guest is but lets go ahead and give him an intro anyway."

    The camera then pointed off stage as a figure walked his way over. As he walked Kelly''s voice could be heard.

    "And for ourst guest we have a former NBA champion as well as former finals MVP. He''s a legend in Miami. Give it up for Jimmy Butler."

    Jimmy Butler stepped on to the set in a dark purple suit with a salmon colored dress shirt underneath.

    He walked over to Tyler and gave him a high five and then pulling him into a hug. He then walked over to Bam and did the same.

    As he took his seat next to Tyler he smiled "Thanks for havin me on here Kelly. When I got the call and they said they wanted to shoot a reunion episode I was all for it."

    Kellyughed "Thanks Jimmy. Anyways it must feel special to be here again like this. Does it bring back any old memories?"

    The first ten minutes was them retelling the story of how they won their ring together and how much it meant for all of them.

    They told some behind the scenes stories as well as cracked a couple jokes at each other''s expense. Then Kelly changed the subject.

    They showed a clip of Jimmy hitting a clutch shot close to the end of the game "So Jimmy. We all know that you''re no stranger when ites to performing under pressure.

    So we wanted to get your take on this extremely clutch y." The screen then transitioned as once again as they showed Jason''s shot against Nashton Academy.

 Chapter 137 - Getting Ready

    On the screen was Jason as he chased after the ball as it rolled away. Then the defender doing a great job of sticking with Jason.

    And with just a few seconds left on the clock Jason leaned back as he shot the fade away three point shot.

    The video ended just as the ball swished through the and the crowd began to flood the court.

    Jimmy smiled as he shook his head "Man that was a hell of a shot. Major respect to that young man. Do you guys know his name?"

    Kelly smiled as she answered "His name is Jason Yang. He just started ying basketball for the first time a few months ago.

    But the impact that he has had on his team is incredible. Justst year Jefferson Middle School was one of the worst teams in their county.

    But after adding Jason to their roster they had their first ever undefeated season and won their first county title."

    Jimmy put both of his hands on the table as he looked at Kelly in shock "He just started ying basketball a few months ago?"

    Tyler leaned back and whistled "Dang. I remember when I first started ying and I definitely didn''t have a highlight like that one."

    Bam nodded his head "That was one tough shot. The defender did everything right. He didn''t fall for any of his moves and he stuck with him.

    But he just nailed that shot right over him. Sometimes that''s just how it goes. Sometimes good offense just beats good defense."

    Kelly looked at Jimmy "Soing from a yer that was counted onte in the game, how would you rate that shot in terms of clutchness?"

    Jimmy scratched his beard for a moment as he thought about it "Man I gotta give that one the credit it deserves.

    I give that shot 8 Jimmy G buckets out of 10. The only thing that could have made it better was if he had hit that shot on a bigger stage with another defender on him."

    Kelly chuckled before saying "That game was actually to determine the county champion. His team was down by two before he hit that shot."

    Jimmy looked at Kelly with a face that screamed ''Are you kidding me?'' He looked the other way before putting giving a thumbs up.

    "Bump it up. Gotta bump it up. I''m bumping it up to a 9. The only thing that could make it a better shot is if he was in the league or if he had another defender on him.

    Not only was that shot hard as hell to make. He took it with all the chips riding on it. Just having the courage to take a shot like that ismendable."

    Jimmy looked at the camera "Hey if you watching this Jason you clutch as hell. I hope you can keep this up."

    The rest of the show was them looking at other clips as well as talking about their championship some more.

    By the time the episode was over Jason still had a smile on his face thinking about how another past star had nothing but nice things to say about his game.

    - - -

    The next day Jason called everyone except for Kyle to organize a practice session in the afternoon.

    It was one o''clock in the afternoon on a Sunday but no oneined as they all went hard at practice.

    Jason lead by example as he ran the three level defense drill. Although Kyle''s absence was dispiriting everyone worked hard in order to ensure that theysted long enough in the state tournament to wait for Kyle''s recovery.

    After two hours of intense practice everyone was sweating and panting. But while they were taking a break to catch their breathes Jason was runningps around the court.

    Trell saw this and took off his shirt. The shirt plopped to the floor showing how much sweat it was carrying.

    Trell then joined Jason as the two of them began runningps around the court. Seeing those two work so hard lit a fire in the rest of the guys as they too joined in on the run.

    After running for another hour Jason finally came to a stop. He made his way over to the sidelines and picked up his sports bottle.

    He took a few gulps before dumping the rest over his head. As the ice cold water sshed against his hot skin he smiled "Damn that feel''s nice!"

    Jason opened up his eyes and saw that all of the guys except for Trell wereying on the floor in exhaustion.

    Jasonughed "Good workout guys. Go ahead and wash up. I called Kyle before practice and he said that he would meet us up to celebrate our county title."

    Jason and the rest of the guys made their way to the locker rooms. They hit the showers and got cleaned up before making their way to the restaurant that Kyle''s mom picked.

    All of the parents were on one table with the kids on another. Everyone high fived Kyle and greeted him as soon as they saw him.

    As they were taking their seats Jason turned to his right and asked Kyle "So you got checked out at the hospital right? What did they say?"

    Kyle sighed before shaking his head "The doctor told me the same thing that my mom said. It was a bad sprain that should take about 2-3 weeks to heal."

    Everyone shook their heads after hearing that. Jason patted Kyle on the shoulder "Don''t worry bro.

    We''re going to put in the work and make sure that we stay in the tournament as long as you need so just focus on getting better."

    The rest of the guys had a fire burning in their eyes as they nodded their heads in agreement with Jason.

    Jason saw that Uncle Jin was sitting at the table next to Kyle''s mom. He tapped Kyle on the shoulder "Does Tory have anotherpetitioning up?"

    Kyle nodded his head as he chewed on a bread stick "Yeah. She''s trying pretty hard to cut weight. That''s why she didn''te tonight."

    Jason nodded his head after hearing that. After a few minutes a waitress came by the table to take their orders.

    She was smiling as she took their orders. She started at one end of the table and made her way down.

    She got to Jason and paused "Hmmm?" But then she continued "Hey sweet heart. What can I get you?"

    Jason found her pause a little weird but he was starving so he gave her his order without thinking about it too much.

    "I''ll have the chicken parmesan, one order of the pasta carbonara, one order of the heartysagna and a order of the baked eggnt parmesan."

    She began writing it down "Okay, so you wanted to do the sampler te right? We can only do 3 dishes on the sampler."

    Jason shook his head "I don''t want to do the sampler te. I want one order of each of the dishes that I told you."

    The smile on her face dampened a bit as she asked "Are you serious?" Jason nodded his head again.

    The waitress looked like she wanted to say something else but she held it in as she turned around and made her way to the parents table.

    Kyleughed as he saw her walking away "Wow thanks Jaya. You broke the waitress." Jasonughed before saying.

    "She''s probably going to tell the parents table about me. I think she just wants to make sure that it''s okay for me to order all that."

    Kyle nodded his head "You could be right. If I was taking orders and some kid told me that he wanted a mountain of food like you did I would probably double check with the parents before adding it to the bill."

    After a quick talk with the parents the waitress made her way back to their table. She smiled at Jason "Sorry about that. Just had to make sure you weren''t just pulling my leg.

    So I have you down for one order of the chicken parmesan, one order of the pasta carbonara, one order of the heartysagna and a order of the baked eggnt parmesan. Is there anything else I can get you?"

    Jason thought about it for a second "You know what, how about adding one order of the fried cmari. Oh and could you please refill the bread basket?" Jason smiled as he politely asked.

    The waitressughed "Sure thing hun." She then took Kyle''s order before making her way to the kitchen."

    After a few minutes she came back out with a basket of freshly baked bread and a few cups of room temperature butter.

    Jason and the rest of the guys attacked the bread basket as soon as the waitress had put it down on the table.

    After a few more refills on the bread the guys were smiling andughing as they talked about all sorts of different things.

    Jason was just about to inhale another bread stick when Udonis called out his name "Yo Jaya check it out. You on TV again bruh."

    Jason turned his head to the TV that the restaurant had set up for their customers. It was a local channel with it''s own sports show.

    They showed two guys dressed in casual wear sitting in front of a table and Jason''s face was on the side of the screen.

    One of the men said "Don''t get me wrong. I''m all for supporting home grown talent. But this kid isn''t the next Tyreek.

    I think that the kid is good and all but all of this hype is because... well you know. He doesn''t look like the typical basketball yer.

    It''s all shock factor. And the more I hear about these bigger names talking him up the more I get embarrassed.

    It''s like Riverside is so devoid of talent that we have to cling on to the smallest things that fall our way."

    The other man looked at him with a confused look "How can you even say that? The kid was one of the top scorers in the county, one of the best y makers in the county, and I can say without question that he is the best defender in the county.

    And he lead Jefferson Middle School to an undefeated season and their first ever county title. I think that the kid is the real deal and I can''t wait to see what kind of noise he makes at the state level."

    The man who had originally been talkingughed as he waved his hand "Please. You think all of the credit for Jefferson''s great season goes to this kid?

    Do I need to remind you that Jefferson made two other huge additions to their roster this year? Trell and Kyle are the biggest reasons for Jefferson''s sess in my eyes.

    And you said that you were waiting to see what kind of noise Jason makes at the state level? I hate to break it to you bud but I don''t think they get past one game.

    They lost their starting Center who by the way lead the county in blocks this season. And their already short roster is gonna be even shorter.

    They don''t have a snowball''s chance in hell of making it to the state finals."

 Chapter 138 - Shutting Out The Noise

    The man in the red shirt had been defending Jason up until now. He took a sip out of his cup that was on the table before continuing.

    "Listen Jeff, I get that you''re a little salty as a 3D fan but your hot take is just a tiny bit too hot for me.

    I get that Kyle was a huge part of Jefferson''s defense. He locked down the paint and acted as a safety for the rest of the team.

    But Jason is the heart of their offense and defense. This kid is like a coach on the court whenever he''s out there.

    He sees ys before they even develop and he directs his guys on the best way to handle it. I get that their short roster is probably going to be their undoing.

    But I think they can go at least two games deep into the tournament. I think that Jason has that star yer quality and that alone is worth at least two wins."

    Jeff chuckled before waving his hands in denial "Hey hey cool it there Tucker. I might be a 3D fan but that doesn''t mean that I''m biased.

    I''m a born and raised Riverside boy okay? If anything my bias would be in favor of Jason. But I don''t let my biases affect my judgement unlike you and other people.

    In my opinion Jason is just too small and he''s just not athletic enough to force two wins at the state level."

    Tucker put his hands up helplessly "Sometimes talking to you feels like I''m talking to a stone wall. Let''s make a bet out of it.

    If Jefferson can get 2 games deep into the tournament then you have toe on the show in a chicken costume."

    Jeffughed as he shook Tucker''s hand "You know that I never run from a bet. Especially ones that I''m sure to win.

    When Jefferson gets bounced out of the tournament after their first game I want you to show up in a baby costume. Diaper and bottle, the whole thing. Does that sound like a deal?"

    Tuckerughed as he shook Jeff''s hand "Oh you got a deal. I hope you don''t end up regretting this Jeff."

    Tucker then looked at the camera "Thank you for tuning in folks. I hope you guys stay because after a quick break we''ll be talking about the new fish p challenge that''s been blowing up online. New Trend or potential health hazard? Come find out when we get back."

    - - -

    The restuarant was silent as both the kids and the adults didn''t know what to say after hearing what the Jeff had to say on the TV.

    Udonis looked at Kyle and saw that he was staring at the floor with a sad expression on his face.

    The rest of the guys were also feeling down as the conversations that had been going on previously were now dead.

    Trell pounded on the table with both of his fists "What the hell! That dude looked like he ain''t even touched the court once in his life. Why the fuck does he think he got the right to talk shit about us?!"

    DJ tapped him on the shoulder before pointing to the table with the parents "Yo chill out bro. You need to watch yonguage."

    Trell looked over at the parents table before putting his hand up "Sorry Ms. Robinson, my bad."

    Trell''s attention went back to his own table. This time he was talking a little more quietly "I meant what I said tho.

    All the pro yers had nothing negative to say about Jaya so why the hell does the guy with the huge beer belly think he can talk all this shit?"

    Udonisughed "Bro you know how it is. Real recognize real. All the people talking smack are just living room coaches."

    After everyone''s attempts Trell finally calmed down a bit. It was just in time too as the waitress began to bring in everyone''s orders.

    She had multiple tes stacked on her arm and shoulder as she walked around the table. When she got to Jason she was all out "Sorry hun I gotta make another trip for yours."

    When she came back she had another small mountain of tes on her arm and shoulder. She put all of them down in front of Jason.

    She wiped the sweat off of her forehead with the small towel in her pocket. She then put the towel away and smiled at Jason.

    "The boss told me to bring out a few extra tes. He said that he''s seen your appetite on TV and thought that you would appreciate it. It''s all on the house of course."

    Jason smiled brightly at the waitress "Wow! This is all for me?! And it''s free?!" The waitress found Jason irresistibly adorable as she lightly pinched his cheek.

    "You bet it is sweety. He also told me that dinner was on him tonight. He said that we couldn''t charge our own hometown hero.

    He just wanted to ask if it would be okay to get a picture after you guys were done with dinner."

    Jason didn''t seem to mind the waitress'' pinch as smiled and nodded his head. But after nodding his head he paused.

    "The picture is alright with me but I think you should double check with my parents just to make sure."

    The waitress found Jason''s thoughtfulness even cuter "I have a little boy and he just turned 3. I hope he turns into a fine young man like you when he gets to your age."

    The waitress walked over to the parents table and told them about how the owner was a huge fan of Jason''s and how he wanted to treat the team out tonight.

    At first the parents objected. Even though it was nice to be treated out they were feeding a whole team of basketball yers as well as themselves.

    They had ordered a lot of food. But after some convincing on the waitress'' part they agreed to having the owner pay for their dinner.

    And when they heard that all the owner wanted was a photo with Jason and the rest of the team after they were done with dinner they happily agreed.

    And so the whole team as well as their parents were treated to dinner by the owner of the restaurant.

    The boys had a wonderful time as they stuffed their faces with delicious American Italian food.

    Afterwards the waitress even brought out some freshly made chocteva cake with a scoop of vani ice cream for each of the tables.

    After everyone was done eating a man dressed in a white tee shirt and blue jeans walked toward their tables.

    He was about 5''8 (1.72m) and his body seemed to be in pretty good shape. His bald head shined under the lights of the restaurant almost as brightly as his sparkling white teeth.

    He walked over to the table of the parents first. He smiled at them "Thank you guys for choosing Valentino''s as the location for your celebration.

    My name is Valentino Morelli and yes I named the restaurant after myself haha. As a huge basketball fanatic and a born and raised Riverside kid I am a huge fan of Jason and Jefferson''s team.

    I hope that I''m not being too pushy but I would love to get a photo with Jason and the rest of the team. The photo would be the pride of this restaurant.

    Jason''s parents as well as the others happily agreed to letting Valentino take a photo with Jason and the rest of the team.

    He was clearly excited as he stood next to Jason along with the rest of the team. It almost seemed like he was fangirling.

    Afterwards everyone walked out of Valentino''s with smiles on their faces as their stomachswere stuffed.

    Everyone began walking toward their own rides. As Jason was about to walk with his parents to the car he realized something.

    Trell had gotten a ride from the school to the restaurant with DJ and his parents. Jason walked over to Trell "You''re not gonna catch a ride with DJ and his parents again?"

    Trell smirked "Nah bro. DJ and his folks is from a nice neighborhood. I wouldn''t want to give em ate night spook havin em drivin down to my ce."

    Jason frowned after hearing that "I know that you''re tough and that you can take care of yourself Trell but you shouldn''t be taking the bus thiste at night by yourself.

    Even if you got the body of someone that''s grown you''re still just a kid. Why don''t you just get a ride with me and my parents."

    Trell shook his head "Nah dude don''t do that. I''ll just take the bus." Jason looked Trell straight in the eyes.

    "Why don''t you just let us do this for you? Remember what Coach Swendel and Udonis said? This team is a second family. And family always got each other''s backs."

    Trell sighed "Jason.... That''s why I don''t want you and yo folks to give me a ride." Jason was surprised by what Trell had said.

    Trell continued "You and yo folks have been nothing but great to me. Same thing with Kyle and his mom.

    But that''s even more of a reason for me to not want you to give me a ride. I didn''t want to ask Kyle for a ride because I didn''t want to remind him and his mom that I''m a street dude livin in a ghetto ass ce.

    And I don''t want your folks to see where I came from. I don''t want them to see that part of me." Jason was caught off guard by what Trell had to say.

    Jason was putting his brain into overdrive as he thought of a solution. After a few seconds a name popped into his mind.

    Jason pulled out one of his phones and dialed a number "Yo Amare. How you doing bro? Nice nice, hey I know it''ste but could I ask you for a favor?"

    Jason got the quickest yes that he had ever gotten. After Jason gave his location Amare hung up the phone.

    Jason looked over at Trell and smiled "I got you bro. One of my friends ising over to give you a ride. And you don''t have to worry about anything because he''s from the same neighborhood."

    Trell nodded his head "Amare, that''s one of Marcus'' guys right? Sometimes I forget that you got some of your own connections."

    Jason waited for Amare to show up. After seeing Amare and Trell drive off Jason made his way over to his parents.

    He smiled at them as he apologized "Sorry about that. Trell didn''t have a ride and I didn''t want him to have to take the bus thiste."

    Both of his parents smiled back before hugging him. Jason''s mom patted him on the head "There''s nothing to be sorry about sweety. You were just taking care of your friend."

    Jason''s dad nodded his head "There''s nothing moremendable than a man taking care of the people that he values."

    The three of them walked to their cars before driving off in satisfaction. On the way home Jason couldn''t help but look up at the sky through his window ''Wow. Does the moon always look this pretty?''

    - - -

    A few dayster. The sounds ofughter and excited chatter mixed inside the arena as Jasonced up his shoes.

    ''First game of the state tournament. Let''s go Jaya. Let''s show these haters what kind of team they were talking smack about.''

 Chapter 139 - First Game Of The State Tournament

    Jason could feel his heart speeding up in excitement as he looked out into the crowded arena.

    All of the seats were filled as not only fans of the two teams had shown up but people from both counties were there to show their support.

    Even though it was over a three hour drive from Tre county to Los Angeles that didn''t seem to have been a problem as their were a ton of posters and banners being raised and waved.

    But Riverside wouldn''t lose out. Seeing as how Riverside was a lot closer to Los Angeles than Tre county was it was easier for the people from there toe to the game.

    But not only that, starting at the state level all the games would be streamed live on the inte as well as take ce in a college arena.

    Right now Jason was on the sidelines of a very familiar arena to him. Today''s game was taking ce at the Pauley Pavilion.

    The court where the UCLA Bruins y their games. This was also the court where Jason yed all of his years in college.

    Jason didn''t think that he would be back at this court so soon. Just as he was about to get lost in his memories he felt a hand ce itself on his shoulder.

    Jason turned his head to the side and saw that it was Udonis. He smiled at Jason "Taking in the sight?"

    Technically he wasn''t wrong so Jason nodded his head. Udonis chuckled "Ima keep a hunnid with you Jaya. I never thought I would ever get a chance to y in a arena like this."

    Jasonughed as he replied "Come on UD. Even if you never got the chance to y in a arena like this in middle school I''m sure you would have gotten a chance to y in one after going to college."

    Udonis shook his head "I honestly don''t think I would have Jason. Before you joined the team we weren''t making any type of noise.

    No scouts and no schools were looking at me like that. But after we went undefeated and won the school its very first county banner me and my mom have gotten a few calls from different high schools offering me schrships to attend.

    They might not be tier one programs but they are a lot better than a regr public school like Newberry."

    Jason smiled after hearing that "Wow that''s great UD. But you should give yourself some more credit than that.

    Even with me on the team if you didn''t put in the work to improve your game no one would be giving you a call. This is all you."

    Udonis smiled as he ruffled Jason''s hair "You always got something to say huh? Well let''s focus on this game. We can''t let ourselves get bounced out in the first round."

    Jason finished tying up his shoes as he then joined the rest of the guys that were warming up on the court. After a few minutes both teams lined up to shake hands and the game began.

    It was the first day of their winter break but instead of rxing at home or hanging out with friends Jason and the rest of the guys were going to fight like their lives were on the line.

    Their first opponent in the state tournament was Hill Crest Middle School. They were representing Tre county.

    It was much smaller inparison to Riverside county and had a lot less sess at the state level.

    But that didn''t change the fact that Hill Crest was ying with all the pride of their county behind them.

    Jason took a look at the opposing team and saw that their wasn''t anyone noteworthy to pay special attention to.

    Jason knew about all the top talents and diamonds in the rough because basketball had been the only thing in his past life that he had really paid attention too.

    So although he couldn''t tell you whichpanies would be immensely sessful or which stocks to buy he could tell you which athletes dominated at which level. And who would be able to trante that into the professional league.

    Although there weren''t any particr stand out yers all of Hill Crest Middle School had decent skill levels.

    After using Heart''s eye on the opposing team''s starting lineup and bench Jason saw that their yers had an average skill level of B- in their positions primary skills.

    Jason wasn''t worried though because they weren''t the only ones who had been working hard this season.

    Trell''s skills.

    [Skills

    Free throw: D+

    Lay Up: C

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: D+

    Mid Range Shooting: D+

    Three Point Shooting: D

    Dribbling: C-

    Passing: D+

    Ball Handling: C-

    y Making: D+

    Post Scoring: D+

    Rebounding: B-

    Post Control: C+

    Perimeter Defense: B

    Post Defense: C+

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: C+

    Athleticism: AA ]

    Udonis'' skills.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B-

    Lay Up: C+

    Dunking: D

    Close Shot: C+

    Mid Range Shooting: C+

    Three Point Shooting: C

    Dribbling: D

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: D

    y Making: C

    Post Scoring: B+

    Rebounding: B+

    Post Control: B+

    Perimeter Defense: C

    Post Defense: B+

    Steals: D

    Blocks: C+

    Athleticism: B ]

    Matt''s skills.

    [Skills

    Free-throw: B

    Lay Up: C

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: C

    Mid Range Shooting: B

    Three Point Shooting: B

    Dribbling: C+

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: C+

    y Making: C

    Post Scoring: D-

    Rebounding: D-

    Post Control: D-

    Perimeter Defense: B-

    Post Defense: D-

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: F+

    Athleticism: B- ]

    Nick''s skills.

    [Skills

    Free-throw: B-

    Lay Up: C+

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: C+

    Mid Range Shooting: B-

    Three Point Shooting: B-

    Dribbling: C

    Passing: C-

    Ball Handling: C

    y Making: C-

    Post Scoring: D-

    Rebounding: D-

    Post Control: D-

    Perimeter Defense: C+

    Post Defense: D-

    Steals: C

    Blocks: F+

    Athleticism: B- ]

    Without Kyle to fill in the starting Center spot they had to make somechanges to their lineup.

    They slid Udonis up to Center and Trell to Power Forward while Nick filled in for Trell''s starting Small Forward spot.

    Their new lineup consisted of Jason at Point Guard, Matt at Shooting Guard, Nick at Small Forward, Trell at Power Forward, and Udonis at Center.

    Off of the bench they only had DJ and Vince.

    DJ''s skills.

    [Skills

    Free-throw: C+

    Lay Up: B-

    Dunking: D-

    Close Shot: C+

    Mid Range Shooting: C+

    Three Point Shooting: C-

    Dribbling: B-

    Passing: B-

    Ball Handling: B-

    y Making: B-

    Post Scoring: F+

    Rebounding: D-

    Post Control: D-

    Perimeter Defense: C+

    Post Defense: D-

    Steals: C

    Blocks: F+

    Athleticism: B ]

    Vince''s skills.

    [Skills

    Free-throw: C

    Lay Up: C+

    Dunking: D

    Close Shot: C+

    Mid Range Shooting: D+

    Three Point Shooting: D-

    Dribbling: D-

    Passing: D-

    Ball Handling: D-

    y Making: D

    Post Scoring: C+

    Rebounding: B-

    Post Control: B-

    Perimeter Defense: D+

    Post Defense: C+

    Steals: D_

    Blocks: C+

    Athleticism: B ]

    Lastly Jason opened up the system and took a look at his own skills.

    [Skills

    Free throw: SS+

    Lay Up: S+ (SS+)

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: S+ (SS+)

    Mid Range Shooting: S+ (SS+)

    Three Point Shooting: S+ (SS+)

    Dribbling: S+ (SS+)

    Passing: S+ (SS+)

    Ball Handling: S+ (SS+)

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: B+ (A)

    Rebounding: B+ (A)

    Post Control: A+ (S+)

    Perimeter Defense: S+ (SS+)

    Post Defense: A+ (S+)

    Steals: S+ (SS+)

    Blocks: B+ (A+)

    Athleticism: B ]

    A lot of his skills were getting closer to the highest level possible as the restrictions that were holding him back were loosening up even more as Jason improved the conditioning and athleticism of his body.

    Although he was still nowhere near being able to dunk like how Trell and Kyle could. Seeing the improvements that he had madepared to the beginning of the season made Jason even more pumped up for the game.

    Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson lined up and shook hands with the opposing team. The yers from Hill Crest were all around average height for their positions.

    Their tallest yer was their starting Center who looked to be around six feet (1.82m) tall. After shaking hands both teams got into position for the tip off.

    This was the first time in a while that Jefferson had lost the tip off. Udonis jumped as best as he could but against an opponent that had slightly better bounce and a distinct height advantage he didn''t stand a chance.

    Hill Crest managed to get first possession. However, as their Point Guard tried to bring the ball up the court Jason began to press him.

    The Point Guard lost his dribble as Jason''s tight defense forced him to a stop. He tried to look for a passingne so that he wouldn''t get hit with a ten second vition and lose the ball.

    One of the wing yers moved to the side just as the coach had instructed from the sidelines.

    The Point Guard saw this and sighed in relief. As soon as he saw an opening he threw the ball toward the wing yer on his left.

    However this was what Jason had wanted as he jumped into the passingne with his hand cutting through the air.

    He managed to deflect the pass with his hand as the ball then began bouncing back the other way.

    Jason knew that this would happen so he was the first one to react. He managed to gain possession of the ball as he ran toward the basket.

    It was a one on two fast break as there were two defenders chasing after Jason as he ran toward the basket.

    With two defenders sandwiching him Jason used a spin move to split them as he made his way into the basket.

    Although Jason was able to get past them the contact from the defenders had knocked him off bnce.

    As Jason was about to begin falling over he pushed off of his right leg as much as he could to reposition himself as best as he could.

    As he was in the air he focused on the basket and scooped the ball up toward it with his right hand.

    Jason had jumped while he was off bnce so needless to say he wasn''t able tond properly.

    He fell on the hardwood and slid for a little bit. But his eyes had been locked onto the basket.

    He watched as the ball softlynded on the rim before slowly leaning over and eventually it fell through the.

    Jason stood up and pumped his fist in excitement ''Fuck yeah! You might have gotten the first possession but we got the first points!''

 Chapter 140 - First Game Of The State Tournament: Part-2

    Out in the crowd Kyle was watching the opening of the game as he and his mom sat next to Jason''s parents and some other people from Riverside.

    Tory and her father weren''t there because she had anotherpetition to attend. After they saw Jefferson lose the tip off all of them sighed in disappointment a little bit.

    But after seeing Jason steal the ball and score the first basket of the game they were all cheering in excitement.

    Kyle''s mom nudged him at the side "That was some good defense wasn''t it Kyle?" He shook his head with a smile "Nah mom. That was just normal for Jason. Wait until he really kicks it up a notch."

    - - -

    Before the game had began. On the side where the scorers table was there was one man who appeared to be in his early thirties sitting alongside two other men who were clearly a bit younger than him. They all had a mic in front of them.

    The middle aged man straightened up his back as he smiled to his lone camera man "The first round of the state tournament for Californian middle school''s is now about to begin.

    I am Tony Johnson and with me today are two of UCLA''s young stars Cameron Baker and Randel Thompson.

    For today''s first game we have Jefferson Middle School representing Riverside county vs Hill Crest Middle School who is representing Tre county.

    What do you guys think? Who do you haveing out of today''s game?" Tony then looked at the two young men who were sitting beside him.

    Cameron Baker seemed to be about 6''6 (1.98m). He had dark brown skin and his medium length ck dreads were tied into a ponytail.

    He was dressed in a nice blue button up shirt with a small silver ne hanging in front of his chest.

    Cameron smiled as the camera turned toward him "I honestly don''t know much about both of these teams.

    I don''t pay attention to the middle school basketball scene as muchtely just because of how busy things have been for me.

    But after I found out that I would bementating on this game with you and Randel I did a little bit of research.

    I watched some film on both teams and I think I have to give this one to Jefferson. Not only do they have the best yer on the court with Jason.

    Their second best yer ,which I think is Udonis, is the third best yer on the floor. So Jefferson has 2 of the 3 best yers in today''s game. I just don''t see them losing today."

    Tony nodded his headbefore turning to Randel "And how about you Randel? Who do you have winning today''s game?"

    Compared to Cameron who was sitting up right Randel was leaning back in his chair with his arm over the back of the chair.

    Randel was of a slightly lighterplexion than Cameron and a bit shorter at 6''3 (1.9m). He was dressed in a blue button up shirt just like Cameron but he left the top two buttons undone.

    He had his hair done in a temple fade with sponge twists that were bleached blonde at the tips.

    He looked at Tony before looking at the camera with a bored expression on his face "I mean I don''t really follow middle school ball like that same as Cam.

    But if I had to put mah own two cents in I guess I''m goin with them little dudes from Riverside. If Cam said they got two of the three best hoopers out there then that''s a wrap."

    Cameron frowned momentarily before leaning toward Randel and whispering while blocking the mic with his hand "This game is being streamed live over the inte Randel.

    Is it too much to ask for you to present yourself properly?" Randel chuckled before doing the same and whispering back.

    "Bruh, you really want to do this right now? You gettin yo panties all in a bunch just cause I don''t want to talk all white and shit?"

    Cameron could feel his blood pressure rising as he whispered back "First of all there is no such thing as talking white or ck.

    You can speak and act proper or you can speak and act ghetto. There is no one race that has a sole im to acting and speaking a certain way.

    You saying shit like ''I don''t want to act white'' makes it sound like only white people can act and speak in a proper manner and that ck people all have to be as ignorant as you.

    Second of all I want you to sit up properly and pay attention to the game. We are here to providementary. Not just sit on our asses."

    Randel put his hand up "Damn bro you need to chill. I was just messin with you. It ain''t that deep. You ain''t gotta be so pressed about it.

    Sheesh, I thought we came here to watch some ball not listen to you give a whole lecture on race and sociology and shit."

    Randel sat up in his chair before looking over to Cameron "Cool?" Cameron gave a slight nod.

    Although Tony didn''t overhear anything he could feel that things had be a bit weird. Thankfully the awkward tension didn''tst long as the game began.

    Tony beganmentating "Unfortunately Jefferson middle school has lost the tip off. This marks the end of an incredible stretch of games in which Jefferson had won the first possession.

    But what''s this?! Jason has just stolen the ball from the opposing team''s Point Guard! He''s making his way to the basket.

    There are two defenders on him as he makes his way toward the paint. And he manages to split the defenders with the spin move and finish with an off bnce scoop shot with his right hand! What a fantastic sequence of basketball."

    Cameron nodded his head "That defense was something else. They way he anticipated the pass and jumped into thene really shows his iq for the game."

    Randel was silent as he nodded his head in agreement.

    The game proceeded at a regr pace. Jefferson had a clear advantage on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

    On offense Jason was the primary ball handler and after a few possessions in which he scored off of istion ys it forced Hill Crest to dedicate more of their defense to him.

    While all of the defensive attention he was getting made it harder for him to score Jason was able to find the open man and make the pass.

    Hill Crest then switched to having one primary defender on Jason while having the rest of their yers cover zones.

    This worked for a few possessions but after Jefferson got used to it they were able to swing the ball around the court until they found a good shot.

    On defense Jason was able to direct his teammates as they slowed down Hill Crest''s offense. As the quarter came to an end Jefferson was in the lead with a score of 24-12.

    Tony looked over at Cameron "What an exciting quarter don''t you guys agree? Jason''s court vision was on full disy as he dished out 5 assists."

    Cameron replied "That was some great passing not just form Jason but from the whole team.

    After Hill Crest made a change to their defense Jefferson didn''t miss a beat as they quickly adapted. What do you think Randel?"

    After seeing the look that Cameron was giving him Randel sighed in his mind ''Damn, I get it. Ima behave myself.''

    Randel sat up before he added "That was some nice ball movement from Jefferson. But the thang that stuck out the most to me was their defense.

    Jason had his whole team movin on beat like a orchestra. Every single backdoor cut and screen was getting called out by him."

    Tony smiled "It must be a blessing to have a yer like Jason on the floor. It''s practically like having a coach standing next to your other yers. But I was surprised that they kept him in for the entire quarter."

    Cameron added "That surprised me too. I thought that they would sit him down at one point but I guess they had to keep him in because of their short roster."

    Randelughed "How are you supposed to get any rest when you only got 7 yers on your team?

    The way I see it they gon need this kid to y the whole game if they want to win. It looked like Jefferson ahead by a lot.

    But that''s only cause Jason yed the entire quarter. Cam was right that Jefferson got 2 of the 3 best yers but on average I would say that Hill Crest has the better team."

    The clock soon buzzed indicating that it was time for the game to resume. Both teams came back out on the court.

    Randel smiled "See? What''d I tell you?" Nick and Matt had gotten subbed out of the game for DJ and Vince but Jason was still in the lineup.

 Chapter 141 - First Game Of The State Tournament: Part-3

    Tony looked out to the court "Looks like Jason will be ying to start the second quarter. It''s interesting to see that they are opting to rest their other wing yers before their primary y maker."

    Cameron answered "This could be a part of their strategy. They may have Jason y the start of the quarter to ensure that the momentum is in their favor before subbing him out."

    Randel heard that and chuckled before shaking his head "Nah, the way I see it Jason gon y this whole quarter.

    The score right now ain''t actually a good measure of how good the team''s are. Things are actually a whole lot tighta than how they look.

    With Jason on the floor Jefferson is definitely the better team. But if you take him out then I don''t know if they would be qualified to be ying on the same court as Hill Crest."

    - - -

    Out on the court Vince inbounded the ball to Jason as they would have the first possession of the second quarter.

    Jason began to bring the ball up the court but before he could pass half court the opposing team''s Point Guard began to guard him tightly.

    Jason chuckled in his head ''You think you''re on the same level as me? Maybe you can try again in a couple years.''

    Jason jabbed his foot to the right before shifting directions to the left. The defender bit on the fake and was a step behind as he tried to recover.

    He went into a full dash as he tried to catch up to Jason. Just as he was about to make contact Jason changed directions with a smooth behind the back dribble.

    As Jason maneuvered his way around the defender he crossed half court and scanned the floor.

    Without stopping he attacked the center as he drove to the paint. The opposing team''s wing yers were originally guarding DJ and Trell who were standing in the corner so they couldn''t help on Jason.

    As Jason drove toward the paint the opposing team''s Center left Udonis behind as he moved up to contain Jason.

    Jason saw this and gathered his dribbled as he got ready for the shot. After he jumped into the air Hill Crest''s Center jumped with him in order to block the shot.

    However instead of shooting theyup Jason wrapped around the defender as he dumped the ball off to Udonis who had cut toward the basket.

    Udonis caught the pass and quickly put the ball up. After scoring theyup he walked over to Jason and high fived him "Sick pass man."

    Now it was Hill Crest''s turn at offense again. Their Point Guard was guarded by Jason tightly as soon as he crossed half court.

    The Point Guard quickly passed the ball over to their Shooting Guard before moving to the left corner.

    They continued to run their offense as Jason stood in the corner alongside their Point Guard. Jason kept his eyes on the court but he started talking.

    "So is this your new game n? Move to the corner and try to keep me out of the primary action?

    You must be a real scrub if your coach only trusts you to be a walking mannequin haha." The Point Guard was clearly irritated but he kept his mouth shut.

    Jason took a quick nce and saw the sour expression on his face. He smirked as he moved his focus back out to the court.

    "Hey, so what were your tryouts like? Did the coach give you a jersey and ask you to stand still in the corner?

    Or maybe you were the towel boy and they just asked you to hop in the game? If that''s the case then I can''t me you for not doing anything."

    The Point Guard finally cracked "Shut the fuck up!" Although he was loud because of the noise on the court as well as the noise from the audience only Jason was able to hear it.

    Jason chuckled "Well look who finally decided to talk. For a second I thought you were mute. So what''s it like going from towel boy to starter?"

    As the y failed to develop into a good shot Hill Crest reset their offense as they brought the ball back out to the perimeter.

    They called out for a y and the Point Guard that had been standing still in the corner moved out to the perimeter.

    Jason followed him as he then went to set a screen for his Shooting Guard. Jason yelled out to DJ "Switch!"

    After the screen Jason and DJ switched defensive assignments. The Shooting Guard tried to get open off of the screen but Jason was able to quickly close out on him.

    Seeing this the Shooting Guard tried to flip the screen and run Jason into it this time. As Jason hopped in front of the screen and was about to close in on the ball handler he felt himself getting shoved from behind.

    Jason fell to the floor but luckily he was prepared for it as hended safely. The referee blew his whistle and pointed to Hill Crest''s Point Guard who had just set the screen.

    "Illegal screen from number 3! Jefferson''s ball." The Point Guard went up to the referee and started toin.

    Jason wasying on his back as he saw this. He began to smile as he then started to do huge over exaggerated ps in response.

    Udonis and Vince walked up to Jason and helped to pull him to his feet. After he was standing he saw that the Point Guard was stillining to the referee.

    He turned to the crowd and put both of his hands up to his face in a crybaby gesture mocking the Point Guard.

    Jason made sure that the referee couldn''t see him as he did that. The Riverside fans in attendance began to cheer wildly after seeing him do that. While the fans of Tre county began to boo.

    The second quarter ended in a simr manner to the first. Jefferson was able to run their offense through Jason while locking down the opposing team on defense.

    However as the quarter went on both their offense as well as their defense began to take a dip in quality as it took more attempts to score and they began to allow more baskets on the other side.

    Hill Crest was able to make some progress toward shortening Jefferson''s lead as the score at the end of the second quarter was now 42-30.

    - - -

    Back at the scorers table Tony was with Cameron and Randel. Tony looked to Cameron and Randel.

    "That was another great quarter of basketball. I think my favorite y was the deep three that Jason made after breaking down his defender."

    Cameron shook his head "That was a nice y but it was actually kind of ugly if you ask me." Tony looked at him questioningly "What do you mean by that Cameron?"

    Cameron saw the camera focused on him and smiled as he turned to Randel "You want to answer that?"

    Randel shrugged his shoulders "The shot itself was nice as hell. The double behind the back move to shake the defender was nice too.

    But the y itself was ugly ugly. Jefferson had reset their offense about two times before they made that shot.

    So that means that they needed three attempts to get that shot. And it wasn''t even like the offense created that shot.

    The lil dude had to go deep in his bag to get that shot off. If a offense is running well then you don''t need a yer to dance with the ball like that.

    Off ball movement, passing, cuts, the offense should be creating open looks for the yers. If a yer has to forcefully create a shot like that then that''s usually a bad sign.

    Jefferson''s offense is based around Jason ain''t no question about that. But usually the can give him a bit of a break by running their offense through Udonis in the paint.

    We saw this in the first quarter. But in the second quarter not only did Udonis have to step off the court to catch his breathe.

    Even when he was in the game the quality of his y took a real hit. He was letting his defender push him outta position, makin sloppy passes, and not making the right reads.

    But it ain''t just him. Everyone on the team is looking drained. Even Jason lookin tired. He was missing some shots that he was nailin in the first.

    He''s prolly the yer that needs to rest the most but this dude been yin the whole game so far.

    The way I see it if Hill Crest can keep the quality of their y consistent then they gon run Jefferson outta the gym."

    Cameron nodded his head in agreement "Basketball isn''t just all about skill. Coaching and strategy can y a big part.

    And if I was Hill Crest I would take advantage of the one big strength that they have against Jefferson. Numbers.

    If Hill Crest can turn this game into a war of attrition then they might have a shot of causing a major upset."

 Chapter 142 - First Game Of The State Tournament: A Dramatic Finish!

    As the second quarter came to a close Jason and the rest of the guys made their way to their bench.

    As he took a seat Jason took a look around and saw that everyone was breathing hard. He took a gulp of water from his sports bottle.

    ''Shit! We were short handed before but now it''s even worse. None of us can get a rest and it''s starting to show.

    The guys are taking a hit to their game because of the fatigue. I''ve been working on my conditioning nonstop and even I''m starting to feel tired. I can''t imagine how everyone else is feeling.''

    Ms. Yuller helped pass around towels and fresh sports bottles after the guys finished the water in theirs.

    She knew that she couldn''t help much as a coach but she wanted to do what she could to help "That was a wonder half gentlemen. If we keep this up we will surely win."

    Udonis saw that other than Jason everyone else had their heads hanging down tiredly. He stood up and spoke.

    "I thought you guys were the Riverside county champions. You ain''t looking like it right now. You gon hang your heads like that cause you a little tired?!"

    Everyone raised their heads and turned to Udonis after hearing him raise his voice "This ain''t what winners look like.

    Right now I''m getting pissed seeing you guys with your heads down. Pick your heads up and y with some heart!

    We told Kyle that we would keep on winnin until he got better. Did you guys forget about that?"

    Everyone seemed to have caught a second wind as the fire in their eyes that had died down reignited.

    They all answered in unison "NO!" Udonis smiled after seeing their reaction "That''s the spirit. Let''s keep on ying hard and get that dub!"

    The guys all cheered with passion. Just as they were beginning to quiet down the clock buzzed indicating the end of the break.

    Jason got up and looked at the guys "Let''s start the third quarter off with some spirit. We''ll go with me at Point, Nick at the 2 spot, Matt at Small Forward, Trell at Power Forward, and Vince at Center."

    The guys all nodded their heads in agreement as Jason and the rest of the guys then made their way back to the court.

    Vince inbounded the ball to Jason who then began to dribble his way up the court. As he crossed half court the opposing team''s Point Guard began to guard him tightly.

    Jason thought in his mind ''Still haven''t learned your lesson huh?'' Jason drove right with the defender on his hip.

    Seeing Jason and his defendering toward him Matt prepared himself to set a screen. But right before they made contact Jason stepped on the breaks and changed directions.

    Jason''s defender had not been expecting the change in direction so he ended up hitting Matt''s screen while Matt''s defender had been preparing to switch after the screen so he was in a bad position to close out on Jason who had decided to not use the screen.

    As all of this was happening Jason stepped back to make sure that he was behind the three point line. He then got into his smooth and textbook shooting form as he let the three ball fly.

    With his right hand up from the follow through he along with the rest of the crowd in the arena watched as the ball traveled through the air.

    After what almost seemed like a few seconds the ball swished cleanly through the. Jason held up three fingers on his right hand as he smiled toward the excited crowd.

    Matt ran up to him as the two of them bumped hips as they jumped into the air. Matt high fived Jason before pping him on the shoulder "Nice shot bro!"

    Jasonughed as they both made their way back on defense "But that screen was pretty nice too bro. That shot was a two man effort."

    On defense Jason gave the opposing team''s Point Guard space but he kept him within arms reach as he guarded him.

    Jason was daring him to shoot ''If you think you can pull the trigger faster than I can close out on you then go for it.''

    The Point Guard seemed to be thinking of taking the shot as he stood hesitantly out on the perimeter.

    But after a second he decided not to as he called out a y. Jason yelled out as he pointed out the screen being set for the yer that Matt was guarding.

    Matt heard Jason''s voice but as he tried to hop in front of the screener to cheat the screen he felt his legs getting heavy as his movement slowed down.

    That moment of dy was enough for his defensive assignment to move from the corner out to the top of the perimeter.

    Vince saw that the yer was wide open so he left his defensive assignment to run out from the paint to the perimeter toward him.

    The yer on the wing caught the ball and saw Vince running toward him. He then passed the ball to their Center that had been left alone in the paint.

    Trell was close by and as he saw the passing to the opposing team''s Center he left his defensive assignment in order to protect the paint.

    The Center caught the ball but before he could get the shot up Trell had managed to run his way toward him and was now defending with his arms up.

    The Center knew that if Trell was here guarding him then that meant that their Power Forward was wide open.

    He passed the ball to the right where their Power Forward was standing. He caught the pass and took the wide open mid range baseline jumper.

    Trell tried his best to switch back on to his original assignment as he ran at top speed. Just as the ball was about to leave his hand Trell managed to get his hand in his face.

    As Trell''s momentum carried him past the opposing team''s Power Forward he looked back to watch the ball.

    The shot ended up bouncing off of the rim but the Center had nopetition as he got the offensive rebound and put the ball back up for the easy basket.

    Unfortunately this marked the beginning of Jefferson''s downfall. As the quarter progressed Jefferson''s yers only got more tired while Hill Crest was able to keep their yers fresh by rotating their roster at every opportunity.

    The strategy that had once helped them beat Nashton Academy was now being used against them as Hill Crest did their best to speed up the tempo of the game.

    On offense everyone was clearly showing signs of fatigue as Nick and Matt were missing wide open shots while Vince and Trell''s runs to the rim were clearly not as ferocious as before.

    On defense even with Jason calling out the ys and directing the guys their legs were just too tired to defend at the same level that they were doing so during the first quarter.

    - - -

    Both teams were sitting at their respective benches as the third quarter had just finished up.

    Back at the scorers table Tony was smiling as he talked with Cameron and Randel "What a turn around by Hill Crest.

    They came into the third down by 12 points but now with a score of 52-54 they have managed to gain the lead.

    Jefferson was held to their lowest scoring quarter since the beginning of the season as they were held to just 10 points in the third.

    What did you guys see out there from Hill Crest that really impressed you?" Cameron was the first to answer.

    "I was impressed by their discipline on defense. They moved their feet and kept their hands up the whole time. I didn''t see any of their yers taking a possession off."

    Randelughed "That''s real easy to do when you go through all twelve yers on your roster.

    I feel bad for Jason man. He had the double teamsing that entire quarter. And it''s not like he wasn''t making the pass to the open man.

    His teammates just couldn''t make Hill Crest pay for leaving them open. And even when he was getting defended one on one his defenders could go all out knowing that they would get to rest after getting subbed out.

    That made the defenders even peskier. The impressive part to me was the fact that Jason was able to score 10 points by himself.

    He was the only one from Jefferson that managed to score in the third quarter. Hill Crest did the smart thing and pushed the tempo to force Jefferson to run and spend more energy.

    My head would be all types of hot right now if I was Jason. He tryin his best to carry and he can''t get nothin outta his teammates.

    If they don''t start carryin they own weight in the fourth then it''s a wrap. First round bounce." After listening to what Randel had to say Cameron added.

    "I don''t think it''s fair to put so much me on those kids Randel. They have a 7 man rotation going against a team with a full 12 man roster.

    Not too mention that it''s only been a few days since the county tournament finished up. These kids have been ying nonstop basketball.

    They really haven''t had a chance to rest so now the fatigue is getting to them. I''m honestly just surprised that Jason has managed to y the entire game so far."

    - - -

    As bad as the third quarter was the fourth quarter proved to be even worse as Hill Crest continued to run and gun their way through offense.

    Even if they missed the shot they didn''t seem to care as long as they were forcing Jefferson to keep up with them.

    And the tired legs on Jefferson began to fully show themselves as the guys began to make easy mistakes such as making unnecessary fouls and losing their assignments on off ball movements.

    On offense it continued to be a one man show from Jason as he willed the team to score.

    Tony was excitedly looking at to the court "It''s Jason with the ball. He just crossed half court and the double team ising to him already.

    He passes it to one of his teammates on the wing before the double team can arrive. He faked to the right as though he were going for the hand off but he''s cutting to the basket!

    The wing yer tossed the overhead lob pass to Jason as he continues his attack. The Center moves up in order to contain Jason but he tosses the floater up before he can get there! And that''s Jefferson for 2!"

    With only 40 seconds left on the clock Jason began to dribble the ball up the court. His legs felt like they were made of lead and his sides were aching from how hard he was breathing.

    Somehow Jason had managed to keep the game close as Jefferson was only down by 1 with a score of 66-67.

    This had been a low scoring game but the degree of difficulty was the highest out of any game Jason had yed sinceing back in time.

    Jason called out a y as he then passed the ball to Matt. Jason didn''t really believe that they would get a good look out of the y but he ran it anyway so that he could get a moment to catch his breathe.

    Jason had yed every minute of the game. He didn''t sit down on the bench except for the half time break and the break in between quarters.

    After using up ten seconds Jason called for the ball back as he stood out on the top of the perimeter.

    Jason took a look at the clock as he began his attack ''28 seconds. I can do this. You got this man, you got it.''

    Jason saw a defendere off of Matt as they tried to double team him. Before that could happen Jason drove left.

    With his defender on his hip and another one on his way toward him Jason had to make his move and fast.

    Jason put his head down and tucked his shoulders in as he tried to bump the defender off of him.

    Despite the contact the defender was able to stay with him as he kept his hands up and shuffled his feet. Jason thought in his mind ''Now''s the time. Activate badge Ankle Breaker!''

    Jason stopped and took one hard dribble before giving his defender a slight push before stepping back for the mid range jump shot.

    The angle was just right so the referee couldn''t see the small push that Jason did as he stepped back.

    The crowd held their breathe as they watched the ball on its way to the basket. One bounce, two bounce, three bounce, after what seemed to be an eternity the ball fell over and dropped through the.

    A portion of the crowd erupted into frenzied cheers as Jefferson was now up 68 to 67 with just 20 seconds left on the clock. It was just a one point lead but one point was all they needed.

    Udonis yelled out in a final attempt to squeeze whatever energy was left in the team "Just one more possession guys! JUST ONE MORE!"

    That seemed to have worked as the guys gave a spirited yell in response "JUST ONE MORE!" They guys ran like there was no tomorrow as they wrung themselves dry of whatever juice was left in their systems.

    They fought through screens, stuck with their assignments as they ran around the court and they kept their hands and their feet active as they swarmed their opponents.

    Through sheer effort alone they were able to eat up ten seconds from the clock. During one of the ys Jason ended up switched on the opposing team''s Small Forward.

    He seemed to have a three inch size advantage against Jason as he stood at 5''8 (1.72m). He tried to lose Jason with his handles but even in his tired state Jason showed off his elite defensive prowess.

    With Just five seconds on the clock the Small Forward drove in the direction where his teammate was setting a screen for him.

    Jason''sfatigue finally showed as he failed to fight through the screen. His legs faltered at the decisive moment causing him to get caught up in the screen.

    The small Forward found himself wide open as he took the mid range jump shot from the top of the free throw line.

    He was relieved to see that there weren''t any defender near him as he got into his shooting motion.

    But just as the ball was about to reach his release point he felt a pressure press down on the ball.

    At that moment he knew who it was but he couldn''t ept it ''Is it him? But how could he? How did he recover so fast? He hit the screen head on!''

    He fell to his butt as the clock buzzed indicating the end of the game. Right next to him on the floor was Jason as heid down with a huge smile on his face.

    - - -

    Tony was at the scorers tablementating "Jefferson is ying defense like their lives depend on it.

    Hill Crest resets their offense as their Small Forward stares down Jason at the top of the perimeter.

    Oh no Jason hits the screen head on! Now''s their chance to win the game! Hill Crest with the mid range jumper!

    And it''s blocked! Jason came from behind and blocked the shot right as it was about to fly! The game is over folks! What an incredible y from Jason!

    Jefferson wins the game! Jefferson wins!"

 Chapter 143 - First Win In The State Tournament

    Jason had just gotten caught in the screen as he cursed in his head ''Fuck! Why now? Why at the most crucial moment?!''

    Jason saw as his defensive assignment stopped at the free throw line. From how he had dipped the ball down Jason knew that he was about to get in his shooting motion.

    And without a defender anywhere near him there was a good chance that the mid range jumper would go in.

    ''Is this how things are going to end? Is our basketball season finished? No! I can''t let that happen! I made a promise to Kyle!''

    Even though his legs had just given out on him Jason pushed as hard as he could. He tried to squeeze out any strength that was still hiding deep within his bones.

    His mind went nk as he found himself getting closer and closer to his defensive assignment that he had lost on the screen.

    "Ahhhhh!" Jason leapt up into the air Just as the Small Forward had raised the ball to eye level. With his right hand on top of the ball Jason pushed down as hard as he could.

    Jason had used up everything that he had for that final spurt. So as he was in the air he didn''t have the ability to bnce himself in order tond properly.

    Jason fell to the floor and as the clock buzzed he raised his head to the scoreboard. Seeing the final score of 68 to 67 a smile blossomed across his face.

    As heid on his back and stared at the lights up above Jason couldn''t help but to raise both of his fists to the air as he yelled his heart out "WE WON!!!"

    Udonis ran over to Jason and picked him up straight from the floor "That was fucking crazy! You a beast bro! That block was wild as hell!"

    The rest of the guys rushed Jason as they all cheered for him. Even the guys on the bench had ran their way to the floor.

    The entire time the crowd was going wild as they showered the boys with athunderous round of apuse and cheers from their seats.

    Ms. Yuller walked up to the boys with a bright smile on her face "Wonderful performance tonight gentlemen.

    Especially you Jason. Thatst act had the entire audience up and on their feet. From how much noise they are currently making it is as though they were asking for an encore!"

    Jason smiled as he nodded his head ''The way she says things is kinda weird but she really is happy for us.''

    After a few moments of celebration the boys had to line up for the end of game handshake. Jefferson and Hill Crest stood across from each other.

    Jason had nothing but respect for the kids from Hill Crest. They had yed hard the entire night and they did their best.

    Jason smiled as he shook their hands "That was a hell of a game." "Goof effort out there." "Good game man, good game."

    And on the other side the respect was mutual as all of Hill Crest''s yers were able to recognize Jason''s efforts.

    "I honestly thought that you were all hype from the TV show but you really are crazy good." "Good game Jason." "Damn man I can''t believe you yed the whole game. Respect."

    Ms. Yuller shook hands with Hill Crest''s head coach "You and your boys were great tonight. Things just so happened to have fallen in our favor."

    The head coach chuckled as he waved his hands in front of him "Thank you for thepliment but we know that we lost fair and square.

    Luck might have had a tiny part in it but your boys just wanted it more tonight. Our season might be over but we''ll all be waiting to see what kind of noise you guys can make."

    After the hand shake the boys made their way back to the locker room to shower up and change.

    The guys couldn''t help but stare at the locker room in amazement. Trell whistled "Damn! Check out the massage chairs."

    Udonis chuckled "Massage chairs? Man take a look at the hot tubs and sauna rooms. They definitely don''t have those at Jefferson."

    Jason smiled after seeing the guys'' reactions "This is the locker room for Los Angeles'' best college basketball program. Their funding is just a tiny bit higher than ours hehe."

    After they got cleaned up and dressed they met up with their parents outside of the arena. Jason ran up to Kyle before pping him on the back.

    "I told you we would win. Just focus on healing up and leave the work to us for now. We''ll make sure tost long enough for you toe back."

    Kyle''s eyes were beginning to moisten up but he fought back the urge to cry. He smiled as he ruffled Jason''s hair.

    "You''re telling me to focus on healing up but I think you need to focus on taking better care of your body. Who the hell ys the entire game?

    If you''re not careful you''re going to end up getting hurt yourself you know that?" Jason put his hands behind his head as he answered confidently.

    "There''s no need to worry about me. All the food I eat is keeping my body in tip top condition. My body is so tough that it would take something like a car crash to hurt me."

    Jason''s momughed as she approached her son. She put her hand on top of his head and began to y with his hair.

    "Alright Jaya enough bragging. Everyone knows that you eat like a hippo there''s no need to broadcast it.

    Now that you guys won your first game in the state tournament the real question is what are we going to eat to celebrate?"

    Jason''s face lit up after hearing them bring up food "We have to eat something super tasty. It''s not everyday that we get to be in LA."

    Kyle was currently wearing a boot around his ankle to help keep it stabilized while he healed up. He was also using a crutch.

    Kyle spoke up "Ooh I know. I was reading up on ces to eat at in LA and I heard about this really good Korean Mexican fusion restaurant.

    All of the reviews were really positive. I heard that the best part is that they have really nice BBWs there."

    Jason had been drinking from his water bottle. When he heard Kyle say that the waterunched out of his mouth.

    Jason coughed as he looked at Kyle. Trell had a shaken expression on his face as he looked Kyle up and down "I-I didn''t think you were that kind of guy Kyle."

    Kyle''s mom smacked him on the top of his head "You got a lot of guts talkin bout BBWs in front of yo momma like that."

    Kyle saw that everyone had shocked expressions on their faces. He looked at them confused "What''s the problem?

    All of the reviews said that the best thing on their menu is their BBWs. Their Bulgogi Burrito Wraps are supposed to be out of this world."

    A sense of rity fell on everyone as they realized that Kyle had just been talking about food. Kyle looked at his mom questioningly "What did you think I was talking about?"

    His mom gave a nervous chuckle after realizing that she had just jumped to conclusions. She patted him on the head as she apologized.

    "Oh nothin baby. Momma just misheard you is all. That fusion whatever sounds good. Why don''t we give it a try?"

    She hurriedly tried to change the topic so that she wouldn''t have to have an awkward talk with her son.

    Jason and the rest of the guys on the team joined Ms. Yuller as they got on the minivan that the school had prepared for them.

    They followed the parents to the restaurant that Kyle was talking about. Since they weren''t in Riverside everyone had been expecting a quiet night.

    However that was a miscalction on their part. They had underestimated the level of Jason''s poprity.

    As they stood outside of the building waiting for the restaurant to get the tables ready for theirrge party random people began walking up to them asking for pictures and autographs from Jason.

    Jason had already been on the rise thanks to his appearances on the TV show Through the Hoops.

    But because of all the coverage that he had gotten from the county championship game against Nashton Academy Jason was even more popr and recognizable than he had thought.

    Before he knew it there was a small crowd gathered around him. They all had their phones out taking pictures of him.

    Some people asked if he could wait so that they could buy a basketball or a shirt for him to sign.

    Jason ended up spending over thirty minutes taking pictures and signing random things for people.

    Jason had just managed to appease the crowd when one of the workers from the restaurant had stepped outside "Mr. and Mrs. Yang your table is ready."

    Jason had turned around and had started walking to the door of the restaurant when a car that had been parked at the side slid its windows down.

    "Fuck you chink!" Jason turned his head after hearing someone shouting out. He was about to curse them out for yelling something so tantly racist when he saw the shadow of a couple objects flying toward him.

    ''Oh shit.'' Jason didn''t have the time to react as he stood there defenselessly.

 Chapter 144 - Making A Splash

    Jason felt something hit him in the chest and in the head. He then heard a cracking sound as he felt a warm liquid drip down his face.

    The sound of screeching tires could be heard as the car that had rolled it''s two windows down began to drive away in a hurry.

    They were clearly in a hurry as they didn''t even bother to signal as they got on to the main road. Even as the stop light was yellow they went straight past it as they sped down the street.

    Trell had been walking into the restaurant when he saw what happened. He ran out and grabbed a chunk of broken concrete from the floor that he then threw toward the car.

    Trell angrily yelled out "Come back here bitch!" Just as the car went past the stop light the chunk of concrete that Trell had thrown crashed through the back windshield.

    Unfortunately the car still got away. Trell ran over to Jason "You okay bro?" Jason nodded with an annoyed expression on his face.

    "I''m good bro. Those bitches just threw some eggs at me. Thankfully they didn''t throw anything more dangerous."

    Jason''s parents walked over to their son worriedly. Seeing Jason covered in raw egg his father had a furious expression on his face.

    "Who the hell would do something like this!? And to a kid? Let''s call the police. They should be able to find those little shits."

    Jason saw his dad pulling out his cellphone to call the police. Jason stopped him "Don''t dad. It was just some stupid people throwing eggs and being racist.

    The police won''t be able to do anything." Jason pointed around them "There aren''t any cameras around except for the one in front of the restaurants entrance but it has a bad angle.

    Let''s just go eat dinner and enjoy the night. We shouldn''t let those people ruin our celebration."

    Jason didn''t want his dad to call the police for two reasons. The first reason being that Jason honestly didn''t think that the police would do much.

    In his past life Jason had been physically assaulted in a situation much like this one. Afterwards Jason called the police.

    He ended up waiting for over an hour and yet no one showed up. He then went to the police station to tell them what had happened and they simply asked what the person looked like before telling him that they would try their best to find him.

    Jason never got a follow up call and the police never did anything other than waste his time. The second reason Jason didn''t want to go to the police was that he didn''t want this to blow up.

    He didn''t want this to be a big story and to be a distraction for the team. Jason went back to the minivan and changed out of his clothes into another set of spares that he had brought.

    The dinner was awkward at first but after seeing Jason eat so much food unbothered by what had happened the mood eventually fixed itself.

    The night ended with good food, goodughs, and good memories.

    - - -

    The next day Jason slept in until eleven in the morning. He only woke up when his stomach started grumbling.

    Jason stretched his limbs while underneath his nket ''Damn that recovery boost function is so handy. I feel like I didn''t even yst night.''

    Jason walked out of his room dressed in a in white shirt and pair of ck shorts on. He found a note on top of the table.

    ''Hey sport me and your mom are going to be working a long day today. There''s some food in the fridge but I left forty dors on the counter in case you wanted to grab anything.

    We''re not going to be home untilte today so have some friends over so you don''t have to eat dinner alone.''

    Jason chuckled after reading the note ''I think my parents are the only ones who would actually make such a big deal about me having to eat by myself.''

    Jason put the note back down on the table before making his way to the fridge. He opened it up and pulled out the stic container filled with homemade kimchi and a few other dishes.

    In his past life he had hated kimchi as a kid. He had only started eating it after high school. But it looks like his taste buds transferred over with him along with his memories.

    He got a bowl and filled it up with some steaming hot rice from the rice cooker that was sitting on top of the kitchen counter.

    Jason got a pair of chopsticks out of the drawer and walked back over to the dining table. He shoveled some rice into his mouth before grabbing a piece of kimchi.

    "Hmmm Uncle Jin makes the best kimchi. Tory is so lucky." Just as he was about to stuff his face with some more food his phone started to ring.

    He pulled out his phone and saw that it was a video call from Kyle. He answered "Yo, whats good bro?"

    It looked like Kyle was sitting in front of hisputer. He smiled "Yo Jaya. How are you feeling afterst night''s game?"

    Jason scooped up another mouthful of rice "Pretty good. I actually don''t feel too tired. How bout you? Got any ns for today?"

    Kyle spun around in his chair "I''m good. One benefit of being in crutches is that my mom doesn''t bug me with any chores haha.

    I''ve been grinding Hades'' chamber for like 5 hours just for the stupid even item and I still haven''t gotten it yet sheesh.

    And speaking of ns that''s actually why I called you up." Jason looked at him curiously "Oh really?"

    Kyle continued "The guys actually hit me up earlier today. They wanted to know if you wanted to hang out so that we could all watch TV."

    Jason asked confused "Hang out to watch TV? Is there a big game or something going on?" Kyleughed "Bro did you forget? We wonst night remember?"

    Jason suddenly realized what they were talking about. Heughed before saying "Oh right! Bro I almost forgot.

    Tell all the guys that they cane over to my ce. My parents aren''t going to be back untilte and they told me that I could have some friends over."

    - - -

    A few hourster Jason''s house was filled with the smell of freshly baked pizza and popcorn as the table in his living room was full of food.

    There were boxes of pizza, bowls of popcorn,rge bottles of different brands of soda, and some cheesy bread sticks.

    DJ licked his lips as he looked at the table packed with food "Dang bro! How did you get all of this with forty bucks?"

    Jason answered "I actually didn''t pay for a thing. The guys that owns Valentino''s is a big fan. When he found out that I was the one ordering he told me to not worry about the bill.

    He just asked if he could have one of my practice jerseys and to sign it. He looked really happy when I gave it to him in front of the apartment."

    Udonis called out "Yo the show''s startin!" Everyone found a spot as some sat on the couch while others sat on the floor.

    On the TV was a man with bright blonde hair wearing a Jefferson Middle School Tee shirt. He smiled as he drank from a red stic cup.

    He looked at the camera with the same bright smile "Hello and thank you for tuning in to another episode of Foul Mouths.

    My name is Tucker Winston and- wait a second. Looks like there''s someone missing? Hey Jeff!"

    After a second a man wearing arge chicken costume walked across the camera and sat down next to Tucker.

    His costume made it hard for him to sit down and he clearly looked ufortable. He shook his head before picking up his own red cup and taking a big gulp.

    Tuckerughed "There he is. As I was saying my name is Tucker Winston and this is my buddy and co host on the show Jeffrey Lautner. How you feeling Jeff?"

    Jeff emptied out his cup before looking at Tucker and then the camera "I really wish there was some alcohol in that."

    Tuckerughed "Well on that topic. You made a bet that Jefferson would lose in their first game of the state tournament.

    And know you''re dressed up as a giant chicken on TV. Guess Jason really taught you a lesson huh?"

    Jeff groaned before saying "Hey, they just got lucky okay? Thatst shot that got them the lead bounced like three times.

    It could have just as easily fallen off the rim. And one more thing-" He was interrupted by Tucker "I''m sorry were you trying to say something?

    I can''t really understand you. I think there''s something that you have to do in order for me to understand your chicken talk?"

    Jeff looked at Tucker with an annoyed expression "Really? You are really going to make me do that?"

    Tucker just looked back at him expectantly. Jeff sighed "Bawk bawk! Bawk bawk bawk!" He then pped the chicken wings on his costume.

    Tucker pped his leg as he beganughing hard "O-okay you can continue." Jeff looked at Tucker angrily before resuming.

    "As I was saying. Thatst shot that got them the lead could have easily missed. And you keep telling me that Jason is this incredible defender but he runs straight into a screen at the most important moment of the game?"

    Tucker argued back "Jason is a great defender. After getting hit with the screen he recovered and got that clutch block."

    Jeff wagged his finger that was hanging out of his costume "No no no. If he was a good defender then he wouldn''t have gotten hit with the screen in the first ce.

    And once again Jason got lucky. That block could have ended up as a foul. If he misses the ball by just a tiny bit and hits the offensive yer then that''s free throws.

    The safer thing to do would be to just stick with your man and keep your hands up." Tucker face palmed "I feel like there''s just no way to talk any sense into you."

    Jeff looked at Tucker and then the camera "Jefferson lookedpletely gassed at the end of the game against Hill Crest.

    I bet you that they lose their next game. There''s just no way for them to win." Tucker smiled before taking another sip out of his cup "Alright, bet."

 Chapter 145 - In Between Round 1 And 2

    Back in the living room of Jason''s apartment all of them wereughing and smiling as they watched the show.

    Once it came to an end everyone was all smiles. Udonis chuckled "Looks like Jeff still ain''t a believer huh Jason?"

    Jason replied "I almost feel bad for him. I can''t believe he agreed to drinking a homemade smoothie made by Tucker.

    Just by the evil smile and the look in his eyes I can tell that Tucker is not going to pull any punches."

    Jason grabbed another slice of pizza from one of the boxes. Just as he was about to bite into it he heard the door to his apartment m open "Jaya!"

    Tory walked into the apartment in her usual gray sweats and white tee shirt. She had an annoyed expression on her face "You''re always ordering pizza without telling your noona!"

    "Huh? You guys are here? Sup." She threw up a peace sign as a greeting after seeing that everyone was there.

    Her sight stopped at Kyle. She walked over and ruffled his hair as she smiled "Kiki you should have told your noona if you were going to hang out with Jaya."

    After hearing Tory call Kyle Kiki Jason and the rest of the guys started tough. Kyle''s face started to get hot with embarrassment

    "T-Tory I told you not to do that. Especially not in front of the guys." Tory chuckled "What? Ruffling your hair or calling you Kiki?"

    Kyle groaned as he pulled away from her "Both." Tory yfully punched him on the shoulder "Ohe on. I see you guys ruffling each others hair all the time. And Kiki is such a cute nickname."

    Kyle corrected her "When we do it to each other its a bro thing. You are not a bro, you''re a Tory. And Kiki is a cute nickname for girls not for guys."

    Tory grabbed a slice of pizza and bit into it "Well too bad. Jaya is Jaya and now you''re Kiki. It''s a tradition that I give a nickname to all of my little brothers.

    As soon as your mom and my dad make a new one I''ll give him a nickname too." Kyle didn''t know how to react to that.

    He sat back and thought in his head ''Wow Tory already thinks of me as family huh? It actually feels kinda nice to have another person like that.''

    Tory took Kyle''s silence as a form of eptance to his situation. She smugly smiled as she nodded her head.

    Seeing how well two of the most important people in his life were getting along Jason couldn''t help but smile.

    He looked at Tory as she inhaled the pizza slice she had in her hands and reached out for another one.

    "So I''m guessing you don''t have any tournaments or meetsing up any time soon since you''re breathing in the pizza like its air."

    Tory wiped off the grease in the corner of her lips with the top of her wrist "Yeah pretty much. I can rx for a whole month. Oh and check this out."

    She pulled out a gold medal that was hiding under her shirt "Got first ce at my Judo meet. The tournament organizers were super impressed.

    I just wished that my old man could have been there to watch me kick ass. I heard that the wholepany is pulling a all nighter today?"

    Jason nodded his head "Probably. My mom said that she would be stayingte so it''s probably true."

    Jason looked at Tory and then at Kyle "So things between Uncle Jin and Aunty V are getting serious huh? What''s the news on the whole living together thing?"

    Kyle took a sip of soda from his stic cup before answering "My mom wants to move into the apartment with Uncle Jin and just rent out the house that she bought."

    Tory nodded her head "Yeah. My dad just renewed he lease for the apartment so he can''t move out for another 2 years."

    Jason asked curiously "Are you guys going to fit?" Tory answered "Yeah well the apartment is just like yours. It has three bedrooms and two baths.

    My dad was using one of the rooms as an office but he said that he can clear it out for Kyle." Jason nodded his head after hearing that.

    His mom was using the extra room in their apartment as an office as well. He looked at Kyle "And how do you feel about that?"

    Kyle shrugged his shoulders "Too be honest I don''t really mind. We only lived in the house for a few months so I don''t really have any special attachment to it.

    And if it makes my mom happy than I''m all for it. Besides, if we move into the apartmentplex then that means that it''ll be super easy toe over at hang out at each other''s ces."

    Jason smiled at the idea of being able to hang out with Kyle outside of basketball more easily.

    Tory asked "So I heard that you won your first game at the state tournament. When''s your next game and who are you ying against?"

    Jason sighed as he answered "We don''t get any time to rest. Our next game is tomorrow and we''ll be ying against Mt. Shasta Middle School.

    Just like Hill Crest they''re from a smaller county. But small county or not you can never underestimate a team that became the representative of their county.

    I heard that they had to fly over because their county is ten hours away by driving. It sucks that all the teams from far away counties have to stay in hotels for the tournament."

    Udonis butted in "Ay bro don''t feel too bad for em. Themittee paying for their hotels for the whole duration of the tournament.

    They get to spend they winter break in LA even if they get booted out early. Shit I''m actually kinda jealous. Riverside cool and all but LA just hit different."

    Toryughed at Udonis "You''re a big kid UD but you''re still a kid. There''s nothing for kids your guys'' age to do in LA.

    You need to be an adult to enjoy most of the cool things in LA. So why are you jealous." Tory''s words seemed to have struck a major blow to Udonis.

    He shrank back into the couch and grumbled to himself "Who''s just a kid? I ain''t no kid I-I''m..."

    And just like that Tory added to the good mood that was already present in the apartment. The night would be filled with smiles,ughter, and plenty of good food.

    - - -

    That same night. In the garage of a house the lights were on as multiple folding tables were set up with folding chairs to match.

    The temperature inside was warm even at night. Amon urrence for anyone from California.

    There were 10 guys sitting at the tables as they watched a video on arge TV that was hanging on the wall.

    It was a video of Jefferson''s first game in the state tournament as they yed against Hill Crest.

    The guys cheered as Jason got the clutch block to end the game. Marcus took a sip of some kind of light brown liquid that was inside his ss.

    "Man, I swear I''ve seen the kid y tons of times but he still manages to surprise me. Ain''t no tellin how far this kid can go."

    All of the guys nodded their heads in agreement. Just then the room started to make some noise as the gate of the garage started to go up.

    Seeing a familiar face behind the wheel of the Van. The van parked to the side of the tables as the gate of the garage began to close.

    A man wearing a mask hopped out of the back of the van with a ck unmarked duffel bag. Marcus raised his ss to him "How was the fishing?"

    The man took off his clown mask. It was Amare. He smiled back at Marcus "You was right bro.

    The fish were exactly where you said they''d be. We hit it pretty big tonight. We gon be eating good for a while."

    Amare unzipped the bag just a tiny bit and showed it to Marcus. Inside were tens of factory sealed cellphones of the newest model.

    Marcus smiled "Good job. You made sure to keep em in the bag the whole time right?" Amare nodded his head.

    "We followed your instructions to the letter boss. Put em in the bag as soon as we caught em and they been chillin there ever since.

    If you don''t mind me askin why is it so important to keep em in the bag?" Marcus took another sip before answering.

    "The bags are specially designed to keep flies and other pests away. You wouldn''t want your catch to get spoiled before you got a chance to feast right?"

    Amare nodded his head "Makes sense." Amare helped four other people as they unloaded fifteen more bags from the van.

    As Marcus was counting the bags and making some calctions in his mind one of the guys that was watching the game with him walked up to him "Yo bro I think you might wanna take a look at this."

    The guy had his phone out. On it was a video that had just been posted on some random person''s social media ount about ten minutes ago.

    It was a video of four guys waiting in a car with a big crowd outside. After the crowd was gone they rolled down their windows.

    "Fuck you chink!" As the two in the passengers seats threw eggs out of their windows Marcus frowned after seeing their target.

    Marcus watched as Jason got pelted with the raw eggs and the car drove away. Marcus didn''t know about it but the guys had cut the video to not include the part where there back windshield was shattered by Trell.

    After the video was finished the guy put his phone back in his pocket "So what we gon do boss? This was in LA so its kinda outside of our turf."

    Marcus sighed as he thought in his head ''The kid probably stayed quiet because he didn''t want to cause any trouble for us.''

    Marcus took a big gulp from his ss before smiling "The kid is good at basketball but he too nice sometimes.

    It might be a ways out of our scope of influence but that don''t mean that we just gon be silent about this.

    I think I need to get back in touch with some of my friends down in the city of angels. I should probably hit up Jason too."

 Chapter 146 - Grit

    Once again Jason was standing on the familiar grounds of the Pauley Pavilion. Their was a tangible excitement floating in the air as Jason took in the sight.

    His hair was tied up into a man bun as he wore the headband that Kyle''s mom had made. It had be a tradition of sorts to wear it to all of their games ever since they received them.

    Jason redid theces on his shoes as he sat on the bench. He stood up and checked the bottom of his sneakers with his hands.

    He was checking to make sure that their traction was still good ''Damn! This is a new pair and the bottoms are already wearing out.

    Guess I can''t be too surprised. I always put a good amount of mileage on all of my shoes.'' Jason then began to stretch.

    After a few minutes of stretching he made his way to portion of the court where the other guys from Jefferson were warming up.

    Everyone extended their fist out as they saw Jason walking over. Jason bumped their fists back with his own.

    No one said a word but they all understood each other. On their faces were serious expressions.

    It wasn''t that they were worried or scared. But everyone knew that tonight would be tough because of theck of rest.

    But they also knew that it would only get tougher as the tournament went on. Their number one goal was to survive in the tournament long enough for Kyle toe back healthy.

    Everyone''s focus was razor sharp as they got their shots up. Udonis was practicing his post moves while Vince was practicing his post defense against him, Matt and Nick were taking some threes from the corners, and Trell was doing a little bit of everything as he tried to get his body ready for the game.

    Jason started dribbling and taking shots as he imagined a defender in front of him. He imagined that he was going against himself.

    ''Move, counter move, fake, slide to the left.'' Inside of Jason''s head the only thing that was happening was a simtion of ate game situation.

    ''Three seconds left on the clock. 3, 2, 1.'' Jason dribbled inside out with his right before stepping back for a three. The ball hit nothing but as it then fell to the ground.

    After a few minutes the clock buzzed indicating the start of the game. Both teams lined up as they shook hands.

    The teams then got into position as the referee raised the ball for the tip off. Udonis was focused on the ball as he stood in front of the opposing team''s Center.

    Even though he tried his best to time the jump Udonis ended up losing the tip off. The opposing team''s Center looked to be about the same height as Kyle and he looked fairly athletic.

    - - -

    At the scorer''s table there were some familiar faces as Tony was once again sitting with Cameron and Randel.

    Tony smiled at the camera "Hellodies and gentlemen. Thank you for tuning in to the first game of the second round for the state tournament.

    I''m back with Cameron and Randel who will be here to give me their perspective as yers on today''s game.

    Thanks foring again guys. How are you two doing?" Cameron was the first to answer "I''m doing great Tony thanks for asking.

    As soon as I heard that it would be Jefferson ying today I just had to say yes toing in today."

    Randel added "Too be honest I only came here to watch Jason. There are no expectations for Riverside this year and Mt. Shashta is just another school from a small county just like Hill Crest.

    Ima keep it straight Mt. Shashta just got lucky in the drawings. If they didn''t get the free spot in the second round then they would have been bounced out in the first game.

    And they got lucky again. Jefferson might be the only team that they actually have a chance of beating.

    Even though they don''t have the talent topete with most teams theirpetition tonight has a fatal weakness."

    Cameron nodded his head in agreement "That''s true. Jefferson had to expend a lot of energy in theirst game.

    And one day of rest isn''t enough for their yers to get fully charged. Jefferson is going to be going into today''s game with a half tank.

    Not to mention that Jason had to y the entire game. So if he''s off just by a little bit then it could be a disaster for Jefferson."

    - - -

    The first quarter waspletely in Jefferson''s favor as they scored efficiently and at their own pace.

    They mixed things up by running their offense through Udonis in the post and then switching out to Jason in the perimeter.

    The fact that their offense kept changing forced Mt. Shashta to stay on their toes. They couldn''t really get used to the flow of Jefferson''s offense.

    While on defense Jefferson was able to slow down the opposing team. They tried to get a favorable match up by forcing Jefferson''s Bigs into switching on to their perimeter yers.

    But to their surprise both Udonis and Trell were more than able to hold their own against their perimeter yers.

    Trell had originally been a Small Forward so the fact that he was good at defending on the perimeter should havee as no surprise.

    Udonis on the other hand was a big shock to both the opposing team and to the audience. His wide and husky frame gave the impression of someone that was strong in the post but slow and uncoordinated on the perimeter.

    However that couldn''t be further from the truth. That description might have been urate if they were talking about the Udonis from the beginningof the season.

    But after months of ying and training alongside Jason Udonis had actually cut down on his weight as he sculpted his body into a condition that was more suited to ying modern basketball.

    Even though his naturally wide frame made it impossible to look slim he was in a lot better shapepared to how he was at the beginning of the season.

    He had better bnce, body control,teral speed, and he was far more coordinated now. Combined with all the advice and pointers that he had gotten from Jason on ying defense on the perimeter he was now a far more versatile yer in terms of his defense.

    Although he was worlds apart from Kyle''s ability to lock down threats on the perimeter and protect the paint, Udonis was now able to defend on multiple levels.

    Not only that. There were more factors that allowed Jefferson to run this kind of defense. The first thing that made things easier for Udonis to switch out on to the perimeter yers on the opposing team was the fact that they honestly weren''t that much of a threat from outside.

    Their handles were slightly above average and their shooting was decent but it wasn''t enough to overwhelm Udonis.

    He gave the perimeter yers a bit of space in order to prevent them from driving past him easily.

    But because of his height advantage and his long arms Udonis was still able to contest the shots fairly well on the asions where they tried to fire off a jumper.

    The flow of the game stayed the same in the second quarter. But in the beginning of the third quarter was when things started to take a turn for the worse.

    Their tired legs started to show as they began allowing more and more drives to the basket. Udonis'' feet began to slow down as he was getting beat off the dribble more and more often.

    Even Trell was beginning to show signs of fatigue as he had to run to catch up with his defensive assignments after getting beat initially.

    The lead that Jefferson had built in the first half got cut in half as the score was 55 to 48 as the third quarter came to a close.

    - - -

    Tony had a slight smile on his face as he turned to Cameron and Randel "Well looks like you two were right.

    Jefferson came out of the gates strong but as the game went on their performance began to dip further and further down.

    What do you need to see out of Mt. Shashta if they want to win the game Cameron?" Cameron paused for a second as he thought about the question.

    "I think that if Mt. Shashta wants to win then they need toe out strong to start the fourth quarter.

    They need to take advantage of Jefferson''s fatigue and crush their spirit as soon as possible. If they let Jefferson hang around for too long then they risk giving Jason more and more opportunities to take over the game."

    Randelzily looked up as he added "You right about that Cam. Jason strikes me as the kind of yer that just has the ability to take over a game if you give him the smallest opportunity.

    Letting Jefferson hang around is like keeping a sword hangin over yo neck. The threat is real and the threat is there.

    They need to sink their ship quick if they want toe out with the dub tonight. But unlike you guys I don''t think Mt. Shashta has a chance."

    Tony and Cameron looked at Randel in confusion. Certainly right now Jefferson had a small lead.

    But just one look a their bench and it was clear to see that they werepletely exhausted. Even Jason looked like he was on hisst leg.

    Randel chuckled before pointing to Jason "Take a look at the dudes eyes. He look like a wolf starin down his pray.

    No matter how tired a wolf is a sheep ain''t got no chance of turnin the tables around. Just cause the wolf tired don''t mean that his fangs dissapeared.

    A tired wolf is still capable of lungin for yo throat haha."

 Chapter 147 - Grit: Part-2

    Jason went back out to the floor with the rest of the guys as the fourth quarter was set to start. Once again it looked like he would y the entire game.

    Jefferson''s lineup consisted of Jason at Point Guard, DJ at Shooting Guard, Matt at Small Forward, Udonis at Power Forward, and Vince at Center.

    As the guys were waiting for Mt. Shashta''s Point Guard to bring the ball up Udonis yelled out "We in the lead guys. Just keep it up for one more quarter."

    Jason did his best to guard his man and direct the guys at the same time but they weren''t able to stop the opposing team''s offense this possession.

    Udonis was a step slow on the switch after a pick and roll y involving Mt. Shashta''s Shooting Guard and Power Forward.

    The Shooting Guard ended up with a clearne to the basket as he began his attack. Seeing the Shooting Guard driving to the paint Vince moved up in order to try and contain him.

    But the Shooting Guard saw this and simply threw a bounce pass to the Center that was left open by Vince.

    The Center caught the pass and quickly put the ball up for the easyyup. Jefferson''s lead was now just 5 points as the score was 55 to 50.

    Udonis raised his hand up "My bad, my bad y''all." The referee then passed him the ball as he then inbounded it to Jason.

    Jason slowly brought the ball up the court as he scanned the floor. He passed half court the same time as Udonis did.

    He gave his team a few seconds to get into position before calling for a y. Vince and Udonis went to the left wing to set a double screen for Matt.

    Matt started to run in their direction as he tried to force his defender into the screens. Before contact was made Vince slipped the screen and started cutting toward the paint.

    The y got the defenders mixed up as they were mostly focused on Matt and Udonis. Two yers identally bumped into each other as they hurried to close out on Matt.

    Jason saw that Vince was open as he was cutting to the paint so he threw a high pass. Vince caught the ball and put it up for the easyyup.

    Vince pointed to Jason after making the basket. Jason high fived him as he passed him while they were making their way back on defense.

    - - -

    Back at the scorers table Tony had a serious expression on his face as he looked out to the court "This has been a real ugly quarter.

    You would have expected it out of Jefferson because they are ying on theirst legs but what we didn''t expect was that they would drag Mt. Shashta into the mud with them."

    Cameron nodded his head "Jefferson knew that their offense would take a hit because of fatigue. And although they are making more mistakes on defense they are still keeping the effort up."

    Randel smiled as he nodded his head "Jefferson is making up for their mistakes with effort and it''s been surprisingly effective.

    But this could be a dangerous gamble. All this effort is drainin they energy even faster. Right now they arepletely relying on Jason to score their points.

    Besides theyup during the start of the quarter all of Jefferson''s points have been scored solely by Jason. He came through for themst game.

    Now the question is was that a fluke? Or is he the real deal and can he deliver for them again?"

    The three of them watched on as Jefferson focused on their defense while leaving their offense to Jason.

    Tony looked into the camera "The game ising down to the wire folks. The score is tied 64 to 64 and Jefferson has the ball.

    There a little less than two minutes left. Who do you guys haveing out with the win tonight?" Cameron was the first to answer.

    "I have Mt. Shashtaing out victorious tonight. Their yers are looking fresh and Jason has missed three straight shots.

    All of his misses have been short which is a clear sign that he''s lost some lift on his jumper. Not only that, he appears to have lost a step. He looks a half step slower out there."

    Randel chuckled before shaking his head "Ima have to disagree with you on this one Cam. I''m puttin all of my chips on Jason.

    Great yers make the big shots when they matter most. Even if Jason''s shooting has been below his standards this quarter I still trust him to step up to the moment more than I trust all of Mt. Shashta''s team."

    - - -

    Jason was breathing heavily as he brought the ball up the court ''Just a little more than a minute left. The score is tied and we need a big shot to move the momentum in our favor.''

    As soon as Jason crossed half court he saw a double teaming. But instead of trying to avoid it Jason decided to attack it head on.

    Jason attacked the double team by splitting the defenders by throwing the ball ahead of him. He then ran to catch back up with the ball.

    After regaining control of the ball Jason began to drive toward the paint. He saw the Center moving up to try and block his shot.

    A fire lit up in Jason''s eyes. Instead of trying to get the shot over him with a floater it looked like Jason had decided to go toe to toe with the Center.

    Jason bent his knees as he jumped off of the floor with everything that he had. The Center saw this and jumped up as well.

    But just as the Center was about to reach out for the ball Jason''s body began to spin mid air. The Center was caught off guard.

    Instead of getting the ball the Center ended up swiping Jason on the arm. Jason heard the referee blowing his whistle and focused on the basket.

    Because of the spin Jason had his back facing the basket. But as his body kept spinning the basket eventually showed up in his sight.

    ''Now!'' Jason tossed the ball up with his right hand as he was falling back down to the ground on the left side of the basket.

    The spin had disoriented Jason a little so he wasn''tpletely in control as hended. He fell to his butt and slid for a bit as he kept his gaze on the basket.

    The ballnded softly on the rim and it seemed to just stand still for just a split second before finally tipping over and falling through the.

    Jason looked up before yelling out passionately "Let''s go! That''s what I''m talking about!" Udonis and Vince ran over to pull Jason up to his feet.

    Udonis pped Jason on the back "Hell of a shot bro! That was a hell of a shot!" Jason smiled and patted them on the back before making his way to the free throw line.

    - - -

    Tony excitedly mmed his hand down on the scorers table "Jason just gave Jefferson the lead with an amazing 360yup! And know he''s walking to the free throw line with the chance of making it into a three point lead!

    It doesn''t get any better than this folks! This is why we watch sports folks. For the chance to see the improbable made possible!"

    Jason calmly walked over to the free throw line. After the referee passed him the ball he took one dribble before locking his eyes on the basket.

    There was no worry in any of the eyes of the other Jefferson yers as they watched Jason easily drain the free throw.

    Jefferson then made their way back to the other side of the court as it was now Mt. Shashta''s turn on offense.

    With their will and gritbined with Jason''s on the floor coaching they were able to force the opposing team to reset their offense multiple times.

    Not only did they stop them from scoring. With their defense they were able to eat up more time off of the clock.

    Just as the opposing team was trying to run another set Jason left his defensive assignment alone as he jumped the passingne.

    With his arm fully extended out he was able to tip the pass away. Jason ran with everything he had as he tried to gain control of the ball.

    After running after the ball at full speed Jason was able to scoop it up with his right hand without losing any speed.

    He was all alone as he ran the fast break. Jason saw that he had an openne to the basket and yet what he did next made everyone''s hearts jump out of their chests.

    Jason stopped the fast break as he pulled up for the three point Shot.

    - - -

    Tony was slightly red in the face as he yelled out "Jason jumped into the passingne! He''s got the ball and he''s pushing the fast break!

    What''s this!? He''s stopped and he''s taking a ill advised three pointer!"

 Chapter 148 - Grit: Part-3

    The entire arena went silent as they watched the ball leave Jason''s hands. There wasn''t event the slightest bit of doubt in Jason''s eyes as he shot the ball.

    The ball flew in a straight high arc toward the basket. The way it moved through the air looked rxed and unbothered.

    As it began to descend everyone watching became more tense. The lower the ball went the higher the tension became.

    Finally the ball sank through as it hit nothing but. The entire arena jumped to their feet as they began to cheer wildly.

    Jason held his right hand up from the follow through of the shot. After seeing his shot swish through the he couldn''t help but smile brightly.

    He turned to the audience and celebrated. He pretended as though he had a bowl in his left hand.

    He held up three fingers on his right hand and pretended as though they were a pair of chopsticks as he slurped up some imaginary noodles.

    - - -

    Back at the scorers table Randel was pping his hands as heughed "That''s what I''m talkin bout!

    You tell em young fe! Ain''t nobody gon keep you from eatin!" Randel turned to Cameron with a smug smile on his face.

    "What did I tell you Cam? The kid is a cold blooded killer." Cameron put his hands up as he shook his head.

    "You got me Randel. You were a hundred percent right. Jason came up clutch once again and pulled his team to the finish line."

    Tony looked over at the two of them with a confused expression on his face "Don''t you think you might be calling the game too soon?

    There''s still fifty seconds left on the clock. If Mt. Shashta can execute on offense and get a big stop on Jefferson they still have a chance."

    Cameron shook his head in response to what Tony had said "If they could do that it would be a miracle Tony.

    Take a look at Mt. Shashta. All of their yers have the same look on their faces. Their bodynguage is practically speaking for itself."

    Randel nodded his head in agreement as he added "Their might be some time left on the clock but their ain''t no fight left in the yers.

    They look like they already epted the L. This game is over." Just like what Randel and Cameron had said the results of the game were clear before the clock ran out of time.

    The head coach for Mt. Shashta called a timeout to draw up a inbound y and to give his yers a pep talk.

    After the timeout was over the yers ran the y that the coach had told them during the break but it was obvious that they were just going through the motions.

    The fire that had been burning in their eyes since the start of the game was no longer their. After a bad screen failed to create any separation their Shooting Guard shot the ball with Nick right in his face to contest the shot.

    The ball hit the front of the rim and Udonis got the easy rebound. The yer from the opposing team didn''t even try to fight him for it.

    Jefferson dribbled out the rest of the clock as Mt. Shashta didn''t even bother trying to foul them for free throws.

    The clock buzzed indicating that the game was finally over. Jason had a huge smile on his face as he high fived all of the guys.

    Udonis grabbed Jason and put him into a headlock. He had a bright smile on his face as he ruffled Jason''s hair.

    "Damn Jaya! You did it again. That 360yup was sick but you really pulled up for a fast break 3 when the game was still close!

    You damn near gave us all a heart attack!" Trell walked up and yfully punched Jason on the arm while he was still trapped in Udonis'' headlock.

    "For real bruh! You tryin to kill us? I thought my heart stopped beatin for a second. You lucky that shit went in or we''d be clownin your ass."

    Jason pushed Udonis'' arms away as he finally broke free. He smiled at the two of them "That wasn''t luck Trell. That shit was all skill bro.

    Luck ain''t have nothing to do with it haha. Alright guys enough joking around. We need to line up and shake hands."

    Both of the teams lined up and began to shake hands with one another. Jason smiled as he shook hands with the yers from Mt. Shashta.

    "That was a good game man." "You guys really pushed us hard." "That was a good game." "You guys really yed hard tonight."

    The yers from Mt. Shashta had nothing but positive things to say about Jason. He had been the biggest factor in his team winning tonight and he had single-handedly secured the lead at the most crucial point in the game.

    After shaking hands Jason and the rest of the team made their way back to the locker room as they cleaned up and got changed into the spare clothes that they had packed.

    Jason made his way to the parking lot along with the team but stopped when he heard a familiar voice call out to him "Yo J-Money."

    Jason turned around and saw that it was Amare. He turned back to the team "It''s a friend of mine. You guys go ahead. Tell my parents that I''ll be right there."

    Ms. Yuller took the boys and walked toward the spot where they had parked the van. Jason turned back around and walked toward Amare.

    "Good to see you still looking fresh Amare. Rockin those ripped blue jeans with the wife beaters." Jason stuck his hand out.

    Amare dapped him up and pulled him into a hug before patting him on the back. He smiled as he looked at Jason.

    "Good to see that your eyes still workin. You know that I only know how to be fresh. Everything else ain''t a thing for me."

    Jason asked "So what''s up? You juste to watch the game or did Marcus have something that he wanted to tell me?"

    Amare pointed to Jason "Haha you got a hell of a six sense you know that? Yeah there was something that Marcus wanted to tell you.

    But he got some attention on him right now so he can''t make any phone calls or text without it looking bad.

    He sent me to tell you that you need to be more careful. Remember that shit with the eggs being thrown at you?"

    Jason looked at Amare with a surprised expression on his face "How did you know?" He hadn''t told anyone about the incident.

    The only people that should have known about that incident were his parents, his teammates, and his teammates'' parents.

    Amare chuckled "Lucky for you Marcus got one of the boys lookin out for anything that could be bad pr.

    Turns out those dudes that chucked the eggs at you were some teenage dumb asses from The Hills that wanted to get some clout from punkin you.

    After making some calls and making sure that we wouldn''t be steppin on nobodies toes Marcus gave me the go ahead to give those boys a little visit.

    I just stopped by to have a friendly chat. You know how friendly lil ol me can be. I even showed em my toy and offered to share haha."

    After saying that Amare lifted up his shirt a bit to show the handle of his pistol that was tucked into his pants.

    "After our little talk they decided to take the video down. They were even nice enough to give me their phone for a second and I found a whole lotta shit on there."

    Jason looked at Amare worriedly "Ay I appreciate you and Marcus looking out for me Amare but make sure to look out after yourselves too."

    Amare patted him on the shoulder "You a couple years too early to be worryin about us young fe. But the thought is much appreciated.

    Don''t worry. Like I said, other than the video of you gettin egged those dudes had some other stuff on they phone that they prolly don''t want seein the light of day.

    They ain''t gon call the police unless they want to spend some serious time themselves. And those Beverly Hills types usually want to avoid getting locked up haha."

    Jason responded "Alright man. I''ll take your word for it." Amare added "And just a word of advice. Try to pay more attention to your surroundings.

    After the state tournament started me and Marcus eased up a bit and that was our mistake. Ima be hanging around after all your games now to make sure that you and the team can celebrate in peace."

    Jason lightly punched him on the shoulder before smiling "Thanks Amare. You''re a hundred percent right. It''s been a while since I''ve had anything happen so I kinda started to rx.

    I''ll make sure to keep my guard up from now on."

 Chapter 149 - Smoothie Time

    After talking with Amare Jason went back to the spot where the van was parked. Gathered around were the guys on the team and all the parents.

    Jason''s mom saw him walking up and pulled him into a hug "Great game out there Jaya." Jason''s dad joined the hug "That was incredible to watch son."

    Jason pulled away from the hug and smiled as he looked at the two of them "Thanks mom. Thanks dad.

    Thank you guys for everything. I know it can''t be easy calling off work or finding someone to take over just so that you can watch my games."

    Jason''s dad chuckled before patting him gently on the head "For a kid that gets perfect grades you say some silly stuff you know that?

    You don''t need to thank us Jason. Being here to support you is part of being family. But you can thank us for dinner because tonight we''ll be having some Korean BBQ.

    And we made sure that it was all you can eat just for you." Jasonughed after hearing his dad say that.

    Jason and the rest of the guys got on the van along with Ms. Yuller as they followed the parents to the restaurant that they would be celebrating at.

    The smell of meat grilling and the sound of an assortment of sizzles assaulted Jason as soon as they had opened the door.

    Since their party was fairlyrge they needed two tables and the worker had told them that it would take ten to fifteen minutes to get ready.

    As they were standing outside waiting for their tables to be prepared a few fans came up to Jason to congratte him and to ask for a picture and autographs.

    There weren''t as many people as thest time Jason had taken pictures. By the time that he had finished the worker had walked outside to tell them that their table was ready.

    Jason and the group walked to their tables. Jason knew that none of the guys on the team had ever had Korean BBQ before so he helped them order.

    After a few minutes the different meats that they had ordered arrived and Jason took the initiative to start cooking them.

    After their grill was all set and ready Jason noticed that Amare and three other guys were sitting at a table in the corner.

    Jason smiled after seeing that they were looking at their menus with confused expressions ''These guys like to act tough but I guess they have their cute sides too.''

    "Keep an eye on the meat okay guys? Don''t let it burn. I''ll be right back." Jason left his table and made his way to Amare and the other guys.

    Jason extended his fist out "Sup Amare, G-Fresh, Herbo, Bam. I saw Amare earlier but I didn''t know that you guys came along too."

    Amare and the rest of the guys smiled as they fist bumped Jason. Amare chuckled "We just wanted to make sure that you had your folks had a nice night out."

    Jason nodded his head "Thanks man. Why don''t you let me order the first round for you guys. If you like what you get you can order it again.

    If not just change it up for the next round." Amare and the rest of the guys nodded their heads in agreement.

    Jason raised his hand to a waiter. The waiter saw Jason and walked over. He tried to get Jason''s order but he spoke in Korean.

    Jason didn''t say anything about it but he gave his order in English "We''ll have two orders of pork belly, one order of the beef belly, two orders of brisket and one order of bulgogi."

    The waiter smiled "Alright sir. There are a lot of orders so it will take a few minutes for themeat. Did you want to order any drinks while you wait?"

    Jason looked back at Amare and the guys "Who''s driving?" Herbo raised his hand "I got the keys."

    Jason asked "So besides him, you guys down for some drinking?" Amare shook his head "I like keeping my head clear. But I know these two clowns love gettin buzzed."

    G-Fresh and Bam smiled as they nodded. Jason turned back around to the waiter "Get these guys two lychee soju slushes."

    The waiter had a confused expression on his face after seeing a little kid like Jason ordering alcohol ''I guess it''s okay since he''s not the one drinkin?''

    After checking G-Fresh and Bam''s IDs to make sure that they were old enough to drink he added the two lychee soju slushes to the order.

    The drinks came out quickly. As soon as G-Fresh and Bam took a sip they were smiling. Jason chuckled at their reactions.

    The meat came out shortly after that and Jason began to grill. After everything was cooked Jason cut the pork belly up and put it on their tes.

    "Alright guys hope you enjoy the food. If you got any questions just hit me up on my phone or walk over to the table."

    Jason went back and started eating with the guys from Jefferson. Seeing Jason put away so much meat the dinner became a battle of pride as all of the guys tried their best to eat more than they usually did.

    Unfortunately for them they were going against Jason who was still casually enjoying the vor of the brisket despite it being his sixth serving.

    Everyone else had a bad case of the meat sweats as they leaned back into the cushion of their booth.

    After twenty minutes of being the only one left eating Jason let out a satisfied burp as he covered his mouth with his hand.

    "I''ll go wash my hands and then we can dip." Jason stood up and walked over to the restroom.

    After seeing Jason walk over the the restroom one of the guys from a different table took his phone out and started recording a video.

    He then got up along with a few of the guys from his table. They were all dressed up in name brand designer clothes and they all had the same shit eating grin on their faces.

    Just as they were about to step into the restroom they were stopped at the entrance. Amare grabbed the guy with his cellphone out by the shoulder.

    "Ay bro nice phone you got. Mind me askin why you got yo camera on and recordin?" The guy took one quick look at Amare.

    After seeing him wearing generic clothes without any designer name on them he scoffed as he tried to push Amare''s hand away.

    "None of your business broke boy. Now get your hands off of my jacket before you scuff it up. This shit is worth more than you-"

    He was interrupted by Amare who had grabbed him by the throat. Amare took a quick look around and smiled.

    "Nice. Looks like were in a blind spot for the cameras." Amare gave the guy a quick punch to the gut.

    The guy crumpled up after getting hit. He then fell to his knees but Amare pulled him back up "Listen here bruh.

    You lucky me and my boys are in a good mood. If we wasn''t in the middle of celebratin somethin important we''d be draggin y''all to the parkin lot using the emergency exit.

    Now I ain''t about to repeat myself. What the hell was y''all about to do walkin into the restroom with yo camera recording?"

    - - -

    The next day. Jason and the rest of the guys from the team were hanging out at the living room of Jason''s apartment.

    They had some popcorn, burgers, fries, and milkshakes from the diner that Jason''s dad runs. They all had their eyes on the TV.

    - - -

    Tucker had a huge smile on his face as he looked at the camera "Hello and thank you for tuning in to another episode of Foul Mouths.

    I''m your host Tucker Winston along with my co host Jeffrey Lautner" Jeff was sitting next to Tucker with a helpless expression on his face.

    He pleaded with Tucker "Are we really doing this Tucker?" Tuckerughed as he nodded his head "A bet is a bet Jeff.

    In case you missed thest episode me and Jeffy boy here made a bet. If he won then I would have to eat a slice of ghost pepper pie.

    But if I won then Jeff would have to drink a homemade smoothie made by yours truly while wearing a Jefferson Middle School Tee shirt.

    And although I had some trouble getting my hands on a Jefferson Middle School Tee shirt after a small post on social media I got some help from an unexpected source."

    Tucker pulled out a box and passed it to Jeff. Jeff pulled out a shirt from the box. Tucker was all smiles.

    "That right there Jeff is a Jefferson Middle School Tee shirt signed by all of the boys from Jefferson''s basketball team. That includes Jason."

    All of the signatures on the shirt were clear and distinct with their own personal messages. Jason had signed the shirt ''To my biggest fan. Hope you enjoy your smoothie Jeff.''

    Tucker beganughing evily "Let''s get the party started hahaha!" From underneath the table he pulled out a blender followed by some onions, garlic, ginger, and some spicy looking peppers.

    Jeff was trembling in his chair as he had a scared expression on his face while he watched on in horror "Is that really necessary Tucker? Where did you find snails?!"

 Chapter 150 - Getting More Attention

    Tuckerughed as he began putting in some of his ingredients into the blender "Don''t worry Jeff. These aren''t just your standard garden variety snails.

    I had to go to a french restaurant and ask them for these. At first they didn''t want to give them to me but after I told them what they were for they were more than happy to help haha."

    Tucker turned the blender on as he began to make the smoothie. The blender was so loud that his voice was barely understandable.

    "YOU HAVE TO PULSEIT IN ORDER TO GET THAT REAL SMOOTHIE TEXTURE!" Jeff couldn''t understand him "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

    Tucker repeated himself "I SAID, YOU HAVE TO PULSEIT IN ORDER TO GET THAT REAL SMOOTHIE TEXTURE!"

    After a few minutes Tucker turned off the blender and unplugged it as the smoothie appeared to be ready.

    As Tucker poured the smoothie into a red stic cup the color alone was enough to give someone a stomach ache.

    The smoothie was weirdly pale with just a hint of red and orange which was most likely from the peppers that Tucker had put in.

    After thest bit of the smoothie had plopped into the cup Tucker handed it to Jeff with a smile on his face "Bon App��tit Jeff. Hope your hungry."

    Jeff had a scared expression on his face as he looked into the cup "Do I really have to drink this whole thing?"

    Tuckerughed "Alright I''ll make it easy on you since you''re my pal. You only have to drink half of the smoothie hahaha. How''s that?"

    Jeff had a hopeful expression after hearing the first half of what Tucker had to say. But after he heard that he still had to drink such arge amount of the disgusting smoothie his face went back to the same scared look.

    Tucker put his hand up "Wait! You almost forgot to put on the shirt. You have to wear it while you drink the smoothie."

    Jeff sighed hopelessly as he put the shirt on. He then took a few deep breathes as he prepared himself for the ordeal that was toe.

    He picked up the red stic cup and began to gulp down it''s contents. His face went from normal to bright red to sickly pale within the span of a few seconds.

    After he put his cup down he had to use his hand to cover his mouth in an attempt to not throw up.

    With a few tears rolling down the sides of his face he finally managed to talk "God I hate you Tucker.

    That was the most disgusting thing ever. The worst part was that it was disgusting and spicy all at the same time."

    He grabbed a water bottle and finished it all in one go. He wiped his mouth with a sheet of paper towel and red at Tucker.

    Tucker simplyughed at Jeff''s reaction "Well now that we have the bet out of the way how about we talk about Jefferson''s game.

    I was a Jefferson fan from before the start of the state tournament but even I didn''t think that they would do this well.

    I originally thought that they would only get two games deep before eventually losing because of fatigue.

    But Jefferson is now on the way to ying in their third game of the tournament and arge part of their sess is due to Jason."

    After drinking the water Jeff looked to be in better shape. He nodded his head in agreement with Tucker.

    "I have to say that Jason has really made me change my mind about him. I was skeptical at first but I think I can see what all the hype was about.

    This kid might not be the biggest or the best athlete but he just finds ways to impact the game.

    If you can do something once it might be because of luck. But in order to do something multiple times there''s no way it can just be a coincidence.

    Jason has been on a real roll in terms of clutch ys. There was the game against Nashton Academy.

    Then in every game so far in the state tournament Jason has been pulling off these ridiculous ys in order to get the win."

    Tucker smiled after finally convincing his friend "It''s good to hear that you have found your way to the light Jeff.

    I''m with you. Jason has been ying like a superstar so far in the state tournament. His field goal percentage and his three point percentage have dipped down a bit.

    But if you take into consideration the context then I feel like it''s not much of a problem. The only thing that worries me is that Jason is the only one from Jefferson that has been able to stay effective.

    Jason has yed every minute so far out of the two games that they have yed and yet he''s still the most effective yer for Jefferson.

    They start out strong but as soon as the second half starts you see all of the yers take a hit to their game."

    Jeff took a sip out of a stic cup that he had filled with some soda "We kinda already expected that didn''t we?

    We already knew that Jefferson''s biggest weakness was their small roster. And after they lost Kyle we knew that they would struggle even more."

    Tucker sighed "You''re right. I was expecting it but I guess I was just surprised by how much the fatigue is affecting them."

    Jeff replied "I think that''s just you. I wasn''t anything special but I yed hoops back in high school.

    You would be surprised how big of a difference it makes when you don''t get enough time to rest.

    Too be honest I''m more surprised by Jason. The fact that he''s yed every minute so far in the tournament is so underrated.

    And it''s not like he takes breaks or cruises through some parts of the game. This kid is putting in the work every possession.

    On offense and on defense this kid ys hard. That''s not something that just anyone can do.

    There are some guys in the pros that can''t y more than thirty minutes before their games start to dip.

    Everyone talks about Jason''s shooting, his handles, and his defense but in my opinion his motor doesn''t get enough attention."

    Tucker went silent for a moment as he thought about what Jeff had said "I think you have a point Jeff.

    And the weird part is that I remember reading about Jason in some local news website. Back in the beginning of the season they said that his biggest weakness was hisck of size and his conditioning.

    It''s kind of weird to think that now his conditioning is one of his biggest strengths." The two of them continued to talk about Jason and the other guys from Jefferson for a few more minutes.

    The rest of the episode was spent discussing the other teams still in the tournament as well as the highlights from the pro league that had happened recently.

    After the show was done Jason and the rest of the guys spent a few hours watching some of the games that were being yed that day.

    After they watched the Miami heat blow out the New York Knicks by over 40 points Jason was about to change the channel when they saw another showe on.

    It was another sport''s talk show but no one on the panel was recognizable except for the host.

    She was beautiful in her red dress. She smiled at the camera "Hello and thank you for tuning in to today''s episode of The Dribble.

    I am your host Kelly Johnson and today with me are some big names. On my right is Logan Banks. He was a number analysts for the Houston Rockets as well as the Chicago Bulls."

    The man waved his hand as he smiled at he camera. His smile looked awkward and his suit was a tad bit too big on him "Thank you Kelly. It''s a pleasure to be here."

    Kelly then introduced her next guest " And on my left is multiple time all star Donovan Mitchell!"

    Donovan Mitchell smiled brightly as waved at the camera. He looked ssy in his dark blue suit "Thanks for having me Kelly.

    It''s been a while since I''ve been in front of some cameras so I hope I look alright." Kellyughed "You look great.

    So you mentioned that it''s been a while since you''ve been in front of the cameras. How''s retirement been treating you?"

    Donovan Mitchell replied "It''s been great. You know as a professional athlete there''s a lot that we give up in order to live the dream.

    We have to spend so much time training, practicing, watching film, and taking care of our bodies.

    So we end up missing out on things like birthday parties, your baby''s first words and first steps. Obviously being able to y basketball for a living is a blessing but there are some downsides."

    The three of them spent the first ten minutes talking about the games that had just taken ce.

    But then Kelly changed topics "So I don''t know if you guys keep up with middle school basketball but there''s a name that''s been making some noise recently."

    Donovan Mitchell pped his hands "You''re talking about Jason Yang right?" Kelly smiled as she nodded her head.

    Donovan Mitchell added "If you''re talking about middle school basketball then you have to bring up Jason.

    This kid has made a real name for himself since winning the county tournament for Riverside.

    And now he''s had two games in a row where he''s been ying like a superstar" Kelly chuckled "You''re right Donovan.

    Jason has been performing amazingly well ever since the start of the state tournament in California.

    A lot of current and former yers have been praising him online for his performance on a bright stage like the state tournament."

    While Kelly and Donovan were smiling and having fun talking about Jason and the state tournament Logan Banks had a bored expression on his face.

    Kelly looked over to him and jokingly said "Well it looks like not everyone is a fan. What are your thoughts on Jason Yang?"

    Logan Banks answered "It''s not that I''m not a fan of Jason Yang. Truth be told I haven''t watched any film on him.

    This is middle school basketball we''re talking about. I don''t understand how anyone could hype this up so much.

    When was thest time that middle school basketball really mattered? There''s a reason why most scouts only care about high school and college level basketball.

    Are we really going to talk about middle school basketball on ESPN?"

 Chapter 151 - The Numbers

    Kelly awkwardly chuckled "Come on Logan. We all know that you can''t really use middle school basketball to tell how good a yer will be in the future.

    We''re just talking about this because it''s been a while since anyone has been able to make any kind of noise at that level."

    Donovan Mitchell nodded his head in agreement "Yeah man. We''re just having some fun watching a talented kid.

    No one is talking about his draft rank or anything. We all know that the kid is still just a kid and that he has a long way to go in terms of his basketball journey.

    It''s just fun to talk about because we haven''t seen anyone dominate at that level the way that he is.

    This kid managed to turn the worst team in his county into the best team in the county and now they are two games in to the state tournament.

    You can''t tell me that he ain''t got a good story. Jason and his team have gone through so much to be where they''re at right now.

    From being the underdog to bing county champions. And now they lost their starting Center? Their story just has so many things that make you want to root for them."

    Logan put his hands up "I get it, I get it. Everyone loves an underdog story. We all like to cheer for the dark horse.

    And I have to admit that Jason and his team have given sports shows a lot of material to talk about over the past few days.

    But let''s not pretend like this kid is the seconding of LeBron James or something. He''s not doing anything out of this world.

    He''s not dunking over people and putting them on posters, he''s not swatting shots out of the court, he''s doing the things that he knows how to do.

    I feel like everyone is turning into his fan because they all see some part of themselves in Jason.

    He''s not this kid with crazy athleticism and he''s not super huge. He''s a little tricky with the ball and he knows how to shoot.

    The same thing happened with Stephen Curry all those years ago. It was easier for people to rte to him because he was a small guy that had some skills unlike LeBron who was this physical freak of nature.

    I wasn''t really going to say much but since we''re talking about this for fun then I suppose I can put in my own two cents."

    He then reached out to his bag that was under the table and pulled out a few sheets of paper.

    "Ever since Jason made that one y where he got the block to erase any possibleeback there has been this growing narrative that he is quote on quote "Clutch".

    This narrative has gotten even stronger after his two games in the state tournament where he has made yste in the game in order to push his team ahead.

    But if you take a look at the actual numbers you would be surprised to see that he isn''t as "Clutch" as people like to make him out to be.

    For the season Jason averaged 26.4 Pts, 4 Rebs, 8.8 Ast, 3.2 Stl, and 1.4 Blk on fairly good efficiency. He shot 55 percent from the field and 43 percent from three.

    In the state tournament his points per game average has gone up to 36 points but his efficiency has gone way down.

    For the two games he''s yed so far he''s shot 47 from the field and36 percent from three. Not only that, one of the best parts of his game was his defense but even that has taken a hit.

    His steals are down to 2.1 a game and his one block so far was the one that helped them to win the game.

    So how can a kid be considered clutch when his stats have shown a dramatic decline now that he''s ying on a big stage like the state tournament?

    Here''s something that hurts his "Clutch" credibility. ording to the numbers Jason''s already diminished effectiveness takes an even bigger hit once he''s in the fourth quarter.

    His field goal percentage drops to 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. These numbers don''t look very clutch to me."

    Donovan Mitchell put his hand up "Come on Logan. You know that the game is more than just numbers.

    Numbers and analytics are all good and I think that they do have a ce in the game. But I still like to go by the old fashioned eye test.

    And what the eye test tells me is that whenever you need a y to win a game Jason is there to deliver."

    Kelly nodded her head in agreement "Numbers only tell you a part of the story. You need to look at the context of where the numbers came from.

    The drop in his shooting percentages from before and after the start of the state tournament can be exined by the loss of their starting Center.

    Kyle was Jason''s most effective weapon on offense. The pick and roll with Jason and Kyle was the most used action by Jefferson''s offense.

    So losing his best pick and roll partner was sure to hurt his own offense. And Kyle''s absence also affects the rest of the team.

    Jefferson was already ying with a small roster but after losing their starting Center that just made their rotations even shorter.

    I think the reason why Jason''s percentages take such a sharp dive in the fourth quarter is because the kid is literally ying every minute of the game.

    It''s only natural that his shooting takes a hit when he''s tired. It would be a miracle if he wasn''t gassed by the time the fourth quarter came around considering how much he has to do for his team."

    Logan took a sip from the mug in front of him before responding "Well you guys gave your opinion and I was just tossing in my own two cents.

    I wasn''t trying to trash the kid or anything. I was just giving out the numbers. Like I said, middle school is too early to try and judge whether or not these kids will be anything special or if they can even get to the pros.

    But here''s another interesting fact that I thought that you two as well as the rest of the people watching would be interested in.

    Both of the teams that Jason and his team have beaten were from some of the smallest counties in the state.

    These are counties with less than a quarter of the poption that Riverside has. Small poption means small talent pool.

    Which means that these teams aren''t exactly powerhouses in the middle school basketball world."

    Donovan Mitchel shook his head "Hey, don''t do that man. Don''t try to downy what Jason and his team been doing.

    It ain''t his fault or his team''s fault that they been ying against teams from smaller counties.

    In sports you y against the team in front of you. You sound like one of those people that say "Oh you gotta put an asterisk next to that cause they yed a hurt team." They can''t control who they y against."

    Logan waved his hands in denial "Like I said before I am not trashing the kid or trying to minimize what he and his team have done.

    I was just trying to be like Kelly and give you guys some more context to everything that we were talking about.

    It was amazing that Jefferson managed to win two games in the state tournament with only 7 yers on their roster.

    But they did get lucky considering that they yed two teams from really small counties in a row.

    But this next game against High Bridge Middle School from Sacramento county is going to be their first game against some actualpetition.

    They get a few days to rest before they y against High Bridge Middle School and if they win that makes them one of the top four teams in the state.

    The break that they would get before the next portion of the tournament starts is just enough to where their starting Center might just be healed up enough from his sprained ankle that he could y."

 Chapter 152 - A Short Break

    Back at Jason''s apartment. While everyone else was getting upset by what Logan had said on TV Jason on the other hand was stuffing himself with another cheeseburger.

    Udonis spoke out in an annoyed tone "Damn bro. How is it that the one dude who ain''t never yed ball in his life is the one talking smack about Jaya and the team?"

    Kyle nodded his head in agreement "You can tell that the guy probably never yed any kind of sports outside of P.E. ss."

    Trell turned and looked at Jason "How the hell can you just keep on eating bro? Don''t this shit bother you?"

    Jason washed down the food in his mouth with a sip of the chocte milkshake that was sitting in front of him.

    "I mean it does bother me a little bit. But what do you want me to do? It''s not like the guy was lying.

    He had the numbers right there in front of him. Everything that he said was technically facts." Jason then took another bite out of the cheeseburger.

    Trell replied "I mean I guess it was facts. But just because the numbers say something don''t mean that it''s true.

    I mean, how the hell could anyone say that you ain''t clutch? You been making big time ys in damn near all of our gamestely."

    Kyle sighed helplessly as he patted Trell on the back "Forget it bro. You know how Jaya is. You''ll end up getting more upset over this than he his."

    Udonisughed "Kyle''s right. I can''t believe we still get surprised over how chill this dude is. The only things that get him excited are food and basketball."

    Jason wiped the grease off of his mouth with a napkin beforeining "Hey! I''ll have you know that I take offense to that.

    There are plenty of things that catch my attention other than basketball and food. And it''s not like I''m eating all of this because I''m a glutton.

    The reason why I eat so much is because I''m trying to grow. I don''t know if you guys have noticed but despite all the food I eat I just can''t seem to put on weight."

    In Jason''s past life he was somewhat of a foodie but he never ate food to the extent that he was doing now.

    Back when he yed basketball in college one of Jason''s favorite pastimes was to visit the popr local food spots in whatever town they would y in.

    The reason why Jason put so much attention to his diet was because he knew how much he struggled in high school and at the college level because of his lean frame.

    Udonisughed "Oh yeah? You got hobbies outside of hoopin and eating? Go ahead and name em."

    Jason was surprised by Udonis putting him on the spot like that "Um.... You know.... Oh! Lately Kyle''s gotten me hooked to this new game.

    What was it called? Sparkling wings? Wings of the sun?" Kyled sighed "It''s called Sr Wings: Glory of the Stars.

    And technically the game has been out in Japan for over three years. It''s just recently that it got ported over to the US with an English version."

    Jason pointed at Kyle "Whatever he said. See? I have hobbies outside of basketball and food.

    Not only that Kyle has gotten me into anime too. There are a couple shows that I''m watching right now."

    Kyleughed after hearing what Jason said "I don''t know if that counts Jaya. All of the anime that you watch are basketball rted."

    All of the guys busted out intoughter after hearing Kyle say that. They spent the next few hours eating and cracking jokes.

    Eventually as the sun began to set everyone started to split up as they made their ways home.

    All of the guys had helped clean up a bit before they left but Jason told them not to mind it. He would never admit it but he enjoyed cleaning up after a gathering like this.

    In his past life Jason didn''t really have that many friends. He always got along with the guys on his team but that was the extent of it.

    His only real friends were Tory and Devin. This second chance at life was the first time that Jason got to experience having so many friends and having them over so often.

    With each cup that Jason picked up and with each section of the living room that he cleaned he recalled some of the moments that had just happened.

    ''Why is the table so sticky? Oh yeah, Udonis identally spat some out after hearing Kyle joke about himbeing fat.

    And all these crumbs on the floor were from Nick and Vince trying to toss onion rings into their mouths.''

    Jason took a look at the now clean living room. Even though he was alone in the apartment he felt a strange sense of happiness.

    ''Mom and dad have been workingte days more often now. I guess they have to make up for all the off time that they take to watch my games.

    But at least they know that I have friends now. They don''t need to worry about me being alone anymore.''

    - - -

    Over the next two days Jason would spend most of his time rxing at home and chilling with his parents.

    Jason wanted to practice but he knew that if he did then all of the guys would feel pressured to do the same.

    And he wanted them to use this time to rest up as much as they could before their next game against High Bridge Middle School.

    After his mom would go to work Jason would follow his dad to the diner. He didn''t like the idea of just sitting at home doing nothing and thought that helping out at the diner would be a good way to rx while still doing something.

    Jason helped out the servers as he took over a small section of the restaurant. All of the workers there were familiar with Jason.

    Most of the servers were high schoolers or college students. Jason''s dad made it a point to try and hire students as much as possible because he knew how hard it was for young people to get a job sometimes.

    Jason remembered one of the talks that he had with his dad one time "It''s crazy how hard it is for some young people to get a job if they don''t have any connections.

    Job ads will say that they are entry level and yet they want working experience from the applicants. What kind of working experience is a 16 year old supposed to have?"

    His had also liked hiring college students because he knew how hard it was to find a job that would amodate their schedules.

    "We are really blessed Jason. Your dad was lucky to have a small savings that he could use to provide for him and mommy.

    Because without that savings we would have never survived until daddy found a job to support him and mommy while the two of us went school."

    Jason was dressed in a white cored tee shirt with a red apron over it and ck pants along with a white cloth hat.

    His dad was a big fan of the whole 1950s diner aesthetic. He knew that those times weren''t the friendliest for people of color like him but he loved the style nheless.

    Jason was dressed the same as all of the other waiters and servers as he handled his own small section.

    A lot of the female servers found Jason cute in his little uniform as they asked him to take some quick pictures whenever they had the chance.

    The guys servers also asked to take pictures with Jason but that was because they were fans of him as a basketball yer and not because they found him cute.

    Or at least that''s what Jason told himself in order to feel morefortable about it. Jason had just finished bringing all of the food to a table when he felt his phone vibrating inside of his pocket.

    He pulled out his phone and saw that Samantha was trying to video call him. He looked around to make sure that his tables were all taken care of.

    After seeing that all of his tables were doing good Jason moved to the corner of the diner to answer the call.

    "Yo, what''s up Sammy?" Samantha was smiling as Jason answered the call but after she saw what he was wearing she couldn''t help but startughing hard.

    "Oh my god Jaya! What are you wearing?! I thought Halloween was way behind us hahaha!" Jason rolled his eyes "Haha real funny Sammy.

    I''m wearing this because I''m helping out at my dad''s diner. I''m pretty sure you''ve seen all of our workers dressed like this before."

    Samantha wiped a tear from her eye "Duh, I''ve seen the workers wear that uniform tons of times before.

    I was just surprised by how adorable you look in it. It''s like watching a little kid dress up as an adult haha."

    After some moreughing she finally calmed down "You said you were helping out at your dad''s diner right? I''ll be right over."

    Samantha hanged up the call right after saying that. Jason chuckled to himself ''It''s nice having a friend as goofy as her.

    But something tells me that she might being over to stir up some trouble.''

 Chapter 153 - A Day At The Diner

    Jason was in the middle of cleaning up a table when he heard the bell for the front door ring. He turned to the entrance and smiled.

    "Hello. Wee to the Rice&Burger diner- oh it''s just you Sammy." The enthusiasm in his voice quickly disappeared as he reverted back to his normal deadpan facial expression and monotone voice.

    Samantha giggled "You know maybe you should be as enthusiastic at school as you are when you''re helping out at the diner.

    It would really help you get rid of the whole bad boy vibe that you have the whole world falling for."

    Jason rolled his eyes as if he were annoyed but he found Samantha''s straightforward way of talking entertaining.

    Jason sarcastically spoke back "You know that I enjoy all of our small talks but I''m kinda busy right now Sammy.

    Did youe here for a reason or did you just want to see how us lowly non-millionaires spend our time?"

    Samantha looked at Jason with a devious smile on her face "You know what? Now that you brought it up I am kinda hungry. Table for one please."

    Jason grabbed a menu and a set of utensils as he brought Samantha to the corner of the counter.

    He set everything down and turned to Samantha"It would be a waste to give you a whole table since you''re just by yourself. Hope you don''t mind a seat at the counter."

    Samantha shook her head which caused her long red hair to move around her "Nah it''s cool. I''ve always wanted to sit at the counter.

    You get the best view in the ce. You get to watch the cooks while you wait for your food. It''s almost like dinner and a show except it''s lunchtime right now and the show is watching a dude flip burgers on a grill."

    Jason caught a whiff of a refreshing scent "That smells pretty good. Is that your shampoo? It''s smells like strawberries."

    As soon as Jason said that an image of a bowl full of freshly picked strawberries popped into his mind.

    A secondter a loud gurgling sound could be heard. Samantha looked at Jason and then burst outughing.

    Jason scratched the back of his head and chuckled "Guess thinking about strawberries made me hungry. Strawberries are my favorite food."

    Samantha chuckled "R-Really? What a coincidence haha. I just changed to this shampoo today. I bought a pretty big bottle so I think I''ll be using it for a while."

    Jason remembered something that he had learned from his mom in his past life "Make sure you check the expiration date on your shampoo and conditioner.

    Not everyone knows this but they actually can go bad. They won''t do all that much good for your hair once they''re expired."

    Jason was a broke college student at one point in his past life. He thought that he was a genius when he found huge buckets of shampoo and conditioner on sale.

    Without a second thought he bought one bucket of each thinking that he had saved himself a ton of money considering that the buckets were each the price of what three bottleswould normally cost him.

    It wasn''t until two yearster that he found out from his mom why his hair had been getting worse and worse.

    Before that Jason hadn''t known that shampoo and conditioner could expire. It turned out that both of the buckets were a year past their expiration dates.

    Jason had a proud look on his face. It looked as though he was happy at the thought that he had helped to spread some useful knowledge.

    Seeing the look on his face Samantha couldn''t bring herself to ruin his moment ''Should I tell him that that''s pretty widespread info? But he looks so happy... I think I''ll just let him have his little moment.''

    Samantha smiled as she looked at Jason "Thanks for the heads up Jaya. I''ll make sure to check the expiration dates regrly."

    Jason happily nodded his head before starting to walk away "I''ll give you a minute to look through the menu. Just wave me down if you need something."

    Jason went to go attend to his other tables as he gave Samantha a moment to look over the menu.

    Samantha pretended to be look at the menu as she kept stealing quick nces at Jason as he helped around the diner.

    Watching Jason drop off food at the tables while also diligently cleaning after all of the customers after they were done eating made Samantha blush a bit.

    Feeling her face getting slightly hot she held up the menu to hide behind it. And then after a few seconds she couldn''t help it as the urge overwhelmed her as she stole another nce at Jason before hiding back behind the menu.

    ''He looks so much nicer when he smiles. He''s not a mean guy or anything so why doesn''t he try to look that friendly all the time?''

    While Jason was taking orders from the customers or talking with the other workers in the diner he had a smile on his face.

    Jason smiled whenever they would joke around or whenever something funny happened but this was the first time Samantha had seen Jason with a constant smile on his face.

    She felt happy to see that but she also felt something else. She was slightly bothered by something.

    ''Howe he doesn''t have any problems keeping a smile on his face with all of these strangers but when he hangs out with me, Kyle, and Shania he has that cold look on his face?''

    As Samantha was watching Jason hard at work she suddenly had an idea pop into her mind ''Maybe I should invite Jason to the thing tonight.

    I told the girls that it would be just us but if I make Jason bring the rest of the guys from the team then they''ll probably be okay with it.''

    Samantha had a devious smile on her face as she called out "Hey Jaya! You got ns for tonight?!"

 Chapter 154 - Plans

    Jason had just cleared out all of the dishes and was in the middle of wiping down the table when he heard Samantha call out for him.

    Jason took out his note pad and pen as he looked at Samantha "Sorry I couldn''t really hear what you said. Do you know what you want?"

    Samantha had her elbows on the table as she rested her chin on her hands. She smiled as she cheekily said "Yeah I do know what I want. I want you to hang out with me tonight."

    Jason chuckled before yfully hitting her on the top of her head with his pen "Sorry but that''s not on the menu."

    Samantha rubbed the top of her head with both of her hands as she acted as though she had been hit hard.

    "You should be nice to me. Boys aren''t supposed to hit girls. They should be nice to girls. Especially really pretty ones."

    Jason clicked his pen "You''re right Sammy. Let me know when one walks into the diner. I''ll be sure to act super nice."

    Samantha puffed up her cheeks before lightly punching Jason on the arm "There''s one right here you blindy!"

    Jason nodded his head "Sure sure Sammy. Whatever you say. But seriously though. Do you know what you want or do you still need a minute?"

    Samantha sighed helplessly "I''ll have a bacon double cheeseburger with no tomatoes but with extra pickles and a strawberry milkshake. Ooh! And a order of onion rings on the side."

    Jason wrote down her order "Alright Sammy. So I have you down for a bacon double cheeseburger with no tomatoes, extra pickles, and a strawberry milkshake with a order of onion rings on the side. Anything else?"

    Samantha shook her head "No that''s it." Jason nodded his head "Your food should be out in five to ten minutes. Let me know if you need anything."

    Jason walked away and dropped Samantha''s order off to the kitchen. While she was waiting for her food Samantha pulled out her phone.

    She was pretending to look at her social media page on her phone but she was back to stealing nces at Jason.

    She watched as his medium length silky smooth ck hair would asionally whip around whenever he would hurriedly turn his head to a customer that was trying to get his attention.

    ''His hair looks so good when it''s down and parted in the middle. He''s been keeping his sides short while growing out the top.

    It looks even better now that his hair is halfway down his face. But his hair looks good when it''s tied up into a bun like how he does whenever he has a game.

    Oh no! What should I do?! I don''t know what version of Jaya is my favorite. Do I like the sporty man bun version better? Or do I like the gentle looking pretty boy version when he has his hair down?

    I can''t decide! What should I say if he asks me which hairstyle I like best? What if I pick the one that he doesn''t really like?''

    As Samantha was going through all the different and improbable scenarios she was thinking up in her mind she didn''t even notice the time pass by.

    Before she knew it she was startled back to reality when Jason ced a te with her burger on it in front of her.

    He then ced a te of onion rings down and a tall ss cup filled with strawberry milkshake "Here''s your burger, onion rings, and strawberry milkshake.

    Anything else I can get you?" Samantha took a bite out her burger as soon as Jason had put the te down.

    After she cleared out the food that was in her mouth she answered "Could you get me a water also?"

    Jason left for a moment and came back with a ss of water "Alright Sammy. Enjoy your food."

    Jason had put the water down in front of Samantha and was about to walk away when he was stopped.

    "Jaya. I was serious you know. I want to hang out tonight! It''s not like you have any ns for tonight anyways."

    Jason turned back around "And what were your ns?" Samantha smiled after hearing Jason ask that.

    "I was going to go to the Mission Inn tonight with some of my friends. It''s getting close to Christmas so they have the ce covered with all of these beautiful lights and decorations.

    I thought that it would be boring if it was just a bunch of girls so I thought that it would be more fun if you and the other guys from the team could go."

    Jason thought about Samantha''s offer ''She''s kinda right. I didn''t have any ns for tonight other than to get online with Kyle.

    Maybe it would be nice to see the lights. This would be the first time that I would get a chance to see the Mission Inn''s Christmas lights after jumping back into the past.

    And plus, the guys might enjoy it. I think it would be good for them to take a chance to rx and take their mind off of things. Even if it''s just for one night.''

    After thinking it over for a bit Jason replied "I''m down with going. I have to ask my parents first to be sure but I''m pretty sure they''ll be okay with it."

    After giving his answer Jason turned around and walked away as he began to check up on all of his tables.

    After making sure that Jason wouldn''t be able to see her Samantha excitedly pumped her fist ''Booyah!

    Three seconds left on the clock with the game on the line. Sammy goes hard to the left, squares up, and she shoots her shot!

    It''s gooddies and gentlemen! Sammy is the MVP hehehe.''

    After talking about it with his dad Jason got permission to go to the Mission Inn tonight with Samantha and her friends.

    Jason called up all of the guys on the team and told them about the ns. After hearing that Samantha would be bringing along her friends all of the guys were excited to go.

    As Jason continued to help around the diner he couldn''t help but look forward to tonight ''It''s going to be a night out with Sammy and the boys. Should be fun.''

 Chapter 155 - Plans: Part-2

    Jason helped out at his father''s diner for about another hour before walking to his father''s office in the back of the diner.

    He knocked on the door and immediately got a reply "Come in. " Jason opened the door and poked his head in ""Hey dad I think I feel liking heading home now."

    Jason''s dad smiled as he looked up from the papers that he was reading "Sure thing Jason. Did you want me to give you a ride?"

    Jason stepped into the office before he shook his head "Nah that''s okay dad. I know you have a ton of stuff to do. I''ll just take the bus."

    Jason''s dad got up from his desk and walked toward his son. He then pulled him into a hug and gently rested his chin on the top of his head.

    "Thanks for the help son. I wish you knew just how proud you make me every single day." Jason felt the sincerity in his father''s voice.

    He had to fight in order to keep hisposure. Jason tried to y it off by chuckling "Hehee on dad. I just helped out for a few hours. I didn''t even really do much."

    Jason''s dad stopped the hug as he stared his son straight in the face while smiling warmly "That''s not what I''m talking about.

    Every day you show me just how amazing of a person you are. And it makes me so proud to think that I am helping to raise such a amazing individual.

    You dedicate yourself to basketball, you get perfect marks in all of your sses, you''re always thinking of how you can help your friends, and you always expect the most out of yourself.

    But what makes me the most proud isn''t the destinations that you''ve managed to reach. The journeys that you take in the process is what really lights up my days."

    You''ve been through so much. I know that changing schools wasn''t the easiest. So to see how much you put other people before yourself is-."

    Jason was surprised by his father''s sudden silence. He looked up and saw that tears were beginning to form in the corners of his father''s eyes.

    A tear dropped from his father''s face on to his own as he was looking up to him. Jason''s father smiled as he wiped the tear off of his son''s face with his thumb.

    "To see how much you put others before yourself despite all the things that you''ve had to go through shows me just how strong you are.

    Everyday you work yourself until your tired as a dog. And yet no matter how tired you are you always make sure to ask how me and your mom are doing.

    You always want to help cook dinner and help get the table ready even though you could easilyy down on the couch and just wait for everything to get done.

    And look at today. You''ve been ying a crazy amount of minutes. And no matter how much you''ve been working on your conditioning I know that ying two whole games in a row couldn''t have been easy.

    But despite being tired and having the chance to just stay at home and sleep youe here to help out. This is why I''m so proud of you son."

    Jason was feeling a mixture of emotions after hearing what his father had to say. On one hand he was touched that his father thought so highly of him.

    On the other hand Jason also felt slightly guilty. His father''s opinion of him was based on the thought that despite being tired he was willing to forego rest just in order to help.

    But in actuality Jason wasn''t really ever all that tired. Jason had been using the Recovery Boost function in the system every night when he went to sleep.

    The amount of rest and recovery that Jason was able to do every night was three times the normal amount. He actually felt like he was in tip top shape.

    Jason felt bad but he didn''t want to ruin his dad''s touching moment. Besides, it''s not like he could exin why he wasn''t tired despite ying so many minutes.

    Jason hugged his dad back "Thanks dad. I don''t know if I''m as great as you think I am but I will try my best to live up to the person that you see me as."

    Jason''s dad justughed before ruffling his son''s hair "Alright son. Go ahead and head home.

    Your mom said that she''ll bete again today because of work and I''ll bete because I''ll be in charge of closing tonight.

    So go ahead and eat dinner out if you want to. You said you were going to see the Christmas lights at the Mission Inn tonight right? Stay safe and have fun with your friends."

    Jason walked out of the office as he took some deep breathes in order to try and regain hisposure.

    As he was walking out of the diner he smiled and said goodbye to all of the other workers there.

    Samantha was still working on her food when she saw Jason walking out toward the door "Mhmph fuph!"

    Jason turned around from hearing her voice but he hadn''t been able to understand what she had said because of the food in her mouth "What did you say?"

    Samantha tried to wash down the food in her mouth with some water but she was in too much of a hurry as she ended up coughing violently after some of the water went down the wrong pipe.

    " *Cough!* *Cough!* I said wait up." Samantha wiped her mouth hurriedly before pulling out a hundred dor bill from her purse.

    She then left the money on the table before jumping to her feet and walking toward Jason "You''re done helping out Jaya?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah. I was just going to head home and y some games or watch some of Kyle''s anime rmendations for a few hours.

    It''s still to early to head out to see the Christmas lights over at the Mission Inn and I still need to call the guys to see if they''re down."

    Samantha nodded her head as she listened "I see. Well in that case would you- is it possible- do you think?-"

    Jason rolled his eyes "Come on Sammy just spit it out. For someone that''s normally as talkative as a podcast on rey you''re being pretty bad at using words right now."

    Samantha stomped her foot on the ground "I was going to ask if it was okay for me to hang out with you at your ce until it''s time to see the lights."

    Jason chuckled "Is that it? I don''t know why you had such a hard time saying that. You''re acting like you haven''t been over like a million times by now."

    Samantha ground her teeth in frustration ''It''s only hard because I know about all of my feelings. Unlike you.''

    Jason thought that it would be awkward to walk back to his father''s office to ask him for permission so he sent him a text instead.

    ''Sammy wants to know if it''s okay for her to hang out at the apartment.'' He immediately got a response ''Look behind you.''

    Jason turned around and saw that the blinds to his father''s office were pulled up. His dad was smiling brightly as he gave him a thumbs up.

    Jasonughed before returning the gesture and giving his dad a thumbs up as well. Jason then turned back to Samantha "I guess that''s a yes."

    Samantha excitedly pumped her fist before shouting out "Alright!" She then pointed forward "Raise the anchor. Let us embark on our journey first mate Jaya."

 Chapter 156 - Bright Lights

    Jason and Samantha took the bus back to Jason''s apartment. The ten minute long ride went by with Samantha talking for most of it.

    After they got off at the bus stop the two of them began walking toward Jason''s apartmentplex.

    Samantha smiled as she looked at Jason who was walking along side her "Hey Jaya. Have you ever gone to see the lights at the Mission Inn before?"

    Jason thought about Samantha''s question for a second before answering "I''ve gone to see the lights before with my parents, Uncle Jin, and Tory before but that''s about it.

    I''ve never gone out to watch the lights with a big group of friends like this before. Actually, now that I think about it this is the first time I''ve had a group of friends.

    It used to just be me and Tory. I never really hanged out with anyone other than my parents and her dad."

    Sammy went quiet after hearing Jason say that ''How can he say that so casually? Did he just get used to the idea of not having people around him?''

    But a split secondter Samantha had a bright smile on her face again as she cheerfully said "Well I guess that''s all in the past now.

    You have a whole bunch of awesome friends now such as myself and I don''t think that you would ever be able to go back to not having friends."

    Jason turned to Samantha and chuckled before patting her on her head "Thanks Sammy. I guess even you have your moments where you can be nice."

    Samantha threw up her hands and pretended to throw a tantrum "What do you mean moments?! I''ll have you know that I am always nice."

    After the short walk they reached the apartmentplex. Jason scanned his card and the door opened up.

    They walked up the stairs to Jason''s apartment. Jason scanned his card again and the door opened to his apartment "Remember to take your shoes off Sammy. I just mopped the floor this morning."

    After closing the door Jason looked over at Samantha "I''m going to go take a shower and change. Feel free to help yourself to some drinks in the fridge."

    Jason walked into his room and when he came back out he had a new set of clothes in his arms as he then walked to the bathroom.

    The sound of the shower turning on could be heard as Samantha was sitting around in the living room.

    She had her phone out but she couldn''t help but nce at the bathroom door every once in a while.

    Her face had a slight blush ''Wow... Okay... Just chill Sammy. y it cool. Cool like a sub zero ice cube.''

    She stood up and went to the kitchen. As she was about to open the fridge for a drink she noticed a bunch of pictures that were hanging on there.

    Stuck to the front of the fridge were a lot of family pictures. There were photos of Jason''s mom and dad when they were younger and photos of Jason as a baby.

    Some of the photos were clearly candid as they showed baby Jason and toddler Jason with his usual deadpan face ''Guess his RBF was a thing ever since he was a baby.''

    For some reason she felt that the candid photos were the best ones as she couldn''t take her eyes off of them.

    After looking at all of the photos on the fridge Samantha realized something ''I guess Jason wasn''t kidding. He really didn''t have any friends.''

    The only people that were in any of the pictures were Jason, his parents, Uncle Jin, and Tory. Besides the five of them there weren''t anyone else, not even any grandparents.

    Sammy was so interested in the pictures that she didn''t even notice Jason walking up to her "Nice pics right? I tell my mom and dad all the time that they could have been models."

    Samantha was startled but she managed to not freak out. She coughed to clear her throat before awkwardly chuckling.

    "Hehe yeah. Auntie and Uncle are drop dead gorgeous in some of these pictures. They could have for sure been models if they wanted to.

    Even right now Auntie and Uncle are really good looking. You would never think that they have a kid in middle school.

    They look like they could still pass off as twenty something year olds. But howe you don''t have any pictures of your grandparents."

    Jason replied normally "I honestly don''t know Sammy. My theory is that both of my parents had a falling out with their families but I have nothing to back that up.

    My parents never really bring their parents up. Or even their other family members. I never really thought about asking them about it either.

    The family in my life has always been more than enough so I never really had the urge or the desire to look for the family that wasn''t there.

    So to me my family was always just my mom, my dad, Uncle Jin, and Tory." Jason then turned around and pointed to Samantha.

    "But ever since I transferred to Jefferson there have been so many people that have had my back and looked after me. So I guess all of you guys are kinda added by default."

    Samantha had to fight back the tears that wanted toe out. She turned to the side and lightly punched Jason on his arm.

    "Why do you have to say something so freaking nice?! You''re going to make me ruin my makeup man."

    Jason justughed "Let''s go over to Kyle''s ce. We can chill over there and see if the other guys can make it tonight."

    Jason and Samantha walked a few doors down to the apartmentplex where Kyle and his mom had moved into with Tory and her dad.

    Jason knocked on the door and less than a few secondster Kyle''s smiling face could be seen as he weed Jason in.

    "Yo what''s up Jaya. Bro you would not believe how many cuties have been hitting me up on all of my social media pages."

    Jason just stood thereughing "Good for you bro but I don''t see why you''re sharing that. It sounds more like a you thing."

    Kyle shook his head with a smile "Nah bro. It would be if they were hitting me up for me. But all of these girls are hitting me up for you.

    They know that you don''t really post stuff and that you''re not that active on social media so now they''re trying to get at you by going through me.

    I might just be the middleman but I have to say that all of this attention is pretty nice. Some of these girls are even in high school bro!

    I''m talking freshmen and sophomores! Check this girl out. She has so many pics of her at the beach wearing this really hot-"

    Kyle was talking and he didn''t realize that Samantha was there until he tried to close the door to the apartment after Jason had walked in.

    A hand holding on to the door frame from outside held it open as a clearly annoyed voice spoke out.

    "Wow Kyle. You like pictures of girls at the beach huh? Maybe I should have you swimming with the fishes. That way you could see girls at the beach more often."

    Kyle gulped as he looked at Jason "I-Is that?- S- she''s actually?" Jason had a nk look on his face as he nodded his head.

    "Oh yeah. I almost forgot to tell you. Sammy''s here. We''re just going to hang here while we wait to hear back from the rest of the guys."

    Before Kyle could even get the apology out of his mouth he heard Samantha''s chilling voice once again.

    "You are so lucky that you''re in crutches right now Kyle. Mind letting me see your phone for a bit? I would love to see these pictures that have you so giddy and excited."

    - - -

    After a few hours of waiting it was finally time to go see the lights. Jason, Samantha, and Kyle got off the bus as they looked on in amazement.

    The Mission Inn along with all of the other restaurants, shops, stores, and businesses were covered with bright Christmas lights and an assortment of decorations.

    Jason sighed out in amazement "I''ve seen it a couple of times already but it still looks pretty amazing."

    Kyle nodded his head "Yeah bro. This really gets you into the mood for Christmas episodes filled with romance and present openings."

    Samantha sighed as well but for a different reason. She looked at Kyle "Can''t you think of anything not rted to anime?"

    Kyle shrugged his shoulders "Does manga count?" Samantha threw her hands up in defeat "I give up."

    As they were thinking of what they should do while they were waiting for the rest of their friends to show up Jason''s eyes shined with excitement.

    "Let''s go over there. They have a bunch of games set up with prizes. And I see one booth that has some basketballs and a hoop!"

 Chapter 157 - Bright Lights: Part-2

    Samantha and Kyle followed an excited Jason as he made his way to the booth with a basketball game set up.

    There was a worker manning the booth. As soon as he saw Jason making his way toward him followed by Kyle and Samantha he smiled.

    "Step right up, step right up folks. Strong, weak, old, and young with shooting hoops everyone has fun.

    If you can make three shots in a row you earn 1 point. A single point can be exchanged for a small prize, three points can be exchanged for a medium sized prize, and nine points can be exchanged for arge prize!"

    Samantha looked at the prizes on the shelves and squealed in excitement "Oh my god! Look at that humongous hamster plushy! It looks so squishy and soft."

    Kyle was drooling over one of the prizes as well but it was a different one "Are my eyes ying tricks on me?

    Or is that an actual life sized replica of Yusenji''s katana from Melody of the Blind Swordsmen?"

    The booth worker smiled after hearing Kyle''s question "Ah I see that we have a man of culture among us.

    Yes, that is indeed a one hundred percent urate life sized replica of Yusenji''s katana. This is a hard toe by collectible that is an official licensed product from the animation studio.

    If you can earn arge prize you also earn an opportunity to challenge hell mode. In hell mode the hoop will move left to right and up and down.

    In order to win our mega prize, the replica of Yusenji''s katana, you must make ten shots in a row on hell mode.

    But do be careful. If you decide to challenge hell mode and lose then you will also lose yourrge prize as well."

    Jason asked "So what are the specific rules?" The booth worker pushed back his slicked over hair "I''m d you asked my friend.

    It''s one dor per attempt. After you pay your dor you step into the red box that has been drawn on the floor.

    After you''re in the box you can go ahead and start shooting the ball. The rules are pretty simple once you start shooting.

    Just stay inside the box and keep shooting until you miss. You can collect as many points as you want to and you can decide to cash out at any time as well.

    So what do you think? Does anyone of you young kids want to give it a shot?" Jason was about to raise his hand when Kyle beat him to it "I wan to!"

    Jasonughed after seeing Kyle excitedly make his way into the red box after handing the booth worker a dor.

    The booth had two hoops set up so technically Jason could have just joined Kyle and shot along side him but he decided to sit back and watch first.

    Jason took a careful look. The hoop looked to be around ten feet away so it was a little shorter than a standard free throw.

    Jason also noticed that the hoop was slightly smaller as well. A normal basketball rim would berge enough for two basketballs to fall through at the same time.

    The rim on these hoops looked to be half a ball smaller than usual making it even harder to make the shot.

    Kyle set his crutches to the side before hopping over to the red box. Although his injury was still keeping him out of games he had recovered to the point where doing something like this was manageable.

    He carefully set his feet before squaring up and locking on to the hoop. He took a deep breathe before taking the shot.

    Compared to where he was at the beginning of the season Kyle''s shooting form looked a lot more fluid and natural although there was still a minor hitch once the ball got to the top.

    As soon as the ball was a little over his forehead Kyle flicked his wrist and shot the ball out. The ball had a low arc as it flew toward the hoop.

    The ball ended up bouncing a few times before falling through the. Kyle punched out into the empty air in excitement "Yes!"

    With some careful aim and by taking his time Kyle was able to make three shots in a row. But right after he had earned his first point he missed the next shot.

    Kyle was bummed out but he was d that he had at least earned one point. He went over to get his crutches and then walked over to the booth worker.

    "I guess I''ll use my point for a small prize. Can I get the ck cat stuffed toy please?" The booth worker shook his head.

    "Sorry kid but you didn''t cash out. If you decide to keep shooting and you miss then you lose all of the points that you earned to that point."

    Kyle''s head dropped in disappointment "No way. That''s such a bummer. I should have cashed out as soon as I got the point."

    Jason walked over to Kyle and patted him on the back "That was some pretty nice shooting Kyle. You should be proud with how much you''ve improved this year."

    Kyle smiled as he raised his head "You''re right Jaya. I probably wouldn''t have been able to make three shots in a row if you asked me to at the beginning of the year."

    Jason was about to walk up and give the booth worker his dor so that he could give the game a try.

    But then another voice shouted out "Is that a basketball hoop! Yo auntie let''s go over there and take a look."

    A kid made his way over while pulling on his aunt''s hand. He was about 5''7 (1.7m) with a thin frame.

    He had aplexion that was slightly darker than Kyle and Trell but was far from being dark skinned like Udonis.

    He had short twists on the top but his sides were cut short starting with fade that went from skin to about a one higher up.

    The booth worker smiled after seeing that his booth had attracted another potential customer.

    He exined the rules to the newly arrived child. After hearing the exnation the first thing that the kid did was to examine prizes that were sitting on the shelves.

    He eximed "Wow! Is that a replica of Yusenji''s katana?"The booth worker then exined to the child hell mode and how it worked.

    After hearing the booth worker''s exnation on hell mode he turned toward his aunt with his hand out.

    "Auntie Julia please let me borrow a dor please! I need to win that katana! It would look so good as part of my collection."

    The aunt sighed before reaching out for her purse "I swear Rudy. We were only supposed toe here to look at the lights.

    I told your mom that you would be okay staying at the hotel with all of your friends in L.A. but she just had to ask me to take care of you."

    Despite all of herining and grumbling she still ended up pulling a dor bill out of her purse and handing it to Rudy.

    Rudy then walked over to the booth worker and handed him the dor that his aunt had just given him.

    The booth worker smiled as he took the dor bill from Rudy. He then chuckled before looking over at Jason.

    "Looks like we have one challenger over here. How about it kid? Do you want to step up and go head to head against him?

    The rules are all still the same and you wouldn''t really bepeting against him. Both of you guys could end up winning a prize.

    You guys would just be shooting at the same time. It would mostly be to add somepetitive re."

    Jason thought about it for a second. He didn''t see any reason to say no and he did want to give the game a try.

    He took a dor bill out of his wallet and handed it to the booth worker "Sure. I''m always up for a little friendlypetition."

 Chapter 158 - Bright Lights: Part-3

    The booth worker smiled as he took the dor bill from Jason. He then instructed both of the boys to step into the red boxes that had been drawn into the ground.

    Each of the two boys stood in their own box and had their own hoops that they would try and shoot the basketballs into.

    Jason looked at the kid to his side and extended his fist out "Good luck man." Rudy chuckled as he bumped Jason''s fist back with his own before replying.

    "Thanks but I don''t need it. MCs don''t need luck when they have plot armor." Jason was slightly caught off guard by Rudy''s response.

    ''This kid talks a lot like Kyle.... Except when he does it it kinda gets on my nerves.'' The booth worker tucked the dor bills into one of the pockets on his apron.

    "Alright kids I hope you''re ready. You can start shooting as soon as the basketballs roll down the rails."

    A secondter the worker blew his whistle and pressed a button which caused the basketballs to roll down the rails.

    Jason''s focus locked on to the hoop as he grabbed one of the balls off of the rails and quickly got into his shooting motion.

    In one fluid motion Jason dipped the ball slightly before bringing it back up. Then as the ball reached eye level Jason extended his elbow and flicked his wrist as the ball went flying.

    Although the rim was smaller than normal you wouldn''t really notice it just from watching Jason shoot as the balls touched nothing but as they made their way down.

    One shot turned into two, which then turned to four, and by the time that Jason was in rhythm he had lost count of how many shots he had put up.

    He had forgotten that he was at the Mission Inn with Kyle and Samantha. The only thing that existed at this moment was the hoop, the ball, and him.

    The sound of the ball hitting his palm as he put his hand next to the railbined with the sound of the ball swishing through the created a strangely mesmerizing rhythm that could be heard despite the background noise andmotion that was going on around them.

    Jason was doing great seeing as how he had yet to miss a shot. But if he wasn''t as focused on the hoop as he was he might have noticed that Rudy was hanging right there with him.

    From the moment that the balls had rolled down the rails Rudy had been knocking down his shots at the same incredible pace as Jason.

    But what was even more amazing was that he was doing all of that while using a different hand with each shot!

    One one shot his left hand would be the supporting hand while on the next shot his right hand would be the supporting hand.

    The craziest part wasn''t even that he could shoot so well ambidextrously. It was the fact that he could switch between both hands so fluidly.

    At first people were just passing by the booth casually. But after both Jason and Rudy began to reach the two minute mark people began to notice.

    Slowly a crowd began to form around the booth as people were now watching with interest. Some of them even pulled their phones out as they began to record the entire thing on video.

    The booth worker was smiling at first but after seeing both Jason and Rudy make so many shots for so long he began to sweat.

    ''What the hell are these kids? No one told me that the kids national team was sending their yers to Riverside for winter break.

    Jesus, if these kids don''t miss a shot soon I might be looking at some heavy losses. Where the hell did this crowde from?!''

    By the time that the booth worker had noticed the entire booth had been surrounded as people crowded together to watch the two kids shoot against each other.

    The worker had no choice as he approached the two children "Great job guys! You have both earned the right to challenge hell mode!"

    Jason and Rudy both stopped as the booth worker had jumped in front of them with his hands up.

    Jason stared at the worker and asked with his usual cold demeanor "I thought that we could keep going until we missed?"

    Rudy nodded his head before thumping his chest "Yeah man, What gives?! You stopped me right as I was about to power up! I didn''t even get to change out of my base form."

    The booth worker wiped the sweat that was forming on his forehead as he responded "Both of you guys have earned fiverge prizes!

    And unfortunately that is our max payout. I wouldn''t want to have you guys keep shooting for no reason.

    Now this is the first time in our booth''s history that we have had two people earn the right to challenge hell mode at the same time.

    Do you guys want to go one after the other or would you rather challenge hell mode all at the same time?"

    Jason was surprised after hearing the booth worker sat that. He had been so focused on his own shooting that he didn''t notice that Rudy had actually managed to go toe to toe with him.

    Jason then took a closer look at Rudy. After spending a few seconds tob through all of his memories from his past life Jason recognized him.

    Rudy Jackson aka RJ but tomentators and to fans alike he was known mostmonly as Racks.

    He had gotten that nickname when during a game one of thementators had said "Rudy''s game is cold like money.

    I''m talkin straight cash man, this ain''t no stic card. You can''t say no to that. We should be calling him Racks cause this boy is straight money."

    Rudy had been the number four pick in his draft. He walked into a struggling organization and instantly improved their record by twenty wins.

    Although his team still failed to make the yoffs the impact that he had had on the team was obvious.

    Rudy wouldtere to be known as one of the most lethal one on one scorers in the league.

    His 6''7 (2m) framebined with his ability to score at all three levels was made even more effective as he could finish around the rim with both hands.

    The only downsides to him as a yer was the fact that he was only an average athlete at best, hisck of a motor on the defensive end, as well as his off the court drama.

    There were multiple reports and stories of Rudy by both his former teammates as well as former coaching staff that he never really took the game seriously.

    He would show up to practicete and he would always be the first one out of the gym. Luckily for him his natural god given talent would be enough to carry him.

    Although Rudy would be awarded with multiple all star appearances and other individual des he would never aplish the biggest goal of most basketball yers.

    The goal of beating every single team that stood in your way and raising up that coveted championship trophy.

    Jason''s curiosity was piqued as he used Heart''s Eye on Rudy.

    [Skills

    Free throw: S

    Lay Up: A+

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: A

    Mid Range Shooting: A

    Three Point Shooting: A

    Dribbling: A+

    Passing: B+

    Ball Handling: S-

    y Making: B

    Post Scoring: B

    Rebounding: C

    Post Control: B

    Perimeter Defense: C+

    Post Defense: D+

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: D

    Athleticism: B ]

    Rudy looked back at Jason "Yo what the hell you staring at? I know I''m cute and shit but I don''t swing that way."

    Jason shook his head "I was staring because I thought I recognized you. You''re ying in the state tournament right?"

    Rudy seemed a bit surprised by what Jason had said. This time it was his turn to take a closer look at Jason.

    A secondter he snapped his fingers "You''re the Korean kid! Yo no disrespect dog but I almost didn''t recognize you.

    You look mad different without a headband and a jersey on. Yeah I''m in the tournament and we''re ying against each other next. I''m surprised that you managed to recognize me though.

    Unlike you I''m not on any TV shows and I haven''t had any old pros talking about me. This has got me even more fired up!"

    Rudy turned at pointed to the crowd that had formed around them "You can''t tell me that you don''t want to put on a show for these guys.

    You would be missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime here. It ain''t everyday that the stars from two opposing teams get to bump into each other outside of a game."

    Jason looked at Rudy and then at the crowd around them "I don''t need to put a show on for anybody."

    Rudy had a disapointed look on his face. But just as he was about to say something he heard Jason voice.

    "I don''t need to put a show on for anybody. But I''m not one to turn down a challenge. You''re on."

 Chapter 159 - Bright Lights: Part-4

    Rudyughed as he started to p his hands "That''s what I''m talking about. If you''re an MC then you have to do stuff like this.

    Just don''t feel bad when I turn you into a side character in mytest arc haha." Jason sighed to himself.

    ''Is there something wrong with this kid? He''s even worse than Kyle. At least Kyle knows how to act normal from time to time.''

    Jason and Rudy once again readied themselves in their little square boxes. The booth worker sighed in relief after seeing both of the kids had agreed to challenge hell mode.

    ''For I second I was really worried about whether or not I would have to give some prizes away.

    Luckily for me these kids don''t know when to walk away. I can win my prizes back after they lose against hell mode.''

    After seeing that both of the kids were standing ready inside of their boxes the booth worker began to exin hell mode.

    "In hell mode the hoops will move side to side and up and down. You have to make ten shots in a row to win and you lose as soon as you miss a shot.

    Since both of you guys are challenging hell mode and we only have one prize whoever makes the ten shots first will be crowned the winner. Sound good?"

    Jason and Rudy both turned to look at each other. Rudy had a smile on his face "Sounds good to me. You down? Or are you chicken?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Like I said. I''m not one to turn down a challenge. Let''s get started."

    After getting the confirmation from both Jason and Rudy the booth worker walked over to the side of the booth.

    He pressed a red button that was covered by a ss cover that he had to flip up. As soon as the button was pressed there was an evilugh that yed on a speaker as well as shing lights and some fog from a fog machine.

    Jason and Rudy watched as some rock and roll music started ying in the background and the hoops and backboards started to move.

    The booth worker pped his hands "Alright gentlemen. You may now begin!" As soon as he finished saying that the basketballs rolled back down the rails again.

    Jason caught one of the balls but instead of shooting it right away he paused for a second to watch the hoop.

    He saw that the hoop would move all the way to the right, then all the way to the left, then it would move all the way up, and then all the way down.

    After watching it go a few times Jason felt like he understood the pattern and had the timing down.

    He got into his shooting form and shot the ball. The hoop was on its way down when the basketball that Jason had shot sank through the.

    The crowd around them began to p and cheer after seeing Jason make the shot. But not everyone was happy to see him make that shot.

    Rudy ground his teeth in frustration ''You think you can steal my shine? I''m the real MC! It''s me, not you!''

    Rudy threw up his first shot after seeing Jason make his. The ball went through the as the hoop was moving to the right.

    It was a tensepetition as the slightest mistake would mean instant defeat. But Rudy was feeling the pressure because he was slightly behind Jason.

    The rate of shooting was a lot slowerpared to before. Even for shooters as skilled as Jason and Rudy they had to take their time to make sure that they were timing their shots correctly.

    After having made his fifth shot Jason took a moment to wipe off the sweat from his hands using his shirt.

    Rudy chuckled in his mind ''What are you doing man? You''re gonna lose some precious time doing that.

    Not that I''mining. Hehe, guess he just wants to make this easy for me.'' While Jason was nonchntly wiping his hands on his shirt Rudy managed to even up the score.

    By the time that Jason had managed to get back into his shooting stance and start getting up shots he was behind Rudy by one shot.

    The shootout continued as both Jason and Rudy drained shot after shot. It looked like Rudy would win it all after draining his ninth shot.

    ''I wonder how I should celebrate after I win. Should I throw up a peace sign? Or maybe I can strike a pose.

    I wonder how many people are going to be lining up to take pictures and ask for my autograph.

    What kind of signature should I do? Detailed personal messages or sweet and short inspirational quotes?

    I just can''t make up my mind. Oh well, guess I''ll just have to see what pops up in the spur of the moment.''

    Rudy got ready to throw up his tenth and final shot. His feet were squared, his elbow was perfectly aligned with the hoop, everything felt good.

    But just as the ball was about to leave his hand Rudy felt that something was off. The ball had slipped just ever so slightly as he was about to flick his wrist.

    ''Shit!'' Rudy knew before the ball had even left his hand that that the shot was messed up. All he could do was pray and hope that he would get the lucky bounce.

    The crowd was watching and instantly held their breathe when they saw the ball hit the rim for the first time.

    Before this all of Rudy''s shots had hit nothing but just like Jason''s. The ball firstnded on the left side of the rim.

    It then bounced over to the right side and seemed to have a mind of its own as it stood still for what felt like a whole second.

    Rudy could feel his heartbeat elerate as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He was just like the people in the crowd as he held his breathe in anticipation.

    After what had felt like an eternity of waiting under tension the hoop moved which caused the ball to lean toward the right and fell off the rim.

    The entire crowd let out a collective sigh of disappointment as they watched the ball fall off of the rim.

    Rudy was cussing up a storm inside of his head after he had seen the ball fall off the rim. Now everyone''s attention was on Jason.

    It almost seemed as though Jason was in his own world. Isted and blocked off from all of the noise andmotion going on around him.

    Jason calmly took his time as he got his ninth shot up. The ball sank through the right as the hoop was about to begin climbing up.

    As though it were nothing but an ordinary warm up shot at practice or before a game Jason put up his tenth and final shot.

    As thest shot went straight through the the entire crowd was cheering and making some noise.

    Jason turned around to face the crowd and the booth worker. He had his same deadpan face as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

    "So did I win?" Only after hearing him say that did Rudy and the rest of the people standing around realize that Jason had been so focused on his own shooting that he hadn''t paid any attention to Rudy.

    Rudy gripped his fist tight as he pushed the words through his tightly clenched teeth "Yeah... You won."

    Samantha had pushed her way to the front and jumped towards Jason "You did it! You did it! You were freakin awesome Jaya!"

    The crowd parted as they allowed Kyle to limp his way toward Jason on his crutch. He extended his fist out toward him and they both fist bumped.

    Kyle was smiling brightly "Way to go bro. That shootout was so intense. You definitely earned the W."

    Jason smiled as he heard his friends praising him. His attention turned toward the booth worker "So I get fiverge prizes and the katana right?"

    The booth worker had a sad expression on his face as he answered "Y-Yes you do young man. I''ll get you the katana. Just let me know whichrge prizes you want."

    Jason nodded his head once again after hearing the booth worker say that. He then said "Go ahead and give the katana to Kyle."

    Kyle had a shocked look on his face after hearing Jason say that. Jason then turned toward Samantha and added "Go ahead and pick the five that you want Sammy."

    Samantha''s jaw almost dropped to the floor as she hurriedly turned to Jason after hearing him say that.

    She grabbed Jason by the shoulders and shook him "Are you serious Jaya?! Don''t y with me. If this is another one of your messed up jokes I won''t be able to take it!"

    Jason pulled her hands away from him as he nodded his head "I am being a hundred percent serious Sammy.

    I just came to the booth because I thought that the game looked interesting. You and Kyle can keep the prizes."

    Samantha was jumping up and down from pure joy "Thanks Jaya! Even though you have that really mean gaze and unfriendly face you are such a nice guy!"

    She gave Jason a quick hug before making her way to the prize shelves to pick out which prizes she wanted.

    The booth worker had climbed up hisdder and taken down the Katana. He then handed it to Kyle.

    "This is the reward for clearing hell mode. A perfect replica of the katana from the show. Ites with the sheath as well as a wooden disy case. Let me go get it."

    Kyle had the biggest and goofiest looking smile on his face as he took the katana and the disy case from the booth worker.

    Just as Jason was about to walk away with Kyle and Samantha he was stopped by a voice "This isn''t over man."

    Jason turned around and saw that it was Rudy. He was striking some sort of pose as he stared down Jason.

    "You might have won this pointless battle but I will ultimatelye out the winner when me and my team eliminate you from the tournament.

    Look forward to being my cannon fodder!" He then turned around and stormed off. People were excitedly whispering and talking among each other after hearing him say that.

    Jason just shrugged his shoulders "Whatever." He then began walking away from the booth with Samantha and Kyle.

    Before they could even get ten steps away a gurgling sound could be heard. Kyle and Samantha both turned toward Jason.

    His face was slightly red as he scratched his face "Should we go get something to eat real quick while we wait for the rest of the guys?"

 Chapter 160 - Happiness And Sadness

    Jason was sitting at one of the tables of a restaurant that just so happened to be nearby. Kyle was sitting in front of him while Samantha sat down beside him.

    Jason thanked the waitress as she gave them three copies of the menu. After she left to give the three of them time to look at the menu Kyle chuckled.

    "This is such a Jaya thing to do. Just casually beat a carnival game that''s supposed to be impossible to win and then head over to get some food."

    Samanthaughed as she nodded her head in agreement "Right? Like at first I was so impressed when we started walking away like bad asses but then this guy had to kill the mood with his stomach gurgles haha."

    Jason rolled his eyes at Samantha''s verbal jab before turning his attention back to the menu "Yeah yeah, say what you want.

    At least I''m not afraid to be myself. I am a simple person. I like to eat, I like to y basketball, and I like to hang out with friends."

    Samantha smiled as she couldn''t resist the urge to ruffle Jason''s hair. As her hand was going through Jason''s silky smooth ck hair she chuckled.

    "Hey, we weren''t saying that it was a bad thing. I like that you''re simple. That''s way better than being one of those guys that ys too many games and you never know what they''re thinking."

    Kyle nodded his head before taking a sip of water from the cup in front of him "Yeah Jaya. It''s actually a good thing. At least to us.

    I hate being around people that I can''t tell what they''re thinking. You always end up overthinking everything that they do.

    At least with you I know that you''re doing something nice because you''re a nice person. You''re too open and easy to read to be the scheming type."

    Jason looked at Kyle and Samantha with a confused expression "What do you mean I''m too open and easy to read?

    I hardly ever have any emotion on my face. How the hell can you read me? I can be sneaky if I want to."

    Samantha and Kyle both busted out inughter. Samantha turned to Jason with a bright smile on her face.

    "That''s how I can tell that your not the scheming type. Sneaky people never say that they''re sneaky like that haha."

    Kyle added "You might have a cold face most of the time but after spending some time with you it gets pretty easy to read you."

    Samantha nodded in agreement "Yeah. Whenever you get really annoyed your left eye twitches. And when something makes you happy your ears move a little."

    Jason refused to ept their ims "Pft whatever. You guys are just making stuff up now." The waitress hade back but with three slices of pie in her hands.

    "Are you guys ready to order? Oh and by the way here are some pies. These are all on the house.

    One of our customers said that they recognized you. They said to tell Jaya that they hope you like it."

    Right on cue Jason''s ears moved ever so slightly after he heard the waitress say that. Samantha and Kyle both began tough again.

    Samantha wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with her napkin "I told you man. Your ears p a little whenever you''re happy haha."

    Jason simply smiled as he epted the slice of pie from the waitress. He was pretending to not hear Samantha.

    After getting the pie from the waitress all three of them gave their orders to her. She then left and went to give the order to the kitchen.

    Jason looked to the side of Kyle where all five of therge prizes were sitting. All of the stuffed toys were stacked on top of each other as they took up the entire half of the booth.

    Jason asked "So how are we going to walk around and see the lights if we have to carry these things?"

    Samantha answered "That''s easy. All of the stuffed toys have little straps on the back so that they can also double as a backpack.

    Once everyone shows up we can just have some of them help us carry them. Speaking of which where the hell are they?"

    Jason was just about to pull out his phone to text the guys but his phone started ringing. It was a video call from Udonis.

    Kyle and Samantha could hear Udonis'' voiceing from Jason''s phone after he answered the call.

    "Yo Jaya! We out here in front of the Mission Inn. Where you at dog?" Jason told them the name of the restaurant and how to get there.

    After a few minutes Udonis and the rest of the guys from the team showed up. Jason asked the waitress if it was okay for them to move to a bigger table.

    The waitress said no problem as she prepared another table for their group. Jason and Kyle dapped up all of the guys as they took a seat at their new table.

    Udonis looked at the stuffed toys and the katana at the side and asked "So what''s with the stuffed toys and the sword?"

    Kyle''s face lit up in excitement just from thinking back to what had happened "You guys wouldn''t believe it. So me, Sammy, and Jaya just got here right? Well Jason saw-"

    Kyle proceeded to tell the story starting from when they had just arrived at the front of the Mission Inn and had gotten off of the bus.

    After hearing about what had happened and how Samantha and Kyle had gotten the stuffed toys and the katana all of the guys sighed.

    Udonis had a bored expression on his face "Yup. That sounds like Jaya alright. This guy can''t go out for a second without causing a scene."

    Trell nodded his head in agreement "This dude really just built like that. RIP to the dude that thought he had a chance.

    I know from first hand experience how bad it can be to challenge Jaya. Especially out in public. You said that there were people recording the two of them right?

    That''s even worse. Broski''s embarrassment is gonna live forever on the inte. That shit gon follow him around."

    It was only after listening to Trell talk that Jason had realized that he was wearing a durag. Jason asked "Yo Trell. You cut your hair?"

    Trellughed before taking off his ck durag. He rubbed his hair with his hand "Look pretty good huh?

    I decided to cut my hair for two reasons. One was to say goodbye to the old me. I know it sounds silly as fuck but I legit almost gave Kyle the two piece plus a biscuit over us having the same hairstyle.

    So now that I''m a changed person I thought it would do me some good to say goodbye to a part of me that was tying me down to the old version of myself."

    Kyle joked "Well you look pretty good with the new cut." Trell smiled after hearing Kyle''spliment.

    He then continued "The second reason why I cut my hair was to mark the beginning of the new me."

    Everyone was looking at Trell with a questioning look on their faces. Trell smiled "I just epted a basketball schrship to one of the best private schools in LA.

    I talked to their assistant coach for almost two hours over the phone. He was tellin me that he wanted me on his team no matter what.

    He sent over the papers as soon as I told him yes. I printed the contract out from the email that he sent me.

    The schrship is for four years. Everything is guaranteed. Even if I get injured as long as I keep my grades up I can go to the school for free. Housing, food, everything is covered."

    Everyone jumped to their feet to congratte him. Everyone was hugging him and saying that he deserved it.

    Kyle was the only one who had a worried look on his face "How did your mom take it?" He use to live in the same neighborhood as Trell and knew a little more about his situation at homepared to the rest of the guys.

    Trell smiled but his eyes were clearly anything but happy "You ain''t gotta look so sad bro. My mom popped a few pills as soon as she got home and she was out of it.

    She was in a whole different universe but I managed to get her to sign the papers. Not like she gon care.

    I''m pretty sure that she''ll be way happier with me outta the house. She''ll be able to party and do whatever else she wants to without having to worry about me after I move to McDaniel''s High School."

    Everyone was a little sad. They were sad that they wouldn''t be able to see Trell all that much after this year and they were sad after hearing about Trell talk about his mother.

    After a few moments of awkward silence Udonis mmed his hands on the table "We shouldn''t be moppin around like this guys.

    We should be celebrating. We about to y our third game in the state tournament after everyone had us out for the count.

    After we win our next game against the school from Sacramento we get a break that should be long enough for Kyle toe back fully healed.

    And I got a schrship offer too. I''m heading out to Florida after this year. It''s a rtively new sports school but they''ve been able to send some of their guys to major programs like UCLA and Gonzaga."

    Everyone was surprised to hear Udonis announce that he had also epted a schrship from a top ranked program.

    As everyone ate their food and drank their milkshakes they tried their best to celebrate with a festive mood.

    And although everyone was smiling andughing there was a bit of sadness in everyone''s eyes as they knew that nothing would be the same after this year.

 Chapter 161 - A Moment In Time

    After they had finished eating Samantha got a text saying that her friends had just arrived. Before anyone else had a chance to Samantha had talked to the waitress and paid for everything.

    Everyone thanked her but she simply waved it off "We''re all friends here. You guys don''t need to thank me."

    Despite what she said everyone made sure to thank her for paying. Afterwards they all walked to the front of the Mission Inn.

    There they saw a group of girls. They were all dressed like girly girls and they had clearly done their makeup.

    Their appearance was a clear contrast to Samantha''s. The difference between them made it hard to believe that they were all friends.

    However after seeing them interact it would be hard to deny their friendship. The girls ran up to Samantha as soon as they saw her.

    They all hugged as they greeted each other. After they were done Samantha turned around and pointed to Jason and the other guys.

    "I thought that it would be boring to go see the lights with just us so I invited Jason and told him to bring the other guys from the basketball team."

    The girls all smiled in delight and started giggling. One of them stepped away from the group and walked over to the boys.

    She was the shortest one out of all the girls standing at 5 foot t (1.52m). She had long light brown hair that went all the way to the middle of her back.

    And she was dressed in light blue denim shorts that looked a little faded and some ssic ck and white converse.

    She was wearing a white shirt under her denim sweater jacket that looked to be just a little too big on her as she had to pull up the sleeves for her hands to show.

    She walked over to Kyle "Hey Kyle. I was wondering if you wanted some help tonight. It might be annoying to go see all of the lights on your crutch."

    Kyle was caught off guard as he began to stammer "I-uh-crutch-um-walk-yeah?" He just barely managed to answer ,although it sounded almost like a question, as the two of them began walking.

    After those two paired off it seemed to have signaled the beginning of something as all of the girls began to choose their partner.

    It looked like a few of the girls wanted to approach Jason but they all hesitated before deciding to just pick someone else.

    After a few minutes everyone was paired up as they began to walk around to take pictures in front of all the Christmas lights and decorations.

    Even Trell who had once had a frightening reputation at the school managed to get paired up with one of Samantha''s friends.

    With Samantha walking on his left side Jason began to take pictures of all the pretty lights. asionally they would stop to take a picture with the two of them in it.

    The group eventually reached the inside of the Mission Inn where there was a huge gingerbread house.

    Jason gave his phone to one of the workers at the Inn and asked him to take a photo of him with all of his friends.

    The first photo that they took was a fairly normal one. The ones after that included funny faces, weird poses, and giving piggy back rides.

    As they were finishing up taking all of their pictures Jason thought ''I never knew taking pictures could be so fun.''

    - - -

    Theirst day of rest quickly passed as Jason and the rest of the team once again made their way to Los Angeles to y their third game in the state tournament.

    As they arrived at the Pauley Pavilion Jason had his headphones on as he listened to his pregame ylist.

    Jason got off of the van that was provided by the school and made his way into the stadium with Ms. Yuller and the rest of the guys on the team.

    Everyone had a serious expression on their face as they walked into the hallways of the stadium.

    There were no smiles and no joking around as Jason and the rest of the guys stepped into the locker room.

    After changing into their jerseys Jason and the rest of the guys then made their way to the court.

    As Jason picked up one of the balls from a rack the song Middle Child by J.Cole began to y on his headphones.

    ''I''m writing down names

    I''m making a list

    I''m checking it twice and I''m getting ''em hit

    The real ones been dying

    The fake ones is lit

    The game is off bnce

    I''m back on my shit''

    The lyrics slowly started to disappear as Jason could only feel the rhythm of the music as he dribbled the ball and got up his shots.

    The time passed by quickly as eventually they had to clear the floor of the ball racks and some people came over to give the floor one final clean before the start of the game.

    Udonis got everyone together as all of the guys huddled up "Been a hell of a year huh boys?"

    For the first time since they had gotten on the bus everyone was able to crack a smile andugh.

    Trell answered "For real. I neva thought that I''d be here with all y''all hoopin at the state tournament."

    DJ nodded his head and took a shot at Trell "I never would have thought that Trell would would flip the script and stop getting into fights."

    Udonis waited for everyone to get theughs out of their system before continuing "We should be proud of ourselves.

    No one had using this far. No one thought that it would be possible for us. But we didn''t let any of that noise creep into our heads.

    We kept our heads down and stuck to the grind. Our road wasn''t smooth but we made sure to get to where we wanted to go.

    What we aplished this year is something that no one can take away from us for the rest of our lives.

    We brought Jefferson its very first county banner in school history. And now we are one of the top 8 teams in the state.

    This is some serious shit and all of us should be proud." Everyone began to cheer and p after Udonis took a pause.

    He looked everyone in the eyes before adding "But that doesn''t mean that we can take our foot off the gas.

    We need to stay hungry! I don''t want to be one of the 8 best teams in the state. That''s nice but it ain''t enough for me. I want to be number one!

    And I know damn well that y''all are thinking the exact same thing! Because we some wild ass dogs!

    And dogs like us are always hungry. We always lookin for our next prey. We always got our eyes locked on to the next hunt.

    So let''s bit down on High Bridge''s neck. Snuff em out. And move on to the next one! Who''s with me?!"

    Jason started to yell out with the rest of the guys. Udonis shouted "I CAN''T HEAR YOU! SAY THAT SHIT WITH YOUR CHEST!"

    All of them yelled out even louder. Udonis nodded his head after hearing them shout out for the second time.

    He stuck his hand out "Keep that same energy y''all. I know that we down a man but I don''t want to see anyzy y on the court today.

    Let''s shout out our name and let these fools know who they yin. Jefferson on three! One! Two! Three!"

    They all stacked their hands on top of each other. All of them shouted out in unison "JEFFERSON!" They all threw their hands up before making their way to the court to shake hands with the opposing team.

    All of the guys were locked in and their eyes shone with razor sharp focus. The pressure and air that they emitted was on a whole different level than how they had appeared until now.

    Even Ms. Yuller looked serious as a cold and serious atmosphere enveloped her. Completely different than the entric and whimsical energy that usual surrounded her.

    She shook hands with the coach of High Bridge Middle School. She grasped his hand firmly as she said "Good luck." He shook her hand and responded "Same to you."

    As expected from a team that managed to be the representative for arge county all of the yers from High Bridge were unaffected by the pressure being emitted by Jefferson.

    They stood their ground as they also exuded the air of a team that had been forged through the fires of fiercepetition.

    As they were shaking hands Jason finally came across the face that he was expecting to see. He shook hands with Rudy.

    "Let''s have a good game. This time you might want to make sure you keep your hands dry." Rudy gave a half hearted chuckled before replying.

    "Don''t worry about me bro. Flukes don''t happen twice in a row so I''m pretty sure I''lle out on top today.

    If anything you might want to search up some ways to spend the rest of your break because today''s yourst day in the tournament.

    If you think you can actually win then you must be crazier than I thought you were. Good luck with that."

    Jason thought back to their first encounter and cracked a small grin "Thanks but I don''t need it. MC''s don''t need luck when they have plot armor."

 Chapter 162 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament

    The teams were all on the floor and in position for the tip off. Udonis stood face to face against the Center from High Bridge.

    The Center looked to be an inch taller than Kyle so he was probably 6''2 (1.87m). And he looked to be fairly athletic.

    His long dreads were together as he bent his knees and faced off against Udonis. The referee threw the ball up into the air after making sure that both Centers were ready.

    Udonis did his best to time his jump to the best moment and to get off of the floor as quickly as he could.

    But he still couldn''t manage to win the tip off as the Center from High Bridge tapped the ball over to his team''s side.

    The yer that caught the ball immediately passed it over to Rudy. With the ball in his hands he began to make his way up the court.

    Jefferson got into position for defense. Jason called it out "I got Rudy, I got Rudy. Lock up the paint guys."

    Rudy crossed the half court and smiled at Jason as he gave his team a moment to get into position to run a y.

    "You ready to get stomped bro?" after hearing Rudy say that Jason coldly responded back "Only one getting stomped tonight is you and your team."

    Rudy didn''t even answer back with a verbal jab. He didn''t wait to call out a y. From three feet away from the three point line Rudy got into his shooting motion.

    Jason hadn''t expected Rudy to try such a difficult shot from so far from the three point line. He had also been trying to conserve some energy to start the game as he hadn''t been pressing Rudy tightly.

    The two steps of space in between them was quickly covered as Jason closed out on Rudy as soon as he saw him getting into his shooting motion.

    Jason just managed to get his hand in Rudy''s face as the ball was about to fly out of his hand. Rudy had a fairly high release point.

    Rudy had a two motion jump shot and his release point was fairly high as well. Thatbined with his high jump for his jump shot made it incredibly difficult for Jason to challenge the shot.

    Jason turned to watch the ball. Everyone''s attention was on the ball as it flew across the court. The arc was fairly t unlike the high arc that Jason''s shots have.

    Arge portion of the people in attendance began to boo as they saw the ball fall through the. Rudy high fived his teammates after seeing his shot go in.

    "Ay yo someone go call the police. We got a sniper all up in the building haha!" He then made his way back on defense along with the rest of his team.

    Udonis inbounded the ball to Jason as he said "Don''t mind it bro. That was a lucky shot." Jason nodded his head as he caught the ball.

    He dribbled the ball up the court and immediately called for a screen from the trailing Udonis. This caused the Center that was originally taking it easy in the paint to scramble as he ran to the perimeter.

    Udonis set the screen on Jason''s right side. Jason then drove in that direction forcing Rudy to run into the screen.

    Rudy actually did a pretty decent job of recovering after getting hit with the screen. His Center had dropped low in order to contain Jason while Rudy came from the back and began to pressure him.

    Jason didn''t seem to mind the defensive pressure. Instead of panicking and trying to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible Jason continued attacking.

    Jason sealed Rudy away with his hip as he kept him behind him. He continued to slowly force his way toward the basket.

    After having dragged both of the defenders a fair distance away Jason didn''t even look back as he threw a bounce pass to somewhere behind him.

    The ball flew in between Rudy''s legs beforending in the hands of Udonis who had opted to not roll toward the basket after the pick and roll.

    There was a defender trying to make his way to Udonis after having left Matt alone on the wing. But he wasn''t fast enough as Udonis let the jump shot go from mid range.

    Udonis'' feet barely left the ground as he shot his jumper but the arc on his shot was pretty high. The ball rattled around the rim a few times before finally falling through the.

    Udonis pointed to Jason before walking toward him and high fiving him "Nice pass Jaya." Jason answered back "Nice shot UD."

    This time as soon as Rudy had crossed the half court Jason began to press him tightly with his defense.

    Rudy chuckled "Damn son. I got you that scared after just one shot?" Jason answered as he continued to press him tightly with his hands up and to the side.

    "You wish bro. Ain''t nobody scared of you. This just some bare minimum respect. You actually made me respect your jumper.

    You should be proud. Not everybody gets to see my lockdown defense. Now let''s see if you can get any work done."

    Rudy called for a screen from his Center. The Center left the paint as he then made his way out to the perimeter. This caused Udonis to follow him.

    He set the screen on Rudy''s left side. Rudy began to drive in that direction. He saw Jason get hit with the screen as he also yelled out "Close out on him UD!"

    Udonis heard Jason''s voice and prepared himself to defend Rudy. Rudy saw this and instead of attacking Udonis by continuing to drive to the left he decided to try and split the pick and roll by switching directions and driving right.

    Rudy had just pulled off a crazy fast crossover bringing the ball from his left hand to his right. He was about to attack the paint by going straight down the middle of the court when he felt the ball disappear from his hands.

    Jason had been prepared as he predicted that Rudy would choose to try and split the pick and roll. When Rudy dribbled the ball across for the crossover Jason had stabbed his hand through the path of the ball and stole it.

    Jason began to run up the court as he tried to push the fast break. There were two defenders chasing after him as well as Udonis who trailed slightly behind.

    The defenders'' attention waspletely focused on Jason as he continued to run down the court. Jason saw Rudy on his left but he was surprised to see that the Center was actually able to keep up as he was right behind him.

    With the two defenders on him Jason focused as he picked up his dribble in preparation for his attack. Jason tucked the ball underneath his right armpit before pulling off the spin move.

    He spun into Rudy and managed to lose him as he made his way around him. The opposing team''s Center saw this and immediately jumped after seeing Jason get into the air for his shot.

    But instead of throwing up ayup or any other type of shot Jason threw another behind the back pass to Udonis who had been trailing behind the three of them.

    There was a good bit of force behind the pass as Udonis just barely managed to catch it and maintain control. He was about to go up for the shot but Rudy had the awareness to foul him.

    Rudy whacked Udonis right on the wrist as he was about to go up and shoot the ball. Udonis dropped the ball and the referee blew his whistle.

    "Foul on number 1! Two free throws for Jefferson." Udonis high fived Jason "Damn bro. That''s two clean ass passes in a row." Jason smiled as he responded.

    "Gotta feed the Big right? If my Big Man is running with everything he got then I have to reward him."

    Both teams got into position for the free throws. Udonis epted the ball from the referee and took a quick breathe before dribbling the ball once.

    He looked at the ball and then at the hoop ''Come on UD. You got this. You make these bitches all the time at practice. You gotta help set the tone for the team.''

    He dried his hands on his shorts to make sure that there was no sweat. After fixing his hold on the ball he finally bent his knees as he started his shooting motion.

    Swish, the first shit hit nothing but ''One down UD. Just one more to go.'' He went through his routine one more time as he got ready for his second free throw.

    The ball left his hand as he focused his attention on its flight path. It looked good as it was going in a straight line toward the hoop. But his heart stopped when the ball ended up just short as itnded in the front of the rim.

    Bounce, bounce, bounce, after what seemed like an eternity the fate of the ball was finally decided when it just so happened to lean on one side long enough for it to fall through the.

    It had only been a little more than a minute and Jefferson was now in the lead with a score of 4 to 3.

 Chapter 163 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-2

    Over at the scorers table three familiar faces could be seen talking and smiling as they providedmentary for the game.

    Tony was in a solid ck suit with a red tie underneath as he smiled to the camera "This has been an intense game so far.

    The first minute opened up with Jason Yang creating two early scoring opportunities. The first one was with his incredible patience and feel for the game as he operated the pick and roll like a seasoned veteren."

    Cameron nodded his head "You said it Tony. The way that Jason sealed his defender behind him with his hip was a real veteran move.

    Some guys don''t even pick that up at the college level. So for Jason to be doing that just goes to show how advanced his skill set is for his age."

    Randel sat up and straightened his shirt up "Themand that Jason has over the pick and roll is impressive.

    But how about his passing? I know that everyone loves to talk about his assist numbers but what I''m talkin bout is his pass selection.

    He could have turned around to throw that pass to UD after the pick and roll but he knew that doing so would give the y away and give the opposing defense a chance to recover.

    So by going for the no look bounce pass he managed to buy his Big some valuable time to make his shot."

    Cameron nodded his head in agreement "The pass selection was nice but the execution was even better.

    To throw a bounce pass in between the legs of a defender without even looking? The confidence and ability required for that is something that not every ball handler has."

    Tony made sure that they were done before moving on to the next point "And with the second scoring opportunity Jason created that through his defense.

    How did he manage to get his hands on the ball?" This time it was Randel answering the question first.

    "After the screen Jason didn''t give up. He kept his head up and kept his attention on Rudy. When he saw Rudy changing directions in order to split the pick and roll he stuck his hand out and ripped the ball away."

    Tony was nodding his head as he listened but Cameron interjected "Actually I don''t think that that defensive sequence was simply a read and react scenario."

    Randel looked over at Cameron questioningly "What you mean Cam?" Cameron coughed to clear his throat.

    "During the pick and roll I heard Jason yell out to his big ''Close out on him UD!'' And his Big instinctively switched from drop coverage to trying to close out on Rudy.

    This change in defensive scheme urged Rudy to change directions and try to split the pick and roll instead of continuing the drive to the left side.

    My hunch is that Jason purposefuly yelled that out in order to force Rudy into splitting the pick and roll.

    Since it was all a part of his n he was more than ready to lunge his hand into the path of the ball which lead to the steal."

    Randel mmed his hands on to the table "That makes sense! It was all a trap. Man, this kid is chalk full of surprises.

    Not only is his skill set advanced for his age but his thinking and the way he sees the game is too."

    - - -

    Back out on the court. A few minutes had passed since the first few baskets of the game were scored.

    Frankly speaking Jefferson''s yer''s were a whole tier below High Bridge''s in terms of current skills and abilities.

    Jason had used Heart''s Eye on the starting five for High Bridge and was surprised by how big the difference between them was.

    On average the main offensive skills for their yers'' positions were of the B grade. The same applied for the main defensive skills for their yers'' positions.

    Thankfully through Jason''s directing of the defense Jefferson was able to contain High Bridge''s offense to a point.

    So far after getting four minutes into the game the score was 14 to 12. Jason''s ability to disrupt and call out ys contributed greatly as Jefferson was only down by two points.

    At first Jason tried to conserve his energy by having Udonis run the offense through the post.

    However after a few possessions it was clear to see that Udonis was actually being overwhelmed in the post by High Bridge''s Center.

    In terms of height Udonis was severely outssed. Udonis had grown a bitpared to the start of the year but he was still only about 5''10 (1.77m).

    He was giving up a four inch height disadvantage to High Bridge''s starting Center who was 6''2 (1.87m).

    Udonis had the slight advantage in terms of strength but that didn''t help much. Even if he worked his ass off to establish deep post position the Center''s height advantage coupled with his long wingspan smothered Udonis.

    The offense ended up shifting to a five out motion offense with Jason being the primary ball handler and carrying most of the load.

    On offense things were getting hard for Jason as High Bridge was implementing an extremely aggressive trapping scheme.

    High Bridge was opting to double team Jason as soon as he got a little past half court. And the worst part was that High Bridge''s yers were allmitted to the new defensive scheme.

    Jason had just dribbled the ball up the court and was about to call out a y when Rudy along with his Shooting Guard rushed to double team him.

    Jason gritted his teeth in frustration before passing the ball to Nick who was left open because of the double team.

    Nick caught the pass and was about to get into his shooting motion but he stopped in a hurry as he soon found himself being guarded by High Bridge''s Power Forward.

    ''Fuck!'' Nick looked around and finally saw Trell as he was cutting to the rim. He threw a a high overhead pass to Trell.

    The pass was a little out of control as Trell had to slow down a bit in order to catch it properly.

    Just as he had managed to gain full control of the ball he saw that the once openne he had to the basket was now gone.

    The opposing team''s Center had moved up and was now approaching Trell in order to contain him and contest his shot.

    Trell cursed in his mind ''God damn it!'' He had picked up his dribbled already as he had intended to go for ay up.

    He knew that he wouldn''t have much sess trying to get the shot to go over the Center so he passed the ball to Udonis who was left open.

    Udonis caught the ball but he also saw the opposing team''s Center turn around in a hurry as he then began to run back toward him.

    Udonis hesitated slightly ''Will I make it? Can I get my shot off in time?'' But in a split second he decided to shoot the small six foot (1.82m) jumper.

    Udonis managed to get the shot off in time but the opposing team''s Center had just barely gotten his hand in Udonis'' face as the ball left his hand.

    The ball flew a short distance before hitting the backboard. The ball then dropped toward the rim and bounced a few times before falling back down to the ground.

    Udonis tried to make his way to the ball so that he could grab the rebound but High Bridge''s Center had him boxed out.

    He held Udonis back with one arm as the other one caught the ball single-handedly. He then passed the ball up to one of the perimeter yers who then passed the ball to Rudy.

    He tried to go out into a sprint in order to push the fast break but stopped after realizing that Jason was right on him.

    He then looked to scan the court and see if their was anyone else he could pass the ball to for the fast break but saw that they were all being covered by a defender.

    Rudy decided to y it safe as he passed the ball up in order to avoid getting a vition for not bringing the ball up past half court in time.

    After crossing half court he then called for the ball. One of the wing yers passed the ball over to him as soon as he called for it.

    After Rudy got the ball in to his hands the next few moments would prove to be a real workout for Jason.

    High Bridge set double screens and cross screens for Rudy. Jason''s defensive iq and tenacity were on full disy as he somehow managed to stay on Rudy.

    But they continued to do this and even had Rudy dump the ball off to one of his teammates and then run off of off-ball screens.

    Despite his best efforts Jason ended getting switched as Matt was now guarding Rudy. Heughed as he stood out on the perimeter with the ball in his hands.

    He dribbled to the left before quickly pulling it back and crossing over to the right. Matt did a good job as he didn''t fall for the initial fake and maintained contact as Rudy began to drive right.

    Matt was shuffling his feet and keeping his hands up as he tried to defend Rudy. All of a sudden Rudy came to a stop.

    Rudy had picked up his dribble with his back facing Matt. Rudy then moved his shoulders while jabbing with his left foot.

    Matt thought that he was going for a left turn around jumper so he jumped in order to contest the shot.

    Unluckily for him it was just a feint. After the fake to the left Rudy turned back around to the right. It was only then that he shot the turn around jumper.

    The t arcing shot flew straight into the hoop before sliding down the. Rudy high fived his teammates that were close by.

    "Damn! I thought 8/24 already passed? But today most be Mamba day cause homeboy feeling like Kobe right now hahaha!"

    Jason walked over and patted Matt on the back "Hey, don''t let his trash talking get to you. That was some good defense.

    The good offense just ended uping out on top. That''s just how things work sometimes. You can''t always lock em down."

    Matt just nodded his head as he made his way back. Udonis inbounded the ball to Jason who then made his way down the court.

    This offensive possession was a bad one for Jefferson as they simply ended up with a rey ofst time.

    High Bridge doubled Jason as soon as he crossed half court and the rest of their team stayed disciplined as they swarmed and rotated on to the different yers.

    This was the third time that Jason had called for a reset as he stood out on the perimeter. He finally had enough as he demanded for the ball.

    As soon as he got the ball he quickly called for a timeout. The first one so far in the quarter. Jason and the rest of the guys made their way to the bench.

    It had only been five minutes and yet everyone was sweating and breathing pretty hard. Jason got all of the guys attention.

    "Our offense isn''t working anymore. High Bridge made some adjustments and got used to our flow.

    We need to change things up. Here is what we''re going to do." Jason began to exin their new offensive n to all of the guys as they huddled around.

    Udonis looked at Jason questioningly "You sure about this bro?" Jason nodded his head in response.

    Trell looked at Jason with worry written all over his face "I don''t know dog. You sure you can handle that?"

    Jason looked at all of the guys "I know that this sounds crazy but we don''t have any other choice.

    Our offense hase to aplete stop. Either we adapt and learn how to win or we stay the same and lose.

    I don''t know if the new game n will work but I do know that if we don''t change anything then we are sure to lose."

 Chapter 164 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-3

    Jason spent the remainder of the timeout exining the new offensive game n to all of the guys as they huddled up.

    When the clock buzzed indicating the end of the timeout Jason looked to all of the guys "Got it UD? This new game n is going to depend a lot on you."

    Udonis thumped his chest with his head held high "I heard you loud and clear bro. Just leave it to me. I''m putting my pride as team captain on the line."

    Jason nodded his head as they all began to make their way back to the court. Udonis epted the ball from the referee and inbounded it to Jason.

    Jason caught the ball and started to dribble his way up the court. Right after crossing half court he passed the ball to Matt who was standing on the wing.

    Jason had passed the ball before High Bridge could double team him. The confusion was clear on their faces as the yers from High Bridge didn''t know how to react.

    Rudy continued to follow Jason as he began to move to the left corner. Jason then set a screen as Trell ran out from the corner to the top of the perimeter.

    Trell''s defender got caught in the screen which force Rudy to switch on to him in order to not leave him open.

    While that was happening Matt had passed the ball to Udonis who had moved to the top of the perimeter.

    After passing the ball to Udonis Matt then ran toward him. It looked like they were going for a hand off y.

    The opposing team''s Center saw this and immediately left Udonis to catch up to Matt. During their film session they saw that Matt was the second most dangerous shooter on Jefferson right behind Jason.

    Their film session also showed that Udonis didn''t have much range. Throughout the season Udonis had only taken short and mid range jumpers.

    Right now Udonis was at the top of the perimeter so the opposing team''s starting Center thought that it would be more dangerous to let Matt get open than to leave Udonis open.

    Udonis held the ball up high with his right hand as he scanned the court. Finally he saw what he had been waiting for.

    Trell had been running out to the top of the perimeter but just as he reached halfway he suddenly changed direction and began to cut toward the rim.

    Udonis only had Matt''s defender on him so he had an easy time looking over him and seeing the court.

    Udonis saw Trell as he was cutting toward the basket and threw a overhead pass to him. Trell caught the ball mid stride.

    His defender was still guarding Jason in the corner while Udonis'' defender was guarding Matt out on the wing.

    This meant that all the Bigs were currently out of the paint leaving Trell with a wide openne to the basket.

    Trell adjusted his handle on the ball. Then he nted both of his feet into the ground before exploding into the air a split secondter.

    With the ball in his right hand he cocked it back a bit before mming it down toward the rim.

    Trell''s wrist hit the rim as he mmed the ball ball down and through. As hended on the floor he bent his knees to absorb the impact.

    As he got up he pointed to Udonis before looking out toward the audience and motioning with his arms for them to get hyped up.

    The crowd got even louder and started to cheer even harder after seeing Trell do that. As Trell was making his way back on defense all of the guys were pping him on the back and hyping him up.

    With that dunk the score was now 17 to 14. It was High Bridge''s turn on offense once again as Rudy brought the ball up the court.

    Just likest time they spent a majority of their possession trying to get a different match up. The had Rudy run through screens and move off ball until he finally got Jason off of him.

    Udonis had a hard time moving his feet quickly enough to stay in front of Rudy but luckily his longer wingspan gave him a bit of cushion as he gave Rudy a step and a half of space.

    Rudy finally found himself with some space after snatching the ball back off of a inside out dribble. He stepped back and shot the three pointer.

    Udonis had given up some more space off of Rudy''s move but he quickly tried to move up and contest the shot.

    Although he wasn''t able to contest the shot heavily his presence was still there. After the ball left Rudy''s hand Udonis turned to see if it would go in.

    The ball looked like it would go in because of the straight trajectory. But it ended up missing as it bounced out after hitting the back of the rim.

    Trell was fighting against his opponent as he boxed him out. As the ball was making its way down the two of them jumped toward it.

    Trell''s explosive jumpbined with his long arms allowed him to get to the ball a lot sooner than his opponent.

    He turned around in a hurry and immediately passed the ball to Jason who began to run out for the fast break.

    There were two defenders ahead of him as Jason continued to run down the court. One of them nted themselves down in the paint while the other one stayed within arms reach of Jason.

    Jason was at the top of the perimeter as he jumped up with the ball in his hand. Rudy thought that Jason was going for a three pointer and jumped to contest the shot.

    But as Jason got to the top of his jump instead of shooting the ball he threw a pass to Udonis who was running down the middle of the court.

    Udonis caught the ball as he was at the top of the free throw line. He took one dribble before preparing himself for the shot.

    The defender that had nted himself in the paint saw Udonising and knew that he had to foul him hard.

    The defender was giving up a lot of size to Udonis so he had to foul him hard. He wrapped his arms around Udonis and tried his best to keep him from jumping.

    Udonis took the contact and heard the referee blow his whistle. With his arms wrapped up there wasn''t much he could do but he still tried to flip the ball up and toward the rim using just his wrist.

    Unfortunately there just wasn''t enough power in his shot as the ball barely managed to hit the side of the rim before falling back down to the ground.

    Luckily for Jefferson Udonis still earned a trip to the free throw line. After getting both teams into position for the free throws the referee then handed the ball to Udonis.

    Udonis showed the confidence of a team captain as he easily made both of his free throws. With a score of 17 to 16 Jefferson was now down by just one point.

    - - -

    The rest of the quarter passed by as none of the teams could get a clear cut advantage over the other.

    With Jefferson''s new game n on offense they were able to score at the same rate as they were before.

    But the same thing could be said for High Bridge. Their strategy of forcing Jason off of Rudy was working as they were able to get him the match ups that they wanted.

    Back at the scorers table Tony was smiling at the camera "Well this just might be one of the best games we have seen so far in the state tournament.

    After two possessions in which Jefferson struggled to get their offense up and going Jason called for a timeout.

    And they must have done something right because after that timeout their offense was back to the same level as it was before. What do you think Cam?"

    Cameron smiled as he shook his head "Man, this kid never ceases to surprise me. We''ve seen Jason y off ball a few times.

    Normally they do this whenever he needs a short rest to catch his breathe. They feed Udonis down in the post and have Nick and Matt run around until they''re open.

    But this is the first time where we have seen Jason really y off ball. He''s not just standing around on the perimeter and waiting for a catch and shoot three.

    This kid is running routes, running off of screens, and juking his defenders. I ampletely amazed with his sense of y.

    Normally when a yer is used to being the primary ball handler and you ask them to y off ball they tend to be inactive and uninvolved.

    That''s why some guys just aren''t meant to be off ball yers. ying off the ball requires a different skill set than being a ball handler.

    And the way that Jason has been ying in his new role is just amazing. He looks like he was born to be in this role.

    If I had never seen him y before this I wouldn''t believe you if you tried to tell me that he was their primary ball handler.

    It''s just unfair for him to have such an advanced skill set at such a young age. This kid can do so much. What do you think Randel?"

    Randel took a second to think before answering "Honestly I feel the same way as you Cam. Jason pulled another one on us.

    This might be their secret weapon. Jefferson never showed this section of their ybook but it might be because no team has been able to force them to use it so far.

    Jason''s off ball movement shows some veteran savvy that you never see in a yer his age. He has the feel for when to cut, when to curl, when toe off the screen, I can''t believe that I''m watching a twelve year old y.

    Looking at how he moves on the court without the ball in his hands reminds me a lot of the Duke legend JJ Redick.

    And this kid just started ying organized ball this year? I guess that just tells you how crazy his feel for the game is.

    The change that they made on offense is the main reason why they been able to keep the score so dang close. 28 to 26 in the first quarter? Somethins tellin me that today is going to be a high scorin game."

    - - -

    Over at High Bridge''s bench all of the yers were huddled together as they listened to their head coach talk.

    The head coach had a head of brown hair that was beginning to show some gray here and there and a healthy tannedplexion.

    He finished talking as he showed his yers the y drawn on his clipboard "Rudy, you need to explode when you run off a screen.

    I saw you take it easy and jog on at least three different screens. If you don''t explode with everything you got then you won''t be able to get that much space.

    You''re giving your defender a chance to catch up. And you Ben. You need to y Jefferson''s Center tighter.

    Don''t switch so early. I know that he''s not a threat from out on the perimeter but you can''t let one of our wing yers switch on to him.

    With a smaller defender on him he can see the whole floor and make any pass he wants. We need a big body on him to try and take his passingnes away."

    Their starting Center nodded his head "Yes Coach Kaminsky." Coach Kaminsky gave a nod after hearing Ben''s reply.

    He then looked out at all of his yers "Our first adjustments were able to hold Jefferson down for two possessions.

    That coach must be something else. She hid a whole section of her ybook away just so that she could pull it out at a moment like this.

    Her game state recognition and ability to adjust mid game is something else. I can''t believe I''ve never heard of her before.

    Well it looks like tonight is gonna be one hell of a chess match because she ain''t the only one that can coach."

    Coach Kaminsky looked to one of his yers that was standing at the back "I want you in the game guarding Jason at the start of the second quarter Nate."

    After hearing him say that all of the other yers began to protest against him "You can''t do that coach!"

    "It''s already crazy enough that you let a 6th grader join the varsity team. But now you want to y him in a game as important as this?" "This ain''t right coach."

    Despite all of his yers'' protest Coach Kaminsky stuck to his order. He waved them off "I don''t want to hear it.

    Nate is what we need going into the 2nd quarter." He looked over at Jefferson''s bench and focused on Jason.

    Coach Kaminsky then gave a slight chuckle "I hope you like my present Jason. Let''s see if the star shines as bright as they all say it does."

 Chapter 165 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-4

    During the timeout all of the guys huddled around as Jason held up the clipboard with a y drawn on it.

    "You need to fake the hand off sometimes UD. Even if you don''t n on attacking faking the hand off helps to keep the defense honest.

    Trell you need to change up your angles. You can''t keep curling at the same location. It makes you predictable and it makes the y easier to stop.

    Try curling here and here and switch it up every once in a while. Matt, when you pass the ball to UD for the hand off make sure you wait for him to get in position first."

    Jason was going over their new offense with all of the guys. If anyone else saw this or overheard what was happening they would lose their mind.

    Offensive ys and game ns are something that teams work on over the course of the season.

    From how well Jefferson was executing and performing with their new offense anyone watching the game would think that the new offense was a secret weapon that Jefferson was hiding for a time like this.

    But in all actuality their new offense was something that was created out of necessity and in the heat of battle.

    Surprisingly enough Jefferson''s short roster would actually work out to be an advantage in their current circumstance.

    If any other team would try to implement an entirely new offense in the middle of a game the way that Jefferson was currently doing it would mostly likely end with less than desirable results.

    Because of Jefferson''s small roster all of their yers have yed plenty of minutes together out on the court.

    They got to y more minutes together than what most teams would have. Their understanding of each others'' tendencies and habits was something that most team''s would have to spend more than one season in order to achieve.

    While Jason was in the middle of going over one of the ys that they had ran the clock buzzed indicating the end of the break.

    Jason gave the clipboard back to Ms. Yuller before standing up and looking at all of the guys "You guys ready?"

    Everyone nodded their head before sending off the guys that would step back out on to the court.

    To start off the second quarter Jefferson''s lineup consisted of Jason at Point Guard, DJ at Shooting Guard, Trell at Small Forward, Udonis at Power Forward, and Vince at Center.

    As he stepped out on to the court Jason saw that High Bridge was most likely sending out their second unit.

    Non of High Bridge''s starters, including Rudy, were there on the court as the second quarter was set to resume.

    The referee passed the ball to High Bridge''s back up Center as he then inbounded it to their back up Point Guard.

    Even though he was the back up Point Guard his skills were good enough to where the drop off between him and Rudy didn''t affect High Bridge''s offense as they were able to smoothly run one of their ys.

    With Rudy off the floor High Bridge''s offense changed from focusing on pick and rolls with Rudy and their Bigs to an offense that promoted more ball movement.

    Fortunately for Jefferson Jason was able to guide his teammates in a way that they were able to safely guard their opponent''s new offense.

    After forcing High Bridge in to resetting their offense three different times Jefferson was able to get the rebound after their opponent put up a heavily contestedyup in the paint.

    Vince grabbed the rebound as he was boxing out his opponent. Despite the small blow that he took to the side of his ribs as they were battling for position Vince maintained his focus on the ball and leapt for it when he saw the opportunity arise.

    He then passed the ball up the courtten feet to Udonis who then threw an outlet pass to Jason who was almost at the three point line on the other side.

    Jason caught the pass right as he was approaching the three point line. In a split second he scanned the floor and saw that the closest defender was still five steps away.

    ''There''s enough space. Time to get the momentum moving in our favor.'' Jason picked up his dribble as he began his shooting motion.

    Hand cement, elbow alignment, just the right amount of power in his jump, everything about the shot felt good and Jason felt like the shot would touch nothing but.

    But before the ball could leave his hand it was smacked to the sidelines as a figurended to the side of Jason.

    The referee blew his whistle and signaled that it was still Jefferson''s ball. The sound of the referee''s whistle helped to pull Jason out of his momentary state of confusion.

    Jason looked to the side and stared at the figure that had just blocked him. He was about 5''7 (1.7m).

    He had dark brown skin and his hair was styled in a short t top with some ocean waves stenciled on to the sides.

    His long arms and legsbined with his lean yet athletic frame gave him the stereotypical appearance of a basketball yer.

    He had a calm expression on his face as he looked back at Jason. Most yers would celebrate after making a y like that.

    Especially if it was on a yer like Jason who had been on TV a lot recently and had a lot of hype around him.

    But this person just calmly walked back to position to y defense. He didn''t pump his fist or turn to the crowd with excitement.

    Jason''s curiosity got the best of him as he ended up using Heart''s Eye on him.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B

    Lay Up: B

    Dunking: D-

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: D+

    Three Point Shooting: D+

    Dribbling: D

    Passing: D

    Ball Handling: D+

    y Making: D

    Post Scoring: D

    Rebounding: B

    Post Control: B+

    Perimeter Defense: A+

    Post Defense: A-

    Steals: A+

    Blocks: B

    Athleticism: A+ ]

    Jason was honestly surprised by what he had seen. This person had the highest defensive ratings that he had seen from any other yer his age so far.

    He hurriedly searched through all of his memories from his past life but he couldn''t find anyone that matched his appearance.

    The referee handed the ball back to Udonis as he stood outside of the sidelines. Jason caught the inbound pass but he couldn''t stop thinking about the defender that had blocked him ''Who are you?''

 Chapter 166 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-5

    Jason had to kill his curiosity and push the question to the back of his mind as Udonis inbounded the ball to him.

    Jason stared down his new defender as he gave his teammates some time to get in position ''A defensive specialist huh?

    Or at least that''s what he looks like just from looking at all of his abilities. This is the first time I''ve run into a yer like this.

    One of the Silva brothers is a good defender but he didn''t have the height or athleticism that this guy has. Why didn''t they y him earlier? Why is heing off of the bench?''

    After seeing that everyone was in position Jason started the y. He passed the ball to DJ who was standing on the left wing.

    DJ caught the ball and called for a screen from Udonis. He set the screen on DJ''s right side so he began to drive in that direction.

    On the pick and roll High Bridge switched as their Power Forward began to defend DJ while their Shooting Guard stuck with Udonis.

    DJ pulled the Power Forward with him as he continued his drive to the basket. After seeing that he had pulled him far away enough to where they couldn''t easily switch back he threw a pass to Udonis.

    Udonis caught the pass and surveyed the floor. He saw Jason as he faked a baseline cut before running out from the corner toward the wing using a screen from Trell.

    He saw a short opening so he threw a pass toward Jason over the head of the Shooting Guard that was defending him.

    Jason caught the pass as he stood outside the three point line on the wing. He picked up his dribble and dipped the ball slightly before bringing it back up for the shot.

    It was then that the figure that had gotten caught on the screen and was five steps away suddenly exploded toward him.

    Just likest time he jumped after quickly closing the gap between them. Unfortunately for him he had fallen for Jason''s trap.

    Jason stopped the ball as it was at face level as he then waited for the defender to fly past him. He then dribbled once, took a step to the left, and let the ball fly.

    The crowd watched in anticipation as the ball traveled through the air. After seeing it hit nothing but the entire crowd started to make some noise as they cheered Jason on.

    Jason turned toward the crowd and did his signature three point celebration as he ate up an imaginary bowl of noodles with an imaginary pair of chopsticks.

    - - -

    Back at the scorers table. Tony took a sip from his water bottle before speaking "And that''s a timeout from High Bridge.

    The game was pretty neck and neck at the end of the first quarter but after the first half of the second quarter it looks like Jefferson is starting to pull away."

    Cameron smiled at the camera as he responded "You are absolutely right Tony. This game has been great.

    Not only have we been able to see some incredible yers showcase their talent but this game has been a battle between coaches too.

    High Bridge was the first one to make an adjustment as they changed their defensive scheme to contain Jason''s incredible ymaking.

    But Jefferson didn''t let them sit on the throne for long as they shocked us and the crowd bypletely changing up their offense and showing us pages from their y book that no had seen before today.

    But it didn''t end there. High Bridge had one more trick hidden up their sleeves. Nathaniel James Brown or as his teammates like to call him Nate.

    He only yed around ten minutes a gameing off their bench during the regr season but even that is impressive taking into ount that he is only in the sixth grade.

    That''s right folks you didn''t hear me wrong. This child is only 12 years old. He has elite size and athleticism for his age and his defensive insticts are out of this world."

    Randel nodded his head in agreement "We normally talk about Jason when we think of elite defenders at the middle school level but in my opinion Nate deserves to be in that conversation as well.

    In just ten minutes a game he averaged 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals during the course of the regr season. This dude is a dog. A pit bull.

    He got the same grit and mental fortitude that Jason has. I think the main reason why he isn''t talked about more is because of his quiet attitude and hisck of an offensive game.

    He won''t get you the same kind of highlights that a yer like Jason can get you. Well at least on on the offensive end. But he will stick with his man and he will get you a stop.

    And props to High Bridge. They coach is showin why he make the big bucks. As soon as he saw that Jefferson had changed their offense he made a change in his rotations and changed up his own defense.

    It''s already been four minutes into the second quarter and they still have Nate out on the floor and for a real good reason.

    He''s been chasing Jason off of screens, he''s stayed in front of him on iso ys, and he''s all up in his jersey.

    Jason has been able to score and keep Jefferson''s offense from dying but that''s just because Jason is a walking bucket.

    You can''t really stop a good offensive yerpletely. Especially not one of Jason''s caliber. But he has been making him work for those baskets.

    Jason hasn''t gotten a single easy point ever since High Bridge put Nate on him. His defensive skills might not be on the same level as Jason but he has his own advantages.

    His size and wing span is something that Jason can''t evenpare with. Second would be his god given athleticism.

    He is an all around athlete. He has great speed going forward and back and side to side. His strength lets him fight through contact and his vertical makes him a deadly block threat from the weak side.

    This may be the greatest challenge that Jason has had to go through so far. Jason doesn''t have the same luxury that Rudy has.

    Rudy can take a break and catch his breathe but if the pattern hold true then Jason will be ying the entire game.

    It''s only the middle of the second quarter and Jason is already starting to show signs of tiring out.

    He''s been running like crazy ever since the quarter started and I don''t know if he''ll be able to maintain that level of activity while also staying as effective as he has been.

    Luckily for Jefferson Rudy has been sitting out so far in to the second quarter. Without their main scorer on the floor High Bridge has fallen six points behind Jefferson.

    But I don''t know if things will stay this way after he makes his way back into the game. If I were Jefferson I would try to capitalize while he''s resting on the bench."

    Halfway into the second quarter and Jefferson has a small lead as the score stands at 40 to 34.

 Chapter 167 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-6

    Jason was breathing hard as he sat on the bench with a cold towel half over his face. He stared at High Bridge''s bench silently as he focused on one yer.

    ''Who the hell is this kid? A yer with the defensive skills and intuition that this kid has would have made at least a little bit of noise in my past life.

    Not to mention his elite size and athleticism. This kid has all the tools to be a top level recruit. It just doesn''t make sense.''

    Udonis was sitting right next to him when he saw Jason staring over at High Bridge''s bench. He let out a chuckle.

    "What''s up? This the first time I seen you this interested in a yer from the other team. You wasn''t acting this way even when Trell was getting cooked by one of the twins."

    Jason raised up his sport''s bottle and took a big gulp "Hehe you got a point UD. I think I''m just surprised to meet a defender that actually made me work this much."

    Udonisughed but then he felt something off ''Hold up... Jason just said that this kid was that good?''

    Udonis knew that Nate was a good defender. He didn''t get dropped by Jason and he managed to chase him around the court without losing him.

    But because he was focused on his own responsibilities he didn''t get a chance to watch him in action closely.

    Udonis had a serious look on his face "He''s that good? Like for real?" Jason took another drink from his sports bottle before pouring some of it over his head.

    "Yeah bro. He''s that good. This dude is probably the best defender that I''ve faced so far. Better than both of the twins. He''s making me work for every bucket."

    Udonis was shaken a bit after hearing Jason say that. Jason had still been able to score and keep their offense from stagnating so he thought that the defender was good but that was it.

    Now that he heard Jason say first hand how good of a defender the other kid was Udonis felt a little worried.

    Ever since the first time he had seen Jason with a ball in his hands he knew one thing for certain and that was that Jason was a walking bucket.

    It didn''t matter who tried to defend him Jason would always find a way to score a basket. Even after Jason started to make some noise and other schools started to watch film on him and try to game n for him.

    Jason always seemed to be in control. It always felt like he was two steps ahead of his defender and that he was toying with them.

    This was the first time he had ever heard Jasonpliment a defender like this. No matter what kind of situation the team was in Jason would call for the ball and solve all of their problems.

    Udonis gulped nervously before taking another look at High Bridge''s bench ''Looks like things ain''t gon be easy tonight.''

    - - -

    Over at High Bridge''s bench. Coach Kaminsky had a couple Xs and Os drawn on his clipboard as he faced his yers.

    "Good job guys. Don''t worry about being down a few baskets. We knew that our offense would take a hit with Rudy off the floor but it''s something we had to do.

    Rudy is a great scorer but he doesn''t have the juice to y a whole game like Jason. If we want to win then we need to treat this game as a marathon and not a sprint. We are just pacing ourselves for now."

    Rudy raised his hand as heined "Hey! I don''t like the way you said that Coach K. It''s not that I can''t y the whole game. I just don''t want to. Getting that gassed just doesn''t feel good."

    Coach Kaminsky just chuckled before waving his hand "Sure sure Rudy. Whatever you say. My bad."

    Everyone nervously watched. They only gave a collective sigh of relief after seeing Coach Kaminskyugh off Rudy''s remark.

    Coach Kaminsky was a strict and serious coach. No one on the team would even imagine talking back to him like that.

    Rudy was the only one who had the skills and the courage to talk to Coach Kaminsky like that.

    And Rudy was the only yer that Coach Kaminsky would let do that. If it was anyone else they would have gotten their ears yelled off.

    Coach Kaminsky finished exining the mistakes that the yers had made during one of their ys. He looked at the figure that was sitting to the side.

    "Did you catch that Nate?" Nate looked back at Coach Kaminsky before silently nodding his head.

    Coach Kaminsky looked at Nate "Just let us know if we need to repeat something or if you need more of an exnation."

    Rudyughed before patting Coaching Kaminsky on the shoulder "Ain''t no paint Coach K. You should just save your O2 for something productive.

    You know how Nate is. This dude ain''t said nothing this whole season. He the silent but strong typa dude. The perfect side kick for an MC."

    Coach Kaminsky ignored Rudy as he continued to look at Nate "So how was it? How did it feel to go head to head with your idol?"

    A few seconds of silence passed by. Rudy was about to bust outughing and say ''I told you so.'' But before he could an unexpected voice spoke out.

    "It was fun." Everyone turned their heads in surprise. What they saw almost killed them from the shock.

    Nate had a smile on his face "It was really fun. I want to keep ying. He''s the real deal." This was the first time that the guys on the team had seen any hint of emotion on Nate''s face.

    Nate had been forced to join the team after the coach approached his mom one day after school.

    Coach Kaminsky had spoken to Nate''s mother and had told her that it would be a waste of Nate''s god given talents to not y basketball.

    And so he ended up joining the team. But even though he was technically on the team he didn''t show up to practices and he didn''t show up to the games.

    It wasn''t until he saw an episode of Through the Hoops that his life would change. In that episode they introduced Jason.

    And while everyone was busy talking about Jason''s advanced offensive skillset or the fact that he was Asian Nate was obsessed with his defensive highlights.

    Ever since then he became a huge fan of Jason. He would regrly watch the newest episodes of Through the Hoops and he would regrly search up Jason''s defensive highlights.

    The clock buzzed indicating the end of the timeout. Both teams got ready as they both sent their yers back to the court.

    - - -

    The quarter passed by as Jefferson and High Bridge kept the game close. Jefferson wasn''t able to grow the lead any further but High Bridge wasn''t able to close it down either.

    Nate would end up ying high minutes this quarter as he chased Jason all around the court. He fought through screens and did his best to stay in front of him during istion ys.

    Although he wasn''t able to really put a stop to Jason''s scoring he did manage to lower his efficiency and force him to do more work for each of his baskets.

    It was close to thest minute of the game. There was only a minute and twelve seconds left on the clock as Jefferson held the ball.

    Jason managed to create a bit of separation between him and Nate as he crossed over left to right before using a hesitation move.

    Nate bit on the hesi as he stepped toward the right. Jason saw this and quickly pulled the ball back as he began to drive left.

    Jason managed to get a step and a half away from him but Nate turned around and started chasing after him.

    Jason had called for an iso y so all of the guys were standing around the perimeter to keep the paint open.

    As Jason got closer to the hoop he could feel Nate''s presence behind him ''Let''s see if you can get to this.''

    Jason picked up his dribbled and jumped for theyup. Nate saw this and jumped up to block the shot.

    ''There''s no one here for him to pass the ball to. There''s no way this is a fake. He has to be going for theyup.''

    Nate was about to reach toward the ball as it sat in Jason''s right hand. But after his hand started to swing toward the ball Jason moved the ball back down.

    Jason had swung the ball back down, moved it over to his left hand, and swung it back up for the scoopyup.

    Jason and Nate both looked up as they watched in anticipation. The ballnded on the left side of the rim.

    Unfortunately there was just a bit of power missing as the ball ended up leaning and falling off the rim.

    Nate jumped up and reached for the ball. As hended he looked up and started looking for someone to pass the ball up to.

    But he had forgotten that he wasn''t alone. In that split second where his attention was away from the basketball Jason had jumped forward and reached for the ball.

    By the time that Nate had realized what was happening it was toote. He and Jason were now fighting for possession of the ball.

    Before the referee could jump in and call a jump ball Nate had managed to rip the ball free from Jason''s grasp.

    He was about to run and dribbled the ball up the court when he heard the referee blow his whistle ''Huh?''

    He turned around and his heart sank as he saw Jason hunched over and grasping at his left hand in pain.

    - - -

    Tony was looking at the court in excitement "Just a little over a minute left in the second quarter folks.

    Jason waves the screen away as he calls for an istion y. Jason versus Nate. This has proved to be a great match up thus far.

    Cross over hesitation! Jason managed to blow by Nate. He''s driving straight down the paint! Jason goes up for theyup and so does Nate!

    Jason just switched hands mid air! And the shot barely falls off the rim. Now we have a battle for possession under the basket.

    Oh no folks! It looks like we might have an injury on the floor." Tony then gasped as he saw Jason stand up.

    "This might not suitable for all audiences. If you have a weak stomach or are faint of heart I would rmend looking away for a few minutes.

    It looks like Jason''s finger is dislocated. Not only that, it looks like it was twisted invertedly. The fingerprint on his finger is facing outward!"

 Chapter 168 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-7

    The entire audience winced in pain after the camera showed a zoomed in look of Jason''s hand on all of the disys around the stadium.

    Jason''s finger was clearly dislocated as it was bent and pointing outwards in the direction of his pinky.

    Not only was the dislocation bad but his finger was twisted until it halfway face upward. Many of the people in the audience had to look away from the disys because of how bad the injury looked.

    Jason''s parents both jumped out of their seats after seeing their son''s injury. Tory grabbed Jason''s mom by the sleeve of her shirt.

    "Are you and uncle going to check on Jaya?" Jason''s mom nodded her head "I know that it''s nothing life threatening but I just don''t feel right staying here knowing that he''s hurt."

    Jason''s dad added "Plus this is the first time that something like this has happened to him on the court. I''m a little worried with how he''ll take it."

    Tory was about to say something when her dad gently ced his rough hand on her shoulder. He smiled at her and then at Kyle and his mom who were sitting together with them.

    "Everyone else should stay here. You too Naomi. Me and Henry should be enough to check up on Jason.

    I have some experience with popping fingers back into ce. I''ve had to deal with dislocations a couple of times because of Tory. Plus I used to wrestle back in my younger days so I should be able to help."

    Jason''s mom was about to say something when her husband patted her on the shoulder. He looked at her with a gentle look on his face.

    "I think Jin has a point. We don''t need to crowd the entire locker room just to check on Jason. Plus I think it would be good to have someone that has experience with things like this to go see Jason."

    Tory gently held Naomi''s hand as she tried to reassure her "Don''t worry Aunty. My dad has a ton of experience dealing with things like this.

    I dislocated one of my fingers during a Judo meet at the beginning of the year. He popped it right back into ce like nothing.

    Later on I got it checked out at the hospital and the doctors had nothing but praise for my dad. They said that he did a great job."

    She was hesitant but after a few seconds she finally conceded as she sat back down in her seat as Henry and Jin began to make their way down.

    - - -

    Back out on the court. Jason was hunched over as he grasped at his left hand. The pain clearly visible on his face as beads of sweat dropped from the top of his nose.

    With the game paused all of Jefferson''s yers ran toward Jason. Trell asked "Ay bro you okay?" Jason slowly stood up "I''m good bro. I just need to step off the court for a sec."

    As soon as Trell saw the state that Jason''s finger was in his face got hot and his vision went red. He stomped over to Nate who was still nkly staring at Jason''s hand.

    "The hell bro!? You out here tryin to break people''s fingers? How bout I try that shit on you?" Nate was still dazed but Trell''s outburst had pulled him back to reality.

    "N-no I didn''t-" Trell stepped toward him but was pulled back by Jason "It''s cool Trell. He didn''t do it on purpose. Things like this just happen. It''s a part of the game."

    Jason walked over to where the referee and Ms.Yuller we''re talking. After a moment of discussion it was decided that the game would continue while Jason would go back to the locker room to treat his finger.

    Jason walked toward the locker room with Ms. Yuller as the game resumed. As the doors to the locker room opened Jason was surprised to see his dad and Uncle Jin sitting there.

    As soon as he saw him Jason''s dad stood up and walked toward him. He gently pulled him into a hug, taking extra care to avoid hurting Jason''s hand.

    Jason smiled as he looked up to his father''s face "Not that I don''t appreciate seeing you guys. But why are you guys here?"

    Uncle Jinughed as he walked toward Jason and motioned for him to show him his hand "I told your mom and dad that I might be able to help.

    Tory''s been doing wrestling and Judo ever since she could walk. I''ve had to deal with a couple finger dislocations before so I thought that I could help.

    Not to mention that I have some personal hands on experience since I used to wrestle when I was younger. I''ve had to deal with a few of them myself. Here let me see."

    Jason took off the white towel that the referee had given him to cover his hand up. When Uncle Jin saw Jason''s hand he frowned slightly.

    "The dislocation looks pretty bad. Not just that. The way the finger is twisted halfway facing up... Looks like there could be some ligament damage."

    Jason''s dad furrowed his brow "What does that mean Jin? Can you fix it?" Jin paused for a moment before nodding his head.

    "I can fix the dislocation. We just need to pop it back into ce. But with the ligament damage even if we stabilize the finger by taping it to the finger beside it the kid is going to be feeling a ton of pain."

    Jason''s dad frowned and his face got even more serious after hearing that. Just as he was about to rmend that Jason sit out the rest of the game he heard his son''s voice.

    "Go ahead and tape it up Uncle. The quarter should be ending soon and I need to get back out on the court."

    Both Uncle Jin and Jason''s father turned to look at him with serious expressions on their faces. Uncle Jin asked.

    "Are you sure about this Jason? Just popping it back into ce is going to hurt like hell. And taping your finger is just going to make it so that you don''t damage it further.

    It''s not going to fix anything. You are going to be in constant pain and it''ll be even worse with the slightest touch."

    Jason didn''t even hesitate as he nodded his head "Like I said Uncle. Go ahead and tape it up. I have a game to finish."

    - - -

    Nate was sitting on High Bridge''s bench with a dazed look on his face. Normally his expression was emotionless but he still looked like he was focused and paying attention.

    The way that he looked right now would have some people wondering if he even knew where he was.

    His original role had been to simply guard Jason. So without him on the floor it was understandable for Nate to be on the bench as well.

    But Coach Kaminsky had actually wanted to keep Nate in. Unfortunately ever since Jason''s injury was revealed Nate had been in this state.

    Rudy sighed as he looked at Nate. He put his hand on Nate''s shoulder "Don''t worry about it Nate. You can''t me yourself for his injury.

    These typa things just happen. It''s all a part of the game. You''ll be hard pressed to find a yer that''s never had to deal with an injury."

    The clock buzzed indicating the end of the second quarter. As the rest of the yers made their way back to the bench Nate was still struggling to deal with Jason''s injury.

    Just as he was deep in his thoughts contemting what he could have done differently something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

    He saw Jason making his way back to Jefferson''s bench. His vision automatically went toward Jason''s hand.

    The finger that had been twisted and dislocated was now sitting straight as it was taped to his middle finger.

    For some reason that sight caused a smile to appear on Nate''s face ''I should have known. There''s no way he would let something like that stop him.''

    - - -

    Back in the stands. Jason''s dad and Uncle Jin had just made their way back to their seats as Tory, Kyle, and Jason''s mother all mored to ask about how Jason was doing.

    Jason''s fatherughed as he waved them off "You can see him right there. He''s sitting on the bench perfectly fine."

    They all breathed a sigh of relief when they looked back and saw Jason sitting on the bench with his finger taped up.

    Just as her father had taken his seat Tory nudged him on the side and leaned in to whisper "Hey dad. So how was it really? I know that you don''t want to freak out Aunty Naomi but you can tell me. I''ve had my fingers dislocated before so I know that they aren''t just a walk in the park."

    Tory''s father was stunned for a moment. After a second he busted out inughter. He then ruffled her hair as he smiled brightly.

    "I honestly don''t know how to describe it. All I can say is that the world is lucky that Jason took up basketball.

    If he went into boxing or any otherpetitivebat sport then the world would have to deal with a real headache. The kid is a tough nut to crack hahaha!"

 Chapter 169 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-8

    After taking a seat on the bench everyone crowded around Jason asking how he was. Jason just chuckled before raising up his hand for everyone to see.

    "As you guys can see it wasn''t anything too bad. It just got dislocated. I''ll be able to y the rest of the game."

    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard Jason say that his injury was nothing serious.

    But then when he mentioned that he would y the rest of the game everyone became embarrassed.

    Jason noticed this and was confused. He took a look at the scoreboard and found out why. When Jason had left the game to get his finger treated there was only a minute left on the clock.

    In that one minute of ying without Jason their six point lead had now dropped to just a two point lead. The score was 48 to 46.

    Jason just looked at his teammates "It''s okay guys. We can still win this. We just need to focus and lock em down in the third."

    Udonis pped his hands as he nodded his head "Jaya''s right. We lost our focus during thatst minute.

    I get that some of us were distracted because we were worried about his hand. But now that he''s back and ready to y that ain''t a excuse no more.

    I want to see some heart and some hustle in the next quarter. This is put up or shut up time. This entire year we been talkin bout how we some dogs and how we stick to the grind.

    Well nows the time to put our money where our mouths is. We gotta show High Bridge what it means to y Riverside style basketball!"

    Jason joined in as all of the guys began to yell and hype themselves up. Udonis patted Jason on the shoulder as he leaned in to whisper.

    "I know that you really want to y and that you care a ton about this game. But if you feel like you need to sit or that you can''t y just let me know.

    Tonight''s game ain''t worth you risking damaging your hand. You gon have even bigger stages to y on in the future."

    Jason was touched when he heard what Udonis had said. This was Udonis''st year at Jefferson. This was hisst chance to make some noise at the middle school level.

    And yet he told Jason that if he felt like it was too much for him then he should just sit out the game.

    Jason looked Udonis straight in the eyes before confidently nodding his head "Trust me UD. If I feel like I need to I''ll sit out.

    But you know me. I won''t ever give up early. My tank gotta be riding that E before I call it quits."

    Udonis smiled as he patted him on the shoulder onest time as the clock buzzed indicating that it was time to start the third quarter.

    Jefferson''s lineup to start the third quarter was Jason at Point Guard, Nick at Shooting Guard, Matt at Small Forward, Trell at Power Forward, and Udonis at Center.

    As for High Bridge they had their starters sitting out except for Rudy and their starting Center. Both of them were walking on to the court to start the third quarter.

    This presented a whole new challenge to Jason as it meant that Rudy would be running the offense as the Point Guard while Nate would be defending Jason on defense.

    The yers got back on the floor as the third quarter would finally start. The referee handed the ball to Udonis who then inbounded it to Jason.

    Jason caught the ball and began to dribble his way up the court. As he made his way up he tried to dribble with his left hand a few times to see how his finger would react.

    He could feel that his dribbling was stiffer with his left hand now that his fingers were taped together. But the worst part was the pain.

    He had only dribbled twice but he had to switch back to using his right hand ''Damn. Uncle Jin wasn''t joking. It hurts like a mother fucker. Guess I''ll just have to rough it out.''

    As soon as Jason crossed half court Nate began to pressure him with his tight defense. His hands were up and to the side as he gave Jason no space to operate.

    Jason turned his body a bit and used it to protect the ball from Nate. He then called for an istion y.

    After seeing Jason call for an iso the rest of the guys cleared the floor as they all moved to the perimeter.

    With the court cleared out Jason made his move. He faked a move to the right by moving his head and shoulders in that direction.

    But Nate didn''t bite on the move as he stayed in ce and kept his hands up. Jason faked to the right again but this time he actually started driving in that direction a split second after the fake.

    Nate was now a step behind Jason as he continued to drive down the court. Nate did his best to stay connected to Jason while keeping his hands up and ready to contest any shot.

    Jason stopped and tried to get Nate with the head fake but instead of jumping Nate stayed on the floor but got even closer to Jason.

    Jason dribbled hard to the left, did a hesitation move while the ball was still on its way up before continuing to explode in that direction.

    Jason was happy to see that the hesitation move gave him some more space but the pain in his finger was killing him ''Damn! It fucking sucks to dribble with this hand.''

    Nate had thought that Jason would change directions with a crossover after the hesitation so once again he had allowed some space to be created.

    Afterwards, just as Nate had taken a step in the direction that Jason was actually driving he pounded the ball into the floor with a hard dribble before taking a step back.

    Nate could see Jason gathering the ball and getting ready for the shot so he put all of his power into his legs in order to try and jump forward to contest the shot.

    Unfortunately for him it was just a pump fake. Jason held the ball as he watched Nate jumping in his direction.

    Jason waited until he was close before jumping into him. As Jason and Nate collided the referee blew his whistle.

    Jason focused on the hoop as he was in the air and tried his best to adjust his shot. He had to release the ball a little higher than usual as he had to deal with the contact.

    The ball flew through the air in a high arc as it approached the basket. The entire audience was silent as they watched the shot but after seeing it rattle in they all jumped to their feet and began cheering "JAYA! JAYA! JAYA! JAYA!"

    Jason had stumbled afternding and ended up falling on his butt as he watched the ball fly through the air.

    After he saw the ball go in he thumped his chest with his right hand as he shouted out "That''s what I''m talking about! Can''t no one guard me!"

    Trell walked over and helped Jason to his feet as he pulled him off of the floor by his right hand.

    Everyone gathered around as they all pped Jason on the back and ruffled his hair. Jason looked up and shouted toward the sky "Let''s gooo!"

 Chapter 170 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-9

    After a moment of celebration Jason and the rest of the guys calmed down as they all got into position for the free throw.

    Jason walked up to the free throw line and epted the ball from the referee. He took a deep breathe before dribbling the ball a few times.

    As Jason brought the ball up he couldn''t help but swear in his head ''Jesus! I''m just using my left hand to guide the ball and it''s still hurting like a bitch.''

    As the ball left his hand Jason could already tell that the shot was way worse than any other free throw that he had attempted this whole season.

    His left hand had faltered and moved a bit right before he could release the ball. The ball flew through the air and ended up hitting the rim before bouncing off the backboard.

    The ball bounced around on the rim a few times before finally falling off. Jason sighed a bit in disappointment ''Looks like my finger is bothering my shot more than I thought it would. I''m surprised that I actually managed to make the three pointer earlier.''

    Udonis walked over to Jason and patted him on the shoulder "Everyone misses one. Ain''t nobody shootin a hunnid from the line bro. Don''t let it get to you."

    Jason looked at Udonis and nodded his head "Yeah. You right UD. I guess I was just surprised by how much my finger is messing up my shot."

    The two of them then made their way back on defense as High Bridge inbounded the ball after Jason''s missed free throw.

    Their starting Center inbounded the ball to Rudy who then began to make his way up the court. After his Center managed to cross half court alongside him he called for a screen.

    Their starting Center went to go set the screen on Rudy''s left side but then Coach Kaminsky''s loud voice rang out.

    "Attack his left! Attack the left side!" After hearing what his coach had to say Rudy instantly knew what he meant.

    ''Coach Kaminsky wants us to attack Jason''s left side because of his injury.'' Rudy signaled for their starting Center to flip the direction of the screen.

    Their Center nodded his head as he moved and repositioned himself to Rudy''s right side. In the meantime Jason didn''t just sit around and do nothing.

    He was on the high alert as he stood on the balls of his feet ready to move in whichever direction should the need arise.

    As the Center moved and repositioned himself Jason calmly and methodically did the same. He didn''t make any big movements but he made tiny adjustments to give him the best angle to defend the pick and roll y.

    With the screen set on Rudy''s right side he began to drive in that direction. As soon as he saw Rudy begin to move toward the screen Jason jumped ahead and wedged his body in between Rudy and their Center.

    This preemptive move allowed Jason to have an extra step in closing in and keeping Rudy from creating space but he also ended up feeling some pain in his hand as his finger bumped into the Center as he tried to squeeze by him.

    Jason raised his left hand as he needed to ensure that he could contest any shot should Rudy decide to try and pull off a quick jumper.

    Udonis had stuck with the Center as he began to roll toward the rim after the pick and roll y with Rudy.

    Rudy raised the ball and tried to fake a pass to his rim running Center before firing off a quick long distance two point shot.

    Unfortunately for him Jason didn''t even fall for the fake in the slightest as he closed the distance and contested the shot.

    Maybe Jason was fired up from making the three pointer after being fouled or maybe he was trying to make up for missing the free throw with some extra intensity.

    But for whatever reason it may be Jason had a little more oomph in his closeout this time around as he actually got a bit of the ball as it left Rudy''s hand.

    But this time it was Jason''s turn to be the unfortunate one as the hand that he had used to block the shot was his left hand.

    As the ball smacked against the top half of his fingers Jason bit down as he tried his best not to let out any sounds from the pain.

    As the ball was up in the air both Jason and Rudy began eyeing it as they both knew that it wouldnd somewhere near them.

    Jason instinctively turned his body and began boxing Rudy out as soon as he felt that he had gotten a part of the ball during the shot.

    As the ball began to fall Jason was getting ready. Although Rudy was taller and had an advantage there Jason had had the chance to boxout early and gain good position for the rebound.

    Jason couldn''t safely secure possession of the ball from the initial rebound so he had to tap it up and away from him and Rudy.

    He then left Rudy as he began to run after the ball. With two steps Jason had managed to secure possession of the ball as he began to push the fast break.

    Rudy was now too far to be able to do anything to affect Jason on defense. After he had gotten his shot blocked and lost the rebound he just stood around and tried toin to the referee instead of trying to catch up with Jason.

    But that didn''t meant that Jason had an easy basket in sight. From the corner of his vision he could see an incredibly fast figure approaching him.

    After a brief moment Nate had managed to catch up to Jason despite having been on the opposite wing when they had had the ball on offense.

    He began to put his body on Jason as he stuck to his hip and tried to maintain contact. As Jason continued to drive down the court he would asionally give Nate a nudge here and a small bump there.

    All while making sure that he was doing it at an angle where the referee couldn''t see it. Finally the two of them crossed the three point line as they were now driving toward the paint.

    Nate was still all up on Jason as he didn''t give him the slightest bit of room. Ready to jump and block the shot as soon as the moment called for it.

    As they got closer and closer to the hoop Jason smiled and said "You''re fast. But too bad you''re not the only one with a turbo engine."

    Jason did a behind the back pass from his right hand that went left. Nate turned around and saw Trell as he was catching the ball.

    With the ball in his hands Trell nted both of his feet down into the ground before exploding into the air the very next second.

    Both of his arms tilted back before mming the ball down into the rim with both hands. He hanged on the rim for a second beforeing back down with a fist pump.

    "AHHHH!!!" After a few more fist pumps he turned to Jason and pointed at him to acknowledge the assist.

    Jason smiled as he walked his way over. The two of them jumped into the air and bumped hips. Jason smacked Trell on the back "Crazy dunk bro."

    Coach Kaminsky called for a timeout right as his Center was about to Inbound the ball to Rudy.

    With the call of a timeout the game was put on pause as both teams made their way to their respective benches.

    Coach Kaminsky drew up a few ys and exined them to his guys. He then looked at all of his yers and asked "You guys understand?"

    They all nodded their heads after hearing him ask that. Coach Kaminsky then continued "On offense and on defense I want you guys to focus on attacking Jason''s left hand.

    Obviously you can''t do anything dirty or grant. Keep it to the limits of a basketball y. But if he''s guarding you make him use his left hand.

    If he wants to contest or block a shot make it so that he has to use his left hand for the best chance. If he wants to get a steal make sure that he needs to use his left hand to get it.

    On offense I want you guys to sit on his right and force him to drive left. It doesn''t matter if you get your ankles broken, destroyed, eviscerated, or turned to powder. Just make him use his left! Got it!?"

    All of the yers nodded their heads. Coach Kaminsky shouted out "What do I want you guys to do!?"

    Everyone except for Nate and Rudy all shouted out in unison "Make him use his left hand!" Coach Kaminsky nodded his head after hearing his team''s response.

    The clock then buzzed indicating that it was the end of the timeout and that it was time to resume the game.

    Coach Kaminsky looked at all of his yers "Alright guys. You know the n. Go out there and y hard. Let''s win this for High Bridge. This is our year!"

    All of the yers gave a unified shout as they then began to make their way back to the court.

 Chapter 171 - Game 3 Of The State Tournament: Part-10

    The quarter passed with Jefferson barely managing to remain in the lead. Jason had to expend all of his energy on both sides of the floor.

    Jefferson didn''t have the luxury of being able to sit Jason down for a few minutes in order to give him some rest.

    And to make matters worst Jason didn''t have the luxury of taking it easy. Not even for a single y.

    On offense it was all up to Jason to keep their system going as even though he wasn''t the one scoring all the time he still had to stay active off the ball in order for their ys to work.

    If Jason just stood around on the perimeter waiting for a the ball toe to him their entire offense would stagnate.

    Jason''s presence and the gravity that he created by constantly moving around the court off ball is what allowed their other yers to find their shots. And he had to do all of this while being guarded by an elite defender like Nate.

    While on defense Jason had the responsibility of guarding Rudy. Even though they were match up hunting Jason didn''t let them have it easy.

    Jason made sure that if they wanted to get Rudy a different match up then they would have to put in some real work for it.

    He chased him around the court as he ran off of screens. He fought hard to get over the screens and to stay with Rudy.

    And even after they finally managed to get Jason off of Rudy he would still orchestrate their defense as he called out all of High Bridge''s ys.

    And just because he was ying defense off the ball didn''t mean that Jason was taking it easy and catching his breathe.

    He made sure to stay active on defense as he yed the passingnes, provided weak side support, and took charges.

    There was one y where Udonis messed up the coverage after a pick and roll y with Rudy and their starting Center.

    Instead of dropping back to stay with the Big Udonis thought that they were going to switch.

    So he idently started trapping Rudy with Matt which meant that High Bridge''s starting Center was wide open as he began to roll towards the rim.

    Luckily Jason read the situation and made the correct choice. He left his man and ran to the paint as he set himself up to take the charge.

    With Jason in position outside of the circle the Center ended up crashing right into him as he tried to attack the basket.

    Pain shot through Jason''s whole arm as he fell to the floor. He had tried his best to try and protect his hand but the impact alone from the fall was enough to cause his finger to hurt.

    But even with the pain Jason was smiling as his defensive work had helped Jefferson in stealing a possession from High Bridge.

    - - -

    The game was currently paused as Jefferson had called for a timeout after Jason had seeded in taking a charge from High Bridge''s starting Center.

    Tony was smiling at the camera "What a game folks! I think that we might not be satisfied unless this game goes to a quadruple over time because this has been a real treat to watch.

    Not only have we been lucky enough to see two offensively blessed yers go shot for shot with Jason and Rudy.

    We have been able to see these offensively gifted yers put to the test as they have each had to deal with an elite level defender.

    In Rudy''s case he has had to deal with Jason''s superb understanding of angles and how to best utilize them to get to where he needs to go and how to best contest shots.

    While Jason has had to deal with Nate''s impressive wing span, athleticism, and natural defensive instincts."

    Cameron nodded his head before speaking "You''re right Tony. This has been a great game to watch through three quarters so far.

    Rudy has showed why he''s one of the top ranked yers in the state at the middle school level.

    His handles make him hard to stay in front of and his ability to score the ball at all three levels make it hard to defend him.

    And as for Jason.... I honestly don''t know what to say other than to repeat the things that everyone has been saying about him already.

    His y on the court on both sides of the ball make him such a valuable piece that any team would want.

    I personally think that he could be a top ranked prospect at the national level. Not just in the state of California."

    The game then resumed just as Randel began to talk "I honestly thought that getting assigned to be amentator for these middle school games was gonna be ass-"

    Before he could finish what he was going to say Cameron turned toward him and gave him a death stare.

    Randel gulped and changed what he was going to say "A-sspecially boring assignment. But after having gotten the chance to see J-money in action, aka Young Buckets as his fans like to call him, I have changed my mind.

    You right Cam. I believe that Jason is at the level where it wouldn''t be surprising to see his name in the same breathe as the top middle school yers in the nation.

    But I''ll take it a step further. I would rank Jason as the top middle school yer in California. I have him over any other young star from any other school here in the state.

    Not only does he y hard on both sides of the ball. But this kid has something that not just anybody can have.

    Jason ys with some real heart. He got that dog in him. You give him a beatin and you think that he''s down for the count.

    Only to get blindsided when he tears your throat out after you turn your back to him. This kid doesn''t know how to back down and I mess with him heavy because of that.

    The surprising thing is that he ys like a guy fighting for minutes. He''s got that fire, that hunger, that only desperate people usually have.

    It''s hard to find a star level talent with that typa mentality and mindset. People with the offensive abilities that Jason has are normally prima donnas or at the least feel like they don''t need to work as hard as other yers.

    Think about this. This kid just had his finger twisted and popped outta ce. But how did he answer back?

    He taped that bad boy up and told the rest of his team to get ready for the third quarter. And despite what I''m sure has to be some pretty bad pain this kid is still ying hard without taking any ys off.

    I love me these typa hoopers man. They put they head down and go to work. They don''t care bout nothin but getting that dub.

    This game has been great because we''ve been able to watch some of the highest level y you can expect at the middle school level.

    And I know that for most people Jefferson is just this nice Cindere type story abouting together and ying as a team but I think that everyone got lucky.

    If Jefferson had just a few more yers to fill in their rotations, if their starting Center hadn''t been put outtamission to start the state tournament,

    or if Jason hadn''t gotten this injury, I think that Jefferson would have had a real chance to win the state title this year and maybe even make some noise at the national level."

 Chapter 172 - Speed Bumps And Rough Rides

    All of the yers were huddled together as Udonis tried to give them a pep talk. Jason tried his best to pay attention but all that he could think about was the throbbing pain in his left hand.

    ''Fuck! It feels like the pain is just growing. I can''t hold my left hand up without it trembling.'' Jason snapped back to the real world when he heard Udonis'' voice call his name.

    "That sound good Jaya?" Jason looked up and saw that it wasn''t just Udonis that was looking at him. All of the guys were staring at him as well.

    Jason waved his right hand "Sorry. I zoned out a bit. What were you talking about UD?" Udonis sighed before looking at Jason with a serious expression.

    "You sure you good bro? This the first time you ever been spaced out like that during a huddle. Your hand actin up?"

    Jason shook his head "Nah bro I''m good. If anything I''m probably just tired. That kid they goting off the bench is no joke.

    He''s been making me work that''s for sure. Even without the ball in my hands this dude stays all up in my jersey. I can''t even get enough space to fix my hair let alone get a shot off."

    Udonis chuckled before pointing over at High Bridge''s bench "You might be tired but it don''t look like he''s doing that much better.

    You probably wearing him down more than what he''s doing to you." Jason turned his head and took a look at High Bridge''s bench.

    Their coach had his clipboard up and he was talking and engaging his team. Nate was the only one who was sitting in his chair on the side and not part of the huddle.

    Nate had a towel over his head as he hunched forward in his chair. He was staring straight down at the floor as his shoulders were raising and falling rapidly.

    - - -

    Coach Kaminsky was getting red in the face as he yelled at his yers "Do you guys really want to win?

    What kind of shit effort was that!? The other team only has 7 people! Seven! Why are we barely managing to keep the score tied?

    Rudy! You need to step up on the defensive end. Nate is already taking on Jason. All you need to do is stick with one of Jefferson''s other wing yers.

    How the hell did you leave him open for the cross court pass? Jason was literally at the opposite side of the court! My arthritic grandpa could have closed out faster than that!"

    Rudy raised his hands up helplessly as he answered "It''s not my fault Coach. I had to rotate to the inside because Ben here got his ankles crossed by a walkin tub ofrd."

    Ben threw his towel on the floor as he stared Rudy down "I didn''t get my ankles crossed! He got one step ahead of me because he faked the hand off."

    Rudy chuckled before shrugging his shoulders "Whatever. But because of that Jason was able to cut and then make the cross court pass out to the perimeter.

    However way you want to word it you been the weakest link in this chain bro. I got 22 points so far.

    Nate been mping down on Jason and making shit hard for him. He''s been running his ass off this whole quarter.

    All of the other starters and even the bench yers are ying hard and doing what they''re supposed to do.

    You literally just came back in from taking a rest on the bench. So why the hell are you ying like you''re dead tired?

    You''rete on your rotations, you don''tmit when you set a screen, you have no hustle around the basket,

    you keep calling for the ball whenever you post up even though you''re 4 for 12 from the field, and you still manage to bitch the most.

    Either I''m doing my math wrong or yous a a certified hoe because ain''t nothing adding up." Ben stood up and starting getting into Rudy''s face.

    He stared him down for a second before shoving him away "Just cause Coach K gives you some ck you think you''re hot shit huh?"

    Rudy chuckled before answering back "You sure you talking about me? Because from what I''ve seen you''re the one ying like hot shit bro."

    Ben gritted his teeth "You pussy ass bit-" Before he could finish his sentence Coach Kaminsky threw his clipboard on the floor and yelled out.

    "What the hell do you two think you''re doing!?" Rudy and Ben both turned around and looked at Coach Kaminsky.

    He continued "You guys must think that I''m a pushover huh? You really think you can just start fighting in front of me?

    Sit your assess down before I toss you both out of the game!" The two of them back away from each other.

    They were about to sit down when the clock buzzed indicating the end of the timeout. Coach Kaminsky sighed.

    "Nate sit down. Take a few minutes to catch your breathe. Rudy and Ben. You two need to find a way to get over whatever it is you guys are fighting over because you''ll be going back in."

    Rudy and Ben looked at each other before turning their heads in the opposite direction. Both teams began to make their way back to the floor.

    - - -

    Rudy pped his hands as he called for the ball from Ben. Ben looked at him for a second before inbounding the ball to their Shooting Guard.

    Rudy was surprised at first but then he just rolled his eyes ''You want to be petty huh? Fine. You ain''t the only one who can y that game my guy.''

    Rudy called for the ball from the Shooting Guard and immediately got the ball. He then began to dribble his way up the court.

    He called for a screen from Ben but before he could even get into position to set the screen he began to drive towards the right.

    Jason went into a full out sprint until he caught up to Rudy. He then turned his hips and began to shuffle his feet as he stayed in front of him with his hands up and to the side.

    Ben was surprised by Rudy''s move but then began to move back to the low block in order to be in position for the rebound in case his team missed the shot.

    After having his initial drive get stopped by Jason Rudy decided to reset the offense as he made his way back to the top of the perimeter.

    He had his body halfway turned toward Jason as he used it to protect the ball from him. After getting to the top of the perimeter Rudy pulled away from Jason and stood up straight as he stared him down.

    "I gotta say man. You one tough match up. The TV ain''t gassed you up for no reason. You can really hoop.

    But you just got the short end of the stick getting matched up against me. If you had anyone else as a rival you would have been golden.

    You can me the writers for matching you up against the MC." Jason kept the same intense stare and emotionless face as he answered back.

    "Just shut the fuck up and dribble. You talking a lot of trash but so far I''ve been busting your ass all game."

    The corner of Rudy''s eye twitched a bit after hearing Jason say that. He then bent down as he began to dribble.

    Left, right, left, right, hard crossover! He then began to drive left. Jason lunged in that direction with his first step.

    Rudy then began to pound the ball into the floor toward the right as it looked like he was trying to change directions.

    Jason saw this and turned his hips as he began to change directions as well. But Rudy wasn''t changing directions.

    He had done an inside out dribble as he then pulled the ball back toward him. Jason recognized this and tried his best to close out on him.

    But before he could close the distance Rudy got into his shooting motion as he quickly dipped the ball down slightly before once again bringing it back up.

    Jason barely managed to get a hand in his face before the ball left Rudy''s hand. The ball shot toward the hoop in a low arc before rattling in and through the rim.

    Rudy fired off a finger pistol into the air before blowing the imaginary smoke off of the barrel "Bang! That''s what I''m talking about!"

    He turned around and started high fiving his teammates as they all made their way back on defense.

    Jason was a little concerned as the score was now 58-61 with just two minutes left in the third quarter.

    ''We need some energy and momentum.'' After getting the inbound pass from Udonis Jason began to scan the floor while making his way up the court.

 Chapter 173 - Speed Bumps And Rough Rides: Part-2

    After Jason had crossed half court Matt went out from the corner to the top of the wing and called for the ball.

    They had ran this y multiple times ever since they had changed their offensive game n but this time it went a little differently than how they had been doing it.

    Jason waved off Matt and instead called for a screen from Udonis. He was surprised at first by the changes that Jason was making but he quickly decided to just trust in him.

    He began to make his way to the perimeter from the low block as his defender followed him.

    He and Jason were both surprised to see that Rudy was guarding Jason regrly. Ever since he had dislocated his finger High Bridge had set up their offense to try and force Jason toward his left.

    Despite their suspicions and doubt Udonis and Jason didn''tin as this made things easier for the both of them.

    Udonis went to Jason''s right side and set a screen for him. Jason then began driving to the right after seeing Udonis was set up and in position.

    Ben was about to drop down in order to both contain Jason while still being in position to tag and cover the rolling Big when he suddenly heard Rudy''s voice "Switch!"

    Ben instinctively moved up as he followed Rudy''s instructions. Meanwhile Rudy had gone under the screen and was now covering Udonis as he rolled toward the basket.

    Ben gulped as he looked up and realized that he was left alone on an ind facing off against one of the best perimeter scorers in the state.

    Jason waved and instructed for his team to clear the floor as he called out for an istion y.

    Ben wiped the sweat from his palms on his shorts as he tried to hype himself up ''You can do this. He''s a middle schooler just like you. He ain''t nothing special.''

    With the floor cleared and the paint opened up Jason began his attack. He began to rhythm dribble as he slowly crossed over from left to right.

    The ball wasn''t moving quickly but Ben could still feel his palms getting sweaty as he got ready to guard Jason.

    Jason pounded the ball into the floor as he crossed over to the right. Ben kept his cool as he didn''t move until he saw Jason begin to drive.

    After the crossover Jason began to drive towards the right and that was when Ben shuffled his feet as he began to follow Jason.

    After two steps Jason suddenly came to a stop with a behind the back dribble. Ben saw this and as he struggled toe to a stop as well.

    Jason then threw the ball towards the left with his right hand. Ben thought that Jason was preparing to drive left so he turned his hips as he tried to change directions.

    But Jason wasn''t driving left. It had been an inside out dribble. After throwing the ball left Jason snatched it back.

    In that moment it felt like Ben''s body was disconnected from his brain. He knew that he needed to kill his momentum ande to a stop but he couldn''t get his body to move the way he wanted it to.

    His knee''s buckled from the force of trying to change directions so suddenly multiple times in a row.

    A secondter and Ben found the world around him tilting. But it wasn''t that the world around him was moving. He was the one falling to the floor.

    After dropping his defender to the floor with his move Jason dipped the ball down slightly before bringing it back up as he took the long two point jumper.

    Jason ignored the pain throbbing in his hand as he watched the ball fly through the air. The entire arena went crazy as the ball swished through the.

    Jason pumped his fist after his shot go in. Matt and Nick both went up to Jason and high fived him and pped him on the back as they all made their way back on offense.

    The next few possessions turned the game into a simple shoot out as both teams'' offenses scored in back to back possessions.

    High Bridge seemed to have changed their offensive game n as instead of trying to match up hunt like they were doing before to get Jason off of Rudy they were now allowing Rudy to simply go one on one with Jason.

    Jason had his hands up as he tried to contest both of Rudy''s shots but sometimes good offense just beats good defense as Rudy managed to nail both shots despite Jason''s defensive presence.

    Luckily for Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson High Bridge seemed to be having some troublemunicating as Rudy and Ben would argue after having to defend the pick and roll with Jason and Udonis.

    Rudy would yell out "Switch!" despite Ben''s instructions to fight through the screen. This ended up with Ben being left on an ind multiple times as he was forced to defend Jason alone on the perimeter.

    Jason of course took advantage of this miss match as he constantly broke down Ben''s defensive stance and scored on him with some amazing highlight worthy shot sequences.

    There was even a shot where Ben had idently fouled Jason as he shot a three pointer. As he tried to contest the shot he ended up grazing Jason''s shooting hand.

    This resulted in a important four point opportunity for Jefferson. Jason proceeded to walk to the free throw line and sink the free throw.

    - - -

    The third quarter had juste to a close. The score was tied 70 to 70. Coach Kaminsky had a stern look on his face as he looked at all of his yers.

    "What the hell is this!? How the hell are we still tied with a team that only has 7 yers!? Seven fucking yers!

    You guys let one kid score ten points that quarter. Ten whole points were scored by one kid! You guys can''t stop him?"

    Ben angrily raised his head up as he looked at Coach Kaminsky "It ain''t my fault Coach K. Rudy keeps switching on the pick and roll.

    I got left alone on an ind like three different times. What do you want me to do with that kid? I''m a Big not a guard."

    Rudy put his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair "Jefferson''s starting Big was known for being able to guard out on the perimeter.

    He could lock you down on the perimeter while also locking down the paint. But I guess that''s a bit too much to ask huh?

    It is kinda unfair to try andpare you to someone good and ask you to do the same thing."

    Ben stood up and kicked over his chair "Say that shit to my face! Go ahead I dare you! You actin like you the only one on the team that knows how to y.

    But you ain''t been doing shit other than shooting the ball. If you want to make aparison why don''t you try to be more like Jason huh?

    That dude can score the ball, make open shots for his team, and he can actually y some D unlike your bum ass."

    Rudy finished drinking from his sports bottle before scratching his ear "Did you guys hear something?

    It almost sounded like a bitch ass cannon fodder was trying to talk like he actually mattered."

    Ben picked up a random sports bottle before spraying Rudy in the face with it "You the only one that acts like he''s so much better than anyone else on the team.

    Yeah you good at ball. You can dribble and you can score. Ain''t no denying that. But everyone hates your guts."

    Rudy wiped his face with his towel before looking around at all of the guys on the team. Everyone had a guilty look on their face as they turned away as soon as they made eye contact with Rudy.

    Nate was the only one that was seemingly unbothered by what was happening as he sat in his chair silently.

    Rudy chuckled "Shit, I mean it''s not like it was a secret or anything. I know you guys hate my guts.

    But you guys can''t do shit about it because you need me. Ain''t it funny? You guys hate me so much but you have to put a fake ass smile on your faces and choke on the words that your really want to say to me.

    That''s the difference between me and you. You guys are disposable side characters while I''m the MC."

    Coach Kaminsky sighed as he finally cut in "Alright guys. I know that we''re all feeling a little hot in the head right now.

    It''s understandable because we''re in the middle of an intense game right now. But we need to cool our heads ande together.

    At least until the game is finished. After that you guys can go ahead and beat the shit out of each other in the hotel parking lot for all I care. Just make sure we get the win tonight."

    All of the guys nodded their heads as they began to listen to their coach talk about their game n heading into the fourth quarter.

    Jason and the rest of the guys from Jefferson just spent the break time in between quarters to rest and drink some water.

    The clock buzzed indicating that it was time to start the fourth quarter. Jason made his way out with the other guys.

    Their starting lineup consisted of Jason at Point Guard, DJ at Shooting Guard, Nick at Small Forward, Trell at Power Forward, and Vince at Center.

    - - -

    Tony was pping his hands as he looked out at the basketball court "This is itdies and gentlemen.

    It is the fourth quarter and things are neck and neck as both teams have struggled to build any substantial lead."

    Cameron nodded his head "I couldn''t have said it any better myself Tony. Both teams have tried but neither of them are allowing the other to pull ahead.

    The way I see it this game mighte down to the wir- Wow what a shot by Rudy! He had just crossed half court when he suddenly pulled up for the three pointer.

    He must have been at least three feet away from the three point line. Oh, it looks like there is a problem on the court as Rudy and Ben are animatedly talking to each other as they make their way back on defense."

    Randel added "I think their Center had a problem with Rudy''s shot selection. The quarter had just started and they hadn''t even gotten into a set when Rudy just decided to take that shot.

    Lucky for him he made it. If this is how their Center is reacting to a make imagine how he would be wildin out after a miss."

    Tony nodded his head "You are right about that Randel. Well it looks like things didn''t end so good after their little discussion.

    The bodynguage from the both of them shows that they are clearly frustrated about something.

    It''s now Jefferson''s turn on offense. Jason is calling for another screen. And it looks like High Bridge is sticking to their n of switching off of the pick and roll.

    Rudy is tagging the Big as he rolls toward the rim and now Ben is once again alone on the perimeter as he stares down one of the most lethal one on one scorers at the middle school level.

    And Jason got him leaning with a stop and go hesitation move! He''s pulling up for the three!

    Ben managed to recover as he closes out on Jason- And a foul is called! Ben closed out a little too aggressively!

    He seemed to have gotten a bit too close as Jason didn''t have any room tond after the shot.

    Hopefully Jason is oka- Oh no folks. You hate to see it happen. It looks like things may be serious as Jason is clutching at his leg. It doesn''t look like he can get up right now."

 Chapter 174 - Speed Bumps And Rough Rides: Part-3

    Jason had just signaled for a screen. Vince sees Jason and nods his head as he begins to make his way from the low block out to the perimeter.

    After the pick and roll Rudy leaves Jason as he begins to tag and follow Vince as he rolls towards the rim.

    Out on the perimeter is Jason as he stands face to face with High Bridge''s starting Center ''I don''t know why they keep on switching but it''s good for me. Time to attack.''

    Ben gulps as Jason begins to slowly get into his rhythm with a few simple dribbles ''Why the hell does Rudy keep forcing a switch? He didn''t even try to fight through the screen.''

    Even though he was grumbling in his head he was still getting himself ready as he lowered his knees and got into an athletic stance.

    He locked eyes with Jason ''Don''t think I''ll let you have iteasy. I might not be able to lock you down but I''m going to make you work for it.''

    Ben tried his best to keep his hands up and disruptive while also keeping his feet active. Jason began his attack.

    Hard dribble to the right, hesitation move, crossover to the left. Ben had managed to follow Jason until his crossover to the left.

    He fell for the move as he took a step toward the left before stopping as he realized that Jason was still standing in ce.

    With a step of space now between them Jason took it a step further as he took one more dribble before stepping back diagonally toward the right.

    With even more space in between them Jason dipped the ball slightly before bringing it right back up for the shot.

    Ben gritted his teeth tightly as he saw Jason getting ready to fire off the three pointer ''God damn it! You ain''t turning me into another highlight!''

    Ben pushed off of his foot as hard as he could as he tried to close the distance between him and Jason.

    Jason could feel that the shot was off even before the ball had left his hand. The pain in his left hand was messing up the alignment of his shots.

    But before he could worry about how to follow up his missed three pointer Jason saw as Ben got closer and closer to him.

    As his body began to make it''s way down Jason felt his ankle roll as his left footnded on something.

    After rolling his ankle his body continued toe down as his left knee began to flew inward slightly because of the discement of his ankle and foot.

    The referee blew his whistle but Jason couldn''t pay attention to that. He was on the floor clutching at his ankle and knee.

    A hot throbbing pain was setting his ankle on fire while a sharp paining from his knee made it hard for him to stretch and extend.

    Jason pounded the floor next to him with one of his hands as he clutched at his leg with the other.

    It took everything he had to not burst into tears as heid on the floor. He had been injured countless times in his past life.

    In his past life he yed the role of a hard nosed defender. He was an energy and hustle type of yer.

    ying that way made it so that unless you were lucky you were bound to get injured. Jason knew that he wouldn''t be able to y after this.

    Udonis crouched down to Jason "You okay man? Is it serious? Do you need some help?" Jason looked up at Udonis.

    His voice wavered as he tried to stay as calm as he could. He gulped as his throat felt dry "I-I don''t think I can y UD. My ankle and my knee.... It''s bad."

    Udonis'' eyes went wide after hearing Jason say that. He was stunned for a moment before cracking a small smile.

    He patted Jason on the back "Don''t worry about that bro. You brought us this far. Just watch us take care of the rest."

    With the game paused Udonis and Trell helped to get Jason off of the floor. They were about to take him back to the bench when they were stopped by the referee.

    "He still has to shoot his free throws. If he can''t shoot them for himself then we can have a different yer substitute for him but then he''ll be unable toe back in after."

    Trell was about to open his mouth and say something when he was stopped by Jason "Okay. I''ll shoot the free throws."

    Udonis and Trell both looked at Jason questioningly. Udonis asked "You sure you up for it? You can just have Matt or Nick shoot for you."

    Jason shook his head side to side "This might be myst chance to stand on the court with you guys. I want to be on the floor for as long as I can."

    Udonis and Trell were both stunned after hearing Jason say that. They both nodded their heads as they helped Jason up to the free throw line before getting into position themselves.

    Just standing upright by himself was hard enough. He had to try and ce as much of the weight on his right as he could.

    The referee handed Jason the ball. Jason took the ball and took a deep breathe before dribbling the ball.

    Jason thought back to the beginning of the year as he brought the ball down before bringing it back up.

    He thought about how he had met Kyle and how his rtionship with Trell had been full of tension and animosity.

    The ball swished through the as Jason sessfully made his first free throw despite the pain in his hand.

    Jason repeated his free throw routine as he took another deep breathe before dribbling the ball once again.

    This time he was thinking about all the hours he spent practicing with the team. And all of the memories that they had made during those times. The second shot went in.

    This time as Jason was getting ready for his third shot his head was rtively empty and his mind was calm.

    He mechanically went through the motions for his shot. It wasn''t until he saw the third and final free throw go in that a spark of emotion came to life in the back of his head.

    Udonis and Trell walked up to Jason as they helped him make his way over to the bench. During that time Jason couldn''t help but think back to this year as a whole.

    He thought back to his first encounter with Matt, his first encounter with Samantha, and his first encounter with Coach Swendel.

    He thought about how this was Udonis'' and Trell''sst year at Jefferson Middle School and how they wouldn''t be on the team next year.

    Jason wanted to believe in his teammates. He wanted to believe that they would be able to pull through and win the game without him.

    He wanted to believe that. He wanted nothing more than the ability to tell his mind to believe in his teammates.

    But while one side of his brain wanted to believe in the smallest chance of a miracle happening the other more realistic side of his mind wouldn''t let him.

    He analyzed all of the data that he had gotten from the beginning of the game up until now and he tried thinking through every possible scenario.

    He tried to simte the game in his mind while taking every single thing into consideration. And even in the best case scenarios he couldn''t find one where the team woulde out on top.

    Jason put a towel over his head as he sat hunched forward on the bench ''It''s over. This year is over. There isn''t a second chance. There''s no game two. It''s all just... over.''

 Chapter 175 - Tears Of Youth

    Jason picked his head up as he began too look out at the court. Even though Jason had to sit on the bench because of his injury none of the guys on the floor looked like they were ready to give up.

    Without Jason on the floor Trell was the next best perimeter defender that they had. Guarding Rudy became Trell''s main task.

    Trell kept his hands up as he constantly shuffled his feet and turned his hips as he chased Rudy around on the court.

    As he ran around the court his breathing became harder and harder. Both his feet and his arms began to feel heavier as his movement became more sluggish.

    ''Shit! Is this how Jaya felt? He''s been guarding this dude the whole game while also carrying the team on offense. I can''t believe he''s had to do all of this alone.''

    Rudy put up a shot while being contested by Trell. The ball bounced off of the rim. Below was Udonis as he fought with High Bridge''s starting Center for the rebound.

    It was a battle of positioning, boxing out, swim moves, and counter moves as Udonis tried his best to out muscle the opposing Center.

    As the ball made its way down Udonis was able toe out on top as he grabbed the ball with both hands before holding it tight against his body.

    He tossed the ball up court to DJ who then began to run the fast break. Udonis went into an all out sprint as soon as he passed DJ the ball.

    Jason pulled the towel off of his head and threw it on the floor ''How could I have given up so soon!?

    No matter what the oue ends up being I can''t just give up on the game. Not while everyone is still trying their hardest.''

    Jason pped his hands while shouting at the top of his lungs "LET''S GO JEFFERSON! WE CAN DO THIS!"

    From the sidelines Jason was doing everything he could. Whenever Jefferson would make a good y on offense or defense Jason would be there shouting at the top of his lungs to hype up the team.

    And whenever they would make a mistake or just simply get beat Jason would shout out his encouragement.

    "That was good D Trell!" "Don''t mind it Matt!" "Come on DJ!" "That was a good pass!" "You''ll get them next time!"

    But despite all of their effort, despite all of their hours spent practicing, despite not wanting anything more than to win this game.

    They just couldn''t do it. Despite them ying with all of their energy and focus they just couldn''t ovee the clear difference between them in terms of ability and talent.

    As thest few seconds ticked down on the clock Jason grabbed his towel and covered his face.

    He pretended to be wiping the sweat off of his face when in all actuality he was wiping the tears from his eyes.

    Jason had faced disappointment and defeat in his past life. Not every year was a sessful one.

    There were some years where his team had vastly underachieved considering their level of talent and how far they had gone the year prior.

    While some years they had gotten ever so close to a championship just to lose in the final quarter of the game.

    But this was the first time that a loss had dealt such a heavy blow to Jason. This was the first time where the pain of losing just felt so awful.

    Maybe it''s because this was the first time that Jason had lost at such a bright stage with a team that he was so close to.

    This was also the first time that the loss meant more than just a loss to him personally. They were trying to represent Coach Swendel and the school this year.

    Although Jason had always had some bit of school pride and spirit this was the first time that he cared so much for the school and for a coach.

    Trell, Udonis, Matt, Nick, DJ, and Vince all made their way to the bench. Trell gripped his fists tightly as tears began to form in the corner of his eyes.

    "Damn it! We were so close! We tried so hard. So fuckin hard man! First Kyle got hurt, then Jason with his finger, and then he gets hurt again!?

    Everything was going against us! Shit ain''t fair!" Jason looked up and smiled at Trell "Don''t do that Trell.

    Don''t y the ''What if'' game. It''s just going to make it harder to get over this. I don''t want to see anyone crying.

    We shouldn''t show that side of us to all of these fans thate out here to cheer us on. Let''s go out there and shake hands with a smile on our face because we know that we yed with everything that we had."

    Udonis nodded his head as he walked over and patted Trell on the shoulder "Jaya''s right Trell. We shouldn''t show such ame side of us to our fans.

    We just need to put a smile on our face while we shake hands. And even thought tonight''s loss hits hard we shouldn''t let this sit on our minds too much.

    This is just the beginning for Jaya and all of the other 7th graders. You guys still have next year to do all of the things that we weren''t able to do this year.

    And even for me and Trell this isn''t the end. We might be done with middle school basketball after this.

    But we still got a whole lotta ball left to y. I''m making it my goal to win a national title in high school.

    And I''ll be damned if you turn out to be a no name bust in high school Trell. I better see your ass at the national tournament."

    Trell grabbed a towel and frantically wiped his face in a hurry. After all the tears were wiped away he punched Udonis on the arm.

    "Of course you gon see me. Hell you prolly gon see me while I''m raising the trophy at the end. If you n onpeting with me you might need to lose a couple pounds UD."

    Udonis came over to Jason''s left side and helped him as the team walked over to shake hands with High Bridge.

    There were so many things that Jason and the other guys on the team wanted to say but they just swallowed their words as they shook hands with the opposing team.

    High Bridge was the same way. There were things clearly on the mind of their yers but they stayed silent as they shook hands.

    Finally it was thest yer in line. Jason stuck his hand out and was slightly surprised when he found out that it was Rudy.

    Rudy paused for a moment. After some hesitation he managed to push the words out of his mouth.

    "That was some tough luck. If it weren''t for your injuries it would have been one hell of a game man."

    Jason shook his head "Injuries are a part of the game. I won''t let them be an excuse. A loss is loss and I can take mine like a man."

    Rudy chuckled before sticking his fist out to Jason "You''re one hell of a guy. I can see why everyone has their eyes on you. See youter man."

    Jason just nodded his head as he bumped his fist against Rudy''s. Jason had thought that Rudy was telling him that they would see each other again at next year''s state tournament.

    Little did he know that he would be bumping into Rudy a lot sooner than that. And in a different setting.

 Chapter 176 - Slowing Down

    A few days had passed since Jefferson''s bittersweet farewell in the state tournament. Although they had made school history by getting so far into the tournament none of the guys from the team felt like celebrating.

    They had dreams of winning a national title. Their goal was to stand on the brightest of stages and to spread the name of their school while also putting their city on the map.

    And even though a lot of the guys were still in the 7th grade and still had next year to look forward to they still felt sad because Trell and Udonis would both be moving on to high school after this year

    This was their only chance to get a national title with all of them. The unfortunate ending to their season left the guys feeling down.

    Sunday morning. Jason''s mom and dad were both home as they both had the day off. Jason''s dad was in the kitchen preparing some side dishes while Jason''s mom was on herptop at the dining table.

    Jason''s dad looked at the clock and then at his wife "He''s still sleeping huh?" She looked up from herptop to her husband.

    "Just let him get a few more hours of sleep. You know how hard he''s been pushing himself. One day of bumming around will do him some good.

    Besides, it''s not like he was a early bird before. He usually wakes upte." Jason''s dad shook his head.

    "I know that he normally sleeps inte whenever he doesn''t have ss. But I just can''t help but worry.

    Imagine putting in all the work that Jason put in this year just to have things end because of something like a freak injury.

    At least if they lost the game normally he would have some closure. I tried my best and it just wasn''t enough.

    But he can''t even say that. There must be so much going through his head right now. If only I didn''t try to fight for that one possession.

    If only I didn''t try for the three pointer. If only I had attacked the basket instead. If only I had passed the ball. I just hope he finds a way toe to terms with how things ended."

    She closed herptop as she stood up from the table. She then walked over and hugged her husband from behind.

    With her hands locked and resting atop of her husbands chest she brought her body close andid her head down against his back.

    Her warm breathe tickled his back through his white shirt as her charming voice rang out "He''ll be okay honey. He has your strong heart and my stubborn head.

    With that amazingbination what kind of issue do you think would even be able to be a problem for our baby?"

    Jason''s dad simply chuckled as he turned around. While still in her embrace he dipped his head down as he gave her a small kiss on her forehead.

    "You''re right Mimi. With a head as tough as yours Jason could ram his way through a brick wall."

    Jason''s mom gave a mischievous smile before raising both of her hands up. She pinched her husband on both sides of his face.

    She began to y around as she pulled his cheeks in all sorts of different directions "Huh? Did you say something?"

    Both of his hands were still covered in oil and sauces from preparing the side dishes so he was defenseless at the moment. Or so she thought.

    Jason''s dad brought his hand down as he drew a moustache on his wife''s face with the sauce that was still there.

    Before she could respond she heard a voiceing from behind them "Wow, you guys are having fun first thing in the morning. I hope that''s not breakfast that''s on mom''s face."

    Jason''s mom grabbed a sheet of paper towel and wiped her face before turning back around with a smile on her face "Hey Jaya! You''re up... Good morning."

    Jason''s dad walked over to the sink and washed his hands. He then turned back around and smiled at his son.

    "Morning Jason. How''s your knee and ankle doing? Oh and your finger. Gosh this is the first time I''ve had to ask about so many different injuries at once."

    Jason smiled at both of his parents before taking a seat at the dining table. He ced his crutch to the side.

    Currently he had a knee brace on his left knee and his ankle was tightly wrapped. His finger also had a new tape wrap that was applied when they had gone to the hospital for his check up.

    "The ankle is doing good. The sprain was a lot better than the one that Kyle got. The knee is doing okay but it still hurts whenever I have to bend it.

    The finger doesn''t hurt that much anymore but it still hurts whenever I have to rewrap it." Jason''s mom and dad nodded their heads as they listened to their son.

    Jason''s mom sat back down at the table. She sat in front of Jason "You know what Jaya? I know that losing against High Bridge was tough.

    But you should spend some time with your friends. Kyle and Sammy have both been stopping by to check on you.

    You''ve been locking yourself up in your room thest few days and I think that they''re starting to get worried."

    Jason nodded his head. Although the loss against High Bridge hit a little harder than the losses that Jason had experienced in his past life he was still able to adjust his mindset and fix his mentality fairly quickly.

    The reason that he had been locking himself inside of his room the past few days wasn''t because he was sulking or depressed.

    He had been going through the game y by y and simting how things would have gone had he yed differently.

    It had be a habit of his to dissect his game and to break down film after every loss. Although those were things that he already did on the regr he did it even more intensely after a loss.

    Jason answered "You''re right. I''ll go hangout at Kyle''s and give Sammy and the rest of the guys a call."

    Jason waited until his dad was done making the side dishes as all three of them had breakfast together.

    After eating Jason cleaned up the table and did the dishes before throwing a new set of casual clothes on.

    He kissed both of his parents and said goodbye before heading out the door. With his crutch by his side he soon made his way to Uncle Jin''s apartment.

    He knocked on the door and a few secondster he could hear a frantic set of footsteps running from inside.

    The door swung open as Tory''s voice boomed out "Jaya!" Her long ck hair was tied into a messy bun while a green mask coated her face leaving just her eyes and her lips visible.

    She pulled Jason into a tight hug "Are you doing okay Jaya? Don''t let those mean people get into your head.

    You did great during the game. It''s not your fault that you got hurt. ying through one injury is hard enough let alone trying to y through three."

    Jason pulled himself away from Tory''s tight embrace as he looked at her questioningly "It''s great to see you too Tory.

    But what are you talking about? Mean people? Who shouldn''t I let get into my head?" Tory covered her mouth acting as though she had just mistakenly given away a secret.

    "Uhhhh you didn''t know Jaya? I thought that was why you were locking yourself away in your room thest few days.

    Well never mind. Just ignore what I said just now hehe. I think Kyle is in his room ying games. Well would you look at that? I forgot I have something to do right about now."

    She turned around as she tried to walk away in a hurry but Jason gently reached out and grabbed her hand "Wait a second Tory. I think you have some exining to do."

 Chapter 177 - Slowing Down: Part-2

    Jason held on to Tory''s hand gently but firmly. Tory looked down and stared Jason in the eyes for a few seconds before relenting.

    She sighed as she pulled out her phone "Fine. But don''t tell Aunty or Uncle that I was the one that showed you.

    Geez, I wish they would have told me that you didn''t hear anything about this. Now it''s my fault for putting my foot in my mouth."

    After pulling out her phone she opened up the YouTube app and searched up ''Bobby Dean Podcast.''

    Jason waited as the video loaded up. The video opened with a pale skinned middle aged looking man sitting behind a desk with a mic set up in front of him.

    His medium length blonde hair was slicked back as he wore a light blue button up long sleeve.

    He smiled at the camera with his sparkling white teeth before waving hello "Thanks for tuning in for another episode of the Bobby Dean Podcast.

    I''m your host the one and only Bobby Dean! For those of you tuning in for the first time let me tell you a little about myself.

    Straight out of college I got an internship with the LA Daily Sports publication. I was on the floor covering everything from Basketball to hotdog eatingpetitions.

    After a decade of service and numerous awards and des I decided to part ways to make my own path.

    We''ve only been independent for about two years now but because of your guys'' support and dedication we are one of thee premier sports podcasts avable on any tform.

    Now for today''s episode all of you who are basketball fans will be having a field day as today''s main topic of discussion will be basketball rted.

    This time of the year in general is great isn''t it? We have Christmas eve tomorrow and Christmas day the day after that.

    That means Christmas day games in terms of basketball which have always been a big thing traditionally.

    And this is the time of the year where all middle schools and high schools have their state tournaments. So that means even more basketball to watch.

    Oh and let''s not forget that today is Native American Heritage Day. A day that gives us a chance to recognize and celebrate all the great Native Americans in our history as well as recognizing the contributions that they have made to make our country as great as it is.

    Now for today''s first topic I thought that I would address something that a lot of my watchers and listeners have been pushing for.

    The Golden Boy has officially fallen from grace. That''s right folks we are here to break down and talk about Jason Yang and his anti-climactic finish in the state tournament.

    Now don''t get me wrong. I knew about this kid before 99% of other sports talks hosts or other talking heads. I was a huge fan.

    I loved his grit, I loved his spirit, and I loved his story. Hometown kid from a small city puts his team on his back to do the impossible.

    Great stuff. A grade movie material right? It just doesn''t get any better than that when you''re trying toe up with a story to go along with the sport.

    But Jesus, the way that everyone was riding this kid''s jock strap after winning one county title was getting to be a little too much.

    Is this who we are now? Are these the times that we''re living in? We are now putting middle school county titles at the same level as Olympic gold medals.

    Or at least that''s what it looked like. You had professional sports analysts spending actual on air time talking about this kid.

    And I was just there sitting at home sipping on my hot coco like ''Excuse me?'' they do know that this kid is still in middle school right?

    Then to make things even worse you had retired yers, Hall of Fame caliber yers, talking this kid up like he was the seconding of LeBron or Luka.

    I knew that things were getting out of hand when I saw five of the greatest Big Men in modern history talking about Jason as though he was a sure thing destined to make it to the NBA.

    Jason Yang is a good yer. He has an elite understanding of the game that doesn''t match his age or experience.

    He has tight handles, great shooting form, great court vision, and a pretty advanced bag of tricks that he uses to make some defenders look foolish.

    But let''s also recognize what he isn''t. He isn''t an amazing athlete, actually remove the amazing. He isn''t a athlete in general.

    Sure he has good body control and he has a pretty good motor. But you know how some athletes have side to side speed and others have front to back speed?

    Jason Yang has no speed at all! He relies on his basketball IQ to y defense. If you watch him on that side of the ball you can see that he simply beats all of his opponents to their spots.

    So although he''s a great defender at the middle school level he is projected to be a bad to mediocre defender at the high school level.

    The gap between his athletic ability and the athletic ability of hispetitors will only grow as the boys that he''s ying against begin to grow into men.

    And this only makes things worse as he also relies on his basketball IQ to help him get the edge over his defenders on the offensive side of the ball.

    Jason has a silky smooth style of y that includes his ball handling and his shooting. You almost never see any herky jerky movement from him.

    His handles aren''t the fastest and he doesn''t pull off the craziest dribbles. He simply uses the move that best matches a situation and at the best possible timing.

    This all sounds fine and dandy until you realize that once again, after he reaches the high school level and all of hispetition are even better athletes than what they are now, he will lose his biggest advantage at the next level.

    The only parts of his game that look like they might trante at the next stage of his career is his passing and his shooting.

    But is that kind of yer of the caliber to be receiving all of the praise that Jason has been receiving during the duration of his y at the state tournament?

    Now let''s take a look at the actual game where Jefferson suffered an embarrassing defeat to High Bridge.

    I have seen a lot of Jason''s fans from the Through the Hoops show saying that it''s unfair that Jason gets so many negativements based on hisck of size and athleticism.

    But this game was the perfect example of why those things matter! Do me a favor and think about this for a moment.

    Try and think back to thest time a yer suffered not just one but two! Yes two! Major injuries during the course of one game.

    Go ahead. I''m a generous guy with some time on my hands. I''ll give you a couple minutes to try and think."

    Bobby Dean leaned back and reclined his chair for a minute before sitting back up "Well how was it?

    You couldn''t think of anyone right? You want to know why that is? Because most yers that make their way to the pro level have at least a bare minimum when ites to the size department.

    Muscles and bone density are what allow these yers to do what they do on a night to night basis.

    And I think that this tournament made one thing painfully obvious. Or at least it did for those of us who aren''t die hard Jason fans.

    Jason''sck of size and physical gifts make him fragile. That''s right folks I said it. p a handle with care sticker on to Jason because this kid is made of ss.

    How the hell do you dislocate your finger during a situation like that? And then right after that he rolls his ankle and hyper extends his knee?

    Jesus, forget basketball this kid might be too soft for anything that doesn''t involve being locked up in a padded room."

    Jason was about to listen on and watch the rest of the segment from the Podcast when he heard Kyle''s voice.

    "Bro I told you to keep your Glorious Light for after we got the Gorgon to her second HP bar. Why is that so hard to understand?

    Because ofyour bad timing we lost the Barbarian and the Pdin! How the hell are we supposed to clear the dungeon with just a Druid and a Cleric?"

    Before he could continue he saw Jason and Tory standing in front of the doorway. He smiled as he used his crutch to make his way toward them.

    He had a pink pair of gaming headphones on that had long rabbit ears on the top as they glowed with a pink light.

    He dropped his crutch as he hugged Jason "Jaya! It''s great to see you! You''re alive!" Jason just chuckled as he patted Kyle on the back.

    "Of course I''m alive dummy. I hurt my finger, ankle, and knee. It''s not like I went to the hospital for anything crazy.

    Besides, I just needed a few days to myself to process some things and to get over the game."

 Chapter 178 - Slowing Down: Part-3

    Kyle scratched his head in embarrassment as he pulled away from Kyle "You''re right hehe. I was probably being just a bit dramatic."

    Jason just shook his head as he stuck his fist out toward Kyle "Then again it''s moments like this that make you Kyle."

    Kyle smiled brightly as he pounded Jason''s fist back with his own "So what brings you over here? Were you talking about something important with Tory?

    Sorry if I interrupted anything. I just got really excited from seeing you for the first time in a few days."

    Tory looked like she didn''t know what to say. Her mouth kept on opening and closing and yet she couldn''t find any words to spit out.

    Jason reached up and flicked one of the drooping pink bunny ears that were attached to the top of Kyle''s headphones.

    "It was nothing. Tory was just showing me one of her highlights from her Judo meets. She actually knocked the poor girl out with her hip throw."

    Tory seemed revitalized as she hopped on to Jason''s story with a bit too much enthusiasm. She flexed her bicep and pped her muscle a few times.

    "Hahaha! You know me. Sometimes I forget how weak and fragile some girls are. I guess I just got used to having my dad as a training partner hahaha!

    Did I mention that I have some pretty sweet muscles? Wanna check them out?" She began to do all sorts of weird body builder poses as she flexed all of her muscles.

    Jason face palmed before turning to Kyle "I actually came over to hang out and spend some time with you. Let''s head over to your room."

    Kyle took another look at Tory as she continued to flex her muscles. He then looked to Jason with a confused expression on his face "Sure...."

    Jason and Kyle both used their crutches as they made their way to Kyle''s room. Jason felt strangely familiar as he was greeted with Kyle''s collection of anime and video game rted figures and stuffed toys.

    Jason took a seat on the edge of Kyle''s bed beforeying down slowly "So who were you talking to?"

    Kyle justughed before taking off his headset "Oh I was talking to one of my guildmates. We were supposed to clear a high level dungeon today but we ended up wasting our ticket.

    How about you? I''m guessing that you and Tory weren''t just talking watching her old highlights."

    Jason nodded his head as he grabbed a manga from the shelves that were ced above the head of Kyle''s bed.

    He began flipping through it as he answered "It was nothing bro. She was just showing me some of the stuff that these sports talk show hosts are saying."

    Kyle just nodded his head as he sat on hisputer chair "Oh so that''s what is was." Jason looked away from the manga as he turned his head toward Kyle.

    "Hmm? You''re actually taking this really well. No offense but I''m kinda surprised." Kyle looked at Jason questioningly "Surprised? Why are you surprised?"

    Jason closed the manga as heid it down beside him "Well you know... Normally whenever some negativements pop up about me or the team people normally get all wide eyed.

    They start getting defensive and say a whole bunch of stuff while caring too much about what those people said."

    Kyle shook his head as he leaned back into his chair "Well you kind of have a point. I''m pretty sure that''s what I was doing before.

    But after spending so much time with you I kinda realized that it was a waste of time. Why should I care so much about what other people are saying when the person that they''re talking about doesn''t even care?

    I guess that''s why my reaction is so lukewarm I guess." Jason smiled as he nodded his head. He looked at Kyle.

    "You''re finally starting to get it man. Next thing you know you''re gonna be the dude that doesn''t care what anyone says about him. The kind of dude that just bleeds out self confidence."

    Kyle had been sipping some water from his cup. When he heard Jason say that he almost spat out the water from his mouth.

    He started coughing as he choked on some of the water "<em>Cough cough!</em> Slow it down man. I think you''re making a big jump out of nowhere.

    Just because I don''t care what other people say about you doesn''t meant that I don''t care what people say about me.

    The limits of my self confidence end with me asking the workers how long it will take for a table for four.

    I don''t think I could survive people shitting on me the way that they do to you. If it ever happened I think that I would have to just buy a cabin and gopletely off the grid."

    Jason startedughing after he heard Kyle say that "Don''t be so hard on yourself man. You should never say never.

    Just take a look at you right now. At the beginning of the year did you ever see yourself being on the basketball team and winning a county title?"

    Kyle thought about it for a moment before shrugging his shoulders "I guess you have a point.

    But it still seems like a crazy idea for me to transform into the same type of person that you are."

    Jason went back to reading the manga from Kyle''s collection while Kyle would asionally answer any questions that Jason had while ying his game on hisputer.

    "So why does he have to go to the beach while he''s supposed to be training to defeat an ancient demon?"

    "That''s because the beach offers him the chance to train in sand. Being in the sand trains different parts of his muscles that he normally wouldn''t be using."

    "That doesn''t really make that much sense. He had to drive for like two hours to get to the beach.

    That''s a lot of time to be wasting when you''re supposedly in a hurry to get as strong as possible for a battle with an ancient demon.

    If he really wanted to train in sand so much he could have just bought some sand from a Home Depot or a Lowes and made his own sandbox in his backyard."

    Kyle mmed his mouse down "That is sphemy! How the hell would you get your mandatory beach chapters in!?

    Where the hell would you put in the fan service? Are you going to have girls wearing bikinis at the sandbox in some dudes house? That''s crazy talk."

    Jason paused for a second "So all of that was just an excuse to have girls in bikinis?" Kyle didn''t say a word as an awkward silence began to grow.

    After a few minutes Kyle tried to change the topic "So have you been in touch with any of the other guys?

    Everyone was bummed after the loss to High Bridge but I think that they''re all more or less okay at this point.

    In fact I think that they''re most worried about you. Youpletely went ghost after the game.

    You had that one interview at the end of the game, you talked with everyone in the locker room, and then after you got home you were impossible to get a hold of.

    If it wasn''t for your parents then we might have called the police thinking that you were dead or something."

    Jason shook his head "I haven''t talked to anyone yet. You and Tory are the first people that I''ve spoken to besides my parents in thest few days."

    Kyle looked at Jason with a worried expression on his face "Does that include.... Sammy?" Jason dropped the manga that he was reading after he heard Kyle say that.

    The manganded on Kyle''s bed as Jason''s mouth dropped. After a few seconds he managed to speak "Y-yeah."

    Another awkward silence grew between the two as they didn''t know what to say. Jason finally spoke out.

    "I think I messed up Kyle. Let''s n a get together for today. We can get all of the guys toe and tell Sammy to invite her friends again."

    Kyle hurriedly nodded his head as the two of them pulled out their cellphones and began sending some texts and making some calls.

 Chapter 179 - Cheers To Being Young

    Jason waited as he called Samantha. After a few seconds she answered the call as her face showed up on the screen of his phone.

    She had an annoyed look on her face as she looked to be sitting at her desk in her room "Oh? Look who finally decided to call."

    Jason nodded his head "Sorry Sammy. I kinda got some things that were driving me crazy after the game.

    I had to spend a few days to process and unwind. I know that it''s no excuse and that I still should have called or texted at least to let you know that I was okay.

    I''m calling you now because Kyle and I were nning on throwing a get together with the guys from the team and we thought that it would be more fun to invite you and your other friends."

    Samantha''s annoyed expression finally changed to a mischievous smile after she heard Jason inviting her to hang out.

    She set her phone down against hermp as she blew a lock of her curly red hair out of her face.

    "Sounds to me like you just want me to invite some girls over for your friends?" Jason waved his hand in denial.

    "Come on Sammy. You know me better than that. Sure I was thinking that if you invited some of your friends that the guys would enjoy it.

    But I really am inviting you to hang out because I feel sorry for how I''ve been acting as a friendtely. I''m trying to do the right thing here."

    Samantha looked at the camera in silence for a few seconds before finally nodding here head "I guess. Fine, I''ll hang out with you guys today.

    Just send me the time and ce. I don''t know if my friends have anything else going on right now but I''ll invite them. Just don''t get your hopes up. They might all be busy."

    Jason smiled as he gave her a thumbs up "Thanks Sammy. I knew you wouldn''t be too angry. You''re a real one Sammy."

    Samantha just chuckled "That shouldn''t even be a question. I am as real as it gets. I am so real that it''s almost unreal."

    Jason chuckled as he rolled his eyes ''This kid. You give her an inch and she always tries to take a mile.''

    "Sure Sammy. You are the Queen of being real. I''ll send you the ce and time in a bit. Kyle and I have some more nning to do."

    She threw up a peace sign and smiled "Alrighty Jaya! See you guys then." His screen turned dark as Samantha hung up the call.

    - - -

    Samantha had a calm and normal look on her face as she hung up the call. After she knew for certain that Jason could no longer see her she jumped out of her chair and dove straight into her bed.

    She grabbed one of her pillows and put it over her face as she then began to scream her lungs out into the pillow.

    As she was doing this she was also kicking her legs up and down wildly as sheid on her bed.

    After she was done screaming she pulled the pillow off of her face. Her hair was messy as it covered some of her face but she didn''t seem to mind all that much as she had a bright smile on her face.

    She looked to her right side and spoke out "Chunkers! Guess what? Jaya actually invited me out today!"

    Laying down beside her on her bed was a ck and white corgi. It''s plump figure suggested that it was a very well fed dog and it''s almost emotionless face bore a striking and uncanny resemnce to Jason.

    Chunkers barely tilted its head as it looked at Samantha. Even though she had just been acting crazy Chunkers looked at her with a bored look.

    Almost as though he were used to seeing her act like that. Samantha sat up and grabbed Chunkers before cing him down closer to her side.

    She began to gently pet his fur as sheid down smiling "I thought that it would be so lonely in this big house Chunkers.

    But because of some really awesome people like you, Victor, Kyle, and Jason things have been way better than I thought they would be."

    Chunkers turned his eyes towards her. Samantha chuckled "What do you mean? I love hanging out with the girls but sometimes it''s just different.

    I know that some of them are actually really nice and friendly but with some of them I feel like they''re just being nice to me because dad is like super loaded."

    Chunkers let out a small sigh as it went back to resting its head down on the bed. Samantha nodded her head.

    "You got a point there. I shouldn''t be so quick to jump to assumptions without having any solid proof.

    But you know what mom used to say ''Sometimes you have to ignore your brain and listen to your gut.

    It might be trying to save you from danger or letting you know that you need to shit.'' I feel like this is one of those times."

    Chunkers wiggled its tail slightly and Samantha responded "I guess. It''s not that I don''t want to give him a chance.

    I might have never seen him before mom passed but he''s still my dad. It''s just hard to try and get close to someone when you never get to see him.

    He''s always out of state or out of country doing business stuff. And even when he does have some free time he spends the entire video call telling me to work harder and to focus on school.

    He always brings up the things that he thinks I''m doing wrong. It''s always ''Stop dressing up like a vampire.'' or ''Why don''t you try to act normal.''

    I hate it so much! I don''t even dress up like a vampire. I wear band shirts and ripped up jeans. Sure I listen to songs where they scream a lot. But is that such a bad thing?

    How can he hate it so much? Isn''t that why he fell in love with mom? She was the biggest Punk that I knew.

    How could such a cold noodle end up hooking up with a awesome person like her? It just doesn''t make sense."

    There was a moment of silence as Samantha just stared at Chunkers who also remained silent throughout.

    After a few moments she just let out a big sigh of exasperation "Yeah I guess you''re right. I shouldn''t spend so much time getting worked up over nothing.

    I should probably start getting ready anyways. I wouldn''t want to show up dressed up like a bum."

    - - -

    Jason was sitting at a table in the food court of the mall. In front of him were Kyle and Tory. Originally it was just supposed to be Jason and Kyle.

    The two of them were going to use their bus passes to get a ride to the mall but Tory invited herself as she suggested that she give them a ride instead.

    Tory stretched her arms out as she yawned "It''s already 3. We''ve been here for thirty minutes already. Where is everyone?"

    Jason looked at Tory "I told you that you should have just stayed home. The whole thing was kindast second so obviously its going to be hard for people to be here exactly on time."

    Kyle nodded his head "He''s got a point Tory. He did say that it would be better for you to stay at the apartment instead ofing with us."

    Tory grabbed Kyle by the sides of his cheeks and started pinching him "Not you too Kiki. You guys need to learn to be nicer to your noona.

    Why is it so bad for me toe with you guys? Am I embarrassing for you? Or are you guys trying to do bad things and you don''t want me to see?"

    Kyle shook his head as he freed himself from Tory''s grasp "That''s not it. We just knew that you would get bored and start acting up like this."

    Jason nodded his head in agreement "Pretty much." Tory was about to argue back when Jason''s phone started ringing.

    He answered the call "Yeah it''s me. You guys here? Cool, just go up and walk to the food court. We''re waiting for you guys."

    A few minutester and Udonis, Trell, Matt, Nick, DJ, and Vince all showed up at the food court.

    Jason and Kyle both stood up and walked toward them with their crutches. Udonisughed after seeing that.

    "Y''all are a real dynamic duo huh? The crutch brothers haha." Jason chuckled as he pped Udonis on the back before dapping him up.

    "Good to see that you managed to find a sense of humor in these few days we ain''t seen each other UD."

    Trell chuckled "He must of found a shit ton of food along with that sense of humor cause this dude lookin like he packed on a few."

    Kyleughed as he dapped up Trell "I was about to say. I didn''t want to be mean or anything but UD is looking a little bigger."

    The other guys were allughing after they heard Kyle say that. Udonis looked at Jason and Kyle.

    "So what''s the special asion? Cause knowing you guys you wouldn''t get everyone together like this to celebrate a L.

    No offense to all those people that like to show up their participation trophies but I know how we all built.

    None of us would feel right trying to say some corny shit like ''We tried our best its okay.'' We got handed the L and we took it like a man. Sure it hurt the first day or two but I know that we all just about good now."

    Trell nodded his head "Yeah. I was telling UD that there wasn''t a chance in hell that y''all were inviting us over to try and do some typa shit like that.

    Jaya thest dude to do some weak shit like that." Jason and Kyle both looked at each other before bursting out intoughter.

    Kyle shook his head "We said the exact same thing. At first we were nning on doing something like that but then we both shook our heads and said that that would be a weak move."

    Jason looked at all of the guys "The reason we invited you all over was so that we could all have one big get together before the year ends.

    I''m pretty sure all of you guys have some ns for Christmas and New Years. So this was our only chance to do something like this."

    Jason paused for a moment and then he walked over to Udonis and then Trell as he hugged the both of them.

    "I also wanted to take this chance to say thanks. Thanks for everything you guys have done for me and the team this year."

    Trell and Udonis were both surprised as they looked at Jason. Jason pulled away after the hugs and walked back to the spot next to Kyle.

    "I want to thank UD for being the best team captain possible. Whenever I would fuck up you were right there to clean up my mess.

    You had my back since day one and you tried to teach me how to be a leader. You were there for me on and off the court.

    With how much you meant to the team I honestly don''t know how we''re going to fill up the huge hole that''s going to be left when you move on to high school.

    But I know that we''re all going to try our best to make sure that we do you proud." Udonis looked like his eyes were about to start watering as he turned around and looked up.

    "You doing too much talkin man. We already knew that I was a hell of a team captain. You don''t need to bring it up.

    Besides, if anyone should be saying thanks then it should be me. Before you joined the team I would have never dreamt about qualifying for the county tournament let alone winning it."

    Jason chuckled before turning and looking at Trell "I need to say thanks to you too Trell. Without you it would have been impossible for the team to have made it as far as we did.

    I know that we didn''t exactly have the best first impressions of each other but I''m d that we were able to work out our differences."

    Trell just shrugged his shoulders "Damn, you really thankin the dude that wanted to fight you on your first day of school huh?

    Well I guess it does fit your goofy personality. In that way you and Kyle are a whole ton alike. But I guess I should be saying thanks also.

    Before meeting you I never thought that I would do anything good with my life. I probably would have barely managed to squeeze into high school and then either barely graduate or dropout and start doing some more street shit.

    So thanks for showin me that I was better than that. And that I deserved better. Now I have a schrship to a nice ass school and I owe it all to you."

    After that Kyle along with all of the other 7th graders hugged Udonis and Trell as they thanked them for everything that they did for the team.

    After all the sappy stuff was over Jason got a call from Sammy saying that she and all of her friends had just arrived at the mall.

    The pairings were all simr to when they had hung out that one night to look at the Christmas lights and decorations at the Mission Inn.

    They ended up watching a Super Hero movie that had just been released and then they went to a all you can eat Sushi restaurant as Samantha treated everybody out.

    The meal was full of good food, smiles, and good vibes as there wasughter all throughout.

    And as they all parted after the meal was done there was a smile on everyone''s face. And yet for these young men there seemed to be a weird sense of sadness.

    They were happy that there were all able to get together today and have fun. And yet this sense of sadness was something that lingered below the surface.

    This was a sadness that came from knowing that this was a moment that would never be recreated. That after today things would bepletely different.

 Chapter 180 - Gratitude

    After a month Jason went back to the hospital for his check up. The doctor was surprised to see that Jason had healed so well so quickly as he told him and his parents the good news.

    But in all actuality Jason had been healed up after about two weeks thanks to the Recovery Boost function of the system.

    He had just pretended to still be injured in order to lessen the suspicion. After getting the okay to take off the knee brace and the tape supporting his finger Jason felt refreshed.

    Jason then opened up the system for the first time in a while. He had been focusing on spending time with his friends and family during his injury induced down time.

    All of the games that Jason had yed in the county and state tournament had given him a lot of points to use. And even though they lost the game against High Bridge did as well.

    The reason that Jason hadn''t paid all that much attention to the system during the tournament was that none of the systems functions could provide an immediate affect so Jason decided to focus on the games at hand instead.

    With hundreds of points now at his disposal Jason decided to distribute them in the most effective manner that he could think of.

    He spent a portion of his points increasing his projected height. Jason put in three hundred points.

    [Estimated height a year from now: 5 foot 10 inches tall (1.77m)]

    He then put everything else into his hand size and wing span. He was a a D rating in both subjects before putting any points into them.

    After putting hundred points into his hand size and one hundred points into his wing span they both went up to a C- rating.

    Then it took another one hundred points each to get them to a C rating and then another one hundred points to get them to a C+ rating.

    Jason had thought that he had figured out the sytem ''Looks like it takes a hundred points to move it up by a single rating.''

    But then he had to toss aside his theory after discovering that he had to spend two hundred points to upgrade his hand size from C+ to a B- rating.

    ''Jesus! This is taking up so much points! I only have three hundred left. If I assume that wing span will take just as many points to upgrade from a C+ to a B- then I will only have a hundred points left over.''

    Jason was a little hesitant to use up so many points at first but then decided that it was for the best.

    ''These are the areas that I need the most improvement in. I can always earn more pointster down the line.''

    And so he put in two hundred more points into his wing span which caused it to upgrade to a B- rating.

    [ Wing Span: B-

    Hand Size: B-]

    Jason was happy to have made some improvements in the areas that contributed the most to all of his difficulties but he was also hurting from having spent so many points in one go.

    ''Damn! I spent one thousand points just on my hand size and wing span! Then I spent another three hundred points for my height.

    I pretty much spent all of the points that I got as a prize for all the games that we yed in the county and state tournament.''

    He was then surprised as he got a notification from the system. It was a notificaiton telling him that one of his badges had upgraded.

    [Ironman(Gold): Gives you a tougher body. You will be less likely to experience an injury as well as recover from injuries at an improved rate. Effectiveness decided by badge rank.]

    He had aplicated feeling about seeing his Ironman badge upgrading after he had just healed up from an injury.

    ''It would have been nice to have this bitch at Gold rank back when I was ying against Hill Bridge.

    Oh well, I guess I shouldn''t beining. The upgrade is a good thing no matter how I look at it.''

    With just one hundred points left in case of an emergency Jason was feeling poor. After a few moments though he soon got over it.

    He was happy imagining what he would look like in the future. He envisioned himself with long arms and big hands perfect for ying defense!

    - - -

    Winter break was full of fun times and smiles for Jason as he spent that time healing up from his injuries and hanging out with friends and family.

    Luckily for him the end of his winter break perfectly aligned with the date that he had gone to the hospital for his check up.

    So Jason was able to make his return to school without the need of a knee brace or tape for his fingers.

    With no more games nned for the team Jason had a lot more free time avable. Jason and the other guys all still showed up for practice regrly but they had decided to remove the weekend practices.

    Because although working hard and putting in work was important it was also important to give the mind and body a chance to rest.

    That is why the off season is so important for professional yers. Yes it is a chance for them to work on their bodies and to improve their skills.

    But it is also a great chance to rest and rx. Jason and the other guys all went to practice daily in order to not get rusty but they were now using their weekends to rx and rest their minds.

    School became a lot more boring for Jason though. He was technically a thirty two year old inside of the body of a twelve year old so none of the sses could even challenge him in the slightest.

    The only ss that Jason actually found any bit entertaining/educational was Ms. Yuller''s English ss.

    Although she had them read weird books from time to time she also had them do in-depth discussions and debates.

    Normally it would be hard for Jason to find any merit in discussing and debating with a twelve year old child.

    Not out of condescension or because Jason didn''t think that they would have any valuable input.

    But many children at that age were not exactly the best at putting their thoughts together into a strong andpelling way.

    However Kyle and Samantha both proved to be different as they were both very intelligent and able to eloquently present their thoughts.

    The rest of the school year passed by quickly. During this time Jason either spent time with his friends, spent time with his family, or went to practice at school.

    On the 24th of April Jason waspletely caught off guard when he got home and found that the apartment was packed full.

    His parents were home like normal but there was also Samantha, Kyle and all of the guys from the team.

    Tyreek was also there with his niece Shania along with all of the guys from Newberry including Ricky and Hash.

    Tory was also there along with her dad who was standing with Kyle''s mom. Everyone had pulled on their party poppers as soon as Jason had stepped through the door.

    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!"

    Jason was first scared out of his mind when he heard everyone shouting and setting off their party poppers.

    But then he was touched as he saw everyone there to celebrate his birthday. This was the first time he had ever had this many people over to celebrate his birthday with him.

    Although it was cramped in their apartment everyone had a great time as they feasted on the food that Jason''s dad and Kyle;s mom had cooked.

    - - -

    Monthster. It was now June 10th 2041. Udonis, Trell, and all the other eight graders were sitting on chairs lined up on stage.

    Jason, Kyle, and Samantha were seated down below in the section of 7th graders which was to the right of the 6th grade section.

    On the sides were all the parents of the children as they watched on in excitement and happiness.

    Principal Morris began to walk his way up to the stage as some nice ssical music came out of the speakers on the side.

    He walked to the front of the podium and then turned around to face the kids. He smiled and waved at them before turning back around to face the other children and the parents.

    "Thank you all for attending this years promotion ceremony. This time of the year is always one filled with contradictions.

    The children and the teachers are all happy and yet sad. The children are happy as they can now say goodbye to going to ss. At least for alittle bit.

    But then they are also sad as they won''t be able to see their friends and favorite teachers for a small period of time.

    The teachers are happy as they can take a break from grading papers and handing out assignments.

    But they are also saddened as they will lose the chance to be greeted with the bright smiles of our future leaders first thing in the morning.

    But this period of time is also happy and yet sad for the school as a whole. For although we are happy to congratte all of our 8th graders for all the hard work that they have done to get here.

    We are also sad to see them go. But you see this is the cycle of life. We can only truly cherish things because we know that there is no permanence.

    The idea of an end is what allows us to treasure the beginning and everything in between. So I say to all of you here.

    To all of the 6th graders, 7th graders, 8th graders, and parents in attendance. Let us not cry at saying goodbye.

    But let us instead smile and cheer as we wish our 8th graders luck as they transition to the next stage in their lives."

    After Principle Morris finished his speech he was followed up by the students with the highest GPAs and the leaders from the other clubs as they all gave a farewell speech.

    After a few people had gone and had their turn it was now time for Udonis to step up to the podium as he rose up from his seat.

    Udonis'' chubby body was dressed in very formal clothes as he had on a bright white button up long sleeve shirt that was buttoned up all the way up to his neck.

    He also had on ck cks that were tailored to fit his body and some well shined ck leather shoes.

    "First things first I would like to take this chance to thank all of the parents and students for attending this ceremony as all of us 8th graders get ready for the next step in life.

    I also want to take this chance to thank all of the guys from the basketball team. They worked their hearts out and we managed to make myst year here a real special one.

    I also want to thank my grandma for doing everything that she''s done for me. She raised me respect others and to fear no one but the almighty maker himself.

    Without her I wouldn''t be the person that I am today. I am grateful for the time that I have spent here at Jefferson Middle School.

    I was able to meet a lot of different people. People with different mindsets, beliefs, religions, and ways of life.

    I am grateful to have made so many friends here at school. But I am also sad to say that I have lost some friends.

    That''s okay though because I think that this is just another part of life. Because of Jefferson Middle School and because of the basketball team I had the opportunity to meet some really amazing people.

    The type of people that I don''t think I could ever forget about even when I turn old and wrinkly.

    Some people might think that because I''m the team captain I am the one in charge of the team and guiding everybody.

    But I think part of being a good leader is knowing the areas that youck in and letting the right people fill in to do the job.

    And by doing this I in turn have had the chance to be the one to receive guidance and instruction."

    Udonis'' voice began to waver as tears began to form in the corner of his eyes "So while I tried my best to look confident and to act like a leader....

    I feel like I am the one who received the most through my rtionship with everyone on the team. Thank you guys for giving me the chance to be the voice and heart of the team.

    Thank you for teaching and showing me what it means to really be a leader. Because you can call yourself a leader all you want but without anyone to follow you... you''re just a single person.

    Although it hurts me to say goodbye to the team and to all of the yers there I am also happy.

    I am happy to know that even after I leave the team that it will be in the care of great and capable hands.

    Thank you students, thank you parents, thank you to all of the faculty, and thank you to all of my teammates. Thank you Jefferson."

    As Udonis turned around and began to make his way back to his chair Jason began to p his hands as he and the entire school joined in. Soon enough Udonis was showered with a thunderous wave of apuse.

 Chapter 181 - Summer Break

    A week had passed since the promotion ceremony had taken ce at Jefferson Middle School.

    Jason was currently hanging out in Kyle''s room because both his mom and dad were currently at work.

    "I don''t get why this guy just doesn''t start working out. Heins about being weak all the time but he doesn''t even try to do anything to change that."

    Kyle responded "Yeah, a bunch of people have the sameints if you check any forum. They all talk about how wish washy the MC is."

    Jason nodded his head after hearing Kyle say that. He then went back to reading the manga as heid down on Kyle''s bed.

    After a few minutes Jason sighed as he closed the manga and put it down beside him. He then turned to Kyle who was sitting at hisputer.

    "Yo Kyle. Is it just me or is it crazy boring today?" Kyle turned his chair around as he then looked at Jason "Nah you''re right. It''s pretty boring today."

    Jason then looks straight up at the ceiling "Udonis and Trell both left today right?" Kyle nodded his head as he answered.

    "Yeah. Trell is just going to LA so he took the bus this morning. Udonis is going to Florida and I think his flight left at nine in the morning."

    Jason added "I wish that they would have let us organize a goodbye party or something. It feels so weird to just have them leave like this."

    Kyle nodded his head "Yeah it does feel weird. But the two of them said that they didn''t want anything like that because they thought that it would just end up with someone shedding some tears."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders as he sat up on the edge of the bed "I guess. They''re the ones leaving so I guess it makes sense to do things how they like.

    I''m still kinda surprised that Udonis and Trell both left on the same day. And Trell''s school didn''t just pay for his bus ticket. They even got him a new cellphone."

    Kyle nodded his head in agreement "Technically they didn''t just buy him a new cellphone. They said that it was a loaner from the school.

    Since the school has an open electronic policy on campus the cellphone counts as a school material.

    I guess that''s how they avoid getting in trouble. Instead of it looking like a bribe it looks more like they''re lending him a textbook."

    Just as Kyle had finished talking Jason''s phone had started to ring. He pulled out his phone and his expression changed into a slightly surprised one.

    "Speak of the devil." Jason turned his phone around to show that the person calling him was Trell.

    Jason answered the video call as Trell''s face popped up on his screen "Ay Jaya what''s up man."

    Jason smiled as he answered "Not much. Shits been real boring ever since you and UD left. I''m just chilling over here at Kyle''s room."

    Jason then turned his phone around and showed it to Kyle. Kyle smiled as he waved at Trell "Hey Trell! We''re already missing your cranky face and your jacked muscles hahaha!"

    Trell pulled the camera away from him so that he could show more than just his face as he flipped his middle finger up towards Kyle.

    Trell rolled his eyes as he chuckled "Good to see that you didn''t change too much in the hours I been gone Kyle."

    Jason turned the phone back toward him as he asked "So how''s LA Trell? You feel the Hollywood vibes yet?"

    Trellughed as he answered "Haha not yet bro, not yet. I know that it''s just an hour difference but you can kinda feel the difference.

    I still feel kinda out of ce here bruh. Like Riverside and the IE are just different from LA man.

    But check this out. I got off the bus like two hours ago and I had to go to some office and talk to some people but I finally got the keys to my room."

    Trell flipped the camera as the image on Jason''s screen changed from showing Trell''s face to showing the room that he was in.

    The room was pretty small as the dimensions looked to be 8 by 12 feet. The furnishing was also pretty bare as the room only contained a two level bunk bed, two desks,

    But Jason knew from first hand experience that the dorm that Trell got was actually pretty decent.

    "Looks nice Trell. You got a mini fridge somewhere in the room?" Trell walked over to the one of the closets and opened it up.

    On the floor of the closet was a minifridge with a small freezer on the top "Yeah bro. One of the closets has a minifridge with a freezer while the other closet has a microwave.

    But thedy told us that if we want to use the microwave then we have to take it out of the closet and put it on top of one of the desks.

    And even though the minifridge and the microwave are in different closets they''re both a shared thing.

    So no one technically owns or got dibs on anything." Jason asked "So have you seen your roommate yet?"

    Trell flipped the camera back to him "Yeah I seen the dude. You won''t believe it tho. They actually paired me up with a white boy."

    Jason looked at Trell questioningly "Why is that hard to believe? You didn''t really seem to care all that much with Nick and Matt."

    Tell shook his head "Nah bro. You don''t get it. Matt and Nick are just dudes that are white. My roommate tho.

    He a white boy for real. I''m talkin bout this dude from Vermont bro. Like I ain''t even met a dude from Vermont until today.

    And judging by how this dude was looking around when he got off the bus I don''t think he ever seen a ck person in real life!"

    Jason and Kyle both busted outughing after they heard Trell say that. Kyle said "Bro tell me what that was so funny."

    Jason said "Trell bout to be rooming with a Vermont boy. I never would have imagined it man. This shit sounds like it''s going to be funny."

    Trell shook his head "It sounds funny to you guys. I''m actually having a hard time though. Like the dude dipped as soon as he saw me in here. He just left his bags in the closet before running out.

    I was actually gonna try and get along with my roommate but it looks like it''s about to be a whole lot harder than I thought."

    Trell''s phone beeped "Oh shit. I just got a text from the coaching staff. We gotta go report to the gym right now. Talk to you dudes some other time."

    Kyle shouted out "See youter Trell." Jason put up a peace sign "Peace bro. Hopefully things work out with you and your roommate."

    Trell hanged up the call. Jason and Kyle both looked at each other for a second before busting out inughter again.

    Kyle wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as heughed "So what are the odds that Trell actually manages to get along with his roommate?"

    Jason had to try and calm himself down as his shoulders were rapidly rising and falling from hisughter.

    "I give Trell a 35% chance of actually being sessful. Even though he did mellow out a lot after ying basketball Trell was still pretty intense.

    And that''s for us. We''re kinda used to that kind of stuff because we''re from Riverside. I don''t know much about Vermont but I don''t think that the guy will have an easy time getting used to Trell''s personality."

    As the two of them wereughing and enjoying the update that they got from Trell they heard the doorbell to the apartment ring.

    Jason looked at Kyle "You expectingpany bro?" Kyle shook his head in denial "Nah bro. My mom is at work and so is Tory''s dad. And Tory is still in practice."

    Jason pondered "That''s weird. I wonder who it is then." The two of them got up as they made their way out of Kyle''s room.

    Kyle walked to the door and opened it "Who is it?" Standing outside the door was a young man with slicked back brown hair.

    It was a regr day in California. Meaning that the temperature outside was currently 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius)

    And yet the man outside was dressed in a formal all ck suit. He smiled at Kyle "Hello my name is Jamey Corter. Are you perhaps Kyle Robinson?"

    Kyle nodded his head "Yeah I am. But my parents aren''t home right now." Jamey smiled "That''s alright. Hopefully I can catch them at a better time.

    Anyway I actually came to drop something off." He then pulled arge envelope out of his ck messenger bag.

    The envelope seemed to be pretty full as he handed it to Kyle "I am a Nike rep and I was sent here to give this invite to you.

    Now that the middle school nationals have concluded Nike is starting up their middle school premier training camp.

    You don''t have to say anything right away. Take a day to talk to your parents about it. The training camp will have professional grade trainers, nutritionists, shooting coaches, and high levelpetition.

    Like I said don''t worry about having to give an answer right away. The training camp starts in a week so feel free to really think about it.

    There are no fees or obligations. Nike just wants to provide an opportunity for young and talented yers to maximize on their potential.

    The duration of the camp will be two weeks. All expenses will be covered by Nike including the ne tickets, food, and amodations."

    Kyle took the envelope from Jamey "Thanks. I''ll make sure to talk to my parents about it." Jamey smiled "Alright. You have a nice day now."

    He was about to turn around and walk away when he saw Jason''s figure standing in the back.

    He pulled out his phone and looked at it for a second before looking back up at Jason "Excuse me. Sorry to bother you but are you perhaps Jason Yang?"

    Jason walked forward as he nodded his head "Yeah that''s me." Jamey smiled as he pulled out another envelope from his messenger bag and handed it to Jason.

    "Wow. This is the first time that I''ve made two deliveries with one stop. Makes my job a little easier haha.

    Anyways this is for you Jason. It''s the same offer that I gave to Kyle. Nike is inviting you to their middle school premier training camp."

 Chapter 182 - The Training Camp Is Where?

    Jason epted the envelope from James who then turned around and left. Kyle closed the door for him and then turned around to Jason with an excited expression on his face.

    His headful of curls bounced up and down as he held the envelope in front of him as he started jumping excitedly.

    "We just got invites to a Nike training camp!!!" He then ran up to Jason and picked him up. Jason almost hit hit head on the ceiling of the apartment.

    "Woah! Calm down Kyle! You''re gonna send me up a floor!" Kyle calmed down after hearing Jason scream.

    Kyle put Jason back down on the floor as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment "Hehe sorry Jaya. I guess I got a little carried away.

    But I really am hyped about this. I mean this kind of thing is normal for you. But I would have never imagined that I would get a invite form Nike!"

    Jason pped Kyle on the back "You can''t be saying weak shit like that Kyle. You are one of THEE best shot blockers in the state and one of THEE best all around defenders in the nation.

    I don''t think there are that many people that can protect the paint and guard out on the perimeter as well as you.

    You need to have more confidence in yourself. You are a beast. You are amazing. And you are my right hand man.

    Not just anyone can have that position you know. You know how awesome I am so I wouldn''t let just anybody take up that role."

    Kyle''s eyes started to shine with excitement once again after he heard Jason say that "You''re right Jaya! I am awesome!

    I am your right hand man! The second inmand! I-" Kyle then went on a tangent as he continued to bring up anime things that Jason didn''t understand.

    Jason felt gross with himself after saying thatment about him being awesome. Something about it just didn''t feel right with him.

    But he knew that although Kyle didn''t have that much confidence and trust in himself that he had the utmost confidence and trust in Jason.

    So Jason was hoping that by acting like somewhat of a crutch or a bridge that he could connect the confidence that Kyle had in him to some of his own self confidence.

    Jason looked at the envelope in his hands "But I guess this invite came at just the right time. Today was so boring.

    I couldn''t imagine what summer break would have been like if we just did nothing." Kyle nodded his head excitedly "Where do you think the training camp is going to be Jaya?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Beats me. Why don''t we read through whatever James gave us and find out?"

    Kyle and Jason both opened their envelopes as they began to read their way through the material that they received.

    The two of them must have had simr reading speeds because they turned and looked at each other at the exact same moment.

    Jason and Kyle were both looking at each other when all of a sudden they started to scream at the same time "WE''RE GOING TO NEW YORK CITY!!!"

    After spending a few minutes going crazy and celebrating Jason and Kyle both managed to calm down.

    Jason looked at Kyle "I can''t believe that we''re going to New York bro!" Normally Jason wouldn''t be acting like this.

    In his past life he had done his fair share of traveling during his time as a college basketball yer.

    But ever since he had been brought back twenty years into the past Jason had been stuck within the confines of Southern California.

    Not that there was anything wrong with California. Jason loved his sunny hometown state. But now that the prospect of traveling and seeing other ces is in front of him Jason couldn''t help but get a little more excited than usual.

    Kyle asked "But the training camp is for two weeks. And it''s in New York. It says here that Nike is providing amodations but only for the yers.

    That means that we can''t bring any of our parents along. Will they really be okay with us going to New York by ourselves for two weeks?"

    Jason chuckled "You don''t need to worry about my side. My parents are really chill andid back. I already went to a training camp once with their permission.

    And I know that this time it''s a little further away than Moreno Valley. But I''m sure that they''ll have no problem with it.

    How about you? Is Aunty V going to let you go to New York?" Kyle shrugged his shoulders "I honestly don''t know.

    She''s normally pretty cool but she is kind of a protective parent. But I think that if I tell her that you''ll be going too then she should be okay with it."

    Jason smiled as he stuck his fist out "Cool. Then it''s settled. Tonight we''ll talk to our parents and convince them to let us go to this Nike training camp."

    Kyle smiled as he pounded Jason''s fist back with his own "Let''s do it."

    - - -

    Later that day. The sun had set as both of Jason''s parents had returned home from their busy days at work.

    Jason was helping out as he set up the table for dinner. He put the tes down, grabbed a set of chopsticks for both him and his parents, and he began to ce all of the dishes down on to the table.

    As his parents began to take their seats at the table Jason asked "What do you guys want to drink?"

    His mom answered "Could you grab me one of the banana milks from the fridge please?" Jason''s dad replied "I''ll have some of the barley tea that''s in the fridge."

    Jason went to the fridge and grabbed the pitcher full of barely tea and a can of the banana milk.

    He gave the can of banana milk to his mom and poured some of the barley tea into his dad''s cup.

    Jason''s mom looked at him with a smile on her face "My baby boy is growing up so well. Not only is he getting taller but he hasn''t lost any of the sweetness that he had as a baby."

    Jason''s dadughed after hearing his wife say that "You''re right Naomi. I feel like our boy''s growing in terms of heart and body hahaha. How tall are you know Jason?"

    Jason swallowed the mouthful of rice that he had before answering "Last time I checked I was 5''7. I think that was a week ago?"

    Jason''s mom just stood up and left her seat that was right next to her husband. She walked over to Jason and hugged him from behind.

    "My baby is growing up too quick! He''s almost the same height as me. Next thing you know he''s going to be moving out and starting a family of his own!"

    Jasonughed as he hugged his mom back with one of his arms as he used the other one to continue eating.

    "You are being so overdramatic mom. I''m still an inch shorter than you. And there''s no way I would be moving out to start my own family so soon.

    I would need to find a girlfriend first before I can even think about having any kids." Jason''s dadughed as he waved at his wife.

    "You heard him Naomi. How''s he going to have kids when he hasn''t even started dating. Now sit back down and eat before the food gets cold."

    She gave Jason onest hug before making her way back to her seat. The three of them ate happily as they talked about their days.

    After a while Jason decided to finally bring up the big topic at hand "So I was hanging out with Kyle in his room today.

    And while we were just chilling the doorbell rang. Kyle went out to see who it was and it turned out to be a Nike rep that wanted to invite him to their summer training camp for middle school yers."

    Both of his parents were surprised and happy for Kyle. Jason''s mom pped her hands together "Good for him. He definitely deserved it."

    Jason''s dad nodded his head in agreement "Good to see that something nice happened to Kyle. I felt so bad for him after he hurt his ankle."

    Jason continued "But he wasn''t the only one that got an invite. The Nike rep also gave me a envelope with an invite to their training camp."

    Both of his parents jumped out of their seats and hugged Jason. Jason''s dad ruffled his hair "Haha I knew it. You and Kyle are really something you know that?"

    Jason''s mom added "Of course they''re something special. How many middle schoolers in Riverside do you think are getting training camp invites from Nike?

    I am so happy for you Jaya! I know that you worked so hard. You''re dedication and drive are finally being recognized."

    They all sat back down as Jason told them all of the information that he had found out from reading through all of the papers that hade in the envelope.

    Jason''s parents were all smiles as they discussed the training camp. They had no problem with the fact that the training camp would be two weeks long.

    Although Jason''s mom was a little worried about her son her husband reassured her that there wasn''t anything to worry about.

    Jason swallowed the food that was in his mouth "Nike is going to be paying for everything. The hotel rooms, the food, and the transportation.

    It says in the paper that as soon as I give them my confirmation they''ll buy my ticket and email me the details."

    Jason''s mom was pping her hands "You sound so excited Jaya. Don''t forget to take a lot of pictures. Mom wants to see you having fun."

    Jasonughed "It''s a training camp mom. I''m not going there for vacation. Trust me I wish I could go sight seeing around New York but-"

    Jason couldn''t finish his sentence as he noticed a drastic change in the facial expression of both of his parents.

    Jason''s dad seemed a little nervous and apprehensive while his mom seemed to be boiling over with anger.

    She mmed her hand on the table "Absolutely not! You are not going to New York!"

 Chapter 183 - Its Not Easy Being A Parent

    Jason was caughtpletely off guard by his mother''s sudden outburst. He had never seen her act this way. Not even in her most furious of moments.

    Jason gulped as he tried to ask "I thought you were okay with the training camp? You and dad were so excited talking about it just a few seconds ago."

    Jason''s mom shook her head as she sternly stared at her son "That was before you told us that the training camp would be in New York.

    You are not going Jaya and that''s final." Jason was beginning to get frustrated but he kept his emotions under control as he tried to figure out what the problem was.

    "I don''t get it mom. You were literally jumping in joy when you heard that Nike invited me to their training camp.

    I understand that I might have messed up a little in not telling you where they were hosting the training camp first.

    But this just doesn''t make sense. All of a sudden you''re saying I can''t go because the training camp is in New York?"

    Jason''s mom stood up from her chair as she picked up her te. Jason''s dad asked in confusion "What are you doing Naomi?"

    She answered without looking back "I''m going to wash my te. I''ve lost my appetite and now I don''t feel like eating."

    Jason stood up from his seat "Don''t be like that mom. Let''s talk this out. Whatever reason you have for not wanting me to go to New York I won''t know until you tell me."

    She ignored him as she walked over to the sink and began to wash her dishes. Jason was beginning to get a little hot in the head after seeing his mom''s response.

    He knew that right now the best course of action would be to just ept their decision and try to talk about it at another time.

    But maybe because of the hormones coursing through his young body or maybe because of him being used to being treated as an adult he couldn''t take being treated like a child.

    Jason walked over to his mom "Why can''t you tell me why you don''t want me going to the training camp?

    What''s so bad about New York?" She continued to ignore Jason as she kept her focus on doing the dishes.

    Jason''s dad stood up as he put his hands up in a peaceful gesture "Now now let''s try and keep our heads cool.

    Naomi you are not acting like an adult right now. Jason is asking a question so maybe we should try to give him an answer?

    And you Jason. You''re mother is not handling this in the best way possible but you are also stepping out of bounds a bit."

    Jason ignored his dad as he kept on going "I just want an answer mom. Tell me what''s so bad about New York that you want me to pass up on a once in a lifetime chance like this."

    Her head turned toward Jason in an aggressive manner as she angrily looked at Jason "I think that you have forgotten that we are your parents Jaya.

    Just because me and your dad are usuallyid back you seem to have forgotten that we are your parents and that you are our child.

    If we say no to something and exin to you why that is a privilege not a right. I told you no and I don''t owe you an exnation."

    Jason had never experienced his mother being as stubborn and as unreasonable as this once in his past life.

    Jason was getting red in the face and his ears were getting hot "That makes no sense! If you''re going to make me miss out on an opportunity like this you should at least-!"

    Jason couldn''t finish his sentence as a open hand connected with the side of his face. The sound of a loud smack rang through the air as Jason''s face turned to the side from the impact.

    The taste of iron leaked into his mouth as his vision began to go red. Jason''s mom had a glint of regret sh through her eyes as she bit her lip.

    "I am the adult and you are the child Jaya! If I tell you that you''re not going to the training camp then that''s it!"

    Jason''s dad was just as surprised as Jason if not more "Naomi! I know that this is a hard situation but-"

    He was interrupted as Jason''s figure disappeared in a blur. Jason had sprinted to the front of the apartment.

    He screamed out as he grabbed his shoes "This is fucking bullshit!" The door then mmed shut after he had ran out.

    Jason''s dad hurriedly made his way to the door but by the time he was able to stick his head out and look around his son was gone.

    As he made his way back in to the apartment he was running both of his hands through his hair out of stress.

    After walking back in he saw Naomi sitting on the floor of the kitchen as she was in the middle of sobbing into her hands.

    He walked over to her side and sat down next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder as he began tofort her in silence.

    After a few minutes Naomi spoke "I-I''m so sorry Henry. I''m such a bad mom. I knew that what I was saying was unreasonable but I just couldn''t think of any other way to handle it.

    Jaya kept pressing and asking for answers and I knew that I couldn''t give him one. I don''t know what came over me.

    My head got hot and my vision went ck. The next thing I knew I had already pped him!"

    Henry gently kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her shoulder "I know baby I know. We try to act like superheroes in front of our kids but the reality is that even parents are human.

    We all make mistakes. Now granted you did make a big mistake but that''s just part of being human. No one is perfect."

    She began to cry even harder after hearing him say that "Now Jaya is running around the streets and he probably hates me."

    Henry kissed her again on the top of her head "Don''t worry about Jaya. You know that he has some... interesting friends.

    Nothing bad will happen to him while he''s outside. And how could you think that Jaya would hate you?

    He''s probably a little hot headed right now because of the whole fight that you two had. But after he has some time to himself to cool down a little he''ll get over it.

    You know how that kid is. He has so much love in his heart that there''s not that much space for hate.

    But I do think we should let him go to the training camp." Naomi looked up in surprise after hearing Henry say that.

    "How could you say that Henry? What if they find him? All of the years that we spent making sure that Jaya could have normal life filled with love and peace would go to waste."

    Henry answered "They''ve never seen him before. We left over a decade ago. They don''t even know if we had a boy or a girl.

    Do you think they would recognize him just because of hisst name? Do you know how many Korean and Chinese people have Yang as ast name?"

    After a few moments she seemed to have relented a little "But what if they do? Just because there''s only a small chance of something happening doesn''t mean that it won''t.

    Wouldn''t it be better to just not take the risk at all?" Henry pulled her into a hug "Baby, life is too short to live it in fear.

    Isn''t that why we did what we did? We took a huge risk all those years ago and for what? We did it because it''s what we thought would make us happy.

    If we live our life taking chances and chasing dreams wouldn''t it be unfair to Jason to make him live life safely at the cost of missing out?

    I worry about Jason too. He always pushes himself the hardest when he ys basketball. But that''s what makes him happy.

    Yes, as parents part of our job is making sure that our children can grow up safely. But sometimes there are risks that you just have to take.

    You can''t live lifepletely devoid of risks and dangers. All we can do is educate our children so that they can make the most informed choices.

    We can provide all the guidance and structure in the world but ultimately it''s up to them to determine if the risks are worth the reward."

    After a while she finally nodded her head. She then leaned on Henry as she asked "Okay, you managed to convince me Mr. Smarty pants.

    But shouldn''t you be chasing after our son now?" Henry just chuckled "I told you already didn''t I?

    Jason has some special friends so I don''t think we need to worry all that much. For some reason that kid just gives me a weird sense of confidence."

    Naomi looked up with a sweet look in her teary eyes "Maybe it''s because he reminds you of someone?"

    Henry chuckled "That might be it. I seem to remember a familiar scene happening a little over a decade ago.

    Everything turned out pretty well for that immature boy so I''m pretty confident that Jason will be okay."

 Chapter 184 - Blowing Off Some Steam

    As Jason walked down the street it was as though his body was on autopilot mode. In his heated state of mind all he could think about was the argument he had just had with his mom and how she had pped him.

    Even though Jason''s parents were both Korean they had used apletely different parenting stylepared to the stereotypical tiger parenting that was associated with Asian parents.

    In his past life his parents had never resorted to physical discipline. They had always taken Jason''s opinions in consideration while exining to him why he should or shouldn''t do something.

    ''Why the hell would she just hit me? She didn''t even try to talk or exin anything. This is a training camp invitation from Nike!

    This is literally a once in a lifetime type situation. And just because the training camp is in New York she doesn''t want me to go?

    She was literally jumping from joy when she first found out that I had received the invitation.

    Why the hell did she switch things up when she heard that the training camp would be in New York?''

    Just as he was trying to think about what had just happened he was interrupted when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

    Jason had ran out of the house in a hurry so he only had on a white tee shirt and a pair of grey joggers.

    Thankfully he was in California. So even though it was prettyte at night it wasn''t all that cold.

    Jason turned his head and saw some guy that he didn''t know. He gave the guy a quick scan and instantly came to a conclusion ''This guys is a creep.''

    The guy smiled as he looked at Jason''s face ''This kid a real cutie. Hehe I didn''t think I would see something like this on my way home from work.''

    "Hey there sweety. What are you doing out sote? You shouldn''t be by yourself. Things can get pretty dangerous around these streets.

    Do you need a ride home or would you like to-" He was interrupted as Jason raised his arm and pushed the man''s hand off of his shoulder.

    "Who the hell you think you feeling up on bruh? Man get your ugly ass out of here before I call the police you fucking gay as pedo."

    Jason then put his open hand up in a threatening manner. But no more actions would be necessary as Jason''s words were enough to scare the man away.

    Jason put his hand down "Fucking greasy looking pedo. Who the hell you trying to call sweety? I am obviously a dude."

    The random predator and his attempt at Jason was enough for him to blow off a little steam as he now felt like his head was a little clearer.

    ''Man, I really dipped out of there in a hurry. I didn''t even grab anything on my way out other than some shoes. At least I have my wallet and cellphone.''

    Jason took a look around him for the first time since he had left the apartment "Jesus, I must have been walking for at least thirty minutes now."

    Jason recognized the area. He was past Jefferson which was a five to ten minute drive from the apartment.

    ''Well at least the pedo gave me a chance to put my frustrations out on somebody. I think I''m a little more reasonable now.

    But I''m still pissed at my mom. That was the first time she had ever put her hands on me. Even including my past life.''

    As Jason thought back to the moments leading up to the fight he couldn''t help but think back to his mom''s smiling face when he first told his parents that he had received the invite from Nike.

    The genuine happiness that she showed for him made it hard to stay angry at her. "Fuck!" Jason cursed as he began to feel a mixture of emotions.

    He felt angry at his mom for being stubborn and unreasonable, he felt sad that his mom had actually pped him, but he also felt confused as he was slightly angry at himself.

    ''She''s the one that was being unreasonable. If she has a reason for not wanting me to go then why can''t she talk about it?

    I didn''t do anything wrong. It was all her. It''s all her fault.'' But despite what Jason tried to tell himself he couldn''t shake off the frustration that he was feeling toward himself.

    As Jason continued to walk he found himself getting closer and closer to the park where Trell had challenged him.

    ''This brings back memories. Back then Trell still wanted to beat my ass ck and blue. It''s crazy to think that I really got him to join the basketball team.

    And not only did he join the team but we actually managed to win a county title and make it to the top 8 in the state tournament.

    Now he''s over in LA living it up. Hmmm? There are people still ying?'' As Jason got closer to the park he could hear some music being yed over a speaker as well as the sound of basketball being yed.

    "Ay yo that was a foul!" "The hell it was!" "Man, get yo floppin ass off the court." "I got next!"

    The lights of the park were on as a bunch of people surrounded the court. The entire park was packed.

    There were people ying half court games on both sides of the court, there were people waiting on the sidelines for their turn to y, and there were people who looked like they were just there to watch and have fun.

    Jason had nned on just watching from a distance but without him noticing his body continued to approach the court.

    He didn''t realize it until one person that was sitting on the park bench looked in his direction before doing a double take.

    The person then shouted out "Yo it''s Jaya! Jaya''s actually here at the park y''all!" All of the games paused as they all rushed toward Jason.

    "Yo what''s good Young Buckets." "What''s up Jaya!" "He really here bro. Nah I ain''t lying. Just get your ass over to the park!"

    Jason smiled as he dapped up all of the guys that were greeting him. One of the guys asked "What you doing out here?"

    Jason thought for a second before syaing "I came out here to blow some steam. Now that the seasons over there ain''t much for me to do nowadays."

    Jason didn''t tell the whole truth but technically he didn''t lie. The reason he was walking around was to cool his head off.

    Everyone got excited after hearing what Jason said "Yooo!!! Jaya''s tryin to run fives y''all! Who down!?"

    Everyone raised their hands in a hurry as they all shouted out that they were down to y some five on five basketball.

    Things started to get even crazier as more and more people began to show up at the park. Jason gulped as he saw more people flooding in.

    ''This isn''t really what I had in mind.... Fuck it. Let''s just go with the flow. This should be a good way to release some stress.

    I can worry about how to fix things at home after I dpress with a little basketball.''

 Chapter 185 - Late Night Hoops At The Park

    The sound of 808s bouncing and high hats pping in the background filled up the park as someone sted their music with their speakers.

    Jason was on the court with four other guys who had been lucky enough to win the first round of rock paper scissors to decide who would be his teammates.

    Compared to everyone else on the court Jason was on the shorter side. But the height discrepancy wasn''t as bad as Jason was used to seeing.

    Now that Jason had grown a few inches and his frame was now a willowy 5''7 (1.7m) the height difference was no longer as bad as it was before.

    The tallest person on the court currently was one of Jason''s teammates. An older man with a bald shining head who seemed to be around 6''4 (1.93m) with a bit of a potbelly.

    Everyone else was in the range of about 5''8 (1.72m) to 6''1 (1.85m). But one thing that they all had inmon was that they were all smiling in anticipation of ying with and against Jason.

    Since Jason by himself was a bit of an advantage it was decided that the opposing team would get first possession.

    One of the opposing yers passed the ball over to Jason and said "Check" Jason then passed the ball back to him.

    The guy then began to dribble the ball quickly as he crossed over from left to right, mixed in a few hesitations, and added in a few dribbles between the legs.

    Some of the people in the crowd around them began to ooh and ahh as they hyped the yer up.

    But as Jason watched on he wasn''t as impressed ''The speed is pretty good but that''s really all there is to say.

    The rhythm isn''t there, the moves don''t really have a purpose, and the ballhandling itself is kinda sloppy.

    Even without me doing anything there were a few times where it looked like he was about to lose control of the ball.''

    Jason let the guy do his dancing but he just stood his ground and kept his hands up and to the side.

    Finally when the guy decided to try and drive by Jason he just reached his right hand out and poked the ball free.

    Jasonchased after the ball. Once he managed to gain control of the ball he began to run down the court as he pushed the fast break.

    The entire audience started to p and cheer after Jason got the steal. He had one defender on him as he made his way down the court.

    As they got closer to the basket Jason picked up his dribble as he got ready to make his move. His defender saw this and prepared himself to defend the shot.

    Jason jumped up as he gently carried the basketball in his right hand while he used his left arm to guard himself slightly from his defender.

    The defender saw Jason jump and instantly followed him as he extended his hand outward in an attempt to block the shot.

    Jason just smiled as he pulled his arm back and with a flick of his wrist he turned his shot attempt into a over the shoulder pass that was aiming slightly to his left and to the back of him.

    The yer that was defending Jason watched on in surprise as one of Jason''s teammates caught the pass and tried to go up for ayup.

    Unfortunately for the young man the entire audience began tough after seeing him botch the wide openyup.

    Luckily Jason''srge teammate was there to grab the rebound as he easily put the ball back into the basket.

    Jason walked over and high fived him "Nice rebound Uncle Shaq." Uncle Shaq justughed as he patted Jason on the back.

    Before the game everyone introduced themselves. Uncle Shaq''s real name was Reggie. But because of his size and age everyone was used to calling him Uncle Shaq.

    As Jason grew in height his arms grew as well. With a longer wing span Jason''s already suffocating defense was taken to another level as his longer arms allowed him to go for steals that he wasn''t able to before.

    Not only did his ability to go for steals improve with his longer wing span. But his ability to block and contest shots did as well.

    With his improved wing span Jason could utilize his knowledge and understanding of angles and timing to further improve his ability to contest and block shots.

    Because the majority of thepetition wasposed of casual hoopers and weekend ballers the actual level ofpetition wasn''t too high.

    There were a few people who had either yed on a team in high school or who yed more often to stay in shape but they were solid basketball yers at best.

    The biggest advantage that they had against Jason was their strength. Although Jason had grown a few inches in height his thin frame still made it hard for him to deal with the strength of stronger yers.

    But with the lower level ofpetition this just allowed Jason to showcase a little more sh than he would normally.

    On one y Jason was driving to the right when one of the defenders left his teammate on the right corner in order to double team him.

    Jason faked a pass to the teammate in the right corner. But then he used his wrist to redirect the ball as it then ended up bouncing through the legs of his initial defender.

    Jason ran past the defender as he thenid the ball up. On another y Jason threw the ball hard at the ground as it then bounced up and turned into a lob pass.

    After ying and winning three games that went to 21 points Jason decided to take a break "You guys keep ying. Ima take a sec to catch my breathe."

    As Jason went to one of the benches to sit down and rest a bunch of people came up to him and asked to take pictures and to get autographs.

    He ended up spending over twenty minutes to satisfy all of his fans as more and more people kept on joining in.

    By the time he was done he felt even more tired than when he had been ying the five on five games.

    Just as Jason was about to finally sit down and rest he felt his phone ringing in the pockets of his joggers.

    He pulled it out and saw that it was Tyreek that was calling "Yo Young Buckets! How you doin man?"

    Jasonughed as he responded "I''m doing good Tyreek. You been real busy huh? I tried to get a hold of you to say congrats on your state title but you been MIA."

    Tyreekughed "You know how it is man. I was happy bout winning the state title but my focus was still on the big prize.

    This was myst year in high school so I wanted to make the most of it. Too bad me and the boys ended up losing before we could get to the finals."

    Jason wiped some of the sweat that was on his forehead off with the back of his hand "Shit man, you guys still did good.

    It''s still crazy to think that you and the rest of the guys managed to push Newberry to be one of the top four teams in the country.

    You guys outyed some real powerhouses like Sierra Canyon and Chino Hills. But anyways, not that I mind talking with you but is there a reason you called me?"

    Tyreek smiled as he looked at Jason "I heard that you was in the park ying somete night hoops.

    I know that you a hoop fanatic but this don''t seem like you. Somethin on your mind?" Jason thought about how to respond.

    At first he was hesitant to talk about his family problems with someone that wasn''t involved. But then he remembered that Tyreek wasn''t just anybody.

    Tyreek had been there whenever Jason had needed him. Whether it be questions about ying ball or just questions about life in general Tyreek had always made himself avable to Jason.

    "Well actually..." Jason ended up telling Tyreek about how he had gotten an invitation from Nike to attend their middle school training camp.

    He also proceeded to tell Tyreek about how happy his parents were when they first found out and then how his mom had reacted when he had told her that the training camp would take ce in New York.

    Tyreek went silent for a moment before speaking "Ay Jason. I know that we always say that ball is life. And that is pretty true for hoopers like you and me.

    But we always gotta readjust ourselves and take another look around us. Realistically speakin we only gon be hoopin till our early to mid thirties. Maybete thirties if your lucky.

    What you gon do after that? Basketball can be a big part of your life and that''s okay. But you should never forget about what''s really important.

    As much as I love hoopin and yin ball in front of big crowds I would drop it in a heartbeat if it meant getin my bro out the system and bringin him back home to Shania.

    Yeah your mom might have gon a bit overboard. But from what I''ve heard and from how she''s been it don''t seem like she the type to just put her hands on you for no reason.

    Go home and try to work things out man. Everyone makes mistakes. I ain''t sayin that you need to unconditionally forgive her and act like nothin ever happened.

    But giver her a chance to make things right. If she still don''t want to talk about it or try to fix things between you two then that''s on her. But at least you can say you tried right?"

    Jason thought about what he had said for a few moments before sighing as he nodded his head "You''re right Tyreek. I''ll head on back home and try to talk things out again."

    Tyreek smiled "That''s what I like to hear. Good to see you got a good head on your shoulders. Don''t stay outte man. Peace."

    Tyreek hung up the call as Jason then put his phone away. He thanked everyone for the fun time as he said his goodbyes.

    Everyone was sad to hear that he was leaving but they all cheered him on nheless. It was clear that they were all big fans of his.

    After what seemed to be a long thirty minutes Jason found himself back at the apartmentplex.

    Jason took a deep breathe as he stood outside the door to his apartment ''Don''t think about it. Just dive right in.''

    Jason scanned his keycard as the door then unlocked. As soon as he stepped in to the apartment he felt something crash into him.

    "Jaya! I am so sorry. I should have never hit you!" Jason could feel his mom trembling as he silently stood in her embrace.

    A few momentster he could feel her tears dripping on to the top of his head. He sighed before hugging his mom back.

    "It''s okay mom. I''m sorry too. I shouldn''t have kept on pressing you about the training camp."

    She shook her head "No Jaya. Me and your dad raised you to understand why you should and shouldn''t do things.

    I was the one in the wrong for trying to have you not go to the training camp without telling you the reason why."

    Jason looked at his mom "Does that mean I can go to the training camp?" She took a deep breathe before taking a step back.

    "Get inside first baby. There''s something that me and your dad have to tell you." For some reason Jason felt nervous. He gulped as he walked further into the apartment.

 Chapter 186 - The Yang Family Secret

    Jason waited nervously as he sat down at the dining table. His mom had gone to speak with his father and so far over ten minutes had passed.

    While Jason was messing around with his phone to pass the time he heard the voices of his mom and dad as they left the room.

    Jason saw his dad as he looked at him with somewhat of a nervous smile. He took a seat across the table from Jason. "Well this is going to be one hell of a talk.

    All I can say is that I hope that you don''t look at me or your mother any differently after today.

    What you''re about to hear might be shocking, disappointing, infuriating, or any otherbination of emotions.

    But just know that your mother and I did what we thought was for the best. Your mother and I tried to do what we thought was best for our family."

    Jason''s mom pulled out the chair as she took a seat next to her husband. She looked at her son with aplicated swirl of emotions.

    "The reason that I didn''t want you to go to New York was because..." She seemed to struggle as she tried her best to push the next words out.

    Jason''s dad patted her on her back a few times. After a few moments of silence she bit her lip before finally managing to continue.

    "The reason that I didn''t want you to go to New York was because that''s where the rest of your family is. Me and your dad are from New York."

    Jason felt as though he was in the middle of a bad car ident. After he heard what his mom had said he felt as though his body was being violently shaken side to side as he momentarily lost his sense of self.

    It took a few moments for him to process and digest what his mom had just said ''Mom and dad are from New York?

    The rest of our family is there? Why don''t they want me to meet them? Howe this never came up in my past life? Why don''t the two of them have a New York ent?''

    One after the other questions began to pop up in Jason''s mind. He had to push all of the questions to the back of his mind as he tried to get a better understanding of just exactly what was going on.

    "I don''t understand. So you and dad are both from New York?" Jason''s mom and dad both nodded their heads.

    "Your father and I are both from New York. We both decided to leave after I found out that I was pregnant with you."

    Jason leaned back into his chair as his head began to hurt. He took a deep breathe "I know that you guys wouldn''t have left without a good reason.

    The fact that you guys don''t want me meeting thembined with the fact that you guys have never talked about our family before this tells me that there has to be a reason behind it."

    Jason''s mom was about to start talking when Jason''s dad held his hand up "Wait a second Naomi." He then stood up and walked to the kitchen.

    When he walked back to the dining table Jason was surprised to see that his dad had two bottles of soju in his hands.

    Jason had only ever seen his dad drink in social settings. He had never seen his dad drink in the apartment when it was just them.

    His dad opened up the bottle of yogurt vored soju as he then proceeded to chug down half of the bottle in one go.

    He then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before looking at Jason with an apologetic expression.

    "I want you to know that drinking is okay Jason but you should never use it as a coping mechanism.

    If you and your mom see me drinking more often to deal with things I want the both of you to stop me.

    The only reason that I''m doing this tonight is because I really don''t want you to see me angry.

    I hate the person that I can be when I''m really really angry. And if we''re going to be talking about this then I know that there''s no way for me to stay cool headed."

    Jason''s mom sighed before continuing "You''re right Jaya. There is a reason why I freaked out about you going to New York and why your father and I left.

    On my side of the family my dad is awyer that has his own sessfulw firm. Growing up I can say that we were very blessed in terms of our financial situation as a family."

    Jason''s dad took another swig from the soju bottle "On my side of the family both of my parents are doctors who are also part of the hospital''s board of directors.

    As you could easily guess we were loaded growing up. Me and my siblings were pretty much wiping our asses with hundred dor bills."

    Jason''s mom red at her husband "Watch your mouth!" Jason''s dad smiled "My bad baby. Make sure you don''t talk like that Jason. Unless the situation calls for it."

    Jason''s mom face palmed before continuing "Anyways, your dad and I both were lucky to grow up in financially stable households.

    But that was about the only good thing about our childhoods. In both of our families growing up our parents were the stereotypical tiger parents.

    Your dad and I both grew up in families where it was normal to be beaten for getting bad grades or even for something as small as missing curfew."

    Jason''s dad burped "And for our parents anything less than an A counted as a bad grade. It was either be the best or be a failure in their eyes."

    Jason''s mom nodded her head in agreement "That''s exactly right. Our parents wouldn''t ept anything but 1st ce.

    There was a time when your father got a ck eye for not getting an A on one of his finals. Even though he already had a high enough grade in the ss where even a C would have given him an A in the ss."

    Jason''s dad finished off his first bottle of soju "My old man gave me a shiner thatsted a few weeks for getting a B on a finals when I already had a guaranteed A.

    And things weren''t any better for your mom. Her parents didn''t even like her going out of the house for anything that wasn''t rted to school."

    Jason''s mom added "Our parents were strict and they had one thing inmon. They cared about their pride and public appearance more than anything else.

    The reason my parents didn''t want me going out was because they were afraid that I would do something that would ruin their reputation."

    Jason''s dad opened up his second bottle "That''s what I hated the most about our parents. They cared so much about face and pride.

    I know that some parents still use physical discipline. I know that some parents use it because that''s the most effective parenting methods that they believe in.

    But I also know that those parents that do that are doing it because they want what''s best for their kids and that they treasure them above all else.

    I won''t try to tell those parents how to raise their kids. But what I can''t stand are parents that hit their kids because it''s the easiest way to deal with them!

    I can''t stand parents who hit their kids out of anger or frustration! And I sure as hell can''t stand parents that care about their reputation more than their fucking kids!

    We didn''t ask them to bring us into this world! How the hell are you going to beat a kid for making a mistake or doing something wrong?!

    That''s what your there for you fucking pieces of shit! Parents are supposed to be there to support and guide their kids not just fucking punish them!"

    He then began to chug his second bottle of soju. Jason''s mom looked at her husband for a second before sighing.

    "I hope you don''t look at your dad any differently after tonight Jaya. Just like how I made a mistake in hitting you what your dad is doing right now isn''t a representation of the kind of man that he is.

    You know your father. He''s always been the sweetest person on the. It''s just that your grandparents and his childhood are sore spots for him."

    Jason gulped and nodded his head after hearing what his mom had to say. Right now was honestly a surreal moment for him.

    Jason had always looked at his parents as the perfect example of what good and honest people should be like.

    In his past life he had never seen his mom or dad act in an unbing way. But tonight he had that perfect image of them shattered.

    It wasn''t that he wanted to look down on them. It''s just that he had always looked at them the same way that a child would look at a superhero.

    He had always thought of them as these perfect individuals who had the kind of character that was without blemish.

    And now he saw them for who they really were. They were just two people who made mistakes just like everybody else.

    They were just two people who despite their ws and mistakes were trying their best to provide a good life for themselves and their family. They were just human.

    Jason felt his stomach churning and tightening, threatening to eject everything that he had inside him, as the image that he had of his parents for over three decades began to crumble.

    But amidst the disorienting sickness that he was experiencing he could also feel something different blossoming within him.

    He could feel the admiration and love that he had for his parents growing even more. Knowing that his parents had made their own fair share of mistakes while also experiencing their own difficulties just made Jason appreciate the greatness of his parents on a whole new level.

    Both of his parents gave him a few minutes to process everything that they had told him so far. After a bit Jason raised his head as he looked at both of his parents.

    "I understand that you and dad grew up with some difficult family conditions. Even though you guys had money it sounds like you guys still had it rough.

    But you guys still didn''t tell me why you had to move all the way to California or why you freaked out about me going to New York.

    Did mom get pregnant before you guys got married? If your guys'' parents were like how you described them then I guess they wouldn''t have liked that.

    But it''s not liked they would have been able to do anything too bad right? I don''t think that they would hit mom knowing that she has a baby inside her.

    And it''s unlikely that I would run into them while I''m in New York. But even if that did happen what could they possibly do?"

    Jason''s dad finished off his second bottle of soju "You''re right Jason. Even if your grandparents or anyone else from our families saw you they wouldn''t be able to do shit.

    That''s why I had no problem with you going to New York unlike your mother. But to answer your first question.

    Let me start this off by saying that I have no problems with people who decide to have an abortion or put their kids up for adoption.

    Sometimes people have their own situations that make it impossible for them to take care of their kid.

    But me and your mom came from rich ass families. Sure me and your mom made a mistake and got pregnant while we were still young.

    But we had all of the money and resources to have had you and still be able to go to school and get our education.

    So there shouldn''t have been any problems. But your grandparents cared so much about their reputation and pride that they demanded that your mom get an abortion!"

    Jason''s dad mmed his fist on to the table "They cared more about their face and what other people would think than their own flesh and blood!"

 Chapter 187 - The Yang Family Secret: Part-2

    Jason looked at his dad with a surprised expression on his face. He didn''t expect him to have an outburst like that.

    Jason''s mom took the empty bottle of soju out of her husbands hand before patting him gently on the back.

    After a few minutes the sound of snoring could be heard as Jason''s dad had fallen asleep as he leaned back in his chair.

    Jason''s mom sighed "Thest time your dad was like this was a few years ago. You were spending the night at your Uncle Jin''s and one of your dad''s old friends reached out to him.

    Everything was..... for the most part alright. That is until they started talking about your grandparents. I know that you might think that we''re overreacting Jaya.

    I''m sure that even at your age you know about the cultural stereotypes about being Asian and having Asian parents.

    Strict parents and physical discipline aren''t inherently bad. I can''t say that it is because I''ve had friends who had strict parents who also used physical discipline and they were perfectly fine.

    But your father and I came from very broken homes. Not in the sense that our parents got divorced or one of them was never around.

    But in the sense that the family itself was broken. Your father used to y the piano did you know?"

    Jason shook his head "Dad used to y the piano? But he hates pianos. Every time he hears them on TV he has to change the channel."

    Naomi rubbed her husbands hair as he slept. Her fingers gently ying with his soft ck hair as she asionally cleared the loose strands from his face.

    The way she looked at him made it seem like she wasn''t looking through current lenses but through ones tinted by the past.

    "That''s because your father was forced to learn to y the piano at a young age by your grandparents.

    Your uncles and your aunts on your dad''s side were all gifted. One of them was a nationally ranked tennis yer, the other a ballerina, a violin yer, top ranked swimmer, they all had trophies and awards lining their rooms.

    But your father.... As he would say was "Painfully normal" Despite how me and other people viewed him the years of being told that he had no worth had burrowed their way deep into his mind.

    He had trulye to believe that he had no redeeming qualities what so ever. The fact that his parents were emotionally detached didn''t help either.

    The only time he heard from them was whenever he was asked why he couldn''t be as gifted or as hard working as his siblings or whenever he would get a beating.

    The ck eye that your father had gotten was from his dad but that wasn''t the first time that something like that had happened.

    There was another time where your dad had his lip busted open by your grandpa and the reason behind it was that your dad had made a mistake during his recital.

    Your grandfather was furious. Your dad was beaten because he had embarrassed himself and your grandfather.

    Ever since then that moment would be used to remind your father that he wasn''t as gifted as his siblings.

    Imagine being the eldest child but everyday you were told and reminded that you were the lousiest out of all your siblings.

    As for me there were times in high school where I had to make sure that I covered up my arms and legs just to hide all the belt marks.

    But the worst part of our lives wasn''t the physical punishment. After so many years you begin to grow a tolerance for the pain.

    What you don''t get used to is having to feel worthless and unloved everyday." As she said that tears began to trickled down the sides of her face.

    It took her a moment and a few deep breathes to regain theposure necessary to continue talking.

    "That''s why I didn''t want you to go to New York. I didn''t want you to meet people, that are your own flesh and blood, that would tear you down and make you feel insignificant.

    All your life me and your dad have tried our best to make sure that you felt loved and cared for. That''s because we know how much it can hurt when you don''t.

    I didn''t want you to meet people who are supposed to be your family but are actually the ones who would hurt you the most.

    Because the words and distain of strangers might sting for a moment but when ites from the people who are supposed to care for you it hurts so much more.

    That''s part of why your dad and I left. Despite all the threats that our parents threw our way we didn''t want to lose you and we didn''t want you to have to deal with those kind of toxic people."

    Jason was silent for a moment. He then stood up from his chair and walked over to the other side of the table.

    He hugged his sleeping dad and his mom "It''s okay mom. Even though I saw a new side of you and dad tonight it didn''t shake the love that I have for the both of you.

    If anything it just made it stronger. Now that I know what you and dad had to deal with it just makes me appreciate how awesome you guys are even more."

    She hugged him tightly "You are such a sweet kid you know that? I don''t know what your dad and I did to be blessed with a boy like you."

    Jason smiled "I think I''m the lucky one if you ask me. Dad is one of the best cooks out of all the parents I''ve met. The only one that can give him a challenge is Aunty V.

    And your a great mom. I probably don''t say it that often but that''s just because I feel like it''s so obvious. You''ve been there whenever I''ve needed you."

    Jason then walked over to his dad as he woke him up "Come on dad. Let''s get you to your room." He smiled at Jason after his eyes opened up "Thanks Jason."

    He leaned against Jason as he helped him stumble his way to the bedroom. After a few minutes Jason walked back out.

    He smiled at his mom "Good night mom." Just as he had turned around he heard his mom''s voice "Wait Jaya! About the training camp."

    Jason turned around with a hopeful look in his eyes. His mom smiled after seeing the look on his face "Your dad was right.

    We can''t live life to the fullest if we let our fears control us." Jason''s eyes went wide "Does that mean?"

    Jason''s mom smiled back "Yes. You can go to the Nike training camp in New York." Jason pumped his fist excitedly "Yes!!!"

    - - -

    The next day. Jason, Kyle, and Samantha were sitting around one of the tables at the food court of the mall.

    Jason slurped up thest remaining bits of his strawberry milkshake through his straw "So I got the go ahead from my mom and dad. How bout you Kyle?"

    Kyle threw a French fry into the air and opened his mouth as he caught it "My mom was cool with it after I told her that you were going.

    Tory was the only one who was kinda bummed out. She wasining about how she wouldn''t have anyone to bug if you and me go to a training camp in New York for a week."

    Samantha started tough "That sounds just like her. Outside of practice and working out does she do anything other than hang out with you guys?"

    Jason and Kyle both shook their heads. Jason stretched as he yawned "Tory isn''t in to the kind of stuff that most girls her age are in to.

    Thatbined with her pretty face just makes it so that it''s hard for her to get along with most girls her age.

    As for guys they''re normally intimidated by her six pack and the fact that she''s a 5''10 female with deadly fighting skills."

    Kyle nodded his head "Yeah, plus she''s superpetitive and talks a ton of trash. She was ying a fighting game with me in my room and she was talking nonstop."

    Samantha was on her phone as the two boys talked. After Kyle finished talking Samantha''s eyes went wide as she then turned her phone around to show to the two of them.

    "Check it out! There''s a video of Jason that was postedst night. It already has 200,000 views!" Jason and Kyle watched as a video of him ying basketball at the park yed on Samantha''s phone.

    Kyleughed "You are one lucky guy. Your fans love seeing anything with you in it. Even if it''s just you casually hooping at the park."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "It''s probably because they haven''t seen anything from me in a while. Now that I''m not in any tournaments my screen time on Through the Hoops has been pretty short."

    Samantha pulled her phone back to her as she cheerfully suggested "You should post something for your fans. How about telling them that you''re going to the Nike training camp?"

    Kyle nodded his head "The papers that the Nike rep gave us did say that it was okay to post about the training camp online. As long as it doesn''t fall under nder or anything like that."

    Jason thought for a moment before nodding his head "Sure, why not." Jason then stood up and took a picture with Kyle.

    The two of them were smiling as Kyle threw up a peace sign. Along with the picture Jason posted ''Just hanging out with @Kyle_Shinobi. Enjoying our free time before we head out to New York for the Nike training camp.''

 Chapter 188 - The Start Of The Trip

    Jason and Kyle were standing at the front of LAX as both of their parents said their goodbyes. Aunty V grabbed Kyle and pulled him into a tight hug.

    "Make sure you stay safe okay Kyle? I don''t want you going nowhere without and adult or Jaya you hear me?"

    Kyle shook his head as he annoyedly looked at his mom "That doesn''t make any sense mom. Jaya''s a kid too. Why do you trust him more than me?"

    Aunty V smiled as she softly held Kyle''s face in between her hands "You know I love you right baby? So I hope you don''t get hurt when I say this.

    You can be a bit of an airhead Kyle. You get distracted easily, you forget to pay attention to what''s goin on around you, and you are easily pressured.

    You have a hard time telling the waitress that you don''t need a refill. What if some shady person tries to drag you into somethin that''s no good?"

    Kyle thought about it for a moment before sighing "I guess you''re right mom. I''ll make sure to stick with Jaya."

    Aunty V smiled as she pulled Kyle into onest hug "That''s my boy. I know that you and Jaya are goin to New York for a training camp but don''t forget to take pictures whenever you get the chance."

    On the side was Jason as he stood there in front of his parents as they too made their awkward and emotional goodbyes.

    Both of his parents hugged him tight. Jason''s mom pulled away a bit as she looked her son in the face "I think we''ve pretty much said everything that we could possibly say.

    Have fun Jaya. Make sure to take a lot of pictures. That way we can make a scrapbook when you get back."

    Jasonughed as he hugged his mom back "I''ll try my best mom but I am going to a training camp. This isn''t just a vacation you know."

    Jason''s dad chuckled as he patted his son on the head "He''s right Naomi. How is he supposed to go sightseeing and take pictures when he''s going to be busy working out.

    Have fun Jason. This is the first time that you''re going to be spending such a long time so far away from us.

    But if you ever get homesick or if you start to miss us just know that we''re all back home rooting for you. And we''re always just a phone call away."

    Jason nodded his head "Sure thing dad. I''m sure that I''ll miss you and mom but I''m going try and focus on getting as much out of this training camp as I can."

    As Jason grabbed his luggage and was turning around to walk into the airport he heard his mom''s voice "Good luck Jaya! Make sure you put on a show and teach them what you''re all about!"

    Jason turned around. He saw his mom and dad smiling as they waved goodbye to him. Without saying a word he just put a thumbs up and held it high in the sky before waving goodbye to them. And just like that he turned back around and stepped into the airport.

    - - -

    After a few hours Jason and Kyle finally managed to make it to their terminal. Kyle lifelessly plopped down into his seat.

    "I thought that my first experience at an airport would be exciting. Instead we just stood in line for two hours to take off our shoes and get an x-ray."

    Jason unwrapped a chocte bar before stuffing it all into his face "Don''t forget the part where you got frisked.

    You know what? For such a smart guy that''s even an honor roll student you sure do some stupid stuff."

    Kyle shrugged his shoulders before putting his hands up helplessly "How was I supposed to know that my kunai keychain would get me in trouble."

    Jason face palmed "It''s a keychain in the shape of a knife dude. AND WE''RE IN A AIRPORT!" Kyle answered back.

    "It''s a miniature replica man." Jason looked at Kyle with an annoyed expression on his face "A miniature replica made out of actual medal with an actual sharpened edge!"

    Kyle smiled "I know, isn''t it cool? Too bad the security guys confiscated it. Good thing it wasn''t that expensive. I''ll just another one the next time I go to Anime LA."

    There was still over an hour until their actual flight. As they were talking Kyle was rudely interrupted, as he was in the middle of a rant about fan service, by Jason''s stomach as it loudly growled.

    "Hahaha!" Kyle busted outughing after he heard that. But just a momentter he was forced to have a taste of his own medicine as his own stomach growled just as loudly.

    Jason smiled as he suggested "We still got some time before our flight. You wanna grab some food from the food court?"

    Kyle took out his phone and looked at the time before responding "Sure, I guess I am a little hungry. What did you want to get?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Let''s go to the airports website. They have a thing where you can order and have the food delivered to your terminal."

    As Jason and Kyle were looking through all the different food options that the airport had avable they heard a voice "Are you Jason Yang?"

    Jason and Kyle both turned around to see some dude that they had never met before. Jason answered "Yeah I am."

    The guy smiled as he reached into his pockets and pulled out his cellphone "Do you mind if I ask for a picture?

    I am a huge fan. I thought for sure Jefferson would make it into the top 4 of the state tournament. Those injuries were just some bad luck."

    Jason responded "Bad luck or not we lost and that''s it. Anyone can talk about what ifs. You wanted a picture right? No problem."

    The guy took a couple pictures with Jason and a few pictures with Kyle. Unfortunately for the two of them this would just be the start.

    After the first person more and more people started to ask for pictures and autographs with Jason and even Kyle.

    The crazy part was that some of the people that were asking for pictures and autographs didn''t even know who they were.

    Some of the people asked if Jason was an overseas Asian child celebrity that hade to the states for work.

    As annoyed as Jason was he was able to smile and y it off as though it didn''t bother him ''What the hell?

    I can''t believe thatdy asked if I was a idol trainee. What part of me looks like a dainty kpop entertainer? I am clearly an athlete.''

    Though as he said that in his mind if anyone else had heard that they would strongly disagree with him.

    The soft and feminine features of his facebined with his thin frame did give him more of an entertainer look rather than an athlete.

    Considering that Jason had been an ordinary looking guy ,at least by his own standards, as an adult he had forgotten that as a child he was often praised for his pretty face.

    This time it was Jason''s turn to plop down into his chair. Although Jason wasn''t an introvert dealing withrge crowds did drain his batteries more than normal social settings.

    Jason looked over to his side where Kyle was sitting "Looks like we can finally get back to ordering our food. I just hope that it can get here before we have to start boarding."

    Jason and Kyle went back to looking at the menu on their phones. After a few minutes the two of them had decided what they had wanted to order.

    Jason decided to go light and only order a double cheeseburger with a side ofrge fries and arge strawberry milkshake. Kyle ordered a bowl of ramen with arge cup of iced green tea.

    As the two of them were waiting for their food to arrive Jason heard another set of voices call out to him.

    "Ay bro check it out, it''s Jaya." "Oh shit you''re right bro. I guess we should have known that if we got an invite then these two would have gotten theirs also."

 Chapter 189 - Familiar Faces

    Jason turned around and smiled as he saw some familiar faces "Yo what''s up guys? Been a while since we''ve seen each other."

    It was the Silva twins. Danilo walked over to Jason and high fived him "It might have been a while since you''ve seen us but me and Alex have been watching you."

    Alex walked over and patted his brother on the shoulder before high fiving Jason "Yeah, you really showed out at the county and state tournament.

    Me and Danilo were really rooting for you guys. Too bad about the injuries man. If your squad was healthy then I definitely think that you could have made some serious noise at nationals."

    Kyle walked over and smiled at the twins "Thanks. You guys were pretty good too. Definitely made us work hard for the win."

    Alex and Danilo took a seat as they began to chat with Jason and Kyle. They talked about everything from what kind of shows they liked to watch to what kind of training they had done.

    From the looks of it both Danilo and Alex had grown a few inches since thest time they had yed against each other.

    Danilo looked to be around 5''10 (1.77m) now while his brother Alex looked to be about 5''7 (1.7m). They had both changed their hairstyles as their hair was now cut short all around with a fresh fade on the sides.

    Jason and Kyle''s food arrived as they were talking with the twins. Jason and Kyle politely offered to share some but Alex and Danilo both respectfully declined.

    They continued their conversation. They talked for another ten minutes as Jason finished up his double cheeseburger.

    Just as he was going to reach out for his strawberry milkshake he heard another voice from behind him "Damn! Looks like I made it on time. I thought that I was going to bete for a second."

    Jason, Kyle, and both of the twins turned around at the same moment. In their field of vision was a huge figure that seemed to make even Kyle look small.

    3D''s huge and bulky figure made its way toward Jason and Kyle. He stuck his fist out "Sup." Jason bumped 3D''s fist back with his own and Kyle followed up and did the same.

    Jason greeted "Sup man. Should have known that you would be here." Kyle added "Sup 3D. Sucks that I didn''t get to finish up the game against you guys."

    3D put his luggage down at the side as he took a seat "Yeah, real shame man. You and the muscle head were the only ones that could actually make things a little hard for me.

    But congrats on getting into the top eight at the state tournament. This your first time going to a Nike camp?"

    Jason, Kyle, and even the twins all nodded their heads in agreement. 3D pulled out a chocte bar from his bag.

    "Well have fun. The first day is normally exciting for newbies. But after a few years you get used to it."

    Jason took a sip from hisrge strawberry milkshake "I forgot. You''re a eighth grader right? This was yourst year of middle school. Did you pick a high school already?"

    3D ate his chocte bar "Yeah. Kinda sucks that I couldn''t get to nationals in myst year but it is what it is.

    This is going to be myst time going to Nike''s middle school training camp. Next year I''m going to start going to their high school training camps."

    Danilo chuckled before turning his head to look at 3D "Sounds kinda cocky don''t you think? Last time I checked Nike has to send you an invite for you to go."

    3D crumpled up the wrapper in his hand before stuffing it into the side pouch of his bag "It''s not cocky because I already know that Nike is going to send me an invite.

    They send invites to the best high school yers every year. That means that I''m going to get an invite next year and for the next three years after that.

    You know what does sound cocky is talking to me like we''re on the same level." Danilo leaned forward as he began to re at 3D.

    "The fuck you say? You think you''re better than me?" 3D pulled out a bag of chips from his bag and ripped it open.

    "I don''t think I''m better than you. I know it. My team was the runner up in the county tournament. Your team didn''t make it past the first round."

    Danilo jumped to his feet as he clenched his fists tightly "If it wasn''t for our shit eating teammates and dumb ass coach then we would have been the ones to y against Jefferson instead of you."

    3D put a handful of chips into his mouth "Haha that''s cute. I would have dropped a sixty piece on your guys'' heads.

    Jefferson had Kyle and the muscle head to guard me. Your team doesn''t even have a Big half as good as them."

    Danilo took a step toward 3D who was sitting a chair away from Jason. Alex stood up and put his hand on his brother''s shoulder.

    "Let''s not do this Dlo. We''re in a airport man, you wanna get kicked out? Not to mention that mom told you not to do anything stupid."

    Danilo hesitated. He seemed to want to get in 3D''s face but his brother''s reminder about his mother''s warning rang in his ear.

    Seeing Danilo''s hesitation 3D stood up and took a step toward the twins "What''s wrong little guy? Your bark don''t match your bite?"

    Danilo brushed his brother''s hand aside as he took a step toward 3D "Shut the fuck up you fat ass piece of shit!

    If I really wanted to do anything to you I would just make you run a mile so that you would get a heart attack."

    After hearing Danilo''s shot at him 3D began to re at him "Small dogs always bark the loudest huh? Why don''t you try something tough guy?

    I promise you. As soon as you touch me I''m smacking you so fuckin hard that the mnin disappears from your body. You''re gonna wake up looking like an ugly ass piece of white dog shit."

    There was only a arms length of distance between the two. The tension was palpable as they intensely stared at each other.

    Just as things were looking bad a small figure pushed it''s way between the two "You guys really need to check yourselves.

    This is a airport with actual police officers around. You guys wouldn''t make it past ten seconds before the police tackle your asses."

    Danilo and 3D were both surprised to see that Jason had put himself between the both of them. Jason looked at Danilo.

    "Just give it a rest Danilo. If you really want to get back at 3D then just wait till we''re at the training camp. Hoopers should do their talking on the court."

    Jason then turned his head and looked at 3D "And you. You don''t have the space to be talking so much shit.

    You talking like you''re the seconding of Shaq, butst time I checked me and Kyle we''re the ones that knocked you out of the county tournament?"

    Danilo looked at Jason and thought about it for a second before putting his hands up and sighing "Alright. You got a point Jaya." He then took a seat.

    3D looked at Jason for a moment. After a few seconds he sat back down also "You''re lucky lil guy. If Jaya wasn''t here you''d get a hell of an ass whoopin."

    Even though the situation had been defused the atmosphere was still terrible. Kyle was fidgeting around in his chair as he looked at Jason "The mood is kinda wrecked. You got anything to fix that?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Nope. And I don''t need to." Kyle looked at him questioningly "What do you mean?"

    Jason then pointed to the electronic disy "Our flight''s ready. It''s boarding time."

 Chapter 190 - On Cloud 9

    As they boarded the ne Kyle and 3D had a noticeably harder timepared to Jason, Danilo, and Alex.

    Kyle was so fascinated with the experience of getting on a ne for the first time that he didn''t notice that one of the overheadpartments was open.

    He walked right into it smashing his face into the door of thepartment "Ouch!" Kyle began to rub his face.

    Jason patted him on the back "You okay?" Kyle nodded his head "Yeah, it was just a small smack." Jason nodded his head.

    "I know that this is all interesting to you but pay some more attention Kyle." Kyle nodded his head "I will. I guess I forgot how tall I was for a second.

    I guess nes are made for normal sized people." Jason chuckled before pointing to somewhere behind them.

    "If you think you have it rough just take a look behind us." Kyle followed Jason''s finger and saw 3D as he was struggling to squeeze his wide frame through the narrow walk ways of the ne.

    Kyle chuckled "I guess I shouldn''t beining. It looks like this is going to be a long five hours for 3D."

    Jasonughed " Yeah, things are going to be rough for him. But I feel even worse for whoever has to sit down next to him."

    After a few minutes of slowly walking through the ne Jason and Kyle finally made it to the seats that they were assigned to on their tickets.

    Jason tried to put his roll on luggage in thepartment above him but after a few failed attempts he just turned to Kyle.

    "Hey Kyle. Think you could lend me a hand?" Kyle had been watching Jason with a mischievous smile on his face.

    As soon as Jason turned toward him he got rid of his smile "Oh! Sure thing." Kyle picked up Jason''s roll on luggage and his sports bag before putting them in the storagepartment.

    He then did the same for his roll on luggage and his sports bag. The two of them then took their seats. There were three seats in their row.

    Kyle sat on the outside seat that was next to the aisle while Jason sat in the middle. Just then a young girl that looked to be around the same age as them.

    She had vibrant sun kissed bronze skin and a head of long curly brown hair. She looked to be around 5''3 (1.6m)

    She smiled at Kyle "Hi. Sorry to ask but could you help me with my bag?" Kyle looked at her for a second before stammering.

    "Uh-yeah sure. H-here I got it." He stood up from his seat and helped the girl put her bag into the storagepartment.

    After Kyle finished putting the girls bag in the storagepartment he closed it. She then smiled as she stuck her hand out in front.

    "Thanks. My name is Elizabeth but all of my friends call me Liz." Kyle reached out to shake her hand but stopped midway.

    He then wiped his hand on the sides of his pants before actually shaking her hand "My name is Kyle and this is Jason."

    She looked over at Jason with a smile "Nice to meet you Jason." Jason gave a nod with his emotionless face before putting up a peace sign.

    She pulled out her ticket and looked at it before looking at the numbers of the seats "Looks like I''m here."

    She then made her way past Jason as she sat down next to the window. It was only there for a split moment but Jason noticed the disappointed look that shed on Kyle''s face.

    Before Kyle could sit back down in his chair Jason said "Wait. You mind switching Kyle? I get kinda ustrophobic so being in the middle isn''t so great for me."

    Kyle looked at Jason with a confused look "Really? You''ve never-" Before he could finish what he was going to say Jason had jumped to his feet and pulled Kyle toward him.

    "Hahaha thanks Kyle. I owe you one." He then leaned in and whispered "You dumbass! I''m trying to help you out here."

    It was like a light bulb hade to life as Kyle had a look of revtion on his face. He smiled brightly at Jason "Hehehe yeah sure, no problem bro."

    The two of them then switched their seats as Kyle moved to the middle and Jason moved to the chair that was close to the aisle.

    After getting resituated Kyle looked over at Elizabeth with a silly smile on his face "So uh- yeah... This your first time going to New York?"

    Elizabethughed as she answered "Actually no. My parents are divorced. I live in California with my mom and my dad lives in New York.

    I visit him whenever I can so I''ve flown over a ton of times. How about you guys?" Kyle coughed to clear his throat.

    "Oh us? No this isn''t our first time. We travel all the -" He was interrupted by the sound of Jason coughing.

    He looked over to the side and saw Jason as he gave him a look. Kyle gulped and turned back to Elizabeth.

    "Actually yeah. This is our first time on a ne. My friend and I are going to New York because we got a invite from Nike for one of their training camps."

    Elizabeth leaned forward into her chair as she looked at Jason and Kyle with an excited look on her face.

    "Oh wow really!? That is so cool! What sport do you guys y?" Kyle was smiling ear to ear as he said "Take a guess."

    Elizabeth paused for a second to think. She looked at Kyle and then at Jason "Do you guys y baseball?"

    Kyleughed before answering "Nope. We both y basketball." After that they began to talk and chat.

    Their conversationsted all the way past the part where the airline attendants gave their safety talk.

    - - -

    Five hourster Jason and Kyle made their way off of the ne. They were finally here. They had made it to the JFK airport in Queens New York.

    Elizabeth waved goodbye to Kyle "Bye Kyle. It was fun meeting you and Jason. You have my @ so don''t forget to stay in touch."

    Kyle waved goodbye "I''ll send you a pic of the hotel room after we get there. Hope you have a good time with your dad."

    As Kyle walked next to him Jason couldn''t resist nudging him in the side with his elbow. Jason raised the pitch of his voice as he attempted to copy Elizabeth''s voice.

    "<em> You have my @ so don''t forget to stay in touch Kyle. I would be heart broken if the love of my life that I just met today forgot about me</em>."

    Kyleughed before yfully shoving Jason to the side "It''s not even like that bro. She''s just really nice okay?

    She has a nice voice, she''s understanding, pretty, has soft hair, and she''s easy to talk to." Jason rolled his eyes.

    "Sure Kyle. You''''re totally not head over heels for this chick. I mean, it''s not like you guys spent five whole hours talking nonstop."

    Kyle scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he looked down "I guess we did do a lot of talking on the ne."

    Jason and Kyle walked over to the spot where they were told to wait "A lot is an understatement. You guys were talking nonstop Kyle.

    But hey, you do you. There''s nothing wrong with liking a girl. Just do whatever makes you happy." Kyle looked at Jason with a questioning look on his face.

    "How did you know that I was crushing on her?" Jason smiled as he waved his finger "That was easy. You had that same silly smile that my dad has whenever he looks at my mom."

    Kyle nodded his head "I see. So why did you stop me from lying to her? Wouldn''t she have been more impressed if I told her that we fly all the time?"

    Jason once again wagged his finger in front of Kyle "You have much to learn young grasshopper. ording to my mom and all the K-dramas that she watches girls hate guys that lie.

    You might have impressed her for a while if you told her that you fly all the time and if you came up with a story.

    But you are a terrible liar Kyle and she would have found out as soon as you asked if there was a restroom on the ne. Then she would just be pissed at you."

    Kyle looked over at Jason "Hey! I can''t help it. I was just asking to make sure that there was a toilet nearby. That was my first time on a ne."

    Jason took a look around them "I wasn''t saying anything bad about you. I was just tellingyou why I did what I did.

    Now help me look around. Have you seen the Silva twins or 3D? They were only a few rows down behind us. They should be here by now."

    Kyle shook his head "I haven''t seen them. But I think I remember seeing Danilo and Alex sit down in a row behind 3D."

    Jason sighed "I guess that''s why they aren''t here yet. It might take 3D an extra thirty minutes just to get off the ne."

    After a few moments of them standing around in silence Kyle spoke "I don''t get it Jaya. You seem to be pretty sharp when ites to girls. So why are you so slow?"

    Jason looked at Kyle as though he were looking at a crazy person "What do you mean slow? After years of hanging out with my mom and Tory there isn''t anything about girls that I don''t understand...

    Actually scratch that. I know the hows but I don''t know the whys." Kyleughed "I would just say that you don''t know a lot."

    After about five minutes Jason and Kyle found a man dressed in a ck suit. The man was holding up a white piece of paper with Jason, Kyle, 3D, and the Silva twins'' names written on it.

    Jason and Kyle walked up to him and told him that they were still waiting for the others. After about ten more minutes of waiting Danilo, Alex, and 3D finally showed up.

    The man politely greeted them before leading them to the van that they would be taking. The man helped them load their things into the trunk before opening the door for them to get in.

    As Jason sat there in the van he couldn''t help but sigh as he stared out the window ''We''re finally here. This is going to be a training camp filled with the best young talent that the country has to offer.

    I''m already feeling hyped just thinking about it. I hope you''re ready Nike cause I''m about to tear this training camp up.''

 Chapter 191 - Arriving At The Hotel

    After close to forty minutes of driving the van finally arrived at their hotel in New York City. During the drive all of the boys except for 3D and Jaya were in awe as they saw the Statue of Liberty.

    For 3D this was his third time attending the training camp and so the sights didn''t really impress him all that much.

    As for Jason he had been a collegiate basketball yer in his past life so he had been to New York multiple times and had already had a chance to experience the city.

    The van pulled up to the front of a nice hotel. The driver then parked the van as he stepped out to open the door for the boys.

    The driver helped the boys unload their bags and luggage from the van as a bellhop then loaded them on to a luggage cart.

    The driver spoke to the bellhop. After their conversation the bellhop walked his way over to the boys as he greeted them with a smile.

    "Hello gentlemen. I do hope that your journey here was a pleasant one. My name is Antonio and I will be in charge of helping you during your stay here at the Autumn Rose.

    Nike has paid for the duration of your stay and this includes meals. Feel free to stop by any of our restaurants or cafes.

    Each of your key cards will alsoe preloaded with meal vouchers. You get three a day that restore themselves the following day.

    Of course if you feel like having a bite too eat but you are also feeling a bitzy then you can call for room service.

    The menus will be avable in your room. Once ordered the meal should arrive at your room shortly. Room service will also use up your vouchers so please keep that in mind."

    The bellhop pushed the luggage cart as he instructed the boys to follow him. He guided the boys to the front desk where the attendant took note of who had arrived.

    The attendant then gave each of the boys a keycard for their rooms. Jason and Kyle would share one room while Danilo and Alex would share a roomas well.

    3D was the only one by himself as his roommate had yet to arrive. 3D asked the clerk behind the desk "Do you know the name of the person that I will be sharing a room with?"

    Thedy shook her head as she smiled apologetically to 3D''s hulking frame "I am so sorry sir but ording to the amodations that Nike has set up we are not allowed to disclose any information on the guests staying here without their permission."

    3D thanked the clerk anyways as he followed the rest of the boys as the bellhop took them to their rooms.

    All of the boys had their rooms on the second floor of the hotel. Luckily for all five of them their rooms were all nearby each other.

    Jason and Kyle used their keycard to unlock their door as they stepped into their room for the first time.

    The room itself was nice and spacious. There were two queen sized beds one on each side of the room.

    There was also a small dining table and four chairs in the corner of the room. Jason and Kyle took their things from the luggage cart and carried them into the room.

    Jason cracked open both his luggage and his sports bag as he began to unpack. Kyle soon followed suit as they both organized their things into the closet.

    After close to thirty minutes of unpacking and organizing Jason and Kyle had managed to empty out both their sports bags and luggage.

    Kyle smiled as he leaned back and allowed himself to fall into his bed. The soft andfy mattress silently absorbed the impact as Kyleid there in a rxed and tranquil manner.

    "This is so awesome Jaya! We''re actually here in New York! Can you believe it?!" Kyle sprang up as he asked Jason.

    Jason just smiled at Kyle''s excited reaction "It is pretty sweet. But you shouldn''t be surprised man. Our hard work andmitment is what led up to this.

    As long as you put in the work and you treat the game right then it won''t let you down." Kyle thought for a moment before nodding his head.

    "I guess you have a point Jaya. But I can''t help but think about all the people that work way harder than me that still don''t have the opportunity to attend something like this.

    Just take a look at Matt. He''s been on the team sincest year and he''s been putting in a crazy amount of work this year.

    It almost seems unfair that I get to go to a training camp like this while he''s just there at home." Kyle''s words brought Jason back to his past life.

    He thought about all the work that he put in. All the countless hours spent practicing and training, all the blood and sweat that he had dly given up in the pursuit of greatness, and hisck of results.

    Some people might think that being able to y at a major program like UCLA would be a big enough achievement to be proud of.

    But for Jason that just wasn''t the case. He had been proud of his time spent ying as a Bruin. Those years of ying in college are memories that he would cherish forever.

    But to Jason he had always remained fixed on to one goal. He had always had his eyes on the pro league.

    It had been his number one dream to y on of the teams as a professional basketball yer. Jason sighed.

    "I understand where you''reing from Kyle. And even though I said that basketball always rewards you for your time and effort sometimes the rewards just aren''t on the same level of what you sacrificed.

    That can be one of the painful parts of the game. No matter how hard Matt works, no matter how many hours he spends practicing, he probably won''t reach the level of being an all time great.

    But just because you don''t have the chance to be the greatest or just because you don''t have the talent to be a star doesn''t mean that some people can just give it up like that.

    I guarantee you that even though Matt didn''t improve enough to get on the level of being invited by Nike he is still a hundred percent happy with themitment that he made to the game.

    No matter how small the improvements that he made Matt enjoyed the process. He''s one of those type of people.

    He loves the game for what it is. He didn''t start ying because he was super tall or super athletic. For him the grind is just another part of the game that he loves.

    So don''t say that you feel bad for him. If he was here to hear you say that he might be the one getting upset.

    The fact that he wasn''t invited will just give him another goal to work towards. It''s just going to help fuel him and help keep him focused."

    Kyle nodded his head before resting it on his pillow "Wow Jaya. I never thought about it like that.... You really are amazing."

    Jason wasying down on his bed. He turned his head and looked to the right where Kyle wasying down on his bed "I''m amazing for what?"

    Kyle shook his head "You''re amazing because even though you''re one of the most talented people that I''ve ever seen you can still see things from the perspective of people that have to work so hard."

    Jason was caught slightly off guard by Kyle''s remarks. He paused for a second "Hehe I guess so. But to be honest I feel like I''m closer to guys like Matt and Udonis than to guys like you or Danilo.

    You guys are lucky to be born with bodies that are perfect for basketball. If I didn''t work as hard as Matt or Udonis then I don''t think that I would even be here."

    Just as Kyle was going to refute what Jason had said he felt his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that Danilo was calling him.

    "What''s up Dlo?" Danilo answered back "Yo what''s up Kyle. Guess what? I just called the front desk to ask if they had a gym."

    Kyle sat up on his bed "Okay. And what did she say?" Danilo excitedly answered back "Dude! Not only do they have a gym that''s open 24/7.

    They have a full on basketball court! But that''s not even the best part dude. Thedy just told me that another group that was booked by Nike is currently ying on the court."

    Kyle was silent as he heard Danilo say that. Daniloughed "Haha you know what that means? Go grab Jaya and head down.

    We don''t have anything else to do tonight. Alex and 3D are already here. Let''s get some fives running!"

 Chapter 192 - The Texas Team

    Kyle told Jason about the conversation that he had with Danilo over the phone. As soon as he was done Jason was practically dragging him out of the room.

    "Come on Kyle! We have to hurry. We don''t want to miss out. This sounds like it''s going to be crazy fun."

    Jason and Kyle made their way downstairs. They then walked over to the clerk behind the desk and asked for directions to the gym.

    She smiled as she told the boys how to get to the gym. Jason nodded his head and thanked her before bolting in the direction that the clerk had pointed to.

    As Jason and Kyle approached the gym they could already hear the sounds of basketballs bouncing and sneakers squeaking against hardwood.

    With their sports bags slung over their shoulders the two of them pushed the doors open and walked in.

    It was beginning to gette so it was dark outside the windows but inside the gym it was actually very well lit.

    The brightness of the lights wasn''t too high to where it would strain your eyes. But the light was strong enough to where you were able to see even the small bumps on the basketball that helped to give ballhandlers traction and control over the ball.

    Jason looked out and saw that Danilo and Alex were currently ying a game of two vs two. Looking at them y Jason could tell that they were ying a half court game.

    Danilo was in a low defensive stance with his arms spread open like a bird of prey waiting for the right moment to strike.

    The yer that he was guarding looked to be around the same height as him at 5''10 (1.77m). He had long dreads that were all bundled together and tied into a ponytail.

    He had light brown skin and a frame that was closer to the bulky side of things. He smiled as he slowly dribbled the ball.

    "I thought you said you was good bruh? You one bucket away from taking a fat ass L" Danilo pped his hands together before staring his opponent down.

    "You got lucky and got on a hot streak. So don''t go talking all this trash before you win it. Shit might just bite you in the ass."

    "Ha! Whatever man. Just try not to cry too bad when you lose." With a quick crossover to his right and an explosive first step he actually managed to drive past Danilo.

    But Danilo''s recovery was just as amazing. Knowing that he had lost the battle of positioning against his opponent Danilo turned his hips and went into an all out sprint.

    The ballhandler might have had an incredible first step but his top speed must be a tier below it as he was soon caught up to by Danilo.

    After managing to catch up with his defensive assignment Danilo changed his stance once again as this time he was ready to shuffle his feet and stay in front of his man.

    The ballhandler tried to give Danilo a small bump as he drove to the basket but Danilo simply took the hit as he followed him into the paint.

    As they got closer to the basket the ballhandler picked up his dribble as he got ready for the shot. He leaped into the air.

    Seeing his defensive assignment jump into the air Danilo followed suit as he did the same. His leap was powerful and explosive as he was able to get visibly higher than the other yer.

    With both of his hand raised high it was evident that Danilo was prepared to swat away any shot as soon as he got the chance.

    ''You chasin the block huh? Well let''s see if you got what it takes to swat this one.'' With the ball resting in his right hand he began to raise it for theyup.

    But just as the ball looked like it was going to leave his hand he brought it back down and switched hands.

    With the ball in his left hand he was now going for a scoopyup. With a flick of his wrist the ball was sent flying up.

    The power behind the shot was just right as the ball looked like it would go up and fall through the perfectly.

    But right as the ball was rising Danilo struck as he pinned the ball to the backboard with his right hand.

    As he came back down to the floor the ball was in his possession. With a smug smile he turned to his opponent "Looks like I''m all warmed up."

    Jason was in silently watching in awe as he and Kyle walked further in to the gym "That was one hell of a block."

    Kyle nodded his head as he gulped "That jump was something else. It felt like he had all the time that he needed for the block."

    Jason and Kyle walked over to 3D who was sitting on one of the benches that were on the sides of the court.

    "Sup 3D. Why aren''t you ying?" 3D turned his head away from the game and looked at Jason and Kyle.

    He gave a simple nod of his head to the two of them "Little guy over there lied to me. He said that you and Kyle were down here already looking to run some fives.

    So when I got my ass over here and saw that it was just him and Alex I was pissed. The guys who were here already said some shit and got the little guy worked up.

    They wanted to y some three on three but I told them that I wasn''t feeling it. I''d rather go on a diet than run threes with that asshole."

    Jason and Kyle both nodded their heads in understanding after hearing what 3D had to say. Jason looked around and saw that other than the two who were ying against Danilo and Alex there were three more guys.

    The three guys were watching the game from the side with an air of confidence around them. They looked as though they were just watching a bunch of toddlers y.

    In the meantime Danilo had managed to get another stop as he forced the game to continue. Jason turned his sights back on to the game as he asked 3D.

    "So who are these guys? Seems kinda weird for some random people to challenge Danilo and Alex to a game."

    3D continued to watch the game as he answered Jason "Oh shit, nice euro. These guys got invites to Nike''s training camp just like us.

    Except that these guys are from Texas. You see the three over there? The ones just watching the game?

    Those guys are three of the five starters for Oak Crest Middle School. They made it to the top four at Nationals."

    Jason turned his head back to the three who were just watching the game. Even without an exchange of words Jason could feel his heartrate begin to quicken.

    Jason smiled as his hands were clinched in excitement "Really now? Hahaha training camp hasn''t even started yet but things are looking real fun."

 Chapter 193 - The Texas Team: Part-2

    Despite the horrible start that Danilo and Alex had they somehow managed to focus and lock in long enough toe back from theirrge deficit.

    After a few possessions the yer being guarded by Danilo noticed that his defensive capabilities really had increased.

    He passed the ball to his teammate who had been inactive so far in to the game. But that didn''t help much as Alex himself was an even better defender than his brother.

    Alex was able to rip the ball away from his defensive a few times while also locking him down with solid feet movement and active hands.

    With the ball in his hands Danilo stood at the top of the perimeter. The current score was 9 to 9. First to eleven wins but you have to win by two points.

    Daniloughed "I told you bro. You was doing so much talking before but now it looks like you and your friend over there are about to lose."

    The opposing yer red at Danilo "You ain''t won yet bitch. We were just taking it easy on you. Now we about to y for reals."

    Danilo grinned "Oh yeah?" He then brought the ball over to his left hand before going for a big crossover to the right.

    After the big crossover Danilo jabbed a step toward the right while adding a hesitation move. The defender fell for it as he sidestepped to the right.

    Danilo then pulled the ball back with a quick crossover to the left. After the ball reached his left hand he took a step back before repositioning the ball in his right hand as he got into his shooting form.

    The defender tried to recover but by the time he was able to close out and put his hand up the ball had already left Danilo''s hand.

    The arc of the shot was fairly tpared to the arc that a usual three pointer would have. The low flight path of the ball made it even harder to tell if the shot would go in.

    After finally reaching the basket the ball rattled around the rim a few times but it went in. Danilo pumped his fist in excitement.

    "GG mother fucker!" Danilo then ran his thumb across his neck "Haha I told you not to talk all that shit."Alex ran over to his brother and the two of them chest bumped in the air.

    After theynded back on the ground Alex pped his brother on the back a few times with a smile on his face.

    "That shot was crazy Dlo. That was a good game and everything but yall could have just yed one on one. Me and the other dude really didn''t do shit untilter on haha."

    Danilo chuckled as he returned the favor and pped his brother on the back a few times "My bad, my bad. I didn''t think it would y out like that. It sorta just happened."

    Before he could say anything else he heard some ppinging from behind him. He and Alex both turned their heads and saw Jason and Kyle walking towards them.

    Jason had a protein bar of some kind in his hand with a bite clearly taken out while Kyle had a big smile on his face.

    Kyle ran over and high fived Danilo "That game was crazy man! You really put the mps on the dude for thest half.

    The block that you had when the dude tried to switch hands and go for a scoopyup was insane!" Jason nodded his head as he swallowed the food that was in his mouth.

    He walked closer to Danilo and then stuck his fist out toward him "That was some good shit Dlo. Really nice stuff."

    Danilo smiled as he bumped Jason''s fist back with his own "Thanks. Nice to see that you two finally made your way over.

    And also, not that I''mining but it just feels weird for you toplement me with such a bored look on your face."

    Kyleughed "Hahaha! That''s okay man you''ll get used to it. Actually if you spend enough time with Jaya you can learn to read his face.

    Like right now. Jaya might look bored or unimpressed but he''s actually pretty excited." Almost as though he were trying to support Kyle''s im Jason casually nodded his head.

    Danilo tried to take a closer look at Jason''s face "This is excited?" He then leaned in and whispered to his brother.

    "Can you tell that he''s excited?" Alex thought about it for a second before shaking his head and whispering back "I can''t tell to be honest. I feel like Kyle''s talking some bs right now."

    As the group was talking and chatting the sound of pping drew their attention. They all turned toward the direction where the pping wasing from and saw the group of guys that had been watching the game.

    The boy in the lead spoke "Congrats on the W boys. Shit was nice. That three ball at the end tho? That was ice cold."

    Danilo gave a nod "Thanks." The boy continued "No problem man. This might be a shot in the dark but y''all got invites from Nike right?"

    Before they could answer the boy pointed at Jason "Cause I foh sho recognize this dude. Jason right?

    You the Chinese kid everyone was hyped for right? At least until you crash and burned in the state tournament."

    Danilo took a step forward "I don''t know who the fuck you think you-" before he could finish Jason stuck his arm out and stopped him.

    "It''s cool Dlo. No need to get heated." He then turned to the boy who had just been speaking "First of all I''m Korean not Chinese.

    Second of all I don''t know what you mean by crash and burn but my name is Jason and yes we did get our invites from Nike."

    The kidughed before putting his hands up "Ay I wasn''t trynna offend nobody. My bad if it came out like dat.

    The name''s Maverick Young but you can call me Monty. These here are my boys Big Stax and Jig. We from Texas just like the two clowns your boy yed against.

    But unlike lil Mike and SlowMo we actually know how to win haha." The guy that Danilo yed against ran up and yelled in protest.

    "Come on man! I told you not to call me SlowMo! It''s Mojo man, MO JO!" Monty turned around and looked at SlowMo.

    "Shut yo ugly ass up Maurice. Ain''t nobody talkin to you and your crooked ass hairline right now." Stax and Jig started tough after hearing Monty say that.

    SlowMo looked like he wanted to say something but Mike walked to his side and started to pat his shoulder as he shook his head.

    Monty then turned back to Jason and the group "We just got here today. We was gon stretch our legs and get some light work in but since y''all are here too then we might as well catch a full court game.

    You guys down for that?" Jason turned around to look at the guys "What do you guys think? Wanna catch a game real quick before dinner?"

    Kyle smiled "You already know that I''m down Jaya." Danilo and Alex both shouted out in unison "We''re ready."

    Just as Jason was about to turn around and tell Monty that they were down for a quick game he heard a voice shout out from behind him.

    "Ay add me in and we can run fives." Jason cracked a small smile as he recognized the voice. After some heavy steps 3D''srge figure was now standing behind Kyle.

    3D added "You can''t let these fools talk down to you man. You the one that beat me. If they talk shit to you then they talking shit to me by association."

    Jasonughed as he turned back to Monty "I guess you heard their answers right?" Monty pped his hands together "Looks like we got a game then."

 Chapter 194 - A Friendly Match- California Vs Texas

    Jason was sitting on one of the benches. He tied up his hair and put it in his somewhat iconic manbun.

    After tying up his hair he reached into his sports bag and pulled out the headband that Kyle''s mom had made back during the county tournament.

    As he pulled it out he couldn''t help but smile as he held it in his hand. After putting on the headband he changed out of his everyday wear shoes to his game shoes.

    Aftercing them up and making sure that they were nice and tight Jason stood up as he began to stretch.

    While stretching Jason would touch the bottom of his shoes to make sure that they still had good traction.

    ''Hmmm the right one has a little more tread and grip than the left. Am I using my right too much to pivot? Or am I shifting directions with my right more?''

    Not only did he check the condition of his shoes to check whether or not he needed a new pair. He even used something as seemingly ignorable as his shoe condition to try and analyze his game.

    As he stretched he couldn''t help but think back to the dialogue that just took ce a few minutes ago.

    ''Monty seems like the kind of guy that likes to be in charge. And it doesn''t seem like he''s all that close with the guys other than his actual teammates.

    I mean sure it''s a regr thing for friends to take shots at each other and to tease each other. But the way that Mojo reacted to Monty tells me that they''re not exactly friends.

    Monty and his friends sound like they''re from the Houston area. Mojo and Mike sound kinda different but I can''t really say for sure.''

    After spending a few minutes stretching Jason felt like he was ready to start warming up. He took the ball out of his sports bag and walked out to the court to get some shots up.

    Danilo and Alex were already in the middle of shooting some threes while 3D was practicing his post moves as well as his mid range shot.

    Kyle was practicing some hook shots while also rebounding the balls after everyone else shoots. Jason walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

    "How you feeling Kyle? First actual five on five game against people that aren''t on the same team as you since your injury."

    Kyle had a slight smile on his face as he answered "You know what Jaya? I actually feel pretty good. I''m excited for this.

    It''s a good thing that you pushed me to practice and to workout after getting back from that ankle sprain.

    The first few weeks were so rough. Walking and doing everyday stuff was cool. But once it came to basketball I felt like a stranger in a different body.

    It was like I lost all the confidence that I had in my body. I was afraid of jumping and running with everything that I had because I was scarred that my body wouldn''t be able to handle it.

    Thanks Jaya... I really don''t know how I would have gotten past that without you." Jason chuckled before giving a slightly stronger p on the back.

    "You would have been just fine bro. You have to start giving yourself more credit Kyle. Sure I was the one who initially dragged you into ying basketball.

    But by this point all the credit for your achievements and des are because of the hard work that you put in and the talent that you have."

    Kyle nodded his head before smiling at Jason "Thanks Jaya." Jason justughed again "There you go saying thanks again. Let''s just get some shots up and get ready for this game."

    Jason went back out to the top of the perimeter to practice his dribbling and his three point shooting.

    He then began to make his way inside as he got multiple shots in from different ranges and with different moves.

    After about ten minutes of warming up Monty looked over to Jason and his team''s direction and shouted out.

    "Yo Jason. You and your squad ready yet?!" Jason looked over to the other guys who then nodded their heads.

    Jason turned his head back to Monty and yelled out "Yeah we''re done warming up. But you mind giving us a few minutes to talk before we start ying?"

    Monty put his hands up beforeughing in a slightly condescending tone "Ay man y''all take all the time you need haha."

    Jason had the guys huddle together "This is our first time ying together so I won''t expect our teamwork to be perfect.

    But we are some of the best yers that California has to offer so we absolutely can''t afford to wet the bed today.

    I don''t care if this is just a friendly game at the gym. We''re reppin Cali today boys and I''ll be damned if I let some Texas cowboys get bragging rights over us.

    But that''s just me. How bout y''all?" Everyone looked at Jason with a determined look on their faces. Jasonughed.

    "Good to see that we''re all on the same page here. I''ll try to keep things short and sweet alright?" Jason then began to go over a simple offensive game n.

    What Jason was suggesting was that they use a simplified version of the triangle offense. 3D would take the Center spot and y the role of the strong side low post yer.

    Jason would run the point and move to the strong side corner after passing the ball to Danilo who would be ying the Small Forward position while also filling out the strong side Wing yer role.

    Kyle would have to y slightly out of position and take the Power Forward position and Alex would have to move over one spot to the Shooting Guard position while the both of them would be operating on the weak side of the court.

    As Jason quickly went over the different ys and the different ways that they could y out and develop he looked at Kyle and the rest of the guys.

    "What do you guys think? You following along so far?" Kyle and Alex both nodded their heads in response but Danilo and 3D both looked like they had something that they wanted to say.

    Jason nodded his head at Danilo "You look like you got something to say." Danilo hesitated for a moment before speaking.

    "Do we have to run the Triangle? Can''t we do something that''s a little more pick and role heavy?" Jason answered.

    "We can mix in some pick and role ys during the game but I don''t want to use that as the focus of our offense.

    It would take away from one of our greatest strengths. With the type of presence that 3D has in the paint I want him posting up more.

    Even if he doesn''t get a good look or produce a basket out of it he can pull the other defenders in towards him.

    Don''t get me wrong 3D has a really good mid range shot so he can space out the floor a little bit with his pick and pop and pick and role potential.

    But if we just do pick and roll ys 3D is going to get gassed with all the nonstop running. This is a pick up game you have to remember that.

    The pace is going to be a lot faster than an actual official game." Danilo thought about it for a second before relenting.

    "Alright Jaya. If that''s what you think then we can give it a try." Jason nodded his head before turning to 3D.

    "How about you? You look like there''s something on your mind." 3D said "I''m down for the game n.

    I was just wondering if we could operate on the right side. I like posting up on the right block more than the left and I''m more effective that way too."

    Before Jason could answer that Danilo shouted out "Hell no! Keep it to the left side. I''m used to doing most of my moves and attacking from the left.

    Why the hell should we switch things up just for you?" 3D looked at Danilo with a chilly gaze "The fuck did you say small fry?

    You should just keep your mouth shut and count yourself lucky that there wasn''t some random kid in here because otherwise we would just swap him out for you.

    The only reason I came down here was to y with Jaya and Kyle. You can go back to bed for all I care." Danilo rushed forward and grabbed 3D by the cor of his shirt.

    "I let your shit slide at the airport because of the police. But you must be letting that shit get to your head cause now you really talking crazy."

    3D''s gaze got even colder as he reached out and grabbed the cor of Danilo''s shirt. The size of 3D was on full disy as he managed to pull the shirt tight with just one of his hands.

    "You want to get into it right here short shit? There ain''t no cameras here so you better think this through before you end up getting tossed through a wall."

    Kyle and Alex were watching nervously from the side. They knew that even if they tried to stop those two there wasn''t much that they would be able to do.

    Forget 3D and his insane frame and strength. Danilo himself was just one step below Trell when it came to muscle and athleticism.

    Just when it looked like things were about to go bad a small figure walked to the side of the two of them and put his petite looking hands over theirs.

    Jason was standing right next to them and he had his hands on 3D''s and Danilo''s "You guys need to stop it with this pissing contest bullshit.

    You want to prove that you''re big and bad? Well do that shit on the court and against the other team you dumb fucks.

    Even if this is just a pick up game we''re supposed to be a team. But here you guys are about to go at each others'' throats before the game can even start.

    Aren''t you guys embarrassed?" 3D and Danilo both looked down at Jason. Even though his facial expression was the same deadpan look that he had most of the time for some reason they could feel an intense anger and frustration in his eyes.

    They both gulped before releasing their grips on each other''s shirts. Jason nodded his head after seeing that.

    "Good. Now get ready, stop fighting, and y some basketball. For god''s sake you guys act like its so hard to get along."

    And so they all began to walk to the center of the court as they got ready for the game to begin. Jason couldn''t help but sigh as he thought to himself.

    ''I thought things would be easy as long as you had talented teammates. I guess I was wrong. I just hope I can keep these guys from throwing hands at each other during the game.''

 Chapter 195 - A Friendly Match- California Vs Texas: Part-2

    Jason took a look at Monty and his team. Mike was the shortest one on their team standing at around 5''6 (1.67m).

    Then Monty, Mojo, and Jig were all around the same size as they stood at 5''10 (1.77m). Monty and Jig were on the thinner sidepared to Mojo.

    Big Stax was the tallest yer on their team. He had a darkplexion that was simr to the color of obsidian.

    His filled out frame was bigger than Kyle''s but noticeably smaller than 3D. He looked to be an inch taller than Kyle at 6-2 (1.87M). His hair was short on the top with a fresh fade on the sides.

    Monty, Jig, and Mike were a little on the darker side but it wasn''t to the level of Stax. They wereparable in skin tone to Udonis.

    Monty had his hair tied into braids in the style of Allen Iverson and he wore some low top sneakers with a ck wristband on his right hand.

    As everyone was making their way to the court and getting ready for the game to start Jason opened up the system and used Heart''s Eye.

    Stax:

    [Skills

    Free throw: B-

    Lay Up: B

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B-

    Three Point Shooting: B-

    Dribbling: C

    Passing: C+

    Ball Handling: C

    y Making: C

    Post Scoring: B-

    Rebounding: B

    Post Control: B-

    Perimeter Defense: D

    Post Defense: B-

    Steals: D+

    Blocks: B-

    Athleticism: B ]

    Mike:

    [Skills

    Free throw: A-

    Lay Up: B

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B+

    Three Point Shooting: B+

    Dribbling: B-

    Passing: B+

    Ball Handling: B-

    y Making: B

    Post Scoring: D

    Rebounding: C+

    Post Control: C

    Perimeter Defense: B+

    Post Defense: D+

    Steals: B-

    Blocks: D

    Athleticism: B ]

    Mojo:

    [Skills

    Free throw: S

    Lay Up: A-

    Dunking: D

    Close Shot: A

    Mid Range Shooting: C+

    Three Point Shooting: C+

    Dribbling: A-

    Passing: B-

    Ball Handling: A-

    y Making: C-

    Post Scoring: B

    Rebounding: C+

    Post Control: B-

    Perimeter Defense: B-

    Post Defense: C-

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: C-

    Athleticism: B+ ]

    Jig:

    [Skills

    Free throw: B-

    Lay Up: A+

    Dunking: B-

    Close Shot: A

    Mid Range Shooting: D+

    Three Point Shooting: D+

    Dribbling: D-

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: D-

    y Making: C+

    Post Scoring: B-

    Rebounding: B

    Post Control: B

    Perimeter Defense: B+

    Post Defense: B+

    Steals: B-

    Blocks: B

    Athleticism: B+ ]

    And lost but definitely not least was Monty.

    Monty:

    [Skills

    Free throw: A+

    Lay Up: A+

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: A

    Mid Range Shooting: A

    Three Point Shooting: A

    Dribbling: A+

    Passing: C+

    Ball Handling: A+

    y Making: B-

    Post Scoring: B+

    Rebounding: C+

    Post Control: C+

    Perimeter Defense: C

    Post Defense: D

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: D+

    Athleticism: A- ]

    Jason was slightly surprised by Stax''s skills ''Shit. It looks like Stax is a stretch Big. If you just looked at him his bodynguage and rough appearance would make you think that he''s a traditional Big that likes to bang in the paint.

    I hope 3D can cope with him. If possible I would Kyle on Stax but then that leaves us with another problem all together.

    From the looks of things Jig is probably their Power Forward. He looks like an athletic sher so there''s no way that 3D will be able to stay in front of him.

    We''ll just have to try putting 3D on Stax first. If he really can''t guard him out on the perimeter then we''ll have to think of something else.

    Monty is probably going to be the main focus of their offense. The fact that he has two of his teammates here is going to be a bit of a problem.

    They have a slight advantage when ites to team chemistry because they have three people that actually yed together before.

    If we want to win then we''ll have to y like a team and not just a collection of good yers.'' Monty picked up the ball as he volunteered to represent his team.

    Jason didn''t talk about it with his teammates but no one had an objection when he walked forward to shoot for their team.

    The two of them then began to shoot to decide first possession. Jason and Monty both started from the three as they didn''t bother with any free throws.

    Round after round Jason and Monty took turns draining shots from behind the arc. It took over ten round for them to decide who would start off the game with the ball.

    Luckily for Kyle and the rest of the guys Jason once again showed why he was one of the best shooters in the state as he beat out Monty in their shoot out.

    Monty was right in front of Jason. The smile disappeared from Monty''s face as he quickly pushed the ball toward Jason "Check."Jason was taken off guard as he didn''t expect Monty''s action.

    The ball hit Jason in the gut with a fair amount of force. But even though Jason was feeling a bit of pain his face didn''t show an ounce of it as he simply reached for the ball with his hands and nodded.

    With the ball in his hands Jason was in triple threat position as he scanned the court. He saw that 3D was already in position as he had his defender sealed off behind him on the right block.

    Jason passed the ball to Danilo who was standing on the right Wing. He then started cutting toward the right corner.

    Danilo caught the ball from Jason and looked out to 3D. After seeing that it was safe he then tossed the ball into the post to 3D.

    3D was posted up on the right block, Jason was standing in the right corner, and Danilo was standing around on the right wing.

    Meanwhile Kyle and Alex were over on the weak side as they stayed ready to read and react depending on how the y developed.

    As good as Stax might be on the offensive end of the ball he didn''t even stand a chance in guarding 3D in the post.

    With just a few pushes 3D was able to muscle his way in deep into the paint. Stax had his arms up as he tried to make things hard for 3D.

    But once 3D was that deep into the paint you could forget about trying to stop him. 3D drop stepped ,which pushed Stax out of the way, beforeying the ball in with a gentle finger roll.

    The ball swished through the and Jason ran up to 3D to high five him and to congratte him on the made shot.

    Jason pumped his fist as the two of them made their way back on to defense ''At least things are looking good on offense.

    Now we just need to see how well we can work together on the defensive side of the ball.''

 Chapter 196 - Bad Chemistry

    Stax took the ball and went out of bounds before inbounding the ball to Monty. With the ball in his hands and a grin on his face he began to make his way up the court.

    "Ay clear out! Clear out! Ima dance on this boy." Monty shouted out as soon as he crossed half court.

    He clearly didn''t think much of Danilo who was standing out on the perimeter to guard him. His teammates didn''t say anything after that as they simply cleared out the floor for Monty.

    Danilo red at Monty "You might want to tone it down on the showboating man. That shit didn''t work out too good for your other guy."

    Montyughed "Haha! You talking bout SlowMo? You in for a hell of a time if you think I''m on the same level as that loser."

    With a quick crossover to the right Monty began to drive in that direction. Danilo saw this and shifted his feet as he began to chase down Monty.

    "I got him, I got him!" Danilo shouted as he hurriedly shuffled his feet while keeping his hands up and active.

    Monty stopped on a dime, stepped back, head faked, then with a quick crossover he began to drive in the opposite direction.

    Danilo unfortunately fell for the head fake so Monty was able to create a few steps of separation between them.

    With Danilo a step and a half behind him Monty began to drive toward the paint. 3D was cheating off of his man a bit as his defensive assignment was standing in the corner while he stayed halfway between him and the paint.

    As he saw Monty driving into the paint 3D decided to try and contest his shot. 3D''s enormous frame dashed toward Monty.

    With the ball resting on the palm of his right hand Monty switched things up. As he was in the air he changed hisyup attempt into a pass as he tossed the ball to Stax who was now open in the corner.

    3D cursed in his head ''Shit!'' as he saw Monty kicking the ball out to the corner. Stax was a hundred percent ready as he caught the ball in his shooting pocket.

    Without a second of wasted time he went into his shooting motion. With a flick of his wrist the ball went flying.

    For a Big Stax had great shooting form. His elbow and forearm were perfectly aligned with the basket, his release was smooth, and the arc on his shot was high.

    The ball hit nothing but as it swished through. Stax held up three fingers on his hand as he fired off an imaginary arrow "My shot wet as hell today!"

    Monty and Jigs were high fiving and hyping up their teammate while on the other side Danilo and 3D were exchanging some heated words.

    "Yo why the hell didn''t you move up sooner?! If you switched on to Monty then I would have switched on to Stax!"

    "You got the balls to be yelling at me? Why the fuck did you let him beat you off the dribble like that? If you had stayed in front of your man then I wouldn''t have had to leave my guy alone in the corner."

    Jason had to resist the urge to face palm as he walked toward the two of them "You guys are in no position to y the me game because both of you fucked up on that sequence."

    Jason pointed at 3D "You should have moved up sooner to try and contain the paint. Danilo was right, if you had moved up sooner then he would have known ahead of time to switch on to Stax.

    Danilo has a better chance of closing out on a shooter in the corner than trying to contain a yer that already beat him off the dribble."

    Just as Danilo was about to thank Jason for backing him up Jason pointed at him "Don''t think that this means that you''re in the clear Dlo.

    You should have called for 3D to step up. As soon as you knew that you got beat and that you wouldn''t be able to catch up then you should have called it.

    Be more vocal next time. We can''t read minds and we haven''t yed with each other long enough to know each others'' tendencies and stuff so you need tomunicate better."

    Danilo and 3D both looked at each other before turning to Jason. Danilo sighed "You''re right Jaya. I''ll try to keep that in mind."

    3D added "Yeah, my bad." Jason nodded his head after hearing the both of them take a step back and acknowledge their mistakes.

    He patted the both of them on their backs "Good. Now let''s get back in to the game and teach these guys who they''re ying against."

    Although theirck of chemistry showed in the beginning with theirbined talent on offense and Jason''s on the court coaching on the defensive side of the ball they quickly managed to adapt to their new team.

    Even though their offensive system was basic and crude with not that manyyers for their ys to develop in to they managed to run it effectively.

    This was due to all of their yers buying in and ying their roles to their best abilities. With 3D being the main focal point on offense they were easily able to cause problems for Monty and his team.

    3D''s presence in the paint was enough to force double teams as soon as he got the ball in the post. This breakdown in the defense was more than enough to give Danilo and Jason the room that they needed to operate on offense.

    Although nowhere near the same level of talent or ability their offense somewhat resembled the Laker''s Triangle offense back when they had Shaq and Kobe.

    3D anchored their post presence just like how Shaq used to while Danilo yed the strong side wing position in a simr manner to Kobe.

    Meanwhile Jason focused on ying good defense and taking his shots within the flow of the offense. He yed the Ron Harper / Derick Fisher role.

    Although Kyle and Alex yed the weak side of the court they were still involved in the offense as they would asionally set off ball screens for cross court cuts or cut to the paint/ pop out to the perimeter.

    On the other side of the court things seemed to be getting worse and worse for the Texas team as the game went on.

    The Texas team''s offense seemed to be iso heavy as they focused on Monty to run their offense. Stylistically they resembled the Houston Rocket''s back when they had James Harden.

    Everyone would stand around and watch Monty dribble the ball as he tried to copse the defense. He would either dribble out on the perimeter and try to drive to the basket or he would take a step back three pointer.

    Although he was able to make a fair number of those threes Jason and his team were more than happy to give those types of shots to them.

    This type of offense didn''t just lead to a lot of bad shots. Even in the rare urrences where Monty was able to break down the defense and get to the basket there were times where his teammates missed their open shots.

    Monty drove to the basket forcing Alex to copse into the paint in order to try and contain him. He saw this and kicked the ball out to Mojo who was standing out on the perimeter.

    Mojo caught the ball and took the three pointer but unfortunately for him the ball hit the side of the rim.

    Monty called for a timeout as he stormed toward Mojo "What the hell was that bruh? This the third god damn brick you tossed up tonight!"

    Mojo red at Monty "How the hell you expect me to be in rhythm to make shots when ny percent of the time you got me just standing out on the perimeter with my thumb up my ass?

    You dribblin the air outta the damn ball man! Can''t nobody get in rhythm when we just standing around doing jack shit!"

    Monty got all up in Mojo''s face as he started poking him in the chest "How bout you just do what the fuck I tell you?

    I didn''t ask you for your useless ass opinion. I asked you to make a wide open three! If you can''t even do that then I don''t know how the hell you managed to get an invite to this training camp!"

    Eventually they had to wrap up their talk and get back in to the game. But it looked like their little conversation didn''t fix much as their teamwork got even worse after that.

    After two ten minute halves and twenty total minutes of ying Jason and his team won the game with a convincing score of 46 to 32.

    3D was their leading scorer as he clocked in a total of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Danilo was the second leading scorer with 14 points.

    In contrast to those two Jason''s 8 points and 5 assist might not seem all that impressive. But for anyone that watched the game they would tell you that his presence made a huge impact on the team.

    Jason had a smug smile on his face, or at least what he thought was a smug smile, as he made his way towards Monty.

    He stuck his hand out "That was a good game man. You showed some real nice moves out there." Monty looked at Jason''s outstretched hand before pping it away.

    "Man get that bullshit outta my face bruh. You think you hot shit just cause you got the pillsbury doughboy posting up for you?

    If it wasn''t for that fat fuck then you woulda gotten smoked son." Jason just shrugged his shoulders "Damn bro.

    You sound mad salty right now. This shit was supposed to be just for fun. There''s literally no reason for you to act like you got a stick up your ass."

    Jason turned around as he got ready to walk back towards Kyle and the other guys. But he was stopped by Monty who reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

    "Where the hell you think you goin?" Jason turned around and stared Monty right in his eyes "Who the hell you think you grabbing?"

    Monty let out a chillyugh "Hahaha the Chinese kid thinks he tough just cause can hoop a little. You outta watch your mouth shrimp or the grown folk gon have to educate your ass."

    Jason moved his arm up as he pushed aside Monty''s hand "The only grown thing about you is that you a grown piece of shit Monty.

    Now back the fuck off before you make me kick your ass off the court the same way I did it on the court."

    Stax and Jig both moved to Monty''s side after seeing how things went down. This caused Kyle and the rest of the guys to move up closer to Jason.

    Just as the tension was about to reach its peak the doors to the gym swung open as Jason and Kyle heard a familiar voice.

    "And the MC finally makes his timely appearance! Huh? I thought you guys were ying ball?"

 Chapter 197 - The MCs Entrance?

    Everyone''s attention turned to the doors of the gym as soon as they heard the voice. Standing at the entrance was an interestingly dressed Rudy.

    He was dressed in grey sweatpants and a gray hoodie. Normally that wouldn''t be all that interesting. But Rudy''s gray hoodie also had different manga panels from various different series.

    But that wasn''t all. His high top sneakers were bright white around the body with a solid ck tongue in the middle.

    He also had on a white headband that had a Ying Yang symbol in the middle along with small red Oni horns that stuck out on the sides.

    With his sports bag slung over his shoulders he paused for a moment before waving at the guys "Yo. Did I miss out on something?"

    Jason turned back around to walk away from Monty. He then put up a peace sign toward Rudy with his usual cold face.

    "Sup man. You didn''t miss out on much. Just short lesson on how to beat the brakes off of shit talkers."

    Rudy was silent for a second as he processed what Jason said. Then he took a quick look around. A momentter it was like a the pieces finally clicked together for Rudy as he began tough.

    "Hahaha! You cooking dudes up before the camp even starts? You a different level of savage man hahaha!"

    Monty''s face contorted in anger as he rushed out to catch up to Jason who had walked back to his group.

    While Jason was facing away from him he reached out to grab Jason''s shoulder. But before he could grab on to him he felt someone else grab on to his wrist.

    Without him realizing it Kyle had moved his tall and thin frame to his side. Kyle had a scowl on his face "Leave it alone Monty."

    Monty moved his head up slightly in order to look Kyle straight in the eyes "You feelin tough huh? You best get out my face bruh. Or do I have to remind yo light skin ass how to act?"

    He then shook his arm in an attempt to free himself from Kyle''s grasp. To his surprise his wrist was still locked in Kyle''s hand.

    Kyle stared Monty down "I know that your dark skinned and I know that I''m light skinned. But I also know that you want to mess with my friend.

    So I can''t get out of your face until you decide to just walk away." Monty was caught off guard. His mouth opened and closed a few times without him being able to form a word.

    The awkward silence was broken by Rudy''sughter and voice "Hahaha you might want to take your ck air force energy somewhere else Monty.

    Jaya Don''t look like it but he got some real connections bro. Some of my OGs know a couple of his people and they for real bout that life."

    Monty hesitated for a moment "I-I don''t give a fuck. I''m from H-Town man, you think you can scare me with something like that?"

    Rudyughed again before answering "Yo that shit might work on people that don''t know you but you can''t pull that shit on me Monty.

    I don''t get why you always gotta act like you from The Tre or The Nickel. You from River Oaks my guy.

    You ain''t gotta get your fam out the hood bro. Your granddaddy did that shit for you hahaha!" Monty, Jig, and Stax both went quiet after hearing Rudy say that.

    After a moment Monty opened his mouth "Fuck it! This shit ain''t worth our time. Let''s head out." Monty turned as he tried to lead his guys out of the gym.

    But after taking a step he stopped. He turned around and saw that Kyle was still holding on to his wrist.

    The vein on his head looked like it was on the verge of busting open "Why the hell you still grabbin up on me bruh!?"

    Kyle''s eyes went wide after he realized that he was still holding on to Monty''s wrist. He let go "I-I''m sor-"

    Before he could finish what he was going to say Monty turned around and lead Jig and Stax out of the gym.

    After they left Mojo and Mike awkwardly looked at each other and then at the other guys that were still in the gym.

    Mojo put up an awkward smile "Hehe well.... Umm... Good game y''all." The two of them then left through the doors of the gym.

    After everyone from the Texas team had left Danilo and Alex ran to Kyle. Danilo pped him hard on the back as he smiled.

    "Damn Kyle! That was so badass bro!" Alex nodded his head as he nudged Kyle in the side with his elbow.

    "Totally badass bro. You stared the dude straight in the eyes and said ''Leave it alone Monty.'' Hahaha I thought I was watching a movie for a second."

    Kyleughed before scratching the back of his head "Hahaha was it really that badass? I couldn''t tell honestly. My body just kinda moved on it''s ow-"

    As he was trying to finish his sentence his legs wobbled before giving out on him. Luckily Danilo and Alex were close by.

    The two of them caught him before he could fall. Kyleughed as he looked at his trembling legs "I knew something was off.

    I was wondering where all my fear went. For a second I thought that I was finally starting to learn how to be brave."

    Danilo and Alex helped Kyle as they set him down on one of the benches in the gym. Jason sat down next to Kyle and gave him a thumbs up.

    "You''re wrong Kyle. You are changing and you are getting braver. Being brave doesn''t mean that there''s nothing that scares you.

    Being brave means being able to do what you think is right despite your fear. Bravery is the act of action in the face of fear, not theck of it."

    Kyle was silent for a moment. Then he began to murmur Jason''s words back to himself "Bravery is the act of action in the face of fear, not theck of it."

    He then turned to Jason and put his arm over his shoulder as he pulled him into a bro hug. He then began to ruffle Jason''s hair.

    "For someone with such a mean face you say some of the corniest movie type stuff you know that?"

    Jason had his usual cold face as he pretended to struggle "This is what I get for trying to cheer you up? Man, my karma must be off wack."

    Their touching moment was interrupted by Rudy''sugh "Hahaha damn bro. That was such a anime thing to say.

    You almost sounded like an MC for a second. For a full score you should have mentioned how you would have his back no matter how many Admirals tried to keep you from breaking him out."

    Everyone almost fell to the floor after hearing Rudy''s tone deafment. Jason sighed heavily before face palming.

    ''I feel like he''s a good guy but he just has his head screwed on wrong. I hope I''m right.''

 Chapter 198 - First Night In New York

    Jason and Kyle were at the foot of the bed sitting on the edge watching as some highlights from a recent game yed on the TV.

    One the side of the bed were Danilo and Alex as their attention was on the game as well. Rudy had his hands behind his head as heid down on the bed.

    Meanwhile 3D was standing on the side as the vein on his forehead began to throb. He clenched his teeth as he forced out his words.

    "What are you guys doing in my room?" Jason replied without taking his eyes off of the TV "We just yed a game 3D.

    We hungry and we tired. Obviously we''re all here to eat dinner man." Kyle''s headful of short dreads bounced as he happily nodded his head "Yup yup. It''s dinner time."

    Danilo pumped his fist "Damn bro! Don''t do em like that TP. Did you see that? He didn''t just catch a body on that dunk. He caught two!"

    3D sat his huge figure down on the only unupied bed in the room. The bed sank in against the weight of his hulking frame.

    "So why are you guys here? You guys could eat at the restaurant or order room service from your room. You don''t need to be here."

    3D then turned to Rudy and pointed at him "And you! I don''t even like you bro so why the hell are you in my room? You don''t know me like that."

    Rudy was scrolling through his social media on his phone when 3D yelled at him. Rudyughed "Chill out tubby.

    The whole eat a meal together thing does sound fun but unlike these guys I have a reason to be here. This is my room."

    Rudy pulled out his wallet and he took a key card out from it. He waved it around as he held it in between his middle and pointing finger.

    "This is my room too." Danilo busted outughing and then started to p his hands "Hahaha! Aren''t you happy 3D?

    Not only do you have a roommate but you guys are perfect for each other. Gotta hand it to Nike. They actually paired the two most annoying yers in California in one room hahaha."

    Alex had a slight smile on his face as he nudged his brother in the side with his elbow "You can''t say stuff like that Dlo.

    You can mess with 3D but we aren''t that close to Rudy. He might actually get offended." 3D looked at them with an annoyed expression on his face.

    "You guys don''t know me like that either! Don''t act like we''re all friends now. We rode on the ne together and that''s it."

    Jason pulled a protein bar from the pockets of his shorts. He ripped the wrapper open before taking a bite out of it.

    Without taking his eyes off of the TV Jason responded with his usual emotionless face and cold tone "Don''t be like that 3D.

    We''ve been through the heat of battle together now at this point. It''s the perfect way to start a friendship."

    Kyle nodded before adding "Yeah 3D. Enemies bing friends after fighting against a shared enemy is one of the basics of shonen."

    Rudy added "Totally. The only thing that could make this an even more perfect shonen moment would be if you had some sort of devil or demon sealed away in your arm.

    Then we find out that the only way to free you from your curse is to win a national title because the demon that''s sealed in your arm is a huge basketball fan.

    Ooh then your dead grandpaes to the hotel just for you to discover that he didn''t actually die! And that he had to go into hiding because of an evil organization that''s bent on world dominatio-"

    3D stopped Rudy as he was in the middle of his tangent "Stop stop stop! I don''t even know what you''re talking about by this point.

    All I know is that you guys need to get out of my room because there''s no reason for you guys to be here."

    Jason finally turned his head away from the TV as he tossed the remaining half of his protein bar into his mouth before looking 3D straight in the eyes.

    "Come on 3D. You want to spend this entire time in New York by yourself?

    I get that we''re here to focus on basketball and to improve our skills at the training camp but you have to let out some steam every once in a while.

    All work and no y ain''t healthy for you bro. Humans weren''t designed to be able to focus all on getting work done. Sometimes you have to let yourself goof off and waste time."

    What Jason was saying now was something that he came to learn after his jump back in time. In his past life all he had focused on was basketball.

    His mind was fixated on the sole thought of making it to the pros and ying basketball on the professional level.

    But thanks to that he ignored all the other aspects of life that he should have been enjoying. He didn''t have any real friends other than Devin and Tory.

    He dated a few different girls but all of his rtionships were short term as the girls couldn''t handle feeling neglected because all he focused on was basketball.

    And although he cherished all the memories that he had made with all of his past teammates Jason realized that he wasn''t close to any of them other than Devin.

    As the years passed by Jason got older and older and before he knew it he was all alone. Tory had passed away from her unfortunate ident while Devin was traveling around the world as he received training from thepany.

    While his old teammates form UCLA would asionally post things on their social media ounts andment on each others'' posts Jason was the only one that they didn''t bother to keep in touch with.

    All he could do was silently watch from behind a screen as his old teammates congratted each other on major life milestones such as getting married or buying a house.

    And as much as he wanted to try posting or reaching out to his old teammates he just could never bring himself to do it.

    Now Jason is trying to achieve his dreams of bing a professional basketball yer while also improving the state of his own private life.

    3D went silent. The seconds turned into minutes as the silence continued while 3D looked to be deep in thought about what Jason had said.

    Finally he sighed as heid down on his bed "Whatever. I don''t have enough energy to waste arguing with you guys.

    Just order your food, eat, and get out." Jason cracked a small smile before pping Kyle on the back "You heard the man. Let''s try out the hotel''s room service."

    The boys all ordered from the room service menu. Jason ordered adouble cheeseburger with fries and arge strawberry milkshake while Kyle ordered a chilly cheese hotdog.

    Danilo and Alex both ordered servings of meatloaf with mash potatoes while Rudy ordered some ramen to be delivered to the hotel by a different restaurant.

    3D ordered a double cheeseburger as well but he thought that it wouldn''t be enough so he spent some more money out of his own pocket to order a super sized burrito from an outside restaurant.

    After about forty minutes all of their food arrived. The boys all sat down in whatever spot they could find as they chowed down on their food while also watching games and highlights from that day.

    The conversations went from who had the best handles in the league currently to what vor of milkshake was truly supreme.

    And as much as 3D liked toin about having all of the guys in his room he was cracking the asional smile and joined in on a few of the jokes.

    As Jason was sipping on the straw of his strawberry milkshake he couldn''t help but feel a warm sense of happiness as he saw all the guys sitting around like this.

    ''So far so good. New York has been a st so far. Ooh I should probably take a picture. I''m sure mom would like it."

    Jason pulled out his phone before turning the front camera towards himself and the other guys "Look over here guys. Let''s take a picture to celebrate our first night together in the Big Apple."

    Danilo and Alex both smiled at the camera. Rudy and Kyle were both doing a pose from something they called ''The Fusion Dance'' while 3D had an awkward smile on his face.

    Jason put up a peace sign as he smiled brightly "Say cheese!" And so their first night in New York city came to a close.

 Chapter 199 - A Big Day

    The entire stadium was packed to the brim. From courtside to the nosebleeds there were fans wearing their teams'' jersey as a show of support.

    The scoreboard read 105 to 104 as the Los Angeles Lakers trailed the Pornd Trail zers. The clock showed that there was only forty seconds left in the game.

    The bright lights of the arena beamed down on Kyle as he was breathing heavily. He looked out at the crowd ''There are so many people here. And there''s probably millions more watching the game from their homes.

    This is game seven and we''re down by one. It''s win or go home time. Can we really do this? Can we really bring home the chip?''

    Just as worry and doubt were beginning to fill his mind a familiar voice managed to clear his thoughts "Let''s do this Kyle."

    Kyle looked to the front of him and smiled after seeing Jason''s usual cold demeanor ''There''s no reason for me to be worried. Not as long as he''s here.''

    Kyle nodded his head before he threw the inbound pass to Jason. Jason caught the ball and started making his way up the court.

    His slow pace and rxed bodynguage denied the existence of any tension or nervousness that most people would assume to be present.

    The sense of nonchnce that he exuded would make any watcher think that this was a possession in the beginning of a regr season game in the middle of the year rather than the potentially champion deciding possession that it actually was.

    By the time that he managed to cross half court over five seconds had passed. He began to instruct his teammates to clear the floor as he called for an istion y.

    On the sidelines was the Trailzers head coach. He was going red in the face as he yelled out to his yers with everything that he had.

    "Double him! Double him!" "Twos are okay but don''t give up any threes! Don''t foul the shooters!" "No easy points! We just need to keep the lead!"

    As Jason began to work on his defender one of the yers from the opposing team left his defensive assignment alone on the right wing in order to double team Jason.

    Just as the other defender was halfway toward Jason he faked a pass chest pass to his open teammate on the right wing.

    The pass fake was enough to catch the attention of both defenders for a split second. At thest second Jason flicked his right wrist in order to change the trajectory of the ball.

    Instead of the ball flying to his open teammate on the right wing the ball bounced against the floor a few feet ahead of Jason.

    Jason ran toward the ball. As he regained control of the ball he began to drive toward the paint. With Jason attacking the basket the Center had no choice but to move up in order to try and contest his shot.

    Jason saw the massive seven footer (2.13m)ing toward him but instead of hesitating or changing directions he picked up his dribble as he then jumped into the air.

    The seven footer saw Jason jump into the air and did the same. But instead of shooting ayup Jason tossed the ball to the side of the basket.

    Fan andmentator alike both turned their attention to the location where Jason had tossed the ball to.

    Right at that moment Kyle''s long outstretched arm showed up. ''It''s so far away! Can I reach it? No! I can''t doubt myself! I have to go far it!''

    Kyle had jumped off of his two feet with everything that he had. As he looked at the ball that seemed so far away he stretched his hand out as far as he could.

    He was stretching his arm out so far that he felt like he was going to pop his shoulder out of ce. As his body reached the peak of his jump he just barely managed to catch the ball in his hand.

    Kyle was still a fair distance away from the basket as his body began to descend ''No time to think. Just do it!''

    As he swung his arm down he could feel some contact as one of the yers from the opposing team tried to block his shot.

    The defenders hand hit Kyle in the side of his face but he didn''t care. His eyes were locked on to the basket.

    The fully packed arena was silent as the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the referee blowing his whistle.

    As Kyle''s body continued to fall back toward the ground his fingers just barely grazed the rim as he threw the ball down toward the basket with authority.

    The ball swished through the powerfully. Kyle and the defender collided while they were in the air which caused them to fall to the floor.

    ''I made it? I MADE IT!'' Before he could even fullye to ept that he had made the shot Jason had ran his way toward him.

    He was yfully punching him in the chest with a huge smile on his face "You did Kyle! You fucking did it bro!"

    He then pulled him up and helped him to stand up. As Jason ruffled his hair Kyle began to cry "We did Jaya! We did it!

    We''re champions! We got the ring! We did it Jaya! We did it!" Before he could wipe the tears from his eyes a loud beeping sound caught his attention.

    Kyle turned toward Jason who still had a huge smile on his face "Did you hear that Jaya?" Jason asked "Hear what?"

    Kyle replied "I heard a really loud beeping sound." The beeping sound came back which caused Kyle to jump back "That! That''s the sound I was talking about."

    Kyle turned his head back toward Jason but now the smile from his face was gone and he was a lot shorter and looked a lot younger.

    "Wake up Kyle. Wake up dude we''re going to bete." Kyle had a confused expression on his face. He looked down at himself and noticed that he was shorter now too.

    He saw his image on the jumbotron and saw that he looked like a little kid just like Jason "Huh? We''re going to bete for what?"

    Just then an intense bright light filled his vision. The intensity of the light was so high that Kyle had no choice but to close his eyes.

    After blinking a few times his blurry vision cleared up. Instead of the Staples Center he wasying down in his bed back at the hotel.

    He rubbed his face with his hands a few times before turning to the side where Jason was "Huh? It was just a dream?"

    Jason tossed a tube of toothpaste to Kyle as he started to brush his own teeth "Hurry up bro. We still need to eat breakfast before the vanes to pick us up.

    It would beme as fuck to bete on our first day bro. Brush your teeth and toss on some sweats." Kyle got up from his bed and started to stretch.

    After a big yawn he felt a lot more awake "UHHHH man. Yesterdays game must have been harder on me than I thought.

    I haven''t slept that good in a while." Jason chuckled as he shifted his toothbrush to the side so that he could talk.

    "I don''t think that yesterday''s game was any bit harder than usual. It''s just that our bodies are kinda rusty from not having been in any serious games in a while.

    Now hurry up and get ready. We need to show up to the camp and make sure they know that Riverside is serious business."

 Chapter 200 - Unsettled Stomachs

    After brushing their teeth and getting ready Jason and Kyle made their way downstairs to the lobby of the hotel.

    As they were walking Jason couldn''t resist the urge to ask "So what were you dreaming about Kyle? You were making a ton of noise in your sleep.

    You were tossing and turning and then you started shouting ''We did it Jaya! We did it!'' What was that all about?"

    Kyle scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before answering "Uh-hmm.... So actually-" Kyle then proceeded to tell Jason about the dreamt that he had had.

    By the time Kyle was finished telling Jason about his dream they had managed to reach the lobby. After hearing what Kyle''s dream was Jason was silent for a moment.

    But the next second he startedughing "Hahahaha you''re starting to sound like a real hooper Kyle. When you eat, sleep, and breathe basketball that''s how you know that you really love the game."

    Kyle felt emberassed at first when Jason first startedughing. But after hearing what Jason had to say Kyle felt a little proud.

    ''Does this mean that I''m a real hooper now? Am I getting closer to Jaya''s level?'' The embarrassment disappeared and was reced with a bright smile.

    "I guess you''re right Jaya. I won''t argue with you when ites to hoops." Jason turned to Kyle and started wagging his finger side to side.

    "No no no Kyle. Part of being a hooper is making your own opinions from what you''ve seen and experienced.

    It''s kinda like barbershop talk. You''ll hear guys talking about who''s the best scorer of all time. Who''s the best defender.

    Which Big Man dominated the most during his time, who''s the best Big Man all together. And the most talked about topic: The GOAT.

    Being able to discuss and debate is part of the fun in being a hooper. Since we actually y our views are going to be different than those casual fans or even hardcore fans.

    Because we''re actually able to step on the court and y the game at a high level our opinions are going to be different.

    Check this out for example. People make fun of LeBron all the time for all his Finals losses even though the dude has a ton of rings.

    But real hoopers know that just being able to keep up that level of consistency and greatness for that long of a stretch ain''t no joke."

    Kyle nodded his head "You have a point there Jaya. I''ll start thinking of stuff to debate you about." Jason chuckled.

    "I think you got the spirit but you still seem a bit off the mark. But that''s okay. We''ll work on it some more after practice."

    As they reached the lobby the two of them walked up to the clerk to ask for directions to one of their restaurants.

    Thedy kindly smiled before directing them to one of their restaurants that was open for breakfast. Jason and Kyle thanked her before making their way there.

    It was early in the morning so there wasn''t that many people there. Jason and Kyle were able to quickly make their way to the front of the line as the worker then scanned their key cards.

    After following one of the workers to their table the two of them made their way to the food. Kyle looked out in awe at the amazing stretch of foodid out in front of him. He gulped "This is amazing."

    Jason couldn''t help but let out a smallugh at Kyle''s reaction "This your first time going to a breakfast buffet?"

    Kyle shook his head as he went over to grab a te "No but this is a lot fancierpared to Hometown Buffet."

    Jason wasughing as he made his way over to grab a te "Hahaha! You funny bro. This is on a whole differentpared to Hometown Buffet."

    After the two of them were done gathering their food they made their way to their table. Kyle had gotten a simple te of scrambled eggs, two chocte chip pancakes with syrup and butter, and a few pieces of bacon.

    Jason on the other hand had packed one te full of ham, sausages, and bacon while the other one had eggs benedict, scrambled eggs, brown rice, and a small bowl of oatmeal.

    Kyle looked at all the food that Jason had brought back to the table "Isn''t it a little early to be stuffing yourself like that?"

    Jason shook his head after taking a bite "Nah. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day bro. You need to make sure you got enough juice tost until lunch."

    Kyle shrugged his shoulders "I guess. Hey, why did we take the stairs? We could have saved some time if we had just taken the elevators."

    Jason swallowed the mouthful of food that he had inside his mouth before answering "The walk was a good warmup.

    We might not be all the way warmed up but we''ll have an edge against all the guys that are going to camp right after waking up."

    The two of them continued to eat their meal. After about fifteen minutes Danilo and Alex walked through the doors.

    Kyle waved at them. Danilo and Alex both smiled after seeing Kyle. The twins then made their way to Jason and Kyle''s table.

    Shortly after they were also joined by the dynamic duo of 3D and Rudy. The two of them were already going at each other first thing in the morning.

    "Bro you need to cover your fucking face when you sleep. I was awake all night because of your snoring."

    "Oh yeah? Well at least I don''t listen to fucking cartoon songs all night. I don''t how you''reining about not being able to sleep when you''re the one that kept me up all night.

    You don''t even understand the words that those chicks are saying. Why the hell are you so obsessed with those ugly twigs."

    Rudy turned to 3D and pointed his finger at him "Don''t you dare insult Hana and Airi. Just because they aren''t as fat as the Celebs we have here doesn''t make them ugly twigs.

    Besides, t is justice! t is life!" 3D looked at him as though he were a crazy person "What the hell are you even talking about?"

    The two of them saw the table with all the other guys and made their way towards them. Jason looked up at the two of them after eating a spoonful of his scrambled eggs.

    "Nice to see you two getting along so well first thing in the morning." The both of them scoffed before answering at the same time.

    "Who''s getting along? Me and him? Hey! Stop copying me!" All of the guysughed after seeing their littleedy routine.

    3D and Rudy went out to get their food. After they got back with their tes they decided to sit across from each other.

    Everyone ate while chatting and making small talk. After a few minutes Jason had managed to clean his tes empty.

    Danilo looked at Jason as though he were looking at a monster "Dude... How can you put away so much food.

    I mean, it would be one thing if you were a big ass dude like 3D. But you''re so small. Where does the food even go?"

    Kyleughed "You think that''s impressive? He already cleaned up his tes before you guys got here. Those were his third and fourth tes that he just cleaned up."

    Both Danilo and Alex had their jaws drop from shock after hearing that. Jason took a sip of water before trying to change the subject.

    "Yeah yeah I eat a ton. I already hear that enough at home guys it would be nice if I didn''t hear that during the training camp.

    Speaking of training camps. You guys been here before right Rudy? 3D?" 3D and Rudy both nodded their heads.

    3D took a napkin and wiped some grease off of his face before answering "This is my third timeing over.

    All the other times I''ve been to the camps they''ve been here in New York." Rudy added "This is just my second timeing here.

    Last year was a st though. The training camp happened at the same time that there was a convention happening.

    I actually got to talk to the voice actor for Hime from the Magical Maids series! She put her hand on my head and-"

    Jason put his hand up to stop Rudy "Basketball Rudy! Stay on topic. You were talking about training camp."

    Rudy rolled his eyes up "<em>Sigh</em>Fine" He then mumbled under his breathe "You''re no fun." He then continued.

    "Last year me and 3D stayed at this hotel along with the other guys from Cali that got picked. Those dudes from Texas were put here too.

    If they''re keeping things the same then there''s probably another California team and they''re probably staying at the same Hotel as the New York team."

    Jason''s eyebrow raised up "Oh? Why didn''t they put them here? Wouldn''t it be easier to manage things if all the teams stayed in one ce?"

    Rudyughed before wagging his finger at Jason "It''s because those guys are a different breed bro. The other Cali team isn''t made up of guys from different teams like us.

    They have the starting five from Golden Oaks Middle school. And the New York team has the starting five from Central Park Middle School.

    You know what those two schools have inmon?" Danilo and Alex both shook their heads along with Kyle.

    3D had an ugly expression on his face from hearing those two schools. Jason answered "Those are the two schools that have been dominating Middle school basketball for over ten years."

    Rudy leaned forward in surprise "You knew already!?" Then he had a disappointed expression on his face "Yeah, you got it.

    Golden Oaks have been the reps for California for over ten years now. Same thing for Central Park. But that''s not all."

    Rudy then looked at Jason with a questioning look as though he were quizzing him. Jason looked at Rudy for a second before adding.

    "Those two teams have also been the ones dominating at Nationals. For thest ten years the National champs have been either Golden Oaks or Central Park. Year in and year out it''s always those two teams at the Finals."

    That fact hit Kyle and the twins like a hammer hitting a bell. They were shocked to their core. 3D growled "Those stuck up pieces of shit think that they''re so much better than everyone else."

    Alex turned to Danilo "If they''ve been to the Finals for over ten years then....<em>Gulp</em> They must be really good."

    Danilo nodded his head in response to his brother''s statement. Kyle remembered what Jason had said on their way down about LeBron.

    ''Just being able to keep up that level of consistency and greatness for that long of a stretch ain''t no joke.''

    He tried to imagine what it would take to be at the highest level for that long. The thought of it scared Kyle.

    Just as the mood at the table was beginning to take a turn for the worse Jason''s voice brought everyone''s attention to him.

    "Hey Kyle you going to eat that?" Kyle saw Jason pointing at his stack of pancakes. It took him a second to process what Jason had asked.

    He then pushed the te toward Jason "Go ahead Jaya. I think I might have lost my appetite." Jason epted the te.

    He looked at Kyle "Lost your appetite? You okay?" Kyle nodded his head. Jason sliced up the pancakes and scooped up a few slices along with some butter and syrup into his mouth.

    "I don''t know why you guys look so scared. Those guys are all kids like you and me. All you have to do is beat them."

 Chapter 201 - Early Mornings

    What Jason had said was so simple and the manner in which he said it made it seem as though it were just a mundane task.

    But to all of the others'' it was just as surprising as the moment when they found out how dominant the two schools were.

    Jason''s words had caused a storm of thoughts to go through all of the guys'' heads <em>''Hahaha</em> That''s such a Jaya thing to say. I wonder if he knows just how hard the easy things for him are for everyone else.''

    ''I guess they were right when they said that the line between genius and crazy was thin. The way he thinks is really different.''

    ''So this is how winners think huh?Maybe me and Dlo need to change our mentalities. I''ll bug him for the two weeks we''re here. I''m going to get as much out of this trip as I can!''

    ''<em>Tch</em> of course we just need to beat them. I wasn''t worried for a second. There''s no one who can handle me.''

    ''Fuck that was such a cool thing to say! I can''t believe I let him steal the spotlight from me again! Next time for sure. I''ll show him what a real MC looks like hehehe.''

    Jason looked at everyone''s face and let out a small chuckle "You guys are thinking about things the wrong way.

    I''m not cocky enough to say that beating yers that have been at the top of their level for ten years is easy.

    But those kids aren''t the same ones dominating year in and year out. At most you spend three years in middle school.

    So the schools have new yersing in and out of their rotations. Sure the yers are probably really good if they were selected to be on the team for schools with presumably high standards.

    But I think most of the credit has to go to the coaches. Think about. The yers areing in and out every year.

    This means that their rosters are different every year. The only consistent factor is the coaches. They''re the only ones that are there every year."

    Jason''s wordsbined with his cool and unbothered delivery singlehandedly managed to shift the mood at the table.

    After seeing that everyone was no longer feeling down Jason grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth "Well, if we''re all done with breakfast then I think we should start heading out."

    Jason pulled out his phone and showed it to everyone "It''s already 6:45 and our itinerary said that the van would be here at 7 to pick us up."

    After hearing that everyone got up and followed Jason out of the restaurant. They walked back to their rooms and grabbed their sports bags before making their way back to the lobby.

    During their walk back to the lobby 3D couldn''t help butin as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead "Why the hell are we taking the stairs?

    They put elevators here for a reason." Jason gave 3D and the rest of the guys the same exnation that he had given Kyle.

    3D stopped in his tracks and turned to Jason with an annoyed expression on his face. He then raised his hand up as he gave Jason the middle finger.

    "Fuck you! Not everything needs to be about basketball you psycho. Jesus, is basketball the only thing you think about?"

    Everyone started tough as soon as 3D said that. Kyle patted him on the shoulder "Hahaha! Come on 3D you should know Jaya by now. The only thing that goes through his head is food and basketball."

    Jason rolled his eyes after hearing both of theirments "Well sorry I was trying to have your guys'' best interest at heart.

    I don''t know why you''reining. It''s not like I forced you guys to follow me. If you really wanted to take the elevators no one was stopping you."

    Now that they thought about it Jason was right. He didn''t tell any of them to follow him down the stairs or even to wait for him and Kyle.

    They could have gone straight downstairs by themselves after getting their sports bags from their rooms.

    For some reason that they couldn''t exin they just did. After 3D''s little outburst Rudy, Danilo, and Alex continuedughing as they all resumed their walk to the lobby.

    When they got to the lobby they saw the guys from Texas standing there with their own sports bags slung over their shoulders.

    Monty and his guys noticed Jason''s group and immediately began to mean mug them. Kyle, Rudy, Danilo, Alex, and 3D returned the favor as they began to stare them down.

    To everyone''s surprise Jason walked over to Monty and extended his fist out "Sup Monty." Monty was surprised for a second but a secondter he just rolled his eyes as he ignored Jason.

    Jason just pulled his hand back and shrugged his shoulders "You want to keep acting salty then that''s on you man."

    Jason did the same for Jig and Stax but they all followed Monty''s lead and ignored Jason. When Jason made his way to Mojo and Mike they both nervously looked at Monty before deciding return the gesture.

    Mojo bumped Jason''s fist back with his own "S-sup Jason." Jason nodded his head at Mojo "Sup Mojo."

    Afterwards Mike bumped back Jason''s fist when he made his way to him "Morning Jason." Jason gave Mike a nod "Morning Mike."

    After that Jason made his way back to Kyle and the rest of the guys. Rudy scoffed "You shouldn''t have bothered with those dipshits."

    3D nodded his head in agreement with Rudy "Yeah. You just wasted your time. It''s pointless trying to get along with dumbasses like that. Especially with fuckers like Monty."

    Kyle gripped his fist tightly. He felt angry for Jason "Yeah Jaya. I know that you''re a nice guy but some people just don''t deserve it. They just made you look stupid."

    Jason simply shrugged his shoulders "You''ve known me for close to a year now Kyle. When has the possibility of looking stupid ever stopped me from doing anything?"

    Kyle thought about it for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of defeat "Unfortunately never." Jason nodded his head.

    "Exactly. Besides, it''s not like they made me look stupid. If anything they''re the ones who made themselves look stupid.

    And you guys need to think about it like this. We''re not perfect. Sometimes we make asses out of ourselves.

    I like to give everyone a chance to show a better side of themselves. As long as they didn''t do anything way over my limit of course.

    Look at Mojo and Mike. If we just judged them based off of how they were yesterday then we would still think that they were the same as Monty and his guys."

    Kyle grumbled "I guess." Jasonughed as he pped Kyle on the back "You should know how important second chances are.

    Imagine if we just gave up on Trell andbelled him as an asshole. We gave him a chance and he turned out to be a lot nicer of a guy than he shows."

    Kyle looked at Jason and sighed "Don''t you ever get tired of being right?" Jason chuckled "No, because I''m wrong way more often then when I''m right.

    Ay yo the vans here. Guess it''s time to head out for our first morning of training."

 Chapter 202 - A Familiar Face In A Far Away Place

    As the van pulled up to the front of the hotel Jason saw a familiar face step out. It was the same driver that had picked them up from the airport.

    Jason waved hello to the driver "Morning Mr. Hond. It''s real cold out first thing in the morning huh?"

    He smiled as he walked over to Jason. The two of them shook hands "Good morning Jason. I told youst night that you didn''t need to be so formal with me.

    You can just call me Rob. Hahaha I forgot that you and your friends are from California. This might be cold for you but this is perfectly normal for New York."

    Rob then proceeded to put all of the boys'' sports bags into the trunk of the van before instructing them to board.

    As the boys got on the van it was as though there was a unspoken agreement between them as Jason and his group upied the seats on the right while Monty and the other boys from Texas took the seats on the left side.

    Mojo and Mike seemed to be the only ones that didn''t have a problem with sitting next to the boys from Jason''s group.

    The drive to the training facility was filled with thirty minutes of awkward silence. Rob asionally took a peak at the back with the rear-view mirror.

    Monty and his guys all had serious expressions on their face. While Kyle, Danilo, Alex, and 3D both seemed a little tense.

    Rudy was on his phone watching some anime using his earbuds and Jason was actually sleeping. He had his arms pulled into the inside of his hoodie so the sleeves were empty as his head leaned to the side.

    ''..... I guess my parents were right. The new generation of kids are always different than thest. Well at least some of them seem nice. That Jason kid was pretty polite.''

    After a rather awkward and silent thirty minutes of driving Rob smiled "Here we are guys. I introduce to you the Nike Sport''s Science and Training Center."

    Kyle shook Jason awake "Bro we''re here!" Jason woke up and rubbed his eyes for a bit before looking out the window.

    "Wow" Jason looked on in amazement. The building had a very modern architecture that almost made it look like a piece of art.

    The top had a soft inward curve with both sides connecting to tall towers that looked to be at least twenty floors high.

    The buildings themselves were a dark matted gunmetal like color with the iconic orange logo hanging in front of the center building.

    Rob drove the van to the front of the building before parking. He turned around to the boys and smiled "Good luck on your first day of training boys."

    The boys got out of the van and got their sports bags out of the trunk. As they were doing that someone came out from the building and walked toward them.

    Jason was still in the middle of pulling his sports bag out of the trunk of the van when he heard a familiar bright and bubbly voice.

    "Good morning everybody! First things first thank you for epting Nike''s invite to our annual Summer training camp for middle school level athletes."

    Jason paused ''It can''t be.'' The bright and bubbly voice continued "My name is Brianna Mason but you can all call me Brie just like the cheese hahaha.

    I''ll be one of the trainers in charge of your training during yours stay here! I''m also in charge of giving you guys a quick tour of the facility so feel free to ask if you have any questions."

    Jason picked up his sports bag and tried to keep a low profile. ''I can''t believe that it''s actually her. What the hell is she doing here?

    There''s no way she would recognize me right? I didn''t even spend a whole day training with her. I spent most of my time during Kawhi''s camp training with the 16 and up group.''

    Unfortunately for Jason she did recognize him. As he was trying to stay in the back of the group Brie looked in his direction.

    She paused for a second as though she werebing through her memories to confirm something. A split secondter her already bright smile got even brighter "Is that you Jason!?"

    Jason froze for a moment before lifting his head up. He looked at Brie and gave her a nod "Hey Brie."

    She ran over and pulled Jason into a tight hug "Look at you! Last time I saw you we were around the same height. You''re so big now!"

    Jason was now 5''7 (1.7m) so he was about two inches (5.08cm) taller than her now. She looked up at him with her usual bright smile.

    "You probably don''t know this but after your performance at Kawhi''s training camp you turned a lot of the trainers and the other staff into your fans.

    We even made a group chat so that we could keep up with each other and talk about everything you do. Here take a look."

    She pulled out her phone and passed it to Jason. He took a look at the group chat. It was made right after the end of Kawhi''s training camp.

    There were over twenty people in the group chat. Jason recognized a few names like Brie, Patricia, and Ben.

    They had conversations about the county tournament, about Jason''s performance at the state tournament, as well as his unfortunate injury.

    Jason passed the phone back to Brie "Wow thanks Brie. I didn''t know you guys were following me so closely."

    Brie smiled as she took her phone back from Jason "Of course we followed you. You showed us the highest work ethic that any of us had ever seen.

    And that''s saying a lot considering that we''ve worked with high level prospects and professional athletes. We couldn''t help but want to cheer you on."

    After hearing that Jason felt a tiny bit inclined to reciprocate some of the kindness and friendliness that Brie showed.

    He patted her on the back as he lightly hugged her back "Uh- thanks Brie. It''s nice to see you too but uh- do you think we could get back to the tour?"

    She let go of Jason and turned back to the other boys "Sorry about that. I was just a little surprised at seeing a familiar face.

    I don''t have a nonpete agreement with Nike so I took on a side job at Kawhi Leonard''s training camp where I met Jason.

    Anyways, that was a fun surprise but it''s time to get back to the tour. Follow me gentlemen and I will give you a quick look around the facility."

    Jason followed the rest of the group as Brie lead them into the Nike building. As soon as they stepped through the doors a faint sense of excitement began to spread amongst the boys.

    A few men with cameras were there to greet them as they pointed their cameras at them. Danilo asked "Who are these guys?"

    Brie smiled as she answered "If this is your first time here you might be surprised by a few things. Included in the package that was given to you along with your invitation was a pamphlet.

    In the pamphlet it tells you that during the duration of the training camp you would be filmed. This has many uses for your personalized training but the film also serves another purpose.

    We release a short documentary every year about the young athletes and their experiences at our training facility.

    We will also use some of the material for advertisement purposes. So don''t be surprised if you see yourself on TV."

    Alex nudged Danilo in the side with his elbow before whispering "I thought you said that you read the pamphlet?"

    Danilo scratched the back of his head before letting out a chuckle " I did read it.... I just forgot about that part."

    The boys continued their tour around the facility with Brie as the cameramen followed them. They visited the cafeteria where they would be eating their lunch if they so chose to do so.

    They then went to the courts that were designated specifically for their use. Next was the weight room with all of their advanced workout equipment.

    And then they visited the recovery center. In this room were all sorts of different pieces of equipment ranging from tables for deep tissue massages to cryotherapy champers that were worth millions of dors.

    After seeing all these new and impressive things Danilo couldn''t contain his excitement any longer "Excuse me Brie! How much longer will this tour be?"

    Brie smiled "Actually that was the end of the tour. The Recovery Center was the list item on the list of things I had to show you."

    Danilo pumped his fist in excitement "Yes! Does that mean we can start the training now? What are we going to start with?"

    Brie responded "You''re right on the money young man. We can officially start your training now." Danilo, Alex, and Kyle were all excited when they heard Brie say that.

    However their excitement died down after they heard the rest of what she had to say "And the first step in your training will be to get your data taken by one of our lovely researchers."

 Chapter 203 - A Familiar Face In A Far Away Place: Part-2

    Jason followed as a young man dressed in ab coat lead him to a room. He opened the door for Jason and smiled "The doctor is ready for you."

    Jason gave him a nod "Thanks" He then stepped into the room. He was surprised to see another familiar face sitting behind the monitor of aputer.

    "Nice to see you again young man." Jason paused for a moment before rubbing his eyes and taking another look.

    After seeing that he wasn''t seeing things wrong he walked forward and stuck his hand out "Nice to see you again Dr. Patricia."

    Patricia let out a giggle before gesturing to the chair in front of her desk "I told youst time that you could just call me Patricia. Take a seat Jason, make yourselffortable."

    Jason pulled the chair out a bit before taking a seat "I guess Kawhi must like getting his staff from Nike. First Brie now you.

    Should I be expecting any other trainers or staff members from his camp to show up here?" Patricia simply smiled after hearing Jason''s question.

    "Kawhi is a champion and a born winner. He doesn''t like to settle for anything less than the best. You should know that young man.

    And what better ce could you find to locate the best trainers, sports doctors, and nutritionists in the world than Nike?"

    Jason nodded his head "I guess you have a point. I''m still surprised that you guys could work at Kawhi''s camp.

    I can''t imagine that Nike is all that happy with sharing their best employees." Patricia looked at Jason straight in the eyes.

    "Oh trust me they aren''t. But the thing about being the best in your field is that you can make your own demands.

    Nike tried to get me to sign a nonpete agreement but I simply told them that I would turn down the employment offer.

    There were plenty of otherpanies offering to hire me. Not to mention all the other private clients that were willing to hire me full time.

    And so Nike had no choice but to give up on chaining me down if they wanted to gain my services."

    Jason gave Patricia a thumbs up "You''re a bad assdy Patricia." She simplyughed again before pulling out a stack of papers from her desk.

    "Hehe if you think I''m bad ass then you should talk to Brie some more. She might seem like a bit of an airhead but she''s a lot sharper than you would think.

    She''s only twenty four but she already has her Master''s and is currently working on her Doctorate. Nike tried to get her to sign a nonpete agreement as well but she simply turned around and walked away.

    They had to beg her toe back. She is one of the most sought after trainers in the world currently.

    Alright, that''s enough small talk. You''ve been through this before so you should know the drill. Strip down to your underwear and I''ll start taking your measurements."

    Jason nodded his head before taking off his clothes. A minuteter and he was standing on a scale in nothing but his underwear.

    Patricia let out another chuckle "Those are cute. Got tired of boring boxers?" Jason''s face blushed slightly.

    "My friend is really into anime. He gave these to me as a Christmas present." Patricia kept here eyes on the scale as she wrote some things down on her clipboard.

    "No need to be shy. I think the kitty cats are very cute. Okay, so your current weight is 128 pounds (58.05kg)

    Current height without shoes is 5''7 (1.7m) Now spread your arms open for me." Jason did as he was told.

    Patricia then pulled out device from the pocket of her whiteb coat that she then used to scan Jason from finger tip to finger tip.

    "Current wingspan is 5''7 (1.7m) very nice. Surprisingly your wingspan has grown along with your height.

    Looks like your dedication to proper nutrition and rest has shown some results. Thest time I took your measurements your wingspan was shorter than your height."

    ''Instead of dedication to proper nutrition and rest its more like a dedication to using my cheat system.''

    Jason joked inside his head. To others Jason''s growth in height and wingspan might look like a side effect of his high nutrition diet.

    But only Jason knew that these changes were mostly due to the system and all of its benefits. Patricia then proceeded to measure his hand size and leg length.

    "Alright Jason, that''s enough with the physical measurements. For the next part I will be recording your data as you perform some physical activities. Are you ready?"

    Jason nodded his head "Whatever you need Doc. You want me to jump just say how high." Jason then put his clothes back on before following Patricia out of her office.

    Patricia lead Jason to the weight room where Jason could see the other guys ''Looks like everyone else is done with getting their measurements taken.''

    A section of the weight room was cleared out and set up with other pieces of equipment. One of which included a pole used to measure vertical jumping ability.

    Jason walked over to the group "Sup guys" Kyle and the rest of the boys all weed Jason as they got ready for the next portion of the data collection.

    Rudy was the first one to go. The scientist in theb coat told him "Whenever you''re ready Rudy. Remember to jump straight up.

    No steps. This is to test your stand still vertical jump." Rudy nodded his head "Gotcha." He took a moment to concentrate.

    After taking in a deep breathe Rudy bent his knees down before exploding back up with all the strength he could muster.

    He stretched his hand up as far as he could as he knocked back the marked sticks attached to the pole.

    The man in ab coat walked over to Rudy "Good job Rudy. Now let''s see.... Standing vertical jump: eighteen inches."

    Rudy stuck his chest out as he held his head up high "Hahaha that was nothing. I could probably get it over twenty if I feel like it."

    One by one all of the boys got their standing verticals measure. Monty and his boys all went one after the other.

    Jig had the best results out of all the boys from Texas. His standing vertical was twenty inches. Monty was grinning from ear to ear as he hyped his boy up.

    "Haha that''s what I''m talkin bout dog. They don''t make em like they do in Texas I tell you dat. We just built different."

    Rudy couldn''t help but bark back at him "Don''t get so full of yourself Monty. It didn''t work out that well for youst night."

    Monty rolled his eyes at Rudy as he scoffed "Bruh, why the hell you keep bringin up the past. Soundin like a whole ass female over there.

    Right now we talkin bout god given talent and ability. This the typa stuff that you born with. Workin out only gonna help you with so much."

    Rudy responded "Oh yeah? Well lets see how long you can keep talking all that trash." The rest of the boys from Jason''s group proceeded to get their standing vertical measured.

    Alex tried his best but only managed to record a 15 inch standing vertical. Up next was 3D who barely managed to get 13 inches on his standing vertical.

    Monty wasughing so hard that tears were beginning to form in the corner of his eyes "Hahaha! That fat ass could barley get his feet off the ground.

    Ay yo someone hang a donut on the ceiling. That might actually get him to jump higher hahaha!" Rudy and the rest of the boys could feel their faces get hot after Monty''s mocking.

    Danilo was next as he got into position. He closed his eyes for a moment before leaping into the air "HUH!"

    As his hand pped the marked sticks back his head was filled with fury ''Let''s see if you can still talk shit after this Monty!''

    The scientist then went over to record the official results. He paused as the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

    "T-twenty two inches. Standing vertical jump is twenty two inches." Rudy ran up to Danilo and jumped on his back.

    "Way to go man! Hahaha! I guess we still the ones on top. Cali in the house! Hahahah!" Jason walked over and high fived Danilo "Nice on Dlo."

    Danilo smiled as he then shook Rudy off of his back "I was just warming up. If I wanted to I could probably get close to thirty hehe."

    Jason just let out a small chuckle as he heard Danilo''s bluff. He knew that Danilo was only saying that to get on Monty''s nerves.

    Monty rolled his eyes "Whatever, y''all just got lucky with that shit." Jasonughed "Oh yeah? You''re up next Kyle. Go show them what you got."

    Kyle looked at Jason with a determined expression on his face before nodding his head "Yeah" He then walked his way over to the measuring pole.

 Chapter 204 - Collecting Data

    Kyle looked up above him at the measuring pole ''I can do this. I can do this. Just rx and jump like you always do Kyle.''

    He took a deep breathe before closing his eyes for a second. Then he bent his knees down before swinging his arms up as he exploded with all the power he could generate.

    As his body was rising he opened his eyes. His vision locked on to the marked sticks attached to the pole. He stretched his arm as far out as he could as he reached for the highest point possible.

    He smacked the marked sticks back as his body began to descend. His knees bent back down as he absorbed the impact from his jump.

    The researcher smiled as he walked to Kyle "Great job Kyle. Now let''s see...Huh!? 28.... Standing vertical jump is 28 inches (71.12cm)."

    Rudy ran over to Kyle and jumped on his back just like how he did with Danilo "That''s what I''m talking about bro!

    Hahaha suck it cowboys! Looks like Cali boys are the ones that are built different hahaha!" Jason walked over and patted Kyle on the shoulder "Nice" He then gave Kyle a thumbs up.

    Kyle smiled at Jason "Hehe I just tried my best." Over on the side Monty looked like he was about to burst a vein.

    "So what you got two dudes that can jump high. They ain''t even the best ones on y''all squad. Let''s see how high Asian dude can jump."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "I got a name bro. You can call me Jason. And I''ll be the first to admit that I ain''t no athlete.

    But that didn''t stop me from whooping your guys'' assst night now did it?" Jason made his way to the vertical measuring pole as he finished his words.

    Monty contorted his face as he couldn''t think of anything to say back to what Jason had said. There wasn''t any fanfare or build up as Jason simply jumped.

    He knew his body the best. And even though he had been working like crazy to mold and improve his body for basketball he was still far from being a top ss athlete.

    As Jason''s body reached the apex of his jump he swung his hand toward the marked sticks attached to the vertical measuring pole.

    He bent his knees as hended to absorb the impact and stood back up as Patricia personally went to go take a look at the results.

    "Hmm 14 inches (35.56cm) ." She turned around to face Jason "Your standing vertical jump measured out to be 14 inches (35.56cm)."

    Jason simply shrugged his shoulders "Well that''s that." To others it would seem like Jason wasn''t taking the standing vertical test seriously.

    This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to impress apany like Nike with his results. But Jason already knew that even if he tried his hardest he would be able to improve his results by an inch at most.

    Even with what Jason had said before Monty couldn''t help butugh after seeing his results "Hahaha! What happened bro?

    You barely jumped higher than Dough Boy over there. My granmama got a bad hip and even she coulda did better than that hahaha!"

    Kyle scrunched up his face as he looked like he was about to walk over to Monty. But Jason just patted him on the shoulder.

    "Forget it Kyle. It''s not worth it to get into it with people like that. He can''t do a damn thing to us on the court so he has to get his shits and giggles in whenever he can."

    Kyle took onest look at Monty before taking a deep breathe in and calming down "Yeah, you''re right Jaya. it''s not worth it."

    After getting their standing vertical jumps measured they then measured their vertical jumps with a running start.

    Without any surprise it was once again Kyle and Danilo that stood at the top. Jig was a tight third ce as he just barely got a lower score than Danilo.

    While Jason just barely managed to out perform 3D for the second time.

    Monty had an annoyed expression on his face as he had to deal with Rudy''s gloating and bragging once more as Jason''s group outperformed his group once again.

    Monty clenched his teeth "Y''all goin down for reals now. This next part is all bout muscles. For sure we can out lift all y''all."

    For the next portion of the physical tests they had the boys lift weights. The dumbbells were allid out in front of the boys as the researchers asked them to curl the heaviest weight that they could handle.

    All of the boys from Texas managed to max out on twenty pounds (9.07kg) except for Mojo and Mike who only managed to curl 15 pounds (6.8kg).

    While only Danilo managed to curl twenty pounds (9.07kg). Jason, Kyle, and Alex just barely managed to curl fifteen pounds (6.8kg) Monty was pping his leg as heughed.

    "Told y''all man. Texas boys grew up on BBQ and cornbread bruh we filled out. Y''all Cali boys probably eating sds and drinkin green juice too much hahaha!"

    Jason rolled his eyes "I wouldn''t count your chickens so early Monty. We still got one dude left to go." Jason then tilted his head toward 3D.

    "Go do your thing 3D." He nodded at Jason before making his way to the dumbbell rack. Everyone''s eyes nearly popped out of their heads when they saw 3D pick up a 35 pound dumbbell.

    "UGH!" 3D''s face started to go red and the veins on his head swelled up as he tried to lift up the massive weight.

    The weight began to move up but stopped just as it reached the halfway point. 3D took three quick and deep breathes before going in for onest push "AHHHH!"

    As he yelled out the dumbbell moved up until hepleted the whole curl. 3D dropped the weight back on to the rack as he then stumbled a bit after finally rxing his body from all the tension that it had been under.

    Rudy ran over and for the first time he actually had a smile on his face as he spoke with 3D "Way to go Tubby!

    That was some crazy shit bro. I thought you were about to transform for a second." 3D grabbed a white towel and wiped the sweat off of his forehead before turning to look at Rudy with a confused expression on his face.

    "Huh? What the hell. Transform into what?" Jason made his way over and pped him on the back "Don''t worry about 3D.

    If there''s anything that I''ve learned from hanging out with Kyle for this long it''s that the more you try to think and understand them the more of a headache you''ll get."

    The rest of the guys made their way over as well. They surrounded 3D and congratted him while also hyping him up.

    On the other side of the room Monty was clenching his fist as he stared daggers at Jason and his group ''You little shits! Y''all celebrate while y''all can. You ain''t gon be kekekein for too long.''

    Patricia pped her hands to get the boys attentions "Hello gentlemen. Thank you all for allowing us to collect your data.

    I know that this isn''t the most exciting part of the camp but it is important that we have proper baselines for all of you so that we can tailor your training to the best of our abilities.

    We have some more exercises to go through and more data to collect but you can go ahead and take a small break. You all deserve it.

    Go ahead and grab some lunch. You can go out to eat or you can eat the lunch here at Nike. Just make sure that you''re back in an hour so that we can continue the training."

 Chapter 205 - New Friends

    Jason and the rest of the boys from California walked to one side of the room and took a seat on the benches.

    Jason looked at all the other boys as he spoke "Nice job out there fes. So we have a whole hour for lunch. What you guys feel like doing?"

    Rudy put his hands behind his head before looking up at the ceiling "I don''t know about y''all but I''m finna take a nap right quick. I ain''t really all that hungry yet."

    Jason and 3D both turned to look at him as though they were looking at a crazy person. 3D used his white hand towel to wipe some more sweat from his face.

    "I knew you were weird but I didn''t think you were actually crazy. We''ve been here for hours now bustin our behinds and you''re not hungry?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah bro. You telling me, that after all that working out, that you ain''t hungry?"

    Rudy rolled his eyes "Whatchu mean work out? Bruh, deadass all they had us do was jump and lift a bit of weight.

    You goofies acting like they had us out here doing a whole ass marathan." Kyle looked at Rudy with a confused expression.

    "A whole as what?" Rudy took his hands from behind his head and put them to his side as he turned to Kyle and responded annoyedly.

    "A marathan. You know, those races where they make you run a fuck ton." Kyle shook his head before responding.

    "I think you mean marathon bro. I have never heard anyone call it a marathan." Rudy was stunned for a second.

    "You know what I meant man. I didn''t know you were a part of the grammar police." Kyle responded "That''s not even grammar though. You literally just said the word wron-"

    Jason waved his arms around to get everyone''s attention "Alright! That''s enough getting side tracked. We we''re talking about ns for lunch."

    Jason then let out a deep sigh after face palming "I swear. I know that we''re all kids but sometimes you guys be acting like toddlers.

    So what should we do for lunch?" Everyone looked around but no one said anything. Jason let out another sigh "How about we start off by taking a look at the cafeteria?"

    Seeing as how no one had any objections or other suggestions they all got up and started making their way to the cafeteria.

    After a short elevator ride and a brisk walk the boys found themselves at the cafeteria of the training facility.

    After getting a look at the food that the cafeteria was serving Jason immediately frowned "It all looks so.... dry."

    3D nodded his head as he added "And vorless. What''s the point of cooking healthy food if no one wants to eat it."

    Danilo responded "So it looks like lunch here is a no go. Should we go get something to eat outside? We can justeback after we''re done."

    Jason turned to look at him "You know any good ces to eat?" Danilo shook his head. Jason scrunched up his face as he began to fall deep into thought.

    But before anything could pop into his head Kyle nudged him in the side with his elbow. Jason turned to Kyle "What?"

    Kyle pointed to something "You seeing this Jaya?" Jason turned his head in the direction that Kyle was pointing in and saw something... strange.

    Off in the distance was a girl dressed in athletic gear. That in and of itself wasn''t strange considering that this was a training center ran by Nike.

    They probably had athletes of all ages training here other than their group. But the strange part was how the girl was moving around.

    She was ducking behind pirs and peeking around the corners. Jason sighed "Just ignore her. First rule about life Kyle.

    Always ignore weirdos. Doesn''t matter if you''re at Hollywood looking at the stars or in New York trying to get something to eat.

    Just mind your business. Pretend that you don''t see anything. You understand?" Jason looked at Kyle who then nodded his head.

    After seeing Kyle nod his head Jason added "Good. Now let''s get out of here. We can just look up some food ces close by with google maps."

    The boys followed Jason as he exited the cafeteria. All together their group made their way to the front entrance of the facility.

    Just as they were about to step out the doors the girl that had been moving around in a odd manner approached them.

    She put her arms around Jason and Rudy "Sorry bout this but act like y''all know me. Keep it natural."

    Everyone looked like they wanted to stop and asking just what it was that she was doing. But Jason kept walking as if nothing had happened so the boys decided to follow his lead.

    As their group walked out of the training facility Jason asked "We''re out of the building now so how about you tell us why you had to sneak out of there."

    The girl did a double take as she looked at Jason as though he had an extra head growing out the side of his neck "How''d you know I was sneakin out?"

    The girl was about 5''6 (1.67m) and she was dressed in an all ck running suit. She had golden brown skin and her long curly hair was tied into a ponytail.

    She had a deep voice for being a female of her size and the New York sound was very heavy in her ent.

    They kept on walking as Jason answered her question "You were looking around the ce like you were trying to avoid security and then you joined our group to try and blend in.

    Common sense and a little bit of deductive reasoning would lead anyone to the same conclusion." The girl took another look at Jason before letting out a small chuckle.

    "Yo you soundin mad smart. Dude always talk like this?" Kyle, Rudy, Danilo, Alex, and 3D all nodded their heads simultaneously.

    The girl startedughing "Hahaha! Damn bro, these yo homies? They did you dirty G hahaha!" Jason shrugged his shoulders.

    "Eh it''s whatever. But back to the topic at hand. Are you going to answer my question? If not then we''ll just be on our way. We only have an hour for lunch so we can''t really waste any time."

    Jason then started to walk away. The girl stopped him before he could take a second step "My bad my bad.

    I didn''t mean nothin by it alright? Just a few friendly jabs man. Anyways, y''all really helped me out. Good looks.

    My name is Jasmine and I''m actually a boxer that''s training at the Nike Center. They got me on a strict diet but I can''t stand the food over there.

    Deadass everything they serve is worse than a fuckin schoolie. Like I ain''t even yin that shit is so ass. That''s why I snuck out.

    You guys said you was on yo lunch too right? How bout this. I know a ce where we can grab somethin decent to eat.

    There''s a bodega close by and the ock always hooks it up. All they food go stupid bro ain''t none that chopped shit that you see at fast food ces."

    Rudy turned to the other boys "You guys understand what she''s saying? What the fuck is a bodega?"

    Danilo shook his head "Shit bro, I have no idea. And what the hell is an ock?" A smile started to bloom on Jasmine''s face as she looked at the boys.

    "Yo! You guys ain''t from around here huh?" Jason and all of the boys shook their heads. She justughed.

    "Hahah that''s settles it then. I can''t just leave you guys alone after helpin me out like that. Follow me to grab some food. And don''t say no cause you gon get me tight."

    Kyle whispered to Jason "What does that even mean? Bro, I thought New Yorkers just had an ent. But she''s speaking a whole ass differentnguage."

    Jasonughed as he whispered back to Kyle "I think it means that if we say no then she''ll get upset. You''re right bro.

    New Yorkers really have a whole differentnguage that they use other than English. But she seems pretty friendly.

    If she wants to repay us so bad I say that we let her." Jason turned to look at the other guys "What do you guys think?"

    Everyone just silently looked at Jason. They were collectively giving him a look that said ''We''ll follow your lead.''

    After seeing everyone''s response Jason turned back to the girl "We''ll take you up on your offer Jasmine."

    He then stuck his hand out in front "My name is Jason. These are my friends Kyle, Danilo, Alex, Rudy, and 3D.

    We all came here from California because we got invited to Nike''s training camp. We all y basketball."

    Everyone then proceeded to shake hands with Jasmine after Jason had introduced them. Jasmine smiled "Nice meeting you guys.

    Trust me you guys are going to have a st. Especially now that you have me. I''m a New York native so I know all the best ces.

    Now let''s go get something to eat." And so all the boys began to follow Jasmine as she walked out of the gates to the Nike training facility.

 Chapter 206 - Numbers

    Back at the Nike training facility. Patricia was standing in a room with another researcher as they both looked at lines of data on a monitor.

    A picture of one of the kids would pop up along with lines of data. Patricia kept looking at the monitor as she wrote things down on her clipboard.

    "Hmm interesting. Kyle Robinson: current height 6''2 without shoes (1.87m), current weight is 146 pounds (66.2kg), hand length is 8.3 inches (21cm), Wingspan is 6''6 (1.98m), standing reach is 8''2 (2.48m)

    Carter, this was the boy that recorded the twenty eight inch (71.12cm) standing vertical correct?" Carter, the other researcher in the room with her, nodded his head.

    "Yes Doctor Miller. Kyle Robinson is indeed the athlete that recorded a twenty eight inch (71.12cm) standing vertical.

    He is currently one of the best athletic specimens that we have seen in over a decade. Even without taking a look at his performance with other drills his standing vertical jump is enough to solidify his ranking."

    Patricia nodded her head as she continued to write down notes "I have to agree with you one that. Hisbination of standing reach, wingspan, hand size, height, and leaping ability make him an elite athlete.

    And when you factor in his young age and potential for future growth you''re practically looking at a monster in the making.

    And although we haven''t ran any tests yet just from watching his film and highlights its apparent that not only is he supremely gifted with elite physical measurements and jumping ability.

    He possess a great deal of body control and coordination. A lot of tall kids often suffer from reduced coordination or at best are normal.

    Kyle on the other hand is able to move his body mid air in order to adjust his aim when blocking shots, as well as run the floor like a gazelle.

    This kid practically has it all. The only thing that is potential holding him back is his willowy frame andck of power."

    Carter nodded his head "Yes, in the physical department the only thing that Kyle iscking is size and power.

    But he is also very raw as a yer. ording to all of the film that we have gone over Kyle averaged a mere three post ups per game this season.

    And his point production per post up is actually in the negatives. Hecks the offensive skill set to generate points in the post as well as a reliable jump shot.

    From the free throw line he shot only 64 percent. The majority of his points came from assists and put backs within five feet (1.524m) of the basket."

    Carter nodded his head before jotting down his own notes. He then looked up to Patricia "So shall we add him to the list Doctor Miller?"

    Patricia nodded her head as she kept her attention on the monitor "Yes. Go ahead and add him to the list.

    If he can survive the vetting process and obtain a high rating will be all up to him." Carter flipped the pages until he got to a specific page. He then wrote down Kyle''s name.

    He then pressed a button on the keyboard which changed the picture being shown from Kyle''s to Jason''s "Up next we have Jason Yang.

    Official name on documentations is Jason Yang. The Korean name he was given by his parents is Yang Tae-Hyun.

    If I''m not mistaken this is also the athlete that drew your attention Doctor Miller." Patricia nodded her head in acknowledgment.

    "Originally I wasn''t assigned to work on this training camp. But it came to my attention that this child would be attending.

    I have worked with him before at a prior training camp. He somehow piqued my interest. You could say that I am somewhat invested in seeing his journey.

    Only as a fan of course. I would never allow my own personal interests to affect my work. The amount of preferential treatment he would receive is negligible."

    Carter didn''t entirely believe Patricia when she said thatst part. But he knew better than to voice his opinion to his direct superior.

    "Hmm well in any case. This Jason Yang kid could be said to be theplete opposite of Kyle Robinson.

    While Kyle is a supremely gifted athlete and physical specimen who is raw in terms of skills Jason is the definition of being a yer over an athlete.

    He has a jump shot that is mechanically sound with textbook form. His handles aren''t the shiest but they are tight, under control, and get the job done.

    His shot selection and decision making on the court is enough to make him any coach''s best friend. He never has a boneheaded moment and he recorded one of thee best assist to turn over ratios for yers that have his high of a usage rate.

    Skills wise he is clearly one of thee most polished yers in the country for his age. However he does have some major downsides.

    Hisck of athleticism puts a clear ceiling on his potential. A ceiling that many schools and programs think that he will hit very soon.

    His physical measurements are also another negative that brings his overall rating down for most scouts.

    Jason Yang: current height 5''7 without shoes (1.7m), current weight is 128 pounds (58.05kg), hand length is 7.37 inches (18.71cm), Wingspan is 5''7 (1.7m), standing reach is 7 feet 5.4 inches (2.27m)

    His current measurements don''t leave much hope for major changes in the future." Patricia frowned for a split second.

    The duration was so short that Carter didn''t even notice the change in her expression "He should have been on our lists before the camp right Carter? What does his ranking look like?"

    Carter took a moment to clear his throat before speaking "Not only do I have his ranking on our list I also managed to get a hand on some other unofficial lists as well.

    These haven''t been publicly released yet and I had to call some of my friends in order to get this. Under Armour, Draft Xpress, Hoops Nation, and Summer Labs both have Jason ranked 20-25 for middle school yers in the country.

    Our own unreleased list has him as the 21st best yer in the country in terms of middle school basketball."

    Patricia thought for a moment "isn''t that a little low? I would have expected him to be ranked in the top fifteen at the lowest.

    There are yers that didn''t even get an invite to the camp that are ranked higher than he his."

    Carter shook his head "His ranking dropped after he was eliminated at the state tournament. Hisck of presence at the National tournament lowered his rating.

    While his counterparts were able to boost their rating by performing well at the National tournament."

    Patricia fell silent as she continued to write down notes. After an awkward moment of silence Carter spoke up.

    "Actually I wanted to talk to you about his ranking Doctor Miller. The higher ups actually want to boost his ranking."

    For the first time since they had started working Patricia took her eyes off of the monitor as she turned her attention to Carter.

    "Oh? And why is that? Knowing those money grubbing pencil pushers they wouldn''t do something like that without reason."

    Carter gulped as the pressure that Patricia naturally exuded as one of the top figures in her profession intimidated him.

    "Uh-umm. Well, the reason why they want to boost his ranking is because they''re hoping to use him for marketing purposes in Korea and other parts of Asia."

    Patricia raised her brow "And why are you telling me this?" Carter paused for a moment before continuing.

    "Seeing as how you''re somewhat a fan of his I thought that you would be happy to hear that his ranking would improve.

    That and we actually need your help. If we just casually increase his ranking without any reason and then use him as part of our marketing then it would be too obvious.

    Thepany wants you toe up with some tests or drills that we can use to justify boosting his ranking."

    Patricia nodded her head as she fell silent. As experienced as she was she knew that those weren''t thepanies only intentions.

    ''They want me to put my name next to Jason''s ranking. They''re hoping to use my credibility and reputation to sign off on his rating.

    That way if Jason underperforms or flops they can simply say that they were listening to the opinion of one of the worlds leading sports scientist.

    These scheming bastards. At least try to hide your greed and ambition.'' Patricia was silent for a moment. She then cracked a small smile.

    ''I wonder how that kid is going to handle this whole situation.'' She then smiled at Carter "Sure. Go ahead and tell the higher ups that I''lle up with something.

    But if I''m going to do this I wantplete control over this training camp." Carter gulped before nodding his head "I''ll let them know."

    Patricia nodded her head before turning her attention back to her notes. As she tried to get back into her work Jason''s face popped into her mind.

    ''I wonder how the kid will handle this.''

    - - -

    Jason, Kyle, and all of the other boys were drooling as they caught a scent of delicious food while following Jasmine to a corner store.

    Jason gulped as he swallowed his saliva "I don''t know what that smell is but go ahead and get me four. I''m starving.''

 Chapter 207 - Good Food And Good Vibes

    Jasmine smiled as she turned back to look at the boys "You guys are gonna love this. Ain''t nobody do it better than Habib."

    She then pushed the doors to the corner store open as she walked in. She smiled at waved at the man behind the cash register "Yo Habib! How you doin bro."

    The man turned to Jasmine and smiled "Ay Jasmine! What you doin here? Ain''t you supposed to be training right now?"

    He then turned his attention to Jason and the boys as they walked in to the store "And who the hell are these guys?"

    The man looked to be in his early thirties orte twenties. His skin was dark brown and he had a short beard that looked good with the snapback that he was wearing.

    Jasmine pointed at them "These some new friends I met today. They came all the way out from California.

    I thought I would do em a solid and show em where they can get some of the best grub in New York so I took em here."

    She then turned around and looked at the boys "This here is Habib. His parents own this ce and he''s been helpin em run it since as far back as I could remember."

    Habib shook his head as he smiled "I was still in middle school when you came in here for the first time with your Ma.

    I can still remember your lopsided haircut and your big ass overbite like it was yesterday hahaha." Jasmine blushed a bit.

    "Shut up Habib. Or should I tell my friends about how you wouldn''t stop listening to JuiceWorld after you got dumped for the first time."

    Habib put his hands up "Woah take it easy Jasmine! I was joking, hehe, just some fun and games. Wee to New York boys. Hope you enjoy your time here.

    You said you guys were hungry right Jasmine? So what can I get you?" She smiled "You already know Habib. Chop Cheese, get us like eight of them bad boys."

    She turned back around to the boys "You guys are eaters right? Or are you some skinny type treeshes?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "I don''t know what a treesh is but me and 3D can eat. As long as youput some food in front of us we''ll pack it away."

    Jasmineughed "That''s what I like to hear. You heard the boy Habib. Get us eight fresh ones. And don''t skip out none."

    Habib flipped her off "Hahaha real funny Jasmine. You know I ain''t ever skip out on nothin." He then turned to Jason and the rest of the boys.

    "You guys met her at the Nike Center didn''t ya?" Jason and the other boys all nodded their heads. Habibughed "Ha! I knew it.

    Jasmine only be steppin around two different ces. The Bodega and the Nike Center. What sport you guys y?"

    Rudy raised his head up and puffed up his chest "Consider yourself lucky Habib. You''re looking at some of the best middle school basketball yers out of California."

    3D added "Correction. These guys are some of the best middle school basketball yers out of California. I''m the best Center in the country."

    Danilo scoffed "You haven''t even yed a second of high school basketball. I''m sure you would get your ass handed to you."

    3D didn''t even bother to shift his sight to Danilo as he responded "I could hold my own against anybody. I don''t give a damn if they''re in high school or in college."

    Habib looked at the boys and asked "You guys are the best basketball yer out of California? That''s funny, you don''t look like the guys from Golden Oaks."

    Rudy and 3D had their faces darken as soon as they heard Habib mention Golden Oaks. Jason simply responded.

    "Golden Oaks might have won the state tournament but that doesn''t meant that they''re the best team in California."

    Habib cracked a small smile as he turned his attention to Jason "Oh? And why''s that little man? Last I checked winning the state tournament means that your the best team in that state."

    Jason shook his head "They might be the best team in California, and they might not be. All I know is that I can''t say that a team is better than mine if we haven''t yed.

    You could be a high school yer, college yer, or even a pro. Hell, even if MJ and LeBron somehowbined their powers into a single person I still wouldn''t say that they were better than me before we even yed.

    Unless we go toe to toe, mano a mano, head to head, I ain''t ever gone put someone above me." What Jason said could be taken to be very conceited.

    But one thing that Jason had learned ever sinceing back to the past is that if he wanted to be a star yer then he had to change his mentality.

    The old mentality that he had formed in his past life wouldn''t work for him now because that was the mentality that he had formed back when he was a role yer.

    To be a star yer a specific type of mentality and self belief was necessary. And to be a leader as a star yer required a level of swagger and charisma.

    Habib chuckled after hearing Jason''s exnation "I like your moxie kid. You talkin a little crazy and most people would probably cut your ass. But I like it.

    Tell you what. Since you a hooper here in New York for the first time I''ll make things interesting for you. See that trash can right by the bathroom door?

    If you can shoot this ball of paper straight into there then consider your food on the house." He then offered the crumpled up ball of paper to Jason.

    Jason turned his head to look at the trash can. The trash can was a small one. It didn''t have a lid and the opening was the size of a grown man making a circle with both his hands.

    The trash can looked to be about fifteen feet away from where Jason was standing. He turned back to Habib "Eight seems kinda low. You wanna make that 10?"

    Habib started hugging his sides as heughed loudly. He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as hisughter began to die down.

    "Hahaha! You drive one hell of a bargain. Alright kid, you got me. If you can make that shot then I''ll give you guys the-"

    Jason grabbed the crumpled up ball of paper out of his hand. He bounced it up and down a few times before throwing it right over his shoulder. He didn''t even take a look at the trash can.

    The crumpled up ball of paper flew through the air before falling straight into the trash can. Habib and Jasmine were both stunned as their jaws dropped.

    They were still staring at the trash can when Jason''s voice pulled their attention back to him "So how long''s the food gonna take?"

    - - -

    A few minutester Jasmine and the boys were walking out of the corner store with some brown paper bags in their arms.

    Jasmine turned around and looked at Jason as though he were a monster "How the hell did you do that?! You weren''t even peepin when you tossed the paper."

    Jason had just unwrapped his sandwich and taken a big bite out of it "Hmmm the ground beef was perfectly seasoned.

    The onions are perfectly grilled. Just the right amount of cheese. The bread is toasted to perfection. This thing is too good."

    "Hello? Yo Jason you there?" She reached out with her arm but just as she was about to grab Jason''s shoulder Kyle grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her.

    She looked at Kyle "What?" Kyle let go of her wrist and then waved his finger at her before swallowed the food that was in his mouth.

    "Don''t bother him. He likes to analyze the first bite whenever he eats something good." Jasmine scrunched up her face as she looked at Kyle questioningly "What?"

    Kyle then pointed to Jason "He''s having a moment right now. I know it''s weird but just let him do his thing."

    Jasmine took another look at Jason. He was eating the sandwich but he looked spaced out. His eyes were set in front of him but he was clearly looking past everything.

    Jasmine sighed "First he does some bad ass shit like back in the Bodega now he goes around and acts like a damn goofy. Is he always like this?"

    All of the boys nodded their heads in unison. Kyleughed "Jaya is definitely..... special. He doesn''t really act his age.

    But one thing that anyone will tell you is that when ites to basketball Jaya is no joke. Speaking of basketball.

    Habib was talking about the guys from Golden Oaks as if he''s ever seen them. What''s the story behind that."

    Jasmine took her sandwich out of the brown paper bag and unwrapped it. She took a bite and swallowed before answering Kyle''s question.

    "Oh. That''s because he has seen em. They was here at the Bodega just yesterday." Kyle and the rest of the boys were all shocked when Jasmine said that.

    Rudy asked "Why were the guys from Golden Oaks here?" Jasmine took another bite out of her sandwich.

    She pulled out a napkin and wiped her mouth "My brother goes to Central Park. They had practice against each other yesterday. My brother took em here after they were done."

 Chapter 208 - Party Foul

    Alex, Danilo, Rudy, 3D, and Kyle both froze up as they heard Jasmine announce that. Out of nowhere Rudy throws his sandwich on the floor.

    He then moved to the side and started throwing up. Alex looked at him with a confused expression on his face "You okay man?"

    Rudy raised his head up and looked at Alex. He saw him take another bite out of his sandwich and immediately ran over to him.

    He pped the sandwich out of his hands. Alex looked at him as though he were looking at a crazyperson.

    "What the hell are you doi-" He couldn''t finish his words as Rudy grabbed him and made him hunch over.

    Rudy was grabbing Alex''s face and shouting "Throw it up! Spit out everything! Hurry before it''s toote!"

    Danilo rushed over and tried to pull Rudy off of his brother "What the fuck are you doing Rudy!? Get your hands off of him!"

    Rudy stubbornly fought to keep Alex in his hold "I should be saying that to you! I''m trying to help your brother out!

    He needs to yak right now! He has to spit that shit out! And no one else take another bite! We all have to purge our systems! We''ve fallen for their trap!"

    Kyle walked over and joined Danilo in trying to pry Rudy off of Alex. After a couple seconds of struggling they finally managed to separate the two.

    Kyle looked at Rudy questioningly "What was all of that about?" Rudy took a second to dust himself off and to straighten up his clothes that had gotten messed up in the previous struggle.

    "You guys still haven''t figured it out? Jesus, just take a second to think about it. The first day of practice we coincidently bump into the sister of someone that just so happens to be from Central Park?

    I bet he sent his sister over to sabotage us. These sandwiches were probably drugged or something!"

    Jasmine and the rest of the guys all looked at Rudy like he was a crazy person. Before he could say anything else Jason walked over to him and grabbed him by the ear.

    "You ruined my wonderful experience with a Chopped Cheese just to talk crazy?" Rudy tried to turn his head to look at Jason "What the fu-"

    But Jason pulled his ear up even harder "I know you like to get lost in your anime fantasies and whatever but this is too much Rudy.

    You threw a whole ass sandwich on the floor bro. You wasted some perfectly good food. And you didn''t even pay for it. You just wasted good food and Habib''s work."

    Jason pulled out one of his extra sandwiches from his paper bag and handed it to Alex "Here. You need to eat before we head back out to the training facility."

    Alex was somewhat surprised "Huh? Oh, thanks." Jason just nodded his head before proceeding to pick up and clean the mess that Rudy had made by throwing the sandwiches on the floor.

    After throwing all the trash into a nearby trash bin Jason looked at Rudy "I don''t want to be a party pooper or a vibe killer.

    But some shit is just too much bro. Just because Jasmine has a brother that ys for Central Park you all of a sudden think that this is all a trap?"

    Rudy couldn''t think of anything to say as he silently stared at the floor. Seeing Rudy''s reaction Jason sighed. He then pointed at Jasmine.

    "That''s messed up bro. She just wanted to take us to her favorite local spot and share some good food. You owe her an apology."

    Normally whenever anyone tried to tell him that he was in the wrong or try to correct him Rudy would feel attacked or be too embarrassed to admit that he had made a mistake.

    But for some reason when Jason was the one to do it all he felt was guilty and bad. Rudy hesitantly raised his head and looked at Jasmine.

    "Sorry." Jasmine awkwardly chuckled "Hehe it''s cool.... I guess I should have told y''all that my lil bro yed for Central Park after finding out that y''all hooped too."

    After apologizing Rudy couldn''t help but keep his eyes locked on to the floor ''Fuck. They''ll probably rub this shit all in my face. They''ll clown me nonstop and talk some mad shit.''

    But instead of the harsh words that he was expecting all that came was a friendly pat on his shoulder.

    He turned his head and saw Jason patting his shoulder. Jason and Rudy made eye contact. Jason simply raised his hand up and gave Rudy a thumbs up.

    "Nice. As long as you can recognize when you fuck up and own up to it then there''s still hope for you."

    Rudy was stunned for a moment. It took him a second to fully process what Jason had said. He nodded his head "Thanks."

    Jason gave a satisfied nod before reaching back into his paper bag. He pulled out thest sandwich that was in there and offered it to Rudy.

    "Here. You only took a single bite out of your Chopped Cheese before you threw it on the floor. You''re gonna need the fuel. We still have a whole day of training ahead."

    Rudy reached out to ept the sandwich but his hand froze as it reached the halfway point ''I can''t take this. It''s my own fault that I acted stupid.''

    "Actually I-" Before he could decline Jason''s offer Jason put the sandwich in Rudy''s hand "Hurry up and start eating. We don''t have that much time. We need to start walking back in five minutes."

    Jason then turned around and walked over to Kyle''s side. Rudy looked at the sandwich in his hand. After a moment of hesitation he unwrapped it.

    He took a bite. And although the vor of the sandwich was just as amazing as it had been when he had taken his first bite Rudy felt like this was the worst thing that he had ever eaten as he struggled to push the food down his throat.

    Jason had nothing left to eat so he just cracked open his bottle of sweet iced tea. For the next few minutes everyone ate in silence.

 Chapter 209 - Continuing With The Assessment

    Jasmine, Jason, Kyle, and the rest of the boys could be seen running towards the front entrance to the Nike training facility.

    As the automatic doors slid open Jason pulled out his phone to check the time "Nice. We made it with just a bit of time to spare."

    3D''srge and hulking frame was thest one to step into the facility. With his breathing heavy he wiped the sweat off of his face with the sleeve of his hoodie before looking at Jason with an angry expression.

    "I told you that we would make it! Shit! There was no reason for us to run like that."

    Jason responded "Just think of it as getting some extra cardio in 3D. It''s good for your body. Besides, we only have five minutes. We still need to get back to the training room."

    Jason then turned to Jasmine and reached out with his hand "Thanks for showing us a great spot Jasmine. The Chopped Cheese was great."

    Jasmine smiled as she reached out and shook hands with Jason "No problem Jaya. You guys were actually pretty aight for being a bunch of middle schoolers."

    Jason and the rest of the boys said their goodbye''s to Jasmine after exchanging contact information.

    As they began to walk away Jasmine called out "Hey wait!" Jason turned around "What?" Jasmine asked "How much longer is your guys'' training?"

    Jason checked the notes that he made on his phone "We have four more hours of training today." Jasmine smiled after hearing that.

    "Do you guys have anything nned for tonight? You know, after your practice?" Jason turned around to look at the other guys.

    "You guys have anything nned?" Kyle and all of the boys shook their heads in response to Jason''s question.

    Jason then turned his gaze back to Jasmine "Looks like that''s a no. We''ll probably just eat and mess around at the hotel."

    Jasmine waved her hand "That sounds madme bro. If you guys don''t have anything nned for tonight then you should hang with me.

    I can show you guys around. Show you guys the real spots. Not the boring shit that they normally show tourists."

    Jason asked the boys "What do you guys think?" Rudy smiled "Sounds a whole lot better than just staying at the hotel."

    Danilo nodded his head in agreement "It''s not everyday that you get to stomp around a city with a born and raised native."

    3D added "As long as she knows where the good food is I''m down." Kyle chuckled "Hehe looks like you got your answer Jaya."

    Jason turned back around to Jasmine "Looks like we''ll take you up on your offer Jasmine. You want to meet up at the hotelter?"

    Jasmine nodded her head "Sure. I''ll drop byter. See you guys then." And with that she turned around and walked off.

    Jason and the rest of the guys started making their way back to the room where they had been doing all of their assessments.

    After opening the door Jason saw Monty along with the other boys from Texas. Jason also saw Patricia standing with the other researchers that had been recording their results.

    Patricia turned her head to Jason as he walked into the room. She cracked a small smile "Nice to see that you and your friends have decided to join us."

    Jason gave a small bow of the head "Sorry. I know that we''re cutting it a little close. We''ll try to be a little earlier next time."

    Patricia gave him a nod "Good. Now you and your friends line up. We''ll be moving on to the next portion of our assessment."

    Jason gave a nod before joining the rest of his group as they lined up across from Monty and his group.

    Monty red at Jason for a moment before shifting his attention back to the researchers as they exined what they would be doing next.

    The researchers cleared a section of the room as they then had a new machine brought in. Jason instantly recognized it as soon as he saw it.

    ''Yo! It looks like machine that Kawhi had at his camp. This thing is so good for practicing and molding your body for defense.''

    The machine that the researchers had brought in was simr to the machine that Jason had used when he first asked to be moved up to the 16 and up group at Kawhi''s training camp in Moreno Valley.

    But there were still some differences. The machine that Jason had used at Kawhi''s camp was made of four buttons that wereid on the floor.

    This machine not only had the four buttons on the floor but it also had buttons that were lined up on a square frame.

    Jason looked at the machine ''This looks like it has a higher level of difficultypared to the one at Kawhi''s camp.

    The one at Kawhi''s camp only had four buttons on the floor that you had to manage. This one has the four buttons on the floor plus nine more attached to the square frame.

    There are three rows with three buttons in each row. The ones at the top might prove to be a problem.''

    Patricia once again went over how the assessment would go "The four buttons on the floor will light up at random and you will have to press them before they turn red.

    As soon as any light turns red the assessment will end. As the buttons on the floor are lighting up so will the buttons that are attached to the frame in front of you.

    If any of them turn red the assessment will end. The amount of time that you have to press the buttons will gradually decrease as the drill increases in difficulty.

    After a certain level of speed is hit by the machine we will also begin tossing tennis balls at you while you try to keep the buttons from turning red.

    If you drop or fail to catch any of the tennis balls that too will end the assessment. Do you all understand?" All of the boys nodded their heads in response to her question.

    She smiled "Good. Now who would like to go first?" Jason immediately raised his hand to volunteer. Patricia was about to select Jason when she noticed that another boy had raised his hand.

    "Oh. Looks like we have some eager beavers in our group today. You boys both raised your hands at the same time. How should we decide?"

    Jason turned his head to see who else had volunteered. Jason saw that it was Monty who had his hand raised.

    Monty growled "Put your hand down bruh. Can''t you see the grown folk tryin to do business?" Jason rolled his eyes.

    "Again with the grown folk talk. I get it. You''re taller than me and you got more muscles than me. Does that make you happy to hear?

    It still doesn''t change the fact that you got your ass handed to you bro." Monty took a step toward Jason "The fuck you say to me!? You little as bitc-"

    Patricia''s cold and chilling voice caused Monty to fall silent "Language gentlemen. You would all do well to remember where you are and who you are in thepany of."

    Monty turned his gaze over at Jason before looking over at Patricia. After seeing her cold and serious demeanor Monty took a step back and shut his mouth.

    Jason followed suit as retracted the step that he had taken when Monty had stepped toward him. Patricia''s cold demeanor melted away as she let out a slight grin.

    "Good. Now since we have so many eager souls that wish to try out the machine why don''t we do it like this."

    She turned to one of the researchers behind her "Carter! Go clear out another section of the room and have them bring in another Neuro Trainer.

    There''s a saying that pressure forms diamonds. And some of the best pressure is the one that forms during the heat of battle."

    She then turned around and looked at Jason and Monty as her smile grew just a bit brighter "Since we have two hot heads raring to go it would be a shame to not take advantage.

    We''ll have you two perform the drill right in front of each other and assess you both at the same time."

 Chapter 210 - Mr. Cool

    Monty gripped his fist tightly as he red at Jason "Heh, that sounds perfect to me." Jason simply shrugged his shoulders.

    "It doesn''t matter to me. The onlypetition that I see is between myself and the machine." Monty clenched his fists harder after hearing Jason say that.

    Patricia let out a small chuckle after hearing Jason''s nonchnt reply "Since the two of them seem ready for the challenge then lets go ahead and get things ready."

    Some more people dressed in whiteb coats came into the room as they worked to clear out enough room for a second machine to be brought in.

    After about ten minutes the researchers were able to clear out enough room and set up the second training machine.

    Jason walked over to the machine that the researchers had just set up. As he was just a few steps away Monty bumped him with his shoulder as he walked past him.

    He stood in front of the machine "I want to use this one." Jason chuckled "y all the mind games you want Monty. That shit won''t help you."

    Monty got the opposite reaction that he was expecting as Kyle and the other guys from Jason''s groupughed at him after they heard what Jason said.

    His face twisted in anger ''Why the fuck can''t I get the edge on this shrimp? He always got some smart ass shit to say!''

    Patricia looked at Jason and Monty as they both stood in front of their respective training machines "Before you gentlemen begin I''ll have to ask you both to take off your shirts.

    We''ll be using some special sensor pads to trackand record your muscle activity as well as your body mechanics.

    This data will help us get a closer look at how you''re utilizing your energy and if there are any improvements we can make in terms of how you control your body."

    Jason nodded his head before taking off his shirt. He spread his arms open as the researchers directed him.

    They stuck the white sensor pads on to his body. The sensors were ced on his biceps, back of his shoulders, top of his wrists, on his calves, and on the back of his thighs.

    After the researchers were done applying the sensors to both Jason and Monty Patricia asked "Any questions before we begin?"

    Monty raised his hand "Excuse me mam. This wasn''t part of the campst year. Howe we got to do this now?"

    Patricia turned her attention to Monty "Last year I wasn''t in charge of the training camp. Now that I am I will be making sure that the quality of it lives up to my standards.

    And part of my standards is having as much data as possible. The more we know about you the better we can try and help you improve as an athlete and as a yer. Any other questions?"

    Jason raised his hand. Patricia''s brow raised as she looked in Jason''s direction. A yful grin grew on her face "Oh? You actually have something other than sly remark to say?"

    Jason ignored her jab as he asked "No cables?" Patricia was stunned for a moment by Jason''s question.

    She then began to chuckle as she could understand Jason perfectly despite him using so few words "So you were worried about whether or not our sensors would be able to urately collect your data?"

    Jason simply nodded his head. Patricia helplessly shook her head ''The other kid has been provoking him this whole day and the only thing that was on his mind was making sure that we got an urate reading of his data.

    This kid is really different.'' She had a slight smile on her face as she answered Jason''s question "You don''t need to worry about our sensors.

    Although they are all wireless their precision and uracy are enough to put them at the top of the line in terms of sensors that are out on the market.

    These sensors are a proprietary piece of technology that only Nike has ess to currently. We are also using exclusive programs and software that was developed in house by Nike.

    Was that enough of a satisfactory answer?" Jason looked at her as he gave her a nod. Patricia clicked her pen as she hovered it over her clipboard "Good. Now if you''re both ready go ahead and start."

    Monty stole a quick nce at Jason as they both positioned themselves in front of their machines ''Hehe look at this guy.

    He''s all skin and bones. Dude barely has any meat on him. He''ll probably be gassed after a minute or two.''

    He then took a look at his own fairly muscr and well developed body. His confidence shot up as he couldn''t imagine himself losing to Jason.

    As the first light on the floor turned on Monty shuffled his feet as he moved to the left in order to turn it off. As Monty turned off more and more lights the speed at which they turned on began to increase.

    After the first minute passed the researcher assigned to Monty and his machine began to toss tennis balls toward him.

    The difficulty automatically went up by several levels as Monty now had to keep in mind the tennis balls as well as the lights.

    Droplets of sweat began to form on his face as Monty was forced to concentrate harder as the difficulty level of the drill rose.

    As the lights continued to turn on Monty struggled to keep track of everything that was happening around him.

    ''Far left on the floor! Wait! Tennis ball! Fuck another light!'' Monty had to push off with all the power he could generate as he shifted from side to side in order to press the buttons.

    After passing the three minute mark the buttons on the metal frame began to turn on as well adding even more to the list of things that Monty had to take into ount.

    His eyes were moving in a frenzy as he tried to pay attention to everything. Add to that the once again increased speed of the lights and Monty was now frantically moving his feet as well as his hands as he fought to keep the lights off and to catch the tennis balls that the researcher was tossing toward him.

    Just as he was about to make it to the four minute mark a mental slip caused him to miss a ball that was tossed to his left side.

    As the ball hit the floor all of the other lights turned off Patricia announced "Three minutes and fifty-three seconds. Well done."

    "It was alright." Although Monty said that inside he was secretly proud ''Hehe I bet that kid didn''t even make it past two minutes.''

    But just as he was basking in the pride of his performance while wiping the sweat off of his face the sound of shuffling footsteps ripped him back to reality.

    ''Impossible! It''s probably a new kid. He probably got tired after two minutes and they put someone new on his machine.

    It''s impossible that he''s still doing the drill right?''

 Chapter 211 - Breaking A Record

    Monty''s face stiffened at first and then it began to worsen as he saw that Jason had actually managed to oust him in the drill.

    Jason was shifting side to side effortlessly as he fluidly bent his knees, reached down, and turned off the buttons all in one swift motion.

    The more he watched the uglier his expression became ''How the hell is he doin all this? He''s not even turning his head or movin his eyes.

    How can he see everything and keep track of it all like that? And his body doesn''t stop moving for even a second. It just doesn''t make sense.''

    Jason shuffled all the way to the left before nimbly reaching down and pressing the button. He then shut off the button right next to it that had turned on at thest second.

    On the way up the caught a ball that was falling to his left with his left hand while also turning off one of the buttons on the frame that had turned on with his right hand.

    He then shuffled to the right as he repeated the process. Floor button, tennis ball, frame button, frame button, tennis ball, floor button, it didn''t matter what variation of the order it was Jason was able toplete them wlessly.

    Jason''s performance caught the attention of not only the researchers but the cameramen as well as they began to focus solely on him.

    Off on the side Patricia was watching Jason''s amazing disy along with some of the other researchers.

    "What do you all think? What are the sensors telling us?" One of the male researchers gulped as he took a look at the tablet in his hands.

    "Doctor Miller, the sensors indicate that the subject known as Jason Yang has a energy transfer efficiency rating of 96.75 percent.

    Each of his steps flow along fluidly with each other and each step seems to use the minimum amount of energy required.

    These results are some of the lowest energy waste numbers that we have ever seen from an athlete in this age range."

    Patricia''s brows raised after hearing that "Oh? I should be saying that this is surprising but I somewhat had a feeling that would be the case. Anything else?"

    It was a different researcher that responded to her question this time "Doctor Miller, ording to the sensors Jason Yang has a normal Lactic acid production rate but...."

    Patricia turned to look at the researcher with a somewhat annoyed look in her eyes "Just spit it out already."

    The researcher gulped before saying "ording to the sensors Jason Yang has a normal Lactic acid production rate but.... It seems as though his Mitochondria burn rate for Lactate is sitting at 90 percent."

    This time it wasn''t just Patricia that was stunned. All of the researchers that had heard that announcement all stopped what they were doing as they stared at the one researcher who had said that.

    Patricia looked at the researcher with a serious expression on her face "Are you sure about that?" The researcher paused before nodding his head.

    "I don''t know if it''s actually true Doctor Miller. However that is what the sensors are saying." He then flipped the tablet around to show her "You can take a look for yourself."

    Patricia leaned in to get a closer look at the tablet. Her eyes went wide after seeing the lines of data that were disyed.

    "You''re right. ording to the sensors it looks like Jason has a Lactate Mitochondria burn rate of 90 percent. We''ll have to take a closer lookter on.

    Not a word of this to anyone else until we can confirm these results. Is that understood?" All of the researchers nodded their heads.

    After their discussion they all went back to watching Jason as he continued his dominant performance with the drill.

    Streams of sweat began to flow down Jason''s face as he went past the five minute mark. At this point no one was talking or making any noise as they all focused on watching Jason.

    As the seconds passed by Jason''s legs began to tremble and his breathing became heavier and heavier.

    The speed of the lights continued to increase and it now seemed like multiple lights were turning on at the same time as Jason struggled to turn them all off in time.

    As the drill continued it seemed as though Jason had finally hit his wall as he was just a half step too slow in trying to catch one of the tennis balls.

    The tennis ball ended up hitting the tip of his fingers before bouncing off and hitting the ground. Jason''s chest was rapidly rising and falling as his body desperately tried to grab as much oxygen as it could.

    He took of his headband and undid his hair as he tried his best to cool himself down. He took a step forward as he reached out for his towel that he had hung up.

    But as he stepped forward his knee buckled forcing him to stumble to the side. Kyle rushed to his side but Jason caught himself against one of the other machines.

    He looked at Kyle and cracked a small smile "I''m good bro. Just got caught off guard for a second. Just need some time to catch my breathe."

    Kyle hesitated but he ended up nodding his head as he made his way back to the other guys from California.

    Jason then turned his head as he looked at Patricia "So Doc. How did I do? Was I amazing or spectacr?" Patricia let out a small chuckle as she clicked her pen and wrote something down.

    "After six minutes and forty-five seconds you still have the energy to crack some really bad jokes. At least we don''t have to worry about you breaking down anytime soon.

    And to answer your question I would have to say that you did pretty well. I don''t know if it''s enough to say that you were spectacr but you did break a record.

    You measured the best results on this machine in thest decade for your age group. You scored well enough that a lot of high schoolers would be embarrassed to share their results."

    Jason made his back to his group. He took a seat on the bench and wiped his face off with his towel "I thought you would be a lot more impressed than that Doc.

    But I guess beating a decade long record isn''t too bad." Patricia simply smiled after hearing Jason''s boastful remark.

    She then turned to Monty "You performed admirably as well Monty. Although you didn''t break any records you did record a result that would put you close to the top for athletes your age."

    Monty didn''t know if she did it on purpose or not but Patricia''s attempt atforting him actually did the opposite.

    It was bad enough that he had to listen to Patricia praise Jason. But after he heard her say that his results weren''t even enough to put him at the top of athletes his age and that he was just close, his pride took a huge hit.

    He didn''t say anything as he silently walked back to his group and sat down. Patricia couldn''t help but sigh after seeing Monty''s behavior.

    ''Loves to gloat and beat his chest when he''s at the top but as soon as any adversityes his way or as soon as things don''t turn out the way he wants he wilts and falters.

    Even if this kid as all the physical tools and the skills required to y the game he won''t be able to make it to the pros if he doesn''t strengthen his mental fortitude.

    The thing he needs to work on the most is his mentality.'' After finishing off her notes about Monty she then turned her head in Jason''s direction.

    As she watched his happy face surrounded by his friends she couldn''t help but smile ''This kid is the exact opposite.

    He has the mentality, he has the skills, he has the drive, and he has the desire. The only thing he needs is a body that will let him utilize all of it.

    I''m really going to have my work cut out for me. How much of a difference can we make in just two short weeks?''

 Chapter 212 - Science

    While Jason was with Kyle and the rest of his group as they celebrated his dominant performance on the Neuro trainer Patricia was with some of the other researchers as they discussed their findings.

    Patricia looked at the lines of data that were presented on the tablet that she was holding "If the results that we got from Jason are true then it could mean some big things.

    The big myth before was thatctic acid was produced by the human body as a response to strenuous activity.

    And that it was the cause of muscle soreness and cramps. But advances in modern medical science have taught us better.

    Lactic acid is a huge contributor to the bodies recovery process. Most people are able to use somewhere near 75 percent of thectic acid that their body produces.

    The rest is simply released into the body before it is disposed of. Some of the higher tier athletes have been found to be able to use up to 85 percent of thectic acid that their body produces.

    This is major in the fact that it reduces the amount of time that they need to recover after training as well as how long they are able to remain active in high intensity activities.

    So if Jason is actually capable of using 90 percent of thectic acid that his body produces then his ability to recover would be above even those of the highest caliber athletes.

    The affects of training will have a smaller impact on himpared to his peers and the wear and tear of the season would pose a smaller threat to him."

    Carter nodded his head as he listened to Patricia "If Jason''s Lactic Mitochondrial burn rate is actually 90 percent then not only would this help him outside of games.

    It would help him tremendously in games. He would tire and get fatigued at a much slower rate. He could literally y with more energy than anyone else on the floor."

    Patricia nodded her head "Exactly, but I don''t want word of this leaking out to anyone outside of this room until we can confirm this with much more precise and fine tuned tools understood?"

    Carter as well as all of the other researchers there nodded their heads enthusiastically under the pressure that Patricia exuded.

    - - -

    Jason was surrounded by Kyle and the others as they all cheered him on and hyped him up. Kyle had a huge grin on his face as he ruffled Jason''s hair.

    "You were crazy out there bro! It was like you could see everything that was happening!"

    Danilo nodded his head "It really was. You were catching the tennis balls like it was nothing. They couldn''t even slow you down!"

    Rudy patted Jason on the back "That was pretty cool I have to admit. But just wait till it''s my turn. I''ll unleash the demon that''s sealed within my right eye and-"

    3D bumped Rudy to the side before he could finish what he was going to say. He then stuck his fist out toward Jason.

    "Nice job out there. I already knew that you would kill it because of how good you are on defense but I didn''t know you were going to be that good."

    Jason chuckled as he bumped 3D''s fist back with his own "Thanks 3D. Honestly I might have had a bit of an unfair advantage.

    I did this drill a couple months back during Kawhi''s training camp in Moreno Valley. So this is actually my second time running the drill."

    Alexughed "Nah bro that was all you. The fact that you had a chance to do the drill once before don''t make much of a difference.

    Even if me and Rudy tried a hundred times I don''t think that we would be able to even get close to what you did."

    Rudy threw his arms to the side "Hey speak for your self! If I really wanted to I could totally beat Jaya!..... Probably."

    Jasonughed before taking a drink from his sports bottle "Thanks Alex. But Rudy is right. You shouldn''t be so down on yourself.

    You haven''t even tried out the drill and you''re already talking about how you can''t beat me. It''s one thing to have an understanding of your own abilities.

    Knowing your limits and knowing the capabilities of your opponents is important. That''s what allows you to y while making the right decisions.

    But you can''t let your spirit yield before you even fight. You need to make sure that your fire is burning as hot as it can if you want to win."

    Alex listened closely to what Jason had to say "Thanks Jaya. You''re right. I''ve always had the tendency to take a back seat and y things safe.

    That''s why I''ve always let Dlo take the lead. I''ll try to change my mentality so that I can help my brother by carrying more of the load."

    Jason nodded his head after hearing Alex say that. As the boys were reveling in the aftermath of Jason''s brilliant performance they heard Patricia''s voice call out.

    "Alright boys! We are done recording the data for Jason and Monty. Will the next two pleasee forward."

    All of the boys from Jason''s group as well as Monty''s group turned to her with surprised expressions on their faces.

    Patricia giggled "What? Surprised that we''re doing another head to head assessment?" Although none of the boys said anything their silence spoke louder than any words that they could have possibly said.

    Patricia once again had a mischievous grin on her face as she looked out to all the boys "Since we have the extra machine set up here I feel like it would be such a waste to do all the assessments one by one don''t you think?"

    The boys fell silent once again as they simply stared back at Patricia. She then clicked her pen "And after having Jason and Monty do their assessment head to head the idea has somewhat grown on me.

    From now on all of the assessments that we will do today will be done head to head. This should help to foster a bit of apetitive streak within all of you."

 Chapter 213 - Accountability

    As the boys went on to do their assessments they found themselves working with a bit of an edge as theirpetitive spirits came to life after being forced to go head to head against each other.

    3D normally wouldn''t have tried that hard since he himself knew that his ability to moveterally was far behind everyone else.

    But after being paired up against Stax his ownpetitive drive wouldn''t allow him to take it easy. As soon as the drill started he tried his best as he shuffled his feet as quickly as he could.

    But despite his best efforts he found himself getting eliminated from the drill soon after the researcher began to toss tennis balls in his direction.

    As he stepped to the left in order to turn off a light 3D saw a tennis ball falling in his right. The moment that 3D spent deciding what to do ended up costing him some crucial time as he just narrowly missed the ball as it brushed past his fingers.

    3D stood up and wiped the sweat that was on his face "Damn! I was just a half step slow." Patricia walked toward 3D before pulling him to the side.

    She did so as to not bother the other boy as she spoke with 3D about his results "Your results were one minute and twenty six seconds.

    Honestly 3D you did very poorly. All of your steps were heavy and the amount of energy that you need to use to shift directions shows that your body mechanics are very inefficient.

    And it''s mostly because of your frame and weight. I understand that your massive size has proven to be a great advantage to you as a post yer.

    But in my opinion you would benefit more by losing some weight. Nowadays coaches and team executives aren''t looking for dominant post yers.

    Obviously good post skills and the ability to generate offense from the post are a plus but if that''s the only thing that you can offer as a Big Man in today''s game then your value instantly takes a dive.

    You risk being either a specialist that''s hard to fit on a team or just a role yer thates out in very specific situations.

    The most important thing for Big Men in today''s game is defensive versatility and floor spacing. Even with your ability to pass the ball from the post I don''t think that it''s enough to ovee that fact.

    ording to all the footage that I''ve watched on you although your mid range jumper is decent you don''t have the ability to stretch all the way out to the three point line.

    And since your ability to stretch the floor isn''t that great yourck of defensive versatility hurts that much more. What do you think?"

    3D looked down at Patricia straight in the eyes "No offense Doc but Ima stick with what''s gotten me this far.

    You say that todays game isn''t suited for yers like me. But I see it another way. There just hasn''t been a yer good enough to change the game. At least not yet.

    If Shaq was ying in todays game you wouldn''t ask him to stand out on the perimeter and wait to shoot threes would you?

    Of course not. He would post up on the block and destroy anyone that tried to guard him." Patricia chuckled as she looked at 3D.

    "Are you saying that you''re the next Shaq?" 3D shrugged his shoulders "I honestly think that I am. At every level that I''ve yed at there hasn''t been anyone that could guard me one on one."

    Patriciaughed before clicking her pen and writing down some notes. She then looked at 3D with a smile on her face.

    "Well I can''t say if you''re doing the right thing or not. But you are making a very interesting choice. I look forward to seeing where this road takes you."

    3D nodded his head before heading back out to the group. Stax finished and he ended upsting for twominutes and thirty-eight seconds.

    All of the boys went and did their assessments while the researchers recorded all of their information down and spoke to them about their results.

    Kyle ended up being the one with the second best results right behind Jason as he managed tost for five minutes and four seconds.

    His long arms allowed him to reach the buttons and tennis balls with minimal movement and his huge hands gave him more leeway with catching the tennis balls.

    Thatbined with his long strides that made it look effortless for him to move side to side made it no surprise that he did as well as he did.

    Surprisingly the third best results didn''te from Rudy, Danilo, or from anyone from the Texas group.

    The third best results came from Alex as he managed to perform the drill for four minutes and twenty-two seconds.

    The thing that stood out the most from his performance was the striking simrity that he showed of Jason during his run with the drill.

    He was in an extremely low defensive stance that closely resembled Jason. And the way that he maneuvered around the lights while keeping his head and eyes locked in front of him was simr to how Jason had done the drill.

    Patricia pulled Alex to the side as she went over his results with him "Well done Alex. You''re ability to identify the best possible action and execute it with minimal time is elite for your age group.

    You also utilize your wingspan and frame very well. Your energy efficiency is also very good. Very minimal wasted movement.

    I would say that the only thing that you need to work on right now is your conditioning. If you had the stamina I could very easily see you performing close to Jason''s level at least on the defensive end."

    Alex nodded his head as sweat streamed down his face "Thank you Doctor Miller. I''ll keep that in mind during the training camp."

    He then gave her a nod before making his way back to the group. The next few drills were all endurance based.

    The researchers had the boys perform multiple different variations of drills that used battling ropes. With each of which Jason recorded the best results.

    During thest drill with the battling ropes Jason was moving side to side as he swung the ropes up and down.

    Rudy looked at Jason with a bit of a confused expression on his face "Is it just me or is Jaya looking a little paler than usual?"

    3D scoffed "I''m guessing that you didn''t notice him chowing down on all those protein bars in between drills?"

    Rudy shrugged his shoulders "Doesn''t he do that all the time? Jaya''s always snacking on something."

    Kyle shook his head after hearing Rudy say that "This time it''s different. Jaya always eats a lot but that''s because of two things.

    The first being that he really wants to grow. He hears it all the time from sports analysts and other yers, that he has a small body and thin frame.

    So he eats a ton hoping that it will help him grow and fill out his body. The second reason why he eats so much is because he always pushes his motor to a hundred and ten percent.

    Going that hard uses up a ton of fuel." 3D nodded his head before adding "You could see it during the drills.

    His face is pale, his arms and legs are trembling. That doesn''t seem like it''s just because of fatigue from doing the drills.

    The dude is probably really hungry and running off of fumes right now." Rudy thought back to how Jason had given his extra sandwiches to him and Alex.

    After Jason had finished doing thest of the battling ropes exercises Patricia walked to the front of the two groups.

    "Excellent work gentlemen. Go ahead and take a five minute breather and then we''ll be moving on to our next part of the assessment."

    Rudy hesitated for a moment but he ended up raising his hand. Patricia turned and looked at him

    "Oh? Did you have a question Rudy?"

    Rudy coughed to clear his throat "I uh- actually... I was wondering if we could take a bit of a longer break?"

    Patricia''s expression turned cold and serious "And why would that be?" Under the pressure of her intense gaze it was hard for Rudy to speak up.

    "That''s because I um- I''m feeling really hungry after all the drills that we did. Just a short break would be enough for me to grab a bite to-"

    He was interrupted by Patricia "I believe that we gave you an hour for lunch. That should have been a suitable amount of time to get something to eat.

    I don''t know if you know this but Nike is investing a lot into this training camp. Do you think that you''re so important as to be worth dying the camp for everybody?"

    Rudy began to feel uneasy as all of the researchers turned to look at him as well as the cameramen and the boys from Texas.

    Just as he was struggling to think of what to say next he heard Jason''s voice speak out "Sorry Doc. He was just trying to stick up for me.

    I forgot to eat during the hour break that you gave us." Instantly everyone''s focus shifted to Jason who was still wiping off his sweat.

    Patricia turned to Jason with her cold and stern face "I have to say that I am disappointed in you Jason.

    I thought that a young man as mature as you would understand just how precious of an opportunity this is for you.

    With the amount of sports doctors and researchers that are involved each minute of this camp is worth hundreds of dors.

    You should have used your time in a responsible manner. We cannot dy the camp just for the sake of one athlete.

    If you feel that you are unable to continue participating in the assessment then you are free to sit back and do whatever you want.

    Just know that you will be unable to do your assessment at ater time. There is a strict schedule designed for the camp."

    The more that Jason was reprimanded the worst that Rudy felt ''Jaya didn''t do anything wrong. It was all me. I can''t let him take the heat like this.

    Even if it means getting in trouble I can''t let Jason miss out because of me.'' Just as he was about to speak up and say something he once again heard Jason''s voice.

    "Understood Doctor. I''ll make sure to use my time more wisely in the future. Don''t worry about me. I''ll continue the assessment."

 Chapter 214 - Accountability: Part-2

    After she was done speaking Patricia moved to the side to discuss the results of their findings with the other researchers.

    Carter couldn''t help but ask "Hey Doctor Miller, I thought that kid was one of your favorites? Don''t you think you were a little harsh on him?

    It really isn''t that big of a deal if we give them a ten or fifteen minute break is it?" Patricia shook her head before responding.

    "I forget that sometimes even smart people can be really stupid." Carter looked at her with a confused expression "Pardon?"

    Patricia looked at Carter with an annoyed expression "Do me a favor Carter and try to use your big brain just a bit harder.

    For the second half of the assessment we are going to be doing drills that are clearly aimed at Jason''s strongest points.

    We''re doing this because you said that the higher ups want to boost his ranking and his him as a marketing tool right?"

    Carter nodded his head in confirmation "That is correct Doctor Miller." Patricia then continued "So if we''re already changing the assessment to include drills that will show favorable results to Jason what do you think will happen if people see us giving him even more preferential treatment?"

    A lightbulb seemed to click in Carters mind as all the pieces to the puzzle connected for him "It will be too obvious that we''re giving him special treatment."

    Patricia didn''t even bother to shift her attention away from her tablet Good. Looks like your brain isn''tpletely made of mush.

    And that is why I had to be even stricter with him. By showing that Jason is not above the rules of the training camp we can at least say that we are being as unbiased as possible."

    Carter nodded his head "I can understand that. But isn''t it kind of risky to allow him to continue the assessment on an empty stomach?

    Not only will it mess with his results but there is a chance that he could pass out or possibly even injure himself if he continues to push himself in his weakened state."

    Patricia simply shrugged her shoulders "That''s why we include a waiver with every invitation package to the camp.

    By signing those papers the parents as well as the athlete''s agree that we are not responsible for any injury or bodily harm thates to them while they are attending the camp."

    Carter couldn''t help but shiver as he heard Patricia''s cold and detached voice ''This women really lives up to her reputation as an ice queen.

    She doesn''t even hesitate to say something as cold as that. Not even with someone that she said was one of her favorite young athletes.''

    Patricia on the other hand had no idea what Carter was thinking about. But her inner thoughts were a little differentpared to what she had said.

    ''If it was anyone else I would have hesitated to be that harsh on them. Some athletes at this age are still fragile mentally and wouldn''t be able to take a verbalshing like that.

    But Jason is different. Time and time again he has shown a mental fortitude that is years beyond his age. If he can y through a dislocated finger a bit of a scolding shouldn''t be a problem.

    And as far as him getting injured that is the mostughable thing that I''ve heard him say since the start of this training camp.

    Maybe if it was anyone else I would be worried. But with Jason? I''ve seen this kid y back to back games where he didn''t sit down for a single minute.

    At first I always wondered what it was that allowed him to push his body so hard. But after finding out that he might have the ability to utilize up to 90 percent of thectic acid that his body produces it''s the only possible exnation.

    This might be me making an unfair gamble on Jason''s behalf but something about him just gives me the confidence to bet on him.''

    - - -

    After being scolded by Patricia Jason simply joined back up with Kyle and the other guys from California as he took a seat on the bench.

    Rudy was silent for a moment but he eventually managed to push the words through his teeth "Sorry Jaya."

    Jason pulled out another protein bar from his bag and took a big bite out of it as soon as he unwrapped it.

    "It''s cool Rudy. You don''t have anything to apologize for anything." Rudy shook his head "I do though.

    It''s all my fault that you had to give up your extra sandwiches to me and Alex. I went too far with my messing around."

    Jason saw how Rudy had his shoulders slumped and how he had his head hanging in shame. He patted Rudy on the back.

    "Remember how I told you that the most important thing to do after messing up is to recognize what you did wrong and own up to it?"

    Rudy nodded his head. Jason continued "Well consider this the second part of the lesson. Everything you do or don''t do has a consequence.

    Just like how you had to deal with the consequences of what you did now I have to deal with the consequences of what I did.

    That''s what I meant when I said that you don''t have to apologize for anything. You already dealt with the consequences of what you did by manning up.

    Now it''s my turn to deal with the consequences of my actions. I already knew that if I gave away my food that I would probably get hungry during the training.

    Would it make sense for me to expect an apology from you if I already knew what would happen before I did what I did?"

    Rudy fell silent after hearing Jason say that. Jason just nodded his head before giving Rudy one solid p to the back.

    "Just focus on doing your best in the assessments okay? Leave everything else forter. I''m telling you that I''m good so don''t worry about me."

    Rudy simply nodded his head. After the five minutes of rest were done Patricia and the other researchers continued their assessment of the boys.

    The assessments included testing their physical stamina as they had the boys run for as long as they could.

    It also included testing their understanding of the game as they had the boys breakdown film from games that happened years ago.

    Thest part of the assessment had the boys once again hooked up to sensors as Patricia and the other researchers recorded their shooting form and mechanics into their system.

    To no one''s surprise Jason was at the top of all of the assessments as they yed to his strongest points.

    Although it was clear that he had to push himself a little harder than usual he still performed at the level that he expected from himself.

    After the assessment was done Patricia told the boys that they were done for the day and that the real training would start tomorrow.

    The ride back to the hotel was a silent one as Jason and all the other boys instantly fell asleep as soon as the van started driving.

    After they got back to the hotel the boys all grabbed their sports bags out of the trunk of the van as they thanked Rob for the drive.

    Monty and his crew left without a word as Jason and the other boys from California stood around the lobby.

    As they were discussing what they should do next they all got a text message. Apparently Jasmine had created a group chat with all of their numbers in it.

    Her text was simple ''Sup guys! If you still ain''t got nothin nned for tonight how about we hit up Rucker Park? Figured that y''all would be into that kinda thing seeing as y''all hoop.''

    Everyone seemed hesitant to take her up on her offer as they were all pretty tired from all the assessments that they had to do.

    Jason was the only one who seemed to be excited after reading her text. But what Kyle and the other boys didn''t know was that Jason was smiling for a different reason.

    [Mission: Rucker Park, one of basketball''s most iconic areas. As a die hard basketball fan your heart yearns to pay homage to this legendary site. Go to Rucker Park and put on a show for all to enjoy. Rewards: Depends on how hyped you can get the crowd.]

 Chapter 215 - Rucker Park

    Jason instinctively smiled after seeing the system notification pop up in the corner of his vision. After seeing the details of the mission he got even more excited.

    ''It''s been a while since the system actually gave me a mission. At first the missions shifted to small stuff that barely gave any rewards and then it went silent for a few months.

    It''s nice to finally get a mission that looks like it has a decent reward. It all depends on how much of a show I can put on huh?

    It didn''t put a time limit so do I have to do it today or can I do it some other time as long as I''m still in New York?

    Nah, better y it safe and try to do the mission today. Just because it didn''t say that there was a time limit doesn''t mean that there isn''t one.''

    "Jaya" Jason turned his head after hearing Kyle call out his name "Hmm? Yeah?" Kyle asked "You look excited. Did you want to take Jasmine up on her offer?"

    Jason thought about it for a moment before answering "Not gonna lie, going to Rucker Park was one of the things that I put on my list of things that I wanted to do while we were here."

    Kyle smiled "Okay. Let''s go then." Jason looked at Kyle "Are you sure you want to go? You seemed really tired after we got off the van.

    Just because I want to go doesn''t mean that you have to. You can stay here and rest up if you want."

    Kyle shook his head before smiling at Jason "Are you kidding me? It''s rare for you to look so excited about something. Of course I''m going."

    Jason felt a warm stream flowing through his body after hearing Kyle say that. He simply smiled as he nodded his head.

    He then turned around to the other boys "How about you guys? You seriously don''t need to go if you''re feeling tired.

    You guys can just chill here at the hotel and rest up." Rudy refused right away "Are you kidding me?! No MC in their right mind would ever say no to something like this. Count me in."

    Alex and Danilo both nodded their heads as Danilo spoke out "You can count us in too Jaya. If you''re heading to a court then it''s pretty much a sure thing that you''ll want to y.

    And me and my bro wouldn''t turn down a chance to see you ball out." Jason''s smile grew a tiny bit bigger after hearing Danilo say that.

    Jason then turned to thest person "How about you 3D? Last time I checked you hated doing extra shit like this."

    3D rolled his eyes "I hate doing extra shit like taking the stairs when there''s a perfectly fine elevator. But if it''s something rted to hooping then I''m always down."

    Jasonughed "Alright then. I guess that means that we''re heading to Rucker Park. I hope they''re ready because I know that I am."

    After sending her a text saying that they were all down to go to Rucker Park tonight Jasmine simply replied with a bunch of smiling emojis and a thumbs up.

    She then sent another text saying that she would be at the hotel to pick them up in around fifteen minutes.

    Jason and the rest of the guys decided to simply wait in the lobby of the hotel. As they waited Jason pulled out protein bar after protein bar as he quickly devoured them.

    Rudy looked at Jason with a odd expression "Damn bro. How many of those things do you have in there?"

    As he chewed on the protein bar that he had just tossed into his mouth Jason opened up his sports bag and lifted it up as he showed the inside to Rudy.

    Other than a his sports bottle, an extra pair of shorts, and his basketball shoes the entire bottom of his bag was lined with protein bars of different vors.

    3D chuckled "Jesus dude. Sometimes I still get surprised by how much of an eater you are. I honestly think that you could pack away more food than me."

    Jason swallowed the food that was in his mouth as he nodded his head "I probably could. Too be honest sometimes I actually get sick of eating.

    But I know that my body needs the nutrients and the fuel so I don''t have any other choice other than to suck it up and keep eating.

    After almost a whole year of me trying my best the most weight that I was able to put on was like ten pounds (4.5 kg).

    The hardest part is to find different things to switch up my diet. Even if something is tasty as hell after eating it for a couple days in a row you''ll feeling like yakking whenever you see it."

    3D sighed "Damn man. I couldn''t imagine getting sick of eating. That must suck." Jason responded "It does. But getting stuck with a small body that makes it hard to y ball sucks even more."

    Everyone fell silent after hearing Jason say that. All of the boys could feel how dedicated Jason was to basketball after hearing what he had to say.

    The idea of pushing themselves that far for basketball was foreign to some of them. 3D had always been blessed with his enormous body that allowed him to dominate in the post.

    Rudy had been told that he was one of the best yers in his age group as soon as he picked up the ball so he never felt the pressure that Jason felt.

    And Danilo had always been more athletic and bigger than the other kids his age so he never had to struggle the same way that Jason was.

    The only ones who seemed to understand Jason were Kyle and Alex. Kyle understood Jason''s struggle because he had been there since the beginning.

    He had seen how Jason was criticized and how he had his aplishments downyed because of his small and thin frame.

    While Alex understood Jason''s way of thinking because he could somewhat sympathize with him. Despite being twins there was a clear difference between him and Danilo.

    Danilo had always been praised for hisbination of athleticism, size, and skill. He had gotten the star treatment since as far back as he could remember.

    While he was told that he didn''t have the qualities to be a star and that the most that he could do was y the supporting role for his brother.

    The mood became somber as they waited in the lobby. Thankfully they didn''t have to wait long as Jasmine walked through the doors with a bright smile on her face.

    "Alright! Who''s ready to check out the Rucker?"

 Chapter 216 - Rucker Park: Part-2

    The cold air made their all of their breathes visible. Alex tightly clung on to his brother as they along with the rest of their group emerged from the stairs leading down to the subway.

    Jasmineughed as she looked at Alex''s scared face "You ain''t never been on a train before?" Alex turned to her and answered.

    "I''ve been on a train before but I ain''t ever see someone do the robot with a whole ass snake on their body. And he tried to get me to pet his snake!"

    Jasmineughed "That''s New York for you. Neva know she about to throw yo way. But at least the rides ain''t eva borin."

    Jasmine lead the boys down the street while acting as a tour guide as she talked about different people, ces, and events as they made their way through Harlem.

    "Normally I would say that walkin through these parts thiste at night is a bad idea. But y''all are movin through the boroughs with me so it''s all good haha.

    Oh! You see right there! I gots a crazy story to tell y''all. My uncle was just standin there over at 155th street when all of a sudden dude runs up on him and starts givin him the business.

    When I tell you that they were throwin hands I mean THEY WAS THROWIN HANDS. So after a solid minute of beatin the shit out of each otha my uncle finally opens his mouth and tries to figure out what the fuck is goin on.

    The dude tells my uncle that he got a text from his girl sayin that she leavin him for anotha dude. He then tells my uncle that what he was wearin matched the description that his chick gave him of the otha dude.

    Him and my uncle eventually talk things out and they decide to let everything go since it was all just a big misunderstandin.

    But that ain''t the end. Dead ass I swear I ain''t kiddin. Just five minutes after they was beatin the dog shit outta each otha they end up grabbin a beer.

    All of a sudden the two of em turn into ride or die homies and my uncle goes with him to beat the shit outta the dude that was pipin his girl."

    Rudy shivered as he rolled his eyes "That was a great story Jasmine. But how much longer until we get to the park? It''s so fucking cold I feel like my hands are about to fall off."

    Jasmine couldn''t help but tease Rudy "You think this is cold? You shoulde by durin the winter. That shit is BRICK. Dead ass bro.

    And don''t worry. We here." Jasmine then pointed at a sign that was hanging up "Alright boys here it is. Wee to Hobe Rucker Park.

    Are as we like to call it, The Rucker." All of the boys looked on in amazement as they took in the sight.

    The court looked like it had been freshly painted as the floor depicted a scene of LeBron, Kobe, and MJ all ying a game of pick up.

    And there were bleachers on every side of the court. The surprising thing was that all of the seats were packed with spectators as they watched a game of pickup basketball.

    Jasmineughed as she looked at the boys star-struck faces "Damn y''all this zooted just from seein the ce? You ain''t even walk in ye- huh?"

    Jasmine took another look at the boys as she rubbed her eyes to make sure that her vision wasn''t ying tricks on her.

    "One, two, three, four, five, are we missin somebody? Where the hell did Jaya go?" All of the boys turned their heads around after they heard Jasmine say that.

    To their surprise Jasmine was right. Jason had been following them at the back of the group ever since they had gotten on the first train.

    But now he was nowhere to be found. Kyle had a worried expression on his face as he began to call out "Jaya! Jaya! Where the hell did you go!"

    As the oldest one in the group Jasmine tried her best to remain calm "If he could hear you yellin then we''d be able to see him Kyle. Try ringin up his burna."

    Kyle''s hands were shaking as he turned to Jasmine "I don''t know what you''re saying! Stop talking in your New York gibberish and speak in normal English!"

    Danilo put his hand on Kyle''s shoulder "Dude you need to calm down. I get that you''re worried about Jaya but you shouldn''t be yelling at Jasmine. She''s just trying to help.

    And besides, you know how Jaya is. The dude is a different breedpared to normal kids our age. Sometimes he be sounding he old when he talks."

    Alex nodded his head as he tried to help his brother in calming down Kyle "Yeah Kyle. You should know better than us how mature Jaya is.

    And besides he''s probably only been away from us for like a couple minutes. How much trouble can a kid get into with that much time?"

    Jasmine added "Sorry Kyle, I forget that y''all are from Cali sometimes and this is just how I naturally talk on the daily. What I said was try to call Jaya''s phone."

    Kyle took a few deep breathes before pulling out his phone. He opened up his contacts where Jason''s picture was the one that they had taken together back when he had convinced him to cosy with him.

    After ringing for a few seconds the call went to Jason''s voicemail. Kyle angrily disconnected before trying to call again.

    After four failed attempts at trying to call Jason Kyle put his phone back into his pocket. He turned to Jasmine and the boys with a worried expression on his face.

    "He''s not answering. I tried calling him like four times and he still hasn''t answered. He only ever does that when he''s napping and I don''t think that he''d be napping right now!"

    Jasmine put her hands on both sides of Kyle''s face, which despite the serious nature of their situation lookedical because of their distinct height disparity, as she tried tofort him.

    "You doin too much right now bro. You need to rx. Panicking and losin our marbles ain''t gonna help. Let''s take a look around and see if we can find him. If not we''ll give calling him anotha try."

    And so Jasmine along with all the other boys began to look for Jason in the streets of Harlem. After fifteen minutes of searching they still had nothing to show for it.

    Kyle had his head drooped low as his voice began to quiver "He''s lost. Jaya is lost somewhere in the streets of New York."

    Danilo patted him on the shoulder "Don''t sweat it. You''re stressing too much over this bro. Remember what Alex said?

    At most Jason has been missing for like thirty or forty minutes. How much trouble could he have possibly gotten into in that much time?"

    Kyle shook his head "You guys are only saying that because you haven''t been with Jaya for long enough.

    He''s the kind of guy that got into a fight with our schools strongest and scariest bully on his first day of transferring.

    And he got into a fight with him even though it had nothing to do with him! Jaya also became friends with a dude that pulled a gun on him before.

    Not to mention all the other shit that has happened to him. Now you tell me, does that sound like a person that''s good at avoiding trouble?"

    All of the boys were silent as they listened to Kyle speak. After he was done they all turned around and started yelling.

    "Jaya! Where you at bro Stop ying around!" "Yeah Jaya! This isn''t funny!"

    "Ay Jaya! Don''t set off any gs while you''re missing!"

    "Jaya! Hurry up ande back before you make us walk some more!"

    While the boys were busy yelling their lungs out Jasmine saw some familiar faces walking down the street.

    She walked up to the group of teenaged boys "Sup guys. Don''t pay attention to the kids yellin over there. I just had a quick question for y''all.

    Have you seen a little Asian boy by any chance? He got on a white head band and he got long ass ck hair that''s tied into a little manbun."

    One of the guys answered "What up Jazz. You lookin for a little Asian dude? Didn''t know that was yo type hahaha! Check it out guys, Jazz acting like a treesh out here."

    All of the guys started tough after hearing their friend make a joke. Jasmine rolled her eyes "I ain''t yin y''all.

    Either you can answer my question seriously or I can seriously bust yo lips open right here right now."

    All of the guys put their hands up as soon as they heard Jasmine say that "Ay yo calm down Jasmine.

    We was just havin a little fun. God damn, that''s why you still single even though you got a dump truck parked in yo garage."

    Jasmine raised a fist up which caused all of the boys to jump back "Aight! Aight! We did see a Asian kid.

    The deets that you gave match up with Lil China Mac. Last we seen he was hoopin over at the Rucker."

    Jasmine lowered her fist as a confused expression went over her face "He''s over at the Rucker?"

 Chapter 217 - Rucker Park: Part-3

    The sound of music mixed with the busy chatter as the crowded bleachers were packed. All of the people in attendance were watching and cheering on the yers who were currently ying.

    Jasmine lead the boys as they walked through the gates of the park. Immediately their eyes went to the courts as they saw a familiar face.

    Jason had the ball in his hands as he crossed half court. The crowds cheering got louder as he walked toward the three point line.

    But only a portion of the cheers seemed to be for Jason as the others yelled out "Lock him down Trae!" "Defense! Defense!"

    The defender in front of Jason seemed to be a young adult probably in his early twenties. He pped his hands before getting into a defensive stance "What you got?!"

    Jason began to rhythm dribble bringing to ball to the left and then to the right. Despite the slow speed of the dribbling the defender was clearly nervous as sweat trickled down the side of his face.

    Out of nowhere Jason suddenly exploded to the right as he quickly did a crossover bringing the ball from his left to his right hand.

    The defender slid his feet as he gave chase to Jason. But before they could make contact Jason came to a stop with a hesitation move.

    The hesitation move caused the defender to freeze right in his tracks as he tried to ready himself for Jason''s next move.

    He saw Jason raising his head and looking toward the hoop. It looked like Jason was going to get into his shooting motion so the defender rushed toward him with his hand up in order to contest the shot.

    Unfortunately for him he had fallen for Jason''s head fake. As the defender rushed toward him Jason simply bounced the ball through his legs before moving past him.

    After making his way around the defender Jason caught the ball and began to attack the paint as he sliced through the middle of the court.

    One of the other defenders ended up leaving his assignment open in the corner as he made his way to Jason in order to try and contain him.

    The two of them made contact just as Jason had stepped past the free throw line. But with a quick spin move Jason managed to lose the defender.

    As the defender continued to go right Jason had spun to the left. As he finished his rotation Jason found himself facing the basket as he threw up an open floater.

    The spin move got the crowd excited but after he made the floater is when the entire crowd jumped to their feet and started pping.

    A deep voice boomed out from the speakers at the park "Young Buckets with anotha one! The score is 6 to 3. First to 11 wins."

    Jasmine turned to the boys "Make sure you stick with me." The boys nodded their heads as they followed Jasmine as she walked further in to the park.

    Standing in front of the bleachers was arge and round man who had a microphone in his hand. Jasmine walked up to him.

    "Yo Mr. Green. How you doin? I hate to bother you while you doin yo thang but I had a quick question."

    Mr. Green took a towel out of his back pocket and wiped the sweat off of his smooth bald head before turning to Jasmine with a big smile on his face.

    "Ay Jazz! Been a minute since you dropped by. Don''t worry bout botherin me. You know I always got time for New York''s princess."

    Jasmine continued "I wanted to ask you about the Asian kid that''s ying right now. He''s actually a friend of mines that came in from California.

    I thought that tonight was only for the regrs? How did he manage to get a spot in a game?" Mr. Green shrugged his shoulders.

    "The kid walked up to me out of nowhere. You know for a fact that I was confused like nobodies business.

    I damn near thought that I was havin a fever dream. Ain''t no Asian kids about to be walking through this part of Harlem thiste at night.

    But what the kid had to say next confused me ever more. He looked at those full grown dudes on the court and asked me ''How do I get in?''

    I dropped the mic on my foot after hearin him say that! I was like ''Boy! Don''t you see that it ain''t kiddy time? These is full grown men yin tonight. Your twig of a body would snap as soon as you stepped in.''

    He just shook his head and told me not to worry about him. He kept asking about getting into a game but I told him that tonight was for locals and regrs only.

    I told him if he wanted toy then his best bet would be toe back tomorrow and try to get into a game during the afternoon.

    Lil dude wouldn''t take no for an answer. Just as I was runnin out of different ways to say no RJ and his boys pulled up.

    I thought that lil dude was in trouble because RJ don''t ever get involved unless it''s his business. But surprisingly RJ just asked the kid for his name.

    After the kid introduced himself RJ nodded his head and looked at me. Now my ass was the one that was scared.

    I thought that RJ would start talkin crazy but all he said was to let the lil guy get a spot in a game. You know me, I ain''t tryin to y no games with Jesus. Nuh uh, nope, not today, not me.

    So I ended up givin the kid a spot in the next game. So if you want to know more I would ask RJ. He''s with his boys up on the bleachers."

    Jazmine felt a headacheing on as she listened to Mr. Green finish what he had to say ''This don''t sound good. What the fuck does RJ got to do with this?''

 Chapter 218 - Rucker Park: Part-4

    Jasmine turned to the boys behind her with a serious expression on her face "I want you guys to follow me but keep ya mouth''s shut. Got it?"

    Kyle and the other boys all nodded their heads in agreement. Jasmine sighed before turning and making her way up the bleachers.

    As they got to the top there were four guys. The section all around them was empty as people seemed hesitant to be near them.

    One of the guys had on a gray beanie and a ck down jacket. He had light brown skin and a few golden chains were hanging on his neck.

    As he saw Jasmine approaching a bright smile grew on his face "Ay yo check it out boys. It''s the Princess of New York.

    What up Jazz. How yo Unc doin? Last I heard some of his boys were nnin on talkin." Jasmine rolled her eyes.

    "My uncle doin just fine RJ. I don''t know where you get your news but you need to find anotha source if that''s the BS they tellin you.

    My Unc only roll with certified Gs. They ain''t punks like you and your boys." The three other dudes sitting to the side of RJ all got up.

    But RJ stuck his arm out "Yo chill guys. Sit down. We at the Rucker. Show some respect." After hearing RJ say that the three other guys all sat back down.

    He then looked at Jasmine "You know that the Rucker is a neutral zone right Jazz? So why you here tryin to start shit?"

    The sound of Mr. Green''s voice once again shot through the speakers "Another basket by Young Buckets! Team one up by four."

    Jasmine red at RJ "I didn''te here to start nothin. I just want to make sure that you stay the fuck away from my friends aight?"

    RJ had had a confused expression on his face "What the hell? I don''t know what kinda new shit you on Jazz but I ain''t eva-"

    Just then RJ noticed Kyle and the other boys standing behind Jasmine. Then everything started to click as RJ took a look out at the court.

    He pped his leg as he startedughing "Hahaha! I get it now. You talkin bout the lil Asian dude right? You talkin bout Jaya?"

    Jasmine nodded her head "I don''t know what you or your dudes is schemin but I''m tellin you right now RJ.

    If anything happens to him or any of my other friends from Cali then you gon be in some real hot water you feel me?"

    RJ had a grin on his face "I feel you Jazz, I feel you. I''d rather be feelin you back at my ce bu-" Jasmine raised her fist up which caused RJ to stop mid sentence.

    He put his hands up as he continued to smile "Yo I was jokin Jazz. Come on now, neutral zone remember?"

    Jasmine reluctantly put her fist down as she continued to re at RJ. RJ shook his head "Listen Jazz, I don''t know what you think I''m tryin to do but I honestly ain''t nnin nothin.

    All I know is that some dudes from out in Cali called and they talked to some of the OGs and old heads.

    Talkin bout they was tappin in, they was checkin in. Said that they got a youngin who was gon be operatin and movin in the area.

    I guess they must have done it the right way cause all the OGs and Old heads told us to keep an eye out for yah boy and make sure that he don''t get in no trouble."

    Jasmine rolled her eyes "That sounds like some BS RJ. If they was gon check in then why they ain''t call my uncle or nobody from our side?"

    RJ justughed as he went back to watching the game "Times is changing Princess. These folks was from outta town.

    They ain''t know nobody. They probably had to call around and see who they should check in with. And the fact that yo Unc wasn''t the first name to pop up should say somethin.

    But now you know that I ain''t up to nothin. If anything you should be thankin me for gettin yah boy a spot tonight. Lil dude can really hoop."

    Jasmine motioned for the boys to take a seat on the other side as she put herself in between them and RJ''s group.

    Kyle and the others followed Jasmine''s instructions as they sat down on the bench. Jasmine then turned back to RJ.

    "Please, I ain''t gotta thank you for shit RJ. I coulda got him a spot just as easy." RJ put his hands up "Probably, but I guess you were just a step too slow seein as how I had to do it."

    Jasmine was furious but she couldn''t think of anything to say in rebuttal. She sat in silence as she watched the game Kyle and the boys.

    As the game went on Jason continued to put all of his skills out on disy as he mped down on defense despite the clear size and strength disparity between him and the other yers.

    Because of his thin frame andck of strength Jason wasn''t able to stop his defensive assignments from driving to the paint.

    However he would alwayse up with the timely steal or block as he timed his counter moves perfectly to neutralize the offensive yer.

    And on offense he didn''t make it a solo show all about him as he got the rest of his teammates involved with his great court vision and passing ability.

    He was finding guys and dropping off dimes with no look passes, behind the back passes, and he was even threading the needle as he bounced the ball between defenders legs in order to deliver the ball to his teammates.

    The game was soon over as Jason hit the long three right in his defenders face. His teammates all ran to him as they hyped him up.

    Jasmine took Kyle and the other boys as they made their way down the bleachers. Jason was all smiles as his teammates surrounded him.

    He saw Jasmine and the others walking towards him "Oh! Hey guys thanks for letting hop in for the game. I gotta go, my friends are here."

    Jason finally got away as he walked toward Jasmine and the others "Yo you guys finally made it. No offense Jasmine but you were taking a long time."

    Jasmine scrunched up her face as she red at Jason "Do you have any idea how worried we all were? Why the hell would you just dip like that without sayin nothin?"

    Jason scratched his head in confusion "Huh? What are you talking about? I tried to tell you guys that I was heading out but you were busy talking about something.

    But that''s why I left a text. I said that I was going ahead and that I would just wait for you guys here."

    Jasmine as well as Kyle and all the other guys were surprised when they heard Jason say that. They all pulled out their phones to check.

    Just like Jason had said he had sent a text message to their group chat saying that he would go on ahead to Rucker park and that he would just wait for them there.

    Jasmine before smiling. Jason thought that he was in the clear after seeing Jasmine smile. But a secondter she grabbed his cheek.

    "You still shouldn''t be doin shit like that!" Jason apologized as Jasmine pinched his cheek "My bad, my bad, I''ll make sure to tell you guys next time."

    Jasmine let go of Jason''s cheek as she nodded her head in satisfaction "Good. Now let''s get out of here."

    Jason looked at her with a confused expression "Wait why are you trying to leave so soon? They just asked me if I wanted to y in the next game.

    And I met some really cool dudes. I should introduce you guys." Jasmine shook her head "I want you to stay away from those guys Jaya. They ain''t nothin but trouble."

    This time it was Jason''s turn to shake his head "I can''t do that Jasmine. Apparently my people back home reached out and made some arrangements for me.

    I can''t do something that will have people looking at my guys sideways. RJ and his boys ain''t do nothing but show me some love so far.

    So I can''t do them like that. It just isn''t how I operate. If you show me love I do the same. Likewise if you try to do the opposite."

    Jasmine was once again frustrated as she didn''t know how to exin her side of things to Jason. Just then Mr. Green''s voice shot out of the speakers.

    "Ay look alive folks. We got royalty in the house. Not only do we have New York''s Princess in attendance tonight.

    But her lil bro is here too! Make some noise for Central Park!"

 Chapter 219 - Rucker Park: Part-5

    Jason as well as Kyle and all the other boys turned their heads in surprise after hearing what the voice on the speaker had said.

    Close to the front of the park there was a huge crowd of people who were surrounding a group of five boys.

    They all mored as they asked the boys for autographs and for photos. Rudy snorted "I bet they think they''re so fucking cool.

    Just because they''re famous and people want to get their autographs and take pictures with them. I could do that shit too if we were in Sacramento."

    Kyle turned his head and looked at Rudy "Really? You''re that famous?" Rudy replied "Y-yeah of course I am! People ask for my signature all the time."

    Danilo chuckled "I don''t know bro. I think I smell something. Kinda smells like cap." Alex yed along with his brothers joke.

    He sniffed the air a few times before adding "You''re right Dlo. It does smell like cap. Big time cap if you ask me."

    Kyle along with the other guys began tough after hearing Alex say that. The only one who wasn''tughing was Rudy.

    He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes "Whatever. You guys will believe me if you go to Sacramento. I''m practically a Rockstar there."

    Jason walked over and patted him on the shoulder "Don''t take it to heart Rudy. Everyone''s just joking around.

    Of course we believe you''re famous. You brought your team to the final four of the state tournament. That automatically makes you at least some type of famous."

    As they were talking a voice called out "Yo Jazz, surprised to see you here." The crowd surrounding the group of boys dispersed as one of the boys walked toward Jason and his group.

    He was dressed in ck sweats and a ck windbreaker with a white skull on the back. He looked to be about 5''7 (1.7m) and his skin tone was a shade darker than Jasmine''s.

    He had his hair styled in braids that were tied together into a ponytail on the top while his sides tapered off into a high fade.

    Jasmine smiled as she looked at him "What you doin here Rio? I thought you was gonna be ying video games at Derick''s?"

    He rolled his eyes before throwing his arms to the side "I told you not to call me that outside the house! My name is Amarion."

    Jasmine raised her fist up "Boy don''t you try and act hard just cause your friends is here! I am not afraid to whoop your ass in public."

    Amarion blushed as his friends behind him began tough. He looked at Jasmine with pleading eyes "Alright my bad sis, but can you please stop calling me Rio when we ain''t home?

    That shit is mad corny and it don''t even sound good." Jasmine chuckled after seeing her brother be submissive.

    "Alright AMARION. Geez, it ain''t even that bad of a nickname tho." As though realizing something Jasmine turned back around to face Jason and his group.

    "I almost forgot. This here is my lil bro Amarion. Amarion these are my new friends from California: Jason, Kyle, Danilo, Alex, Rudy, and 3D."

    She pointed to each of them as she called their names out "They came to New York to attend Nike''s training camp for middle school basketball yers."

    Amarion''s expression changed to a serious one "I know who they are." He then began to walk toward their group.

    He walked right up to Jason "You''re Jason Yang right?" Jason nodded his head "Yeah, that''s me." Amarion then put his hand out.

    "Wee to New York." Jason reached out and shook his hand "Thanks for the warm wee I guess."

    As he finished saying that Jason could feel the pressure increase as Amarion began to grip his hand harder and harder.

    Amarion smiled at Jason "I was actually kinda surprised. Florida got a one year ban after their yers got into some shitst year.

    I didn''t know that Nike would give their spot to California''s JV team." Jason''s face kept the same cool and unreadable face that he always had.

    "Yeah well it''s nice to see that losing the national title didn''t ruin your confidence. How''s it feel to be the first ce loser? Or do you prefer the term second ce and runner up better?"

    The smile disappeared from Amarion''s face as Jason finished saying what he had to say. But a secondter he busted outughing.

    "Hahaha! I like you bruh. I like yo style. You quick with it. That was smooth. I hope you didn''t take none of that personal.

    I was just cuttin yo ass up in true New York fashion. We like to take jabs at each otha out here. The fact that you can give it out just as well as you take it means that you''ll fit right in."

    The pressure from the handshake went back to normal as Amarion weakened his grip. Jason gave a quick shrug with his shoulders.

    "It''s cool man. Just a bit of friendly trash talking right? For real though congrats on getting second at Nationals."

    Amarion was smiling as he talked with Jason but after seeing a group of familiar faces the smile on his face was reced with a scowl.

    "Damn, I didn''t know it was Halloween. I forgot my mask at home. Shit never mind, It''s just RJ''s ugly ass."

    RJ chuckled as he walked toward Amarion and Jason "Haha that''s real funny bro. You can call me ugly all you want but at least my parents didn''t name me after some bum ass singer from a couple of decades ago."

    Amarion rushed toward RJ as he then grabbed him by the cor of his Jacket "Keep my parents off of them crusty ass dried up lips of yours RJ."

    The guys behind RJ all stepped toward Amarion and RJ. But he simplyughed as he put his hand up "Damn, all y''all is mad goofy.

    How many times I gotta say this. Neutral zone, Rucker Park is supposed to be all about keepin kids outta the streets and outta trouble.

    You really gon drag street shit into the Rucker?" Amarion snorted before shoving RJ back "Get the fuck outta here. You got no business being at the Rucker."

    RJ chuckled as he made his way over to Jason. He patted Jason on the back "I hate to break it to ya Small stack but I kinda do got business being here.

    Lil dude came all the way out from Cali and his people from back home checked in with some of the OGs and old heads from our side.

    I gotta make sure he don''t have a hard time you know what I mean?" Amarion swept his gaze over to Jason "Yo keep it a buck. What he sayin true?"

    Jason sighed as he nodded his head "Yeah. My people from back home did do their own thing and I guess they called some people."

    Amarion started to slowly p his hands "Alright, this some good news. I was lookin to break a sweat tonight."

    He then pointed at Jason "You, me, we yin one on one. And don''t you even think about sayin no."

    Jason felt a headacheing on ''I really wanted to just enjoy these two weeks without any drama.'' He then sighed "Fine. Let''s get this over with."

 Chapter 220 - One On One At The Rucker

    Amarion walked over to Mr. Green as he faced the crowd getting them ready for the next game of five on five basketball.

    "That was some good basketball that we just got to watch. Young Buckets really put on a hell of a show tonight.

    I hope y''all are ready cause we got even more -" He stopped as he felt a tap on his shoulder. To his surprise it was Amarion.

    Amarion smiled at Mr. Green "Ay Mr. Green, sorry to cut in while you doin your thang but I actually had somethin I wanted to run by you."

    Amarion then leaned a little bit closer as he whispered something to Mr. Green. After he was done Mr. Green had a bright smile on his face "Sounds like a good time to me haha."

    Mr. Green then pulled the mic back up and held it close to his mouth "Change of ns folks. Instead of the five on five we gon have a ssic one on one."

    The crowd immediately started to boo and curse at Mr. Green while some of them even began to get up from their seats.

    It was clear that nobody was happy to hear that the five on five game was being cancelled. Even the yers who had been standing to the side were showing signs of being upset.

    Mr. Green waved his arm in the air "Woah chill y''all. Damn, didn''t even give me a sec to finish. We cancellin the five on five cause Amarion wanna y Young Buckets."

    As soon as he said that the crowd went back to cheering. The ones who had gotten up from their seats went back and sat down.

    Mr. Green let go a sigh of relief "Yeah that''s what I thought. Amarion and Young Buckets going head to head. Losers ball, first to 11 wins. Y''all ready?"

    The crowd regained their energy and fervor as they once again started to cheer and celebrate. Mr. Green smiled "Then let''s get this game started. DJ crank that shit up!"

    As soon as he said that the speakers started sting as they yed ''Got It On Me'' by the New York legend Pop Smoke.

    Amarion took off his windbreaker as he carried a basketball to Jason who was standing at the free top of the three point line.

    He shoved the ball toward Jason "Shoot for it." Jason calmly took the ball, took a step back, and got into his shooting motion.

    With a flick of his wrist the ballunched into the air with a high arc toward the basket. Jason held his right hand up for the follow through.

    As the ball flew through the air the music from the speakers continued to st out the instrumentals and lyrics from Pop Smoke''s song.

    "Yeah, I don''t cry no mo''

    I don''t look to the sky no mo''

    ''Cause I got it on me

    I got it on me

    I got it on me

    You can run up if you want"

    Just as thest line of lyrics yed on the speakers the ball sank straight through the. Jason turned to Amarion "You want to shoot?"

    Amarion shook his head "Nah that''s cool. You can have first ball. You can think of it as me givin you a handicap bruh. That way you can''t say that I was bullyin you haha."

    Jason had a small smile on his face as he shook his head "Bro you gonna regret that. Should have at least given yourself a chance."

    As they trashed talked each other and exchanged words Jason activated Heart''s Eye and took a look at Amarion''s skills.

    Amarion''s skills:

    [Skills

    Free throw: A

    Lay Up: S-

    Dunking: D+

    Close Shot: A+

    Mid Range Shooting: A

    Three Point Shooting: A-

    Dribbling: S-

    Passing: B+

    Ball Handling: S-

    y Making: A-

    Post Scoring: B

    Rebounding: C+

    Post Control: B-

    Perimeter Defense: B-

    Post Defense: D-

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: D-

    Athleticism: B+ ]

    Other thank looking at Amarion''s skills Jason also checked to see if he had any badges.

    Amarion''s badges:

    Ankle Breaker (Gold): Increases the effectiveness of your dribble moves in breaking down your defender.

    If you manage to make your defender fall or stumble you will get a momentary boost to your shot making.

    Tight Handles (Gold): Increases your ability to dribble through traffic without losing the ball. Decreases your chances of having the ball stripped away while dribbling.

    Dimer (Bronze): Slightly increases your ability to throw urate passes. Gives a slight boost to your teammates scoring ability if they attempt to score right after receiving a pass from you.

    Pick and Roll Ball Handler (Bronze): Increases your ability to pass to the roll man during a pick and roll.

    Also slightly increases your scoring ability momentarily aftering off a screen after performing a pick and roll.

    [Tough Shot Maker (Silver): Decreases the effect that defense will have against your shot by a small margin and increases the speed of your release when defense is close by.

    Human Highlight Reel (Silver): Performing highlight ys will temporarily give you a slight boost to your abilities.

    Keep performing highlight ys to keep the boost active. But if you make a mistake or if a highlight is performed against you the boost disappears.

    Strong finisher (Gold): Increases your chance of making shots despite contact from a defender/s.]

    King Of New York (Obsidian): Your name and renown is well known throughout your city. People with even the smallest interest in basketball know your name and even some people who don''t care about the sport know who you are.

    Your city and it''s people havee to embrace you as one of the iconic things that represent them. Whenever you y in your city and in front of it''s people you get a boost to all of your abilities.]

    Jason was impressed by Amarion''s skills ''As you would expect from a star yer for a program like Central Park.

    His skills are all elite. The only weakside to his game seems to be his defense.'' Jason then read through all of Amarion''s badges.

    He was surprised by the sheer amount of badges that Amarion possessed. In terms of number of badges Amarion was second only to Jason.

    Jason had never met another yer that even came close to having the same amount of badges as him. Amarion was the only one who came close.

    As soon as Jason saw Amarion''sst badge his eyes almost popped out of his head ''What the hell! This guy has a Obsidian ranked badge!?''

    Even with all the talented yers that Jason had met he had never seen anyone with an Obsidian ranked badge besides himself.

    ''That King of New York badge is crazy! He gets a boost to all of his skills just from ying in his city? Looks like things are gonna be a little harder than I thought.''

    With the ball in his hands Jason took a look into the crowd. Everyone had a smile on their face as they all anticipated the start of the game.

    Jason couldn''t help but smile ''But I guess that''s what makes things fun. Shit gets boring when everything is easy.''

 Chapter 221 - One One One At The Rucker: Part-2

    Jason tossed the ball to RJ "Check" RJ then passed the ball back to Jason. With the ball in his hands Jason got into triple threat position.

    With his left foot behind as the pivot foot Jason brought the ball down and swung it to the right as he also jabbed in that direction with his right foot.

    After seeing that Amarion didn''t react to his jab step Jason pulled the ball back, repositioned his right foot, and got into his shooting motion.

    Amarion rushed toward Jason as soon as he saw him getting into his shooting motion. Unfortunately for him he had underestimated the speed of Jason''s jump shot.

    By the time he was able to get a hand in Jason''s face the ball had already beenunched into the air.

    The entire crowd went silent as they all watched as the ball flew through the air in a high arc. The only sound that could be heard was the music being sted through the speakers in the park.

    The ball swished as it hit nothing but. Jason could hear the crowd getting hyped after he had made that shot.

    The energy of the park and the people there was infectious as Jason could feel it. In a moment of inspiration Jason decided to copy the celebration of another New York legend.

    Jason put up three fingers on his right hand before pointing to his head with the three fingers.

    Some of the people in the audience became even more excited after seeing Jason copy Carmelo Anthony''s celebration.

    "Ay yo he doin Melo''s celebration!" "Lil dude really knows how to put on a show haha!" "Damn that three was cold blooded! He shot it right in Amarion''s face!"

    Jason went over and grabbed the ball. He then walked back toward the three point line where Amarion was standing.

    Jason passed the ball to Amarion "2 to 0, looks like it''s your turn now." Amarion caught the ball. He turned it over in his hands a few times.

    "That shot was nice, not gon lie. But now it''s my turn to show you what New York basketball is all about."

    He then tossed the ball back to Jason "Check" Jason casually passed the ball back after having caught it with one hand.

    Jason got into a low defensive stance as he kept Amarion at an arms length of distance. He watched him carefully.

    Amarion looked at Jason as he tried to feel him out ''I heard dude was a good defender. Should I go in strong to the paint or try to get in rhythm with my jumper?''

    After thinking for a moment Amarion seemed to havee up with a n for how he would approach the game as he finally began his attack.

    With the ball in his right hand Amarion began to dribble. Left, right, left, he then exploded to the right as he began driving.

    ''That''s a fast first step. Good thing he''s still a kid. It''s way too easy to read him.'' Jason then lifted up his foot as he slid to the right.

    But before the two of them could make contact Amarion dribbled the ball from his right hand to his left as he changed directions with a quick crossover.

    ''Fuck! This guy has that herky jerky ball handling.'' Compared to Jason''s smooth style of ball handling that focused on exploiting the weaknesses and holes in a defenders stance and positioning Amarion''s herky jerky ball handling took a different approach.

    A herky jerky ball handling style works best with ball handlers who besides having good ball handling skills possess elite athleticism.

    By using extreme changes in direction and speed this style of ball handling can allow a ball handler to fully utilize his athleticism.

    Luckily although Jason''s body was slower than Amarion the fact that he knew how to best position himself on defense as well as his ability to recover on the defensive end allowed him to catch back up.

    Amarion attempted a few more times to lose Jason by shifting directions and shifting gears but nothing was working.

    He finally decided to simply put his shoulder down and try to muscle his way to the basket. Jason kept his hands up as he shifted his feet and stuck with Amarion.

    Amarion was surprised to see that despite his small and thin frame Jason showed no difficulty in absorbing contact and staying on his hip.

    ''What the hell is up with this kid? It''s not like he''s strong and able to knock me of course but even though he''s light I can''t get him off of me.''

    What Amarion didn''t understand was that Jason''s years of experience as a college level basketball yer had given him the knowledge of how to best cover a defender as well as how to best recover after having your defensive stance broken or disturbed.

    In his past life Jason had been known as a perimeter lockdown defender. He guarded the opposing team''s best perimeter offensive yer.

    That included Point Guards, Shooting Guards, and even small Forwards. And the reason why he was able to y up in terms of the positions that he defended was because of his defensive IQ and tenacity.

    His stubborn mindset and tenacity that bordered on crazy is what allowed him to not back down despite having to guardrger and stronger offensive yers.

    And his defensive IQ and understanding of the game is what allowed him to do it at such a high level.

    As they approached the paint Amarion picked up his dribble as he got ready to make his move. Jason saw this and his focus intensified as he began to observe every small movement from Amarion.

    Amarion jumped into the air with the ball in his right hand and Jason on his left side. As soon as he saw him leave the ground Jason jumped up along with him.

    As they met in the air Jason took aim as before shooting out his left hand toward the ball. What Amarion did next took Jason by surprise.

    Despite their contact and Jason''s physical presence Amarion was still able to maintain control of the ball and his body as he extended his right arm far out.

    With the ball resting on the palm of his right hand he had his arm fully extended out as far it could go.

    Then with a flick of his wrist he managed tounch the ball into the air as it flew over the both of them toward the basket that was to the left of him.

    Because of the contact they made in the air the two of them were off bnce as theynded back on to the court.

    They both turned their eyes to the hoop as they waited to see the results of the shot. The ballnded on the rim and bounced a few times before finally falling through the.

    The crowd all jumped to their feet and started cheering and yelling in support of Amarion. He stared down Jason and started thumping his chest.

    "That''s what I''m talkin bout! You thought shit was sweet over huh!?Shit ain''t sweet! Not in here son!

    You ain''t in Cali no moh bruh. These the cold streets ah New York. You in my city! You in my house now!"

 Chapter 222 - The Winner

    Amarion then passed the ball to Jason. His face showed no emotion as he responded after catching the ball from Amarion.

    "You sure shit ain''t sweet? I coulda sworn I tasted some honey back when I sshed that three right in your face bro."

    Amarion was nodding his head "You keep talkin while you got the chance. Cause you boutta learn how to behave when you in someone else''s house.

    You might be a big shot back back wherever yous from but down here you ain''t nothin but a damn house guest. This is my city."

    Jason began talk trash as Amarion was an arms length away "Damn bro, I almost feel bad for you. You about to get disrespected in your own home.

    Cause I''m finna get into your fridge, eat up all your food, and then kick my feet up while I channel surf in your living room.

    Ain''t nothing you can do about it other than give me a set of keys cause Ima make myself at home."

    Amarion almost choked when he heard Jason say that ''Damn! What the hell is up with this dude? He got aeback for everything.''

    Jason couldn''t but chuckle in his mind after seeing Amarion''s frustrated face ''You''re gonna have to do a lot better than that if you want to talk trash to me kid.

    I have close to two decades worth of experience when ites to talking shit and getting into your opponents head.

    I might not have been the most athletic yer or the most skilled. But when ites to getting under people''s skin I don'' think there''s anyone better than me.''

    Jason once again went into triple threat as he held the ball at chest level. The excitement and anticipation of the crowd was palpable all the way from the court as Jason could feel his heart begin to race.

    Jason jabbed step to the right. Seeing as how Amarion didn''t react Jason then used the jab step to start his point of attack.

    Jason used the step that he took when he jabbed and turned it into the first step of his drive. Amarion was a split second too slow in reacting as Jason managed to create a half step of distance between them.

    Thanks to Amarion''s quickness he was able to catch up to Jason. As the two of them made contact Amarion began to slide his feet as he bodied Jason up while he drove to the paint.

    As he made his way toward the basket Jason would asionally give Amarion a bump in order to try and knock him off bnce.

    Unfortunately for Jason hisck of strength and his slim frame made it hard for him to create any major separation.

    But even though his bumps weren''t enough to get Amarion off of him they still proved effective as he couldn''t maintain optimal positioning on defense.

    Each time he got bumped Amarion had to focus on recovering and getting back into ce. It also made it hard for him to beat Jason to his spot.

    As Jason stepped into the paint he got ready to make his move. With Amarion on his right side as he cut straight through the middle of the paint Jason picked up his dribble.

    He nted his right foot down and pushed off with all the power he could muster. He then dipped his shoulder down as he gave Amarion onest bump.

    Amarion had been getting ready to jump when he took Jason''s bump square in the chest. His feet had been close together in preparation for the jump so he was easily pushed back.

    There was now a step of distance between the two of them as Jason leapt into the air. Amarion nted both of his feet as he exploded forward with all the power he could muster.

    As Jason got up into the air he could see Amarion quickly approaching. Jason held the ball in his left hand as he got ready for the off handedyup.

    Amarion saw this and shot his right hand out toward Jason''s left hand where the ball was in an attempt to block and contest the shot.

    Just as Jason was extending his left out hand out for theyup he swung his left hand down, transferred the ball to his right, and snaked his arm underneath Amarion''s.

    Amarion was caught off guard by Jason changing his shot at thest second so he had no chance to react as Jason went for a scoopyup with his right hand.

    With a flick of his wrist Jason sent the ball out of his right and toward the basket. The power behind the shot seemed to be a littlecking as the ball barely managed tond on the right edge of the rim.

    The split second that the ball spent teetering on the rim felt like a minute as Jason, Amarion, and the crowd waited to see the results.

    Finally as the ball tipped over it ended up falling through the. The crowd once again got fired up and began to make some more noise.

    Jason felt a surge of pride well up within him after making that difficultyup. In his past life he had been sorelycking in terms of offensive moves in his arsenal.

    This had lead to him being nothing more than a defensive specialist at the college level and it was also the main reason that he could never make the leap to the professional league.

    Back when he was young and in his prime hecked the offensive moves. And by the time he was finally able to improve his jumper and add some moves to his bag of tricks he was already too old of a prospect for any team to want to take a chance on him.

    But now things were different. He was young again and he had all the knowledge, experience, and skills that he had developed in his past life.

    Jason walked over to the ball and picked it up. He then made his way back to the three point line where Amarion was standing and passed him the ball.

    "You''re not the only one with the acrobaticyup package bro. Hell, if you can make this enough of apetition I just might show you my D. Rose impression. Or do you like Ja better?"

    Amarion stood there in silence he gave up on trying to talk trash to Jason. Every time he had tried before it just ended up with him getting the short end of the stick.

    After that acrobaticyup by Jason everything began to go downhill for Amarion. The more time Jason spent ying against Amarion the more he was getting into rhythm.

    Not only was Jason getting in rhythm on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball. But he was also memorizing Amarion''s style of y.

    Jason''s borderline insane focus on defense didn''t miss a single detail of Amarion''s y style as he memorized his favorite moves.

    His default counter moves, his dribbling rhythm, even down to the miniscule details such as hand positioning on the ball and facial expressions, nothing escaped Jason''s attention.

    This allowed Jason to time his defensive ys perfectly as he would strip the ball away from Amarion right as he was in the middle of a move.

    As well as block the shots during their low points. But even though Jason yed his usual suffocating brand of defense Amarion was still able to make a few baskets.

    Because of Amarion''s high skill levels as well as his various badges sometimes Jason''s amazing defense would still be useless as the shots still ended up going in.

    However Jason''s tight defense still proved to be crucial as even though Amarion was able to make some tough shots his field goal percentage was much lower than Jason''s.

    With the ball in his hands Jason crossed over to the left and did a hesitation move. He then crossed the ball over to the right for another hesitation move.

    Amarion stood his ground and didn''t react ''You''re too far from the line bruh. You ain''t gon make shit from out there.''

    Without any warning Jason went from the hesitation move to the right to getting into his shooting motion as he pulled up from distance.

    Amarion''s face became grim as he tried his best to jump forward and contest the shot. Unfortunately for him he was a step too slow and just a bit too far away.

    By the time he got close to Jason the ball had already left his hand. The ball flew in a high arc toward the basket as the crowd became silent.

    As they watched the ball sink through the the entire audience exploded into cheers and apuse as they all jumped to their feet.

    And with that shot Jason had secured the victory with a score of twelve to five. In a moment of inspiration Jason decided to recreate one of the most iconic moments of modern basketball.

    He looked over at Amarion and waved him goodbye in the same fashion that Damian Lird had done to Russel Westbrook and Paul George when he had eliminated them from the yoffs all those years ago.

 Chapter 223 - Busy Day

    The audience in the park were going wild as they showered Jason in cheers and apuse. Jason raised his head and couldn''t help but smile as he looked out at the enthusiastic crowd.

    With music still sting on the speakers he waved at them before making his way off the court. He walked back toward Kyle and the rest of the guys.

    Kyle ran up to Jason and shoved him "You were amazing Jaya! That was a crazy one on one!" Jason chuckled "Thanks Kyle."

    Rudy had a smile on his face as he made his way to the two of them. He stopped beside Jason and patted him on the back.

    "Congrats on the dub bro. You almost looked like a MC for a second haha. Especially with thatst shot. That three was ice cold bro."

    3D nodded his head "You showed out tonight that''s for sure. I thought we saw all of your skills back when we yed against Monty and his boys.

    But I guess you still had some more tricks up your sleeves. You never run out of shit to pull out of your bag huh?"

    Jasonughed "You guys think you''ve seen all of my tricks? I still have some more things that I haven''t had to use yet."

    Kyle and all of the other boys became silent after hearing what Jason had to say. The idea that Jason''s dominant performance in the one on one wasn''t his limit had them in awe.

    Jason had a questioning look on his face as he looked around "Huh? Hey guys where''s Jasmine at? I don''t see her around."

    Danilo answered "She went to go check on her lil bro. She looked like she was worried about him after you beat the dog shit out of him on the court."

    When he heard that Jason couldn''t do anything else but sigh "I hope this doesn''t change anything between us."

    - - -

    Outside the park Amarion was standing with the other guys that he had been with when he had first arrived at the park.

    The tallest of the boys looked to be around 6''2 (1.87m) and he was dressed in jeans and a ck hoodie. A ck beanie covered his hair.

    He patted Amarion on the back "Don''t sweat it Amarion. Being good at one on one don''t mean a thang. Basketball is a five man game."

    Amarion shook his head "You ain''t gotta cheer me up Franky. I know that I lost to the better hooper today. But this ain''t over.

    They gon be here for two weeks. I got plenty of time to get my pay back. The Nike camp will be the perfect chance."

    Franky nodded his head "Yeah. You can get back at em in front of all the cameras. ''King of New York takes down up anding star'' sounds like the perfect headline haha."

    As they were talking Amarion noticed his sister approaching. He looked at her and shook his head "Not you too Jazz. You here to try and cheer me up?"

    Jasmine smiled as she walked closer to her brother. She then pped him on the back of his head "Hell no.

    I know you ain''t no weak ass bitch. It''s gonna take more than a fat L to get to you." Amarion rubbed the back of his head.

    "Damn Jazz! Just cause you ain''t here to cheer me up don''t mean you gotta smack the brain cells outta my skull.

    You and you goddamn man hands. That shit felt like I got hit with a hammer." Jasmine smiled at her brother''s reaction.

    But a momentter the smile disappeared from her face "Listen Amarion, about Jaya-" Amarion put his hand up and stopped her mid sentence.

    "I got it Jazz. I know what you''re trying to say. Just because he cool with a bitch ass treesh like RJ don''t mean he a part of they crew.

    Ain''t no bad blood between us because of that. I just got mad heated when I saw RJ''s ugly ass. I ain''t about to hold that against him or your other friends from Cali."

    Jasmine sighed in relief "Thanks Amarion. I only met em today but those boys aight. They funny as fuck and they appreciate a good chopped cheese."

    Amarionughed "I think you just like the fact that they ain''t scared of yo concrete bustin man hands haha."

    Jasmine rolled her eyes "Whatever RIO. Now that I know that you good Ima head on back. Still gotta show them Cali boys around town."

    - - -

    Samantha had a bored look on her face as she sat at a table of the food court in the mall. Sitting across from her was Shania.

    "I am soooo bored Shania. What the hell are we even doing?" Shaniaughed "The fuck? You the one that called me talkin bout you need to shop to forget about your mans.

    We been to like five stores and we got he bags now. Now you''re saying you bored?" Samantha sighed beforeying her head down on her left arm.

    "The shopping helped for a little bit but now I''m bored. And Jaya''s been ignoring all my calls ever since he left for New York!"

    Shania dipped one of her fries into some ketchup before popping it into her mouth "Hmm that''s on you girl. I showed up and watched you try on clothes for three hours. I did my part.

    And why you talkin like they been gone for forever? They literally left yesterday. It ain''t even been 48 hours.

    Besides, you know how Jaya be actin. That fool never answer his phone if it ain''t about basketball." She then pulled out her phone.

    She started off with checking her texts and emails but then she got a notification. She clicked on the link and it took her to a video of Jason ying in Rucker Park.

    Shania turned her head and looked at Samantha who was stillying her head down on her arm "You check Jaya''s ount recently?"

    Samantha nodded her head "I checked it earlier this afternoon. The only thing he posted was a picture of him with Kyle and a couple other dudes in front of the Nike training building or whatever it''s called."

    Shania cracked a small smile "You might want to type his name in and do a quick search." Samantha raised her head and looked at Shania questioningly.

    Shania didn''t say anything as she kept her eyes on her phone. Seeing as how she was unlikely to get an answer from Shania Samantha sighed and pulled out her phone.

    After typing in Jason''s name the first thing to pop up was a video of him ying a game of one on one at the Rucker.

    Samantha yed the video. As she watched she couldn''t keep herself under control "Hey! Don''t be so rough with him!"

    "Stop bumping him! Jaya''s too delicate for that!" "Yes! Go Jaya!" "Ooh he spun around him like it was nothing!"

    And when Jason hit the game winning shot right in Amarion''s face Samantha jumped up from her chair and started yelling.

    "Yes! He did it! He did it! Shania he won!" Shania pulled her back down into her chair "Girl you crazy? What the hell you doin shoutin like that in the middle of the food court?"

    Samantha started to blush as she looked around and saw that everyone waiting in line for their food was staring at her.

    She gave an awkward smile to Shania "Hehe sorry. I guess I just got a little excited. This only got posted a couple minutes ago but it already has thousands of views.

    I guess Jaya is still Jaya. Even when he''s in New York he finds a way to get himself in the spotlight." Samantha then began to look through all thements of the video.

    She was happy to see that most of thements were positive as they praised Jason for his impressive performance.

    But then she furrowed her brows as she saw some negativements "These assholes must be blind! How the hell can they say anything bad about him?"

    She then began to leave somements after logging into her secret ount.

    PrinceJaya''sReal#1Fan: @KDforLife Did we watch the same video you blind fuck? Jaya is obviously the better yer.

    PrinceJaya''sReal#1Fan: @LameloDaGOAT Your eyes must have popped out at the beginning of the video. All I saw was Jaya dominating.

    PrinceJaya''sReal#1Fan: @Hosontheup Shut the fuck up dude. You''re talking all this trash but I bet your trash ass would be happy as **** to see your sorry ass franchise draft him.

    PrinceJaya''sReal#1Fan: @HelloMelo7 Get off the inte and try to work on moving out of your mom''s basement you ******* neckbeard!

    Just as Samantha was feeling good after blowing off some steam she saw a post that had Jason tagged in it.

    She tapped on it and saw a picture of Jason, Kyle, and some other boys standing in front of a hot dog stand.

    Below the picture was a caption that read: Having fun with my new friends from California.

    Samantha then noticed a girl standing next to Jason. She was smiling as she had her arm around Jason and Kyle.

    Samantha once again jumped out from her seat "Shania! We have to go to New York!"

 Chapter 224 - The First Day Of Actual Training

    Kyle wasfortably sleeping in bed when he felt a tap on his shoulder "Hmmm give me five more minutes."

    A secondter and his entire body was shaking and rocking "Okay! Okay! I''ll get up!" After he said that the shaking came to a stop.

    Kyle opened his eyes and saw Jason standing over him with his toothbrush in his mouth "Hurry up man. Get ready so we can eat breakfast."

    Kyle stretched out hisnky body in his bed as he let out a yawn. He then got up and scratched his head "What time is it?"

    Jason poked his head out of the bathroom as he answered "It''s about to be 5:30." Kyle almost fell down back into his bed when he heard Jason say that.

    "Jaya! Why are we waking up so early? The van won''t be here till 8 bro." Jason rinsed his mouth and spat the water out before walking out of the bathroom.

    He wiped his face with his towel before looking at Kyle "I wanted to get a quick workout in before breakfast."

    Kyle looked down and sighed "I don''t know why I even bothered asking. I should have known. The only thing you ever have on your mind is basketball."

    After washing up the both of them changed into their workout clothes that they would be wearing to the training camp.

    Kyle put on a pair of white sweats that had a dark blue mech holding aser sword on the right leg while Jason put on a pair of ckpression pants underneath his red shorts.

    Kyle shook his head "You''re gonna go out like that? Bro it''s like forty something degrees outside. The summers over here are way colder than our winters."

    Jason chuckled "I''ll be alright. The cold doesn''t really bother me that much. In fact I kinda like it. It''s like going into an ice bath after a tough workout.

    Besides, we''re in the building for the most part. It''s not like we spend that much time outside for me to worry about getting sick. I''m even wearing a hoodie."

    Kyle thought about it for a second before nodding his head "I guess." Just then the two of them heard a knocking from outside their door.

    "Hello? Jason Yang? Kyle Robinson?" Jason and Kyle both looked at each other for a couple of seconds before they both shook their heads.

    Seeing as how Kyle had no idea who was at the door Jason decided to walk over and answer it himself.

    Just as Jason was about to reach out to turn the doorknob he remembered the warning that Marcus had given him.

    ''You gon be by yourself up there Jaya. Make sure you keep your guard up. Amare won''t be there to help if you get caughtckin.''

    Jason pulled his hand back before asking "Who is it?" The voice answered "My name is Thomas Baker. I''m a cameraman from Nike."

    Jason then took a peek out of the peep hole of the hotel door. Sure enough on the other side was a pudgy middle aged man with a camera in his hands.

    Jason decided that it was probably safe so he opened the door "Come in I guess." The man thanked Jason as he walked into their hotel room.

    Jason gestured to an empty chair and the cameraman gave him a nod before taking a seat. Jason looked at him.

    "So what can I help you with so early in the morning? No one from Nike told me that you would be here."

    Thomas scratched his head before letting out an awkward chuckle "Hehe yeah sorry about that. If it helps any no one told me anything about this beforehand either.

    I literally got a call at four o''clock in the morning telling me that I would be assigned to filming you as your exclusive camera guy."

    Jason raised his brow "Oh really? And why is Nike giving me my own cameraman?" Thomas answered "Well they do this every year.

    The most exciting yers, the most talented yers, or the most interesting yers usually get assigned an exclusive camera guy to get a wide range of footage from them.

    Nike likes to show more than just the athlete''s training when they do their mini docu-series every year.

    They like to show what their morning routines are like, what they eat for breakfast, what kind of music they listen to, etc."

    Jason nodded his head as he listened "I guess that makes sense." Thomas then asked "So you''re okay with me filming you right? If you are then I''ll start right now."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Go ahead. I don''t really mind. But I feel like you''ll just be wasting your time.

    I don''t know what kind of exciting or interesting footage you''re hoping to get but you probably won''t be able to get it from me. I''m a pretty boring guy."

    Kyleughed as he walked out of the bathroom with some floss in his hands "If you think you''re boring then I don''t want to see what you consider exciting."

    Jason turned to Kyle as he realized something "You okay with him following us around and filming us? I almost forgot to ask about what you thought about this."

    Kyle stopped flossing to answer "I don''t really care. It''s not like it would be the first time we had cameras following us around everywhere recording everything we did."

    Jason then turned back to Thomas "Well there you go. I guess you can start filming us. We were just about to head to the courts and get a early morning sweat in."

    Thomas followed Jason and Kyle as they walked to the basketball courts of the hotel with a basketball in hand.

    Once they got to the courts Thomas looked around for the best ce to position himself in order to get the best shot possible.

    He decided to move to the sidelines and record from there. He thought that they would put up some shots and maybe y a leisurely game.

    But to his surprise Jason and Kyle were going a hundred percent at each other from the get go. Jason was dipping his shoulder and going right at Kyle.

    And Kyle didn''t pull any of his punches as he attacked Jason with everything that he had on the defensive end while also ying him physically whenever he posted up.

    ''I thought he said that they were just going to get a quick workout in? This looks like full on practice to me.''

    The idea of taking it easy didn''t seem to exist in either of the two''s minds as their bodies fell to the floor and as they made full contact with each other on almost every y.

    Jason''s tight and creative ball handlingbined with his multiple ways to score made for great footage.

    While Kyle''s ability to move his feet and stay in front of his man out on the perimeter was dazzling whenbined with the amazing scenes of him soaring high as he blocked Jason''s shots.

    After their morning workout Thomas was once again surprised as he filmed Jason as he showed off his amazing appetite.

    Thomas looked at Jason worriedly "You don''t need to put on a show just because I''m here. Just do what you naturally do."

    Jason lifted his head up as he was shoveling a whole pancake into his mouth and looked over at Thomas with a confused expression on his face.

    "Hmmm? What are you talking about? I am being natural. This is how much I eat for breakfast everyday."

    Soon after the rest of the boys made their way down as they joined Jason and Kyle for breakfast. After they all finished eating they then waited in the lobby before getting picked up by the van.

    Jason was excited as he walked into the Nike Training facility ''We''re finally done with all the assessments! We can actually start the training now.

    I wonder what they''ll start us off with? Strength training? Conditioning? Coordination? Or maybe they''ll have us work on our basketball skills.''

    As he was off in his own world thinking about all the different and amazing things that the sports doctors and researchers would have them do they reached the training room where they had been yesterday.

    He looked at the door enthusiastically as he watched Dr. Patricia walk in along with a slew of other researchers and sports doctors.

    Dr. Patricia pped her hands together after making her way to the front "Good morning everyone. I hope you were all able to get an adequate amount of restst night because today we''ll start your actual training."

    Everyone pped their hands and cheered when they heard her say that. Even Monty and his group joined in.

    She waited for things to quiet down before continuing "Go ahead and follow the staff member that calls out your name.

    They will work with you exclusively during these two weeks as they have you work on a personalized training regiment."

    Jason stood motionlessly as he waited for his name to be called out. The first one that was called was 3D followed by Monty.

    Soon Jason watched as everyone else had their name called. Even Kyle got called before him. After a few more minutes it was just Jason and Dr. Patricia in the room.

    Jason stood there silently for a few seconds before finally speaking up "Uh excuse me Doc. Not trying to be rude or anything but I''m still waiting to start my training."

    Dr. Patricia let out a chuckle before looking at Jason with a mischievous smile on her face "Oh don''t worry about it young man.

    You are very lucky. I will be directly in charge of your training." Jason slowly nodded his head "Okay? So when can we start?"

    She smiled as she answered "Oh, we already started. We''re just waiting to hear back from the kitchen."

    Jason looked at her questioningly "Waiting to hear back from the kitchen?" Dr. Patricia then touched the earpiece that was in her right ear.

    "Is everything ready? Alright then. Go ahead and bring it to weight room number four." A few minutes after she said that a cart was wheeled into the room by a member of the kitchen staff.

    Dr. Patricia motioned for Jason to approach to the cart. Jason hesitantly made his way to the cart ''I have a bad feeling about this.''

    He then lifted the lead to one of the trays that was on the cart. The tray was full of grilled chicken that looked to be under seasoned.

    Jason nervously removed the lid from some more of the tes. They were filled with nothing but different kinds of meat.

    Jason gulped as he raised his head and looked at Dr. Patricia "Uh what are these for Doc?" She smiled as she answered "That is for your training.

    For the two weeks that you are here you will be on a rigorous diet designed for optimal muscle and body development.

    You will start off all your training sessions with a hearty meal, then you will rest for an hour as you watch film of old games, practice hard for two hours, and then eat and repeat."

    Jason''s jaw dropped to the floor after hearing her say that. It took him a moment to recover from the surprise.

    "Not that I''m questioning your knowledge or expertise Doc but that sounds like a ton of eating. Even for someone like me."

    Dr. Patricia shook her head as she looked at Jason with a serious expression on her face "Did you know that after the draft the Lakers put Brandon Ingram on a diet that had him eating 5,000 calories a day?

    They did that because the biggest question about him leading up to the draft was whether or not he would be able to handle the physicality of the NBA because of his thin and scrawny frame.

    He had the exact same problem as you Jason. So starting from today you will be on a 6,000 calorie a day diet."

 Chapter 225 - Are You Hungry?

    Jason''s face was pale as he covered his mouth. In front of him was a huge spread of food. Multiple tes covered the table as they were filled with a mixture of different dishes.

    After taking a moment to gather himself Jason took his hand away from his mouth as he then tried to shovel a spoonful of brown rice with shredded grilled chicken into his mouth.

    As the food touched his tongue a sense of nausea arose as the vor of the food disappeared and became reced with the most rancid vors that Jason had ever experienced.

    This was his third meal that he had eaten at the training facility. The first meal might have been a bit underwhelming in terms of vor but it was just like any other meal to Jason.

    He was easily able to finish the first meal that Dr. Patricia had prepared for him. The second meal was a bit harder but he was able to slowly make his way through it.

    But now after lifting weights and working on his conditioning in between all the meals he was struggling to push down the food that they had prepared for his third meal.

    Jason put his hand back over his mouth as he could feel the contents of his stomach fighting toe back up.

    Dr. Patricia stood right next to him with her pen out as she wrote something down on her clipboard "If you throw up we''ll have to bring in more food and have you eat everything all over again."

    Jason''s eyes shook after hearing her say that. He closed his eyes and forced his jaw to move as he chewed the food in his mouth.

    But despite his best efforts he couldn''t stop himself from gagging and coughing. Dr. Patricia sighed "Ignore it Jason.

    It''s all in your mind. You know what these foods taste like. The only reason why it tastes so bad right now is because your brain is trying to make you stop eating.

    The human body has a surprisinglyrge bag of tricks when ites to getting what it wants. Your brain knows that you''ve eaten arge amount of food.

    It thinks that you need to stop eating so it''s making all the food you eat taste disgusting. Fight through it.

    Push through this wall like you''ve done to all the others that you''ve faced before. If you want to put on muscle and bulk up then this is the only way."

    Jason started punching his leg as he scooped up more food and shoveled it into his mouth. If Kyle or any of the other boys were here they would be surprised to see Jason struggle to eat.

    Using the pain to distract himself Jason was able to finish the five remaining tes that wereid out in front of him.

    After finishing thest te Jason''s face was sickly pale. His lips trembled as he put his sports bottle to his mouth.

    He drank nonstop as he emptied out his bottle. After emptying out the contents of his bottle he weakly dropped it to his side.

    He then leaned back into his chair as he stared straight up at the ceiling. The focus in his eyes were gone as his vision became blurry.

    "If you want we can stop this training and put you on a easier regiment. We can shift the focus of your training to work on your skills instead of building up your body.

    But opportunities like this don''t show up all that often. A diet of 6,000 calories a day is fairly expensive.

    And even if you were willing to spend that money at home I doubt that you would have the equipment or personal to maximize your training.

    It alles down to how much you want this. How much are you willing to sacrifice for this game? How much of yourself are you willing to put on the line?"

    The light returned to Jason''s eyes as he stood up and faced Dr. Patricia. His voice was weak but the conviction behind it was strong "Let''s keep going."

    - - -

    The van drove off after the boys got all of their belonging from the trunk. Monty and his group left without saying a word.

    As Jason and the other boys stood in the lobby of the hotel Danilo had a bright smile on his face "Today was so fucking awesome!

    I got to work with a shooting coach that actually worked with Luka before! He gave me a whole bunch of pointers and now my jumper looks so much better."

    Alex smiled as he nodded his head "This training camp is so worth it. The trainer that I worked with had me working on my handles the whole day. I can already feel a difference."

    Kyle excitedly added "I worked on my free throws and on my post moves. I actually managed to make ten hook shots in a row!"

    3D looked at the time on his phone "It''s already seven? Damn, time moves by slowly when you''re having fun I guess. You guys want to go eat dinner?"

    Everyone raised their hands and agreed excitedly "You know what guys, I''m good. You go ahead and get dinner without me."

    Everyone''s jaws dropped to the floor as they heard Jason say that. He smiled at them "I''m feeling kinda drained so I''ll head up and call it a night early."

    Everyone watched him as he walked away. It wasn''t until a few seconds after he was gone that they managed to recover from the shock.

    Rudy pointed to where Jason had just been standing "Yo did I hear that right? Jaya actually said no to some food? Free food?"

    Danilo looked over at Kyle "Is he okay? We didn''t see him at all after we all split up for our training. He was missing during the lunch break too."

    Kyle furrowed his brows as he had a worried expression on his face "I''ve never seen Jaya say no to food before. I hope there isn''t something going on."

    - - -

    After walking into his room Jason tossed his sports bag on the floor. He then walked over to his bed and fell backwards into it.

    Afterying in his bed for a few minutes he opened his eyes and stared up at the white ceiling ''Fuck, this is the first time I''ve ever hated food this much.

    When I heard them bring up dinner I almost threw up right there in the lobby. Can I really make it through two weeks of this?''

    As he was contemting what the uing weeks would be like he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled out his phone and saw that it was Samantha.

    He answered the video call "Yo Sammy. What''s up?" Samantha had a smile on her face but after hearing Jason speak the smile disappeared.

    "Are you okay? You sound really tired." Jason held up his phone up so that his face would show up on the camera.

    He smiled as he answered "Of course I''m okay. I just sound tired because I am tired. I just got back from a whole day of training."

    Her face showed that she had some doubts but she brushed them to the side "Well, as long as you say you''re okay.

    Oh by the way I saw the video of you ying at the Rucker." She gave Jason a thumbs up "You were super cool as always."

    Jason chuckled "Hehe thanks. You know me. Doesn''t matter if I''m in Riverside or New York I''m always down to ball."

    Samantha continued to smile "I also saw the picture of you guys getting hotdogs after you visited the Rucker. Who''s the girl?"

    Jason thought about it for a second "Oh! You mean Jazz? She''s super cool. She''s the number one ranked amateur female boxer in her weight ss right now and she''s only a sophomore.

    She even participated in the junior Olympics and got a silver medal. She is a total badass. Everyone in New York seems to know who she is."

    Her expression turned grumpy after hearing Jason say that "Oh, you sound so excited when you talk about her."

    Jason sat up from his bed and shrugged his shoulders "I mean how can I talk about someone that''s at the top of her sport and not be excited?

    It would be even weirder if I talked about her and sounded bored." Samantha rolled her eyes "Since you''re still breathing then I guess I don''t have anything else to check on."

    The call ended as she hung up. Jason scratched her head "What the hell? She always picks the weirdest times to have a mood swing.

    She was smiling when she called me and then a few secondster she hangs up while looking pissed. Oh well."

    Heid back down on his bed and closed his eyes. A few secondster and he was snoring.

    - - -

    Samantha was sitting on her bed when she hung up on Jason. She turned to the side where Shania was sitting at her desk.

    "See? What did I tell you? He is totally falling for her! We need to go to New York right now Shania! We need to go before he falls for that bitch''s trap!"

    Shania rolled her eyes "Girl you need to rx. First of all yo daddy already said no to buying you a ticket to New York.

    Second of all it''s too cold for me to be goin to New York. You ain''t draggin my ass down there I can tell you that right now. I''m tryin to enjoy my summer in sunny California.

    And third, you overreacting. He wasn''t talkin bout that girl like he was in love with her. It just sounds like he admires her."

    Samantha sighed "Fine. But if she tries to make a move on Jaya you and me need to fly over and have a talk with her."

    Shaniaughed "Sammy, did you not hear the part where Jaya said that she was the number one ranked female high school boxer in the country?

    There could be ten of us and she would prolly still whoop our asses." Samantha looked at Shania with a disappointed expression.

    "I was expecting you to say something way more gangster than that Shania. Something like ''I might not know how to fight but this glock can put in work.'' "

    Shania almost fell over from the chair as she began tough hysterically after hearing Samantha say that.

    - - -

    Three days passed as the boys all stuck to their personalized training regiments. Dr. Patricia was looking at lines of data on a monitor.

    Her face was scrunched up as she read through all the information "What did the sensors and the data say today?"

    A researcher who was standing next to her shook his head as he answered "ording to the data there hasn''t been any increase in his metabolic activity."

    Dr. Patricia clicked her pen as she began to write notes down on her clipboard "We need to bump things up.

    Tell the kitchen to increase the amount of food for Jason Yang. We''ll increase the calories to 8,000 a day."

    The researcher turned to Dr. Patricia in surprise "Isn''t that dangerous? He''s only a kid. 8,000 calories a day? That''s equal to what a cyclist would consume during the Tour de France."

    Dr. Patricia didn''t even bother to look at him as she continued to write down her notes "It''s okay. The kid is hungry, he can handle it."

 Chapter 226 - Breaking News

    "What!?" Jason was left wondering if he had just heard right. He pinched himself just to make sure that he wasn''t dreaming.

    Dr. Patricia sighed "ording to the data you haven''t showed an increase in metabolic activity despite the six thousand calorie a day diet.

    Our only option is to increase the calories to eight thousand a day. If we still don''t see any improvements then we''ll have to think of something else."

    Jason rubbed his face with both hands ''Six thousand calories a day and it still isn''t enough? Jesus, no wonder I was so skinny all the way up to college.''

    He then looked at Dr. Patricia "Isn''t eight thousand calories kinda overkill though? Can''t we try bumping the calories up slowly?"

    Dr. Patricia looked at Jason with a serious expression on her face "We could do things that way. But it would waste time.

    This is the most time efficient way possible Jason. If you feel like you can''t handle it then you are free to turn down this training regiment.

    Like I said we can alwayse up with a new training regiment for you, it just won''t be the most efficient or effective."

    Jason shook his head ''Damn, she knows what she''s doing. She knows that saying that will just make me want to do it more.''

    "You don''t need to y these games Doc. You already know what I''m going to say." Dr. Patricia chuckled "You''re right, I already know what your answer is."

    She then touched her earpiece "Go ahead and bring the food in." Just as she finished saying that a cart filled with trays was wheeled into the room.

    Jason looked at Dr. Patricia with a helpless expression on his face "You know, you could have at least acted like I had a choice.

    You having the food ready before I even said yes is kind of a savage move." Dr. Patricia wrote some notes down on her clipboard.

    "Duly noted. Next time I''ll pretend like you have an option." Jason shook his head before looking at Dr. Patricia "You know what Doc?

    For someone that is at the top of her field and is regarded as an intellectual you have really bad people skills."

    Dr. Patriciaughed as she turned her attention from her clipboard to Jason "I guess that makes two of us doesn''t it?"

    Jason was caught off guard by her remark. He had not expected Dr. Patricia to take a shot at him. Seeing as how he couldn''t think of anything to say in response he simply let out a sigh before taking the lid off of a tray.

    - - -

    After eating his second breakfast of the day Jason watched and broke down old film for an hour before doing some strength training and light conditioning.

    He then had his lunch which consisted of shredded grilled chicken, grilled fish, and a few in hamburger patties.

    All of which were under seasoned and by the time he had finished off his second te tasted like rotten eggs and expired milk.

    After forcing himself to swallow the food in his mouth Jason mmed his fist on the table. He looked out in front of him and was relieved to see that there was no more food.

    After giving himself a few minutes to gather himself Jason turned to Dr. Patricia "You guys really need to work on your food. Even at the beginning nothing tastes good."

    She simply shrugged her shoulders "vor isn''t important, nutrition and caloric content is. Speaking of food you''ll have to bring the rest home."

    Jason turned to her with a questioning look "What do you mean bring the rest of it home? There isn''t a single piece left Doc. I got these tes squeaky clean."

    Dr. Patricia shook her head "That''s not what I meant. From now on personal training will only make up half your days.

    Theter half of the day will be spent in group training." Jason looked at her with a shocked expression "Wait? Does that mean?"

    She gave a mischievous smile as she answered "Starting today you''ll be seeing and working out with Golden Oaks and Central Park."

    For the entire hour that Jason spent watching film his leg was bouncing nonstop as he couldn''t help but be excited.

    ''I finally get to see Golden Oak and Central Park in action! I hope a five on five is part of the training schedule. That would be perfect.''

    - - -

    It was early in the morning but Coach Butler was already heavy into his work. He went through page after page of scouting reports.

    As he read through them he would asionally scribble down some notes on the side while separating the scouting report into three different piles.

    After looking at one pile that was over three times thinner than the other ones he scratched his head in frustration "Damn, looks like recruiting is gonna be a bitch again this year."

    Just then the door to his office swung open as Jonathan rushed in "Hey Coach! You are not going to believe this!"

    Coach Butler switched his attention from the papers on his table to Jonathan "What is it Jonathan? And why are you sweating like a dog?"

    Jonathan came to a stop right in front of Coach Butlers desk "I came running in as soon as I heard the news. I thought you would want to know seeing as how you''re pretty invested in this."

    Coach Butler looked at him with a questioning look "What are you talking about Jonathan? Even if it was important couldn''t you have just called?"

    Jonathan shook his head "I thought it would be better if you heard this from me personally." Coach Butler asked "Is this about the kid from Sudan? Did he decide to ept our offer?"

    Jonathan paused before awkwardly shaking his head "Actually no. He said that he would rather stay at home and develop in his home country."

    Coach Butler threw his pen on to his desk "Damn! I thought for sure he would say yes. He wasn''t getting offers from anywhere else.

    Well what is it then?" Jonathan took a second to catch his breathe "It''s about that kid you were interested in, Jason Yang."

    Coach Butler sat up straight "Well what happened?" Jonathan continued "Looks like recruiting him is going to be a lot harder than we thought."

    Coach Butler looked at him with a surprised expression "What do you mean? Jason Yang isn''t on any of the bigger programs'' radars.

    If anything he would have to have another break out year before he would even be up for consideration. How could he have boosted his stock up overnight?"

    Jonathan gulped as he pulled out his phone "I just got word from on of my friends that works at the Nike training facility in New York.

    And apparently Jason just pulled a Jimmy." Coach Butler just became more confused after hearing what Jonathan had to say.

    "What the hell are you talking about? What the hell does pulling a Jimmy mean?" Jonathan rolled answered "He took down Central Park and Golden Oaks during practice!"

    Coach Butlers eyes went wide as the scouting report that had been in his hand dropped to the floor ''He took down Central Park and Golden Oaks?''

 Chapter 227 - Meeting Golden Oaks And Central Park

    Jason followed Dr. Patricia as she lead him outside of the room where he had been spending thest few days in eating and training.

    He was so happy to be able to get a change in scenery ''It''s crazy what a new look can do for you. That room was starting to feel like a prison.

    A weird prison where they force people to eat ungodly amounts of food and watch footage of old basketball games.''

    After a few minutes of walking and some elevator ridester Jason was lead to a new room. After walking through the doors Jason saw that it was arge practice area that had multiple courts inside of it.

    Jason looked around and saw that Kyle and the others were there already. He thanked Dr. Patricia before making his way over to the boys.

    Rudy punched him yfully on the arm as soon as Jason walked over "Well look who''s here. We thought that you would be MIA for the group training too."

    Kyleughed "Yeah, we haven''t seen you at all during the past few days Jaya. We thought that you might be too busy with whatever it is your doing for your training."

    Jason shook his head "Trust me, I wish I could have joined you guys these past few days. The training regiment that they''re putting me through is hell.

    I''m d that half of the days are going to be group training." Kyle looked at Jason with a confused expression on his face.

    ''I''ve never heard Jasonin about training before. He''s the kind of guy that loves pushing himself to the breaking point.

    What kind of hellish training are they putting him through?'' Jason then looked around "I see Monty and his boys but where are Golden Oaks and Central Park?"

    3D spoke with irritation clearly attached to his voice "You''re asking the same questions as us man. We been waiting here for like ten minutes now."

    Danilo added "So much for following a strict schedule and not holding the camp up. This isplete bullshit.

    Jaya got chewed out just for asking to take a quick break but these guys hold us up for over ten minutes and we''re supposed to just wait for them?"

    Alex put his arm over his brother''s shoulder "Nothing we can do about it Dlo. Best not even stress about it.

    I mean it is Golden Oaks and Central Park. What''s Nike going to do to them? They can''t threaten them with not sending them an invite next year.

    Those are the two best middle school teams in the entire country. If they don''t go to the camp then their docu-series that they shoot every year would get no attention."

    And so Jason stood with Kyle and the others as they waited for Golden Oaks and Central Park to show up.

    As he was waiting Jason decided to use the reward that he had gotten from the system after he hadpleted the Rucker Park mission.

    After maneuvering around the system a box that was wrapped up like a traditional birthday present appeared in front of Jason.

    Seeing as how no one else reacted to the floating box in front of him Jason assumed that he was the only one that could see it.

    He tried to open it with his mind but no matter what he tried he couldn''t get it to open. Jason sighed as he reached out with his hand and touched the floating gift box.

    Kyle looked over at Jason "What are you doing?" Jason let out an awkward chuckle "Just stretching hehe."

    Kyle shrugged his shoulders before looking away. Jason felt relieved that Kyle let it go so easily. He then watched as the top of the gift box popped open.

    Confetti blew out from the box and rained all over Jason and the other boys.

    [Congrattions! You have earned a badge upgrade for a random badge!]

    Jason was ecstatic after finding out what the reward was. He then waited to see which badge he had that would end up getting the upgrade.

    [mps (Silver)->(Gold): Increases your ability to stick with your defensive assignment. Also improves your ability to recover after being broken down on defense.]

    Jason almost jumped in excitement after seeing that it was the mps badge that ended up getting the random upgrade.

    During the state tournament his mps badge had gotten the upgrade from Bronze to Silver. But that was also thest time that Jason had gotten the chance to y any meaningful basketball.

    Meaning that he hadn''t had the chance to grind and improve that badge. But now that the random upgrade had ended up upgrading mps Jason was excited.

    ''My first Gold badge that isn''t Ironman! And it ended up being a badge as important as mps! Thank god, for a second there I was nervous that the random upgrade would end up being wasted on a badge like Hustle.''

    Jason then opened up the system and took a look at all of his badges.

    [Ironman(Gold): Gives you a tougher body. You will be less likely to experience an injury as well as recover from injuries at an improved rate. Effectiveness decided by badge rank.

    Defensive Anchor (Silver): Your presence on the court inspires your teammates to do their best on defense. Your teammates will be more focused on the defensive side of the ball.

    Your teammates will y defense with more energy and be less likely tomit small mistakes. Effect only applies to teammates while you are on the court.

    Lock Down Defender (Silver): Lowers the effectiveness of your opponents offensive badges and increases your ability to not fall for different fakes and moves.

    mps (Gold): Increases your ability to stick with your defensive assignment. Also improves your ability to recover after being broken down on defense.

    Pick Pocket (Silver): Increases your ability to steal the ball away from the ball handler. Decreases your chances of being called for a reach in foul.

    Hustle (Silver): Increases your chances of sess when diving/fighting for loose balls. Slightly increases rebounding.

    Workhorse (Silver): Lowers the affects of fatigue on your performance. Allows you to y at your optimal level for short moments when low on stamina.

    Ankle Breaker (Silver): Increases the effectiveness of your dribble moves in breaking down your defender.

    If you manage to make your defender fall or stumble you will get a momentary boost to your shot making.

    Tight Handles (Silver): Increases your ability to dribble through traffic without losing the ball. Decreases your chances of having the ball stripped away while dribbling.

    Dimer (Silver): Slightly increases your ability to throw urate passes. Gives a slight boost to your teammates scoring ability if they attempt to score right after receiving a pass from you.

    Pick and Roll Ball Handler (Silver): Increases your ability to pass to the roll man during a pick and roll.

    Also slightly increases your scoring ability momentarily aftering off a screen after performing a pick and roll.

    Floor General (Bronze): Your presence on the court gives your teammates the confidence to perform to the best of their ability. Your teammates will be tuned in on offense.

    Your teammates will gain a small boost to their offensive abilities and be less likely to perform small mistakes. Effect only applies to teammates while you are on the court.

    Sniper (Silver): Gives a slight bonus to your ability to make shots from the three-point line. Slightly lowers the energy used to attempt a long distance shot. ]

    Just as Jason was off in his own world admiring the badges that he had earned so far the door to the training area swung open as two groups of boys walked in.

    Jason saw a familiar face as Amarion lead one of the groups ''That must be Central Park. Now that I think about it I think I remember seeing them when I yed against Amarion at the Rucker.''

    Dr. Patricia frowned as she walked toward the researcher who had apanied the two groups to the training area.

    "They were supposed to be here over fifteen minutes ago. What the hell happened?" The researcher nervously responded "S-sorry Dr. Miller. I tried to bring the boys over but....

    They said that they wouldn''t move on to the next portion of training without a session of massage therapy first."

    Dr. Patricia ground her teeth as one of the veins on her head swelled up "What? Are you serious!?" The researcher hurriedly nodded his head "I tried to tell them that everyone was waiting for them but they wouldn''t listen.

    I called and asked the higher ups about it and they said to just go along with whatever they wanted. They said that we should try our best to make them feelfortable."

    Dr. Patricia put on a bone chilling smile "Oh really? A huge multi billion dorpany like Nike is bending over backwards just to make a bunch of snot nosed brats happy?"

    The researcher didn''t say anything. Seeing how sorry the researcher looked Dr. Patricia decided to drop the subject.

    "Go on. Do whatever it is that you have to do. I''ll take over from here." The researcher smiled for the first time since he had walked in.

    "T-thank you Dr. Miller." He then walked out of the training area in a hurry. She then made her way to the front of all the boys.

    "Congrattions boys. You finally showed up. Now that you''re here we can finally move on with the training."

    None of the boys from Central Park or Golden Oaks seemed to care that she was indirectly calling them out.

    Patricia had to hold in her anger as she tried to move the training along "From now on personal training will take up only half the day.

    The other half will be spent here as we have you all participate in group training." Before she could even continue she saw a hand shoot up.

    She looked over and saw that it was Amarion "Yes? What is it young man?" Amarion confidently said "If we''re going to do some group training why don''t we start off with a quick five on five?"

    He then pointed at Jason and his group "Except for a few of us we are all top ranked teams in the country.

    If they want to hang with the big dogs then they should prove that they got the bark to match."

 Chapter 228 - Central Park Down!

    Patricia was aggravated at first but a mischievous smile began to spread across her face "Normally I wouldn''t even entertain this suggestion of yours.

    But since you''ve already derailed our training schedule by this much we might as well make the best out of a bad situation."

    She then turned to Jason and his group "What do you all think?" Jason turned his head to look back at the others.

    Kyle, Danilo, 3D, Rudy, and Alex all gave Jason a nod. He then turned to Patricia "Looks like we''re all ready Doc."

    Patricia nodded her head "Then we''ll go ahead and start of the group training with a quick five on five. We''ll do two eight minutes halves."

    As the courts began to be cleared out in preparation for their game Jason had the guys huddle up "Alright guys listen up. This is going to be our lineup."

    Jason then pointed to 3D "We''ll have you sit this one out 3D." His face became cold as he asked "You want me to sit out?"

    Jason nodded his head casually "This is a bad match up for you 3D." Jason then turned to point at the tallest yer in Central Park''s group.

    "You don''t match up well with Central Park''s Center." Jason had taken a peak at Central Park''s yers and the thing that caught his attention the most was their Center''s skills.

    [Skills

    Free throw: B+

    Lay Up: B

    Dunking: C

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B+

    Three Point Shooting: B

    Dribbling: B

    Passing: B

    Ball Handling: B

    y Making: B

    Post Scoring: B

    Rebounding: B

    Post Control: B-

    Perimeter Defense: C+

    Post Defense: B

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: C

    Athleticism: B ]

    This was the first time that Jason had seen a Center with B ranked Dribbling and Ball Handling. From the looks of it he was a Center with a strong face up game.

    Asking 3D to guard a mobile Center with a legitimate jump shot was simply setting him up for failure.

    After listening to Jason''s exnation 3D had to choice but to begrudgingly nod his head "Alright Jaya. I''m trusting you on this.

    But if you''re having me sit out the game then you better not lose." He then stuck out his fist. Jason smiled as he bumped his fist back with his own "You already know."

    Jason then announced their lineup "We''ll have Alex Run the Point, Rudy you take the SG slot, I''ll y the 3, Dlo you y the 4, and Kyle will anchor down as the Center."

    All of the guys nodded their heads as Jason began to exin their game n. ording to what Jason saw with his Heart''s Eye Amarion and their Center seemed to be the focal points of their offense.

    Either Amarion or their Center would kick off their ys while their other yers were just there to y defense and to make open shots.

    Jason exined that he and Kyle would guard Amarion and the Center. The two of them would focus most of their energy on defense.

    This meant that the offense would run primarily through Rudy and Danilo. Rudy turned to Jason "I don''t mind being the center of the offense but are you good with that?"

    Jason nodded his head "I just want the dub. Who gets the ball and who scores the most points, that stuff doesn''t matter."

    Rudy had to take second to take in what Jason had said ''A guy who can score the ball at will is saying that he doesn''t care about scoring, sheesh.

    Maybe that''s what makes him so good. He honestly doesn''t care about being the star or getting the most attention. Dude is really just different.''

    Rudy then thumped his chest "You and Kyle focus on defense and leave the scoring to me and Dlo. We''ll get the job done."

    Danilo nodded his head in agreement. Seeing that Jason smiled as he nodded his head "Seems like we''re all ready then. Riverside on three. ONE. TWO. THREE."

    All of them yelled out in unison as they threw their hands up into the air "RIVERSIDE!" They all made their way to the court.

    One of the researchers took the ce of the referee as he held the ball for the tip off. As soon as he got into position for the tip off a fire began to burn in Kyle''s eyes as he locked on to the ball.

    As soon as the ball left the researchers hand Kyle jumped up and knocked it to their side. Alex caroled the ball before passing it to Rudy.

    With the ball in his hands he then began to make his way up the court. After passing the half court line he called for a screen from Danilo.

    Rudy drove to the right as he forced his defender into Danilo''s screen. Central Park decided to switch on the screen as the Power Forward that had been guarding Danilo began to chase after Rudy.

    Meanwhile Danilo drifted out to the three point line pulling the Guard that had been guarding Rudy with him.

    With the slower Big Man on him Rudy began to make his way to the basket as he sliced through the court.

    He was driving to the basket from the right side of the court. Seeing Rudy get closer and closer to the paint Central Park''s Center moved up in an effort to contain him.

    Seeing this Rudy simply smiled as he tossed the ball over the head of Central Park''s Center. The Center turned his head as he watched the ball fly over him.

    The next thing he saw was Kyle as he leapt into the air and caught the ball with one hand. He then swung his hand down as he violently rocked the rim with his dunk.

    Kyle dunked the ball and came back down quickly before looking at Central Park''s Center as he stared him down.

    He only turned away from him as Rudy walked over to give him a high five "Nice dunk Kyle!" Kyle gave Rudy a nod before making his way back on defense.

    But just as everyone watching was still recovering from the shock of Kyle''s dunk their team did something else that almost knocked them out of their seats.

    They all watched on in amazement as Jason began to guard Amarion full court. As soon as the ball was inbounded to him Jason got all up in his jersey.

    On the sidelines one of the researchers scoffed "This kid is letting things go to his head. Just because some people call him a top ranked defender in his age group he thinks he can pick up anyone full court?

    Amarion is a high level athlete with an elite first step. Trying to guard him full court is just asking to get burned."

    Hearing that Patricia couldn''t help butugh. She then turned to the researcher "Do you know what he watched in film today?"

    The researcher shook his head. Patricia turned her attention back to Jason and the game as a smile began to grow across her face.

    "He watched a old game where Kobe Bryant yed against Dwyane Wade in a old Lakers vs Heat matchup. In that game Kobe had a possession where he shut down Wade by picking him up full court."

    And just like that anyone who had doubted Jason at first were now amazed as they watched him pester and suffocate Amarion.

    No matter what moves he tried and no matter how he tried to blow by Jason he just couldn''t lose him. Everywhere he turned to Jason was there to block his way.

    Jason switched from going into full out sprints to chopping his steps and turning his hips as he stayed attached to Amarion.

    He would also disrupt his rhythm and flow by poking at the ball and forcing Amarion to slow down in order to remain in control of the ball.

    As he was going to go out of bounds in order to inbound the ball Franky saw how ugly Amarion''s expression was.

    He walked over and patted him on the shoulder "Don''t sweat it. If they''re going to guard you full court then just have one of the other guys bring the ball up.

    We can run some sets with you moving off ball to try and free you up." Amarion nodded his head "Thanks Franky. I think you''re right.

    We''ll be better off having one of the other guys bring the ball up the court." And with that they had someone else bring the ball up the court as Amarion positioned himself on the left wing.

    But even without the ball in his hands Amarion was still being pressed by Jason as he refused to give him any breathing space.

    And to make matters worse Jason''s mouth was just as busy as the rest of him as his trash talking kept on going.

    "What''s wrong? You got scared of holding the ball?" "Man, I didn''t know that New Yorkers were that easy to spook."

    "Are you sweating or are those tearsing out of your eyes?" "You might want to focus on your grades more man, I don''t know if you got the right stuff for this."

    While Jason was off to the side talking trash to Amarion their Point Guard ran the pick and roll with their Center Franky.

    Instead of rolling to the rim Franky drifted out to the three point line after the screen. After seeing that his path was cut off by his defender the Point Guard kicked the ball back out to Franky.

    After catching the ball Franky pump faked which got Kyle into the air. He smiled before taking a dribble to the side and squaring up for the three.

    Unfortunately for him Kyle came from the side and swatted the ball out of his hands just as he had begun to bring the ball back up after the dip.

    Alex stopped the ball just as it was about to roll out of bounds. He then tossed the ball up court to a running Kyle.

    Kyle caught the ball and nted both of his feet beforeunching off the ground. His body twisted in the air as he went for a reverse two hand m.

    Kyle hung from the rim for a second beforeing back down. He pointed to Alex as he made his way back down the court.

    No matter what they tried Central Park just couldn''t get into a rhythm offensively. Amarion was forced into the corner as the threat of Jason''s defense made him a non factor on the offensive end.

    And while Central Park would normally still be able to run their offense by relying on their Center''s offensive abilities Kyle was the worst match up possible for him.

    Franky was a Center that focused on taking his man off the dribble and using his jump shot and ball handling to create offense on the perimeter.

    This would have worked on slower footed Big Men but Kyle''steral quicknessbined with his agility and body control allowed him to suffocate Franky.

    By now Kyle''s only weakness on the defensive end was elite perimeter scorers and Big Men with dominant post presence.

    The two eight minute halves quickly passed as Jason and his team did something that no one had even thought was possible.

    They held Central Park to just eighteen points on a very bad efficiency while scoring 44 points themselves.

    And the most surprising part was that Jason scored less than ten points. At the end of the game Jason had only scored seven points.

    He had made twoyups off of cuts and one spot up three that he had shot after running off of a screen.

    But if you thought that he had done nothing and simply got carried then the rest of his stat line would prove you wrong.

    Jason''s stats for the game: 7 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk, and he shot perfectly from the field as well as having no turnovers.

    Patricia had a smile on her face as she looked at the dejected expressions on Amarion and the rest of Central Park''s faces.

    She coughed to clear her throat "Now that that is out of the way are we ready to move on with the training?"

    Surprisingly she got a response from thest person that she was expecting to get one from. Jason shot his hand into the air "I''m not done yet."

    She looked at him with an amused expression "Oh really?" Jason nodded his head before pointing at Golden Oaks.

    "I want them."

 Chapter 229 - Who Next?

    Jason was sitting down on the bench drinking some water as the cameraman that had been filming him since this morning stood in front of him recording.

    He touched his earpiece as someone seemed to be talking to him. After a few seconds he nodded his head before turning to Jason.

    "So you just had a good game against the starting five that ranked second at Nationals. How do you feel?"

    Jason took another swig from his sports bottle before answering "A win is a win. Whenever I step on the court my only goal is to walk away with the dub."

    The cameraman added "Obviously winning feels good. But you just beat one of the strongest middle school teams in the country. Doesn''t it feel a little extra special?"

    Jason shook his head "I don''t like to fall for narratives or storylines. Did my team just beat Central Park? Yes.

    Was it just a warmup game in the middle of training camp? Once again the answer is yes. A win is a win and a loss is a loss.

    I don''t like to get too high on wins and I don''t like to get too low on losses. Especially when the games don''t count for anything."

    He then turned to the camera and gave a smile "Maybe you can ask me again next season. If I beat Central Park at Nationals then you can see me do a little more celebrating."

    On the sidelines Kyle was retying his shoes as one of the cameramen approached him "How did you feel during the game against Central Park?"

    Kyle looked around before pointing to himself "Are you talking to me?" The cameraman nodded his head.

    Kyleughed "My bad. Uh- honestly I felt pretty good. My bounce is back to where it was before my ankle injury and I have a lot more confidence in my body now."

    The cameraman then asked "So you guys were challenged by Amarion and Central Park so it made sense that you guys agreed to y them.

    By why do you think that Jason issued his own challenge to Golden Oaks? And how do you feel about Jason doing that?

    Was there any discussion beforehand that that was what you guys were going to do?" Kyle took a moment to think about the cameraman''s questions.

    "To answer the second part of your question no. We didn''t make any ns or talk about challenging Golden Oaks. He kinda just did that on his own.

    As for why he did it I''m pretty sure I know the reason. Jaya is the kind of guy that loves to hear people say that he can''t do something.

    He loves it when people count him out. But he doesn''t just want to talk trash or debate you. He wants to convince you with his actions.

    We all know that out of all the teams and yers who were invited to attend this years training camp me and Jason don''t really have the achievements or des that some of these other guys have.

    And when Amarion issued that challenge to us saying that we needed to prove that we belong Golden Oaks didn''t say anything.

    So in Jaya''s mind he probably took that to mean that they agreed with Amarion. So now Jaya is going after them too."

    All of the other guys were experiencing the same thing as cameramen interviewed them trying to get their opinion on Jaya and on the uing game vs Golden Oaks.

    Jason got up and started to put some shots up as he waited for Golden Oaks to finish warming up. As he put up his shots the cameraman continued to ask questions.

    "Golden Oaks won the state title in California as well as the National title. Do you feel as though you''re at a disadvantage?"

    Jason answered while keeping his focus on his shots "No disrespect to Golden Oaks. They''re a high level program that has made their way to the final round of Nationals multiple years in a row.

    But if I''m being honest I feel like my team had what it took to take their ce. Obviously injuries are a part of the game and I hate to y the what if game but that''s how I really feel."

    The cameraman took a couple seconds to digest what Jason had said before continuing "Central Park was lead by Amarion and Franky who were respectively ranked 13th and 16th in terms of best middle school yers in the country.

    Inparison Golden Oaks best yer is Marvin Grant who was ranked as the 6th best yer before the season ended.

    He is often called the best scorer in the country as he lead all yers in scoring during his National tournament run where he averaged 34 points per game against the highest level ofpetition.

    With hisbination of size and skill his most popr yerparison is Carmelo Anthony. Will you be guarding him despite your clear size disadvantage?

    If not could you exin why? If you are, what are some of the challenges that you expect to see during your time spent guarding him?"

    Once again Jason responded without turning to the camera as he continued to shoot the ball "One of my biggest strengths is my ability to defend at a high level so I will be taking on the challenge of guarding Marvin.

    But that shouldn''t surprise anyone that''s used to seeing me y. I''ve always taken on the role of guarding the opposing team''s best perimeter yer.

    The only thing that I expect to be a challenge will be guarding Marvin in the low and high post. I''m a few weight sses lower but I''ll try to make up for that with my physicality and tenacity."

    Jason had watched some film on Marvin seeing as how he was the highest ranked yer that would attending the same camp as him.

    But he had also used Heart''s Eye on him earlier when they had passed by each other.

    Marvin''s skills:

    [Skills

    Free throw: B+

    Lay Up: B

    Dunking: C+

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B-

    Three Point Shooting: B-

    Dribbling: B

    Passing: B-

    Ball Handling: B

    y Making: B-

    Post Scoring: A

    Rebounding: B

    Post Control: B+

    Perimeter Defense: B

    Post Defense: B-

    Steals: B-

    Blocks: C

    Athleticism: B+ ]

    And he took a look at his badges.

    [Post Scorer (Silver): Increases the level of technique for moves used to score in the post. Increases your ability to control post position on the offensive side of the ball.

    Strong finisher (Silver): Increases your chance of making shots despite contact from a defender/s.]

    Tight Handles (Silver): Increases your ability to dribble through traffic without losing the ball. Decreases your chances of having the ball stripped away while dribbling.

    Ankle Breaker (Bronze): Increases the effectiveness of your dribble moves in breaking down your defender.

    Tough Shot Maker (Silver): Decreases the effect that defense will have against your shot by a small margin and increases the speed of your release when defense is close by.

    Human Highlight Reel (Silver): Performing highlight ys will temporarily give you a slight boost to your abilities. Keep performing highlight ys to keep the boost active. But if you make a mistake or if a highlight is performed against you the boost disappears.]

    The yers began to make their way to the court as everything was set up. Just as Jason was about to make his way to everyone else the cameraman stopped him for onest question.

    "Onest question before you y. You''re one of the best defenders at the middle school level and Marvin is one of the best scorers at the middle school level.

    So my question to you is how many points will Marvin score against you in this game." Jason grinned as he put up both of his hands with all of his fingers up "Less than ten."

 Chapter 230 - More Coverage

    It waste as the sun had already gone down. Marvin was in his room eating a dinner that the hotel had delivered to his room.

    As he was about to pick up another slice of steak his cameraman asked him a question "So training camp was a little different today. What are your thoughts?"

    Marvin looked at him with a face that screamed ''Bruh, did you really just ask me that?'' He put his hand on his head and sighed.

    "This years training camp looks like it''s gonna be different thanst years I can tell you that. That boy a dog man. He gon be a problem."

    The cameraman asked "Who specifically are you talking about?" Marvin stuck his fork into a piece of steak and brought it to his mouth.

    After chewing for a bit he answered "I''m pretty sure you know who I''m talking about. His nickname''s Young Buckets so I already knew that he could score.

    But what I wasn''t expectin was for him to bust my ass on the defensive end. For a little dude he was all up in my jersey.

    He didn''t try to hide or avoid the physicality he weed that shit with open arms. Even when I didn''t have the ball he was pushing and shoving, frontin me, he was givin it everything he had man.

    There wasn''t a possession where I could establish good post position. It didn''t matter if it was the high post or the low post he made it a real battle.

    And don''t let his face trick you. That boy look like a soft ass pretty boy but when ite down to it he y like a ugly dude you feel me?

    I''m talkin bout he out there talkin nonstop shit, he all in your face, he bumpin and pushin you, and he ain''t takin a break on a single y.

    He y like he got the biggest chip on his shoulder man. I know dudes that are fightin for a rotation spot that ain''t got the same kinda fire that he got."

    - - -

    Back at their hotel room Jason and Kyle sat at the table in the corner while all the other guys watched something on the TV.

    Jason shook his head "I don''t know why you guys are so interested in seeing what kind of food they give me for my diet. You ain''t missing out on much."

    Kyle chuckled "If it''s enough to make YOU sick of eating then it has to be something out of this world Jaya."

    3D nodded his head "For someone that eats even more than me it has to be something crazy for you to all of a sudden start hating food."

    Jason sighed "It''s not that I hate food now. It''s just that.... I hate the food that they prepare for me. Plus it''s a lot of food."

    Just as he had finished saying that they heard a knock on their door. Jason stood up and went over to the door.

    After seeing who it was through the peep hole Jason opened the door. Afterwards one of the hotel workers pushed a cart in with multiple trays of food on it.

    After the worker left Jason began to take the lids off of all the trays. Kyle along with all the other boys watched on in amazement as dish after dish was revealed.

    Jason sighed as he looked at the wide spread of food in front of him. Danilo pointed at the food "Bro, how many calories is that?"

    Jason sadly replied "I had two 2,500 calorie meals back at the training facility so this is probably around 3,000 calories."

    Everyone was stunned silent after hearing Jason say that. Kyle asked "You''re eating 8,000 calories a day?"

    Jason once again sighed as he nodded his head "We started off with 6,000 calories a day but Dr. Patricia said that it wasn''t doing anything for me.

    That''s why they decided to kick it up to 8,000 calories a day." Jason then picked up his fork as he stabbed it into a piece of grilled chicken.

    Although the food was under seasoned the technical abilities of the chef were clearly discernable as the chicken was perfectly cooked.

    However, even though the chicken was perfectly grilled with a crispyyer on the outside while being moist on the inside as soon as the food went into his mouth all Jason could feel was wet and soft meat getting ground up in his mouth.

    Jason brought his hand to his mouth as the urge to throw up threatened to overtake him. As Jason began to shovel more and more food into his mouth tears began to form in the corner of his eyes.

    Kyle and all the other guys stood there awkwardly as they watched Jason force himself to eat the food in front of him.

    They had originally asked to see what kind of food they had him eat for his training when he told them about his training regiment.

    Some of them had imagined that Jason was getting special treatment because of his status as a yer that regrly appeared on TV.

    But after seeing how brutal it actually was to have to eat 8,000 calories a day that thought left their minds in a hurry.

    Jason picked his head up as he took a break from the food. He opened up a bottle of water and drank all of its content in one go.

    He looked around to the guys in the room before putting on a small smile "Sorry, I know it''s gross. But after eating this stuff day in and day out it just bes unbearable.

    Like even though I know what the food tastes like when I put it in my mouth the only thing I can taste is rotten eggs and expired milk."

    All of the guys shook their heads "Don''t sweat it man." "Yeah, you can''t help that it tastes nasty." "You want some of the pizza that we ordered?"

    Jason shook his head "Doc told me that as long as I finish the food that they send to the hotel I''m free to eat whatever I want outside of that.

    But to be honest even the thought of eating stuff on top of the food that they send is enough to get my stomach churning."

    Everyone nodded their heads in understanding. Kyle smiled as he tried to change the topic "Well at least we have one thing to look forward to tonight."

    Rudyughed as he added "Yeah! Even though the first part of Nike''s docu-series doesn''te out until tomorrow the trailer for it shows tonight."

    - - -

    In another part of New York. A group of Asian guys were standing around as they waited for their orders in a boba shop.

    All of the guys appeared to be in their early to mid teens. They also seemed to be from well off families as all of them were dressed up in designerbels.

    One of them was scrolling around social media when he saw something that made him want to take a closer look.

    After a few minutes he looked to the other guys in his group "Yo check it out. Nike is doing their training camp again."

    The other guys allughed "And?" "Bro you''re the only one who cares about that kind of stuff." "I don''t even know why you''re so into basketball. It''s not like you can y haha."

    He rolled his eyes "I might not be able to y but at least I''m not a generic car tuning douchebag unlike you assholes.

    And besides, this year is different. There''s actually a Asian guy that''s going to be attending Nike''s training camp."

    Everyone looked to him in surprise "No way." "Are you serious bro?" "Asian guy, please. He''s probably half ck or something."

    He shook his head as he held his phone out for all his friends to see "Nah, he''s like a legit Asian American dude. His name is Jason Yang."

    A couple clips yed showing Jason. The clips included snippets from his interviews as well as small clips of his highlights.

    One of the guys sneered "Why the hell does he talk like that?" another person added "Yeah, you can tell he''s trying so hard to be ck haha."

    "If he wants to fit in with them so bad why doesn''t he just start sagging his pants and walk around with a durag on his head hehe."

    He put his phone away as he rolled his eyes athis friends "You guys are just a bunch of haters. The dude is living the dream.

    I''m surprised you guys have never heard of him. He''s kind of a big deal back in California." He then turned to one of his friends.

    "You okay Nate? You''ve been real quiet for a while now. I thought for sure you would have something to say about this. The guy even has the samest name as you."

    Nate blinked a few times before putting up an awkward smile "Yeah uh my bad. I think it''s pretty cool. It''s not everyday that you see a Asian kid on TV for basketball."

    After he said that Nate pulled out his phone and typed in ''Jason Yang''s parents.''

 Chapter 231 - We Might Be Related!

    After that day where Jason took down both Central Park and Golden Oaks no one questioned whether or not anyone from his group belonged there at the training camp.

    And somehow it became a part of their training schedule to end the day off with a few games of five on five.

    At first it was just Central Park and Golden Oaks stubbornly refusing to admit that a teamprised of yers that didn''t even make it to the National tournament was better than them.

    But even after repeated defeats with lopsided scores they continued to challenge Jason and his group everyday. And everyday Jason and his team would destroy them.

    And while ying Jason always took on the role of guarding the other teams'' best offensive perimeter yer.

    During the course of a few days the cameramen and the researchers all noticed that Jason would always be talking or saying something during the games.

    Whether it was getting a steal, blocking a shot at its low point, or even taking a charge Jason always had something to say afterwards.

    And of course these games were always filmed as the editors for Nike''s docu-series felt that they were high quality material that would certainly attract attention.

    But what Nike didn''t take into consideration was that Jason by himself was more than enough to draw a crowd.

    After the first part of their docu-series aired groups of fans began to show up waiting outside of the Nike training facility.

    A portion of the fans were there to see Amarion and some of the other guys from Central Park. And some of them were fans of Marvin and Golden Oaks. But therge majority of them came for Jason.

    There were some female fans who were only fans because of Jason''s looks. While some of them were new fans who just found out about Jason as a basketball yer.

    Arge number of them became fans after seeing Jason on Nike''s docu-series. Jason''s childish looks were a stark contrast to the way that he carried himself.

    During the segments where they interviewed Jason the way that he spoke and the deep and insightful answers that he gave were theplete opposite of his young and childlike appearance.

    This drew in the attention of people who had never heard of him before. And when Nike aired the next part of their docu-series showing Jason taking down Central Park and Golden Oaks during practice his following only grew.

    Before Jason had left for New York he had only had around sixty thousand followers on his social media ount.

    After the world saw him take down two of the most dominant middle school basketball teams in practice his followers shot up to a hundred and thirty thousand.

    - - -

    One night back at the hotel. Jason and Kyle were at the table of their hotel room watching film of themselves from practice on aptop that they had borrowed from Nike while the rest of the guys watched TV.

    Jason pointed at the monitor "See that? You read the y wrong. You were so focused on the screen and you got caught watching. That''s why he was able to get past you."

    Kyle nodded his head "Gotcha." He then looked at Jason before letting out a sigh "Some guys are too lucky. They have it all."

    Jason let out a chuckle "I know you ain''t talking about me bro. Because if you are I need to where the hell the rest of my shit is cause I know damn well that I don''t have it all."

    Rudyughed from across the room "Haha says the dude who''s a beast at basketball, got a pretty boy face, and hundreds of bitches hittin him up in the dms."

    3D nodded his head "You wouldn''t know how it feels to only be good at one thing Jaya. I''m fourteen and I haven''t even talked to a girl yet.

    Every time I try to even say high to a girl they get freaked out and run away. And I know damn well that nobody trying to talk to Rudy''s busted face."

    Rudy had been nodding his head to everything that 3D was saying. But as soon as his name was brought up he threw one of the pillows on the bed at 3D''s face.

    "Speak for yourself 3D! I was voted the best looking on the basketball team!" 3D grinned "I''ve seen the other dudes on your team Rudy. That''s like saying you got hops just because you can clear a sheet of paper."

    The two of them began their own full on pillow fight as they started swinging at each other with everything that they had.

    Jasonughed "Alright guys that''s enough messing around. You should probably join me and Kyle and watch some film considering how much you guys were messing up at practice."

    - - -

    After another full day of practice it was about seven at night when the boys began to leave. As soon as they walked out the door they were greeted by a massive group of fans.

    "Ay yo it''s Amarion!" "Yo King ah New York!" "Ay MG! Over here bro! You the best!" "Golden Oaks!" "Central Park! Can I snap a picture right quick!?"

    It took a few minutes but Nike''s security was soon able to calm things down as they made a wall separating the boys from the fans.

    As Jason was standing waiting for their van to arrive Marvin walked up to him and smiled. He dapped him up "Killed it again bruh. Ima get you tomorrow tho."

    Jason chuckled as the two of them finished dapping each other up "You keep telling yourself that MG. You getting good but you still ain''t that good."

    All of the guys from Golden Oaks said their goodbyes to Jason before getting into their van. Even Monty came up to Jason.

    He didn''t say anything but he stuck his fist out toward Jason. Jason didn''t say anything either as he simply bumped Monty''s fist back with his own.

    It was only then that Monty said something "Good practice dog." Jason nodded his head "You too Monty."

    The boys from Texas got on the van first after it arrived. Jason was thest one to get on as he tried to take a couple pictures and give out a few autographs to his fans.

    He would have taken the time to interact with his fans more but he didn''t want to make the other guys wait for him.

    Just as he was about to step on to the van he felt someone grab on to the sleeve of his hoodie. He turned around and was surprised to see that it was a dude.

    He had gotten used to female fans doing things like grabbing on to his arm or holding on to his sleeve but he had never had a male fan do the same.

    A cold shiver traveled up his arm as he tried to put on a polite smile "Sorry bro, normally I would love to take the time to snap a couple pictures but we really need to go."

    The guy then looked at Jason and gave a weird smile. The way that he looked at Jason made it feel as though he were more than just a fan.

    "That''s okay. A picture would have been cool but that''s not why I came here. I know that you''re in a hurry but if you could just give me your phone num-"

    As soon as he heard what the guy had to say Jason pulled himself away from the guy before diving into the van.

    "Ay start driving Rob! Pedal to the metal!" Before Jason could pull the door closed a hand reached in from outside to keep it open.

    Then the guys face popped into the van "Wait! I''m not a crazy fan or a stalker I''m just-!" Before he could finish what he was saying Jason began to kick at his hand as he held on to the inside of the door.

    As he was kicking Jason turned to Kyle "Kyle go call Nike and tell them to bring back security! We got a pyscho over here!"

    Kyle nodded his head before pulling out his phone. Just as he was about to start dialing the guy started yelling out "I think we might be rted!"

 Chapter 232 - The Big Reveal

    After hearing the guy say that Jason was stunned as the guy''s statement had taken him by surprise. Everyone in the van was stunned as well.

    ''D-did he just say that we might be rted?'' After a moment Jason recovered from the shock as he pushed the door open and pulled the guy into the van.

    Jason''s usual face was aloof and didn''t show much emotion. Although some people found it intimidating because of the fact that it made Jason hard to read he was still generally approachable.

    However, the expression that was on his face at the moment could only be described as bone chillingly cold.

    There even seemed to be a seething hatred or anger in his eyes that made his gaze ten times more intense than normal.

    Jason red at the guy "Don''t say anything." The guy shivered as Jason''s voice clearly carried his emotions. He nodded his head.

    Jason then turned his head back to look at all of the guys "You guys didn''t hear anything. Got it?" Monty and all of his boys nodded their heads as did Kyle and the other boys from their group.

    Jason then turned his eyes to the front "Sorry about that Rob. Please get us back to the hotel. And I hope that you can forget about thest five minutes."

    Rob gulped as he awkwardly chuckled "Hehe, forget about what? I came to pick you guys up and you all got into the van. As far as I can remember that''s all that happened."

    Jason nodded his head as he said his thanks one more time. Luckily both Jason and the surprise addition were both of the slim variety so they were able to squeeze in and fit in the van.

    During the drive back Nate had wanted to strike up a conversation to try and break the ice and ease tensions a bit.

    Unfortunately for him Jason kept looking at him from top to bottom with his intense gaze. Because of that he lost all his nerves.

    What Nate didn''t know was that Jason wasn''t just mean mugging him out of anger. Jason was actually looking at him to get a closer look.

    During the start of their first meeting things had escted at a chaotic pace so Jason didn''t even get to really see what the guy looked like.

    Now that he was taking his time to look at him he noticed a couple of things ''He has the same thin eyebrows that dad has.

    And his nose the same bridge and the same t-ish shape. He has a pretty simr facial structure to dad too.

    Damn, the more I look at him the more he looks like a younger version of dad.'' The car ride was long and silent as no one dared to make any noise.

    Finally after over an hour and a half of driving Rob pulled up to the front of the hotel as he then helped all of the boys get their things from the trunk of the van.

    After walking through the front doors and into the lobby of the hotel Jason turned to the other boys "You guys go ahead and get dinner. We''ll go up early. Don''t worry about us."

    He looked at Kyle "Let''s go." He then turned to the new guy "You too." And with that the two of them walked with Jason as they made their way to their hotel room.

    - - -

    As Monty was walking with the other guys from Texas Stax leaned close in and whispered to him "Lookin at how Jason started buggin their must be some kind of drama.

    And Jason''s been a hot topic recently. If we talked to some media outlets we could prolly make some major bank Monty."

    Monty sighed before turning to look at Stax "Get that idea out yo head bruh. As much as we like to clown each other and fuck around at the end ah the day we all hoopers.

    We neva know how shit is gonna turn out. If one day Jaya gets drafted and bes a big ass fuckin franchise level yer, do you really want him to have a deep ass fuckin grudge with us?"

    Stax stopped in his tracks as he looked at Monty with a surprised expression "Bruh, you talkin like you really think the dude is gonna make it to the league."

    Monty shook his head "Where the hell you been thest few days Stax? Open yo eyes a bit and try to see what the fuck is goin on around you.

    The dude took down Central Park and Golden Oaks with a bunch of dudes that he ain''t neva yed with before.

    Even if he can''t turn into a superstar with how hard the dude grinds and where he''s at now he''ll at least get a spot on a roster.

    And even if the chances are slim for him to turn into a big time yer the chance is still there. It ain''t never hurt to y things safe so keep yo mouth shut aight?

    The only ones in the van were us, Jaya''s boys, and the driver. You seen how Jaya''s boys are. They all ride or die by the looks of it.

    Not to mention he seems to be pretty cool with the driver. Who you gon think Jaya gon me first if this shit gets out?"

    After hearing that Stax got quiet. Seeing his reaction Monty nodded his head before putting his arm over Stax''s shoulder.

    "Get those paper chasin thoughts outta yo head Stax. It ain''t like our pockets is hurtin either. You gotta think about the bigger picture bro.

    Set yo fishin line for the bigger catch. You can always chase after paper. But connections is harder to make."

    - - -

    After they reached their hotel room Kyle swiped his key and opened the door. Jason gave a nod as he motioned for the new guy to walk in first "Go."

    Nate nodded his head before walking in. Nate was about 5''8 (1.72m) so he was only an inch (2.54cm) taller than Jason.

    He took off his ck coat and hanged it on the back of a chair. Underneath his coat was a ck turtleneck which went well with his dark blue denim jeans.

    His sides were cut short as the top was kept a bit longer and slicked back resembling a pompadour. The gold chain hanging from his neck really gave him a high ss and elegant feel.

    Jason motioned to a chair and Nate simply nodded his head as he took a seat. Jason stood in front of him with his arms crossed "What did you have to say?"

    Nate gulped before trying his best to put on a friendly smile "Hehe from the way you reacted I''m guessing you already have a bit of an idea of what I''m going to say."

    Jason didn''t say anything as he simply nodded his head as a response. Nate pulled the neck of his turtleneck a bit as he felt a bit hot.

    He then looked over at Kyle "If we''re going to talk about this then you might want your friend to take a quick walk."

    Jason immediately shook his head "This right here is my bro. Other than my parents he''s one of the few people that I would call family.

    Whatever you have to say you can say it in front of him." Nate froze up after hearing Jason say that. He also felt something sting his heart.

    After a few seconds he rubbed his face with both of his hands before putting up another friendly smile "If that''s what you want."

    He then took a deep breathe before speaking again "Jason, I think we might be rted. I think your dad is my uncle."

 Chapter 233 - Nates Side Of The Story

    Kyle was so shocked by what Nate had said that he grabbed at his hair with both hands. His eyes looked like they might pop out of his head while his mouth was in the shape of an O.

    Jason''s reaction on the other hand was pretty lukewarm as he simply nodded his head "I kinda had a feeling you would say that.

    You don''t look anything like my mom so that scratched that off as a possibility. I''m assuming that you know about my families history so why did youe looking for me?"

    Nate smiled as he stuck his hand out "Before I say anything else how about a proper introduction? My name is Nathaniel Yang but you can just call me Nate."

    Jason didn''t even bother to shake Nate''s hand as he simply responded "My name is Jason Yang but I''m sure you knew that already.

    I y basketball and I''m from Riverside. The city that my parents moved to after being forced to make a decision between aborting me or staying with their family."

    Nate winced after hearing Jason say that "I know that both of your parents had it rough. I don''t really know about your mom''s side of the story but I kind of know about what happened with your dad.

    I''m not going to lie Jason. Our family is kind of messed up. Every family gathering the aunts and uncles always use their kids as tools to one up each other.

    They talk about their children''s aplishments not because of how proud they are of their kids. But because they love to have the spotlight.

    Our family isn''t all that tight. We only ever see each other during the holidays. And even then no one ever invites our grandparents.

    All of my uncles and aunts talk shit about grandpa and grandma for all the things that they put them through growing up.

    But then they do the exact same things to their kids. The worst part is that some of the younger kids have been poisoned by their parents mentality.

    A lot of our cousins think that they''re better than everyone else and they use their aplishments and des to push the other cousins down.

    I found out about you after one of my friends that''s really into basketball showed a clip of you. And the only reason why I even thought that you were my cousin was because I saw a clip of you and your parents getting interviewed."

    Nat then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. After opening his wallet up he took out photo that was clearly old and worn out.

    He handed the photo to Jason. After taking a look Jason saw that it was a picture of his dad as a teenager.

    His dad looked so young. His hair was much longer than it was now and he had it hanging over his shoulders.

    In the photo his dad was smiling brightly as he had another young man in a tight hug in one arm while putting up a piece sign with his other hand.

    Jason handed the photo back to Nate "Why do you have that?" Nate smiled as he looked at the picture. He gently held the photo in his hand.

    "The reason why I hold on to this picture is because this is the happiest that I''ve ever seen my dad. He''s thesecond oldest out of all the siblings.

    My dad is the only one out of his siblings that doesn''t treat his kids like tools. But because of that he always gets the short end of the stick whenever we have a family gathering.

    Me and my sister get good grades but other than that we don''t have anything else. But no matter how much his brothers and sisters put him down for having "Normal" kids he always took theirments with a smile on his face.

    He''s also the only one who even bothers with visiting grandma and grandpa. He would always tell us stories of how your dad was the only one who really showed him love.

    He always tells us that if it wasn''t for Henry that he would have ended up just like all his other siblings.

    Our dad loves telling stories from his childhood but they only ever involve him and your dad. I''m guessing that''s because those are the only good memories that he has.

    The reason why I came looking for you is because of two things. I wanted to connect with you because we''re family.

    I know that our history is kind ofplicated but as soon as I put two and two together I felt a connection with you.

    I know that doesn''t make sense considering that this is the firs time that we have even spoken but I don''t know any other way to describe it.

    The second reason why I came to find you is because I want my dad to be happy again. Not that he''s depressed or anything.

    But even though he''s smiling andughing I can tell that there''s something missing. Like I said, I''ve never seen my dad as happy as he was in that photo.

    And for someone as loving and caring as him I feel like he deserves it. I know that doing this might make things difficult andplicated for your family Jason.

    And I''m sorry if thises off as selfish. I spent days thinking about this and the more I thought about it the more I wanted to meet you."

    After hearing what Nate had to say Jason''s emotions became turbulent. On one hand Jason wanted to be angry.

    Whenever he thought back to the night where his dad drowned his feelings away in alcohol Jason despised his dad''s family.

    But after hearing what Nate had to say Jason just couldn''t bring himself to be angry at him. Jason began to pace back and forth.

    ''ording to what Nate said he just wanted to meet me because he wanted to create a connection with me and make me a part of the family.

    He says that he also did it to make his dad happy. Fuck! I wish he was an asshole! Things would be so much easier if he didn''t seem to be such a nice guy.''

    After pacing back and forth a few times Jason walked to his bed. He looked at his bed for a second before shouting out "FUCK!"

    He then proceeded to punch his bed with all his strength. He was punching his bed so hard that his hair became untied.

    After punching his bed a few times Jason let out a satisfied sigh. His hair was disheveled as some of it covered his face.

    He looked up and saw Nate and Kyle with nervous smiles on their faces. Jason picked up his hair tie from the floor and fixed his hair.

    He then looked at Nate and Kyle "Sorry. Just had to blow off some steam." Just as he had finished saying that a knocking sound came from outside their room.

    Jason said "Give me a second. I''ll check the door." After walking to the door Jason took a look through the peep hole.

    It was a man dressed in a ck suit with ck leather shoes. Jason asked "Who is it?" From outside the door the man smiled as he answered.

    "My name is Hank Winslow. I''m a marketing agent with Nike. Is this Jason Yang? If it is I have something to discuss with you."

    After hearing that Jason opened the door as he weed the marketing agent in to the room. The two of them walked to the middle of the room.

    Jason looked over at the marketing agent "It''s kindate isn''t it? What can I help you with?" Hank smiled at Jason.

    "I have some important business rted matters to talk about." He then looked at Kyle and Nate "The kind of matters that are best discussed in private."

    Jason took a look at Nate and Kyle. His gaze lingered on Nate a bit longer than it did on Kyle. He then shook his head "I trust these people.

    If you can''t talk about it in front of them then I guess we have nothing to talk about." Nate was surprised to hear Jason say that.

    ''Did he say that he trusts me?'' A warm feeling started to blossom in his chest as it then began to travel throughout the rest of his body.

    The marketing agent coughed to clear his throat "Uh, well then. The reason why I am here is because Nike would love to use you as part of their next marketing n."

    Jason looked at him with a curious expression on his face "Oh? And what would I have to do as part of this marketing n?"

    The marketing agent smiled "Nike is nning a big advertising model in Asia that uses you as the main point. We would just need you to say a few lines in Korean-"

    Jason cut him off right there "Not interested."

 Chapter 234 - Playing Games

    The marketing agent was stunned at first after hearing Jason refuse his proposition so quickly. After it had finally registered with him what had just happened he approached Jason.

    He took a step forward and put his hand on Jason''s shoulder. He then smiled "Whoa whoa whoa, let''s not be so quick to jump to a decision.

    You should really call your parents and ask what they think. You should really discuss this with them.

    Since this new marketing n is something outside of the training camp you and your parents would receivepensation.

    If you''re worried about getting in trouble then you have nothing to worry about. The times have changed from where we we''re a decade ago.

    Student athlete''s are just not allowed to be paid by their school until they reach the college level. But any money made using the athlete''s image and likeness are all fair game.

    Acting as our brand ambassador ispletely within the guidelines. It wouldn''t negatively affect your draft eligibility.

    In fact I would say that it would have the opposite affect. By taking part in this uing marketing campaign you could really get your name out there.

    You could be a household name in basketball before you even start your freshmen year of high school."

    Jason moved his shoulder shaking off the marketing agents hand. He then coldly red at him as he scoffed "Do you think I need Nike''s help with that?"

    The marketing agent froze on the spot after Jason''s gazended on him ''What the hell is wrong with this kid?

    Most kids would get nervous or excited after hearing that Nike wants to use them for marketing purposes. He didn''t even call his parents.

    This kid is acting like we''re equals. Does he know that he''s just a kid and I''m a full grown adult that works for a multi billion dorpany?''

    Jason continued to re at the man "I''ve only been ying basketball for a year and I''m already on a TV show, attending a Nike training camp, and I''m one of the most popr yers on your docu-series.

    And if you don''t believe me feel free to fact check everything that I''ve said. I don''t need Nike''s help to blow my name up.

    My basketball skills and my y on the court has been doing that for me just fine. Now if that is all I believe you know where the door is and how to use it."

    Jason then turned around as he started to walk back to Nate and Kyle who had been watching silently from the side.

    Hank began to sweat. He pulled out a handkerchief from the back pocket of his ck cks and wiped his forehead.

    "Don''t be so hasty Jason. We can discuss your terms. You didn''t even hear what we''re offering to pay you and your family."

    Jason was already standing close by Nate and Kyle. He turned around to face the marketing agent "Okay. We can discuss it I guess.

    I want a million dors as a signing bonus and I want a percentage of the sales from the countries where my image is used. I also won''t be saying any lines in Korean."

    The shock that the marketing agent received was even greater than when he had heard Jason refuse his offer the first time.

    His knees almost gave out on him as he struggled to remainposed. Hank awkwardly chuckled "You''re asking for a lot Jason.

    Let''s be reasonable now. We''ve done our research and this would be your very first time being a brand ambassador and spokesperson.

    Your asking price for a signing bonus is a little too high but we can still discuss that with the finance guys at Nike.

    But asking for a percentage of the sales is unprecedented for an athlete of your.... standing. Normally Nike only offers a percentage of their sales to professional yers.

    And not just any professional yers. Usually those yers need to have created their own brand and yers like that are usually all star caliber yers."

    Jason nodded his head "I see." The marketing agent got excited after hearing Jason say that ''Finally, did the kid realize just how crazy the conditions he was asking for are?''

    Just as he was imagining Jason signing the papers that he had brought and how he would spend his bonus Jason''s next words would shatter his dreams.

    "Since that''s the case I guess we don''t have anything left to talk about. Like I said, you know where the door is and how to use it."

    This time Hank had to grab at the wall and hold on to it to keep him propped up. After a few seconds he tried hisst option.

    "I am sorry that we couldn''te to an agreement tonight. But I hope you keep our offer in consideration. If you ever change your mind Nike''s offer still be there for you."

    Jason responded "I won''t change my mind. But if Nike ever decides that they want to change their minds and ept my offer then you know where to find me."

    Hank sighed before making his way to the door. Just as he was about to leave he turned back around to face Jason.

    "I really hope that you find a change of heart Jason. You still have a week of training camp left and Nike doesn''t like it when other''s don''t reciprocate their kindness."

    Jason''s gaze became intense as he coldly red at the marketing agent. He then spoke with the bone chilling voice that he had first used when he had talked with Nate.

    "Is that a threat? I didn''t think that a hugepany like Nike would resort to bullying a little kid just because they didn''t get what they wanted."

    Hank waved his hand frantically as he put up a awkward smile "No no no. You must have misunderstood.

    That was in no way shape or form a threat. Just a little food for thought. Just some friendly advice. Enjoy the rest of your night. Sorry to bother you." And with that he closed the door as he left.

    Nate looked at Jason with a bit of admiration ''Damn. Jason is something else. I''ve been reading about him online ever since I found out about him.

    I''ve heard people talk about his fierce personality but I thought that was just because of his resting bitch face.

    Turns out that he really does have a bit of a hot head. I thought that he was just acting like that towards me because of our family history. Good to know that I wasn''t getting any special treatment.''

    Nate then asked "Not to get in your business Jaya but why didn''t you ept the guys offer? I''m sure that Nike would have paid you pretty well even if it wasn''t a million dors.

    And plus, the guy said that it could help you with boosting your poprity and spreading your name."

    Jason shook his head "Some things are worth more than money Nate. Didn''t you hear when he said that he wants me to say some lines in Korean?"

    Nate nodded his head but he didn''t think much of it. Jason added "Why do you think they wanted me to do that?

    It''s obviously to market me as ''The exotic Asian basketball yer.'' I won''t let them use my ethnicity as some gimmicky marketing tool.

    I have to much pride in myself and in the blood that runs through my veins to let them do that."

    Nate nodded his head as he felt happy that he was getting to see more and more of who Jason was as a person ''I feel like I''m starting to understand more of who he is.''

    Kyle had a bit of a worried look on his face "But thatst part did sound like a threat Jaya. No matter what he says."

    Jason casually nodded his head "Probably. But if they want to try and strong arm me then let them try. You know how I am Kyle.

    The more you try and force me into a corner the more I''ll fight back. Let''s see what they have behind in their little bag of tricks.

    They might think that they''re just messing with a kid. But I have my own connections and ways of dealing with things."

    - - -

    The next day at practice. All of the boys split up as they went to go with their own personal trainers and researchers just like usual.

    Jason stood alone in the room as he waited for Dr. Patricia to show up so that he could begin his training.

    After waiting for over thirty minutes Jason felt that something was off ''Doc ain''t never been thiste for training before. What the hell is going on?''

    After waiting for thirty more minutes Jason got up and left the room. As soon as he stepped outside he saw a researcher pass by.

    Jason stopped him to ask where Dr. Patricia was. The researcher became nervous as soon as he saw Jason.

    He stuttered as he told Jason that Dr. Patricia was currently preupied as she had some other work that she had to finish.

    Jason nodded his head and thanked him before making his way back to the room. Sitting alone in the room Jason smiled coldly.

    "So this is the game you want to y Nike? I hope you don''t start crying when another yer hops in." Jason pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

    - - -

    In a house somewhere in San Diego. A man with cornrows was sitting in his office as the firece kept the room warm.

    He was looking through some papers and writing things down as he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

    After pulling out his phone he cracked a small and somewhat disturbing smile "Huh heh HAEHH heh, how you doing Jaya? Been a while kid."

    As he listened the smile slowly disappeared from his face. He then sighed "Alright. Let me make a call and see what I can do."

    The man sighed again as he hesitated to dial a number "I hate this. I already had to call him once to ask for his jersey now I have to call him again for another favor.

    Toote to say no I guess. I already told the kid that I would try to get things sorted out." He then proceeded to look through his contacts as he called a number.

    After a few seconds of ringing a deep voice could be heard from the other side "Hey look who it is. I already sent you the jersey Kawhi. Did you get it?"

    Kawhi tly answered "Yeah I did. Thanks for that. I hate to bother you, trust me I do, but I have another favor to ask."

    The voice was somewhat surprised "Another favor? Don''t you know what today is?" Kawhi hurriedly tried to answer "I know what today i-"

    Before he could finish the voice yelled out "It''s Tacoooo Tuesday!"

 Chapter 235 - A Change In Plans

    The day started off early for Dr. Patricia as it was only 6:30 when she walked through the doors of the training and research facility and scanned her badge at the front desk.

    None of the clerks said anything as she simply walked over to them and stuck out her badge. And as she walked to her office the only ones who greeted her were the researchers that worked with her on a daily basis.

    With a cup of hot coffee in her hands she scanned her badge at her door and walked into her office.

    She took a few sips before sitting down in her chair and logging into herputer. She clicked open a folder and countless videos of Jason appeared.

    She began to watch the videos while keeping a piece of paper on the side. As she went through the different videos she would write down some notes while also muttering to herself.

    "Hmm power discement looks good. Sensors show good bnce and timing on his jump." "He got bumped on his way to the rim and had to change to a fall away jumper. Looks like he still needs to pack on a few pounds."

    "Good hand cement on defense. Hand speed is superb as usual." "Body mechanics look like they need some tweaking when ites tonding.

    It''s clear that acrobaticyups are something that he''s still getting used to. Looks like he favors his right hand when he has to adjust his shot in the air.

    We''ll need to work on getting him to incorporate his left hand some more. Some of these shots went in but looked too awkward."

    She had only gone through about twenty minutes of footage when she heard a knock on her door ''It''s not even 7 yet. Go bother someone else.''

    Normally after ignoring the first few knocks they would go away but today whoever was at the door kept on knocking.

    She mmed her hand down on her keyboard as she paused the video and yelled out "What!?" The door slowly opened.

    A handsome face poked his head through the door before shing a bright white smile "Morning Dr. Patricia."

    As he walked into her office Dr. Patricia couldn''t help but frown "What is it Jeremy? Shouldn''t you be out there flirting with all the interns?"

    Jeremy shed his smile once again before dumping arge stack of papers on to her desk "Good to see that your sense of humor is warmed up first thing in the morning.

    I just got a message from management and they want you to approve these training regiments by today."

    Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she looked at the huge stack of papers "What the fuck!? They always give them to me on the weekends so that I can go over them properly.

    And they never give me this many training regiments at once. They normally give me five to ten at a time. This has got to be close to a hundred?"

    Jeremy shrugged his shoulders "You''re asking the wrong guy Doc. I had just clocked in when I got called into the office.

    They handed me these papers and told me to give them to you. They said that they wanted you to prioritize getting these done by today."

    She then started biting on the nail on her right thumb ''Something has to be going on. They know that I''m in charge of this years training camp.''

    She then stood up after logging out of herputer and began to walk out the door. Jeremy asked "Where are you going?"

    She answered without looking back "I''m going to get some answers."

    - - -

    Somewhere in a fancy office. There where two middle-aged men wearing suits sipping on some coffee with smiles on their faces.

    The man sitting behind the desk looked to be a bit older as his brown hair showed a few spots of grey while the man sitting in front of him was the marketing agent that had spoken with Jason the night before.

    The older looking man spoke "Are you sure this is going to work Hank? It''s been two hours and we still haven''t heard anything."

    Hank smiled "Trust me Mr. Lionel. Jason seemed like a smart kid so he should understand what''s happening right now.

    He''lle crawling to us like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs when he finds out that what happens when you say no to Nike.

    This is a foolproof n. It''s always worked in the past. Kidse in here thinking that they''re hot stuff and with huge egos.

    But after they see what happens when you mess with adults they always fold. Unless he wants to spend hisst week of camp sitting around doing nothing then he''ll change his mind and take our offer."

    Mr. Lionel started to nod his head as he smiled "Good. This opportunity is really too big for us to miss out on.

    Lately we''ve been losing ground in Asia because of their new rising brands. This Yang kid is exactly what we need right now."

    They then began to discuss the details of their marketing campaign targeted for Korea and the other Asian countries where Jason''s image might prove useful.

    - - -

    In a house somewhere in a high ss neighborhood a man whos hairline was clearly receding was dressed up in some casual athletic wear as he looked around his huge house.

    After a few minutes he yelled out with a clear New York ent "Ay Babe, where the hell are my clubs at!? I can''t find em no where!"

    A female voice with a New York ent yelled out from somewhere in the house "I had Maria put em away. You promised me that you was gonna take me out today.

    And you are not cancelling today. I been waiting three weeks Benny! It''s always Nike this and Nike that! What about me!? We ain''t been out together in over three fuckin weeks!"

    The man took his golfing cap off and threw it to the ground "Jesus christ Holly! I need my clubs right now! I''m supposed to be teeing off with Lamelo!

    I been workin on this for weeks! You know how hard it is to get in that guys schedule book? If I miss out on this shoe deal because of you I swear to god!"

    She walked down the stairs and the two immediately began to shout and curse at each other. But after a few minutes the women kissed the man on the cheek "You be safe okay baby? Finish up your game and we''ll go out for some lunch."

    The man smiled "Alright babe. You put on something nice and we''ll go hit the city after my game." Just as he was about to walk out the door with his golf clubs in tow his phone began to ring.

    He saw the name on the screen and a smile appeared on his face "Hey if it isn''t the King himself. What can I do for you Bron?"

    The smile on his face began to fade as he listened to the man on his phone. After the man hung up Benny took a deep breathe before once again snatching his golfing cap off of his head and throwing it at the floor.

    "God fucking damnit!" Holly walked over to her husband "What is it baby?" The man sighed "I gotta go deal with some shit heads at work."

    - - -

    It was now 11 in the morning as countless men in suits filled up a room. At the very end of the table was a man dressed in casual athletic wear.

    Benny had a hostile look in his eyes as he scanned the room. His gazended on Hank and Mr. Lionel.

    "You two shmucks wanna tell me why LeBron is threatening to dy his new shoeunch?" The two of them looked terrified as they didn''t know what to say.

    Benny mmed his fist on to the table "Oh now you don''t know how to talk! I heard you was talkin real goodst night though!"

    He then walked over to the side of the table where Hank and Mr. Lionel were sitting. He stopped in front of Hank as he grabbed his face and started smooshing it.

    "This the mouth that was talking a load of crapst night huh! Where the hell did that go!? You forget how to talk or somethin?

    You got some damn nerve threatenin a lil kid with thepany''s name you know that? How about before you do some stupid shit you look up the person that you''re tryin to mess with.

    If you two dipshits just took a second to look at this kid''s profile you would know that he got some connections.

    Kawhiments on all the kid''s videos and posts! Not to mention that there are other ex yers that follow him and pay attention to him."

    He then let go of Hank''s face before pping Mr. Lionel in the back of his head "And you! Your hair turnin grey but you ain''t got no sense to show for it!

    Is that how your mother raised you? You askin the kid for a favor and when he says no you want to threaten him?

    Are you workin for Nike or the fuckin Mob you fuckin donut! That''s right I called you a donut. Cause apparently there ain''t nothin in the center of your god damn head!"

    Despite the man''s crude behavior and inappropriatenguage no one could say anything to him as he was the head of the New York branch for Nike.

    He then pointed at the two of them "You two follow me." The two men got up but Mr. Lionel asked "Where are we going sir?"

    Benny turned around with a furious face "You two shit for brains are gonna apologize to the kid and pray to god that he epts it.

    Because if he don''t then you two are done. Not just in thispany, Ima make sure that you two shit heads are fucked if you can''t clean this mess up."

 Chapter 236 - Money Moves

    Jason was in the same room that he had been in since the day had first started. Despite the situation that he was in his attitude seemed pretty rxed as he surfed the inte on his phone.

    ''Ooh these shoes look pretty good. I wonder what colorways they have them in. That cial white and sun gold colorway looks dope!

    Should I buy it? I have the money but in a couple of months I probably won''t fit them. I forgot how annoying it was to have growing feet.''

    It had been over two hours since he had been isted in the room but not an ounce of worry could be found on his face.

    Just as he was about to add the shoes to his cart he turned his head to the door as he heard some people approaching.

    There was a middle-aged man dressed in casual athletic wear followed by another middle-aged man in a suit and the marketing agent that had threatened himst night.

    Jason put his phone away into his pocket as the three men walked up to him. The man in athletic wear smiled as he stuck his hand out.

    "Jason Yang I presume? I am so sorry for the dy in your training. I want you to know that we have gotten everything sorted out.

    My name is Be Romano but you can call me Benny. I''m the one in charge of the New York branch of Nike."

    Jason''s face remained unchanged even after discovering the man''s identity. He simply nodded his head as he shook his hand.

    "Nice to meet you Benny. You know, when I first agreed to join Nike''s training camp for middle school basketball yers I wasn''t expecting to be threatened and strong armed by your marketing department."

    Benny''s expression turned ugly for a split second after hearing Jason say that. But a momentter and the smile was back on his face.

    Benny dragged Hank and Mr. Lionel by the cors of their suits as he pulled them closer to Jason "That''s why I brought these two shi- I mean knuckle heads here. So that they could properly apologize."

    At first the two men were silent but after a quick p to the back of both their heads, curtesy of Benny, the two of them apologized in unison "We''re sorry."

    Jason looked at the two men before shifting his gaze to Benny "There''s a Chinese saying that applies pretty well to Korean culture.

    The saying goes "There''s gold under a man''s knees." It means that the value of a man kneeling down is heavy and that it should only be done if the situation truly warrants it."

    After a moment of silence Benny kicked the two men in the back of their knees forcing them to kneel down.

    "You heard him! What the hell we''re you two waiting for huh!? Or do you guys think that your stupidity hasn''t reached the point of kneeling for forgiveness!?"

    The two men felt as though their faces were on fire. They were sessful businessmen who had climbed to high positions in a multi billion dorpany like Nike.

    They were used to the sweet taste of sess and the respect of others. There were times where they had to lower their heads but that was only to people in higher positions than them.

    They had never experienced the humiliation of being scolded and being forced to their knees in front of a little kid.

    Luckily it was only the four of them in the room. If there were others there to spectate who knows how badly this would have destroyed them.

    Hank looked up to the sitting Jason as he kneeled "I am so sorry Jason. I know I did you wrong but I hope that you can look past the mistakes of an old guy like me."

    For Hank he didn''t mind saying those embarrassing things. He was already forced to his knees by his boss.

    The best that he could do at the moment was try and appease Jason in hopes that he would forgive him.

    Mr. Lionel on the other hand seemed to be struggling as he couldn''t utter a single word as he kept his head down and stared at the floor.

    Jason tilted his head "Looks like one of them doesn''t think that he did anything wrong." Mr. Lionel''s head angrily shot up as he red at Jason.

    "I already said that I was sorry and I''m already on my fucking knees! What more do you want from me you stu-"

    Before he could finish what he was going to say Benny pulled him up from the ground. Benny was only an inch away from Mr. Lionel as he angrily muttered.

    "You really like to fuck up huh? I told you this was yourst chance you shit head! Do I look like a joke to you?"

    He then pushed Mr. Lionel to the ground "Pack your shit and get the fuck out! You have five minutes before I call security to beat your ass and drag you out like a dog!"

    Mr. Lionel scrambled to his feet before rushing out the door. Benny then turned to Jason with a bright smile on his face.

    "Sorry about that Jason. I hope you don''t let a idiot like that ruin your day. I heard that you didn''t like the offer that the marketing team first gave you. How about you and me iron out the details in my office."

    Jason let out a small smile as he nodded his head "That sounds good Benny."

    - - -

    Later that night. Jason, Kyle, and Nate were hanging out at their hotel room. They all ate dinner as they watched TV.

    They had started their conversation off with talking about how their days had went. When Jason told him about what had happened to him the two of them nearly fell to the floor.

    Nate let out an awkward chuckle "And I thought that my day was exciting because I found a twenty dor bill on the floor."

    Kyleughed "That''s just how Jason is Nate. Even when he''s not trying he just ends up one upping everyone else."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "It''s not like I was trying to flex or anything. You guys asked me how my day went so I told you."

    Kyle just shook his head before looking at Jason "So you ended up agreeing to be part of their marketing campaign right? Can you tell us the details or is it like super top secret?"

    Jason ate another bite of his unpleasant meal before answering "1 million dors but I don''t get any cuts from their sales.

    When I''m on the court I can only wear Nike stuff and although I don''t have to when I''m off the court they said it would be better for my image if I did the same.

    The contract is for two years." Jason then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He then took out a ck card with the Nike logo on it.

    "They also gave me this card. They said that if I want to buy anything from any of their stores I can just use this card.

    Obviously I can''t use it to buy a hundred shoes and resale them but if any of my friends or family want something they said it was cool to use it."

    Nate was stunned to hear what Jason had said. He wasn''t even in high school and yet he had already made a million dors.

    Nate asked "How did your parents react to hearing that you just made a million dors." Jason smiled "They thought it was a prank at first.

    They had a really hard time believing it but after Benny sent them the paper work and the money showed up in their ount they had no choice but to believe it."

    They continued to talk as they ate their dinner. The atmosphere around the three of them was much more loosed and rxedpared to the first time that they had met.

    Nate looked at Jason "Thanks for inviting me over again. I know that you''re busy with training and that you have other friends to hang out with."

    Jason shook his head "Don''t worry about them. They were all cool and pretty understanding when I told them that I wouldn''t be able to spend too much time with them for thest week of camp."

    Jason looked Nate straight in the eyes "Blood only makes people rted. Loyalty is what really makes you family.

    And if I''m going to treat you like family, even if it''s only temporary, I''m going to do it right. I''ve never half assed anything in my life.

    Well, except for Mr. Rivera''s ss but fuck that guy." Nate felt his chest warming up as he heard Jason say that.

    ''This is what family is supposed to feel like. You''re supposed to be able to feel the love and feel rxed when you''re with family.

    This is so differentpared to hanging out with my other cousins. Even though we''ve only been talking for two days now I feel close to Jason just like how I feel with my sister.''

    Just as they were in the midst of their conversation the program on the TV changed.

    - - -

    A man in a dark blue suit was on TV "Thank you for tuning in to ESPN. We have some breaking news!

    Nike breaks new ground as they sign middle school basketball yer Jason Yang to be a part of their roster of yers.

    Not only is Jason Yang the first Asian American to be signed to Nike since Jeremy Lin. But he is also the first unproven talent that they have ever signed.

    Boom or bust. Does Jason Yang really deserve this contract? Or is it just a ploy to use his identity as an Asian American to appeal to the consumers in the Asian market.

    Find out more as our panel of Sports experts discuss the topic in detailter tonight."

 Chapter 237 - More Media Attention

    A female in a dark red dress sat at a long table with a few other guest to her left and right.She smiled at the camera.

    "Hello and thank you for tuning in to today''s episode of The Dribble. I am your host Kelly Johnson and with me today are two men with great reputations and big names.

    On my right is Logan Banks. A former data analysts for the Houston Rockets as well as the Chicago Bulls who helped both teams turn their fortunes around."

    The man gave an awkward looking smile to the camera "Hi. Thanks for having me Kelly. It''s always a pleasure to talk basketball with you.

    Unfortunately something tells me that I''m not going to like the topic for tonight''s discussion." Kelly chuckled before pointing to the man on her left.

    "Hopefully that''s not the case Logan. Now for our next guest we have one of thee premier show hosts and sports talk personalities Shawn B. Stevens."

    The cameras then pointed to a man with a badly receding hairline dressed in a nice suit. His charismatic voice rang out.

    "Now now, you''re not wrong but you didn''t have to go there hehe. Thanks for having me on tonight Kelly."

    Kellyughed "I should be the one thanking you Shawn. I don''t know how you found the time toe on the show.

    With two different radio programs and your own program here on ESPN they must be working you to the bone."

    Shawnughed "I do have a lot on my te like my radio show Talking Ball on 93.7 FM which I do every Monday and Friday from 12-3.

    Or my show on ESPN First Assist which we do everyday from 5-6. But you know I''m never to busy to talk with one of the most knowledgeable female sports show hosts."

    Kelly smiled "Well, thanks again for stopping by Shawn. For tonight''s main topic we''ll be discussing the breaking news that we all just heard.

    Nike signs Jason Yang to a one million dor deal to be one of their athlete brand ambassadors. ording to our info the deal is for two years.

    Jason Yang is not only the first Asian American basketball yer to be signed by Nike since Jeremy Lin. He is also the youngest athlete that Nike has on their current roster.

    What are your thoughts on this signing gentlemen? Let''s start with you Logan." Logan pushed his sses up.

    "In my opinion this signing was a smart move but for the reasons that most people don''t want to admit or are simply choosing to ignore.

    I mean, let''s be honest here. Nike has been losing a lot of ground recently in Asia because of all their rising and developing brands.

    What better way to carve out some space for yourself in the Athletic wear department than by using an athlete that looks like your target audience?"

    Kelly turned to look at him "So you don''t think that this signing has anything to do with Jason''s on the court productivity."

    Logan let out a chuckle "Of course not. Actually let me rephrase that. Jason Yang is a decent basketball yer.

    It''s not like Nike could have just picked some random Asian kid off of the street and turn him into a marketing sensation.

    Nike''s n only works because Jason can actually y and get a highlight every once in a while. But let''s not act like Nike signed him purely because of how good he is as a basketball yer.

    People seem to think that I''m this Jason Yang hater when I am not. All I''ve said, and what I will continue to say, is that he''s a kid ying middle school basketball.

    There''s a reason why we usually only start to talk about prospects once they get to the high school level.

    That''s because there are just too many factors that go into deciding whether or not a prospect will turn into a good basketball yer.

    Middle school is too early to tell whether or not a kid has the ability to go pro in the future. Hell, even high school doesn''t give you the full picture.

    Tons of kids are top ranked recruits in high school but once they make it to the league they end up being role yers at best.

    That''s why I think that all this noise and mor is actually starting to make Jason really overra-" Shawn interrupted him.

    "Hold on Logan. I really hope that you''re not going to say what I think you''re going to say." Logan coughed to clear his throat.

    "Like I was saying, I think that all this noise and attention is getting to the point where Jason is bing overrated."

    After hearing Logan say that Shawn began to face palm. He then looked over at him with a disappointed expression on his face.

    "Oh lord, you really said it." Shawn looked to the side where there was nothing before throwing his hands helplessly to the side.

    "This man just said that Jason Yang, the kid who turned the worst school in his county into county champions, the kid who took a team that had no business even being in the state tournament to the top 8,

    the kid known as Young Buckets because of his identity as a prolific scorer, the same kid that has shown time and time again that when the money is all on the table and the lights are bright that he can perform in the clutch whether it be on the offensive or defensive side of the ball,

    this is the kid that you''re calling overrated?" Logan rolled his eyes "Those are all good and well Shawn. But this is middle school basketball.

    You can''t use what you see at this stage to determine what Jason would be like if he were to y at the next level."

    Shawn leaned back into his chair "I''ve yed basketball up to the college level and I''ve been watching the game since my eyes first opened.

    And I can tell you, that this brotha right here?" Shawn pointed to the picture of Jason that was being disyed on the monitor close to them.

    "This brotha right here can t out ball." Shawn shook his head vigorously as he said that "He can put the ball in the hoop and keep you from doing the same.

    Most importantly he has IT. It''s hard to describe what IT is but he has IT. With the clock ticking down and the fate of the world on the line you need a cat who you can look to and say here''s the keys man, take us home.

    And Jason Yang aka Young Buckets is that kinda cat. He don''t shrink under pressure, he doesn''t let his emotions take control of his game, and he''s got that cold blooded killer hiding behind that little baby face of his.

    But not only is he capable of taking over a game by himself. He knows how to work as a piece of a team.

    When he''s on the floor everybody eating. He''s setting things up for his Centers, His Forwards, and the other guards on the team.

    Hell, I''m just there watching the kids highlights and I feel like he popped out of my screen and fixed me up a te. That''s how good he is at making sure that everybody else gets a chance to eat.

    Despite his elite shooting and tight handles he never hogs the ball. When you watch him y you see great ball movement which energizes the rest of his team and makes them want to y harder knowing that they''re involved and a part of the system."

    The two of them continued to argue while Kelly tried her best to act as a moderator pulling the two back whenever their discussions strayed too far off topic.

    The show ended while the two continued to argue.

 Chapter 238 - The Nike Camp Comes To An End

    Nate was gripping his fist tightly as the show came to an end. With an ugly expression he spat out "What the hell are they saying?

    Of course Jaya deserves the contract with Nike." Kyle let out a chuckle as he watched Nate''s reaction.

    "If you''re going to be spending more time with Jaya you should learn to get used to this type of stuff Nate.

    Jaya has a real knack for stepping into the spotlight and not everybody is a fan. Besides, why are you getting so worked up when the person that they''re talking about doesn''t even care."

    Kyle motioned to Jason with his head. Nate turned his head and saw that Jason was just nonchntly eating his food seemingly unbothered.

    Nate looked at Jason with a confused expression "Aren''t you upset Jaya? That guy was talking so much trash about you.

    Saying stuff like you only got the endorsement deal from Nike because you''re Asian and that you''re not good enough to get it because of your skills."

    After swallowing the food in his mouth Jason shrugged his shoulders as he answered "I honestly don''t care Nate."

    Nate was stunned by his answer. Jason took a drink of water before continuing "I know how much work I put in and I know how much sweat and blood I''ve poured into the game.

    So why would I care about what someone on TV has to say about me? Plus, one thing that I''ve noticed is that it''s only people who have never yed that like to criticize me.

    All the retired yers and TV guys that have yed high school or college ball typically only have good things to say about me."

    Jason thought back to his memories from his past life ''Shawn B. Stevens, one of the most popr TV sports talk personalities.

    He''s famous for his hot takes and sometimes crazy opinions but he has made some urate predictions.

    He likes to y up his reactions and his takes but he has some real knowledge when ites to basketball.''

    - - -

    Back in some house in San Diego. Kawhi sat in his office as his giant hand held his phone making it look like a kids toy.

    He held his phone in hand hesitating to call a number. After a few minutes of debating with himself he pressed the call button.

    A secondter the other side picked up "Yo Kawhi how''s it going man." Kawhi let out a sigh "Thanks Bron."

    On the other side LeBron''s deep voiceughed "Hahaha I know that had to hurt you man. You''re wee bro.

    But this favor ain''t free, you know that right?" Kawhi''s deadpan face twitched "What do I owe you?" LeBron answered "Nothing much. I just want you to be in my next project."

    Kawhi let out another sigh ''I knew it. He''s been bugging me for years about this.'' "And what exactly is that?"

    LeBron answered "Don''t sound so sad man. This will work wonders for your brand. Close your eyes and picture this.

    NBA legends of times past join forces with the Legends of today''s current game to defend the from an invading presence. My next project is Space Jam: A new Era."

    Kawhi face palmed after hearing that.

    - - -

    In the days that followed Jason and the rest of the guys continued to attend the training camp but there were some noticeable differencespared to before.

    More fans began to show up to the Nike training center as they all crowded around the entrance. And most of them came for Jason.

    Nate also began to join Jason as he watched him do his training. Normally only athletes were allowed inside the training facility.

    But after Jason made a quick call to Benny''s personal number a special exemption was made for him and Nate.

    And despite the special treatment none of the other guysined as they all recognized that Jason never abused his status.

    They saw that Jason was always the one that worked the hardest during training and that he held nothing back in practice.

    During these days the attention that Jason received from the media didn''t lessen. In fact it was actually the opposite.

    As more retired and current yersmented on Jason''s endorsement deal it was like pouring gasoline on a campfire as different TV shows and hosts talked about him.

    This lead to more people hearing about Jason and in turn bing curious about him. This then lead to record numbers for Nike''s docu-series.

    Seeing as how Jason was able to boost their viewership Nike began to give Jason more and more screen time which simply boosted his poprity and fame even more.

    - - -

    After practice finished Jason stayed behind at the training center as the other boys returned to the hotel.

    Nate and Kyle followed Jason as he was taken to a different room. There were lighting specialists with all sorts of equipment and a photographer.

    Jason had to put on all sorts of different clothes and shoes as the photographer had him do all sorts of different poses.

    "Dribble the ball for me. Now do a crossover. Nice! Now spin the ball on your finger. No do it with your right hand. There it is!"

    After two hours of taking photos and recording different lines, all of which were in English, Jason could finally rest as the marketing department told him that he was done for the day.

    As Jason was slumped over in his chair Kyleughed as he walked up to him and pped him on the back.

    "Hahaha, why do you look so tired bro? I''ve seen you y entire games and not look this drained." Jason looked at Kyle before rolling his eyes.

    "At least when I''m ying basketball I know what I need to do and when to do it. Having to listen to a photographer for two hours is way more tiring."

    Nateughed as he sat down next to Jason. He then patted him on the shoulder "Good work today bro. All those TV people talking trash about you should spend a day in your shoes.

    You did a whole day of training and you still did a two hour photo shoot. Not to diss any of the other guys but you are definitely the hardest working guy at the camp."

    Kyle shook his head with a smile on his face. But a momentter his smile disappeared "It kinda sucks that tomorrows ourst day.

    Things were getting really fun. We were all just starting to get close with each other, even the guys from Texas were getting cool with us."

    After hearing that Nate''s expression also became somber "I forgot that you guys were leaving. I really wished we could keep going like this."

    Jason turned to Nate with a slight smile on his face. He yfully punched Nate on the shoulder "Don''t look so down man.

    After spending some time with you I feel like I''ve gotten to know you pretty well. I''ll talk with my parents after I get back and hopefully we can patch things up.

    At least with you and your folks. I don''t know about the rest of the family tho." After hearing him say that a bright smile blossomed on Nate''s face.

    - - -

    After theirst day of training Jason hosted a big goodbye party in their hotel room. Jason paid for all the food as all the guys from the training camp hanged out and let loose.

    In the morning Nate followed the guys to the airport. After saying goodbye he waited outside the building.

    After seeing the ne that Jason and Kyle were on fly into the sky he waved with a smile on his face as a few tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

    On the ne Jason looked out the window as they climbed in altitude ''I gained a lot from this training camp. I guess I need to thank Nike.''

 Chapter 239 - Landing Back In California

    As they were riding on the ne Jason turned his head over to the side where Kyle was sitting. Kyle had a bit of a somber air around him.

    Jason asked "Ay what''s with the long face bro? You still thinking about what''s her name?" Kyle slowly turned his head to Jaya before letting out a sigh.

    "Her name is Elizabeth. And yeah I''m kinda bummed out right now. We were talking the whole time while we were in New York but whenever I tried to ask her out to meet up irl she always had an excuse not to."

    Jason patted Kyle on the shoulder "Hey, you don''t know if they were just excuses man. She said that her parents were split and that she was flying over to see him right?

    If she only has a few weeks to spend with her dad then it would probably be hard for her to take one of those days away from him."

    Kyle ruffled his hair vigorously "I know that Jaya! I understand it logically and I get it up here." He then pointed to his head.

    Kyle then pointed to the left side of his chest "But I just can''t help how I feel down here! Even though my head understands everything my heart can''t help but feel some type of way."

    Jason sighed "Man. You got it bad bro." Kyle looked at Jason with a confused look "What are you talking about?"

    Jason let out a small smile "You don''t just have a crush on this girl. Looks like you really like her and I mean LIKE LIKE."

    Kyle was stunned after hearing what Jason had said. After a moment he shook his head with an embarrassed smile on his face.

    "I guess you''re right Jaya. This is the first time a girl has made me feel this way. Sammy has a bunch of cute friends and they''re all really nice... for the most part.

    But none of them have made me feel the way that Liz makes me feel. When I''m texting her it''s like a mixture of emotions.

    Every text I get from her makes me smile and all of her jokes make meugh but I also feel sad because I want to see her in person so much.

    I want to see her smile and I want to see her beautiful hair. I want to hear her voice through my own ears and not through my phone."

    Jason added "Well technically, even if her voice ising through the phone you''re still using your ears to-" Kyle interrupted him as he lightly punched him on the shoulder.

    "You know what I mean!" Jasonughed as he rubbed his shoulder before apologizing "Yeah yeah I get you. I was just trying to crack a joke man.

    Lighten things up you know?" Kyle finally smiled "Well I guess you did manage to do that. But that still doesn''t give you a pass for being a smart ass."

    Jason chuckled "Alright, I''m willing to settle for that. Look on the bright side. She said that she mostly lives with her mom in Cali.

    You could probably invite her to watch one of our games during the season. That is unless she lives in one of the far parts of California.

    I swear man. California is so huge that it could be a country all on its own. Just driving from San Francisco to Riverside is like seven hours."

    Kyle let out a chuckle "At least we don''t live in Texas man. One of my cosy friends lives there and he says that he has to drive an hour just to go to McDonald''s."

    With a smile on Kyle''s face the mood seemed to have been fixed as he and Jason began to talk about all the fun things that had happened during the span of their training camp in New York.

    - - -

    After a few hours the ne finallynded. Jason smiled as he looked out his window "Nothing like some smoggy LA air to wee you back to Cali."

    After getting off the ne Jason and all of the boys. They all dapped each other up as they said their goodbyes.

    But despite theughter and smiles that were present on their faces the mood around them couldn''t help but be somewhat sad.

    Jason smiled as he looked up at 3D. He patted him on the shoulder "Good to see you decided to slim down a little big guy.

    It''ll definitely help you out with your mobility on the court and it should be way better for your health.

    I get that you love ying ball as much as I do but you gotta remember that it''s still just a game at the end of the day. Nothing is more important than your health."

    3D let out a chuckle as he reached down and ruffled Jason''s hair "Good to know that you know that. Maybe you should take your own advice one of these days.

    I''ll see you at the state tournament Jaya. Or maybe Nationals if you choose a school that''s out of state. That means you better make some noise as soon as you get to high school."

    Jason grinned "You already know bro. I don''t know how to do anything other than make a ssh no matter where I go."

    After 3D turned around and walked away Jason turned to Danilo and Alex with a smile on his face "It''s going to be a lot quieter without you guys around.

    Think about what I said. I''m being serious when I say that I want you guys on my squad next season. If you transfer to Jefferson I swear you guys can y to your full potential.

    You won''t have to worry about any politics and you can just focus on hooping." Danilo smiled as he replied "For sure bro. It would be awesome to y with a guy like you."

    Alex nodded his head before pping his brother on the back "We''ll talk about it with our folks. I''m with Dlo on this one. It would be great to y with you."

    After the twins said their goodbyes to Jason and Kyle they turned around and left. Rudy walked up to Jason and started shaking him.

    "Bro that''s so unfair! You''re recruiting the twins? If I didn''t live all the way out in Sac then I would totally be down to transfer.

    Think about it. With thebined powers of two MCs we would be unstoppable! It would be like Goku and Saitama joining forces!"

    Jasonughed as he freed himself from Rudy''s hold "You already know that our doors our always open to you Rudy. Right Kyle?"

    Kyleughed as he walked up to Rudy and pped him on the back "For sure. Although I don''t know if that was the bestparison.

    You two joining forces would be like Goku and Vegeta teaming up." Rudy turned around and looked to Kyle with a angry expression on his face as he furrowed his brows.

    "I better be Goku then Kyle." Kyle chuckled "Nah, you are one hundred percent Vegeta bro." After that the two of them began squabbling.

    Jason smiled as he watched the two of them ''Nice to see that Kyle found someone else that''s like him.''

    Jason then asked "Are you getting of here Rudy? The drive to Sacramento from here is a pretty long one."

    Rudy turned around to Jason and answered "Nah. This is just a stop. I have another flight that leaves in an hour. It''ll take me straight back to Sacramento and my mom will pick me up from there."

    Jason reached out and shook Rudy''s hand "Well I guess this is where we split. Our parents our waiting for us outside."

    Jason and Kyle both dapped Rudy up before turning around and leaving. After a bit of a walk Jason and Kyle made their way out of the airport.

    As soon as they stepped outside Jason and Kyle saw their parents. Kyle ran up to his mom and pulled her into a tight hug.

    "I missed you mom! The food in New York was good but it''s nothing like your home cooking!" She simply smiled as she squeezed her son in her hug.

    "I missed you to baby. I saw all the pictures and videos you posted. Looks like you and Jaya had your own fair share of fun while you two were away."

    As those two were catching up Jason walked towards his parents with a smile on his face "Hey guys. I''m back."

    As soon as he said that his mom rushed toward him and pulled him into a tight hug "We missed you so much Jaya!"

    His dadughed as he walked over and hugged the two of them "More like I missed you and your mom was worried nonstop about you.

    She watched every episode that Nike put out and she would scream like an opera singer whenever she saw you.

    I never saw your mom on her phone as much as she was while you were away. She would wait for anything new about you to pop up so that she could click on it."

    After the hug Jason''s dad looked at him with a warm smile on his face "So a million dors huh? Looks like we''ll have a lot to talk about when we get home.

    After hearing his dad say that the image of Nate smiling as he waved goodbye to him and Kyle at the airport popped into his head.

    Jason looked up at his dad with a nervous smile "Yeah..... We actually do have a lot to talk about hehe."

 Chapter 240 - A Lot To Talk About

    Jason''s eyes nervously moved side to side as he anxiously looked at his parents. At this point droplets of sweat had begun to form on his forehead.

    When he had gotten home he sat down with his parents and told them about the training camp in New York.

    After talking about the fun things that had happened Jason braced himself as he took the plunge and told his parents about Nate.

    The smiles on their faces immediately disappeared as the two of them went silent. Underneath the table Jason''s legs couldn''t help but bounce up and down as he sat there in silence.

    Jason nced over to the wall where a clock was hanging ''It''s been more than five minutes already and they still haven''t said a word. I am so fucked.''

    Jason looked over at his mom who was tapping her finger on the table nonstop as she silently looked at her husband.

    Jason then turned to look at his dad who was just gazing at the wall seemingly deep in thought ''This is really freaking me out.

    I''ve never seen dad look this serious before. I just hope that I didn''t hurt them. I know that this is a real sore spot for the both of them.''

    Just as he was thinking of what to say next his mom stopped tapping the table as she shifted her gaze to him.

    She let out a sigh before putting up a weak smile "Was Nate good to you?" Jason was caught off guard by her question.

    After a second Jason nodded his head "Nate was super nice. After the first week he went with me to all of my practices and training sessions.

    He would always have my sports bottle ready to hand to me and he was always cheering for me and the team during scrimmages.

    And after practice he would pass out boba drinks to everyone. He even stayedte with me and Kyle for my photo shoots andmercial shoots."

    She nodded her head after hearing that. Despite the smile on her face Jason knew that she wasn''tpletely happy.

    There was a sense of apprehension and nervousness in her eyes that her smile couldn''t cover up. She turned to Jason''s dad and began to gently run her fingers through his hair.

    She let out a soft chuckle "What are you so afraid of Henry? Jaya already said that Nate was nothing but good to him and his friends.

    The kid just wants a family. Not just people that share his blood but people that actually care. Isn''t that the same reason we moved out here with Jaya?"

    Finally after his long silence Jason''s dad opened his mouth "You''re right Naomi. The reason why we moved out here was so that Jason would only have loving people around him.

    And that''s why I just can''t help but be worried. Even if we try our best to only connect with David and Nate''s side of the family we''re bound to bump into the ugly side.

    Toxic people that will only want to tear him down and use him as a stepping stool to make themselves look better.

    People that will smile in your face and tell you how great you are but then turn around and make up rumors and talk trash about you behind your back.

    People that will happily sell you to the devil if it meant advancing their own careers or making some money.

    When I think about the chance that Jason will have to have people like that around him I just can''t help but want to take the safe route and just stay the way we are now."

    He then shifted his gaze to Naomi and Jason "Aren''t we happy with our lives just the way they are? Why risk rocking the boat when we can keep things the way that they''ve been all these years?"

    All three of them fell silent. After a few moments Jason spoke up "You''re right dad. We are happy the way we are.

    And connecting with Nate and his side of the family includes the risk of having those toxic people enter our lives."

    Jason then looked at his dad with an intense vigor behind his eyes "The safest thing to do would be to ignore Nate and his dad.

    But that doesn''t sound like you dad. Remember what you told me after the incident at myst middle school?

    You told me that everything in life involves risks and that we shouldn''t let our fear control us or tell us how to live our lives.

    If we ignore Nate and his dad we would just be letting our fear make that decision for us." Jason''s dad let out a long sigh.

    He then looked over at Jason with a smile "You''re right Jason. We can''t let our fears take control of us. I''ve always told you to do your best and to do the right thing whenever possible.

    Ignoring Nate wouldn''t be the right thing." Jason looked at his dad with hopeful eyes "Does that mean?"

    The smile on Henry''s face grew brighter as he nodded his head "Yeah. We''ll try and reconnect with Nate and his side of the family."

    Jason pumped his fist in the air "Alright! So that means that I''m not in any trouble right?" Jason''s mom wagged her finger "Not so fast Jaya.

    We still have a whole bunch of other stuff to talk about. Like your million dor contract with Nike." Jason gulped after hearing her say that.

    ''Damn. I guess that saying was right. No matter how old you get your fear of your parents never goes away.

    My mind belongs to a fully grown thirty something year old man and my mom''s angry face still scares the shit out of me.''

    And so Jason had to sit down and listen to his parents hour long lecture about how important it was to be responsible with your money and the importance of humility.

    Just as Jason was beginning to tune out his parents voice he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Jason sneakily pulled it out and discretely checked the notification.

    ''Huh? A text from Kyle? We just got back a few hours ago. What could it possible be about?'' As soon as Jason opened up the text the contents of the message shocked him.

    ''Yo Jaya did you hear!? Tyreek just dmited from UCR! It''s all over the news right now!'' Jason''s head began to throb.

    ''Fuck! This sounds like a headache in the making. Just what in the world is going on?''

 Chapter 241 - Catching Up Over Breakfast

    The championship trophy disappeared from Jason''s hands as he was pulled out of his dream. He woke up as the sound of his rm began to y.

    "It may not mean nothing to y''all

    But understand nothing was done for me

    So I don''t n on stopping at all

    I want this shit forever mayne, ever mayne, ever mayne."

    Jason rubbed his eyes a few times before yelling out "Turn off rm." Despite Jason''s shouting the song continued to y.

    He then opened his eyes in annoyance before once again shouting out "TURN OFF ALARM!" After seeing that his phone was still ying the song Jason kicked his nket off and stood up.

    With his hair messily covering his face he walked over to his desk and picked up his phone to turn off the rm.

    After finally getting some silence Jason sneered as he looked at his phone "Advanced voice recognition my ass."

    He then began to look through his notifications. Most of them were from people online asking him why Tyreek decided to dmit from UCR.

    Jason sighed "You guys are buggin me for answers but I''m in the same boat. I have no clue what''s going on."

    Jason sighed before throwing his phone on top of his bed. Ever since he had gotten the text from Kyle Jason spent the whole day yesterday trying to get in touch with Tyreek.

    But despite his efforts he didn''t hear a word from Tyreek. After his announcement all of Tyreek''s social media ounts had gone silent.

    After brushing his teeth and getting dressed Jason made his way to the dinning room. Jason smiled at both of his parents "Morning."

    Jason''s mom was dressed in a dark blue suit and was typing away on herptop as the te of pancakes next to her looked like they were getting cold.

    When she heard his voice she turned her head toward Jason and smiled "Morning Jaya. You''re up a little early aren''t you?"

    Jason''s dad thenughed as he was washing some dishes in the sink "About five hours early if you want to be specific.

    What are you doing up at 6 in the morning Jason?" Jason pulled out a chair and sat down across the table from his mom.

    "I was hoping to get a ride with you to the diner if it''s cool with you dad. Kyle kinda organized a get together breakfast for all the guys from Jefferson. I mean, for the guys that are still here."

    Jason''s dad looked at him with a strange look on his face "A get together breakfast? That kind of sounds like something old people would do.

    I imagine most kids your age would either sleep in or y some videogames first and just catch up over some burgers or something."

    Jason had a slight smile on his face as he shook his head "Yeah. I just didn''t have the heart to tell Kyle anything.

    This is the first time that he''s been in charge of making ns and I didn''t want to ruin the moment for him.

    I have a feeling that the rest of the guys feel the same way. Kyle didn''t even text us. He video called all of us and he seemed so excited."

    Jason''s dadughed "Haha alright. Let me finish up these dishes and shower real quick. I''ll give you and Kyle a ride to the diner."

    Jason gave his dad a thumbs up before turning to his mom "You''re starting your work already mom? Don''t you normally wake up at 8?"

    She kept her eyes on herptop and continued to type as she answered "I have a big presentation today. Me and your uncle Kim have been working really hard to get this new project approved."

    Jason sighed as he looked at his mom continue to type away "You know you can cut back on your hours now mom.

    I know it''s not a lot but I did just get a million dors from Nike. You might not be able to quit your job but taking a day off every now and then shouldn''t be a problem."

    She raised her head up and looked at Jason with a warm smile. She got up from her chair and walked to the other side of the table where Jason was sitting.

    She hugged him from behind and kissed him on the top of his head "You are such a sweet boy Jaya. I know that you want to help but don''t worry about it.

    A kid like you should be worrying about videogames, girls, or your uping season. You shouldn''t be thinking about bills or how many hours your dad and I work."

    Jason looked turned his head and looked up at his mom. She let out a chuckle "Alright Jaya. I can read your face crystal clear.

    Tell you what, we''ll use some of the money that you got to help with some of the bills and I''ll try to take some more time off.

    But that doesn''t mean that I''ll be taking too much time off. As much as you want to help me and your dad we also don''t want to use up all your money.

    That and we still have some pride as parents. We can''t justze around the house and use the money that you worked hard to earn right? What kind of parents would that make us?"

    Jason nodded his head before smiling and reaching his hand out "Deal." Jason''s mom let out augh as she shook his hand in return.

    After his mom packed up herptop and left Jason pulled out his phone and called Kyle. A few minutester and he heard someone knocking on the door.

    Jason smiled as he opened the door "Yo what''s up Kyle." Kyle smiled as the two of them fist bumped "Not much. I just woke up when you called."

    Jason took a look at Kyle andughed as he pointed at his shirt "I can tell. Next time you might want to take some time to make sure your clothes are right side out."

    Kyle looked down at his shirt and scratched his head in embarrassment as he saw that he was wearing it the wrong side out.

    He walked in and took a seat on the couch before taking off his shirt and fixing it real quick. The two of them watched some TV for about thirty minutes before Jason''s dad walked out.

    After a fifteen minute drive the three of them arrived at the diner. Jason''s dad unlocked the doors and let them in as he began to open up the diner.

    Jason and Kyle took a seat at one of the tables in the corner. As the workers began to walk in they all waved at Jason and Kyle.

    After a little more than twenty minutes of waiting the other guys showed up as Vince, DJ, and Nick walked into the diner.

    Kyle waved them down with his long arm and the three of them sat down at their table. Jason and Kyle dapped them all up.

    Jason smiled as he looked at DJ "Ay check it out. DJ looking fresh as hell with the new cut." DJ had grown out the top of his hair a bit and bleached a two inch wide strip that was closer to the left side.

    DJughed "Haha thanks bro. But it looks like I''m not the only one that''s changed in the two weeks you were gone."

    Vince nodded his head "Is it just me or did you beef up a bit Jaya? You don''t look like a stick as much as you did before."

    Nick took a long look at Jason before turning his head to the two sitting beside him "You''re right Vince! Jaya actually managed to put on some weight."

    Jason shook his head with a slight smile on his face "I only managed to gain about ten pounds after stuffing myself like crazy for two weeks but thanks for noticing."

    Kyleughed as he added "No offense Jaya but you''re so skinny that any change in your weight is noticeable."

    As they were talking the doors of the diner opened up as Matt walked in. He smiled as he saw the five of them and walked toward their table.

    He took a seat next to Kyle as everyone dapped him up and greeted him. Matt took a look at Jason "Whoa, did you put on some weight Jaya?"

    After he said that all of the guys startedughing. After putting in their orders the six of them began to chat as they told each other about what they had been up to during these past two weeks.

    As they were eating DJughed as he saw Jason clean up his third te "Good to see that the high calorie diet didn''t ruin your appetite."

    Jason swallowed the food that was in his mouth before responding "At least the food here has some vor. You wouldn''t believe the nd ass shit they had me eating back at the training camp."

    After they were all done eating and catching up Kyle''s expression turned serious "So any news from Tyreek?"

    Jason shook his head as he pulled out his phone "Nothing bro. I tried calling, texting, and I even tried to hit him up on all of his socials. Looks like we''ll have to stop by his ce if we want to get any answers."

 Chapter 242 - Playing With The Media

    Jason left the table as he walked to his dad''s office. He asked him if it was alright for him and the guys to go over to Tyreek''s.

    Jason''s dad told him that it was okay with him and not to worry about the bill. After thanking his dad he walked back to the guys as they all got up and left.

    After a fifteen minute bus ride the six of them found themselves at themunity where Tyreek was currently staying with his niece along with Greg and Javier.

    Jason walked up to the gate and swiped the card that Greg and Javier had given him prior. Jason then lead the rest of the boys as they walked into themunity.

    DJ whistled as he looked at the houses that they passed by while walking "Tyreek really moved up huh? He went from the hood to a gatedmunity."

    After a short walk Jason stopped as they stood outside the townhouse that Tyreek was staying at. Just as Jason was about to walk to the door it swung open.

    Shania turned behind her and yelled out before storming through the door "This is such a bitch ass move Tyreek!"

    It was only after mming the door shut did she see Jason and the other boys. She furrowed her brows as she walked up to Jason.

    "Thank god! Maybe you can talk some sense into Tyreek''s bitch ass." After saying that she turned around and walked off.

    Jason called out "Wait! Shania!" But despite him calling out her name she didn''t stop as she walked off. Jason sighed before turning around to the other guys "That was not a good sign."

    With the other boys behind him Jason knocked on the door. "Shania- Oh, what''s up Jaya." Tyreek opened the door with a weak look on his face.

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "If you''re looking for your niece she just stormed off. She didn''t seem all that happy."

    Tyreek smiled weakly "That''s a hell of an understatement bruh. You got the whole squad here huh? Come on in."

    Jason nodded his head before walking in. Kyle and the rest of the boys greeted Tyreek as they followed Jason.

    He along with the other boys all took a seat in the living room. Tyreek tossed them all a water bottle before taking a seat next to Jason on the couch.

    "Greg and Javier is out right now so it''s just us. I didn''t know you and Kyle was back in Cali bro. I heard about yo contract with Nike man. Good shit."

    Jason nodded his head "Thanks Tyreek. I was trying to hit you up all day yesterday bro. You dmitting from UCR?"

    Tyreek sighed as he took a sip from the water bottle in his hand "My bad bro. I had a ton of shit on my mind yesterday.

    But yeah. That''s why Shania popped off earlier. She was pissed when I told her that I was dmitting from UCRst night but this morning she was even more heated."

    Jason looked at Tyreek with a curios expression on his face "Why exactly are you dmitting from UCR? The first time I met you you seemed he hyped about ying for them."

    Tyreek shook his head before answering "You ain''t wrong. I was he hyped to y for em bruh. But that was back when they was my only offer.

    But after our run at Nationals schools was hittin me up like crazy. I never thought that these top tier programs would even know my name."

    He then paused as he looked at Jason with a gentle kindness behind his eyes "I owe you for that I guess.

    If you never convinced me to be on the show then these schools would prolly still have no clue who I was. Thanks man."

    He then stuck out his fist. Jason chuckled as he bumped Tyreek''s fist back with his own "You ain''t gotta thank me Tyreek.

    Even if I got you on the show if you didn''t ball out then the schools would have never became interested in you. That''s your own sweat and blood man, I had nothing to do with that."

    Kyle and the rest of the boys all jumped in as they all praised Tyreek for the incredible year that he had.

    Tyreekughed as his mood seemed to have improved a bit "In any case I decided to go to UCLA instead.

    They offered me a contract that will pay out a hundred grand every year to y for them. So even if I don''t end up getting drafted I can y four years and get a pretty decent bag."

    Jason took a second to process what Tyreek had said "Sounds pretty good to me. Why was Shania so upset then?"

    Tyreek sighed "It''s because she''ll have to move with me. Javier and Greg are good dudes and I trust em but the optics wouldn''t be good. Two grown men living alone with a young teenage girl?

    And Shania had finally managed to make some friends at her new school. She just started to put down roots and now she gotta pull em out and restart.

    Not to mention that she prolly don''t want to be separated from you guys. Y''all are her best friends." After he said that the mood in the room became somber."

    Jason was the only one who didn''t seem to have been affected "Is that it?" Everyone turned and looked at him.

    Jason continued "If Shania doesn''t want to move then she can just stay here. My parents have an extra room in the apartment that they''re using as an office.

    We could put a bed in there and Shania can sleep in my room while I stay in the office. You would just have to do some paper work so that my parents could act as guardians."

    Everyone was stunned after hearing Jason say that. After a few moments of silence Tyreek busted outughing.

    "Hahaha I shoulda known man. You always like this Jaya. While everyone stressin out and sweatin you already got an answer."

    Tyreek took a moment to think before continuing "Like always man I appreciate the offer. That helps to solve half the problem.

    The only other thing I gotta worry about is the news. As soon as they hear about this they gon blow it up to a whole different level."

    As soon as Tyreek was done talking a notification popped up in the corner of Jason''s vision.

    [Mission: Help Tyreek lower the level of media attention that he will recieve after announcing that he will be going to UCLA instead of UCR.

    Rewards: A random Silver ranked skill badge.]

    Jason thenughed "If that''s what you''re worried about then don''t sweat it Tyreek. I got you covered."

    Jason then exined the n to Tyreek as well as the other boys. Everyone was shocked after hearing what Jason had to say.

    Tyreek looked over at Jason with a serious expression on his face "You sure about this bro? You gon catch some serious heat. I don''t know if I can do that to you."

    Jason waved his hand as he casually sat back in the couch "Like I said man, don''t sweat it. You know me. I don''t care about what the media has to say.

    Besides, this might actually help me. I just signed a contract with Nike to help them with their marketing. So the more my name blows up the better it is for me and Nike."

    Tyreek nodded his head "Alright man. I really owe you for this. You a real one bro."

    - - -

    Later that day. The sun had just set as Jason and the rest of the boys were hanging out back at his apartment.

    Kyle had Jason''s phone in his hand as it looked like he was doing a livestream. Kyle smiled as he looked into the camera.

    "What''s up guys! Thanks for joining us for Jaya''s first livestream. We just got back from the training camp in New York and thought that this would be a great chance to interact with our fans.

    Even though I said that I''m pretty sure that most of you guys are here for Jaya and not us haha." The chat was bustling as they said all sorts of different things.

    Some of them agreed with Kyle as they told him to get out the way and hand the phone to Jason while others told Kyle that they loved all the guys from Jefferson.

    Kyle flipped the camera on the phone as he showed Jason who was currently ying against Vince in a fighting game.

    From behind the camera Kyle spoke "We''ll be doing a Q&A so shoot some questions over. I''ll be bugging Jaya while he tries to focus on the game haha."

    After he said that all sorts of questions began to appear in the chat ranging from asking what Jason''s favorite color was to asking what he liked to eat.

    Jason answered all the questions with his usual deadpan face all while focusing on the game as he didn''t take his eyes off of the TV.

    Soon after questions began to flood the chat asking about Jason''s opinion on Tyreek''s decision to attend UCLA.

    Jason looked over at DJ who was sitting on the couch as he gave him a discrete signal. Jason got up and handed the controller to Matt.

    "Take over for me bro. I don''t want to get my ass handed to me on my first livestream." Jason then swapped ces with Matt.

    Jason looked into the camera "Since everyone''s asking me I''ll say it. I don''t see what the big deal is. With how things work now college athletes are finally able to make money off of their skills.

    It shouldn''t be surprising that Tyreek chose the school that offered him the most money." Kyle then saw a question that was posted with DJ''s burner ount.

    Kyle looked over at Jason "Yo Jaya. We got a real spicy question. LAbeast001 wants to know how you think our uping season is going to be."

    Jason smirked as he turned to the camera "If I''m being honest I feel like everyone got lucky that we had so many injuries to deal with.

    But with our uping season I guarantee you that we will make some noise at Nationals. Jefferson is going to win the state title and make a deep run at Nationals.

    You heard it first hand from me. Take that to the bank because it''s as good as money." As soon as Jason said that the chat started to go crazy.

    The amount of people watching the livestream exploded. After a few minutes their original number of two thousand viewers blew up to over a hundred thousand.

    Seeing that happen Jason couldn''t help butugh in his mind ''The best way to get the media to forget about something is to just give them a juicier story to talk about.

    I wonder how they''ll react with this sound bite. Haha I can already see all the haters faces getting red as they type away.''

 Chapter 243 - First Day Of A New School Year

    The effects of Jason''s n were visible from the start. As soon as Jason had dered that Jefferson would win the State title and make a deep run at Nationals it caught the attention of multiple different media outlets.

    Everything from mainstream consumer media down to social media, the biggest story was about Jason and his overbearing deration of confidence in both himself and his team.

    Soon the story of Tyreek dmitting from UCR and instead deciding to go to UCLA became old news as no one was interested in talking about it.

    Overnight Jason''s already high poprity surged to even greater heights as the followers that he had on his social media ount soared to 2.5 million people.

    In the days that ensued it was impossible for him to walk outside of his apartment without being recognized.

    It was to the point where even people who didn''t even watch basketball knew about him. And as his name began to trend even more the big time sports shows picked up on this and decided to use his story in order to garner more views.

    ESPN, Fox Sports, all the big time channels were talking about Jason. And of course with the rise in his poprity came a rise in the number of people who didn''t like him.

    - - -

    Jimmy Butler was on set dressed in a ssy looking dark blue suit as he rubbed his face with both hands before looking at the man sitting one spot away from him to his right.

    "I''m telling you Logan. This isn''t being cocky or talking out of your backside. What Jaya said is what any yer of his caliber would say.

    You ain''t never been an athlete so I don''t expect you to understand but that''s why I''ve been trying so hard to exin it to you.

    Being an athlete isn''t all just the physical stuff. The mental side ys a huge part. You need to have that kinda dog in you.

    And it''s not like this is just some bench warmer saying this. This is a kid who has proven that he can lead a team.

    I understand where the kid ising from. He''s not confident in himself or his talent. What he''s confident in is the heart, sweat, and soul that he''s poured into the game.

    I was homeless at one point in my life. 13 years old and my mom kicked me outta the house. Dad wasn''t around and he didn''t care.

    Later on I didn''t get any offers from any D1 programs. I had to go to a junior college to y ball. You know what kept me going?"

    Jimmy Butler pointed at his head and then at his chest "I had a fire burning up here and down here. I knew that I would make it as long as I stuck to the grind because I knew that I worked ten times harder than any other mother[bleep] out there.

    When you''re an athlete you are literally fighting against the odds. Everything is stacked against you. Yous a number man right Logan?"

    Logan Banks nodded his head as he pushed his sses up "My career and track record would suggest that I am THEE numbers man."

    Jimmy shook his head slightly "Whatever man. Anyways, as a numbers man you should be able to appreciate this.

    ording to the math a high school senior has a 2.9 percent chance to y NCAA basketball. That already sounds low don''t it?

    Well it gets even lower if you''re a high school senior trying to get into the NBA. The numbers say that you only have a 0.03 percent chance of getting drafted into the NBA.

    0.03 man! And that''s just your chances of getting drafted. Tons of yers get drafted and either don''t get drafted in the right circumstance or the right team so they fizzle out.

    Imagine pouring everything you had every single day while knowing how much the cards are stacked against you. You think you can do that without having some confidence in yourself?"

    Logan coughed as he cleared his throat "That was a great and heartwarming story Jimmy. I am a hundred percent sincere when I say that what you have done with your life is inspirational.

    That being said I just can''t agree with you. You might say that I just don''t understand it because I was never an athlete.

    But I have worked with teams and athletes for close to two decades so I think that I at least have some sort of understanding.

    And to me this situation is just like when LeBron decided to go to the Lakers. He knew that his career was almost over so he-"

    Jimmy interrupted him "What!" He then fell back into his chair as he had an exasperated look on his face "You think LeBron went to LA for the glitz and mor?

    They won championships man! And the first one they got was against us! How are you going to sit up here and talk that garbage?"

    Logan seemed unbothered as he continued "LeBron made his decision toe to the Lakers back when all they had were a bunch of untested and unproven babies.

    He decided toe to LA back when it was still a circus show. How can you tell me that he made that move to win?

    He didn''t know for certain that they would be able to pick up any other stars to help him. LeBron and the Lakers were lucky that they were able to get AD.

    If the Pelicans say no to that trade all those years ago the only thing LeBron would have to show for his tenure as a Laker is that horrible sequel to Space Jam."

    Jimmy Butler then mmed his hands on the table "But they did get AD and they did win championships. For a numbers guy you talkin about a whole lotta what ifs Logan."

    He then weakly shook his head as he had one of his hands covering his face. He peeped between his fingers and looked at Logan before closing his eyes.

    "Man, I can''t with you Logan. Not today. Ain''t nothing I can say to change your mind. You already got your mind set on this and it''s a damn shame man.

    If you''re asking me it sounds like you''re the one talking outta your backside. Let''s move on to the next story Kelly. No point in talkin bout this any more."

    - - -

    Scenes like that were taking ce with multiple different TV show hosts and personalities as well as retired yers of whom only a small percentage seemed to not be on Jason''s side.

    But none of this seemed to bother Jason as he continued with his life as usual. He along with all of the other guys met up at Jefferson everyday for practice.

    And as the days passed by summer eventually came to an end. Seven in the morning, two figures could be seen skateboarding.

    The tallest figure looked to be around 6''4 (1.93m) while the shorter one looked to be 5''8 (1.72m). The two of them leisurely cruised through the fairly empty sidewalk.

    It was Jason and Kyle. After the training camp they had began skateboarding for fun and now were skating to school.

    As they got close to the school they both hopped off of their skateboards and picked them up. Kyle looked over at Jason with a bright smile on his face.

    Kyle had grown out his hair over the summer. His twists were now tied up into a ponytail while a single loc with a golden ring was left free as it dangled on the left side of his face.

    "You ready for the first day of school Jaya?" Jason gave a slight smile as he nodded his head "Bro, do you even need to ask?

    Today''s the fist day of school and the first day of club rush. We need to make sure we get the best kids before the other sports teams do."

    Jason had his hair parted in the middle as both sides reached down past his cheekbones. The scar above his right eye just barely visible behind his hair.

    Just as they had began to walk up the stairs outside of the school a voice shouted out "Oh my god! It''s Jaya and Kyle!"

    Out of nowhere Jason and Kyle found themselves surrounded by a mob of other kids. Jason sighed.

    ''Man, this is what I was trying to avoid. It''s an hour before school starts. Why are there so many kids here already?''

 Chapter 244 - First Day Of A New School Year: Part-2

    As the kids surrounded the both of them they were separated from each other before they had even realized it as the kids squeezed in between them.

    "Oh my god Jaya!" "He looks just like Beastar from Wild Hearts!" "I love you Jaya!" Jason''s face began to twitch in annoyance as the girls crowded around him.

    They all pulled at his clothes and touched his hair while taking selfies with him. Jason cursed in his mind ''Stop fucking up my hair! And they''re stretching out my new shirt. I just bought this bitch!

    Damn it! Why did it have to be girls? At least if they were guys I would be able to shove past them. Where the hell is Kyle?''

    Jason looked over as he tried to spot Kyle amongst the ocean of kids surrounding them. Luckily because of the huge difference in height it didn''t take too long.

    Kyle was surrounded by a bunch of guys who were excitedly talking to him "Hey Kyle, how high is your vertical?!" "Have you tried dunking from the free throw line?!"

    "Can you go with us to the gym so we can throw you some lobs?!" Kyle had a wry smile as a droplet of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

    "It''s kinda early guys. I''m not even warmed up. Maybe next time hehe." Kyle''s head then began to move side to side as he scanned the crowd for Jason.

    Thankfully because of Jason''s growth spurt he was now a good couple inches taller than most of the other kids their age.

    He was able to quickly find him "Jaya!" Jason raised his hand "Kyle! I''m over here!" Kyle then looked at the guys surrounding him "Me and Jaya have to talk to the coach, sorry."

    The guys around him split up and made a way for him. Kyle let out a sigh of relief before making his way to Jason.

    "Excuse me, pardon me, tall guy walking through. Oops! Sorry!" Kyle had to walk around the girls as if he was wading through a marsh.

    After some effort he finally managed to reach Jason "This is crazy Jaya!" Jason shook his head "Tell me about it bro.

    I thought we could avoid this bying to school an hour early. Who knew that these guys were so crazy!

    I mean look at me! My headband''s gone and I''m pretty sure one of these girls have it. Time for n B Kyle."

    After hearing Jason say that Kyle nodded his head. He then bent down and picked Jason up. He then carried him on his shoulder like a bag of rice.

    "Sorry girls but we need to go talk to the coach." After saying that Kyle tried to walk away but the girls seemed to be harder to deal with.

    They all stood in ce as they began to whine "Don''t take him away!" "We didn''t get enough pictures yet!" "I didn''t get to touch his hair yet!"

    They all pulled at Kyle''s clothes in an attempt to keep him there. Kyle tried his best as he pulled against them.

    As he was on Kyle''s shoulder Jason looked at the girls "We really need to go right now girls. We need to go see the coach."

    He then turned his head to look at Kyle "Walk faster Kyle!" Kyle nodded his head as tried to power through the crowd of crazed girls.

    But after only taking five steps Kyle''s body began to shake. He then bent down as he ced Jason back on the floor.

    Seeing this the girls once again surrounded Jason. He looked over at Kyle "What are you doing?" Kyle shook his head "I got tired man. The girls were pulling my clothes. I couldn''t walk properly."

    Jason sighed ''Of course he''s tired. He''s a beanpole just like me. It would be impossible for him to carry me while pushing through this crowd.''

    Just as Jason was trying to think of a way out he heard a familiar voice "Wow. Looks like you''re having fun Jaya."

    He instantly recognized the sarcastic tone as he turned his head in the direction where the voice came from "Sammy!"

    Samantha was a distance away with a smile on her face as she watched Jason and Kyle. Her long and curly red hair partially covered her face.

    Her jeans were ripped at the knees and she wore a white graphic tee underneath her red nnel that had the sleeves rolled up to the middle of her forearms.

    It looked like she grew over the summer as well as she looked to be around 5''6 (1.67m) Jason hurriedly waved his hand "Help Sammy!"

    Samantha chuckled before yfully saying "I can help you but it won''t be for free. You''re going to owe me." Jason nodded his head repeatedly.

    Samantha smiled brightly "Deal." She then pushed her way through the crowd as she approached Jason.

    She easily pushed the girls aside as she made her way to Jason. As she stood in front of him she turned around and stared at the girls.

    "Alrightdies! Get your hormones under control and beat it!" The girls went silent as they stood there nervously.

    Seeing their hesitation Samantha red before coldly saying "Now." The girls all started to leave after hearing her say that.

    Soon things went back to how they were before as the crowd around them dispersed. Jason and Kyle both sighed in relief.

    Jason patted Samantha on the shoulder "Thanks Sammy. That was pretty amazing. You really know how to control a crowd."

    Samantha turned around and smiled "Haha that was nothing. I need to take you to a concert one of these days so you can experience a Wall of Death."

    Jason nervously smiled "With a name like that I don''t really think I want to experience it." Samanthaughed "Is our big hometown hero scared?

    Haha alright. You guys have something to do right? I''ll leave you guys to it." She then turned around and walked away.

    After walking for a bit she turned around with a mischievous smile on her face "Don''t forgot Jaya, You owe me. You too Kyle."

    After saying that she didn''t wait for a reply as she walked through the doors of the school. Jason turned around and shook his head as he looked at Kyle "Let''s go bro."

    Kyle nodded his head as the two of them began to make their way to the gym. After a short walk they found themselves outside the gym''s doors.

    Jason pushed the doors opened. As the two of them walked in the lights were already on. Smiles grew on both of their faces as they saw some familiar people.

    Jason called out "What''s up guys." Matt, DJ, Vince, and Nick were all sitting at the lowest level of the bleachers.

    All of the boys clearly grew over the summer with DJ he standing at 5''7 (1.7m), Matt at 5''6 (1.67m), Vince at 5''10 (1.77m), and Nick at 5''7 (1.7m)

    Kyle and Jason stuck their fists out as they fist bumped all of the guys. Even though today was the first day of the new school year all of them had been seeing each other over the summer as they practiced together regrly so their sense of familiarity didn''t change a bit.

    As they were all sitting and chatting the doors on the other side of the gym swung open as a face that they hadn''t seen in a while showed up.

    Coach Swendel had his usual salesmen smile and blonde buzz cut. On his shoulder was a messenger bag.

    "Hey guys! Been a while huh? Hahaha." He walked toward the boys and put his bag down "Man! You guys all grew a ton. Especially you Jaya. I can still remember when I first-"

    As he was talking Jason gave the boys a subtle signal and the boys all nodded their heads before standing up.

    They all ran toward Coach Swendel with a water bottle in their hands. They opened the bottles up and sshed Coach Swendel.

    Then they all shouted "Congrats Coach!" He was takenpletely off guard "Hey- wait! What are you guys doing?!"

    After they all had emptied out their bottles Kyleughed "You never got to celebrate with us after we won the county title so we thought that it would only be right to do it now."

    Vince nodded his head "No matter what the school and themittee says you were our coach and you at least deserve to celebrate the title. Even if it''s only with us."

    Coach Swendel looked at all of the boys as his eyes began to water "You guys..." Jason chuckled "Come on Coach Swendel. You can''t start up the water works now.

    How are you going to react when we win the State title this year?" Coach Swendel wiped his tears away with his forearm.

    He then chuckled "You''re right as always Jaya. I shouldn''t be acting like this now, otherwise I don''t know what kind of reaction I''ll have when we raise that State trophy."

    Jason nodded his head "That''s the spirit. So what''s the n for club rush Coach?" After hearing him say that Coach Swendel let out a spiritedugh.

    "Haha I don''t think we''ll have to worry about that Jaya." All of the boys looked at Coach Swendel with confused looks on their faces.

    Coach Swendel justughed before reaching down for his bag. He opened it and brought out a big stack of papers.

    "We got so many applications over the summer that we don''t have to worry about not having enough yers.

    In fact we got so many applications that the Principal even gave us permission to start up a junior varsity team!"

 Chapter 245 - Drama On The First Day

    Jason and all the boys were excited beyond belief after hearing Coach Swendel say that. Last year one of the biggest problems that they had was their short roster.

    Now not only did they not have to worry about not having enough yers they even had enough applications to form a junior varsity team.

    Jason looked over at Coach Swendel with a slight smile on his face "That means less work for us right? That means we don''t have to do anything for club rush."

    Coach Swendel and all the other boys started tough after hearing Jason say that. Coach Swendel shook his head as he looked at Jason.

    "Yeah. You guys lucked out this year. We don''t have to go through the hassle of making posters and setting up a table in the pavilion.

    But that isn''t even the end of the good news. Principal Morris just recently got an offer from Nike and they want to endorse the team.

    Obviously they can''t just give the school a bunch of money but they did offer to upgrade all of our equipment and will even be responsible for producing our jerseys."

    Jason was the only one who didn''t seem effected by the news as Kyle and all the other boys were stunned after hearing that.

    Kyle asked "Nike is going to make our jerseys?" Coach Swendel smiled "Yup. And I heard that they want the sole rights to produce and sell them too.

    With the jersey sales the school will be getting a small cut from Nike. That means more funding for the basketball team and the school as a whole."

    Jason joined the rest of the boys as they began to p their hands and cheer after hearing the amazing news.

    Coach Swendel waved his hand "Alright alright. That''s it in terms of everything that I had to talk to you guys about.

    I sent you guys the emails telling you toe to school early so that I could give you guys the news in person.

    But I also just wanted to see you guys. Now that I know that you''re all doing good I can rx a little haha. Go over to the administrations building and pick up your schedules for the school year.

    I''ll see you guys after school. We have a whole bunch of people trying out for the team and I need to show them what kind of standard they have to match up to."

    All of the guys smiled as they patted him on the back, punched him yfully on the shoulder, and fist bumped him as they left the gym.

    As their group walked through the grounds of the school they could feel the eyes of everyone watching them.

    "Check it out. It''s the basketball team." "Whoa! They look even cooler in person." "Oh my god. How tall is that guy? Are you sure he''s still a middle schooler?"

    The chattering and whispers that followed them wherever they walked instilled a mixture of different emotions in all of the guys.

    Some of them felt nervous, excited, happy, and pumped up. Even though they had risen in poprityst year because of their excellent y this was the first time where they felt like the center of attention everywhere they went.

    Jason was looking at the ss schedule in his hand "First period is English with Ms. Yuller. Wow, I didn''t think that I would have her again."

    Kyle smiled "I have her for first period too!" Vince looked at the two of them with a smile on his face "Same here."

    Nick, Matt, and DJ all joined in as they told the others that they all had the same ss for first period.

    Jason asked "Let me see your guys'' schedules real quick." After taking a look at all of the guys'' schedules Jason chuckled.

    "Looks like Principal Morris hooked us up. All of our schedules are the same." Kyle and the rest of the boys cheered after hearing that.

    DJ was all smiles "Man, this is the best start to a school year that I''ve ever seen." Vince nodded his head "Hell yeah bro!

    First we get the good news from Coach, then we find out that we have the same ss schedule. Shit couldn''t get any better haha."

    Jason chuckled "Alright guys. That''s enough messing around. Let''s take a quick walk to make sure we know where all the rooms are and then head to first period. We only have like fifteen minutes."

    After walking around the school and making sure that they knew where all their sses were they just had enough time to get to first period on time.

    As Jason and the other boys walked through the doors of the ssroom all eyes were on them. Jason looked over and smiled "Morning Ms. Yuller."

    "Bonjour monsieur Jaya." She then turned and looked at Kyle and the rest of the boys "Bonjour to you as well monsieur Kyle and the rest of the gentlemen from the basketball team.

    I hope you all had an enjoyable summer. Go ahead and find a seat. We still have three minutes so we''ll be waiting for any stragglers."

    Jason and the rest of the boys took the seats at the back of the ss. Originally there had been a few boys sitting there but after seeing Jason and the rest of the guys approaching they all changed seats to different tables without them even saying anything.

    Jason just shrugged his shoulders as he took a seat. Kyle took a seat next to Jason on his left while the others sat down at the surrounding tables.

    As Jason was taking out a piece of paper from his backpack a pleasant voice called out "So you''re Mr. Superstar I take it."

    Jason looked up and saw a girl standing to his left. She looked to be about 5''4 (1.62m) with dark brown hair that went down to her shoulders.

    Herplexion was slightly tanned and she was wearing a pair of distressed denim jeans with a white top that showed a bit of her midriff.

    Jason thought ''Is that something a girl in middle school should be wearing?'' But he kept his thoughts to himself as he nodded his head.

    "I guess, if that''s want you want to call me. But my name is Jason." She smiled as she reached out "Nice to meet you Jason. My name is Ka. I just transferred here."

    Jason''s face didn''t change as he shook her hand "Hopefully you don''t hate it here." She covered her mouth slightly with her hand as sheughed.

    "Haha thanks I guess. I hope so too." Just as she was reaching to pull back the empty chair next to Jason a different hand beat her to the punch.

    "Sorry. Seats already taken. There''s a couple open spots over by the front though." Samantha had a smile on her face but the corner of her eye twitched as she looked at the girl.

    Even though the voice wasing from behind him Jason easily recognized who it belonged to. Ka didn''t move "Is it? Because it was empty when I walked up to it."

    The tone of her voice didn''t change but the smile had erased itself from Samantha''s face "You might not know because you just transferred here but it''s kind of a Jefferson thing.

    Everyone knows about it if you want to ask them." Samantha didn''t say anything else as she pulled the chair back and sat down.

    Ka''s gaze lingered on Samantha for a second before she shifted her attention to Jason. She smiled "I''ll see you around Jason."

    Jason just gave her a nod as she began to walk to the front of the ss. Samantha huffed before cursing under her breathe "Bitch."

    Jason looked over at Samantha "What did you say?" Samantha turned to him and smiled "Oh nothing, I was just wishing her luck.

    Must be hard transferring in yourst year of middle school you know?" Jason nodded his head "Yeah, that''s true."

    Samanthaughed before twisting around in her seat to look behind her "Wow. All of you guys have the same first period."

    DJughed "More like we all have the same ss schedule." Samantha whipped around and looked at Jason as her mouth was in the shape of an O.

    "You guys all have the same schedule?" Jason chuckled as he shook his head "What can I say? I guess we all just got lucky."

    Samanthaughed "Bullshit. If anything you guys have shit luck. Principal Morris must have hooked you guys up right?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "I guess the world will never know." Samantha rolled her eyes at him. Ms. Yuller began to take attendance as she began the ss.

    - - -

    The sses all went by uneventfully as Jason and the boys were in the crowded hallway making their way to fourth period.

    DJ rubbed his stomach "Yo my stomach is killing me. I''m thankful for Principal Morris hooking us all up by giving us the same schedule.

    But couldn''t he have given us first lunch? Having to go through four sses before getting a chance to eat sucks."

    Jason and all the other boysughed as they heard him say that. Jason pulled out his phone and took a look at the time.

    He then turned to face the others "We got five minutes before our next ss. Ima head to the restroom and take a leak."

    All of the boys nodded as they stayed out in the hallway to wait for him.

    Jason walked into the restroom and was surprised to see that it was empty ''Man, my luck is really good today. I don''t even need to wait in line.''

    Jason walked up to the first urinal on the wall and began to relieve himself. After he was done he walked over to the sink and started to wash his hands.

    Right as he was about to finish up he heard the door open and then a voice spoke out "Looks like Mr. Hometown Hero been enjoying his poprity."

    Jason turned around and frowned after seeing 8 boys in the restroom ''These guys are all of Trell''s old goons. What the fuck do they want?''

    Jason sneered "What''s wrong? You ass pirates lonely now that Trell ain''t around? Oh my bad, Trell would hate it if I tried to associate him with limp dicks like you."

    The boy who appeared to be inmand scrunched up his face "Keep talking that shit pretty boy. Too bad for you Trell isn''t around to protect your bitch ass anymore."

    He then looked over at the other boys "Go fuck him up." As soon as he said that four of the other boys leaped into action while the rest went to keep the door shut.

    Jason shifted his head to the left as he dodged a iing punch. After slipping the punch he bent his knees slightly before exploding upward as he threw an uppercut.

    Jason''s fist connected squarely with the first kid''s chin as he got sent reeling back. But before Jason could pull his fist back his head snapped to the right as the taste of iron began to spread through his mouth.

    Even though he had managed to incapacitate one of the kids in a quick and efficient manner the other boys were able to get to him and start ganging up on him.

    Jason put his hands up to guard against the punches that wereing at him from multiple directions but a few still managed to slip past his defenses.

    Jason yelled out before throwing out a side kick thatnded directly on one of the kid''s sr plexus. He then threw all notions of defense away as he rushed towards a different kid and spear tackled him.

    - - -

    Kyle and the other guys were all waiting for Jason outside in the hallway. Before they even noticed it a crowd had formed around the bathroom.

    With the door propped open none of them seemed to want to go inside but they all had their phones out as it looked like they were recording something.

    Kyle and the other boys'' hearts all sank as they immediately got a bad feeling about this. They rushed toward the bathroom and started pushing their way through the crowd.

    "Get the fuck outta the way!" "Move you dipshit!" "Move to the side you dumbasses!" "Jaya! Jaya! You okay!?"

 Chapter 246 - Starting The New Year Off With A Bang

    As soon as the boys ran in to the restroom they saw two other boys on the floor. Then they saw Jason''s sorry condition.

    His face was bruised and battered with his lip busted open as two boys held him back. One grabbing each of his arms while the other four beat up on him.

    But despite his situation Jason''s face showed no signs of fear. Instead he was intensely fighting back by throwing kicks at the boys in front of him while also trying to free himself from the other boys'' grasp.

    Kyle was the first one to react as he dashed toward Jason "Jaya!" His voice signaled the start of an all out brawl as the others from the basketball team rushed forward as well.

    - - -

    In the Principal''s office. Jason, Kyle, and the other guys from the basketball team were all sitting silently.

    They all looked like they had juste out of a fight as their faces had bruises or ck eyes. Jason was in the worst shapepared to all of them.

    His right eye was shut swollen and his bottom lip was split open. Thankfully Jason was applying a ice pack to his lip so the gross sight was covered for the most part.

    As Principal Morris looked at the boys sitting down across from him he sighed and shook his head.

    "First day of school and you boys are already rocking the boat. This is the first time I''ve had to talk to this many students at once in my office. We had to pull some seats from the front office."

    Neither could Jason or the other boys say anything as they sat in Principal Morris'' office in silence. He had a weak smile on his face as he looked at them.

    "Don''t worry gentlemen. There were a substantial amount of witnesses that said that you boys only acted in self defense.

    So don''t worry about any punishments or disciplinary acts." He then looked around his office and checked to make sure that his door was closed.

    He then gave a thumbs up "You boys never heard this. But I am very impressed. Especially with you Jason.

    I heard that you were alone with those boys for at least a minute or two. You must have put up one hell of a fight tost long enough for your friends to show up."

    It was only after hearing the principal say that could Jason and the other boys let out a sigh of relief. Jason looked at Principal Morris and chuckled.

    "I don''t know if you can say I did anything all that impressive. Just one look at my face is enough to tell you that I got rocked pretty hard."

    Kyleughed as he held an ice pack to his eye "Yeah. But you were pretty much fighting 1 vs 8 bro. How many people can say that they wouldn''t get rocked in that kind of situation."

    DJughed but then stopped as he held his side and winced in pain "Jaya''s the only dude that still wouldn''t be happy to settle for that."

    Matt''s massive Jewfro bobbed up and down as he nodded his head "Knowing Jaya he was probably thinking of knocking all the dudes out even in a situation like that.

    Most guys would just be happy with not getting put to sleep in a scenario like that." All of the boysughed after hearing him say that.

    Jaya shrugged his shoulders "If you think about it they picked the worst ce to jump me. Since we were in a restroom they couldn''t really take advantage of their numbers.

    If I were them I would have jumped me somewhere with more space. Guess they didn''t really think things through all that much."

    Principal Morris along with all the other boys were stunned after hearing Jason say that. It took a moment for the principal to recover.

    He shook his head "Well putting that aside, although you boys aren''t in any trouble I went ahead and called your parents to exin the situation to them.

    They should be here shortly to pick you all up. Don''t worry about missing yourst few sses. It''ll be an excused absence. Just go home and get some rest."

    After speaking with the principal the boys went to the front office with their backpacks as they waited for their parents to pick them up.

    As the boys got picked up by their parents Jason and Kyle were the only ones left waiting. As the two of them were casually ying games on their phones the door to the office swung open.

    Jason''s Dad and Kyle''s mom walked in and rushed to their children as soon as they spotted them. Aunty Vee pulled Kyle into a tight hug.

    "My poor baby. Look at that shiner. Are you okay?" Kyle nodded his head "I''m good mom. We''re still at school. Can you tone down the hugs?"

    As the two of them talked Jason''s dad walked his way to Jason. He shook his head before smiling weakly. He then reached down and ruffled Jason''s hair.

    "One hell of a way to start the new school year Jason." Jason chuckled "Tell me about it. Can''t say I saw this on my ss schedule."

    The two of them then followed their parents as they drove them home. After they were in the apartment Jason''s dad looked at him "Strawberry or chocte?"

    Jason thought about it for a second before saying "Strawberry." His dad nodded his head before heading in to the kitchen.

    Thirty minutester there was a te of hamburger steak and rice sitting on the table. Next to it was a tall ss of strawberry milkshake.

    Jason picked up his spoon and started chowing down. His dad looked at him and shook his head with a smile on his face "You''re lip not bothering you?"

    Jason swallowed the delicious food in his mouth before looking up at his dad. He smiled "Not enough to keep me from eating the food that you cook."

    As Jason was sipping the strawberry milkshake the door to the apartment opened "I''m home." Shania was taking off her shoes when she saw Jason''s face turned toward her.

    She instantly dropped her shoes and ran to Jason. She grabbed his face and moved it side to side as she inspected him.

    Jason shook her hands off before wiping the milkshake mustache that he had "Yo chill Shania. You about to give me whish."

    Shania''s nostrils red as she began to p her fist into her hand "Who the hell did this to you bruh? You just let me know and we gon take care of this."

    Jasonughed "You don''t need to take care of anything Shania." She turned to Jason''s dad "Uncle H, you gotta make him talk. Ain''t no way we can let this slide."

    Jason''s dadughed "He''s right Shania. You don''t need to take care of anything. Jason and the rest of the boys from the team handled it.

    And from what I heard from the principal they handled it real well." After hearing him say that Shania went back to the entrance of the apartment and picked up her shoes and put them away.

    She then walked back to the dining table "Dang Jaya. You gettin my blood pressure up as soon as I get home."

    Jason rolled his eyes before sarcastically saying "My bad Shania. Sorry for giving YOU problems." After he said that Shania lightly punched him on the shoulder.

    Jason''s dadughed "Alright you two. Instead of messing with each other how about you just eat. Strawberry or chocte Shania?"

    Shania answered "Chocte please. Thanks Uncle H." Shortly after Jason''s dad fixed up a te and a milkshake for Shania.

    - - -

    The next day. At first period. Samantha looked furious as she examined Jason''s face "Those bitch ass cowards.

    Who the hell jumps someone in the restroom? And 1 vs 8? That''s such a bitch move." Jason nodded his head "You can say that again. Good thing Kyle and the guys had my back."

    Samantha''s fierce expression softened a bit as she asked "So how did your mom take it? I can''t imagine that Aunty was happy to see your face like this. Especially the stitches on your lip."

    The swelling had gone down but his eye was still a dark purplish color. Jason shook his head "Bro, she flipped the fuck out as soon as she saw me.

    She was talking about calling the police and shit. Thankfully my dad was able to calm her down." Samantha shook her head "You guys should have let her."

    Jason chuckled "It was just a fight between middle schoolers. Besides, getting the police involved would just make things messy."

    Samantha rolled her eyes before blowing a lock of her red hair out of her face "I guess. So what happened to tryouts? That was supposed to be yesterday right?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah. We were supposed to have tryouts yesterday after school. Coach Swendel ended up having to postpone it."

    Then he smiled "But tryouts are happening today and I am so hyped for it. I can''t wait to see what kind of yers we''ll be getting."

 Chapter 247 - The Beginning Of Tryouts

    The gym was full of people as at least sixty boys all stood around waiting. David had been confident until he saw the number of people trying out for the team.

    ''I thought that even if I couldn''t join the varsity team I would at least be able to join the junior varsity team. But with this many people that might not even happen.''

    He had transferred to Jefferson along with some of his friends because of how much he admired Jason.

    As he was nervously thinking about the possibility of not being able to join the team at all he felt a hand pat his shoulder.

    He turned his head and saw that it was the leader of their friend group Sam. He smiled as he looked at David "What are you so nervous for David?

    Sure there are a lot more people than we expected but we are all have something that they don''t." Sam took a second to look at David and his friends.

    Sam continued "We''re Asian. Jaya will definitely let us join the team." David Sam and their other friends were all 7th grade Asian kids that lived in the samemunity.

    David hesitated for a moment before responding "I don''t know Sam.

    Jaya seems like the kind of guy that''s all about hoops." Sam wagged his finger side to side at David "You might be the one with the best grades out of all of us David but you need more worldly knowledge.

    It''s just human nature to want to be around those that are simr to yourself. Think about this. Jason has mentioned a ton of times in his interviews that he always has to deal with racists shit whenever he ys ball.

    You don''t think he would want to have more Asian guys on his team that can understand where he''sing from?"

    David thought about what Sam had said. It did make some sense but something about it didn''t sound right to him.

    "What you said makes sense Sam but Jaya doesn''t look like he cares about that. Whenever he talks about the racist stuff that people would say his face always looks calm."

    Sam chuckled "His face always looks the same David. How would you be able to tell if he was happy or angry?"

    David thought differently from Sam. He had watched everything that had Jason in it. From his episodes of Through the Hoops, to his parts in the Nike docu-series, to even hismercials.

    And David felt that although it was hard to tell Jason definitely did show some emotions on his face.

    All the talking and chatter went silent as soon as the doors to the gym opened. All of the boys attention was turned to that direction.

    Jason and all the boys were dressed in their game gear as they wore the new jerseys made by Nike. All of the boys gulped as the intimidating air from Jason and the rest of the guys hit them.

    David saw the camera guy following Jason and got even more nervous ''Is this going to show up on Through the Hoops? Oh man, I hope I don''t embarrass myself on TV.''

    The boys walked over to Coach Swendel and greeted him. After talking for a bit he instructed Jason to go up and say a short speech to all of the boys.

    Jason walked over until he was only ten feet (3.04m) away from the crowd. He looked at all of them "Thank you all for showing up.

    It''s an honor that so many of you want to y with us on the court. And I know that a lot of you transferred to Jefferson over the summer for the sole reason of joining the team.

    Unfortunately for a lot of you, you will have done that for no reason." The mood in the gym instantly became heavy after they heard Jason say that.

    Jason scanned the crowd before continuing "There are six people on the varsity team currently including myself.

    That means that there are only nine spots avable on the varsity team. The principal has just given us permission to start a junior varsity team so there are 15 spots avable there.

    All in total there are only 24 avable on the team and there are currently 65 applicants here today trying to fight for a spot.

    I don''t want to sound harsh but a lot of you should be prepared to not make the team." He then turned around and walked back to the boys and Coach Swendel.

    Kyle looked at Jason with a worried expression "Wasn''t that a little harsh?" Jason shook his head. He then thought back to his previous life.

    "Failure will hurt no matter what Kyle. But when you don''t even consider it a possibility and it hits you out of nowhere it hurts ten times worse.

    All I did was remind them that the cards are stacked against them and that the odds aren''t in their favor.

    If doing that is enough to crush their spirits and destroy their will to fight then they weren''t meant for sports.

    Basketball isn''t just apetition against the yers on the other team. Basketball is a fight against yourself.

    If you get fouled hard once on your way to attack the basket will you start shrinking away and settle for jump shots or will you put your hard hat on and get to work?

    When you''ve been missing shots all night and it''s close to the end of the game with your team down by one will you take the shot or pass it up?

    Sometimes the worst opponent isn''t the yer guarding you. It''s yourself. And if you want to get anywhere you need to be able to ovee that."

    He then smiled as he looked at Kyle "Just like how you did." Kyle scratched the back of his head in embarrassment after hearing Jason say that.

    Coach Swendel had given Jason permission to conduct the tryouts in whatever form he found suitable.

    Jason had the boys line up in groups of ten before asking them to do ten push ups "If you can''t even do ten push ups then joining the team is nothing but a pipe dream.

    Whoever fails to do ten push ups automatically fails the tryouts." Some of the boys began toin but as soon as Jason turned his gaze toward them they all fell silent.

    The first trial of the try outs proceeded smoothly. As they moved on to the fourth group it was finally David and his friends'' turn.

    Up to this point only five people had been eliminated. Sam was easily able to finish the ten push ups while David and some of the others struggled.

    Two of their friends ended up getting eliminated. Jason looked at the two of them "Thank you for your time and effort."

    He then pointed to the door leading out of the gym. The two friends furrowed their brows as they had seen Jason do the same things to other eliminated people but they never thought that it would happen to them.

    Sam walked over to Jason and smiled. He then began to speak in a somewhat low volume "Come on Jaya.

    Can''t you just close your eyes this time? We''re all Asian here. We need to look out for one another. You know what I mean?"

    Jason looked at him as though he were a person with arms growing out of the top of his head "What does that have to do with anything? These are basketball tryouts."

    He then turned to the two boys who had failed to do ten push ups "You''ve been eliminated. Please exit the gym so that we can get ready for the next part of the tryouts."

 Chapter 248 - A Test Of Heart

    Jason and the rest of the guys on the team were putting some cones on the court as they set up for the the next part of the tryouts.

    As they were setting things up David turned to Sam "I''m happy that we made it past the first test but I still feel bad for Ben and Troy."

    Sam shook his head "Don''t feel bad about them. You were right, Jaya only cares about basketball. We might be the next to get eliminated.

    The only thing you can do now is try your best and try to make the team. If at least one of us can make the team then we didn''t transfer for nothing."

    David nodded his head. As he looked at Jason and the other boys he couldn''t help but sigh "I still can''t believe Jaya got jumped.

    You would think that everyone at Jefferson respects him for what he did for the schoolst year." Sam chuckled.

    "If Jaya getting jumped made you think that he doesn''t have any pull then you would be dead wrong David.

    I heard a bunch of 7th graders talking about how they were nning something for the dudes that fought him and the other guys from the team.

    I didn''t learn much from the first day of school but one thing that I did learn was that the basketball team and especially Jaya are untouchable.

    I heard that he even has some connections with the biggest thug in the area." David looked at Sam with a questioning look "Are you serious?"

    Sam nodded his head "I was talking to some of guys yesterday and apparently Jaya is under the protection of the local gangs.

    I know it''s hard to believe because we went to a private school and we never had any exposure to that kind of stuff but they all sounded really serious when they were talking about it."

    David was silent after hearing what Sam had to say. He smiled as he looked at David "Don''t tell me you''re scared?

    If anything you should be excited bro. If we can make the team that will mean that we''ll be untouchable.

    Who would even dare to touch us? And if something does happen Jaya has some major backing. We won''t have to worry about a thing."

    Before David could respond Jason''s voice yelled out "Alright guys! Pay attention! We''ll be showing you how to run the next part and we''re only going to show you once."

    Matt started off in the right corner of the court before sprinting out to top of the perimeter. He then ran past a cone as though it were a yer setting a screen.

    Jason then threw aser pass right to Matt''s shooting pocket as he caught the ball and shot it in one fluid motion.

    They watched as the ball flew in a high arc toward the basket. As they saw the ball swish through the they couldn''t help but gulp.

    Despite going down some Jason''s eye was still swollen. Seeing him throw such an urate pass even with the impediment in his vision they couldn''t help but look at him as though he were some sort of monster.

    Jason then exined "You''ll start off in the corner before sprinting out to the top of the perimeter. Then you''ll run around the cone pretending that it''s a teammate setting a screen for you.

    After you get in to position the yer that you''re partnered up with will throw you a pass. After that all you have to do is shoot the ball. Then you guys switch.

    Obviously it would be best if you can make the shot but the main thing we''ll be looking at is your shooting form, passing, and how well you can run.

    And before you get any funny ideas I''ll say this right now. If we see any of you running slow to try and make the catch and shoot part easier it''ll be an automatic elimination."

    A few of the kids cursed in their mind as Jason''sst words killed any thoughts they had of trying to pull a fast one.

    Jason then walked around and had the boys trying out for the team pull a piece of paper from a box as he paired them up randomly.

    After he was done he walked back to the side as the boys began to run the drill. As he was watching he felt his phone vibrate in his shorts.

    As he kept his eyes on the court Jason answered "Hello?" Marcus'' voice came from the other side "Yo what up Jaya."

    Jason smiled "Not much. Just watching the guys tryout for the team. Why what''s up?" Marcus chuckled.

    "I know you said to forget about the shit that happened to you yesterday but I thought it would still be a good idea to have Amare talk with them boys."

    Jason shook his head helplessly with a smile on his face "You didn''t have to waste Amare''s time like that bro.

    They just a bunch of snot nosed kids." Marcus responded "Yeah but it wouldn''t be a good look for me if someone under my name got touched up and I didn''t do nothing.

    And besides, I told Amare to just talk to em. It ain''t like I put a couple bands on they head haha." Jason asked "So what happened?"

    Marcusughed "Turns out I didn''t need to do all that. By the time Amare went to go look for em they was already gettin jumped."

    Jason was surprised "By who?" Marcus was clearly amused "They was gettin jumped by a bunch of kids from your school. Hell, there were even some kids from a different middle school.

    After they was done Amare went up to em and asked why they did that." Marcusughed before continuing "Turn out that even without me you got he pull.

    Especially with middle schoolers in Riverside. They really look at you like a hero bro." Jason responded while keeping some mental notes of the drill.

    "Well that''s news to the both of us. Anything else? I''m pretty sure you wouldn''t call me just for that."

    Marcus'' tone became serious "Yeah. I was just callin to make sure that yous cool. The media havin a field day with this story.

    They talkin a whole lotta shit. Callin you and the other guys a bunch of thugs dressed up as hoopers. And I''ve seen some people calling for you to be suspended for the season."

    Jason smirked "They can bitch all they want. All the videos show that we did that shit in self defense. Themittee can''t touch me."

    Marcus responded "Themittee might not be able to do anything but these clowns online will drag y''alls name through the mud."

    Jasonughed "They been doing that shit all summer. If they want to try and get to me with that shit they barking up the wrong tree.

    I don''t give a fuck what they got to say about me. At the end of the day I''ll be on the court whoopin some ass and getting buckets.

    All they''re gonna do by speaking my name is give me more air time." Jason could hear as Marcus pped his hands andughed.

    "That''s Young Buckets for you. Ain''t nothing ever get to you huh?" Jason chuckled "You should know me by now Marcus.

    The only things that get to me are the ball when I go for a steal and an assist when I make the pass." Marcusughed "Alright man. I just called to let you know, peace."

    After the phone call Jason went back to watching the boys run the drill. After thirty minutes all of the boys were done and Jason was discussing the results with Coach Swendel and the other boys on the team.

    Jason looked at the list of applicants and took in to consideration the position that they were trying out for.

    A lot of the boys failed because of their poor shooting form. The next aspect that failed a lot of them was their passing.

    The only thing that they all did well was run. With a clipboard in his hands Jason walked around as he called the name of all the boys that had been eliminated that round.

    David and Sam frowned as they heard their friends'' names being called out one after the other. By the time Jason had finished there were only 40 boys left and they were the only ones left from their friend group.

    After Jason and the rest of the boys finished clearing the cones from the court he walked up to the front of the remaining 40 boys.

    He scanned the crowd and nodded his head "Congrattions to all of you still standing here. You are one step closer to joining the team.

    We are down to thest part of tryouts for today. Depending on how well you all do we''ll have thest test tomorrow."

    Jason gave the boys a moment to enjoy their sess before continuing "I hope that you all took thest drill as a chance to warm up.

    Because for today''sst portion of tryouts we''ll have you run your hearts out. Thisst part will test your endurance, will, and heart."

 Chapter 249 - Test Of Heart: Part-2

    Jason continued to exin the drill "You guys will runps around the gym while I run behind you. If I can catch up to you and pat you on your shoulder then you''re out."

    All of the boys began to panic after hearing him say that. Seeing their terrified faces Jasonughed "Don''t worry. I won''t be running full speed.

    I''ll make sure to tone it down to a level that''s fair." All of the boys let out a collective sigh of relief after hearing Jason say that.

    Jason might not be an explosive athlete but he had the kind of endurance that could only be described as monstrous.

    With his stamina if he were to run at full speed even if they could out run him at the beginning they would end up getting caught sooner orter.

    After they got into position Sam turned to David "We''re almost there David. Let''s give it everything we have."

    He stuck his fist out. David nodded his head before bumping Sam''s fist back with his own "We can''t hold anything back. We have to make the team for everyone that got eliminated."

    All of the boys could feel their hearts begin to race as they stood nervously waiting for the signal to start. The silence was almost unbearable as they stood around in a group.

    Finally after what seemed like an eternity they heard a whistle as they all began to run. Some of the boys turned around and sighed after they saw Jason.

    True to his word Jason wasn''t running at full speed. If anything it was more like he was jogging as he trailed behind them.

    After seeing the speed at which Jason was going the smarter kids in the group slowed down as they tried to match him.

    David and Sam did the same as they stopped sprinting and went into a jog. Seeing that some of the other kids were going at a faster pace he sneered.

    "Those kids must be stupid. This is clearly a test of endurance and not speed. They want to show off too much."

    David shook his head "You might be right about some of them. But look at the very front." Sam did as David had instructed.

    He saw two identical looking guys "Twins?" David answered "Those are the Silva twins. When they yed against Jeffersonst year they gave them a one hell of a game.

    Most likely the kids who are at the front are kids who yed ball for theirst school. They''re probably confident in their stamina and want to take this as a chance to stand out.

    If they can catch the coach and Jaya''s attention it might increase their chances of making the varsity team."

    Sam took a moment to process what David had said before nodding his head "Alright. Enough talking. We should save our breathe for the running."

    After only ten minutes some of the kids showed signs of tiring out as they slowed their speed down even more.

    After twenty minutes Jason began to call out the first names as he began to catch up to the boys. Hearing the eliminations rejuvenated the boys for a moment as they picked up their speed.

    From the sidelines Kyle was smiling as he shook his head "That is so cruel. This is pretty much torture. None of these kids have a chance of matching Jaya''s stamina."

    Vince snacked on a protein bar that he had pulled out from Jason''s backpack "At least he''s taking it easy on them.

    Jaya could go full speed and probably oust them five times over. The speed he''s going now is barely faster than a jog."

    DJ nodded his head "Yeah. I can''t believe these kids are trying out for the team with such bad stamina."

    Mattughed "You talking real tough DJ. I''m pretty sure that you would be in the same boat as them if you didn''t train with Jaya for a year.

    Especially with how much you love to eat. Forget ying basketball you looked like a damn basketball."

    All of themughed after hearing Matt''s lighthearted jab at DJ.

    It had been thirty minutes now since the boys had started running. Although at this point a lot of them were at the point where the most they could do was jog.

    Sam noticed that David was no longer beside him so he turned his head. He saw that David had fallen behind and was with thest group of kids who were close to getting caught by Jason.

    He slowed down until he was next to him "Huh huh You good bro?" As he panted sweat was rolling down the side of his face.

    David didn''t respond as he simply nodded his head. Seeing how exhausted his friend was Sam put his arm under David''s as he tried to help him.

    Jason''s voice boomed from behind him "What the hell do you think you''re doing!? This is a test to see if you''re good enough to join the team.

    Are you going to carry him in the middle of a game? Are you going to shoot the ball for him too?" Sam flinched after hearing what Jason said.

    He pulled his arm back but turned his head as though he wanted to say something to Jason. But before he could David reached out and grabbed him by the arm.

    He turned his head and saw David shaking his head. David opened his mouth as he struggled to push his words out "Don''t. Just. Run."

    Sam hesitated. He stayed by David''s side for a moment before biting his lip. He looked David straight in the eyes before picking his speed back up.

    As the minutes passed by he could hear Jason''s voice getting closer and closer as he eliminated more and more people.

    "Out." "You''re done." "You tried your best." "Eliminated." He was too tired to even turn his head but he could tell that Jason was getting closer and closer.

    He couldn''t tell if his heart was pounding from all the running he did or if it was from the fear that was seeping into his mind.

    ''He''sing. He''s getting closer. FUCK! Come on legs! Keep moving!'' Each step was getting harder and harder to take as his feet felt like they were tied down to bricks.

    Then he heard Jason''s voice once again "Is this all you got! I thought you wanted to join the team! If you want to put these jerseys on then show me!"

    His voice was like a bolt of lightning as David found himself with a renewed vigor ''I have to make the team. For everyone that got eliminated and for myself.

    Joining Jefferson''s basketball team was all I could think about all summer long. I transferred schools just for this. I can''t go back home to my parents empty handed.''

    Unfortunately even the newfound source of strength and energy wasn''t enough as David found his speed falling once again.

    As more time passed by David''s pace had gone from jogging, to a brisk walk, down to barely walking.

    It seemed as though with each step he took Jason''s voice got that much closer "Out." "Out." "Out." He then felt the strength leave his body as he felt a handnd on his shoulder.

    As he fell to the floor it took all of his strength to flip himself over so that he wasying on his back. He looked up and saw Jason''s deadpan face.

    ''It''s over. I''m done. Shit!'' He covered his face with his hands. But just as the tears were about to pour out he heard Jason "Congrattions. You''re number 24."

    - - -

    Back at home the table was lively as Jason sat at the dining table eating dinner with his parents and Shania. As she stuffed a dumpling into her mouth with her chopsticks she looked at Jason.

    "So how was tryouts? Any interesting kids?" Jason took a sip from his strawberry milkshake before answering "There were a few.

    The Silva twins were there. Plus some kids that yed for theirst school. Oh, there was a really interesting Asian kid too."

    Jason''s mom looked at him "Oh? And what made him interesting? Did he y for hisst school too?"

    Jason shook his head "Nah. His jumper was okay but I doubt that he yed for his school. Plus, he didn''t write that down on his application.

    The thing that made him interesting was that when I told him he made the final cut he actually started crying."

    Jason''s dadughed "Maybe he was overwhelmed by the good news." Jason shrugged his shoulders "Maybe."

    As they were eating their dinner and talking about their days the TV caught their attention as the news was talking about Jason.

    "In today''s news local phenom gets in to violent altercation at school." Jason''s mom picked up the remote and switched channels.

    But it was another news station "Hometown hero or violent thug in the making? In today''s-" She once again changed the channel.

    Despite changing the channel a few times it was still news stations talking about the incident with Jason in the restroom.

    She finally decided to change it to a kidswork as the image of cartoons appeared on the screen.

    Jasonughed "It''s okay mom.

    You know that stuff doesn''t get to me." She crossed her arms "Even if it doesn''t get to you I still hate it.

    Everyone knows that it wasn''t your fault. All you did was protect yourself and they still want to try and paint you as the viin."

    Jason smiled as he shook his head "Yeah well, that''s why most of the stations are saying that it was self defense.

    It''s only a few stations that are trying to spin it the other way. They''re probably just desperate for views.

    Besides, if they want a viin I''ll give them one." His parents and Shania both turned their heads from the TV to him.

    "By the end of the season anyone that''s not a Jefferson fan will hate us. We''ll kick so much ass that they''ll look at us like we''re superviins.

    They''ll have to bring the Avengers back together if they want to take us down."

 Chapter 250 - Welcome To The Family

    David was a mixture of nervous and excited as he made his way to the gym ''I can''t believe I actually made the final cut for the team.

    Sure I might not make varsity but I''m still on the team! But what if I''m the worse yer among the new guys?

    Was this just a mistake? Maybe I shouldn''t have tried out after all, I might end up embarrassing myself by stepping on the court.

    No! I can''t get cold feet now. I transferred schools for this. And mom and dad were so proud when I told them that I made it.''

    David took a deep breathe and steeled his resolve as he reached for the door. After opening the door to the gym everyone that was already inside turned their attention to him.

    David felt as though all of their gazes were poking at him. Just as he was spacing out he heard a voice "Yo David!"

    He looked for the source of the voice among the boys in the gym and found Sam''s face with a bright smile on his face.

    Sam ran toward David and grabbed him by the cor of his shirt. He then began to jump up and down in joy as he held on to his friend.

    "We made it bro! We''re officially a part of the team!" David started to blush "Come on Sam. Don''t do something so embarrassing in front of all the guys."

    Sam stopped jumping but heughed as he looked at David''s embarrassed face "You''re worrying too much man.

    We were all celebrating. How could you not? I don''t think you realize just how amazing of an opportunity this is.

    We just managed to join the best middle school basketball team in the county! A team that managed to make it to the top 8 at the state tournament with a short roster!"

    David turned his head back to the other boys. After seeing that none of them seemed to be judging him and Sam he let out a sigh of relief.

    Sam dragged David to the other boys as he began to introduce him to them. David looked at Sam with admiration.

    ''He might be a little goofy and seem like the type that never acts serious but you have to hand it to him. When ites to socializing he''s like a fish in water.

    We didn''t really get a chance to talk to the other guys yesterday so that must mean that he just started talking to them before I got here.''

    As the boys were talking among themselves the topic of Jason and the incident at the restroom ended up being brought up.

    "Did you guys watch the newsst night? They talked about Jaya at least four times." Another kid chuckled before responding.

    "You need to be more specific than that bro. Damn near all the news stations was talking about Jayast night."

    Sam shook his head with a smile as he hopped in to the conversation "Last night? Dude, they were still talking about Jaya and the team this morning.

    My old man was watching the news before I left for school and they wouldn''t shut up about it." Thanks to Sam David felt morefortable around the guys as he also joined in on the conversation.

    "The worst part is that a lot of them are talking about it as though it were Jaya''s fault. They''re all trying to make him look like a bad guy."

    One of the boys asked "Do you think themittee will end up doing anything to Jaya or the team because of this?"

    Sam answered "Nah dude. This morning themittee issued a public statement showing their stance on this.

    They said that despite all the outcry online and from the media all the video evidence shows that Jaya and the rest of the guys from the team only acted in self defense.

    Even if they wanted to do something about it they literally can''t. If they tried to force the issue and punish Jaya anyways he could take them to court.

    So all of those people online and all of the news stations can talk as much trash about Jaya as they want. But it won''t do a thing."

    As they were talking the door from the other side of the gym opened and they all went quiet as they turned their attention in that direction.

    Jason, Kyle, and the rest of the guys fromst year''s team walked in followed by Greg and Javier. They weren''t wearing their official game jerseys as they were dressed in their practice gear.

    But despite that the intimidating air around them wasn''t any less intense than it was yesterday. Kyle was surprised as he saw the group of boys standing in the gym.

    He pulled out his phone and checked the time. Kyle then turned to Jason andughed "I almost thought that we we''rete.

    Turns out these guys are just a little excited." DJ pped Kyle on his shoulder "A little excited? We''re already ten minutes early and they still managed to beat us here."

    Jason chuckled "At least we know that they''re taking this serious. Looks like we won''t have to worry about having the same problem that we hadst year."

    Even though Jason and the rest of the guys were casually talking and cracking jokes with each other Sam, David, and all of the new guys were nervous. Well, except for two people that is.

    One of the new boys gulped as he spoke in a low "Now that I actually have a chance to take a good look at him Kyle is even scarier than I imagined."

    Another boy nodded his head as he added "Tell me about it. He has to be at least 6''3 (1.9m) or 6''4 (1.93m). And that wingspan is crazy.

    Add to all that his crazy bounce and agility it''s no wonder why him and Jaya both made the California State Defensive team."

    A voice added "But the award ceremony was pretty hrious. Jaya and Kyle were both in crutches when they went up to ept their awards haha."

    All of the boys went silent as they turned their heads at the boy who said that. Just as they were all nervously awaiting Jason''s response the first thing they heard wasughter.

    The turned their heads back at Jason and saw that he wasughing "Good to see that some of you have jokes."

    Jason scanned the group of boys for a moment before smiling "I appreciate that all of you guys are taking this serious but you don''t need to be so tense.

    I get that you all might be nervous because you''re all new and you haven''t gotten a chance to get to know us yet.

    But there''s one thing that I want to tell you." All of the boys were focused on Jason as they didn''t want to miss a word that he had to say.

    Jason smiled "Some of you guys yed for yourst school while some of you are joining a team for the very first time.

    I don''t know how they did things at yourst school but I''ll tell you something that ourst team captain, someone that I hold a lot of respect for, told us.

    A team is like a second family. You might not get along all the time but you always have to have each other''s backs and be there for each other."

    All of the boys were stunned after hearing Jason say that. DJ jokingly whispered at a volume where only the guys around him could hear.

    "Bro, the way you talkin bout UD you make it sound like he takin a dirt nap six feet under." Kyle and the others all struggled as they tried to stifle theirughter.

    Jason ignored DJ as tried to stay serious. He then coughed to clear his throat.

    "Anyways, I hope that you can all take those words to heart. Because I promise you that as long as you do the same to us we''ll treat you all like brothers."

    Jason paused for a moment as he looked at all of the boys'' faces before smiling brightly "So wee to the family guys.

    I hope you''re all ready because whether you make the varsity team or the junior varsity team this is about to be a hell of a year."

 Chapter 251 - Battle For A Varsity Spot

    After hearing Jason say that all of the boys began to rx as the mood in the gym became lighter. David was looking at Jason as though he were looking at his favorite celebrity.

    Jason pped his hands together "Now that we have that out of the way let''s move on to thest part.

    You''ve all passed tryouts but here is where we will determine whether or not you''ll be on the varsity team or the junior varsity team.

    All of you will be split in to teams of four as we hold some four on four scrimmages. Based on your performances we will decide on what team you''ll be on."

    All of the boys became serious after hearing Jason say that. Although they had just been congratting each other earlier no signs of friendliness could be seen in any of their eyes at this moment.

    The tension was palpable as Jason and the rest of the boys began to pass some practice jerseys to all of the new guys.

    David nodded his head as he thought to himself ''We might all be friends but this is a serious thing that could have a huge impact on our futures.

    For now we have to treat each other like enemies and take this serious. Even if me and Sam end up on different teams I''ll have to give it everything I have.''

    Jason once again walked around with a box in his hands as he had all of the new guys pull a number from it.

    Sam was excited to see that he had actually hit the jackpot as he managed to get paired up with both of the Silva twins.

    However his excitement was just as quickly extinguished when he saw that David was on a different team.

    He sighed ''I knew that the odds weren''t in our favor but I was still hoping that a miracle would happen.''

    Daniloughed "Damn, even at scrimmage I can''t get rid of you. You must have been a leach or a tic in your past life bro."

    Alex jokingly replied "You took the words right out of my mouth Dlo. I thought that I would be free from you for once."

    The two brothers walked to their two other teammates. Danilo smiled as he stuck his hand out "Let''s y a good game."

    Sam smiled as he nodded his head before shaking Danilo''s hand "Same man. Let''s really show out on the court."

    - - -

    Because of therge number of boys only two games could be yed at a time as each game was yed on one half of the court. The games were set to first to 21.

    On the side Jason was sitting with the other boys and Coach Swendel on the bleachers as they watched the scrimmages begin.

    Jason pulled out a protein bar from his bag and opened it up as he started to snack on it. DJ licked his lips "Ay yo Jaya, hand me one."

    With the protein bar held in his mouth Jason reached back into his backpack as he pulled out another bar.

    Jason tossed the bar over his shoulder without even taking a look at DJ who easily caught the bar. After taking a bite he looked at the guys "So who do guys think will make the varsity team?"

    Vinceughed "I got Danilo and Alex making varsity for sure." Matt turned around and grinned at him "No shit Sherlock.

    My blind grandma could have told you that. DJ probably meant outside of those two. I got number 43 on court one.

    He was part of the group that ran in front and in that one drill he nailed his three even though he was running full speed."

    Coach Swendel thought about it for a moment before answering "I think number 34 has a pretty good chance of making it.

    He looks like he''s around 5''11 (1.8m) but he''s pretty mobile for his height. He was in the middle of the pack during the run."

    After finishing his protein bar Jasonughed "You guys seem pretty rxed. If you start cruising and taking it easy you might lose your spots and ying time to the new guys."

    All of the guys began to argue back as they all made their case as to why it was impossible for them to be beat by the new yers.

    Despite having made the joke Jason himself didn''t find it all to likely that any of the guys fromst years team would lose out to any of the new yers excluding the Silva twins.

    Jason smiled as he looked at the fruit of all of the guys hard work over the summer.

    <strong>Kyle''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free throw: C

    Lay Up: C

    Dunking: B-

    Close Shot: C

    Mid Range Shooting: D-

    Three Point Shooting: E+

    Dribbling: E+

    Passing: D-

    Ball Handling: E+

    y Making: D-

    Post Scoring: C+

    Rebounding: A

    Post Control: B-

    Perimeter Defense: B-

    Post Defense: A-

    Steals: C-

    Blocks: A

    Athleticism: A ]

    <strong>Matt''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: A-

    Lay Up: C+

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: C+

    Mid Range Shooting: A-

    Three Point Shooting: A-

    Dribbling: B-

    Passing: C+

    Ball Handling: B-

    y Making: C+

    Post Scoring: C

    Rebounding: C

    Post Control: D+

    Perimeter Defense: B

    Post Defense: D

    Steals: B

    Blocks: E+

    Athleticism: B ]

    <strong>Nick''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: B+

    Lay Up: B-

    Dunking: F+

    Close Shot: B-

    Mid Range Shooting: B

    Three Point Shooting: A-

    Dribbling: C+

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: C+

    y Making: C+

    Post Scoring: D

    Rebounding: D+

    Post Control: D

    Perimeter Defense: B-

    Post Defense: D

    Steals: C+

    Blocks: E+

    Athleticism: B ]

    <strong>DJ''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: B

    Lay Up: B+

    Dunking: D

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: B

    Three Point Shooting: B-

    Dribbling: B+

    Passing: B+

    Ball Handling: B+

    y Making: B

    Post Scoring: D-

    Rebounding: C+

    Post Control: C+

    Perimeter Defense: B

    Post Defense: C+

    Steals: B-

    Blocks: D-

    Athleticism: B ]

    <strong>Vince''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: B-

    Lay Up: B-

    Dunking: D+

    Close Shot: B

    Mid Range Shooting: C+

    Three Point Shooting: C+

    Dribbling: C

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: C

    y Making: C

    Post Scoring: B-

    Rebounding: B+

    Post Control: B+

    Perimeter Defense: C

    Post Defense: B

    Steals: C

    Blocks: B

    Athleticism: B ]

    Kyle was the one who grew the most over the summer in terms of skill. His free throws were a huge weakness for himst year.

    But now he was good enough to be respectable from the line. Jason also worked with him to improve his rebounding fundamentals.

    He improved his ability to boxout while also improving his sense for rebounding as he became more ustomed to using swim moves and moving his center of bnce.

    And after having a whole summer to practice his defensive fundamentals he was even more of a terror as a perimeter defender than he already was.

    He didn''t really improve all that much as a post scorer but that was okay. With Jason as the main weapon on offense Kyle''s main responsibility was to help anchor their defense in the paint.

    And while Kyle was the one who showed the most improvement over the summer the one who worked the hardest during that time was Matt.

    And all the sweat and effort that he poured in to practice didn''t betray him as he showed major improvements all across his game.

    Not only did his shooting ability drastically increasepared to when Jason had first met him. His ball handling and dribbling was now good enough to where he could be a reliable secondary ymaker.

    And after spending a season and a summer working with Jason his perimeter defense had increased by an incredible amount.

    Overall all of the guys improved by leaps and bounds whenpared to how they were when their season had first startedst year.

    A huge part of that was their effort and hard work but the biggest factor was Jason''s supervision and involvement in their training.

    As someone that had made it all the way to the highest levels of collegiate basketball the training methods and knowledge that he had was iparable to what most middle school coaches could provide to their yers.

    Not only was Jason''s presence on the court both as a yer and on the floor coach a huge advantage.

    His presence off the court could be obviously seen through the improvements that all of his teammates had made during their offseason.

    Jason couldn''t help but grin ''Not only have the guys made huge improvements over the summer. We no longer have to worry about tiring ourselves out by ying too many minutes.

    We actually have a full roster full of guys with potential. Haha I hope you media jerk offs are ready to watch us dominate this season.''

 Chapter 252 - Varsity Spots Announced

    It took two rounds for all the applicants to get a chance to y. After all the scrimmages had finished Jason discussed the results with the other boys and Coach Swendel.

    The yers who had won their scrimmage were in high spirits as they waited to hear the results. On the other hand the yers who had been on the losing teams looked as though their spirits had left their bodies.

    None of them were excited to hear Jason announce the results. Although they knew that it was impossible they wished that they could postpone the announcements of the results so that their hopes of making the varsity team could continue to exist.

    After thoroughly discussing the results of the scrimmages for around ten minutes Jason stood up and made his way down the bleachers.

    With a piece of paper held in his hands Jason scanned the crowd looking at all of the boys'' faces. Seeing that all of their eyes were on him he called out the first name.

    "Donte Wilkins." A boy stepped forward from the group. He looked to be around 5''4 (1.6m) with a darker skin tone and slimmer build.

    His hair was styled in a two inch (5.08cm) t top with a clean fade on the sides. He had a serious expression on his face as he looked at Jason.

    Jason used his Heart''s Eye skill.

    <strong>Donte''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: C

    Lay Up: C+

    Dunking: F

    Close Shot: D+

    Mid Range Shooting: C+

    Three Point Shooting: C+

    Dribbling: C+

    Passing: B-

    Ball Handling: C+

    y Making: B-

    Post Scoring: E+

    Rebounding: D-

    Post Control: E+

    Perimeter Defense: C

    Post Defense: E

    Steals: D+

    Blocks: E

    Athleticism: B ]

    Jason asked "What position are you trying out for?" Without any hesitation he answered "Point Guard."

    All of the new guys went silent after hearing him say that. Point Guard was the position that Jason yed for arge majority of his minutesst season.

    Dering that he was aiming for the position that Jason yedst year almost seemed like he was openly challenging him.

    Vince started pping his hands as he sat with the rest of the guys on the bleachers "Whoo! You guys hear that?"

    Vince looked at the guys around him "He''s shootin for Jaya''s position. I don''t know if he''s brave or just in stupid."

    The boys sitting around himughed after hearing Vince''s joke. All of the new guys were looking at Jason with tensed expressions.

    However contrary to their expectations Jason started tough. He looked at Donte with a smile on his face.

    "If you want something you have to be ready to put in the work required to obtain it. Are you ready for that?"

    Once again, without any hesitation he answered "Yes." Jason walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

    "Good. You better be able to walk the walk because on the varsity team we don''t ept people who are all talk."

    Jason already knew what position the kids were trying out for and didn''t really need to ask them. They had written it down on their applications.

    But the reason why Jason asked him in front of everybody was to test his spirit and will ''Looks like this kid has some dog in him. I like him already.''

    Donte nodded his head "Thank you." He then stepped to the side. Jason gave him a nod before returning to his previous spot.

    "Franklin Goodner" Another kid came forward and stood in front of the group. He was a white kid with a farmer''s tan.

    He looked to be 5''10 (1.77m) with a good amount of heft to him. His physical profile was simr to Udonis''.

    When Jason watched him during the scrimmage he noticed that although he wasn''t as mobile as Kyle or even Vince he was still fairly nimble on his feet.

    And although wasn''t asterally mobile as Vince his front to back speed was just about even and he looked a bit stronger than Vince.

    Jason looked at him "What position are you trying out for?" Franklin smiled "I want to y Center." Kyle''s attention was focused on him after hearing him say that.

    Jason used Heart''s Eye on him.

    <strong>Franklin''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: F+

    Lay Up: D+

    Dunking: E+

    Close Shot: D+

    Mid Range Shooting: F

    Three Point Shooting: F

    Dribbling: F

    Passing: E

    Ball Handling: F

    y Making: F+

    Post Scoring: D-

    Rebounding: D-

    Post Control: D

    Perimeter Defense: F+

    Post Defense: D-

    Steals: F

    Blocks: D

    Athleticism: B- ]

    Jason raised his brow after seeing Franklin''s skills ''This guy is a really raw prospect. The only notable things about him are his physical attributes. He''s one of the tallest out of all the new guys.

    He has good size and decent speed plus his coordination isn''t half bad. But all of his technical skills look horrible.''

    Jason looked at him with his curiosity piqued "It said on your application that you didn''t y basketball at yourst middle school. Is that right?"

    Franklin still had a smile on his face as he answered "That''s right. I''ve never yed organized basketball before today.

    Back at myst school I was on the baseball team." Jason tilted his head slightly as he looked at him "You were on the baseball team?

    So what made you want to y basketball and transfer schools?" Franklin blushed a bit before looking over at the bleachers where Kyle was sitting.

    "Seeing Kyle swat the ball out of the air made me fall in love with basketball. I was never really into basketball but after seeing Kyle''s amazing shot blocking at the county tournament I went through hours and hours of highlights just to see other Big Men block shots."

    After hearing that Kyle turned his face away and started to scratch the back of his neck. The boys around him began to tease him.

    Jasonughed "Well looks like you''ll be spending some time with Kyle because you just made the varsity team."

    Franklin shouted out as he pumped his fist "Yes!" I did it! I''m on the varsity team!" He then excitedly made his way to the side where Donte was standing.

    He tried to chat with Donte but he answered all of his questions with short answers, nods, and by shaking his head.

    Jason ignored theical scene taking ce on the side as he called out "Silva twins." Danilo and Alex both made their way forward.

    Jason just smiled at them "Happy to see you guys chose Jefferson. Both of you made varsity, congrats."

    Danilo and Alex both gave Jason a thumbs up before making their way to the side as they joined Donte and Franklin.

    Jason continued to announce the results as he called out the name of four more yers that had managed to make the varsity team.

    Everyone was now looking at Jason with desperation in their eyes as there was only one final spot left on the varsity team.

    Some boys closed their eyes and looked down as they sent a desperate prayer out while some of them crossed their fingers and their toes inside of their shoes.

    Jason looked at them "And for the final varsity spot.... Samuel Wu." Unlike the previous times where he had called out a name no one stepped forward.

    Sam was stunned when he heard Jason call out his name. It wasn''t until a few awkward seconds passed with the other boys looking at him did he snap back to reality.

    He called out "Here!" Before hurriedly making his way to the front. His face was flushed as he stood in front of Jason.

    Jason simply nodded his head "Congrattions. You made the final varsity spot." Sam had a bright smile on his face "Thank you!"

    He then made his way to the side where all the other guys who made the varsity team. Just as Jason was about to make a closing speech a voiced cried out.

    "This is a load of bull shit! That guy was ass on the court. He barely did anything, the only reason why he won the scrimmage is because he was lucky enough to get on the same team as the Silva twins.

    How can a guy that barely scored make the varsity team? You''re obviously showing some favoritism because he''s Asian like you!"

 Chapter 253 - Keeping It Real

    The smile on Kyle and the rest of the guys'' faces disappeared as the jovial and light hearted mood around them vanished as they stood up and made their way down the bleachers.

    Despite being the most talented one out of all of them Jason always worked the hardest and lead by example.

    Through his actions and his words he clearly showed that he always acted with the team''s best interest in mind.

    To them for someone to use Jason of acting in a way that put his personal interests ahead of the team was straight disrespectful.

    Just as they were a few feet away Jason raised his hand up slightly gesturing for them to stop. They all stopped in their tracks but their res were still directed at the boy who had objected to Jason''s decision.

    Unlike Kyle and the others there wasn''t a hint of animosity or annoyance on Jason''s face as he looked at the boy who had raised his objection.

    "It''s good that you feelfortable enough to voice your disagreement. Like I said before we''re not just a team. We''re a family.

    And in a family you need to have an open line ofmunication. In the future if any of you have a question or if you feel like you''ve been mistreated feel free to bring it up.

    A problem can only be fixed when everyone involved is aware of it." Everyone in the gym was surprised by Jason''s calm and collected response.

    Jason recalled the results of him using Heart''s Eye on Sam.

    <strong>Sam''s skills.</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: E+

    Lay Up: E+

    Dunking: F

    Close Shot: E

    Mid Range Shooting: E

    Three Point Shooting: E

    Dribbling: E+

    Passing: D-

    Ball Handling: E+

    y Making: F+

    Post Scoring: F+

    Rebounding: F+

    Post Control: F+

    Perimeter Defense: D+

    Post Defense: F+

    Steals: D-

    Blocks: F

    Athleticism: C+ ]

    Despite the harsh delivery the boy was right. Sam''s skills were severelycking whenpared to some of the other boys.

    He had barely scored during the scrimmage and his defense wasn''t anything great. He turned over the ball a few times and his court vision wasn''t anything special.

    But that doesn''t mean that he didn''t have his own redeeming qualities as a basketball yer. If that were the case Jason wouldn''t have chosen to give him thest spot on the varsity team.

    Jason continued "You said that he didn''t do much right? I hate to break it to you but you are dead wrong man.

    You''re confusing stats with contribution. Sure he only scored four points and they were from wide openyups.

    But even though it won''t show up on a stat sheet Sam was doing a lot on the court. Some of you became passive whenever the ball wasn''t in your hands.

    You would sit out on the perimeter ball watching waiting for your turn to handle the rock. But Sam was cutting to the basket, diving out to the perimeter trying to get open, and setting back screens for his teammates.

    I know that a lot you guys had never yed with each other before and therefore hadn''t had a chance to practice any ys or develop much on the court chemistry.

    But despite being in the same boat as all of you Sam still put in the effort to do all of that all while getting a sense for his teammates in the middle of the scrimmage.

    Not only that. Sam was the only one I saw actively cheering on his teammates whenever they did something good and reassured them when they made a mistake.

    I understand that you all saw each other aspetitors fighting for a spot on the varsity team but I told all of you that we''re not just a team. We''re a family.

    And when you''re ying as a squad you should be able toe together as one. One person''s mistake falls on the team and one person''s achievements and glory is shared with the team.

    Me and Kyle didn''t win All State Defensive honors by ourselves. The team as a whole put us in the position to earn that.

    And likewise it wasn''t any one yer that cost us a state title. We all lost in the state tournament as a team."

    Jason looked at the boy who had raised his objection "Now, after hearing all of that. Do you still think that I''m just showing Sam favoritism?"

    The boy gripped his fist at his side. Even though Jason hadn''t called him out specifically he knew in his heart that a lot of the things that he had said were applicable to him.

    Whenever the ball wasn''t in his hands he just watched the action from out on the perimeter. And when he saw his teammates do something good he felt a tinge of envy deep down inside.

    He lowered his head and looked at the floor "No. I''m sorry Jaya. You''re right, Sam deserves thest varsity spot."

    Jason cracked a small smile as he nodded his head "Good. Like I said you didn''t do anything wrong. If you feel like anyone is doing something wrong or if you feel like you''ve been mistreated in any way feel free to say something.

    Even if that person is me. I''ll be the first person to tell you that I''m not perfect. I make mistakes and I don''t always get things right. I''m human just like all of you.

    But because I have friends like Kyle, Vince, DJ, Nick, and Matt I can act confidently knowing that they''ll let me know when I''m fucking up."

    Behind him Kyle and the other boys were now smiling. They all shared a simr thought. That what Jason had just said was a typical Jason thing to say.

    They knew that outside of just his basketball skills Jason had grown a lot as a person in the one year that he had spent on Jefferson''s basketball team.

    It was that growth as a person that had allowed Udonis to be able to confidently hand down the position of team captain to him.

    Jason then looked at the group of boys once more as he asked "Anyone else have a problem with my decision?"

    None of the other boys spoke up as they just looked at Jason with a tinge of admiration in their eyes.

    Seeing as how no one had anymore disagreements with his decision in regards to giving Sam the final varsity spot Jason smiled as he pped his hands.

    "Alright. Now that all the serious business is out of the way it''s time we celebrate in ssic Jefferson fashion.

    Even though some of you are part of the varsity team while the others are on the junior varsity team we''re all one collective unit.

    And for us to really be able to work together in the best way possible we need to get to know each other.

    And there''s no better way to get to know each other than over sharing a meal together. Let''s all get together and grab a bite to eat. Coach Swendel''s paying for pizza."

    All of the boys smiled and pped their hands as they cheered in high spirits. Coach Swendel felt as though he had seen this scene once before.

    With a confused expression on his face he pointed to himself "I''m paying for pizza?" Jason pped his hands "You heard the man. Eat as much as you guys want. Tonight the pizza''s on Coach Swendel!"

    Once again all of the boys erupted in to a rowdy cheer as they all pped their hands together and chanted Coach Swendel''s name."

    Coach Swendel had a helpless smile on his face as he facepalmed ''I can''t believe I fell for that little shit''s trick again.''

    He raised his head and looked at the boys who all had smiles on their faces ''But I guess it''s worth it to see them crazy happy like this.

    Good thing Principal Morris gave me that pay raise. I''m going to have to order a shit ton of pizza now that we have a full varsity and junior varsity team.''

    Because of theirrge number they couldn''t go out to eat as the school van didn''t have enough seats to fit all of them.

    Coach Swendel ended up having to order delivery as he had the pizzas sent to the school. That afternoon all of the boys stuffed their faces with cheesy gooey goodness as they all got just a little bit closer.

 Chapter 254 - The First Week Of The New School Year

    For the next two days Jason directed the training for all of the new members of the basketball team as he had both the varsity and junior varsity team focus on running defensive focused drills.

    Their first scrimmage game against another school was this Saturday. Jason thought about it and decided that even if they were to practice running ys the amount of time that they had wasn''t enough for them to learn thempletely.

    So instead of wasting their time trying to cram multiple ys into their heads it would be more effective to work on their individual defensive abilities.

    Defensive fundamentals were easier to pick up in the short termpared to memorizing ys. And with a good defense it was still possible to win games even if your offense was subpar.

    But just because Jason was choosing to make a sacrifice in one aspect of practice didn''t mean that he would make things easy.

    School ended at 3 p.m. and practice started at 3:30 p.m. After some quick warm ups Jason had the new guys spend an hour and a half running a variety of defensive drills including the three level defense drill that he introduced to the teamst year.

    After an hour and a half of intense defensive drills Jason had all of the yers spend the next hour on conditioning.

    Despite the grueling and demanding practice sessions none of the new yers voiced out a single word ofint.

    How could they when Jason was harder on himself than anyone else? Jason made it mandatory for all of the varsity yers to participate in morning practice before the start of school.

    And even though Jason had set the practice to start at 6 in the morning it was clear to all of the new yers that he was there way before that.

    Ever since he had started skateboarding Jason had began to add early morning practices to his schedule since he no longer had to bother his parents by asking them to drive for him.

    So every morning he and Kyle would skate to the school and start practicing at 5 a.m. To all of the new yers Jason''s insane work ethic made it so that none of them couldin about their own workload which seemed light inparison.

    But what they didn''t know was that what they saw was only the tip of the iceberg. At home Jason would carry on with his own personal training regiment.

    Over the summer Jason had bought a set of weights and moved them into the office room where he had started sleeping after Shania had moved in with them.

    Everyday after practice Jason would eat dinner with his parents and Shania before starting his own weight training session.

    And although not as extreme as when he was attending the Nike training camp in New York Jason had kept himself on a hypocaloric diet consisting of 4,000 calories daily.

    Thanks to all of his efforts he had managed to put on 5lbs (2.26kg) of weight. Although that was only half of the weight that he had managed to put on after the Nike training camp Jason was more than happy with the results.

    Now that he weighed 143lbs (64.86kg) he no longer seemed like the rail thin twig that he was before. He was still skinny but not overly so.

    - - -

    Two days had passed since the varsity spots had been decided as it was now Friday. Third period had just finished as David went to Sam''s locker to wait for him so that they could go to first lunch together and hang out.

    After a few minutes Sam showed up as he smiled at David. He greeted him as he opened his locker and stuffed a few books in.

    "Yo David! How''s it going bro? You ready to eat?" David smiled "Same old same old. And you already know I''m ready to eat.

    But you must be starving. I heard morning practice was even rougher today." The corner of Sam''s mouth twitched as he hung his head.

    "Don''t remind me. Jaya said that we had to go even harder since our first scrimmage was tomorrow. I was almostte to first period because of how wobbly my legs were.

    I felt like I just finished doing a triathlon." Davidughed. Although he was on the junior varsity team and Sam was on the varsity team he didn''t feel an ounce of jealousy.

    In fact it was theplete opposite. He was overjoyed when he heard Jason call out Sam''s name that day.

    He knew that even though he dreamed of being on the same basketball team as Jaya that his friend wanted to join the team even more than him.

    In the corner of his vision he saw Jason in front of his locker across the hallway. He was with the other yers who had been on the teamst year and a red haired girl.

    Sam saw David looking across the hall and looked in that direction to see just what it was that his friend was looking at.

    After seeing Jason Sam had aplicated smile on his face as he sighed "The dude really has it all doesn''t he?"

    David looked at him with a confused expression "What do you mean?" Sam responded "I meant what I said.

    The guy has it all. He''s the star of the school, pretty much a local legend, he''s an honor roll student, and he''s got the prettiest and most popr girl in school.

    He''s living every guys dream." David yfully punched him on the shoulder "Instead of talking about all of that we should head to the cafeteria. Who knows how long the line is by now."

    Samughed before closing his locker. Just as he was turning around to start walking toward the cafeteria he felt himself bump in to something.

    He saw that it was a Hispanic looking student who had a snapback on backwards and both of his ears pierced with fake looking diamond earrings.

    He saw a can of soda spilling out on the floor and assumed that he had knocked the can out of the boys hand when he had bumped into him.

    Sam looked at the boy "Hey my bad man. I''ll pay you back for the soda. How much was it?" But the boy ignored Sam''s offer as he grabbed him by the cor of his shirt.

    "Ay what the fuck are you doin fool? I know you got small eyes but is you blind too Chino?" David saw this happening and stepped closer to the two of them.

    "Heye on. He said that he was so-" Before he could finish saying what he wanted to say the boy pushed him back as he held on to Sam''s shirt with one hand.

    "I wasn''t talkin to you pendejo!" He then turned his attention back to Sam "You think you can buy your way outta this?"

    Sam was nervously thinking of the best way to get out of this messy situation as drops of sweat began to roll down the side of his face.

    "Come on man. I said I was sorry. Can you let me and my friend off just this once? We''re both on the-"

    Sam flinched as he saw the boy raised one arm up with a closed fist. He closed his eyes as he waited for the pain toe.

    But despite a few seconds passing by nothing happened. He opened his eyes and saw that there was a hand grabbing on to the boys wrist preventing it froming down and smashing him in the face.

    He smiled as he saw who it was "Jaya!" Jason was holding the boy''s wrist. He let go as he smiled at the boy.

    "Hey Gabriel. I don''t know what these guys did but think you could let them off the hook this once? They''re on the team and we have our first scrimmage tomorrow.

    It wouldn''t be a good look if he had some of our guys show up with shiners." The anger on the boys face disappeared almost instantly after seeing Jason.

    He smiled at Jason as he let go of Sam''s shirt "Ay my bad Jaya. I didn''t know they was on the team." He then turned around to face Sam.

    He smiled as he straightened out his shirt for him "My bad Chino. Don''t worry about the soda. You can pay me back by kickin some ass tomorrow."

    He then turned back around to face Jason "Tell Marcus I said wassup. Good luck on your game tomorrow." Jason cracked a small smile "Ay thanks Gabriel but you know we won''t need no luck haha."

    The two of them dapped each other up before parting ways. David looked at Jason in astonishment "That was crazy Jaya.

    You didn''t even need to do anything. As soon as he saw you his attitude took aplete 180." Jasonughed "His older brother is friends with one of my friends.

    He might seem like a bad guy but he''s pretty cool once you get to know him. Anyways you guys be more careful.

    I need to head to fourth period now. Shit! I''m runningte!" He turned around and speed walked away.

    David looked at Jason''s back as he walked away from them "He''s so cool. I think you were right Sam. He does have it all."

    - - -

    Practice had juste to a finish as Javier stood in front of Jason as he sat down on the lowest level of the bleachers.

    Greg had his camera in hand as he filmed Javier interviewing Jason "So Jaya. You have your very first scrimmage tomorrow.

    How do you feel the varsity team and junior varsity team will perform?" Jason took a second to wipe the sweat off of his face with his towel.

    After he was done he looked at Javier and then at the camera ''If the media wants to make us in to viins then I''ll give them what they want.

    I''ll use those dumb asses as a tool to get my name out even more haha.'' Jason grinned at the camera "We''re going to do what we always do, dominate."

 Chapter 255 - A Scrimmage To Kick Off The Year

    Even though Jason had chosen to use the words that he knew would trigger his haters the most that didn''t mean that he was lying.

    Jason thought about his current state and couldn''t see any way that they would lose.

    [Free throw: SS+

    Lay Up: S -> SS+

    Dunking: E -> E+

    Close Shot: S -> SS+

    Mid Range Shooting: SS -> SS+

    Three Point Shooting: SS -> SS+

    Dribbling: SS -> SS+

    Passing: SS -> SS+

    Ball Handling: SS -> SS+

    y Making: SS+

    Post Scoring: B -> A+

    Rebounding: B -> A+

    Post Control: A -> S+

    Perimeter Defense: SS -> SS+

    Post Defense: A -> S+

    Steals: SS -> SS+

    Blocks: B+ -> A+

    Athleticism: B ]

    Over the summer Jason had finally managed to free himself from all of the restrictions on his skills. He could now use them to their fullest potential.

    And Jason had also made improvements in his badges.

    [<strong>Ironman</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Gives you a tougher body. You will be less likely to experience an injury as well as recover from injuries at an improved rate. Effectiveness decided by badge rank.

    <strong>Defensive Anchor</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Your presence on the court inspires your teammates to do their best on defense. Your teammates will be more focused on the defensive side of the ball.

    Your teammates will y defense with more energy and be less likely tomit small mistakes. Effect only applies to teammates while you are on the court.

    <strong>Lock Down Defender</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Lowers the effectiveness of your opponents offensive badges and increases your ability to not fall for different fakes and moves.

    <strong>mps</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Increases your ability to stick with your defensive assignment. Also improves your ability to recover after being broken down on defense.

    <strong>Pick Pocket</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Increases your ability to steal the ball away from the ball handler. Decreases your chances of being called for a reach in foul.

    <strong>Hustle</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Increases your chances of sess when diving/fighting for loose balls. Slightly increases rebounding.

    <strong>Workhorse</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Lowers the affects of fatigue on your performance. Allows you to y at your optimal level for short moments when low on stamina.

    <strong>Ankle Breaker</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Increases the effectiveness of your dribble moves in breaking down your defender.

    If you manage to make your defender fall or stumble you will get a momentary boost to your shot making.

    <strong>Tight Handles</strong> (Silver) -> (Gold): Increases your ability to dribble through traffic without losing the ball. Decreases your chances of having the ball stripped away while dribbling.

    <strong>Dimer</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Slightly increases your ability to throw urate passes. Gives a slight boost to your teammates scoring ability if they attempt to score right after receiving a pass from you.

    <strong>Pick And Roll Ball Handler</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Increases your ability to pass to the roll man during a pick and roll.

    Also slightly increases your scoring ability momentarily aftering off a screen after performing a pick and roll.

    <strong>Floor General</strong> (Bronze) -> (Silver): Your presence on the court gives your teammates the confidence to perform to the best of their ability. Your teammates will be tuned in on offense.

    Your teammates will gain a small boost to their offensive abilities and be less likely to perform small mistakes. Effect only applies to teammates while you are on the court.

    <strong>Sniper</strong> (Silver) ->(Gold): Gives a slight bonus to your ability to make shots from the three-point line. Slightly lowers the energy used to attempt a long distance shot. ]

    <strong>Off The Dribble Shot Maker</strong> (Bronze): Increases the users chance of making a shot when taking it off of the dribble.

    <strong>Box Out King</strong> (Silver): Increases the users ability to box out opponents when fighting for rebounds. Slightly improves post control ability.

    Jason was slightly disappointed that the reward that he had gotten from the mission involving Tyreek ended up being the Box Out King badge.

    Although it was a helpful badge it wouldn''t really make that much of a difference to Jason because he was a perimeter yer and not a Big.

    However he was happy that he had managed to unlock the Off The Dribble Shot Maker badge over the summer.

    It was something that would make a big impact on his game as he would be even more confident when attempting a shot off the dribble.

    The leap in his skill grades and the improvements that he had made with his badges was the reason why Jason was so confident in the varsity team.

    The reason why he was confident about the junior varsity team as well was because he had personally overseen their training for the past few days.

    He knew what level the junior varsity team was at and was confident that they would be able to put up a decent fight at the very least.

    And even if they lost they had only been ying together for a few days unlike the school they would bepeting against.

    Jason grinned at the camera as he continued "No offense to Mt. Vernon but we beat them pretty badst year.

    Now that we had a whole season under our belt to gel together and our team chemistry is even better I just don''t see how they stand a chance."

    Mt. Vernon was once again going to be their first opponent to start off the year. They were a nearby middle school and over the years it had be a tradition of sorts for the two schools to start off the season with a scrimmage.

    - - -

    Saturday afternoon. It was 1 p.m. as the gym at Jefferson was filled to the brim with excited fans. Even though it was only a scrimmage the enthusiasm of the people in attendance was abundant.

    In the locker room Coach Swendel was looking at the boys as they sat down getting ready for the game.

    Jason put his headband on and tied his hair up in to a manbun beforecing up his shoes. After he was done he turned to the side and smiled at Kyle "You ready bro?"

    Kyle finished upcing his shoes and smiled back at Jason "You already know Jaya. I''m so pumped! It''s been months since we got to y against a different school."

    A few seats away DJughed "Man, you apletely different personpared tost year Kyle. I still remember how you were shaking like a leaf before our scrimmage against Mt. Vernon."

    Mattughed as he added "And don''t forgot how sick he looked. I thought for sure he would blow chunks before even stepping out on to the court."

    Kyle rolled his eyes "Ha ha very fun. I wasn''t that bad. I mean, sure I remember the shaking part but I definitely wasn''t going to throw up."

    All of the boysughed after hearing Kyle''s response. Frank shook his head as he looked at Kyle "I can''t imagine Kyle being scared.

    Whenever I saw him on TV he always looked so intimidating whenever he swatted a shot away or threw down a monster dunk."

    DJ smirked as he pointed to Kyle "Don''t let the big guy trick you. When we first met him he was the biggest scaredy-cat at Jefferson.

    He woulda been scared of his own shadow if it ain''t been with him since day one." Once again the boysughed at Kyle''s expense.

    But despise the teasing Kyle didn''t seem to mind as he himselfughed when thinking about how much he had changed in just a year.

    Coach Swendel pped his hands together to get the boys attention "Alright boys. Even though this is just a scrimmage that won''t have any impact on our record I still want us to y right and y hard.

    The starting lineup will be as follows. Alex at Point Guard, Matt at Shooting Guard, Jaya at Small Forward, Danilo at Power Forward, and Kyle at Center."

    This was the lineup that Jason had suggested to Coach Swendel after hours of contemtion and deliberation.

    Jason wanted to space the floor out as much as possible after seeing how theirck of floor spacing had been one of their biggest weaknesses at the state tournament.

    By sliding Danilo up by one position they now had a stretch big who could pull the opposing team''s Power Forward out of the paint.

    And the reason why Jason had thought to move two positions up and y Small Forward was because he was the one with the bestbination of height and defensive ability.

    Whether his opponent was a Small Forward adept at ying from out in the perimeter or a Small Forward who utilized his size to post up and y from the inside he would be able to defend them and lock them up.

    After hearing Coach Swendel announce the starting lineup all of the boys nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

    Coach Swendel smiled as he scanned the group of boys "The gym is packed today even though it''s just a scrimmage because our fans want to see us dominate and kick some ass.

    So let''s go out there and give them what they want!"

 Chapter 256 - Start Of The Scrimmage

    Coach Swendel left the locker room first as he gave the boys a chance to talk to each other before the start of the game.

    As Jason stood up all of the boys did the same as they gathered around him. Jason looked around at all of them.

    "Just so you guys know I just had my first interview for Through the Hoops. I told them that we would dominate this game.

    And I don''t like being made a liar. Do you guys understand!?" They all shouted in unison "YES!" Jason nodded his head at their response before sticking his hand out.

    All of the boys joined in as they all stacked their hands on top of Jason''s.

    "Then let''s go out there and take care of business! Jefferson on the count of three!" They all counted in unison "ONE! TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!"

    They all threw their hands in the air before making their way out of the locker room. Sam was thest one out as he followed the boys out.

    The boys all walked out of the locker room in a single file line as they followed Jason''s lead.

    As soon as Jason appeared the crowd erupted in to cheers as the thunderous sounds of apuse intermingled with their excited voices.

    Their voices could be heard as they all chanted "JAYA! JAYA! JAYA! JAYA!" Jason smiled as he waved at the crowd which caused them to go even crazier.

    Sam gulped as he looked at the spirited crowd sitting all around the gym on the bleachers ''Is thisreally just a scrimmage? The atmosphere is already so intense. And they''re all here for him''

    As he was engrossed in the atmoshpere and observing the crowd around them he didn''t realize that the person in front of him hade to a stop.

    After bumping into the back of the person in front of him he rubbed his face as he gave a nervous smile "Sorry, my bad." He then followed the rest of the reserve yers as they made their way to the bench.

    In the NBA only 13 yers were allowed to suit up and sit on the bench even though 15 roster spots were avable to the team.

    Luckily for Sam the current rules for middle school basketball allowed for the full roster to suit up for the games.

    Even if he didn''t get a chance to y just the experience of being able to observe the team during the game would prove to be beneficial for him.

    He turned his head from the crowd to the court as he watched the starting five get in position for the tip off after shaking hands with the starting five of the opposing team.

    As he shook hands with the opposing team''s yers the intensity behind Jason''s eyes went up two notches as his mindset switched to game mode.

    Despite knowing who they were ying against and mentally preparing themselves none of Mt. Vernon''s yers could look Jason straight in the eyes as they shook his hand.

    As Kyle got in to position for the tip off he stared down the opposing team''s Center which seemed to have unnerved him as he diverted his sight.

    The referee looked at the two boys before tossing the ball in to the air. As the ball reached it''s peak Kyle extended his legs as he catapulted off of the ground toward it.

    He effortlessly beat his opponent to the ball as with a swing of his arm he tapped the ball to his team''s side.

    As soon as hended he started sprinting toward the basket. Danilo caught the ball before quickly passing it back to Jason.

    With a quick nce Jason was able to observe the whole court ''Looks like Mt. Vernon did their homework.''

    He saw that there were already two defenders chasing after Kyle as he ran charged toward the basket.

    ''But if you think that we''re the same team that we were a year ago, you''ve fucked up big time.'' With two defenders focused on chasing after Kyle that meant that there were only three defenders left to guard Jefferson''s four other yers.

    Seeing that the opposing team''s defense hadn''t had a chance to set up Jason revved up his engine as he started knifing his way down the court.

    Jason''s primary defender tried to reach for the ball in an attempt to steal the ball but all he ended up grabbing was air as Jason easily avoided his hand by throwing the ball ahead of him and through the defenders legs.

    As Jason momentarily turned his speed up by a level he caught up with the ball and regained control as drove straight down the middle of the court.

    The defender could only look on in a daze as he stared at Jason''s back ''What kind of ball handling is that? Is he really just a middle schooler?''

    Jason was happy knowing that he had made the right choice by making the Ankle Breaker badge one of his cores.

    He could already tell that his ball handling ability was slightly better than what it had been during his time as a high school yer.

    Although his current physical abilities were far behind what they had been in high school the fact that his ball handling was already better meant that the yer DNA function had really improved his rate of growth in that area.

    As he entered the paint one of the defenders that had been guarding Kyle split away as he tried to contain Jason.

    Seeing this Jason picked up his dribble as he bent his knees and jumped into the air. The defender responded by jumping straight up with his hands above his head as he tried to contest Jason''s shot without fouling.

    Jason twisted his body mid air. With the ball in his right hand he moved it under the defenders arms as he tried to avoid getting the ball knocked away.

    He then flicked his wrist as it looked like he was going for a scoopyup. However the ball ended up on the left side of the rim.

    Just as Mt. Vernon was about to let out a sigh of relief thinking that they had sessfully prevented a basket tworge hands encircled the ball like the jaws of a wolf mping down on it''s prey.

    Kyle then swung his hands down as he hammered in a two handed dunk. Without hanging on the rim Kylended back down on to the court as he bent his knees to absorb the impact.

    As he stood up he pointed at Jason before turning to the crowd as he moved his arms up and down at his sides gesturing for them to make some noise.

    The crowd immediately responded as their ecstatic voices filled the gym along with their pping. Jason and Kyle both high fived each other as they made their way back on defense.

    The individual level of defensive ability was already at a fairly high level for all of Jefferson''s starting five as even their worst defender Matt was able to mp down on his defensive assignment.

    Thatbined with Jason''s attention to detail and ability to direct his teammates made it impossible for Mt. Vernon to get an open look.

    After having had to reset their offense multiple times they finally took the best shot that they could get which was still a fairly contested three pointer defended by Alex.

    The ball went in a straight line toward the basket but it ended up hitting the front of the rim. The rebound actually fell straight into Danilo''s hands as Jason yelled out "Push the fast break!"

    From the top of the free throw line Danilo began sprinting toward the other end as he dribbled the ball. The opposing team''s Power Forward proved to slow to keep up as he was soon left behind by Danilo.

    This wasn''t surprising as the position that he had yedst year which was also his natural position was Small Forward.

    As a former perimeter yer he had a natural advantage over other Big Men in terms of ball handling and speed.

    As he got closer to the paint the only defender in sight was a Guard. It was the Point Guard that had been defended by Alex when he had shot the three at the top of the perimeter.

    As the two of them made contact at the top of the free throw line Danilo put his shoulder down as he gave the defender a bump.

    After knocking the defender off bnce Danilo heard the referee blow his whistle as he took one more step before putting up a short floater with his right hand.

    After seeing the ball sink through the Danilo copied Kyle as he turned toward the crowd. But instead of gesturing for them to make some noise he flexed his right arm as he pped his bicep.

    "And one! Let''s goooo!"

 Chapter 257 - A Show Of Dominance

    Jason and the other boys all gathered around Danilo as they hyped him up and congratted him on the amazing y.

    They then got in to position as the referee gave Danilo the ball. After dribbling the ball once he wiped his right hand on his shorts before starting his shooting motion.

    As the ball swished through the the crowd around them cheered as they rained down a round of apuse for Danilo.

    This time Mt. Vernon''s turn on offense was cut short as during one of their ys Jason managed to slither around the screen as he jumped into the passingne and managed to intercept the pass meant for his defensive assignment.

    As he tapped the ball away with the tip of his fingers Jason ran down the court as he tried to gain control of it.

    The ball almost bounced out of bounds but Jason managed to gain control of it at just thest second.

    In the periphery of his vision he saw that his defender was running toward him as he looked like he was hoping to trap him.

    Unfortunately for him Jason slipped away just before they could make contact as he wrapped the ball around him and went for a behind the back dribble.

    After getting around his defender Jason continued to sprint down the court as he tried to push the fast break.

    With only one defender in the vicinity it was a two on one fast break as Alex trailed behind Jason. As they got closer the defender sank down in to the paint as he thought that Jason would go for ayup.

    He took a gamble and ended up on the losing side as Jason stepped on the breaks and killed his speed before pulling up for the wide open mid range shot.

    The crowd all watched as the ball flew beautifully in a straight and high arc toward the basket. As they once again watched their team score they erupted into more cheers.

    With three consecutive baskets Jefferson was on to a hot start as they lead with a score of 7 to 0. They had managed to keep Mt. Vernon scoreless for two possessions in a row.

    - - -

    With only ten seconds left in the 2nd quarter Jason signaled for his teammates to clear the floor. He then called for a screen from Danilo.

    With Danilo setting the screen on Jason''s right side he began driving in that direction as he forced his defender into the screen.

    After having scored so many points in the first half Jason''s gravity was heavy as he pulled both defenders'' focus on to him.

    But instead of continuing his drive to the right Jason switched directions with a quick crossover as he tried to split the defenders.

    After pulling both of the defenders Jason for a bit Jason knew that the clock was running out ''I''ve pulled them far enough. Now should be the perfect time.''

    With the ball in his right hand Jason threw aser of a pass over his right shoulder without even taking his eyes off of the basket.

    The pass took the defenderspletely off guard as they had no chance to react whatsoever. Danilo, who had been popped to the three point line after the screen, was ten feet (3m) behind Jason.

    In one fluid motion Danilo caught the ball before dipping it down slightly. He then brought it back up as he went in to his shooting motion.

    The ball had just managed to leave his hand as the clock buzzed indicating that the first half hade to an end.

    The crowd and opposing team both held their breathes as they watched the ball fly through the air. As the ball hit nothing but the crowd all jumped to their feet as they began to cheer.

    With the first half having officially ended Jefferson showed that they were on apletely different levelpared to Mt. Vernon.

    They dominated the game as they created an absurd lead of 55 to 13. Of which a majority of Mt. Vernon''s points consisted of free throws.

    This domineering performance was fueled by Jefferson''s high tempo offense and suffocating defense.

    By having so many different options in terms of scoring Jefferson was able to create good scoring opportunities early on in the shot clock which meant more possessions for them.

    And their suffocating defense meant that Mt. Vernon''s possessions were cut short. Not just that, by forcing live ball turn overs they were able to create multiple fast break opportunities.

    Thisbination is what had lead to Jefferson being able to pull ahead very early on in the game. The boys were all in high spirits as they entered the locker room.

    As they sat down they all began to chant Jason''s name "JAYA! JAYA! JAYA!" Even though Jason hadn''t yed the entirety of the quarters he had already managed to score 22 points and record 8 assist.

    Kyle walked up to Jason and hanged his arm around his neck as he shook him around "That was crazy bro! You were popping off!"

    Matt took a drink from his sports bottle beforeughing "Forget popping off. He blew up! That was a nuke level performance Jaya."

    Jason chuckled as he turned his attention to Matt "Says the guy who''s shooting fifty percent from three. You put on a hell of a show too Matt."

    Thanks to Jason and Danilo pulling a majority of the defenses'' attention Matt was able to get even better looks by moving off the ball.

    It was just impossible to guard the two of them while also locking down on the other yers who were operating on the perimeter.

    Vince let out a hearty and boisterousugh "Man, is it just me or did Mt. Vernon drop off hard? I remember them putting up way more of a fightst year."

    DJ looked at him with a bright smile on his face "Okay Mr. Flexalot. You might want to chill it with the cockiness bro.

    It ain''t that they got weaker. It''s just that we got that much betterpared to how we werest year.

    Last season the only real offensive weapon that we had on the perimeter was Jason. Now we have Danilo who''s a cheat code all on his own.

    Not to mention that we''ve all made some crazy jumps in our game. Hell, even I managed to get a ankle breaker in haha!"

    As all of the boys were reveling in the amazing performance that they had just managed to put on for the crowd Jason was silent as he thought to himself.

    ''It''s already guaranteed that we''ll whoop the fuck outta Mt. Vernon. The only question is what else can I do to piss off all of the anti Jefferson media outlets and online haters.''

    After thinking for a few seconds an idea popped into Jason''s head as a slightly sinister smiled crept on to his face

    "Hey guys listen up. We''re going to make some changes to our game n for the second half. Here''s what we''ll do."

    Jason then proceeded to exin his n to all of the boys as they huddled around him. After Jason was done all of the boys and even Coach Swendel were looking at him with strange expressions on their faces.

    Kyle asked "Are you sure about this Jaya?" Coach Swendel nodded his head in agreement with Kyle "You know that I trust you Jaya but I''m kind of with Kyle on this.

    Your n seems kind of... Overkill?" Jasonughed as he looked at Coach Swendel and the other yers.

    He smiled as he shrugged his shoulders "Hey, it''s the media that wants to make us out to be viins. I''m just helping them out by giving them what they want.

    Besides, it''s not like we''re going to break any rules."

 Chapter 258 - Closing Out The Scrimmage In Jaya Fashion

    After the halftime break Jason and the rest of the boys from Jefferson walked out of the locker room as they made their way back on to the court.

    Because of their amazing performance throughout the first half they were all in high spirits as they headed back out to the court.

    All around the gym the people in attendance cheered and pped as soon as they saw Jason walking back out.

    Sam could feel his heartbeat through his ears as he could feel his pulse racing from the sensory overload that had overtaken him when he had taken his first step on to the court.

    ''There''s so many people here. It looked a lot less back when I was sitting on the bench. And I can feel all of their eyes on me. And it feels like they''re even louder than they were before.''

    He gulped ''How the hell do Jaya and the other guys do it? They all look so calm and at home when they were ying. Is it because they''ve been on the team before?

    Or they just used to it? Fuck, am I the only one feeling like this? Is it because I''ve never yed in organized sports before? I''m the only new guy that never yed on a team before.''

    Contrary to Sam''s thoughts it wasn''t just because he had never yed organized sports before as even Frank was showing some signs of nervousness.

    He licked his lips as he could feel his lips and mouth drying while he watched the energized crowd cheering for them.

    ''Damn! Is this really just a scrimmage? This kind of atmosphere is way more intense than anything I''ve ever felt ying baseball.''

    However, a momentter they were all stunned as they watched Jason and some of the newer yers step out on to the court.

    For the first two quarters Jason and the starters had yed every minute so far. Jason was famed for his endurance and all of the other starters looked like they were still full of energy so no one had expected the team to make a change in their lineup.

    Coach Swendel had a helpless smile on his face as he saw the crowd''s reaction ''Trust me, I feel the same way you all do.

    This kid really wants to turn us in to the heels of the basketball world. And this isn''t even the craziest part of his n. I just hope none of thises back to bite us in the ass.''

    Jefferson''s current lineup looked like this; Donte at Point Guard, Sam at Shooting Guard, Jason at Small Forward, Vince at Power Forward, and Frank at Center.

    Mt. Vernon''s yers look slightly confused as well but their coach''s voice helped to make them regain their focus "Don''t worry about their lineup! Just y!"

    Hearing that, their Center inbounded the ball to their Point Guard who then began to dribble the ball down the court.

    But as soon as he crossed half court Donte began to press him with his arms up and to the side. Seeing this Mt. Vernon''s coach almost burst a blood vessel as his head began to throb.

    ''They''re ying an even more intense defense now!? What the hell are they trying to do!? They''re up by more than 40 points!'' He was furious at the sight.

    But despite the aggressive defense from Donte Mt. Vernon''s Point Guard breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that it was less suffocating than what he had experienced in thest two quarters.

    ''Jefferson was so good that first half that I almost forgot that all of their new yers are 7th graders who just joined the team.

    This guy''s defense is easier to deal with than their starting Point Guard''s defense.'' He was able to start their y without too much difficulty as he passed the ball to the right wing where their Shooting Guard was.

    Seeing that his defensive assignment now had the ball Sam did his best to push any irrelevant thoughts to the back of his head as he tried to lock in on the y.

    He pped his hands before spreading his arms open as he got ready to y defense. He focused on his man as he tried to catch any small movements.

    He shifted to the right and started sliding his feet as the opposing Shooting Guard did a quick crossover before driving in that direction.

    As he was pressing up against the ball handler he suddenly came to a stop with a hard dribble before doing another crossover to change directions.

    Sam turned his hips as he began to run in order to catch back up with him. That was when he heard Jason''s voice "On ball screen!"

    ''Huh?'' But before he could process what Jason had said he felt a strong impact spread throughout his body as he ran straight into a screen set by the opposing team''s Center.

    Getting blindsided by the screen Sam fell to the floor as hended on his back which knocked the air out of him. His vision was slightly blurredand shaky as he looked up at the ceiling of the gym.

    Seeing Sam on the floor Frank didn''t know what to do as he hesitated between tagging the screener and moving up to contain the ball handler.

    Once again Jason''s voice rang out "Close out!" Hearing that Frank began to dash forward but it was already toote.

    By the time he was two steps away the ball handler had already gotten in to his shooting motion. With a flick of his wrist the ball was flying toward the basket.

    The ball ended up hitting the rim but Mt. Vernon''s Shooting Guard was lucky as the bounces ended up falling in his favor.

    As the ball sank through the Frank shook his head before putting his hand up "Sorry guys. That was my bad."

    Jason walked sprinted over and helped to pull Sam back up to his feet. He looked at Sam and Frank "Don''t sweat it guys.

    This is what scrimmages are for. Don''t let this get you down. You guys have practiced this dozens of times before. You know what to do. It''s all about letting it be a natural part of you.

    Don''t let the atmosphere get to your heads." Jason looked at Sam "You were too focused on the ball handler. You need to pay attention to what''s going on around you. You can''t get tunnel vision."

    He then looked at Frank "You just need more reps. You''reck of in game situational awareness is something that all new hoopers have to deal with.

    Vince was still in the paint guarding their Power Forward. The most important thing was to close out on the perimeter yer because even if the roller made his way to the basket Vince would be able to rotate over and help cover for you."

    This time Jason looked at the both of them and smiled "Got it?" Sam and Frank both nodded their heads. Jason pped the two of them on the back as they continued the game.

    For the first few minutes things looked rough as Frank and Sam showed theirck of experience while the team as a whole showed ack of chemistry besides the ys involving Jason and Vince.

    But after that things started to smoothen out as their feel for the game developed some more and they began to get a feel for each other out on the court.

    The baskets that they gave up became less and less while their offense started to regain its traction.

    Jason would allow Donte to run the offense as he initiated most of the ys. He would only call for the ball when the shot clock was getting low and they still hadn''t managed to get a good look.

    After the third quarter although they had given up more points than they had during the entire first half they still held an insurmountable lead.

    Jason grinned as he sat on the bench wiping the sweat off of his face ''Looks like it''s time to move on to the next phase of the n.

    Jason walked over and sat down next to Donte "Alright. It''s time to move on to the next part of the n. You ready?"

    Donte didn''t say anything but he nodded his head. Jason smiled as he pped Donte on the shoulder "You''re the only one who can take charge. Do your best."

    As surprised as the crowd was when they saw Jason take to the court with a bunch of their new yers nothing could have prepared them for what Jefferson did to start off the fourth quarter.

    The crowd watched on in amazement as three new yers came in to substitute for Jason, DJ, and Vince.

    Now their entire lineup consisted of new yers that had just joined the team a week ago. Just like the beginning of the third quarter the team came to a rough start in the fourth.

    But with Jason shouting on the sidelines and him coaching them during the timeouts they eventually began to get in rhythm.

    Although they were nowhere near the level of the starting lineup and even fell shortpared to Mt. Vernon''s starting five all of the new yers yed to the best of their ability as they only allowed the opposing team to close the lead slightly.

    Even up to the final seconds Jason was shouting from the sidelines pushing his teammates to y hard and not take any possessions off.

    Finally, as the clock ticked down to the final seconds and buzzed indicating the end of the game Jason couldn''t help but smile as he looked at the scoreboard.

    With a score of 84 to 47 Jefferson put their dominance on full disy. Even with their starting five having yed less than half the game and even having Jason sit out the whole fourth quarter they had easily destroyed their opposition.

 Chapter 259 - Through The Hoops. First Episode Of The New Season

    Jason lead his teammates as they all walked back on to the court to shake hands with the yers of Mt. Vernon.

    Now that the game was over Jason had flipped the switch and changed back to his regr mindset as he said a few words of encouragement to the opposing yers while shaking their hands.

    Jason knew that some people would criticize what he had done today but he didn''t really care. ''It was just a scrimmage, why did you y so hard?''

    Jason could already hear the excuses that people woulde up with to criticize him. But to Jason none of that made sense.

    ''It doesn''t matter if its just a scrimmage. If you''re going to step on to the court in front of all of your supporters and fans you owe it to them and yourself to y with everything you have.''

    After having shaken hands with the opposing team Jason turned to Kyle and the others "Alright. Good game out there guys.

    I would say some more but we need to hit the showers and get changed quick. We only have fifteen minutes until the junior varsity team starts their game.

    And we need to be there to cheer them on." All of the guys on the team nodded their heads as they made their way to the showers.

    - - -

    A week quickly passed after Jefferson''s first scrimmage. Now it wasn''t just Jason and Kyle that got the Rock Star treatment as all of the boys were able to get some recognition after that weekend.

    During the week Jason had changed up theposition of their practices. Early morning practice was still required for the varsity team but Jason began to introduce running ys and sets from their ybook.

    Jason did the same for the junior varsity team as well. He exined to them the principles behind their defensive schemes as well as the different ways the ys could branch out.

    While Jason took charge of the training for the varsity team''s fundamentals he left it to Coach Swendel to do the same for the junior varsity team.

    Kyle and the others weren''t the only ones who had grown after a year. After having spent a whole season being exposed to Jason''s savant like understanding of the game and picking his brain Coach Swendel had grown tremendously as a coach.

    His own understanding of the game and his ability to recognize in game situations as well as his ability to adapt and make changes went up by several levels.

    But that wasn''t all. He was now able to help correct problems with yers shooting forms and impart defensive fundamentals to a more than adequate degree.

    Friday night. Valentino''s was packed as all of the yers and their parents filled up the entirety of the restaurant.

    Jason saw a familiar shining bald head and sparkling smile. He walked over and shook his hand "Thanks for letting us celebrate here Mr. Valentino. Now that Kyle and his mom moved into the apartment we don''t really have the space to throw big parties like this."

    Justst year he was still a good amount taller than Jason. Now after only just a year he and Jason were looking at each other eye to eye.

    Valentinoughed as he firmly grasped Jason''s hand "Nonsense. If anything I''m the one who should be thanking you.

    You and the boys really put on one hell of a show during the scrimmage. The energy in the gym made it feel like it was a state tournament game haha.

    Besides, this will make for a great brag story. I get to watch the first episode of Through the Hoops newest season with one of their biggest stars in my restaurant."

    Tonight was the night that Through the Hoops would air their first episode of their new season. Valentino''s was the first ce that Jason thought of to throw the party at.

    When Valentino heard Jason''s request over the phone he enthusiastically agreed right away. In fact he had wanted to host the party at his restaurant for free.

    But Jason and his parents strongly refused. They had thirty yers and all of their parents would be attending too.

    It was too much for them to allow Valentino to spend so much money treating them. After some convincing by Jason Valentino had agreed to let them pay.

    Of course, that is after giving them a very generous discount. At the price that he was charging them it was only enough to cover the cost ofbor and ingredients.

    Valentino told Jason and his parents that he refused to make a penny off of Riverside''s very own hometown hero.

    After confirming the venue Jason had all of the yers parents chip in to pay for the expenses. Now here they were ready to celebrate and watch the newest episode of Through the Hoops.

    Kyle excitedly yelled out as he pointed to the TV "It''s starting guys! The show is starting!" Everyone found a seat and sat down as they turned their attention to therge paper thin t screen that was hanging on the wall.

    For the first thirty minutes they introduced some of their new yers that were making their debut on the show as well as talking about some of the yers that had been on the show but were now ying professionally after being drafted.

    Then it was finally the moment that everyone there was waiting for. The ck screen slowly transitioned to show Jason sitting on the lowest level of the bleachers in the gym.

    He was dressed in his practice gear with a headband and his hair tied up in to a manbun as Javier stood in front of him.

    "Is it just me or have you grown a ton sincest year?" Jasonughed "Haha I''m really happy that you noticed Javier.

    I actually grew four inches (10.16cm). I was 5''4 (1.6m) at the start of the year. Now I''m around 5''8 (1.7m).

    But I didn''t just grow in height. Thanks to the Nike training camp that I attended during the summer I was able to pack on a decent amount of weight.

    But that''s enough talking about that. Did you want to move to some questions that are more about basketball?"

    He smiled at Jason "Alright, I guess we should." Javier paused for a second before continuing "So you guys actually have a full roster now. Not just that, you actually have enough yers to form a junior varsity team.

    How do you feel about this years new batch of yers?" Jason cracked a small smile as he nodded his head.

    "They''re good. Real good Javier. Obviously the biggest names that people will think of first are the Silva twins.

    Evenst year when they were just sixth graders they managed to put up a real fight against us. Now that they''re on our side it''s a lot easier to appreciate their talent.

    But we have a few stand outs among the new guys." Javier''s brow raised "Oh? And who would those yers be?"

    Jason wagged his finger "I can''t just tell you. What would be the fun that? I''ll let you guys find out by watching us this season."

    Javier shook his head while smiling as the screen once again transitioned to ck. Then they began to y some footage from tryouts and the scrimmages that decided the varsity spots.

    They showed the good and the bad. Everything from David falling to the ground and crying when he heard that he had made the final cut to one of the boys raising his objection to Sam getting the final varsity spot.

    They added some background music to the scene where Jason exined why he had given Sam the final varsity spot. The music made the scene more dramatic than it actually was.

    David was smiling brightly as he turned to his parents "Did you guys see that!? I was on TV!"

    The screen transitioned multiple times as they showed a variety of clips from throughout the week. They showed some scenes of Jason practicing in the morning as well as him eating with his parents and Shania as all three of them were asked simple questions.

    And finally they got to the juiciest part.

    Once again Javier was interviewing Jason in the gym "So Jaya. You have your very first scrimmage tomorrow.

    How do you feel the varsity team and junior varsity team will perform?" Jason took a second to wipe the sweat off of his face with his towel.

    After he was done drying himself off the view zoomed in on Jason''s face as he smirked while staring straight in to the camera "We''re going to do what we always do, dominate."

    And with that the screen went ck as the music that signaled the end of the episode began to y.

    All of the parents were excitedly pping and cheering as they felt ecstatic from seeing their kids on the show.

    Jason couldn''t help but crack a small smile as he thought to himself ''If you guys thought that was exciting just wait a few weeks.

    The episode after our first official game of the season is going to feel like a shot of lightning hahaha.''

 Chapter 260 - First Game Of The New Season

    Two weeks passed by in the blink of an eye. During which Jason and the rest of the team made more appearances on Through the Hoops.

    After the first episode Jason''s response had garnered a lot of attention online. Thements posted were a mixture of different opinions.

    ChristianWu_000: Tell em Jaya! I love the confidence. Because of you I found the fire in me to join my high schools basketball team. <strong>#JV</strong><strong>#Drake</strong><strong># Started from the</strong><strong>bottom</strong>

    BigBenDPOY: @<strong>ChristianWu_000</strong> Congrats bro! Stay on the grind!

    BrandonDuhGOAT: @<strong>JasonYang</strong> Talk your **** Young Buckets! We shooting for a national title this year! Jefferson all the way!

    GKennedy: He really had one hell of a glow up! If I was still in middle school I would totally try and get his number lol.

    JayasBiggestfan: @<strong>GKennedy</strong> Back off ****. And what do you mean by glow up? He looks the same as he didst year. The only thing that changed was his height. Someone needs to get their grandma off of the inte smh

    GKennedy: @<strong>JayasBiggestfan</strong> Who are you calling grandma you brat!? I''m just starting my senior year of high school.

    LameloTheGoat: @<strong>JasonYang</strong> You tell em Jaya! Jefferson gonna lift up that National trophy this year! I''m calling it now.

    CertifiedCaliBaller: Look at all these delusional people in thements haha I almost died from all theughing I did.

    KDstillAsnake: @<strong>CertifiedCaliBaller</strong> Delusional is an understatement bro. All these pretty boy fans need to be admitted to a coocoo house lol

    RodricGetsBuckets: How they hell are they even going to make it to Nationals when this pretty boy is made of ss lol

    He''ll probably end up breaking his legs trying to sit down on the bench during the stat tournament hahaha

    RIPYoungDripT__T: I think that the state title is a pretty realistic goal imo. But I don''t know about Nationals.

    CooperDaHooper: @<strong>RIPYoungDripT__T</strong> Same. With the addition of the Silva twins Jefferson''s starting lineup is pretty stacked.

    But their roster is too top heavy. I don''t think they have a bench good enough to push them far at Nationals.

    A lot of people were confident that Jason and the varsity team would win their scrimmage but a lot of people thought that Jason was being cocky in saying that their junior varsity team would win as well.

    But after the next week''s episode that showed the results of the scrimmages aired all of the doubters were forced to shut their mouths.

    Darnell606: Yo I dig little dudes energy. He was hyped and yellin the whole ass game haha.

    MendozaOG: @<strong>Darnell606</strong> Nah bro. Dude was he goofy for that. Like bruh, sit yo ass down you doing too much.

    Road2Glory24: @<strong>MendozaOG</strong> Bruh you talking bout he doing too much you doing too little. Was you even paying attention to the episode?

    Jaya was literally calling out defensive switches and rotations. He was being a whole ass coach from the sidelines smh

    - - -

    Friday afternoon. Sam, David, Frank, and Donte were sitting at the lunch tables with a few of the other 7th graders.

    David turned to Sam who was in the middle of eating his packed lunch "So tomorrows the first official game of the season.

    How are you feeling? Are you excited?" Sam took a sip from his stic bag of chocte milk that he had gotten from the cafeteria.

    "Of course I''m excited for the team. But I don''t think I''ll get any ying time. The only reason I got to y in the scrimmage was because Jaya wanted to piss of the trolls online."

    Frank took a huge bite out of his pizza before responding "Don''t say that man. You got to y because Jaya thought you deserved to.

    You know how he is. Sure he had a n to annoy his haters but he always puts winning and the team first.

    If he didn''t care about who would y he could have put any other bench yer in." Donte didn''t say a word but he nodded his head in response to Frank''s words.

    David looked at Donte with a weird look on his face "Not to be mean or anything but uhh... Do you ever talk Donte?"

    Donte nodded his head once again before taking a bite out of his slice of cheese pizza. Samughed.

    "He''s always like that bro. He doesn''t really say much. The only person who can get him to really talk is Jaya."

    Frank smiled as he nodded his head "He never says anything during morning practice or afternoon practice.

    But whenever he has a chance he always walks up to Jaya and starts talking to him. I guess Jaya is just that special."

    David turned to Donte and asked "Really? I just can''t imagine it. What do you and Jaya talk about?" Donte looked up as he shifted his attention away from his food to David.

    "Basketball." He then went back to eating. Donte''s short answer made everyoneugh. Sam smiled as he looked at Donte "You know what?

    Even though me and Jaya are both Asian I think that Donte is the most simr one to him. The both of you always have the same face on no matter what."

    Frank and David bothughed as they heard Sam''s joke. The boys continued to talk andugh as they ate their lunch.

    - - -

    After school was over Jason and all of the boys changed in to their official Nike sponsored jerseys before getting on the bus.

    Today would be their very first official game of the season. From now on all of the games would affect their record and standing.

    All of the yers that had just joined the team this year were slightly nervous. Well, except for a few. Some of them bit their nails while some of them put their earbuds in trying to get rid of their nerves with some music.

    The bus ride was only about twenty-five minutes long as the middle school that they were going to y against was also in Riverside city.

    As the bus came to a stop in the school''s parking lot all of the boys were quiet. Kyle looked around at all of the boys.

    He then nudged Jason with his elbow before leaning in and whispering "Yo Jaya. Looks like some of the new guys have first game jitters. You should say something as team captain."

    Jason thought about it for a second before nodding his head "You''re right Kyle. Thanks for the reminder.

    Guess I''m stillcking when ites to being team captain. It''s times like this where I miss UD the most. He made it look so easy, he always knew what to say and when to say it."

    As they were all seated Jason, who was sitting at the back of the bus, stood up and looked at all of the boys with his usual deadpan look on his face. He pped his hands together to get the boys'' attention.

    "Today''s the day where we y our first official game of the season. You might be excited and you might be nervous. But I want you guys to remember one thing."

    Jason paused for a moment as all of the boys'' eyes were on him. He then cracked a small smile "We are the reigning county champions.

    We are the team that managed to make it to the top eight of the state tournament. But the most important thing is that we are Jefferson!

    That means that we always y hard and with heart. We leave everything out on the court whenever we step it. So I don''t want to see anyone taking it easy!

    It doesn''t matter if you y thirty minutes or thirty seconds. I want to see you guys ying with everything you have when you''re out on the court."

    Jason''s words seemed to have had an affect as all of the boys'' began to look more focused and spirited. They then began to walk off the bus as they made their way to the inside of the school''s gym.

 Chapter 261 - Jefferson Vs Rosewood

    As Jason and the rest of the boys entered the gym shouting and yelling could be heard "It''s Jaya!" "Go Jefferson!" "Dunk all over them Kyle!" "I want to see a block party tonight!"

    Jason and Kyle as well as the other boys who had been on the teamst year all acted as if this was just an everyday urrence as they smiled and waved at their fans in the crowd.

    However Sam, Frank, and some of the other new 7th graders were stunned by the sight. They were the away team.

    It wasn''t normal for the away team to get such a weing reception when walking into their opponents home court.

    Frank was looking around at all of the fans who were cheering for them before the game had even began. Donte put his hand on Frank''s shoulder.

    He turned around and looked at Donte "Huh?" Donte then pointed forward. Jason and the rest of the boys who had been on the teamst year were already making their way to the locker room.

    Frank and the other 7th graders speed walked to catch up with them. Once they were all in the locker room Coach Swendel started to speak as he held his clipboard in one hand.

    "Listen up guys. This is our first game of the season. From now on all the games count. We went undefeatedst year and I don''t expect anything less this year.

    We might have lost two of our core yers over the summer but overall our roster has only gotten stronger. So there''s no excuses, do you hear me?"

    All of the boys shouted out in unison "YES COACH!" He nodded his head before smiling at them "I know that we have a lot of new yers on the team this year.

    Some of you might have experience ying on a team before and some of you might not. But I can tell you this now. You have never been on a team like this before.

    You saw it just now when we walked into the gym. Even if we are the away team as long as we are ying in Riverside city we''ll always have the home court advantage."

    All of the new yers started to whistle and cheer after hearing Coach Swendel say that. But despite their excitement Coach Swendel''s face became serious.

    "That might sound nice but do you know why that is?" None of the boys spoke in response to Coach Swendel''s question.

    He scanned the room as he looked at the boys "We are carrying the hopes and dreams of this city. For the most part there''s a down side to everything.

    All of the love and support that the people in this city will show youes with the burden of having to carry the weight of their dreams and hopes.

    They want to see their city win. They want to know that this city has the ability topete with anyone out there.

    That''s the weight that will be on your shoulders now that you have joined this team. So when you go out there make sure you y with the kind of effort that matches that responsibility. Understood?"

    Once again the boys shouted out in unison "YES COACH!" Jason stood up and put his hand out "Jefferson on three!"

    The boys huddled around him and ced all of their hands on top of his "ONE! TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!" The boys all threw their hands up before making their way out of the locker room.

    As soon as they made their way out the crowd started to make some noise as they all pped and cheered for them.

    They rolled out the same lineup that they used in the scrimmage against Mt. Vernon as Alex, Matt, Jason, Danilo, and Kyle walked out on to the court.

    For their first game they were ying against Rosewood middle school. They were a school known for being one of the stronger teams in the county.

    Before Jefferson rose to fame they were widely recognized as the strongest school in the city when it came to middle school basketball.

    Last season Jefferson managed to beat them pretty easily but a lot of people didn''t consider it a real win because their best yer had gotten suspended and ended up not ying in that game.

    However things were different this time around as they were at full power with their star yer ying in tonight''s game.

    Other than Jefferson they were the only team that had managed to y in the county tournamentst season. A lot of that was because of their star yer.

    As Jason and the rest of the boys from Jefferson shook hands with Rosewood''s yers Jason''s gaze changed when he saw thest yer.

    He was 5''9 (1.75m) with a hefty and muscr build. He was light skinned and his hair was braided in a simr manner to AI''s back when he yed for the 76ers.

    Jason narrowed his eyes ''Zhaire Randolph. In my past life he was hailed as the seconding of Tyreek as he showed an incredible amount of talent.

    He was believed to be even better than Danilo who was very talented in his own right.''

    Zhaire was athletic with good size and a decent wing span. He also had abination of tight handles and post moves that made him a matchup nightmare most nights.

    But despite his god given talent and advanced abilities he never achieved much until he reached high school where he yed for Sierra Canyon.

    The reason for which was widely recognized to be his personality and attitude. He was known to have a short temper and he often ran in to trouble off the court.

    It wasn''t surprising to hear his name in the news for getting suspended a few games at a time at every level that he yed.

    He was also known for shing and butting heads with his teammates. And although he had all the physical traits to be an elite defender he often yed with a low motor on that end of the floor.

    He would sometimes show shes of the elite defender that he could be whenever he yed a game with a star matchup.

    But for every game where he shed that potential he would y a string of games where he would return to his old ways.

    But even with all these problems being widely known it didn''t stop Pornd from drafting him with the 19th pick.

    Jason stuck his hand out as he gave Zhaire a nod "Good luck out there." Zhaire reached out and shook Jason''s hand.

    ''Hmm?'' Jason could feel Zhaire increasing the strength of his grip. It was to the point where this was clearly more than just a simple handshake.

    Jason took a quick nce at Zhaire''s arm and saw that the muscles on his forearm were clenched tightly. Jason began to put more strength in to his grip in return.

    Because of the height and weight difference he seemed like a hulking mass inparison to Jason''s more slender build. Zhaire smirked as he looked down at Jason.

    "I would save all the good luck for yourself. You gon need everyst drop."

 Chapter 262 - Lighting A Fuse

    Jason used his Heart''s Eye as he took a look at Zhaire''s skills.

    <strong>Zhaire''s skills</strong>

    [Skills

    Free-throw: (B+) ^ A+

    Lay Up: (B+) ^ A+

    Dunking: (C) ^ B-

    Close Shot: (B+) ^ A+

    Mid Range Shooting: (B+) ^ A+

    Three Point Shooting: (B+) ^ A+

    Dribbling: (B) ^ A

    Passing: C

    Ball Handling: (B) ^ A

    y Making: D+

    Post Scoring: (B) A

    Rebounding: (C) ^ B

    Post Control: (B+) ^ A+

    Perimeter Defense: (C-) ^ A-

    Post Defense: (C) ^ B+

    Steals: (D) ^ B+

    Blocks: (C-) ^ B

    Athleticism: A- ]

    Jason thought to himself ''Looks like he still has the same habit of ying up against certain match ups.'' He looked at the sidelines and saw Javier and Greg.

    ''He probably wants to use this game against me to try and blow his name up. If he could just get rid of that rotten personality of his and y hard every night he could have made more out of his life.

    If that part of him is still the same I wonder?.....'' Jasonughed in his head as a bit of an evil thought crawled into his mind.

    Jason smiled at Zhaire and spoke in a volume that only the two of them could hear "Punk ass bitch." He then let go of his hand.

    The vein on his head bulged as he tried to reach for Jason "What the fuck did you say?" Before he could grab his jersey Jason swatted his hand to the side.

    Seeing what was going on the yers from both teams crowded around their teammates as the tension began to rise.

    The referee had to step in between and blow his whistle "This is a warning. Any more and you''ll get hit with a tech."

    Jason nodded his head before looking at his team "Let''s go. No point in stooping down to their level. They''re not worth it." The boys followed Jason as they got in to position for the tip off.

    As Kyle was getting ready for the jump Jason took a quick nce and saw that Zhaire was showing clear signs of aggravation from their previous exchange.

    Jason smirked to himself ''d to see nothings changed. He''s still got the same old short fuse and bad temper. This should be fun.''

    Ever since he had found himself transported twenty years in to the past Jason had never gotten a chance to fully unleash his trash talking.

    Part of the reason why was because he just didn''t need to. The other reason why was because he didn''t want to make a little kid cry. But if it was someone like Zhaire Jason didn''t really mind.

    Both Kyle and Jason had flipped the switch as they went from their friendly and easygoing regr selves to their game modes.

    Kyle''s eyes were sharp like a predator stalking his prey as he eyed the ball in the referees hand. He looked as though he didn''t even notice his opponent who was right in front of him.

    Seeing that both yers were ready the referee tossed the ball up into the air. As soon as it reached its peak Kyleunched off the floor and tapped it towards his team.

    Jason ran forward and caught the ball as he immediately began to sprint down the floor. With a quick scan of the court he saw that Kyle only had one yer chasing after him.

    As the ball wasing back up from his dribbled Jason threw a bullet pass with his left hand ahead to Kyle in one swift motion.

    With the defender trailing on his right side Kyle saw the passing to his left. He caught the ball with both of his hands before taking two long steps.

    On hisst step he leaped into the air as he dunked it with his left hand on the left side of the rim. He hanged on the rim for a second to kill some of his momentum before dropping back down to the floor.

    After pointing to Jason he looked to the crowd as he tried out the celebration that Jason had shown him. He pretended to rip his jersey apart in the middle as he did the Super Man celebration.

    The crowd jumped to their feet and started cheering wildly after seeing Kyle''s celebration. Zhaire on the other hand was not amused.

    He ground his teeth as he cursed in his mind ''What the fuck are you guys doing? We''re the home team not them!?''

    He pped his hands as he red at his Center "Are you going to space out all day or are you gon inbound that shit!?"

    The Center bit his tongue as he stopped himself from saying anything. He just shook his head before inbounding the ball to Zhaire.

    As he turned around to start bringing the ball up the court he was surprised to see Jason right there ready to guard him.

    He couldn''t help but be infuriated ''You think you can pick me up full court! You digging your own grave fucking twig ass bitch!''

    He began trying to dribble around Jason as he did a quick crossover. Jason just leaped to the side as he beat Zhaire to his spot.

    No matter what he tried he couldn''t lose Jason as he slid his feet and stuck to him. Rosewood''s coach yelled from the side "Pass it to Ruben!"

    But Zhaire ignored his coach''s order to pass it to his Point Guard as his pride wouldn''t ept the fact that Jason was already getting the best of him.

    He turned his body to Jason in an attempt to use it to protect the ball from Jason. As he struggled to get around Jason he started to talk.

    "This all you got man? I thought you would actually make this hard. If this is all you can do I won''t even have to y more than twenty minutes."

    Zhaire ground his teeth as his anger began to boil over "Shut the fuck up you chopstick lookin ass bitch!"

    Jason chuckled as he continued to stay glued to Zhaire''s hip "If I''m the chopsticks then you must be the noodles cause I am eating you alive right now.

    Or maybe a betterparison would be a wok and some fried rice because I am cooking you up haha."

    He clenched his teeth tight and shut his mouth as he couldn''t think of anything to say in response to Jason''s trash talk.

    As he continued to try and force the situation Jason saw a golden opportunity as he leaned in and stabbed his hand toward the ball.

    To Zhaire''s dismay Jason had sessfully poked the ball away from him. He took a step and bent over as he tried to reach for the ball.

    But right as he was about to touch the ball Jason reached in once again and tapped it away from him. Because of hispromised stance he was a step behind Jason as he ran toward the ball.

    Jason now had three steps of separation between them as he began to sprint toward the basket. Zhaire revved his engine up as he began to run full speed in an attempt to catch back up with Jason.

    With his advantage in the athleticism department he was soon able to close the distance between them as he was right behind Jason.

    His gaze locked in on the ball as he prepared himself to jump at any second to block the shot ''I dare you to try something you little shit!

    I''ll swat that shit to the top of the bleachers!'' As he stepped into the paint Jason picked up his dribble as he got ready to shoot the ball.

    Jason jumped as he held the ball in his right hand. It looked like he wouldy the ball up on the right side of the basket.

    Seeing Jason jump into the air Zhaire did the same as he cocked his right arm back in preparation to block the shot.

    But as he was swinging his arm toward the ball Jason brought the ball back down as he switched from ayup on the right side of the basket to a reverseyup on the other side.

    As their bodies bumped while they were in the air Jason heard the referee blow his whistle. He then threw the ball up with a flick of his wrist as the ball.

    Because of the mid air collision Jason''s bnce had beenpromised causing him to fall on his butt afternding back down on the court.

    As he was sitting on the floor he watched as the ball bounced on the rim a few times before finally sinking through the.

    He stared down Zhaire before turning his attention to the crowd. He smiled as he put his right hand up above his head. He then slowly began to unfold his fingers as he counted from one to three.

    Seeing Jason do that the crowd once again began to cheer fervently as the whole gym felt as though it were shaking.

    Jason looked back at Zhaire and saw him trembling in rage. He smirked ''This is going to be one hell of a long night for you. Now let''s see if you''ll manage to y the whole game haha.''

 Chapter 263 - Lit Fuse, Mind Blown

    Jason high fived all of his teammates as he made his way to the free throw line. He felt like a fish in water as he dribbled the ball once before starting his shooting motion. There wasn''t an ounce of suspense as he easily drained the shot.

    It was only the first minute of the game and Jefferson was already leading 5 to 0 as they came out to a hot start.

    Zhaire was clenching his fist tightly at his side as his whole body was trembling in anger. He then took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down.

    ''Don''t lose it Z. It''s just the start of the game. You''re leagues above that skinny Asian bitch. Just y your game.

    He might be a good perimeter defender but you''ll destroy him in the post.'' His little self monologueseemed to have sessfully cooled down his hot head as he decided to let his Point Guard bring the ball up instead of doing it himself when he saw Jasoning over to defend him full court again.

    As Jason followed Zhaire down the court he continued to talk trash "Damn, you already lost your spirit?

    What happened to all that rah rah shit talking you were doing before? I guess the big dog was all bark and no bite.

    Kind of pathetic if you ask me. You told me to save the good luck for myself but it looks like you''re going to need it more than me."

    Zhaire didn''t say anything as he tried his best to ignore Jason ''Don''t let him get to you. Keep it cool until you get a chance to post him up.

    That''ll be your chance to shut his hyperactive mouth up.'' But Jason ignored his silence as he continued.

    "Things will be boring if you y the silent game. Not that you could have done much to make this a challenge in the first ce."

    Zhaire continued to ignore Jason as he made his way to the left side of the court before making his way to the low block.

    He then began to post Jason up. Too his surprise Jason was fighting him and preventing him from establishing good position.

    They bumped and pushed as they fought for position on the block. Zhaire could feel his anger starting to boil once again.

    ''How the hell is he keeping me from getting in to position? I know that I''m stronger than this fucking twig!''

    What he didn''t know was that Jason had years of experience defendingrger yers in the post. Even when he was back in college Jason had always taken the best offensive yer on the other team.

    He knew how to make the most out of his small frame and how to utilize angles and positioning to y elite fundamental defense. The only positions that Jason didn''t guard regrly were the Power Forward and Center spot.

    Jason got in to a low defensive stance as he tried to use a low center of gravity to make up for the strength discrepancy.

    Finally Zhaire settle for posting up further away from the basket than he had wanted. But before his Point Guard could pass him the ball Jason began to front him.

    Jason fronted him halfway as he stuck his hands up to prevent a pass while pushing Zhaire back with his hip bone.

    As their struggle in the post continued Zhaire finally lost control of himself as he shoved Jason away from him.

    The referee blew his whistle as he pointed to Zhaire. Seeing this Jason began to p his hands while vigorously nodding his head with a smile on his face.

    The audience in attendance started to cheer as they were all excited by what they had seen so far. Jefferson had managed to steal two possessions in a row from Rosewood.

    As the game progressed Jason didn''t let up as he continued to pester Zhaire on the defensive end. He also didn''t stop with his trash talking.

    Part of Jason''s strategy was to get Zhaire so infuriated that he would start to y out of control and get out of rhythm.

    It turned out to work even better than he had hoped. As the game continued Zhaire began to umte more and more fouls as he acted out of frustration and anger.

    The worst part was that while Jason could lock down Zhaire he couldn''t do the same to him. While he had only scored 7 points halfway through the 2nd quarter Jason had already scored 15 points while also dishing out assist and getting 2 steals.

    With the ball in his hands Jason stared down Zhaire as he guarded him from the top of the perimeter.

    Zhaire was pressing up against Jason as he tried to defend him tightly. With his back turned to him Jasonughed.

    "You really trying to defend me huh? Guess I turned out to be more than you bargained for." Zhaire kept his hands up "Shut the fuck up man.

    You might have a nice jumper but that''s it." Jason smiled "For you that''s all I need." Jason suddenly spun as he began to drive to the right.

    Seeing this Zhaire began to slide his feet as he tried to maintain contact with Jason. Seeing how tightly he was being guarded Jason already knew what he had to do.

    Just before they reached the paint Jason dipped his shoulder down and gave Zhaire a bump. Although he was weaker than his defender Jason''s bump was perfectly timed.

    He had managed to create a step of separation between him and Zhaire as he then shot the fall away jumper.

    Seeing Jason get in to his shooting motion Zhaire lunged forward in an attempt to contest the shot. Unfortunately for him Jason had managed to get his shot off before he could make his way there to contest the shot.

    But he had lunged with all his strength so his momentum ended up carrying him further than he had wanted.

    With the ball already out of his hand Jason fell over as Zhaire ran into him. The referee blew his whistle for what had seemed to be the twentieth time so far as the crowd watched the ball fly through the air.

    The ball sinking through the air seemed to be a cry of war as all of the crowd rose to their feet. The gym felt like it was shaking from all the noise that they were making.

    Jason smiled ''The and one is nice but it''s just icing on top of the cake. The real prize is that-'' The referee pointed at Zhaire before putting up six fingers.

    "Foul on number 23! Six fouls!" Zhaire stood there dazed as he seemed as though he couldn''t ept what had just happened.

    ''I fouled out? Me!? Against that guy!?'' Although it was only halfway through the second quarter he had already umted enough fouls to get kicked out of the game.

    With Zhaire out of the game the results be even more certain than they were before as Jefferson created an absurd lead.

    With Jason no longer having to shoulder the burden of running the offense by himself and creating scoring opportunities for everyone he could dedicate more energy to scoring his own points and ying even more intense defense.

    Alex and Danilo were reliable scorers and in Danilo''s case he could create his own shot without having to run a y specifically for him.

    He was scoring in the post and from the perimeter as he yed a well bnced brand of offense while Alex would initiate a lot of their ys and create good looks for the other yers.

    By the time that the third quarter hade to an end Jefferson lead by more than 60 points. It was as though a team of adults were ying against a team of children as they posed no threat.

    Seeing their insurmountable lead Jason had the bench yers y the entirety of the fourth quarter.

    A lot of the guys were surprised to hear that Jason was still using the same strategy that he had used in the scrimmage against Mt. Vernon.

    Even with the less skilled and experienced bench yers ying the whole fourth quarter the lead that Jefferson held was impossible to ovee as they ended up winning with another lopsided score of 106 to 42.

    As the teams lined up to shake hands after the end of the game Zhaire was the only one who stomped his way to the locker room ignoring Jefferson.

    Jason chuckled ''Enjoy your suspension bitch. There''s no way that themittee will let you do that without catching some heat.''

    After they were done shaking hands with the opposing team Jason saw Greg with the camera in his hands still recording.

    An idea popped into Jason''s head as he made his way over with a bright smile on his face. He walked up close to the camera as he raised his hand up with one finger standing.

    "One down twenty more to go. We''re shooting for another undefeated season! Let''s go Jefferson!"

 Chapter 264 - You Want Me To Do What!?

    As he was about to make his way back to the locker room to get cleaned up he heard a voice calling out for him.

    "Jason, a moment of your time." Jason turned his head and saw a familiar face ''It''s her.'' Jason had wanted to change out of his uniform and take a shower so that he could quickly go home.

    If it was anyone else Jason would have politely refused but this person had been one of the few news anchors that had covered the story about Coach Swendelst year objectively and even to this day she was unbiased in her reporting of Jason and the team.

    He smiled "Hello Ms. Hern��ndez." She smiled back at him as her camera man followed behind her "You can just call me Gloria.

    If you have a moment I would really love to get a quick interview with you." Jason weakly shook his head "If it was anyone else I would have said no.

    But I''m the kind of guy that always returns a favor. You and your news station have always covered our team objectively unlike everyone else that just runs our name through the mud for clicks and views.

    I''ll always have time for a quick interview if it''s with you." Her smile became even brighter after hearing that.

    "Thank you Jason. I promise you that as long as I''m in charge of the reporting we''ll always cover your story without bias."

    She then signaled for her cameraman to begin filming as she held up her mic "So today was your first official game of the season.

    Everyone thought that Rosewood would prove to be a challenge for you because of their star yer Zhaire Randolph.

    However now that we''re looking at the score that couldn''t have been further from the truth. How did you manage to lockdown such a gifted offensive yer like Zhaire? And although it is still early on in the year what does a win like this mean for the you and the team?"

    Jason wiped his face with the bottom of his jersey before answering "For your first question I would honestly have to say that I just did what I always do.

    I locked in on D and made sure that I was always in his face. I wanted to pester him when he had the ball in his hands and even when he didn''t have the ball in his hands.

    Defense is all about effort. Even if you don''t have the same physical tools as your defensive assignment you can make up for a lot of that with hustle and heart.

    As for what this win means for me and the team..." Jason paused for a moment to think about it before smiling and putting up a finger "It''s the first one out of twenty."

    - - -

    After showering and getting changed Jason and the rest of the boys said their goodbyes as their parents would drive them home.

    Jason''s dad pulled him under his arm and ruffled his hair "That was amazing Jason! I know I shouldn''t be surprised considering that you guys were the best team in the countyst year but I still can''t get used to seeing how good you guys are."

    Jason''s momughed as she watched the two men in her life enjoying such a sweet moment "Well you should get used to it Henry.

    Jaya said it himself. Him and the team are aiming for Nationals this year." It was then that they heard a voice call out "Hey aunty, hi uncle."

    The three of them turned their heads and saw Samantha walking toward them with Victor following a few steps behind her.

    No matter how many times he''s seen him Jason just couldn''t get used to how huge Victor was. He looked to be around 6''4 (1.93m) and 300lbs (136kg) of pure muscle.

    His parents on the other hand seemed unbothered as they greeted both Samantha and Victor with smiles on their faces. Victor simply gave a nod while Samantha walked up toward them.

    She gave both of Jason''s parents a hug "I know that you guys are about to head home but is it okay if I get a quick word in with Jaya?"

    Jason''s mom chuckled "Of course that''s okay." She turned to Jason "Me and your dad will wait in the car. We''re parked just a few spots away."

    Samantha blushed "You don''t need to do that! I was just-" But before she could finish what she was going to say Jason''s mom reached for his dad''s hand as they walked away side by side.

    She hung her head before face palming "I think your parents got the wrong idea. I just wanted to talk to you about something real quick."

    Jason cracked a small smile "Nah. They just love to take any opportunity to do lovey dovey stuff like that. It''s like they''re a bunch of teenagers still. So what did you want to talk to me about Sammy?"

    Samanthaughed at Jason''s joke "Haha I guess they are pretty heavy on pda. Anyways, I finally had an idea of how you could pay me back for saving your ass on the first day of school."

    Jason smiled as he shook his head ''I knew this day wasing sooner orter. I just hope that she doesn''t ask for anything too crazy.

    As long as it''s not something impossible I guess I have to help her out. She really did save my bacon back then.''

    He looked at her "You didn''t need toe all the way out here to ask me in person. You could have just sent a text or video called me."

    Samantha giggled as a mischievous smile bloomed across her face "No way. That would be way too boring. I wanted to see your reaction in real life.

    Besides, it''s not like I had to go out of my way. I alreadye to all of your games." Jason smiled "Wow thanks Sammy.

    It means a lot to hear that from you. It''s always a great feeling to know that your friends are always there to support yo-"

    Jason stopped as he suddenly had a bad feeling ''Wait. What did she mean by seeing my reaction in real life?''

    A shiver went up his spine ''All of a sudden I have a really bad feeling about this favor. Just what is it that she wants me to do?''

    Even though he had just showered beads of sweat began to form on his forehead as he nervously asked "Just what exactly is this favor?"

    Samantha still had her devilish smile on her face as she turned around to face Victor "Make sure you get a good shot. I want a good recording of this."

    Victor didn''t say anything as he simply pulled out his cellphone from inside of his suit jacket with one hand while giving Samantha a thumbs up with the other.

    Seeing that Victor had the camera of the phone aimed at the two of them she leaned in and whispered.

    After hearing just what it was that she wanted him to do he jumped back with a terrified expression on his face.

    "You want me to do what!?"

 Chapter 265 - Staying True To Your Word

    Sammy hugged her stomach as she began tough uncontrobly "Hahahaha! Oh my god! Your face is priceless hahaha!"

    She turned back around to Victor as she struggled to suppress herughter "Please tell me you got his reaction Victor."

    He nodded his head as he gave her another thumbs up. Jason furrowed his brows "Haha Sammy, real funny.

    You got your shits and giggles out of the way. Do you mind telling me what your actual favor is?" Samantha wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

    "Oh, I wasn''t joking. I told you I wanted to tell you in person so that I could get your reaction. I just never thought it would be so good haha."

    The corner of Jason''s eye twitched "You can''t be serious Sammy. I know I said that I would owe you one but don''t you think this is going overboard?

    I mean, I''ve never even done that before. Can''t you think of something else? Anything else? I don''t really care what you choose as long as it''s not THAT."

    Sammy smiled as she shook her head "Nope. You agreed when I helped you that day that you would owe me one.

    Well, today I''m here to cash your check Mr. Yang. Or is our little hometown hero not a man of his word?" Jason face palmed.

    ''She knows just the right buttons to push <em>sigh</em>. I should have never agreed. Being mauled alive by those crazy girls would have been a hundred times better than this. At least I would still have some dignity.

    I knew Sammy was crazy but I never thought that she would be this crazy.'' Jason agitatedly rubbed his face with both hands for a second before lifting his head up to look at Samantha.

    "Fine." She started pping her hands with a satisfied look on her face "Great! I can''t believe I get to help you with your first time."

    She then turned around and started to walk away with Victor trailing behind her "Meet me at room A-107 after school on Monday.

    It''s dark, quiet, and just perfect for setting up the mood. I''ll see you then Jaya." She raised her hand and gave him a peace sign without turning back.

    Jason hung his head as his bodynguage made it clear that he was all out of energy. The guys from the basketball team would be surprised to Jason like this as they had never seen him this deted.

    ''This is going to be a long weekend.''

    - - -

    That weekend practice was even more intense as it was the only thing that could get Jason''s mind off of Samantha''s request.

    DJ was hunched over as his breathing was rough "W-what''s up with Jaya? I thought we won the game against Rosewood. Why does it feel like we''re being punished?"

    Kyle had his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breathe "D-don''t ask me, I have no clue. All I know is that when I tried toe over after the game he had the sourest face I''ve ever seen him have.

    But you''re right. Even though Jason always makes practice intense this is the hardest I''ve seen him push everybody. I feel like I''m about to die."

    Matt''s brown Jewfro bounced as he tiringly made his way to the both of them "At least you guys are doing better than the 7th graders." He then pointed to the side.

    Kyle and DJ turned their heads to look in the direction that Matt was pointing at. There they saw Sam, Frank, Donte, and some other 7th gradersying on the floor.

    All three of them lowered their heads as they offered a silent prayer for all of the new yers. They then added a prayer hoping for Jason to dial practice down a notch.

    - - -

    Monday. Kyle and the rest of the boys that were on the teamst year could all tell that something was up with Jason.

    Throughout the entire day he had been acting out of character. He seemed to be in a daze as his reactions were slower and his mind seemed duller.

    The teachers would have to call his name multiple times for him to notice and he even answered a few questions incorrectly.

    Something that they had never seen him do before. He always seemed like he wasn''t paying attention in ss but he always knew the material, sometimes even days in advance as he would even answer questions regarding stuff that the teacher hadn''t even taught the ss yet.

    But the most worrisome sign to them was when they were at lunch. Sitting at the lunch table Jason and the rest of the boys were sitting at their usual spot.

    It had already been ten minutes and yet Jason had yet to even touch a single part of his meal as he just sat there staring into the void mumbling to himself.

    Vince leaned in and whispered to Kyle "Yo not gonna lie, Jaya lowkey freakin me out. He ain''t touched his food yet and all he''s doing is talkin to himself."

    Kyle looked at Jason worriedly "Yeah. I''ve never seen him like this. I''m starting to get really worried. Even when he was in the hospital he was still eating like his usual self."

    Kyle pulled out his phone and sent a text to Matt, who was sitting next to Jason, from under the table ''Yo Matt. What''s Jaya saying?''

    Matt got the text and read it. He then tried to lean in slightly in order to hear what it was that Jason was mumbling to himself.

    "I really have to do it. I can''t go back on my word..... I really have to do it. There''s no way out...." Matt was confused but he sent a text to Kyle telling him what he had heard.

    Kyle read the text but instead of getting answers it just raised more questions in his head ''Who''s he talking about? What does he mean he can''t go back on his word?''

    - - -

    After what seemed like a long day for everyone the bell rang signaling the end of school. Jason stood up from his chair and left the ssroom with everyone.

    As they were about to make their way to the gym they heard Jason''s voice "You guys go ahead without me. I have something to take care of before practice."

    All of the boys turned around and looked at Jason as though he had a flower growing out of the top of his head.

    Jason was always the first one in the gym and thest one out. And even though there was still 30 minutes before practice officially starts they always went to the gym and started early.

    Kyle wanted to say something but decided against it ''If it was something he wanted to talk about he would have brought it up.

    Even if it was something that he couldn''t talk about with the other guys he would have at least told me about it. He told me about Marcus and the phone when he didn''t even tell his parents.''

    Kyle nodded his head as he tried his best to smile "Alright Jaya. We''ll see you at practice." Jason just nodded his head as he turned around and left.

    Nick asked "Are you sure it''s a good idea to let him go just like that? He''s been off this whole day." Kyle nodded his head "Whatever it is I''m sure Jaya can handle it."

    - - -

    The room was dimly lit as Jason looked at Samantha straight in the eyes "Are you certain about this? Once it has been done there is no turning back."

    Samantha smiled but a sense of sorrow could be seen in her eyes "Yes. I am certain. Feel no guilt my love for I have made this choice knowing of the consequences."

    Jason closed his eyes as though he were struggling with himself internally "Very well. Your spirit is unbreaking and your will formidable.

    Should the world turn in to our enemies then we shall face their numbers together. Should the people act as our judge and executioner then we shall face their fury in each other''s embrace.

    And should the very ground beneath our feet copse then I will be your wings so that you may soar to the highest of peaks."

    Samantha smiled as she stroked the side of Jason''s face "Should you be my wings then I too shall be the wind that will carry us."

    The sound of pping could be heard just as the lights turned on and illuminated the room. Ms. Yuller was standing as she gave Jason and Samantha a round of apuse.

    "Brilliant! The emotions you two portrayed seemed as genuine and as brilliant as a freshly gathered pearl! You were made for theatre Jason!"

    Even though all she was saying waspliments Jason couldn''t help but cry on the inside ''I can''t believe Sammy is really having me do this.

    I''ve never been in a y before!''

 Chapter 266 - Helping Out A Friend

    Samanthaughed "I told you Jaya. You were born for this role. Ms. Yuller even said it back when she was still organizing this y.

    Your cold and emotionless looking face is perfect for a vampire. Plus you already have that charismatic yet unapproachable vibe down."

    Ms. Yuller nodded her head while adding "You''re natural disposition matches that of a being that has lived longer than his appearance would suggest.

    Almost as if you were looking down on your surrounding peers for theirck of worldly knowledge and experience. You are exactly what this role calls for Jason!"

    At this moment Jason didn''t know if he wanted tough or cry ''Ms. Yuller is a lot closer to the truth than she probably knows.''

    He shook his head weakly before looking at her "I know you and Sammy really want me to y this role for your next y but I really don''t think I can do it.

    Like I''ve said before, I have never acted in a y. Not a single time. Don''t you have a whole bunch of people that actually have experience that want to take this part?"

    Sammy shook her head "The drama club is a lot smaller than you think Jaya. Especially now that the 8th graders fromst year have moved on to high school.

    We tried recruiting some new kids during club rush but surprisingly no one was interested." Jason let out a chuckle.

    "Gee I wonder why? Who wouldn''t want to dress up in weird costumes and spend their afternoons reading lines from old books and ys."

    Samantha rolled her eyes at Jason''s remark " I get it. You don''t exactly rock with the whole Drama club thing.

    But can you just give it a try? I wouldn''t ask this from just anyone. You and Kyle are the only people that I know at this school that I can actually count on.

    This club means so much to me and if we don''t do something it could really end up closing this year.

    With how popr you are and with how much the kids at this school rock with you they would show up even if it was just thirty minutes of you watching some paint dry.

    And if the kids saw someone like you who they think is the coolest guy at Jefferson then maybe they wouldn''t be so embarrassed to join.

    And besides, it''s not like we''re asking you to actually join the club permanently. We just need you to y this one part this one time."

    Jason sighed ''It sounds like this Drama club means a lot to Sammy. If it was anything else I wouldn''t hesitate to help her out.

    But going on stage in a costume and acting like a vampire? Other dudes already have enough ammunition against me because I''m Asian.

    What the hell am I going to say when the other team starts talking about me wearing costumes and dancing around on stage?''

    Jason spent another moment to think about how he could get out of this "I would help you guys out but I just don''t think that I would have the time in my schedule to fit this in.

    Basketball practice already eats up most of my time and you know I can''t cut down on that." Ms. Yuller smiled at Jason as she replied.

    "No need to worry about that young man. If I''m remembering things correctly then your basketball practice starts at 3:30.

    You can join us for quick rehearsals and practices as soon as school ends. When it''s time for practice you can just go."

    Jason was stunned by her answer "Are you really okay with someone that can only spend thirty minutes a day practicing taking one of the lead roles in your y?"

    Ms. Yullerughed "I know just how smart you are Jason. If it was anyone else I would certainly have a problem with it.

    But after having taught you for a year and having even coached you for a short period of time I know that you can handle it."

    Jason saw the two of them with hopeful looks on their faces and just didn''t have the heart to reject them. He sighed "Alright. I guess I''ll do it."

    After talking about some of the details with Ms. Yuller and Samantha Jason made his way to the locker room and changed in to his practice gear as he joined Kyle and the rest of the guys for practice.

    Kyle saw that Jason no longer seemed preupied with the whatever he had been worried about. He walked over to him and pped him on the back.

    "Looks like you took care of whatever it was you needed to take care of." Jason nodded his head "Yeah. Looks like I''m going to join the Drama club."

    Everyone froze in ce after hearing Jason say that. Coach Swendel was about to start practice but after hearing what Jason had just said the whistle dropped out of his mouth.

    - - -

    Tucker had a huge smile on his face as he looked at the camera "Hello and thank you for tuning in to another episode of Foul Mouths.

    I''m your host Tucker Winston along with my co host Jeffrey Lautner" Jeff was sitting next to Tucker who had a smile on his face.

    "I can''t tell you how excited I am for this episode Tucker. After seeing what Jason and the rest of the guys just did to Rosewood I am a hundred percent hyped!"

    Tuckerughed "You seem like you''re really excited to talk about Jason and the rest of the guys on Jefferson.

    But if I''m remembering things correctly you didn''t seem to be that much of a believerst year. In fact I was the one that betted on Jefferson going two games deep into the state tournament while you were betting against them?"

    Jeff scratched the back of his head as he began to blush "Hey, I admit I was wrong okay? I even drank your smoothie from hell so I think that was punishment enough.

    But after getting a chance to watch Jason go up against the best of the best in the state tournament and at the Nike training camp I have officially hopped on the Jefferson bandwagon.

    Especially with what he just showed us against Rosewood. Jason was already a elite level talent but I feel like him and Kyle really grew a lot over the summer."

    Tucker chuckled as he replied "Well no shit Jeff. Kyle and Jason both grew a lot over the summer. They''re way taller than they werest year."

    Jeff shook his head "You know what I meant. They did gain a couple of inches in height but I meant that they grew a lot as yers.

    Kyle seems way more confident now and he seems to understand and embrace his role perfectly while Jason has just sharpened his already amazing skills that much more.

    I might sound like a Riverside homer by saying this but I just don''t see how any team can beat them at the state level.

    Their roster is deeper and has more talent than it hadst year. Jason and Kyle look like they''re ready to go against whatever teams can throw at them.

    And the thing that gives me the most confidence is that Jason is so focused on basketball. You see it all the time with young guys that start to get a little bit of attention.

    They start focusing more on social media, the attention that they get, and the fans than they do on the actual game.

    But with Jason you don''t have to worry about any of that. The kid lives and breathes basketball. He never lets anything get in the way of that."

 Chapter 267 - Getting Used To The New Schedule

    At first it was weird for the guys to know that Jason was now a part of the drama club. They weren''t sure how it would affect him and practice.

    But after a few days and seeing that the only difference made was the fact that Jason now showed up to practice right on time instead of being early they gradually got used to it.

    During these days Jason had the varsity team get more adjusted with their ybook as they continued to practice their different ys and how to run them.

    Although Danilo and Alex were able to get a feel for it rtively easy because of their natural talent and understanding of the game some of the other 7th graders weren''t as lucky.

    Sam, and Frank struggled as they tried to familiarize themselves with the team''s different sets and how to run them.

    Even Donte, who had yed as a starter on his previous team, seemed to have a hard time getting used to Jefferson''s ybook.

    Jason stopped the y "You read that wrong Donte. After the double screen Danilo was wide open because both of the defenders tagged Kyle.

    He red out to the perimeter and had a good look from 3. And if you were more aggressive with your drive you could have gotten Matt open in the corner because his defender would have been forced to rotate over to you."

    Donte nodded his head as he tried to burn Jason''s words into his brain. A few minutester Jason once again stopped the y.

    "Frank, you need to pay more attention. Don''t be so set to roll to the rim as soon as you set the screen. If you feel like you didn''t make that much contact don''t start rim running."

    Frank wiped the droplets of sweat off of his face with the bottom of his practice jersey "My bad Jaya."

    A few yster "Sam, you did a good job getting open off of the screen. But because you hesitated to shoot you gave the defenders a chance to reset and reposition themselves."

    Sam smiled nervously "Sorry, I guess I just wasn''t that confident in my jump shot. I tried to look for an open guy to pass to."

    Jason shook his head "Even if you''re not that confident you just have to take it. If the other team sees that you''re hesitant to shoot you''ll just be an offensive liability.

    Defenders will start sagging off of you and that will just shrink the floor for everyone else. You''re role on the team is to be a shooter.

    Leave the ymaking to the guys who are responsible for running the offense. I''m not saying that it''s bad to look to make the pass but you need to master this skillset first.

    After you start knocking down your shots you''ll force the defenders to have to close out hard on you which will make cleaner looks for the rest of your teammates."

    While helping the rest of the team with their own practice and individual training Jason didn''t neglect on improving himself.

    Now that most of his skills were maxed out at the current level Jason decided to focus even more on his current weaknesses.

    Which at this moment were rebounding and athleticism. During practice he would work on boxing out against Kyle and Vince while at home he would dedicate even more time to his own physical training.

    - - -

    After practice. Jason, Kyle, Samantha, and Shania were hanging out at Jason''s room. Ever since he had agreed to Sammy''s request to join the drama club it had be a part of their daily routine to hang out at either one of the boy''s rooms after their practice.

    Samantha and Shania were bothying down on Jason''s bed, which Shania had begun using ever since she had moved in with him and his parents, while ying on their phones.

    With some old school music ying in the background Jason and Kyle were currently training. They would pass a 10lb (4.53kg) medicine ball to each other while alternating between both legs as they lunged every time they caught the ball.

    Jason caught the medicine ball from Kyle as he then put his weight on his right leg while lunging. After getting up he would toss the medicine ball to Kyle who would do the same.

    "I be on my own (yeah), head up in the clouds like Zeus

    When they say, "You ain''t the G.O.A.T.", Ie down like, Ooh

    But I got my head in the clouds like Zeus

    Swear, I could see the game from a bird''s-eye view (ayy)

    Bitch, you talkin'' to a rap god (ayy)

    Girl, you talkin'' to a monsta (ayy)

    You could give your whole damn life to the music thing

    They gon'' turn around like they don''t love you."

    As the chorus to the song Zeus by Eminem yed Samantha sneakily took a peak at Jason while pretending to still be looking at her phone.

    He had his hair tied up but without a headband on his scar was fully visible. Although hecked mass and bulk the intense training that he put himself through gave his body clear definition as his shirt stuck closely because of his sweat.

    Shania nced over at Samantha and chuckled after noticing what she was doing "Hehe, you really got it bad girl."

    Samantha began to blush as she nudged Shania "Oh my god Shania! Shut up." Shania smiled "Why? You scared pretty boy over there gon hear us?

    Don''t worry. With how loud this music stin the only ones that can hear us is ourselves." Samantha turned her eyes toward Jason and Kyle.

    After seeing that they were both still engrossed in their training she let out a sigh of relief "Either way Shania. You shouldn''t y around like that. What if they actually hear you one of these days?"

    Shania rolled her eyes "If that ever happened you should thank me Sammy. I don''t know why you beating around the bush like this.

    You need to be like Jaya. Forget the noise and just shoot your shot." Samantha thought about it for a second before replying.

    "I want to Shania. But I have no clue how he feels about me. And I don''t want to risk messing up a good thing.

    Whenever we hang out he acts the same way he does when he''s hanging out with Kyle. I just can''t figure him out."

    Shania looked at Samantha and softly smiled "You already got a leg up on the other girls. You might think it''s a bad thing that Jaya treats you like one of the bros but think of it this way.

    Jaya don''t really be talkin to girls like that anyways. You the only girl at school that he be talkin to right?"

    Samantha recalled an unpleasant memory and scrunched her face as she blew a loc of her red hair out of her face.

    "Yeah, at least for now. There''s a new girl at Jefferson who thinks she''s hot shit. Even though the girls at the school all kinda fangirl over Jaya she''s the only one that''s been trying to actually make a move on him.

    She actually tried to sit next to him at Ms. Yuller''s ss back on the first day. And even after I told her that the seat was mine she tried to fight me for it."

    Shaniaughed "That''s it? She tried to sit next to him? You need to chill Sammy. Even if she did try to sit next to him that wouldn''t do much.

    You know how Jaya is. He''s a blockhead with good grades that only cares about hoopin. If you really that worried about it you need to be like her and be more aggressive.

    If you wait too long some other girl mighte along and shoot her shot before you. You can only y defense for so long." Just as Samantha was about to reply the music came to a stop.

    Jason took his shirt off and used it to wipe the sweat off of his face and neck before smiling at Kyle "Good workout bro."

    Kyle''s breathing was a little ragged but he smiled as he nodded his head "Yeah bro. That was a good workout.

    I am done for the day. I don''t know how you manage to do all this and more. We train the same amount at practice and you still have the energy to do all this extra stuff as soon as you get home."

    Jasonughed "You''re already doing good Kyle. It''s important to listen to your body when you train. The only reason why I do more is because I can feel that my body can take it."

    In fact Jason felt that Kyle was more impressive than he was. In truth Jason pushed his body well beyond his limits every day.

    But the only reason he did so was because he had the help of the system. No matter how hard he pushed his body with the Recovery Boost function he was able to get three times the rest in a single night and recover from all of it.

    Compared to Kyle who had nothing but his own god given physical talents Jason felt that Kyle was the bigger freak and not him.

    For just relying on his bodies natural ability to heal and repair itself Kyle was able to keep up somewhat with Jason who had the benefits of the system.

    Kyle made his way over to Jason''s desk and sat on the chair while Jason picked up two 10lb (4.53kg) dumbbells as he began to do some weighted squats.

    Without turning his attention away he spoke "Alright Sammy. Let''s practice these lines." Samantha shook her head as she pulled up a copy of the script that she had downloaded on to her phone.

    "Oh great being of the night. Although my eyes cannot see your figure and although my human spirit cannot detect your presence I know that you are here."

    As he continued to squat Jason recited his lines "You humans posses a foolishness that knows no bounds. For what reason have you trespassed upon my domain?"

    In an attempt to maximize his time to the fullest extent Jason hade up with this idea. While training at home he would practice his lines with Samantha while Kyle and Shania provided feedback.

    As Jason would take a quick break in between sets it took him thirty minutes to finish his workout and to finish reciting his lines for the day.

    After the two of them were done Kyle and Shania both provided feedback as they talked about their tone of voice and facial expressions.

    Although in Jason''s case it was about theck of. When they were done Samantha looked at her phone and saw the date.

    "You guys have your second game of the season tomorrow right?" Kyle nodded his head "Yeah. Too be honest it isn''t anything major.

    The bleachers will probably be packed but the school we''re ying tomorrow isn''t anything special. Should be light work."

    Jason pulled out a bottle of water from his mini fridge and chugged down half of it in one go. Although he didn''t spent too much of the money that he had gotten from the Nike contract he had still splurged a bit and given his room a bit of an upgrade.

    Which included a nice 60 inch (152.4cm) TV, high quality speakers, and the mini fridge. After he was done drinking he looked over at Kyle.

    "Whether they''re a powerhouse program or a run of the mill middle school you shouldn''t ck Kyle. The Jefferson way is to always go all out no matter who the opponent is.

    We don''t y down to ourpetitions level and we don''t let other teams force us to y their game. We go hard and we y to our standards.

    We know that we''re the best team so we should always go out and y like it."

 Chapter 268 - The Media Initiates Their Offense

    During the next three games Jefferson showed why they were the reigning county champions as they simply destroyed all of theirpetition.

    And during these games although not at the same level as he did during the Rosewood game Jason still continued with his trash talking.

    But after each game Jason would flip his switch back from game mode to his normal mindset as he congratted the opposing yers for their effort and heart during the end of game handshakes.

    In these span of games Jason was able to score at least thirty points usually by the second or third quarter although his assist went down slightlypared to the previous season.

    Four games into the current season Jason was averaging 31.2 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assist, 2 blocks, and a staggering 4 steals per game.

    With the addition of Alex Jason no longer had to focus on running the offense and getting his teammates open looks.

    This allowed him to focus more of his energy on his own offense as well as focusing more of his energy on the defensive side of the ball.

    Jason didn''t have the athleticism or size to swat shots out of the air like Kyle, but he knew how to read his opponents so that he could disrupt their shot at just the right moment as he would get his hand on the ball as the opposing yer was loading up for the shot.

    With his increased aggressiveness on defense Jason''s blocks and steals went up significantlypared tost season despite the lower amount of minutes yed.

    And in the time where Jason and the other starters sat on the bench the other reserve yers were able to get some good runs in as the ying time gave them a good opportunity to sharpen in their skills in real game situations.

    One of the biggest revtions during these games wasn''t the fact that Jason and the other starters were so dominant.

    It was the fact that their bench packed more of a punch than what others had thought at the very beginning of the season.

    And the biggest contributors to that were Vince and DJ. With Kyle sitting on the bench and with a raw rookie like Frank ying major back up minutes at the Center position it was Vince that helped to anchor their Big Man spot.

    Although he wasn''t as explosive or suffocating of a paint defender as Kyle nor was he as good of a post yer as Udonis wasst year Vince brought a stable veteran presence that helped to guide and mentor Frank.

    He also brought something to the table that Kyle and Frank couldn''t. Although not on the same level as Danilo Vince still showed that he was a more than capable stretch Big that helped to space the floor whenever Danilo was on the bench.

    So far he was shooting close to 38 percent from the three point line with a little over 4 attempts per game.

    Although a lot of that had to do with the fact that he was only shooting wide open three pointers it was undeniable that he had a decent jump shot from that range.

    But the biggest story about Jefferson''s bench was probably DJ. As a back up guard that yed major back up minutes to Jason and Alex he showed that he was more than capable of running the team''s offense as well as creating his own shot whenever a y had fallen apart.

    He was crossing up opposing defenders and making his way to the rim where he would bully smaller Guards with his hefty but deceivingly quick build.

    He also showed that he was able to score at all three levels as he would pull up for the three or mid range jump shot after running his defenders into a screen.

    And with the amount of attention that he demanded from the opposing team''s defense he was able to dish out the ball to his teammates as he created scoring opportunities for them.

    So far into the season he was averaging 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assist per game while also ying solid positional defense.

    Jefferson showed that they were no longer the shallow team that they werest year depending solely on Jason for their sess.

    It was a normal urrence for them to score over a hundred points during their games while they also held their opponents to around thirty to forty points.

    And a majority of the points that they allowed happened during thest few quarters when they would have their reserve yers to finish out the games.

    Jefferson boasted the fastest pace offense in the entire state for middle school basketball teams while their defense also ranked third in the state.

    Although it was only a quarter of the way through the regr season all of the people watching knew that Jefferson was a serious contender for the state title.

    They no longer questioned if Jefferson would be able to hold on to their county title as instead they now asked how far Jefferson would be able to go in the National tournament.

    But just as usual with all of the positive attention they were receiving there was bound to be some negative attention as well.

    With each episode of Through the Hoops showcasing Jefferson''s dominant performances their name began to be more and more of a talking point in the basketballmunity.

    And although they had arge number of fans and supporters it was impossible for them to have everyone like them.

    Since the haters online were no longer able to question Jefferson''s talent and ability like they werest year, they turned their attention to attacking the team and its yers for other things.

    - - -

    On ESPN a beautiful women sat in the middle of the long table dressed in a ssy and elegant dark red dress. She shed her sparkling smile at the camera.

    "Hello and thank you for tuning in to today''s episode of The Dribble. I am your host Kelly Johnson and with me today are two names you all know and love.

    On my left is the man that is regarded as one of the top experts when ites to numbers and analytics Logan Banks."

    Logan pushed his sses up as he waved and smiled at the camera. Kelly continued "And on my right is one of the most popr sports show hosts and radio personalities Shawn B. Stevens."

    Shawn showed off his charismatic smile as he waved at the camera. He then turned to Kelly "As always it''s a pleasure to work with you Kelly.

    One of these days I need to get you on my podcast ''Ride Along with Sharp Shawn'' which airs every Monday and Friday at 6pm California time.

    Your insight and well crafted sports opinions would be a huge addition to the show." Kellyughed "Thank you for the invite Shawn.

    I will definitely have to take you up on it one of these days." Logan chuckled "What about me Shawn? We''ve worked on a couple different shows and episodes together now and I''ve never gotten an invitation like that from you."

    Shawn smiled mischievously "Don''t worry Logan. After a few more years you might just pick up enough basketball know how to get on my show and talk with me. I''ll let you know when that happens hehe."

    Kelly smiled as she tried to y her part as the show''s host and moderator "Let''s talk about thatter. For now our first topic is the Lakers.

    It has been around six years now since Jeanie Buss and the rest of the Buss family had agreed to sell one of the leagues most beloved and historical franchise.

    And for those six years they have been in no mansnd as they have remained to be a middle of the pack franchise.

    What are your opinions on the Lakers as a team and as a franchise? Let''s start with you Shawn." He coughed to clear his throat.

    "The Lakers to me have been a great team and franchise thesest few years. At least to me. A lot of peoplein about them being a middle of the pack team.

    Not good enough to be serious contenders for the championship but not bad enough to get any decent picks in the draft.

    But if you''ve been paying attention to the team since the ownership transfer you would see that they have actually yed most of their cards right.

    They might not have had any lottery picks. Hell, they haven''t even had a pick higher than 18. But they have hit with every single one of their picks.

    Justin Clemson. He was the 22nd pick in his draft ss. He was a four year yer in college so a lot of teams didn''t want to pick him because they had thought that he had reached his ceiling as a yer.

    But because of the Laker''s elite scouting department and yer development staff he turned out to be a solid spark plug off the bench that could give you 15 to 20 on efficient shooting splits just about every night.

    Then as his rookie contract came close to expiring they flip him for Das'' first round pick and two second round picks.

    Larry Norman Jr. 25th pick in his draft. He was a three year yer that showed nothing remarkable except for his ability as a energy guy and as a high flying act.

    Gets drafted to the Lakers and all of a sudden shows the ability to y solid all around defense as an undersized Big.

    They gave him minutes to develop and show off his stuff. Once his rookie contract was about to expire they once again trade him for more trade assets.

    This is what the Lakers have been doing for the past few years. They find hidden gems in the draft, develop them, raise their values, and then flip them for more assets.

    Not to mention that they haven''t been using their sry cap to sign big time free agents. Instead they chose to take on bad contracts in exchange for more picks and more young talent.

    So although they haven''t been able to create a trulypetitive team they''ve managed to keep themselves around the 7th and 8th seed all while collecting and amassing valuable assets.

    If that doesn''t sound good to you then I don''t know what would." Logan interjected "That all sounds fine and good on paper Shawn but just collecting all these low value picks and assets doesn''t really mean much when you think about it.

    You can''t keep kicking the can down the road forever. One of these days you are going to have to actually do something with these picks and yer rights otherwise they are meaningless.

    Look at Danny Ainge and the Celtics all those years ago. Everyone was raving about how Ainge was the master of finessing other teams and they marveled at hisrge stockpile of picks.

    But because of his unwillingness to truly utilize them to make meaningful moves they ended up losing a ton of value.

    I think that the Lakers need to take the 76ers approach and just fully embrace the tank instead of half heartedly putting together scrappy rosters."

    Shawn threw his hand up into the air as he leaned back in his chair with an exhausted expression on his face.

    He then face palmed before peaking through his fingers to look at Logan "You must be on something Logan.

    I don''t know what it is you got in your mug right now but I think we need to test it and you." Shawn sat up straight in his chair before staring right at Logan.

    "Are you trying to say, on live television, in front of all these people, that the Lakers should purposely put together a bad roster and purposely lose games!?

    You want to rob these people in broad daylight! Fans aren''t paying to see a bunch of G-league scrubs go out on the court and lose games!

    They''re paying to see their favorite franchise go out there and try to win! You ought to be ashamed of yourself for even suggesting that sphemy!"

    Their arguments continued for over fifteen minutes. One side advocating for tanking and all the benefits it would bring while the other side argued the moral problems involved in doing so.

    After a while Kelly had to take control "Well that was a great segment wouldn''t you say guys? But unfortunately we do have a limited amount of time and we still have to talk about our next topic.

    Through the Hoops has been gaining an increased amount of poprity and one team in particr has been the subject of many discussions. Stay tuned as we talk about them after the break."

 Chapter 269 - The Media Initiates Their Offense: Part-2

    After themercial the show resumed as Kelly smiled at the camera "Thanks for tuning in to The Dribble.

    For our next topic we''ll be talking about a middle school basketball team that has gained major poprity due to their star yer Jason Yang and his appearances on the TV show all about following the life of young talented prospects.

    Jason is actually the youngest yer that the show follows but because of his entertaining personality and his abilities on the court he is one of the most popr yers on the show.

    For some yers the spotlight might be a strange and unfamiliar thing. But for Jason Yang the bright lights are nothing new."

    They then began to y a short clip. It was a video montage consisting of clips of various interviews and news segments of Jason.

    After the clip was done ying Kelly resumed speaking "Even starting fromst year Jason had been taking the world by storm.

    As aplete rookie who had never yed any form of organized basketball he joined the worst team in his county andpletely changed their fortunes.

    He would lead Jefferson to their very first undefeated season as well as help crown them as the county champions. Which was another first in their school''s history.

    And just when disaster had struck and everyone had counted them out Jason put the team on his back and carried their short roster all the way to the top eight of the state tournament.

    Even when the odds were stacked against them Jason pushed and persevered as he yed through a badly dislocated finger.

    But despite his best efforts the heavens didn''t seem to favor him as he suffered another bad injury which ended up putting an end to an otherwise unbelievable season."

    Kelly then turned to both Shawn and Logan as she asked "What are your thoughts on Jason''s story so far?

    And how do you feel about such a young athlete being scrutinized under what seems to be a microscope at this point?

    I mean, just from thements tagging the show as well as Jason it seems that he has arge number of fans but an equallyrge number of.... Let''s be kind and say skeptics."

    Logan began to talk "Well Kelly, I would say that this is a tricky subject. On one hand just like you said Jason is such a young athlete.

    It almost seems crazy that people would have such harsh opinions and feel sofortable with not only saying them but even trying to get him to see them by tagging him.

    It can''t but help but seem as an attempt to tear the young man down and attack his confidence. Having said that I think part of the me also lies in Jason himself."

    Shawn''s eyes opened wide as they seemed like they were about to pop out of his head "What!? For once I was actually in agreement with everything you were saying Logan.

    But then you started spewing nonsense. How in the hell is it Jason''s fault? Or better yet let''s address him by the nickname that he has so rightfully earned, Young Buckets."

    Logan responded "While I will refrain from using that nickname I will borate on my previous opinion. Jason seems like a smart young man.

    At least that''s the impression that I was given after seeing how eloquent he is in all of his interviews as well as from watching Through the Hoops.

    So someone as intelligent as he is should have a pretty good understanding of how people perceive him.

    That means that even though he knows what kind of image he has in the public''s eye he continues to fan the mes with all of his antics."

    Shawn started looking through the stacks of paper in front of him. After shuffling through a few pages he looked at Logan.

    "And just what exactly are these antics Logan? Because I''ve been following this kid ever since he first started getting some shine back when he hit that incredible shot to clinch the county title and from what I''ve seen he''s not the type to get in trouble.

    Well, at least he''s not the type to start trouble is what I meant. We all know that the bathroom incident was just a case of self defense."

    Logan nodded his head "Yes, the bathroom incident was clearly self defense. I don''t fault him for that. But how about his antics on the court?

    All the trash talking, getting in your opponent''s face, all the chest thumping and floor pping. And even when he''s on the bench he does all sorts of oundish things."

    Shawn had a exhausted expression on his face as he rolled his eyes "Really? You were around the game Logan.

    You know that trash talking and celebrations are all just normal parts of basketball. So what if he thumps his chest after getting a clean block?

    So what if he does a bit of chirping? Are you telling me that it''s wrong to do celebrations on the sidelines when your teammate does something amazing?

    If that was the case we would have to work 24/7 talking about all the pro and college level yers that do the exact same thing."

    Logan shook his head "He''s a kid though Shawn. He shouldn''t be acting like that when he hasn''t proven himself or done anything beyond the middle school level.

    You know who my favorite yer of all time is? It''s Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamentals. He was a ss act who was always a professional whenever he stepped on to the court.

    That''s how Jason should be acting. Especially knowing how much of a negative image he had in some people''s minds."

    Shawn shook his head as he looked at Logan "I can''t believe you are actually saying all this. You want the kid to act like someone he''s not?

    He can''t help it if he''s the passionate kind of guy that shows emotion when he''s out on the court. I am not going to me a yer for being human and showing some emotion."

    - - -

    Jason was lying in his bed as he watched the video on his phone. Hearing Shawn and Logan argue about him and the team he couldn''t help but grin.

    This wasn''t the only video or sports program that was talking about him. Just about all of the local news stations were talking about him and the team.

    Granted, not all of the attention was positive but Jason had already expected the bacsh that woulde with his style of y and behavior on the court.

    ''Looks like the n is working perfectly so far. I can''t believe it''s this easy to manipte the media and all those goofballs on the inte.

    But this still isn''t enough. I want us to be the biggest story leading up to the state and national tournament.

    I guess its about time we kick things up a notch.'' Jason then turned his phone off before tossing it to the side of his bed.

    As he fell asleep all he could think about was what kind of reaction would everyone have after the next phase of his n.

 Chapter 270 - Back Stage Drama

    As the days passed by Jason and the rest of the Jefferson team would y in three more games. But this time around they yed a little differentlypared to their first four games.

    Instead of Jason and the rest of the starters only ying up to the third quarter they had them y for extensive periods of time and only subbed the bench yers in for short stretches.

    Not only did therger amount of minutes mean that the opposing team would y longer stretches of time against the starters.

    The unpredictability of their minutes rotation was almost to the point of being torturous for the opposing teams.

    Not knowing for how long they would have to y against the starters coupled with wondering how long the bench yers would be in the game for added another level of stress to Jefferson''spetition.

    The longer minutes also allowed Jason to post stats that were even more absurd than the stats that he had been putting up in his previous games.

    In one game Jason was allowed to score at will as the opposing team focused on defending the other yers as they defended him with just a single defender.

    Jason would end up posting a season high of 47 points as he scored in every way possible against that team.

    Jason made his defender look silly as he made him dance with hisrge arsenal of dribble moves. Crossovers, spin moves, behind the back, he showed off his ball handling capabilities as his defender just couldn''t stick with him.

    He also scored arge portion of his points by getting himself open off of screens as he dashed through the court.

    Despite his defenders best efforts Jason''s timing for running off of screens was just too much as he found himself cutting to the basket as well getting himself open for the three ball.

    In the next game the team they were ying against tried to lock in on Jason by throwing multiple defenders at him.

    However that just allowed him to showcase his ymaking and passing ability as he found the open man every time.

    That would end up being the game where he posted a new career high with a staggering 16 assist. Combined with his 22 points Jefferson ended up with another dominant win.

    But the third game would end up being the most demoralizing for Jefferson''spetition as Jason would record his second double double of the season.

    But not with assist or rebounds. That game Jason was so aggressive and locked in on defense that he would finish the game with 12 steals.

    It seemed like it was almost every other possession that Jason would strip the ball away or poke it free from the other team.

    Whether it was from jumping passingnes, reading the opposing team''s y ahead of time, sneaking behind an unsuspecting ball handler, or just in out ripping it away from his defensive assignment.

    Jason was just a t out demon on that side of the ball as the other team simply couldn''t run their offense properly because of him.

    And even with such amazing performances his online haters still found ways to criticize andin about him.

    At first they were talking about how disrespectful it was that Jason would only y up to the half or maybe up to the 3rd quarter.

    But now they were saying that he was bullying and beating up on weakerpetition and that all he was doing was stat padding.

    It seemed like no matter what he did he just couldn''t win as people online and even some media outlets continued to speak negatively on Jason and the team.

    For some people that would have been enough to demoralize them or chip away at their confidence.

    But for Jason this was exactly what he wanted. Even if they didn''t like him or the team by speaking about them all they were doing was getting their name out there even more.

    And with Jason setting the tone for the rest of the team they grew ustomed to all of the negative attention that came with the positive attention that they received.

    - - -

    Monday after school. Jason was on stage as he practiced his lines with Samantha as they were surrounded by a few kids dressed up as farmers.

    On the side of the stage were two boys who were checking on the props and other set pieces.

    One of the boys was fairly tall for his age at 5''7 (1.7m) and he had wavy sand blonde hair and a tan while the other was shorter at around 5''5 (1.65m) with a bronze sun kissedplexion and short ck hair.

    The shorter boy ground his teeth as he looked at Jason standing close to Samantha "He already has everything! Why the fuck does he need to take this too!"

    The blonde haired boy looked over at Jason "Who''re you talking about bro? You mean Jaya?" The shorter boy pped the box that they were next to.

    "Of course I''m talking about that asshole Cody! Who else would I be talking about?" Cody pushed his hair to the side and out of his eyes.

    "My bad West. I was like, kinda confused for a sec. Cause uh, I don''t remember Jaya stealing or taking anything.

    Is something like, missing or whatever?" West face palmed before turning his attention from Jason to Cody "Are you really that slow or are you just messing with me Cody?

    I''m talking about the lead role! He''s already the star of the basketball team, the most popr guy in the school if not the city, and now he took the lead role from me!

    And why the hell do you talk like that!? You live in the fucking Ind Empire but sound like some prehistoric surfer from a old ass movie!"

    Cody''s eyes opened wide "Bro, you like totally need to chix. Jaya''s ying the lead role cause like Sammy and Bossdy asked him too.

    They want to get more dudes and dudets to join the drama club so like, we won''t shut down this year. And why''re you bagging on the way I talk?

    I can''t help it. Both of my parents were pro surfers and they loved old movies with surfers in em. I think they were from Malibu but like either way I think it''s pretty rad."

    West took a deep breathe "You''re right Cody. That was my bad. I didn''t mean to talk shit about you. This whole thing with Jason just makes me super pissed."

    Cody walked over and patted him on the back "It''s cool dude. We''ve been friends for way too long for me to get bummed out by that.

    But you should really chill it with your beef with Jaya. If you think about it he''s the one that''s like doing us a solid bro.

    He''s probably busy enough as it is shredding up other teams and practicing. I heard from Sammy that he has to practice his lines with her after he gets home."

    Cody''s words infuriated West as he kicked the box that they were standing next to. Unfortunately for him there seemed to have been something hard in there as all he aplished was hurting himself.

    He hobbled as his right foot pulsed with pain "Ow ow ow. Fuck! What did you say? Samantha goes to his ce to practice their lines!?"

    Not knowing what was wrong with he had just said Cody nodded his head "Yeah. Sammy told mest week while I was helping her with her props.

    After Jason finishes basketball practice they head back to his ce and like practice their lines for a bit. Kinda makes sense if you think about it dude.

    Brosif only gets thirty minutes to go over his lines before he has to head to basketball practice. Gotta get more than that if you want to memorize a whole script."

    West red at Jason while his attention was on Samantha as the two of them rehearsed "That''s it! I don''t care if this stupid club shuts down this year!

    I have to get that shit stain out of here! I only joined this stupid club to get closer to Sammy anyways."

    Cody gulped "I don''t know dude. I feel like dudette would be suuuper pissed at you if she found out that you did something to mess with the y.

    And besides, what could you possibly to do make the dude want to quit? If you''re nning on throwing hands with him you can count me out.

    Jaya managed to fight against like 8 guys in the bathroom. Who knows what he would do to us? Not to mention that everyone at the school knows that broham has some serious connections.

    Forget about the thugs that are cool with him. You heard about what happened to the dudes that jumped him in the bathroom.

    A bunch of kids from our school and even other schools went out to fuck their asses up!" After hearing what Cody had said West went silent.

    He knew that his friend was right. If he wanted to fight Jason he knew that even if Cody helped him they would probably end up getting the beating instead.

    And trying to find other kids that wanted to join up and help him would be even harder as just about all the other boys looked up to Jason and respected him.

    But as he watched Jason in his vampire costume with fake blood dripping down the side of his cheek an idea popped into his head.

    He smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone "I have an idea Cody. Why should we get our hands dirty when we can have other people do it for us? Hehehe"

 Chapter 271 - Getting Heated And Burning Up

    A few dayster Jason and Kyle were sitting at their usual spot during lunch with some of the other boys on the team.

    They were excited to finally have a free weekend. A lot of their recent games had either been on Fridays or Saturdays.

    But this week they yed two games back to back as they yed them on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    But not only did they not have a game today, considering how well the team had been ying and how much effort they showed in both practice and games both Coach Swendel and Jason had decided to give the guys a day off.

    This was the first Friday that they had had so far this year where they didn''t have to go to early morning practice or after school practice.

    Jason was chatting with Kyle and the rest of the guys while inhaling the food from the two trays that he had picked up from the cafeteria line.

    Kyle excitedly showed a clip on his phone "They got the angle just right! You can see the dunk perfectly bro!"

    Vinceughed "I can''t believe you two actually did that in the middle of an actual game. An off the ss alley-oop? And you didn''t just m it in. You did a fucking two handed tomahawk!"

    Kyle smiled "I have to thank Jaya for this sweet highlight. He put the ball in just the right spot." Jason swallowed the food that was in his mouth before looking up at Kyle.

    "Bro, all I did was toss the ball. I didn''t expect you to throw down a dunk like that. You should be thanking your crazy bounce instead of me."

    Matt chuckled "You brought the ball so far back I thought you were trying to scratch your back with it Kyle. I don''t know if there''s another middle schooler alive that can dunk the way you do."

    DJ smiled as he nodded his head "Matt''s right. I don''t think I''ve ever seen another kid our age jump the way you do Kyle.

    Not only can you jump high but you make it look so effortless. And you''re so fucking quick at getting off the ground.

    You barely have to load up or anything. Didn''t the sports scientist over at Nike say that you broke a record or something?"

    As they were allughing and having a good time Nick saw something as he was ying around on his phone.

    An ugly expression shifted on to his face as he passed his phone over to Jason "Not to kill the mood or anything but I think you should see this Jaya."

    He took the phone from Nick and pressed y. The smiles on everyone''s faces turned in to solemn looks as they gazed at the video that was ying on Nick''s phone.

    On the screen you could clearly see Jason as he wore a long dark cape with fake blood dripping down from the corner of his mouth.

    "What have I done? Maybe they were right all along. I am a monster, a gue upon this world who has allowed his hunger for blood overtake the yearnings of my own heart.

    I am but a wretched animal! Nay! I am a savage beast for whom none else matters except for my own desire to feed!"

    It was a video of Jason practicing his scenes in costume after school. Judging from the angle it was taken from the front of the school''s indoor amphitheater.

    After the video yed Jason went over to thements. The video had been up for less than a few hours but it already had over five thousand views.

    The high view count was most likely because of all the tags that were on the video <strong>#JasonYang #Jaya #ThroughTheHoops#</strong><strong>#YoungBuckets</strong>

    There were more but Jason had stopped paying attention after the first few ''Looks like someone really wants people to see this.''

    Not only were there a ton ofments talking about the video but it had even started to blow up on social media.

    LameloTheGoat: Haha. Ngl it was pretty funny to see Jaya acting like this. I didn''t realize until today how perfect he is to y a vampire lol

    BigBenDPOY: <strong>@LameloTheGoat</strong> Right? I feel like we only ever get to see the serious Jaya that''s a killer on the court. Seeing like this was pretty refreshing.

    RodricGetsBuckets: I knew there was something wrong with the kid as soon as I saw him. No wonder no one wanted to listen to himst year. Dude is a theater kid fruit cake lmao

    If someone like that tried to tell me what to do I would smack the **** outta him and tell him to put his little costume back on <strong>#FruitCake #Pansy #Jaya</strong>

    MendozaOG: This the kid everyone was hyped about? Bet y''all feel real stupid right now huh? Haha at least the guy found somewhere where he belongs LMAO

    Suns4Life: <strong>@JasonYang</strong> This why you got knocked out early at the state tournament my guy. Shoulda spent more time polishing your game and working out instead of dressing up and yin pretend XD <strong>#FakeBaller #Poser #TakingItEasy</strong>

    ChristianWu_000: I honestly don''t get why all of you are hating on the kid for doing something other than basketball.

    If you''ve watched a single episode of Through the Hoops you would know that Jaya is the definition of a workhorse with how much time he spends training and practicing.

    Are you telling me that just because we got to see a glimpse of what he does when he''s not working on his game all of a sudden he''s a cker now?

    I don''t know if you guys know this but it''s literally impossible to spend all your time in the gym. Hell, just the amount of time that Jaya already spends training and practicing is insane smh.

    Although there was a mixture of positive and supportivements therge number of negativements directed at Jason infuriated the rest of the guys.

    DJ mmed his fist on to the table "What the fuck do those dickheads know!? They talking he shit right now but I bet they wouldn''t a word to Jaya''s face."

    Kyle ground his teeth as a ferocious expression covered his face "Why the fuck do they care so much about what Jaya does on his free time!?

    And being in the drama club and ying a role in a y makes you fruity? What kind of sense does that make?"

    As everyone was seething with anger they turned to Jason expecting to see him boiling over with rage. But to their surprise all they heard wasughter.

    A strange feeling swept over the boys as they watched Jasonughing with a huge grin stered across his face as he took screenshots of thements on Nick''s phone.

    Kyle asked "Uh... You okay bro? What are you doing?" Jason turned to face Kyle as the grin remained on his face.

    "Oh, I''m just taking some screenshots so that I can send them to my phone." Matt looked over at him with a confused expression on his face "Why though?"

    He had just sent the screenshots to his phone as it began to vibrate in his pocket "This shit is great! This is what I was looking for!"

    Instead of providing rity Jason''s answer just worked to confuse the boys even more. Jason''s hands were shaking as he handed the phone back to Nick.

    "I had to make sure that I got the screenshots before those cornballs deleted them. I want to be able to see them whenever I want.

    This is the first time that I''ve felt like this." Jason pointed at his heart "I can feel it bro! Thosements lit one hell of a fire in here!"

    This was the first time where the amount of negativements were almost the same as the amount of positivements.

    Jason''s hands were shaking as he held them out in front of him "I honestly don''t know how the fuck I''m supposed to get through the rest of the day guys.

    I feel so fucking hyped right now I just wan to hit the gym!" To Jason this was an unexpected jackpot that he had hit!

    He didn''t think that helping Samantha out with the drama club would yield more resultspared to everything else he had done so far this season.

    Compared to trash talking Zhaire, letting the bench yers y major minutes, and then switching it up by ying the starters arge majority of the minutes, this whole thing with the drama club was trending way more.

    But not only did this video of him practicing his lines create a story that would help to get their name out there even more.

    All of the negativements had actually helped to fire him up in a way that he had only experienced a few times before in his past life.

    All of the boys were stunned as they watched Jason behave this way for the very first time. He had always been the type to be the first one in andst one out at the gym.

    But this level of motivation waspletely new to them. They all gulped as they shared one collective thought.

    They all felt bad for the next few teams that they would have to y against. Even without having seen him step on a court they knew that their next few opponents would have the misfortune of experiencing a version of Jason that no one had yet to see.

 Chapter 272 - Setting An Example

    Jason struggled to get through the rest of the day as all he could think about was how much he wanted to train.

    As soon as school was over Jason sent a text to Samantha saying that he wouldn''t be able to show up to drama club to practice his lines today.

    Kyle followed Jason as the two of them sped home on their skateboards. Both of his parents were still at work when he and Kyle walked into the apartment.

    Jason went over to his room as he flipped on the lights and started to curl some weights in both of his hands.

    Kyle walked in and chuckled when he saw what Jason was doing "What happened to no practice?" Jason smiled as he continued to lift the weights.

    "No practice for the rest of the guys. You can skip out too if you want. I was going to do this anyways but thosements have me hyped as fuck."

    Kyle shook his head with a slight smile on his face as he walked over and picked up a set of weights and started to workout with Jason.

    "How am I supposed to just sit back and chill when you''re out here acting like this? I would have to have the thickest skin in the world to do that."

    A few minutes passed by as the two of them worked up a sweat. Kyle''s breathing was starting to get rougher as he looked around the room.

    "So where''s Shania?" Jason answered while continuing to curl the weights "She''s probably still at practice. Her school is doing really good this year.

    And a lot of it has to do with her. Even though she''s just a freshmen she''s already on the varsity team getting a good number of minutes.

    Even if she''sing off the bench it''s really impressive that she made the varsity team in the first ce. Most of the time freshman''s have to start with junior varsity and move their way up from there.

    I just feel kind of bad. I haven''t had a chance to go to any of her games yet this season because they''ve been at the same time as our games."

    Kyleughed "The coach would have to have something wrong in their head if they didn''t put her on the varsity team.

    She''s at the point where she was able to pressure me on defense. She''s probably better than a lot of the guys we yed at the Nike training camp."

    Over the summer Jason had invited Shania to join him, Kyle, and the other guys that had been on the team for basketball practice.

    At first Kyle and the others were skeptical. Girls typically had a disadvantage in terms of strength and athleticism.

    But after she destroyed all of them in a game of King of the Hill they had to admit that she was good. She was even better than them.

    Kyle was the only one who was able to give her a challenge with his huge height advantage, crazy wingspan, and out of this world athleticism.

    While Jason was the only one who was actually able to beat her.

    Time passed by as Jason and Kyle continued to workout in his room. After they were done with the weights they worked out with the medicine ball.

    They then moved on to weighted squats, push ups, sit ups, mountain climbers, and bicycle kicks. By the time they were done a few hours had passed.

    Kyle wasying on the floor as he was dripping with sweat "I-I can''t believe we did all that. You weren''t joking when you said you were pumped up to train."

    Jason''s shirt was soaking wet with sweat and his breathing was ragged as he stood andughed at Kyle''s remark.

    Despite all the exercising they had just done it looked like he wasn''t ready to rest just yet as he had a hand gripper in his right hand.

    He repeatedly squeezed the hand gripper as he looked at Kyle "I told you that you could rest whenever you wanted."

    Before Kyle could say anything the door to the room swung open as Shania walked in. She shook her head weakly with a smile on her face as she looked at the two boys.

    "I thought y''all had the day off today? Why the hell you look so dead tired Kyle." He weakly lifted his arm as he pointed to Jason.

    "You can me this guy. Day off my ass. This was more intense than our normal basketball practice. Dude sees a bunch ofments shit talking him and now he wants to workout like Hercules."

    Shania tossed her backpack to the side of the room before jumping on to the bed. As she wasying down she pulled out her phone and started to scroll through her social media.

    She chuckled "You talkin bout that video of Jaya practicing his lines on stage right? Not gon lie I thought it was pretty funny.

    Sammy was keepin it a buck when she said that Jaya was perfect for ying a vampire. And when I saw thements I knew that they wouldn''t bother you.

    I just didn''t know that you would get so fired up after seeing em." Jason smiled "Hey, I''m surprised to. I didn''t know I would get so hyped up after reading them.

    Even now I just feel like I want to keep on grinding and working out. I want to make sure these next few games are something special haha."

    After saying that an idea popped into Jason''s head. He put the hand gripper down before looking at Shania.

    "Alt people are in to like DIY shit right?" Shania thought about it for a second before nodding her head "Sammy and me ain''t that type but I would say a lot of Alt people is in to that kind of stuff.

    A lot of them like making their own clothes or messing with they boots and shit. Why you asking?" Jason smiled "Do you or Sammy know anyone that''s in to that? I kind of have a favor to ask."

    - - -

    That weekend practice would be intense for everybody. Saturday and Sunday turned out to be two of the most tiring days of some of the boys lives.

    But event though they were being worked to the bone none of them had the guts toin when they saw that Jason was working even harder than them.

    It soon became widely known in the team that Jason had gotten fired up after reading some of thements that made in regards to the video of him practicing his lines.

    All they could do was bury theirints deep down in their hearts as instead of cursing Jason they instead chose to curse the person who had posted that video.

    They then cursed the people who had made those negativements about their team''s captain and superstar.

    All kinds of vulgarities and curses flowed through their minds as they wished that they could get their hands on those people and grind their bones to dust.

    - - -

    Monday afternoon. After the weekend was over Jefferson had their 8th game of the season lined up for today.

    Jason and the boys had to ride the bus for over an hour because of California''s usual terrible traffic. Today they would y against Hoover Middle School in Murrieta.

    Although they had been a mediocre program in the past thest few years they had actual improved.

    Now they were at the point where if the season ended today they would have a fairly high seeding in the county tournament.

    The bus ride was silent as everyone was doing their own thing either listening to music on their earbuds or browsing the inte on their phones.

    After arriving at the school the boys followed Coach Swendel as he lead them to the visitors locker room.

    Since they were outside of Riverside city the crowd didn''t cheer for them as they passed by. In fact the crowd was booing them as a few signs could be seen among the crowd.

    The signs ranged from ''Jefferson'' with an X going through it to '' Go Hoovers!'' it was clear that the crowd was here to support the home team.

    After getting changed in to their game jerseys in the locker room Coach Swendel gave the boys a quick pep talk before heading out ahead of them.

    Jason stood up before sweeping his gaze through the rest of the boys in the room "Lately there have been a lot of people talking shit about us.

    They don''t think that we have what it takes to win the county title even though our team right now is clearly better than the team we hadst year.

    They don''t think that we''re dedicated enough to be the best team in the county. Well let''s show them just how crazy they are for believing that shit!"

    Jason stuck his arm out "I want this game to set an example. I want everyone to see just how good we really are! Jefferson on 3!"

    All of the boys crowded around Jason as they began to pile their hands on top of one another. They then shouted out in unison "ONE! TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!"

    All of the boys then tossed their hands up into the air before following Jason as he made his way out of the locker room.

    The crowd was booing and jeering but as soon as Jason''s figure appeared they were stunned silent as he debuted his brand new look.

    He had a pair of all white Jordan 1s that he had asked one of Samantha''s friends to customize for him.

    It was now painted all ck as the sides had the image of a scythe drawn on them while the tongues of the shoes had an image of a skull with an eerie smile.

    He also had an all ck arm sleeve on his right hand that went from his wrist all the way to above his bicep.

    It had white bones drawn down the length of it making Jason''s arm look like a skeleton''s.

    Thatbined with his chilling gaze and bloodthirsty smile made it so that none of the people in the crowd were able to continue their booing.

    Jason smiled ''I hope this team is ready to lose. We''ll be burying some bodies today.''

 Chapter 273 - Here Comes The Reaper

    At first the audience in attendance were silent. But as Jason and the rest of the team made their way out they seemed to have found their spirit again as their booing picked back up.

    The reserve yers made their way to the bench while Jason and the other starters stepped on to the court as they lined up for the pregame handshake.

    Even though the pressure that Jason was currently exuding was much more intense than usual the yers on the opposing team were only slightly shaken.

    They showed the heart befitting of a team that was fighting for a high seeding and that had the hopes of chasing a county title.

    As the two teams shook hands words were barely exchanged as the yers all seemed to have a tacit understanding.

    Hoover''s team knew what had happened recently in regards to Jason and all the controversy currently surrounding him.

    They also understood that this game was going to be a statement game for him and the team one way or another.

    While Jason and rest of his teammates knew that Hoover was a team that had finally broken through the wall from scrappy underdogs that yed hard to a legitimate program within the county.

    This game would be their greatest test yet since their ascension to their current level. This could be the game where they solidified their position as one of the strongest teams in the county.

    Kyle walked to his spot as he got ready for the tipoff. Just like Jason his eyes were sharp and focused as he exuded the air of a razer sharp de that had just been prepared for battle.

    As the referee tossed the ball into the air Kyle bent his knees slightly as he prepared for the jump. After seeing that it had reached its apex heunched off the ground as he effortlessly tapped it over to his team''s side.

    Danilo caught the ball as he passed it ahead to Jason who had began sprinting down the court. With the ball in his hands he didn''t give the opposing team a chance to set up on defense as he drove down the middle of the court.

    Although he wasn''t at the level of being an explosive athlete his hard work and dedication to physical training showed their results as he was now a good deal faster than he wasst year.

    Seeing that their team had lost the tipoff the crowd immediately began to boo as they hoped that Jefferson would fail to score on this possession.

    As different defenders tried to get in his way and slow him down he easily maneuvered his way around him with a variety of moves.

    As soon as he neared half court a defender got in to a low defensive stance as he prepared to defend Jason.

    With the ball in his right hand he did a inside out dribble move that got the defender leaning just enough to the left that he was able to slip by him.

    Although Jason had just showed an incredible disy of ball handling the crowd wasn''t the least bit excited as their chants and boos intensified.

    It was clear to everyone that they were here to see their home team defeat the reigning county champions.

    At the top of the three point line he ran in to another defender but his defensive stance was a little more upright showing that he was ready to turn and sprint at any moment.

    As he approached him Jason slowed down his speed a bit as he did a hesitation move to the right before exploding in the opposite direction with a quick crossover.

    The defender then turned and got ready to go into a full sprint in order to stay with Jason. But as the opposing yer turned to stick with Jason he came to aplete stop with a through the leg dribble.

    The defender couldn''t control his momentum as he ended up falling backwards. After seeing that the had broken his defenders ankles Jason gazed down at him for a split second before firing off the wide open long distance two pointer.

    As the numerous people sitting in the bleachers saw the ball swish through the they all fell silent. It had been less than ten seconds and Jefferson had already scored a basket in a dominant fashion.

    After nailing the shot Jason turned to the crowd and put his hand up to his ear as if he was asking where all their booing had gone.

    The crowd was stunned by his clear act of provocation. A momentter and they exploded in anger as they resumed their booing.

    Normally Jason wouldn''t do something like this. It was normal for the home team''s fans to boo the away team and root for their team.

    But as they were walking into the gym before the start of the game Jason had seen a multitude of posters with the words ''Fruitloop'' ''Pansy'' and even ''***''

    And on those posters were pictures of Jason that were clearly taken from the video of him practicing his lines.

    Jason was tired of suppressing his emotions and acting how other people thought he should act. He had done enough of that in his past life.

    He would no longer wear a fake mask just in order to attempt and please everyone. The only expectations he would try to meet were his own.

    It didn''t matter if it was fans, yers, or even media outlet personalities. If they wanted to be disrespectful then Jason would happily beat them at their own game.

    Of course he would do it the best way he knew how, and that was on the court and with his skills.

    As the minutes passed by Jefferson was clearly in control from quarter to quarter as they held their opponents to horrible shooting percentages while also scoring at ease.

    Jason had switched his ystyle as he became much more ball dominant on the offensive end simr to how he had yedst season.

    The only difference was that the pieces surrounding Jason were leagues betterpared to the pieces that were put around himst year.

    Jason yed all but a few minutes of the game as he once again broke his season high for points by dropping 54 points in today''s game.

    But that wasn''t all. His full stat line consisted of 54 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block. And he had done all of that without havingmitted a single turnover.

    Jefferson absolutely destroyed the toughest team that they had encountered so far this season as they won with an unimaginable score of 122 to 38.

    After the end of game handshake Jason and the rest of the team were heading back to the locker room when the crowd''s resentment had finally boiled over.

    As they booed Jason and the team they began to throw their popcorn containers and soda cups down at the court.

    Kyle and the others who had been on the teamst year weren''t the least bit affected as they had gone through something simrst season.

    However, the other 7th graders were shaken as they had never experienced something like this in their entire lives.

    But as they were rooted to the floor unable to move Jason did something that pulled them out of the crowd''s atmosphere.

    Jason smiled as he put his hand to his mouth and began blowing kisses to the crowd. He then waved them goodbye as he entered the locker room.

    - - -

    Scenes like the one at Hoover Middle School repeated themselves as Jason and the rest of the guys on Jefferson destroyed their opponents in their next two games.

    Not only did Jason continue to y with his newfound level of intensity but the other teams were clearly weakerpared to Hoover.

    With his undeniably dominant performances coupled with his new look and clearly unapologetic behavior Jason and the rest of the team were put under an even more intense spotlight and were under a higher level of scrutiny.

    But despite all the negative attentioning his way Jason just seemed to be enjoying every moment of it.

    Instead of it impacting his game in a bad way it seemed to be fueling him to continue ying at the level that he was currently.

    And with him setting the tone the rest of the team began to do the same as they seemed to thrive off of being the viins of the basketball world.

    They didn''t care if media outlets or other fanbases didn''t like them. All they cared about was showing out for their own fans.

    After the three game stretch a new video began to trend on social media. It was aption of Jason''s best highlights put together from thetest episode of Through the Hoops.

    There were tons ofments of people who were in awe of Jason''s skills while there were alsoments from people who were clearly just haters.

    But the number onement that was at the very top was from a verified ount. Although it was short it had the most number of likes without question.

    TheRealw: <strong>@JasonYang</strong> Slim Reaper....

 Chapter 274 - No Biggie

    TheRealw: <strong>@JasonYang</strong> Slim Reaper.....

    Although it wasn''t too surprising to see Kawhiment on a video rted to Jason considering that he oftenmented on Jason''s posts it was the meaning that had them stunnded.

    Everyone that saw thement were filled with excitement as they understood the meaning behind Kawhi''s shortment.

    He had given Jason a new nickname. And not just any nickname. It was a nickname that was given to one of the most prolific and unstoppable scorers of Kawhi''s era.

    Even though Kevind Durant himself wasn''t too fond of the nickname that was given to him it was a nickname that matched him perfectly.

    He had a slender andnky build but his amazing ability to put the ball into the basket through a variety of means allowed him to kill his opponents on the court.

    For Kawhi to call Jason Slim Reaper it was as though he were saying that he had the potential to reach that level of greatness.

    The post by Kawhi created a huge ssh online as the nickname began to pick up steam. Now a ton of people were beginning to refer to Jason as Slim Reaper.

    Kawi''sment was so shocking that it even picked up the attention of major media outlets as they began to discuss the meaning and impact that it would have.

    - - -

    Back at the apartment. Jason was eating lunch with his parents. It was a Saturday afternoon and the both of them had the day off.

    Jason had basketball practice in the morning so now he was free to just hang around at the house. As he was stuffing his face full of rice the news on TV was talking about him and the team again.

    His mom frowned "You were right Jaya. If the rest of the world wants to make you guys out as viins you might as well give them what they want.

    Even when you guys were just minding your own businessst year they were still dragging you guys through the mud."

    Shania chuckled "You right Auntie. They really out here saying that he should be acting like a saint when they the ones talkin crazy like they savage.

    Now that you givin em a taste of their own medicine they wanna cry and y the victim. That little kiss you blew to the crowd was hrious Jaya. You really wildin out there."

    Jason''s dad smiled "I have to agree with Shania. Seeing that on TV was so satisfying. They deserved it. What kind of adults treat a bunch of middle schoolers like that?

    The thing that pisses me off the most is that everyone is talking trash about you and the team and yet they want you to be the bigger man.

    How does that make any sense? Your a kid while they are a bunch of full grown adults. If anything they should act their age and stop talking crazy."

    His mom looked at him "So how has Nate been? You guys stay in touch right?" Jason nodded his head as he swallowed the food that was in his mouth.

    "He''s been doing good. Last week we were talking about how we should do the whole reunion thing with his dad."

    A strange expression came over his dad after he had said that. His mom noticed as she tried to continue the conversation.

    "Well, your birthday ising up soon Jaya. Maybe you can do something with that. I think your uncle would appreciate the chance to celebrate it with you."

    Jason turned his head to look over at his dad "What do you think dad?" He took a moment to think before nodding his head.

    "That sounds good. Two weeks should be enough to n something. You just need to talk to Nate. It might be hard to convince his dad toe down to California for no reason."

    Jason gave a nod as he went back to eating ''It''s already been two months since the school year started. Man, time is moving by so fast.

    We''re halfway through the regr season and I''m turning 14 soon. It seems like it was just yesterday that I woke up twenty years in the past.''

    After lunch Jason went back to the office, aka the room he was using now that Shania had moved in with them, and called Nate.

    - - -

    Jason told Nate that his parents had told him that his birthday would be the perfect opportunity to invite his dad over so that he could be reunited with his brother.

    Nate told Jason that it sounded like a good n and that the only hard part would be convincing his dad to fly down to Riverside.

    There really wasn''t a reason for them to fly over to California and Nate really wanted this to be a surprise for his dad.

    Partly because he wasn''t sure how his dad would react if he told him that he was trying to reunite him with his brother.

    But Nate promised Jason that he would try his best toe up with something and that he himself really wanted to be there for his birthday.

    After they got the serious topic out of the way Nate began to ask Jason how he was doing. Even from all the way in New York he had heard and seen Jason on the news.

    He was slightly worried about Jason. He had heard how so many people were making him and the team out to be bad guys.

    He didn''t want his only cousin that he felt close with to be have any problems. But after a short conversation he remembered how Jason was.

    Heughed at himself. He should have known that something like this wasn''t enough to really have an impact on his cousin.

    At least not negatively. As the conversation went on he was amazed by how happy and excited Jason was to have all these haters posting negativements about him.

    After they were done talking they said their goodbyes as they both hanged up. Nate smiled as he put the cellphone back into his pocket.

    ''Jaya is really something else. If it was me being dragged through the mud like this I would either be crumbling apart or angry as all hell.

    The entire time he was talking about the bad publicity that he and his team were going through he sounded so happy and excited.''

    Just then his door swung open. At his door was a short Asian girl with blond highlights in her jet ck hair.

    She was wearing light blue distressed denim jeans and a ck top that showed off her midriff. Her slender 5''5 (1.65m) frame leaned against the doorframe.

    She had a mischievous smile on her face as she stared at him "Who were you talking to NateNate?" He gulped "H-hey Chloe."

 Chapter 275 - A Surprise Call

    Nate could feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead ''Why is she here? Last I heard she was still grounded for crashing her porsche.''

    Chloe walked over to him and patted him on the head as he sat in his chair "You look ufortable NateNate.

    What''s the matter? Do you not like your cousin? I thought that stopping by to say hello would be a nice thing."

    Nate shook his head "Of course not Chloe. You''re family, I would never be unhappy to have you visit me. I was just surprised was all."

    She smirked "Surprised? Why, because you thought that I would still be grounded for crashing my car?"

    Nate hesitated for a moment but then nodded his head. Chloe chuckled before taking a step back "I won myst tennis match pretty convincingly so my dad decided to unground me.

    But back to my question. Who were you talking to Nate? Someone you don''t want me to find out about?"

    Nate''s heart began to race ''If it was literally anyone else this would have been so much easier to deal with.

    Chloe has always been the type that could read people and she loves to make trouble. I can''t let her find out about Jaya.

    As soon as she finds out trouble will start following.'' Nate sheepishly smiled "I was just talking to a friend. He recently got in to a new hobby so that''s what we were talking about."

    Chloe stared at him for a few seconds. Her gaze seemed to be peeking directly into his soul as a cold shiver ran down his spine.

    Finally she shifted her gaze away "Alright Nate. Good to hear that you still have friends that want to talk to you.

    I still have ns with my friends so I''ll head out now." It wasn''t until he saw her figure leave his room that he was able to rx.

    Nate seemed to have lost all of his energy as he weakly slumped into his chair. He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand ''I think I need to get big sis on this.

    If Chloe starts sticking her nose into this she''s the only one that can handle her. And maybe she''ll have an idea for convincing dad to fly to Riverside.''

    After making up his mind Nate stood up from his chair and left his room as he made his way over to his sister''s room.

    As he stood in front of the door Nate reached out to knock "Leslie. You busy? I have something to talk to you about."

    After a second a gentle voice called out from the other side of the door "Come in." Nate opened the door and walked in.

    His sister was wearing a pair of denim jeans and afy looking dark blue sweater as she sat at her desk.

    She was fairly tall at 5''8 (1.72m) and her silky ck hair was tied into a long ponytail that reached the middle of her back.

    Her face was a little wide despite her thin frame but that just helped to reinforce the gentle air about her.

    But despite her gentle looks and voice Nate couldn''t help but be somewhat nervous. Ever since the two of them were little kids their mom and dad had always been busy with work.

    The only time they ever really got to spend time with him was on the weekends and even that wasn''t a surefire thing.

    Because of that his sister who was only two years older than him had taken it upon herself to be the third parent.

    Although she was kind and understanding she was also strict and determined. Especially when it came to things rted to her little brother.

    Nate took a seat on her bed as the two of them were now just a few feet apart. Nate''s mouth opened and closed a few times but he couldn''t get the words toe out.

    Leslie smiled as she let out a giggle "It must be something pretty tough if it has you acting like this. Just tell your noona and she''ll try her best to help out."

    Nate took a deep breathe before steeling his resolve. He began to tell his sister all about Jason and how they had met during the summer.

    He described how Jason was and what his personality was like as well as giving her a summery of everything that had happened to him up until now.

    As the conversation went one Nate began to get more and more nervous as he could see his sister frowning more and more as he talked.

    The conversation ended up being a little more than an hour long as Nate finished up by telling her about Chloe''s sudden visit and inquiry.

    All throughout the recap Leslie had remained silent as she didn''t speak a single word. She simply nodded her head and listened.

    Nate nervously looked at her "Uh, what do you think sis?" Her gaze became cold as she looked at him "Wall."

    Even though she had said just one word Nate understood what she meant. He got up from her bed and kneeled in front of the wall of her room with his arms raised up and his fists closed.

    He could hear her walking toward him from behind "What made you think to do all of that without even talking to anybody?"

    Nate looked down at the floor "I was wrong." She continued "You didn''t even know him and you followed him in a random van.

    Do you know how stupid that sounds? What if he had wanted to do something bad to you." Nate weakly responded.

    "There were a bunch of other kids in the van with him. I doubt he would do something bad with that many witnesses."

    She lightly smacked the back of his head which prompted him to apologies "Sorry. I know I was in the wrong."

    After a few moments of silence she let out a long sigh as she sat down on her bed "So what''s the n? You said you wanted to get dad to fly down to Riverside right?"

    Nate turned around and smiled at his sister "Thanks sis! I knew I could count on you." She just face palmed in response.

    "I''m helping you out because I want to make sure you do this right. Even though you were kind of reckless I know your heart was in the right ce."

    - - -

    It had been a few days since Jason had called Nate. For some reason he hadn''t been able to get in touch with him recently.

    Jefferson had just yed another dominant game of basketball as Jason was now being interviewed by Gloria.

    "So Jason, you and the team have just crossed the halfway mark of the season and not only are you guys undefeated but you guys have been winning in decisive fashion.

    Is this a result of the injection of new talent over the summer or just a sign of organic growth from you and the rest of the guys that have been on the team sincest season?"

    Jason wiped the sweat out of his eyes with his ck skeleton arm band "I think that I would have to say that it''s abination of both.

    Obviously we got two great starters in the Silva twins and we have a deeper roster now because of the new guys that joined the team this year.

    But Kyle, Matt, DJ, Vince, and Nick have all shown tremendous growth over the summer. They have been great for us."

    Gloria smiled "That''s true. Both the new yers as well as the team''s older yers have contributed greatly to your guys'' sess this season.

    Recently there was ament that Kawhi posted on one of your highlight videos. Because of that it seems like you''ve earned a new nickname.

    But there have been a ton of different versions and variations of the nickname such as Lin Reaper, Gin Reaper, Nguyen Reaper, do you have a personal preference?"

    Jason smiled "Those are all cool and funny but my favorite, at least from all the different ones that I''ve been seeing online, is just in Reaper.

    It goes well with the new gear that I''ve been rocking recently. And it has a serious tone that kinda matches my personality when I''m on the court."

    Gloria continued to ask a few more questions before thanking Jason for his time. As he walked into the locker room all of the guys were in high spirits as they whistled and cheered for him.

    Jason smiled as he high fived all of the guys on the way to his locker. After getting his towel and other things out he took a quick shower to wash off the dirt and sweat from his body.

    After changing into a clean set of clothes Jason saw his phone ringing and vibrating inside of his locker. The caller id showed that it was Nate''s number.

    Jason smiled as he answered the call "Yo what''s up Nate?" But to his surprise it wasn''t Nate''s voice that answered back.

    A female voice spoke out "Jason Yang I''m assuming?"

 Chapter 276 - Plans Are A Go

    Jason was stunned for just a moment "Yeah, this is Jason Yang. Can I ask who this is?" She answered tly "This is Leslie, Nate''s older sister.

    I know that you''ve been trying to get in touch with Nate the past few days, sorry about that. I took his phone away as a small punishment for acting so irresponsibly on his own.

    But despite that I will be helping the two of you with your little n. You guys want my dad to fly down to Riverside next week right?"

    Jason was d that she wanted to help but at the same time he was feeling some type of way about her slightly aggressive tone.

    ''What did I ever do to her? She sounds kind of pissed. But she is Nate''s sister which makes her my cousin I guess.

    I''ll let it go for now. Hopefully after we get a chance to know each other better her attitude improves.''

    Jason answered "Yeah. My birthday is next week and both of my parents thought that it would be a good idea to have your dad over then for the reunion.

    I can tell that you don''t really seem to like me much, which I canpletely understand seeing as how we''ve never really met and all.

    But I want you to know that I am a hundred percent serious when I tell you that all I want is for everybody to be happy.

    At least everyone that I care about. Which includes Nate and your dad and by extension you as well."

    She was silent for a moment. She then let out a sigh "Sorry. I know that I might have came out a little strong for a first impression.

    I just can''t help it. I know that you and your parents have had it rough but things haven''t exactly been easy for our side of the family.

    In some ways I''m actually jealous of you Jason. I know that it sounds selfish and tone deaf of me to say that but I really am.

    Even though you were separated from the rest of the Yang family and never got a chance to know this side of your family I actually think that it was a blessing in disguise.

    If I''m being honest you might be getting the short end of the stick with this n. Me and Nate get to see our dad be reunited with the only sibling that he ever felt close with and your dad gets to see his younger brother again.

    But you, all you get is the risk of being exposed to toxic people that would use you in a heartbeat if it meant them gaining from it."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders as he spoke into the phone "That''s good enough for me." Leslie fell silent as she was blindsided by Jason''s answer.

    Jason took the silence as an opportunity to continue "I''ve never cared about what other people have said or did around me.

    All I care about is that the people important to me are happy. Besides-" Jason''s gaze turned serious as the tone of his voice became cold and ruthless.

    "If anyone wants to plot against me they better make sure they do a good job of getting rid of me. I might be young but I am anything but stupid.

    And I always make sure to give back more than I get. They might take a bite out of my flesh but I''ll crush them down to the bone."

    - - -

    Leslie hung up after the two of them finished talking. Nate was standing on the side with a nervous expression on his face.

    "What did you think sis? How was the call?" He had been silent the entire time as all he could hear was what his sister had said.

    She turned to him "I don''t know if I can trust himpletely but-" A slight smile grew on her face "He''s exactly how you described him.

    Stubborn, headstrong, and reckless. But at the same time he seems to care more about the people important to him than himself."

    Her father''s face appeared in her mind at that moment "I guess it must run in the family, well to a certain extent. None of our other rtives are like this."

    Nate had a hopeful look on his face as he looked at his sister "So does that mean?" She nodded her head "I''ll help you two out.

    He passed my test better than I thought he would." Nate started to pump his fist in the air "Yes!" After celebrating for a moment he turned back to his sister.

    "So how do you n on convincing dad to fly out to Riverside? It''ll be kind of hard without having a reason to."

    Leslie smiled as she looked at her younger brother "That''s easy. There''s only one person that can get dad to so something on a whim."

    Nate gave his sister a nod as he understood who she was talking about "Good luck sis." She gave him a nod back as she turned around and walked out of his room.

    As she walked through the hallways it was clear to see that her family was fairly well off as expensive looking paintings and other pieces of d��cor lined her view.

    Along with the expensive pieces of art there were family portraits that hung on the wall. Pictures of Nate and Leslie at different ages could be seen.

    In those pictures were a man that looked strikingly simr to Jason''s dad. Next to him in the pictures was a beautiful women.

    She had long ck hair that shined like the most mesmerizing of onyx and her smile had an alluring appeal.

    Unlike the man in the picture who gave off a serious and professional air the women exuded a yful and adventurous energy in all of her pictures.

    This could be seen by her choice of clothes as well as the colorful lotus tattoo on the front of her chest that was visible in some of her pictures where she wore a v cut dress.

    After a short walk Leslie found herself outside of a room. She knocked on the door "Hey mom, are you busy?"

    A voice answered back from the other side of the door "Come in sweetie." Leslie reached for the doorknob and entered the room.

    Her mom was sitting crossed legged on top of a huge skan king sized bed with aptop in front of her.

    She had her hair tied up in to a sloppy bun and she wore a pair of stylish reading sses. She smiled as she patted the spot next to her "I was just in the middle of paying the bills.

    Your dad had to work another double so I actually have to adult for once haha. What did you need baby?"

    Leslie walked over to her parents bed and sat down in the spot that her mom had gestured to. She gave her mom a hug before looking at her with a bright smile on her face.

    "Do you and dad have any ns for next weekend?" Her mom pushed her sses up before biting on the end of her pen.

    "Hmmm. I don''t have any ns and I''m pretty sure your dad doesn''t have any either. We were just going to have a date night, why?"

    Leslie leaned her head on her mom''s shoulder "I was just thinking thattely things have been pretty boring.

    I haven''t been out since I started college and one of my friends have been talking about how much fun she had when she went down to Riverside.

    Do you think we could n a mini family vacation and fly down to California? I would love to look around and see Riverside."

    Her mom smiled as sheughed before pulling her into a tight hug "Of course we can fly down to California.

    Anything for my little girl. I''ll let your dad know as soon as he gets home tomorrow morning. He should be excited too.

    We''ve had tons of fun back there. When it came to parties those UCR kids really knew how to have a good time.

    Of course that was back when me and your dad were a lot younger. At our age I doubt we would hit up any clubs or functions.

    Especially me, your mom is starting to feel more and more like a grandma." Leslie smiled "Thanks mom. I''ll let Nate know."

 Chapter 277 - Surprise Surprise

    The week passed by quickly and uneventfully. Jason and the team didn''t have a game the entire week so they spent their days practicing and training.

    Some media outlets attempted to drive a wedge between Jason and the rest of the team as they showed up to the school to interview Kyle and some of the other yers.

    One interviewer asked Kyle "Seeing as how you are seen as the second best yer on the team does Jason''s reckless way of handling things undermine your authority on the team?"

    Another reporter asked "Kyle, how do you feel about the negative image that your team has been given as ofte? Do you resent Jason''s actions at all?"

    Without even giving him a chance to answer one question they were bombarding him with multiple more.

    Kyle red at them "Jaya is the heart and soul of our team. As the team captain none of us question his decisions."

    He then walked away and made his way to the locker room. Scenes like this happened everyday as the reporters tried interviewing DJ, Matt, Vince, and Nick.

    They thought that at least one of the yers that had been on the team sincest season would have at least oneint about Jason.

    But what they weren''t expecting was that each of the guys that had been on the teamst year would scornfully shoot down all of their attempts.

    They either gave short and direct answers making sure that they didn''t get any good soundbites, or in Vince''s case curse them right in their faces.

    "Huh? What kind of bullshit question is that? Why the hell would anyone be upset with how Jaya''s runnin the show?

    Are all of you guys blind or just a whole new level of stupid? Jaya''s the reason why the team managed to turn into one of the strongest in the state."

    But despite the cold treatment that the media personal received from all of the yers on the team their efforts didn''t wane.

    Things got to the point to where the principle had to change the school''s policy for allowing media personnel on campus.

    They would now be screened and processed by Coach Swendel, who unbeknownst to everyone on the outside looking in allowed Jason''s input to heavily influence his decisions.

    Kyle''s mom also organized all of the other parents to file formalints against a bunch of the media outlets for their unprofessional behavior.

    And because of their fierce approach and unrelenting behavior spearheaded by her a lot of local media outlets were forced to tone down their coverage of Jason and the team.

    But while this was effective against the smaller local channels and media outlets it didn''t do much to deter therger major programs.

    However, even with all of this going on around them the team seemed as though they were in their own little world as they continued to go about their everyday lives.

    Once again Jason''s influence on the team showed as they were able to focus in and tune out all of the noise around them.

    Because of his lead by example attitude and amazing work ethic Jefferson now had a tangible culture that wouldn''t be easily shaken.

    Their days started with practice in the morning and after school they ended their days with even more practice.

    Even Jason himself was unaware that he was setting the team up to have a bright and sessful path through the culture that he was helping to establish.

    And so the days passed until it was finally the fateful moment. As soon as Nate got out of school he picked up the bag that he had packed previously as he and his family got into their limo.

    He couldn''t help but sweat and fidget as numerous thoughts raced across his mind. His dad looked at him andughed.

    "What are you so nervous for Nate? This might be your first time visiting Riverside but we''ve been down to California a bunch of times."

    He looked to be a bit taller than Jason''s dad as he appeared to be 5''11 (1.8m) but he had the same slender build.

    His short ck hair was styled in abover going to the left and he was dressed in a light blue polo shirt with a pair of dark blue denim jeans.

    His wife leaned her head against his shoulder as she smiled "He''s probably just nervous being away from hisputer for the weekend.

    You know how kids these days are. All they want to do is y their videogames and livestream with their friends."

    She then gave Nate a knowing wink. Although she didn''t know just what exactly her kids were up to she knew them well enough to know when they were nning something.

    In fact her rm bells had gone off from the very moment that her daughter had suddenly asked for them to take a mini family vacation in Riverside.

    But she trusted her kids and knew that they weren''t the types to n anything bad or too crazy so she went ahead and yed their game.

    But even though her wink was meant tofort Nate and help him rx it only helped to do the opposite.

    ''Oh god, she know! We are so screwed! I''m so screwed! Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I really did overstep my boundaries with all of this.

    I don''t even know how dad really feels about his brother. Maybe he only talks about him in a positive way because he doesn''t want to shit on someone that''s not there to defend themselves.''

    Just as his nerves were about to get the best of him the image of Jason popped into his mind. His hands stopped shaking and his breathing went back to normal.

    ''No, I can''t get cold feet now. I know that dad misses his brother. And I know that he wants to reunite with him.

    I''ve known that and that''s the reason why I even tried to meet up with Jaya in the first ce.'' Luckily he managed to steel his resolve just as they had arrived at the airport.

    After being dropped off by their driver they carried their bags a short distance as they then handed them over to the airport workers.

    They then flewfortably in first ss for a few hours as they were served a variety of drinks and offered multiple different choices for their onboard snack.

    After passing through LAX''s security they found a man dressed all in ck holding up a sign that read ''Yang family''.

    The driver loaded all of their bags into the limousine as they all got on. Nate''s dad smiled as he gotfortable.

    "You really out did yourself this time Lily. Normally whenever I leave the nning to you we end up calling an Uber."

    Lily smiled before tilting her head toward her daughter "As nice as it is to hear you say that I can''t take any of the credit.

    For this trip Leslie was the one that nned everything. From the tickets to the ride even down to the Airbnb she was the one that organized everything.

    All I did was give her your card haha." He smiled before stretching his neck as he reached down and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

    It took them another hour and a half before they were able to reach Riverside. The limo then drove deeper into the city as they came to a stop at an apartmentplex.

    Their dad was clearly a bit confused as he scratched his head "Uh..... Not that I''mining or anything but this is a little different than what we normally get."

    Leslie smiled as she nodded her head "I know that it''s not exactly what were used to dad. But trust me, this was a deal too good to pass down."

    He nodded his head before picking up his and his wife''s bag. The four of them then walked into the apartmentplex after Leslie dialed in the code for the front door.

    They walked up a few flights of stairs before finally stopping at a door. Leslie turned her head to look at her dad.

    "Go ahead and knock dad." He looked at her with a confused expression on his face "What do you mean knock? Is there someone else in here?"

    Leslie just smiled as she shook her head "Just go ahead and knock dad." Despite having a few questions in his mind he reached out and knocked on the door a few times.

    The door slowly opened and what David saw stunned him so much that he dropped the bag that was just in his hands.

    Jason''s dad smiled "Hey David. It''s been a while."

 Chapter 278 - A Happy Birthday

    His lips began to tremble as his hands were shaking at his sides "H-Henry?" He slowly stepped forward until he was right in front of Jason''s dad.

    His hand slowly raised as he reached out toward him. After putting his hand on Henry''s shoulder he shuddered as the realization that this was all real dawned on him.

    He pulled Henry into a tight hug. Years of not knowing how his brother was doing or even if he was still alive released themselves as he silently embraced him.

    No words were spoken and no tears were shed but Henry could feel from the strength of his brother''s hug that there were years of emotions contained within it.

    Not knowing what to say he just hugged his brother back while patting him on the shoulder. What nobody else knew was that he himself was feeling a rush of different emotions himself.

    Sadness, relief, and happiness. All of these emotions swelled up from within him as he embraced his brother after so many years.

    Seeing how strongly his brother reacted to seeing him after all these years he knew that his absence had hurt him greatly.

    However he was also happy and relieved after seeing that his brother didn''t seem to hold those years against him as the two of them hugged each other.

    After few minutes David finally took a step back as he held Henry by the shoulders. He smiled "Look at you man, you''re getting old."

    Jason''s dadughed "You''re one to talk. You already look like you have a few gray hairs on your head. And one of your kids is already in college."

    David smiled "Good to see that yourebacks are still as fast as ever." He shook his head "I still can''t believe it. It''s really you. I didn''t think that I would ever see you again."

    Henry chuckled "Well, as nice as it is talking to you what do you say we let your family in first? They''ve just been standing outside for a bit now."

    David shook his head in embarrassment before turning to his wife and kids behind him "Sorry about that."

    Lily shook her head as she chuckled "That''s alright Henry. I''m sure your kids were expecting that kind of reaction this when they nned all this."

    Leslie and Nate silently looked to the side as they avoided their parents'' gaze. Henry said hello to all of them as he weed them inside.

    Jason and Shania were sitting on the couch in the living room while Naomi stood a few feet behind Henry.

    David smiled brightly as he saw Naomi''s face. He quickly walked toward her and hugged her from the side.

    "Oh my god Naomi! Unlike my brother you''ve hardly aged a bit! You look the same as when we were back in high school."

    Naomiughed as she patted David on the shoulder "Thanks Dave. And you still look like the same guy that used to cry back when the three of us used to watch old Disney movies."

    Lily smiled as she walked up to Naomi after having introduced herself to Henry "You''re right about that. I remember back when we were dating he never wanted to watch any sad movies together.

    It wasn''t until a year had passed that he finally told me why. He was afraid that he would scare me off if I saw him crying because of a movie."

    The four adults all spoke with each other for a few minutes as they caught up and talked about what had happened in their lives during the time that they had been apart.

    Dave then noticed Jason and Shania sitting on the couch silently as he smiled at the both of them "I''m assuming that''s your son Henry?

    He looks just like the two of you. He has Henry''s nose and eyebrows but thankfully he got the rest from Naomi.

    I bet he''s a real hit with thedies at school." He then looked at shifted his sight to Shania "Is this his girlfriend?"

    Henry smiled "Actually those are both my kids." After he had said that David and Lily both fell silent as they didn''t know what to say.

    David couldn''t help but shift his gaze from Naomi to Shania and then back again. Seeing their reactions Naomi couldn''t help but bust outughing.

    "Hahaha! Why''d you have to scare our guest so bad Henry? Did you see their faces? They were petrified. They had no idea how to respond hahaha."

    Naomi wiped the tear from the corner of her eye before exining "Technically Henry isn''t wrong. The both of us see Shania as practically one of our kids.

    Because of some circumstances she''s living with us currently. But Jason''s our only biological kid." Henry smiled as he looked at Shania.

    "But just because she doesn''t have our blood doesn''t mean that we love her any less." David smiled as he nced at Leslie and Nate "I understand a hundred percent. Blood don''t equal love."

    He looked at the two of them with loving eyes "That''s what I''ve always told them. Just because you didn''te from me that doesn''t mean that you aren''t now a part of me."

    Nate was nervous as he stood behind his sister ''I knew that this would probablye up during their reunion.

    I just hope that Jaya doesn''t hate me for hiding this from him. I was just too afraid to tell him. I had finally found someone other than Leslie and mom and dad that I could actually call family.''

    Jason''s dad held his hand up "Before you get into that how about we eat first? I just finished cooking up some hamburger steaks with some mushroom gravy on the side. Plus some fried eggs if anyone wants some."

    After hearing him say that all of them agreed to catch up with each other some more over some food.

    The good food helped to rx everybody and made it easier to getfortable with each other. After a while the topic of David''s kids came up.

    David had a bright smile on his face as he told the story of how he had met Lily. She was a Nurse at the hospital where he was doing his residency.

    Back then he was a wet behind the ears med school graduate who was still learning the ropes while Lily was the charge nurse on the unit that he was doing his residency.

    He told his brother and his wife how he had fallen in love with Lily as soon as he had seen her. Something about her alluring smile and adventurous live life energy was intoxicating to him.

    He had lived his life with the sole purpose of making his parents happy. Even the fact that he became a doctor was for that very reason.

    And when Henry had left New York with Naomi satisfying his parents expectations became the only thing that drove him in life.

    But Lily taught him how to live life for himself and that his own happiness should be just as important as trying to live up to his parents expectations.

    He even learned to love his job as a doctor thanks to Lily. He learned how to find purpose in the work that he was doing to help others beyond just the fact that it was what his parents wanted.

    And finally the truth about Leslie and Nate came out. Lily was ten years older than Davide and she had two children from her previous rtionship.

    Their mom had left their biological father after no longer being able to put up with his cheating and unfaithfulness.

    When everyone in the family found out about David''s intentions of marrying Lily they all berated and judged him.

    They told him that he was simply falling for her n to use him for his money and that he was a fool for being willing to raise another man''s kids.

    And his parents were the most outspoken amongst the family as they directly told him that if he were to go ahead with his ns to marry Lily that they would take him off of their will.

    David looked up and smiled at his brother "I guess being stubborn is just something that runs in our blood Henry.

    I''ll be honest. It wasn''t until that day where mom and dad told me about how much they disagreed with me marrying Lily that I finally understood what you had to go through.

    I finally understood just how much you loved Naomi and your not yet born child. Because just as much as I was in love with Lily I loved Leslie and Nate the same.

    Through the years that me and Lily spent dating Leslie and Nate became just as important in my life as her.

    And I couldn''t imagine abandoning the three of them simply because that was what our parents wanted."

    Lily smiled softly as she reached out and held her husbands hand under the table. The mood in the room wasplicated as no one knew what to say next after just having heard such a sad yet touching story.

    Jason looked around the table before saying "That was a great story uncle. Good enough to be made into a movie."

    He then drank some water before continuing "Do you guys have ns for tomorrow? Because if you don''t then you guys cane watch my game. Only if you want to of course.

    Hey dad, can we get the cake out now? I heard mom say that you picked up a ice-cream cake for my birthday."

    Everyone startedughing after hearing Jason say that. His dad went into the kitchen and came back out with a ice-cream cake that had a skull and a basketball drawn on the top with colored frosting.

    They all sang happy birthday for Jason as he smiled looking around the table ''This feels nice. I thought that as long as I had mom and dad that that was all that mattered.

    But I guess I was wrong. Having so many people around you that you feel that you can trust is really nice.''

    After they were done singing Jason blew out the candles while making the wish in his mind ''I want to win at Nationals with the team.''

 Chapter 279 - Play Hard Work Harder

    After eating some of the birthday cake with his parents and his uncles family Jason asked if it was okay for him to hang out with his friends at the local arcade that was only a few blocks away.

    He had just gotten the text from Kyle saying that a bunch of the guys from the team wanted to celebrate his birthday even if it was just for a little bit.

    Seeing that it wasn''t too in the night yet Jason''s dad agreed "Sure Jason. How about if you invite your cousins to go with you?

    You can introduce them to some of your friends and show them around Riverside a bit. Just have Tory drive for you.

    ording to her dad she''s not really doing anything right now and he has the van that you guys can borrow."

    Jason smiled "She was going to go anyways. After she heard Kyle on the phone with Matt she kind of invited herself, not that we mind."

    Jason then turned to Leslie and Nate "You guys want toe? I know it might soundme to hang out with a bunch of middle schoolers but I think it''ll be fun."

    Nate agreed right away "Definitely!" He then turned to his parents "Is that okay?" His mom smiled "Of course its okay. It''s not like you get to hang out with a cousin that you actually like all that often."

    David nodded his head "Have fun, but don''t let your cousin pay for everything. Just use the card if you guys need to."

    Nate pumped his fist "Yes!" Jason chuckled after seeing Nate''s reaction. He then turned to Leslie "How about you?"

    She thought about it for a moment before giving him a nod "Sure. It sounds like a good chance to see a little bit of Riverside."

    Jason put on a pair of all white Lebrons and a hoody as he lead Nate and Leslie over to his uncles apartment.

    He knocked on the door and almost instantly it swung open "Hey Jaya!" Tory''s excited face was beaming with joy.

    She then noticed Nate and Leslie as she tilted her head to the side "Who''re these two?" Jason responded "Nate, Leslie, this is Tory. We''ve been friends since we were little.

    Tory this is Leslie and Nate. They''re my cousins from my dad''s side of the family." Tory''s eyes opened wide after hearing Jason say that.

    She walked over to Nate and began to inspect him closely. She nodded her head while asionally grunting.

    "Sure enough you do look like Uncle." Jason shook his head. He knew the truth about Nate and Leslie but he felt that it wasn''t his ce to correct Tory and tell her the truth.

    He himself was surprised by the resemnce that Nate shared with his uncle David and his dad ''He really does look like uncle and dad.

    If no one said anything they wouldn''t doubt that he was his kid. Even I got tricked when I first met him. I would have never thought that he wasn''t uncle David''s son.''

    Tory stuck her hand out "So you''re the one that hunted Jaya down while he was in New York huh? Good job Sherlock."

    Nate wasn''t really sure how he should respond to Tory''sment but he shook her hand "Nice to finally meet you Tory.

    Jason told me a lot about you while he was in New York. Plus he talks about you a lot whenever we''re on the phone."

    Tory''s eyes shined with excitement as she asked "Really!? Jaya talks about me? What did he tell you? Come on now, don''t be shy."

    Nate nodded his head "He said that you''re really good at fighting and that even guys are scared to go against you.

    He also said that you''re super buff and shredded and that you had a the kind of gori muscles that would make-"

    Tory gave him a light chop on the top of his head as she frowned "Forget it. I should have known." She then walked over to Leslie and reached out.

    "Nice to meet you. Just like Jaya said I''ve known him since he was in diapers. I''m his noona." Leslie gave a smile as she shook her hand "Nice to meet you Tory."

    Tory then gestured for all of them toe into the apartment "Kyle should be ready soon. He just went to shower up real quick."

    As the three of them made their way to the living room Jason turned to Tory "Oh yeah, my dad was wondering if it was okay for us to use uncle''s van tonight."

    Tory smiled as she gave Jason a thumbs up "No problemo. My dad left the keys with me and said it was okay to use it.

    He had a feeling that we would do something for Jaya''s birthday." After about ten minutes Kyle came out.

    As soon as he saw Nate he walked over to him and high fived him "Yo Nate!" He then noticed Leslie sitting on the couch.

    He turned to Jason with a slight smile on his face "Since these two are still here I''m guessing that the whole reunion thing turned out well."

    Leslie looked at Jason with a frown on her face "You told him? I''m pretty sure that was family business."

    Jason looked at her "It was. That''s why I told Kyle about it. The two of us might not share any blood but he''s my brother.

    He''s been there for me when things were tough and he''s someone that I would trust to have my back. It''s not like I was just out here telling everyone my family''s business."

    Nate could feel the tension beginning to grow so he stood up and nervouslyughed "Come on guys. Let''s not do this.

    This is the first time that all of us can hang out with each other." He then turned to his sister "Kyle and Jason are super close Leslie.

    Even back in New York Kyle was there no matter where Jaya went. Even I can vouch for him." Leslie looked at the three boys before letting out a sigh.

    "Alright. Sorry about that Jason." She then looked at Kyle "Nice to meet you Kyle." Kyle nodded his head "Nice to meet you too.... I guess."

    Kyle turned to Jason "Shania''s noting?" Jason shook his head "I invited her but she said that she was dead tired from practice."

    He nodded his head before asking "What about Sammy?" Jason shook his head again "She has a video call with her dad and apparently it won''t end any time soon."

    Now that they were all there and ready the five of them left the apartment and got into the van of Tory''s dad.

    It was just a short drive to the arcade that Jason and the other guys from the team had agreed to meet at.

    As they walked from the parking lot to the entrance of the arcade Jason was stopped by multiple people as they all dapped him up.

    "Ay it''s YB." "What''s good Young Buckets." "Yo it''s the hometown hero." Nate and Leslie watched as multiple went up and greeted Jason.

    Kyle chuckled as he watched the two of them "You guys should get used to this if you''re going to be hanging out with Jaya.

    I can''t really talk about everywhere else but at least in Riverside he''s kind of a celebrity. Jaya''s pretty much repping the whole city as a basketball yer."

    Tory nodded her head as she smiled brightly. The face that she had was like that of a proud mom "Everyone says that Jaya''s the seconding of Tyreek.

    And Tyreek is someone that everyone thinks can make it to the professional level and y in the big leagues."

    Jason and the rest of them walked into the arcade. Nate pulled out his card and paid for some digital coins for them to use on the games.

    The first machine that Jason rushed up to use was the basketball game. The hoop would move from side to side to up and down.

    But Jason made it look easy as he didn''t miss a single shot. Leslie watched in amazement as she witnessed his amazing shooting.

    She had only heard from her brother that Jason was a good basketball yer but she hadn''t actually bothered to look at any footage of him ying.

    To her it wasn''t all that relevant whether or not he was a good basketball yer. But seeing his skills in person had a different impact.

    After a while the rest of the guys from the team started showing up. Jason introduced the guys to his cousins.

    They all had fun as they yed a variety of games and snacked on a bunch of different arcade ssics like cheese pizzas and buffalo wings.

    Leslie honestly didn''t have any kind of expectations when she first agreed to hang out with Jason and his friends.

    It wasn''t that she wasn''t happy to spend time with her cousin but she didn''t think that she would have that much fun going to an arcade with a bunch of middle schoolers.

    But something about Jason just made it so that everyone around him couldn''t help but have a good time.

    All of the boys were crowded around a machine as they watched Jason and Kyle y a dancing rhythm game.

    They were all cheering in unison as they hyped up the two of them "AY! AY! YUH! YUH!" As Jason and Kyle hit the final step of the song all of the boys gave him a round of apuse.

    Jason smiled before using the sleeve of his hoody to wipe some of the sweat off of his forehead. He then looked at everyone around him.

    "Alright guys. We''ve had our fair share of fun. I don''t want to be the one to kill the vibe but we should all probably head home now.

    We have a game tomorrow and being tired from partying at the arcade is no excuse to y with anything other than a hundred percent effort."

    All of the guys said their goodbyes as they began to head home. Tomorrow would be an important game.

    Not only were they trying to keep their record clean from any losses. It was the first time that Jason would be ying in front of his family from New York.

 Chapter 280 - First Time Watching A Jefferson Game

    Saturday 5pm. David and Lily rode with Henry and Naomi to Jason''s school while Nate and Leslie rode with Shania and Tory.

    As they were making their way to the gym David was surprised to see the long line of people "Wow, are they all here to watch the game too?"

    Naomiughed "Yeah they are. Luckily you guys are with us. Not only do the parents of the yers get to skip the line but we don''t have to pay for tickets.

    This year so many people started showing up to watch their games that the school had to start charging people for tickets.

    If your kid doesn''t go to school here you need to pay $15 for each ticket. The school thought that it would be enough to stop random people from showing up but all it did was make them money."

    Henry lead the group as they skipped the line and went straight to the sections for yer parents. David looked around as the bleachers began to fill up.

    "This is crazy. It doesn''t feel like a middle school basketball game." Tory smiled after hearing him say that.

    She turned to Nate and Leslie "So what do you guys think? Pretty cool right? And this is what its like whenever Jefferson has a home game."

    Nate was wide eyed as he looked at all of the people in attendance "This is so cool. It almost feels like a college game.

    You normally don''t see this many people even at high school games." Leslie wasn''t as visibly shaken as her brother but she nodded her head.

    "This is definitely impressive. I guess Kyle wasn''t overexaggerating when he said that Jason was a local celebrity."

    Tory shook her head "These people aren''t just here because Jaya is super popr. The reason why so many people are willing to pay actual money just to watch some middle school basketball is because Jaya and the team always put on a hell of a show."

    Shania nodded her head as she smiled "Jaya the only dude that could pull a crowd like this for a middle school game on a Saturday night.

    If you tried to tell yo friends that you wanted to watch a middle school basketball game on a Saturday night they would think that you was on somethin.

    But the second you mention Jaya and Jefferson they would be down in a heart beat. Hell, even some of the girls on my team been beggin for me to hook em up with free tickets."

    Tory turned to her and tilted her head "They did? Why don''t you ask Jaya? I''m sure that he would love to get you and your friends some tickets."

    Shaniaughed as she rolled her eyes "You kiddin right Tory? Ask Jaya for tickets so that I can give em to the girls on my team?

    You know that those girls ain''t really tryna to watch the game. I don''t mind helping out my friends but I ain''t tryna get on Sammy''s bad side.

    Not only is she my best friend but she the only rich trust fund baby that I do not want to fuck with. You ever seen her at a concert? That girl can ain''t never turned down a chance for some moshing."

    As the four teenagers were talking and having fun Kyle''s mom and Tory''s dad finally arrived as they sat down next close to Henry and Naomi.

    Seeing the two of them arrive Henry smiled as he introduced his brother and his wife to them. Kyle''s mom thought nothing of it as she smiled politely and greeted them.

    Tory''s father however seemed a little surprised as it took him a split second to hid his shock as he shook hands with the two of them.

    As they all talked and caught up with each other the lights in the gym all turned off as silence and darkness filled the room.

    Then a single spotlight shined at the side where the entrance to the locker rooms was. The light was shining on Matt as all of the yers stood in a straight line behind him.

    A deep voice began to y through the speakers "Introducing number 3 your starting Shooting Guard.

    The sniper elite with a fro so good he would make the 70s disco era jealous, give it up for Mathew Cohen!"

    Matt smiled as he waved at the cheering crowd before jogging his way to the center of the court, his brown and puffy Jew-Fro bouncing with each step.

    Principle Morris had only done thisst year back when it was the final game to decide the county champions.

    But this year since the basketball program became so popr that it actually began to generate some extra money for the school he decided to splurge a little bit for thest stretch of the regr season.

    The lights then shined on Alex as the voice continued "Now introducing number number 2. One half of the talented Silva twins and your starting Point Guard.

    Give it up for Alex Silva!" The crowd all pped as they cheered him while he made his way to the center of the court.

    The next person up was Danilo as the lights then shined on him "Introducing number 0. The other half of the talented Silva twins and your starting Power Forward.

    Make some noise for Danilo Silva!" Danilo smiled as he waved at the crowd and made his way to the center of the court where Alex and Matt were standing.

    The lights then shined on Kyle as he goofily smiled at all of the nearby people in the bleachers while he waved at them.

    "Now introducing number 12. They call him a high flyer and a boy that walks on air. He''s a shot rejecter, dunk machine, and highlight maker.

    He was on the all state defensive teamst year and he''s your starting Center Kyle Robinson!" The entire gym felt like it was shaking from all the noise that the people in attendance were making.

    The crowd was pping, whistling, and cheering as they watched Kyle confidently make his way to the center of the court.

    Kyle high fived Matt, Alex, and Danilo as stood with them. Then a subtle drumroll began to y as the spotlights moved around a bit before shining on Jason.

    As soon as the lights were on him the crowd went wild as they made even more noise than they had made back when Kyle was introduced.

    "Hearing all the noise he probably doesn''t need one but I''ll give him one anyways. Introducing number 17.

    He''s known by many names. Some call him The Reaper, some call him Young Buckets, and some just call him Jaya.

    But you all know him as the hometown kid. The defending county yer of the year and a all state defensive yer.

    He''s your starting Small Forward as well as team captain. Make some noise and show some love for Jason Yang!"

    Jason simply held his hand up as he nodded at the crowd. Once he looked at the yers parents'' section of the bleachers he shed a quick smile before making his way to the center of the court.

    The lights in the gym turned back on after the announcer was done introducing Jefferson''s starting lineup. They then began to shake hands with the yers from the opposing team.

    Back in the bleachers Nate''s hands were shaking and his body trembling as the excitement felt overwhelming to him.

    And although Leslie looked to be in better shape even her face was slightly flushed as the energy of the crowd felt infectious.

    Lily on the other hand was joining Naomi as she screamed her head off "Go Jayaaaaa! Go Jefferson! Kick some ass!"

    David smiled as he shook his head. He then turned to look at his brother "Damn. That was quite the show Henry."

    Jason''s dad smiled before turning his attention to his son who was standing on the court "If you thought that was good just wait until the game actually starts."

    Even though the crowd in attendance had enjoyed the show that the school had put on for the yers introduction not everyone felt the same way about it.

    Some of the yers on the away team''s bench were held their fist tight and ground their teeth and even the head coach who was shaking hands with Coach Swendel had a sour look on his face.

    Tonight Jefferson would be ying against Nashton Academy. The school that 3D had previously yed for.

    And despite the fact that they lost their best and most talented yer in 3D they had gone against everyone''s expectations as they remained one of the top teams in the county.

    After they lost 3D they changed their ystyle uppletely as they no longer operated their offense from the inside out.

    Now they utilized a mixture of off ball perimeter movement along with istion ys and high post ups to run their offense.

    One yer in particr had a fairly ugly expression on his face as he tightly squeezed Jason''s hand before turning around without saying a word.

    ''Let''s see how much longer you can keep that smug look on your face. You might have beaten usst year but now that we don''t have that tub ofrd 3D slowing us down we''ll show you what we can really do.''

 Chapter 281 - Rematch, Jefferson Vs Nashton Academy

    Isiah Garrison was an 8th grader and the current team captain for Nashton Academy''s basketball team.

    His dad had yed basketball but only ever managed to get to the college level in the US. After failing for a few years to get a contract with any of the professional teams he decided to y overseas to earn money.

    After ying six years overseas in China for the CBA he moved back to the United States and used the money that he had saved up to open up his own bar.

    Because of the fact that his dad had yed at a fairly high level Isiah had ess to a skills trainer that most kids his age wouldn''t.

    Ever since he could remember Isiah had always been praised for how advanced he was as a yerpared to others his age.

    He had never met anyone in his age group that could shoot better than him, dribble better than him, or score better than him.

    Being at the top had always felt natural to him. When he got the offer to attend Nashton Academy Isiah had originally wanted to decline the offer.

    Sure they were a good school whos program had managed to remain as one of the top basketball programs in the county for thest few years but Isiah had his eyes set higher.

    But after weeks of waiting he still didn''t get any offers from the schools that he had wanted to go to.

    So even though he would never admit it to anyone else he actually epted Nashton Academy''s offer because of his desperation.

    Since Nashton Academy was a school that he originally didn''t even have on his radar he looked down on it''s team and it''s yers.

    He was sure that he would be the best yer on the team as soon as he joined. He was sure that it would be his team.

    Unfortunately things didn''t turn out the way that he had envisioned. 3D had cemented himself as the focal point of the team starting in his first year.

    And although he refused to believe that there was someone else better than him he couldn''t deny the results when they were right in front of his eyes.

    He had challenged 3D on the very first day after finding out that it was his team and that they modeled their ystyle topletely revolve around him.

    But even though 3D had only chosen the benchwarmers he simply destroyed Isiah''s team in a scrimmage.

    Not only that. After having his spirit crushed by 3D in a practice game he once again took a hit to his pride as he was turned into a simple role yer on the team.

    For two years he had to swallow his pride as 3D lead the team to all their wins with his dominant post y and rebounding.

    While he himself was relegated to a simple spot up shooter and sometimes a secondary scorer whenever 3D was on the bench.

    The further 3D dragged the team the more Isiah had his spirit crushed as he found out that he wasn''t all that special.

    Up until he had joined Nashton Academy Isiah had only ever yed basketball in the local youth leagues.

    But when he found himself ying in the county tournament alongside 3D Isiah discovered that he wasn''t even the best yer in the county.

    His pride had been smashed to pieces after the team had gotten knocked out of the tournament in the semifinals.

    But instead of despairing he used the anger that he felt deep inside of him to fuel himself to work harder. He waited quietly and patiently biding his time as he got better.

    He knew that he would have a chance to show that he wasn''t just a run of the mill basketball yer and that he could carry a team by himself.

    The opportunity finally came when 3D moved on from middle school to high school. Now that their star yer was no longer there they would need someone else to run their team.

    Isiah took hold of the opportunity and made the most out of it. With their new style of offense running through him his points per game went up from 14 to 26.

    His assists and rebounds also went up. Not only were they now on pace to have a simr record as the one that they hadst year but the pace of their offense had also gone up.

    Isiah was overjoyed. He had proven that he was capable of being the man on a team and that he was special.

    No longer did he have to walk away and clear the floor whenever 3D waved his hands. Now it was him calling the shots on the team.

    But after seeing the shy introduction that Jefferson gave to their starting lineup Isiah''s anger was reignited. Especially after seeing how the crowd reacted to Jason.

    ''What''s so special about that guy!? He just got lucky that he ended up on Jefferson! Anyone would look good with a defensive rim running Center like Kyle!

    If he was on my team instead of that slow ass 3D I would be the one getting all the credit! All of these people would be cheering for me!''

    In his mind Isiah believed that he was just as good if not better than Jason and that the only reason why he was doing so much better than him was because of the style fit of their teams.

    Jason had been given free reign over his team''s offense while he had to change his game to fit with 3D''s style of y.

    ''But that wasst year. Now that I''m the star yer I can finally show what I can do. I can finally show everyone just how good I am!''

    He was partially right. After bing the focal point of the offense he had increased his scoring output while maintaining a good efficiency.

    Thatbined with the faster pace of their offense some would believe that this year''s Nashton team was better thanst year''s.

    But a quick look with the eye test as well as a deeper look at the numbers would say otherwise. Although their pace of offense was higher this year their point differential went down by almost 15 points.

    That meant that they were beating their opponents by 15 less pointspared tost year. A big part of that had to do with their defense.

    Although they were scoring a lot of points, in fact they were scoring more points on averagepared tost year, they were also giving up more points.

    Without 3D on the team their interior defense dropped by a more than a few levels. Their rebounding also got worse as they gave their opponents multiple attempts per possession while also having less attempts themselves.

    - - -

    Isiah was about 5''8 (1.72m) the same height as Jason. But he had a more well defined muscle tone which made his frame look better.

    He also had light brown skin and a head of medium length curly hair that was kept out of his face by his ck headband.

    As his team lined up to shake hands with Jefferson''s yers he couldn''t help but look at Jason. Finally when it was time for the two of them to shake hands he squeezed with all of his strength before turning around without saying a word.

    - - -

    Jason scoffed after Isiah''s rude disy ''Whatever'' Ever since the video of him practicing his lines for the drama club had been leaked Jason had been faced with multiple people thinking that he was a push over.

    They all thought that they had found something that showed Jason''s weakness. But to him it didn''t matter in the slightest bit.

    ''I could start wearing dresses and putting on makeup but you shit heads still wouldn''t be a match for me.

    I still can''t believe that there are people that think that your hobbies dictate what kind of person you are.

    So because I''m part of the drama club and practicing my lines for a y I''m all of a sudden a pansy and a pushover?''

    He pushed his grumbles to the back of his mind as he got ready for the game to start. As he got into position for the tipoff Jason flipped the switch as he got into his game mode.

    The Center going up against Kyle was two inches (5.08cm) shorter than him and was clearly outssed athletically as Kyle easily tipped the ball over to his team''s side.

    The ball flew toward Alex as he caught it before quickly passing it over to Jason. He then began to dribble his way down the court.

    He was neither rushed nor hurried as he was seemingly taking his time strolling down the court. This confused the audience somewhat.

    They had been watching the team for the whole season and knew that Jefferson liked to start off their games with an aggressive push after the tipoff.

    After crossing half court Jason stared down Isiah as he got into a low defensive stance with his arms spread open.

    There was barely a half step of distance between them. Jason smiled before quickly lowering his upper body as he started his drive with a quick crossover to the right.

    Isiah was slightlyte to react but he slid his feet as he attempted to stick with Jason. As soon as they made contact Jason came to a stop with a through the leg dribble.

    He then did a slight hesitation move with the ball in his left hand which caused Isiah to take a step in that direction.

    Jason then shifted directions as he crossed the ball over once again to his right hand. Isiah almost lost his bnce as he tried to shift directions as well.

    He was on his heels as he tried to move to the right. But before he could even try to regain his bnce Jason came to a stop once again, this time with a behind the back dribble.

    After having shifted directions rapidly in such a short amount of time Isiah finally fell over as he lost his bnce.

    Jason smiled as he stared him down for a moment before going into his shooting motion. As he drained the wide open mid range jumper the crowd exploded with excitement.

 Chapter 282 - Rematch, Jefferson Vs Nashton Academy: Part-2

    Isiah sat on the floor as he ground his teeth while ring at Jason ''Wipe that smug look off your face bitch! That was a fluke!''

    He pounded his fist on the floor before pushing himself back up. He looked at his Center who was already standing out of bounds with the ball in his hands as he gestured for him to pass the ball.

    The Center nodded his head before inbounding the ball to Isiah. With the ball in his hands he began to make his way down the court.

    When he got across half court he was surprised to see that Jason was the one guarding him. He was his team''s Shooting Guard so normally it would have been the opposing team''s Shooting Guard that would guard him.

    But if he had paid attention back when his coach was breaking down the film that they had of Jefferson he would have known that Jason always took on the duty of guarding the opposing team''s best perimeter yer.

    The surprise was soon reced by anger as he stared down Jason ''You want to guard me!? Fine, it''s about time I show these people what a real star looks like.''

    He slowly began to dribble from left to right as he got in to rhythm. Jason was in a low defensive stance with his arms spread open.

    Jason smiled at Isiah before reaching down and pping the floor with both hands. This gesture by Jason worked to infuriate Isiah even more.

    ''Let''s see how much longer you can keep the cocky attitude after I hit you with a taste of your own medicine pretty boy.''

    Isiah''s upper body dipped down as he explosively drove to the right with a quick crossover. Jason seemed to have predicated Isiah''s move as he was already sliding his foot in that direction.

    Just as the two of them were about to make contact Isiah switched directions with a behind the back dribble move.

    He was ecstatic when he saw that Jason wasn''t in his field of view ''Haha! Take that! Looks like he got lost in the first move.''

    But then he noticed that the ball had yet to bounce back up to his left hand. He then turned around as he heard the crowd cheering.

    Back when he was first doing his behind the back dribble Jason had already seen right through him. While the ball was still on its way back up he had lunged forward and poked the ball away from Isiah.

    Jason was all by himself on the fast break as he easilyid the ball up into the basket with his right hand. The crowd was cheering crazily for Jason as he made his way back on defense.

    Before Nashton Academy could inbound the ball their coach called for a timeout from the sidelines. He stared at Isiah as he made his way to the bench.

    "What the hell was that Isiah? I didn''t call for an istion y." Isiah lowered his head "Sorry coach."

    The coach folded his arms as he looked at all of his yers "Don''t let the atmosphere get to you and just y your game.

    We might be going up against the strongest team in the county and they might have the best yer in the county but as long as we stick to what we know we can definitely take this game okay?"

    Isiah and all of the yers nodded their heads. The coach gave them a nod "Alright. When you guys get back out there run our ys and stick to the n."

    After the timeout close to the beginning of the game Nashton Academy began ying better but it just wasn''t enough against a team as talented as Jefferson.

    Their ystyle somewhat resembled the Spurs with Kawhi Leonard and LeMarcus Aldridge. A lot of perimeter action with some post y to mix it up.

    Their passing was clean and the ball movement was never dead as they never held the ball for too long except for when they would ask Isiah to create a shot in istion.

    The only problem was that even without taking Jason''s personal defensive abilities into consideration all of Jefferson''s starting five were adept defenders.

    They didn''t gamble for steals and blocks as they yed solid positional defense and they stuck to their defensive assignments well as theymunicated on pick and rolls and backdoor cuts.

    With Jason directing Jefferson''s defense it was impossible for Nashton Academy to create any high quality shot opportunities.

    Although they were able to cut down on their turnovers somewhat after Isiah began to y more in the flow of the offense their field goal percentage was still pitifully low because of Jefferson''s suffocating defense.

    And their weakness on the ss was only magnified as they had to go against a freakish athlete like Jefferson''s starting Center.

    Kyle''s biggest weakness in rebounding and post defense was his willowy frame andck of strength. But Nashton Academy''s Center didn''t have the ability to capitalize on this.

    With his height advantage and his amazing wingspanbined with his elite athleticism Kyle was able to grab rebounds over all of Nashton Academy''s Bigs.

    He wasying the ball up after grabbing offensive rebounds as well as kicking the ball out as soon as he grabbed defensive rebounds.

    And on the defensive side of the ball there wasn''t much that Nashton Academy could do against Jefferson.

    They had originally nned to trap and pressure Jason so that he wouldn''t be able to control the offense.

    But by doing so it only gave their other yers like Danilo and Matt a chance to showcase their own scoring ability.

    Matt''s handles had improved to the point where as long as he wasn''t going against an elite defender he would be able to create his own shot.

    He was able to take threesing off of screens, break his defender down and pull up from mid range, and even drive to the basket.

    And Danilo had always been an able perimeter scorer with the ability to post up. But with a single Big Man covering him he torched his slower defender with his istion moves.

    He would dribble his way around Nashton Academy''s Power Forward and either take it strong to the basket or pull up for the jumper.

    And when they started to put smaller defenders on him hoping that they could do a better job of staying in front of him he simply began to post up.

    With his strong frame he was able to push them deep into the paint, use spin moves in the post, or give them a quick bump before taking the fade away jump shot.

    Nashton Academy eventually went back to single coverage for defending Jason and he immediately took advantage.

    He was scoring in every way imaginable as he would call for the ball and run their ys, run around the court and get open from screens, and also setting his own screens for teammates.

    Their just wasn''t a way for them to contain Jefferson''s offense with the caliber of yers that they had on their team.

    As the game progressed Isiah lost his spirit and vigor as the idea that he was on the same level as Jason disappeared from his mind.

    As thest seconds of the game ticked away Jason turned to the crowd and waved both of his arms at the side gesturing for them to make some noise.

    The people watching from the bleachers were more than happy to oblige as they pped, cheered, and whistled.

    Jefferson was now 15 and 0 so far in the regr season as they finished with a score of 115 to 41. While Jason lead them with an impressive stat line of 34 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block.

    After shaking hands with Nashton Academy''s yers Jason waited at the side as he saw Gloria making her way over.

    Jason had spoken with the principal and Coach Swendel. He had told them that the only news outlet that he was willing to do interviews with after their home games was the one that Gloria worked for and only if she was the one conducting the interview.

    Gloria raised her mic up to Jason "So after that incredible disy you and your team are now 15 and 0 for the season.

    In a season like this where themittee has decided to shorten the season by having the games take ce more often, how have you and the team managed to stay in such good rhythm?"

    Jason wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his ck arm sleeve before answering "This faster season might have been a challenge for some teams but it wasn''t really a problem for us.

    Stamina has never been an issue for us in terms of our individual yers. We have that dog in us that makes us want to y hard every time out.

    Evenst year when we had a short roster we were ying with everything we had every game in. Now that we have a full roster stamina and fatigue are things we don''t even think about."

    Gloria smiled as she nodded her head "Great answer Jason. You guys are currently on track for another undefeated season.

    Is that something you and the guys talk about in the locker room? And is that one of your goals for this season?"

    Jason thought about it for a moment "Honestly, we do talk about our record and how we want to aim for another undefeated season.

    But that isn''t a goal of ours. We are setting our standards way higher than that." Gloria asked "Oh? And what are your team''s goals then?"

    Jason looked into the camera that was being held behind her and grinned "We''re aiming for nationals. We''re shooting to make some real noise this year."

 Chapter 283 - A Meal Before Saying Goodbye

    The next day. Jason was stuffing his face with a variety of foods while Kyle, Tory, Samantha, and his two cousins sat around him.

    They were currently at a table in the corner of Valentino''s restaurant celebrating Jefferson''s great win over some lunch.

    Today Leslie and Nate would be flying back to New York with their parents so Jason thought that it would be a good idea to have onest get together before they left.

    His parents thought that it was a great suggestion as they told him that they would have a double date with David and Lily while they were out.

    Jason had invited Shania as well but she had basketball practice so she wasn''t able to make it. Leslie looked at Jason with a peculiar expression on her face.

    "I still can''t get used to seeing how much you eat Jason. Even though Nate had told me before and even though I had seen it with my own two eyes it''s still..... shocking."

    Samanthaughed as she took a bite out of the meatball that was hanging off of her fork "Yeah well you better get used to it.

    Jaya has the appetite of a blue ribbon pig and the stomach that could match a cow''s four. I still don''t get how he stays so skinny.

    It''s just not fair! I wish I could stuff myself like that without having to worry about packing on weight!"

    Kyle chuckled "Hey,e on now Sammy. You know that Jaya would trade with you in a heartbeat. He hates the fact that he can''t put on any weight."

    Leslie turned to Kyle and asked "Really? I would think that it''s a great thing no? You can eat all the tasty food that''s trash for your body.

    Drink all kinds of tasty things like milk tea, milkshakes, soda, and you don''t even have to workout or exercise afterwards.

    You can live an enjoyable life indulging in all of your cravings without having to worry about any of the consequences. There are tons of people that would love to be in your shoes."

    After she finished talking Leslie noticed that the mood at the table had changed. Jason was still in the middle of eating but Kyle, Tory, Samantha, and Nate all had strange expressions on their faces as they looked at her.

    Back when Samantha had said herment about Jason her tone was clearly that of just joking around and having fun.

    But Leslie''s tone sounded like she was serious and that she didn''t understand why Jason wouldn''t be happy to have his condition.

    Nate nudged his sister lightly on the side "You shouldn''t say something like that Sis. Sammy was just joking earlier about Jaya but he really does hate it.

    You weren''t there so you probably wouldn''t understand but he literally had to go through hell for two weeks just to put on some weight.

    And you might not know because you don''t really follow the news about Jaya but he''s probably the biggest viin in basketball right now.

    It might not look like it because you''ve only seen his home game but a ton of people hate him and the team.

    There are hundreds if not thousands of people waiting for him to slip up even the smallest bit so that they can rub it in his face."

    Kyle awkwardly scratched the back of his head "You might not understand because you''re not an athlete Leslie but weight is a really important thing for athletes.

    Especially for top prospects like Jason. Sure being heavy and out of shape is no good but it''s also bad to not have enough weight.

    Something as small as ten to 15 pounds (4.53kg - 6.8kg) can be the difference of you being knocked off course on your way to the basket or an and one."

    Tory nodded her head "Basketball is a game where even the smallest numbers could make the difference. If your jump shot is just a few inches to the left you could miss a potential game winner.

    And if you''re just a few pounds too light you could struggle to drive into the paint. Just for the sake of putting on some weight Jaya stuffed himself like crazy in New York.

    It was to the point where just seeing the trays being wheeled into the room made him want to puke.

    Plus Nate is right. Even with everything that Jaya has done so far the biggest thing that all of the critics say about him is that he''s too small to make it at the next level and that he''s just a fake star.

    Other than just fans of other teams or other yers there are even some TV people that are just waiting to pounce on Jaya as soon as he shows the smallest bit of weakness."

    Leslie realized that she had said something that was a little distasteful so she looked at Jason and apologized.

    "Sorry Jason. I didn''t understand what you were going through and yet I fired off my mouth like a moron."

    Jason swallowed the food that was in his mouth before looking at Leslie "Don''t worry about it. Like they said, you aren''t an athlete and you don''t really get this kind of stuff.

    You didn''t mean anything by it so why should I be angry? Besides, it''s not like I''ve never opened my mouth and said something stupid. Kyle and Sammy would be the first to tell you that."

    Jason''s joke helped to alleviate the awkward air that had spread across the table. Kyle smiled "You got that right.

    I still remember the time we were at the electronics store and Jaya asked me a question about videogames.

    He actually took me serious and asked the workers about a game that didn''t even exist." Sammy shed her bright smile as she added.

    "Oh oh, what about that time we were at the street festival at downtown Riverside? Jaya was so serious when he was talking to that booth worker about the crystal armbands that were supposedly high tech."

    Toryughed "If you think that''s good wait until you hear about this-" While everyone wasughing and having a good time listening to the funny stories about Jason he himself didn''t mind.

    Although he was an adult that had lived to his thirties in his past life he had been so single-mindedly focused on basketball that he didn''t pay attention to much else.

    He wasn''t a hundred percent sure about the things that had happened or the products and inventions that hade out during hisst life.

    He was the type of person that would rather be sorry rather than safe. He didn''t mind asking questions that others would be embarrassed to ask as long as he got the answer.

    After a while the mood had returned to normal. Samantha looked over at Leslie and Nate "So you guys are going back tonight huh?

    Do you guys think you''ll be able to make it back next weekend? Me and Jaya will be ying the lead parts in the y.

    The tickets are already sold out but I''m sure that we could get you guys a few spots." Leslie shook her head.

    "I''m sure that we would all love toe by here again but unfortunately we have some.... troublesome rtives keeping an eye on us."

    Nate turned to his sister "It''s Chloe isn''t it?" Leslie nodded her head "I already told my parentsst night but apparently one of our cousins has been keeping her eyes on us.

    Thankfully I had a feeling something like this would happen so I made my own preparations. Although she hasn''t been able to find out where we went she does know that we left New York for the weekend."

    Tory frowned "I don''t get it. You guys are all family right? Why would she go so far just to be a pain in the neck?"

    Nate had a troubled expression on his face "That''s just how it is in our family Tory. I know it doesn''t make any sense but over there your rtives are justpetition.

    At least that''s how everyone else acts. I think the only ones who even care about family are my dad and uncle Henry."

    The mood at the table was beginning to get heavy again when Jason looked up from his te "Just leave all of thatplicated stuff in New York.

    I don''t really know the full picture of what goes on over there but at least when you''re here in Riverside you can just rx.

    You can just think of us as your real family and ignore all of the bullshit that goes on in New York." Although Jason''s words were simple and offered no real solution they brought a level offort and trust that Nate and Leslie had rarely experienced in the past.

    They continued with their meal as they made ns for the future and spoke about what they wanted to doter on in their lives.

    Just as they had finished eating and were about to call their waiter for the bill Valentino himself showed up with his usual shining bald head and sparkling smile.

    "How as the food Jaya? No need to worry about the bill. I told you that whenever you and your friends feel hungry you can stop by for a bite to eat."

    Jason didn''t bother to argue with him as he just nodded his head "Thanks Valentino. I''ll make sure to get you a signed jersey from all of the guys."

    He smiled even brighter after hearing Jason say that "Thanks Jaya. Are you and your friends about to head out?

    If you have the time there''s something I would like to show you. I think you and your friends would find it interesting."

 Chapter 284 - Family Is A Complicated Thing

    Jason had known Valentino for a while now and he felt that he was a pretty cool guy. He turned to the others sitting at his table "You guys got time?"

    Everyone nodded their heads. Seeing that Jason decided to take Valentino up on his offer as he and his friends left the table to follow him.

    Valentino took them to the newly constructed side of the restaurant that was still being worked on. He lead them to the very back wall that had just been finished.

    He smiled as he raised his hand up to the top let corner "I present to you the wall of Jaya!" All of them turned their eyes toward it.

    Starting at the top left corner there was an article from a local newspaper that had been cut out and glued to the wall like wallpaper.

    It was an article talking about Jason and the team after their scrimmage where they had beaten Mt. Vernon in their very first game together.

    On the wall were articles all about Jason and Jefferson ranging from the games that they yed to the personal stories about Jason.

    There were also pictures of Jason at the award ceremony as he and Kyle were awarded defensive honors and even pictures of Jason and the team with the county trophy.

    The wall seemed to tell the story of Jason from the very beginning of his basketball career. Tory whistled in amazement.

    "This is one hell of a collection you got here Valentino. You even have one of Jaya''s jerseys up on the wall?"

    Valentino smiled as he looked at the Jefferson jersey that was framed and hanged on the wall "That isn''t just any jersey Tory.

    That is the actual jersey that Jason wore in his very first game in the county tournament. It even has his signature right there."

    Jason let out a chuckle "I was wondering what you were going to do with all the jerseys you asked for. For a second I thought that you were just putting them up for sale online or something."

    Valentino reached for his chest as though here were having a heart attack "How could I ever bear to sell such a historic item like that!

    Everything that you''ve given me Jaya I have determined to keep as family treasures. I would never be able to part with them."

    He then had a calm and content look on his face as he looked at the rest of the wall that was still empty and nk.

    "I''m nning on having this wall be a record of Jaya''s history. I know that you have a lot of people doubting you Jaya.

    But just know that here. In this city. You mean a lot to a bunch of people. I know that you''ll be something great and I want to be a part of that amazing story. No matter how small it may be.

    I know that to you guys I might just be some random super fan. But to me you are the pride of this city. You give us something to be excited about and proud of."

    Tory, Kyle, and Samantha already knew that Jason meant a lot to the city but even they were surprised to hear how deeply Valentino seemed to care.

    Nate and Leslie on the other hand were witnessing this for the very first time. They knew fromst night''s game that Jason was a big deal in Riverside but this hit them even harder.

    Jason himself was somewhat surprised by what Valentino had said. He knew that he was a big name in his city but seeing this wall and hearing what Valentino had to say hit him on apletely different level.

    ''I guess Marcus was right. I really do have an impact on this city and the people in it. I might just be ying basketball but to them it means so much more.''

    Jason thanked Valentino for the meal and told him that he would make sure to get him more stuff to put on the wall. Including an article talking about him and the team winning at Nationals.

    After they got back from their lunch they all hanged out at Kyle''s room for a bit as they yed some videogames and watched some videos on hisputer.

    Then as Jason and Nate''s parents got back it was time for them to drop them off at the airport. David had told Henry that they could just get a ride to LAX but Henry insisted that his family be the ones to drop them off.

    After an almost two hour drive they finally arrived at the airport as Jason''s dad parked the car at the terminal that David''s family were going to fly.

    Jason dapped up Nate and gave Leslie a hug as he said his goodbyes while his parents were saying their own farewells to David and Lily.

    David gave his brother a tight hug "It was good to see you again Henry. This weekend really meant a lot to me. And I think the same goes for my kids."

    Lily smiled as she nodded her head "It really did. You guys might not know but this is the first time that I''ve actually seen them smiling while hanging out with their cousins."

    Naomi smiled before giving Lily a hug "Aw, well you and the kids are wee anytime. I was honestly scared to have Jaya meet some of his family from New York but now I am d that he met Nate."

    Jason and his family waved goodbye to Nate, Leslie, David, and Lily as they walked into the airport. Even after they couldn''t see them anymore they stood there for a few minutes.

    Jason''s dad turned to him with a smile as he ruffled his son''s hair "Did you have fun with your cousins this weekend?"

    He looked at his dad and smiled as he nodded his head "A ton. It was really nice to get a chance to spend some quality time with them."

    His momughed as she pulled him into a hug "Well that''s good to hear because hopefully you''ll be able to spend more time with them."

    She then asked "The season''s almost over right? You only have five more games to go. What do you have nned for this week?"

    Jason thought about it for a moment "Yeah, the season is almost over. I don''t have any games left for this month but I do have the y on Friday."

    His mom pped her hands excitedly "I can''t wait to finally watch you perform on stage Jaya. I know that you''ll kill it just like how you do on the court."

    Jason smiled when he heard his mom say that "Thanks mom. To be honest I''m actually more nervous about the y than when I''m getting ready for a game.

    Too bad Nate and his family can''te. I hope that the rest of the family doesn''t give them anymore problems."

    - - -

    In arge room with expensive looking furniture Chloe wasying on her bed as she yed around on her phone.

    She heard a knock on her door "Come in." A middle aged man wearing a ck suit walked in as he bowed his head "Hello Miss Chloe. I have received a notice saying that your cousins have just arrived back into town."

    Chloe got up and sat on the edge of her bed as she looked at the man "Good job Ma. Were you able to find out where they went?"

    Ma shook his head "Unfortunately not Miss Chloe. I had some men work on it but they weren''t able to dig up any information.

    It appears as though they had made some preparations before leaving." Chloe frowned after hearing him say that.

    Ma nced at her "It may be overstepping my boundaries as one who serves your family but is there really a need to go to such great lengths?

    Maybe they had just gone somewhere to spend some quality time with each other and simply wished to not be disturbed."

    Chloe rolled her eyes "If they were just going somewhere to have a good time there wouldn''t be a reason for them to put so much effort in making sure that no one would know where they went."

    Ma nodded his head "Very wise of you Miss Chloe. An astute observation indeed." He then hesitated for a moment.

    "But even if that were the case is there really a need for all this? Nate and Leslie are your only cousins that are close to you in age after all. Don''t you want to get along with them?"

    Chloe''s face shed with anger as her brows furrowed and her breathing became rough. She picked up a stapler from the top of her desk and threw it at the wall behind Ma.

    "I am nothing like them! Is that understood Ma!?" He hurriedly nodded his head "Of course Miss Chloe. Your brilliance is something that those two could nevere close to."

    His words seemed to do little to ease her anger as her face was contorted with rage. She ground her teeth and gripped her fist.

    "I am nothing like those two. I will climb to the top of the family and make sure that everyone that looked down on me and mocked me will have no choice but to look up to me and beg for forgiveness. No matter what it takes!"

    Her infuriated eyes and bone chilling voice sent shivers up Ma''s spine as he assured her that he would try his best to find out where they had gone.

    As Ma left the room Chloe''s eyes wondered back to herputer where she had all of Nate and Leslie''s social media ounts pulled up.

    "Now where in the hell did you two little shit heads go to?"

 Chapter 285 - And Scene

    Jason stood backstage as the other members of the drama club surrounded him to do his makeup and wardrobe.

    Although he felt ufortable having so many people close to him surrounding him he held hisints in knowing that it was for the show they were about to put on.

    As one of the girls in the drama club was putting some makeup on his face Samantha walked by and chuckled.

    "Wow, look at you Mr. Hollywood. Looks like you''re all ready for the show." Jason rolled his eyes at Samantha''sment and smiled slightly.

    "I wasn''t exactly excited to do this but since I am I have to do it right. Gotta keep the perfect track record alive and intact right?"

    Samantha smiled as she looked at Jason "That''s true I guess. Now that I think about it you''ve never had a bad performance since I''ve met you.

    From your first day at Jefferson where you whooped Trell''s ass in front of everybody to your elimination game at the state tournament you''ve always done your part to put on a show."

    Her smile became softer and warmer as she looked at Jason''s face "Thanks again for doing this for me Jaya.

    I know that you hate doing this type of stuff." Jason looked at Samantha and shook his head "I might have hated it in the beginning but I can''t say that I hate it now.

    It''s only natural that I help a friend out when something that they love so much is in danger of closing down.

    And besides, not only did this whole drama thing turn out to give me and the team even more attention than all the antics I''ve been doing this year.

    It gave me a chance to see a different side of you Sammy. Don''t get me wrong, the silly side of you and the side of you that always wants to have fun is cool and all.

    But seeing you work so hard and practicing your lines so diligently everyday, seeing you pour your heart and soul into this y, I think that''s the best side of you."

    Samantha began to blush after hearing Jason say that. He wasn''t just trying topliment her. He really meant that.

    Part of the reason why Jason loved this season more thanst season was that from the get go he got to watch as team members old and new honestly pour their blood, sweat, and tears into practice and training.

    There was just something about seeing kids so young wearing their hearts on their sleeves and working so diligently for their dreams that made Jason happy. Although he was just another kid himself currently.

    In his past life he got to witness many top recruits and five star prospects just rely on their god given talent and athleticism to carry them while they halfheartedly worked on their game.

    So seeing kids diligently investing everything that they had to give in the pursuit of something that they really cared about was like an intoxicating breathe of fresh air to him.

    Meanwhile as Jason was thinking in his head Samantha was still standing there on the side blushing. Thankfully the lighting was somewhat dim so her face didn''t stand out too much.

    ''I''ve never heard Jayapliment me like that. I should have known from his personality that he really admires hard work and dedication.

    That''s probably why he still stays in contact with that girl from New York. The reason why he smiles every time he watches highlights of her boxing matches isn''t because of her pretty face or because of her amazing results.

    He just loves to see hardworking people see the fruits of theirbor. He doesn''t have any feelings for her other than admiration for her hard work and resolve.''

    Samantha gripped her fists at her side as she now knew what she needed to do if she wanted to be a person that was worth Jason''s admiration.

    As she was contemting in her own mind how she would go down the path of bing someone worth Jason''s admiration Cody came running in.

    "Sup Sammy, Sup Jaya. Big bossdy told me to give you guys a head up cause like it''s almost time for the show to start."

    Jason and Samantha both nodded their heads at him after hearing what he had to say. With his wardrobe and makeup done Jason flipped his ck cape over with a single hand in dramatic fashion before turning to Samantha with a slight grin on his face.

    "Looks like it''s time for the show to start."

    - - -

    The beginning of the y centered around Samantha''s character as Jason had yet to make his appearance on stage.

    Samantha was ying the poor daughter of a hunter who one day disappeared after going into the forest for a hunt.

    Her father was the greatest hunter in the vige and his skills and ability to bring back huge game with him after every hunt secured him a high position in the viges hierarchy.

    But after her father went missing her life in the vige took aplete turn for the worst as people she once regarded as her friends now turned their backs on her and the people that she once thought of as kind and generous began to show their true colors.

    On the verge of losing both her home where her father raised her and her own body to the evil and scheming vige elder she had no other option but to turn to the only choice she had left.

    Ever since she was young her father had told her that there was a ancient and powerful being that dwelled in a certain part of the forest.

    He had told her that no matter what she should never go past the part of the forest where the tree''s were withered and darker than the night''s sky.

    But with no one to turn to and no other solution in sight Samantha''s character steeled her resolve as she chose to go against her father''s words for the first time in her life.

    With her resolution showing clearly on her face she walked through the forest that was made by the drama club members in charge of doing the scenery.

    As she went past the dark and withered trees she looked up at the empty sky "Oh great being of the night.

    Although my eyes cannot see your figure and although my human spirit cannot detect your presence I know that you are here."

    The lighting on stage dimmed even more as Jason''s voice boomed out despite him being nowhere in sight.

    "You humans posses a foolishness that knows no bounds. For what reason have you trespassed upon my domain?"

    Samantha showed a fearful face at first but then as her character remembered why it was that she came here the fear was soon reced by anger as her face contorted and her nostrils red.

    "I care not if you wish to rip me apart limb from limb or even steal my very soul. All I ask of you is that you give me the opportunity to exact vengeance before you do with me as you wish."

    The stage wentpletely dark as they shut off the lights. Then Jason''s amusedughter could be heard "Hehehe, how interesting."

    When the lights came back on Jason was right behind Samantha as he was dressed in a white long sleeve tunic with ck trousers to go along with his ck cape.

    Samantha''s character took a step back after being shocked by Jason''s sudden arrival. After falling on her backside her mouth trembled as she struggled to push any words out.

    Jason sneered as he looked down on the fearful character that Samantha was portraying "Humans like to think of themselves as such pure creatures.

    But beneath the mask that they all wear they are no better than beasts driven by instinct. Luckily for you I enjoy seeing the process of corruption take ce."

    He then reached his hand down toward her "If you wish for the power to crush all of those who have done you wrong then rise. And soak in the madness hahahaha!"

    Jason''s cold and maniacalughter resounded throughout the room. From the corner of his eyes he could see his friends and family in attendance.

    His parents were both there and so was Tory and her dad. All of the guys on the team were also there and so were Javier and Greg as they recorded from their seats.

    The y progressed as Samantha''s character was given power by Jason as he would give her a drop of his own vampire blood to ingest every night.

    The blood gave her the strength and ability to kill the vigers with nothing but her hands. But as they began to spend more and more time with each other things started to change.

    Samantha''s character became less and less affected by the act of taking someone''s life while Jason''s character began to hate seeing the former''s fall descent into madness.

    Close to the end of the y both characters revealed that they held feelings for each other but unfortunately the sweet moment was interrupted as they found themselves surrounded by knights of the church.

    After a few exciting scenes ofbat that were carefully choreographed by Jason the y came to an end as Samantha cried her heart out while embracing the seemingly cold and lifeless body of the vampire.

    The curtains came to a close before opening back up again a few minutester as Jason and Samantha along with all the other kids from the drama club stood in a line and bowed to the audience.

    Ms. Yuller said a few kind words as she apuded the work and effort that Jason and all the other kids had put in to make the show a sess.

    She then handed the mic to Jason. He stepped forward and smiled at the audience "Thank you to everyone who showed up to watch us tonight.

    If you feel like this was something that resonated with you I am happy to announce that the drama club is still taking applications for people with all levels of experience.

    Please consider joining if you would like to be a part of something like the show that we have put on for you tonight."

 Chapter 286 - New Plans Rolling Into Action

    Samantha''s n turned out to be a major sess as right after they had finished the y multiple students lined up in order to sign up and join the drama club.

    After they were done with handling all the applications all of the members of the drama club met backstage for a short celebration party.

    Jason''s parents and friends joined in the festivities as they mingled with the members of the drama club.

    Some of the kids were nervous when the basketball team first joined them backstage as they were from two different worlds.

    Although Jason was the face and star of the team the other members of the basketball team were still regarded as popr because of their association with Jason and their contributions on the team.

    While the kids from the drama club were of a lesser social standing than them. Their drama club was one of the smaller clubs and up until tonight they were on the brink of closing down.

    But after they started talking and interacting they were able to rx when they realized that the other members of the basketball team were all cool and friendly.

    Although they enjoyed the privilege of being popr thanks to Jason and the sess of the team none of the yers had an attitude that looked down on the drama club members.

    Not only was their star and team captain technically a member of the drama club but Jason''s influence on the team had made it so that none of them were the type to do that.

    Jason was the most popr and influential kid in the whole school but he himself never abused his social status and used it to put down others.

    Although Jason appeared cocky and unrestrained on the basketball court he always kept that attitude strictly reserved for when he yed.

    Jason and the rest of the team were all smiles as they talked and joked around with the members of the drama club while Coach Swendel and Ms. Yuller were talking with each other on the side.

    The after party ended up being a ton of fun as it was full of smiles andughter by the time everyone had to say goodbye and part ways for the night.

    - - -

    The weekend after the y Jason and the rest of the guys on the team continued with their usual practice schedule.

    Monday. Jason and the rest of the guys were sitting in the back of Ms. Yuller''s English ss as they talked about the highlights from the games that happened during the weekend.

    Now that the season was almost over and their game schedule had lessened a bit they had more time to rx and joke around.

    Vince was holding his phone up so that all of the guys could watch the video that was ying on it "Bro I can''t believe that the Bulls actually managed to make aeback."

    Kyle chuckled "Yeah, as soon as I saw that they were down 20 going into the 3rd I was sure that they were going to lose."

    Jason added "Well no one was expecting Reggie to blowup for 36 in the second half. Thanks to that he managed to win thest game of the season and get the Bulls into the yoffs at the veryst moment."

    Although they were all talking about the Bulls excitedly probably no one was as excited as Jason was. Because Jason knew from his past life that this was more than just a lucky fluke to cap off thest game of the season.

    Jason was smiling as he thought to himself ''yoffs are just around the corner and there are actually some bits and pieces that I can use to my advantage.

    Looks like the time for my n to bet on yoff games is about to arrive. I bet no one else is expecting for a team that had barely snuck into the 8th seed to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.''

    Jason could remember vividly just how excited everyone was when the Bulls, a team that had just barely managed to sneak into the yoffsst second, had managed to overturn the odds multiple times in a row as they wed tooth and nail all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

    And that wasn''t the only hot story that would be taking ce during this years yoffs. There were plenty of opportunities for Jason to make money and he intended to take advantage of all of them.

    Jason couldn''t help but grin as he thought of his oh so reliable Coach Swendel who would be ying a major role in his money making n.

    As Samantha arrived in ss she smiled and waved at Jason and the rest of the guys from the team. She high fived and greeted the rest of the boys before pulling out her seat next to Jason.

    "So how was your weekend Mr. Hollywood? Feel like a big time star yet?" Kyleughed "You hear that Jaya? You''re Mr. Hollywood now. Can''t wait to get your autograph haha."

    Jason smirked "Haha Sammy, you''re a realedian like always. Maybe I should charge a fee for letting you guys hang out with such a big time star?"

    Samantha and Kyle bothughed at Jason''s remark. Samantha opened up her backpack and pulled out her notebook and ced it in front of her desk.

    "So turns out that our n was a big hit. Not only did we have a bunch of new people sign up to join the drama club after the y, this morning Ms. Yuller had some more studentse up to her and ask about joining too."

    Jason smiled slightly as he nodded his head "That''s good to hear. Looks like you guys won''t be in danger of closing down this year."

    Samantha nodded her head before nervously asking "So now that the y is done I guess there isn''t really a reason for you to stay in the drama club..."

    Understanding the hidden meaning behind her words Jason chuckled before answering "You know what Sammy? I hate to say it but I actually did have some fun being in the y.

    I don''t really have a reason to quit right now and I might need something to take up my time in between tournaments so I guess it wouldn''t hurt to stay in the drama club.

    Of course things are still going to be the same. I won''t be able toe in everyday and the amount of time that I can dedicate to the club won''t be that much.

    But if you and Ms. Yuller are okay with that I could stay as a member of the drama club." Samantha smiled brightly before pumping her fist "Yes! Of course we''re okay with that!"

    Just as Jason, Samantha, and the rest of the guys were about to talk some more Ms. Yuller walked into the ssroom and began to take attendance.

    After she was done marking everyone as either in attendance or absent she smiled and looked up to the students in her ss.

    "I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. To start of the new month and the new week I thought it would be fun to do a group project.

    Pair up into groups of four and pick one book to present to the ss. You will have two weeks to read and analyze the book.

    Your presentation must include your reasoning for why you feel that it was a book that had an influence on the literary world during its time."

    After hearing that they would be pairing up into groups of four Vince, Nick, Matt, and DJ joined up into one group.

    Jason looked around him and saw Samantha to his left and Kyle to his right "Looks like we''ll be a group then. But we''re missing one person."

    Kyle looked around the room and noticed that everyone else was just about done forming their groups "Uh, looks like it''s slim pickings guys."

    After he had finished saying that he heard a voice from the side as he turned his head to see who it was "You guys need one more person?"

    When they saw who it was they all had a different expression on their face. Jason had his usual deadpan look while Samantha furrowed her brows and Kyle looked a bit nervous.

    Jason casual waved at her "Hey Ka."

 Chapter 287 - New Plans Rolling Into Action: Part-2

    Ka smiled as she pushed a strand of her long dark brown hair behind her ear "Hey Jaya. Looks like you guys still need one more person for your group.

    Do you guys mind if I join you? All of my friends already paired up and it''s kind of awkward for me to ask anyone else."

    Jason didn''t respond right away. Although he was dense when it came to some of his own personal rtionships he was still aware of somethings.

    He knew that Samantha and Ka had their own problems between each other. They were bothpeting with each other in terms of poprity and power at the school.

    Samantha''s group mostly consisted of the rich and pretty girls at Jefferson while Ka''s group consisted of the female athletes at Jefferson.

    Samantha was popr because of her ability to get along with people from different social groups such as the goths, emos, jocks, and preppy kids.

    But Ka quickly rose through the social rankings at Jefferson thanks to her contributions to the ser team as soon as she joined.

    Although they weren''t as bad as the basketball team before Jason joined the ser team was mediocre at best.

    That is until Ka joined them. Now she was leading them to an undefeated season just like Jason was doing with the basketball team.

    It was only normal that her poprity at the school would rise because of that. But what Jason didn''t know was that poprity wasn''t the only thing that the two werepeting for.

    Although he wasn''tpletely aware of the situation between the two the little that he did know made him hesitate to answer to Ka''s request.

    ''Even though I think it''s stupid to bepeting for poprity I still don''t want to do anything that would put Sammy or her group in a bad spot.''

    Jason was still self aware enough to know that his top spot at Jefferson would have an effect on the people that he hung around with.

    He also understood how sometimes it could be awkward it could be integrating someone new into a preexisting group.

    That''s why he didn''t want to recklessly agree to Ka''s request. He tilted his head as he looked over to Samantha.

    "What do you think Sammy?" Before she could answer Kyle''s nervous voice spoke out "You don''t have to worry about it Sammy.

    If you want we could have one of the guys sw-" Samantha raised her hand as she warmly smiled at Kyle "Nah, you don''t have to worry about that Kyle.

    It would beme to bother the guys over something like this." She then turned to face Ka as she smiled provocatively.

    Although the tone of her voice was warm and gentle her eyes and bodynguage hinted that her words had a hidden meaning.

    "It can''t be helped if she doesn''t have anyone that wants to group up with her." (Aw, you don''t have anyone that wants to group up with you?)

    "I mean, not everyone can be like you and me right Jaya? We might as well let her join." (Me and Jaya are the top dogs at Jefferson. You are not like us.)

    Jason felt a bit bad as he could feel that there was more to Samantha''s words than just the surface level meaning.

    He turned to Ka "Uh, you heard her. All up to you if you still want to join our group." Surprisingly Ka was still smiling as she nodded her head.

    "Sure. Let me go get my stuff and we can start working on it." She turned around and went back to her usual spot and picked up her backpack before walking back over.

    The four of them spent the whole ss period working on the beginning of their project. They discussed multiple books as they tried to pick one to select for their project.

    Despite Kyle''s nervousness and worries they were able to work together without a single problem popping up.

    He was somewhat surprised by Samantha''s cool attitude and level headedness. But he had no idea that she had experienced somewhat of a change over thest few days after the y.

    Samantha was a lot more confident now not just in herself but in the fact that Jason wouldn''t be interested in some random girl just because she spent some time with him.

    The more she saw Ka trying her best to cozy up with Jason the more sheughed in her mind ''You think that''s enough to break through this brick head''s defense?

    You brought a thumbtack to a gun fight if you think that''s enough. Can''t me her though, I''ve known Jaya for more than a year and it still took me till now to really understand him.''

    After the bell rang signaling the end of ss the four of them decided to exchange contact information so that they could continue working on the project after school.

    Jason and Kyle said their goodbyes to Ka and Samantha but as they were about to walk out of the ssroom they saw something that made their jaws drop.

    Samantha went up to Ka with a bright smile on her face and hugged her "Bye Ka! See you tomorrow."

    But what they didn''t know was that as they continued to hug Samantha was whispering in Ka''s ear "You think you have what it takes?

    Just a friendly bit of advice Ka, if I were you I would just forget about Jaya. This isn''t me being insecure or afraid of you. I''m just trying to save you from a little bit of humiliation and heart break."

    Ka smiled brightly as she hugged Samantha back "You too Sammy! Today was real fun!" She whispered into Samantha''s ear.

    "You don''t scare me Sammy. You might be the queen of Jefferson in everyone else''s eyes but to me you''re just another target.

    I have always been on top and I don''t n on having that change now just because I transferred to Jefferson.

    You think Jaya will fall for you? I''ll admit that you had a bit of a head start in getting to know him but me and him both have something inmon.

    We are both athletes. Top tier athletes that are chasing our dreams with everything that we have. That is the kind of connection that someone like you will never be able to understand."

    Unknown to Jason and Kyle the hug between Samantha and Ka that seemed warm and fuzzy was actually a bloody battlefield.

    - - -

    The rest of the day passed by quickly. Jason lead all of the guys as they ranps around the gym. After almost an hour had passed Jason decided to give the guys a break after seeing how exhausted they were.

    "Alright guys! Good job, go ahead and take five. We''ll finish up training after you guys catch your breathe."

    As the rest of the guys made their way to the side in order to get a drink from their sports bottles and get some rest Jason walked over to Coach Swendel.

    He was all smiles as he saw Jason walking toward him "Hey Jaya. Good job out there. As long as you''re the one leading the workout it doesn''t seem to matter how hard it is.

    The guys always fall in line whenever you''re around." He then noticed that Jason had a peculiar expression on his face "Did you have something that you needed to talk about?"

    Jason smiled as he took a seat next to Coach Swendel. He didn''t say a word as he simply took a drink from his sports bottle.

    It wasn''t until he was done drinking that he wiped his face with the bottom portion of his practice jersey and looked at Coach Swendel.

    "Do you still remember the day that you asked me to join the team Coach?" He thought for a moment before nodding his head.

    "How could I forget? That scene where you absolutely destroyed Trell on the court is something that will be in my mind for as long as I live.

    I mean, sure the rest after that was pretty embarrassing considering that I was a fully grown man begging a little kid to join my team but looking back at it now I know I made the right decision. Why?"

    Jason grinned as he looked at Coach Swendel "I hope you didn''t forget the other condition that I asked from you."

    An ominous feeling began to form as a cold chill ran down his spine. Sweat began to form on the sides of his face.

    But despite the look on Coach Swendel''s face Jason didn''t seem to notice it. Either that or he simply didn''t care.

    After Coach Swendel gulped as he nervously nodded his head Jason patted him on the shoulder "Looks like the time has finallye.

    I hope that you''re ready Coach because now that the yoffs are approaching it''s time to make some money. A lot of it."

 Chapter 288 - A Talk That Never Happened

    Practice was done and the boys had already taken a shower and changed out of their practice gear but unlike everyone else that was heading home Jason was sitting across the desk from Coach Swendel in his office.

    He was running his hands through his short blonde hair as he leaned back into his chair. The stress that he was feeling was evident.

    Meanwhile Jason was calmly sitting in his chair as he nonchntly snacked on a roll of kimbap that he had kept in Coach Swendel''s mini fridge.

    Coach Swendel took a deep breathe before turning his attention to Jason "Let me get this straight. You want me to bet on yoff games for you?"

    Jason nodded his head "Yeah. I give you the money and you make the bets for me. Of course you''ll get a cut of the winnings.

    Considering that there really isn''t much of a risk for you and that all you''ll have to do is ce the bet I think that ten percent sounds fair."

    Coach Swendel rubbed his face hurriedly with both of his hands "Not much of a risk!? What you''re asking me to do is illegal Jaya!

    If we get caught it could be serious issues for the both of us! I could lose my job and you could lose your pro eligibility!"

    Jason looked at Coach Swendel as though he were crazy "I don''t know what you''re talking about Coach.

    You''re going to be betting your own money on games that you don''t have any inside information on. Maybe you''ll ask me for my opinion before cing your bet but there''s nothing illegal about that.

    You''ll win a ton of money but for some reason you will only touch ten percent of it. The rest you will leave in another ount in your name.

    Today I came in to your office to simply talk about some of the ys in our ybook and make some adjustments. Nothing more nothing less."

    Coach Swendel instantly understood what Jason was saying. On paper this meeting never happened.

    This discussion about betting money on games never took ce. The hidden meaning was obvious, as long as you keep your mouth closed who would know about this business deal?

    The money would all be in an ount under his name and the betting would solely be something that he did in his own personal time.

    The more he thought about it the more it made sense. As long as he didn''t leave any paper trails of him giving money to Jason who could prove that he was making the bets for Jason?

    Coach Swendel wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his hand as he stared at Jason "Of course this discussion never happened.

    But if it did I would ask you why you were trusting me with this? Hypothetically speaking if I were to follow along with this nonexistent n it would be easy for me to keep all of the money for myself.

    You wouldn''t be able to say anything if I were to choose to stab you in the back considering that your n in and of itself is illegal.

    You wouldn''t be able to run to the police or try to get your money back in court." Jason smiled as he stared Coach Swendel straight in the eyes.

    "The answer to your hypothetical question is easy. I know what kind of person you are Coach." Jason''s words stunned him.

    Jason continued "I know that you''re the kind of person that can identify the best choice for long term sess.

    Isn''t that why you threw away all of your pride and bowed your head to a little kid just so that he would join your basketball game?"

    Coach Swendel gulped "I s-suppose that''s urate." Jason took another bite out of his kimbap before continuing.

    "You wouldn''t throw away a chance at long term sess just to enjoy short term benefits. You''re too smart for that."

    Jason paused for a moment as his smile became warmer and gentler "And besides, the biggest thing is the fact that I trust you."

    Coach Swendel was once again stunned by Jason''s words. He continued "After spending more than a year with you and seeing how you operate I feel like I can trust you.

    You did your best to protect me and the teamst year when we had the whole drama about Trell happening.

    And even though things were rough for youst year the first thing you showed to me and the rest of the guys on the first day was a bright smile.

    You didn''tin about how you didn''t get any credit despite being the head coach of a team that made it top eight of the state tournament.

    Instead you smiled and asked us how our summer went. If this was all an act just to trick me into trusting you then there''s nothing I can say.

    But I feel like my chances are good enough that you''re actually a decent guy. I don''t mind rolling the dice with odds like this."

    Coach Swendel felt a lump form in his throat as a gentle pulse of warmth began to spread throughout his body.

    In the end despite his brain telling him that this was a ridiculous idea he couldn''t help but feel a certain type of way when he saw Jason''s trusting face look at him.

    After a short moment of silence he sighed before looking at Jason. He had a helpless look on his face as he nodded his head.

    "Alright. I guess I''ll have to agree to this deal that was never proposed." Jason smiled as he tossed thest bit of his kimbap into his mouth.

    He wiped his hands and his mouth with a towel before reaching out to shake Coach Swendel''s hand "Pleasure not doing business with you."

    After they came to an agreement Jason spent a few more minutes ironing out some more of the details.

    He would start to slowly withdraw small amounts of money from the ount where his Nike money was stored in order to avoid raising any suspicions from his parents.

    Coach Swendel would hold on to any money that they made but would only get a ten percent cut of the profits.

    He would keep the money in his ount in order to avoid creating paper trails that could be traced back to Jason.

    If he needed money Coach Swendel would slowly withdraw small amounts and hand them over to Jason in cash.

    As they finished discussing the details of their n Jason felt his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled out his cellphone and saw that it was Samantha calling him.

    He thanked Coach Swendel once again before heading out of his office. Seeing that there was no one else in the hallway he opened up his phone and called Samantha back.

    "Hey Sammy. Sorry about missing your call. Did you guys decide what book to do our project on?" Samantha''s sweet voice answered from the other side.

    "Oh, I wasn''t calling about the project. Kyle told us that you were hanging back at the school to talk about something with Coach Swendel.

    We thought it would be better to talk about the project with all four of us participating in the discussion."

    Jason raised his brow "Okay, cool. So what are you calling for? Not that I mind chatting like this but I can''t imagine that you would call me for no reason."

    He could hear Samantha snort annoyedly on the other side "You really don''t have a sense for girls huh? Sometimes girls like to call just to talk."

    Jason rolled his eyes before chuckling "I know that Sammy, but I also know that you''re not like most girls. So what did you want to talk about?"

    He didn''t know but his slightpliment made Samantha blush from the other side of the phone. She cleared her throat in an attempt to regain herposure.

    "For someone that doesn''t talk all that much with other people you have a real silver tongue you know that?"

    Jasonughed "Come on Sammy, just get to the point." Samanthaughed after hearing Jason''s slightly annoyed voice.

    "Alright. You weren''t wrong. I do have a reason for calling you right now. The principal actually wanted to ask you for a favor."

 Chapter 289 - Going Hard After School

    Jason was surprised to hear Samantha say that "What does Principal Morris want?" Samantha responded.

    "Nothing much, he was just asking if you, me, and Kyle could perform for the Spring Dance. Apparently our performance atst years talent show was a big hit."

    Jason thought about it for a moment ''I was nervous for a second. I thought that Principal Morris would ask me to do something crazy.

    If it''s just performing for the Spring Dance I don''t see why we can''t do it. Thanks tost year''s talent show I actually found out that I don''t mind singing in front of a bunch of people.''

    Since their schedule was slowing down a bit and since he actually enjoyed ying in a band with Samantha and Kyle Jason agreed to Principal Morris'' request.

    "I don''t mind doing it. Have you asked Kyle already?" Samantha answered "Yeah, I asked him. He said that he was down for it too.

    Alright, that''s it. I''ll tell Principal Morris tomorrow that we''ll do it. Talk to youter Jaya." Jason said his goodbyes to Samantha as the both of them hanged up.

    - - -

    The next day at practice. The team was ying three versus three king of the hill as Jason, Matt, and Kyle went up against Alex, Danilo, and DJ.

    The other teams of three were all watching from the side as Jason stared down Alex who was guarding him at the top of the perimeter.

    Jason called for a screen from Kyle who began to make his way over. Alex nced to his side for just a moment to see which side Kyle wasing over to.

    But that short moment was an opportunity in Jason''s eyes as he crossed the ball over to the left as he began to drive in that direction.

    ''Shit!'' Realizing that he had messed up Alex turned his hips as he began sprinting in order to catch up with Jason.

    But just as soon as Jason felt Alex making contact with him on his right side he nted his right foot as he maneuvered the ball in his left hand for the spin move.

    By using the spin move he had managed topromise Alex''s position as a defender. With him now locked behind Jason there was an openne to the paint.

    Jason didn''t go into his top speed as he instead drove at a slower pace while keeping Alex locked behind him with his hip and positioning.

    As he got closer to the basket Jason picked up his dribble and cradled the ball in his left hand for theyup.

    But before the ball could leave his hand he saw Danilo sprint toward him and explode off of the ground.

    Even though there had been a considerable amount of distance between the two of them at first Danilo was able to close the gap within a short amount of time thanks to his explosive speed and leaping ability.

    But instead of getting worried or flustered Jason simply grinned as he tossed a high hook shot with his left hand.

    The ball easily managed to clear Danilo as it flew over his head but it was clear that there was no way for it to even hit the rim let alone go in.

    But just as it looked like the ball would fly past the basket Kyle''s long outstretched arms appeared. He caught the ball with both hands as it was four inches (10.16cm) away from the right side of the rim.

    With a fierce look in his eyes Kyle mmed the ball down toward the rim as he forced it through the.

    The sound of the dunk seemed to reverberate throughout the gym as Kyle gracefully made his way back down to the court.

    Kyle pumped his fist before running over to Jason. After the two of them jumped and bumped hips mid air Jason yfully punched him square in the chest.

    Coach Swendel had a helpless look on his face as he weakly smiled and shook his head "Alright guys. That makes it four rounds of Jaya, Kyle, and Matt being undefeated.

    Time to wrap up practice. Hit the showers, get cleaned up, and head home. Make sure you guys do all your homework.

    We never had problems with any of our yers and their grades sincest year and I don''t n on having that change now.

    Everyone has Jaya''s number right?" All of the boys answered in unison "Yes Coach." He nodded his head "If you have any questions or if you don''t understand something make sure to give him a call."

    All of the boys nodded their heads as they began to make their way to the locker room. It was already an epted fact for them that Jason was the designated tutor of the team.

    But the person in question didn''t know if he wanted to cry orugh as he shook his head ''I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.

    Not like it''s any skin off my back. I can usually exin most things to them in a couple of minutes. I guess I did learn something during my previous time in school.''

    But despite his joking remark Jason had a feeling that the system had something to do with it. He felt like his memory was a good bit better this time aroundpared to his first life.

    He also noticed that back when he was first brought back in time that he had retained a lot of his old muscle memory.

    After getting cleaned up and changed into a clean set of clothes Jason waited outside the locker room for Kyle.

    As he walked out he smiled when he saw Jason. The two of them fist bumped "So you really down for ying at the Spring Dance?"

    Jason nodded his head and answered as they walked "Yeah. I think that I actually need to thank Sam a bit but don''t tell her I said that.

    Thanks to her I stepped out of myfort zone a few times and found out that I enjoy doing stuff other than basketball.

    Not only was the whole singing in a band thing pretty fun but being in a y was pretty cool too." Kyle carried his skateboard over his shoulder as heughed.

    "Don''t let her hear you say that bro. She will never let you forget about it. I repeat, NEVER. Hahaha." As the two of them left the gates of the school they both hopped on their skateboards.

    They were on their way to the diner that Jason''s dad owned. They had agreed to meet their with Samantha and Ka after practice to work on their project.

    And considering that a whole day had passed and they still hadn''t chosen a book to work on they would probably have to do a decent amount of work.

    - - -

    At the diner. Samantha had a calm and rxed look on her face as she sat across the table from Ka who was smiling as the two of them stared at each other.

    Samantha pulled out her phone and checked the time "There''s still ten minutes until Jaya and Kyle finish are done with practice, so why did you call me to meet up early?"

    Ka responded "I know that there''s still time before their practice ends. That''s why I called you, I wanted us to have a one to one talk before they got here."

    Samantha tilted her head as she showed neither happiness nor displeasure on her face "Let''s set things straight.

    Just because I''m cool with you joining our group doesn''t mean that we''re buddy buddy now okay? I let you join our group because unlike you I''m not a self centered bitch that likes to bully others."

    Although her mouth was still smiling the light in Ka''s eyes changed "That might have sounded convincing if it came from someone other than the queen bee that''s been messing with me since day one."

    Samantha rolled her eyes at Ka''s remark "Oh please, other than telling you to back off of Jaya in Ms. Yuller''s ss I haven''t done shit to you.

    If anything you''re the one that''s been fucking with me in a petty ass attempt to stand on top of Jefferson''s poprity list.

    I might not like starting shit but I sure as hell don''t mind finishing it. You''re trying to make yourself out as the victim but you''re the one that''s been starting all the trouble.

    Last week Wednesday one of your girl jocks dumped a lunch tray on one of my drama kids right in front of everybody."

    Ka crossed her arms "Well maybe you should teach that surfer brat to keep his mouth closed. He brought that on himself.

    Evelyn is already self conscious about her body and that little surfer brat just had to say some smart ass shit.

    ''Dang bro, like dudette over there don''t even need a surfboard to trick a shark. Even if she was just swimming they would mistake her for a seal.''

    He deserved to be covered in chili and cornbread for saying shit like that." Samantha frowned "He was just joking around at the table.

    It''s not like he went up to her and said that. He wasn''t even speaking loud enough for other people to hear.

    You and your oversensitive jock friends just happened to hear him while you were passing by our table.

    This is Riverside, everyone cracks jokes at each other. It doesn''t have any malice behind it. Maybe you and Evelyn should get some skin as thick as the rolls on her body."

    The two went silent as they intensely red at each other. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

    It was then that the door to the diner opened and Kyle''s voice called out "Oh, you guys are here already? Dang it, I thought that we would be early for once Jaya."

 Chapter 290 - Hanging Out At The Diner

    As soon as Ka saw Jason and Kyle walk in she turned her body in her chair and smiled at the two of them.

    She began waving at them "Sup guys. How was practice?" Jason and Kyle walked toward the table before hanging their backpacks on the back of their chairs as they took a seat.

    They then put their skateboards under their feet. Kyle took the chair next to Ka while Jason sat next to Samantha.

    Although he had done it subconsciously and didn''t think much of it Samantha turned to Ka and gave her a grin.

    Kyle answered "Practice was practice. As long as Jaya''s there you know it''s going to be tough haha." Jason chuckled.

    "Says the guy who was having the most fun. How many lobs did I hook you up with again?" Kyle smiled as he shook his head.

    "Five? Or maybe six? But that''s not the point bro. You were making me work for every dunk. Think you can aim a little lower next time?

    I thought I was going to dislocate a shoulder or something with how much I had to stretch out just to catch the ball."

    Jason replied "I know how much bounce you got bro. Trust me, I was throwing the ball right where it needed to be."

    Ka jumped in "I know what you mean Jaya. I say the same thing to the girls all the time. My passes go right where I know it needs to go."

    She then began to talk about the girl''s ser team and their season so far. She also asked Jason and Kyle questions about practice and their physical training.

    Samantha was silent as she didn''t really have much to add to the conversation and she didn''t want to say something just for the sake of having something to say.

    ''I would just look desperate trying to hop into a conversation without having anything real to add to it. I might even trip up and say something stupid.

    If that happens I know there''s no way in hell that bitch would just let it fly.'' After a few minutes passed Ka turned her eyes to Samantha and grinned.

    Her gaze seemed to contain a hidden message ''How do you like that you red haired punk reject? This is the difference between you and me.

    I can connect with Jaya in a way that you will never be able to understand.'' One of the waitresses came by the table with their drink orders.

    Jason got a ss of water to go with his extrarge strawberry milkshake while Kyle got a cookies and cream milkshake.

    As Samantha was sipping on her sweet iced tea Ka looked at Jason "Hey Jaya, I know this might sound weird but could I see your hands real quick?"

    Jason had a bit of a confused expression on his face as he tilted his head slightly "Uh.... Sure I guess.."

    He stretched his arms forward as he presented his hands to Ka. Samantha raised her brow as she looked at Ka with a interrogative gaze.

    Ka reached out and began to touch Jason''s hands as she inspected them "Oh wow, so these are the hands of the best middle school basketball yer in the county huh?"

    She ran her fingers all along his hands with a smile on her face. Kyle''s eyes opened wide as he sipped on his milkshake.

    ''Daaaamn! This girl is not shy! Jaya ain''t ever have to deal with a girl this aggressive before. I wonder how he''s going to take it?''

    He turned his eyes to Jason hoping to see an interesting reaction but to his disappointment he still had the same deadpan look on his face that he usually had.

    Kyle''s head drooped a bit ''Come on Jaya, you could at least pretend to be a normal dude. You''re acting like one of the prettiest girls at the school isn''t holding your hands right now.''

    Jason couldn''t see it because his attention was still on Ka but at his side the corner of Samantha''s eye began to twitch as she fought to keep herposure.

    Ka smiled brightly at Jason "You can really tell that you''re a serious athlete. All these scars and callouses are something that normal people wouldn''t have.

    It''s kind of like how wrestlers get cauliflower ears and how gymnast have callouses on their fingers right?"

    She was still smiling brightly as she caressed Jason''s hands. Jason didn''t seem to understand just what it was that she was doing.

    "Does that mean you have messed up feet?" His tone deaf words and the casual sound of his voice when he said that instantly killed the vibe that Ka was trying to create.

    Kyle instantly began to cough as hisughing made him choke on the milkshake that he was just drinking.

    He turned to the side as heughed while being in pain "Hahahaha! Oh god, I think I just sted a chunk of Oreo out of my nose hahaha!"

    Samantha also began tough as she gave Jason a thumbs up "Hahahaha! That was too good Jaya!" He turned to look at the two of them "Huh? Did I say something stupid?"

    He wondered to himself if he had said anything wrong ''Did I say something stupid again? I was just following her logic?''

    Ka had to force herself to fix the awkward look on her face. She coughed to clear her throat before once again smiling.

    "Haha, you''re funny Jaya. Fortunately my feet aren''t messed up or anything like that." Jason then turned to her "Oh, cool."

    After hearing his short reply Kyle and Samantha once again began tough. With the awkward feeling of having her advance fall short just now Ka didn''t continue to put any more moves on Jason.

    As they continued to talk and chat Samantha couldn''t help but sneak a grin at Ka ''How was that? You just made yourself look like a fool haha.''

    A few minutester and their waitress came back with all of their food. Jason''s order was by far the most eye catching as his te had two double cheeseburgers on a single te and another te filled with just fries.

    As they ate they began to do some work as they discussed what book they should pick to do their project on.

    Kyle took a bite out of his chicken wrap before saying "I think we can do the Percy Jackson series. Rick Riordan is a legend in the young adult fiction genre."

    Ka replied "If we''re going to do a presentation talking about young adult fiction why don''t we choose Harry Potter? It was pretty impactful in that genre right?"

    Samantha rolled her eyes "Because JK Rowling is kinda problematic? Don''t you know about the messed up stuff that she''s said?"

    As they continued to talk about their project they found that they had finished all of their food and had yet toe to an agreement.

    Kyle rubbed his face as he leaned back and sighed "I don''t think we''ll ever get this project done. Is it too early to ask Ms. Yuller for an extension?"

    Samanthaughed "Uh yeah, I think it is Kyle. It''s only been like two days. The project is due in two weeks. We got plenty of time."

    Jason picked up thest french fry that was on his te and flicked it toward his mouth. He caught it and started chewing.

    "As long as we have a book chosen by the end of this week I think we''ll be okay. We can finish doing all the research in thest week as long as we split the work up right."

    Jason and Kyle both felt their cellphones vibrate in their pockets as they pulled them out at the exact same time.

    Ka asked "Something up?" Jason shook his head before putting his cellphone back into his pocket "Nah, it was just Coach Swendel. He sent a text to all the guys on the team."

    Kyle nodded his head "We''re going to be watching film tomorrow. It''s for our next game this Friday."

    Samantha smiled "You guys got this. There isn''t a team in the county that can hang with you guys. I don''t think you''ll have any realpetition until the state tournament."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Yeah, you''re probably right Sammy. I feel the same way. But you can never be too careful.

    Bad things tend to happen when you take your foot off the gas or underestimate your opponent. Ondo was famous for always winning game 1s in the yoffs against way better teams because their opponents would think that they had an easy win."

    Kyleughed "I heard that game 1 Magic were just as good as the US Olympic team haha. At least from everything that Jaya''s been saying."

    Jason chuckled "Yeah, so if you don''t want to end up like the Bucks and get destroyed by a way weaker team you better take things seriously Kyle.

    If we lose our perfect record Ima start calling you the NEET Freak Kyle."

 Chapter 291 - In The Halls

    The days passed by with Jason going to ss and practice just like usual except now he had to meet up with Kyle, Samantha, and Ka to work on their project.

    They would either meet up at the diner or video chat online to discuss what book they would do their project on.

    After a lot of lobbying by Kyle and the support of Samantha it was decided that they would do their presentation on Rick Riordan and the Percy Jackson series.

    During the time that the four of them spent together to work on their project Ka continued to make advances on Jason but to no avail.

    Despite her greatest efforts she failed to even get so much as a positive reaction out of Jason. It was as though he didn''t even see her as a girl.

    But to her defense it wasn''t due to ack of charm nor was it due to ack of effort and motivation. Unfortunately for her Jason really just didn''t even put her on his radar.

    Despite having spent a little more than a year now as a child and having gotten close with a lot of the kids at school Jason still felt like an adult trapped in a little boys body.

    He saw and treated all of the kids his age as just that, kids. He subconsciously treated all the girls around his age differently because to him they didn''t even register as members of the opposite sex.

    That went for Samantha, Shania, and Ka as well as all the other middle school girls that he often came into contact with.

    - - -

    Friday morning. Samantha was in the hallway as she stopped by her locker to switch out textbooks. Next to her were a few of her friends.

    "You guys would not believe how tone deaf this girl is. Like, Jaya is clearly not responding to any of your moves girl. How much longer do you need to make a fool out of yourself."

    One of her friends with blonde hair responded "Well that''s not what the everyone else thinks." Samantha turned to her "What do you mean Lexi?"

    She tucked a strand of her tinum blonde hair behind her ear "Word with the other girls at Jefferson says that Ka and Jaya got a lot closer after getting paired up for Ms. Yullers project."

    Samantha frowned "That''s probably just Ka trying to spread rumors on her own. If she was being honest the whole school would know that she''s been shot down every time she tried to make a move on Jaya."

    Samantha stuffed her textbook into her locker. She rolled her eyes as she mmed the locker shut "How pathetic."

    - - -

    In a different part of the school. Ka was walking through the hallways on her way to her next ss apanied by some of her female athlete friends.

    Ka frowned slightly as she turned to her friends "I told you guys to keep what I said private. Now all the other girls are talking about me and Jaya."

    One of the shorter girls replied "Sorry Ka, we didn''t think it would spread like this. We just told a few of our friends.... Then they told some of their friends."

    A tall girl patted her on the shoulder "It''s okay May. Come on Ka, don''t be mad. We didn''t think that you were serious.

    We all know how much you dig Jaya. We didn''t think that it would hurt if a few more people knew that you and Jaya were getting close.

    And besides, just imagine how pissed off that red haired punk wannabe is right now having to listen to all this."

    Ka sighed "Either way. You guys shouldn''t have done that. But I guess you guys didn''t really mean to do any harm so I''m not pressed."

    A different girl asked "So how close are you guys now? Have you made anymore progress?" Ka blushed slightly.

    Before she had started to make any moves on Jason she had bragged to her friends how tons of guys had went after her at her first school and that getting Jason would be easy.

    With all the bragging that she did it was impossible for her to admit to them that all of her advancements so far had failed so she chose to tell them a little white lie in order to save face.

    But when she had told them that she didn''t expect things to escte to this point. Now all of the other girls at Jefferson really thought that she and Jaya had gotten closer.

    Which wasn''tpletely a lie. She had in fact gotten closer to Jaya ever since they had started working together as a group for Ms. Yuller''s project.

    The lieid in the part where she had exaggerated just how close the two had gotten. The rumors going around made it seem as though they were now a little more than friends.

    Where in reality it was more like they were acquaintances making the progression towards friendship.

    They had exchanged phone numbers and emails and interacted with each other during non school hours but most of their conversations where either about Ms. Yuller''s project, sports, or training.

    But to Ka it was toote now. There was no way that she coulde clean and admit that she had lied now that all the other girls were talking about it.

    Doing so wouldpletely destroy the image that she had created for herself at Jefferson. Ka put on an awkward smile.

    "Well.... Yeah I guess. I think we''re pretty close now." The short girl asked "Just how close Ka? Are you two like, a thing?"

    Ka hurriedly shook her head as she waved her hand "No no no. We''re not at that point yet but... I think we''re definitely more than just friends at this point."

    She could feel her face getting hotter as she spat out those dishonest words ''Thank god Jaya isn''t here to hear this.''

    Just then one of her friends spoke out "There he is!" "Huh?" Ka turned her head in confusion and saw Jason walking through the hallway with Kyle and the other guys who were on the basketball teamst year.

    She then felt a force move her forward as she got pushed from the back by one of her friends. She turned her head back toward them and saw the expectant look on their faces.

    They clearly wanted to see Ka walk up to Jason and show just how close they were. Ka gulped as her hands shook slightly at her sides.

    Seeing that she couldn''t think of a way out of this situation Ka took a deep breathe before turning around to walk towards Jason.

    She could feel everyone''s eyes on her as she walked toward Jason. Her heart began to thump loudly in her chest.

    She tried her best to put on a bright smile as she called out "Jaya!" She waved at him as she walked. Kyle tapped Jason on the shoulder causing him to turn around.

    "Huh?" He then saw Ka waving at him. He looked at her and waved casually at her. What she did next surprised everyone including Jason.

    Ka ground her teeth while smiling and hugged Jason "You look great today! How have you been?"

 Chapter 292 - Before The Game

    Jason was startled when he felt Ka embracing him with both arms around him. He looked down at Ka''s brightly smiling face.

    ''Why is this girl hugging up on me like this? Maybe something happenedst night after our video call and she just needs a hug?

    But that doesn''t really make sense either. If she was feeling down about something she wouldn''t be smiling like that?''

    Not knowing why Ka would suddenly hug him like this Jason decided to go with the only logical reason that he could think of.

    He assumed that something must have happened after their group video callst night and now she was hugging him to make herself feel better.

    That was the only possible reason that he could think of. He patted her on the back "Uh, hey Ka. Thanks, you look good too.... I guess?"

    He didn''t really know how topliment Ka considering that up till now he had mostly interacted with guys or tomboyish sort of girls like Tory, Shania, and Samantha.

    Ka could feel the awkwardness in Jason''s voice and sighed in relief ''Good thing it''s noisy out here. If anyone else had heard him my cover would have been blown.''

    Deep down she felt a tinge of guilt as she knew that Jason was just responding in a polite manner but her actions would spread more rumors about him and her.

    ''I shouldn''t have done this. He''s going to find out about the rumors eventually. I just don''t know what else to do.''

    She looked up at Jason and pulled away "Sorry to slow you down. I know that you guys are on your way to ss but I just wanted to say hi."

    She then smiled as she waved him goodbye while walking back to her group of friends. Kyle was the first to say something.

    "Well that was.... different?" Vince then nudged Jason in the side with his elbow "Damn bro, look at you. My dude gettin all the girls haha."

    DJughed "Too bad he don''t actually want them. Did you guys see Jaya''s face when she hugged him? Mans was looking all types of ufy haha.

    Shit bro, you might as well pass them over here since you ain''t interested. We know how good you are at droppin dimes on the court but times like this is when you really need to assist."

    Matt smiled as he added "Hate to break it to you DJ but I don''t think it matters how good Jaya is at dropping dimes.

    No amount of ymaking could make you look that good. You built like a fire hydrant my guy." Matt''s joke got everyoneughing except for DJ.

    He responded "Says the dude that looks like a piece of broli dipped in some chocte. You need to see a new barber if he tellin you that whatever you got going on is alright.

    That fro so damn big it''s starting to look like a damn meteorite. What you tryin to do? Make all the girls go extinct?"

    This time it was Matt''s turn to be the butt of the joke as all of the guys began tough. Jason then rolled his eyes.

    "Alright, enough clowning around guys. We actually need to go to ss now. Let''s pick up the pace unless you want to get marked aste."

    - - -

    Jason and the rest of the guys had a boring start to their day, well except for the incident with Ka back in the hallway, as they made their way through their different sses.

    But for Samantha it was anything but boring. During first lunch Samantha was sitting at her usual spot with some of her friends.

    News traveled fast as they already heard about what had happened with Jason and Ka back in the morning.

    Samantha frowned as she began to grip the stic spork in her hand tighter and tighter "She is such a bitch.

    She''s really trying to make this rumor grow. Who the hell would take advantage of someone and use them to spread a rumor that they don''t even know about?"

    West who was sitting beside her nodded his head "R-right? I don''t know why anyone would want to do something like that."

    There was a bit of nervousness and guilt in his voice because he knew that over the years that he had tried to spread rumors of him and Samantha multiple times.

    The only problem was that the rumor seemed so unrealistic for all the kids at Jefferson that it never managed to pick up any traction.

    Cody, who was sitting across the table from West took a bite out of his burger before asking "So Sammy, are you like gonna tell Jaya about this?

    Cause if little dudette is really trying to rock the water like you said then telling Jaya would probably be the easiest way to calm the waves, you feel what I''m sayin?"

    Samantha went silent as she fell deep in thought ''Knowing Jaya if I tell him about what Ka is doing and about all the rumors going on around him I''m sure that he''ll be pissed.

    Not because of the rumors. He doesn''t really care what other people think. He''ll just be super pissed off at Ka because he hates being used like a tool.

    He turned down the initial offer from Nike because they just wanted to use him as an Asian mascot. Jaya will probably be even more mad this time because it came from someone that he somewhat knows.''

    The more she thought about it the more she became excited to see Jaya ring furiously at Ka and her crying after having her image destroyed when he clears up all these rumors.

    She felt giddy just thinking about it. But then the smile disappeared from her face as she took a deep breathe.

    "I might tell him but I won''t tell him today." Her answer shocked Cody and West along with the other kids sitting at the table.

    They all knew how headstrong Samantha was after knowing her for a few years now. And they all knew just how much she liked Jason.

    For her to hold her tongue and not tell him about this seemed impossible to them. Cody looked at Samantha "You okay bro?

    Seeing you act like this is kinda weird not gonna lie. It feels like I''m watching a surfer hit the waves without a board. It just doesn''t look right."

    West excitedly asked "Why don''t you want to tell him? Is it because you''ve realized that you don''t really like him like that and that you don''t care what he does with Ka?"

    Samantha turned her head and looked at West with a face that said ''What are you talking about?'' She then shook her head.

    "What? Of course not. The way I feel about Jaya hasn''t changed. But I don''t want to tell him about Ka and the rumors right now because he has a game today.

    I know that he''s good at pushing his thoughts aside and focusing on ying but I just don''t want to put that on his te knowing that he has to y today. I don''t want to make things harder for him."

    Cody then asked "Well what about after the game? Even if it is an away game you could always like hit him up on your phone and tell him."

    Samantha shook her head "I know that they''ll most likely win their game today. And I don''t want to call him after just to give him some bad news."

    A smile bloomed on her face as the picture of Jason and Kyle working out in his room popped up in her mind.

    "Knowing just how hard he works and how much he puts into basketball he deserves to be able to enjoy every win.

    Calling him just to tell him about Ka and the rumors would just spoil the mood. I can wait until Monday to tell him."

    - - -

    The day passed by uneventfully for Jason and the rest of the team as they all began to climb into the bus after school.

    Even though it was an away game the bus ride was short as they managed to reach the school in less than thirty minutes.

    Since the traffic was actually better than what they had nned for they had reached the school ten minutes earlier than they were supposed to.

    Coach Swendel lead them to the away team''s locker room before heading out to say hello to the referee that would be in charge of today''s game as well as the opposing coach.

    After they had all changed into their official game jerseys the guys began to freestyle as they still had some time to kill.

    Vince was bobbing his head to the beat that Nick yed on his phone.

    "Aye

    Aye

    When ite to girls I''m smooth just like a smoothie

    If I see your girl take her out to the movies

    Call me designer like my name Louis "

    All of the guys were hyped as they were vibing in the locker room "AYE!"

    Then DJ jumped in.

    "Say your name was Louis but you look more like Chanel

    Lookin like a female wanna do your hair and nails."

    "YOOOO!" All of the boys went wild after hearing DJ take a jab at Vince. They then turned to Jason with hopeful looks in their eyes.

    Jason chuckled as he could tell that they all wanted him to join in on the freestyle. He got up from his seat.

    "They call me the Reaper cause I''ll go and snatch your soul

    Beat you ck and blue I don''t need to be swole

    We could hoop in a cemetery shit would still be the same

    Cause we leavin bodies after every single game."

 Chapter 293 - An Exciting Weekend.

    Inside a small television studio sat Tucker and Jeff as they sat casually in brightly colored chairs around a coffee table.

    Tucker took a sip from his red stic cup before turning to the camera with a smile "Hello and thank you for tuning in to another episode of Foul Mouths.

    I''m your host Tucker Winston along with my co host Jeffrey Lautner." Jeff nodded at the camera with a smile on his face before raising his own red stic cup.

    "Thanks for the intro Tucker. Man, am I in a celebration type mood right now. Today we are here for yet another amazing win by Jefferson middle school as they are now 17 and 0 for the season.

    There just isn''t a school in the county that can keep up with them. At least from what I''ve seen so far in this season."

    Tucker nodded his head "I would have to agree with you Jeff. From what I''ve seen from them on the court Jefferson Middle School is in a ss of their own.

    It almost seems unfair to have them go against other middle schoolers." Jeffughed "Seems unfair? More like it''s super unfair.

    Jefferson has the best point differential out off all the other teams in the state. They are beating all of their opponents by at least 30 points this season.

    If that doesn''t sound unfair to you I don''t know what is." Tucker nodded his head "You do have a point there Jeff."

    He then began to scratch his head as a grin formed on his face. He turned to Jeff "But why does it sound like your a super fan talking about his team?

    If my memory serves me correctly it was you that was doubting Jefferson so muchst year." Jeff began to blush.

    He crossed his arms as he took a sip from his cup "Are you going to bring that up every single time we talk about Jefferson?

    I get it, I was ame-o loser for being super doubtful about Jefferson and Jayast season. But can you me me?

    Up until then Jefferson had the reputation of being the worst basketball team in the whole county. Who could have known that they would be this good?"

    Tucker began to move his eyes as he scanned all over the room "Actually I think there were a few well educated sports lovers with high basketball IQ that were able to recognize Jaya''s talents.

    <em>Cough</em> me <em>cough</em>. But you''re right. I can''t really me you forcking the ability to see the true potential of Jefferson and Jaya."

    Jeff face palmed before rolling his eyes "Alright already, we get it. You are the basketball god for being able to see all of this way back sincest year. Are you happy?"

    Tucker smiled "Very. Anyways, now that we''re done teasing Jeff let''s talk about the games that happened this weekend."

    Jeff chuckled "I think we''re the only show that would cover a regr season game for a middle school team."

    Tucker nodded his head "Yes, but we are also a local show and what else other than Jefferson do people really care about in Riverside?

    In this city the biggest names on peoples'' minds right now are Jaya and Jefferson. And can you me them?

    No team in this city''s history has ever shown the kind of talent and potential that Jaya has shown with Jefferson.

    Even with Tyreek we mostly marveled at how amazing he was as an individual. He never showed the ability to uplift a team the way that Jaya has."

    Jeff took another sip as he nodded his head "True, true, with Tyreek we watched him dominate with his ability to take over games by himself.

    But with Jaya he''s a different kind of amazing. Not only has he shown that he can take over games by himself but he''s also shown that he can get the most out of the yers around him.

    Not to say that one is inherently better than the other but they have different styles. It''s kind of likeparing Magic to MJ. They are both on the Mount Rushmore of GOATs. At least here in Riverside."

    The screen behind them began to y highlights from the games that happened over the weekend. Tucker turned his head to loot at the screen.

    He grabbed the remote and paused it before holding his head with both of his hands "That y was crazy.

    Jaya clearly gets hit with the screen and his defensive assignment is left wide open for the three. But he hustles back just in time to block the shot from behind."

    Jeff added "The crazier part is the fact that they''re already up by 30 in the fourth quarter and he still hustled like that.

    That level of energy and intensity is a skillset at that point. It''s already hard enough for some yers to y with heart and effort regrly.

    But when you have a lead like that and it''s clear that you''re going to blow your opponents out of the water?

    Most people would be cruising at that point. Jaya''s the only kid that I can think about doing something like that."

    Tucker responded by shaking his head "Too bad most people don''t feel that way. I''ve been seeing a lot of thements online.

    While a lot of people acknowledge Jaya''s talent and abilities there are also a lot of people that don''t think that this is all real.

    Their biggest argument is the fact that Jaya hasn''t had to face any realpetition so far. And although I don''t agree with thempletely they are right when they say that Jefferson is in a weak county with lower levels ofpetition."

    Tucker nodded his head before smiling "That''s true. But I don''t think that will be the case for long. There are only three more games left in the regr season.

    I''m sure that when Jaya leads Jefferson to the state and national tournament all the haters will have to shut their mouths hahaha."

    - - -

    In Kyle''s room Jason wasying in his bed while reading through one of his manga while Kyle sat in front of hisputer ying a game.

    All of a sudden Jason turned his head to the side as a sneeze came out of him "<em>Achoo!</em> " Kyle took off his headphones as he turned around to look at Jason.

    "You good bro? Maybe you should take it easy for a while. You did just drop a fifty piece two games in a row."

    Jason shook his head before going back to reading the manga in his hand "Nah, I''m good. It''s probably someone just talking about me."

    Kyleughed "If that was the case you would be sneezing 24/7 bro. Too bad it''s already Monday tomorrow.

    I feel like we didn''t even get a chance to have any fun this weekend." Jason didn''t take his eyes off of the manga that he was reading as he responded.

    "I don''t know about you but I had a ton of fun this weekend. Dropping 50 points back to back was pretty exciting." Kyle rolled his eyes as heughed "Whatever."

 Chapter 294 - Sammy And Karla

    Monday. It was only six in the morning but the sounds of activity could already be heard in the kitchen as Ka prepared a mountain worth of food.

    Her eyes were slightly puffy and red but despite the clear signs of tiredness she was smiling brightly as she cooked.

    After finishing preparing the food she packed them up in individual containers and marked them ''Mom'' ''Dad'' ''Lisa'' ''Eduardo'' ''Freddie'' ''Danny''

    For a few years now it had be a part of her daily schedule to prepare the lunches of everyone in her house.

    Ever since she had first noticed how busy her parents were she started to help out and pitch in wherever she could.

    By the time she was done packing everyone''s lunches for the day she went to her restroom to wash up and get ready for school.

    The house began to get more lively as more and more people woke up and began to get ready to start off their days.

    As Ka walked out of her room dressed for school with her backpack on her shoulder a little boy that looked to be around six or seven years old ran up to her and jumped into a hug.

    "Morning L!" Ka chuckled as she patted him on the head "Good morning Danny. Make sure you brush your teeth and get dressed okay?

    Don''t give mom and dad a hard time first thing in the morning." The little boy puffed his cheeks angrily "Danny always a good boy."

    Ka smiled before bending over to once again hug him "You''re right. Danny is always a good boy. I have to go to school now okay?

    All of your lunches are packed and ready to go. Make sure you pick up the right bag okay? I wrote your names on them like usual."

    She then walked out of her house and got on her bike as she made her way to school. As she biked she couldn''t help but think of her current situation with Jason.

    ''That was so stupid of me. I should have just been honest and told them that I wasn''t making any progress with Jaya.

    Now there''s rumors going around the school about the two of us. I can''t imagine how Jaya will react if he finds out about the rumors.''

    She was so embarrassed with herself that she couldn''t even muster up the courage to watch any of Jason''s games even though they were home games.

    She was afraid of him seeing her among the crowd. Even now as she got closer and closer to the school her pedaling became slower and slower.

    But it wasn''t until she finally arrived at the school that she felt just how hard it was for her to enter the school.

    Multiple kids saw her and greeted her but despite the smile that she put on her face she was full of guilt and anxiety.

    As she was locking her bike up in what all the students at Jefferson referred to as ''The Cage'' she couldn''t think of anything other than Jason.

    ''What am I going to tell him? How do I even tell him? I actually meet a guy that I genuinely like and I fucked up this bad.

    Why couldn''t this have happened at my old school? I wouldn''t have cared if it was anyone else other than Jaya.''

    She had been one of the popr girls even back at her old school and she had yed her fair share of social games.

    But this was the first time that she had ever been so concerned about the consequences of her actions.

    ''Man, I never knew that having feelings for someone was so rough. I would have been way nicer rejecting those guys if I had known.''

    As Ka walked out of The Cage she bumped into one of thest people that she wanted to see right now.

    Samantha was by herself as she stood in front of Ka with her arms crossed "Morning ser princess. Looks like someone had a tough time going to sleep."

    Ka sighed "Can we not do this right now Sammy? I really don''t have the energy to fight with you." Samantha didn''t move as she continued to stand in front of Ka.

    "Trust me, I don''t want to start of my day by talking to you either. But this isn''t about me and this isn''t about you.

    I came here to talk to you about Jaya." Ka had a defeated look on her face as she lowered her head "Alright. But can we do it somewhere else? Somewhere a little more private?"

    Samantha nodded her head "Follow me. I know just the ce." Ka followed as Samantha lead the way into the school.

    Samantha walked into the indoor auditorium and flipped some switches as the lights began to turn on. She took a seat on the edge of the stage and looked at Ka.

    "We don''t have anything lined up for the next y and this ce is normally empty. So you don''t need to worry about anyone listening in."

    Ka stared Samantha straight in her eyes "So I''m guessing you''re here to talk to me about the rumors right?"

    Samantha nodded her head "I guess your head does work. I want you to tell Jaya about the rumors and I want you to clear things up."

    Ka looked at Samantha with a confused expression "You mean you didn''t tell him yet?" Samantha snorted "Why? You disappointed that I didn''t bust you yet?"

    Ka shook her head "I just thought that you would hop on a chance like this to ruin my image and my chances with Jaya as soon as you could."

    Samantha took a deep breathe "As much as I would love to drag you through the mud I know that it won''t do much for Jaya.

    All the pleasure that I would gain from exposing you to him won''t help him feel better when he finds out that someone that he let into his circle betrayed him."

    Ka was stunned as she silently looked at Samantha. She continued "I don''t know if you''ve noticed this but Jaya doesn''t really have the biggest group of friends.

    Or at least not ones that aren''t in the basketball team. Don''t you think that''s weird considering how popr he is?"

    Ka responded "Everyone knows that. Besides the guys on the basketball team he doesn''t really interact much with other people.

    But that''s just because everyone is intimidated by his intense eyes and his deadpan face. Everyone thinks that he''s Mr. Unapproachable but he''s actually really cool if you get to know him."

    Samantha shook her head "You got half of it right. Jaya normally doesn''t talk with people much besides the guys on the basketball team but there''s a reason for that.

    You should know that he''s super popr with a bunch of the girls here at Jefferson right? Heck, he''s even popr with girls from different schools.

    They all know that Jaya isn''t as cold as his appearance makes him out to be. Even the other kids here know that at this point.

    But the reason why Jaya doesn''t really mess with them is because he doesn''t do anything without having a purpose.

    He doesn''t like wasting his time with things that don''t matter. And that includes me. You think it was easy to get that blockhead to ept me as a friend?

    He was the first person that I ever had to put so much effort into just to get him to talk to me on a regr basis.

    I had to be extra pushy and extra talkative. You know why?" Ka remained silent as she didn''t know how to answer Samantha''s question.

    "The reason why Jaya doesn''t really like to interact with other people and socialize is because he''s afraid to waste his time and effort.

    I don''t know who hurt him in the past but I can tell that he''s afraid to invest himself because he doesn''t want it to happen again.

    For as long as I''ve known him, even though it''s only been a year, Jaya has never been the kind of guy to just walk up to people because he wants to make friends.

    The only time I''ve seen him interact with people not rted to basketball is when he''s forced to do it because of circumstances.

    He not only agreed to let you be a part of our group but he even started treating you as a friend. If we were just going to work on a project together we could have just talked online.

    But he made the effort to invite you to hang out in real life after school because he wanted you to feelfortable in the group."

    Ka kept her mouth shut as the guilt began to pile up inside of her. Samantha frowned after seeing Ka remain silent.

    "I don''t want him to hear about these rumors and where they started from random strangers. You have until today to tell him yourself."

    Samantha lifted herself up and hopped down the stage as she began to walk toward the exit. As she was halfway through the door she turned her head to look back at Ka.

    "You''ve already disappointed me once princess, so I hope you don''t do it for the second time. Because now it involves Jaya and I don''t want to see him get hurt."

    Ka stoodpletely still like a deer caught in headlights as the door closed. A secondter and tears started forming in the corners of her eyes as her entire body trembled.

 Chapter 295 - 8th Grade English Is Important

    Morning practice had just finished up as Jason and the rest of the guys that were on the teamst year made their way to first period.

    As they walked together as a group through the hallways they couldn''t help but feel like something was different, only one person seemed to be oblivious to it all.

    Vince came up from behind and patted Jason strongly on his shoulders with both hands "Yo, don''t something feel kinda off?"

    Jason''s eyes moved around as he scanned the people nearby. They were all looking at him and some even pointed at him but they pretended as though they weren''t as soon as Jason''s gaze swept over them.

    Jason shrugged "People are pointing and talking about us. Isn''t that just a normal everyday thing?" Vince thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

    "Nah bro, this is way differentpared to the normal amount of attention that we normally get. I don''t know what it is but.... It just feels different."

    DJ chimed in from the side "I think I have to agree with Vince on this. This ain''t the usual kind of attention that we normally get Jaya.

    The girls look way too excited talking and whispering about you. Normally it''s the dudes that are super hyped about you."

    Matt nodded his head "Yeah, I mean Jaya always gets the girls'' attention whenever he''s out but not to this level."

    Jason nodded his head before turning to Matt "So do you know what''s up?" Matt had an awkward look on his face as he shook his head.

    Jason chuckled "If you guys don''t know what''s going on then don''t worry about it. No point in stressin over shit when you''re in the dark.

    If it''s something that we have to worry about we''ll find out eventual. For now let''s just focus on getting to our first ss.

    We wasted so much time talking about this that we''ll have to push the temp up a bit if we don''t want to get marked as tardy.

    All of the guys nodded their heads as they began to speed walk down the hall to get to first period on time.

    As the guys stepped into the room the bell began to ring as they just narrowly avoided getting marked aste.

    Kyle wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand as he let out a sigh "Nice, just barely made it."

    "Nice of you to join us gentlemen. Now if you could please take your seats so that I may begin ss it would be very appreciated."

    Kyle felt embarrassed as Ms. Yuller''s smiling face looked at him and the rest of the boys. He nervously chuckled "Sure thing Ms. Yuller."

    As Jason and the rest of the boys walked over to their desks and took their seats Ms. Yuller began to call out names as she took attendance.

    After calling out a few names she got to the first absent student "Ka? Ka P��rez? Absent it is then. How odd, she''s never missed ss before."

    Seated next to Jason Samantha blew a lock of her red curly hair off of her face as she rolled her eyes "Strike one."

    Jason turned his head as he looked at her "Did you say something?" Samantha sat up straight in her chair as she smiled at Jason.

    "Oh nothing. I was just murmuring to myself haha. You know me, I just can''t stay quiet even when there''s no conversation going on."

    Jason felt as though Samantha was acting a bit strange. Or at least more strange than usual "Okay.... Never mind then I guess."

    Ms. Yuller finished taking attendance as all of the other students reported in and on time. Just as she was about to begin the ss the phone on top of her desk began to ring.

    She walked back over and answered the phone "Hello? Yes this is first period English literature and this is Ms. Yuller speaking.

    I see, alright then. Tell her to rest up and that I hope she feels better soon. Thank you." She hanged up the phone before turning to the ss.

    "Unfortunately Ka was not feeling well this morning when she came to school. She is currently resting in the infirmary with the school nurse.

    If any of you have a ss with herter today would you mind making an extra copy of your notes and passing them to her?

    I also need someone to hand some example sheets and other papers to her so that she doesn''t fall behind in the ss."

    Despite her poprity at the school no one raised their hand. Maybe it was because the task was too much of a hassle.

    Maybe it was because of Samantha''s presence in the ssroom. Or maybe they had expected Jason to volunteer to do it because of the rumors between him and Ka but either way no one was interested in epting the task from Ms. Yuller.

    Just then a hand slowly raised itself into the air as all of the kids turned their heads toward the back of the room.

    "I''ll do it Ms. Yuller. I don''t have a ss with Ka but we both have first lunch. I know where she normally sits so I''ll pass the notes and the handouts to her then."

    Ms. Yuller smiled as she pulled out some sheets of paper from the drawer of her desk. She walked over and handed them to Samantha.

    She patted her softly on the head " Tr��s bien Mademoiselle Doyle. As expected from one of my finest students."

    Samantha chuckled "Don''t sweat it Ms. Yuller." The smile remained on her face but her gaze was oddly sharp and cold.

    "It''s the least I could do for our sick little princess right?" After handing Samantha the handouts Ms. Yuller walked back to the front of the ss as she began her lesson.

    "I hope you are all well rested and ready for ss. Today we will be continuing our lesson on the different tools that are often used in literature.

    Last week we covered antagonist and the purpose that they serve on Friday. Today we will be covering the ever so important tool known as a foil character.

    Just like an antagonist they help to enrich a story by ying off of the main character but they often times serve very different purposes."

    Ms. Yuller continued to pour her heart out in her lecture as all but two students were diligently taking notes.

    Jason seemed to be gazing off into the ether as he nkly sat in his chair. Samantha couldn''t help but happily smile looking at his face.

    ''Geez, look at this blockhead. It''s so obvious what''s on his mind. He always has that look on his face whenever he''s thinking about basketball.''

    But the happy and content look on her face quickly disappeared as she furrowed her brows and ground her teeth.

    ''I hope I didn''t judge you wrong princess. As much as I hate to say it you are now a part of Jason''s story. The only question that remains is are you going to be an antagonist or a foil character?''

 Chapter 296 - Sammy And Karla : Part-2

    At the lunch tables. Ka had her head down as she covered her face with both hands ''What am I going to do?

    Sammy gave me until the end of the day to tell Jaya. But I didn''t even have the guts to see him in first period.

    This is the first time that I''ve ever missed ss. I''ve had perfect attendance since the day I first started going to middle school.

    What am I even doing? I''m going to have to talk to him sooner orter..... But I just can''t do it! Urghhhh.''

    One of the girls at the table looked at Ka "You okay? I thought the whole being sick thing was just an excuse to ditch first period."

    Ka raised her head and did her best to smile like usual "Sorry, I was feeling a little under the weather this morning but I''m starting to feel better."

    Another girl joined in "Well, at least you''re feeling better." She then looked to her left and then to her right before leaning in across the table toward Ka.

    She whispered as though afraid to have any of the nearby tables hear her "<em>Psst</em>, So how did things go over the weekend? Make any progress with Jaya?"

    After hearing her say that the rest of the girls all leaned in as they didn''t want to risk out on missing anything.

    Ka could feel the blood draining from her face as her friends all asked her about the imaginary rtionship that she had with Jaya.

    "We saw you guys hugging on Friday but... Have you guys..... you know, kissed yet?" Ka lost herposure for a moment as she yelped "Kissed!?"

    Her face that had felt cold from her guilt and shame now felt hot as she blushed in embarrassment. The girl who had asked her the question took her blushing and silence the wrong way.

    "No way, did you guys do more than just kiss? Did you guys.... with your tongues..... or maybe even second base?"

    Even the girl herself could hardly say the words that she wanted to say as her face began to turn a bright crimson.

    Ka hurriedly shook her head "Of course not!" Surprised by just how loud she had shouted Ka took a deep breathe as she spent a moment trying to regain herposure.

    "We didn''t kiss yet, or any other dirty things you might be thinking. We''re still in middle school. Second base, really?"

    The girl who had asked her lowered her head as she tried to hide her embarrassed face. Another girl chimed in.

    "I mean, not like it''s that crazy is it? I know a ton of girls who have gone to second base with their boyfriends."

    Ka responded "Well I''m not like them. Isn''t that a little much? Second base in middle school? Isn''t that too fast?"

    The other girl chuckled before rolling her eyes "Is this reallying from you? No offense Ka but it doesn''t sound so convincinging from you.

    How long has it been since you partnered up with Jaya''s group for the project? And you''re already hugging him in front of everybody in the hallways.

    Not to mention all the dudes that you''ve yed with at yourst school. I can''t post a single picture with you without them saying some cheesy lines in thements."

    Ka was stunned for a moment "T-that''s different! I never seriously went out with them. If anything the most we did was go out a few times."

    She was losing her confidence as the words left her mouth. By the time she was close to finishing her voice was barely audible.

    "J-Jaya''s different. Things are different with him." Ka looked down at her lunch tray as though she were looking for an answer to all her problems within the instant mashed potatoes that sat next to her peas.

    Just then she could feel that something was off. The bustling cafeteria that was filled with chatter just moments ago was now dead silent.

    Ka turned her head to the side as she noticed that all of the other kids were looking in that direction.

    It was then that she felt her heart drop to her stomach as Samantha''s face came into view. She gulped "S-Sammy."

    The other girls at her table automatically went on the offensive "What the hell are you doing here Drama Freak."

    "Well if it isn''t the red haired emo reject. Did youe here by mistake? The graveyard is ten miles away you know."

    Samantha ignored all of the other girls'' remarks as she stared straight at Ka. With a stic bag of chocte milk in her hand she took a sip from the straw that was stabbed into it.

    "Strike two princess. You should have made your way to Jaya instead of the cafeteria. I told you already, you have until the end of the day to clear things up."

    Ka stood up from the table in a hurry as she walked over to Samantha. She leaned in and whispered.

    "Can we not do this here Sammy? I''m sure that even you don''t want to mess up your status. Look, everyone is staring at us. If you stay here some weird rumors might start popping up."

    Samantha''s brow raised as she looked at Ka "Oh now you care about weird rumors popping up huh? Didn''t seem like such a problem to you before."

    Ka could feel the sting in Samantha''s words as she silently stood in front of her. She didn''t know what to say back.

    Normally she was quick witted when it came to verbal sparring and altercations but this time her mind wasing up nk.

    Samantha rolled her eyes. She took her backpack off and pulled a pile of papers out. She tossed them on to the table before turning her attention back to Ka.

    "These are the notes and handouts from Ms. Yuller''s ss." Samantha then leaned in toward Ka and whispered.

    "You said that you and Jaya were the same because you''re both athletes. Not gonna lie you had me fooled for a bit.

    I was a little worried for a moment but now I''m sure. You and Jaya are nothing alike. Ditching first period just to run away from your problems?

    What a weak ass move. Don''t everpare yourself to Jaya again. He actually has heart, he would never do something as pathetic as that."

    She then turned around as she started to make her way back to her table. She raised her hand into the air with two fingers up.

    "You got two strikes. Trust me, you don''t want to see what happens when you get to strike three princess. You have until the end of the day.

    If you decide to chicken out don''t say I didn''t warn you."

 Chapter 297 - The Truth Comes Out

    After getting back to her table all of the girls looked at Samantha "What are you doing Sammy?!" "Yeah Sammy, don''t you know about the rumors going on about Jaya and Ka?"

    "Now everyone is going to think that you''re a homewrecker or a sore loser. This is seriously going to hurt your social status."

    Samantha rolled her eyes as she sat down "Homewrecker? Please, we''re still in middle school. What kind of home could I possibly be wrecking.

    And it''s not like the rumors are true. People are just eating this bullshit up because of Ka''s slick acting in the hallway."

    One of the girls responded "Yeah, you might be right. But what matters is what other people think. Even if the rumors are fake if everyone thinks that they''re true what you just did will seriously damage your position in Jefferson''s poprity charts."

    Samantha seemed to be ignoring the girl''s words as she simply drank her chocte milk. As soon as it was empty she crumpled up the stic bag and tossed it toward therge trash bin that was just a few feet away.

    She kept her hand up as though she had just shot a jump shot with a basketball. After seeing it fall into the trash bin she smiled "Jaya."

    Seeing that she was being ignored the girl sighed "Sammy, can you please take this seriously? We need toe up with something."

    The smile disappeared from Samantha''s face as she turned her attention back to the others sitting with her.

    "It''s not that I''m ignoring you. I just don''t think that this is as serious as you guys are making it out to be.

    Things are going to go back to normal when the rumors turn out to be fake. And even if they don''t what''s the problem?

    Poprity isn''t the most important thing. I''m not going to let something like that control what I can or can''t do."

    All of the girls at the table were surprised by what they had just heard "Wow, Sammy just said that poprity doesn''t matter."

    "Someone pinch me I must be dreaming. There is no way I just heard you say that." "Is this reallying from the girl who was dead set on bing the most popr back in the sixth grade?"

    Samantha shrugged her shoulders "I guess sometimes people change." The image of her and Jason performing atst years talent show popped into her mind.

    She began to smile "Or maybe they meet people that make them want to change."

    - - -

    As the bell rang for thest time for the day Jason, Kyle, and the rest of the guys got up from their seats.

    After walking out of the ssroom they began to make their way to the gym. Kyle scratched the top of his head.

    "Today really been a different type of weird. I still can''t help but feel that the girls were paying more attention to Jaya than they normally do."

    Vince walked over and gave him a pat on the shoulder "Just forget about it bro. The female mind is aplex maze for guys like us. No point in losing your head trying to figure it out."

    Right as they were about to walk into the gym a voice called out "Jaya." They all turned their heads in the direction where the voice came from.

    Jason raised his hand up "Yo, what''s up Sammy?" Samantha made her way over. She smiled as soon as she was in front of Jason.

    "Sorry, I know you''re about to head to practice but do you mind if we talk real quick?" Jason tilted his head slightly to the side.

    "Uh, sure." He turned his head to the guys "Y''all can head in first. I''ll go in after I talk to Sammy." Kyle and the rest of the guys nodded their heads before walking into the gym.

    After the boys walked into the gym Samantha and Jason were by themselves as the hallways werepletely empty.

    Jason looked at Samantha straight in the face "So what did you want to talk about Sammy?" She was still smiling but there seemed to be some worry in her eyes.

    She fidgeted with her hand as she kept it in her pocket "It''s nothing super serious but... Have you talked to Ka at all today?"

    A confused expression covered Jason''s face "Ka? Hmmm, can''t say that I have. Why? Is this about the project?"

    After hearing Jason''s answer Samantha began to grind her teeth ''What a coward. I can''t believe this bitch. After getting so many chances...''

    Samantha gripped the edges of her red nnel long sleeve "It''s not about the project Jaya. I don''t know how to tell you this but-"

    Before she could get the rest of the words out of her mouth a voice shouted out "Wait!" Samantha and Jason both turned their heads in the direction of the voice.

    "Looks like everyone is trying to catch me at thest minute. First youe up before practice and now Ka''s here."

    Samantha ignored Jason''s joke as she stared down Ka while she made her way toward the two of them.

    It was clear to see that Ka had rushed herself on the way here as her breathing was rough and some of her hair was sticking to her face from her sweat.

    She was panting as she finally stood in front of Jason and Samantha "J-Jaya I''m-I''m sorry." Jason was surprised by what she had said.

    "What do you mean you''re sorry? What did you do?" Hearing him ask that tears started to form in the corner of her eyes.

    "I-I''m so sorry Jaya. I never meant for things to turn out like this. I should have kept my mouth shut. I didn''t want to start those rumors. You have to believe me!"

    Jason walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder "Wow, calm down Ka. What rumors? I don''t even know what you''re talking about."

    Ka began to exin everything. She talked about the rumors that were going around the school about the two of them.

    She talked about the hallway incident and why she did it. The entire time she was speaking she would nervously steal nces at Jason''s face.

    Even though his facial expression didn''t change it didn''t help to diminish the worry that was growing in her heart.

    After she was done exining the situation to Jaya she returned to apologizing "I know what I did was wrong, but I really am sorry Jaya!

    Please, you have to believe me! I didn''t want things to turn out like this! I-it''s just that things got out of hand so quick a-and things were moving to fast for me to fix."

    Despite her desperate pleading Jason just stood there silently. Her heart began to race as her anxiety began to overwhelm her.

    Her entire body was trembling as she reached out to Jason with her ice cold hands "Please Jaya! I know that you''re angry but-"

    Jason shook her hands off of him as he turned around "I have to go. Practice is going to start soon." Those cold and apathetic words hurt her more than any shouting or reprimanding could ever have.

    Not knowing what else to do she once again reached out and grabbed him by the hand "Please Jaya! You can shout or curse me out!

    I don''t care if you yell at me to vent all of your anger! But please! Please don''t hate me! I really had no idea that things would get so out of hand! I''m sorry!"

    Jason slowly turned his head around. His face had the same deadpan look that he always had but the look in his eyes was a hundred times colder.

    Ka was like a deer caught in headlights as her body instinctively froze. Jason stared her down "You''re sorry?

    Sorry about what you did or sorry that you got caught?" Even though she wanted to refute what Jason had said she couldn''t muster up the strength to say a single word.

    As she looked at Jason''s cold face it felt as though there was a heavy weight pressing down on her. Jason continued.

    "I can''t believe that I was stupid enough to fall for your little tricks. I feel like such an idiot now. I was actually worried when you came up to me in the hallways.

    I thought that you were dealing with something serious and needed someone to be there for you. Turns out you were just using me.

    And using me for something as stupid as poprity. Everyone loves to say that I''m a model student because I get good grades and y basketball at the same time.

    But now it looks like they were wrong. I''m a lot more stupid than they thought. Hell, I''m even more stupid than I thought.

    I never thought of myself as a genius but I thought that I was at least smart enough to not fall for the tricks of some teenage girl."

    Jason paused before once again shaking her hands off of him "You said that you don''t care if I yell at you to vent my anger as long as I don''t hate you.

    But you''re wrong. I''m not angry and I don''t hate you. All I am.... is disappointed." His words cut deeper than she had ever thought possible.

    Ka watched silently as Jason walked into the gym.

 Chapter 298 - A Chance For Adulting

    As soon as Jason walked into the gym all of the guys greeted him. But Jason simply nodded his head in response.

    Sam still had his hand up awkwardly as Jason walked to the locker room. After putting his hand down he turned to his side where Frank and Donte were standing.

    "Is it just me or is something up with Jaya?" Frank nodded his head "The captain is a little more stingy with his words today. I wonder what''s up?"

    Donte continued to practice his dribbling as he replied "Does it matter?" Both Frank and Sam were surprised to hear Donte speak.

    Normally he would just nod or shake his head whenever anyone talked to him. The only time they had ever heard him talk freely was whenever he was speaking with Jason.

    Donte continued "We''re bench yers. All we have to think about is getting better. If there really is something going on Jaya will take care of it.

    That''s his job as team captain. And as the guy that''s supposed to lead us." Frank gulped "I guess you have a point."

    Sam nodded his head "Donte''s right. We should leave big problems to the people that can handle them. All we need to do is focus on hooping."

    - - -

    Although Jason didn''t say much when he walked in as soon as it came time for practice to start the intensity he exuded automatically went up.

    From the sprints that they started with down to their defensive drills Jason gave it all of his effort and he made sure that all of the others did the same.

    "You call that sprinting!? I want you guys running like your lives depend on it! Give it everything that you have!"

    "Don''t keep your body so tensed up. When you''re trying to run past a screen you need to rx your body a bit so that you don''t get stuck on it!"

    "Your shot was too far off to the left. When you''re getting ready for a shot make sure that you nt your feet properly so that you''re aligned with the basket."

    "Rebounding is more than just jumping higher than your opponent! You have to make sure that you''re boxing out properly!"

    Jason even moved up a position as he began to work out with all of the Bigs on the team to help them with their rebounding.

    Despite being weaker and smaller than all of them Jason made them work hard by utilizing all of the knowledge and experience that he had from his past life.

    His fundamentals and understanding were far more advanced than what any of the Big Men on the team had.

    He used swim moves and counters to fight for positioning on the boxout and his active hands and nose for the ball helped him topete with hisrger teammates.

    During one fight for a rebound Danilo idently hit Jason in the side of his face with his elbow. He immediately stopped the drill.

    "You okay bro? My bad, you caught it pretty clean too." Jason shook his head in an attempt to shake off the hit.

    "Don''t worry about it. Catching an elbow or two is normal when you''re fighting for a rebound. Run the drill again, and don''t take it easy on me just because you''re afraid to hit me.

    I want you going all out. If you waste my time with half assed practicing I''ll waste your time by making you repeat the drill."

    Danilo gulped before nervously nodding his head ''Damn, I knew that he was like this but I didn''t think he would be so intense.

    Looks like me and Alex really made the right choice when we transferred to Jefferson.'' And so they continued on with their all out training.

    On the sidelines Coach Swendel was in charge of the junior varsity team''s practice but he would asionally nce at the varsity team''s side.

    ''Looks like something is off with Jaya. Even though he''s normally intense he feels a little different today. It feels like somethings on his mind.''

    Even after practice came to a close Jason stayed behind as he continued to put up shots by himself. Kyle stayed even after everyone else had gone.

    He sat on the bleachers and watched Jason as he continued to practice by himself. Jason did a quick crossover bringing the ball from his left hand to his right.

    He then began to drive toward the basket. With a spin move he maneuvered around the imaginary defender that he was picturing on the court.

    After finishing the spin move he took a hard dribble before nting his feet for a quick hop step that shifted his direction to the right.

    Then he jumped as he put up a floater with his right hand from just a few feet outside of the paint. The ball kissed the top corner of the backboard before sinking through the.

    Jason wiped the sweat that was sliding down the side of his face with the wrist portion of his ck arm sleeve.

    He then walked over to the ball and picked it up as he continued to practice. Kyle continued to watch worriedly from the side.

    His mind was full of worries as he watched his friend ''What happened? Jaya waspletely fine the whole day.

    Did something happen while he was talking with Sammy? That was the only time that he was separated from me or any of the guys.

    So it must have happened while he was talking to Sammy. Or maybe it was because of the talk? Did they talk about something that pissed him off?''

    Suddenly he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Coach Swendel smiling at him "Hey Kyle. Not heading home yet?"

    Kyle shook his head "Hey Coach Swendel. Sorry, I guess I''m a little worried..." He then turned his gaze back to Jason out on the court.

    Coach Swendel followed Kyle''s gaze. After seeing who Kyle was looking at he nodded his head "I see, why don''t you go on and head home Kyle.

    I''ll stay by and keep an eye on our team captain over there. Don''t worry, I''ll make sure he heads home after he works things out on the court for a bit."

    Kyle thought about it for a moment before nodding his head "Alright Coach. Thanks." He then picked up his backpack and left.

    After watching Kyle walk out of the gym Coach Swendel switched his attention to Jason ''Kids shouldn''t have to worry about everything.

    Looks like another opportunity for me to do some adulting. First I''ll let him work off a bit more energy and then we''ll talk.

    Knowing how that kid is this is probably the best way.'' Although he was sitting right there in the bleachers Jason didn''t seem to notice.

    He would go through all of his moves and shoot his shot only to mechanically walk to the ball and start over again.

    This process repeated itself over and over. With the seconds turning into minutes Jason seemed as though he was losing himself to his own little world.

    A world that consisted of him, the court, and the ball. Shot after shot went up as Jason used every trick in his bag.

    Dribble moves, floaters, step back shots, fakes, counters, he poured everything that he had into the court as he showed off his amazing body control and skill.

    Jason felt amazing as he immersed himself in the unique feeling that he was experiencing. The feeling of having no worries as only he and the ball existed in the tiny boundaries that was the basketball court.

    But that feeling soon went away as his entire world fell apart from the sound of someone pping their hands.

    As Jason was brought back to reality he turned his head and saw Coach Swendel giving him a round of apuse.

    "Sorry if I held you up Coach. You can head home. I''ll make sure to lock up and put everything away when I''m done."

    Coach Swendel smiled as he walked toward Jason "That''s not why I stayed behind Jaya. I know that the principal gave you a key and that you can lock up all on your own.

    But it looked like there was something on your mind. Don''t get me wrong, it''s not like you were out of it and affecting practice.

    I don''t want you to think that you messed anything up. You just seemed..... how should I say this? A little different?

    I don''t think that any of the guys noticed or cared but you had a bit of a temper and your words seemed like they had some sting on the back end.

    If you have something you want to talk about feel free to share. You don''t have to worry about me judging you either.

    I''m a guy who barely managed to get my degree and who''s entire career is riding on a teenager. Not to mention that I''m still renting a closet of an apartment and I''m still single.

    I am thest person who would be passing down any kind of judgment to you. So what do you say?" Jason took a moment to think.

    ''I guess it can''t hurt to talk to him about it right? I didn''t want to talk to Sammy or Kyle about this because I didn''t want to worry them or add anything more to their te.

    Coach Swendel will probably just think of this as some little kids drama so he probably won''t lose any sleep over it.''

    After convincing himself he began to tell Coach Swendel about what was on his mind. He talked about Ka and how she had joined their group for a ss project.

    He then retold the hallway incident in which Ka hade up to him for a hug and how he had overthought things and hugged her back.

    After telling him about the talk that he had with Samantha and Ka right before practice Jason took a drink from his sports bottle.

    "What do you think Coach? Honestly I don''t know why I''m so out of it. I know that what Ka did was just a stupid mistake that any kid could do.

    And I also understand that poprity and social status don''t mean shit, so I don''t really care about the rumors and stuff.

    But for some reason I just don''t feel normal. I know that I''m not angry and I know that I don''t hate Ka. I just don''t know why I feel like this, I don''t even know what I''m feeling.

    Despite what I told Ka I don''t feel disappointed, or at least I don''t think I do. Disappointment normally feels different."

    Coach Swendel nodded his head as he listened to Jason talk. When he was done he jumped in "Hmmmm.

    I know that you said that you weren''t angry at Ka but have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, that you were?"

    Jason was shocked at first. He wanted to respond but before he could Coach Swendel continued "You''re really mature for your age Jaya.

    I can say without a shred of doubt that you have a better head on you than most adults do. As much as possible you try and look at things objectively and logically.

    But emotions are a funny thing you know? They don''t really respond all that well to logic sometimes.

    Just because you understand that what Ka did was childish and that what she did has minimal consequence doesn''t mean that you won''t be angry.

    You have a right to be angry Jaya. Someone that you trusted broke that connection, no one can tell you how you need to feel.

    You are human, you don''t need to be perfect for everybody. As a kid one of the best freedoms that you have is the ability to feel however you want to feel.

    Enjoy that Jaya, because when you be an adult that luxury isn''t always there. Sometimes as an adult you just have to bury your emotions and act like they don''t exist."

    Jason went deep into thought after hearing what Coach Swendel had to say ''I guess he''s right. Just because I was a thirty something year old that got sent back in time I''ve always thought that I was invulnerable to the problems that most kids at this age would have.

    But just using logic isn''t enough to get rid of emotions. They are something that you will feel no matter what in certain circumstances.

    Maybe I was lying to myself saying that Ka''s betrayal didn''t mean anything to me. Maybe I was trying to convince myself...''

    Coach Swendel smiled after seeing the look on Jason''s face "And while it might not have meant anything to you try to cut the girl some ck will you?

    I know that you don''t care about poprity Jaya, and you probably think that people who do care about it are vain or immature.

    But she''s an 8th grader. Most kids at your age care a lot about what their peers think. Social image is something that can even ruin some kids'' lives.

    I''m sure that you can understand that right?" Jason nodded his head "You have a point Coach. Just because it doesn''t mean anything to me doesn''t mean that it''s the same for others."

    Coach Swendel smiled as he nodded his head. He then began to pat Jason on the shoulder "Good! Good! I''m d that you have your head right again.

    Because it''s almost time for us to start." He then pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Jason. He held the paper in his hand and began to read.

    "What is this?" Coach Swendelughed "That''s a statement for my ount. We''ll be using this bad boy to ce all of your bets."

 Chapter 299 - One Hell Of A Night

    The entire stadium was packed as fans wearing Washington Wizard jerseys flooded the different rows and seats.

    There were a few Bulls'' fans sprinkled throughout the stadium as they brandished their jerseys and other fan gear such as snapbacks and posters.

    At the announcers booth sat three people who would be acting as thementators for the game. One of the men was wearing a ck suit and some thick framed sses.

    He looked at the camera and began to smile "Hellodies and gentlemen. My name is Logan Banks and I am incredibly honored to be here tonight.

    As we start the yoffs tonight we have two Wizard legends who will be joining me for tonight''s game.

    First is the incredible yer who in his time carried the franchise to some of their best years. The man himself, John Wall."

    Dressed in a dark gray suit John Wall smiled at Logan and then at the camera "Thanks for having me Logan.

    I gotta say, it''s pretty special being able tomentate for the Wizards as they take that step. For years now they''ve been a scrappy yoff team that had a lot of heart.

    But this year things finally seemed to click. You got everyone falling in line because Jalen Carter is finally asserting himself the way that he''s supposed to.

    This guy has the whole package. He can kill you from three, he got elite speed with and without the ball, and he can post you up.

    We been saying it for years, that he needs to use that big body of his to overpower smaller defenders, but it seems like this year he started to listen."

    Logan nodded his head as he smiled "You make some strong points John. But before we keep talking about the Wizards and the huge step that they have taken this year I would like to introduce the other person that will be joining us tonight.

    Here with me is a man who might be regarded more as a legend for what he did as a member of the big three Celtics but he has also made some contributions during his time as a Wizard.

    The man who said one of the most iconic sentences in NBA history, Mr. "I called game" Paul Pierce aka The Truth."

    Paul Pierce smiled at the camera as he waved "Haha thanks for bringing up one of the highlights of theter stage of my career Logan.

    Tonight should be fun, well, for the Wizards at least. This run during the yoffs is their chance to really cement themselves as legitimate contenders.

    Even if they just fall short in the Finals that would be enough in my eyes. For a team that has just been a middle of the pack yoff team to jump to being the first seed in the East, it''s something special man.

    And I have to agree with Wall. The reason behind why the finally made the jump is because Jalen Carter is showing what he''s really made of.

    He''s finally embraced the fact that he is THE GUY for this team and his aggressiveness is reflecting that.

    Did you all know that among the yers who have the best point production from the post that Carter is ranked sixth?!

    That''s incredible man. We talkin bout a 6''4 (1.93m) Point Guard dominating and asserting his will in the paint."

    Logan added "Yeah, too bad that the Bulls are on the opposite end tonight. I almost feel sorry for Reggie.

    He was a talented yer who showed so much potential during his rookie season. But every year after was filled with injuries.

    And despite his amazing showing in thest few weeks of the regr season his history of injuries seems to have affected his worth in the market.

    Which is evident in the fact that the Bulls have yet to offer him an extension despite the fact that he will be a restricted free agent this offseason after his rookie contract expires."

    The three of them continued to talk and fill up empty time as everyone got ready for the game. In the visitors locker room Reggie was sitting in his chair with his headphones on.

    He had a dark brownplexion and looked to be around 6''6 (1.98m) with a tattoo of a women on his right arm. His ck hair was cut short all around.

    Even though he was trying his best to clear his head all he could think about was the talk that he had with his agent a few weeks ago.

    - - -

    Reggie was sitting on his couch and across from the coffee table sat his agent. He ran his hand across his head as he looked at his agent.

    "So how did it go Mark? Did they agree to the terms for my extension?" Mark sighed before shaking his head.

    "Bad news is that management said no to our terms. Good news is that they offered us a counter offer, although you probably won''t like it."

    Reggie thought for a moment "What are their terms?" Once again Mark sighed "They were okay with the years but they thought that our asking price was too high.

    They want a twelve million dor discount." Hearing his agent say that Reggie leaned back into his couch and rubbed his face.

    After using a few seconds to rpose himself he took a deep breathe and sat back up "Twelve million is pretty big but spread across four years it ain''t that ba-"

    Mark shook his head "They don''t want to take twelve million off of the total contract. They want to take out twelve million a year."

    All of the energy seemed to have left his body all at once after hearing what Mark had to say. For a few minutes Reggie just sat there with his head down.

    Just as Mark was beginning to get worried Reggie opened his mouth "It''s because of my injury history right?"

    Mark didn''t say anything but he nodded his head. Reggie looked up at his ceiling "The only reason why I got hurtst season was because they begged me to help with their yoff push.

    I came back early despite what my doctors told me because I thought that I was doing the right thing for the team.

    And now.... and now they want to do this to me? Take off twelve million a year? They want to pay me the same sry as a role yer?"

    Once again silence began to fill the room as the two of them sat there wordlessly. A few secondster and Reggie began tough manically.

    He stood up and reached down for the ss cup that was on his coffee table. He gulped it''s content before smashing it down on his hardwood floor.

    As the alcohol burned him on its way down a smile shed across his face "If that''s how they want to y then let''s do it.

    We won''t take an extension offer. I''ll go out there and y thest few games and bet on myself. If I can carry the team to the yoffs and show out my value will skyrocket.

    If I fail then I guess that the team was right and that I don''t deserve to be paid like a star. But I won''t let anyone else be in control. I''ll gamble on myself!"

    - - -

    Back in the stadium all of the fans were screaming their hearts out. Not because they were happy, they were trying to will their team to victory.

    Despite the fact that the Wizards were the number one seed this year while the Bulls had just barely managed to squeak into the 8th spot the score did nothing to reflect that at the moment.

    With just eleven seconds left on the clock the Wizards were up by just one point as the Bulls held the ball for what seemed to be thest possession of the game.

    After receiving the ball from a sidelines inbound pass Reggie began to make his way up the court ''I only have a few seconds, time to make it count!''

    The defender that was assigned to him began to guard him as soon as he crossed half court. But Reggie didn''t seem to mind his presence at all.

    Without even calling for a screen he exploded to the right as he began his drive. His first step was so quick that his defender was two steps behind by the time that he was able to react.

    Seeing this the opposing team''s defense began to copse as they got ready to contain Reggie. But instead of looking for the open teammate to pass to Reggie kept his eyes on the basket.

    His speed was so overwhelming that he managed to approach the paint before the other defenders could copse in on him.

    But the Wizard''s Center was still there as he got ready to contest any shot that Reggie would put up.

    As he got close to the paint Reggie picked up his dribble and nted both of his feet as heunched himself off of the ground.

    Seeing Reggie go airborne the Center also jumped into the air as he aimed his sights for the ball that was in Reggie''s hand.

    But as the two of them made contact in the air Reggie held the ball in his right hand while the Center had both of his hands up.

    Although there was significant contact the referees swallowed their whistles as the yoffs operated differently than the regr season.

    As they began to fall back down the Center got worried as he saw that Reggie still had the ball in his hand.

    Feeling that it was now the right time Reggie extended his right arm up and over his head. With the softest touch that he had ever seen he saw Reggie toss the ball toward the basket with a baby hook shot.

    Just as the ball left his hand Reggie heard the clock buzz indicating the end of regtion. All eyes were on the ball as it floated through the air.

    - - -

    Back in Riverside. Despite the time difference Coach Swendel had stayed upte just to watch the Wizards vs Bulls game.

    Seeing as how tonight was a special asion he had decided to splurge a little as he treated himself to some chicken from Wingstop.

    He had been snacking on some Lemon Pepper wings in nothing but his cupid heart white boxers as he watched the game in his living room.

    But as things reached the critical point Coach Swendel found himself unable to eat as he nervously watched the game.

    After seeing the ball sink through the Coach Swendel dropped his phone, that he was watching the game on, as he stared straight up into his ceiling.

    He began to mumble to himself "T-they did it... The B-Bulls actually won..... He was right..... We won... We won!"

    A secondter and he heard his phone ring while it was on the floor. After he picked it up he saw that he got a notification from the website that he used to ce his bet.

    After seeing the new influx of funds Coach Swendel let out a small yelp before fainting. As heid there on the floor of his empty living room the smell of Wingstop began to spread as he smiled crazily in his sleep.

 Chapter 300 - The Power Of Technology

    Jason woke up to the sound of his rm sting some J. Cole. He got up and walked over to his phone to turn off the rm.

    As he held his phone he noticed that he had a few missed calls from Coach Swendel ''Why would Coach be calling me sote?

    Oh,st night was the first game huh? He probably tried to call me after the game finished. I bet he didn''t actually think that the Bulls would win.''

    He tossed his phone on to his bed before letting out a yawn ''I don''t think it''s anything urgent. I''ll just talk to Coach Swendel after morning practice.''

    After getting cleaned up and dressed Jason grabbed a few handfuls of protein bars and stuffed them into his backpack before meeting up with Kyle in front of the apartmentplex.

    Kyle yawned before fist bumping Jason "Sup dude." Jason chuckled as he returned the gesture "Not much considering that the days just started."

    He then sleepily rubbed his eyes before looking at Jason "You look better now. A goodnight of sleep help to clear your head?"

    Jason shook his head smiling "Nah, you might be surprised but Coach Swendel can actually act like an adult every once in a while.

    After we talked it helped me work a few things out in my head. Now let''s get going, don''t want to bete for morning practice."

    The two boys talked as they rode their skateboards to school. After about fifteen minutes the boys arrived at Jefferson as they joined the rest of their teammates from the varsity team for morning practice.

    After Jason walked out of the locker room in his practice gear Sam rushed up to him "Morning Jaya, have you seen the video yet?"

    Jason had a confused look on his face as he turned to his head to the right where Kyle was standing "Video?"

    Kyle shrugged his shoulders "No idea bro. Since you stayed behind to get a few more shots up I decided to treat myself a bit and yed Glorious Dungeon for like five hours straight."

    Jason shook his head as he smiled weakly "You and your games bro." He then turned his attention back to Sam.

    "Sorry, me and Kyle are a little out of the loop like always. What video are you talking about?" Sam flipped his phone around to show Jason.

    "It was postedtest night on the student''s forum of the school website. Judging from the number of views that it already has I would say that just about everyone at the school has seen it at this point."

    Jason was shocked as soon as the video loaded up. On the screen was Ka, and judging by the ruined makeup on her face and how red her eyes were she had just finished a serious round of crying.

    She rubbed her eyes and sniffled a bit before speaking "I-I want to apologize <em>sniffles</em> I-I never meant to lie to everyone.

    And I never nned for anyone to get hurt. B-but because of my stupid decisions I ended up lying not only to everyone at school but to someone that I really wanted to get to know.

    <em>Sniffles</em> I-I made up the rumors about me and Jaya. We were never anything more than partners in a group project.

    But I manipted him and others to make everyone else believe that we were something more than that.

    I know that what I did was stupid and that it''s impossible to make up for it. But I just want to clear out the rumors so that I don''t bother anyone else more than I already have.

    Even though it''s toote to ask for forgiveness I still want to apologize. I really am s-sorry <em>sobs</em>."

    Jason sighed as the video came to an end ''Shit, even though she did me dirty seeing her like that doesn''t make me the least bit happy.

    Even if you didn''t watch the video you could tell just from listening to her voice that she had been crying up a storm before she started recording.''

    The more he thought about Ka and the video that she had posted the more he thought about the talk that he had with Coach Swendel.

    ''And while it might not have meant anything to you try to cut the girl some ck will you?

    I know that you don''t care about poprity Jaya, and you probably think that people who do care about it are vain or immature.

    But she''s an 8th grader. Most kids at your age care a lot about what their peers think. Social image is something that can even ruin some kids'' lives.''

    Jason pped the sides of his face with both hands in an attempt to shake off all the negative emotions that had started to sprout up.

    He then turned towards all of the boys before shouting "Alright guys! Let''s get this practice started! We only have a few games left on our schedule and I''ll be damned if we mess up our perfect record now!"

    Morning practice was as hard as usual as Jason pushed himself and all the others to their limits. After practice was done Coach Swendel pulled Jason aside to his office as soon as he had changed out of his practice jersey.

    After Coach Swendel mmed the door shut Jasonughed "<em>Haha</em> What''s up Coach? Does this have anything to do with you trying to call me in the middle of the night?"

    Coach Swendel was sweating bullets as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He turned it on and flipped it around to show Jason.

    "We woooon!!!!" Jason saw that the current number of funds avable in Coach Swendel''s betting ount was now at 2,500 dors.

    He had originally given Coach Swendel 500 dors to bet on the Bullsst night. Jason scratched his head nonchntly.

    "So the bulls were plus 500st night huh? That''s good for us. Thanks to those odds we were able to make 500 dors for every 100 that we bet."

    Coach Swendel grabbed Jason by the shoulders and began to shake him "H-how did you know!? How did you know that the Bulls would winst night!?"

    Jason felt a wave of mischievousness fall upon him as he got the urge to act like one of the anime characters from Kyle''s favorite series.

    He shook off Coach Swendel''s grip and took a seat in one of the chairs that he had set up in his office.

    Jason lifted his right leg as he crossed it over his left. He then raised his hand up to his face to cover it partially.

    He then began tough evilly, or as evilly as he could considering his teenaged vocal cords. He then looked at Coach Swendel.

    "When ites to things about basketball there isn''t much that I don''t know. These eyes don''t just see things unfolding on the court that I y on.

    They can see through the vale that covers courts all around the world. And now you will help me use these eyes to make me and yourself even more money."

 Chapter 301 - Facing The Consequences

    Coach Swendel looked at Jason with a wry smile on his face "Okay.... Do you think you can exin things to me.... Normally?"

    Jason shrugged his shoulders before sitting up properly in the chair "I mean we can, but that kinda takes all the fun out of it don''t you think?"

    Coach Swendel just looked at Jason while shaking his head with a smile on his face. Jason put his hands up "Alright, maybe I''ve just been watching too much anime with Kyletely.

    Anyways, what did you want to talk about? Why were you calling my phone sotest night?" Coach Swendel moved to the other side of his desk and sat down across from Jason.

    He took a deep breathe before looking at Jason seriously "There are two reasons why I tried calling youst night.

    The first one was because I was excited as hell. In just a few hours we managed to turn 500 dors into 2,500 dors.

    But the second, and the biggest reason, was because my curiosity wouldn''t let me sleep. How did you know that the Bulls were going to winst night?"

    Jason chuckled as he looked at Coach Swendel''s serious face "So you didn''t trust my decision but you still listened and put 500 dors on the Bulls?"

    Coach Swendel began to blush as he tried to answer while being flustered "I-that''s not what I meant-"

    Jason put his hand up "I was just messing with you Coach. Don''t take it so seriously haha. Honestly you did great.

    And I want you to keep doing things exactly as you did themst night. Even if you''re not sure about the teams that I want to bet on I need you to trust me and just follow as I say."

    Coach Swendel nodded his head "Alright Jaya, I understand. But seriously, how did you know that the Bulls would winst night?

    Is it.... Are you getting insider info?" Jason almost fell off the chair when he heard what Coach Swendel said.

    He began tough wildly "Hahahaha good one Coach. Just one problem with your little hypothesis. How in the world is a 14 year old kid like me supposed to get info like that?"

    Coach Swendel fell silent after hearing Jason''s answer "You''re right Jaya. Sorry about that." Jason shook his head.

    "You don''t need to apologize Coach. I know it was a crazy idea to bet on the Bullsst night. But whenever I bet on a team it means that I saw something that made me believe that they have what it takes to win.

    So just trust me. This won''t be thest time we bet on the underdog. And I need to know that you will follow my instructions without question."

    Coach Swendel ran his hand through his hair "I get it Jaya, you won''t have to worry about me. I mean, it''s your money anyways.

    You tell me the team and the terms and I''ll ce the bets. That was the easiest 250 dors that I''ve ever earned."

    After their talk Jason picked up his bag and left Coach Swendel''s office. He met up with the rest of the guys who were waiting outside the gym.

    Jason, Kyle, and the others then began to make their way to first period. Because Coach Swendel had ended practice early all of the boys actually made it to ss before the bell rang.

    The boys were a few minutes early to ss as they walked through the doors. Ms. Yuller was evidently on a bathroom brake seeing as how she wasn''t in the room yet.

    As Jason was making his way to his seat in the back of the ss he discretely scanned the room ''Looks like she''s not here.''

    Jason didn''t know how to feel when he realized that Ka wasn''t in ss. As he sat down he turned to the side where Sammy was.

    "Morning Sammy. Apparently something big happenedst night." Samantha smiled as she nodded her head.

    "Yeah, I saw the video. Honestly, even if she did deserve it seeing a girl cry like that still didn''t feel good."

    Jason looked at Ka''s empty seat and sighed "Yeah, you got a point there. Seeing Ka like that didn''t really help."

    Samantha saw the look on Jason''s face and her smile dimmed down a bit. She put her hand on his shoulder and asked.

    "You okay Jaya? I might be a bit sorry for Ka but I''m more worried about you if I''m being honest." Jason chuckled "You''re worried about me?

    Don''t even sweat it Sammy. I haven''t lost any sleep over this. It''s going to take a lot more than some middle school drama to get to me."

    Samantha rolled her eyes "That''s not what I heard. One of my little birds told me that someone stayed an extra two hours after practice just getting shots up in the gym."

    Jason shook his head smiling "Is that little birdy of yours blonde with a surfer ent from the 2000s?"

    Samantha giggled "Maybe, but a properdy never tells her source. It''s the only way you can get people to spill the tea."

    Jason replied "Next time tell your little birdy to stop eating shit. I swear I saw that dude hit the pavement at least five times.

    Just because he doesn''t have much up their doesn''t mean that he should tempt fate with all those hits to his head."

    Samantha justughed "Believe it or not Cody''s been skating for way longer than you. Not to mention his experience surfing.

    But I''ll let him know that our little hometown hero was worried about him haha." Just as they were talking the room went silent as the door to the ss opened.

    At first they thought it was Ms. Yuller so everyone was quiet and pretending to behave. But after they saw who it was some of them changed.

    Ka was looking down at her feet as she walked into the ssroom. Some of the kids began to turn to each other.

    "Hey, that''s her right?" "Yeah, that''s the girl that posted the video." "She actually showed up to school?" "I know right? Talk about having no shame."

    "Can you believe how desperate she was?" "She must have no self respect if she was able to hug him in the halls like that."

    None of the kids who were talking even bothered to control their volume as their words were easy to hear for everyone, including Ka.

    She bit her bottom lip in frustration but didn''t say a word as she silently shuffled to her regr spot.

    But when she lifted her head she saw that there was someone already sitting there. Ms. Yuller didn''t use a set seating chart but by now everyone had settled on their regr spots.

    She turned her head to her friend "Evelyn?" In return she just shook her head "We can''t sit next to each other anymore.

    And the other girls asked me to tell you... to find a new spot at lunch." Those words hit her right in the heart as she felt as though her whole body was shaking.

    Without saying anything Ka nodded her head weakly before walking away. There were more chairs than there were students so she began to look for another spot.

    But each time she would approach an empty chair the kid sitting next to it would put their backpack or book down on top of it.

    And while all of this was going on so did the chatter as the kids continued to mock and ridicule Ka.

    Feeling frustrated, embarrassed, and sad Ka was on the verge of tears as she ground her teeth and clutched her fists.

    "You shit heads are way too fuckin loud first thing in the morning!" Jason''s voice instantly silenced the rest of the kids in the room.

    They all turned their heads to the back where Jason was sitting. He mmed his hand on his desk before standing up.

    "I just spent an hour running suicides so unless y''all want to piss me off even more shut the fuck up and let me get some fucking peace and quiet!"

    Although the way he was acting was a bit tyrannical no one had the nerve to try and rebuke Jason. He walked over to where Ka was standing.

    Seeing Jason approaching her she looked down, afraid to look him straight in the face. All she saw was his high top ck and white sneakers as he stood in front of her.

    She then felt a hand on her shoulder "Go sit over there." She finally worked up the courage to look up and saw Jason pointing to his regr spot.

    She tried to talk but every time she thought that she knew what to say her brain would tell her to think of something else.

    Seeing her standing there with her mouth opening and closing but with no wordsing out Jason ruffled his hair out of frustration.

    He then took Ka''s backpack from her as he walked back over and hanged it off the back of the chair he was sitting in just moments ago.

    He then picked up his backpack and walked over to one of the spots where Ka was just refused. He lifted up the backpack that was ced on the chair before tossing it to the boy who owned it.

    Jason red at him "You got a problem with me sitting here?" The boy didn''t even botherining about having his backpack thrown at him as he nervously shook his head.

    Jason sat down without even taking a second look at him "That''s what I thought."

 Chapter 302 - Kyles Plan

    "Good morning ss! So sorry for the- huh?" Ms. Yuller walked into the room but was surprised to see how all of the kids were behaving.

    The entire ss seemed nervous and they all had their attention on Jason who was sitting in a different spot today.

    Although she didn''t know why she knew that something must have happened while she was outside of the ssroom.

    She looked around the ss "Is everything alright children? Did something happen during my little trip to the restroom?"

    But even though she asked none of the students said anything as they all kept their heads down. She was about to ask again when Jaya spoke out.

    "The teacher just asked a question. Did something happen while she was outside of the ssroom?" All of the students began to shake their heads.

    Jason looked at Ms. Yuller and shrugged his shoulders "Well there''s your answer Ms. Yuller. Apparently nothing happened while you were out."

    "Hmmm" Ms. Yuller once again scanned the faces of the kids in ss. Some of them looked nervous while some of them looked embarrassed.

    But one thing was clear and that was that no one was going to say anything. Her years of experience with kids had given her a pretty sharp intuition about these type of things.

    It bothered her that something had happened and that she was unaware of what exactly it was but seeing as there wasn''t much she could do right now she decided to put it on the back burner untilter.

    "Alright then ss. I will begin to take attendance now. If you hear me call your name please raise your hand and call out. Alexandra Hark-"

    All of the kids in the ssroom breathed a sigh of relief once they saw Ms. Yuller starting ss as usual.

    Even though Jason was know to have a pretty chill attitude all of the students in Jefferson never once thought to take that as a sign of weakness.

    It may be a known fact that Jason didn''t like to stir up trouble, at least with other students, but they all knew about his history and his connections.

    Even forgetting the bathroom incident that happened just this year. The fight that he got into with Trell on the very first day that he transferred to Jefferson was something that was talked about so often that it was close to being an urban legend.

    If it weren''t for the fact that a good amount of the fight was recorded and captured on camera the details of it would probably have gotten exaggerated to unrealistic proportions by now.

    That meant that if you asked anyone of the students attending Jefferson who the number one person on the ''Do not piss off'' list was they would all probably say ''Jaya''.

    As Ms. Yuller was taking attendance Ka was sitting silently in the back where Jason normally sat. To her sides were Samantha and Kyle while behind her were DJ, Matt, Vince, and Nick.

    Even though Jason was the one who told her to sit there she couldn''t help but feel ufortable. She felt awkward sitting with them considering what she had just done to Jason.

    And when she thought about the fact that all of them had probably already seen the video that she had posted her face began to feel hot as it reddened.

    But despite what she was thinking the boys in the back didn''t seemed that bothered by her presence as they continued to casually whisper back and forth with each other.

    DJ: "Bruh, I ain''t ever see Jaya get this heated before. Especially not outside of a basketball game."

    Nick: "Yeah bro, he''s probably in a bad mood if you ask me."

    Vince: "Nah man, Jaya don''t strike me as the typa dude that would blow up like that just because he was in a bad mood."

    Matt: "I''m with you Vince. If I had to bet money on it I would say that Jaya didn''t get a good night of sleep.

    So after doing suicides for so fucking long this morning he was probably really tired. So all of these guys talking so loud most have annoyed him."

    Ka was looking straight ahead and trying her best to make it look like she was paying attention to Ms. Yuller''s lecture but she was actually listening to the boys talking behind her.

    After hearing none of the boys bring up what she had done to Jason her entire body felt a lot lighter. As though someone had taken a boulder off of her crushed body.

    She could now breathe easier and her mind was able to rx a little. "You should really be paying attention to what Ms. Yuller is saying instead of the hoop heads behind you."

    Ka turned her gaze to the side where Samantha was sitting. She was writing her notes down in her notebook but she stopped and looked at Ka when she felt her gaze on her.

    Although she wasn''t ring at her Samantha''s brows were somewhat furrowed as she looked at Ka "Don''t look at me, look at the teacher.

    Maybe something she says will be useful for our group project. We only have a few days left to work on it."

    After saying what she wanted to say Samantha stopped looking at Ka as she continued on with her note taking.

    Ka weakly said "I- I don''t know what you''re talking about. I''ve been paying attention to Ms. Yuller this whole time."

    This time Samantha didn''t even bother to look up from her notebook as she continued to talk while writing "Oh yeah? Then what are the fiveponents for plot?"

    Ka gulped "Uh- the fiveponents for plot...." Hearing Ka unable to answer her question Samantha looked at her.

    "That was a trick question Princess. Ms. Yuller''s talking about conflict and why it''s important for writing.

    Geez, so not only do you not pay attention to ss you don''t even do your homework. The fiveponents for plot were in the handouts that I gave you.

    And for god''s sake, please start paying attention in ss. Because if me, Kyle, and Jaya have to do all the work to finish our project you''re going to be crying even harder than before you recorded that video."

    Ka was surprised to hear what Samantha had said "You still want me to be part of the group?" Samantha rolled her eyes before turning her head to Ka.

    "No, but it''s toote to ask Ms. Yuller for a different member at this point. And besides, Jaya''s the one who made the decision. Not me."

    The corner of Ka''s brow raised "What? Jaya still wants me to be a part of the group? Did he tell you that?"

    Samantha dropped her head on the desk after hearing Ka ask that. As sheid her head on her notebook she turned to face Ka.

    "So you don''t pay attention in ss, you don''t do your homework, and you''re stupid? You really gotta pick a struggle Princess because you can''t be hogging all of them like this. It just ain''t right.

    Try and use your brain for a second. Why would Jaya go through all the trouble that he did if he didn''t want you to stay in our group?"

    Hearing Samantha''s answer Ka was left speechless. She silently looked down and stared at her nk notebook for a few seconds.

    "Even after everything that I''ve done to him... He still wants me in the group... He''s too nice. I don''t deserve this."

    Samantha added "Hey, for once we can both agree on something. I don''t think you deserve this either. But if Jaya wants to give you a second chance that''s his decision.

    And even if I don''t like it I have to respect it. Because that''s what friends do. You know, take care of each other because you care.

    Although, now that I''m remembering that it''s you that I''m talking to I understand if you have some difficulty in understanding that."

    Ka felt so touched by the fact that Jason had decided to not hold what she had done to him against her that she didn''t even mind Samantha''s barbed words.

    Her gaze subconsciously drifted to the middle section of the ssroom where Jason was sitting. He had his notebook out and open but his gaze was aimed outside the window that was located at his side.

    Ka sighed "I really need to do something to make up for this. Not even to make up. I need to do something for Jaya because I owe it to him."

    Samantha replied while she continued to write her notes "Well good luck with that Princess. You would have to do something pretty fucking awesome considering what you''ve done."

    Ka didn''t even refute what Samantha had said. She agreed with her. Just doing something nice wouldn''t make up for the lies that she told and the fact that she had manipted Jason.

    Just as she was deep in thought thinking of what to do Kyle leaned in toward the two of them "Did I hear someone say that they want to do something really awesome for Jaya?"

    Samantha turned her attention to Kyle as a confused expression showed on her face "Why are you butting in Kyle?

    Can''t you see that we''re in the middle of some girl talk?" Kyle smiled wryly before scratching the top of his head.

    "This is girl talk? It''s a lot scarier and meaner than what I imagined... My bad." He then went back to writing notes of his own.

    But Ka didn''t want to let any possible good ideas escape her. She tapped him on the arm with her pencil.

    "What did you have in mind Kyle?" He then began to exin his n "Well, I didn''t really buy it for this exact purpose but it should help.

    You see, my package just arrived from Japan. And we also have a game tonight." He continued to exin. After he was done Ka''s face was once again red.

    ''This sounds a little embarrassing. But considering that I''m doing this for Jaya it''s the least I could do.'' She nodded her head as she agreed to Kyle''s n.

    After hearing Ka say yes Kyle smiled brightly before doing a mini fist pump in front of his chest "Aye! This is going to be so freakin awesome!"

 Chapter 303 - Coming To An Agreement

    The bell rang as first period came to an end. Jason got up from his chair and was about to wait for the rest of the guys outside the room.

    But Ms. Yuller called out for him "One moment Jaya, if it''s okay I would like to have a word with you."

    Samantha and Kyle were looking at Jason worriedly along with Matt and the others. Without a change in his expression Jason just gave them a peace sign.

    "It''s cool, I''m sure it''s nothing more than just a talk. You guys head out without me. I''ll catch up after I''m done talking with Ms. Yuller."

    They nodded their heads before reluctantly leaving. Jason turned to Ms. Yuller "So what did my favorite English teacher want to talk about?"

    Ms. Yuller wanted to have a serious expression but after hearing what Jason said she couldn''t help but shake her head while smiling.

    She looked at Jason "Thank you for ruining my attempt at a serious conversation monsieur Yang." Jason shrugged his shoulders.

    "You could look at it like that. But on the Brightside I think that lighthearted and yful dialogue is much more suited for the two of us.

    Don''t you agree Ms. Yuller?" She simply rolled her eyes before taking a seat on the edge of her desk.

    "Be that as it may, I still have a responsibility to know and understand what goes on in my ss. And although no one wanted to speak up earlier I just can''t shake the feeling that something is being hidden."

    Jason sat on one of the desks in the front row before putting his hands up "Beats me, I didn''t see anything happen."

    She stared him right in the eyes "Jason, I am asking you seriously. I know that kids your age do not like reporting things to teachers like me.

    But I am not asking you to ''Snitch'' I just want to know if something happened so that I can help. I''m not just asking you so that someone can get in trouble."

    Jason sat silently for a few seconds as he thought about what she had just said. He began to rub the back of his neck with his right hand.

    "Ms. Yuller, I mean this with no disrespect but you''re really asking the wrong person. It''s not that I don''t want to snitch.

    I just don''t like to talk when it''s not my story to be telling. If you really want to find out what happened then I suggest you ask Ka the next time you see her.

    Now if you don''t have anything else to talk about I think I should be heading out now. Don''t want to bete for my next ss."

    Jason hopped off the desk and snatched his backpack off of the ground. Ms. Yuller wanted to stop him but she knew that she wouldn''t get anything else out of Jaya today.

    After stepping outside of the ssroom Jason was about to book it to his next ss when he felt a hand grab his arm.

    He turned his head and saw Ka "What are you still doing here? You''re going to bete for your next ss."

    Ka blushed a bit as she let go of Jason''s arm "I- I know, but it didn''t feel right to just head to second period and like like nothing happened."

    She took a breath "Thank you Jaya. I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for being such a good person and standing up for me."

    Jason sighed "Yeah well, even if you did lie to me and trick me into hugging you in the hallway I didn''t think that you deserved to be treated like that.

    Especially considering that you did try to take responsibility for what you did by posting that video. I guess I just didn''t want you to get punished even more for doing the right thing.

    If you''re a bad person and you do bad things then you deserve to have bad things happen to you. But that should also work when you flip things around."

    He then tried to walk away but Ka asked "Does that mean that you forgive me?" Jason stopped in his tracks and turned back around.

    "Honestly Ka you were right before. Even if I didn''t want to believe it I was angry at you for lying to me and I was hurt.

    But you''ve done what you can to try and fix the situation and I don''t have anymore negative feelings for you. But it doesn''t mean that I''ve forgiven you.

    Sorry if that answer doesn''t make any sense but I don''t know any other way to describe how I feel about you right now.

    But I''m hoping that you stick to being a good person that does good things, that would probably increase the chances of me forgiving you."

    Ka didn''t try to stop Jason from leaving as she felt satisfied by his answer. The two of them went their separate ways as they rushed to their second ss of the day.

    - - -

    The rest of the day passed by uneventfully as word of what had happened in Ms. Yuller''s ss spread like wildfire between all of the kids at Jefferson.

    So although a bunch of the kids wanted to bully and tease Ka the threat of having to deal with Jason kept them in check.

    After school Kyle waste for practice as he skated home as fast as he could to get his package from Japan.

    He then used his cellphone to call for a ride back to the school using one of the ride sharing apps that he had downloaded.

    After handing the package to Samantha and Ka he ran to the gym in order to join practice. Samantha and Ka were standing in the back of the indoor auditorium with Kyle''s box.

    Samantha saw the contents of Kyle''s box as Ka was digging through it and rolled her eyes "Tell me again why I have to help you?"

    Ka continued to look through the box "I mean, technically you don''t have to help me. But this is a nice thing that we''re doing for Jaya and the other boys on the team.

    I thought that you loved doing stuff for Jaya?" Samantha tapped her chin a few times with her finger as she thought about what Ka said.

    "You might have a point there Princess. I do like doing nice things for Jaya." She then took another look inside the box.

    She then pretended to gag "But yuck, no offense to Kyle but these are so not my style." Ka had a smile on her face as she imagined what it would be liketer tonight at the game.

    "What''s wrong? Our Queen of Punk not happy with the clothes? Not enough skulls or holes in them?"

    Samantha smiled at Ka "That''s a lot of sassing from someone who just got their pardon. If I were you I would take the forgiveness card and scram.

    Jaya already told you that he''s not holding what you did against you. Why don''t you call it quits while you''re still in the green?"

    Ka rolled her eyes before turning to Samantha "Listen Sammy, I know that you hate me and that I''ve fucked up okay?

    I won''t ask you to forgive me like Jaya, but I''m not nning on giving up on him. He''s the first guy that I''ve felt like this about.

    So can you please just pretend that you don''t hate my guts? At least when we''re together with Jaya. I don''t want him to feel ufortable seeing us butt heads."

    Samantha chuckled before walking toward Ka. She came to a stop after the two of them were standing face to face with each other.

    "Alright, sure thing. But right now Jaya isn''t here so I hope you don''t mind me being honest.

    I don''t just dislike you because you made up those rumors about you and Jaya. I dislike you because you acted without thinking and that ended up hurting Jaya.

    And while he may have forgiven you, sorta, as his friend it''s my job to make sure that he doesn''t get hurt.

    You already made me fail at my job once Princess. So I don''t think that it''s all that crazy that I''m worried about you doing it again.

    Heck, you might not even mean to do it. You certainly didn''t mean to do it the first time right? But stupid people do stupid things.

    That''s just how the world works. So if you want me to ease up on you then you''re going to have to prove to me that you''re not one of those stupid people. Got it?"

    Ka took a deep breath "I understand. I messed up the trust that you guys gave me with the stupid rumors.

    But you have to understand something Sammy, no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. And right now you need to give me a chance to show that I''ve learned from my mistakes."

    The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds. Samantha was the first one to speak as she checked the time on her phone.

    "Okay, I heard you loud and clear. We should probably get changed and head to the gym now unless you don''t want a spot inside."

    The two of them changed into the clothes that were in Kyle''s box after finding the right size for them.

    They were dressed as members of a Japanese cheer squad as they put on their ck school uniforms with yellow buttons.

    They also tied white headbands around their forehead that read ''Go Jefferson!'' When they got to the gym there was already a long line of students and non students.

    Luckily Samantha had made arrangements with Kyle beforehand so she and Ka were able to skip the line and go straight in.

    After squeezing by a few people they finally managed to get to their seats. Ka looked over at Samantha.

    "I know that we normally get a lot of attendance at our games but this feels different for some reason."

    Samantha answered "Yeah, apparently the two teams that Jefferson was going to y against for theirst games of the season got into a huge fight with each other during their game.

    Things got so out of hand that one kid ended up having to get checked out at a hospital while a bunch of them got hurt.

    Themittee made a quick decision to give both teams suspensions. So Jefferson automatically got two Ws.

    This is theirst game before they start ying in tournaments and apparently Jaya got picked for some award.

    They wanted to present it to him before the season ends so they ended up rushing things. It''s not a proper ceremony but I don''t think that Jaya will mind."

    Just as they were talking Principal Morris called Jason to the center of the gym as his voice could be heard all throughout the room thanks to the speakers.

    Ka and Samantha watched as Jason shook hands with Principal Morris before shaking hands with some middle-aged man in a grey suit.

    "As the Principal of Jefferson Middle School it is an immense honor that one of our students be chosen for an award such as this one.

    Jason Yang, because of your amazing performancest year not only in your sport but in your studies as well you have been chosen as this year''s California Student Athlete of the year."

    He then passed the mic to Jason. He looked at the medal that was hanged around his neck for a moment before taking it off.

    He held it up in one hand while the other held the mic "I am honored by the fact that I was chosen for this year''s award.

    But I won''t give a whole speech or get emotional, I hope you can all forgive me. But the reason for that is that me and the team have decided to hold off from any major celebrations until we lift that National trophy up just like how am holding this medal right now.

    So if you''re all ready then let''s get this game started so that we can close out another perfect season for Jefferson''s basketball team."

    The whole gym erupted into cheers as Jason walked off the court and to the sidelines with the rest of his team.

 Chapter 304 - Last Regular Season Game At Jefferson

    Samantha and Ka sat in the bleachers amazed by the crowd''s reaction. They saw all the people around them smiling brightly as they all stood up and pped.

    Kamentated "Jaya might not be the most social person but he really knows how get a crowd pumped up."

    Samantha smiled and nodded her head as her sights stayed locked on to Jason "I think it''s just his natural charm.

    That hoop head doesn''t have anything other than basketball on his mind, scheming on how to sweet talk people is something beyond him.

    But it''s that transparency and realness that pulls you in. You never really have to worry about what parts you can believe and what parts are fake."

    Ka looked a bit down after hearing Samantha say that "Yeah.... I guess it''s a nice plus for people to not have to worry about you being fake."

    Samantha didn''t take her eyes off of Jason as she responded "Don''t take this the wrong way. I''m not trying to cheer you up or anything.

    But if you''re trying topare yourself to Jaya do yourself a favor and forget about it. You might have fucked up big time but everyone fakes it to a certain degree.

    It''s just human nature. We talk differently around our parents than we do when we''re around our friends, and we behave differently when we''re with teachers than when they''re out of the ssroom.

    Out of all the people that I know Jaya is the only one who doesn''t seem to filter himself. He''s just him no matter who he''s with or what he''s doing."

    Ka smiled "Thanks Sammy, I guess even you have a nice side." Samantha rolled her eyes "I told you I wasn''t trying to cheer you up.

    I was just trying to be honest like Jaya." Ka giggled to herself ''Sure, but you didn''t have to say anything in the first ce.

    I guess she was right. Not everyone can bepletely honest like Jaya. Even Sammy fakes things to some extent.''

    The crowd once again began to go wild as the announcer introduced the starting lineup for Jefferson.

    And as soon as the spotlight went on to Jason they went even wilder as even Samantha and Ka joined in with the both of them using their stic megaphones to enhance their voices.

    "Get em Jaya! This game is Jefferson''s!"

    "You guys got this! Wipe the floor with these losers!"

    After the crowd was done with their cheering Samantha and Ka both sat down. Ka wiped some sweat off of her forehead with the sleeve of her costume.

    "Man, the package that Kyle ordered from Japan really has some neat stuff in it. These stic megaphones are pretty cool and there were even thundersticks."

    Samantha nudged Ka in the side with her elbow "What are you doing? Don''t you see that the game is about to start?

    You should get up so that you''re ready to start cheering as soon as Kyle wins the tipoff." Ka hurriedly jumped to her feet.

    "Right! Right!" Just as Samantha had predicted Kyle easily won the tipoff and as soon as the ball was passed to Jason they immediately went on the attack.

    "Let''s go Jefferson let''s go! Let''s go Jefferson let''s go!" As Ka was leading the chant Samantha was mming her thundersticks together.

    And as she mmed them together she was leaning side to side, as the crowd began to follow her a wave began to form in the bleachers.

    With the crowd participating in the wave and following along with Ka''s chanting the atmosphere felt incredible as the enthusiasm and excitement rose.

    The opposing team might not have had the fame or marketing that Jefferson did but they were a solid team nheless as they were able to stick a body on to Kyle as soon as he won the tipoff.

    But even with that route closed for their offense no one on the team was worried as they all knew just how lethal their offense could be.

    Jason pulled the attention of the opposing team''s defense as soon as he crossed half court. He quickly passed the ball to Danilo who was standing at the top of the perimeter.

    Danilo then used his body to impede Jason''s defender as he went for the hand off y. With just the smallest amount of separation Jason began to drive to the basket after running off of Danilo''s screen.

    Jason was just too big of a threat on offense so he ended up pulling two defenders with him after running off the screen.

    He was being trailed by his original defender while the Big that was guarding Danilo dropped down to contain him.

    But one problem for the opposing team was the fact that Danilo himself was also a scoring threat. Not only could he pull up for the catch and shoot three but he could roll hard to the rim like a traditional Big.

    This caused one of the other defenders on the perimeter to leave their assignment as they rotated over to guard Danilo.

    Unfortunately for them though Jason didn''t miss that tiny detail. Seeing the defender rotate over to Danilo in the edge of his periphery Jason swung the ball over to the corner where Matt had been left open.

    The defender was just a few steps away from Danilo when he saw Jason fire off a pass to his defensive assignment that he had just left.

    He turned in an attempt to run back but it was toote. After catching the ball Matt dipped the ball down slightly before getting into his shooting motion.

    As the ball flew out of his hands he kept his right hand up. He followed the ball as it traveled through the air.

    And once he saw it hit nothing but he put his hand down before pointing at Jason. The crowd was all smiles as they followed Ka''s lead and chanted his name.

    "Matt! Matt! Matt!"

    Following Matt''s well aimed three pointer Jason and the rest of the team began to put on a clinic as they scored almost at will.

    Alex ran most of the offense as the team''s starting Point Guard but whenever it looked like a y wouldn''t end well he would simply dump the ball to either Jason or Danilo as the two of them were able to manufacture their own scoring opportunities without needing a y ran for them.

    The both of them were able to take their opponents off of the dribble, attack closeouts, and move off the ball.

    The opposing team did their best but there just wasn''t anything they could do going up against a team that was clearly in a different tier than them.

    And throughout the game Samantha and Ka continued to do their best cheering for the team as the crowd followed their lead.

    By the time the game finally came to a close with a score of 103 to 45 the two girls were both tired but felt incredibly happy.

    Seeing how the crowd responded to them really made them feel that what they did had meaning. As the rest of the fans began to exit the gym Samantha and Ka remained seated.

    The began to put away all of the items that they had barrowed from Kyle''s box. Meanwhile Jason was being interviewed by the reporter that always interviewed him at the end of games.

    Gloria held her microphone up to Jason "So Jason, although it didn''t happen in the most traditional way you and the team ended up with another perfect record this season.

    What do you think this feat says about you and your team?" Jason took the towel that was draped over his shoulder and wiped his face before answering.

    "Uh yeah, we didn''t get to y all 20 games this season but a win is a win right? We can only y the teams that are put before us.

    As for what having a perfect record means.... I think it just speaks out to how much everyone has bought in this year.

    Coming into this season we knew that we had a lot to prove as the reigning county champions and that we had some high expectations for us from all of our fans and supporters.

    We wouldn''t have been able to do this without each and everyone one of us putting our egos to the side and just be willing to be the version of us that''s best for the team.

    We have a bunch of guys that could probably make a bigger name for themselves if they had their own team but we all understand that just getting our name out there isn''t our biggest goal.

    We want that state title and right after that we''re going to be shooting for the national trophy. Those are the goals that are fueling our fires."

    Gloria smiled "Just the kind of answer that you would expect from Jason. You and the rest of your teammates have always spoken highly of the chemistry that runs through this team.

    I can easily see why. Now that the regr season is finished you should have a short break before the county tournament.

    Any interesting ns or ideas of what you''re going to do in your down time?" Jason was silent for a moment as he thought about the question.

    "I don''t ever really have down time. I make sure to train or practice every day, even if it''s just something light.

    But me and my friends will be performing at our Spring Dance. We kinda have a band thate together for a talent showst year."

    Jason then noticed Samantha and Ka who were still sitting in the bleachers. Jason smiled as he pointed to them.

    "And there''s one right now. The redhead in the funny costume is one of my friends that will be performing with me for the dance."

    Samantha and Ka couldn''t really hear what Jason was saying because of the distance. But the both of them began to blush as the cameraman pointed the camera in their direction.

    Samantha rolled her eyes "Great, now all of Riverside is going to have a shot of me in this goofy thing."

    Jason shouted out while waving at her "Hey Sammy!" Hearing him call out her name the frown disappeared from her face and was reced with a bright smile.

    She then began to wave back at him "Maybe this isn''t as bad as I thought. The costume might even be growing on me a bit."

 Chapter 305 - Good Times Go By Fast

    The following week would end up being a busy one as not only did Jason have to deal with his group project that was soon reaching it''s due date.

    He also had to deal with the media as news of Jefferson''s seasoning to an early end began to spread.

    When reports of how the two teams that were supposed to y against Jefferson in theirst games got suspended it gained a lot of attention.

    Some peoplemented saying that Jefferson got lucky with not having to y out thest two games of the regr season.

    While others talked about how themittee was showing favoritism to Jefferson by suspending the two teams that were supposed to y them.

    And a small number of people even tried to me Jason saying that his presence in the middle school basketball scene was having a bad influence on the other kids.

    <strong>Karen_Sabroya23:</strong> I''ve been saying it ever sincest year when Jefferson ended up on the news because of their on court fighting incident.

    This kid is nothing but bad news for middle school basketball. Not only is he showing that it''s okay to have bad sportsmanship, but now kids think it''s okay to get into fights.

    Themittee needs to put their foot down and show that no one is above thew. <strong>#AllKidsAreEqual</strong><strong>#NoStarTreatment</strong><strong>#BringJayaToJustice</strong>

    But although Jason found it annoying to have the renewed focus of the media it didn''t really bother him all that much.

    At most he found it a time consuming chore having to give a few reporters official statements for publication.

    In between answering reporter''s questions, basketball practice, and working on a group project Jason still had to practice with Samantha and Kyle for the Spring Dance.

    Jason and Kyle were both surprised when they saw a new face during one of their practice sessions. The two boys were with Samantha at her house.

    Jason looked curiously to the face that was standing to the side of Samantha "What''s he doing here Sammy?"

    Kyle nodded his head "Yeah, I thought we were here to practice?" Samantha smiled "I thought that adding something to the band would help us spice things up.

    And believe it or not Cody actually ys the drums." Cody smiled as he put up a piece sign "Sup dudes, oh, and singr dudette."

    Samantha face palmed "You don''t need to say what''s up to me Cody. I''m the one that invited you here remember?"

    Cody nodded his head "You got a point there dudette." Jason chuckled "So you here to y some drums for us Cody?"

    He once again nodded his head before moving his blonde hair out of his face so that his blue eyes were visible.

    He smiled "I am totally stoked to start shreddin on a track with all of you guys. I know I don''t look it but I can shred pretty hard on a drum set."

    Jason turned his head as he looked over at Kyle "What do you think Kyle?" He thought for a moment before answering.

    "We can always give it a try. If it works out great, if not we can just go back to just the three of us. Either way, I don''t see any harm in trying."

    After hearing Kyle''s answer Jaya nodded his head before looking at Samantha and Cody "I think Kyle''s right.

    Let''s give it a shot and see how it goes." Samantha smiled brightly as she turned around to do a mini fist pump away from Kyle and Jason''s sight.

    ''Yes! Step oneplete. Hopefully Cody wasn''t just gassing himself up when he told me that he ys drums.

    If he can at least impress Jaya and Kyle a little that should be enough for them to say yes to him joining the band.''

    Samantha turned around as the boys followed her to the practice room. As they were setting up for a practice run through one of the songs that they would y for the dance Samantha couldn''t help but be a little nervous.

    ''Please Cody, I really need to you to pull through for me. I want Jaya to have someone else that he''s close with that isn''t on the basketball team.

    He needs to socialize with other kids in a way that isn''t rted to basketball. He needs to step out of hisfort zone.''

    Kyle was standing behind his keyboards as he gave a thumbs up "All set to go on my side." Samantha checked her guitar and the settings on her amp before nodding her head.

    "All good to go on my end." Cody stepped on the pedal for the High-hat a few times and tapped on the snare drum a bit before spinning his drumstick around in his right hand.

    "All good to go over here amigos." Jason looked at all of them before nodding his head "Let''s get this started then."

    Kyle began to y a soft piano melody. Jason then jumped in with his vocals.

    "When I was a young boy

    My father took me into the city

    To see a marching band"

    As Jason came back in with his vocals Cody began to drum on the snare "He said, Son, when you grow up

    Would you be the savior of the broken

    The beaten and the damned?"

    For their first time ying together things went pretty smoothly as they practiced Wee to the ck Parade by My Chemical Romance.

    Then as they approached the middle of the song Samantha began to raise the tempo on her guitar while Cody did the same on the drums.

    Jason added some energy to his originally chill and smooth singing voice.

    "Sometimes I get the feelin''

    She''s watchin'' over me

    And other times I feel like I should go

    And through it all, the rise and fall

    The bodies in the streets

    And when you''re gone, we want you all to know"

    Samantha joined in as both she and Jason screamed out the next portion of lyrics.

    "We''ll carry on, we''ll carry on

    And though you''re dead and gone, believe me

    Your memory will carry on"

    All four of them seemed to be in sync as they went through all of their parts perfectly. There were some sections of the song where they made technical mistakes but non of them stepped on each other''s toes as they focused on working together harmoniously.

    As the song came to an end Jason and Kyle were both smiling. Jason chuckled "Seeing how you''re smiling like a goofball I''m guessing that you enjoyed that."

    Kyle nodded his head vigorously "Bro, Sammy was right. Adding drums to the band gives off a whole new feel."

    Jason looked at Samantha and smiled "Looks like we found our newest member." Samantha held her guitar as she jumped in joy.

    "Alright! Did you hear that Cody? You are officially in the band." Cody stood up from his drum set and pumped his fist.

    "Radical! I like, can''t believe that I''m in the band. That is soooo sweet! Huh, what''s the name of the band again?"

    Samantha shrugged her shoulders "We actually don''t have a name for the band." Jason nodded his head as he added.

    "Yeah,st year we just went up as Jason, Samantha, and Kyle. We didn''t really need a band name for the school''s talent show."

    Cody''s eyes opened wide as he shook his head "No way! You can''t be in a band without having a band name.

    That''s like, the opposite of rad. It''s totally not rad. We shoulde up with something before the Spring Dance."

    Samantha thought about it "I guess you have a point Cody. We can''t really perform in front of the whole school again without having a band name."

    She turned to face the three boys "Any suggestions?" Kyle''s hand shot up immediately "Ginyu force! We should call ourselves the Ginyu Force!"

    Samantha raised her hand as she looked like she was about to give Kyle a thumbs up. Then at thest second she flipped her hand around so it was a thumbs down.

    "Eh, wrong answer. Any other suggestions? Some that don''t sound weird." Kyle seemed a bit deted after having his suggestion shot down.

    But a secondter and he was back to normal as he began to search through his brain for some more good ideas.

    Kyle once again raised his hand. Samantha looked at him and she shook her head "Another one Kyle?"

    Kyle shook his head "It''s a really good one this time. I promise!" Samantha rolled her eyes "Well, it can''t possibly be worse than West Coast Hang Ten right?

    Go ahead. let''s hear it." Kyle smiled "So we''re all the type to chase what we want no matter how hard things look right?"

    Samantha subconsciously nced at Jason as her cheeks got slightly red "I guess." Kyle continued "In basketball if you make the shot despite getting fouled it''s called an And-1 y.

    So let''s call ourselves AND1. No matter how hard life hits us we''ll make sure to score our basket and get what we want."

    Samantha tilted her head to the side as she began to think about Kyle''s suggestion "You know what Kyle?

    That actually doesn''t sound too bad. It sounds catchy and it has a good meaning behind it. If everyone else is okay with it I think we just found our band name."

    - - -

    As time passed by for Jason and his friends, so too did it pass for the NBA and for all the teams that were still ying in the yoffs.

    Just like any other year there were interesting story lines and rumors going around with various teams.

    But the biggest story so far in this year''s yoffs has been the Chicago Bulls and their Cindere like story as they pushed the number one seeded team in their conference farther than anyone had thought possible prior to the start of the series.

    "Thank you for tuning in tonight. I am your host Kelly Johnson reporting live from Chicago as the Bulls have just done what many have considered impossible.

    As tonight they have just taken care of business by beating the number one seeded Wizards in their homecourt in front of all of their fans.

    What a special night for Bulls'' fans everywhere as they continue with their dark horse run. Lead by thete game heroics of Reggie Jacobs the Bulls have just force a game seven against what many considered to be a real title contender in the Wizards.

    Do the Bulls have enough steam for onest big game or can the Wizards pull of some real magic and dig themselves out of the hole that they are now in?

    Hear the opinions of our expert analysts and sports show hosts after a few words from our sponsors."

 Chapter 306 - A Bountiful Harvest

    Game two of the Wizards vs Bulls series was a real nail biter but it didn''t start off that way. With the Wizards leading by over 20 points after the end of the first half everyone thought that the Bulls hot start hade to an end.

    But lead by their star yer Reggie the Bulls were able to rally together and put up a strong performance in the third quarter that ended with them gaining a ten point lead.

    Unfortunately for the Bulls they just didn''t have enough left in the tank to finish the game as they would fall short of theeback.

    They might have lost but the fact that they had managed to put up another good game against the first seeded Wizards began to raise the whispers that they might just have a shot of winning the series.

    Game three would end up being one hell of a game as the Wizards no longer had any room to y without a sense of urgency.

    They took the Bulls seriously from the tipoff as all of their yers were locked in. But with Reggie leading them and their roster now emboldened by their previous performances the Bulls were full of confidence and energy.

    With thergest lead in the game being only eight points and with over twelve lead changes throughout the course of the game all of the fans watching were on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

    In dramatic fashion Reggie iced the game with an acrobaticyup over two Wizards'' defenders to put the Bulls up by four with only six seconds left on the clock.

    The next few games were just as exciting as the third as the Wizards and Bulls exchanged one great game for another.

    Despite the fact that this was a first round series the excitement of the fans and media alike gave it a much more serious feeling.

    The atmosphere of the games made it feel like it was a finals or conference finals series. And as the Bulls forced a game seven the media storylines began to pick up.

    They began to call the Bulls the underdogs of the century with the biggest heart of any team to ever be the 8th seed.

    And after a hard fought win to steal the series the Bulls became the biggest headline in the world of basketball.

    And of course Jason didn''t miss this opportunity to make some money. He told Coach Swendel when to bet on the Bulls and when to bet on the Wizards.

    He also made extra money by cing extra bets on different things such as point differential and buzzer beaters.

    The best part was that Jason didn''t just focus on the Wizards vs Bulls series. He had Coach Swendel ce multiple bets on multiple different teams in the West and Eastern conference.

    In order to avoid being detected and raising any rms Jason had Coach Swendel alternate between the different websites and channels that he used to ce his bets.

    He also made sure to include some losing bets along with his winning bets in order to make things look less suspicious.

    But even with the money that he threw away on losing bets Jason had managed to umte over 20,000 dors by the time the first round of the yoffs hade to a close.

    This period of time was a crazy one for Coach Swendel. Not only was he doing something that couldpletely ruin his life if he were to be found out, he was doing it sessfully!

    The emotionally rollercoaster that he went through alternating between the fear of being caught and the happiness of making easy money kept him on his toes.

    For the first few days he was paranoid of any phone call from an unidentified number. But after he began to spend his newfound wealth he was able to rx.

    But the betting on yoff games wasn''t the only thing that took up Jason''s time. After a video of the four of them practicing together as a band blew up online multiple schools began to contact Jefferson.

    The schools were calling to request that Jefferson do a joint dance after arge number of their students requested it.

    Because of therge number of requests and no reason to reject them Principal Morris agreed to a joint Spring Dance with five other middle schools in the city.

    He was more than happy to share the costs included in nning a Spring Dance. The extra funds would also allow for a more extravagant dance.

    The fact that Jason would be performing during the dance with three of his friends in a band became one of the biggest talks of the city.

    All of the schools that would be joining Jefferson for their Spring Dance were hopping in excitement while the schools that missed out were still holding on to a sliver of hope that they would be included.

    - - -

    Jason wasying in his bed in what used to be his mom and dad''s office room. While Kyle yed a game on theputer that was in the room.

    Afternding the killing blow on the boss Kyle put his hands together and cracked his fingers "Ah, finally got over Zanthor.

    I still can''t believe that you couldn''t get over him. All you have to do is make sure that you have a shield scroll that you can activate during his AOE attack.

    Then you have to shave away at his six health bars and survive two transformations that change up his attack pattern.

    It''s really not that hard once you get the hang of it." Jason looked away from his phone to chuckle at Kyle "Really? And here I was thinking that it was so hard."

    Kyle rolled his eyes "Ha ha Jaya, real funny. Anyways, how much longer are we going to do this? Not that I''mining.

    I love Evil Souls just as much as the next guy. Some people might say that the brutally difficult gamey andck of tutorials is borderline sadistic while I think that games like this have their own charm.

    But I thought we were going to hang out tonight. You know, celebrate the big win and everything? I mean, we did just advance another round in the tournament."

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "You''re asking the wrong person bro. I thought we were going to head out too.

    But the girls said that they needed some time for themselves for some girl talk. I can''t really do anything at this point."

    Kyle leaned back in the chair and sighed "I guess you have a point there. Shania and Sammy are both too scary to interrupt when they''re in the middle of their girl talks."

    Jason stood up from the bed and walked over to Kyle. He patted him on the shoulder "Don''t be too bummed out dude.

    So what if we miss out on some celebrating tonight. We have way more chancesing to party after a win."

    Kyle ran his hand over the top of his head "True, we still have two more games to go in the county tournament and the state and national tournament are still on the horizon.

    Should be plenty of opportunities to kick back and have some fun then." Jason smiled as he pped Kyle on the back.

    "And to think that you used to be all scared and shaking before our games. Look at you now, you sound just as excited for these games as I am."

    Kyleughed as he pushed Jason away from him "Shut up dude. You make it sound way worse than it was."

    Jason smiled as he sat down on the edge of his chair "Really? Because if my grades are any sign then my memory must be pretty decent."

    Kyle grabbed a squishy toy basketball from the top of Jason''s desk and threw it at him "You know what? You are the smartest dumb person I know Jaya."

    Jason caught the ball andughed "You could have just stopped at calling me the smartest." He then threw the ball back to Kyle.

    This started an impromptu game of dodgeball. As they were in the middle of their exciting game the door to the room swung open.

    Shania saw Kyle ducking behind a chair and Jason with the ball held high in his right hand. She rolled her eyes.

    "Y''all might be the same height as some grown folk but I swear you two are the biggest kids I know."

    Samantha nudged her in the side with her elbow as she smiled "Ohe on Shania, you know how it is. Boys will be boys.

    You can''t be too harsh on them. It''s not their fault that guys mature at a slower rate than girls mentally."

    Jason just smiled before tossing the toy basketball in his hand toward Samantha "Whatever, are you guys ready to go or did you juste here to clown on us?"

 Chapter 307 - No Fear

    Back in Jason''s old bedroom. Shania wasying t on her stomach on top of Jason''s bed while a te of sliced Kimbapid beside her.

    While Samantha sat on the chair in front of Jason''s old desk. She was scrolling through her different social media ounts on her phone.

    Shania tossed one of the slices of kimbap into her mouth before looking at Samantha "So why''d you send the boys away?

    I thought we was aboutta head on out?" Samantha blew a segment of her red hair out of her face and rolled her eyes.

    "Yeah well, I kinda wanted to get your advice on something." Shania''s eyes went wide after she heard Samantha say that.

    She jumped up and sat on the edge of the bed before sticking another slice of kimbap into her mouth "Oh I gotta hear this.

    Overlord Sammy actually wants to ask someone for advice. This don''t happen everyday." Samantha smiled as she shook her head.

    "Get your jokes in. I know you can''t miss out on a chance to clown me. But I really do need some advice with this girl named Ka."

    Shania took a drink from the can of soda that was on the bedside table "Ka, ain''t she the new girl that joined your group for Ms. Yuller''s project?

    You told me that she came clean and cleared things up with Jaya. What do you need advice on her for? Not like lil Miss Princess still got a shot with our boy right?"

    Samantha was silent for a moment before she took a deep sigh "That''s the problem, I don''t know if she really doesn''t have a shot or not.

    After she got me to join her in putting on Kyle''s weird Japanese costumes and cheering for the team Jaya''s attitude towards her has been a lot softer.

    He''s been greeting her whenever he sees her, we have a group chat now with her in it, andtely she''s even been going to his games and cheering him on in Kyle''s stupid costume.

    Like, I thought that was a one time thing? I thought she was going to do it that one time to get Jaya to really forgive her.

    I know that Jaya won''t fall for her looks, not like the costume really helped with that anyway, but the fact that she''s doing this....

    Jaya might not be like other guys. He doesn''t fall for a pretty face or well done hair, things would be so much easier if he was, instead he cares about authenticity and dreams and stuff.

    So if Ka keeps on doing her cheer routine...." Shania pped her leg as she began tough "Oh shit, our little queen over here is afraid of a ser princess.

    Hahaha, I didn''t think you were this worried about that girl." Samantha rolled her chair closer to Shania and pped her on the shoulder.

    "Come on Shania, I''m being serious here." Shania wiped a tear from the corner of her eye while smiling "My bad Sammy.

    Alright, I got all theughs outta my system." Shania closed her eyes as she took a deep breathe "Okay, time for advice mode."

    She opened her eyes and looked at Samantha "So you''re worried about Ka because the whole cheerleading routine that she does might show Jaya that she''s genuine about how she feels about him right?"

    Samantha nodded her head. Shania continued "Hmmm, honestly that shouldn''t be too much of a problem tho.

    If we talkin about authenticity and shit you prolly the number one girl on his list. You was there when he first transferred to Jefferson.

    You knew him before he became the heartthrob basketball sensation that he is. Back when he was just another kid about to get beat up on by Trell.

    You literally one of his day ones. This new girl ain''t a problem to be honest. If anything you ought to keep that girl close."

    Samantha almost fell off the chair when she heard Shania say that "Why the hell would I do that!?" Shania put her hands up.

    "Woah chill girl, you didn''t even let me finish. I was sayin that you should keep this Ka girl close so that you can show Jaya that you just like him."

    Samantha looked at her with a confused expression on her face "What do you mean?" Shania asked "Jaya the typa dude that never backs down from a challenge right?"

    Samantha nodded her head "Yeah, that''s true." Shania smiled "Well he would probably want a girl that''s simr to him right?

    So by you keeping Ka close not only are you showing her that you ain''t worried about her. You can show Jaya that you are so confident that you don''t care about whether or not there are other girls around him.

    Besides, Jaya doesn''t strike me as the kinda dude that would fall for a scheming type bitch with no confidence.

    So this is like killin a shit ton of birds with just one stone. It''s like a four point y in basketball. Chances like this don''t pop up all the time."

    Samantha went silent as she thought about what Shania has just said. A momentter and she opened her mouth.

    "I hate it but you''re right Shania. I don''t think that I''m the kind of girl that Jaya would like like that. At least not yet.

    So I''ll keep this Ka girl close until I am. Who knows, maybe bing her friend will change me for the better. Just like with Jaya."

    - - -

    Shania, Samantha, Kyle, and Jason finally got out of the house as the four of them headed to the mall.

    Kyle was nothing but smiles and giggles as they passed by the videogame stores andic book shops but the smile melted away when he saw where they were going.

    "Come on guys, really? What are we doing here?" Shaniaughed as she tugged on Kyle''s pink anime shirt and pointed at his joggers.

    "We here because the Spring Dance that y''all are supposed to be ying at is a themed dance you anime freak."

    Samantha added "The theme for the dance is retro. All of the kids voted, even the ones from the other schools, and they chose to do early 2000''s.

    Luckily for us those were the golden years for the Alt scene. Well, minus all the problematic bands and sexual predator vocalists."

    Jason chuckled "So we''re here to dress up like early 2000''s emo kids?" Samantha smiled brightly "I know right? Isn''t it great?"

    Jason just shook his head "Let''s get this over with then. You better pick out a extra set for Cody. Wouldn''t want him to miss out right?"

    This time it was Kyle''s turn to shake his head as he looked at Jason "You cold bro. You cold as hell. The dude isn''t even here and you''re going to do him like that."

    The four of them then went shopping as Shania and Samantha dragged Jason and Kyle through the different aisles of The Dirty Ditch.

    - - -

    Inside the State Farm Arena. The game had just came to an end as onementator seemed to be losing his mind.

    "They''ve done it! They''ve really done it! The Bulls are making history folks! Not only have they stolen two consecutive game ones against higher seeded opponents.

    But tonight they have sent a message to the whole league. By blowing out the Anta Hawks by 36 points they have officially branded themselves as a legitimate team.

    That''s right folks, I didn''t stutter or mix up my words. The 8th seeded Chicago Bulls have just blown the 4th seeded Anta Hawks out of the water.

    Looking at how they''ve yed so far in this year''s yoffs there isn''t any other way for me to describe them other than dominant.

    They are putting the rest of the league on notice. The Chicago Bulls are here and they areing after you!"

 Chapter 308 - Before The Big Game

    Despite the need to get a good night of sleep because of the importance of tomorrow''s game he just couldn''t get even a single second of shut eye.

    He tossed and turned in his bed as the sound of gunshots rang out for the second time of the night. ??

    For any normal person it would be understandable if the sound of gunfire would be the main problem in the issue of insomnia.

    But he was used to these sounds. He grew up hearing gunshots and in his neighborhood their presence was amon thing.

    But they weren''t the problem. The reason why he couldn''t fall asleep was because his nerves were beginning to get to him.

    Tomorrow the stakes would be higher than they ever were. And although he was confident in the team he just couldn''t help but have a sense of unease for some reason.

    Maybe it was because he himself had never stood on a stage such as this one before. A stage where the lights shine just a little bit brighter and where the air gets a little bit harder to breathe.

    As a kid he had always had a bit of a knack for basketball. He still remembered how he had never lost a pick up game against any of his friends from the moment that he first picked up a ball.

    But once he started ying the game for real he realized just how big the world was and how much he had over estimated himself.

    It wasn''t until he startedpeting against other kids who took the game seriously that he saw just how much he wascking.

    The huge gap that existed between him and the top level talent in his age bracket gave him a sense of helplessness.

    Just as there didn''t seem to be a way for him to ovee this gap he saw something that brought hope back to him, he saw Jason.

    At first he thought that Jason was just like him. A kid who could ball a bit but who mostly stood out because of theck of talent on his team.

    It would also be a lie to say that he didn''t have the same idea as therge majority of people when he first saw Jason.

    He thought that the fact that Jason was Asian was the reason for all the noise that surrounded his name.

    But after watching him as his season at Jefferson progressed he realized that Jason was a legitimate basketball star.

    And not only was his talent and skill top notch, so was his ability to elevate his team and the yers on it.

    It was the moment when Jefferson lost in the state tournament. That was when he knew that Jason was the guy that he needed.

    When he first made up his mind to transfer over to Jefferson he didn''t actually know what he was looking for.

    Did he want to find out Jason''s training routine? How to reach his level? What kind of drills he used?

    No, that wasn''t it. If it was that kind of information it was easily obtainable on the web. By the end of his first year at Jefferson Jason was already a trending sensation in the basketball world.

    All sorts of tidbits of information about his daily life were already widely known on the inte thanks to his constant exposure on Through The Hoops.

    But as soon as tryouts started and Jason took the lead he knew what he hade here to find. He knew what he wanted to obtain from Jason.

    The confidence to not care about what anyone thought about him, the work ethic to have your own independent training schedule separate from team practice,

    the crazed mentality that allowed him to push himself to his very limits, and the dedication to follow that grueling routine day in and day out.

    That was what he wanted. That''s what he came to Jefferson to obtain. The months that followed him making the varsity team passed by like a blur.

    From off the court incidents to on the court incidents, to things happening even in their private lives, the days that he spent as a member of the team were both exciting yet calming.

    The constant chatter about them and the team and all the mud that the media were trying to throw on their name made every day and every game an exciting battle to prove all their haters wrong.

    While the intense practices and boring group study sessions had a odd calming effect that he never thought would happen.

    The seemingly boring and mundane moments that he shared with the team and all his teammates made him feel at ease whenever he was around the other guys.

    Something that he never thought possible considering his not so social attitude andck ofmunication skills.

    Maybe that was another thing that attracted him to Jason. Even though they seemed so simr in terms of exteriors the people surrounding them and the looks on their faces indicated that they couldn''t be any more different.

    - - -

    He didn''t know when but he must have been able to fall asleep sometime during the night as he was now being woken up by the rm that he had set on his phone.

    He stood up and started stretching as a satisfying yawn exited his mouth. Seeing the time on his phone he made his way to the restroom and began to get ready.

    A quick look around the small house that he was in would be all that you would need to know that themunity that he lived in wasn''t the best.

    The small house only had three bedrooms and one bathroom. And all of the windows had bars welded to the outside to try and deter any burrs.

    After he was done cleaning up and changing into his clothes he walked out to the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

    Or at least that was his n until he realized that there was only half a cup of milk left in the carton.

    After a small sigh he walked over to the sink and filled the remaining space in the bowl with water as his cereal began to float in a diluted white mixture.

    As he began to dig in to his breakfast he felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket. There were two new notifications.

    One was telling him that he had used a portion of his limited data n for the month and the other was a text message from his dad.

    Attached to the text was a video. When he tapped y on his cellphone an image of his dad appeared.

    He was dressed up in his uniform and the background looked like it was somewhere in a factory. He had a round frame with his gut sticking out a bit and his hair was cut short like a buzzcut.

    His skin was a dark brown and his hands and face had some traces of grease as he smiled at the camera "Hey Donte. Sorry I couldn''t wish you luck in person.

    The factory called because someone got hurt during the graveyard shift and they needed me to fill in for em.

    But I''m sure that you didn''t need it anyways. You got yo mother''s spirit and my hard head so I know that you are ready for whatever wille your way today.

    It breaks my heart that I can''t make it to your game today but even if I''m not there in person just know that I''m always rooting for you.

    Now hurry up eatin that breakfast and get yo butt to school. Just because you''re ying basketball don''t mean you can let up on your studies.

    I''ll see you when you get home bud." A rare smile could be seen on Donte''s face as he looked down at his phone.

    "Thanks dad. We''re going to win today, I promise. For you, for me.... and for mom."

 Chapter 309 - Your Comfort Zone

    Even though it was early there were still a few kids at the school who were either eating breakfast or just talking with their friends.

    As Donte was walking up the steps of the school he knew that Jason and Kyle had just arrived. He could tell by all the noise that the other kids were making.??

    They all made sure to greet Jason and Kyle and some even took a few pictures. Donte shook his head ''What''s the point?

    You literally go to the same school as the guy. You see him everyday.'' But although he didn''t understand their actions he didn''t show it on his face as he kept the same expression that he always had.

    He stopped walking as he waited for Jason and Kyle. As the two approached he held his hand up "Morning."

    Kyle smiled as he quickened his steps a bit before pping Donte on the back "Morning Donte. You must have woke up extra early. You beat me and Jaya to the school."

    Jason wasn''t as shy with his greeting as Kyle was. He simply stuck out his fist and gave Donte a nod "Morning."

    Donte nodded his head as he bumped Jason''s fist back with his own "Good morning Jaya." Kyle was chuckling as he shook his head.

    "Man, Jaya really is different. All I got was ''Morning'', but he got you to actually say a full sentence." Donte looked at him "Sorry."

    Donte knew that he only spoke properly whenever he was talking to Jason. But it wasn''t like he was doing it on purpose.

    Whenever he spoke with anyone else he always felt ufortable, always wondering if he would say something weird or out of ce.

    The only ones who didn''t make him feel uneasy when he talked to them were Jason and his dad. Kyle put his hands up and hurriedly shook them.

    "You don''t have to say sorry dude. It''s not like I was seriously ming you or anything. Heck, I''m not really in position to be judging you when my own bro is like that."

    Jason looked at him "Bro, I might not be the most talkative person but I can socialize a little bit. No offense or nothing Donte but the one word responses would be tough even for me."

    The corner of Donte''s mouth curled up just the smallest bit possible "It''s okay." He then followed the two of them as they made their way to the gym.

    Another thing that he found incredible about Jaya was how he didn''t seem to let any of his fame or notoriety get to his head.

    Even on their short walk to the gym there were kids greeting Jason and shaking hands with him. And yet he never so much as batted an eye at their reaction.

    It was more than just pretending to not care, he genuinely didn''t seem the least bit interested in all of the attention that he got.

    After turning on the lights and getting the equipment out Donte joined Jason and Kyle for morning varsity practice.

    But even though it was supposed to be a team practice the three of them were a little more than ten minutes early so there was no one else there.

    Donte watched as Jason went through his warm up routine, asionally asking questions such as ''What muscles do these stretches work?'' or ''What should muscles should I start warming up first?''

    Jason didn''t seem to mind and Kyle acted as though the series of questions were just another part of their everyday routine.

    Honestly speaking, at this point it pretty much was. It was well known that although Donte wasn''t one for casual conversation whenever it came to Jason and basketball he could be one heck of a motor mouth.

    Donte had to put a end to his personal training session with Jason as the rest of the guys on the team began to make their way in for morning practice.

    The first thing that they opened up with was a full out sprint around the gym. No timer and no set duration for how long they would run.

    It was just them and their bodies that would be in charge of deciding how long the sprint wouldst.

    Some people would have found it annoying or bothersome to start of the day with something so intense, but to Donte there wasn''t a thing that he liked more.

    The early morning sprints were some of Donte''s favorite memories so far. It gave him a chance to see Jason''s incredible motor in action as well as pit himself against his own idol.

    Even though he had never managed to sessfully keep up with him he would always start off the sprinting at his pace.

    But he would always find himself falling behind whenever they reached the halfway point. And even though the durations of their sprints were always random he would always fall behind at the halfway point.

    It would only be years far into the future when he would find out why during an interview of him and Jason at an all star game.

    But for now it took everything that he had just to stay with Jason in the opening minutes of their run.

    - - -

    The rest of the day passed by quickly as Donte found himself with his headphones on inside the locker room.

    As he listened to his music his left leg couldn''t help but bounce up and down while his hand gripped his cellphone tightly.

    ''Nothing to worry about, we are the clear cut best team in the county. No other team could evene close to us during the regr season.

    All we have to do is y normally. Just y normally Donte. Don''t be nervous. Why are you so nervous. Calm down. Just rx. Breathe dude, breathe.''

    It was the feeling of a hand on top of his shoulder that pulled him out of his own thoughts. He turned his head to the side and saw Jason standing next to him.

    He took of his headphones quickly and ced them on hisp "Sorry, did you say something?" Jason smiled before taking a seat in the chair next to Donte.

    "I was just asking how you felt. Everyone else is excited and pumped up. You''re the only one that''s sitting off on the sides all by himself."

    Donte took a look around the locker room. Jason was right. Everyone else was sitting up by the front where they were sharing funny videos on their phones and posting stuff on their social media pages.

    Donte looked at Jason and gave a nod "Thanks but I''m okay. I guess I''m just morefortable like this. Acting goofy... just isn''t my thing."

    Jason looked at him for a moment before patting him on the back "Alright Donte. Just wanted to make sure.

    There''s nothing wrong with being a little different. Life would be too boring if we were all the same." Jason then began to get up from the chair.

    Just as he was about to turn around and walk away he turned his head to look at Donte again "There''s nothing wrong with being different Donte.

    I was being honest when I said that. But I also realized something, or I guess I should say that my friends taught me something.

    A very pushy and sometimes annoying redheaded friend but a friend nheless. And that is that sometimes it''s a good thing to be pushed outside yourfort zone.

    You should try it sometime, not that I''m forcing you or anything. It''s just nice to get a new perspective on things every once in a while.

    You never know when something new will pop out of an old picture." Donte whispered to himself as he watched Jason walk away.

    "Stepping out of myfort zone huh?... That would be a lot easier if the steps didn''t seem so big."

    - - -

    "I guess Jefferson isn''t so tough without Jaya. How the hell did you even make the varsity team? You wouldn''t crack JV over here short shit."

    Donte was sitting on the floor with blood dripping down his nose as the referee was going over footage of the y at the scorers table.

    Donte ground his teeth before looking up at the opposing yer "Shut your fucking mouth!" He pushed his hands against the ground as he stood up.

    He stared the other boy straight in the eyes "Jefferson is the only County champion here. Everyone else is just a warmup for the state tournament."

 Chapter 310 - Trouble Before The Game

    The bus ride to Los Angeles took almost two hours, but unfortunately for Jefferson the bad California traffic would be the least of their worries today.

    Themittee decided to up the budget after their numbers reached a new highst year. Unlikest year this year''s county finals would be yed at UCLA.??

    At first all of the boys were excited to get a chance to y at a college arena like the Pauley Pavilion before the state tournament.

    Especially the boys who just joined the team this year. For them this would be the first time in their lives that they would be able to y in such a history filled location.

    But as soon as they were stopped at the entrance the smiles disappeared from all of their faces, including Coach Swendel.

    With a serious expression on his face he stared at the person that was working "What are you doing? We''re Jefferson Middle School.

    We''re ying here tonight. Why are you stopping us?" Thedy that was put in charge of the entrance gulped before answering.

    "W-we know who you and the boys behind you are sir. There just seems to be a slight problem. I was told to alert management when you and the team arrive.

    It will just take a moment. They should be on their way as we speak." Coach Swendel crossed his arms as his brows began to furrow.

    "The game starts in less than an hour. My boys still need to stretch and warm up before getting some shots up.

    Because I don''t know if you''ve heard or not, or maybe you just don''t care, but tonight we''re ying for the county title and our ticket to the state tournament.

    I don''t know and honestly I don''t care about the ''Slight problem'' that you and whoever is in charge of here have to deal with.

    But I do know that me and my team need to get inside right now. So if you need us you''ll just have to find us after we get situated."

    He turned around to face the boys "Let''s go." He then began to walk past thedy but before he could take two steps she pulled her radio close to her mouth.

    "Security to yer entrance B." Coach Swendel saw two tall and muscr men walk out from inside the building.

    They each moved to Coach Swendel''s sides and grabbed him by the arm "You do not yet have permission to enter sir."

    Coach Swendel looked at the two men with an incredulous look on his face "What the hell are you two doing!?

    Get your arms off of me! You can''t treat me like this! I am not a criminal!" But despite his words the security guards continued to hold on to him.

    Thedy wiped a drop of sweat that had formed on the side of her face "Like I said sir, management will be here shortly so-"

    She wouldn''t get a chance to finish what she had nned to say "Get your fucking hands off of our coach."

    His cold voice drew the attention of the two guards as well as thedy in charge of the entrance. They saw as Jason took a step toward them.

    "Are you two deaf or just stupid? I know I might look like this but I only speak twonguages, English and Facts.

    I told you in English to get your hands off of our coach. And now Imma speak Facts, if you don''t get your hands offa him you about to regret it big time."

    The two men weren''t intimidated by Jason in the slightest. They were both much taller and much more muscr than him.

    One of the guards chuckled "Oh yeah kid? And why would we regret it? Are you going to make us regret it?"

    Jason pulled his phone out of his pocket and aimed it at them "Yeah, I will. I''m sure this video has tons of potential to go viral.

    What should I choose for a title? UCLA manhandles innocent middle school basketball coach? Or maybe, UCLA security acting like two bit thugs.

    Nah, none of those have the kind of ring that I''m looking for. That''s okay, I''m sure a good title will pop into my headter tonight."

    The two security guards and the women both froze on the spot as beads of nervous sweat began to form on their foreheads.

    But despite the clear nervousness on their faces none of the guards let go of their hold on Coach Swendel.

    It became a Mexican standoff as Jason stared down the two guards. Behind Jason stood Kyle and the other boys who were on the teamst year.

    Most of the seventh graders all distanced themselves from Jason and the other eight graders as they took a few steps back.

    But the Silva twins as well as Donte and Frank stood by Matt and the others behind Jason. Initially Sam had taken a step back along with the other seventh graders.

    But after seeing his seventh grade friends all stand with Jason he moved up and joined them. But he was clearly apprehensive still as he leaned in and whispered to Jason.

    "Uh, not trying to challenge your authority or anything Jaya. But do you think this is the best way to be doing this?"

    Jason kept his eyes on the two security guards. He responded to Sam but at a volume that made it clear that he wanted everyone to hear him.

    "At this point my personality should be pretty well known. I don''t like to start shit but you best believe that I always finish it.

    I don''t care who it is, even if they''re adults and connected to UCLA, if they want to act like clowns I can turn this shit into a circus.

    You want to y games we can y. Don''t matter if it''s on the court or off, I''m always down to throw down."

    Sam began to sweat even more after he heard Jason say that ''No! Don''t be like this Jaya! You might get us kicked out before we evence up!''

    As the tension began to rise with both sides silently staring at each other the sound of pping stole their attention.

    "Ahaha looks like we have a small misunderstanding here." Jason watched as another women walked out of the building.

    She was tall for a women as she looked to be around 5''11 (1.8m) with a dark skin tone simr to Udonis''.

    She was dressed in a grey suit and her tightly curled 4c hair was parted at the side. She didn''t look a day over thirty as she smiled while walking toward Jason.

    Her sparkling smile looked genuine as she reached her hand out "Nice to finally meet you Mr. Yang. A littlete considering all the.... work that you''ve caused me the past year or so."

    Jason simply nodded his head before reaching out to shake her hand "Nice to meet you but unfortunately I don''t know your name.

    But guessing by what you''ve said I''ll take a wild guess and say that you''re from themittee?" The women continued to smile.

    "Yes, my name is Crystal Johnson and I am a chairmen for themittee. I see that the rumors are more than just that. You are one sharp mind Mr. Yang." Jason shrugged his shoulders.

    "I guess so. But the problem with being sharp is that some people will want to test just how sharp you are, just like a knife."

    The women chuckled as she stared Jason straight in the eyes "I am sure that you''re right. After all I have some personal experience with people wanting to test just how sharp I am."

    Although she was smiling and staring him right in the eyes Jason couldn''t get a clear read of her ''Just what does she want?''

    She chuckled as she took a look around "Now, if you would be so kind as to spare a moment Mr. Yang. I have a guest that would really like a chance to speak with you."

 Chapter 311 - A Battle Before The Game

    Jason was silent for a moment as he inspected the women "So this is your way of trying to get a conversation with me?

    You hold us at the door even though we have a game in less than an hour, and you manhandle our coach like a criminal???

    Just because themittee has the power to boss around UCLA don''t think that this is enough to make me do what you want."

    Crystal continued to smile as she listened to Jason speak but just as he finished saying his piece the corner of her eye twitched ever so slightly.

    She put her hand up and lightly shook it "I know that this wasn''t the best first impression and I do apologize for the mimunication between our side and security.

    But I promise you that your Coach and your team can both go inside." She then turned to the two security guards "Let him go. This is no way to treat a honored guest."

    The two security guards looked at each other for a moment before shrugging their shoulders. They let go of their grip on Coach Swendel who then grumbled before walking toward his yers.

    "No brain meat heads. You''re both lucky I''m wearing a brand set of clothes." Crystal nodded her head after seeing Coach Swendel be released.

    She then turned to Jason "I hope that you can make your decision in good faith now. I promise you that your team will have no problem getting to the locker room.

    So would it be possible to have you stop by for a quick talk?" Jason looked at her for a moment as he thought about her request.

    ''We have a little less than an hour before our game starts. Even if I go to talk to whoever is looking for me I should still have enough time to warm up.''

    Jason then turned his head as he looked back at Coach Swendel and the rest of the team "You guys go ahead. Looks like someone is pretty desperate to talk to me.

    I''ll catch up with you guys in just a few minutes." Coach Swendel had a serious expression on his face as he nodded his head.

    "Alright Jaya, we''ll start getting ready then." He turned to the yers behind him "Come on guys. We need to start warming up."

    All of the boys began to follow Coach Swendel into the building but Kyle trailed behind as thest one. He turned his head and looked back at Jason with a concerned look.

    Jason smiled before nodding his head "Just go dude. I''ll be okay. It''s not like I''m going to a meeting with a mafia boss or something."

    Kyle hesitantly began to walk into the building after hearing Jason say that. Jason then turned around to face Crystal.

    "Well let''s get going. I still have a county title to win and a ticket to the state tournament to im."

    - - -

    Inside a simply furnished office sat Jason, Crystal, and an unknown man. He was dressed in what appeared to be a custom made Italian suit and ck leather shoes.

    He looked to be the same height as Jason at around 5''8 (1.72m) and his long shoulder length tinum blonde hair was tied in a long ponytail.

    After Jason took a seat across from him at the desk the man smiled and opened his arms up "Jaya baby! So good to finally talk.

    Oh, where are my manners. Here, have a treat. These are fresh baked Cronugels, I had my assistant drive down to Rond Heights for these.

    They are absolutely to die for hahaha. Isn''t food just amazing? Who would have thought tobine a croissants, a donut, and a bagel all into one.

    The culinary field is always changing and evolving. But I''m sure that you know all about that considering that you''rerge appetite and love for food is so well known."

    Jason looked at the tray that the man was presenting to him but he didn''t reach out toward it "I know it sounds clich�� but my parents told me not to take things from strange men."

    The manughed "Haha I think you mean strangers Jaya. And after we introduce ourselves we wouldn''t be strangers anymore right?

    My name is Jonathan Foley. It''s a little hard to describe my position but you can think of me as the head of the basketball department for the AAU.

    I''ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now but there seemed to be somemunication problems between my people and your people."

    Jason pulled out his phone and began to fiddle around with it "Nope, I meant what I said. And there weren''t anymunication problems between my people and yours.

    My parents told me whenever you would call. And I''m pretty sure that they''ve already given you my answer, multiple times."

    Jonathan''s smile stayed up but it now appeared a bit forced "Ohe on now, you haven''t even heard mytest offer."

    Jason looked up from his phone with a bored look on his face "I don''t need to hear it. And to be honest, if I had known that you were the one looking for me I would have saved the both of us some time and just gone straight to the locker room."

    Jason then turned his head to the side where Crystal was standing "I have to say that I''m also pretty disappointed. I never thought that themittee would be the AAU''s hunting dog."

    She raised her hand "I know this-" But before she could finish Jonathan turned his attention to her "Mrs. Johnson, could we have a moment in private?"

    She sighed "Understood." After the door closed behind her the smile disappeared from Jonathan''s face as he looked at Jason with a serious expression.

    "Since you don''t want to y nice we can just skip the pleasantries. I don''t care what team it is or what city you want to y in. Join the AAU."

    Jason had been on his phone while Jonathan was talking. After he was done Jason nced up from his phone once again.

    "You know, before I joined my school''s basketball team I actually did n on ying AAU basketball. In fact that was the only n I had.

    But I changed my mind. At Jefferson we do things a little differently than most schools or programs. We give everything that we have for the team and we expect the same out of each other.

    And I can''tmit everything Jefferson if I have to split my time and effort with another team. So even if the rules say it''s okay to y for a club team and a school team at the same time that just isn''t a option for me."

    Jonathan took a deep breath as he clutched his fists at his sides "You''re making a huge mistake here kid.

    You should know better than anyone else how much you could boost your stock by ying AAU basketball.

    We have the best yers, the bestpetition, and the best advertising and promotions. I can make you the biggest nameing into high school since LeBron."

    Jason smiled coldly at him "In case you''ve been living under a rock I don''t exactly need help getting my name out there.

    I may not be a household name yet but just about anyone that''s a fan of basketball at least knows about me."

    Jason put his phone back into his pocket and stood up from his chair "Now if you don''t mind, I have something that''s actually important to take care of."

    He then began to walk toward the door. But he couldn''t get past a few steps before Jonathan spoke out "Just remember Jaya, you made me do this."

    Jason stopped in his tracks and turned around. His eyes were cold as he stared at Jonathan "Is this a threat? Because just for fair warning, that didn''t go so great for thest guy that tried."

    Jonathan had a smirk on his face as he began to tap on the table with his fingers "Lately there''s been a lot of talks about you and PEDs."

    Jason chuckled "Are you kidding me? That isplete bullshit. No one thinks that, how could they when I''m as thin as a stick? No one would believe that I''m roided out."

    Jonathan replied "That''s where you''re wrong. There are people talking about you being on some sort of performance enhancing drug. I just didn''t say which people."

    He picked up one of the pastries that were sitting on the tray on his desk and took a bite "There are already people suspicious of your amazing ability to y ungodly amounts of minutes.

    The stamina that you possess just isn''t at the level that a kid like you would have. Taking all this into consideration we at the AAU have taken it upon ourselves to make sure that a young star such as yourself doesn''t ruin his future with dangerous drugs."

    Jason red at him "What are you trying to say?" Jonathan''s smile was back on his face after seeing the reaction that he was getting out of Jason.

    "We have already signed our application requesting a surprise drug test. And seeing as how one of the chairmen for themittee is right outside the door approval is something we don''t need to worry about.

    And of course we have to follow the rules. yers who are under suspicion of PED use must pass a surprise drug test before being allowed to y any games.

    Which is quite unfortunate for you considering the timing, because that would mean that your team will have to y the big county title game without you."

 Chapter 312 - True Colors

    Jason smiled coldly as he stared at Jonathan "Looks like you''re finally starting to show your real colors John.

    And since you did I think it''s only fair that I do the same." A chilling sense of fury erupted from Jason as his face contorted in anger.??

    Jonathan was surprised as he had never felt this level of pressure from a middle school child. Without him realizing it his breathing had quickened and droplets of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead.

    "You should know this already, but I am not someone that you want to mess with. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

    You can go ahead and do whatever you want. But this is myst warning. If you like your life the way it is at the moment then you better stay out of my way and out of my sights.

    Because unlike some people I don''t make threats, I make promises. If you try anything, and I mean anything, I will destroy you.

    Your career, your image, your reputation, I''ll take everything from you. Because to me basketball is one of the things that I care about the most in this world.

    And anyone that messes with the things I care about. Well let''s just say things don''t turn out so well for those people."

    Jason didn''t give Jonathan a chance to respond as he turned around and walked out of the room, mming the door closed on his way out.

    As soon as he stepped out he saw Crystal standing right outside. She shook her head helplessly "You do understand that you''re making things harder for your team by doing this right?"

    Jason scoffed as he didn''t even bother looking in her direction "I know my team better than anybody, you two can scheme all you want but out on the court the only thing that matters is how you y.

    So don''t worry about me. You should be more concerned with how things are going to be crashing down around you and your partner.

    That is, if you two try anything. I said this to the clown in the room but I''ll do it again for you. Don''t mess with me or the team.

    Otherwise don''t me me for getting even. And I don''t believe in an eye for an eye, I''m way more greedier than that."

    Jason then began to walk away as he nned to join up with the rest of the guys in the locker room.

    As he was walking away Crystal began to follow him. She then went in front of Jason and stopped him "Listen, I know this doesn''t look good but if you would just-"

    Jason attempted to move around her, clearly not interested in listening to what she had to say. But she reached out and grabbed his arm.

    "I know you''re upset but-" Jason''s cold voice growled out "Let go of me." She instinctively let go of him without thinking.

    ''What the hell was that?'' As she was wondering why she had let go of him so easily Jason began to walk away.

    ''Jesus, this kid is too hotheaded. He won''t even give me a chance to talk.'' She let out a sigh before giving it onest try.

    "I''m on your side Mr. Yang. Despite how things might look to you that is the truth. I''m not working with Jonathan because I want to."

    She watched as Jason came to a stop "You''ll need to make it quick. Just because I''m not ying doesn''t mean that I can''t support my team."

    Crystal smiled as she walked toward Jason "I hope you believe me when I say that even though I helped him get a meeting with you I can''t stand that jerk."

    Jason''s face showed no reaction to her words "Okay, let''s say I do. Why did you help him out in the first ce?

    And why is he so sure that themittee will ept his request for a surprise drug test? Because unless he''s even stupider than he looks he wouldn''t throw out a threat without any reassurance of being able to back it up."

    Crystal sighed when she heard Jason''s question "Unfortunately he does have the ability to get his request approved.

    And it''s entirely out of my hands. I would never approve of such a ridiculous and ill timed request but the rest of themittee will."

    Jason''s brow rose out of curiosity "And why does a suit wearing monkey like Jonathan have so much power over themittee?"

    Crystal looked down at the floor as a frown spread across her face "That''s because of his position in the AAU.

    Over thest decade the AAU has changed from what they used to be in the past. They used to be an organization that promoted amateur athletics to give children an outlet to apply themselves.

    But now all they care about are the views that they get on their livestreams and advertising deals withrgepanies.

    The way they operate now is no different than apany. They chase profits while using highly touted prospects as free tools.

    But because of the huge amount of attention that fans, schools, and programs give to AAU games these highly touted prospects would rather y for them rather than an actual school team.

    Right now the rules say that middle school and high school level athletes can y for both school teams and outside clubs such as the AAU.

    But if Jonathan wanted to he has enough clout to where that rule could change. And if that happens it is very likely that most athletes would choose to y for the AAU because of the boost it would give to their stock."

    Hearing what she had to say Jason began to nod his head in agreement "You''re probably right." Crystal looked at Jason.

    "That''s why you should just agree to Jonathan''s request, at least momentarily. After tonight I can have themittee issue you a drug test on a different-"

    Jason cut her off by raising his hand "Nah, I don''t feel like bending a knee to someone like that." Crystal pleaded.

    "Jason! I know it might be hard but you can''t let your emotions get the best of you like this! All you need to do is justpromise this one time."

    Jason calmly responded "That''s the problem Crystal. It''s never just one time. You were the star basketball yer at your high school right? So I''m assuming you''ve never been bullied before."

    Crystal was a bit surprised to hear Jason say that "How did you know I yed basketball in high school?"

    Jason smirked "I''ll take that as a yes. To answer your question, it might have looked like I was just messing around on my cellphone back when we were in the office but I was actually pretty busy.

    One thing I did was look you up. I like to have an understanding of the people that I''m talking with, I hope you don''t mind.

    But back to my point. You never had to deal with bullying or harassment so let me tell you something I learned from first hand.

    If youpromise once it''s bound to happen again. Because the ''Bullies'' now know that you don''t have the guts to say no.

    And the more youpromise the easier it gets. After the first week of bullying goes by and you don''t do anything about it the easier it bes to just ept it as another part of your life.

    The courage to speak out goes away and the spirit to fight back withers. You start to tell yourself that things aren''t as bad as they seem and you cheer yourself up just enough to get through another day.

    And that cycle repeats itself over and over and over again until something breaks, either the situation or you."

    Crystal fell silent after hearing what Jason had to say. After a moment of silence Crystal sighed "If that is your decision, it''ll only be disrespectful for me to keep trying to change your mind.

    But I hope that you understand what you are doing to your team by making this decision." Jason smirked.

    "No disrespect but I think you''re the one who doesn''t understand. I know my team and I know my guys, they won''t lose topetition of this level."

    - - -

    Jason had yet to return as Coach Swendel was out on the floor with the rest of the yers on the team as they got warmed up.

    Suddenly he was approached by one of the workers. His face stiffened immidietly upon hearing what the worker had to say.

    "What do you mean Jaya''s under suspicion of PED use? He can''t y tonight because he needs to get drug tested?"

    After gaining an understanding of the situation Coach Swendel gathered up the boys "Listen up, I have some unfortunate news.

    I don''t know how it happened but themittee has just told me that Jaya is ineligible to y tonight because of suspicions of PED use.

    When he gets back he can exin the situation to us. But what matters the most right now is the game we''re about to y.

    Just because we''re down a man doesn''t mean that we''ll roll over like dogs. I want you guys ying with even more heart tonight to make up for what we''ll be missing with Jaya out.

    Is that understood!?" All of the yers yelled out in unison "Yes coach!" While all of the other boys were fired up one of them waspletely silent.

    Donte was gripping his fist as he clenched his teeth ''Jaya isn''t ying tonight? Who''s going to step up in his ce?''

    Without him realizing it sweat was rolling down his face as his heart raced.

 Chapter 313 - Start Of The County Title Game

    Since he was ineligible to y in tonight''s game Jason stayed in his regr clothes instead of heading to the locker room and changing into his uniform.

    He headed straight to the court and saw Coach Swendel as well as the other guys all getting shots up and warming up.??

    But somehow they all seemed to have sensed Jason''s arrival as they all stopped what they were doing and gathered around him and Coach Swendel.

    Coach Swendel patted Jason on the shoulder "Wish I could say that it''s nice to see you, but considering the current circumstances that would be kind of hard."

    Jason let out a small sigh "Seeing how you''re all looking at me with worried faces you guys must have heard the news?"

    Coach Swendel nodded his head "Yeah, someone came by and gave us the news while you were out for your talk.

    This ispletely crazy. You on steroids? If that was true then it would have to be one of the worst PEDs to have ever been made.

    No offense, but look at you. You''re practically a stick, how could anyone possibly believe that you''re taking some sort of illegal drug."

    Jason rolled his eyes "Gee, thanks so much for your trust Coach. At least I know that I can always count on you."

    After he was done taking a shot at Coach Swendel Jason took a look at all of the boys gathered around "Sorry guys.

    I''ll be honest, even though I''m not on actually on anything this is still kind of my fault. There was an option that I could have taken that would have allowed me to y tonight but I didn''t take it."

    He then heard Kyle''s voice "You don''t need to apologize Jaya. If it''s a decision that you made then I''m sure it was the right one."

    Vinceughed heartily as he added "Ay for real tho, I can''t remember thest time Jaya ever decided to do something without thinkin of the team.

    This the same dude that asks if the colorway go with the uni before he cop a pair of kicks." Matt chuckled "He hit you up too huh?"

    All of the guys startedughing after hearing what Matt said, even Coach Swendel. Seeing their reactions Jason felt a weight be lifted off of his chest.

    Even if he did make his decision while thinking about the team their was no way for him to control how they would react.

    So the fact that they didn''t seem to hold anything against him really showed just how much they trusted him.

    Once theirughter died down a bit he spoke out "Listen up guys, I know that it might sound goofying from seeing as how I can''t even be out there with y''all.

    But I know that you guys got what it takes to win this. I might have been leading you guys this year but all that means is that I was a few steps ahead.

    We still walked the same path, fought the same battles, and got the exact same dubs. So don''t go thinking that the team ain''t the same no more just cause I ain''t out there with y''all.

    I am not what makes this team what it is. Nah, the special thing that makes us Jefferson is still going to be on the court tonight."

    Jason stepped forward and lightly punched one of the seventh graders in the chest "That''s what makes us Jefferson.

    We got more heart than any damn team in the county, the state, and the country. All we gotta do tonight is show that to the rest of the world."

    Jason stuck his hand out "Who''s with me?" All of the boys around him began to pile their hands on top of each other.

    "ONE! TWO! THREE! JEFFERSON!" They all threw their hands up into the air after their cheer. The excitement and spirit clear in their voices.

    - - -

    By the time that Jason''s parents were able to arrive at UCLA it was close to the start of the game. Thankfully they had parent tickets so their spot was rtively good.

    Because even though this was just the county title game it seemed that almost all of Riverside City was in attendance tonight.

    After finding their way to their seats next to the other parents Jason''s mom was surprised when she nced at the court.

    "Huh? Baby, do you see this? Why is Jaya still dressed in his regr clothes? The games about to start right? Shouldn''t he be in uniform?"

    Jason''s dad turned his attention to the court after hearing what his wife had said "Hmm? You''re right Mimi. Why doesn''t he have his uniform on?"

    One of the parents sitting close by heard them. She turned to the two of them "You two just got here so you probably missed the announcement.

    Themittee has decided to do a surprise drug test on Jaya because of suspicions of PED use. Because he still has to be tested he''s ineligible to y tonight.

    Jason''s mom immediately mmed her fist on the armrest of her chair "What do you mean Jaya''s under suspicion for PED use?

    He doesn''t even take Tylenol to help with his body soreness, let alone use something like steroids!" Jason''s dad nodded his head as he turned to the other parent "What exactly happened?

    Jason has never done anything remotely close to using PEDs, why would themittee suddenly think that he was?"

    The mom that they were talking to shrugged her shoulders "Beats me, we all thought it was crazy too when we heard the announcement.

    But apparently the one''s who put the request for the sudden drug test was the AAU."

    Jason''s mom instantly understood what was happening the moment that she heard the other mom finish talking.

    She turned to her husband. Her face clearly showing her anger, she had to push the words out of her mouth as she ground her teeth.

    "Those fucking pieces of shit!" Jason''s dad had a cold look in his eyes "Yeah, I think things are exactly what you''re thinking.

    Don''t worry baby, we won''t take thisying down. And I''m pretty sure Jaya won''t either."

    - - -

    With Jason out Jefferson had to put out a different starting lineup. Their starting five consisted of Donte at Point Guard, Matt at Shooting Guard, Alex at Small Forward, Danilo at Power Forward, and Kyle at Center.

    Because of Jason''s absence Alex was forced to slide up and y Small Forward while Donte was moved from the bench into the starting lineup to act as the primary y maker for the team.

    As the two teams began to lineup for the pregame handshake a few familiar faces revealed themselves.

    Isiah smirked as he shook hands with the guys "What happened to your team captain? I don''t see him anywhere.

    Oh that''s right, I forgot. He got kicked out of tonight''s game because he''s all doped up right? Haha I would have never thought that a skinny kid like that was on roids."

    All of the yers from Jefferson frowned when they heard Isiah running his mouth. Donte squeezed his hand with all the strength that he had.

    "Shut your fucking mouth. Jaya isn''t on anything, and after he passes the drug test the whole world will know that."

    Isiahughed before putting more power into his grip "That''s cute. You think you have what it takes to hang with me?"

    As Donte felt his hand getting squeezed tighter and tighter he ground his teeth as he tried not to look weak.

    But it was clear that he was in pain. Isiah smirked before tossing Donte''s hand aside "Haha, Jaya didn''t have much power but at least he wasn''t a bitch like you."

    The two teams began to walk away after the handshake. Kyle walked up to Donte "You okay?" Donte nodded his head.

    "I''m alright." Kyle still had a worried look on his face but he just patted Donte on the shoulder "Okay bro. Don''t let that jerk get into your head.

    Talking shit is all he can do because he knows that there''s no way he could ever beat us. Last time we yed Nashton Academy they couldn''t even hang with us for a quarter."

    Donte nodded his head "I''m good. The only thing I''m focused on is winning tonight." Kyle was slightly surprised by Donte''s passionate voice.

    Normally he spoke as though he was bored and his words were always short. Kyle smiled as he ruffled Donte''s hair.

    The tipoff happened as everyone thought it would. Kyle easily tipped the ball over to his team''s side as Donte began to push the ball down the court.

    Nashton Academy prioritized sticking a defender to Kyle as soon as the tipoff was done in order to prevent an easy first basket.

    Seeing that there wasn''t an opportunity for a fast break scoring opportunity Donte held the ball. After crossing half court he was surprised to see that Isiah was the one guarding him.

    Donte called for a screen from Kyle. He made his way down from the low block out to the perimeter as he set a screen on Donte''s left.

    Donte began to drive in that direction forcing his defender into Kyle''s screen. Isiah fought through the screen as he chased after Donte.

    With a step of separation between them Donte began to drive toward the paint. Even though Nashton Academy saw this they didn''t copse their defense.

    Thanks to his advantage in the athleticism department he was soon able to catch up with Donte as he began to tail him.

    With Isiah on his hip Donte was now approaching the paint. He picked up his dribble and was about to euro step when all of a sudden he felt something crash into his face.

    The referee blew his whistle "Kick ball! Jefferson''s ball." Out on the bench Jason stood up furiously as he yelled out "That was a foul ref!"

    He and Coach Swendel were bothining about the referee''s call. And so were a bunch of the people who were sitting in attendance.

    Back out on the court. Isiah stood over Donte "I guess Jefferson isn''t so tough without Jaya. How the hell did you even make the varsity team? You wouldn''t crack JV over here short shit."

    Donte was sitting on the floor with blood dripping down his nose as the referee was going over footage of the y at the scorers table.

    Donte ground his teeth before looking up at the opposing yer "Shut your fucking mouth!" He pushed his hands against the ground as he stood up.

    He stared the other boy straight in the eyes "Jefferson is the only County champion here. Everyone else is just a warmup for the state tournament."

 Chapter 314 - Déjà Vu

    At first Isiah fell silent after hearing Donte speak. But a split secondter and he started tough wildly "Hahaha! That was fucking hrious, hahahaha!"

    After he was doneughing the smile on his face disappeared so quickly that it would have made you question whether or not it was there in the first ce.??

    He red at Donte "Don''t get so full of yourself you little shit. You should know better than anyone else that your team''s been riding Jaya''s back like a fucking donkey.

    County champs? Sure, maybe with that cold faced freak. But without him you guys are nothing more than a decent team with a few good yers."

    He then bumped him with his shoulder as he walked past him. Donte was left behind gripping his fist tightly as his whole body trembled slightly.

    ''He''s right, Jaya isn''t just the heart of the team. He''s the brains and the spirit behind us. It''s so obvious that even yers from other teams see it.

    So there''s no way that the guys on our own team don''t know. And yet... and yet...'' Donte''s expression got even fiercer as he thought back to what had happened just a little over an hour ago.

    The image of the other seventh graders backing away despite the fact that Jason had taken it upon himself to stand up for Coach Swendel and the team infuriated Donte.

    ''I thought they were different because we were all part of the same team. But they''re just the same as everyone else.''

    As he was lost in his thoughts Kyle walked over and patted him on the shoulder "You good bro? Come on, the ref reviewed the footage and you need to shoot some free throws."

    Donte nodded his head before moving to the free throw line. He quickly sank the first shot but the second shot was a bit too far to the left as it bounced off the rim.

    His team was cheering him up and telling him not to mind but he couldn''t help but be angry at himself.

    For the first few possessions the game was fairly close as the rest of the starting lineup had to get used to ying without Jason.

    But as the boys all got used to each other their superior talent began to create a gap between Jefferson and Nashton Academy.

    At the end of the first quarter Jefferson had the lead with a score of 26 to 15. Some would have expected Jefferson to experience a huge drop off in terms of their offensive firepower since they were missing Jason.

    But the biggest drop off for Jefferson actually came on the defensive end of the ball as they no longer had Jason to takemand and lead their defense.

    Kyle was still ying his role as a paint deterrent and rim protector but they were now more susceptible to backdoor cuts and shooters getting open off of screens.

    Thankfully their superior offensive talent carried them as Danilo dominated out on the perimeter as well as down low on the block.

    With his ability to knock down open jumpers as well as create his own scoring opportunities from the post Danilo became the focus of the offense in the first quarter.

    While his brother Alex contributed by focusing his attention on defending Nashton Academy''s best offensive yer Isiah.

    He did his best sticking with his defensive assignment and contesting all of his shots but he just didn''t have the defensive stopping power that Jason had.

    Although he was forced to take some tough shots Isiah showed why he was the star yer of a team that managed to reach the county finals.

    He hit tough shot after tough shot while also passing the ball to his open teammates on asion. But it was clear that he wasn''t a natural born y maker as his first instinct was to score the ball.

    As the second quarter came to a start Jefferson made a small change in their lineup as they swapped out Donte for DJ.

    While Nashton Academy took out Isiah and subbed him with one of their reserve yers. In fact except for their starting Center they had subbed all of their starters with their reserves.

    As the quarter went on it was clear that Nashton Academy had decided to trade offense for defense as their scoring took a hit.

    But in return their defense experienced a small boost as they began to slow down Jefferson''s offense.

    On the sidelines Coach Swendel was biting his nail as he watched the game. He looked at his yers and saw that their breathing was getting rough.

    ''Shit, they''re already getting gassed. Well I guess that''s to be expected. They''ve been ying for a quarter and a half straight.''

    After a bit of mimunication between the boys out on the court Jefferson allowed an easyyup off of a pick and roll. Coach Swendel signaled for a timeout.

    With the boys gathered around him Coach Swendel pped his hands "Good job out there guys. You guys are ying hard just keep it up.

    For thest half of the quarter we''ll have the starters take a break as we send out some of the reserve guys.

    All you have to do is y some tough defense and try to keep Nashton from scoring as many buckets as possible.

    Don''t worry about offense. It''s okay if we have to swing the ball a few extra times and reset the offense.

    The main thing is slowing down Nashton Academy and giving the starters some rest. Understood?" All of the boys nodded before yelling out "Yes Coach!"

    Coach Swendel gave a nod before turning to Donte "You''re going to be the primary ball handler and main offensive weapon for thisst half. You ready?"

    Donte gripped his fist by his side ''Am I really ready to lead? I''ve always had Jaya or DJ with me whenever I''ve had to lead the second unit.''

    Subconsciously he turned his head to where Jason was sitting. Jason smiled before raising his hand and giving a thumbs up.

    Donte gulped ''I can do this. If he thinks I''m ready then I must be.'' Donte nodded his head before looking Coach Swendel straight in the eyes "I''m ready Coach."

    The clock buzzed indicating that the timeout was done. Jefferson sent out Donte at Point Guard, Vince at Power Forward, and Frank at Center.

    The rest of the spots were given to some of the new seventh graders that joined the team at the same time as Donte, Frank, and Sam.

    While Nashton Academy went back to their starting lineup as Isiah made his return to the court. It was now the opposing team''s chance at offense as Jefferson got into position to y defense.

    Since Alex was out of the game Donte became the new defender for Isiah since he was the best perimeter defender currently on the floor for Jefferson.

    After getting hit with a hard screen Donte was forced to switch on to Nashton Academy''s Big while Vince switched on to Isiah.

    Isiah continued to drive to the basket as Vince trailed behind him. As he got close to the paint Isiah picked up his dribble.

    Seeing this Vince loaded up as he prepared himself to block Isiah''s shot. The two of them were in the air as Isiah raised the ball up in his right hand.

    Vince swung his arm down in an attempt to block the shot. That was when Isiah brought the ball back down for the double clutchyup.

    Isiah may have been able to see Vince in the corner of his vision but unfortunately what he couldn''t see was Frank making his way over from the weak side.

    Frank bent his knees before exploding off the floor using all the power in both of his legs. Coming from behind he pinned the ball to the backboard with both hands beforeing back down with the ball in his possession.

    He quickly passed the ball up the court to Donte who began to sprint down the floor for the fast break.

    But before he could get far Isiah had caught up to him and began to press him with his defense. Seeing that he was being slowed down by a defender one of the seventh graders pped his hands as he called for the ball.

    Donte ignored him as he tried to get past Isiah. By the time he managed to cross half court the fast break opportunity was already gone as Nashton Academy had now set up for defense.

    Donte called for a screen from Vince. He came out to the perimeter and set a screen on Donte''s left. Donte began to drive in that direction forcing Isiah into Vince''s screen.

    As Donte drove toward the basket Vince red out to the perimeter pulling the opposing Big with him.

    Before he could all the way to the paint Isiah and another one of Nashton Academy''s defenders trapped him close to the baseline.

    Isiah and his teammate pressured Donte with their double team. Donte struggled to find a passing route to get rid of the ball.

    He looked out at Vince and saw that he was being denied by Nashton''s Big while Frank was being fronted by his defender out in the paint.

    That was when Donte heard a familiar voice calling out to him "Right here! I''m open!" Donte turned his head toward the corner but sneered when he saw who it was.

    It was one of the seventh graders ''Like hell I would trust you, fucking piece of shit.'' Seeing as how he was close to having the ball stripped away from him Donte threw a pass to Frank.

    The pass was aimed up high in an attempt to get over the defender fronting Frank. But because of his bad position there wasn''t much he could do as his defender stole the pass before he could catch it.

    Nashton Academy then took advantage of the live ball turnover as they scored an another easyyup off of the fast break.

    The seventh grader walked up to Donte "Bro, I was wide fucking open! Why the hell did you try to force the pass to Frank."

    Donte snorted "Maybe there''s a reason why you were so fucking open." The seventh grader furrowed his brows "What the fuck did you say!?"

    The seventh grader grabbed Donte by the cor of his jersey. Luckily Vince was close by and was able to jump in quickly.

    He made his way in between the two before separating them "Hey, it was one bad y. Let''s chill out aight?"

    The seventh grader reluctantly let go of Donte as the two walked away from each other without saying another word.

    Despite what Vince had said that y wasn''t just one bad y. Instead it would be the beginning of Jefferson''s slide.

    For thest half of the second quarter Jefferson would lose much of their lead as their team seemingly lost all of their chemistry.

    One bad y followed another both on offense and defense. As the second quarter finally came to a close the score was now 40 to 32.

    With the first half of the game done Jefferson made their way to the locker room. As soon as the doors were closed some of the seventh graders began to fire off theirints.

    "What the hell Donte!?" "Are you fucking blind bro!?" "If you want to y hero ball you need to make sure you''re actually good enough to do it." "You ain''t Jaya dude."

    Donte threw his sports bottle at the wall "Shut the fuck up!" Everyone went silent. No one had ever seen Donte show so much emotion before.

    Donte grit his teeth "You expect me to trust you pieces of shit after that fucking stunt you pulled before the game!?"

    Donte pointed to the seventh grader that grabbed his jersey during the game "Who was the first one to pull up when you said that you was being fleeced by your neighborhood thug!?

    Oh, you forgot how to talk huh? In case you forgot, it was fuckin Jaya!" He then pointed to another seventh grader.

    "Who was the first one at Crest View High when you told us that your older sister was getting hit on by a creepy ass Senior? That was fuckin Jaya!"

    Donte then scanned the room as he red at all of the other seventh graders "Whenever you sad pieces of shit need something you quick as fuck to call Jaya.

    But what did y''all do when he was stickin his neck out for us and for Coach Swendel?" The seventh graders all looked down as they couldn''t say a thing.

    Donte sneered as he took a seat in his chair "If you was one of those bozos who stepped back like a lil ass bitch then don''t even bother saying anything.

    Cause now I know who really a part of the team and who just dressin up and yin pretend."

 Chapter 315 - Becoming The Best

    The mood in the locker room was horrible as no one had the heart to say anything after hearing Donte''s anger filled explosion.

    After a few awkward seconds of silence Jason walked to the very front and pped his hands together "Listen up guys.??

    I understand that everyone is feeling some type of way right now. Whether you''re angry, embarrassed, or confused, none of that matters right now.

    At this moment we are in the middle of a game. And that''s all you need to focus on right now. Don''t get me wrong.

    There are definitely some things we need to talk about and some problems we need to address. But we''ll take care of that after.

    Is that understood?" Everyone nodded their head as they spiritedly yelled out "Understood!" Jason then turned his attention to Donte.

    "Starting the next quarter you''re going to be sitting on the bench Donte, do you have a problem with that?"

    Donte felt a sharp pain deep down inside of him when he heard Jason say that. He gripped his fist so tightly that they began to shake.

    ''Why? All I was doing was calling these fake ass pieces of shit out. I''m not the one that betrayed the team, they are.''

    But despite theints that he had in his heart he swallowed them down as he forced himself to nod his head "Understood..."

    Jason''s face didn''t change as he began to exin their n for thest half of the game "So the lineup we''ll use to start the third quarter is-"

    - - -

    As Jefferson''s lineup went out to the court Donte sat on the bench next to Jason. He was watching the game but it was clear that something was on his mind as he bounced his leg nonstop.

    Jason turned his head to the side and looked at Donte "You got something on your mind?" Donte''s leg stopped moving as he hesitated to speak.

    Jason saw Donte''s hesitation and let out a sigh "You probably feel like I did you dirty right?" Donte immediately shook his head.

    "No! I understand that I messed up the team chemistry and that you needed to do something to set an example.... It''s just...."

    Jason shook his head "You''re wrong Donte. I didn''t bench you to set an example." Donte looked at him surprised by what he had said.

    Jason continued "I benched you because I want you to learn something from this. Because I want you to reach the best version of yourself that''s possible."

    Donte fell silent after hearing Jason say that. The game continued on but there didn''t seem to be any concern in Jason as he continued to talk to Donte.

    "Let me tell you a story Donte. There was a kid who transferred to a new school at the start of the school year.

    The first thing he did was join the school''s basketball team. The school''s basketball team had always been one of the worst in the city and all of the yers on the team just treated it as a casual thing that they did for fun.

    But now that they had the new kid the basketball team started to win games and more expectations were ced on the basketball team.

    And as the expectations began to grow so did the anger and annoyance in the new kid that transferred at the beginning of the year.

    He was angry that even though he tried to lead by example being the first to show up to practice, being the hardest worker at practice, and going home thetest, no one followed his steps.

    He was annoyed that he was the only one that seemed to care about the team and how well they did. He was annoyed that even though the other kids didn''t work as hard as him they were still able to smile the same as him after a win.

    And that continued until he couldn''t take it anymore and he challenged some of those kids in front of the whole team.

    He thought that by beating those kids down and showing them how much better he was that they would want to work harder to reach his level.

    But despite thinking that he always knew what was best for the team his n went wrong. Those other kids decided to quit along with some others.

    What do you think? Was the new kid wrong?" Donte knew that the story that Jason had just told him was actually his story from when he first transferred to Jefferson.

    Donte shook his head "The new kid didn''t do anything wrong! If anything it''s those kids who didn''t take basketball seriously that were wrong. Why even be on the team if you don''t want to put in any work?"

    Jason smiled as he patted Donte on the shoulder "That''s what the kid thought too. But the hard truth is that he was. The new kid was wrong."

    Donte looked at Jason as he continued to speak "The new kid thought that he was being a good leader by trying to force his way on to the rest of the team.

    But he failedpletely. Because a good leader is someone who can get his guys to follow behind him and get the work done.

    And by failing to find the right way to reach his guys he ended up pushing them away. Thankfully there were still some good guys left on the team who were able to see his vision and chose to follow him.

    But what if that didn''t happen? What if no one decided to stay with him? He would have be one of the most useless things on the. A leader with no one behind him."

    Donte looked down at the floor "Why? Why are you doing so much for me?" Jason asked "What do you mean?"

    Donte replied "Why are you going so far just to try and teach me? You''re risking not making the state tournament just to try and get me to learn from this."

    Jason chuckled "I already told you that I want you to reach the best version of yourself. And I think that that best version of you includes being a leader.

    And besides, I''m not really risking much. I told you didn''t I? I''m always thinking of what''s best for the team."

    Jason then pointed out to the court. Donte followed Jason''s finger with his gaze and saw Sam out on the floor with the rest of the seventh graders.

    Jefferson was on defense as Sam yelled out and called to the other guys. He wasmunicating on screens and telling the others what to do.

    "Even though Sam isn''t as talented as you and the quality of yers around him are worse he''s still doing better than you during thest half of the second quarter. Do you know why?"

    Donte looked down at the floor "It''s because he''s a better leader than me. He understands the guys and how to reach them.

    Maybe you should just focus on Sam Jaya. I don''t have what it takes to be a leader. At least not one as good as you."

    Jasonughed before ruffling Donte''s hair with his hand "You dumbass, not everyone is born to be a leader. Especially not me. Just ask any of the guys that were on the teamst year.

    I don''t know if I can even say that I''m a good leader now but everything I know I learned from someone that just naturally knew how to talk to people.

    Sometimes just like with a team, if a person wants to be the best version of themselves they need other people to help them.

    You may not have the ability to lead a team off of the court, but Sam doesn''t have the skills to lead them on the court.

    You two are like two sides to a coin. You guys have the ability to make up for what the othercks. And hopefully by being around each other you two start to learn from each other."

    Donte was silent for a moment but then he looked at Jason "Thanks Jaya." Jason smiled "You don''t need to thank me.

    I''m just doing what someone else did for me." Jason thought back to his first year at Jefferson and all the different times where Udonis had to step up as captain.

    ''Is this how you felt UD? Scared that you might not have the right advice to give and excited at the thought of someone growing from your guidance?''

    The third quarter came to a close as Sam lead to seventh grade bench yers to y the whole quarter.

    They managed to keep a fifteen point lead by ying hard tough nosed defense and capitalizing off of fast breaks for easy buckets.

    During the short break Donte walked up to the seventh graders that he had called out in the locker room and apologized to them.

    Starting the fourth quarter all of Jefferson''s starters went back out to the floor as theypletely demolished Nashton Academy.

    And for the second time in Jefferson Middle School''s history the basketball team gathered together to take a celebratory photo with the county trophy.

    With Jason and his joggers and hoody sticking out amidst the yers in uniform.

    - - -

    During the bus ride home Jason got a notification in the corner of his vision.

    [Congrattions on clearing the following mission: Fixing the knots in Donte''s heart.]

    Before the list of rewards coulde up Jason closed his eyes as he went back to sleep ''I would have done that shit even without you making it a mission.

    Who knew pep talks were more draining than ying in an actual game. I need to get some sleep. I''ll just check the rewards when we get home.''

 Chapter 316 - The Rewards From Last Night

    Jason was dressed in his practice gear as he stood face to face with his toughestpetition that he had ever faced.

    Standing at 6''7 (2m) tall with a head of colorfully dyed short hair his opponent was dressed in a white Bull''s jersey.??

    Jason gulped ''No fucking way.... Is that who I think it is?'' But no matter how hard Jason rubbed his eyes what he saw didn''t change.

    What stood in front of him was a man that was said to be one of the most tenacious rebounder and defender to have ever yed the game.

    A man who managed to make the All Star team just off of his defense and rebounding alone, as well as win Defensive yer of the Year all in the same season.

    A man who would lead the league multiple times in rebounding as well as multiple time champion and Hall of Famer, Dennis Rodman.

    Jason was still standing there in disbelief when Dennis Rodman pointed at him "Get your ass over here and get to work."

    He still wasn''t a hundred percent sure of what was going on but he walked over to where Rodman was standing.

    "Listen up small stacks, rebounding is a fight. A fight between you and the opposing yer that decides who gets the ball.

    Some people think that the fight starts when the balles off the rim. But the real fight starts when the ball leaves the shooter''s hands.

    You have to be able to box out and react as soon as you see the ball moving through the air. So that''s where we''ll start."

    Jason and Rodman were both standing just above the free throw line. Dennis Rodman had a basketball in his hand that he then shot toward the basket.

    Jason had thought that he had reacted pretty quickly but before his foot could even finish hitting the ground Rodman had already fronted him and boxed him out.

    He tried everything that he could from swim moves, misdirection, and spin moves, but no matter what he did he just couldn''t get past Rodman.

    A momentter and Rodman had easily gotten the rebound off of his own missed shot. As he held the ball up in one hand he turned to Jason and scoffed "Were you even trying?

    When ites to defense and rebounding those are the only parts of the game where effort and heart matter more than talent.

    So are you going to show me something or not?" Hearing what Dennis Rodman had just said to him thepetitive fire inside of him was beginning to burn brighter.

    Jason pped both of his hands together "Let''s do this shit!" ''I don''t know about anything else but if it''s heart and effort those are the two areas where I know I''m at the top.''

    And so began the impossible challenge of trying to beat Dennis Rodman in a rebounding battle. Jason knew that realistically speaking there was no way he could beat a Hall of Famer like Rodman in the area that he specialized in.

    But his brain seemed to be having a problem rying that message to his heart because every loss that he took only worked to pump him up more.

    Without Jason even realizing it time began to pass him by. At this moment the only thing that was on his mind was beating Rodman.

    Round after round Jason was beat by Rodman as he effortlessly caught his own rebounds with just a single hand.

    Eventually Jason found himselfying on the floor. His breathing was fast and rough as heid in a pool of his own sweat.

    He could feel his heartbeat throughout his whole body. Every breath was a struggle and an unbearable heat was pulsing through him.

    Jason felt so weak that he couldn''t even push himself to sit up on the floor. As heid on the floor struggling to breathe he couldn''t help but nce at Rodman.

    Dennis Rodman stood there silently seemingly unconcerned about Jason ''Damn, and I thought that I had a hell of a motor.

    I guess all the stories about Dennis Rodman being one hell of a natural born athlete were all true. They said that he used to get a full workout done on the bikes after every game.

    So this is what it takes to be able to dominate at the top level huh? No wonder Rodman was able to carve out such a sessful career with just his defense and rebounding.

    If you can do those two things at such an elite level I guess it doesn''t matter that he doesn''t really have much of an offense.''

    Jason closed his eyes as a wave of exhaustion swept over him. But when he opened his eyes instead of the floor of a court he wasying in his bed.

    All of the fatigue and soreness that he had felt just moments ago from when he was facing off against Rodman were now gone.

    His whole body feltfortable as he stretched and yawned ''I guessst night''s rewards were pretty good after all.''

    Because of the PED suspicions that were still on Jason,st night no one had been in the mood to celebrate despite having just won the county title.

    So after going straight home Jason had checked the rewards that the system had given him for clearing the knots in Donte''s heart.

    Included in the rewards was a new function for the system.

    [Training Simtion Function. Allows the user to utilize the Legend Cards in his possession by creating a copy of the yer to guide the user in Simted training sessions held while the user''s physical body is in a state of sleep.

    Price per night of training is 25 Body Modification Points. Training sessionsst for as long as the host is able to continue. As soon as the host has reached their limit they will awaken in reality.]

    Along with unlocking a new function of the system Jason had also earned a free Legends Pack. It looked like a pack of collectible trading cards.

    When Jason had opened the packst night he was in a state of frenzied excitement ''Please! Give me a copy of 02 Kobe, or maybe 14 LeBron, 93 Jordan would be perfect too!''

    But when the glowing light finally dimmed down enough for Jason to open his eyes the card that he saw floating in front of him was somewhat disappointing.

    It was the size of a normal collectible trading card and it was glowing with a purple hue surrounding every inch of the card.

    The image on the card was a picture of Dennis Rodman tipping the offensive rebound away from the opposing yer.

    For his very first Legends Card Jason had picked up a copy of 97 Rodman. Along with the new system function, and free Legendary Pack, Jason also earned 500 Body Modification Points.

    As Jason sat on the edge of his bed he thought about how to spend his Body Modification Points. Adding the points that he earnedst night he currently had 2,000 points.

    So far he had been investing most of his points towards his wingspan, and hand size. The rest of his points he invested in his height.

    The only problem was now that his wingspan and hand size were now both A- rank the points that were needed to keep improving were astronomical.

    So far Jason had invested a thousand points each into his hand size and wingspan and they were still at the A- rank.

    ''Let''s see just how many points I need to get you guys to a solid A.''

    Jason wasn''t worried at first but as he kept pouring more and more of his points into hand size without the rank improving sweat began to form on his forehead.

    ''400... 600... 800... You have got to be kidding me. How many points do you need just to go up from an A- to an A?''

    Finally after putting in a thousand Body Modification Points into his hand size it increased from an A- to a solid A.

    Jason fell back into his bed before sitting back up and wiping the sweat off of his face with the back of his hand.

    "Damn, so if it took me 2,000 points to get my hand size from a A- to an A I''m guessing it''s going to be the same for my wingspan."

    And just as he had predicted it did take him another 1,000 points to boost his wingspan from an A- to a solid A.

    [Hand Size: A

    Wingspan: A]

    Jason was happy to finally see his two biggest weaknesses from his past life reach a level where they would no longer hold him back.

    A bright smile was on his face as he sat on his bed ''Man, I can''t believe that I don''t have to worry about my hand size or wingspan anymore.

    Well, at least not for the immediate future anyway. Those ranks should be good enough to hold me down for at least a year or two in high school.

    If only the system could help me out with my physique. Now that my hand size and wingspan are both decent I would love to be able to put some points down for some muscle.''

 Chapter 317 - Back To Back County Champions

    After winning the county title Jason and the rest of the boys from Jefferson spent the next few days enjoying a well-deserved break.

    But while the rest of his friends were using that time to get some rest and blow off steam Jason was busy taking care of important business.??

    He knew that it would be a stupid idea to leave the drug testing to the Committee or the AAU. Jason wasn''t naive enough to believe that they would conduct the test honestly.

    Seeing that a person like Jonathan could reach such a high position in the AAU Jason couldn''t help but have a negative impression of them.

    And seeing how far themittee was willing to go to help Jonathan Jason didn''t have many good feelings about them.

    So in order to have a bit more control of the situation Jason pulled out the strongest card that he had in y.

    He called up Kawhi and told him about the situation that was currently at hand. Kawhi didn''t say much during Jason''s call.

    He simply gave Jason the number of a trustworthyb that he himself vouched for and that the NBA would respect.

    But just because Jason got a number that didn''t mean that his work was done. He would spend the next few days with his parents as they ironed out all the details for Jason''s drug test.

    Theb showed why they were worthy of receiving such high praise from a former star like Kawhi within the first few minutes of the phone call.

    The n that they proposed to Jason and his parents included an option to have a member of their own security team show up to their home to pick up Jason''s samples should there be any kind of problem with them having to go to one of theirb locations in person.

    After listening to the exnation Jason and his parents were all convinced. Especially when they heard that they would be providing their services for free.

    They then further exined that since Jason and his parents were clients personally referred to them by Kawhi that they wouldn''t charge them.

    All that they asked was for Jason to mention the name of theirb andpany should he be asked about the situation during interviews.

    Jason and his parents agreed to their deal. Whether in his past life or this current one he had never been the type to say no to free things.

    - - -

    Jasonid his head down on his arm as he rested at a table in his dad''s diner. Sitting around him were Kyle and the other guys.

    Vince chuckled as he pped Jason on the back "Damn bro, I don''t think I''ve seen you this gassed all season."

    Kyleughed as he put down his chocte milkshake "Nah, Jaya looks more annoyed than tired. What happened dude?

    You ditched us at the school and now you showed upte to the diner." Matt''s jew-fro bobbed up and down as he nodded his head.

    "Yeah, we all agreed toe here when the morning announcement told us that today was a short day."

    Jason raised his head up "Cut me some ck. I''ve had it rough today alright?" Jason took a look at the strawberry milkshake that was ordered for him before he had arrived.

    He took a sip before continuing "First I had to deal with a dude staring at me while I pissed into a stic cup.

    Then Ka calls me on my way here and drops some bombs on me." All of the boys began to lean in and crowd around Jason after hearing him say that."

    With Nick squeezing by his side Kyle asked "W-what do you mean bombs?" DJ pushed down Matt''s jew-fro as he tried to speak with Jason "What did she say?"

    Jason sighed before looking at them with a heavy and grave expression on his face "I hate to say it but I think..... Ka likes me."

    They were all silent for a moment but the next second and they were all annoyed as they threw theirints at Jason.

    "Yo quit yin." "Man, I thought you was about to say something interesting." "She had to tell you?" "Bruh..."

    Jason took another sip from his milkshake "She didn''t tell me that she liked me but she asked me about my ns for the dance.

    I told her that me and Kyle were going to be going as a group with Samantha and Cody since our band is going to be ying.

    Then she asked me if there would be any breaks for the band during the dance. Her face was crazy red during the whole video call.

    That can only mean one thing. She likes me." Kyle had a weird smile on his face as he shook his head "I mean.... You''re not wrong. But it took you this long to realize that she likes you?"

    Vince nodded his head "I could tell from day one. She was willing to beef with Sammy just to sit next to you in Ms. Yuller''s ss."

    DJ added "And Sammy was already scary before but ever since her and Shania started hanging out she''s even worse."

    Kyle chuckled as he added "For real. Sammy''s like Captain America but instead of super-soldier serum Shania''s doping her up with some hood juice."

    Jason and all of the boys began tough after hearing Kyle say that. Jason looked at him "Nice to see that you''re just as geeky with Americanics as you are with Anime and Manga."

    Kyle had a proud look on his face as he looked up with his nostrils ring "That''s nothing. Americanics, Chinese Manhua, Korean Manwah I geek out equally over all of them.

    It''s just that most of my favorites are usually Animes and Mangas." Vince nodded his head slightly "Wow, I guess you''re not just some regr loser."

    DJ jumped in "Yeah, he''s like the final boss of loser''s" Even Kyleughed at DJ''s jab as the other''s all joined in.

    After a few minutes of joking around and heartyughter, the mood at the table calmed down a bit. Kyle was snacking on the fries on his te "Man, I didn''t think that the school would call for a short day out of nowhere."

    Nick replied "I heard they called a short day so that they could work on setting up the venue for the dance. Apparently they''re still behind schedule."

    Vince leaned back into his chair as he let out a sigh "The school''s really putting a lot into this dance.

    The principal even decided to postpone it by two weeks when he heard that there was a chance to include the trophy ceremony with the dance."

    Kyle looked back over to Jason with a worried expression on his face "So what do you think? About Ka I mean.

    The dance ising up soon and you''re going to have to give her an answer eventually. Even if it doesn''t happen at the dance it''s bound to happen some other time."

    Jason let out a sigh as he ran both of his hands through his hair that he currently had down at the moment "Honestly... I don''t know."

    All of the boys went silent when they heard Jason say that. For as long as they''ve known him Jason had always had an answer for every situation that popped up.

    They might not have been the best answers all the time but Jason normally knew what he wanted to do and how to react to a situation.

    Jason rolled his eyes as he saw the way that Kyle and the other boys were all looking at him "I can''t help it okay?

    This really is aplicated ass situation. Here, let me try and say this in a way that you guys will be able to understand."

    Jason pointed at Vince and Kyle "Vince, you didn''t know Kyle that much before he joined the basketball team right?"

    Vince nodded his head in agreement "Yeah." Jason paused before continuing "But after having known each other for a bit you guys are pretty close now right?"

    Vince nodded his head again "Yeah, we''re pretty tight now. What''s your point though?" Jason raised his hand "I''m getting there.

    Now that you and Kyle are close imagine how you would feel if he came out and said that he had a crush on you."

    Everyone erupted into a noisy mess "Yooooo!" "Pause! Pause!" "Ay, you soundin a little sus my guy." Jason rolled his eyes once again.

    "Alright, got the jokes out? I know that that sounded pretty sus but let me exin. I never thought of Ka in that way.

    Just like how Vince never looked at Kyle that way because he''s straight Ka just doesn''t show up on my radar like that.

    Not to say that I''m not into chicks. I''m pretty sure I am. But I just don''t have anyone that makes me feel like that you know?"

    Matt nodded his head "I get you Jaya. You''re saying that you don''t dislike Ka because she''s ugly or anything.

    You just don''t like her in a guy and girl way. And that''s what''s making this even harder for you. Because you like Ka as a friend and you want to reply to her feelings in a way that won''t damage your already pre-existing rtionship with her.

    This level of concern over the oue of your reply shows just how much you treasure and value your rtionship with her."

    Not just Jason but all of the boys fell silent after hearing Matt talk. Jason gulped "That was.... one hell of an analysis Matt."

    Matt blushed before answering "My mom''s schedule changed recently so she''s been at the house more. She really likes watching rtionship counseling shows and love doctors."

    The conversation went on as they talked about their own rtionship statuses and their ns for the dance.

    DJ looked over at Jason when he realized something "So what you gon do about that goofy ass clown from the AAU?"

    All of the boys looked at Jason. They knew it was impossible for Jason to just sit down silently without doing something after having been schemed against like this.

    Jason looked at all of his friend''s faces. Seeing the expectation on their faces he couldn''t help but get a kick out of it as he sat there increasing the tension "You want to know?"

    Kyle and all of the boys nodded their heads. Jason smirked before pulling his phone out. With everyone''s attention on his phone he ced it on the table.

    Then a voice could be heard ying from Jason''s cellphone "Lately there''s been a lot of talks about you and PEDs."

    Jason paused the recording right as Jonathan had finished speaking his lines. He looked at his friends with an excited smile on his face.

    "I have my lines and props ready. I just need a stage big and bright enough for the kind of show that I''m about to put on."

 Chapter 318 - Jeffersons Middle School Dance

    All of the boys were left speechless after hearing the recording that Jason had saved on his phone. DJ was the first to react as he smiled while shaking his head.

    "That AAU clown thought he did his research, but they must have left out some important info if he still decided to mess with you."??

    Kyle nodded his head enthusiastically "Tell me about it. The first thing you learn about Jaya is how much trouble it is to sh with him."

    Vince let out a chuckle "Man, even if he didn''t know anything about my boy Jaya personally he shoulda had enough brains to not start anything.

    A quick YouTube search woulda shown him everything he needed to know." With a video ying on his phone he slid it to the center of the table.

    Everyone began tough as the video of Jason and Trell fighting on the first day of school yed. Memories began ying back in each of their minds.

    And as they thought back to how they had gone from hating Trell because of all his bullying to bing teammates that would shed sweat and tears out on the court, they couldn''t help but look to the person that had impacted their lives so greatly.

    But that person himself seemed oblivious to the changes that he had created. Jason finished up thest of his milkshake before letting out a satisfied sigh.

    "As soon as we raise up that National trophy, that''s when I''ll start making some noise. And that''s when this AAU clown is going to have to taste his own medicine. Whether he likes it or not."

    - - -

    The next day. Jason was dressed in ck jeans with a rip on his right knee, his shirt was a long ck hoodie shirt that went down a few inches past his hips.

    And on the front of the shirt was a picture of a skeleton with a creepy smile as it held a basketball with both of his boney hands.

    Right under the picture ''And1'' was written. Kyle, Cody, and Samantha were all dressed in a simr fashion as they all wore the same shirt.

    The four of them were double-checking their clothes and instruments as they prepared for the dance to start.

    Since multiple schools wanted to host their dance with Jefferson Middle School principal Morris had to pick a venue big enough to amodate all the students.

    On top of the stage, Jason couldn''t help but let out a sigh as he looked out to the huge room that would soon be filled up.

    Samantha was in the middle of tuning her guitar when she turned to Jason with a smile on her face "Hehe, and what was that sigh for? Don''t tell me Young Buckets is getting cold feet?"

    Jason turned his head toward Samantha before rolling his eyes "Me? Getting cold feet?" Kyleughed from behind his keyboard.

    "You should have said something more believable Sammy. You''d have an easier time convincing me that Jaya was a robot having a malfunction."

    Samantha chuckled before putting her hands up, her guitar hanging off of it''s strap "Yeah, guess you''re right.

    But if it''s not cold feet then why are you zoning out like that? We''re just going to performing for a middle school dance. It isn''t anything big."

    Cody put his drumsticks down as he moved his blonde hair out of his face "I don''t know about that bossdy.

    Like, this isn''t just your everyday middle school dance. With how many peeps are going to like be in attendance today we might as well be doing a concert.

    As long as we put on a show the vibes should be sick and tonight should be totally righteous. I''m talking about Tony Hawk X games righteous. Levels of awesomeness that haven''t been seen in years."

    Jason let out a smallugh before giving Cody a thumbs up "I like the spirit Cody. Behind thatid back aura is some serious fire."

    He then took another look at the huge room "I was just thinking. We normally treat things like this as just another fun thing to do.

    Middle school dances don''t really mean much. But is that how we''ll feel a year from now? How about in five? Ten?

    Years down the line we''ll be adults with our own problems and worries, families and work. What will this dance mean to us and to all these kids then?"

    Taken off guard by Jason''s sudden question none of them were able to respond. Each of them began to contemte his words.

    Jason turned back to the three of them and saw that they were all deep in thought ''Maybe that was too much for them.

    Being able to take each day without thinking too much about the future is one of the best parts of being a kid.

    It isn''t until you be an adult that the past bes something more appealing than the present.

    The regret and curiosity of all the possibilities that could have been are usually more tempting than the weight of the choices that must be made in the present.''

    Jason smiled to his friends "Since we don''t know what tonight will mean to us in the future, the only thing we can do is go all out and try to get rid of as many regrets as we can."

    With a fierce light burning behind her eyes Samantha gripped her fist tightly against her sides. She smiled "Yeah, tonight is too short for any regrets."

    - - -

    A few hourster. It was finally time for the dance to begin. Students began to flood into the building as the room began to fill up.

    The room was slightly dim as a spotlight shined on the stage. Principal Morris coughed to clear his throat "Good evening students.

    Tonight is a night to celebrate just how far you''vee this year. A dance to congratte all of you for having taken care of the things you needed to in order to continue progressing, both as a student as well as a person.

    The next dance you will attend will most likely be as a high school student. So for tonight, make sure you create memories.

    Memories that will decorate your time in middle school. And to help you make those memories we have some students here who will be responsible for tonight''s music.

    Give it up for AND1!" The spotlight moved from Principal Morris to Samantha who was behind him. She spoke into her mic "Thanks principal Morris. I think everyone''s ready for the party to start. What do you think Jaya?"

    Another spotlight then lit up focusing on Jason. The entire room exploded into cheers when they saw Jason up on stage.

    Jason smiled as he looked out into the crowd. He leaned in toward his mic "All that noise has me thinking that they''re ready Sammy. So let''s do it!"

    As soon as he said that the four of them began. The dance was officially starting.

 Chapter 319 - Song Request

    Principal Morris had given Jason and his friends a fair bit of leeway in terms of what songs they could y during the dance.

    The only thing he asked of them was to y cleaner versions of the songs in order to keep the music appropriate for a middle school dance.

    With the Principal gone it was just Jason and his band left on stage. He looked out to the crowd "Alright y''all, since this is a retro-themed party we''re gonna be starting off with a ssic.

    Sing along if you know the lyrics, and show some energy!" After he said that he turned to Cody and gave him a thumbs up.

    Cody began to set the pace with his drums as Kyle filled in the rest with his keyboard. Jason began to tap his feet as he reached for his microphone.

    "One, two, three!

    My baby don''t mess around

    Because she loves me so

    This I know fo sho!"

    Just the opening verse was enough to drive the audience crazy as they began to p and cheer. For them Jason was the main reason why they begged their different schools to host their dance alongside Jefferson''s.

    But what they didn''t expect was the energy and effort that Jason and his friends were putting into their performance.

    "But does she really wanna

    But can''t stand to see me walk out the door

    Don''t try to fight the feeling

    Because the thought alone is killin'' me right now

    Thank God for Mom and Dad

    For sticking to together

    Like we don''t know how"

    Jason began to dance on stage with his mic stand as he began to emte Andre 3000''s performance from the original music video of the song.

    As the next part of the song came on Kyle and Samantha both leaned into their mics while Jason pointed his out toward the crowd.

    This move seemed to have energized the audience as they all immediately jumped in to join the band.

    "Hey ya! Hey ya!

    Hey ya! Hey ya!

    Hey ya! Hey ya!

    Hey ya! Hey ya!"

    The awkward atmosphere created from having a joint dance with students from multiple different schools disappeared in an instant.

    With AND1''s energetic and charismatic performance lead by Jason all of the students in attendance began to dance and intermingle.

    After they had finished performing their first song of the dance Jason felt like a surge of electricity was traveling across his entire body underneath his skin.

    This was the first time that he had ever felt this sensation outside of a basketball game. He wiped a bit of sweat that had formed on his face as he smiled.

    ''I really owe Sammy one. If it wasn''t for her I don''t think I would have ever pushed myself so far out of myfort zone.

    I wouldn''t have ever had this chance to create these kinds of memories and I wouldn''t have found out that I enjoyed doing things like this.

    Samantha really surprised me. I didn''t think that I would still be learning from a middle schooler after UD left, I guess there are some things that adults can learn from kids.''

    Jason leaned into his mic as he faced the crowd "I know that we''re dressed like this but don''t worry. Just like how we showed with the first song we''re not going to be doing just Emo or Alternative rock.

    Ain''t that right Sammy?" Samantha smiled as she turned her head to meet Jason''s gaze with her own "Let''s show em. Kyle!"

    Kyle nodded his head as he began to mess with the settings on his keyboard. He then began ying with an inorganic synth sound as Samantha joined in with her singing.

    "I wanna hold ''em like they do in Texas, please (Woo)

    Fold ''em, let ''em hit me, raise it, baby, stay with me (I love it)

    LoveGame intuition, y the cards with spades to start

    And after he''s been hooked, I''ll y the one that''s on his heart"

    All of the girls in the room squealed in excitement as they all began to sing along. With the crowd so receptive Samantha felt more confident as she began to add her own ir to her performance as she danced around the stage and reached down to touch hands with the audience.

    After their second song, the energy in the room was perfect as everyone seemed to be having a good time.

    Jason smiled as he looked out into the crowd "And now we got something for the Riverside boys. Yo Kyle, drop the beat."

    Kyle turned from his keyboard to hisptop that was set up next to him. As he pressed a few keys a beat began to y as Jason took his microphone off of its stand.

    "Go, go, go, go, go, go

    Go, shorty

    It''s your birthday

    We gon'' party like it''s your birthday

    We gon'' sip Bacardi like it''s your birthday

    And you know we don''t give a hell it''s not your birthday"

    All of the boys began to shout in excitement as they new what song Jason was about to perform. Seeing as how a lot of the boys hade wearing durags underneath their caps Jason knew that he had picked out the perfect song.

    - - -

    The night was going perfectly so far. Jason and his friends had done more than a few songs and the vibe in the room was perfect as they saw all of the students chatting and having fun.

    They were in the middle of a short break as they all sat on the side of the stage drinking water while Kyle yed a few songs on the speaker with hisptop.

    Jason noticed that even though he was smiling Kyle seemed a bit down, as though there was something weighing down on his mind.

    Jason got up and took a seat right next to Kyle before throwing his arm around his shoulder "What''s up bro?"

    Kyle looked at him "What do you- <em>Sigh</em> Is it that obvious?" Jason nodded his head. Kyle ran his hand over the top of his head before looking down at the floor.

    "I thought she would be here. I even sent her a ticket and everything." Jason instantly understood what Kyle was talking about.

    Jason was silent for a moment. In all of his years of life he had never been in the position to give rtionship advice.

    Seeing as how he was so unsessful in his own love life that role had always fallen to Devin. Not only was he his only friend in his past life, he was the only one Jason had known that seemed to understood girls perfectly.

    Jason wracked his brain for a few moments before giving up. He patted Kyle on the back "What did she say when you asked her?"

    Kyle looked up and into the crowd where the boys were happily talking and dancing with he girls "She ghosted me.... After I asked her toe to the dance she stopped responding to my messages. She won''t even pick up my calls."

    Jason looked over at his friends sad expression "Ouch dude, that sucks to hear. I don''t really know what to say in a situation like this to cheer you up.

    I don''t know if I should tell you to just forget about her and to enjoy this dance or to stay hopeful and to not lose faith."

    Kyle looked to Jason as he gave a pained smile "Thanks Jaya, I know you''re trying. Do you think I was being too pushy asking her toe all the way out here for a dance?

    I was trying not toe off as needy or pushy. I only asked her toe after she said that she would be in the area anyways. And I told her that if it was too much trouble that it was okay for her not toe.

    Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut. If I had known that this would happen I would have never asked her in the first ce."

    Just as Jason was thinking of what to say next he saw a face that he hadn''t seen in a while approaching the stage. Jason smiled before giving Kyle a strong pat on the back.

    "Ay bro, I think you should get ready.. Looks like we got another song request on the way."

 Chapter 320 - Dropping Dimes On And Off The Court

    Kyle slowly lifted his head as he looked up and gazed in the direction that Jason was looking at. His heart began to race as an ecstatic smile bloomed across his face.

    Hisnky legs swiftly carried him to the front of the stage with long and fluid strides. Seeing this Jason chuckled ''Look at this guy, you would think he was cutting to the rim with the way he''s running.''

    Kyle jumped down from the stage with the same vigor as when he would jump up into the air during games to catch lobs.

    The five-foot drop didn''t seem to be much of a problem for Kyle as he bent his knees slightly casually absorbing the impact of the jump.

    As he towered over the dainty figure in front of him he reached out to grab both of her hands with his own "Oh my god! Liz!"

    With her long curly brown hair tied back Elizabeth warmly smiled at Kyle. With her hands gently held in his she blushed before turning her head to the side. An attempt to hide her nervous face.

    After the two of them walked to the side of the room Elizabeth looked at Kyle directly in the eyes, but that would onlyst for a split second as her face would heat up forcing her to look down.

    "Sorry for ghosting you Kyle. I wanted to surprise you... but I was also kind of nervous." A surprised look shed on Kyle''s face as he looked down at Elizabeth.

    "Nervous? Liz, I am so sorry. If me asking you out to the dance was-" Elizabeth tugged down on Kyle''s hands as she tightened her grip.

    She shook her head before smiling up at Kyle "It''s not your fault Kyle. I was actually super excited when you asked me. It''s just..."

    She took a deep breath before continuing "I was worried that I would mess this up." Kyle looked at her with a confused expression on his face "Mess what up? The dance?"

    Elizabeth averted her gaze from Kyle''s as she began to sheepishly look down "I don''t know what we are or what we have... But I don''t want to ruin it.

    We''ve only ever been with each other in person once, back in the ne. And I''ve tried my hardest to sound cool whenever we texted or talked over the phone.

    But that just isn''t me. I''m clumsy, shy, and awkward. The only reason why my texts were even bearable is because I had my friend proofread them every time... before I would hit send.

    I never meant to make you worry, and I didn''t even intend to ghost you. It was just too hard for me to say anything when I know how popr you are and how easy it would be for you to find another girl to take to the dance."

    After hearing what she had to say Kyle felt like pping himself in the face. He realized that he had never confirmed their rtionship with her.

    It seemed like such an obvious thing that he couldn''t believe that he had overlooked it.

    Just as Kyle was fumbling through his mind looking for what to say next Jason''s voice boomed out from the speakers drawing his attention to the stage.

    Under the spotlight Jason smiled as he held his microphone up "Alright y''all, break time is over and we have a special song for some special people."

    Jason looked down to where Kyle and Elizabeth were standing. As his eyes locked in with Kyle''s he gave him an encouraging wink and a thumbs up.

    He ran back as he gathered Samantha and Cody for a group huddle "Alright guys, our boy Kyle is in some serious need of reinforcements.

    Do any of you know how to y piano?" Samantha shook her head but surprisingly Cody nodded "Cha dude. Like, I tottally got you guys covered."

    Jason and Samantha both looked at Cody incredulously. Jason stared at him "You''re not messing with me right? You actually know how to y the piano?"

    Cody slowly nodded his head. Samantha raised her brow "Seriously?" Cody closed his fingers except for his thumb and pinky as he gave Jason and Samantha a shaka sign.

    "No problemo dudes and dudettes. Even though I shred on the drums I can get pretty gnarly on those keys."

    Jason nodded his head as he showed the sheet music of a song to Cody using his phone "Think you can y this?"

    After taking a look Cody smiled "Like I said before broham, no problemo." After getting his confirmation Jason turned from Cody to Samantha.

    "So Cody will cover the piano, I need you to cover Bruno''s parts in this one Sammy. I would do it but I don''t think I have the voice to do his parts justice.

    And besides, I don''t think rapping is your thing so I''ll just cover that part of the song. Does that sound good to you guys?"

    The two of them nodded their heads. Jason pped his hands "Then let''s get this show started." He turned around and made his way to the front of the stage alongside Samantha while Cody went over to Kyle''s keyboard.

    As Cody began ying Samantha began to sing.

    "Beautiful girls all over the world

    I could be chasing but my time would be wasted

    They got nothin'' on you baby

    Nothin'' on you baby."

    Samantha''s beautiful and charming voice filled the room as couples began to dance. Kyle looked around and as he was listening to her sing the lyrics spoke to him. He knew what he needed to say.

    "I know you feel where I''ming from

    Regardless of the things in my past that I''ve done

    Most of it really was for the hell of the fun

    On the carousel so around I spun (Spun)

    With no directions just tryna get some (Some)

    Tryna chase skirts, living in the summer sun (Sun)

    An'' so I lost more than I had ever won

    And honestly I ended up with none"

    With Jason rapping his part of ''Nothing on You'' in the background Kyle tightened his grip on Elizabeth''s hands slightly.

    "I-I don''t really talk to girls all that much Liz. Even though you might think that I''m this super cool basketball yer that''s popr with girls that isn''t me.

    I know that you were worried about messing things up by showing the real you but that''s just impossible... Because the real you is what made me like you in the first ce."

    Her eyes opened wide in surprise hearing Kyle say that, Kyle continued "Every time you over-exined something or rambled, whenever you get excited to tell me awesome science facts.

    You might have thought that it was embarrassing or nerdy but I always thought it was cute. So there''s nothing for you to worry about.

    Even if I was this super awesome basketball star with Jaya''s level of poprity I would never look at any other girl like that. Because you''re the only one that makes me feel this way."

    Elizabeth stood there silently in her light blue dress as she gazed at Kyle''s warm smile. A few tears streamed down her face before she pulled him in tight in her embrace.

    Kyle was startled by her actions. He could feel his whole face heating up but he didn''t deny her or push her away.

    He simply returned her embrace as the two of them began to slowly sway side to side. Aponied by AND1''s performance the young couple shared in their first dance.

    Seeing the two young faces so filled with happiness andfort as they danced Jason couldn''t help but smile.

    ''And with his amazing ymaking Young Buckets earned another assisst. I don''t know how long they''llst or if they''ll even end on a good note.

    But young innocent love like that is one of the best memories you could make.'' As he looked out at the crowd that was dancing in front of him Jason''s smiled dimmed just a bit as he saw a familiar face.

    Jason sighed in his mind as he saw Ka looking up at him expectantly ''I''m sorry Ka but I won''t be able to help you make these kind of memories.

    First of all I might look like a middle schooler but I have thirty years of life under my belt, it''s just impossible for me to feel that way about a little girl like you.

    Besides, now that I have a second chance I need to dedicate as much time as possible to refining my basketball skills. But still.... I just hope that I can turn her down gently.''

 Chapter 321 - Rejected?

    As the song came to a finish both Samantha and Jason were sweating and breathing heavily. Since this song was for Kyle and his specialdy the two of them had given everything that they had to their performance.

    With the crowd cheering them on Jason walked up to Samantha and high-fived her "Now that''s what I''m talking about! Good shit Sammy."

    Samanthaughed "I had to make sure I didn''t embarrass myself, especially since Kyle and his little friend over there looked like they needed some help."

    Jason chuckled at Samantha''s words but his smile quickly melted away after he saw Ka standing right in front of the stage.

    "Hey Sammy, think you and Cody could hold things down for a bit? Looks like there''s something I gotta take care of."

    Samantha''s gaze quickly locked on to Ka. She smiled and nodded her head "Sure Jaya, just leave it to me and Cody. We can keep the show going.".

    Jason shot the two of them appreciative looks before making his way off the stage. With Samantha and Cody performing in the background, Jason greeted Ka.

    "Hey Ka, pretty great music right?" The nervous look on her face eased up a bit after hearing Jason''s voice. She tried to put on the best smile that she could.

    "Yeah, the music is killer. Gotta say I was pretty impressed to see how good you were on stage. Are you just as good on the dance floor?"

    Despite her attempt to hide her unease with her confidant facade Jason was able to detect a hint of nervous-wavering in her voice.

    Jason was already expecting it but when he heard Ka ask him to dance his will began to falter. He knew that once they started dancing he would have to firmly and resolutely let her know how he felt about her.

    ''No, what are you even thinking dude. Rejecting her now is the right thing to do and you know it. Don''t let these teenage hormones mess with your head.''

    After clearing his thoughts Jason gave her a smile that even he could tell was awkward "Actually do you mind if we talk outside for a bit? My ears could use a quick break from the loud music."

    Although somewhat surprised by Jason''s words Ka nodded her head "Oh, y-yeah. Sure thing." And so Jason lead the way as the two of them left the dance room.

    With the door closing behind them the musicing from the dance room was muffled down as the two of them stood silently in the hallways of the venue.

    Ka held her hands behind her back as she tried her best to the fact that they were shaking from her nerves.

    Even though Jason was clueless when it came to girls and how they showed their interest in boys he was fairly skilled in reading basic bodynguage, something that he honed during his time as a defender that had to make up for ack of size.

    ''Man, I didn''t even say anything yet and she''s already looking nervous...'' Jason tried his best to put on the most natural smile that he could as he got ready to reject a girl for the first time in both his lives.

    ''I really hope that she takes this okay. But even if this does hurt her it''s probably better than me pretending to not know how she feels.

    And besides, even if I didn''t say anything now she''s bound to be the one to bring it up. And no matter how much I''m enjoying this second chance at being young again I just cannot see Ka that way because of her age.

    I just can''t see her as anything more than a young girl who''s still growing up and learning about life.''

    As he was thinking about how to best start the conversation Jason saw a vending machine just a bit down the hallway from the two of them "You want something to drink Ka?"

    She nodded her head "Sure." She thought that Jason would go back into the dance room where the drinks were but then she saw Jason walk towards the vending machine out in the hallway.

    After a short moment, Jason walked back and handed her a bottle "You like the light blue one right? If not you can swap with me." He then held out his bottle of red Gatorade as he offered it to her.

    Ka smiled as she shook her head "That''s okay, you can keep your fruit punch. You''re right, cier Freeze is my favorite vor. But how did you know?"

    Jason took a sip from his bottle before answering "That''s easy, you always be showing up to school with it and even during your runs that''s the only vor I be seeing you with."

    Ka''s slightly pale face began to recover some color as she began to blush. She took a small sip before looking back up to Jason with a smile.

    "No wonder you''re so popr with girls. I can understand why they would be such huge fans even if they don''t like basketball."

    Jason let out a small sigh as he ran his right hand through his hair "You say that but I still don''t understand it.

    To be honest I think it''s just because they''re young K-Pop fans and even though I''m a basketball yer I''m the closest thing they can get to an Idol here in the states.

    Which is saying a lot because I am nowhere near those dudes in terms of looks." Jason chuckled as he finished speaking.

    He then looked at Ka "Listen.... I know that you like me... As in more than just friends..." Jason awkwardly scratched his head as he looked at her.

    At first Ka was stunned, she hadn''t expected him to be so direct in saying that. But then she began to tighten her grip around the Gatorade bottle that Jason had gotten for her as she hardened her resolve.

    "Yeah... I do. To be honest my interest in you was only because I knew that you were the most popr guy at school. That sounds so bad right?

    But if I''m being honest that''s kind of how I''ve always been. I was always at the top in grades, poprity, and even as an athlete.

    Since I saw myself as the best I thought that it was only natural that I deserve the best. But as I got to know you, like really get to know you and not just what other people would say about you things started to change... I started to change.

    You were the first boy that I had ever met that was nice to me just because that''s who you are. All of the other boys that I''ve known only put on a nice guy act to try and impress me or to put on a good image.

    Like right now. You never asked me and I never told you but you cared enough to know about what my favorite vor was."

    Jason took a big gulp from his bottle "Ka, I don''t know how to say this but I don''t see you that way... I''m sorry if I lead you on in any way but I really wasn''t doing anything special.

    To me knowing about my friends just seems natural. I know what Kyle''s favorite color is and I know what UD''s go-to order at any ce in Riverside.

    Oh, UD was the captain of the basketball team before I took over. He''s a really nice guy, and unlike me it seemed like he always knew the right things to say for any moment."

    At first Ka was crushed when she heard Jason say that he didn''t see her in that way. But after seeing him nervously chatter off about UD she giggled.

    All of the tension that she had been carrying with her the entirety of the dance up until now was lifted off of her.

    She took a seat on the floor as she leaned against the wall "I had a feeling you were going to reject me.

    After getting the chance to be friends with you for a bit I knew that you weren''t doing anything special and that you were just a really nice guy Jaya."

    Seeing her sit on the floor silently Jason didn''t know what else to do so he slid down to the floor, leaning against the wall, as he sat beside her.

    "You should get up Ka. Your dress is too nice to get dirty like this, I''m sure that the floors here aren''t the cleanest."

    Ka turned her head to the side as she faced Jason with a smile "You really can''t help it can you? Even after rejecting a young girl''s heart you still have to be the nice guy."

    Jason shook his head "I just didn''t want to ruin your night any more than this. If I let you get your dress dirty without saying anything after hurting your feelings I would feel even worse."

    Kaughed before leaning her head against Jason''s shoulder "Don''t get it twisted. I know you don''t like me like that.

    But it should be okay for a friend tofort somebody after getting rejected right? Just for a little bit." Jason rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about it "I guess that makes sense?"

    Even though she could hear the uncertainty in Jason''s voice Ka acted as though it wasn''t there ''You really are too nice for your own sake Jaya.''

    "And don''t worry about hurting my feelings. Sure it stung to get denied but I''m an athlete just like you. A little bit of adversity isn''t anything much for us." Jason didn''t say anything as he nodded his head in agreement.

    Ka smiled as she thought about how her night had gone so far "Don''t worry. I won''t keep you trapped in the hallways for too long. You still have to get back to singing so let''s just chill here until the song is finished."

    And so the two of them sat silently on the floor as they listened to the muffled musicing through the door.

    ''I rejected her right? I didn''t leave any room for any misunderstandings right? So why does it feel like I messed up a bit?''

 Chapter 322 - End Of The Dance

    With the song finished Jason and Ka walked through the doors as they entered the dance room. Jason had finished drinking his but Ka was still holding on to her bottle.

    She smiled as she looked at him "Thanks Jaya. I can''t say that this is exactly how I saw my night going. But it was fun."

    Jason nodded his head "d to hear that I didn''t ruin the dance for you. I''ll have to get back on stage but hopefully you''ll stick around and enjoy the dance some more."

    Ka was about to go in for a hug but she stopped herself. Instead, she gave Jason a pat on the arm before heading toward some of her friends from the ser team.

    Just as Jason had turned around to make his way back on to the stage he was startled to see Samantha standing right there..

    "Oh shit, what the hell Sammy. You trynna give a dude a heart attack or something?" Samantha grinned as she looked at Jason.

    "I just came over cause things were looking a little off for a bit." Jason looked at her with a questioning look.

    "Off how?" Samantha shook her head "It''s nothing. Anyways, you want to dance for a bit? Kyle finished his dance with his girl and he''s ready to get on stage.

    I''m sure him and Cody can handle things with just the two of them, at least for one song." Jason took a look on stage and both Kyle and Cody gave him a thumbs up.

    Jason shrugged his shoulders "Sure." As the two of them began to move to the center of the dance floor Kyle and Cody began to ready themselves.

    "Alright guys, up next we got a song request from the most popr girl at Jefferson. I won''t say any names but if you know you know."

    A gentle melody came out as Kyle began to y his keyboard. Then, a momentter Cody began to add some energy with his drums. Kyle began to sing.

    "Paper bags and stic hearts

    All our belongings in shopping carts

    It''s goodbye, but we got one more night

    Let''s get drunk and ride around

    And make peace with an empty town

    We can make it right"

    Hearing Kyle sing The Great Escape Jason couldn''t help but raise his brow as he looked at Samantha "Interesting song choice Ms. Popr."

    Samantha gave Jason a clueless look as tilted her head slightly "I have no idea what you''re talking about. Kyle didn''t say who requested the song."

    Jason cracked a small smile as the two of them danced with a good amount of distance between them "As soon as he said most popr girl at Jefferson I already knew it was you. No name required Sammy."

    Samantha started off with a bright smile "I don''t confirm or deny anything." But her expression dampened a bit as she gazed off into the distance.

    "I thought it would be pretty good, seeing as how this is really our great escape. I''m d that we''re moving on to the next stage of life with high school and all that but... I still can''t help but feel a little down."

    Jason looked at her confused "What got you feeling down Sammy? You should be excited. We''re moving on step closer to being adults and being able to do whatever we want.

    No more having to ask our parents if it''s cool for us to hang with our friends, no more curfews, being able to drive. Being able to go wherever without having to worry about getting a ride is what I''m most hyped for."

    Samantha sighed before shifting her gaze back to Jason "Don''t get me wrong Jaya. I''m psyched for all those things.

    But I also know that as you get older it gets harder to keep your connections... For some reason, people just drift apart."

    Jason didn''t know how to respond to that. Samantha was the one to break the awkward silence "Especially seeing how you guys are.

    You and Kyle will probably be going off somewhere to amazing schools with Basketball schrships.

    And seeing how hard you guys push yourselves it made me think that I should have a goal too. A goal that I want to work towards just like you guys.

    So I''ve been thinking of epting this schrship to a music high school over in LA. It''s the same one that sent you and Kyle a schrship.

    Honestly it''s all thanks to you Jaya. Not only did you inspire me but all the attention around you trickled down.

    If it wasn''t for you I don''t think me or Cody would have gotten those schrship offers." Jason smiled while shaking his head.

    "You can''t think of it that way Sammy. Sure the attention might around me might have given you guys the exposure but if you and Cody didn''t have the skills then you wouldn''t have gotten those offers."

    She chuckled before punching him yfully on the shoulder "Do you always have to be so humble and saying some wise-sounding shit?"

    Jasonughed, but as he was shaking his head smiling he noticed the way that Samantha was gazing at him.

    ''Damn, I tried to ignore it hoping that shit would change but it looks like Sammy really in the same boat as Ka.''

    Jason stopped dancing for a moment as he stared at Samantha straight in the eyes "Hey Sammy I been meaning to talk to you about this but...You like me huh?"

    Samantha smiled while rolling her eyes "So you finally realized it? I''m kind of surprised, this is pretty fast for your standards Jaya.

    I was sure that we would be going to high school without you even knowing." Jason let out an awkward chuckle.

    "I''ve kinda had my suspicions for a bit. I was just really hoping that I was wrong." Samantha pouted while looking at Jason.

    "Ohe on, I''m not that bad am I? We always have fun when we hang out together don''t we?" Despite her confident voice Jason could see the nervousness in her eyes.

    Jason shook his head "Of course we have fun, that''s why we''re friends. But this is different. I''ll be honest Sammy. I just don''t see you that way. I like you but as a friend."

    After he was done speaking he looked worriedly at Samantha. The worst-case scenario that he was afraid of was hurting her and making her cry.

    Samantha''s expression saddened for a moment but then she pped both of her cheeks with her hands. Afterwards she was nothing but smiles.

    Seeing the worried look on Jaya''s face, something that only his close friends would be able to recognize, Samantha chuckled before pping him on the side of his arm.

    "Come on Jaya. Get rid of that face, I already had a feeling that I would be getting shot down tonight. Although to be honest I did think that I would be the one to bring it up."

    Jason was clearly surprised as he looked at her "Wow... Not gon lie Sammy, you taking this a lot better than I thought you would."

    Samantha looked at him "I kind of knew, just from seeing how many other girls you ignore on the daily. You''re not interested in dating yet right?"

    Jason nodded his head ''She''s not wrong. More specifically I''m not interested in dating anyone in my current age group because I still have the mental age from when I died.

    Not only would it be weird and creepy but the difference in perspectives and mentalities would make things difficult.''

    Jason decided to simply nod his head. Samantha shrugged her shoulders "If the person I like doesn''t feel like dating then there''s not really anything I can do about it.

    I get it, you''re super into basketball and want to give it everything you have. With that taking up all your time it''s understandable if you don''t want to date yet."

    The muscles on his face rxed as he let out a small sigh of relief "That''s real mature of you Sammy. Thanks for understanding.

    I''m sure you''ll find someone that can return your feelings. Just make sure you introduce me, cause I gotta check the dude out to make sure that he''ll take good care of my friend."

    Samantha chuckled as she shook her head ''Oh, you''ll definitely be the first one to know when I find someone that I like.

    Because I''m not giving up. I''ll just wait until you''re ready Jaya.'' "Can we get back to dancing now Jaya? We spent this whole time talking and-"

    Just as she was about to finish talking the music in the background came to an end as Cody and Kyle had finished the song.

    Jason busted outughing "Looks like it''s time for us to get back on stage Sammy."

    - - -

    A few weekster.

    Inside of the Pauley Pavilion. A lot of the seats were filled with fans as a sense of excitement hung in the air.

    In front of some cameras sat a young man with a darkerplexion dressed in a dark blue navy suit "The excitement in the arena today is something else.

    Going into the state tournament everyone knew that Jefferson Middle School would be serious contenders.

    But no one expected them to be as dominant as they were. Not only do they have the biggest point differential than any other team in this tournament.

    They have managed to reach the third round of the state tournament with their star yer Jaya not having yed a single minute in the second half.

    Aplete turnaround from the Jefferson squad that we sawst year. Is this a message from Coach Swendel and his team?

    I don''t know. But what I do know is that today''s game is going to be one hell of a show. We have High Bridge vs Jefferson.

    Last year Rudy managed to lead his team all the way to the finals of the state tournament. But Jefferson also had to deal with multiple injuries as well as a short roster.

    Will today''s rematch bring about a different result? Stay tuned and we''ll find out."

 Chapter 323 A fated battle

    Chapter 323 A fated battle

    Out on the court Jason was warming up getting some shots up with his headphones on listening to No limits by Hotboii.

    ''When you gettin'' change, everything go different

    Hate bein'' down, I couldn''t wait to be winnin''

    I been ''bout my grind, I ain''t makin'' no limits.''

    He felt a tap on his shoulder so he moved his earphones off of one of his ears. After turning his head he saw that it was Kyle.

    "Yo Jaya, it''s almost time bro. You ready?" Jason let out a chuckle "Dang, look at you bro. You grown to the point where you got the time to be worried about other people."

    Kyle rolled his eyes at Jason''s joke "I''m not the same guy who used to get nervous ying against a mid-tier team from Riverside.

    And besides, it''s just good to be able to be out on the court this time around. Last year you guys had to y without me."

    Jason noticed Kyle gripping his fists tightly at his sides "And sitting in the crowd not wearing my uniform sucked. Seeing you guys y I just wanted to be down there with you all."

    Jasonughed as he put his arm around Kyle''s neck "Well you got that chance now. No point in being focused on what already happened right?"

    Kyle smiled as he nodded his head "Yeah. No point in dwelling on the past. Because this year we''re shooting for that national trophy."

    He then stuck his fist out as Jason proceeded to bump it back with a fist of his own.

    - - - As the game was about to begin Jefferson Middle School and High Bridge Middle School had both of their teams line up to shake hands.

    Rudy was all smiles as he walked up to Jason "Yo Jaya, what''s with you and the cold shoulder treatment? I was hollerin at you during warm-ups."

    Jason shook Rudy''s hand "You one of the bros Rudy but once we step on the court there ain''t no love here. You''ll just have to wait until after the game for me to dap you up."

    Rudy scratched the back of his head "Jeez, I guess I should have expected that from you Jaya." Rudy then turned his head as he smiled at Kyle.

    "Let''s have some fun out there Kyle." But he simply shook Rudy''s hand with a firm grip "We didn''te here just to have fun. We came here to win."

    After the pregame handshakes were done Rudy grumbled as heined to his teammates "Can you believe those guys? I get that we''re on different sides now but they didn''t have to act so cold."

    The starting Point Guard for his team rolled his eyes "They the ones with the right mindset if you ask me Rudy.

    No matter how close you guys are off the court non of that shit matters when it gets down to game time. You need to remember that as soon as the clock starts."

    Rudy let out a sigh as he began to p his teammate on the back "Come on Honcho, you ever see me let the team down like that?

    Don''t sweat it bro, I like to goof around but when it gets down to it I know how to handle my business alright?"

    Honcho nodded his head "I know Rudy, I know. Just wanted to remind you. We in thest year of middle school. This ourst shot at the state title together."

    - - -

    With both teams out on the court they positioned themselves for the tip-off. Kyle''s eyes looked at the ball in the referee''s hands with extreme focus.

    As soon as the ball reached it''s apex Kyle was like an uncoiled spring as heunched himself off of the ground.

    The opposing team''s Center tried his best to contend with Kyle''s insane vertical but his fingertips were still a distance away from the ball by the time Kyle had managed to direct it to his team.

    Danilo gathered the ball before quickly passing it over to Jason who began to make his way down the court.

    By his slow approach down the court it was clear that Jason didn''t intend to start his team''s offense before High Bridge could settle down on defense. He was going to start the game off with a slow tempo and some half-court offense. Surprisingly enough it wasn''t the opposing team''s Small Forward that was guarding Jason, it was Rudy.

    Jason stared him down as he approached the top of the three-point line with the ball in his hands ''Looks like they''re sending Rudy to guard me.

    Well it''s not like I have the physical power that would make them worried about a mismatch, the difference in size between us is pretty negligible anyways.''

    Jason started off with a few slow dribbles as he crossed over a few times to feel out Rudy. As the ball went from his left hand to his right he added a hesitation as he faked a drive to the right.

    Rudy moved a step in that direction, reading this Jason used a spin move to quickly change directions as he began driving left.

    Rudy managed to shift his weight as he began chasing after Jason but just as he was about to reach him he crashed into Kyle''s body.

    ''What!? When did he have time to call for a screen? I didn''t even see him signal for it!'' A small smile appeared on Jason''s face as he found himself open for the long mid-range shot.

    But just as he was getting into his shooting form a hand appeared in front of his face as it blocked his view of the basket.

    ''Shit'' Jason cursed in his mind as he saw Rudy jumping to contest his shot ''Looks like someone is finally giving it everything he got on defense.''

    Jason did his best to readjust his shot while he was in the air. He dyed his release for as long as he could but he had to let go of the ball eventually.

    All eyes in the building were locked on to the ball as they all watched it sail toward the basket. Unfortunately for Jefferson Middle School and all of their fans, the ballnded on the left side of the rim before bouncing off.

    A small battle took ce underneath the basket as Danilo fought for the rebound. But after a few bumps and tipping of the ball, High Bridge managed to gain possession as their Power Forward imed the ball.

    He then pushed the ball up as they tried to attack with a fast break. Rudy was the yer furthest up and so the ball ended up in his hands. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But Jason stayed with him every step of the way as he tried his best to push the tempo and bring the ball up the court.

    As the two of them made their way to the paint Rudy gave Jason a taste of his own medicine as he used a spin move to create his own separation.

    The spin move didn''t create as much space as Rudy would have wanted as Jason continued to stick with him, but it did allow him to get into a better position.

    Rudy jumped into the air and Jason followed him as he tried his best to contest theyup. But Rudy shifted his body mid-air while also curling his left arm around Jason''s side as he tried for an acrobaticyup in hopes of avoiding Jason.

    There wasn''t much that Jason could do as the ball left Rudy''s hand. But before it could bank off the backboard arge figure appeared spiking the ball into the floor with a long and outstretched arm.

    Kyle let out an energy-filled roar as the referee dered High Bridge''s possession.

    - - -

    A frenzied look was apparent in the announcer''s eyes as he looked down at the court with a trail of sweat flowing down the side of his face "What an amazing game we''ve had so far folks.

    In a game where two of the state''s highest-scoring teams are going at each other you would expect a crazy score to reflect that.

    But this game has been the exact opposite. After the first quarter Jefferson Middle School leads 18-15 with High Bridge biting at their feet.

    We knew that Jefferson, a team known for their top-tier defense, would lock in on that end. But what a surprise from High Bridge.

    Rudy has always been known as an offensively talented yer. But this game he''s really shown some mettle as a defender as he held Jaya to a quiet six-point quarter.

    This defensive outburst from Rudy has shown to be an amazing boon for High Bridge as this is the closest score that Jefferson has allowed this entire tournament.

    Going into the second quarter and for the rest of the game the biggest question for High Bridge will be Rudy''s stamina.

    If he can stay locked in the way he was in the first quarter then they might have a real chance of knocking off Jefferson once again.

    Stay tuned folks, after thismercial break the battle for California continues."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!