Song is "Hard Times" by Paramore

This was a little harder to write than I thought. Probably because of what it is building toward. :(

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March 12, 2016 3:00 p.m.

(Sebastian)

Cheers erupted from the stands as the final seconds on the clock trickled down. Four. Three. Two. One.

The loud screech of the buzzer prompted the bench to empty. My teammates and Coach Larson rushed toward the center of the court, screaming and clapping the entire way.

We had done it. State champions for three years in a row. With a close final score of 97-95, the officials handed us our trophies and the endless slew of pictures commenced. A few for the local papers. A ton more for the families of every member of the team, wanting to immortalize this moment forever.

It was almost an hour later that the gym cleared and the hoopla finally died down. Everyone on the team was set to meet at Kyle's house to celebrate by way of pizzas and watching the NCAA's Sweet Sixteen tournament for the rest of the weekend. Of course, that would entail some betting. Only I wasn't planning on losing, again.

"I'll see you in a little while," Kyle said as he jingled his mom's car keys to gloat that he was driving. Knowing him, he probably held the fact that he was named the game's MVP over his dad's head to get them to concede.

I simply nodded as he and his parents headed toward the minivan. That right there spelled trouble. My best friend was good at many, many things. Driving was not one of them.

The light drizzle from earlier was now a steady downpour and caused everyone to wait here under the awning. The wind shifted as the rain lessened. It signaled a mad dash for a few brave souls across the parking lot.

A wickedly strong gust blew past with enough force it had everyone recoiling. Shelby had made it about halfway when the back of her cheer skirt flipped upwards. She hurried faster, apparently unnoticing the sight she gave everyone from this vantage point. And I couldn't help but appreciate the view.

I placed two fingers in my mouth and whistled. "Looking good, Ryan!" My loud voice carried, and she took notice.

She responded by turning and flipping me off while giving me that classic Shelby Ryan glare I adored. It was a look she reserved only for me. That look was saved for when I crossed a line or pissed her off, which happened a lot according to her. But after knowing this girl for almost ten years, I knew precisely what buttons to push to get the reaction I wanted.

It was a game. My favorite game to be exact.

"Buttering her up for your big talk tonight?" Owen Clark said as he stepped beside me.

My attention didn't stray from watching Shelby retreating inside the confines of the minivan. "Something like that."

Mason shook his head. "One of these days she's going to try and kick your ass." He gave me a sidelong glance. "You know that right?"

The thought brought a smile to my face. "Actually, I'm counting on it."

"Counting on what?" my girlfriend for the moment, Katlyn Seevers said from behind.

My smile disappeared as Mason snickered and Owen coughed to seem oblivious. Those two assholes loved it anytime I was the slightest bit uncomfortable. I looked at Mason and gave him a shut the hell up look. Instantly his face fell.

Since I didn't answer her, Katlyn took it upon herself to place herself in my line of sight. She had a habit of doing that whenever I ignored her. Which was a lot.

"Counting on what?" she repeated and batted her eyelashes a few times as if being cute.

Don't get me wrong. Katlyn was a beautiful girl. Brown hair, big brown eyes and a body that most guys would love to get their hands on if they were lucky. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have dated her if she wasn't as good-looking as she was.

Vain I know.

But she wasn't very smart. Or witty. Or interesting enough to hold a real conversation. She was just there. Something to pass the time. As was every girl before her.

"Oh, nothing." I shrugged and glanced at the parking lot, wishing she would have left already.

Katlyn moved closer until she stood almost flush with my chest. "Want to come over later?'

That sly grin on her face meant only one thing. I cleared my throat and took a step back to create some distance. "I can't tonight. Sorry." My added feigned frown was intended to buy me another day or so. Just enough time for me to conjure a myriad of excuses to why this, here, with her, wasn't going to work. Katlyn was moving with her family out of state anyway. So the sooner we ended this, the better.

Katlyn heaved a sigh and appeared content with that excuse. That was until the dumbass, better known as Owen, started chuckling beside me. "Why not?" she asked.

I nudged his arm hard enough that he stumbled to the side and took the hint to leave. The raising of my eyebrows look to Mason had him walking away as well. "The team is going over to Kyle's to celebrate."

"I could always stop by." Katlyn pulled the drawstrings of my hoodie to pull me close. "Shelby wouldn't mind."

Yeah, but I would.

"Sorry." My shoulders dropped to fake my disappointment. "But it's a guys night only. I don't even think she's going to be there." Which was a bold faced lie. Not that I wouldn't have gone over to the Ryan's house to spend some time only with the team. But Shelby was the cherry on top. Seeing her would make everything better.

"Okay then." Katlyn forced her lower lip out and frowned. "Call me later if you change your mind."

I smiled and added a quick nod, hoping this conversation would end. Only it didn't, immediately. Katlyn rose on her toes with her mouth coming into contact with mine after I awkwardly tried avoiding her kissing me altogether.

It was while watching her running to her car that I knew ending our relationship was the right thing to do. The best thing.

Mason hit my arm to garner my attention. He gestured toward Shawn Miller, the center for the Parkway team as he exited the building, holding a bag of ice on his nose. Even from this distance, I spotted the purple and black splotches beginning to ring his eyes.

"I still can't believe you didn't get ejected from the game," Mason said.

He and I both. After the more than fair warning I'd given Shawn about pulling the same bullshit he had with Kyle, he made sure to trip Dylan. Now I would have just let that go, considering the way Dylan and I mutually felt about each other. He hated me, and I loathed him. But once that prick kicked Dylan in the stomach after he fell from being knocked off-balance, I had to punish Shawn.

While the referees were distracted at the official's table, I clocked him as hard as possible with my elbow right to his nose. By the immediate swelling, it looked broken. Shawn could have probably said or done something to question that it really wasn't an "accident" as I claimed, but he played it smart and refrained.

I waited until I unlocked the car doors to my truck "Bert" to say anything. "Well, there was only two minutes left in the game. And I only had three fouls so they really couldn't do anything about it."

Mason grumbled in response and shook his head so much his dark hair deflected a few raindrops as they fell.

"What was that?" I asked. My friend hurried inside my vehicle to sit. Mason was a known mumbler and loved to bitch about things when he thought I didn't take notice.

Mason cleared his throat. "I almost won fifty bucks."

I chuckled and started the car. "Oh, did you?" I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him rolling his dark eyes. "And what was the bet?" This I had to hear. If Kyle was involved, it had to be a little more intricately detailed rather than me just fouling out.

Mason shrugged and mumbled again.

"Speak up. I can't hear you," I said while shifting the car into drive.

My eyes focused on the road. The rain picked up, causing the wipers to wave across the windshield at full speed.

"How many minutes were on the clock before you fouled out, or were ejected from the game."

Those shady bastards. Sure I fouled out a lot. But that was my job as the enforcer on the team. If an asshole screwed with one of my teammates, then he had to deal with me. It was a known fact. Only I couldn't believe they made a bet about it, today of all days.

Who was I kidding? Of course they would.

By that sour look on Mason's face, I couldn't help but ask, "And who won?"

His expression changed. That slight smug upswing at the corners of his lips could have only meant one thing. A contingency. "No one."

"Uh-huh." I didn't believe him at all. Once I cocked an eyebrow, he sighed.

"Fine. Fine." He raised his hands in defeat. "No one won, but that only means..."

"It's double or nothing," I finished his statement. "For what now?" With the bet now double or nothing, any of those assholes would do about anything to see that they won. Even a bunch of undermined bullshit. Well, that's what I usually did to win.

"You don't want to know." Mason turned toward the window, thinking that would stop my interrogation.

I made sure to stomp my foot on the break at the stop sign. The car jerked forward, and my action served its purpose. Mason cut his eyes to me.

"All right. All right." He paused and huffed. "It's now about how long it will take for you to talk to Shelby."

I smirked. Those dickheads. Since I'd already agreed to tell her, it wasn't like I could back down. But being able to screw with all of them in the process just sweetened the deal. "Just talk to her, huh? Nothing else?"

"You know what I mean," Mason said as we pulled into the Ryan's driveway. My eyes scanned the area, noticing the minivan wasn't parked right outside the garage as usual.

Maybe they had to make a stop somewhere first? Considering the entire team was invited tonight, they probably swung by the grocery store real quick.

I parked, and both of us waited on the front porch. Mason sat on the steps while I made myself comfortable in the rocking chair. Several minutes passed. Then some more. Luke arrived with a few of the guys.

Owen brought Dylan and lugged his bag toward the front door. Besides always being late, Owen also had a penchant for bringing tons of unnecessary shit over to our houses, that he'd inevitably forget so he could bitch about it later.

The bag made a definitive thud once he dropped it. "What're we all waiting around for?" Owen asked.

Everyone's eyes landed on me to answer. Sure I was Kyle's best friend, but that didn't mean I was privy to any other information. I'd solve this easy enough. I pulled my phone from my short's pocket and texted Kyle:

Hey, where are you?

Almost instantly my phone rang, and I grinned at my fellow teammates. That was one way to take care of things.

"Hello," I said without glancing at the screen.

"Sebastian?" my mom's voice responded. I held the phone away from my face to make sure that I didn't accidentally dial her number or something.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, it's me." She paused, and I heard her sniffling. "Where are you at?"

I looked at the faces of each of my teammates as they studied me to ascertain who I was on the other end. Finally, I mouthed, "my mom."

"At Kyle's. Why?"

She exhaled deeply and mumbled something incoherent. "Sebastian, I need you to listen to me." Her voice wavered, and I knew something was immediately wrong.

"Mom?" I cut her off.

"Something bad has happened." My mom hesitated and then said, "Real bad. There's been an accident, and you need to come to the hospital. Right now."

"Mom, I don't." I shook my head. None of his made any sense. "What accident? Who was in an accident?"

"Look, I can't." Her soft sobs caused her to stop talking. "Just get here, okay? Hurry. But Sebastian?"

"Yeah?" I fumbled with my keys from my pocket.

The sound of my mother crying filled my ears. It was a noise no son ever wanted to hear. Ever.

"Mom?" I prompted, and she calmed a bit.

"Please be safe," she said. "And I love you."

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