August 13, 2010 – 5:00 PM
Location: Graves Residence – Oak Hill, Virginia
The living room buzzed with leftover adrenaline, half-eaten snacks, and the echo of laughter. Bags were scattered across the floor. Shoes were kicked off. Uniform tops were tied around waists or hanging off chairs.
The room wasn’t fancy, but it was warm — the kind of warmth that came from familiarity. From battle-earned friendship.
Lucas Graves leaned back against the couch armrest, arms folded, a bottle of water resting on his thigh. His yellow eyes scanned the group — still trying to accept that the impossible game was over.
Ethan Albarado was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, tracing invisible diagrams in the air with one finger — like he was still playing.
Louie Davas had somehow stolen the TV remote and was flipping between channels like it owed him money.
Evan Cooper was half-dozing, shoes off, hoodie up.
Josh Turner, Ryan Taylor, and Brandon Young were on the floor, playing some kind of clumsy card game involving snack wrappers as chips.
Coonie Smith and Kai Mendoza sat near the sliding glass door, talking quietly, sunlight filtering across their faces.
Jeremy Park was in the kitchen, raiding the fridge like he lived there.
And Charlotte Graves always the poised one sat perched on a barstool, sipping cold tea like she owned the room.
"Guys! Shut up for a second!"
Ayumi Brooke clapped her hands, standing in the center like a teacher trying to control her chaotic class. She wore a bright blue shirt with the Vorpal Basket logo on it and had a clipboard tucked under one arm.
She didn’t need to say it twice. The room gradually quieted.
"Got what?" Louie asked, half-mumbling with chips in his mouth.
Ayumi held up the clipboard.
"The official bracket. The National Sweet 16."
"What seed are we?" Josh asked, standing up now, hyped.
"8th seed in the Eastern Region."
"That’s not bad at all."
Ryan flopped back on the couch and spread his arms.
"Sweet Sixteen, baby!"
"National bracket means scouts," Charlotte added from the barstool. Her voice calm, but her eyes were glowing.
"Real exposure. College feeders. Everything."
Jeremy popped his head out from the fridge.
"Does it also mean more training?"
Ethan stood up, cracking his neck.
Groans echoed, but so did laughter.
Coonie chuckled from the back.
"Then I better start praying harder."
Ayumi rolled her eyes and said with a small laugh,
"We start prep Monday. National Bracket opens next week."
She held up a folder.
"I’ll hand out scouting reports tomorrow. But for now..."
She looked around at all of them — flushed, exhausted, sore... but alive with belief.
"...you guys earned a break."
"I could sleep for a week."
Louie shouted from the couch.
"We’re gonna win this whole damn thing!"
Ethan looked at the crew around him — his team.
(Sweet Sixteen... huh.)
(Then let’s raise hell sixteen times harder.)
"How about we go out?" Ayumi suddenly suggested, a spark dancing in her eyes.
"You know, have some dinner at a real restaurant. Fancy night out. On me!"
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"Do you even have money?"
He shook his head in disbelief.
Ayumi puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.
"Excuse me! What do you think I am? I am the manager of Vorpal Basket. I’ve been saving up."
She poked his shoulder.
"You might be MVP on the court, but off the court? I’m the budget MVP."
Ethan raised a brow, amused.
"So you’re saying..."
He stood, stretching his back.
Ayumi gave a proud nod.
Cheers erupted like confetti.
Louie literally jumped onto Brandon’s back again.
"FOODDD!!! Let’s goooo!"
Ryan high-fived Evan.
Kai fist-bumped Jeremy.
Josh gave Coonie a back slap that made the taller boy wheeze.
Even Lucas chuckled under his breath, nudging Ethan with his elbow.
Ethan just watched it all.
(This... This is the kind of basketball I want.)
(Where hard work ends with laughter. Where every bruise is worth it. Where winning means more than just a scoreboard.)
He followed the team toward the door as they started throwing on jackets, shoes, snapping selfies along the way.
The sun outside was starting to dip, casting long golden rays across the Graves’ front porch.
Ayumi walked beside him, humming as she scrolled through her phone looking for a restaurant.
"You changed everything."
Ethan didn’t reply immediately.
Instead, he smiled — just enough.
"Nah..." he murmured.
"We changed everything."
And with that, the doors swung open, and Vorpal Basket spilled into the twilight — laughing, pushing, shouting a storm of potential heading toward the stars.
As the golden sky above Oak Hill glowed like an old painting burnt orange clouds stretching across the horizon as the Vorpal Basket team strolled down the sidewalk, laughter in the air.
Charlotte Graves walked slightly ahead, arms crossed but smiling as she listened to Louie go on about food.
"We better eat something big! I want steak, chicken, everything!"
"You always want everything," Aiden muttered.
Ryan threw his arm around Brandon’s shoulder and smirked.
"Yo Brandon, you know the waitress is gonna fall for me this time, right?"
"You say that every time."
"We get it, playboy," Evan added with a snort.
Laughter rippled through the group. Ayumi was shaking her head, Lucas was smiling
quietly, and Ethan trailed near the middle of the group, hands in his hoodie pocket.
His breath caught in his throat.
Something icy crawled up his spine.
"GET DOWN!!" Ethan’s voice cut through the joy like lightning.
But it was already too late.
And pushed Coonie aside with everything he had.
A second shot cracked the evening stillness.
Straight through the chest.
"LUCAS!!" Ethan screamed, sprinting toward him.
"KYAAAH!!! NO!! NOOOO!!! LUCAS!!!" Charlotte’s scream echoed like thunder through the streets as she ran, eyes wide in horror.
Lucas collapsed into Ethan’s arms.
Ayumi dropped to her knees, screaming:
"F-Fuck!! NO!! LUCAS!!"
Ethan was shaking as he held him.
Lucas’s blood soaked into his clothes.
There was so much of it.
"It’s gonna be okay," Ethan whispered.
"It’s gonna be fine—Lucas, stay with me."
Lucas’s eyes fluttered, tears pooling.
"I don’t want to die... I still... have dreams... I still want to fight... beside you..."
"You hear me?! You won’t die! I PROMISE!" Ethan’s voice cracked as he shouted, voice trembling.
Charlotte collapsed next to them, grabbing her little brother’s hand.
"Lucas... don’t leave me... please..."
Brandon’s fists trembled.
Ryan turned away, eyes burning.
Evan kicked a streetlamp in fury.
Louie slammed his fist on the ground, teeth clenched.
Coonie fell to his knees beside them.
His whole body shaking.
"Lucas... I-I should’ve been the one... You saved me..."
Lucas’s fingers tightened around Ethan’s hoodie.
"I’m scared... Ethan..."
Ethan’s vision blurred.
He clenched Lucas closer, as if holding him tighter could force life to stay inside.
"Don’t close your eyes. Lucas—no! LUCAS!!"
But Lucas... had already gone still.
His hand slipped from Ethan’s shirt.
His chest no longer rose.
Charlotte let out a scream of pure heartbreak.
Ayumi covered her mouth and broke down beside them.
He just stared at his friend his brother.