Capítulo 16: Off Day
*Sound Effects*
**Language**
'Thoughts'
"Dialogue"
After reading the note, I told my brother's to go to sleep. Even if we were on winter break, I couldn't let them play games all night long otherwise they might wake up mom. After some persuasion and the promise of getting them snacks from the store on my way home from the next practice, they reluctantly agreed and headed off to bed.
Entering my room, I completed my nightly routine of flossing and brushing my teeth, a habit I had grown accustomed to. I couldn't bear the thought of sleeping with bad breath now. When I finished, I ensured my fan was on and settled into bed.
However, as minutes turned into half an hour, I found it impossible to drift into slumber. I kept tossing and turning, my mind fixated on the ominous past due notice. It stated that if we were a week late on our rent and warned that if we didn't come up with the money within the next 5 days, we'd face eviction. "If only I had a little more time," I whispered softly, a sense of hopelessness overwhelming me feeling that even if I succeed with basketball it would be too late, I'd have to quit and get a job otherwise we'd be out on the cold streets. Despite this, I couldn't bring myself to feel bad for myself, instead I was more worried for my mom. I couldn't imagine what kind of stress she would be feeling right now. I couldn't help but worry about my brothers as well, wondering what would happen to us.
Before I knew it, I was crying myself to sleep, offering up a quiet prayer to God, "Please, if you haven't listened before, it's okay, but please make sure everything works out." With that, I drifted into a restless slumber, haunted by the weight of our uncertain future.
After waking up, I tried to shake off the foreboding feeling and went to make some eggs for my brothers to eat. After cooking I called them over before eating myself and getting ready to leave for practice, since we were on break, we were able to have the practices earlier on in the day so that everyone could still come home in the afternoon and enjoy some leisure time.
*Honk Honk* I recognized the familiar pattern of honks, the signal Coach Will always used to indicate his arrival. I swiftly grabbed my bag, threw on a hoodie, and headed outside. Before leaving, I made sure to lock the door securely behind me. Descending the stairs, I entered Coach's car and casually tossed my belongings on the floor.
"You planning to wear that?" Coach quipped, raising an eyebrow as he gestured toward my choice of clothing. I looked down and realized that I was wearing shorts with a hoodie, a questionable decision given the freezing weather outside.
"Yeah... I didn't feel like changing, and I'll only be cold for a minute or so before I get inside," I responded, defending my choice with a smirk while shrugging.
"Fair enough," Coach conceded with a chuckle.
As I drifted into my thoughts, I was suddenly brought back to the present by a tap on my shoulder. Coach Will was looking at me with concern. "You okay? We're already here. Usually, you're the first one out of the car," he commented casually.
Shaking off the lingering thoughts from the previous night, I reassured him, "Yeah, I'm good. I was just daydreaming." With that, I exited the car and headed toward the gym, ready to immerse myself in practice to take my mind off of things.
Arriving at the gym with Coach Will, I watched as he went off to fulfill his morning coffee ritual. I placed my belongings down and took a deep breath, my mind briefly returning to the ominous notice from the previous night. I shook off the unsettling thoughts and reached for my headphones, determined to drown out my worries with music. Putting on my MP4, I began my usual routine, starting at the free-throw line, and began shooting.
*Swish*
*Swish*
*Swish*
With each successful shot, my focus sharpened, and I lost myself in the rhythm of the game.
*Clang* 'Damn,' I thought, seeing the ball hit the front of the rim. The miss disrupted my flow, and my mind started to wander.
*Clang,* another shot hit the front rim.
*Clang,* yet again, the ball found the front rim.
*Thump*, I released an airball in frustration.
"Fuck!" I couldn't help but exclaim, my frustration boiling over as I pounded the basketball forcefully.
"Are you okay, Javi?" I heard Coach say behind me. I turned around to see him looking more concerned.
"I'm fine, Coach, just frustrated with myself for missing," I replied, avoiding delving deeper into the real issue.
He didn't say anything before nodding, not asking further, didn't seem like he entirely believed my explanation.
I quickly returned to my routine, determined to clear my mind of any distractions. As I continued my warm-up, the rest of the team arrived, exchanging greetings and starting their individual warm-up routines. Coach Will then gathered us for full-court passing drills.
In this drill, players positioned themselves on both sides of the court, passing the ball to each other as they advanced up the court. Eventually, one of them would go for a layup and then pass it to the next pair of players. The first group consisted of Isaiah and Marcus, followed by Dylan and Xavier. The first group executed the drill smoothly, setting the standard.
As the second group approached the basket, I prepared myself mentally. 'I've got this, I've done this hundreds of times,' I thought psyching myself up. The ball came to me as I received a pass from Dylan, who had just scored a layup and got the rebound. I sprinted alongside Elijah as we weaved back and forth, approaching the basket. With determination, I went up for the layup. However, as I released the ball, I felt my fingers slip slightly, causing the ball to hit the glass lower than I had intended, resulting in it bouncing off the rim and out.
"Damn," I muttered to myself, frustrated by the miss. I quickly grabbed the rebound and passed it to the next player in line, determined to make the next one count.
We continued our practice with various drills, and I couldn't help but notice that my shooting felt a bit off today. I missed a few more shots than usual, but I tried to stay focused and shake off the rust. As the drills progressed, my confidence started to return, and my shots began finding the mark more consistently.
Coach Will then decided it was time for some 3-on-3 action. The teams were set: Javi, Isaiah, and Elijah against Dylan, Marcus, and Xavier. The game would be 2's and 3's up to 21, where the winner must win by a minimum of 2 points. As the game started, it was competitive right from the start, with everyone giving their all on both ends of the court.
The fast-paced game had us running up and down the court, making quick passes, and battling for rebounds. I had my moments, making some good plays and scoring a few baskets. However, my earlier inconsistency seemed to linger, as I missed a couple of open looks that I would usually make.
As the game reached its climax, the score was tied at 19-19. Everyone on the court felt the intense atmosphere, nobody wanting to lose the game. Just as the play was unfolding, Elijah set a screen for me as I received the ball, and we executed a seamless pick and roll. Marcus rolled under the screen, now covering Elijah, while Xavier picked me up, causing defensive confusion as they hesitated on who to guard. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Isaiah stealthily slipped through the gaps, positioning himself on the right wing. He managed to free himself from Dylan's tight defense with a quick burst of speed. Noticing this, I quickly passed the ball to him.
However, since this action occurred near the paint, Xavier was swift in closing the gap between him and Isaiah. Recognizing this, I sprinted towards the three-point line, creating separation for an open look. Isaiah, understanding my intentions, instantly zipped the ball over to me as I found myself wide open beyond the arc. As I received the ball, I took a deep breath and released it with unwavering confidence.
The ball left my hands, soaring through the air towards the basket, but it hit the rim and bounced away. My heart sank as I watched the miss, knowing that I had just missed a potential game-winning shot.
Xavier came down the rebound and they quickly seized the opportunity, and raced down the court. Despite with my all to prevent a shot, with a well-executed play, they scored the winning basket. While they celebrated the win, I couldn't help but feel down. Turning to Elijah and Isaiah, I sighed and admitted, "That loss is on me," with a dejected expression.
"Don't worry about it, can't make every shot," Isaiah reassured me.
"Yea, plus could be worse, least you didn't airball cuz then I'd really be on yo ass" Elijah chimed in jovially, ruffling my hair. I lightheartedly swatted his hand away, embarrassed but also grateful for their support.
*WHOOOOO* The sound of the whistle pierced the air, signaling the end of practice. We all jogged over to Coach for a team huddle.
"Alright, that wraps things up for today," Coach concluded. "We won't be meeting the week of Christmas and New Year's, so enjoy your time with your family because we'll be right back at work. I know some of you have schoolwork and college applications to deal with, so we'll hold practice every other week from here on out. That's why I wanted to front-load our practices before the break ended."
He continued with one final note, "The tournament placements will be announced after break, and I'll let everyone know the exact date when they announce it so we can look at it together," he stated.
Everyone nodded in understanding, excited about Christmas as anyone would be but also eager about the tournament placements. With that, practice came to an end, and I found myself on the way home with Coach.
"You sure everything's alright, Javi? I know you aren't one to ask for help or advice, but you have to learn to rely on other people, especially if you want to make it to the league," Coach said. "Trust me, there, you won't succeed if you don't ask for help. There's a saying that 'a closed mouth never gets fed.' So please, tell me what's really going on. I know for a fact that on any other day, you wouldn't miss that last shot."
I listened quietly before finally opening up.
I began to recount what had happened the night before, and I couldn't help but break down as the feelings I had experienced rushed back. I mentioned that I might have to get a job and quit basketball. I quickly used my hoodie to wipe away the tears, trying to maintain my composure and not appear vulnerable. However, I felt truly helpless. I was just 18 about to turn 19 but I was really still a kid, and I had never worked a real job before because I had always been so focused on basketball.
Coach glanced over at me with a soft expression before turning his attention back to the road. He reached over with his arm to rub my shoulder, offering comfort.
"Everything is going to be okay, trust me," he assured me. I didn't know how everything would be okay, but I had always trusted Coach and believed in him, just as he believed in me.
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A/N: I think this is my longest chapter so far! I hope you're enjoying it so far. I know that when it comes to fanfictions or any type of novel that takes place in a setting everyone is familiar with, that it can be off putting to incorporate OC's. Just know that I don't plan on adding tons of them, but this is just for the beginning. If you think about it, any NBA player has people he came up with that nobody knows. Additionally, I want the love interest to not be an OC so if you have any suggestions for potential love interests that are around Javi's age who is going to be 19 in 2005, let me know!
Please leave a comment on your thoughts! I'd also appreciate if you could support the novel by leaving a review or voting with your power stones, that would truly be amazing.
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