[right]December 4th, 2016
Pinehurst Academy’s Basketball Court
Celtics VS Monarchs Championship Game[/right]

[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220517/e43f57ade43d6bd1b15d5d3639124b39.png[/img]
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

[img]https://i.imgur.com/fxdgB6p.png[/img]
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220517/be7809d85b9c4f47cca6eb2e120e2a55.png[/img][/center]
[color=darkgray][indent][indent]
Half time.

The Edenridge Celtics were leading by three points. The Monarchs' defence was strong: they had guys twice the size of Russell-- and he was built like a brick shithouse. Francis was playing the game of his life. Scoring point after point after point. The game plan was simple: get Fran the ball by any means necessary. David had taken an elbow to the stomach during the first quarter, typical dirty Pinehurst move. Coach had benched him and put Danny in the game. It seemed it was a day for freshmen on that court as Allison had done the same with her Clovers.

[color=FF1395]“You ok, Franny?”[/color] Allison asked as she massaged her boyfriend's shoulders and kissed the nape of his neck. [color=FF1395]“Those guys are big."[/color]

Francis glanced over at Russell, who was laying flat on the floor nearby, exhausted. [color=288FC6]“They’re huge but our speed is winning out, it’s killing us but it’s working.”[/color] He put a hand on top of Ally’s, his eyes never leaving the huge frame of his compatriot. [color=288FC6]“You ok over there, Russ?”[/color] The large boy did not say a word, he simply raised a thumb up to show his feeling.

Clay handed young Danny an ice pack as he sat down next to the young boy. He glanced over towards the bleachers where David was talking to his twin, Jamie as well as his mother and father. Directly behind them was the row reserved for players' families. He could see the Callahans, the Clearys and the Lords. No sign of the Costigans. What a shock. He returned his dark eyes to the O’Hara clan and nudged Danny in the arm. [color=BCDD81]“What I would give to see Jamie O’Hara in the halls every day. What a babe.”[/color]

[color=005d9e]“Ah… yeah,”[/color] Danny graciously grabbed the ice pack and put it on his sore left leg. If it wasn’t for his mind shutting out the pain, it would feel like his leg got shot. This game was intense and the other team was absolutely vicious. One guy had already fouled him four times. He knew in the morning he’d be feeling it hard. This was the same guy that hurt David! And they didn’t call him on that?! Thank God he was running on adrenaline or he’d crash hard. Danny’s gaze scanned the bleachers and there he smiled, seeing most of his family aside from Vivia who was not at her art showcase but in a tiny cheerleader outfit helping Allison out with the freshmen. Dad wouldn’t be happy about that for multiple reasons. His eyes met with his mother’s as she gave a serene, beautiful, and appreciative smile. Silvia waved at him and mouthed [color=edd3b9]‘You’re doing great, baby.’[/color] 

The moment was ruined when Cat’s mouth opened. She pulled Mira to her feet to hold a sign that had a huge ‘#27’ while she held a sign for the whole team, ‘Make the Monarchs kiss ass!’  Classic Cat. [color=9f1b3e]“Fuck yeah boys! You’re doing amazing. Keep up the good work. It’s your time to rise! LET'S GO CELTICS!”[/color]

[color=29c2aa]“Wooo…”[/color] Mira (who was 11 at the time) whispered beside her sister, hating the attention. 

[color=9f1b3e]“ALSO CLOVERS, SHAKE THOSE ASSES MORE! SHOW THE WORLD WHAT YOU GOT![/color]” Beside her sat Danilo's twin Natalia, completely and utterly embarrassed at her sister’s audacious behaviour as Cat’s son sat on her lap. Beside (and on) Natalia, Cat’s children followed their mother’s lead. Franco held his mother’s old pom poms shyly, shaking it with team spirit. Dani hyped her mother up by putting her fingers in her lips and loudly whistling, and Sofia of course took charge of the pictures and videos. It was her duty to capture it all. 

Taz turned to look at his eldest daughter and glared. His brows furrowed in frustration. She was something else. The town would think the Belmontes were uncivil, rambunctious, and wild. It seemed tonight Cat gave no fucks though which was annoying but something he was forced to accept. Silvia grabbed her husband’s hand and told him to hush. This was a night of fun. They were here to support Danny. That’s it. So what if Cat was loud? At least she spoke what she meant and felt passionately. As for the other two Belmonte girls, Elisabetta was sitting with Edenridge High teachers, right next to Beau, on another set of bleachers and Nina, sadly, couldn’t make it since Palermo still had to run even if the whole town was going to be here in good ol’ enemy territory. She cried but Cat told her she’d tell her all about it. [color=9f1b3e]“Don’t make me come down there and show you how it’s done. These boys need to be [i]inspired[/i]! Allison, I’m watching you.”[/color] 

Natalia, like her father, directed a scathing glare at her oldest sister. Leave it to Cat to embarrass their family and make herself the center of attention at the same time. It was why she'd been banned from attending Tal's volleyball games months ago. She shook her head in disapproval, glad to have the distraction of baby Franco in her lap that prevented her from hissing a few choice words to his narcissistic, immature mother. 

[color=BFA65C]“Dad, let me back in the game!”[/color] David pleaded as he felt his younger sister wrap her arm around his, something she always did when she began to feel overwhelmed. [color=BFA65C]“I’m fine. Doc Samson said I was fine. The guys need me.”[/color] 

Coach looked at his wife, Lizzie. She was a great anchor but when it came to the game, she knew nothing and never pretended to. These sorts of decisions were always best left to John. [color=bf755c]“I can’t do it, Davey. One wrong step and your ribs will crack more. One of those big fucks on D hits you, your lungs are filling up with blood and that’s it, game over. I’m not taking the chance.”[/color]

[color=FFCDD2]“Daddy, if Davey says he’s good, he’s good. Let him play.”[/color] Jamie tightened her grip on her brothers arm, doing her best to ignore the strong smell of sweat. [color=FFCDD2]“I know him better than anyone and…”[/color]

[color=bf755c]“Stop.”[/color] Coach put his hand out and halted his daughter in her tracks. [color=bf755c]“Jamie, don’t start with any of that twin magic stuff, alright? It doesn’t exist. Look at Costigan and his sister. That idiot's family isn’t even here. No mom, no dad, no twin. I love that boy and I’ll be there for him, but don’t start talking hocus pocus, baby. Okay? Your brother is hurt, he cannot play, end of story.”[/color]

Tears began to well up in Jamie’s eyes. She released David from her grasp and fled the auditorium towards the girls bathroom. Allison was soon to follow her after glancing up at the screaming Cat Belmonte. Oh, to be Queen. A second behind Ally, Poppy James in her cute red dress entered the washroom.

David clenched his fists and fought every brotherly instinct to not punch his old man in the face. He knew that he didn’t mean anything by it, Coach was old school. He didn’t understand Jamie all that well, how sensitive and sad she really was. Dragging Clay didn’t particularly offend him either, everyone knew Clay didn’t care about anything, right? [color=BFA65C]“You have to watch what you say, Dad. Forget about the game and worry about her, okay? You know she needs our help and yelling at her doesn’t help. I gotta go cool down, I’ll see you both in a bit.”[/color] He kissed his mother's cheek before heading deeper into the bowls of Pinehurst Academy for a quiet breather.

A short distance away from the Celtics' bleachers, hidden from sight by her fellow Clovers, Caitlin Cleary had witnessed the scene between O'Haras with growing concern. David and his father had butted heads about different topics for as long as she could remember. The older David got, the more the two men seemed to argue, which the redhead could see always took more of a toll on the son rather than the father. That, along with the injury he'd sustained earlier at the hands of that Pinehurst caveman she'd been glaring daggers at, meant that Davey was probably not feeling his best right now. And, of course, Cece wanted to try her hand at lifting his spirits like she usually did.

With this goal in mind, the shy girl grabbed a bottle of David's favorite Powerade flavor from the nearby cooler and set out on the quest of finding her neighbor, which proved to be an easy one. She had been rounding the corner at the same time David had ducked into the last classroom down the hall, closing the door behind them. The blue-eyed girl waited a few moments to avoid suspicions before quietly approaching his hiding place, making sure she wasn't being followed and carefully shutting the door behind her once inside the room.

[color=C81935]"Hi Davey. Are you okay?"[/color] Cece asked the young man in a gentle voice, slowly approaching his tall figure. [color=C81935]"I brought you a blue Powerade. I know it’s your favorite."[/color] she declared, shyly extending the bottle in his direction.

David was a little taken aback to find Caitlin in the room with him and dressed like that? She looked a lot older and more mature than he thought he knew her to be. He knew she was a cheerleader but he didn’t know until an hour ago that all the other cheerleaders were sick and Ally and Viv had to deal with freshmen.  [color=BFA65C]“Hey CeCe, thank you.”[/color] He took the bottle from her and smiled.  [color=BFA65C]“Yeah I’m, I’m fine. We’re winning so it’s all good right?”[/color] He popped open the Powerade and took a light sip, just to quench his thirst. [color=BFA65C]“You’re doing great out there.”[/color]

The redhead's cheeks instantly turned pink. [color=C81935]"So were you!"[/color] she complimented right back, shifting the focus of the conversation away from herself as she took a seat next to David. [color=C81935]"I'm sorry your dad pulled you out of the game, though. That Monarch guy is as classy as a caveman…"[/color] she trailed off, glaring as she visualized the face of that brute who'd injured her crush.

David smiled at her; Caitlin really was a sweet kid. [color=BFA65C]“Dad’s doing the right thing I guess.”[/color] The curly haired basketball player responded with his usual affability. [color=BFA65C]“He’s trying to make sure we win, I’m a burden. Too much weight to carry for the guys.”[/color] He lifted his left foot onto a nearby chair to tie a loose lace. [color=BFA65C]“Don’t concern yourself with that goon of a Monarch, CeCe. These idiots don’t have any tact and like to play dirty; that’s just the game.”[/color] In reality, David was just trying to avoid eye contact with his friend's baby sister. Damn, she looked good. Why was he seeing her like this? Had to be the adrenaline right? That’s all it was.

[color=C81935]"Don't talk about yourself like that,"[/color] Cece chastised the young man, shooting David a stern look. [color=C81935]"You're not a burden to anyone, Dave. You're the best assist the team has seen in a while [sub]from what I hear, at least. I don't know anything about basketball, really. But that's not the point…[/sub]"[/color] she trailed off, clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment and red-hot face once realizing she'd been rambling under her breath. [color=C81935]"My point is, you're one of the five reasons the team made it as far as they did. You should give yourself more credit than saying any of the guys carried you anywhere."[/color]

[color=BFA65C]“You’re very sweet, kiddo,”[/color] He had to try and reaffirm to himself that the girl he was talking to was just that, a kid. He couldn’t be seeing her like he was. [color=BFA65C]“Do me a favor tonight? Be careful.”[/color] David made his way a little closer to the redhead and placed his hands on her shoulders. [color=BFA65C]“You put on that uniform and wear those colors and you become a target in a few different ways. Stay away from any Monarchs and stick close to your friends, ok?”[/color] 

There was a split second in which the disappointment Caitlin felt at still being seen as a kid by David could be easily spotted by anyone paying attention, especially in the way she pursed her crimson-colored lips together in a tight line. Apart from appeasing her insistent mother, part of the reason why Cece had joined the cheerleading team in the first place was in the hopes that David would finally see beyond the whole ‘Rhett Cleary’s younger sister’ thing. She wanted David to realize she wasn’t the little girl who needed help riding her bike anymore, or the crying girl who he would carry in his arms and take care of whenever she had a scraped knee or twisted ankle or any other injury of the sort. She was a young woman now-- just like the ones he often got entangled with at school. Why couldn’t he just take the blindfold off and see that?

But rather than retorting defensively and proving his point by acting like the very same child he thought of her as, the redhead chose to bite her tongue instead. [color=C81935]“Okay,”[/color] she resigned herself to muttering in response, offering David a fake half-smile. He had no way of knowing that, apart from Danny and maybe Jill, none of these people were actually her friends. But he didn’t need to know that.

[color=BFA65C]“Come here and give me a squidge--”[/color] David pulled the freshman into his arms and held her in a firm hug, which was quickly reciprocated with the same enthusiasm. This is what he shouldn’t be doing but why couldn’t he help himself? She smelled amazing and the warmth of her body against his was lighting a fire that shouldn’t be sparked. This was Rhett’s little sister. This was the girl he had seen grow up essentially from diapers. This was crazy and he had to stop. Then why couldn’t he?

Clay had watched the O’Hara family drama unfold with Danny by his side. It felt nice to have a little sidekick, he had one once before, Lamb. His darling twin. Where was she on this fine evening? Likely somewhere in Boston, trying to score herself a fuck or a fight. Laura had barely been a part of Clayton’s life for the entirety of high school yet they literally slept in rooms next to each other. Then there was the fact that all of his friends' parents were there supporting them, cheering for them and manifesting greatness for them. Where were Clay’s parents? Ellie was off somewhere teaching a pottery class to pensioners. At that present moment, Sean was in the Bahamas, ferrying rich fuckers around the islands and showing them a good time. Clay hadn’t seen his Dad in six months.

[color=BCDD81]“Hey yo Danny!”[/color] The older boy placed his hand atop the Belmonte boy's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. [color=BCDD81]“You’re killing it out there, buddy.”[/color]

[color=005d9e]“Am I? Thanks, Clay,”[/color] Danny moved his neck around to make sure there wasn’t a deep strain. After taking a sip of water, he chuckled, [color=005d9e]“And you got all the girls’ eyes on you.”[/color] The young Belmonte gestured to this group of underclassmen in the bleachers to the right of them trying to get Costigan’s attention. [color=005d9e]“I’m jealous. You have it all.”[/color]

[color=BCDD81]“No. No that would be my cousin,”[/color] Clay pointed over to Francis who was talking to his little brother Roddy and his friend, what was her name? The Mayor's kid. [color=BCDD81]“Fran has talent, skill, good looks, brains, the love of Ally Davies-- who, for the record, I dated first, thank you very much-- and a family”[/color] The long haired boy sighed a little. [color=BCDD81]“A family that loves him dearly. You got one too by the looks of it.”[/color] God’s favourite idiot pointed up at the bleachers at the swarm of Italians cheering for his young charge. [color=BCDD81]“I’d kill for that."[/color] He reached down into his bag to grab his own bottled water. After bringing it to his lips, Clay took another breath, exhaling the loneliness demon that had seemed to take hold as of this half time break. [color=BCDD81]“Your sister looks crazy hot tonight. When’s Cat gonna leave her husband and be with me huh?”[/color]

That was forward, taking Danny aback. Briefly, Danny started feeling bad for his teammate. Behind that happy-go-lucky smile, there was a tone, an underlying sadness. However, that was thrown out the window the moment Clay brought up Cat. [color=005d9e]“Clay… that’s my sister and isn’t she a lot older than you? Hell, you’re always welcomed in our family but at least look at...”[/color] Man imagining his sisters getting with any of his idols just felt weird but it seemed like his comrade wanted some pasta or an Italian sub. [color=005d9e]“Viv. Look. Isn’t she like around your age?”[/color]

[color=BCDD81]“Listen, pup. Viv is hot too, I would one hundred percent do unspeakable things to her….sorry. Hell that little twin of yours is coming alone nice too. HOWEVER!”[/color] Clay slapped his knee with the palm of his hand just to make Danny jump. [color=BCDD81]“They ain’t my Kitty. Those hazel eyes, that silky voice, that fantastic and bodacious bodess.”[/color] Clay got to his feet and climbed onto the bench, locking eyes with Cat as she looked towards her little brother, he turned his hand into a mock phone and put it to his ear. [color=BCDD81]“Call me.”[/color]

Danny’s face was beaming red. [color=005d9e]“Wait, you call her Kitty?!”[/color] He stood up, his eyes going from him to his sister. 

Cat responded with an eye roll, pretended to pick up a phone, and shouted into it, [color=9f1b3e]“In your dreams!”[/color] Before hanging up and winking at him.

Danny wanted to die. To avoid further embarrassment he searched for the rock of the group only to notice him missing. He saw everyone else disappear but… [color=005d9e]“Where’s Rhett?”[/color]

Clay jumped down from the bench and surveyed the room with his friend. [color=BCDD81]“Why am I constantly asking where is Rhett? He’s a fucking gypsy I swear to God.”[/color] He looked towards the clock that hung on the wall. The second half was very close to getting started and they needed to get the team back together. [color=BCDD81]“Twenty seven, I’ll go find Rhett, I need to raid the vending machines anyway. You just distract the ref for a minute if I’m not back in time, savvy?”[/color] Clayton patted the kid on his cheek in a way he was sure old Taz probably did after watching the Godfather for the eighteenth time. 

[color=005d9e]“Uh, yeah, sure. I can do that, Sixteen.”[/color] Clearing his throat after Clay touched him on the cheek, not knowing if he liked it or if it made him uncomfortable, Danny watched his teammate walk away and disappear. Bringing his gaze from the exit to his family, his attention went straight to his father’s serious demeanor and stern, piercing gaze. It was clear that Taz was watching his son like a hawk and expected him to win. Immediately, Danny diverted his attention to the loving and doting eyes of his mother, before smiling, [color=005d9e]“Right. Distraction.”[/color] After giving his family a wide wave, and sending Jill a fun-loving thumbs up (noticing Cece had disappeared), he turned to the court and jogged to the referee. 

Clay wandered the halls of Pinehurst Academy in hopes of finding his squad and also some food, damn he was a hungry boy. God's favourite idiot of course found Rhett meditating in a science lab, Damn that Clearly was a strange duck but still a mighty one. He still had time to find food so Clay carried on his adventure through the annals of sworn enemy territory. Finally, after what felt like an age, he saw a vending machine down the corridor. He hurried towards it, salivating at the thought of even a Twinkie. The Big Tuna stopped for a second and turned his head. His dark eyes fell upon two figures tightly hugging in a classroom. It was Duke, he recognised his brother anywhere. But that girl… No, it couldn’t be. Was that…?
[/indent][/indent][/color]