William

XLI.

WILL

I was on fire during the rest of the game. My stats were pretty nice. I had 4 blocks, 5 steals, and over 30 points. I took my anger towards Andre and used it as energy for the game. The game ended and we had won because of me, of course.

We all rushed into the locker room to celebrate our win. The first thing I wanted to do was find Leah, but the gym was so packed that I didn't see her before we came into the locker room.

"Everybody take a knee." Coach said.

We all took a knee to listen to coach as he prepared a speech.

"That was a great game out there. All of you put in so much work at practice and it paid off. Everybody contributed to this win, but one of you in particular put in extra work tonight." Coach looked at me.

Brayden patted me on my back.

"Pierce, you were great tonight! You weren't selfish and you took charge of great opportunities, allowing you to score. Come over, here." He pointed next to him.

I got up and stood next to him.

"You showed great athleticism tonight and I hope this will show the rest of your teammates what hard work does."

"Thanks, Coach, but if it wasn't for my teammates, I would've never had some of the opportunities we had tonight. We all did this together!" I shouted.

The locker room exploded with cheers and laughter from the team as we celebrated the win.

"Everyone quiet down!" Coach yelled.

"Even though it was a team win, Pierce I'd like to give you the game ball for your great performance." He said, handing me the ball.

"Thanks, Coach this means a lot."

"For Liberty!" I shouted, holding the ball in the air.

"For Liberty!" The team yelled in unison.

"Where's Stevens?" Coach asked.

Too busy celebrating, I didn't even realize he wasn't in the locker room.

"He went to the nurse to check on his nose." One of his friends said.

"I forgot he hurt his nose during halftime. How did he do that again?" Coach asked.

"He tripped and fell!" Brayden shouted out.

"Yeah, that's right. Hope it's not broken. Now, guys pack up and let's go home." Coach said, walking towards the door.

I hurried and started packing up my stuff.

"Why are you rushing? We just won!" Brayden exclaimed.

"I know, but what if Andre tries some slick shit with Leah?" I questioned stuffing my clothes in my gym bag.

"He's at the nurse and she's probably surrounded by her friends."

"You're probably right, but I still want to make sure. Plus, I want to show her the game ball. She'll love it." I cheesed.

"Well, do you need a ride home or something?" Brayden asked.

"No, I'll catch one with Leah, thanks though." I dabbed him up before he walked off.

I put all of my belongings in my bag, grabbed my ball, and was out the door. I couldn't wait to show Leah.

TASHA

The buzzer went off, signaling the game was over. The entire gym went loco because of our win. It was close, but we came out on top. The final score was 64-57. I made my way out of the gym and headed outside to catch up with my best friend.