LOVE YOURZ, ˢᵗ

01. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

     01. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

     DESTINY BOSWELL WANDERED THE EMPTY hallways as she headed towards the direction of her locker to go retrieve her pompoms. it was maybe two hours before the big game and her cheer captain, chrissy wanted to go over the routine one more time with the team. once grabbing her pompoms, destiny began her long way back to the locker rooms, dreading doing backflips once more. despite partaking in competitive gymnastics as a child, there was only so many flips destiny could do in the span of two hours; and twelve-year-old destiny thought she would make it to the olympics by now. she slowly halted at an open classroom, where one of the boys on hawkins's basketball team pacing back and forth anxiously.

     "hey." destiny called out. the dark-skinned boy halted and looked up at the cheerleader in surprise. "what are you doing here?"

"oh uh," he stuttered out. "needed a breather." destiny nodded and stepped into the classroom, deciding to stay back for a little to skip practice.

"mind if i stay here for a bit? i don't wanna go back to practice." the boy shook his head and gestured her to walk further inside. destiny did as so and chose to sit on a desk in the front row, facing the basketball player standing in front. destiny looked around the empty room, which happened to be her third period: chemistry. "do you have stromer for chem?"

"nah, i'm a freshman." the boy answered. "so you're a sophomore?"

"yeah." destiny answered back. "so, what's got you so nervous? the big game?"

"well, i guess the game's one thing," he started, still unsure of telling a person he just met about his troubles, but he continued anyway. there was something so comforting about her. "and it's hard making something out of myself when my friends aren't the most supportive about it, y'know? none of them are even coming tonight and it just sucks. feels like i'm losing them because i'm just trying to rebrand myself."

"shit, that fucking sucks dude. i've been there, but trust me it'll blow over after a bit. once you really find yourself like around the end of freshman year, it'll be a little better. i can't exactly promise that because sophomore is a different type of rollercoaster, but you'll know enough about yourself by then to be able to stay afloat, maybe." destiny advised, then suddenly shaking her pompoms. "plus, i'll be there to cheer you on."

"thanks, but i'm benched. and don't you do that for all the basketball boys?" he chuckled.

"football too, but it's the thought that counts." said destiny with a shrug. "we should get going, practice just ended for me. the opposing school should've arrived just now."

"yeah, you too. hope your coach isn't on your ass for skipping." the unnamed boy breathed out. "thanks for the wise words, by the way."

"for sure. good luck to you and the rest of the team. we're all rooting for you." and just like that, destiny was out of lucas sinclair's sight.

"fuck," lucas mumbled, realizing neither him or the girl had introduced themselves.

     LUCAS SINCLAIR MINDLESSLY PLAYED WITH his food while his teammates talked loudly in the noisy diner, replaying the moment they won the championships. lucas was too caught up about seeing dustin, mike, his own sister, and the rest of hellfire celebrate their own victory without them.

"hey sinclair," jason carver, the team captain called out. lucas looked up to the upperclassman with curiousity. "i won't get on your ass about it since you won us the gold, but where were you when we were warming up? you almost missed the pep talk too."

"oh yeah, i was out taking a breather." replied lucas, "i was in stromer's classroom for a bit."

"of course, stromer never locks up his class." andy chimed in, "and he complains about having his shit stolen all the time."

"for that long? did you run into anyone or something?" chance questioned.

"oh yeah, i did. some cheerleader i never caught her name, but she gave me some pretty good advice."

"hey you." a feminine voice called out. lucas turned back to meet eyes with the girl he had talked to hours prior, eyebrows raising in even more surprise.

"hey again." lucas greeted shyly. "i, uh, i never caught your name."

"destiny boswell. you lucas sinclair or did i hear the crowd wrong?"

"that's me." lucas said almost triumphantly.

"well, i just wanted to say you did great out there tonight. wish i saw you on court more this season." destiny congratulated.

"always next season, am i right?" asked lucas rhetorically, his eyes twinkling with hope.

"right, right." the two sheepishly laughed as if they were the only ones around. "guess i'll see you around, sinclair."

"you too, destiny." lucas shouted back as destiny walked away to the opposite end of the diner, where she joined two other girls at a table.

"holy shit, you fucking ran into destiny boswell?" carter, another teammate asked, poking his head over to look at the freshman in disbelief

"yeah, her. she well known or something?"

"well known? the best damn flyer on the team according to chrissy." jason stated. "destiny's her favorite and practically like a little sister to us."

"and our boy patrick has had the fattest crush on her since seventh grade." carter added with a snicker. patrick mckinney quickly punched carter to silence him but it was too late. "don't be embarrassed now, she's a dime i can't blame you."

"you think destiny's into lucas now?" andy suggested with a wicked laugh. "sorry, patrick."

"no way, she's just being nice dude." lucas insisted.

"since you and destiny are buddies now, maybe you can help patrick finally score a date with her." carter chimed in enthusiastically. "patrick's never had the balls to ask her out."

"shut up bro." patrick groaned out. "leave me out of this, please."

   "if i run into her again, then i'll try for sure." lucas offered but patrick shook his head.

"if destiny wants to talk to me then sure, if not then that's all her. not tryna bug her or anything." patrick sighed, "never really seen her interested in other guys in general, what makes you guys think she would even consider me?" lucas thought back to all the girls that went up and talked to patrick, and how bored he was talking to them. lucas never thought patrick would be the type of guy to go after only one girl for years.

"it's crazy that lucas has talked to destiny more than patrick ever has." jason pointed out. "maybe lucas running into her was meant to happen."

"shit, maybe patrick'll finally get his big break with her." andy continued, patting patrick on the back. "everything happens for a reason, am i right?"

"i guess, yeah." patrick mumbled with an almost defeated grin. lucas laughed with the rest of the guys, feeling a lot better about last night. the team paid the bill and headed to an abandoned house to celebrate their victory. maybe all of this was meant to happen, lucas thought to himself. like what destiny said, lucas thought he might finally be finding himself with the rest of the basketball boys. it was pretty fucking sweet.

author's note
making patrick a year younger
than his actual age, so he's a
junior :).

will updates be consistent?
of course not, but i'll try. i've
been really lazy to update my
other books bruh but enjoy my
presence while it lasts pls