1989 || Luke Hughes

Chapter 4: Shake it off

As I slowly opened my eyes, I heard the familiar sound of my ringing phone. I reached for it on my nightstand and answered the call, still feeling groggy from my deep sleep. To my surprise, it was my three best friends on the line, all singing in unison: "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you..." Their voices were filled with joy and excitement, and I couldn't help but smile as they finished the birthday song.

Maelyn greets me with a cheerful "Good morning!" over the phone, her voice energized and lively. As I answer back with a sleepy "Good morning," I rub my eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep and clear the crud from my face.

Italy was busy packing her bags in her room, two hours before her flight, when she suddenly asked, "So what are your birthday plans?" Quince replied nonchalantly, "Nothing really. You guys know I don't care much about my birthday."

Maelyn interjected into the conversation to offer some words of encouragement. "We understand that you don't feel like celebrating, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. You can't continue blaming yourself for what happened."

Sage, on the other hand, had a more direct approach. As someone who had to live through the tragedy that occurred two years ago, she knew firsthand the pain and suffering it caused. "I know it was a terrible experience, but I want you to try and move on, Quince. Do it for me," she implored. It was on Quince's birthday when they were both just sixteen, and the memories were still fresh in their minds.

"I'll try. Italy hurry up and get here. We can do something then. For now I have practice so I've got to go." I say to her knowing that Luke and jack were on there way up to my apartment.

As soon as I leave the call, I toss my phone carelessly onto the couch. Just then, Luke and Jack suddenly barge in, catching me off guard. Luke has a habit of leaving his belongings in my apartment so I had given him a key to my place.

Luke, with a big smile on his face, greets me with a warm embrace, wrapping his arms around me. As he towers over me, I can't help but grin up at him, feeling grateful for his kind words. "Good morning birthday girl!" he exclaims, making me feel special on my special day. I respond with a smile, thanking him for his thoughtful gesture.

Jack eagerly approaches me with a beaming smile on his face, pushing Luke away to give me a warm and tight hug. "Happy birthday Quince," he exclaims, clearly overjoyed to be there. I can't help but laugh at Luke's dramatic reaction as he falls onto the couch in a comical fashion. "Thank you Jack."

As the preseason finally came to an end, our team shifted its focus to more team bonding practices. Lindy was determined to find the perfect setup for the upcoming games, so he spent the entire practice throwing people into different lines and pairs in an attempt to find the best fit.

However, it quickly became apparent that Lindy was having trouble finding a spot for one player in particular - Alex. Despite his best efforts, Lindy seemed to think that Alex didn't fit into any of the lines. As a result, poor Alex was thrown from line to line all practice, never really getting a chance to settle in like the other players.

To make matters worse, Lindy eventually decided that Alex just wasn't a good fit for the team at all and benched him for the last five minutes of practice. Needless to say, it was a frustrating for everyone on the team who were close to Alex.

As soon as Alex entered the locker room, he wasted no time in changing and leaving. I had just walked in and followed him closely. "Alex!" I called out to him.

He turned around to look at me, his expression guarded. "What Quince?" he asked.

Feeling a little hesitant, I asked him, "Can I catch a ride home with you?"