It Feels Right

dos dos

March Madness is about to go down; the Final Four. This time I got to travel with the boys to North Carolina where they will be playing NCU. NCU was pretty good, so we're kind of expecting to walk away with a loss. But hey, we made it farther than U of M, which is always perfect for bragging about. 

The team was pumped for game day. I was glad that I was able to travel with them because it took my mind off of Ethan, and I got away from home for a bit. 

Pretty soon it came time for game warm-up. I had the honor to walk out to the court by my dad's side. Kylie walked out hand in hand with Kyle, right behind my dad, and I. 

Warm up has started, with fifteen minutes on the clock. The crowd still packing into the stadium like little pack rats. It started to get quite loud every time a new group came in. Watching the boys warm up, I felt some stare at me. I'm not sure if it's just me, and I'm just being super sketched out by everything, or if someone is actually staring at me. I didn't even bother to look around, it just wasn't worth it. 

Soon, the game started. NCU was beating the crap out of us. The first quarter was rough. Three throws were being shot almost every play. We were barely holding on. My dad needed some assistance, so he asked me to help him coach. That was literally the best thing that has happened in like that last month, or two.

As the "second quarter" was going through, I tried my hardest to help him out. Luckily, I got the team to score fifteen point throughout the time. Although, the boys looked drained already, and the NCU coach was basically giving us the death stare throughout the first half of the game. As time was ticking, and people getting more insane, the atmosphere in this place felt like heavy weights on my chest. During halftime, I had to step outside just to catch my breath. It helped a little bit, but I knew I had to go back in there and help out.

Time for second half. Still the worst time for our team. They were done, you could tell by the way they are shooting. The intensity they put out on the court for the first half was over the top; they saved nothing for the second half. 

Eventually the game was over. And just like we expected, we walked away with the lost. We congratulated NCU with their win, and wished them the best for the Championship. My dad gave the team a little talk once everyone got comfortable on the bus, "As a reward for your hard work this season, the MSU athletic board has decided to pay for you guys to go to California to watch the Bulls play against the Lakers. As you may know already, my son Kendal is a Bull, so chose your team wisely, boys. Now don't be stupid when we go. There will be no drinking, smoking, you get the point. We'll talk about the details when it comes time. Good job men. I'm very proud of the success you all made this year. Each and everyone of you has made some sort of progress that you should be proud of. Now let's go home!"

California... that's where Ethan is.