forever fades away

chapter 25

Finn tugged nervously on the zipper of his warm-up jacket, glancing up slightly as someone clapped a hand on his shoulder and plopped down on the bench next to him. Drew went about making sure his shoes were laced up tightly before looking at Finn. 

“You ok, dude?” Drew asked. “You look like you did before our first pro game.” He joked. 

Finn smiled slightly at the memory. The night of his first game as a part of the Boston Celtics, he honestly thought he was going to pass out before he even stepped foot onto the court. His heart had hammered against his chest so badly, Finn was sure it was going to break right through his ribs. He’d had butterflies in this stomach, threatening to either choke him, or make him throw up. Nothing, however, could stamp out the feeling of pure excitement he’d felt, knowing that he was about to go out onto that court and play basketball in the NBA. 

“Dude, what is up with you?” Drew laughed, giving Finn a slight shove, breaking him out of his reverie. 

“Rachel is here.” Finn stated, glancing over at Drew. 

The laughing smile left Drew’s face as Finn's words sunk him. “Ex-girlfriend Rachel? Hot brunette?” Finn nodded, rubbing his hands over his face. “Here, here? Like... in the arena, gonna watch the game, here?” Finn nodded again. “Damn, dude. That’s big.” 

Finn sighed. “Yeah, I realize that. I still can’t believe she even agreed to come out here after the way we left things back in Roswell.” 

Drew shook his head sympathetically. “You know what I’ve always told you, man. I’ve never seen you smile like you do when you’re thinking about her. You two are meant to be together, and despite the shady way your sister and that Maria chick tried making it happen, they were really doing you a favor. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to pull your head out of your ass and realize what everyone else already knows.” 

Finn's reply was to simply raise his hand and flip Drew the bird, snorting a laugh as Drew responded by blowing him a kiss. Ever since training camp, Drew had been the guy on the team that Finn had been closest to, they’d even shared an apartment together the first year they were on the team, before they both bought houses. Drew knew all about Rachel, and made it known that he thought Finn was an idiot for breaking up with her. 

Before anything else could be said, Coach walked into the locker room and started his usual pre-game lecture. Finn tried to pay attention, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Rachel. This is gonna be a long game, Finn thought.