Vinny

4. Brewing Changes

The Match against the Von-Doms had proven more difficult than the group had originally thought. Thankfully Kyle's mother had made a casserole, so he was happy to stay in the basement. The problem had come from Ian, being the most inconsistent player on the team, most matches were decided by how Ian played. Ian's strong friendship with Doug, alongside with the consistency he had during the tryout, is what got him on the team, but now the team had many issues with keeping their friend on the team, especially if they were to win the tournament.

Bing

Doug pulled out his phone to see the new notification. A message from the "Fantastic Four", a group chat that was made when the issues with Ian had surfaced. The regular group chat with the team was one thing, but this was a separate group that had the whole team except Ian and Kyle named it inappropriately according to Doug. What could he do though? Vinny was the Admin and the only one who could change the group name.

Bing

Doug sighed and opened the chat. The first message was sent from Kyle.

Kyle: Guys, we have been putting this off for a while, but we need to seriously consider replacing Ian.

Doug scrolled down to see the second message.

Vince: Doug, we know he is like a brother to you, but he is not at the level of the rest of us and we would do much better off with a better player.

Doug just stared blankly at the screen, emotions building up inside of him, yet not a moment later the logistics of his situation tipped the scale back to an even point. Thoughts of the team needing to improve flooded Doug's head, the obvious fact that Ian was the least skilled player on the team, along with Doug's knowledge that winning the prize money would be very beneficial to his family's situation. He moved his finger away from the screen, simply watching the conversation unfold. Jessica typed, defending Ian even though the two weren't that close. That was just the kind of girl she was though, always looking out for people.

Jess: Guys I know Ian isn't the best player, but we are doing just fine with him on the team.

Vinny: Yeah, we are doing fine, but with someone at our level we could be doing great.

Kyle: I'm sorry Doug, but I am going to have to agree with Vinny. He was the most recent person to join the team and he isn't at the level that the rest of us are.

Vinny: It's not that we don't like him, most of us barely even talk to him, and it's not because of that either. He is a good friend, we all enjoy his presence, however quiet that may be. It's just we need to think about the team right now, not the friend group.

It registered in Doug that Vinny and the rest of the group did care about Ian, but the heated moment caused him to lose sight of that, and very quickly he typed.

Doug: Guys I... I understand he's not like the rest of us, he can crack under pressure, he can miss the shots we make, he has his flaws, but we all do. Kyle, you refuse to learn the new sniper rifle that came out, even though it's better overall you refuse to change because of your customary choice. Vinny, you lead the group into precarious positions and assume we can take on the world with ease. Jessica, your close-range abilities are phenomenal but, your long-range shooting could be improved significantly. I sometime don't check indoor spaces as thoroughly as I could, I admit that. We all have our issues that bring us below our potential, I just ask that before you guys go blaming Ian that you think about how you could improve first.

Kyle: You're right Doug, We all have our flaws but Ian has more than the rest of u, which leads him to being wildly inconsistent, and if he learns to fix what is dragging this team down then we would be glad to keep him on, but unless he improves I am going to be looking for a replacement, they will obviously have to be significantly better than him, but if they are I ask that you seriously consider the switch.

Doug: Fine, I guess that's fair enough.

Doug tossed his phone to the other side of his bed, landing softly on the sheets, he turned off the lights and tried to get his rest before having to break the news to his best friend tomorrow.