Airball

Chapter 30 - I Turn Fifteen

April 12, 2020.

It had been well over a month since the ending of the 2019-2020 basketball season. Despite this I continued to play two on two basketball games every Saturday with Cam, Nathan, and Max. When I wasn't with them, I spent my free time playing various Xbox games with Austin or Luke or watching movies with Harper when she came over. I stayed in touch with the rest of my team at school, in the hallways and between classes. I had even invited Cam, Nathan, and Max to sit with me, Austin, Harper, and Wesley and the Crooked Table during lunch. Everything quickly turned into a new normal, and I liked it that way.

"Are you sure we can hold this many people in our house?" asked my dad, knocking on my door once before entering my bedroom.

"Well they're all my friends," I explained to him. "If I invite one, I invite them all."

My dad raised up his arms in mock surrender. "Hey, it's your birthday party. I'm just saying that I sure didn't have this many friends when I was in high school."

It was my birthday, and so I had invited some people over to the house. It wasn't a party, exactly, but it was as close as you were going to get with a parent home. Every year for as long as I remember I had just been having friends over for my birthday instead of going somewhere for a full birthday party. I liked it better that way anyway. I'd just hang out with my friends for the day. This year I'd invited Austin, Cam, Nathan, and Max like usual, but I'd also invited some of the new friends I had made the past year. I had even considered inviting Luke, but since Cam, Nathan, and Max were going to be there I didn't know how things would go down.

We had ordered in a couple of pizzas for lunch and I suspected people would start arriving soon. As soon as this thought crossed my mind, the doorbell rang. I walked down the stairs and opened the door to reveal Austin standing there.

"Am I late?" Austin asked as he stepped in.

"No, you're not," I said checking my phone for the time. "About ten minutes early actually. The first one here just like you've been for the past couple years."

"Yeah well I figured I'd get a slice of pizza before your basketball friends get here."

"I thought you had warmed up to my teammates."

"I have," Austin said, "but they eat like crazy. I'm not taking any chances."

I had a five minute grace period after that before more people began arriving. The next people to show up were Cam and Nathan.

"Hey," I said. "Where's Max?"

"Dunno?" Cam said, stepping in and looking around for the food. "Said he had something to do before coming. He'll be here."

"Alright, well food's in the kitchen," I told him.

"Happy birthday," Nathan said to me as Cam exited in search of pizza.

"Thanks."

"Hey, I—" Nathan was interrupted by another knock sounding at the door.

"Excuse me," I told Nathan as I went to open the door. This time it was Jackson and Maia, along with Coach Hendrix.

"I'm just dropping them off," the coach explained. "But I wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks Coach," I said, leading Jackson and Maia inside. No sooner had the door closed before it was being knocked upon again.

Wesley and Finn arrived, followed by Max and Xavier a few minutes later and Harper a few minutes after that. I stepped aside to let Harper in and she looked around for a second before saying, "Oh no, am I the last one here?"