The air was full of anticipation and nerves the second Coach called everybody over to the side of the gym at the official end of tryouts. I was definitely calmer than most of the kids around me, but I had my share of anticipation and some nerves. This did start out as just a spur of the moment lie… but I think this will be interesting to at least try out. I never did anything like this back during my first life. If I don't get on the team then honestly I am going to be pretty disappointed, but at the same time I don't really have the drive to play like some of the guys here did so I would understand and I doubt that not getting on the team would make much of a long lasting impact to me.

I walked with the rest of the kids and I ended up sitting next to Vincent and Jay, facing the coach from the back of the group and leaning against the wall as I sat down. The coach looked like he was conflicted as he started to pace in front of the group while we all sat down, but as soon as the last guy took a seat he stood still and looked between us with a hard look.

“This was a great practice today.” He started out with a small smile growing on his face, “It has become very clear to me who our team is going to be this year, so I will be calling the twelve of you up right here, right now and congratulate you. For the rest of you, I hope that even if you don't get chosen for the team this year, you take all that disappointment and you turn that into a firm will to get better, to do better. You might just get onto the team next year if you do, and we will all be here for it.” He told us, which made me blink a bit. This guy should have become a writer or something. That was some motivational speech he just gave.

The other kids around me seemed to agree and a few nodded along with his words. But a second later, everybody stopped and the mood shifted as the coach pulled up the clipboard he was carrying and started reading it.

“Number one, Dev, come on up!” He called out, making me smile a bit as the kid rose to his feet and went to stand beside Mr. Stine. Then he continued listing the people, making them stand beside him and each other one by one. “Number twenty, Tom! Number nine, Jay! Number twenty one, Harry! Number fourteen, Hans!” The four of them stood up, Jay giving me and the rest of our group a grin as he walked up.

“Number four, Terry! Number eleven, Tony!” The two of them got up, and joined. “Number twenty seven, Harper! Number three, Roy! Number six, John!” They all got up one after the other and walked up, all grinning. That left two spots…

“Number eight, Ardika!” He called out, shocking me a bit. I stood up and walked to the front, trying to keep calm but I was still grinning as I walked. I honestly didn't think I would get on. I pumped my fist a bit once I was standing beside Jay and the others on the team. Everybody that Jay picked out and went to that weird ice cream parlor was on the team. Except for Vincent, but Jay had a great eye.

“Number two, Vincent! Come on up!” The coach said and put down his clipboard as the big guy stood and walked over. ‘Jay really does have a great eye. If he chose who to invite to join his little group based on who he thought would be on the team anyway…’ I thought to myself, a little impressed as I looked between the team. Most of my teammates were people I thought would get on the team, so maybe I didn't have such a bad eye myself. Roy, Hans and Harper were a little bit of a surprise, but not much. They were pretty good.

I gave Vincent a grin as he came up and he gave a smile back before he went to stand to the side before my attention was brought back to the coach again as he turned to the group still sitting on the ground. They were not happy, but I could see some dull acceptance in most of their eyes. Only a few were throwing murderous and angry looks our way… That was probably not a problem.

“So… you guys didn't make it. You can head back to your dorms now.” Mr. Stine said pointedly, his speech about how the people who don't get in needed to work on their skills already said and now he was now apparently finished with them. They got up without a word and left the gym. I could hear some consoling words between friends in the group when they left the gym, but my attention and sympathy was turned away and back to the coach as he turned to us.

“Right! Congratulations everybody!” He called out with a smile as he looked out at us. “We have some talent and skill in the team this year, so let's work hard and we can crush everybody! We have a practice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday here in the gym from four to five thirty! Don't be late!” He announced, giving us the plan before giving a smile. “We will talk more on Monday, team. Have a good weekend.” He said and waved us away before walking off himself, probably to put away the basketball rack that was sitting in the direction he was walking.

Then everybody on the team started grinning and letting loose, me included with a grin and accepting high fives all around from Jay's group and a fist bump from Dev. Chatter started all around me as we all headed to the door, but I stayed mostly silent unless somebody said something to me, observing the way everybody interacted to get a grip on the group's dynamics.

Jay seemed to get along with just about everyone and was in the process of trying to form at least a familiarity between everybody somehow. I genuinely don't understand how extroverts like Jay can just get people talking with each other and just become friends like that. But besides Jay's stuff, it seemed that Tom, Vincent and Terry (The rest of Jay's initial group) seemed to be friends with each other now. Roy seemed like a loner, but got in a conversation with Dev pretty easily. Harper and Hans seemed to have a frenemy sort of relationship, while both were friends with John, Harry and Tony. Dev just seemed to be friends or at least friendly with just about everybody.

Stolen story; please report.

I on the other hand was pretty sure that I was somewhere between Dev and Roy in everything. Sure I knew Jay and his initial group a bit, but I wasn't particularly socal or anything in the group. I also got along with the others pretty well.

My thoughts were distracted as I heard Jay speaking up to the group as a whole a few seconds later in the hallway. “Everybody! Celebration in my dorm tomorrow at nine! Mine is room thirty if you didn't know! Bring snacks!” He announced with a grin, raising a few cheers and laughs from the group as we exited the building to go our own ways.

I started jogging down the grass to a particular spot beneath a tree by the dorms with a wild grin as I saw Percy under the tree. I think this has become his spot somehow.

He saw me as I approached him and he sat up a bit straighter against the tree trunk, waving me over. “What's the news?” He asked me, tilting his head questioningly as he saw me grinning. “I got on the team.” I said with a bit of a surprised laugh as it finally seemed to register in my mind. “Really?” Percy asked, looking at me for a second before grinning himself. “Wow Ardi, that is a huge surprise. You haven't trained at all!” He responded sarcastically before laughing as I sat down beside him and gave him a bit of a shove to the shoulder while smiling a bit. “That's fair.” I admitted, sighing as I sat down.

Then I paused as I realized what he said and looked over my shoulder at him. “Ardi? Really?” I asked, a little hesitantly. That was a popular nickname back in my last life, but I supposed I didn't expect to be called it here. That's what Jake and my mom used to call me…

Percy seemed to realize that something was up, probably my face giving it away or something. “Hey, if you don't like it then-” Percy started, only to be interrupted by me as I cut him off. “No, it's ok man. It's good.” I said firmly, leaning against the tree and looking up into the branches and the sky above. The leaves of the tree were already yellow and starting to fall off. It's fall now. Almost winter. When did that happen? I didn't notice…

“So… Celebration? Maybe we could get some good food tomorrow night in our dorm.” Percy suggested, bringing me out from my thoughts. “Sorry, I don't think I can do it tomorrow. I got a celebration with the team that I think I am going to. How about we sneak out later tonight and get some ice cream before bed? I know a place.” I responded idly, glancing at Percy over my shoulder. “Just you Grover and me?” I prompted as he looked conflicted.

“That sounds great.” Percy responded with a chuckle. I nodded and leaned back against the trunk again, closing my eyes and finally relaxing after the whole tryout ordeal.

Then I felt Percy nudge me and stand up quickly, causing me to open my eyes and blink for a second before I looked out at what startled Percy. There were a good three guys from the basketball tryouts that haven't made the cut walking to us from a little distance away. The same guys who looked angry about them not making the team… and were still angry about it judging by their faces and the aggressive way they were walking straight towards up…

“We should go…” I whispered as I stood up as well, glancing at Percy who was looking a bit confused. It was then that the big guys started running towards us. I nearly drew my daggers from my side at the sight, but I resisted the feeling. Kids might me way more intimidating when they were the same size as you, but they were still kids. “Run!” I called out to Percy in an instant, turning and looking the opposite way from the mad kids and seeing the dorm building and the forest area behind it. Forest is better, we could accidentally lead them to our dorm room if we went there.

“With me! This way!” I called out to Percy and we both bolted down the lawn quickly. Percy had not been training for months however, so he was much slower than me. I slowed down to stay just ahead of him, leading the way to the forest without letting him get too far behind me as we ran away from the angry kids that were gaining on us by the second. They might not have made the team, but they were still pretty fast compared to Percy at least. They definitely would catch us if we were playing fair and were heading into the dorm building like they thought. But they were annoyed as we entered the forest, I could hear their shouts and taunts already.

“I love you guys too!” I shouted back sarcastically as we entered the forest’s edge and together me and Percy started to weave between the thick tree trunks, roots and branches alongside the other plants as we made our way deeper into the forest, me guiding both of us into the clearing I found earlier.

We stopped running as we reached the clearing and I started listening. Percy was panting pretty hard from sprinting here, but I couldn't hear anything else. They didn’t follow us. If they had, they would definitely not be trying to be quiet and definitely not good at it in a thick forest during fall.

I gave a sigh of relief and sat down on a log off to the side to recover. “They didn’t follow us.” I commented with some relief to Percy, who then gave a groan as he sat beside me on the log. I looked over to him with a grin, and he looked up at me before starting to laugh. I joined in with him as I could feel the relief from the last minute alongside some of the amusement of what had just happened come over my face with a sideways smile.

Our laughter trailed off soon enough however and I gave a sigh, looking over to Percy. “Hey, sorry about that.” I said, wincing as I said it and causing him to look over to me with a question in his eyes. “They were some guys who didn't make it onto the basketball team… I don't know why they went after me, but they were pissed off about it.” I explained with a scoff at their expense.

“Ah… No, it's alright man.” Percy brushed off my apology with a little smile.

It was right then that I heard a Pop! and I looked up to see a system screen appear in the air in front of me with something written across it, but I ignored it and mentally pushed it out of the way. I could deal with whatever that was in a minute.

I looked up into the bright but cloudy sky again with a bit of a grin.