“Listen up you lot!” Nelson growls. The players are in the locker room, waiting for the break to end. Their coach has gathered them all together for a pep talk.“I don’t care what your problems are!” He roars. “I don’t give a f*ck about it. I only care about winning that damn trophy tonight so that the Lions’ coach doesn’t one up everytime I come across the guy! So either pull your sh*t together tonight and play or hand me your damn resignations! Got it?”He throws a meaningful glance towards Lincoln and Nathan who know that this talk is meant for them. At that moment, the whistle blows and it’s time for the players to return to the court. Nathan prepares himself and shares a glance with Lincoln as they stand side by side.The players walk towards the court, taking their positions. Halsey is back on the stands, worried about the outcome of the match just like everyone else. Tension is high and the students from both the schools are silent as the whistle blows.Lincoln strikes the bal
“Nate…” Lydia approaches him with a remorseful look. “I know I’ve hurt you! But trust me, it was a mistake!”“Lydia, we’re over!” Nathan furiously exclaims. “Why don’t you get it? Even if you hadn’t cheated, you and I wouldn’t have lasted! I just don’t like you in that way-”But Lydia is persistent. She takes his hand, trying to beg.“I know that you’re only trying to get back at me!” She sobs. “Lydia, I like Halsey now!” Nathan snaps at her. “She’s my girlfriend-”“She’s not!” Lydia insists. “How can that nerd be your girlfriend? You’re the most popular guy in the school! Everyone wants to be like you. They wanna have your life, your personality and your popularity. You are the star and only another star can shine beside you.”She takes a deep breath.“I am that star,” she claims. “Me! I’m rich, pretty and popular. Think about your dad’s hospital. It’ll perish without my family’s support. One day, we can even get married and I’ll bring so much profit to your-”“Are you nuts?” Nathan
Charlotte is wary and sighs. Nathan is sitting across from her, looking guilty. He’s trying not to face her as he feels that she’ll blame him but to his surprise, she reaches over to pat his head.“I thought that Halsey is naive but it seems that you’re naive too,” she remarks. “Don’t you think you’re being hard on yourself?”“You…you believe me?” Nathan questions her.“Let’s see…” Charlotte feigns to think. “The boy who hates me, has swallowed his ego to ask me for help. I don’t think you’re lying, Nate. You were just immature.”She states it in a very obvious manner. The cafe they’re at is thankfully not so crowded. A waiter puts a couple of trays of burgers in front of him. Charlotte is incredulous when Nathan picks up his burger and devours it in a few bites as if he’s been hungry for days.“Didn’t you eat all day?” she asks him.“I can’t eat on the days when I have a tournament,” he mutters. Charlotte pushes her burger towards him.“Eat up,” she offers. “You’ll need a lot of ener
That night at the Wright’s household, Charlotte prepares mac n’ cheese for supper. She’s setting up the table when she spots Halsey coming out of her room.Within just a day, Halsey seems to have lost all her energy. Her hair is unkempt and she has dark circles under her eyes. Charlotte knows that the girl must have been crying all night but she didn’t go to console her to give the girl some space. “How are you feeling now?” Charlotte asks Halsey.“I’m fine,” she mutters and sits on a chair. Charlotte puts some food on her plate but Halsey is barely eating. Lincoln appears after a while and sighs at Halsey’s state.“You’re still gonna mope over him?” He scolds her. “That guy isn’t worth this!”“Lincoln!” Charlotte reproaches him. “She’s a mess. Just shut up and let her heal.”Lincoln groans and takes his seat. “Here’s your phone,” he says sullenly, pushing Halsey’s phone to her. “I forgot to give it to you last night.”Charlotte stares at him in shock. Lincoln had Halsey’s phone?She
Lincoln is at the Lounge, helping the band to set up their equipment. He keeps on glancing at the entrance to spot Halsey and Charlotte. It’s nearly 7 PM when Charlotte walks in only to find a large crowd had gathered for the event that night.“Mom!”She turns around to find Lincoln jogging towards her. “Where’s Halsey?” he asks.“Oh, she’s gonna come later,” Charlotte lies. “The Andersons called and they asked her to babysit their kid for tonight. They won’t be out long so I suppose Hales will be here by 9 o’clock.”“Oh, okay.”Lincoln is disappointed but quickly hides it. Charlotte gives him a list of things to do for the event to keep him busy for a long time. She carefully observes him, trying to gauge his actions. Outwardly, Lincoln seems fine but something has changed in him. She checks her watch. Nathan should be in Halsey’s room by now.Lincoln is piling a few boxes when he receives a text. He reads it and looks around to make sure no one spots him before heading for the dock
The lavish room is brightly lit with a splendid view of the city through the large window panes which are covering an entire section of the penthouse. In the midst of the busy city, is a skyscraper which overlooks the entire area. It’s the tallest building in the country which has been built with extreme care.There’s a bed in front of the large window. On it, is a sickly man in his sixties. He’s quite frail for his age with wry white hair and a pale complexion. His nostrils are connected to several tubes and he’s been weakened by the cancer which is growing at an alarming rate. His dark eyes are closed in an uneasy slumber which is broken when he hears footsteps approaching him.A well dressed man in his forties approaches the sick man. The old man slowly turns towards his secretary, Hal Nylund.“What is it, Hal?” the old man wheezes without opening his eyes. “Why are you disturbing a sick person?”“Sir, there’s a…a message for you,” Hal replies.“I’m not interested in entertaining
Nathan is panting hard as the images from his past keep on flickering on and off in his mind. He finds himself back in time when he was twelve, standing on a desolate road and surrounded by a dark smoke. A fire is ablaze in front of him but he’s scared, too scared to move. His eyes are wide in shock as he stares at the flames engulfing a car.“He…lp…” A woman is trying to crawl out of the burning vehicle. She’s nearly charred by the flames but still alive. Her husband is in the driver’s seat, unconscious or dead. Nathan can’t tell. His young mind is grappling with what he has just seen.Another figure steps in front of him, grinning down at him. Nathan is fearful and gulps. “Are you enjoying this, son?” Daniel whispers. “This is what’ll happen to you if you tell anyone about mommy, okay?”“D-dad…” he whispers. “No…please…”Daniel is holding a heavy bat. He slowly lifts it up and swings it over his head.SMASH!Nathan closes his eyes and screams, waiting for the pain but there isn’t a
Over the next two days, Nathan waits for Halsey to respond to his texts but she’s completely silent. He talked with Charlotte about what to do but the woman only advised him to be patient. How long? How long can he be patient?He’s walking down the corridor, ignoring everyone. The people trying to greet him are instantly taken aback by the dark mood surrounding him. He’s not angry but he wants to snap at everyone. Without Halsey to calm him down, he doesn’t wanna hang out nor socialize with anyone.“I hear your girlfriend broke up with you.”Ugh! Nathan scowls and turns to find Lydia behind him, smirking.“I’m telling you, Nate,” she says. “That nerd isn’t good enough for you.”“Stay away from me!” He snaps at her but Lydia follows him.“That girl doesn’t even trust you,” Lydia states. “How can you like her? We should be together, Nate. We’re just perfect for each other! Imagine how our lives will turn out to be.”“I don’t like you,” Nathan says out loud. “I don’t even wanna be with