2025-07-10, 01:17 PM
Normally, we would definitely win the championship after this season as the defending champions. Normally, I would be on the court right now, sinking baskets. Yes, normally... Because normally I wouldn't be sitting on the bench with a broken forearm, watching the rest of the team actively work to ensure that we completely mess up after a great season.
But what was normal?
For me, it was normal to always be lucky in all respects. For 16 years, I had more than just hit the jackpot when both height and all other physical characteristics were distributed. I had already reached 180cm. I was muscular, dark hair that hardly needed any styling. I did well in school and just about everything in life went according to plan. Until my mom came around the corner and announced that she and dad had a new job and we would move to the other end of the USA. Since then, things went downhill. Not just figuratively speaking, no, I even managed to rush out of the house and kiss the floor two weeks before the championship. As if the embarrassment itself wasn't enough, my arm also had to decide that the floor was stronger...
“They can't be that damn serious...” I grumbled, glancing at the scoreboard. 23-34 in favor of the opponents was shining at me in bright letters, and I felt as if the scoreboard was mocking me, because at that very moment the number increased to 36. But I didn't just mean my teammates in front of me when I said that.
“Damn it!”
After three of four quarters to be played, as it was common in basketball, this was just ticked off. My colleagues played as if they had already accepted the whole thing and I didn't have the strength to take it with humor now. I was nudged from the side and looked into the brown doe eyes of Derek. This blond shaggy head was half a giant and a good friend, but just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
“Don't worry about it, next year we'll get the thing back and then it'll really be about the scholarships,” I heard him say at that moment. His expression seemed encouraging and I didn't question the fact that he meant it exactly as he said it.
Nevertheless, I let out a sigh, saw my team of the last two years approaching and signaling the end of the last break, and got up.
“I can't stand this any longer.” I mumbled to myself, picked up my things and headed for the exit. Yes, I felt many eyes looking at me. Some might even have understood my displeasure, others were disappointed that I was now mentally abandoning them.
But what did they know?
The last game was over. My parents still couldn't quite understand my displeasure, which is why I hadn't paid much attention to them this morning.
What could they possibly imagine? They could never get enough themselves, at least that's how it seemed to me. One last look at our current house only reinforced my impression. Damn it, we had a house, not a small one, no... we even had a damn pool in the backyard and the parties in it were awesome. So why did we have to move? Did they really need more luxury? I just didn't understand it. And they didn't understand that I didn't want the basketball scholarship so that I could go to college, but so that I could get better at basketball, but they didn't really understand sports. How could I hope for understanding?
For my last week of school, I had decided to take the bus. At least I would have a few minutes of peace before I arrived at the rather outdated school grounds. Yes, it was not the most beautiful school, that was for sure. But I didn't really care about that, the people were okay and wasn't that more important than any status symbols?
Now I was standing there, as I hadn't in a long time, waiting for the bus. I had my backpack on. Normal white sneakers, dark, knee-length jeans, and a dark blue shirt. I didn't need anything more. It was warm and I never gave much on any brand clothes. It was simply not necessary here. I was accepted as I was and I liked that. Even better, since I was mainly responsible for the team scoring, I was not only popular with my teammates. Rather, I was popular with all the students.
“It could have been too good to be true,” I muttered to myself with a sigh. I let my head fall back and felt the sun's rays pushing through the dense leaves of the tree. Shortly afterwards, I was able to get on the bus and immediately knew why I had actually turned my back on this stuffy means of transport that smelled of old sports socks.
– Memo to myself. I'll reconsider taking this ride every day.--
For 20 minutes, I had to endure this musty smell. But basically, this was the least of my worries.
On the bus, I could see Derek and Mason waiting on the other side of the street. As expected, Derek seemed in a better mood than Mason. Unlike Derek and me, Mason had to be on the court for the last game. Even worse, he was supposed to take my position, which I had already argued with the coach about before the game. He was our center and he was great at it, so why should he suddenly be the point guard? Nobody could understand that. Even the blond guy would have been the better choice, because unlike Mason, he could have scored a point or two, but that wasn't my decision to make.
Meanwhile, I had arrived at the two of them and what can I say. The sight literally invited me to tease them. The way Mason hung his head, his light brown hair hung down to just below his eyes, which looked anything but attractive, more like a beaten puppy dog. Not that I have any comparison pictures in my head.
“Now stop burying your head in the ground, the girls won't be able to see your pretty blue eyes, although with your hair length increasing exponentially, that's soon going to be a thing of the past anyway.” I tried jokingly, punching him on the shoulder with my unscathed left hand.
“What? No comment about Friday? Are you just going to smile your way through this, or how should we interpret that?” Mason replied, also puzzled.
What had he expected? Which brings us back to the words at the beginning, because normally I would have been angry, normally I would have accused him of playing sloppily. Only I had the weekend to calm down. Neither I nor she could change the way the game turned out.
“I could blame you for this, or the stupid wood paneling, which was smoother that day than on other days. But what good does that do us? To be honest, I don't feel like spending the last week in this state in a bad mood.” I put on a forced smile with my last words, but that didn't stop the two of them from understanding the words exactly as I meant them. I slowly got moving, because I didn't want to be late for class, even in the last week.
“What?” came the simultaneous reply from both of them. It sounded a bit like that to me too when my parents announced their idea. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it. ‘You've got to be kidding us,’ said Derek, who was the first to find his voice, followed by, ‘Are you staying for your graduation? What about the team?’ from Mason.
Derek to my left and Mason to my right both looked as if they were looking for signs of a joke, but unfortunately I had to disappoint them.
“Unfortunately not, my parents have a job offer that they really want to accept. I can't attend classes when I'm over 600 kilometers away.” My bad mood couldn't be hidden, and the team? I couldn't even mention that right now. They would somehow manage... and yes, 600 kilometers is not at the other end of the USA, but that's how it felt to me at first. Besides, I didn't know exactly which corner of Florida I would end up in, I hadn't expressed that much interest.
“I don't get it, like this couldn't have waited another two years. Did they even ask you what you think? How long have they been planning this?” As we all know, Mason went from being amazed to being in attack mode not much later. He'd gotten himself into enough stupid situations that way, but I just shook my head at this one. Now it was like this, and to be honest, I didn't want to think about it anymore.
Derek, meanwhile, just nodded in agreement with Mason's outburst.
“What should I be able to change about it? It is now as it is and now stop asking questions, we can also explain that after school, let me now first in math make sure that none of you imbeciles gets the first bad grade for next year.” I ended the discussion and sat down at my place. How quickly will the rest of the school find out that I'll be gone soon? With the two chatterboxes, I strongly suspected that this was the case at the latest after the lesson.
-:Qu(ee)inn(i):- So how Pat and Patterchen are behaving, did you tell them?:-
The telltale beeping in my pocket gave me a bad feeling, but when I read the name, I knew it wasn't the case. I just let my cell phone slide onto the table, as if I was looking for something else. I caught the unobtrusive glance of Derek and Mason, and I could understand Quinn's message.
-:Lukas:- Well sweetheart, I had to go sometime. I couldn't have known that it would be the end of the world. :'x:-
Was it mean to make fun of it? Sure, but what do you call that? Gallows humor? At least I could still maintain that.
-:Qu(ee)inn(i):- That's probably because they haven't yet understood that there is such a thing as internet access in Florida and they don't have to learn Morse code to keep in touch with you.:-
How could someone type so fast? I quickly scanned the words and couldn't hold back an amused snort. She definitely knew how to cheer someone up. Even though you wouldn't think so at first glance, when you saw her in person. You could describe her as a typical doll. Blonde extensions, even though she often claims that it is her real hair. I had known her for years and could say that it was definitely not the case. She also paid excessive attention to looking good and not appearing to have too much make-up on, but often that was exactly the case. The more she put on her face, the more natural it looked again. You'd think she'd be good at art, but no. Face painting seemed to be an art form all its own... Only in character was she definitely a 10, at least after she found out what advantages a gay best friend had. She didn't tell me all of them yet, though...
“Lukas Johnson, would you be so kind as to explain to the rest of the class why math is so entertaining?” Mrs. Monroe's loud voice rang out, and I looked up, caught, as expected, standing barely a meter away from me. She was always good at sneaking up on people.
I was always good at math, but that didn't mean that the teacher liked me, because unfortunately that was not the case at all. What had I done to her? Personally probably nothing, but after my outing she had it in for me especially. But I would never see a connection, that would be completely stupid...
“No, I wouldn't. I'm not a gossip, you'd have to try the room upstairs. Aren't those the rooms for the school newspaper? They like to blabber more out of the box.” I heard some students around me draw in their breath sharply. Well, what should I care about the old woman? I knew she didn't like me. She also knew that it was mutual. And what could she possibly do to me in the last week? I didn't know if the entire teaching staff had heard about it by now, but I assumed that they had. I had asked that it not be widely spread until after the last game, but I had already been approached about it several times last week. As if the teachers didn't have anything better to do.
“Just because this is the last week before the holidays doesn't stop me from sending you to the principal for your first time, do you understand me Johnson?” God, how much better could she have phrased that? I definitely had the class giggling on my side after her wording. Yes, I had never ended up with the principal for any abnormalities, but...
“QUIET NOW” I didn't even have to say anything, she had apparently realized what she had said.
For the rest of the math lesson, I had taken my cell phone off the table again, I should still have a little decency.
As soon as I left the classroom, I knew that it must have already made the rounds. Here and there I felt a few glances on me, from others you could hear quiet whispering, but no one addressed me. I was glad about that.
It was enough that Mason and Derek still looked as if they had seen a ghost even after math. Quinn, on the other hand, was Quinn, and the broad grin on her face could only have been caused by the old Monroe's statement, and so it was.
“Honestly, Lukas, how could you upset poor Mrs. Monroe like that?” she stood before me, reprimanding me, almost holding her sides with laughter. Apparently she'd been holding it in the whole time. Poor thing.
“Seriously, as if our generation still saves itself for marriage, what does she dream about at night?”
Mason had apparently found his words again.
“You guys are pretty funny sometimes. But I don't think any of us want to take a closer look at her mental movie.” I shook my head to try to get rid of the thought.
“By the way, did you guys know that there are no sports classes today? Except for the basic physics courses, of course.”
As usual, it was Derek who had to bring up academic topics again. To me, however, his words meant that I was now free, as our sports trainer had left it up to me whether I came to class every time or not. I didn't have many absences, so the few hours didn't bother me at all. Only Mason and Quinn were annoyed, because they had to stay until the end, and you could see and hear that.
“What bad luck that I'm off duty now.” I let a little schadenfreude sound with it, because that's how it was. In a way, I was glad that I could leave now. That way, I didn't have to wait for other classmates to ask me about my whereabouts. On the other hand, it was a strange feeling to have day 1 of 5 behind me.
“Oh yes, so unlucky, then you can organize a farewell party for tonight and I'll take care of...”
I didn't even let Mason finish. “No, definitely not today,” I interrupted him. “But there will be one. On Saturday. And yes, don't look so irritated, just because I'll be at a different school next year doesn't mean that Friday is the cut-off. Besides, my parents are already in Florida for the weekend doing something, I wasn't listening too closely, so there's nothing standing in the way.” At least I was able to make a few children's eyes light up again with that statement. Apparently it also came across that I didn't leave immediately.
We left it at that. We said goodbye for today and I left the school grounds. There were definitely some advantages to finishing work early, but I was feeling rather that it was more of a disadvantage for me. Firstly, I would have to wait forever for the sewer that is called a bus, which is why I decided to just walk home, which, by the way, wouldn't take that much longer than the bus. The traffic was just hell sometimes. Secondly, and this was the much bigger problem, my mom. Unlike Dad, she didn't have to work until after lunch today, which meant that if I didn't waste a lot of time, I would run into her, and that wasn't exactly something I wanted.
So I decided to get something to eat. This morning, I had neither the time nor the desire to take something from the kitchen, I would have had more than enough options at school, but now it was like that.
With a filled bread roll, I came out of the bakery. It wasn't that busy. On a Monday, at 10:45 a.m. My eyes fell on a bench in the park across the street. It just made a lot more sense to eat while sitting comfortably and watching people like some creep who actually felt the need to stroll through the park at this time of day. Yes, well, mostly older people or pet owners. Yes, deliberately not dog owners, because there were really people here who walked their cats in the park! It was amazing what you could see when you had time to waste.
However, when I looked at my watch, I realized that it had only been 15 minutes. 15 minutes that felt really long to me, no matter how I looked at it. My mom would luckily disappear by 12:30, but what about me? I would be home in 20 minutes at the latest.
With a sigh, I got up. I threw the napkin from the bun into the trash can and made my way home.
And as I had already thought, my mom's car was still there.
I quietly opened the door to our house and could already hear her clattering around in the kitchen. She was probably packing something to eat or preparing dinner, what did I know.
I tried to quietly make my way to the stairs, but they then put a spoke in my wheel. The creaking of the first steps had given me away.
“Lukas Schatz, is that you?“ my mom called in a friendly voice, and I immediately heard footsteps approaching.
“Yes, we had a sleep-out,” I turned around on the stairs and went to meet her. Her worried expression didn't exactly make the whole situation any less bizarre. So I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and let the whole thing wash over me.
“You have an outbreak? And then you're at home and not out with your friends?” she asked in amazement. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun. Apparently she was already ready for work, which meant she still had a lot of time... This forced small talk didn't make the whole thing any better.
“Quinn and Mason still have physics and I didn't want to wait for Derek until after gym,“ I would have done.
She sighed and ran her hand through her perfect hair, which was absolutely not her style and obviously signaled a change of subject.
“You've been avoiding us for a month.” A nod from me had to suffice as an answer.
“It can't go on like this, Lukas, there's still a lot to discuss and...”
“What and?” I interrupted her? ‘It might also have been nice to have been involved in this planning from the start. Then you would have also heard what I think of this idea!’ I didn't raise my voice, just a hint of disappointment in my voice. I hadn't chosen any of this.
“I know and I understand you too.” She sat down with me. Everything about her always seemed too perfect. She didn't get angry or condescending. No, always on the nice side, but still... It didn't change the facts.
“There was no other way. Now it's a bit tight to explain all this to you, but we'll talk about it at dinner. Ok?“ Had she just pushed the whole conversation back again?
“Mm-hm,” I agreed with her almost silently. I didn't trust my voice enough anymore.
“Luk?” I raised my eyes to her, not having noticed that I had lowered them.
“Your dad will arrive tomorrow and start with the furnishing of the living rooms. I'll follow him on Friday.” It almost sounded as if the whole thing would be over faster than I had first assumed. Without waiting for a reaction from me, she continued. ”I have four weeks off before I have to start my new job. We want to manage the move in that time. I know that you probably want to stay here as long as possible. So your dad and I have agreed that you can stay here for the whole time, if that's okay with you.” Phew, there it was. The long-considered reprieve. As I understood it, that was still four weeks from Friday or even Monday. So enough time to do a lot with the house free of parents.
“It's okay,” I swallowed the lump that had formed during the conversation. ‘I'd just like to go up now.’ With a silent nod, my mom dismissed me from the conversation and I ran upstairs, almost fleeing.
Four weeks, if I had to leave, then it would be four absolutely, awesome and unforgettable weeks. As always, I threw my backpack directly under my desk as I entered my room. It was only now that I got around to looking at my cell phone. The usual suspects were lit up, but our class chat was also almost exploding. I could pretty much guess what the topic was there. I dropped backwards onto the bed and wanted to click through the messages.
When I opened it, the chat had already jumped to the first unread message, and as I had already suspected, I was the subject.
I quickly scrolled through the more than three-digit number of messages. It was okay. Apparently I had been dealing with the topic for a while. They didn't have the chance and now had to explain themselves at length. At least this also explained why my private mailbox was overflowing.
I dropped my cell phone next to me on the bed. I didn't feel like answering everyone, and it was also a bit cumbersome to type with the splint. My eyes slid over to my laptop. Of course, it was difficult for me to reach my desk from here, but that didn't stop me from trying. In the end, I had to get up after I had already supported myself on the floor with one hand between the bed and the desk, only then I had no working hand to lift the laptop off the table.
I stayed at my desk. I put together a small flyer with the most important data. And then I put it in the class chat. A picture of the last pool party served as the background, just so that I could write on white text blocks.
: -Lukas: -
It was a great time, let's make the farewell even better.
Pool party, every Saturday for the next 4 weeks.
Drinks on site!
Is this actually more the responsibility of the 11th and 12th graders? Definitely. Am I at the same level as them because of my position in the team and my older appearance? Also definitely. And it was also clear that the rest of the team would show up, which in turn meant...
I have to shop.
Yes, I'm spamming you a bit today. There might even be another one. But everything I don't post today will probably come next week.
Maybe you can leave a comment and say how you like it? Unfortunately, I have no experience except for a few RPGs
There were still a few small hurdles that I had to overcome during the week, but I was really looking forward to the party getting closer and closer.
On Monday evening, my parents and I had a rather long and very disturbing conversation. Unfortunately, I had to admit that it was quite plausible and understandable. The company my dad worked for was no longer doing so well. Although his position would not be cut, the company that was now buying it out would benefit more from employing him there as a training manager. And the offer was quite... better. Even if this meant that there would be no more storm-free weekends...
And mom? Well, as a tax consultant, she just had to apply somewhere and then she usually had no problem finding a new job.
One of them is studying, the other is good at handicrafts, and I just wanted to play basketball. It was clear that there were two different worlds colliding.
Even at school, opinions were divided. There was nothing I could do about that. Above all, Coach Edison was so... phew... semi enthusiastic. He had planned two more years with me. I couldn't help his disappointment.
So I avoided him for the rest of the week.
At least until today.
Friday. As every year, all students gathered in the gym.
A teacher was bid farewell. The 12th grade and last but not least, or in my opinion unnecessarily, me too. But that was the procedure every time a student left. At least that's what they said, because it hadn't happened in the last few years.
Our couch even apologized for his reaction, which almost made me sentimental. All in all. I had survived the last week. Without any major complications. And now my plan was to spend the last four weeks here celebrating, possibly the last two or three of them playing basketball if my arm was fit enough again by then. Fortunately, I now only had a splint that I could take off if I wanted to. Thanks to physiotherapy...
“What's the plan?” Mason asked me after we had left the hallowed halls. I already knew what he wanted to get at, because we had already touched on the subject this morning.
“Well, the same as always. You and Derek are setting up the sound system for tomorrow. Quinn and a few friends want to come by and hand out some decorations. TK and I will pick up the drinks order. And then we can chill a bit until the party starts tomorrow,” I explained the process, and it was the same as always. The same roles as the last few times.
We were still on schedule when TK appeared behind them. Quinn was long gone, but that was nothing unusual.
“I'm here,” the older one grumbled. He had already stopped playing in a fixed position this year. Basketball had been just a hobby for him, because it had been clear to him for more than two years that he would study law and that would be the case after the summer. For the 190-pound man, this was also the last day. TK was also one of my closer friends and when it came to drinks... We both had fake IDs, but he usually didn't need it. It wasn't particularly surprising either. Especially since the last year of high school, he felt he had to shave every day to avoid looking like the next terrorist, his words, not mine. At least he also came from, phew, let's say the eastern countries. I kept forgetting exactly where. Until the last day, apparently.
“Well then, let's go,” I replied immediately and we set off.
Two hours later, we were the last ones to arrive at my house, but that wasn't a problem, after all, Quinn had had a duplicate key for ages. My parents always said that at least they could be sure that someone wouldn't lose the key. In my defense, It happened about twice in 10 years... per year. Most of the time he was lying somewhere on the basketball court, or in the locker room, or... the list would be too long.
“Guys, it's warm and we only have non-alcoholic drinks here. I hope the beer didn't get warm on the ride or why are you only just back?” Sarah. Quinn's evil twin and not necessarily my favorite person, but now and then Mason and she got into each other, so I had to deal with it. She looked just like Quinn and was also a damn good friend of hers, but I seemed to lack the synapses to recognize any positive qualities in her. In contrast to Quinn, however, she was tall at 170cm, almost 15cm taller than Quinn. Isn't it usually the case that short women are more prickly? Exceptions prove the rule.
“Now we're here.” TK mumbled the words more than he actually said them. We had to pick up his dad's car trailer from the garage, which was in the other direction, so it took a while. It was only officially morning. If my favorite idiot wasn't currently playing on-off relationship with her, she wouldn't be there at all today...
But what was normal?
For me, it was normal to always be lucky in all respects. For 16 years, I had more than just hit the jackpot when both height and all other physical characteristics were distributed. I had already reached 180cm. I was muscular, dark hair that hardly needed any styling. I did well in school and just about everything in life went according to plan. Until my mom came around the corner and announced that she and dad had a new job and we would move to the other end of the USA. Since then, things went downhill. Not just figuratively speaking, no, I even managed to rush out of the house and kiss the floor two weeks before the championship. As if the embarrassment itself wasn't enough, my arm also had to decide that the floor was stronger...
“They can't be that damn serious...” I grumbled, glancing at the scoreboard. 23-34 in favor of the opponents was shining at me in bright letters, and I felt as if the scoreboard was mocking me, because at that very moment the number increased to 36. But I didn't just mean my teammates in front of me when I said that.
“Damn it!”
After three of four quarters to be played, as it was common in basketball, this was just ticked off. My colleagues played as if they had already accepted the whole thing and I didn't have the strength to take it with humor now. I was nudged from the side and looked into the brown doe eyes of Derek. This blond shaggy head was half a giant and a good friend, but just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
“Don't worry about it, next year we'll get the thing back and then it'll really be about the scholarships,” I heard him say at that moment. His expression seemed encouraging and I didn't question the fact that he meant it exactly as he said it.
Nevertheless, I let out a sigh, saw my team of the last two years approaching and signaling the end of the last break, and got up.
“I can't stand this any longer.” I mumbled to myself, picked up my things and headed for the exit. Yes, I felt many eyes looking at me. Some might even have understood my displeasure, others were disappointed that I was now mentally abandoning them.
But what did they know?
The last game was over. My parents still couldn't quite understand my displeasure, which is why I hadn't paid much attention to them this morning.
What could they possibly imagine? They could never get enough themselves, at least that's how it seemed to me. One last look at our current house only reinforced my impression. Damn it, we had a house, not a small one, no... we even had a damn pool in the backyard and the parties in it were awesome. So why did we have to move? Did they really need more luxury? I just didn't understand it. And they didn't understand that I didn't want the basketball scholarship so that I could go to college, but so that I could get better at basketball, but they didn't really understand sports. How could I hope for understanding?
For my last week of school, I had decided to take the bus. At least I would have a few minutes of peace before I arrived at the rather outdated school grounds. Yes, it was not the most beautiful school, that was for sure. But I didn't really care about that, the people were okay and wasn't that more important than any status symbols?
Now I was standing there, as I hadn't in a long time, waiting for the bus. I had my backpack on. Normal white sneakers, dark, knee-length jeans, and a dark blue shirt. I didn't need anything more. It was warm and I never gave much on any brand clothes. It was simply not necessary here. I was accepted as I was and I liked that. Even better, since I was mainly responsible for the team scoring, I was not only popular with my teammates. Rather, I was popular with all the students.
“It could have been too good to be true,” I muttered to myself with a sigh. I let my head fall back and felt the sun's rays pushing through the dense leaves of the tree. Shortly afterwards, I was able to get on the bus and immediately knew why I had actually turned my back on this stuffy means of transport that smelled of old sports socks.
– Memo to myself. I'll reconsider taking this ride every day.--
For 20 minutes, I had to endure this musty smell. But basically, this was the least of my worries.
On the bus, I could see Derek and Mason waiting on the other side of the street. As expected, Derek seemed in a better mood than Mason. Unlike Derek and me, Mason had to be on the court for the last game. Even worse, he was supposed to take my position, which I had already argued with the coach about before the game. He was our center and he was great at it, so why should he suddenly be the point guard? Nobody could understand that. Even the blond guy would have been the better choice, because unlike Mason, he could have scored a point or two, but that wasn't my decision to make.
Meanwhile, I had arrived at the two of them and what can I say. The sight literally invited me to tease them. The way Mason hung his head, his light brown hair hung down to just below his eyes, which looked anything but attractive, more like a beaten puppy dog. Not that I have any comparison pictures in my head.
“Now stop burying your head in the ground, the girls won't be able to see your pretty blue eyes, although with your hair length increasing exponentially, that's soon going to be a thing of the past anyway.” I tried jokingly, punching him on the shoulder with my unscathed left hand.
“What? No comment about Friday? Are you just going to smile your way through this, or how should we interpret that?” Mason replied, also puzzled.
What had he expected? Which brings us back to the words at the beginning, because normally I would have been angry, normally I would have accused him of playing sloppily. Only I had the weekend to calm down. Neither I nor she could change the way the game turned out.
“I could blame you for this, or the stupid wood paneling, which was smoother that day than on other days. But what good does that do us? To be honest, I don't feel like spending the last week in this state in a bad mood.” I put on a forced smile with my last words, but that didn't stop the two of them from understanding the words exactly as I meant them. I slowly got moving, because I didn't want to be late for class, even in the last week.
“What?” came the simultaneous reply from both of them. It sounded a bit like that to me too when my parents announced their idea. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it. ‘You've got to be kidding us,’ said Derek, who was the first to find his voice, followed by, ‘Are you staying for your graduation? What about the team?’ from Mason.
Derek to my left and Mason to my right both looked as if they were looking for signs of a joke, but unfortunately I had to disappoint them.
“Unfortunately not, my parents have a job offer that they really want to accept. I can't attend classes when I'm over 600 kilometers away.” My bad mood couldn't be hidden, and the team? I couldn't even mention that right now. They would somehow manage... and yes, 600 kilometers is not at the other end of the USA, but that's how it felt to me at first. Besides, I didn't know exactly which corner of Florida I would end up in, I hadn't expressed that much interest.
“I don't get it, like this couldn't have waited another two years. Did they even ask you what you think? How long have they been planning this?” As we all know, Mason went from being amazed to being in attack mode not much later. He'd gotten himself into enough stupid situations that way, but I just shook my head at this one. Now it was like this, and to be honest, I didn't want to think about it anymore.
Derek, meanwhile, just nodded in agreement with Mason's outburst.
“What should I be able to change about it? It is now as it is and now stop asking questions, we can also explain that after school, let me now first in math make sure that none of you imbeciles gets the first bad grade for next year.” I ended the discussion and sat down at my place. How quickly will the rest of the school find out that I'll be gone soon? With the two chatterboxes, I strongly suspected that this was the case at the latest after the lesson.
-:Qu(ee)inn(i):- So how Pat and Patterchen are behaving, did you tell them?:-
The telltale beeping in my pocket gave me a bad feeling, but when I read the name, I knew it wasn't the case. I just let my cell phone slide onto the table, as if I was looking for something else. I caught the unobtrusive glance of Derek and Mason, and I could understand Quinn's message.
-:Lukas:- Well sweetheart, I had to go sometime. I couldn't have known that it would be the end of the world. :'x:-
Was it mean to make fun of it? Sure, but what do you call that? Gallows humor? At least I could still maintain that.
-:Qu(ee)inn(i):- That's probably because they haven't yet understood that there is such a thing as internet access in Florida and they don't have to learn Morse code to keep in touch with you.:-
How could someone type so fast? I quickly scanned the words and couldn't hold back an amused snort. She definitely knew how to cheer someone up. Even though you wouldn't think so at first glance, when you saw her in person. You could describe her as a typical doll. Blonde extensions, even though she often claims that it is her real hair. I had known her for years and could say that it was definitely not the case. She also paid excessive attention to looking good and not appearing to have too much make-up on, but often that was exactly the case. The more she put on her face, the more natural it looked again. You'd think she'd be good at art, but no. Face painting seemed to be an art form all its own... Only in character was she definitely a 10, at least after she found out what advantages a gay best friend had. She didn't tell me all of them yet, though...
“Lukas Johnson, would you be so kind as to explain to the rest of the class why math is so entertaining?” Mrs. Monroe's loud voice rang out, and I looked up, caught, as expected, standing barely a meter away from me. She was always good at sneaking up on people.
I was always good at math, but that didn't mean that the teacher liked me, because unfortunately that was not the case at all. What had I done to her? Personally probably nothing, but after my outing she had it in for me especially. But I would never see a connection, that would be completely stupid...
“No, I wouldn't. I'm not a gossip, you'd have to try the room upstairs. Aren't those the rooms for the school newspaper? They like to blabber more out of the box.” I heard some students around me draw in their breath sharply. Well, what should I care about the old woman? I knew she didn't like me. She also knew that it was mutual. And what could she possibly do to me in the last week? I didn't know if the entire teaching staff had heard about it by now, but I assumed that they had. I had asked that it not be widely spread until after the last game, but I had already been approached about it several times last week. As if the teachers didn't have anything better to do.
“Just because this is the last week before the holidays doesn't stop me from sending you to the principal for your first time, do you understand me Johnson?” God, how much better could she have phrased that? I definitely had the class giggling on my side after her wording. Yes, I had never ended up with the principal for any abnormalities, but...
“QUIET NOW” I didn't even have to say anything, she had apparently realized what she had said.
For the rest of the math lesson, I had taken my cell phone off the table again, I should still have a little decency.
As soon as I left the classroom, I knew that it must have already made the rounds. Here and there I felt a few glances on me, from others you could hear quiet whispering, but no one addressed me. I was glad about that.
It was enough that Mason and Derek still looked as if they had seen a ghost even after math. Quinn, on the other hand, was Quinn, and the broad grin on her face could only have been caused by the old Monroe's statement, and so it was.
“Honestly, Lukas, how could you upset poor Mrs. Monroe like that?” she stood before me, reprimanding me, almost holding her sides with laughter. Apparently she'd been holding it in the whole time. Poor thing.
“Seriously, as if our generation still saves itself for marriage, what does she dream about at night?”
Mason had apparently found his words again.
“You guys are pretty funny sometimes. But I don't think any of us want to take a closer look at her mental movie.” I shook my head to try to get rid of the thought.
“By the way, did you guys know that there are no sports classes today? Except for the basic physics courses, of course.”
As usual, it was Derek who had to bring up academic topics again. To me, however, his words meant that I was now free, as our sports trainer had left it up to me whether I came to class every time or not. I didn't have many absences, so the few hours didn't bother me at all. Only Mason and Quinn were annoyed, because they had to stay until the end, and you could see and hear that.
“What bad luck that I'm off duty now.” I let a little schadenfreude sound with it, because that's how it was. In a way, I was glad that I could leave now. That way, I didn't have to wait for other classmates to ask me about my whereabouts. On the other hand, it was a strange feeling to have day 1 of 5 behind me.
“Oh yes, so unlucky, then you can organize a farewell party for tonight and I'll take care of...”
I didn't even let Mason finish. “No, definitely not today,” I interrupted him. “But there will be one. On Saturday. And yes, don't look so irritated, just because I'll be at a different school next year doesn't mean that Friday is the cut-off. Besides, my parents are already in Florida for the weekend doing something, I wasn't listening too closely, so there's nothing standing in the way.” At least I was able to make a few children's eyes light up again with that statement. Apparently it also came across that I didn't leave immediately.
We left it at that. We said goodbye for today and I left the school grounds. There were definitely some advantages to finishing work early, but I was feeling rather that it was more of a disadvantage for me. Firstly, I would have to wait forever for the sewer that is called a bus, which is why I decided to just walk home, which, by the way, wouldn't take that much longer than the bus. The traffic was just hell sometimes. Secondly, and this was the much bigger problem, my mom. Unlike Dad, she didn't have to work until after lunch today, which meant that if I didn't waste a lot of time, I would run into her, and that wasn't exactly something I wanted.
So I decided to get something to eat. This morning, I had neither the time nor the desire to take something from the kitchen, I would have had more than enough options at school, but now it was like that.
With a filled bread roll, I came out of the bakery. It wasn't that busy. On a Monday, at 10:45 a.m. My eyes fell on a bench in the park across the street. It just made a lot more sense to eat while sitting comfortably and watching people like some creep who actually felt the need to stroll through the park at this time of day. Yes, well, mostly older people or pet owners. Yes, deliberately not dog owners, because there were really people here who walked their cats in the park! It was amazing what you could see when you had time to waste.
However, when I looked at my watch, I realized that it had only been 15 minutes. 15 minutes that felt really long to me, no matter how I looked at it. My mom would luckily disappear by 12:30, but what about me? I would be home in 20 minutes at the latest.
With a sigh, I got up. I threw the napkin from the bun into the trash can and made my way home.
And as I had already thought, my mom's car was still there.
I quietly opened the door to our house and could already hear her clattering around in the kitchen. She was probably packing something to eat or preparing dinner, what did I know.
I tried to quietly make my way to the stairs, but they then put a spoke in my wheel. The creaking of the first steps had given me away.
“Lukas Schatz, is that you?“ my mom called in a friendly voice, and I immediately heard footsteps approaching.
“Yes, we had a sleep-out,” I turned around on the stairs and went to meet her. Her worried expression didn't exactly make the whole situation any less bizarre. So I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and let the whole thing wash over me.
“You have an outbreak? And then you're at home and not out with your friends?” she asked in amazement. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun. Apparently she was already ready for work, which meant she still had a lot of time... This forced small talk didn't make the whole thing any better.
“Quinn and Mason still have physics and I didn't want to wait for Derek until after gym,“ I would have done.
She sighed and ran her hand through her perfect hair, which was absolutely not her style and obviously signaled a change of subject.
“You've been avoiding us for a month.” A nod from me had to suffice as an answer.
“It can't go on like this, Lukas, there's still a lot to discuss and...”
“What and?” I interrupted her? ‘It might also have been nice to have been involved in this planning from the start. Then you would have also heard what I think of this idea!’ I didn't raise my voice, just a hint of disappointment in my voice. I hadn't chosen any of this.
“I know and I understand you too.” She sat down with me. Everything about her always seemed too perfect. She didn't get angry or condescending. No, always on the nice side, but still... It didn't change the facts.
“There was no other way. Now it's a bit tight to explain all this to you, but we'll talk about it at dinner. Ok?“ Had she just pushed the whole conversation back again?
“Mm-hm,” I agreed with her almost silently. I didn't trust my voice enough anymore.
“Luk?” I raised my eyes to her, not having noticed that I had lowered them.
“Your dad will arrive tomorrow and start with the furnishing of the living rooms. I'll follow him on Friday.” It almost sounded as if the whole thing would be over faster than I had first assumed. Without waiting for a reaction from me, she continued. ”I have four weeks off before I have to start my new job. We want to manage the move in that time. I know that you probably want to stay here as long as possible. So your dad and I have agreed that you can stay here for the whole time, if that's okay with you.” Phew, there it was. The long-considered reprieve. As I understood it, that was still four weeks from Friday or even Monday. So enough time to do a lot with the house free of parents.
“It's okay,” I swallowed the lump that had formed during the conversation. ‘I'd just like to go up now.’ With a silent nod, my mom dismissed me from the conversation and I ran upstairs, almost fleeing.
Four weeks, if I had to leave, then it would be four absolutely, awesome and unforgettable weeks. As always, I threw my backpack directly under my desk as I entered my room. It was only now that I got around to looking at my cell phone. The usual suspects were lit up, but our class chat was also almost exploding. I could pretty much guess what the topic was there. I dropped backwards onto the bed and wanted to click through the messages.
When I opened it, the chat had already jumped to the first unread message, and as I had already suspected, I was the subject.
I quickly scrolled through the more than three-digit number of messages. It was okay. Apparently I had been dealing with the topic for a while. They didn't have the chance and now had to explain themselves at length. At least this also explained why my private mailbox was overflowing.
I dropped my cell phone next to me on the bed. I didn't feel like answering everyone, and it was also a bit cumbersome to type with the splint. My eyes slid over to my laptop. Of course, it was difficult for me to reach my desk from here, but that didn't stop me from trying. In the end, I had to get up after I had already supported myself on the floor with one hand between the bed and the desk, only then I had no working hand to lift the laptop off the table.
I stayed at my desk. I put together a small flyer with the most important data. And then I put it in the class chat. A picture of the last pool party served as the background, just so that I could write on white text blocks.
: -Lukas: -
It was a great time, let's make the farewell even better.
Pool party, every Saturday for the next 4 weeks.
Drinks on site!
Is this actually more the responsibility of the 11th and 12th graders? Definitely. Am I at the same level as them because of my position in the team and my older appearance? Also definitely. And it was also clear that the rest of the team would show up, which in turn meant...
I have to shop.
Yes, I'm spamming you a bit today. There might even be another one. But everything I don't post today will probably come next week.
Maybe you can leave a comment and say how you like it? Unfortunately, I have no experience except for a few RPGs
There were still a few small hurdles that I had to overcome during the week, but I was really looking forward to the party getting closer and closer.
On Monday evening, my parents and I had a rather long and very disturbing conversation. Unfortunately, I had to admit that it was quite plausible and understandable. The company my dad worked for was no longer doing so well. Although his position would not be cut, the company that was now buying it out would benefit more from employing him there as a training manager. And the offer was quite... better. Even if this meant that there would be no more storm-free weekends...
And mom? Well, as a tax consultant, she just had to apply somewhere and then she usually had no problem finding a new job.
One of them is studying, the other is good at handicrafts, and I just wanted to play basketball. It was clear that there were two different worlds colliding.
Even at school, opinions were divided. There was nothing I could do about that. Above all, Coach Edison was so... phew... semi enthusiastic. He had planned two more years with me. I couldn't help his disappointment.
So I avoided him for the rest of the week.
At least until today.
Friday. As every year, all students gathered in the gym.
A teacher was bid farewell. The 12th grade and last but not least, or in my opinion unnecessarily, me too. But that was the procedure every time a student left. At least that's what they said, because it hadn't happened in the last few years.
Our couch even apologized for his reaction, which almost made me sentimental. All in all. I had survived the last week. Without any major complications. And now my plan was to spend the last four weeks here celebrating, possibly the last two or three of them playing basketball if my arm was fit enough again by then. Fortunately, I now only had a splint that I could take off if I wanted to. Thanks to physiotherapy...
“What's the plan?” Mason asked me after we had left the hallowed halls. I already knew what he wanted to get at, because we had already touched on the subject this morning.
“Well, the same as always. You and Derek are setting up the sound system for tomorrow. Quinn and a few friends want to come by and hand out some decorations. TK and I will pick up the drinks order. And then we can chill a bit until the party starts tomorrow,” I explained the process, and it was the same as always. The same roles as the last few times.
We were still on schedule when TK appeared behind them. Quinn was long gone, but that was nothing unusual.
“I'm here,” the older one grumbled. He had already stopped playing in a fixed position this year. Basketball had been just a hobby for him, because it had been clear to him for more than two years that he would study law and that would be the case after the summer. For the 190-pound man, this was also the last day. TK was also one of my closer friends and when it came to drinks... We both had fake IDs, but he usually didn't need it. It wasn't particularly surprising either. Especially since the last year of high school, he felt he had to shave every day to avoid looking like the next terrorist, his words, not mine. At least he also came from, phew, let's say the eastern countries. I kept forgetting exactly where. Until the last day, apparently.
“Well then, let's go,” I replied immediately and we set off.
Two hours later, we were the last ones to arrive at my house, but that wasn't a problem, after all, Quinn had had a duplicate key for ages. My parents always said that at least they could be sure that someone wouldn't lose the key. In my defense, It happened about twice in 10 years... per year. Most of the time he was lying somewhere on the basketball court, or in the locker room, or... the list would be too long.
“Guys, it's warm and we only have non-alcoholic drinks here. I hope the beer didn't get warm on the ride or why are you only just back?” Sarah. Quinn's evil twin and not necessarily my favorite person, but now and then Mason and she got into each other, so I had to deal with it. She looked just like Quinn and was also a damn good friend of hers, but I seemed to lack the synapses to recognize any positive qualities in her. In contrast to Quinn, however, she was tall at 170cm, almost 15cm taller than Quinn. Isn't it usually the case that short women are more prickly? Exceptions prove the rule.
“Now we're here.” TK mumbled the words more than he actually said them. We had to pick up his dad's car trailer from the garage, which was in the other direction, so it took a while. It was only officially morning. If my favorite idiot wasn't currently playing on-off relationship with her, she wouldn't be there at all today...