Los Angeles | 2009
Patrick's POV
I should not have come here. That was the single most prevalent thought in my mind as I stood squatted on the hardwood floors of the basketball court at Northwood. My sweat dripped from my brow down to the floor; I was drenched, my skin and my jersey melded into one. This wasn't even supposed to be real. I took a squiz at the scoreboard. That's got to be a glitch, right?
Team Blue: 18, Team Red: 32
This is a right old fucked up situation, mate. How are these three monsters so far above the rest of us. I used to play rugby, and I can't even budge David so much as an inch, and Leo that firecracker is always buzzing around me stopping me from even dribbling. This is my first day playing basketball in a proper match, but I've played before with Dad and I have some athletic skill, I cant be this helpless right?
I should not have come here.
…
It all started after class. Leo had been very persistent the past few weeks that I give basketball a try, and I had finally given in. What's a bloke to do when their first mate asks them to hang out? I was new in town—hell, new in the country, really—and from the looks of it, Leo was my only friend so far. Leo took me to meet his other mates, David and Bradley. David was a swell bloke, easy to talk to. But it was Bradley that gave me pause. He was fun to hang out with but also very intense. I've never seen a bloke so stoked to compete; even bowling was something he wanted to win at all costs.
It would be cringy and annoying were it not for the charm and ease with which Bradley spoke to ya. He was very adept at disarming you and getting you to see his point. I didn't feel all that comfortable initially but then we started talking and the next thing I know, him, Leo and I were bowling as if to win some tournaments.
He even invited me to play ball with them in school, it was very considerate of him seeing as I had never played it as a sport. By the time we all left for home I had genuinely felt included, and I liked that. Shifting from Australia to the States, and then shifting again to Los Angeles, makes you lose touch with a lot of stuff. I had left behind a lot of my friends.
So having a group to turn to immediately after shifting here was a blessing. It was this need to keep them as my mates that I finally relented to Leo and thought about playing basketball. Rugby certainly wasn't an option at Northwood. I wanted to test how well I'd do and then decide whether I wanted to stick to it, I would have liked to keep staying with these blokes but not at the cost of my own wellbeing. If basketball did not turn out to be my thing I wouldn't stick around, and if they abandoned me for it then they weren't my mates to begin with.
We all arrived at the court, Bradley had made it abundantly clear that I needed to play seriously or else he would chuck me out, by the looks that Leo and David gave me I understood that Brad had the pull to do so.
"Alright, listen up!" a man with a whistle and a clipboard—Coach Heath—bellowed, his voice cutting through the nervous chatter. He welcomed everyone back to the court after the summer, then his eyes landed on the trio. "I also want to take a moment to congratulate Bradley, David, and Leo for their exemplary performance at the Venice Beach 3-on-3 tournament. Winning that is no small feat."
A ripple of murmurs went through the other kids. The three of them were already legends.
"Today, we're running trials," the coach continued. "We start with drills, then we finish with a scrimmage to finalize who is in and who is out."
What followed was the most grueling hour of my life. The drills were relentless, a non-stop assault of sprints, shuffles, and ball-handling exercises. The others and I started to get tired after a while, our lungs burning, our legs turning to jelly. But when I looked over at the trio, it was like they were operating in a different reality. Leo, David, and Brad performed them as easy as breathing. They weren't just doing the drills; they were attacking them, their movements sharp, efficient, and perfectly in sync. They weren't even breathing hard.
Finally, after all the warm-up and practices, Coach Heath blew his whistle. "Alright, that's enough! Hydrate! Then we're splitting into Team Blue and Team Red for the scrimmage!"
As the rest of us scrambled for the water cooler, I saw Brad walk up to the coach. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but his tone was quiet and confident. The coach listened, then shook his head firmly. Bradley kept talking, calm and persistent. They talked a little more, and finally, to my utter disbelief, the coach gave a single, reluctant nod.
He blew his whistle again, gathering us at center court. "Alright, new plan!" he announced, a strange look on his face—a mix of curiosity and pure insanity. "Team Blue, it's the rest of you. Get a blue jersey on."
We all looked around, confused. That was like, twelve of us.
"And Team Red," the coach said, pointing with his thumb. "Will only have Brad, Leo, and David."
A stunned silence fell over the gym. He was serious. This wasn't a scrimmage. It was an execution.
I made my way to the huddle that was Team Blue, my legs still feeling the burn from the endless drills.
"Alright, listen up," a voice commanded. A kid with a sharp, focused face stepped into the middle of our circle. "I'm Adam, the PG for this team. Some of you I know, and some of you look new to me." He glanced around at all of us, his eyes lingering for a second on me.
"Joshua, James, Marcus, and I are the main players. Joshua is the Center, James is the SG, and Marcus is the PF." He paused, his tone turning dismissive. "We all saw how the rest of you did in practice, and we have to say, not many of you will make it. But we just got handed a handicap, so we have to win at all costs. That might make the coach look at you favorably."
Some of the other blokes bristled at his words, but none voiced it. The pecking order here was brutally clear; they were the veterans, we were the newbies. Adam then looked at me. "You're the new guy, right? From Australia?"
"Yeah, I am," I replied.
"I saw that you run fast and can jump high," he said, his eyes analytical. "That can help us get some rebounds. You wanna start as SF? That's a Small Forward. You just need to defend and catch the ball off the board. The rest of us will do the scoring."
It was a grunt's job. But it was a job I understood. Rugby was all about defending and fighting for the ball. "I can work with that," I answered.
"Great," Adam said. "Then that's the starting five. The rest of you will be subbed in."
"Okay boys, we will start now! Get ready for the jumpball!" Coach Heath announced, his voice booming.
We all made our way onto the court. My heart was pounding, a mix of nerves and adrenaline. I might not know all the rules, but that one hour of practice was long enough to drill the basics into me. I wouldn't make a fool of myself.
…
The ref tossed the ball up for the jumpball between David and Joshua. It wasn't even a contest. David just outclassed Joshua, his long arm easily tipping the ball back to Brad, who, without even giving the rest of us a moment to prepare, launched into a fast break. He was a blur of motion, weaving through our panicked defense and finishing with an exquisite layup that was so smooth, so effortless, it looked like a drill.
"Wake up, guys!" Adam shouted as the others scrambled. "Don't be caught off guard again!"
I was more than slightly taken aback by how easy Brad made it look.
The rest of the first quarter was a display of overwhelming domination by Team Red. They were playing a different sport than the rest of us. David, by himself, was playing defense on both Joshua and Marcus in the paint, his massive wingspan a constant, intimidating presence. On the perimeter, Brad took care of Adam, while Leo switched between guarding me and James with a furious, relentless energy.
Adam attempted multiple pass attempts, but many were outright stolen by Leo due to his speed, who would then run straight to the basket for an easy score. They weren't just playing basketball; they were toying with us.
I watched in disbelief as Brad scored back-to-back three-pointers, his form perfect, the shots barely touching the rim as they fell through. The second one was with my hand right in his face. It didn't matter.
I felt like they were monsters, playing so far above the others. They moved with a coordinated, in-sync rhythm that was terrifying to witness. They were making passes without even looking at the ball, trusting that their teammate would just be there.
I tried to use my rugby strength to get rebounds, but I was heavily blocked by David's large physique. On one play, he and I both jumped, but he just seemed to hang in the air longer, snatching the ball a full foot above my outstretched hands. As he landed, he looked right at me. "It's not your day, Pat. Don't fight me, or you'll get hurt," he said, his voice surprisingly cold.
"We shall see about that, big guy," I told him, my own competitive fire ignited. "I still got some moves."
On the next rebound, I went up with everything I had. I shouldered David hard in the air, a move straight from the rugby pitch, and for a second, I was almost able to snatch the ball. I had it! I landed, ready to dribble, but Leo came out of nowhere, his hand a blur as he tapped the ball away from me, starting another fast break that ended in another easy basket.
The quarter was grueling. We were all getting frustrated, and I could see how much of a monster Bradley and the other two were. The final buzzer was a mercy.
End of First Quarter: Team Blue: 8, Team Red: 16
We got a short break after the first quarter but it wasn't enough for me to lose the feeling of tiredness I felt. We went back on the court after sipping some water and regaining our lungs.
The second quarter started. Brad dribbled the ball down the court, his movements relaxed and deliberate. Adam moved to guard him, and that's when Brad spoke, his voice quiet but carrying across the court with a chilling finality.
"Give it up, Adam. If this is the level you're going to play at for the tournaments, there is no place for you on my team."
Before Adam could even process the insult, Brad performed a menacing ankle breaker. A violent, explosive crossover that sent Adam stumbling to the floor in a heap of tangled limbs. Bradley didn't even look down at him. He just stepped back and shot a three-pointer right next to him, the ball ripping through the net.
I was awed by the skill and the sheer, cold-blooded cruelty of it.
On the next play, Adam hesitantly dribbled the ball, his confidence completely shattered. He tried to pass, but David jumped in front of him, a mountain of a man. Adam collided with David and fell, the ball getting grabbed by Leo as he ran to the other side to score. I didn't want to stand by idly; I sprinted after him, my rugby instincts screaming at me to make the tackle, to make a stop. As Leo went up for a layup, I jumped with him, my hand raised to block the shot. But then I saw Leo smirking. He didn't shoot. He tossed the ball high off the backboard, a perfect pass that flew right into Brad's hands as he stood and took a mid-range shot, easily sinking it.
As Leo jogged past me, he spoke, his voice low. "You're doing good, man, but don't try to fight this. Brad is making a point, and he doesn't like interveners."
On the next play Brad allowed us to score by conserving energy, he then took the ball and strolled onto our side of the court and since Adam was not in a state to guard him I moved up to him. He looked at me amused, "Hey Patrick, you're doing good", he said while dribbling the ball away from my reach. "If this were any other day I would have had you on my team but today" he paused as his smile towards me turned evil "Today is Demolition Day" he then performed a fast crossover on me making his way into the paint and then easily sunk a two pointer.
Team Blue was bumbling now. A shared feeling of dread was starting to spread through our ranks. Our morale was down, and the tiredness from the earlier drills was setting in. That's when Team Red changed formation. David began to play at the front, a terrifying, mobile fortress. He got the ball in the paint and made jump shot after jump shot, bodily contesting with Joshua and always coming out winning.
I tried my shouldering trick on him again during a rebound, but David had now become a wall. It was like hitting solid rock; I couldn't seem to make him budge.
I should not have come here. That was the single most prevalent thought in my mind as I stood squatting on the hardwood floors of the basketball court at Northwood. My sweat dripped from my brow down to the floor; I was drenched, my skin and my jersey melded into one. This wasn't even supposed to be real. I took a squiz at the scoreboard. That's got to be a glitch, right?
Team Blue: 18, Team Red: 32
This mate is right old fucked up situation I got myself in. How are these three monsters so far above the rest of us. I used to play rugby, and I can't even budge David so much as an inch, and Leo that firecracker is always buzzing around me stopping me from even dribbling. This is my first day playing basketball in a proper match, but I've played before with Dad and I have some athletic skill, I can't be this helpless right?
I should not have come here.
The humiliation continued. Leo and Brad executed a no-look bullet pass, a blur of brown leather that flew millimeters from my face right into Leo's hands, who took an easy layup. I didn't even have time to flinch.
Brad then made two more three-pointers in the quarter, each one a perfect, demoralizing swish that left everyone awed and scared of the trio. By the time the buzzer sounded, we weren't just losing. We were being taught a lesson. We weren't their opponents; we were just props in their demonstration of absolute power.
The buzzer was mercy.
End of Quarter: Team Blue 18, Team Red 37
The ten of us on Team Blue just stood there, hands on our knees, gasping for air, a profound and humiliating silence settling over our side of the court.
A sharp, piercing whistle cut through the gym.
"Alright, that's it! Bring it in!" Coach Heath yelled.
We all trudged to center court, our heads hanging. I expected a lecture, a tirade about our sloppy play. Instead, the coach just shook his head. "I've seen enough. The match is over." He looked directly at Bradley. "Brad, you've made your point, and you've made it clearly. We won't be continuing."
A wave of exhausted relief washed over me and the other players.
The coach then turned his attention to the rest of us on Team Blue. "Frankly, that was too one-sided for me to get a real look at any of you," he said, his voice a no-nonsense growl. "So, we'll hold another try out tomorrow. Be here, be ready to show me something."
He then looked back at the trio, and his expression shifted from frustration to something else: pure, unadulterated respect. "As for today," he announced, his voice booming through the quiet gym, "Bradley Naird has so clearly proven himself to be an exemplary leader on this court. From this point forward, he is the new captain of this team."
A stunned silence. Leo and David immediately broke into wide, proud grins, slapping a completely unfazed Bradley on the back. The rest of us just stared jaws slack. A captain. Named on the first day of try outs. It was unheard of. But after the clinical, brutal beatdown we had just received, not a single one of us could argue with the decision.
"Thank you Coach" Bradley said confidently as he stepped forward to address the rest of us.
"Tomorrow after the final try outs I will invite the playing five to my house for practices every weekend. This is now a rule if you want to stay as my teammate you have to show up for practice" he then looked at all of us with a hint of contempt. "If you guys are not serious about winning then you have no place being around me. Don't bother showing up for the try outs tomorrow if you can't follow the rules."
In that moment I saw Brad for who he really was…A Tyrant, A King and A Ruthless Conqueror.
I wanted to beat him and his smug face and when I smiled at that thought I noticed he was looking at me. His eyes were gleaming, and he had an almost beastlike grin on his face. He was taunting me.
'If you aim for the King you better not miss'
______________________________________________________________________________
Hey guys I had the flu so I had to rest through the weekend. Still recovering but I was able to write a new chap. Will try to cover the two missing chaps this week but no promises. Regular release of chapters this week though so no worries there. Powerstones will help me recover too along with reviews for the novel.