With the trophy still in his hands, Aaron immediately stepped down from the stage along with the rest of his teammates, each heading toward their friends and family who had come to see the final game of the season.
"Come on, man, let me hold it for a second," Drew pleaded with Aaron, his eyes fixed on the MVP trophy in Aaron's hands, wanting to hold it—even if only for a few seconds—to know what it felt like to be an MVP.
"For the hundredth time, no," Aaron replied, just as he had the last few times to his persistent friend, who wouldn't stop asking to hold his MVP trophy as they headed toward the direction where Aaron's parents were.
"Let me see it," Paola said, quickly taking the MVP trophy from Aaron's hands and admiring it closely against the light of the gym spotlights. This left Drew with an "Are you serious?" expression, watching as Aaron's aunt snatched the trophy away while Aaron said nothing about it.
Before Drew could even say a word, he saw someone run immediately in his direction and jump toward him, causing Drew to extend his arms to catch and stabilize the person while his mouth was met by the other person's in a deep kiss.
"Hey, you," Sam said with an excited smile, still being held by Drew while her legs were firmly wrapped around his waist. "Hey," Drew said with a foolish grin, something Sam simply thought was cute before kissing him again. Drew didn't hold back and deepened the kiss, indifferent to the people watching them at that moment.
At such a blatant display of affection, Aaron simply looked away, as did the rest of the people, while Hector covered Mia's eyes, not wanting her to see such an overt display of affection.
The truth was that Drew and Sam had been dating for a long time, and Aaron had a lot to do with that. He was the one who helped his friend ask Sam out, and against all of Aaron's expectations, they had somehow maintained a solid relationship of nearly three years of dating—something very rare during the high school era.
Of course, Drew hadn't only done well in romance but also in his game. After years of training, Drew had managed to make the school's varsity team by the end of his sophomore year.
Thanks to Aaron's training, Drew not only managed to improve his ball-handling level but also perfected his shot even further, being able to play now as both a point guard and a shooting guard. This is something any team would be interested in signing, as players who can play several positions are highly valued and sought after.
With a height of 6'4" and good speed and reflexes, Drew managed to establish himself as a solid 4-star recruit and received several offers from NCAA Division I teams to play next season.
Ending their show, Drew gently lowered Sam to the ground while her hands were still locked around his neck. "If you two lovebirds are finished with your show, it's time to go," Paola said, causing Drew to scratch the back of his head in a clear gesture of awkwardness while Sam acted as if nothing had happened.
With a height of 5'8", Sam was a girl with a height slightly above average—almost the same height as Paola, or taller if she weren't wearing heels. Combined with her cheerleader uniform, her brown hair, and her hazel eyes, Sam was a beautiful girl, and she knew it.
"About that..." Aaron began, causing everyone's eyes to land on him. "Drew and I had made plans to go out after the game," Aaron informed the three adults.
Melissa fell briefly silent upon hearing this, as if deciding whether to give him permission or not. "Going to a party?" she asked her son, who quickly shook his head. "We just want to go grab something to eat," he replied to his mother.
At that response, Melissa relaxed slightly, knowing that Aaron wasn't one to lie, nor was he the type to go to parties like most young people his age. "Alright, just don't come back too late," Melissa replied.
Aaron simply nodded while both he and Drew headed straight for the showers to change out of their uniforms and leave.
As they headed toward the hallway, Aaron signaled to Hannah, who was talking with her friends, to wait for him right there, to which Hannah nodded in response.
20 Minutes Later
Once they had changed, the two boys left the locker rooms in search of their partners, who were in one of the corners talking and sharing some knowing giggles—giggles that ended once both boys were within their range of vision.
"What's so funny?" Aaron asked Hannah, instinctively wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Nothing important," Hannah replied, still maintaining that same smile on her beautiful face.
With the group gathered, the four went straight to the parking lot where Drew's car was located. Drew skillfully took the driver's seat while Sam took the passenger seat, and Hannah and Aaron got into the back seats.
But in Aaron's case, it was more of an "attempt" to get in, since at 7 feet tall, the space in the back was practically tiny for his long limbs. This was why he wasn't accustomed to making long trips in cars, preferring the subway or other options.
"So, where are we going?" Aaron asked once he was inside and Drew started the engine, pulling out of the school parking lot. "There's a new place I'm dying to try," Sam added quickly, typing the address into her phone and setting it up for Drew to follow.
As they got onto the highway, Drew turned on the car radio and put on the iconic Queen song, We Are the Champions, cranking the volume to the max, flooding the car with the recognized voice of Freddie Mercury.
Once the chorus hit, both Sam and Drew sang at the top of their lungs as if they were in the middle of a Queen concert. "Come on, sing!" Sam said, turning her head back and encouraging the two passengers to sing along with them.
Under Sam's insistence, the four people inside the car began to sing the iconic song while the car headed straight for its destination, which wasn't far from the school, so they arrived in no time.
Getting out of the car and looking closely, Aaron realized the place was a pizzeria due to the iconic pizza sign with the words Tommaso Pizzeria in large red letters next to an Italian flag.
Once the four walked through the door, the sound of the bell above the door caught the attention of some diners, who looked toward the door and stared particularly at Aaron—something he was already used to.
At 7 feet tall, Aaron was a giant compared to most people, which was why he was often the center of attention wherever he went. At first, he felt slightly uncomfortable feeling several pairs of eyes on him, but over time he had grown accustomed to it and learned to ignore it.
Immediately, one of the waitresses in the restaurant guided them to one of the tables inside and handed them four menus while she left to give them time to decide what they each were going to order.
"Hmm," Aaron thought as he looked closely at the options, debating whether he wanted pizza or pasta to eat.
"I'll go with a pepperoni pizza," Drew said without giving the menu a second look, being a person of simple tastes. "I'll have the Carbonara," Sam said after a few seconds, also closing her menu and waiting for the waitress to return to take their order.
"I think I'll have the lasagna," Hannah said. "Then I think I'll have the same," Aaron said, sharing a smile with her. The waitress arrived and placed an order of garlic bread in the center of the table, to the group's confusion. "Sorry, but we didn't order this," Aaron said cordially to the waitress.
"It's on the house," the waitress replied with a polite smile. "The owner also wants to say congratulations on the win tonight." She then took the notepad from her apron, ready to take their orders.
Once she finished writing, the waitress turned and headed straight for the kitchen, leaving the four of them alone to wait for their food.
"I love being recognized," Drew said as he caught one of the garlic breads from the table, quickly bringing it to his mouth, then opening it just as fast after burning his tongue on the heat of the bread.
"So, high school is finally coming to an end, huh," Drew said with nostalgia in his voice, remembering that in just three months, this stage would come to an end. "It seems so," Aaron said in the same tone.
"Do you know where you're going for college yet?" Drew asked his friend, wanting to know—just like the rest of the people in the country—where the best prospect of this class would go.
"That's a secret," Aaron told him with a cheeky smile, provoking a huff from Drew as he put another piece of bread in his mouth. "And you?" this time it was Aaron's turn to ask if Drew had a clear idea of where he was going.
"Honestly, I don't know, but Omar called me a while ago inviting me to UConn," Drew said between bites of bread.
At the mention of his friend, a grimace couldn't help but settle on Aaron's mouth, thinking about what had happened with UConn this season.
Due to low academic performance between 2007 and 2011, the NCAA Academic Progress Committee completely banned the Huskies from competing in March Madness and the Big East conference.
The stir was such that many media outlets talked about it for weeks, as it was the first time in history that a Division I program suffered such a sanction, missing an entire season and losing several of its key players who didn't hesitate to transfer to other teams.
"Are you thinking of going there?" Aaron asked Drew, curious to know if his friend already had a good option for where to play.
"Actually, I thought about going to Villanova. It's close to home and their team is very competitive, honestly," Drew explained, revealing his top choice, to which Aaron agreed, remembering how the Wildcats had been dominant in recent years.
"I'm going there too," Sam revealed, placing her hand over Drew's, who was surprised by the news. "Are you serious?" Drew asked, unable to hide the excitement the news generated.
Drew didn't hesitate to hug Sam in response. While that was happening, the waitress arrived with the four plates, placing them on the table and causing the four of them to concentrate on the food, leaving the conversation aside.
Once they finished eating, the four got back into the car, with Drew starting the engine. "Well, I heard there's a party at Jordan's house," Drew said, seeing it wasn't too late yet and ready to keep the celebration going until Sam interrupted him.
"You know, I'm kind of tired. Maybe we can go get some rest." While Sam said that, one of her hands rested on Drew's leg, moving it up and down as she gave him a meaningful look. Drew didn't need even two seconds to understand what she was saying.
"You know, I'm tired too," Drew said, letting out a dramatic yawn under the blank stares of Aaron and Hannah.
"You can drop us off at my house; we're not very far," Hannah replied, giving Drew directions as they arrived at a nice two-story house.
"Need me to drop you at your house too, bro?" Drew asked, turning toward Aaron. Feeling Hannah's hand tighten over his, Aaron replied to Drew, "I think I'll stay here for a while and then go back home."
At that, Drew seemed to hear exactly what he wanted to hear. Aaron and Hannah got out of the car, and Drew floored the accelerator, heading off to who knows where.
"So, shall we go in?" Hannah asked innocently, earning a smile from Aaron, who simply followed her to the door.
Authors thought's
What did you think of today's chapter? Give me your opinions and thoughts.
Don't forget to check out my other fic on my profile
Don't forget to subscribe to my Patreon to get more than 10 chapters in advance! https://www.patreon.com/c/merchant17
For everyone subscribing to my Patreon: if you're using an Apple device, avoid doing it through the app! Apple charges a commission, and you'll end up paying more. It's better to subscribe through the website instead.