For The Love Of The Game (Book 1)

Prologue

I stared out side, through the window of my apartment, as I was not going to lie to my self, it was in fact quite a bit cold out right now, if I was going to be for real, and I was going to be completely honest with my self too. I hated it this time of the year, as I wished that I could just be in the stadium all of the day. It felt like my AC was not running, even though I knew damn well that it was, it was simply just an awful AC system.
I could not complain about it how ever, as I was glad that I had even got a scholarship to the school that I was at right now, all at the exact same time as well. I went to DePaul University, which was in the big east conference, for basketball at least, as I was not all too sure as too sure as to just what it was that they did in other sports, all at the exact same time too.
I was simply only here, due to the fact that it was the only school in the city of my home town, Chicago, that had offered me a scholarship for some odd reason or another, when I had said straight up whilst I had been in high school, that I wanted to go play Basketball in my home down.
A lot of people thought of me as a joke, which I did not blame them for, as to the fact that I would want to go and live in Chicago for any more time in my life, when I knew damn well that I had a future in basketball, all at the exact same time as well, none the less.
I had in fact got scholarships to schools like UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, UCLA, and other big name schools, as I was ranked top 10 in the nation as a shooting guard, all at the exact same time as well, but I did not want to go to those schools. I wanted to stay home, and I wanted to make sure that I could take care of my family if any thing bad were to happen to them, all at the exact same time too.
Of course, DePaul was the one school that gave me a scholarship, as they knew who I was, as my brother had just graduated from the school a few years ago, and he had been a star athlete him self never the less.
Maybe not as star as I was, but he had brought the team to the NCAA tournament a few years back on his Junior season, and they had made a big upset on some big name school, which was Kansas, as I was not all too sure why any star athlete would want to go to a school such as Kansas, much less a school like DePaul.
My brother could have declared for the draft, with his friend, Ethan, but for some odd reason or another, he did not want to, due to the fact that he was only projected to be a 2nd round pick, which in my eyes was still could enough, if he was that good, and he put in the work than he could make a name for him self, all at the exact same time too.
But his friend Ethan was going to go undrafted, and so he had stayed for his Senior year, which turned out to be his biggest mistake yet, as it led to the end of his life in the end, as he had been killed in a gang shooting, due to the fact that he was in fact in gang stuff, all at the exact same time too.
I was always scared of that kind of stuff, so I always shied away from all of that, but sadly that was not the case for my brother, as he always thought of it as kind of a game for him. Of course, that was when he just so happened to pass away due to the fact that he did in fact think of it as a game.
I was always kind of worried at the exact same time as well, as to the fact that my own life might be in danger, due to the fact that my brother was in a bunch of gangs, as I was always worried as to the fact that I knew that he was in a bunch of gang stuff, and I felt like they might come after me one of these days as well.
Luckily that was not the case for me how ever, as it seemed like they were only out for the blood of my brother, and his friend Ethan, who I felt sick at the exact same time as well, as to the fact that every one had thought that Ethan him self had gone on the run after all of that.
The fact was, he had in fact left the school, but he had not gone on the run, as he lived in my apartment right now, though I had not seen and heard for him for days, all at the exact same time as well, which was a lot of the reason that I still was in fact scared for my own life, all at the exact same time as well.
That was my brothers best friend though, and I felt like I should at least hold on to the last thing that I had left from my brother at the very least as well. I had come back from my families place a few days before now, and I knew that I could have told them as to the fact that I had Ethan in my place, but at the exact same time as well, I knew that the less people that knew about it, the better that it was for me, all at the exact same time too.
I really did not want my family to get involved in all of this, at least, not again, all at the exact same time as well, as I then all of the sudden did my best to try to shake off all of those thoughts from my head, all at the exact same time too, as I knew that Christmas Break was about to end very soon, and that meant that fairly soon from now, all at the exact same time too, that it would mean that the Basketball season was going to continue.
Our first game, of course just so happened to be against Villanova, as I knew that if I blew up in this one, than it would for sure secure my spot in the draft for my Freshman season, all at the exact same time as well, as I had a bit of a smile on my face as soon as I thought on those thoughts.
I was simply just glad to erase my mind from all of the other thoughts that I had been having not all too long before now, as I knew that those were not the best kind of thoughts to be thinking on, as I knew that I loved my brother to death, all at the exact same time as well, as I knew that I hated to think back on all of the stuff that had happened to him in his life, all at the exact same time as well.
I breathed in quite a bit to my self, as I did my best to try to keep my self calm, all at the exact same time too, as I then got my focus on the thoughts that felt to be a lot more important to me, which was the fact that I knew that some time soon from now, I had to get a little bit of some sleep, as I knew that I had to get up early for practice in the morning, all at the exact same time as well, never the less.
I breathed in quite a bit to my self, all at the exact same time too, as I then got my focus on a few different thoughts, all at the exact same time too, which just so happened to be the fact that I heard some noise out side my door, at the exact same time as well, which I normally might think would be some college kids coming back from a party, but some thing felt a bit strange to me, as I kind of felt like it was not the case at all right now.
Shortly after, it turned out to be true, all at the exact same time as well, as to just what it was that I had even been thinking on in the very first place any ways, as I then all of the sudden heard a bit of some knocking on my door not all too long after all of that, which did in fact bring shivers down my spine, as to just why some one would be knocking on to the door of my place, all at the exact same time too.
I breathed in quite a bit, as I then all of the sudden did my best to try to stay calm, all at the exact same time too, as I knew that I was going to be fine, as I knew that I had good spirits in this room to protect me right now, as I knew that I had done no wrong to deserve any thing evil to happen to me right at this very moment in time, as I then all of the sudden nodded a bit to my self, as I then lifted my self off of my bed, all at the exact same time too.
As I began to leave my bed room, I heard a bit of some noise from in side of my place, which freaked me out, all at the exact same time too, as I knew that it was nothing loud, or nothing to be freaked out about, as it sounded kind of like a fork or a spoon might have fallen off of the table all at the exact same time too, as it still kind of did freak me out never the less, as I then all of the sudden turned the lights on to my place, all at the exact same time too.
I felt like that was a terrible mistake, all at the exact same time too, as I knew that there was no going back on just what it was that I had even done, all at the exact same time too, as I knew that just who ever it was that was at the front door to my place right now, knew that some one was in my home right at this very moment in time, all at the exact same time too.
I blinked my eyes a few times, as I did my best to try to get my focus back to normal, all at the exact same time too, as I heard that who ever it was that was at my front door right at this very moment in time, was clearly a bit freaked out, and a bit worried themselves, all at the exact same time as well, as I could quite literally hear them nearly breathing as I drew closer to the door, as they then began to knock louder than before.
I felt like who ever this was, surely had to be a bit more worried that I was right now, as it seemed to calm me down quite a bit, all at the exact same time as well, for some odd reason or another, as I then shook my head, doing my best to calm my self down, as I then all of the sudden looked through the peep hole to the front door, and I saw that it was simply just Ethan.
I rolled my eyes a bit to my self, as I could in fact see some look of fear in his eyes right now, but that was not what it was that I was thinking about, nor was it what it was that I was even worried about right at this very moment in time either, as I then all of the sudden began to slowly open the door to my place, all at the exact same time as well, as I saw that Ethan quickly hopped in, and he closed the door, all at the exact same time too.
I blinked my eyes a few times, as I then stared at him right in to his own eyes, as I realized that the look on his face was in fact quite a bit of a scared look, as it seemed like there might be some one looking for him right now, which could in fact be the case, as I knew that he much like my brother had been, had in fact been in a lot of gang shit in the past, all at the exact same time as well, as I was not all too sure as to just why it was that he would come in to my place with that on his back.
I squinted my eyes at him, all at the exact same time as well, as I was not all too happy with him at all right at this very moment in time either, as I knew that he had not been at my place for a few weeks, and not only that, but he seemed to be putting danger in to me, all at the exact same time too, when I was simply just trying to live my best life, and I was not trying to get in to all of that stuff that he had gotten him self in to, none the less.
Ethan did not seem to be all too bothered by all of that, all at the exact same time as well, as he just seemed to walk past me, and he then started to sort through some cabinets in the kitchen, all at the exact same time too, as if he was not in the same room with me at all right now, which did in fact upset me, as well as the fact that it did in fact annoy me quite a bit, all at the exact same time as well, as I then all of the sudden stared him down, as he just kept on sorting through my shit.
I breathed in quite a bit to my self, as I did my best to try to keep my self calm, at least, as calm as I possibly could right now, as I then all of the sudden began to nod to my self, all at the exact same time as well, as I then began to start to speak up to Ethan, quite a bit loud, all at the exact same time as well, as I did not care a single bit as to the fact that my neighbors might hear me talking so loud at 3 AM in the morning, at the exact same time too.
"What the hell are you doing? Don't tell me that you came in to my place with a bunch of gang shit, surely right?" I said to him, as I kept my eyes squinted at him, all at the exact same time too, as I was not all too happy with the fact that he was going through all of my stuff that was in my kitchen right now, and he was just throwing a bunch of shit around, all at the exact same time as well, none the less.
I was lost, as I did not have a clue as to just what it was that he was doing, nor did I have a clue as to just what it was that was going on right at this very moment in time. Just based off of the fact that it seemed like Ethan was not going to respond to just what it was that I had said to him, all at the exact same time as well how ever, I had to assume that what it was that I had just said, had in fact been correct, or perhaps at the very least, he just had not been paying attention to a word that I had just said to him, all at the exact same time as well, too.
I felt like the first theory to that was the one that was true how ever, just based off of the fact that he knew damn well that he was in my place, and he was trashing it up, throwing a bunch of shit every where, all at the exact same time as well, which did in fact piss me off quite a bit, all at the exact same time too, as I just looked around at the mess that he was making in the dining room, all at the exact same time too, as I just kind of gave up at this point.
I sighed a bit of a heavy sigh to my self, all at the exact same time too, as I then all of the sudden just sat down at the table that was in my kitchen, all at the exact same time as well, as I saw him just continue to make an even bigger mess than he had done before, as I just kind of gave up on even trying at this point. If he was going to act like this when he was to come in to my place, than I simply would not let him in next time, as I did not need all of this in my life right now.
As I just stared at Ethan for a little while longer how ever, I then all of the sudden began to notice that racket begin to stop, all at the exact same time too, which at first worried me that he might have a bunch of rival gangs at my place right now, but as I stared at him with quite a bit of a blank look on my face for just a little bit longer, I noticed that it simply was not the case at all, as I saw that he was starting to lift him self up from the bottom cabinets, all at the exact same time as well, as he then all of the sudden turned his head around to me, shortly after all of that, all at the exact same time too.
I blinked my eyes, as I immediately saw just what it was that was in his hands, all at the exact same time too, as I saw that it was a gun. I began to start to get quite a bit freaked out, all at the exact same time too, as I immediately threw my hands up, to let him know that I was surrendering to him, all at the exact same time too, as I really did not want to get shot, when I was so close to the fact that I had a chance to get in to the NBA, all at the exact same time too.
I stared at him, as he had a bit of a blank look on his face for just a little while longer, until he all of the sudden shook his head at me, as I then all of the sudden began to see him start to put the gun in to his pocket, all at the exact same time too, luckily enough for me never the less, as I then all of the sudden began to breath in quite a bit to my self, all at the exact same time too, as I was not all too sure as to just what it was that I was even thinking on in the very first place any ways, as I knew that he would not kill me, as I was in fact the brother of his dead best friend, all at the exact same time too.
I blinked my eyes a few times any ways, as I did my best to try to get my focus of off of all of those thoughts that were even in my head in the very first place any ways, as I then all of the sudden got my focus on the fact that he had a bit of a look of pain in his face, as I could tell that he was a bit sad about some thing for some odd reason or another, which did in fact make me tilt my head, as I did not have a single clue as to just what it was that was up with him right now.
I blinked my eyes at him for just a few moments, as I saw him begin to search the room for just a few more seconds, as if he was worried that there was some one that was in this room that was going to shoot him right now. After a few more moments, he seemed to manage to get him self a bit more calm, all at the exact same time as well, as I then all of the sudden saw him lock eyes with me, as he then nodded to me, all at the exact same time as well, which had me a little bit lost at first, if I was not going to lie to my self.
I knew that it was due to the fact that he was letting me know that he was about to speak to me, but I still felt like I could not help but to feel like I was quite a bit lost right now, as I blinked my eyes a few times, and I did in fact nod right back to him, at the very least, to let him know that I was in fact paying attention to him. It clearly seemed to make him feel quite a bit better never the less, as he coughed a bit, and he then did in fact begin to start to speak to me, as I did in fact start to listen as to just what it was that he even had to say to me in the very first place any ways, never the less.
"I've got people looking for me... I might not make it out of here alive, and if I do, than I will be on the run for the rest of my life... There is just one thing that I ask for you to do..." He said to me, as I blinked my eyes a few times, all at the exact same time as well, as I breathed in quite a bit of a soft sigh to my self, all at once, as I knew that was in fact going to be some what of the case, as I knew that he was in danger. I wanted to be upset at him, but for some odd reason or another, I just did not let that be the case, all at the exact same time too, as I was a bit interested in just what it was that he had to ask of me, as a little bit of a favor, which seemed to be all that he ever asked of me. I rolled my eyes a bit to my self, as I then shook off all of those thoughts, all at the exact same time too, as I then nodded back to Ethan, at the very least, to hear what it was that he had to say to me. As he then saw me do as such a thing, he did in fact begin to speak to me once again, as I once again did in fact begin to start to listen as to just what it was that he even had to say to me at the exact same time as well. "I have a son... He's about 6 years old right now... I just want you to make sure that he grows up okay... I want you to make sure that he doesn't make the same mistakes that I did..."