The Lucky One

Chapter One

"New to town with a made up name

In the angel's city, chasing fortune and fame

And the camera flashes make it seem like a dream"

-The Lucky One (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

POV NOAH

I can see the ball in front of me. The guy who's dribbling it seems to be coming right towards me. He looks up with a smirk as he gets closer. I want to wipe it off his goddamn face. 

There is a minute left in the game, and my team is losing 63-65. This prick is up in my face now, still with that stupid smirk and it only fuels me to gain possession of the ball. 

When I'm on the court, I thrive. Once the basketball is in my hands, all my other problems fall away. Relationship problems? Nah, not anymore. Dinner with my parents? Doesn't exist. Petty fights with my teammates? Forgotten. 

When I was a little kid, I needed an escape from my tense house, and the basketball court at the park worked perfectly. Soon enough, I was joining leagues, winning games, and feeling better than I ever had before. Turns out, when you're good at something, it opens a lot of doors, and I got out of my hometown. Before I knew it, I was drafted for the Boston Celtics. 

Now, I get up in this dick's space, pressuring for him to pass the ball. I know he doesn't have an opening because I have my guys guarding his, so really it's up to me. I watch his dribbles for a second and when I look up, we make eye contact. Then, without a second's hesitation, I slap the ball out of his hands and it bounces over to Rocky. He grabs it and manages to move back towards our basket, juking out a couple defenders before passing the ball back to me.

I look over at the scoreboard and see that there is 5 seconds left. I take a deep breath and shoot the ball from the 3 point line. It sails through the air and swishes into the basket right as the buzzer goes off, and the stadium erupts in cheers. My teammates are on me, and once again I'm caught up in the euphoria of it all. Being on the court, wining a game, It gives me a sense of purpose. I'd be lost without basketball.

"Man, that last shot was insane," Rocky says, well, more like yells over all the noise. I laugh as we walk to the locker rooms. "After that game, you have to come out with us!" Rocky says before going on a rant about how I should celebrate for once. It's not that I don't celebrate, trust me I do, but I just don't usually go out with the other guys. Maybe I will tonight. 

"...who knows? Maybe you'll even get laid," Rocky says with a laugh as I start gathering my stuff. 

"C'mon Cap! We want to celebrate with the guy who got us the win," Paul, one of my closest friends on the team says, and I hear various forms of agreement from the other guys. 

"Fine," I say, rubbing my temples. We agree to go to some bar nearby, and the whole drive there, Rocky is talking about getting a real Texas experience, whatever that means. The place is packed when we pull up, and I sigh. I already feel a headache coming on, and someone must have tipped off the paparazzi because I see bright flashes of light as we walk to the entrance. There is strobe lights all around and Rocky immediately goes off to flirt with some girl while I head to the bar. 

I order my drink and survey the scene around me. Half of my teammates are on the dance floor, including Rocky and the girl he was talking too, and I spot Paul chatting to some of the others. Paul and Rocky are complete opposites. Paul is still going long term with his girlfriend from college, while Rocky has a different girl every night. Rocky is also usually drunk by the time the night is over while Paul hardly drinks a sip. Right now, I'm not in a very party mood, so I head over to Paul.