If Only

Thirty-Five: The Truth about Dwayne

Everyone gathers in the auditorium and the gang sits together. Jin sits in front of them with Ireno and the others. Shouyu and Riku give Ireno daps. The principal walks up to the podium and quiets the students.

"Hello students. I know you're all aware that this is homecoming week. And I know we're all very excited to see Shouyu Takari return to the field." The student body erupts in applause and cheers. Shouyu stands up and flexes causing the guys to laugh and girls to swoon over him.

Amari looks at him and grabs his shirt, dragging him back down into his seat. Tru laughs at the incident from on stage.

"Today's seminar is about stress and depression. Depression, if not tended to properly, can sometimes be extremely harmful. Not just to one's self but others as well. Stress can be harmful as well and in most cases it can, unfortunately, lead to death."

Everyone gasps and looks and Tru who looks directly in their eyes with a small smile. They can now clearly see the pain he's been hiding all this time.

"We have a special guest here today. Some of you may remember him from his time at Kusa Jr High School as a member of the Junior Grasshoppers basketball and football team. Stress and depression hits him at home especially and he's here to share the story of someone close to him. So I bring him to the podium. Let's hear a round of applause for Trumaine Rhodes."

The student body erupts in applause for Tru as he approaches the podium. He flips his head back throwing his dreadlocks out of his face making even more girls swoon over him. He deadpans as he can already hear Zhang's asshole dials turning in his head.

Zhang confirms Tru's suspicions by giving him a very sinister smirk. Tru facepalms. 'Well at least Boruto and Mitsuki aren't here.'

"Hey guys. I...uh...I'm pretty sure a lot of you have wondered years ago what happened to me. Probably wanted to know where I disappeared off to and my whereabouts the last three years. Well...I'm pretty sure a lot of you guys remember my brother Dwayne. Or well everyone called him Deuce because he was named after our dad."

The student body bargains to murmur remembering the name.

"But, uh, my brother he was a star here at this school. I looked up to my brother. I wanted to be just like him. Even tried to dress like him sometimes. Walk like him. Talk like him. He met the girl of his dreams in Tony. Tony, or as you all may know her as Antionette, loved my brother as much as he loved himself. And that's a lot. (chuckles)"

The crowd laughs along with him.

"Well, they got married in the latter part of my brother's first year in college. I had the privilege of being his best man. But, uh, thing is a few months later (sighs) my brother found out that Tony had been seeing another guy for a bit over a year and even had seen him the night before they got married. He was...he was heartbroken. He felt like crap. He felt worthless. They had their arguments and differences for a while but all I ever heard my brother say is that he loved her still. In spite of everything. She even left him when she found out about a close friend of his that he had been talking to for comfort. She accused him of sleeping with co workers, screwing his friend and just overall being a horrible husband. She belittled him. Talked down on him. Betrayed his trust and his honor. As well as his position as her husband. Yet my brother still smiled and faced this head on and showed no signs of any depression or stress. He remained in fantastic shape and continued working at the best of his ability."

Many people gasp in disbelief wondering how could a woman be so cruel to a man she claimed she loved.

"However, prior to these unforeseen events, our grandmother passed. Yeah. Exactly a week before Deuce's birthday. And...uh...as my cousin Keiri can tell you herself, I, myself, didn't particularly take it very well. But my brother...he uh...he...(sniff) sorry guys. He stayed strong. My brother stayed strong because that's who Dwayne is."