Chapter 1: The Basketball Game
One cold and crisp Tuesday in November, I was getting ready to move into Sarah, James, and Henri's apartment in Oakland. Right after I had oatmeal for breakfast with Erica and Sophia, Sarah showed me to her bedroom, where I would be sleeping. "Good morning, Sarah!" I greeted my best friend. "Good morning, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. I then went to get a tissue and blow my nose. "Forgive me, Sarah," I apologized. "I have a little bit of a cold." "That's okay, Angel," Sarah told me. "I have a little bit of a cold, too. Anyway, here is the couch where you will be sleeping, and it turns into a fold-out bed. I have some extra blankets and pillows for you." Sarah then got out some extra blankets and pillows, and put them on the couch. She then showed me around the rest of their apartment. "Here is our living room, where we have our weekend discussions," Sarah then told me, "and here is the kitchen where we have lots of good snacks to eat. Did you eat breakfast yet?" "Yes, I did," I replied. "I had oatmeal." Sarah then showed me the bathroom, where I would be taking my showers, brushing my teeth, and washing my face every morning, and then showed me James and Henri's bedroom with their bunk beds, which was right across the hall from Sarah's bedroom. "You know how the fold-out sofa works, Angel?" Sarah asked me. "Yes, I do, Sarah," I replied. "It just simply folds out." "I'll give you your blankets and pillows when it gets close to bedtime," Sarah told me. "I have to meet Erica and her friends at Target in Monroeville for a meeting regarding Thanksgiving and my classes. See you later!"
Later that evening, after dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, Sarah, James, Henri, and I drove to the basketball game at the Petersen Events Center. "I haven't been here in a really long time," I told my friends. "When was the last time you were here, Angel?" James asked me. "I was last here in December 2009 with my dad," I told James. "Do you like basketball?" "Yes, I do," James replied. "Hey, if it were summertime, we would be going to a Pirates game!" "I'll tell you what, James," I told him. "Maybe next summer for your birthday, we will go to a Pirates game." "We'll see, Angel," James replied. James then gave us our tickets and we entered the stadium. First, we purchased some snacks and ran into Erica and her sisters, Eva and Sophia. They were purchasing ice cream treats, as I did, too. I purchased a Fudgsicle, Sarah purchased a soft pretzel, James purchased a bag of popcorn, and Henri purchased a carton of nachos. "Did you get tickets to the same basketball game, Erica?" I asked my other best friend. "I believe you have met Sarah before, Erica. These are her brothers, James and Henri." "Nice to meet you, Erica!" James told her. "Likewise," Henri agreed. "These are my sisters, Eva and Sophia," Erica introduced. "Sophia reminds me of me when I was her age," Henri pointed out. "You'll get to meet more people on Thanksgiving Day," I told my friends. We had fun watching the basketball game, the pep band, and the cheering members of the Oakland Zoo. Afterwards, we went home and I went to sleep in Sarah's bedroom. "Good job with the fold-out sofa, Angel!" Sarah praised. "Thanks, Sarah," I replied. "Good night!" Good night!"
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