Chapter Sixteen

TJ, Spinelli, and Vince, Friends Again?

"TJ, will you pass me the ball?" Vince asked, an annoyed tone in his voice. Not only was TJ avoiding him outside of basketball practice, but this avoidance was beginning to affect TJ's game because he didn't want to pass the ball to Vince.

"Detweiler, LaSalle, come here," the coach called them in. Vince was shooting TJ daggers while TJ seemed uninterested in whatever Vince had to say.

"Detweiler, what is wrong with you? Why won't you pass the ball to LaSalle?" the coach roared at him.

"I'm afraid he might mess up," TJ said in an airy voice.

"Oh really? Kind of like you are right now," the coach griped, "look you two, there is a scout coming tonight to see you guys play, so, if you know what's good for you, you'll work out this petty argument you are in," the coach promptly informed them, "let's hit the showers."

"If you screw up my chances with the scouts, I will hate you forever," Vince sneered at TJ, "we tried to apologize, and you said to leave you alone. We assumed that is what you wanted. Sorry that we were wrong."

"You guys were totally unwilling to fight for my friendship," TJ called after him.

"Whatever Detweiler," Vince dismissed.

---

"And then he told me that we didn't have the willingness to fight for his friendship," Vince talked to Spinelli later as they sat down at lunch, "He told us to leave him alone, and what happens when we do? He decides to hate us even more. Sometimes I just want to give that boy a good swift kick in the ...,"

"Just let it go," Spinelli interrupted him, "I mean, TJ doesn't realize that we were giving him exactly what he wanted. It's his fault and you know what? I don't even care anymore."

"How can you say you don't care?" Vince objected, "you just became best friends with him again and then a short period of time later you aren't friends with him anymore?"

"Well ... you and I have been friends off and on for a while on this," Spinelli shrugged, "I mean, there was the initial meetings, then whenever you hated me because I wouldn't tell you the secret, and now that the whole thing with TJ erupted into our faces, we're friends again. It was Teej who wanted the whole group back together. Either he's going to have to suck it up and deal with the fact that we were horrible to him and I'm not denying we weren't, but, we tried to apologize, and we tried to do exactly what he wanted to do and neither got us very far, or he's going to have to live with the fact that he's the reason that the group he wants back together so bad isn't back together."

"Quite a little speech there Spinelli," a cold voice spoke up behind them. They turned around to see TJ and Spinelli rolled her eyes, "except you forgot one thing ... what happens if you sabotaged the whole thing all along because you did not want everybody to be friends?"

"Yes TJ," Spinelli said sarcastically, standing up, "that is the whole reason that I did this. But, my little plan all went wrong when I found out your secret. And decided not to tell Vince. Which was putting the whole plan in jeopardy, because how else would you discover our secret meetings? So, I decided to bring my arch enemies, the Ashley's into it. It was my best plan. Ever. Too bad you figured out the plot."

Without another word or leaving TJ to say anything she left the lunchroom, defiance in her every step.

---

"Maybe we should lock the three of them in the gym until they become friends again," Gus suggested later. Mikey, himself, and Gretchen were gathered at Mikey's house to talk about their three amiss members.

"And go back to find one or more dead bodies?" Gretchen asked him, "I don't think so."

"We could send apology letters to all three of them saying they are from the others," Mikey threw in.

"Do you really think they'll fall for that one?" Gretchen shot down that idea too.

"Fine Gretchen, what is your idea?" Gus asked her, exasperated. She had been shooting down his and Mikey's ideas all day.

"I don't know," Gretchen said, thoughtfully, "do you think its too late for their friendship?"

---

"Theodore Detweiler!" the coach yelled, "come out of the game."

Vince glanced up at the clock. They had two minutes left and they were down by six. Not only did most of the starters and best players get kicked off the team, but now TJ was playing as bad as he possibly could, just so he didn't have to pass the ball to Vince. Vince then threw a glance to the scout up in the stands. Earlier he had actually seemed as if he had been shaking his head at the game. Vince silently cursed TJ for probably ruining his chances to ruin his basketball career.

"Time out!" the coach then yelled. The team huddled around the coach, "okay team, we're down, and we need this win. Now, Detweiler, you and Vince are the best we have, but you have to work together. I don't care what personal issues you two have, work them out. You told me you could be on this team even with the secret we discussed, so I expect you to be able to show that exact same dedication with your other secrets."

TJ looked down at the ground and looked back up at Vince. Vince did not seem too happy with him at this point in time. So, it had gone from him being incredibly angry with Vince and Spinelli and now they were extremely angry with him. Spinelli's earlier comments about if he wanted the gang back together so bad, why couldn't he forgive them flooded into his mind.

Suddenly, somebody in the crowd caught his eye. He looked up and saw Spinelli standing in the student bleachers. And he knew what he had to do.

"Alright guys, lets do this," TJ declared, putting his hand in, the others following suit.

---

After the game was over, TJ ran to catch up with Vince and Spinelli, who were walking towards their cars.

"Hey guys," TJ muttered. The two turned and looked at him.

"Hey," they both muttered back.

"Look, I know that I told you guys to stop apologizing," TJ took a deep breath, "but, I guess I still wanted you to apologize. I know that you guys realize what you did was a mistake. It did still hurt though. My best friends trying to find out my biggest secret that I didn't want known yet? But ... but I realize that we all have changed since fourth grade, even since I came back. And since I know you guys are sorry, and since I want my gang back, let's just be friends again."

"Aww, look at TJ going all soft on us," Spinelli sarcastically cooed at him, before pulling him into a hug. The two then turned to Vince.

"Dude ...," Vince started, "you almost ruined the rest of my basketball career."

"Vince," Spinelli stated, hitting him.

"Just kidding, we're cool," Vince smiled, hitting fists with TJ. The gang was officially back together.