Chad's basketball boot camp was making me hate basketball. Something I once never thought would come out of my mouth. I was working out more than before, and there's nothing to show for it. In fact, I felt like I was actually doing worse if that was somehow possible.

I attempted another lay-up drill Chad had me run. No surprise, I missed it by a mile, and Chad winced, watching me duck, so I wasn't hit in the face. I was sure that attempt had to be my worse fail to date.

"Hoops, you OK?" Chad asked, picking up the basketball from the ground.

"Fine." I grumbled, "I'm sure no one has ever died from embarrassment before."

"Good," Chad tossed the ball back to me. "Then you'll have no problem running that again."

I groaned, attempting another lay-up feeling ready to give up. I was starting to really hate basketball, and it was beginning to show in my playing big time. Chad and I watched as the ball circled the rim. I smiled, letting out the breath I was holding when it finally went in, and I made my first basket of the afternoon.

Satisfied with the basket after more misses than I cared to count, I decided to call it quits and headed back to my apartment around the corner. Chad was right behind me.

Back at my apartment, I was ready for anything besides basketball. I tossed a bottle of water at Chad before hopping on the countertop. Chad caught it before hopping up next to me.

"Our break can't be too long." Chad reminded me as he took a sip of water. "We have to get back on the court."

I shook my head in response. I appreciate Chad helping me practice, and I love him like a brother, but he was pushing on my last good basketball nerve.

"I'm done for the day," I stated between sips of my water.

"You can't be done," Chad gave me a serious look. "If you don't put in the extra effort and show some improvement, you'll be done permanently."

I jumped off the counter and headed for the fridge. "Don't care." I huffed out.

OK, that wasn't entirely true. I did care. I care very much about being in the NBA. I wasn't ready to be done and worried every day could be my last. But I was done making a fool of myself today.

Basketball used to be a lot more fun. But now that I wasn't the captain and didn't have the skills to keep up with my team, it wasn't fun. It felt more like a struggle and failure to prove I belong. I ignored the heaviness in my chest and cleared my throat to ease the scratchiness I felt.

"Troy!" I heard my little sister, Aspen, call out as I felt her wrap her arms around me. "I missed you."

I detached her from me as I stood up. "Me too. Where are mom and dad?" I asked, settling her on my hip.

"They're right behind us." My sister, Madyson, greeted us as she huffed out a breath. "We just can't walk as fast as a seven-year-old."

"Sonny," Chad stumbled out before he turned to me with a confused look. "I thought…."

I shrugged, letting Chad know I was just as clueless before approaching her. "So, not that I'm not happy to see you. But our parents didn't mention you coming."

"You would've known this turned into a family trip if you bothered to answer your phone once in a while." Mom answered with her best mom look.

I shuttered, feeling like I was back in high school. "Mom," I pulled her into a hug. "You're looking lovely as ever."

Mom returned my hug, but the look was still in her eyes. "Nice try, son. But if your dad can't pull that off, there's no way you can."

Chad cleared his throat. "You know I'll see what your dad needs help with." He excused himself, sensing the tension.

"Sorry, mom, I meant to return your calls." I started to explain as I helped with the small bags they had. "But, I've been busy. Extra practices and workouts. It's the only way to make Captain. In fact, Chad and I just came back from an extra workout."

"Ummm….where have I heard that before." She headed for the fridge and started rummaging. She continued as she set some food on the counter. "Next, you're going to say your lack of healthy eating choices is because it's too hard to cook something for one."

I tilted my head and let my mouth hang open for a minute as I tried to find an explanation. Or, in this case, another excuse.

"I see you wasted no time fussing over our son's living habits," Dad noted as he arrived with the luggage. "And eating habits."

Chad was right behind my dad, with my siblings behind him. We finished settling everyone in, and dad suggested we play a pickup game. Chad and my brother, Braydon, were all for it. I wasn't so fond of the idea, though. I could already see the humiliation waiting to happen.

"We didn't come all this way for more basketball," Mom said. "We should be doing stuff as a family."

"It'll be a quick one," Dad promised. "Just until Sky wakes from her nap."

As soon as the mom agreed, Dad and Braydon headed for the door. Chad was just as pumped to show my dad some new moves he'd got since the last time he was in San Francisco. I straggled behind them with a queasy stomach.

I pulled Chad to a stop. "Dude, you have to help me keep my non-existent basketball skills from my family," I whisper pleaded to him.

"Relax, our skills will speak for themselves on the court," Chad whispered back. "Plus, I have your back always."

"Boys, everything OK?" Dad asked as he dribbled the ball.

I nodded, "yeah," Chad and I answered simultaneously.

Dad shrugged, "OK, then you and Chad take it out." Dad tossed the ball at me.

This was not going to be good. I ignored the sick feeling in my stomach and tossed the ball to Chad. Dad and Braydon dominated the game, flying around the court. As usual, dad wasn't just playing. He was coaching us too. While we played, dad would give us pointers and praise us just like a coach.

Despite dad's coaching, I was still an embarrassment on the court. The only good thing was that they didn't see my worse moves. The longer the game went on, the more certain I was that there was no way to hide just how bad I was from my parents. The game couldn't have ended fast enough for me.

"Troy, what happened on the court?" My dad asked as we made our way back to the apartment. "I've seen you play better in high school."

I chuckled at how true that comment was. "Yeah, I guess I did play better in high school. I uuhhhhh…..I just…."

"We just finished some major training minutes before you guys arrived." Chad put in, giving me a slight nod. "Had you guys just shown up five minutes earlier, the apartment would've been empty."

"Yeah, our practice earlier wore me out." I quickly nodded, agreeing with Chad. Not wanting to take any chances, I decided to exit quickly. "Chad, I'll race you back. Winner doesn't have to help with snacks for tonight's game."

Chad and I dashed off, leaving my dad and brother behind. We were both out of breath and laughing when we made it back to my apartment.

Later, dad somehow talked mom into watching the game as a family. I enjoyed having that time with them more than I thought I ever would, and I was able to forget about my problems. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed spending time with my family. It wasn't something that happened too often since I moved to California after high school. Soaking up every second I had with my family, I felt happier than I had in a long while.


The Laker Auditorium was packed during the NBA Championship Finals. The game was in full swing, and I was actually playing really well. The coach called a time-out after I made a three-pointer.

"Nice job, Captain," Coach praised as he motioned for us to gather. "We need one more shot to win. What's your call, Captain?"

"Well, how about we…." I didn't get to finish before the ground started to shake. "What the? Whoa, earthquake!"

"Unky Toy!" I heard my niece, Skylar, shout as the shaking worsened. "Unky Toy!"

I frantically searched the panicked crowd. Braydon never mentioned bringing Skylar to my game. I have to make sure she's OK. I can't fail.

"Troy!" Now I hear Aspen's voice. "Troy!"

I spun around, calling out Aspen and Skylar's names. Panic was in my voice as I pushed through the frantic crowd by the door, continuously calling out Aspen and Skylar's names.

"Earthquake!" I shouted, popping up from my bed with my heart pounding against my chest. "A! Sky!"

Skylar and Aspen stopped bouncing on the bed between their giggles long enough to give me a kiss. Realizing it was only a dream, I flopped back onto the bed, releasing a relieved breath. As soon as I did, the girls started jumping on the bed again. This time I pulled a pillow over my head and attempted to ignore them.

Seconds into the bouncing and chanting, Skylar nearly tumbled off the bed after losing her balance. "Hey, did I…" Braydon started when he wandered into the room. "Sky! Troy!"

Reached out, I caught her just before she could tumble off and stopped Aspen from bouncing. I could hear the easing of Braydon's breath as he picked up Skylar.

"Ladies, you know the rules with beds." Braydon lectured with a sternness that I've only ever really heard our dad use. It was weird hearing my brother with a stern voice. "They don't change just because we're in L.A."

I sat up just as the girls were apologizing. "Is that dad's pancakes I smell?" I grumble out, still not fully awake.

"Yeah, Dad's making pancakes," Braydon confirmed. "But, why did I hear you scream earthquake."

I yawned and scratched my head. "Your munchkin and our kid sister were screaming and shaking the bed like there's no tomorrow. What else was I supposed to think?"

Braydon frowned at the girls. "Ladies, you were supposed to wake him. Not scare him half to death."

"Sorry." The girls apologized simultaneously.

I let out another yawn. "It's OK," Mom called me from the kitchen, like when we were in high school. "Mom's going to fuss over me the entire time she's here, isn't she?"

"You should be worried if she doesn't. We'll let you get ready." Braydon helped Aspen off the bed. "I'll let mom and dad know you're up."

I thanked my brother as he left with the girls. Sitting for a moment, I finally started moving when I heard everyone else in the living room. I was slow initially, but when my mom called me again, I put an extra spring in my step.

"There you are." My mom greeted me when I finally joined them at the table. "Now that everyone's here, let's hear some ideas for things we can do as a family."

"Basketball," Joel piped up. "There are some local games we can go to or play each other."

Dad placed a plate in front of me. "I second that."

Mom rolled her eyes. "No. We're always doing something basketball related. Let's do something else; not basketball related."

Everyone was quiet, waiting for someone else to speak. It wasn't silent for long before someone suggested something. Eventually, everyone's talking overlapped with each other.

"Beach?" I offer out with a shrug.

My eyes darted from one family member to another, waiting for a response. Aspen and Skylar started chanting beach. We all grinned from ear to ear.

"Looks like we're heading for the beach." Dad closed the deal as we all cheered.

Aspen hopped off her seat and raced off with Skylar on her heels to gather all their toys. Mom called after them reminding them to walk before clearing the finished plates. Everyone quickly finished up and went to collect their stuff for the beach.

Mom stopped me when I came out with a packed bag. "Oh, Troy, I almost forgot to tell you, I've arranged a little surprise for you when we get to the beach."

I wasn't sure if I should be excited or terrified. My mom has been known to surprise us on many occasions, and her surprises were just that-surprise. Even if you knew in advance that mom had a surprise, you would never be able to guess what she had in store. How she manages to be so mysterious every single time is one thing I'll never understand.

"OK, thanks for the heads up." I went to help with the rest of the bags.

This beach day just got a whole lot more exciting day.