=Normal POV=
(Friday, 6/1/2018-4:45 pm)
(Archian Island, Berk)
(Bludvist Residence)

Hunter didn't really want to come to this party, but he'd been part of the Berkian Hooligan team for Basketball since elementary school. Not that they were known as Berkian Hooligans through all those years. Elementary school, grades K through 4th, the team was called Berk Isle Hooligans. Middle school, grades 5th through 8th, the name for the team was the Berk Hooligans. And now high school, grades 9th through 12th; it's Berkian Hooligans. Not much had changed as it was all Hooligans because way back in Viking times, the Hairy Hooligan tribe resided on the Isle of Berk in the Barbaric Archipelago. Over the years since those times, everything was still in the Archipelago but everyone was on one big island known as Archian Island, with the towns named after the islands. The islands now, were used as tourist attractions or vacations spots. Regardless, Hunter didn't want to come to the victory celebration due to his personal feelings about how the championship game went with him passing out and needing emergency surgery. More than that; Hunter hated that he missed his chance to talk with scholarship scouts. He hated everything about this situation, and now with the matter about Ashley; Hunter was feeling an overwhelming amount of anger and sadness.

The party was being held at Coach Dimitri Bludvist's house, apparently it was assumed to be a better spot than the school because there'd be more freedom for loud music, and a group of rowdy boys. Obviously, Devon, Elijah, Jeremy, and Kyle were present as well having been part of the team. It was probably the first time that Hunter was getting to see the whole team all year as not everyone came to the games or practices due to being sick, busy, or just not needed. Hunter arrived at 4:45 pm, parking, and heading for the door, but saw the sign with an arrow pointing right saying team party held in backyard. Hunter sighed as he headed towards the gate entrance of the backyard, and stepped through once he got the door open.

"Hunter!" The group yelled cheerfully before Hunter could even close the door fully and face them.

"Hey," Hunter waved as he walked in more. The group came up to high-five or shake his hand, Shane and Travis did the type of friendly greeting where they shook hands but also got in close for a one-armed quick hug.

"Good to see you, lad!" Jeremy smiled.

"We're glad you could come." Kyle added with a nod, agreeing with Jeremy.

"I mean, I was kind of begged to show…" Hunter shrugged.

"Why wouldn't you want to come? It's a team party, and off school campus." Dimitri chuckled.

"Not really into parties," Hunter replied calmly. "Never have been, not my style."

"Well, to each their own…But this isn't a random, raving party like all you kids attend in high school or college. It's just a small celebration for the team because of all the wins and it's our last year together since you're all graduating," Dimitri said.

"I guess…" Hunter stated.

"Just have fun, Hunter." Kyle patted his shoulder. "Oh, sorry. Forgot about your wound. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Hunter shook his head. "No, it's fine…Took a pain killer about around 4 pm, so I'll be alright until 10." He really hated being reminded of his wound, only caused by surgery. He knew it saved his life, but it didn't change how he felt about being limited, knocking out at the biggest game of his life, or any of it for that matter. It just sucked.

"There's pizza, chips with dip, different kinds of wings, sandwiches and more on the table there." Devon pointed.

"And drinks under it in the coolers," Elijah said. "Soda, water, juice mostly." He added.

"And the bathroom is through the living room, kitchen, and the first door on the right down the hallway before you reach the dining room. Just use the sliding glass door entrance on the deck over there." Dimitri instructed.

Hunter nodded. "Got it, thanks." Then he wandered off to grab a drink and finally found a place to sit around the small fire that was going in the middle of the yard. Hunter cracked the water bottle open and drank a little before setting it in the provided cup holder of the chair he was in, then sighed a little and sat back while looking at the fire.

Dimitri, Devon, Elijah, Kyle, and Jeremy were standing together and talking after Hunter walked away; they saw that he just sat down and wasn't interacting with anyone else there. It was clear there was something on his mind, or wrong. "What's up with him?" Jeremy asked. "He looks miserable…"

"Yeah…" Elijah sighed.

"My sister and her friends all noticed it too; they're worried about him. Truthfully, I'm starting too as well after earlier…" Devon remarked.

"He's been like this since he woke up from surgery two weeks ago. Well, that's where it started and apparently gotten progressively worse." Elijah clarified the timeline.

"What do you mean?" Dimitri inquired. Devon and Elijah, taking turns, told Dimitri, Kyle, and Jeremy a summarized version of what they'd seen or heard in the last two weeks.

"And the most recent, which might be the likely reason he's miserable right now, is what happened just a couple hours ago at school after the bell rang. I guess Nicole, Hunter's girlfriend, cornered Ashley, Hunter's ex-girlfriend, about how awful she was to Hunter. But it basically came out that not only did Ashley cheat on Hunter with Grimborn's son, Bryan, but Ashley admitted to Hunter that she had stopped loving him when she met Bryan, was screwing Bryan while still with Hunter, not just seeing him like she first said, and that she was using him for sex…" Devon stated.

"What?" The three said, shocked.

Devon and Elijah nodded. "Using him for sex in the sense she wanted to get over the fear of having it, practice to be better someone else. The someone else being Bryan." Elijah informed.

"Pretty sure Nicole told Ashley she was only with Hunter to use him as her living sex doll…" Devon shrugged. "But regardless, that's probably why he's miserable right now. That just happened around 2:30 pm. Hunter confronted Ashley about it all because he'd been around the corner of the building, watching and listening. Ashley admitted to it all…"

"And Hunter told her that they weren't friends, but he'd tolerate her for the sake of their mutual friends. He told her right to her face that she, by far, is his biggest mistake and regret. Then he walked away after saying what's done is done and everything about them was dead to him." Elijah added in.

"He's had it pretty rough the last year or so…" Dimitri looked at Hunter now, who still just stared at the fire.

"Definitely…" Jeremy and Kyle sighed in agreement.

"I wouldn't have held it against him if he didn't come because of all that…I'm surprised he's here after hearing what happened." Dimitri said.

"He said why he came; we begged him. But I think Eli and I established earlier at school before the reveal about his ex thing happened, that Hunter might not have wanted to come originally because he didn't feel like he should be part of a victory party when he wasn't there to finish the championship. We kind'a believe that maybe he's upset about collapsing during a crucial game, and had we not had that extra guy who started feeling better; we would have lost by forfeit." Devon mentioned.

"It wouldn't have been his fault; you can't help a medical emergency…" Kyle remarked.

"How was he supposed to know he had a tumor?" Jeremy agreed.

"Thing is…We told you that the cause of the collapse was a tumor in his heart…" Devon started.

"What we didn't mention was that Hunter has known about this tumor since the end of February, when we forced him to see a doctor for all the fainting spells." Elijah closed his eyes sighing. "He's known and hid it to keep playing and doing the things he loves. His girlfriend's father was his doctor, and allowed Hunter to continue as long as he was coming to the weekly appointments to watch the status of the tumor to make sure it wasn't reaching a point to need that emergency surgery."

"Keith, his doctor, said that what caused the sudden issues when it was all fine, was Hunter being hit in the chest by that guy from the other team; it brought on chest pain and breathing problems, likely that parts of the tumor broke off, restricting blood flow or something like that." Devon explained.

"So…Hunter has known he was sick since the end of February?" Dimitri asked.

Devon and Elijah nodded. "And the tumor was part of why he was fainting?" Kyle inquired.

"Apparently, Hunter has been having symptoms of the tumor since the end of October, but pushed it all aside as probably nothing more than busy, active, and stressed. It wasn't until the fainting spells that he realized something could be wrong, and when it was decided to make him be seen by his physician. I guess his primary was out that day, so Keith Strondsen, Hunter's girlfriend's father, filled in. Hunter told him everything he'd been experiencing, and that is what determined by Keith that Hunter needed to have tests run. The results of the test showed he had the tumor and surgery was the only way to fix it." Elijah said.

"And the surgery date was supposedly set for June, after graduation…But with the emergency two weeks ago, there was no choice in order to save him. I guess Hunter had what his mom did, and he would have just died had it not been for Keith already knowing what was wrong and having surgery ready to go when they arrived. Hunter's mom didn't know, no one did, until she collapsed and died before help came. Her tumor was revealed in autopsy." Devon revealed.

"So then it's likely to say, without being a professional about mental health or aftereffects, that maybe Hunter is just overwhelmed with emotions from all the different aspects and dealing with a little depression." Jeremy shrugged.

"Yeah, kind of sounds normal given everything that's taken place. Symptoms of the tumor to deal with without knowing it's a tumor because some of the things can be attributed to a busy and stressful life. Learning about the tumor, the one year mark of his mother passing, nearly dying himself from the same thing on the day a year ago his mother died. And now this bit that happened before with the information about his ex-girlfriend using him? Seems like situational reaction; different matters of high emotion causing his mood to stay down where he's in a constant state of deep thought, sadness…" Kyle informed gently.

"Yes…That makes the most sense. But it's without an official diagnosis, only a therapist, psychologist, or even psychiatrist would be able to call that one." Dimitri nodded as they glanced at Hunter again. It seemed everyone was in their own little groups to talk and have fun, but no one was approaching Hunter, likely able to sense he didn't want to be bothered, nor did he want to be there. "You two keep an eye on him over the summer with his other friends…Depression is a nasty thing, in any form, and if left unchecked; it can get worse…I don't want to find out over the summer that he's harmed himself, or another article in the paper of a teenager who killed themselves."

"You don't have to tell us that; we already planned on it. His friends are watching him too, but I don't think they suspect actual depression, just that something is wrong." Elijah stated.

"Clearly something is wrong that's causing the low mood, and if he doesn't open up about it, or find a healthy way to cope; it will only continue to deteriorate and take over him. But you can't push him either, that would probably result in anger while believing that no one would understand so he'll close himself off more and start becoming distant. You said his mood has been off since the surgery, that was two weeks ago." Jeremy responded.

"And he's already like this with people around him; that's not good. If this were a light case, he'd still be acting alright with friends, but he's not. He's here, but not here. He doesn't care who sees, so it's getting to a point where he's starting to want to be left alone, not talk, do anything he likes…As I said; this gets worse. If it doesn't improve from this, or starts to get worse; you may need to bring in his family and express the concerns. But beyond that, if it still doesn't change anything…" Dimitri began.

"An intervention may be necessary." Kyle said.

"We got it, don't worry." Devon and Elijah replied together.

. . .

(6:00 pm)

Hunter barely interacted with anyone; he stuck to drinking water or juice, but never ate. However, that one was explained because he said would be taking his girlfriend out for dinner at 6:30 pm. Hunter always appeared to be sitting and lost in thought. Shane and Travis tried to talk to him, but Hunter just told them he was fine and relaxing. Hunter didn't want to be here; he'd had fun in the past with end of the year parties, but all those were good years. This one had not been for him. Hunter glanced around; he was bored and not really into the celebration. He felt like he was at one of his father's mayor-related events; people just standing around with a drink or small plate in hand while talking. Hunter felt his phone vibrate as he pulled it out to see a message from Nicole.

Milady, 6:05 pm
Hi, babe. How's the party?

6:05 pm
About as much fun as watching paint dry. I feel like I'm at one of dad's mayor events…

Milady, 6:06 pm
Aw, you poor thing. Really? It's that boring?

6:07 pm
Incredibly. I'll tell you about it at dinner. I'm getting ready to leave anyway to come get you; if I stay any longer, I'm gonna fall asleep here.

Milady, 6:07 pm
That bad? I'm so sorry, baby. I'll start getting ready for when you arrive :) Love and see you soon! :heart:

6:08 pm
It's okay, I made my appearance. I really just want to spend some time with you, so I'll be there in fifteen to twenty minutes. Love you too :heart:

Sliding his phone back into his pocket after sending the text, Hunter got up from the chair and stretched a bit as he was stiff from being still too long. Hunter cleaned up the small area he'd been occupying before tossing the garbage away and grabbing his keys from the leg pocket on his khaki cargo pants. Shane and Travis noticed first that Hunter was preparing to leave, so they hurried over to him.

"Hey, where ya going?" Travis asked.

"Picking up Nicole for the date? I said I wasn't staying long." Hunter stated.

"But…You've barely done anything since you got here. All you did was have a couple drinks and sit in front of the fire." Shane informed.

"I told you I don't like parties and that I didn't want to come anyway…" Hunter remarked. "And I really didn't want to come after earlier, but I did."

"Hunt, come on…We know you're upset about the stuff with Ash-," Travis started.

"Do NOT bring it up. Yes, I'm upset. I'm furious that the girl I was in love with since the eighth grade, who I was ready to marry after graduation if we'd stayed together, decided to cheat on and use me…" Hunter glared. "I came for a little while, pushing back my previously made plans with Nikki to come to a party that has no relation to me. Now it's almost 6:30 at night, I'm hungry and I'm tired. So I just want to pick up my girl, go to dinner, then get home to sleep…" Shane and Travis looked at him with a little concern; Hunter's little outburst got the attention of a few others too. "Alright? Is that okay with you two?" Hunter asked as the two males nodded to him. "Great. Have fun, don't do anything stupid, and I'll see you Monday. Bye." Hunter went to walk past them and get to the gate so he could leave.

"Hunter, wait a minute…" Dimitri stopped him. Hunter wanted to get mad, but he did stop and swallowed down his anger. Dimitri walked up next to him. "Lad, are you alright?"

"Fine, why?" Hunter replied.

"It just seems like you've got a lot on your mind that you don't know how to handle, and if you need someone to talk to; I'm here. Any of us are. You're very short lately, annoyed…I get the other two that you just told Shane and Travis about…" Dimitri stated as Hunter looked at him. "All I'm saying is that I know you've had a rough year, probably from when you lost your mom to current. And if you…Need help to deal with whatever you're going through, don't be afraid to ask for it. Okay?"

Hunter stared at him for a moment or two, but nodded. "Okay…" Hunter responded softly.

"Good…Good. You're like a son to me, Hunter. I don't want to see anything else happen to you than what already has. A lot of people care about you. I may not be your coach anymore, but I'll always be your friend. And you have my number if you need anything…" Dimitri stated. Hunter's expression was calm, but looking directly in the teenager's eyes; Dimitri saw a blank, but sad look in his eyes. Dimitri offered a smile, lightly patting Hunter's shoulder now. "Alright, I won't hold you up any longer from the date with your girlfriend. Just…Be careful;, a lot of crazies on the road during this time of year," He laughed a little, but got no response from Hunter. "And please remember what I'm telling you?"

Hunter nodded again. "I'll remember. And thank you. It's been a pleasure playing for you, Jeremy, Devon, Kyle, and Eli all these years, Mr. Bludvist. Have a good night, Coach." Hunter winked with a small smile before Dimitri looked in his eyes once more and gave him a hug. The action shocked Hunter a little, but he hugged him back.

"Be safe, Hunter…" Dimitri whispered before releasing him and leaving Hunter a bit stunned. "Have a good rest of your night!" Dimitri smiled wide, patting Hunter's back and sending him through the open gate that he'd gotten open with his other hand. Hunter, still surprised, just nodded to him and walked to the jeep. Hunter got in, buckled up, started it, then headed off.

"What did you say to him?" Devon asked.

"Something I hope he holds onto and it comes back to him if things take a turn for the worst…It's in his eyes; the overwhelming sadness. And I just wanted give him something to remember and act as a lifeline if he falls any farther down…" Dimitri informed before walking away from the gate with them, unknowing that Shane and Travis both heard it and wondered what he'd meant. All they knew is that it made them worry about Hunter more.