Hey, I know it took like AGES to update, but my life isn't what it used to be anymore. - School is getting harder every day since I'm currently in the hardest year of my High School and constantly have tests and assignments to do. My parents also sent me to dance class for ballroom-dancing and I REALLY LIKE it, so I'm dancing a lot to get good at it. I also have to work faster because my boyfriend wants to spend time with me as well, just as my friends.
And I'm also beta-reading and have to get this done.
I have exactly 5 words of the new chapter, I know it like NOTHING. But I seriously have barely any time. - I have to revise for my English test as well as the ones in Spanish, Latin, German, Math - ...you get the point.

I promise I'll try to update as soon as possible - I'll try to get a part of the chapter done this afternoon since I got no classes today - for once - normally I have like no time for anything.

I'm sorry for the LONG wait - I will tell my friends to remind me of writing so it won't be left over. - I hope.

Thank you!

Mitchi

I didn't think it was funny, but I couldn't help but smile along.

Troy

School had just ended, and I was walking through the hallway on the way to my locker. When I got there, Chad was waiting for me. I smiled. "Hey, what's up?" I asked.

He looked up and said, "The new coach will be here by Monday, and he thinks you should attend practice."

After Chad left, I gathered my things and made my way toward the exit, where Nick would be waiting for me. I spotted him, and we walked home together, making small talk about the happenings in our lives. Suddenly, Nick stopped walking.

"Troy? Can I ask you a question?" he said, looking me in the eyes.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Okay…"

Instead of saying anything, Nick shook his head and began walking again. "It's not that important."

"Okay…" I was confused about Nick's outburst, but we continued walking home.

As soon as we stepped inside, Mom turned to us, smiling, and said, "Hey, get in the kitchen." Nick and I did what we were told, and sat at the counter, waiting for her to join us. When she did, she handed a letter to me. "I didn't read it, as it's addressed to you."

I stared at the envelope briefly and saw that it was from Mr. Doer. I gulped and ripped it open, revealing a short letter. I skipped the first few lines, which contained greetings from Mr. Doer, but then I felt my eyes grow wide when I came across this:

Both your father and stepmother are in jail. Their twin daughters are now in the custody of your aunt, Margaret Bolton. As a result, the house, all the furniture inside it and your father's money, belong to you.

You are free to do whatever you wish concerning your father's house and his money. Although you're not a legal adult yet, being only sixteen years old, you may decide what to do with your father's possessions. The key to the house is in the envelope, and all the formal paperwork is on the table in the kitchen of the house. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact me – even if it's in a few years.

Sincerely,

Mr. J.T. Doer

I didn't know what to say; I didn't think that I'd actually get my dad's house, but now that it was mine, I had no idea what to do with it. I handed the letter to my mom, so she could read it, instead of telling her what I thought about it. At the time, I had no idea what to think.

A few minutes later, Mom looked up and laid the letter aside. "If you want, we can wait until after Christmas to come to a decision." I nodded – time to think about what had just happened was exactly what I needed.

"Can we talk about this in my room?" I asked. Mom nodded, and I gladly walked upstairs and let my backpack fall onto the floor while I waited for Mom to join me. I walked to my desk, sat down, and searched for the drawing I made last night. After I found the drawing, I scrutinized it closely. It wasn't too bad; maybe Gabby was right about the art class. "I'll ask when I get to school on Monday," I quietly said to myself, and put the drawing down again.

"What will you do?" Mom asked me after she entered the room and closed the door. She sat down on my bed and said, "Margaret invited us to dinner on Christmas Eve." She looked up, both eagerness and nervousness etched onto her face, and waited for my reaction.

I shrugged my shoulders. "And?"

"I… Margaret and I were wondering if it'd be okay with you, since the twins will be there."

"They aren't to blame," I said quietly. "It's okay, I promise."

She nodded and replied, "If you change your mind for any reason, tell me, okay?" She stood up, brushed through my hair once and said, "Dinner will be ready in an hour," before she left.

After finishing my homework and eating dinner (and having three extra plates), I went outside and started playing basketball. I bounced the ball toward the hoop and made a shot, which surprisingly made it through the net. I continued practicing my free throws, and I made each one. Previously, I'd miss a few of these shots, mainly because my dad would stand behind me, making sure I wouldn't miss any of them. Soon, I started playing against an imaginary player, pushing myself more and more. I needed to get back into shape, but after two hours, I felt faint, so I let the ball roll away, and I lay down on the lawn, resting.

I heard someone behind me. It was Nick. "Hey, what's up?" I asked him, sitting up.

Nick sat down opposite of me and asked, "Remember when we were walking home and I wanted to ask you something?" He seemed nervous, avoiding all eye contact, and continued, "I wanted to know something… I wanted to ask you how it felt, living there."

"Where?"

"With Dad," he said quietly, breaking the brief eye contact we'd shared.

I shrugged. "It wasn't as great as I thought it'd be," I said slowly, never letting my eyes leave his face.

"Did he… ever apologize for what he did?" Nick whispered, continuing to stare at the ground, like he was scared that my staring at him would kill.

"No," I stated, without emotion. I didn't show any emotion for someone I hated so much.

Nick looked up in shock. "What?"

"Nick, it's okay. I don't have to put up with these problems anymore, and you shouldn't have to either," I said, watching as he nodded slowly. I grinned, stood up, picking up the ball with me, and began dribbling. Suddenly, Nick stole the ball from me, and dribbled it toward the hoop. He shot, and missed by several inches. I laughed and teased him incessantly. "There's a court here, and yet you can't play?" I stole the ball from him and made another shot.

"I had to teach myself how to play, but even then, I had no idea what to do," Nick admitted, looking at the basketball hoop with sad eyes. "It all started after Mom and Dad's divorce… I was still in middle school, and everyone was talking about how good you were at basketball, and how bad the team would be when you started high school. So, I started practicing alone, but as you can guess, I never got the gist of it. You were always the center of Dad's basketball vision – he never showed me how to play."

I gave the ball to him and said, "I'll teach you everything I know. Now, shoot!" He looked at me quizzically before making a shot toward the hoop and missing yet again. He was so close to scoring, but there was something missing.

I grabbed the ball and said, "You're good, considering that you taught yourself how to play. Just remember to keep your elbows nearer to your body and it'll work out." I smiled as Nick narrowed his eyes and threw the ball, working hard to keep his elbows nearer to his body. The ball went in effortlessly.

I grinned. "So now that you know how to score, let's play!" I ran toward the hoop, dribbling the ball and easily made a three pointer while Nick stood there watching. I dropped the ball, and Nick picked it up, scoring a single point. I went back inside, planning to draw another picture and watched as Nick continued shooting several hoops.

"You really didn't have to show him how to improve his basketball skills," Mom said, smiling.

I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "I have someone to play with when Chad isn't around."

Gabriella

A Few Days Later, During School

I was worried about Troy. Nick told me previously that he'd gone back to practicing like he did before everything happened. Troy was outside playing basketball every free minute, working hard again. I didn't think it was good for Troy, so I decided to confront him during free period while were in the library.

"Troy?" I whispered. He looked up from his book, the dark bags visible under his eyes, indicating that he'd been practicing a lot lately.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes. He nodded and continued reading his book. As he did, I made a mental note to tell Chad to look after Troy.

Chad

Later That Day, During Basketball Practice

Gabby told me about her concerns for Troy, and she was right – he'd gone back to practicing like mad, but I also knew that he had a normal life now, and that he was eating healthily as well. I glanced toward him, watching as he made several three pointers in a row. He seemed satisfied with himself.

After a while, the coach blew his whistle, and after everyone walked toward him, he introduced himself.

"Well, some of you might've already learned my name, but for those of you who don't know me, I'm Steven Backer, your new basketball coach and P.E. teacher." He smiled at everyone and picked up a folder, which most likely contained the list of the basketball team. "I have this list from your old coach concerning those of you already on the basketball team and what positions you all play. Since we have a game coming up, we need to talk about strategy."

People began talking quietly, and I felt Troy stiffen next to me. The stiffening increased when Daniel, one of the players on the team, asked, "Why are you the new coach? What happened to Coach Bolton?"

Coach Backer glanced at Troy, as though he wanted to ask for permission to tell everyone what had happened. The team was still clueless about Troy's ordeal.

I know this one was short and I will try to get the next one longer, but I can't promise anything.

Mitchi