Innocence.

Ten-year-old Eric had no idea what he what he was saying when he told Vince to quit the basketball team and try out for the school play instead, but that moment pretty much changed everything.

Vince had been good enough to make it in Little League baseball over the summer, but this was the fifth grade basketball team and it wasn't child's play. Kids in New York took the sport seriously, and the boys from Queens were among the best of the best. Eric was scrappy enough to make it as a forward, but with his long hair and lanky frame, Vince just seemed to get in the way on the court. When he got the wind knocked out of him after Antonio DiMartino boxed him out in the paint, Eric decided that it was time his best friend got another hobby.

"You moron," Eric chuckled as he came over to help Vince up from the tiled gym floor. Vince swiped at the blood on his knee and tried to walk off the pain. "I told you last week and I'm telling you again, basketball is not your sport."

"Yeah but the ladies love it," Vince grinned as he narrowed his eyes at the small crowd of girls cheering on the sidelines. He had a fan section, even then. "I'm just giving them what they want."

Eric elbowed Vince in the ribs as they headed out of the gym and into the cold November air. He tried in vain to rub his hands together for warmth before shoving them into the pockets of his parka. It was a new one, from the sporting goods store over on Vernon Boulevard. Vince's had seen better days, probably long before his ma picked it up for his older brother at the Salvation Army. He had managed to lose his gloves somewhere between his house and school that morning. Eric shook his head and peeled his off before handing them over to Vince.

"The girls love you even when you're not playing basketball, Vince," Eric pointed out. His air made a small puff of smoke in the air. Vince grinned at his friend knowingly, as if to say, yeah, I'm that good. The truth was that he was that good. "We just have to find the right place for you to display your skills. I don't know, maybe you should try out for the school play. You'd get to kiss Elena Moretti. She's pretty cute."

Vince tapped his temple in mock contemplation. "Yeah, she's okay, but I don't know...Don't you think that acting is kind of gay? I mean, the only kid in our grade who even wants to be in drama is Mark, and I'm pretty sure he likes boys. I caught him looking at me that one time in gym."

"With hair likes yours, he probably thought you were a chick," Eric teased him. The truth was that neither of them really cared if Mark liked boys or girls. It wasn't like that for everyone in Queens, but Vince didn't really see the point in discriminating and Eric had a gay cousin that his family didn't really like to talk about. It just wasn't a big deal. But Eric could understand why Vince didn't want to have to deal with that harassment from his brothers or want to wonder what the girls thought of him being an actor.

"So I'll quit basketball," he decided. Eric laughed because Vince didn't even really have to think about it. If E thought it was a good idea, it had to be a good idea. That'd probably both nearly kill and save Vince a few times in his life. "But you have to come see me on opening night."

"I'll be in the front row," Eric promised with a smile as they cut across the empty lot where they played football a few months earlier. Snow covered the ground now, crunching under their tennis shoes. "Wanna come over for dinner? Ma is making spaghetti and peach pie."

Vince looked down the street at his own house before following Eric up the stairs and inside. It was the last day Vince ever played basketball. He quit the team the next day and got the leading role in the school play the following Tuesday. Eric was there on opening night, front and center. He's never missed a single premiere.