-June 2016, Months Before The Outbreak-
JuJu and D'Angelo are driving to Los Angeles for a football camp he was invited to.
"Hey Pops," he says. "Thanks for taking me to this. Sucks that Mom and Lina couldn't go."
"No problem son. Gotta put you in the best situation to get scouted before you start high school. Plus, I heard there's gonna be NFL players there."
"Yo seriously? Do you know who?"
"No, we'll find out soon. How's your ankle feelin' by the way?"
"Better than ever for sure. Feels good to be able to play again."
After a couple hours of driving, they finally get to LA and see the tall buildings from downtown in the distance. They drive down the 'Walk of Fame' and see other things the city has to offer.
"Where's this place at anyway?" JuJu asks.
"It's in Santa Monica, close to the beach."
After a couple of minutes, they arrive at the camp. The Field was next to the water with the palm trees in the background moving with the slight breeze as the speakers played the most popular music then. The grass was the perfect shade of bright green, other players JuJu's age stretching and playing catch with one another, and cameras were everywhere. The two walk up to the front entrance of the field and are met by a woman sitting at her desk.
"Hello!" she says. "Names?"
"D'Angelo and Julian Rose."
"Ah! Yes, here's your jersey Julian and meet with one of the coaches as soon as possible. Have fun!"
"Thanks," JuJu replies with a slight grin on his face
As soon as they walk in, one of the coaches walks right to them.
"D'Angelo Rose, How you been brother?" He says.
"Wagner! I've been great. It's been a while."
"Yes sir it has. So, this is who I've been hearing about?"
"Yes, coach." JuJu answers.
"You don't gotta call me coach son, me and your dad played together for years. Call me Justin."
"Yes sir."
"Alright JuJu," says D'Angelo. "I gotta take this call and I'm gonna be on the sideline. Kill it out there. Get these people to notice you."
JuJu nods and starts to put his gear on, Cleats, gloves, and a compression jersey. He stretches and does warm-ups before the main organizer of the camp calls everyone to the center of the field.
"All right, listen up!" the organizer announces. "Welcome to the SoCal Football Invitational! We've got some special guests here today, some NFL players who've taken time out of their busy schedules to be here and share their knowledge with you. Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, and Devonta Freeman from the Atlanta Falcons!"
All of the players including JuJu were in shock at seeing NFL Stars instead of bench players.
Over the next few hours, JuJu shows off his skills on the field, running drills, catching passes, and impressing everyone with his speed, agility, and reflexes. He even catches the attention of one NFL player, Julio Jones, who offers him tips and encouragement.
"Yo, eleven!" He calls out, signaling JuJu to talk to him. "Come here right quick."
JuJu walks up to him, starstruck at seeing a top-five wide receiver in the league want to talk to him.
"Hey, you cold bro. You gonna kill it in the league, I know it. High school and college will be too easy for you. You're unguardable. Keep grindin' and you'll be up there with the greats."
"T-thanks Julio," He replies stuttering his words. Can you sign my jersey?"
"Sure, anything for a fellow receiver."
As the day comes to a close, JuJu feels exhausted but satisfied. He's made some new friends and contacts, and he's confident that he's made a good impression on the scouts and coaches in attendance.
Driving back home, D'Angelo turns to JuJu and says, "You did great out there today, son. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Pops," JuJu replies. "I just hope it's enough to get me noticed."
"You never know," D'Angelo says with a smile. "Anything's possible if you keep working hard and stay focused on your goals."
"Yes sir," JuJu replies.
He looks at his phone and sees a missed call from his mother. He calls her back and tells her about everything that happened and how well it went with a big smile on his face.
Chapter 6: No Ending
Part I - Deep Wounds
-Day 172-
JuJu wakes up to his phone turning on with only one notification on it. He looks at it and sees that it's a voicemail from his mother.
"The hell?" He says as his voice begins to tremble. "How did I get a notification?"
He rubs his eyes and picks up the phone, unlocks it, and opens the voicemail.
"Hey hermano, it's me, Lina. Sorry Mama and I couldn't go to LA with you and Dad but I was just calling to say we're both so proud of you. You will be a big star one day. I want to hear all about it when you get home! Te quiero mucho hermano! Bye."
The recording ends and he sits on the side of his bed in complete silence. His eyes start tearing up after hearing his little sister's voice again. He then grabs the phone with a tight grip and throws it across the room out of pure anger. The phone makes a loud thud on the wall and the phone breaks into multiple pieces. He lays back on his bed and puts the pillow over his head. He screams at the top of his lungs as the muffled scream doesn't wake his friends down the hallway.
The next morning, Marcus busts into JuJu's room to wake him up.
"JuJu, wake up bro."
He slowly rises from his bed and turns to his friend who's fully dressed.
"Huh?" he says as he yawns and rubs his eyes. "Why the hell are you waking me up so early?"
"You don't know what day it is today?"
"Nah."
"It's Thanksgiving."
"Bruh, I'm thankful to be alive, there you go. I'm goin' back to bed."
"No, you not. We're going to church bro, don't you want to be normal again?"
"Nothing will ever be normal. Just let me be."
"Aren't you religious?"
"Of course I am. I just, want to be alone right now. My mind isn't in the right place."
Marcus nods and leaves the room, leaving JuJu to his thoughts. He knows that Marcus means well, but he can't bring himself to face the world today, especially not on a holiday that reminds him of his family.
He lies in bed for a while, trying to push away the memories that are haunting him. He thinks of his little sister's voice on the voicemail and how he will never hear it again. He thinks of his parents and how they were taken from him too soon. His father still missing, not knowing if he is still alive or not. He feels a sense of emptiness inside him that he can't shake off. He looks out the window and sees the snow coming down, not even fazed at seeing it for the first time in his life.
Eventually, hunger gets the best of him, and he gets up to go to the kitchen. As he walks down the hallway and the stairs, he sees his two friends gathered in the living room, listening to music from a record player and eating food from the animal JuJu hunted the day before. They greet him warmly and offer him food, but he declines and goes to sit by himself in the backyard.
He sits on the porch, watching the snowfall and thinking about his family. He remembers how they used to celebrate Thanksgiving, with his mother cooking up a storm and his father carving the turkey. He feels a pang of sadness in his heart as he realizes that those days are gone forever.
Suddenly, he hears a voice behind him.
"Mind if we join you?"
He turns around and sees Byron and Marcus standing there with a plate of food for him in Byron's hand. He nods but doesn't say a word.
They sit down, and eat in silence, watching the snowfall. After a while, Byron speaks up.
"I know it's tough, man. But you gotta keep going. Your family wouldn't want you to give up."
JuJu nods, feeling a sense of gratitude for his friend's words.
"I know," he says. "It's just hard to move on."
"I get it. But you gotta try. We're all in this together, you know?"
JuJu looks at him and smiles, feeling a sense of hope for the first time in a while.
"Yeah," he says. "We're all in this together."
JuJu begins to eat the food as if he hasn't eaten in days, enjoying each bite of the meat.
"Look, I'm thankful for y'all." He says with a little bit of food still in his mouth. "Y'all my brothers for real for real."
"For sure," Marcus says. "We rise by lifting others, bro. My mama used to say that."
The three go back into the house and continue to eat their food together and listen to music.
"Aye, how's the thing with Lynn goin'? Have you told her?"
"I'm working on it. Just lookin' for the right time."
"Uh, JuJu?" Byron butts in. "It might be a bad time to say this but you gotta act fast."
"Why?"
"I've seen Lynn hang out with Clyde, like a lot. You know, the dude with the leg."
"Shit. There could still be a chance they're just friends though, right? Like it's gotta be nothin' serious."
"Yo, relax. You'll be fine."
JuJu takes a deep breath and relaxes as he finishes up his plate. He gets up and takes his plate to the trash at the back of the house. He goes back inside and walks toward the door to the garage.
"Where you goin' J?" asks Marcus.
"Just gonna work out, gotta take my mind off things."
Byron and Marcus nod, understanding his need for solitude and physical activity to cope with his emotions. JuJu walks out to the garage and starts to lift weights, focusing on the repetitive motion and the burn in his muscles. As he lifts, he sees Lynn every time he blinks and can't get his mind off her. Even the thought of her probably having feelings for Clyde makes him jealous.
Later on in the workout, he thinks about his family, his father, mother, and little sister. He realizes that even though he has lost so much, he still has people who care about him and want to see him happy. He decides to try and move on, honoring his family by living his life to the fullest and appreciating the people who are still there for him.
As he finishes his workout and heads back to the house, he feels a sense of peace that he hasn't felt in a long time. He knows that it won't be easy, but he also knows that he has the strength and support to face whatever comes his way. He looks at his friends, asleep on the couch from all the food they ate, and gets a big blanket from the closet in the living room. He lays it on them and heads upstairs to the bathroom and takes a shower before going to bed.