•• 2010 ••

GROUP PROJECTS WERE always a hassle, the only positive most of the time being the people you worked with. Luckily, that was the case this time.

Fourteen-year-old Y/N L/N was on the backyard patio with his classmates-slash-friends. He was grateful that he had them join him in this pretty mind-numbing project on Beethoven.

"Why couldn't we be assigned someone interesting? Like...Tupac or something?" Y/N asked.

His best friend, Donovan Mitchell, sat in the seat across from him. The black teenager had his notebook open and wrote as he replied.

"Unfortunately, I don't think Mr. Brady believes Tupac was that influential."

"Well, he thought wrong." Their other friend, Zendaya Coleman, chimed in. She sat back and held her journal containing her own notes.

"I rarely see him listen to rap. Or even pop, or the blues." Donovan pointed out. "All he plays is that country shit. I don't want to say it, but—"

"He might be racist." Zendaya interjected.

Donovan chuckled. "You said it, not me."

Moments later, someone came outside onto the patio with them. It was the final piece to their friend group, Hailee Steinfeld. She was carrying a few water bottles.

"Ms. L/N wanted me to bring these." Hailee told Y/N and placed them on the table.

"Great. Talking about this old dude was getting me parched." Donovan said and opened one.

"Thanks, Haiz." Y/N replied with a smile and took one for himself. The nickname her friend would say always brought a smile to her face.

She sat down and joined the three with their music class project. The deadline for it was next week, but they weren't the last-minute types despite the teenager stereotype.

They finished the PowerPoint and only needed to revise it. Donovan sat back and let out a sigh.

"All in a day's work." Donovan said, standing up and dapping up Y/N across the table.

Hailee and Zendaya looked at him for a moment and expected a high five from him too. After a pause and Donovan not doing so, they stared at him.

"Oh, right. You guys too." He said with a chuckle.

"Very funny. We did most of the research while you were checking out baseball highlights on your phone." Zendaya shot back.

"Over exaggerating much? And don't you two...like...enjoy this type of stuff?"

"Just because we love music doesn't mean we're all-knowing on Beethoven." Hailee replied. "You like sports, do you know everything about George Mikan? Jackie Robinson?"

Donovan scratched his chin. "Touché."

Zendaya looked at her phone after hearing it chime. She nodded and got up.

"Uh, my dad's here. Earlier than I thought, actually. Sorry."

"That's fine." Y/N replied. "Good thing we finished it already."

"Send me my parts so I can review 'em."

He nodded and the tanned-skinned girl bid farewell. The trio was left on the patio. Donovan looked at the other two for a moment before smirking.

"What was that?" He looked toward the door and acted like he was called. "Y/N, your mom is calling me."

He started walking away, and although Y/N kind of knew why he was leaving them. He questioned his friend.

"Was that your attempt at a your mom joke or something?" Y/N asked.

Donovan shook his head. "Nah, uh, your mom actually called me." He thought for a moment. "Wow, it does sound like one."

He left the two. Y/N sat there for a moment with Hailee, who was looking through her notebook. The fourteen-year-old mustered up the courage to finally speak amidst the silence.

"So, Hailee..." He began.

She took her eyes off her notebook and looked at the boy. Immediately, the task of talking got harder for him.

"Uh..." He let out a chuckle. "So...you know that dance the school is doing next week? I was wondering if you were going to go?"

Hailee's smile ended up disappearing as if she knew her answer was going to probably disappoint Y/N. She sighed.

"I...I'm not going to be able to."

"Oh. Alright." Y/N rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't know you had plans."

Hailee fiddled with her fingers. "I got the part in a movie and I have to go out of state for the next few weeks."

Y/N looked at Hailee. He understood that his friend has gotten a couple of roles in commercials here and there and a small part in a TV show recently. To hear that she finally got a role in a movie genuinely made him happy.

"A movie? Really? That's great!" He replied. "Can you tell me more or are you sworn to secrecy?"

She chuckled. "It's a western with Matt Damon."

"The dude from the Bourne movies? What? That insane!" The two laughed collectively from his over-the-top reaction. "That's very cool."

After that moment, there was a brief moment of silence. Y/N let out a quiet sigh, he wanted to ask her to the dance but couldn't now that he knew she wasn't going to go.

"So you're going to the dance?" Hailee asked, which snapped him out of his thoughts.

He shrugged, feigning a nonchalant attitude. "I don't know. Maybe. If Don goes, probably. It won't be as fun without you though."

"Yeah, I know." Hailee replied with her own shrug.

Y/N laughed until he quieted again. "I hope everything goes well over there. Don't forget to call or text...any of us."

Especially me, he thought.

The girl looked at him, taking in his smile. Unbeknown to the boy, she would've really loved to go to the dance and go with Y/N specifically. But her role in True Grit was a golden opportunity in the infancy of her acting career and her parents believed so too. It sucked knowing that the boy was going to be without one of his best friends there.

"Of course, I will." She said with a smile.

Suddenly, Hailee's phone vibrated and she picked it up, seeing that it was a call from her sixteen-year-old brother, Griffin. She showed the contact to Y/N before answering it and putting it on speaker.

"Hey." She answered.

"Hey. I'm on Haddon Avenue already, so where's your little boyfriend's house again?"

Hailee's eyes widened and toggled off speaker mode, putting the phone to her ear. Y/N blushed for a moment but brushed it off with a chuckle.

"It's the house on the corner by the library." She replied. "And I thought mom was picking me up."

"I just got my license and dad said it'd be good to refine my skills. He thinks I'm gonna be a race car driver or something."

"All right. I'll meet you in the front. Let me just say goodbye."

She took the phone away from her ear and got up from the seat. Y/N got up as well and faced his friend.

"Brother's here to take me home. Well...you already knew that."

"Yeah." He chuckled.

Hailee opened her arms and hugged Y/N. They parted after a moment and she started walking away.

"See you on Monday." She said. "I'm gonna go say bye to your mom and Donovan."

He nodded. "Okay."

Hailee turned around and began to enter the house. She brought her phone to her ear again, where Griffin was still on the line.

"You were on speaker, asshole. And he heard." She muttered, annoyed at his boyfriend line earlier.

Griffin immediately knew what she was mad about. All he could do was laugh.

"That's golden. My job is to embarrass you as much as I can."

Y/N watched as she entered the house. He put his hands in the pockets of his shorts and let out an exhale, walking off his patio and to the backyard.

He really wanted to take Hailee to the dance next week, but that wasn't going to be possible anymore. He's also been wanting to ask her to be his girlfriend for quite a while now, but he was a nervous wreck every time.

The boy liked her and unbeknownst to him...she did too. But the two were unwilling to express such prepubescent feelings yet. They both loved many things...especially music, which they bonded over often. They often joked about how they could be the ultimate duo ala The White Stripes.

He let out another sigh. Y/N thought of the future...he'd have chances asking her to maybe homecoming in high school or other events there. Those upcoming four years could be an opportunity to further their budding relationship.

Or so he thought.

Y/N picked up a basketball that was on the ground. He palmed it and bounced it a few times as he walked over toward the hoop.

He held it between his hands and bounced it again. He planted his feet on the ground, then with one fluid motion, shot the ball.

•• 2014 ••

WITH A SWISH, the ball entered the net. The crowd cheered and the shooter, Y/N L/N, turned around to face them. He did a bow-and-arrow gesture and continued down the court.

The broadcaster at the high school game spoke.

"L/N puts the Vikings up by two! Mater Dei has a full shot clock to tie or win the game."

Back on the hardwood, Y/N called out to his teammates as they set up the defense.

"Don! Don! Watch Garcia!" He motioned at another teammate and pointed at the ball handler. "Stay in front of Johnson!"

Y/N was guarding another player on the wing. The clock winded down as Mater Dei's star player, Stanley Johnson, dribbled the ball and looked for an opening.

"Johnson with the ball. The clock is at eighteen seconds."

They passed the ball to one another. Ultimately, with 9 seconds left, Johnson got that ball back and was ready to drive by his defender. Y/N caught on to the plan and took a risk by leaving his man and reaching over toward Johnson.

Y/N ended up stripping the ball from Stanley and holding it. The crowd got loud.

"L/N with the steal! The Monarchs have to foul!"

Before the opposing team could foul Y/N, he threw it at Donovan who was running down the court. Mitchell grabbed the ball and reached the hoop, jumping up and dunking the ball.

The arena erupted and Donovan ran back to his team. Y/N bellowed and pointed at his best friend-slash-teammate.

"Mitchell with the jam! The Monarchs only have two seconds and are down four with no timeouts, this looks like it's over."

And it was. They inbounded the ball and let the final two seconds go by. Once the buzzer went off, the Vikings' bench leaped up and ran onto the court to celebrate with the rest of the five players.

"And that does it! The Campell Hall Vikings win the CIF State Championship!"

The team basically piled onto each other and let out collective laughs and yells of excitement. They ultimately split off and continued celebrating in smaller groups.

"That was damn good!" Y/N exclaimed at Donovan and hit his chest.

"Shit, that was you!" He hit him back, mentioning his steal and assist. "All you!"

They embraced and pat each other on the back. Soon after, the two friends joined their team in shaking hands with the opposing team. They then met up in the middle of the court for a team picture. Donovan held the trophy as he stood beside Y/N.

After several more photo opportunities, Y/N was approached by a journalist, who was up-and-coming in the Los Angeles Area. He held a microphone and was joined by a cameraperson.

"Y/N, I'm Wilson Wittman with the WilsonsWits podcast."

(A/N: Yeah, this guy is gonna be following you through your career starting now. Just imagine him as Anthony Mackie's long-lost identical twin brother or something lol)

He continued. "You've accomplished what this school's basketball program hasn't been able to do since 2008 with Jrue Holiday, which is to bring a championship. How does it feel?"

"That's the goal of every high school kid, it's to win a state championship. I'm proud to be a part of this program and to be around great teammates...guys I consider brothers. Without them, this wouldn't be possible."

"Your 27 points were also joined with Donovan's 23. How would you compare your tandem with him?"

"He's the jelly. I'm the peanut butter. We just fit well together. He always says he's Spider-Man and I'm like Daredevil. You know?"

"Like pineapple on pizza?" Wilson asked.

Y/N chuckled. "Nah, bro. What are you on?"

"I think it's pretty good." Wilson laughed before moving on. "Speaking of your tandem with Donovan. He's going to Louisville this coming fall while you've committed to UCLA. Were there talks of sticking together before you two ultimately decided otherwise?"

"We did. But he got offered a much bigger role over there and I'm glad he took it. I want him to shine and I know he'd like the same for me."

"Well, that's all for now. Thanks a lot, Y/N, and enjoy your upcoming festivities." Wilson said.

He pat his shoulder. "I appreciate it, Wilson."

Afterward, the eighteen-year-old walked onto the court and saw his mother on the sidelines. She went up to her son and the two hugged. The currently 6-foot-3 teenager towered over her.

"You did so well, baby." Y/M/N said amidst the embrace. "I'm so proud of you."

"This is all because of you, ma'." He replied and parted. "For supporting me."

His mom smiled and resumed the hug with her son.

Y/N's mom gave birth to him in 1996 when she was just sixteen years old. She was honest and explained to her son that he was the result of a "fling" during a party. His father was never in the picture and she raised him with the help of her parents and childhood best friend, Vanessa.

The boy kissed her mother on the head and looked around the court, seeing the crowd beginning to leave and his teammates going into the locker room.

"Is—?"

"Yeah, he showed up." She interjected, knowing who he was asking for. "He didn't want to make much of a scene out here so he said he'd be in the locker room."

Y/N nodded. His mom continued.

"You know who's also here?"

With an arched brow, Y/N watched as his mother turned around. He looked to where she was glancing and saw a familiar-looking girl.

It was Hailee. She waved as she stepped off the sidelines and walked toward them.

"Haiz." He greeted her with a smile and met her in the middle.

"It's me." She replied with a smile, in which he laughed and the two hugged.

It's been quite a while since they've seen each other, often communicating strictly via social media or text. Hailee ended up not going to high school and was home schooled for the next four years instead as she continued with her acting career.

They parted after a moment and the boy let out a playful scoff.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be able to make it."

"Hey, I wasn't really sure at the time. Besides, you knowing I was here would've probably thrown you off your game."

He stifled a chuckle. "No, it wouldn't have."

"Oh, it probably would've." Y/M/N mumbled to herself behind her son.

Y/N overheard and rolled his eyes. Moments later, his mom walked away to talk with Donovan and his parents, leaving the two alone. The boy spoke again.

"So...where's Cameron?" He asked abruptly.

Cameron Smoller was Hailee's current boyfriend. The actress and Instagram personality became an item a few months ago.

"Oh...uh...he couldn't come." She answered, not expecting such a question. "More of a football guy, you know?"

Y/N nodded and fiddled with his medal. Suddenly, one of the coaches called out to him.

"L/N! We need you, come on!"

The boy nodded before looking back at Hailee. "Uh, thank you for coming, Haiz. It means a lot."

She nodded and the two hugged again, this time for a little longer. Y/N parted and jogged toward the locker room. Hailee watched him leave and then walked off the hardwood.

In the locker room, the teammates took a few last pictures with their medals and trophies. Y/N took one holding the hardware and one with his mother.

Suddenly, the man Y/N wanted to see came into the room. A few of the teammates who were in there looked at him in awe...

Kobe Bryant.

"That was a damn good game, man." Kobe went up to the boy and clasped his hand. "That steal at the end was your only one, though. Would've liked to see a couple more."

Y/N accepted his words as fair criticism. Kobe finally smiled and pat him on the shoulder before bringing him in for a hug.

"Congratulations. The first of many achievements ahead of you." He added.

Kobe Bryant had been a part of his life...ever since he was an infant. Vanessa Bryant, who was Laine before getting married, was Y/M/N's best friend growing up and a sort of aunt-figure for her son. Then Kobe joined the fold when Y/N was two years old and the then-rising star was cool with it. Ultimately, it lead to a sort of fatherly bond...which is what he appreciated since one was absent.

"Thank you." He said and parted from him.

Kobe smiled and then looked to the teammates, seeing their reaction to his arrival. He called out to them.

"Let your folks know that we're celebrating with dinner. Tell the rest of the team. Good job, champs."

The boys were ecstatic and immediately left the room to inform their parents and the rest of the team. Y/N chuckled and looked at Kobe.

"They might pass out before they can even ask." He remarked.

"Less mouths to feed then." He joked before patting him on the back. "Let's go."

•• SOCIAL MEDIA ••

@/Zendaya
Champions! Way to go Campbell Hall! Wish I could've been there 😒 Hope you don't hate me @/spidadmitchell @Original_L/N 🫢

418 Retweets 🔁 | 2,106 likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/CampbellHallHS
We appreciate the support whenever you are!

@/spidadmitchell hmmmmmmmmmmm you've lost BFF points. how much we thinking? @/Original_L/N @/HaileeSteinfeld
^@/Original_L/N Somewhere in the double digits
^@/HaileeSteinfeld nothing too drastic
^@/Zendaya booooo you guys are meanies

@/dayafan101 what they win?

@/robin148299 bring back shake it up!

• •

@/SportsCenter
Y/N L/N scores 27 points and leads the Campbell Hall Vikings to a championship victory!

13.4k Retweets 🔁 | 17.4k Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/bronfan_12 future heat
^@/16fgarcia future laker lol

@/duranthive ratio post more KD

@/iamdabeast that's where I went to school!
^@/TDEnjoyer21 asked?
^@/iamdabeast how about you leave?
^@/TDEnjoyer21 how about you get some bitches?

@/hoopsgalore he got a little Kyrie in him ngl

• •

@/HaizArchive
OMGGGG DID YOU SEE HAILEE AT THE GAME TODAY??? 🤯🥵

2 Retweets 🔁 | 3 Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/bai_hails YESSSS 😫 SHE LOOKED STUNNING! You seen the pics with her and that cute boy?
^@/HaizArchive I DID like OMG. Ngl, I see some connection there 😳 Let's hope Cameron doesn't see those 🫢

• •

(A/N: I plan to have these social media sections often, whether that be in their own chapters or in normal ones like this I don't know yet lol. Hope you enjoyed the first part!)