63 Halloween I

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~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~

~~~(Date: October 31st, 2025)~~~

~~~(Time: 9:00 AM)~~~

~~~(Location: Home)~~~

Tonight is one of the nights that high schoolers all across America both love and hate. They hate it because it always falls on a school night, and the reason they love it is that it's a good excuse for a party. I've been invited to pretty much every single one that's happening in Holden, but I'm not going to any.

Mainly because I'm not into parties and I'm not into dressing up. My height causes problems in that department. They don't make store-bought costumes for seven-footers. Ellie and I used to go and trick or treat when I was younger, and it was always fun. That all stopped after middle school, mainly because I stopped liking it.

The inconvenience of it being on a school night made it a real downer. "Ulysses?! Do you have any plans today?!" Ellie's voice echoes from the kitchen, and I quickly get off my ass and make it to her. I can smell good food the closer I get. I pass the dinner table, and I see a huge bowl of candy. Ellie always makes sure she has candy when the kids come by.

Hannah and I will hang out at the Gym. I'll practice, and she will be too. It's convenient since the gymnastics room is connected to the basketball court. We can see and talk to each other, the wall connecting the basketball court and gymnastics room can be partially removed. I duck my head as I enter the kitchen so I don't his it on the arch over the opening.

She smiles at me as I look down on the stove and see the delicious Sunday morning breakfast. "Hannah and I are going to the Gym at the school. I'm heading out at noon." Hannah and I have grown pretty close in the time we've been dating. It's better since Ellie approves of her, and that's something I was worried about.

Not because Hannah is suspicious, but because Ellie is very protective of me. She knows that I'll be worth a lot of money to a lot of people. She doesn't want me being taken advantage of. "That's great! I have plans myself, meeting up with some old high school friends at Peter's." I'm truly happy that she has plans for tonight herself.

Peter is someone she went to high school with. She and some of her friends are still living in Holden, and they've stayed connected over the years. I've met Peter, and he's a pretty good guy. "When are you leaving?" If she's going to be gone when I get back, I'll need to take my house key with me. She stops stirring the chocolate in the pot and places it on the other burner.

She washes her hands and spins in my direction, pointing towards the cupboard. I open it, knowing what she needs. I pull out the mixing bowl from the top shelf and hand it to her. "I'm leaving around four, and I won't be back until seven tonight." I'll take my key cause I will be coming back by the time she's out.

I head into the living room and turn on the TV, its's Undisputed playing right now. Skip, and Shannon are arguing about the NBA season and its first few games. I watched some, and there have been some pretty great performances. Luka got a Triple double last game, and Giannis dropped 45. It was fun to watch the games.

Suddenly the topic changes and a picture of me in my game against Nicolas-James Highschool comes up. Along with my stat line. Seeing it now, I can say it's kind of unbelievable. "Skip, this kid is the next generational player coming to the league. He can do it all, and he's doing things I've never seen before." I'll admit I'm flattered, but this is just a talk show.

They don't know how good I am. I hold back in-game when I need to. So I can give my teammates a chance. "I'm not so sure about him yet. He's still only in high school, and the NBA is different. It's the best league on the planet. Jumping from high school to the NBA won't be easy for him. It's a different game up here." Skip takes the other side of the argument.

This is what a debate show is, two or three people arguing on both sides of the spectrum. Most of the time, anyway. "Skip... C'mon, Skip!" Shannon does his classic bit and looks down at his paper. "He got 55 points, 12 assists, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. All while shooting 100% from the field, Skip!! He took less than 20 shots!" Skip, and Shannon continue their debate, and it's a good laugh to me.