Chapter 12 End Of Summer

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[Sunrise Stables, August 11th 17:30]

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[Status]

Name: Hakim Lyon

Gender: Male

Date of Borth: 2000/July/19

Age: 15

Height: 5'7 -> 6'0

Wingspan: 6'7.25

Race- African American

[Physicals]

[>Badges:3]

[>Missions]

[>lottery (looked)]

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[Talents]

[(S) Rank Aerial Mornach]

[(A) Rank Sixth Sense]

[(Unique) Rank Kings Body]

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[Physicals]

Speed: D -> C

Agility: D -> C++

Strength: D -> C

Vertical: C+ -> B++

Stamina: D -> C

Athleticism Rating: E -> C+]

[Skills]

[Finishing]

Close Shot: C -> C++

Layup: C -> B-

Dunk: -E -> B

Post-Control: F -> D

[Shooting]

Three-Point Shooting: E -> C

Mid-Range Shooting: C- -> B

Free throw: B- -> A 

[Playmaking]

Ball Handling: C -> A-

Dribbling: D+ -> B+

Passing: C -> C-

[Dfebding]

Interior Defense: D -> C-

Perimeter Defense: D -> C-

Steals: C- -> D+

Blocks: F -> E+

Rebounding: F -> E-

Kings note: (A decent well-rounded highschool-hopper who is yet to evolve his game,)

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'Looks like that was two months well spent,' I mumbled to myself after checking out the labours of my hard work of 2 months. I'm especially proud of my finishing abilities that I managed to make effective. 

Although my 3pointer is only at a consistent C it should be enough for my sophomore year. Although I don't feel like I'm at my peak from my memories I'm definitely better than I was at this age. All those yoga sessions really helped my range of motion which transitioned in my vertical and dunk. 

Being unable to dunk with a -E to a B really changed my aerial combat abilities. Although my game doesn't specifically focus on high-risk air manoeuvres it helps to be confident. Especially, since I'm going for a mix between a 2-Way Sharpshooter and Playmaking Shot Creator.

My ideal play style is cutting through traffic in the paint and having the option to bail out with a quick fadeaway. Having a 3-point bomb in the chamber is just in case I have to be efficient and will help me lead a longer career down the stretch. 

Getting up from the bench I threw my towel to the side heading to the half-court to pick up my ball. Right now I'm at the home gym that my grandpa had built when his son started playing. It's an underground part of a larger wellness complex connected to an indoor pool, gym and sauna. Safe to say the old cowboy-turned-contractor knows how to relax. 

 I've spent most of my two-month holiday here training every chance I get. Turns out everyone has chores here and if you want your free time you have to earn it. Jess and I usually help around the house as our grandparents only have cleaning personnel come in once a week. Even then they are only there for the overall maintenance of the house and some of the gardening.

So If we weren't helping out in the house we had some chores down at the stables complex. Let me tell you that taking care of horses is a stinky business and not recommended for your sneaker game. I lost a pair of Jordan1's too a dung pile ruining it forever. Yes, the shoes were very much walked in for years and I had outgrown them with my growth spurt but I still shed a tear that day.

Despite the chores and my ruined sneakers living here has been a breath of fresh air. It's like having a nightmare like Djavu's dream of how your life would go if you continued down the path you are on. Now that I have chosen a different path from the past me, life is exciting in all the best cases. Getting to know my mother's family without anger clouding me also helped. 

Especially since I never really hated them It was just easier having someone to be angry at than my pops who was never there. Things just spiralled from there as pride got in the way and life happened. Pride eventually turned to hatred the more it festered especially when I lost my mom in my past life. 

I'm not saying that we are super close now but we are getting there, step by step we are becoming family. Not like I would confined in anyone other than my mother but the sense of safety and structure does wonders for my mental state. Plus it helps that grandpa seems to want to make up for the time apart and lack of a father figure.

He's one of those people who don't talk much unless they are passionate about a topic. Despite that, he tried his best to connect with me despite having almost zero in common with me. He would plan these impromptu boys' trips with my uncle to go fishing by the lake. 

He even got me a new pair of J's when I ruined mine mucking out a stall, that's despite only liking his cowboy boots and his dress shoes. Even though he was trying his best to connect with me he remained strict which was new for me. It's weird having constant examples of what a man was supposed to be in the form of him and Uncle Liam. 

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"You still training?" a feminine voice spoke up from behind me after I performed a spot-up shot from midrange. I had five different coloured cones set up along the 3-point line with a matching number in the actual circle. Like that, I've been practising my shooting and dribbling at different points in front of the basket. 

"Yeah, last day before school starts," I told Jess knowing who it was without the need to turn my head. She's got a habit of joining my workouts whenever she is bored or wants to annoy me. Safe to say she is the sister I never knew I needed or sometimes never wanted. 

"Yk you could have joined for the back-to-school burnfire," She said with a slight pout still mad I didn't join her. She had been trying to introduce me to her friends all summer but I've been avoiding that at every turn. 

Not like I'm scared to meet them, well actually that is exactly the fact especially when considering the culture shock here. For a week straight when we first moved here, I hadn't seen or met a single black person. If not for the fact my family was nice I would have thought I was in the movie getout. 

Luckily I met the first black person when I ventured out on one of my runs. Let's just say he didn't cherish the fact I hugged him like a drowning sailor. He was a good sport though, after I explained my overreaction when finally meeting another black person.

Anyways, from what I've gathered most of her friends are passionate teens on a journey of self-discovery. With the internet, they had become little freedom fighters for different initiatives. The other week or so they were raising money for a koala bear they were supporting. 

"It's not like I know anyone there, plus I was half expecting you to return drunk," I responded after realising that I took a little too long to answer her. "It wasn't the whole school just my friends mostly, plus there will be a cookout for everyone after school tomorrow." She replied with a frown already realising that I was avoiding her friend at every turn. 

The only time I was ever around them was when she invited them to family gatherings. It's hard to ignore someone around the dinner table especially when they were perfectly nice. They were just a tad bit self-absorbed but that is just normal for high school girls entering the spring of their lives. 

"That will be tomorrow's me problem," I responded already thinking of escape routes just in case my first day at school went badly. Not knowing anyone and the fact I'm a year ahead in my studies is already troublesome. 

Although I don't plan on ever skipping a year ahead advancing my studies is something I want to do. Hopefully, by the time I go to college, I'll have a few courses under my belt. Maybe by the time I enter the draft, I could leave with a degree that will make Mum happy. 

"Sigh, let's just play ones," she responded with annoyance easily discernable in her tone and started picking up cones. Not bothering to respond to her I helped in picking up the cones so we could get the game started.

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Please let me know if you liked the chapter It has been a while since I've heard from you guys. 

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Check out my other 2 novels if you want more of my writing Master of Flow will take you on a rollercoaster ride of the glam and shadows of the Rap world. Basketball King follows the rise of a you prospect in trying to achieve his dreams and so much more. 

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To Be Continued...