Unwind and Past

DJ woke up naturally to the birds chirping near his window. He quickly went through his morning routine, working out, showering, and eating a hearty breakfast.

After the game, DJ's social media was blowing up. His followers had increased dramatically, with people from school and the local community following him to keep up with his football journey. He noticed the

comments filled with praise and encouragement, which gave him an extra bit of confidence.

Group Chat

Malik: "Yo, we need to celebrate that win! How about bowling tonight?"

Travis: "I'm down! DJ, you in?"

DJ: "You know it. Let's do this!"

Brianna: "Bowling sounds fun! Count me in."

Addison: "I'll be there too. We need to celebrate properly!"

Ellie: "I'm ready to show off my bowling skills. Let's do it!"

Malik: "DJ, just don't embarrass us. We know football is your thing, not bowling."

DJ: "Haha, very funny. We'll settle who's the real champ tonight."

Travis: "Don't worry, DJ. I'll bring the bumpers for you."

Ellie: "DJ, just remember to aim for the pins. They're the white things at the end of the lane."

Addison: "You guys are terrible. DJ, we believe in you!"

DJ: "Thanks, Addie. At least someone has my back."

----

Later that evening, DJ picked up Malik and Travis, and they headed to the local bowling alley. The place was buzzing with people, the

lights dimmed to a fun, neon glow. DJ spotted Brianna, Addison, and Ellie waiting for them.

As they gathered their shoes and found a lane, DJ realized like the last time he was here with Malik and Travis he's bad at bowling. Each roll seemed to either end in the gutter or knock down only a pin or two. Malik and Travis, on the other hand, were decent bowlers, and they couldn't stop teasing DJ.

"DJ, you shame the sacred sport of bowling, as the chairman of the association of bowling I ban you!" Malik said as if he was making a decree in response to DJ's ball that rolled into the gutter for the third time in a row.

"I'll be real with you man, I think if I brought a

homeless man with a burning honeybun on his back he'd do better," Travis added while patting DJs shoulder.

Brianna giggled, wrapping her arms around DJ's waist. "Don't worry, you're still my MVP," she whispered, making DJ flustered.

Addison genuinely contemplated while seeming concerned and putting her hand on her chin , "Maybe we should have a bowling boot camp for DJ next time."

Ellie laughed. "Or we could just enjoy watching him try. It's entertaining!"

DJ sighed. "Alright, alright, you guys win this round, don't shoot a dead man while he's down. But next time, it's laser tag, and then we'll see who's laughing."

As the game continued, the teasing and laughter grew. Malik managed to get a few strikes, his competitive spirit shining through. "That's how you do it!" he said, doing a little victory pose like he was in a bodybuilding show.

Addison rolled her eyes, smiling. "Show-off.

Let's see if you can do it again."

Travis, with his imposing frame, approached the lane with a serious expression, but Ellie's teasing kept him smiling. "Come on, big guy, show them how it's done."

He rolled the ball and knocked down nine pins. "Not bad," Travis said, grinning.

Ellie clapped. "See, told you he's a teddy

bear. Just needs a bit of encouragement."

When it was Ellie's turn, she strutted confidently to the lane, grabbed a bright red ball, and bowled a strike, turning around with a triumphant smile. "Now that's how you do it, boys!"

Travis laughed, clapping for her. "Okay, okay, you win this one."

Addison was up next, carefully lining up her shot. She knocked down seven pins. "Not bad, right?"

Malik nodded. "Respectable. But as the partner of the charm-."

Addison immediately grabbed his waist and pinched while twisting.

"Ok Ok, It was great." Malik said changing his

tone as quick as possible

DJ's turn came up again, and he took a deep

breath, trying to focus. He rolled the ball with all his might, but it veered off to the side, ending up in the gutter. The group erupted in laughter.

"DJ, you might need some serious practice," Brianna said, still giggling.

DJ shrugged, "Hey, everyone's got their strengths. Bowling just isn't mine."

The playful banter continued as they bowled, each person getting their moment to shine and be teased. The atmosphere was light-hearted and filled with camaraderie.

As they approached the end of their game, the scores were close between Malik, Ellie, and Travis, with Addison not far behind. DJ's score, however, was lagging significantly, much to everyone's amusement.

"Alright, final frame," Malik said, stretching. "Let's see who's taking home the bragging rights."

Ellie went first, managing to get a spare."Beat that!" she said, sticking her tongue out at Travis.

Travis stepped up, focusing intently. He rolled

the ball and managed to get a strike, raising his arms in victory. "Boom!"

Ellie pouted playfully. "Show-off."

Addison went next, scoring a respectable eight pins. "Not too shabby."

Finally, it was Malik's turn doing a warmup up like he was about to go to war. He rolled the ball with precision, hitting another strike. "And that's game and with that Malik takes and wins his consecutive bowling championship!" He said kneeling on the ground tearing up as if he made history

DJ didn't even say a word he just looked at Travis and Addison who instantly understood what he meant as they both nodded with Travis putting Malik in a Headlock and Addison proceeding to pinch him.

"WAIT GUYS FORGIVE ME, GIVE ME A RESPECTABLE ONE ON ONE." Malik said while tapping Travis's arm

The night was filled with laughter. They joked about each other's bowling and shared stories from school and past games. It was a perfect way to unwind.

-----

After bowling, the group headed to a nearby pizza place. They crowded around a large table, the smell of freshly baked pizza filling the air and the buzz of the busy restaurant adding to the excitement. DJ, Malik, Travis, Brianna, Addison, and Ellie settled in, ordering a variety of pizzas, wings, and sides.

As they waited for their food, the conversations flowed naturally.

"So, for me Thanksgiving is the best holiday to grace the planet ," Malik said, leaning back in his chair. "What's the typical Thanksgiving dinner like at your houses?"

Addison grinned. "Well, at my place, it's a whole spread. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, you name it.

My mom always insists on making everything from scratch. She starts prepping two days in advance."

Malik raised an eyebrow. "Two days? That's dedication. Does she ever let you help?"

Addison laughed. "Oh no, I'm banned from the kitchen. Last time I tried to help, I almost burned the rolls."

Travis, rubbing his stomach, added, "At my house, we have the usual, but my dad always insists on deep-frying the turkey. One year,

he almost set the garage on fire. The turkey turned out great, but we had to call the fire department."

Everyone laughed, picturing the chaotic scene. Ellie leaned in, eyes wide with amusement. "Deep-fried turkey? That sounds dangerous but delicious."

Travis nodded. "It is, but my mom watches over him like a hawk now to make sure there are no more 'incidents.'"

Ellie added, "At my house, it's more about the

desserts. My grandma makes the best pecan pie and sweet potato casserole. It's like having dessert before and after dinner. And my mom makes this ridiculously good pumpkin cheesecake that I dream about all year."

DJ nodded, grinning. "Desserts are a good part. We always end up with way too many pies. One year, we had seven different kinds."

Brianna chimed in, "We have a mix of traditional and some unique dishes. My mom makes this amazing cranberry sauce, and my dad always grills some seafood. It's a weird combo, but it works. We even have sushi sometimes."

"Sushi at Thanksgiving?" Malik asked, in disbelief. "Unforgivable."

DJ chuckled. "Our Thanksgiving is always a bit of a mess too. My dad tries to cook, but he's not the best at it. We end up ordering a lot of takeout to make up for it. One year, we had Chinese food and pizza alongside the turkey."

"Unforgivable x2," Malik said while looking at him as if he was a weird creature

Addison laughed. "Takeout for Thanksgiving? That's wild, but honestly, kind of genius."

Ellie grinned. "Hey, at least you don't have to do the dishes!"

"True, true," DJ admitted, grinning. "It definitely has its perks."

"DJ" Malik muttered his voice weirdly low ,"Depending on what you say all is forgiven or our friendship will be in jeopardy." He said looking unexpectedly serious ,"What is the best food at Thanksgiving."

"Huh? Obviously the mac and cheese." DJ said

"I can't believe I doubted you for even a second." Malik said while hugging him and crying

As the food arrived, the conversation shifted to Thanksgiving traditions.

"Do you guys do the whole parade-watching thing?" Addison asked, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Yeah," Brianna said. "My family loves the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We watch it every year in our pajamas while eating cinnamon rolls."

"Really I've never heard about it before." DJ said

Malik surprisingly nodded. "We watch it a little bit too, but my favorite part is the football games. It's a family tradition to watch the games together after dinner. We get so competitive, even if we're just watching."

Travis laughed. "Same here. My cousins and I always end up playing football in the backyard after dinner. It usually turns into a

rough game, but it's all in good fun."

Ellie added, "We do a turkey run in the morning. It's this mile run where they compete after finishing a plate as fast as they can and whoever gets first gets a bunch of

money the competitors put in the winner pool. My family is super into it, but I mostly walk and chat with friends since I don't feel like throwing up."

"Your family are all lunatics I see." DJ said with Malik and Travis agreeing with him while having a cold sweat imagining it.

DJ smiled. "Well we have a tradition of going around the table and saying what we're thankful for like most people do."

As the conversation continued, they shared more stories and jokes about their families and Thanksgiving experiences.

"One year, my uncle tried to deep-fry a turkey too, but he didn't thaw it completely," Malik said, shaking his head. "It was like an explosion. We ended up eating a vegetarian Thanksgiving that year."

Ellie giggled. "My cousin once brought his new girlfriend to Thanksgiving dinner, and she was vegan. My grandma didn't understand and kept offering her turkey, insisting it was 'just a little meat since she looked so skinny to her, and I think once she did understand she looked at her like she had committed a crime.'"

"Reasonable response." Malik Replied

Addison laughed. "My dad loves to tell the same story every year about how he won a pie-eating contest when he was a kid. He even has the trophy to prove it. We've all heard it a million times, but he tells it like it's the first time."

DJ leaned back, feeling that doing this was really a good idea. The stark contrast between these moments and the loneliness of his past coming back to him.

----

As the conversation flowed, DJ's mind drifted back to his childhood. He remembered the feeling of loneliness, the emptiness that used to consume him. His mother had always been harsh, her words cutting deep. She would criticize him constantly, making him feel like he was never enough.

"You're useless," she would say, her voice dripping with contempt. "You'll never amount to anything."

In a flashback, a younger DJ was getting into a fight at school with him on top of somebody wailing on their face as his fists got bloody, the anger and frustration boiling over as he didn't even let the teachers get in the way as he pushed them out the way, it just seemed like he needed an excuse to release his frustrations and get his moms attention. He was caught and taken to the principal's office, where his father picked him up, his face a mix of disappointment and concern.

"DJ, you need to understand the consequences of your actions," his father had said sternly. "Your throwing so much away."

Another flashback showed DJ in juvie, sitting alone in his cell, the reality of his situation sinking in. It was there that he decided he

had to change, to be better for himself and his family.