VIVERE
VIVERE
Chapter 11 (Act 1 Epilogue)
July 17, 2017
Everything was finally going my way in this life. After two years of losing to bald people, I am finally getting somewhere. Getting drafted first overall to the Philadelphia 76ers and now winning the Summer League Championship. These were the first steps to my bright future in basketball. At least, that was what I thought.
“AGH!!!!” My gray joggers dyed a bright hue of red. A shock wave jolted into my brain, transmitting excruciating pain from my right shin. Clutching my leg, I pathetically squirmed on the ground like a dog playing at a park.
“You’re quite the idiot,” a bald man wearing shades holstered his revolver and towered over me. “Entrusting this ‘advisor’ of yours with your rookie contract and endorsement money is quite amusing.”
“I was sure that True Secret was going to win,” my advisor shrugs.
“YOU BET MY FUCKING CONTRACT OVER A STUPID HORSE RACE?!”
“And one poker game.”
“Why the FUCK would you do that?!!!!”
“If I won, then we would have more money. That right there is simple arithmetic,” he taps his forehead. God, I hate him so much. Why do I keep him around?
“So? The hell you want with me?!” I screamed at the mysterious man at the top of my lungs.
The bald man stomped on my face and took off his shades, revealing the scar around his right eye. “You’re our cash cow now. We’ll be making BANK off your games. The number one pick in the NBA Draft helping our little gambling business…Now that’s the jackpot.”
“How am I do shit for you when you shot me in the fucking leg?!”
“Not my problem,” the man spat on my face and walked away while putting back on his sunglasses. “We’ll be in contact again soon.”
He drove off in the black limousine, leaving myself and my advisor here on the outskirts of Las Vegas. The only thing left around us was the occasional car driving into and out of the city.
“Are you okay?” my advisor hunched over and hovered his hands over my shin which had a fresh gunshot wound. A bright light came out of his hands as my pain started to go away. Just like that, it was as if I never got shot. Sometimes I forget that he is an angel.
“Goddamn, you stupid as fuck!” I sprung up to my knees and grabbed my advisor’s collar. Couldn’t you just kill them with your angel powers or one of those trumpets that’ll cause the Rapture or some shit?”
He stood there silently as I continued to shake him around.
“I can’t tell you just yet,” he quietly muttered.
“What you say, you dumbass angel? I can’t hear you.”
“I have a plan.”
“Another one of your bright plans? What are we gonna do now? Rob a fucking pharmacy in Newark, New Jersey?”
“That sounds like a delightful idea but no,” he brushes my arms off his shoulders. “You’ll understand later. For now, just bear with it. I know how we will get your money back.”
“Huh? What the fuck does that mean-”
As I was shoved into the road, the last thing I would see was the blinding lights of an eighteen-wheeler heading in my direction. It has only been a few hours since the end of the Summer League Championship, and my life has been ruined again. Oh, how I cannot wait to be revived again after dying for the umpteenth time. I have not even played a single NBA game yet and I am broke already. What a fun life!
--
???
I opened my eyes and gazed upon an unfamiliar beige ceiling. As I pulled up the curtains on my side, rain could be seen pouring down around the neighborhood. Where the hell am I? Vegas should not have any rain during this time of the year. This must be a dream.
I leaped out of the bed, but I immediately knew something was off. When I stood up, the room appeared much larger than I imagined. As I tried inspecting the room, walking around felt like more work. I finally looked down at my hands and legs, and then I finally realized it. This is not my body.
Mirror, mirror, mirror. I scoured down the hallway until I found a bathroom at the end of the corridor. I stepped on the stool in front of the sink and looked straight into the mirror. The person I was staring at was not what I was expecting. The reflection showed a young boy who looked like a younger version of me.
I stumbled back and ran out of the bathroom, looking for the exit in this unknown building. I bet that stupid angel's idea was de-ageing and selling me off to a bunch of freaks. This must be one of the worst ideas he ever came up with.
“Good morning, Cassius.” A high school aged girl called out as I walked down the steps. Was she referring to me? I think her name is Louise. Wait, how do I even know that?
“Me?” I pointed to myself.
“Yes, silly. Who else?”
“Huh?” I walked up to her sitting at a dining table. “Do you have a phone I can borrow?”
“What did I tell you before? No games before breakfast.”
“Oh, that’s not what I wanted to do. I wanted to google something quick.”
“Hm, well alright then,” she raised her eyebrow but still handed her phone to me.
What the fuck?
I rubbed my eyes and looked at the phone screen again. March 15? This must be a mistake.
“Hey, what day is it today?” I asked as I continued to stare at the phone screen.
“March 15.”
“What about the year?”
“2017.”
“Huh?” I traveled back in time? What is going on here?
The next thing I looked up was the March Madness bracket. If it is really March 15, then I would be with Miami getting ready to play Charlotte in the Round of 64.
“This is not it…” I was in disbelief. This was not the bracket that I remembered. Miami #8? No Pittsburgh? Let’s see the Miami roster.
I skimmed through the roster once, but I didn’t see my name anywhere. Maybe if I looked through it slowly then I would be able to find it; however, the results remained the same. What if I search myself up?
-No results found-
I tried different word combinations but to no avail. According to the internet, I did not exist at all. I remained frozen looking at the screen until I finally realized the situation. I did not travel back in time. I am in a different world.
--
March 18, 2017
My memories have been jumbled up with ones from the original owner of this body. It is a little irritating since there are times when I mix up my own memories with this other person’s. If I stay here for too long, I might not be able to differentiate myself from whoever this person was. This reincarnation was not the same as my previous experience.
This white kid just barged into the house acting all panicky. If I recall correctly, I think his name is Danny. Some hotshot high school basketball player who was hunted by big D1 programs.
“One more basketball game in high school isn’t going to hurt you,” Louise said as she pushed Danny to the front door. “We’ll keep watch of him today while you go play. Once the game is over, then you come back here. Does that sound fine with you?”
“I guess…I don’t know,” Danny grinded his teeth and scratched his head. “I just have a bad feeling about all of this.”
“Quit worrying!” Louise karate chops the top of Danny’s head. “It’s like a 20-minute drive from here to the school you’ll be playing at! It’s not like you’ll be playing in China.”
“I guess you’re right. I’ll get going then.”
“Danny, wait!” For some reason, I called out to Danny just as he was about to leave.
“You need something, Cassius?” Danny kneeled to look me in the eyes.
“I…”
What was I even going to tell him? I got my memories back? Wait, my memories?
“Never mind,” I shook my head. “It can wait. I’ll tell you after you come back.”
“Alright, it’s a promise then,” Danny pats me on the head and left the house. “I'll come back and then you can tell me all about it. In return, I got something to tell you too.”
Unfortunately, things do not go quite to plan for me and him. A few hours after Danny came to the hospital, the doorbell rang. Louise’s mom opened the door but was welcomed with a bullet in her head. Louise had her leg broken as she was trying to protect me while I was drugged and taken away somewhere.
The next time I woke up, that happened.
--
Present Day
The masses took a seat as a priest walked up to the podium. “Good afternoon, everyone. We are here today to celebrate the life of Danny Mortisson, who has gone to be with His Savior on March 19, 2017.”
Is this really happening? He can’t just die like that.
I listlessly watched the service. The chapel was filled with his teammates, classmates, and teachers from his high school. Unfortunately, neither of his parents were able to make it. His mother has been in a vegetative state for quite some time, and someone finally decided to pull the plug on her a few days ago. If Danny was still around, he would have been furious. His main motivation for playing basketball was to support his mother in the hospital. As for his father, only God knows where he is. Some members of his extended family managed to come though.
After the priest finished the opening statement, Danny’s coach came up front to speak. “Do all of you see this?” He holds up and flails around an opened envelope. “The night before Danny died, he visited my house. He thanked me for everything as if he knew he was about to die. Right before he left, he gave me this envelope. Do you know what’s inside?”
He took out a letter from inside the envelope. “He HANDWRITTEN me a letter. Let me read it to you all. ‘Dear Coach Larson, I know this is abrupt but think of this as a last wish from me (AKA your favorite player). Before November 26, please bet your life savings on Cheval Grand at the Japan Cup. He’s a horse owned by Kazuhiro Sasaki. You know that Japanese pitcher that left the Mariners because he was too horny? Yeah, that same guy owns this horse. Put a bet on this horse. Trust me. I know this horse is basically the Japanese horse racing equivalent of 2011 NBA memes LeBron, but you won’t regret it. I feel like this race will be the one he’ll finally win. Sincerely, Danny.’”
He slammed the letter on the podium as tears ran down his face. “Excuse my language, but what the fuck is wrong with that kid?” He tried to cover his face while wiping away his tears. “He knew he was going to die, but he still went out of his way to send me something stupid like this. This is the true Danny Mortisson experience. In the most serious of situations, he still managed to be a fucking goof. I should have stopped him from leaving. I should have known…”
A few other people gave their eulogies to Danny, but I was not paying attention to them. Before I knew it, I was standing before his grave. I watched as the crane was lowering down the coffin into the grave. Hours go by. The funeral service has been long finished, and almost everyone has already left. I watched from afar while a trail full of dirt poured into the hole in which the coffin was placed.
He’ll come back. Right?
I had a similar experience that happened to me. I protected my school from some kid that was planning to shoot it up. I ended up getting shot and killed in the process, but I was able to come back to life because I had an angel as a partner to revive me. Wait a minute. Angel. Revive. Those things do not happen to a normal person.
It’s all my fault…If I didn't exist, he'd be still alive. He’s dead…I killed him…
Danny was just a normal human being. A normal guy who worked hard from the ground up to get what he wanted. Someone who never gave up on his dreams. He was not like me. I was just a deadbeat with no future. I got gifted multiple chances for a new life with cheat codes included. Why did he die instead of me? He deserves to live more than a useless piece of shit like me.
“Cassius, everything will be okay,” Louise wrapped me up with her crutches from behind.
“Don’t call me that,” I twisted my body around, slipping out of Louise’s grasp and causing her to fall to her bottom.
“Why not?” Louise confusedly asked.
“I regained my memories. ‘Cassius’ died in that building along with Danny.” Cassius, whoever you are, I’m sorry for stealing this body.
“Huh? What do you want me to call you then?”
“My real name is…”
I turned my head and looked down at her. To me, this is the first time I am introducing myself to her.
“Tavon Cash.”
-End of Act 1 of Make it Rain Re:VIVERE-
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chosenone58
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