Edit: I fot to mention, but the previous chapter had some issues during the transtion towards the end of the chapter. In my inal text, there were three paragraphs that were somehow deleted during the transtion, specifically the ones expining how the match was won. It's been resolved now, I apologize for the invenience.

  ---

  With my mom's arms still tightly ed around my torsina ging to my arm, and a bunch of people around us still shouting and celebrating.

  The celebration after winning the match sted several more moments, with essentially all the pyers on the field, along with the other sates and the match spectators. It was an important moment for Medford, finally winning the first game of the season after many years; it was truly a situation that deserved to be celebrated.

  Along with my teammates, we all received pats on the ba gratution from the family members on the field, even the coaches, especially Mr. Cooper, who had a rge number of parents surrounding him, gratuting him on the achievement.

  A few moments ter, the head referee, blowing his whistle, signaled for the non-partits to exit back to the stands, while indig to us pyers to respectfully thank each other for the game.

  After shaking hands with some very embarrassed and saddened oppos, we also shook hands with the present referees.

  Amidst my still ecstatic teammates and uhe cheers and celebration from the people iands, we jogged towards the showers.

  After ing the dirt off our bodies in the showers, the atmosphere in the locker room was pletely different from what it was at the beginning of the game. Fist bumps, ughter, and words of encement could be heard as my teammates celebrated the victory, ting cheerfully, embrag, and dang among the lockers.

  "Who's going to win this season?" David suddenly shouted, standing on a bench, receivied shouts in response from everyone in the locker room.

  "Who?" he shouted even louder and more excitedly, receiving even louder shouts from my teammates.

  After the excitement from his question, David, feeling like he was losing his audience, began ting about how easily we would win the rest of the games.

  "It's the first game of the season!" I excimed, annoyed, interrupting the excitement of my teammates, raising my hands to get their attention.

  With sounds of silen the locker room, An took charge of quieting the still-talking people, surprising them with my statement.

  Thanking my quiet friend with a nod, I stood up. "It's the first game of the season, there are still many to e," I said seriously to my teammates. "Let's not let this victet to our heads," I tirying to appear as serious as possible.

  "We have to work hard from now on if we want to win the rest of the games this season," I emphasized the importany words.

  "That's true," said Brock, strangely serious, nodding in agreement as he stood up. "But," he said after a moment of silence, raising a finger and ging his serious face to a small smile, "who showed greatoday?" he asked, raising his void smiling strangely, teasingly mog my spee silend receivied responses from the others.

  "Okay," I said, shaking my head slightly amused at my friend's teasing attempts. "Today we won, and that deserves a celebration," I tinued, and immediately, excited shouts from my teammates resounded in the locker room again.

  "Okay, okay, calm down," Mr. Cooper shouted as he ehe locker room, followed by Coach Wilkins, both with big smiles as they watched my teammates celebrate. "We won today," Mr. Cooper said, losing his smile, speaking seriously, "but that doesn't mean—" he was saying, but Geie interrupted him.

  "PJ already gave us that talk, Dad," the teenager said, looking for a way to put on his shirt.

  "Yes, SuperStar already talked to us about the importanaking an effort and bh bh bh," Brock joked, turning his back to the coaches, hoping that the others would agree with his words, seeking smiles from our teammates and finally from me.

  Shaking my head slightly in silence, I indicated to him to turn around where Mr. Cooper was looking at him angrily.

  Notig his mistake and l his head, Brock quickly sat down, keeping silent and avoiding looking at the annoyed coach.

  "Yes, that's what I thought," Mr. Cooper said, still staring at Brock with a furrowed brow. "Well, since PJ already covered that part, I tell you that you did very well today," he tinued, losing the furrowed brow with a weak smile. "I'm proud of you. Celebrate for the rest of the day a well. I'll see you tomorrow," he finished with a big smile, patting Coach Wilkins on the shoulder aering his office, followed by the other coach.

  The surprisingly kind message from the coach left most of my teammates unsure how to react, looking at each other, waiting for someoo say something.

  "Well, you heard the coach," I said, putting on my shoes, making everyone else read finish dressing as well.

  Several mier, we were all ready to leave, bidding each other farewell, gratuting each other for the game as we exited the locker room, eae looking for their family.

  Outside the locker room, only Bob was waiting iands. "Hey, champ," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "It was a great game today," he tinued, squeezing my shoulder as he guided me towards his old pickup truck.

  "Thanks, Dad," I said, somewhat embarrassed by his words. "Where's Mom and the kids?" I asked, notig the absence of the rest of my family.

  "Your siblings got tired of waiting, so they went with your mom," Bob said calmly, opening the door of his true to get in.

  Ihe truck, Bob, without starting the engine, gripped the steering wheel slightly. "I mean it, son. I feel like I've said this more times in these few months than in many years, and I don't want you to think I don't mean it," he said, still looking out the windshield without starting the engine. "I'm very proud of you," he tinued finally after a few seds of silearting the engine and with it the radio.

  "Incredible throws," he said with a big smile, shaking his head. "And the final jump," he tinued, ughing, pyfully hitting the steering wheel in celebration.

  Equally proud and embarrassed, I couldn't say anything to Bob as I watched the cars still parked in the school parking lot move as Bob drove on.

  Even with many people leaving the school at the exit of the parking lot, a small traffic jam occurred, causing us to stop for a few minutes as we waited for people to move ahead.

  Looking out of the car while listening to Bob's music pying on the speakers, I noticed someone walking alone, carrying their backpa the street. "Wait, Dad, pull over for a moment, please," I said, pointing to the person on the side of the road.

  Bob slowed down, pulling over to the side of the road. "An?" I asked after rolling down the window to my calm friend, who seemed very surprised, quickly putting his hand into his backpack.

  "PJ," he said with a sigh of relief, taking his hand out of his backpack. "What are you doing here?" I asked, ed.

  "I'm going home," he replied as if it were obvious.

  "Didn't your parents e?" Bob asked, surprised.

  "Good afternoon, Mr. Dun. No, Mom couldn't e, and Dad doesn't like this kind of thing," An replied calmly.

  Bob seemed surprised by my friend's posure in admitting that his family hadn't apanied him. "Get in, kid, we'll take you home," Bob said kindly.

  "No, I'm fihank you, Mr. Dun. I usually walk home; it's not far," An quickly respohanking Bob.

  "You'd be messing around; it's going to start getting dark, and you o rest after that hell of a game," Bob joked, stretg to open the back door of the truck.

  Seeing An's indecision about whether to get in the car or not, "Get in before I get out to make you," I joked with my friend, managing to get him into the car after he let out a sigh.

  After approximately twenty minutes following An's dires, we arrived at his house, a small oory house that, uhe surrounding houses, had several Ameri fgs waving in its front yard.

  On the porch of the house, a man, donning an army cap and sipping on a beer, was seated on a rog chair. He was well-dressed for just being outside his house.

  Looking oddly at the car that had just parked in front of his house, the man frowned as he stood up.

  "Mary!" he shouted. "There's someone here," he tiurning his head towards the house.

  Immediately, An opehe truck's door and got out. my calm friend, the man, without rexing his frown, turned back towards the house. "Fet it!" he shouted again, not stopping as he made his way to the truck.

  "Hello, good afternoon," said Bob amicably from his seat, raising his hand.

  "Good afternoon," the man replied, swiftly iing the truck with an obviously feigned smile.

  "See you tomorrow, PJ," An quickly interjected through the open window. "Thanks fing me, Mr. Dun," my calm friend tinued, nodding to Bob, seemingly insistent as if he wanted us to leave the house quickly.

  "You're wele, kid," Bob replied calmly, noting his strange behavior.

  The house's door creaked loudly, making us all look in its dire. The open door revealed a disheveled and obviously weary woman with two younger children behind An.

  With ges on my friend's head, the man guided him, pushing him slightly into the house. "e in," he ordered.

  "Thank you fing him," the man said early to Bob, shaking his hand as he exte.

  "No problem, Bob Dun, o meet you," Bob responded, shaking the man's hand.

  "Rob Treveiler," the man introduced himself.

  While the adults introduced themselves, I saw Aer the house after greeting the woman, whom I assumed was his mother, and the two small children, presumably his siblings. He patted the younger of the two small children's hair affeately, while the other, an older boy with gsses, seemed extremely nervous, waving his hands in front of his face, receiving a ge on the shoulder.

  "The boys had a great game today, they won, in fact," Bob said. "But I'm sure your son will tell you all about the game," he tinued. "And seeing he was alone, I offered t An home. He's a great friend of my PJ," Bob expined, affeately patting my shoulder.

  With a slight nod and a sound of uanding, Mr. Treveiler simply stared at Bob, still with an odd, small smile.

  "Well, I'm sure we'll meet again sometime," Bob said, a bit awkwardly after a few moments. "It leasure," he tried to sound posed as he started the truck again.

  "Yes, a pleasure," Mr. Treveiler responded without b to fake a smile this time.

  Driving slowly out of the house's grounds in silence, "what a strange man," Bob said when we were far enough, gng at Mr. Treveiler in the rearview mirror.

  The journey home was mostly quiet as we listeo Bob's favorite songs.

  When we arrived home, Mom had prepared a celebratory bought dinner.

  During dihe versation was pletely monopolized by Gabe, who, excitedly, asked hundreds of questions rapidly about the game and the atmosphere on the field.

  "So, is Regina yirlfriend?" Teddy suddenly asked, as if it were an unimportant matter.

  Taken pletely by surprise by the suddeion, I couldn't immediately respond, having to reframe my sister's question.

  "Well?" Mom asked, pretending to be calm as she avoided looking me in the eyes, dang slightly with anticipation.

  "Well, I think so," I said, not really sure. I have no experien this.

  Losing her feigned posure, Mom suddenly celebrated, "I k!" she excimed, appuding. "When are ying her over? I o meet her. Not just anyone be my son's girlfriend. She's pretty, yes, not as much as I was at ye," she quickly added, followed by endless questions about it.

  After answering the vast majority of the questions, at least the ohat could be answered, dinner tinued as normal.

  At dusk, I apanied Bob and Gabe to our home gym. Resting after the game, I didn't train with them, but I did help Gabe by expining how the movement should be performed.

  As it was Gabe's first time liftis for exercise, he quickly tired out his muscles.

  When Gabe and Bob finished ao up, I begaasks they had left that day. After finishing my schoolwork, I started taking notes o book that House had lent me.

  Still reading the book, lying on my bed, listening to Gabe practice his guitar, the tiredness of the day finally got to me. Setting the book on my desk, I went to do my nighttime routio be able to sleep.

  With no troubling decisions to disturb my sleep that night, I slept peacefully.

  The day, thanks to suffit hours of sleep, I was able to wake up without the help of the arm, preventing it fring and waking Gabe.

  Silently taking my pillow, I walked over to Gabe's side of the room. When Gabe was close enough, I began hitting him with enough force to annoy him with the pillow.

  "Hey!" my brother yelled annoyed as he covered himself from the tinuous pillow hits.

  "That's right," I joked with my younger brother, still not stopping the hits. "Revenge is sweet," I expio the bewildered kid.

  As it was routine every day, Gabe and I went for a run after warming up in the front yard, and strangely, especially fabe, the Wilson couple didn't show up today for our usual greeting.

  Taking my packed lunch prepared by Mom, I grabbed my things prepared the night before to head to school.

  "I'm sure today will be a great day," Bob said when we arrived at school, nudgi of his truck. "But still, good luck today," he said before closing the door and driving away from the school.

  Bob was not mistaken; the days before the game, and even the day of the game, were nothing pared to how people were behaving today. As I ehe sany people around me shouted excitedly as I walked down the main hallway.

  Greeting the people I passed, I ran intina halfway down my path. "Good m," Regina said cheerfully, giviight hug.

  "Good m," I said, smiling at the enthusiastic girl.

  "e on, I'll walk you to your locker," Regina said, hugging my arm as she walked by my side, also greeting the people who passed us.

  One of the people we crossed paths with on our way was Kat, who was talking seriously with her group of friends. "Kat!" I spoke over the noise of the hallway, greeting the now surprised teenager.

  Without saying anything, Kat raised her hand, surprised, returning the greeting.

  "Let's go, or you'll be te for your first css," Regina stretched to speak softly in my ear.

  Regina's a sent a shiver down my spine; I was so surprised that I couldn't react fast enough, being guided by Regina as we tinued walking together. Regina seemed to enjoy greeting people as we walked.

  Upon reag my locker, Regina bid me goodbye, walking to her friends who were waiting for her a few steps away.

  Alo my locker, I began anizing my things. A few moments after anizing my belongings outside my locker, my friends arrived, also being celebrated by the people who passed them.

  Greeting my friends, we began talking about the game from the previous day, especially David and Brock, specifically the parts they pyed in the game.

  The st of my friends to arrive was An, who, as always, came in quietly and calmly, greeting as he always did.

  Returning the greeting to our calm friend, my other three friends tialking among themselves as I approached An, who was taking things out of his locker. "I didn't know you had siblings," I said, starting the versation.

  "Chistan and Braxton," An said calmly, I suppose naming his brothers. "Christian is the oldest," he tinued.

  "They seem to be in the same age range as Gabe, maybe they be friends, after all, Gabe is friends with Geie's brothers," I expio my friend.

  Releasing an ued ugh for him, An, upon notig my surprised expression, quickly expined, "Oh, I'm sure Gabe be friends with Braxton, but Christian is," he said, pausing to think about what his word would be, "special," he tinued, l his voice.

  "Special?" I asked, intrigued by the adjective used.

  "Christian," he repeated, pausing again with a flicted expression. "Christian has autism," he tinued, searg my expression.

  I didn't uand the problem until I recalled where we lived and the time we were in. Even in my life, developmental disability disorders were a taboo topi society.

  "Well, that could be a slight hindrance," I said jokingly, "but it's not impossible for someone on the spectrum to make friends," I tinued quickly, seeing that my initial remark didn't sit well with him.

  "Of course, you know about the dition," An teased lightly, shaking his head.

  "I could even say that Sheldon is on the spectrum, and I'm sure I'm some sort of friend to him," I told my friend, hoping he would take his brother's dition with less seriousness.

  "What about me?" suddenly asked Sheldon from behind me, making me jump in surprise. "Sheldon, when did you get here?" I asked, surprised, looking at the peculiar child.

  "A few seds ago. The game was yesterday, eople still so excited?" the child asked, annoyed, gng at the people around.

  "We woerday," An responded calmly.

  "I know," immediately responded Sheldon, still intrigued, as if that information wasn't important.

  Ign the child, I took him by the shoulder and guided him to our along with An, shielding him from the excited people around us as we quickly made our way to our .

  The day went on as usual, with teachers gratuting us in each passing css, particurly myself.

  My 'petition' with Sheldon pyed out as it had on previous days, striving to get as many answers as possible.

  In the cafeteria, our usually busy table, occupied by my teammates, was now crowded with unfamiliar faces talking to my frieedly about the previous day's game.

  Many of these people attempted to strike up versations, asking me questions about the game, but my responses were overshadowed by those of my friends, especially Brock, who had an impressive talent for narrating the events during the game, heightening the excitement as he spoke.

  The day tinued as the st csses of the day passed.

  At the end of the day, Mom was already waiting outside the school in her car, dressed in her nurse's uniform, nodding her head to the beat of the music pying on her speakers.

  At the hospital, after greeting Mom's friendly nurse colleagues, I walked to House's office.

  Inside, only House sat with his feet up on his desk, leisurely reading a magazine.

  "So?" the man asked without looking up from his magazine wheered the office.

  "I'd like to send a letter to Dr. Donnall," I replied, uanding his unspokeion.

  "You know I'll read it as soon as it's in my hands," House said sardonically, flipping a page in his magazine.

  "I'll stay here. I have important things in my life," I replied after a few moments of staring at the man.

  Smming the magazine shut with an annoyed smile, "I k. You'd rather I taught you. I'm very important in your life," he said, stretg to grab a sheet of paper from his desk.

  Without b to respond to his obvious annoying joke, I snatched the paper from his hand to write a thank you letter to Dr. Donnall, expining why I decided to stay in Texas, also adding the request for a follow-up on what I needed his help with in his research.

  Folding the letter and handing it to House, he tucked it into an envelope after reading it with an ironic smile.

  "I thought you were staying for me, kid," House said with an obviously feigned hurt expression, pg a hand on his chest. "Here," he said, pulling something from his coat. "This gives you access to many things. Use it responsibly," he tinued sarcastically, extending a card.

  The card was a hospital credential with my name on it.

  "If you want, you go to the b. I think Chase is there practig something," House said, opening his magazine again.

  "No case today?" I asked the doctor.

  "No, we have to wait for something iing to e along," he said, sounding tired. "You're ing with me to the i a few hours," House said, ging the page of his magazine.

  "How's Dan?" I asked the rexed doctor. "He'll be fine. You were right, and the treatment seems to be w," House replied, settling ba his chair behind his desk.

  Listening to what I wao hear rather loudly, I preteo clear my throat to get the ical doctor's attention.

  "What?" asked House, looking intrigued over his magazine.

  "You owe me six hundred dolrs," I said immediately, happy to see House squeeze his eyes shut in disappoi. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that," House said, defeated, as he pulled out his wallet and took out six one-hundred-dolr bills.

  "I'll use it responsibly," I said, winking at the annoyed doctor as I ted the six bills one by one slowly to annoy House, achieving my goal as House once again hid behind his magazine, and I triumphantly left his office.

  In one of the bs, I found Dr. Chase practig with a piece of syic skin and sutures.

  "Hey, PJ," Chase greeted cheerfully when he saw me enter. "How was yame?" he asked kindly, cutting his suture thread.

  "We won," I said, approag his table. "What are you doing?" I asked, taking a seat on one of the high stools beside him.

  "tinuous suturing," he replied, showing me his work.

  Taking a piece of syic skin and a practice kit, I followed Chase's example along with his expnations.

  "Yood," Chase said, surprised, after seeing my sutures.

  "You're a good teacher," I lied. The truth was that tinuous suturing was something I had practiced to exhaustion in my previous life.

  Several minutes of practice with Chase ter, Dr. Cameron and Foremaered the b, discussing something amusingly.

  "PJ," Dr. Cameroed cheerfully, taking a seat on one of the benches beside us.

  "Hello," I returhe greeting to the friendly doctor. "Dr. Foreman," I also greeted the now serious doctor.

  Without returning the greeting, Dr. Foreman pulled out his wallet and took out ten one-hundred-dolr bills.

  "Thanks," I said as he hahem over, this time quickly tug the bills into my pants.

  ---

  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I am not Ameri, much less a doctor.

  Having said that.

  I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I will correct them immediately.

  Thank you for reading :D

  PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!!!.