The Bad Boy and the Piano Girl (Book #1)

Chapter Fourty One: Ryan

Chapter Fourty One: Ryan

"R-Ryan? What about Ryan?" I sputter, not knowing where Landon was going with this.

"He's a traitorous pig that's what." He coldly laughs.

I give him a blank expression, making him sigh.

"I guess I'll start from the beginning then..."

***

Landon's POV

2 years ago

"Hey man." I greet my best friend Ryan as I enter his house.

Ryan and I were inseparable ever since we became friends last year, when I joined the basketball team.

I only moved to Colorado a year ago because mom wanted a break from the busy lifestyle in LA, and wanted to focus more on my brother Lewis and I.

It took me longer to adjust to my step dad but from the minute Lewis was born, I never saw him as a "half brother", to me he was just my brother.

At first, I missed LA like hell. You could say I was 'Mr Popular' over there, everyone knew who I was, so I hated the fact that I was practically a nobody here. Well everyone except my cousin Dylan, who made living here actually bearable.

It was my dad's idea for me to join the basketball team. Something about his own dad stopping him from pursuing his dream of being a basketball player, so he wanted me to fulfill his dream.

Personally, I had no interest in the sport. I've always been interested in one thing: Music. That didn't mean I was going to join some lame school music club though.

In the end I couldn't turn my dad down, especially considering how good he's been to my mom and I, so I joined the dumb team.

Not tooting my own horn but it turns out I was fucking great at it! I actually started liking the sport, not to mention that nearly everyone in the school knew my name by now. I was better than everyone on the team, well maybe everyone except Ryan Thompson.

Ryan was the school's star player before I came along. He was destined to be the new captain, but instead Coach gave me the position. Ryan hated me for a year after that. I knew it was because I took the spotlight and his captain position away from him, I didn't blame him.

It got to the point where we became so uncooperative that the team kept on losing because we'd break into an argument nearly every 10 seconds on the court. After we were threatened to be kicked off the team, we realised we had to start working together.

Turns out he wasn't so bad.

All it took was actually talking to one another and playing fortnite for us to become best friends. Don't judge us, we're teenage boys.

"Hey dude." He gives me a bro hug before leading me to the kitchen. "Got the final game plan ready, Captain?"

I spread the A3 sheet of paper across the kitchen island, sitting on a bar stool. "Yep spent all night making it."

"Bro, if we win this game we're guaranteed a place on the NBA under 18s. Have you heard how many scouts are coming to watch us?"

Ryan has a specific gleam in his eyes. It's the same gleam I have for music. The same gleam I wish I did have for basketball.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sport and I probably will become a basketball player, but deep down I feel like I'm just settling for basketball. Whatever, it's probably nothing. This is the dream, right?