A/N: Hi, hello BabyDoucheBag here, this is just a bonus chapter relating to the passing of Kobe Bryant. I've mentioned Nathan's admiration of Kobe but I hadn't gone in-depth on how much his character truly adores Kobe. Kobe was also one of my many inspirations as a child so I wanted to include him in this story in some way. I actually wrote a chapter where Kobe attended a show on tour but I felt like creating a different storyline where he lives would be extremely disrespectful. This chapter isn't very long, it just portrays Nathan's reaction to Kobe's passing and sets up a storyline for the future. Enjoy reading 😊
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"Lakeshow!" Nathan yelled. "I heard Kobe is going to be there. We might get to see him."
"Your obsession with this man is weird," Andrew said.
"He isn't just some man. He is Kobe Bryant, the best basketball player to touch this earth."
"Aren't you a Knicks fan?" Zaire asked.
"Yes, but I'm a Kobe fan before anything."
"He isn't even playing," Andrew muttered. "You should be excited for the players that are playing."
"Is anyone on that court as good as Kobe?"
"LeBr—
"C'mon, Zaire. Why would you even utter those words?" He shook his head, resulting in laughter from everyone else. "I'll be in the car."
Soon Zaire, Nathan, and Andrew were off toward the Staples Center.
They watched the game together, cheering when the Lakers scored and joining in on the chants. The Lakers eventually lost, which pleased Zaire because he had made a large bet with Joel the day before.
"He's coming over!" Nathan shrieked. "Bro, I'm about to faint."
"Hi, Andrew," Kobe greeted the businessman. "What are you doing in Philly? You know you can't handle the cold." He joked with a bright smile.
"They wanted to see the game. I had to get them good seats." Andrew joked back as he clamped his hand on both their shoulders.
"You two are in the band, right?" Kobe asked. "Yeah, my family and I love you guys. Your music is so good."
"Hi." Nathan nervously said.
"Thank you," Zaire responded. "I'm sorry for my friend. You are a god to him."
"I remember seeing one of your baseball clips. Your games in college were amazing." Kobe complimented him.
"You watched my games?"
"Oh yeah, my buddy John is a baseball coach. He shows me all your stuff. The strikeout pitch in the semi-finals was so good. Super talented." He complimented. "I have to get out of here, but it was great meeting you guys."
Kobe was quickly out of sight, leaving Nathan in a cold sweat.
"Oh my god, I just talked to Kobe!" Nathan said in disbelief.
"Oh god. He's gonna talk about this all night." Zaire said. "Were you even paying...."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Get the fuck out of here!" Nathan loudly yelled, undoubtedly waking the rest of the house.
Alerted by the sudden screaming, Zaire sprung up and ran toward the source. "Yo, what's wrong with you?"
"Kobe died!" Nathan exclaimed, his voice becoming muffled due to his violent cries.
"Cody? Who's Cody?" Zaire questioned as everyone else reached Nathan's room.
"Kobe! Kobe Bryant!"
Zaire took Nathan's phone and read the headlines. "No way," Zaire mumbled.
"What is going on?" Beth asked.
"Kobe Bryant passed away," Zaire explained. Nathan's trembling figure caught his attention.
"Are you sure it isn't fake?" Beth inquired. "Kobe Bryant dies in Calabasas helicopter crash." She read aloud.
"TMZ just posted about it. Everyone is saying that it's real."
"Dude, we just saw him yesterday," Nathan said.
With everyone knowing how important a role model Kobe was to Nathan, they gave him his space and let him mourn peacefully.
Nathan's hands shook throughout the whole day. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The man he spoke to less than eight hours ago had died.
His phone's obnoxiously loud ringtone blared. He almost let it ring until he saw his father's face on the screen.
"Nathan, oh my god."
"I just met him yesterday, Dad," Nathan said. "Life is too short."
"I know you looked up to him, so I'm checking in to see how you're doing."
"This is horrible. God, if I could have told him not to get on that helicopter, I would."
"Your mother is calling me. Love you, Nate."
"Love you too, Dad." He said before hanging up. "Oh, man." Nathan laid back on the bed and covered his eyes.
"Are you okay, Nate?" Beth stupidly asked.
"I've been better." Nathan rasped.
"At least you got to meet him, right?"
"Yeah." He sighed. "Puts life into perspective for me."
"How?"
"I can leave this earth at any minute. It would kill me if I left on bad terms with someone I care about."
Beth nodded in agreement and chose to console him quietly.
The city of Los Angeles was eerily quiet. The gloomy weather mirrored the devastation of the day.
The hours that followed were spent watching throwback games from Kobe's career. Although the loss devastated Nathan, he was incredibly thankful that he had the opportunity to meet his role model.