"Ben Miller!" Mr. Fergie exclaimed when Valerie and I entered the Boston Gym. "I thought I'd never see you again this year. So, how was the final match?"
I smiled widely at him and everyone inside the gym, Valerie beside me. "Tomorrow is the final, Sir," I told him. Valerie ran to her girl friends while the boys greeted me.
"So, you ready for the final?" asked Wilson.
"Yes, I am," I said, patting his shoulder.
"I hope you're ready to give us your best shot today," he added.
My smile grew bigger. "Oh, you're on."
I changed my clothes immediately and warmed my body up, even though I already played before. Wilson warmed up with me. Wilson was a year older than me and he had been here in the national team for more than four years.
"What do you do now?" I asked, giving him the ball with my arm.
"I'm in college," he said. "My mom told me to, though I didn't really want to but he'd made me to choose, volleyball and college or none. I'd rather go to college than being unemployed." I nodded. "What about you? You have a plan on where you're going?"
"Harvard. I got a scholarship from volleyball."
"Awesome, man. Shall we play?"
"All right," I said. And he called out the other boys to gather and make seperate groups to play. Mr. Fergie trusted us to play and train ourselves for our technique but when it comes to physical training, we need a hand of Mr. Fergie.
We played serious yet relax because national competition is still next summer so we were just serious yet relax and laughing. The boys and girls were not in the same place, so I didn't see Valerie. I had a lot of fun with these boys. They played so well. They were really good, better than I thought.
The gym's door was opened and a bunch of cops entered the gym. There were about five of them and we all stopped playing, waiting for them to do what they wanted to do. Mr. Fergie stood up from his chair.
"Good evening all. I'm Cop Steve and we are from Boston Police Department. We would like to know if there is a guy named Ben Miller here?"
I was surprised but I raised my hand. "Yeah. That's me," I said aloud. And he turned to me, approached closer to me while the other stayed behind, exactly where they were.
"Mr. Miller, I would like to confirm if you are acquaintance with Rodney Jackson Miller?"
"Yeah. That's my father."
"You're his son," he said. "I want to inform you that your dad has been arrested."
My jaw hit the floor. "Of what?" I raised my voice. My dad might be so bad that I even ran away from him but honestly, my dad never had anything to do with the police.
"We found some illegal drugs in his house."
"What the hell," I said. "Are you kidding me?"
"This is a serious case, Mr. Miller. Don't take it as a joke."
"Hey! Who said this is a joke, huh?" I exclaimed. "All right. Now, where is he?"
"We had taken care of him right now. He asked us to find you and see if you're okay," he said. "Pack your things. We're leaving for an orphanage now." He turned around.
"Whoa, whoa. Leaving for what?" I exclaimed.
He turned to me. "An orphanage. That's where you'll live," he said calmly.
"Not happening, okay?" I said, scanning the gym. The girls were here, watching me and this annoying cop arguing. So was Valerie. "Look, I'm eighteen. I have a job, I rent a house. I ran away from my dad. And I'm settled."
"Good to know, kid," he said, turning around again. "Let's go."
"Hey!" I shouted angrily. "You can't just take me out of here. You have to let an eighteen-year-old to move on with his life because he's settled! And you know what, soon enough, he's going to buy a house of his own and live with his sister." I really tried to convince him but he didn't seemed convinced. "I have a witness. You can ask my girlfriend. Valerie." I turned to her and reached out my hand. She took steps forward and took my hand, squeezed it.
"Sir," Valerie said. "You have to believe him. He's right. He didn't lie. He has a house, a job, and a good education. He's settled for, like, two months. If you get him out of here, you're a life-ruiner." I squeezed Valerie's hand as a thank you for defending me.
"Look, girl. Your appearance as his girlfriend won't help anything at all. I'm still taking him to an orphanage," he said.
"This isn't fair!" Valerie screamed. "You're not a cop! You're a ruiner. Your job is ruining a student's life. Ben is eighteen. He deserves a good independent life for his future."
"I'm with Valerie," Wilson added. He took a step ahead of us. "She's right. Ben is right. He's settled. He's successful. He's even more successful than I am."
I kind of cried when Mr. Fergie took a step next to me. "He deserves a chance to prove it that he can make it 'til next year."
The cop scoffed in disbelief. "Fine," he said and I almost cheered like the cheerleader Sarah girl. "You get a year to prove that you can buy a house of your own. If not, orphanage." I knew it was hard but a second chance meant everything.
The cop and his friends turned around, headed to exit the gym. I could breathe in relief. I cried. Valerie pulled me into a hug but I held back. I stormed out of the gym and ran to the field behind the gym.
Dad.. My dad.. It was my dad who got arrested in the jail now. It was the man who gave me his last name. It was the man who'd raised me. It was the man who my sister and I missed so much.
I fell on the grass and cried hard. I’d never cried in my life before, not even on my mom’s funeral—I mean, I was just a kid, I didn’t know a thing about loss. I ran my fingers through my hair harshly and screamed aloud. I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them. I felt so lost. I had no parents in this town. I felt so weak. What was I supposed to do? I was fine leaving my dad but when he got arrested, I knew I should've, at least, visited him.
I cried, cried, cried, cried, and cried. Because it was the only thing I was able to do. I had no energy to scream anymore. So I cried and cried. I had never cried so hard before.
Many things running through my head and I couldn't help but think of them one by one. How was I supposed to move on with my life? If I were this weak, how was I supposed to lead my team on the final we had practiced so hard tomorrow? The most important thing is: How was I supposed to tell Kim? She was the one who missed Dad.
My head got dizzy. I couldn't think straight.
I felt a warm presence against the cold wind beside me. I turned to the person. Valerie. She looked at me and she pulled into her arms. I cried into her shoulder while she rubbed my back gently.
"What am I supposed to do now, Valerie?" I said between mumbling and crying. "How am I ever going to tell Kim?"
"Sshh," she shushed me. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. I'm going to help you with everything; money to buy a house, Kim's school, your living, everything. Okay? I will help you. You will survive this."
"I'm lost," I mumbled.
"I'm here, Ben. You have me. I'm not going anywhere. You will always have me no matter what."
"I'm lost," I mumbled again.
She didn't say anything. She rubbed my back until I got better, until I was calm and didn't cry anymore. I pulled away, sniffed, and she said, "Do you want to go home? I'll take you home."
I nodded. "Okay." I felt so weak but I couldn't be. She stood up and I followed her. She held my hand and I laced my hand in hers. "Thank you, Valerie." She just smiled gently to me.
We walked back to the gym. Honestly, I wasn't ready for the flooded questions coming for me but I had to face whatever it was.
"Ben!" Wilson shouted when Valerie and I entered the gym. He ran towards me. "I'm sorry about this, Ben." He turned his head to the other guys. "Guys," he called them, and they stood up from his seats and take a step toward us. "We're going to help you. All of us. There's nothing to worry about."
This was definitely an emotional day for me. "Thank you guys," I said to them. "Not that I don't accept your help, but I don't want to bother you all with my life. I'm sure you already have problems in your own life, so I don't want to make it any worse."
"That's the point, Ben," Sean, the captain, said. "We're a team. We help each other."
I kind of cried. "Jesus. I just cried," I said, wiping the tear off my face. "I'm such a wimp." They laughed. "Thank you, guys."
Mr. Fergie came to me and hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry, Ben."
"Thank you, Sir," I said.
He pulled back. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Can I go home now? I have to take care a few things before final."
"Sure," he said, patting my arm. "Good luck, kid."
I ran past him to get my bag and Valerie got hers. Then, I went to Wilson and said, "If you'd like, you can come to the final. Tomorrow, 7 pm. Don't be late." I patted his arm.
"Looking forward to it, man," he said.