บท 11: A good night's sleep

Jason entire body felt warm and relaxed as he slept peacefully. He only started to wake up after he felt something poking him in the cheek. He raised his head which had been resting on Tory's shoulder.

Tory was watching Jason's sleepy and dazed face "Thanks for the cereal Jaya. I gotta go do some homework and clean up. I got a text from my dad and he said that the whole office was pulling some overtime tonight"

Jason started to stretch "Oh. Guess dinner's gonna be just me and dad tonight. See ya around Tory"

Jason waved to Tory as she walked out the door.

Jason continued to stare at the door minutes after Tory had left. A few moments later Jason turned to the window and saw that the sun was beginning to set 'I might have missed out on the chance to complete any hidden time related missions but I don't regret it one bit'

There wasn't any pain or sadness about losing the chance to earn any rewards. To Jason the few hours that he spent with Tory were worth more than any prize the system could possibly give. He was about to get up to clean the bowls on the table when a notification popped up in the corner of his vision.

[Congratulations! You've completed the hidden mission "Heart's eye"

Heart's eye: Requirements ???? Rewards: Skill badge, Heart's eye.

Heart's eye(Obsidian): Allows you to see other's skills and badges.]

It was a short description but it was enough to stun Jason 'This is probably one of the most OP skills I could even imagine. Even if things don't go well for me as a player I could probably be the best scout to ever live'

Jason came back to his senses 'No! I can't say things like that. I have to want it, I have to be hungry. If I keep thinking about backup plans I won't be able to keep my focus and intensity up'

Jason cleaned the table and washed the dishes. An hour later his dad got home. Jason's dad walked through the door carrying two black Styrofoam food containers "Hey Jason! I have dinner"

Jason walked out of his room and to the dinning table "Thanks dad. How's business today?" Jason's dad placed a food container in front of Jason as he smiled "Today is going pretty good. I'm going to have to go back after we eat. I just left one of my workers in charge so I could sneak in a quick break"

Jason smiled as his chest felt warm. This was one of the things that Jason remembered the most fondly of his childhood. No matter how busy both of his parent's were they would make sure that at least one of them would be around so that Jason would never have to eat dinner alone.

It might have been a small thing that seemed insignificant to others but to Jason who had to hide his problems in his past life, that warmth and love was what let him make it through each day.

Jason opened up his container to find a freshly made cheeseburger with a side of fries. The smell of the freshly grilled beef mixed with the aroma of the melted cheese was irresistible.

Jason took a huge bite out of the burger and he couldn't help but exclaim"Hmmmm!" Jason's dad smiled after seeing his son enjoy his cooking "So how was school? Anything interesting happen?"

Jason could tell that the last part was pertaining to the bruises on his arm. He liked that about his dad. He would let you know if he thought something was happening but he would let you be the one to start the conversation the way you wanted to.

Jason swallowed the food in his mouth "School was okay. I think I hit it off pretty well with a few people from class. And the reason I got home late today was because I tried out for the basketball team after school. I dived for some loose balls and ended up with some bruises"

Jason got up from the table and run to his room. He came back out with a sheet of paper "The coach said that I made the team. I just need you or mom to sign the permission slip"

Jason's dad stood up and went to the kitchen to wash his hands. He came back with a pen and he signed the paper "I'm glad to see that your taking things so well. Me and your mom were a little worried if you would be okay going to a new school"

The two of them them talked as they ate. They talked about what happened during their days. About the games that were played today and other things.

As the two of them finished their dinners Jason volunteered to clean up so that his dad could leave for work right away. They both said their goodbyes and Jason's dad walked out the door.

Jason watched TV for a bit to let the food digest. After that he spent a few hours working out. He did some push ups, sit ups, squats, and mountain climbers.

By the time he was done he was dripping wet with sweat again. He took a nice warm shower and put on a clean set of clothes. He stretched and massaged his body for around thirty minutes before he finally decided to call it a night.

He laid in bed as he stared up at his ceiling. The room was barely illuminated by a small night light located in the corner of his room.

The night light was there because he didn't like bumping into things in the dark whenever he had to go to the restroom at night. Not because he was afraid of the dark. Or at least that's what he told everyone that asked about it.

He continued to silently stare at the ceiling with no special reason why. And as his eyelids began to feel heavier and heavier his body started to relax.

'Man. I can't remember the last time I was able to just relax like this without having to worry about much. I guess that's one of the perks of being a kid' Those were his last thoughts before he fell into the sweet embrace of the night.

Morning was the standard routine. Jason woke up and he brushed his teeth .He got dressed, ate breakfast, said his goodbyes to his parents and left for school.

Jason saw Matt and Brandon with the rest of their crew as he waited for the school bus. Matt was the first one to begrudgingly acknowledge Jason's presence with a head nod.

Brandon noticed Jason after he saw Matt's gesture "Sup guy". Jason nodded "Morning guys" he then proceeded to walk towards them.

Brandon seemed okay but Matt had his guard up. He had been part of the crowd yesterday and he saw Jason dominate Trell on the court.

Jason pulled a paper bag out of his backpack and he presented it to Matt "Here man. I know I won the bet and everything yesterday but I still feel bad about it. Take it as a gesture of goodwill"

When Jason saw what kind of lunch Matt had given him yesterday he got an idea of what kind of situation he had at home. Although Jason and his parents never enjoyed an overly lavish lifestyle they never had to worry about food or having a roof over their head.

So when Jason saw the humble lunch that he had taken from Matt all the negative feelings he had towards him disappeared. That's why he asked his dad if he could pack him an extra sandwich for lunch today.

Matt looked at the paper bag. He wanted to refuse. His pride made it hard for him accept the lunch from Jason but then he thought about his siblings 'I can eat the lunch I have packed and just save the lunch that he's giving me for my sisters'

Matt hesitated but eventually he reached his hand forward and received the paper bag from Jason "Thanks man but you didn't have to do that you know. If I had won the bet yesterday I would have taken whatever you had without a second thought"

Jason couldn't help but laugh after hearing Matt's shameless honesty "I know. And that's cool. But people don't have to do nice things for me to do em. I just do what I feel is right"

Matt was surprised after hearing what Jason had to say. He paused for a second before he stuck out his fist "I'm Matt and this is Brandon" Brandon nodded towards Jason "Sup new kid"

Jason returned the gesture and fist bumped Matt "Nice to officially meet you guys I'm Jason. I think we can just scratch yesterday off the records" Matt smiled "You know what? Maybe you're not so bad new kid"

Compared to yesterday where Jason spent the whole bus ride sitting by himself in silence today was completely different.

He sat with Matt and Brandon's group as they talked nonstop about Basketball. Matt was the only one actually on the team right now but Brandon and the rest of the kids were crazy about basketball.

They asked Jason all sorts of questions ranging from 'How did you get so good at shooting? Did you use to play at your old school?' to 'What was it like to defend Trell?'

Jason didn't mind all their questions. In fact he had a blast talking about playing ball. Jason told them about different methods they could use to train the different areas of their game. And he even gave them pointers about playing defense.

The group was surprised at how friendly and easy to talk to Jason was. His usual deadpan face and intense eyes coupled with how he one-sidedly beat Trell into submission on the basketball court gave everyone the impression that he would be an intimidating person.

By the time that the school bus had reached the school all the kids had added Jason to their online friends list and they had all exchanged numbers.

They all got off the bus and they walked towards the school as a group. Without even realizing it Jason had become the center of the group. They were laughing and joking around as they were about to enter the school when they were stopped by a familiar voice "Yo Jason"

Everyone turned around and saw Trell. He was by himself. His group nowhere to be seen. He walked towards Jason "Follow me".

Jason's eyebrow raised "But it's almost time for class?" His voice lacked any sense of nervousness. Trell scrunched up his face "It doesn't matter. I heard that you have Mr.Rivera for your first period. Even if you skip his class he'll mark you present"

To be honest Jason really didn't want to see that teacher's face. And he was confident that he could easily ace the class without even having to show up. But that didn't mean that he would just back down to Trell.

But before Jason could say anything he was surprised by the figure that he saw step forward. Matt had stepped forward from the group,

His body was shaking and his face was paler than usual "Y-you lost the bet yesterday Trell. You better not be thinking about doing some dirty shit"

Trell's face got red hot in an instant "I lost the bet to Jason! But that don't mean I won't beat your ass white boy!" Matt flinched after hearing Trell yell. He instinctively closed his eyes but after a few seconds the punch that he was expecting never landed.

He opened his eyes and saw Jason standing in between him and Trell. Jason patted Trell on the shoulder like he was petting a cat "Cool it Trell. Alright I'll follow you."

Jason didn't think too much about following Trell. If he really wanted to hurt him there was no point in coming up with an elaborate plan.

He could just gang up on him with all of his goons. And if he had no plans of following the rules of the bet then he would never have gotten the water bottle for him after the game.

Jason turned to Matt and the rest of the group "I'll be okay. Catch you guys later" he waved as he started walking away with Trell.

After a good ten minutes of walking Jason began to wonder 'Where the hell are we going?'. It wasn't until a few more minutes of walking had passed by that he finally saw something 'Is this a park? I think I see a basketball court'