"This symbol was on some sort of security keycard we found near the remains in the woods." "Either the victim or the killer may have dropped it." "Do you think you've ever seen it before?" "No." "Kyle, you know this is just a game." "If anyone could get a Ouija board to work, it's him." "781227." "What does it mean?" "Kyle, this is Charlie, my boyfriend." "Come on, Hills." "Truce?" "I'm so over fighting." "For reals?" "'Cause I'm so over you." "Fractured pieces of his past are starting to enter his consciousness." "I think it's a memory." "You recognize him?" "No." "I've never seen him before." "He's starting to remember." "Kyle, what's wrong?" "That's him." "He was all I could think about." "I couldn't understand why or how he'd been in my dream." "Or how I could draw his face if I didn't know him." "Was he dead?" "Or was the professor still missing?" "Like me?" "Kyle?" "Hey." "We talked about this." "It's not good for you to keep obsessing." "Have you heard from Detective Breen?" "No." "The police still don't know if those remains were Professor Kern's." "And the more you think about this, the more it'll agitate you." "So..." "let's just wait for the test results, and we'll--we'll deal with it then." "Josh is outside, with some of his buddies." "Why don't you go take a few shots?" "Show 'em how it's done." "Nicole was right.Basketball was a welcome distraction." "It took me out of my head and into a zone where nothing mattered, but the ball and the hoop." "That's 10 for 10." "The guy doesn't miss." "Yeah, at free throws, maybe." "Yeah?" "Kyle, back up." "Make some 3-pointers." "Oh my God!" "Wow." "Sweet shot." "That's nothin'!" "He nails it every time." "Oh, yeah?" "Show him, Kyle." "And spice it up a little." "I tried to calculate all the data, but one variable was hard to determine." "Then I found a solution." "Oh, that was insane!" "How did you do that?" "Angle." "Trajectory." "Velocity." "Wind." "And all this time, I've been chucking a ball through a hoop." "You ever think about joining a team?" "There you are." "Hey, you." "How you doin', Kyle?" "Good." "We got a sweet shooter here." "You do?" "Yeah." "Seriously Kyle, you gotta come by the rec center tomorrow, and try out for the team." "This late in the season?" "You're already in finals." "And with Kyle hitting these 3-pointers, it could make all the difference." "I'll talk to Coach about you." "Well, if anyone can make it happen, it's Charlie." "Okay." "I'll try." "Cool." "I'll see you then." "Bye Kyle." "Kyle!" "Line it up!" "Man, there's no way he can do it again." "Kyle!" "Shoot!" "What?" "You gotta look cool playin' ball, Kyle." "I don't?" "How do I put this?" "No." "Let me show ya." "See?" "Now you're a real baller." "But you can't just look the part." "You gotta talk the talk." "Speak the lingo." "Lingo?" "Yeah." "The slang, dude." "Like when you dunk?" "You gotta scream, "Booyah!" "That's the kizzle-dizzle!"" "What's the kizzle- dizzle?" "You are." "Trust me, Kyle." "I know what I'm talkin' about." "Wow, Kyle." "You look like a pro." "Ready for action?" "I think so." "I remember when I played." "Out there on the court, you get that rhythm going, the whole team moving' like they share one brain." "So 5 jocks equals 1 brain." "That sounds about right." "Anyway." "I remember one game." "Down by one. 5 seconds left." "I steal the ball, dribble down the court, and" "Swish!" "The game-winning shot, at the buzzer." "Yeah, yeah." "Thanks, Josh." "Can you spoil it for Kyle?" "Don't worry." "I'm sure you'll tell it a hundred more times." "Lori." "Could you drop Kyle off today?" "What am I, your chauffeur now?" "I'm late for a consultation, okay?" "Enjoy your morning." "Thank you." "Don't be long." "Bye, guys." "Kyle, good luck today, okay?" "And remember, as long as you give it your best, you can't lose." "Words to live by, by Nicole Trager." "Bye." "Here ya go." "You're welcome." "They toss the ball in a symphony of lines, curves and angles." "Kyle!" "What's up, dawg?" "That means, hey." "How are you?" "Oh." "So you made it." "Can I play?" "First, just--lose this." "Better." "Come on." "I'll show you around." "Trager!" "Hey!" "What are you doing here?" "Yes." "What are you?" "Brought Kyle to practice." "Kyle?" "What for?" "Charlie wants him on the team." "What the hell is he thinking?" "So." "Are we doing the ignoring thing now, or just...shooting nasty looks?" "I just wanna be clear." "Don't flatter yourself." "I don't waste my time worrying about you" "You don't waste any time at all, do you?" "You and Declan crashed and burned." "He's fair game." "Oh, yeah." "I'm so sure you're concerned with the fairness of it all." "I see what I want, and I go get it." "I don't hold out my whole life, and then finally go through with it, and completely mess it up." "Dude, we can't add Kyle now." "Why not?" "For one thing, the guy doesn't know his ass from his forehead." "Well, have you ever seen him shoot?" "Tanner, we can't pick up a new player a week before the finals." "That's what I said." "Coach, the guy hits nothing but net every time." "The team is perfectly balanced." "We're up against the Lancers." "I can't have some unknown comin' in to disrupt everything." "At least watch him shoot." "Man, why are you pushing this?" "Because I wanna win." "What, are you afraid he's gonna steal your thunder?" "Me and him, one on one, right now." "Enough!" "It's too late to change the roster." "But Kyle's new in town." "I bet the league will make an exception." "Where did you say this kid comes from, Tanner?" "Does it matter?" "Kyle's on the team?" "Yeah." "And he practically made every shot." "That's fantastic!" "Kyle, this could be such a great experience for you." "When's the game?" "Next Sunday." "It's the championship." "You're playing in the final?" "Against who?" "I don't know." "The Lancers." "Apparently, they won the past two years, and Kyle's team is like gunning for them." "It's testosterone overload." "It's just a game." "It is not just a game!" "It's a championship." "And Kyle is their secret weapon." "Weapon?" "Mm-hm." "Kyle." "It is just a game." "Absolutely." "It's just all about fun." "I know." "I know." "He's on the team one day, and I turn into one of those obnoxious fathers." "Thanks." "I just don't want to put any pressure on him." "He needs to ease into new social situations." "I'll root him on quietly." "I've been reading about Professor Kern." "Oh, hon." "We still don't know if there's a connection." "I know." "Did you find anything?" "Most of his research is about the brain." "Maximizing its potential." "I know what you're thinking." "Well, you've seen what Kyle can do." "Maybe..." "Professor Kern was his teacher." "And if Kyle witnessed his murder" "Hon. You're drawing conclusions before there's any real evidence." "Look." "Kyle drew that picture of Kern before he knew Kern was missing." "And if that skeleton found in the woods turns out to be Kern's, you can't tell me that's just a coincidence." "This is Foss." "Kern was in the news again." "The police's gonna start making connections." "I told you they won't." "We got a plan." "I enjoyed the simple logic of the game." "But having someone trying to prevent me from making a basket was a totally new experience." "Hey." "You totally hacked him." "Oh, what are you?" "His personal ref?" "He's still learning the game, man." "He has a week." "He needs a crash course." "You okay?" "I don't think Declan wants me on the team." "He gets a little intense." "Hang in there." "You're doing good." "Now that Kyle's on the team, the Bison are gonna wipe the floor with the Lancers." "I don't know, dude." "I mean, it's one thing to score in your backyard." "But the Lancers got killer defense." "Well, I'm a believer." "Dude, trust me." "They'll double-team him." "That won't stop Kyle." "You wanna bet?" "Sure." "Put me in for 5." "Dude, put me down for a Hamilton." "Cool." "Here's everything you need to know about the game." "A few hundred pages should take you 5 minutes." "Who's Michael Jordan?" "Yeah, you're not from a different planet." "He's only the greatest basketball player ever." "Ever?" "Look." "You're gonna play, you gotta learn from the best." "Read these." "They'll make you unbeatable." "Josh, get the door!" "I'm not your butler!" "Just answer it, you little creep!" "Whoa." "I didn't know Lori can handle two at once." "Very funny." "Now get out of my way." "Is Kyle here?" "In here." "So..." "Now that Kyle's on your team, what do you make of your chances?" "The Lancers are goin' down." "I guarantee it." "It's all I wanted to hear." "Hey, Kyle." "Whassup, dawg?" "The coach told me to drop off the playbook, and, uh..." "About practice today?" "I shoulda gone easier on you." "That's okay." "You blocked my shot." "I should have pump-fed to make you leave your feet, and draw the foul." "This final, dude, it's vital." "We lost to the Lancers last year in overtime, in a heartbreaker." "Yeah, they had a buzzer-beater and won the championship." "Hey, I didn't know you guys were here." "Hey, Lori." "What's goin' on, Trager?" "Well, I don't wanna interrupt." "No no no." "I'm done here." "Come chat with me." "Wow." "You must really love the game." "More all the time." "Man." "You know, there's nothing like being on a team." "You know, I know my boys got my back, and I've got theirs." "That sounds cool." "The judge slammed me with 50 hours of community service." "Oh, that's so harsh." "Yeah." "Said I coulda gotten worse for hit and run." "Did your dad totally freak?" "Wasn't pretty." "So you comin' to the game?" "You're looking at your cheering section." "Really?" "Yeah." "I love to watch you play." "Hang on a sec." "Oh, it's you." "I live here." "What do you want?" "Declan." "Excuse me?" "Hey, Hills." "Hey!" "I saw your car." "So you're stalking him now?" "No, that's your m.o." "I just figured I'd pop in and save us some time." "Ready to go?" "Do you have plans?" "Uh...did we?" "Well, when I saw you today, you said see you later." "Here it is." "Later." "That is so lame." "Come on, guys." "This is ridiculous." "Just get over it already." "Over what?" "Yeah." "It's all good." "So it's up to you." "A night out with me, or slum it here with Trager." "Ready to bounceski?" "Absolutely." "Catch you later, bro." "Later, bro." "Hey, Kyle!" "Oh, that felt good!" "I thought about what Charlie said." "I wanted to prove I was one of the guys." "In all the books Josh gave me, one move was respected more than any other." "They called it the "Air Jordan."" "Booyah!" "That's the kizzle-dizzle!" "Did you see that?" "He's awesome!" "Yeah, that looked pretty cool." "Hey, yo." "Check this out." "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." "It's no big deal." "He hurt the same ankle a few weeks ago." "We need you 100 percent for the game, man." "You should sit out the rest of practice." "You know Coach." "I'd lose my spot!" "Why would you lose your spot?" "Let's go, ladies!" "Line up!" "Ladies?" "McDonough!" "What's up?" "Nothin'." "Good." "No room for soft players here." "Kyle!" "Are you waitin' for a special invitation?" "Move it!" "Rush down 3, come back 2 on 1." "Let's go." "Move it!" "Move it!" "So I've got you down for $25, and you for $30." "Sure you can cover these bets?" "Dude, I've got deep pockets." "You must be smoking something." "Lancers haven't lost in two years." "They're not gonna start with the Bison." "Guess I'm feelin' lucky." "Pleasure doin' business with ya." "Good morning." "So, you ready for the NBA?" "I don't think I'm tall enough." "Oh, it's a joke." "God, could she be any more transparent?" "You don't like her talkin' to him?" "She's just flirting with him to annoy me." "It's working." "Oh, so now you're an expert on teenage girl warfare?" "You're at war with her?" "Over what?" "Because." "She..." "I..." "What difference does it make?" "She's a total bitch, and we're fighting." "Wait here, LeBron." "Hey, Trager." "Pickin' up boy wonder?" "Yeah." "It's such a pain, but..." "at least I got to see you." "Gag me." "So, I was thinking we could hang out this weekend." "Sure." "A bunch of us are goin'" "No." "No." "Just...us." "Just us?" "We have been known to hook up every now and then." "I thought it was only then." "Yeah, and "then" was a total disaster." "It's a new day." "Let's see where it goes." "Nice shot!" "It's great." "Hey, buddy." "Wanna earn some money?" "What's the catch?" "There's no catch." "Get in." "I'll explain it to you." "Come on." "Good boy." "Hey." "What's goin' on?" "You're not gonna believe this." "Adults only." "What, the kids aren't home?" "Let's enjoy it while we can." "Oh." "Well...one of us really should start dinner." "Ahh, let's order in." "I like the way you think." "In an exclusive story, police have identified the remains found by hikers near Victor Falls last month as William Kern," "A professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington." "Dr. Kern was last seen leaving campus in June." "Police believe he was killed soon after." "But so far, no arrests have been made in the murder." "Coming up next are the weather and sports right after the break." "Yes, I'm still holding." "Well, I've called three times." "Has he gotten my messages?" "Well, tell the detective I'm expecting his call." "He would've called if he had something new to tell us." "And yes, those are Kern's remains, but the police obviously haven't found anything to link to Kyle." "He saw Kern in his dream." "He was able to draw his face." "He must've known him." "He had to." "Well...maybe we should tell him what's goin' on." "Not yet." "He's so excited about basketball." "Let's wait and tell him tomorrow." "More?" "You gotta keep your energy up." "Remember, every shot counts today." "I've got a lot running on this game." "You do?" "Well...yeah." "I've been chattin' up how great a player Kyle is." "Don't let me down." "Josh, you'll make him nervous." "It's okay if you are, Kyle." "It just means your adrenaline is pumping." "My stomach does feel strange." "You've got butterflies." "It's an expression." "Kyle, wait'll you make that first basket." "You're gonna feel an incredible jolt of energy." "Are you both coming to the game?" "Wouldn't miss it for the world." "Can't wait." "Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention, please?" "Welcome to our championship game." "This is it." "Would you give it up, please, for last year's champions...the Lancers!" "And this year's champs in the Western Division...the Bison!" "Way to go, Kyle!" "Dude, could your dad be any more into it?" "Whoo-ooh!" "Hey." "Can I sit here?" "Sure." "All right." "It all comes down to this." "One game...one moment in time to prove that we are the best!" "And we are the best!" "We haven't beaten the Lancers in two years." "Two years!" "I had no idea why Coach was shouting..." "or why he kept saying things twice." "My grandma plays better defense than them." "My grandma!" "Too bad she's not playing." "Make sure to set screens for Kyle." "Free him up to shoot." "He's our star." "And help him out on defense." "He's still adjusting to our system." "We got your back, Kyle." "Okay. "Team" on 3. 1, 2, 3!" "Team!" "Trager." "Feelin' the heat." "Hey, so, uh...how much you gonna end up owing?" "Yo, I'm cashin' in." "And don't come crawlin' to me when I upgrade my game system." "What's that for?" "Oh." "I, um, I keep Charlie's stats for him." "Do you want a page to keep track for Declan and Kyle?" "Are you kidding me?" "I hate watching basketball." "Then why are you here?" "An explosion of positive energy filled the gym." "I felt a wave of excitement from the crowd..." "and the thrill support of my team." "Playing basketball was everything I hoped it would be." "In the final minutes of the game, the competition became more intense." "Kyle, what are you doin'?" "!" "Come on, man, make the pass." "My own teammates grew hostel and impatient." "Catch up with the game." "And my own coach seemed to be against me." "Kyle, if you control the ball, you control the game." "The game!" "Don't forget it!" "Damn it, Kyle!" "Guard the man!" "That's your man!" "I was trying my best...but even Steven seemed disappointed in me." "Everything I'd loved about the sport began to disappear." "Ahh!" "Ooh!" "Oh, my ankle!" "You okay, man?" "Time-out!" "Shake it off, McDonough." "It's crunch time." "Uhh!" "Damn it!" "McDonough?" "We need you." "Uhh!" "I can't, Coach." ""Can't"?" "!" "Get your ass on that court, or you're out." "I couldn't believe that the coach wanted him to play." "It was like winning clouded everything." "Play, or you're off the team for good." "Coach, you...you can't do" "Shut up, Tanner!" "We can't win if we play with quitters." "Kyle, take his spot." "You deaf?" "Forget McDonough." "You're the shooting guard now." "No." "What did you say?" "I said no." "This is your team now." "Your chance to shine." "I can't play, Coach." "I'm injured, too." "Then you're off the team with McDonough." "Tanner, take over." "Sorry." "My ankle's hurt, too." "Who's goin' in?" "I can't, Coach." "I'm hurt." "Me, too." "This can't be happening." "What's Kyle doin'?" "Why wouldn't he play?" "I don't know." "Coach, I need your team on the floor, or you forfeit." "All of you...out on that court now!" "Do this..." "Do this...and you'll regret it for the rest of your lives!" "Bison forfeit." "Lancers win." "Ladies and gentlemen, the Bison have forfeited." "The Lancers retain the championship." "Detective Breen?" "Mrs." "Trager." "I owe you a phone call." "Several." "You should've told me as soon you identified those remains." "Well, you're not entitled to that informatn." "But isn't Kyle?" "He's desperate, Detective, to unlock his past, and Professor Kern holds the key." "No." "He doesn't." "We've already interviewed several of his friends and colleagues." "No one recognized Kyle's picture, and Kern never mentioned knowing a boy." "But Kyle had to have known him." "And they were both there in those woods." "Maybe Kyle knows who killed him." "That man was found dead last night." "Drug overdose." "We found several items on him that belonged to Kern, as well as a gun." "The same one that was used to kill Kern." "Why did he kill him?" "He was a junkie lookin' for cash." "He had priors." "Attempted murder." "Assault." "Mrs. Trager." "We'll keep making every effort that we can to help Kyle." "But we found no link to Professor Kern, and...this murder case is closed." "So it's the professor." "Yes." "And he's dead." "Does that mean I knew him?" "Maybe." "So far, no one's been able to make the connection." "But I drew his face before I ever saw his picture in the paper." "I don't know how to explain that right now, but that doesn't mean we'll stop trying." "We'll keep working together." "We'll keep loong for answers." "No, every time we look for more answers, we only find more questions." "I was so sure we were onto something." "Now I'm back where I started." "Kyle, I know you're frustrated." "It's a very complicated situation." "Forfeit?" "Forfeit?" "I'm sorry, Josh." "How could you do it?" "How could you not play?" "No, no, no." "Don't" "Nope." "Hello." "Hold on." "I'm not here." "Don't go anywhere." "I'm sorry." "He's not in right now." "Okay." "Bye." "What's goin' on?" "That's the tenth call I got this morning." "I'm popular." "What can I say?" "Josh, spill it." "Um...can I borrow 200 dollars?" "I took bets on the game." "What?" "Well, Kyle was doing so good." "I mean, I got all caught up in the excitement." "And you thought you'd just cash in." "Great." "My son, the bookie." "I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment." "Hold on." "I'm not done." "What do you care what I do?" "Like you've even noticed I'm around." "What are you talking about?" "You should've seen how pumped up you got over Kyle." "Just because he's good at some stupid game." "Josh." "You've never been that way with me." "Never!" "Over anything!" "Now you've got the son you've always wanted." "Hold on." "Oh, Josh." "O-Okay." "I admit...sometimes I wish you'd be a little more excited about sports," "But only because then we'd have something more we could share." "You are the son I've always wanted." "I couldn't hope for any better." "So...you'll spot me the money?" "Not a chance." "Use your allowance..." "which is cut off, effective immediately." "Dad, I spent it all on video games." "Then sell them." "You're not gonna be playin' 'em for a very long time, anyway." "Hey." "I thought I'd find you here." "Don't ruin my workout." "I just came to tell you I'm not gonna fight with you over Declan." "Oh." "Sweet surrender." "Wait." "That's it?" "You're telling me you don't want him?" "I don't know if I do, but I don't want him like this, that's for sure." "Well..." "I don't want him, either." "He's so not my type." "Then why have you been throwing yourself at him?" "I wouldn't put it that way." "Hillary, it was, like, two seconds after I slept with him, and there you we, pouncing." "Ok, look." "I'm sorry." "I was really pissed at first." "You embarrassed me in front of everyone at Preston's party." "And I did kinda like getting back at you." "But the truth is...it was like..." "as long as we were fighting..." "Better fighting than nothing at all." "Pretty stupid, huh?" "Totally." "Like, maybe you could've picked up the phone?" "Did you forget my number?" "Okay." "So..." "Can we please stop watching basketball now?" "Please." "Was that torture?" "The worst." "Nice shot." "I just...wanted to come by and say thanks for what you did yesterday." "My doctor said if I'd have kept playin', I would've really done some damage." "Sorry I lost us the championship." "You didn't." "What happened...was a team decision." "Hey...there's always next season, right?" "The guys want you back, Kyle." "We all do." "Thanks, but..." "I think I'll take a break for a while." "Mmm." "If you ever change your mind." "So." "You wanna shoot around?" "I can still take you, even on one leg." "We may have lost the championship..." "but I still feel like I'd won..." "Because I knew I'd made a friend who had my back." "The bonds we form with other people can help us through any setback." "Genuine friendship will survive any dispute or competition." "And true partnership provides strength in times of trouble and confusion." "by: iimraann"