Ryan Brown's pizzeria is once again closed for the night.
However, the family had remained steadfast at work, joined hands by longtime part-timer Legend.
The entire Illinois men's basketball team had reserved the restaurant for the night.
Coach Michael Roughan had already been drinking beer like it was water, along with assistant coach Atkins. The middle aged coach is on his 8th bottle already. The team meanwhile, was barred from any.
Well, most of them are not even legally allowed to do so.
"I thought only the winners would get free pizza?" Khalil was not at all polite to banter. "This is too unfair, coach!"
Several middle fingers slowly entered Khalil's field of vision— as expected, all of them lost today.
"So many haters!" Khalil basked in the glow of getting flashed with a barrage of middle fingers like it's a rite of passage.
"What a bastard." Jaylen's bluntness sparked raucous laughter from the group of adolescents.
"Yeah he's a big jackass bastard alright!" Quandre might be a little bitter on the inside, but he's a good sport, growing up losing some, and winning some, in the streets.
"I can't hear anything from the losers!" Khalil won't let up teasing his losing teammates.
"Ryan, please serve your own pizza to this fucker so that he'll shut up!" Miguel yelled as loud as possible from his seat to counter.
Another wave of laughter attacked Khalil's ears.
"Please add some used socks or dirty towels or something!" Sean added with a playful voice.
"Fuck you all!" Khalil took all the hits to his chin, and doesn't know whether to laugh or cry anymore. "Fellow winners, defend me!"
After he said that, every winner's attention shifted somewhere else… contrary to his expectations…
Khalil was sweating now.
Please help me!
His next course of action was to run straight to his coach on the other table and say, "Coach, please put down rules for eating!"
"Hah?" Coach Mike was like an angry, compulsive drunk with his face. "What rules? Just eat all you want, the school's paying for this!"
But you said it's from your own pocket…
Khalil and the rest gulped.
Ever since the NCAA allowed players to earn money from their name, most Division I athletes, including all the upperclassmen, and the top rookies, had sponsorships of their own. Some were big enough to let their families live comfortably, while others enough to pay for their house mortgages, rents, and other living necessities.
Using school money for a lavish pizzeria dinner?
Coach Atkins' eyes grew wide. He knew that by the way these students looked, they were already misunderstanding what's actually happening.
"Ayaya, no, no, no." Atkins was trying to salvage the situation. "What this drunk— I mean, what your coach wanted to say was, these were leftover funds from the last two months, so just enjoy the food everyone!"
The players casually disregarded the assistant's slip of the tongue like it didn't happen.
"Now, that made me crave even more pizza.." Khalil was already drooling, especially after the rich smell of freshly baked pizza wafted in from the kitchen.
Legend came out of the kitchen holding four trays filled with nothing but french fries. Following him was Ryan, who held two trays of glorious chicken nuggets.
The wonderful, greasy smell penetrated deep into their noses.
"Go and eat your brains out. I will be prohibiting you from junk food starting tomorrow until the end of the season." Right as the two seniors put the sinful food on the table, Coach Roughan gave them his ultimatum.
"Pizzas are coming right up." Legend grabbed a handful of fries, and two pieces of nuggets dipped in the reddish hot ghost pepper sauce, before returning to the kitchen with Ryan.
The world slowed down to almost a halt. Everyone eyed their prospective pieces of chicken nuggets, and their swathe of french fries.
Almost everyone was not immune to the allure of these wondrous delights, except the team's resident vegan and junk food virgin, Samuel.
He sat there at the corner, holding Curtis' phone, to document the occasion. Raised in a vegan household, he never really understood the allure of junk food such as these…
Except for the fucking smell!
It was at that moment, when everyone heard the chime of a bell.
AHHHHHH!
Like an arrow released from a bow pulled taut, every single one of the players, and the coaches, fought for every chicken nugget, and every piece of fries like it was the NCAA March Madness Finals.
Samuel watched as his bantering team turned into savage monsters, who cared for no one but themselves. They munched on the fries like it was the last fries they would ever eat, and they gobbled up the chicken nuggets like it could extend their lifespan.
"Man, do you want to try some?" Kristian held out his greasy hand at Samuel, despite knowing he would never eat food such as these. "It's fries. Completely vegan, it's literally a fried vegetable!"
Tremaine watched the odd situation unfold while chewing a mouthful of fries and nuggets dipped in homemade Sriracha sauce. "Life is better with adventure and risk-taking, Samuel!"
"However, don't sweat it, Sam!" Khalil gave a leader-like smile. "No coercions and peer pressure, please!"
Curtis bluntly looked at Khalil with a shocked, questioning expression after he mentioned the no peer pressure stuff. "Should I remind you of the initia—"
Curtis was stunned when Samuel took the fries from Kristian's hand. He even dipped it in the almost empty barbecue sauce, before pushing it to his mouth with conviction…
Even Coach Roughan roused himself to witness such a scene unfold…
The members of Illinois' men's basketball team watched with bated breaths…
They didn't even realize that Legend, Ryan, and his family were already holding the pizzas that had been ordered.
"Fuck th-this… this is actually good…" Samuel doesn't know what he should be feeling right now. He felt a mix of pleasant surprise, and cautious apprehension.
"You should try chicken nuggets next!" Abdoulaye was sipping an out of place barley tea while eating nuggets. "I'll give you my last bottle of barley tea in compensation."
"Man's already facing an identity crisis, AB!" Dwayne was right. There was visible confusion in Samuel's face.
"Ahem…" Ryan broke everyone's fixation on Samuel by putting the freshly oven baked pizzas in his hands to the table. "Enjoy, my brothers!"
Jaylen was already drooling at the sight of the Mushroom Beef Special. He totally ignored the Six Cheese Overload pizza as if it didn't exist.
"Enjoy your pizza, Coach!" Legend put the pizza filled with olives and several types of sliced meat in front of their coach. He then ran straight into the man already questioning his beliefs. "Sam, your vegan pizza is here."
"Oh… yeah… thanks Cap!" Now this is something he was honestly looking forward to.
The scent of tomato sauce, meat, pepperoni, oil, pineapple, and many more ingredients filled the air with its love and care.
Earlier, the team ate the fries and nuggets like it was a barbarian war, this time however… they ate their pizzas as if they're savoring the finest meal they'd ever eat.
Slow, steady, and delightful.
After ten different types of pizzas were put in the table, Legend and Ryan removed their aprons and joined in on their team with glee.
Pitchers of ice cold water, soft drinks, and liquor were served afterward, as well as some more fries and chicken nuggets.
It was heaven on earth.
A night where all their sorrows, strict regimen, and plans for the future are pushed to the side to enjoy before everything returns to normal.
Food is a wonderful blessing in this lonely world.
***
Extras:
"Why the fuck are you dipping your pizza into the barley tea? What the fuck!" Curtis couldn't handle what he's seeing and was about to barf.
Abdoulaye chewed on the sumptuous pizza dipped into the tea. "If you dip anything into the barley tea, it tastes even better!"
It took a lot of willpower for the team not to collectively barf at all.