The next day, Kendrick woke up feeling exhausted. The tension from the night before hadn't left him, and he knew he couldn't keep living like this constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for something to happen. He had to take control, but he didn't know how.
At practice, Coach Ray noticed something was off. After the team finished running drills, he called Kendrick over.
"Rivers," Coach said, his tone sharp. "What's going on with you?"
Kendrick hesitated. He wasn't sure how much to tell Coach. He didn't want to bring his personal problems into the gym, but he also couldn't keep carrying this weight alone.
"It's… complicated, Coach," Kendrick said finally. "Stuff from the neighborhood. People who don't want to see me succeed."
Coach Ray studied him for a moment, his expression softening slightly. "Look, Rivers. You've got talent, and you've got heart. But if you let this stuff get in your head, it's going to mess you up. You need to decide what's more important your dreams or your distractions."
Kendrick nodded, the words sinking in. "I know, Coach. I just… I don't know how to stop it."
"You don't stop it," Coach said. "You rise above it. Prove to them that you're better than their nonsense. That's how you win."
Kendrick left practice that day feeling a little lighter. Coach's words gave him hope, a reminder that he had the strength to fight through this. But as he walked home, his phone buzzed.
It was a message from an unknown number.
"Last chance, K-Dawg. Drop this basketball thing, or we'll make you regret it."
Kendrick stopped in his tracks, the weight of the message pressing down on him. He stared at the screen, anger and fear swirling inside him. He knew who had sent it. And he knew they weren't bluffing.
As he stood there on the sidewalk, Kendrick made a decision. He wasn't going to run. He wasn't going to hide. If Trenton and his crew wanted a fight, he'd face them head-on. But he wouldn't let them take his dreams away. Not now. Not ever.