When Ace returned home from school, he checked if his parents were still at work. It turned out they were. Only his younger sister was at home. He greeted her and headed to his room. In his room, he left his bag and changed into casual clothes. Now, he had to tackle the hard part. Ace decided to steal the money he needed from his parents because he knew they had a place where they kept money for emergencies. Ace debated whether to sell his PC but knew he wouldn't find a buyer in time, so he had to do this. He also thought it was the perfect time to steal the money since no one except him and his sister was at home. Gathering his strength and courage, Ace went to the closet in another room where the money was hidden and took the amount he needed. He put everything back in place, put the money in his pants pocket, and returned to his room. He put on his TN sneakers and left the house immediately. Once outside, he called Hao. Hao answered right away.
Ace: "Hey Hao, I got the money. Where should we meet?"
Hao was shocked when he heard Ace had gotten the money; he didn't expect him to succeed so quickly. He replied,
Hao: "Hey Ace, we can meet in the park in Vinny's neighborhood since we'll be meeting at 9 p.m. at the basketball court in that neighborhood with the rest of the team. They told me to let you know, so it's best to meet in the park because it's closest to the court."
Ace: "Sure, I'll be there in half an hour, so wait for me. Talk to you later."
Hao: "Talk to you later, bye."
Ace was happy because Hao invited him to the team meeting. This hinted to him that he might have a chance to return to the team. After the call, Ace headed to the bus stop and waited for the bus going to Vinny's neighborhood.
While Ace was on the bus, Kobbie finally finished his shift and decided to call Alvaro to tell him about the basketball summer league. Kobbie took his phone and called Alvaro, who soon answered.
Kobbie: "Hey Alvaro, what's up?"
Alvaro: "Nothing much, buying some new sneakers. What's up?"
Kobbie: "Well, today Vinny and Daniel asked me if I'd join their team for the basketball summer league, so I came to ask you to play for us. The prize is money and a chance to participate in the NBA draft this year. I know it doesn't mean much to you since you're already in the draft, but come on, I don't want to carry this team by myself."
Alvaro: "Sure, why not, but on one condition."
Kobbie: "Which one?"
Alvaro: "You have to go on a two-man mission with me this Friday."
Kobbie: "Alright, we'll arrange it. Just so you know, we're meeting at the court in Vinny's neighborhood tonight, so you and I will meet around 8 p.m. Agreed?"
Alvaro: "Agreed. I have to go now."
Kobbie: "Alright, talk to you later."
At 7:30 p.m., Ace finally arrived at the park in Vinny's neighborhood where Hao was waiting for him. Hao saw him and waved for him to come over. Ace joined him, and they greeted each other warmly. Hao then asked him:
Hao: "Ace, I was really surprised when I heard you got the money. Just tell me honestly, you didn't do anything illegal to get it, did you? I don't want to cause you any trouble over something like this."
At that moment, Ace decided to lie to Hao because he knew it would only cause more problems if he told the truth. He decided to say he sold old PC components.
Ace: "Well, you know, a buyer contacted me last week about some old components. Today, I kept pestering him to buy them immediately because I urgently needed the money. I even lowered the price a bit, and he agreed to buy them. So, that's how I got the money. Nothing illegal."
Hao: "Phew, okay then. I didn't know what to think because getting the money so quickly seemed odd. I have to go deposit the money into the account now. Wait here, and we'll meet up with the others at the basketball court at 9 p.m."
Ace: "Wait, hold on, I have one more question. I know I said I was quitting the team, but I only said that because I caused you all a problem. Can I rejoin the team?"
Hao: "As far as I'm concerned, you can because you solved the problem yourself. But it's not up to me alone. I don't know if the others will agree, especially since Vinny was really mad when he heard what you did. We'll have to see what they say when we meet. If it were up to me, I'd let you back in."
Ace: "Okay, that probably means nothing will come of it."
Hao: "Don't be so negative right away. Who knows, maybe everyone but Vinny will agree. If it were up to me, you'd be allowed back in. We'll talk later; I have to hurry to deposit the money. Wait for me here."
And so they parted ways, with Ace staying in the park while Hao went to transfer the money to the bank account. Hao returned after some time and found Ace, and since it was close to 9 p.m., they decided to head towards the basketball court. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the court where Vinny, Daniel, and Sam were waiting.
Daniel noticed them and immediately shouted:
Daniel: "Come over here, guys."
They came over and greeted each other, but Vinny was visibly angry that Ace was there, even though he had told Hao to bring him. The five of them gathered, still waiting for the last two to arrive. Vinny said:
Vinny: "Kobbie said they should be here soon."
Just as he said that, two silhouettes began to appear in the distance.