After Vinny noticed something in the distance, he decided to say goodbye to Bob and head home since it was getting late.
Vinny: "So, Bob, I gotta head out now, but I will call you another day when the whole crew is together."
After that, Bob and Vinny did their usual handshake and headed towards home. But Vinny didn't go straight home; instead, he went in the direction where he noticed something a moment ago. Since he wasn't sure if he'd seen it correctly, he decided to check it out.
Meanwhile, Ace was still wandering around the city, listening to his favorite music while anxiously waiting for Hao's response to his message. As time went on, Ace started to realize he might have to sleep on the street since he had nowhere else to go, especially after Hao hadn't replied. So, Ace took matters into his own hands and decided to spend the night in the park. When he got there, he sat down on a bench, where he decided to spend the night, and started reflecting on his actions. Only one question kept running through his mind: Was this the right decision? Why did he sacrifice his already-strained family relationships for a few people he'd just met and for a sport he wasn't even good at he'd only played it for the first time today. Tomorrow, I'll have to try to make things right with my dad and leave that tournament, he thought. All I've gotten from these past few days with them is trouble. But at least they accepted me into the team, even though we don't know each other. I don't think they'll be mad; they probably didn't expect much from me anyway. This was Ace's final decision, and he accepted the fact that tonight, he'd have to sleep on a bench in the park it's what he deserved, he told himself.
Just as he was getting ready to lie down on the bench, a dark silhouette appeared from the shadows, finally stepping under a streetlight, and Ace recognized the familiar figure.
Vinny: "I assumed Hao was with you when I saw you, but apparently, it is just you here. I was hoping Hao would be here since I need to ask him something, but no luck. Still, I have a heart, so I'll ask what are you even doing here?"
Ace hadn't expected Vinny, of all people, to ask him such a question, so he replied, surprised: "In short, I got kicked out of the house and had nowhere to go, so I decided to sleep here. I mean, I asked Hao if I could stay at his place, but he didn't respond I guess he's asleep, so this is my only option."
Vinny wasn't surprised by his response since he didn't hold a high opinion of Ace anyway: "I mean, there must be a valid reason why you got kicked out of the house. Your parents wouldn't just send you out onto the street for no reason."
Ace found it strange that Vinny was even continuing the conversation; he'd expected him to leave after he answered. Ace felt like he'd "unlocked" a new dialogue in a video game, but he wasn't sure how to respond. He debated whether to tell the truth or lie. He'd had enough of everything and just wanted his old life back, without all the drama. Though his former lifestyle wasn't anything special, for him, it was enough, and he decided to tell the truth: "I got kicked out because of this stupid basketball team that I don't even want to be in anymore. Maybe I was happy when Hao asked me to join, but over these last few days, I've gone through too much drama, and I don't want to live like this. I want my old lifestyle back, so tomorrow I'll tell Hao I'm quitting. Not that I'm much help to the team anyway."
Vinny was puzzled as to why his parents would kick him out just because he'd started playing basketball, so he asked, "Why would your parents kick you out for that? If I were in their place, I'd be glad my son was doing something with himself instead of gaming all day (Saying sarcastically)."
Ace's facial expression changed immediately as he got angry because Vinny made a fun out of his situation. He felt Vinny was talking nonsense because he didn't know the whole story. He didn't know that Ace had stolen money from his parents to cover the money he'd already spent. So, he exploded and angrily replied to Vinny: "It must be nice to not have a care in the world, huh? You know why I got kicked out? Because of your damn team. I had to steal money from my parents so I could pay to enter the tournament. And now, thinking back, what was it all for? I'm no good at basketball, and I don't have any respect from you guys-especially you. Hao is the only exception. If it weren't for him, I should've just left without saying anything and let you figure it out yourselves. Are you happy now?"
Vinny responded calmly, even laughing a little: "You're the one who spent all the money; it's not like anyone forced you to. You're generally the one responsible for your current situation. But maybe you're too desperate to admit that to yourself. None of my friends are to blame for your situation. Even Alvaro accepted you into the team. Honestly, no one had anything against you; you're just too isolated from the outside world to understand how a friend group works. There's always one person who gets teased by everyone, and in this case, you ended up being the target. But you're just too negative and think everyone's against you, blaming others for your failure when you're responsible for this situation. So my question is, what are you going to do? Will you keep blaming others for being so pathetic, or will you try to change? The choice is yours."