2025-01-12, 04:50 AM - Word count:
(This post was last modified: 2025-01-12, 04:50 AM by SleepyPlayz.)
(For the purposes of this story and its continuity, assume that this story takes place during mid August-early September, as that's about the time when this story's continuity will collide with the SBA's side of this story.)
For the young girl turning 18 in the next month, Zoe Clarke was excited to have finished her first season in the SSL. Well, more like the SSL Minor league, but it was close enough. There was still an abundance of talent in this league and she was proud to be a part of it. She knew that there were a thousand different ways to celebrate the ending of her first SSL Minors season, and she had just the plan.
Something told her that maybe trying to visit the multiple people inside of the Clarke Talent Agency would be a horrible idea since there was so much distance between Agustin Martinez, October Moore, and her. There were two players in a different league entirely who she wanted to visit, but she knew that they weren't anywhere close to either Agustin or October. Maybe she'd go to the closer to her uncle, that being October, since she often saw her with Sam on social medias.
Maybe booking a plane ticket would be a worse idea. It'd cost about 144 CAD to go from Montreal to Boston, and she knew that she'd miss the money, but she'd miss it more if she was spending 450-something CAD to go to Boston by plane. Maybe she'd use the airport in Boston to actually fly to Martinez in Mexico City.
She figured out her game plan for traveling quickly; she'd take a train from Montreal to Boston, then head from the airport over to Mexico City. Yes, this would be an amazing opportunity to her. Some fresh air away from the sports. Something about it made her smile. Going alone wouldn't be the best idea though, at least, not with her. She didn't want to think about... the accidents and all of that, so she figured she'd call a friend. Who to call, who to call...
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
"Hallo Zoe. Wie geht's?"
"Ach, wissen Sie. Mir geht es gut, in letzter Zeit ist viel passiert, und es gibt einige Dinge, die ich gerne tun würde, für die ich aber nicht alle freie Zeit der Welt habe. Ich hatte eigentlich vor, ein paar Freunde in Amerika zu besuchen, und ich hatte gehofft, du würdest mitkommen können. Haben Sie nächste Woche Zeit?" ("Oh, you know. I'm fine, a lot has happened recently and there are some things I'd like to do but don't have all the free time in the world. I was actually planning to visit some friends in America and I was hoping you'd be able to come along. Are you free next week?"
"Oh. Ja. Ok."
A very simple, straightforward conversation. That was all she really needed. She smiled as she happily hung up and began looking online for more information on traveling. She had her passport, ID, visa just in case, driver's license from Sweden, all the identification that she figured she needed.
She turned on her laptop, opening a few tabs; one for the train tickets for the both of them, one for the plane tickets for two, and another for a return flight to Canada. It'd cost a grand total of about 4000 CAD, but she was willing to fork over as much as she needed to. As soon as she ordered the tickets for the next week, she turned off her laptop. She crawled into bed and fell asleep.
#-#
It was the day of the trip, she was feeling a bit more happy and refreshed. She was looking forward to this after all.
She called her friend once again, this time to inform her of the plan.
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
"So, the day is here. I have a plan for this trip as a whole, but the start is going to be a long one. Are you ready, and are you prepared to strap in for a long train ride over to Boston? After about a week in Boston, we'll have another week in Mexico. From Mexico, we fly back to Canada. Thank you for coming along with me Elizabeth!"
"Yeah, no worries. What the hell did you say to me in... German though?"
"Oh- well, you asked how I was, so I just rambled about how I was and my plans."
"Ah, alright. I only caught the plans to visit someone in America, that's all I could really follow along with. Thank you for inviting me."
#-#
The two had already visited the United States before, so this wasn't their first rodeo. It was Zoe's first as the planner though, and she was happy that she was able to plan out something like this. She was quick with the planning. She figured with how fast she planned, everything would run pretty smoothly, right?
The train arrived eventually, still thinking about the trip and everything she would do with her friend. Maybe Boston wasn't the best place for that, but maybe they could at least wander the place and try to find October's whereabouts. Calling seemed like it was out of the question since practice for the SBA seemed to go on indefinitely. She was tired of trying to keep up, so maybe she'd bump into her luckily one day randomly.
The two boarded the train, not saying much to each other. Both were browsing their phones, and both had their own thoughts going on in their head. This was at most a 12 hour trip that they'd both be taking, so they'd both probably be asleep eventually.
As the train started moving, Zoe felt an urge to check her phone for any sort of news on Boston, maybe see if there was anything to do with October, and anything like that. That's when she saw one of the biggest headlines she's seen about October, aside from some big FIBA performances. "Houston Ravens and Boston Minutemen in Trade Talks Centered Around Minutemen Guard October Moore." That was... certainly a big shock. What the hell was Boston thinking? Maybe it was just because they were limiting her with a lower role or something like that. She sighed.
She looked out of her window, watching trees pass by. Her eyes slowly began to close...
#-#
The train came to a stop for its final time. She wondered how much time it would take for her to find October. She'd try to text her, but she figured October was trying to deal with the rumors of a trade. Wait, maybe she asked for the trade.
Whether she did or didn't ask for a trade didn't matter right now. She got off the train with her friend, yawning and stretching. It seemed like the two of them slept for basically the entire train ride somehow. The seats weren't the most uncomfortable thing, but they both were asleep for quite some time. Maybe 9 hours?
Zoe checked around the area. Wow, America. It... had this smell. It smelled like pollution, something like that. She was nauseous just being here, but she persisted.
The two of them, with the help of Google Maps and Uber, found their way to their hotel and subsequently, to their hotel room. It was closer to the airport for convenience, just in case the two of them made emergency plans to work around one having to leave earlier than the other and whatnot. She smiled as she planted herself onto the bed.
"Ah, finally! Relaxation! We can relax!"
Elizabeth turned on the TV, and it seemed like October was on the news still regarding this trade talk stuff.
"Yeah, but for how long? Your friend's on the news."
"The Boston Minutemen, the home to guard October Moore, are in trade talks with the Houston Ravens in order to find a suitable start for Moore's best years. Some say this is due to her limited role on the Minutemen bench, but we'll find out more."
Huh... right. She almost forgot about that. Maybe... she should give her a call. She picked up her phone and rung October. Despite not expecting an answer, she was still disappointed when she went to voicemail. She figured it wouldn't hurt to leave a message.
"Hey, October. I heard about what's happening on the news and was wondering if you would like to meet up. Me and a friend from Canada are in the United States. Please, call back if you get the chance."
She hung up.
"Well, we aren't going to get much done now, are we? Let's go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be nicer to us."
The two of them fell asleep...
#-#
No response. No response. No response. No response. Still no response. It's been about a week. Elizabeth and her explored some places in Boston, but neither could seem to shake the awkward feeling that Zoe was having. She turned the TV on;
"While this may not come as much of a surprise to some of you, we have received confirmation that a trade has been finalized between the Boston Minutemen and the Houston Ravens centered around the guards of both rosters. While some say that it's possible that the Ravens are shooting for glory, they are still without a piece. Will this quell those thoughts in Houston? The Boston Minutemen have traded October Moore to the Houston Ravens for Olufemi Adeyemi. Whether people agree with this move or not, is up to the people of Boston. Last year, while playing as the team's main shooting guard, Adeyemi scored a total of 10.7 points a game with 2 steals in 25 minutes of game time per game, while Moore, who has been off the bench for the Minutemen for the last few seasons at around 20 minutes a game, sees around the same numbers for what; 21 minutes, 8.8 points and 1.5 steals. The biggest difference between the two of them, arguably, is their assist-turnover ratio, as Moore holds a better A-T ratio average in her three seasons on the Minutemen bench at 2.4 average, while Adeyemi has a 2.29 A-T ratio, though these statistics don't matter nearly as much as they should. The Ravens get a player who has openly stated she'll gladly stay with any team regardless of where it is unless something happens in the locker room."
Oh. Her friend was just traded. Well, that was... unfortunate timing, wasn't it?
They made their way over to the airport, having nothing else to do. They already packed their stuff last night. They just needed a ride and they'd be good.
#-#
At the airport, they quickly scanned their way into security and waited on line.
"So, your friend got traded huh? That's unfortunate timing."
Yeah, she was more or less right. This was pretty unfortunate for the time. It may have been a bit of a waste of money. They did hang out, but she was looking forward to talking to October more rather than having to see her leave. She didn't know what else to really say or do.
"The irony of the situation. I come here to relax and I'm mostly stressing about my friend's health and safety, wondering if she's okay or if she'll be okay. She's strong, and she will most likely make it through, but I just hope she wasn't hoping to stay here forever or something like that."
Zoe chuckled, then sighed. As they made their way along the line, she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye, just staring into the floor. Maybe she felt awkward.
"Ah, hallo October!"
Zoe yelled out, which seemed to get her attention for a second, but it seemed like she didn't quite see her, since she looked back down after a while. Elizabeth grabbed her shirt.
"What the hell, Zoe? We're in a public setting and you go and yell?"
"Sorry. I just wanted to see if I could get her attention. I saw her, I know I did. I could recognize her from a mile away, and her head perked up. Oh, whatever. Sorry for yelling.
"It's okay, but next time, at least warn me so I don't have to feel embarrassed for you."
"Sorry."
Zoe sighed and the two just walked in an awkward silence.
They made their way through security, but Zoe stayed behind to look for October. She was worried, yes, but she wanted to catch up with her.
"Are you seriously waiting for her?"
"Yeah, what do you expect from me? I want to catch up."
"Alright. I'll be waiting a little further away."
Zoe saw October passing through the security gate. She had a wide smile, waiting for her to cross through. After she did, she walked up to her.
“Boo!”
Zoe had a wide grin basically plastered on her face. She finally was able to catch up with her friend.
“Hey Zoe, what’s up?”
Zoe's smile persisted as she heard the question of "what's up," and figured she might as well talk about her travels. She didn't have much else to talk about after all, her friend was waiting. October moved over to the security belt. “Well, nothing much to be honest. With how the world works, I figured I would eventually be able to run into you since we haven’t been able to at all contact you during our entire week in Boston. It’s okay though, we were here because we wanted to visit you, but we learned about your trade details. Me and Elizabeth were enjoying Boston a little regardless, and now we’re flying over to Mexico City to meet Agustin. And I assume you’re going to be flying to Houston now?"
October grabbed her luggage and set herself up to walk. Zoe naturally followed along. Despite there being no response, she figured she could get something out of her. It seemed like October was going to go over to her gate, so Zoe and Elizabeth would follow. Their gate was a bit further up anyways.
“So, did you request a trade? I know you said you were happy, but Americans are confusing. They don’t tell the truth when asked about it, and it seems like you were happy, but with this trade, I have to wonder if you were really unhappy in Boston, and if your role had anything to do with it.”
October looked frustrated with her persistent questioning.
“I was fine with my role, well, happy as I could be with it. Yeah I’m good but I’m behind someone far better than me. They traded me on their own terms. I’m happy to get a start, I guess.”
“Hm… you don’t seem that excited though, is Houston a bad team, or are you upset you got traded?”
October paused, staring daggers at Zoe. She turned to look at her.
“Look, I’m not in the best state right now. Not as in US states, I just don’t know what to think. I hate Houston as a city, I hate Texas as a state. It’s in my core to hate Texas because of its fucking climate, how hot it is. That good stuff. Move onto Mexico please, have fun there, don’t bug me about how I’m feeling.”
Oh. Okay. October walked off, and Zoe was left there frozen. She looked at the ground.
"That's what you get for annoying someone who looked so depressed."
Elizabeth and Zoe made their way over to their gate, a solemn look on Zoe's face though. Maybe she should cancel this trip. She wasn't... quite up for it right now. No, wait, she already paid. She sat at the gate, staring out of the window. It was getting closer to sunset by now. The sky was a beautiful orange that she just couldn’t appreciate fully. Something about being yelled at by someone she considered a friend really hurt her.
Read the other side at this link in the SBA Forum!
For the young girl turning 18 in the next month, Zoe Clarke was excited to have finished her first season in the SSL. Well, more like the SSL Minor league, but it was close enough. There was still an abundance of talent in this league and she was proud to be a part of it. She knew that there were a thousand different ways to celebrate the ending of her first SSL Minors season, and she had just the plan.
Something told her that maybe trying to visit the multiple people inside of the Clarke Talent Agency would be a horrible idea since there was so much distance between Agustin Martinez, October Moore, and her. There were two players in a different league entirely who she wanted to visit, but she knew that they weren't anywhere close to either Agustin or October. Maybe she'd go to the closer to her uncle, that being October, since she often saw her with Sam on social medias.
Maybe booking a plane ticket would be a worse idea. It'd cost about 144 CAD to go from Montreal to Boston, and she knew that she'd miss the money, but she'd miss it more if she was spending 450-something CAD to go to Boston by plane. Maybe she'd use the airport in Boston to actually fly to Martinez in Mexico City.
She figured out her game plan for traveling quickly; she'd take a train from Montreal to Boston, then head from the airport over to Mexico City. Yes, this would be an amazing opportunity to her. Some fresh air away from the sports. Something about it made her smile. Going alone wouldn't be the best idea though, at least, not with her. She didn't want to think about... the accidents and all of that, so she figured she'd call a friend. Who to call, who to call...
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
"Hallo Zoe. Wie geht's?"
"Ach, wissen Sie. Mir geht es gut, in letzter Zeit ist viel passiert, und es gibt einige Dinge, die ich gerne tun würde, für die ich aber nicht alle freie Zeit der Welt habe. Ich hatte eigentlich vor, ein paar Freunde in Amerika zu besuchen, und ich hatte gehofft, du würdest mitkommen können. Haben Sie nächste Woche Zeit?" ("Oh, you know. I'm fine, a lot has happened recently and there are some things I'd like to do but don't have all the free time in the world. I was actually planning to visit some friends in America and I was hoping you'd be able to come along. Are you free next week?"
"Oh. Ja. Ok."
A very simple, straightforward conversation. That was all she really needed. She smiled as she happily hung up and began looking online for more information on traveling. She had her passport, ID, visa just in case, driver's license from Sweden, all the identification that she figured she needed.
She turned on her laptop, opening a few tabs; one for the train tickets for the both of them, one for the plane tickets for two, and another for a return flight to Canada. It'd cost a grand total of about 4000 CAD, but she was willing to fork over as much as she needed to. As soon as she ordered the tickets for the next week, she turned off her laptop. She crawled into bed and fell asleep.
#-#
It was the day of the trip, she was feeling a bit more happy and refreshed. She was looking forward to this after all.
She called her friend once again, this time to inform her of the plan.
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
"So, the day is here. I have a plan for this trip as a whole, but the start is going to be a long one. Are you ready, and are you prepared to strap in for a long train ride over to Boston? After about a week in Boston, we'll have another week in Mexico. From Mexico, we fly back to Canada. Thank you for coming along with me Elizabeth!"
"Yeah, no worries. What the hell did you say to me in... German though?"
"Oh- well, you asked how I was, so I just rambled about how I was and my plans."
"Ah, alright. I only caught the plans to visit someone in America, that's all I could really follow along with. Thank you for inviting me."
#-#
The two had already visited the United States before, so this wasn't their first rodeo. It was Zoe's first as the planner though, and she was happy that she was able to plan out something like this. She was quick with the planning. She figured with how fast she planned, everything would run pretty smoothly, right?
The train arrived eventually, still thinking about the trip and everything she would do with her friend. Maybe Boston wasn't the best place for that, but maybe they could at least wander the place and try to find October's whereabouts. Calling seemed like it was out of the question since practice for the SBA seemed to go on indefinitely. She was tired of trying to keep up, so maybe she'd bump into her luckily one day randomly.
The two boarded the train, not saying much to each other. Both were browsing their phones, and both had their own thoughts going on in their head. This was at most a 12 hour trip that they'd both be taking, so they'd both probably be asleep eventually.
As the train started moving, Zoe felt an urge to check her phone for any sort of news on Boston, maybe see if there was anything to do with October, and anything like that. That's when she saw one of the biggest headlines she's seen about October, aside from some big FIBA performances. "Houston Ravens and Boston Minutemen in Trade Talks Centered Around Minutemen Guard October Moore." That was... certainly a big shock. What the hell was Boston thinking? Maybe it was just because they were limiting her with a lower role or something like that. She sighed.
She looked out of her window, watching trees pass by. Her eyes slowly began to close...
#-#
The train came to a stop for its final time. She wondered how much time it would take for her to find October. She'd try to text her, but she figured October was trying to deal with the rumors of a trade. Wait, maybe she asked for the trade.
Whether she did or didn't ask for a trade didn't matter right now. She got off the train with her friend, yawning and stretching. It seemed like the two of them slept for basically the entire train ride somehow. The seats weren't the most uncomfortable thing, but they both were asleep for quite some time. Maybe 9 hours?
Zoe checked around the area. Wow, America. It... had this smell. It smelled like pollution, something like that. She was nauseous just being here, but she persisted.
The two of them, with the help of Google Maps and Uber, found their way to their hotel and subsequently, to their hotel room. It was closer to the airport for convenience, just in case the two of them made emergency plans to work around one having to leave earlier than the other and whatnot. She smiled as she planted herself onto the bed.
"Ah, finally! Relaxation! We can relax!"
Elizabeth turned on the TV, and it seemed like October was on the news still regarding this trade talk stuff.
"Yeah, but for how long? Your friend's on the news."
"The Boston Minutemen, the home to guard October Moore, are in trade talks with the Houston Ravens in order to find a suitable start for Moore's best years. Some say this is due to her limited role on the Minutemen bench, but we'll find out more."
Huh... right. She almost forgot about that. Maybe... she should give her a call. She picked up her phone and rung October. Despite not expecting an answer, she was still disappointed when she went to voicemail. She figured it wouldn't hurt to leave a message.
"Hey, October. I heard about what's happening on the news and was wondering if you would like to meet up. Me and a friend from Canada are in the United States. Please, call back if you get the chance."
She hung up.
"Well, we aren't going to get much done now, are we? Let's go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be nicer to us."
The two of them fell asleep...
#-#
No response. No response. No response. No response. Still no response. It's been about a week. Elizabeth and her explored some places in Boston, but neither could seem to shake the awkward feeling that Zoe was having. She turned the TV on;
"While this may not come as much of a surprise to some of you, we have received confirmation that a trade has been finalized between the Boston Minutemen and the Houston Ravens centered around the guards of both rosters. While some say that it's possible that the Ravens are shooting for glory, they are still without a piece. Will this quell those thoughts in Houston? The Boston Minutemen have traded October Moore to the Houston Ravens for Olufemi Adeyemi. Whether people agree with this move or not, is up to the people of Boston. Last year, while playing as the team's main shooting guard, Adeyemi scored a total of 10.7 points a game with 2 steals in 25 minutes of game time per game, while Moore, who has been off the bench for the Minutemen for the last few seasons at around 20 minutes a game, sees around the same numbers for what; 21 minutes, 8.8 points and 1.5 steals. The biggest difference between the two of them, arguably, is their assist-turnover ratio, as Moore holds a better A-T ratio average in her three seasons on the Minutemen bench at 2.4 average, while Adeyemi has a 2.29 A-T ratio, though these statistics don't matter nearly as much as they should. The Ravens get a player who has openly stated she'll gladly stay with any team regardless of where it is unless something happens in the locker room."
Oh. Her friend was just traded. Well, that was... unfortunate timing, wasn't it?
They made their way over to the airport, having nothing else to do. They already packed their stuff last night. They just needed a ride and they'd be good.
#-#
At the airport, they quickly scanned their way into security and waited on line.
"So, your friend got traded huh? That's unfortunate timing."
Yeah, she was more or less right. This was pretty unfortunate for the time. It may have been a bit of a waste of money. They did hang out, but she was looking forward to talking to October more rather than having to see her leave. She didn't know what else to really say or do.
"The irony of the situation. I come here to relax and I'm mostly stressing about my friend's health and safety, wondering if she's okay or if she'll be okay. She's strong, and she will most likely make it through, but I just hope she wasn't hoping to stay here forever or something like that."
Zoe chuckled, then sighed. As they made their way along the line, she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye, just staring into the floor. Maybe she felt awkward.
"Ah, hallo October!"
Zoe yelled out, which seemed to get her attention for a second, but it seemed like she didn't quite see her, since she looked back down after a while. Elizabeth grabbed her shirt.
"What the hell, Zoe? We're in a public setting and you go and yell?"
"Sorry. I just wanted to see if I could get her attention. I saw her, I know I did. I could recognize her from a mile away, and her head perked up. Oh, whatever. Sorry for yelling.
"It's okay, but next time, at least warn me so I don't have to feel embarrassed for you."
"Sorry."
Zoe sighed and the two just walked in an awkward silence.
They made their way through security, but Zoe stayed behind to look for October. She was worried, yes, but she wanted to catch up with her.
"Are you seriously waiting for her?"
"Yeah, what do you expect from me? I want to catch up."
"Alright. I'll be waiting a little further away."
Zoe saw October passing through the security gate. She had a wide smile, waiting for her to cross through. After she did, she walked up to her.
“Boo!”
Zoe had a wide grin basically plastered on her face. She finally was able to catch up with her friend.
“Hey Zoe, what’s up?”
Zoe's smile persisted as she heard the question of "what's up," and figured she might as well talk about her travels. She didn't have much else to talk about after all, her friend was waiting. October moved over to the security belt. “Well, nothing much to be honest. With how the world works, I figured I would eventually be able to run into you since we haven’t been able to at all contact you during our entire week in Boston. It’s okay though, we were here because we wanted to visit you, but we learned about your trade details. Me and Elizabeth were enjoying Boston a little regardless, and now we’re flying over to Mexico City to meet Agustin. And I assume you’re going to be flying to Houston now?"
October grabbed her luggage and set herself up to walk. Zoe naturally followed along. Despite there being no response, she figured she could get something out of her. It seemed like October was going to go over to her gate, so Zoe and Elizabeth would follow. Their gate was a bit further up anyways.
“So, did you request a trade? I know you said you were happy, but Americans are confusing. They don’t tell the truth when asked about it, and it seems like you were happy, but with this trade, I have to wonder if you were really unhappy in Boston, and if your role had anything to do with it.”
October looked frustrated with her persistent questioning.
“I was fine with my role, well, happy as I could be with it. Yeah I’m good but I’m behind someone far better than me. They traded me on their own terms. I’m happy to get a start, I guess.”
“Hm… you don’t seem that excited though, is Houston a bad team, or are you upset you got traded?”
October paused, staring daggers at Zoe. She turned to look at her.
“Look, I’m not in the best state right now. Not as in US states, I just don’t know what to think. I hate Houston as a city, I hate Texas as a state. It’s in my core to hate Texas because of its fucking climate, how hot it is. That good stuff. Move onto Mexico please, have fun there, don’t bug me about how I’m feeling.”
Oh. Okay. October walked off, and Zoe was left there frozen. She looked at the ground.
"That's what you get for annoying someone who looked so depressed."
Elizabeth and Zoe made their way over to their gate, a solemn look on Zoe's face though. Maybe she should cancel this trip. She wasn't... quite up for it right now. No, wait, she already paid. She sat at the gate, staring out of the window. It was getting closer to sunset by now. The sky was a beautiful orange that she just couldn’t appreciate fully. Something about being yelled at by someone she considered a friend really hurt her.
Read the other side at this link in the SBA Forum!
