Story:A Case of the Bangor Blues: The Eleventh Hour
A Case of the Bangor Blues: The Eleventh Hour
Written by BladesDaRaccoon & Bryan Shadowbuck
A late night in Rosewood, seemingly like every other late night those old streets had seen…save for a certain Gallardo rolling down Ruby Street. Indeed, Rosewood’s favorite son was back in town, sneaking in at the dead of night as always.
“A big reason why I like drivin’ late; not another soul on the road.” Ash said, looking out his window as he rolled down the street, glancing at the passing houses and the old playground.
“I can understand why. I know you’re not the type to want to make a big deal out of things, you just happen to get yourself into them.”
Sitting next to the raccoon in the Gallardo was his good friend and teammate, Andrew McDonald-Rainbow. After the season had ended for Bangor at the hands of Tallahassee, the magpie was quick to make sure that he got to spend some time with his friend. Knowing that Ash liked to be by himself after a season-ending loss, Andrew felt it was best to be there as some company.
“I didn’t ask for any of that, just so ya got the record straight.” Ash’s hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as he finished the sentence. The smallest glance and anyone could tell he wasn’t over it, not by a long shot; he had the bad habit of holding grudges sure but maybe this time was just a little justified.
“I know Ash, I was there. Hell, I was the one that defended you afterwards at the press conference! If I thought you were asking for it, I wouldn’t have come out and let the world know who you actually are instead of what they think you are.”
Andrew knew that the press conference had really gotten to Ash as well as how some of the Tallahassee players portrayed him and gotten under his skin. He knew he had gotten on their bad side in the past and probably deserved some pushback but even he thought they had gone just a little too far that night, if not in terms of Ash in the eyes of some, certainly in terms of the rest of the team.
“I understand some players out there have got an issue with you due to past comments but I just wish they got to see the Ash I see more often…,” Andrew let out a small sigh, “At least you’ve had some people like Aurora having your back. It’s not everyone on Tallahassee.”
“Don’t think I don’t know! Least…now that is…” Ash started off loud but realized what he was doing and pulled back his tone. “I was stupid yeah, but wounds don’t heal when you pour acid on ‘em like that!” He glanced at his speedometer and eased off the gas pedal.
“Sorry. Got myself worked up again…But no, that jackass drunkard hare had no right to get on me like that. On national TV to boot. It’s no rivalry but he’s made one of the worst enemies of his life.” Ash was sulking a little now, “My only goal right now…is to make sure that’s the only ring that a-hole ever wins. And of course, knock him on his arrogant ass the next time I face him.”
“I’m glad he’s not here with us right now Ash, because if he heard that, I think he’d probably want to knock your block off!” Andrew very much could understand his friend’s anger. The raccoon had never really gotten along with the hare and both seemed like oil and water to each other.
Ash was the kit who had to claw and scratch his way to find a family for him and his baby sister; Adge was just one of the many sons in a family of farmers. While both had their own struggles getting to where they are, their upbringings had very much shaped the both of them into two very different people…two people that didn’t exactly mesh well. While the magpie didn’t quite get it, he knew that he and Ash were two different people. They were both going to have some differences.
“The last thing I think we need is a repeat of All-Star weekend again…”
“At this point, you think I give the slightest damn about him not likin’ me?” Ash’s tone going rather deadpan.
“I’m not saying you do Raccaroni but for a guy you go on about not liking, he seems to be on your mind a lot?” Andrew changed the tone of his voice into what could best be described as his best impression of a 1930’s detective. The magpie was trying to perhaps lighten the tone a little bit. At least get Ash to be less on edge and a bit more relaxed.
“Look, long story short he’s on my list and I'm gonna get his ass for how he treated me.” Ash shrugged it off a little. He wasn’t much of a joker when it came to the game, especially when it involved an enemy, but at the very least he could see Andrew’s intent.
“I gotcha…I already know that you’re quite peeved off about that. I just gotta ask that you let me know what night you’re gonna put him on his ass so I can have an apology ready for the press release; public faces like myself have to be prepared when something that might look bad happens.” Andrew joked with a bit of a grin on his beak, giving the raccoon a careful nudge. He knew he wasn’t exactly going to have much luck convincing Ash to drop it and be the bigger man right now, so he felt it was better to move on and let the two friends enjoy their time together.
“Noted my friend, noted. Dunno the exact where or when so maybe just have a loose script or somethin’ ready I guess.” Ash doing his best to play along with the joke. However, he finally found old 127 Ruby Street, still said ‘Rodgers’ on the mailbox and all.
“At long last, the old hideaway. Where the dream began, where I learned Mama Trudy’s carrot cake recipe, where Suzie’s 8th birthday party took place, where…well, a lotta important stuff happened!” Ash exclaimed as he pulled the Gallardo into the driveway and threw it in park, “It’s humble but all the memories really give this place life.” Ash smiled as he stepped out and led the way to the front door.
“It certainly fits for a raccoon who had to fight and claw his way to the FBA. It’s very quaint and cozy… I like it.” The magpie wasn’t exactly used to being off the beaten path in the US. He had mostly spent his time in the US either living in Lorain or Bangor and then traveling with his team to other big cities. He’d never really been to a rural town in all those years and to him, Something about it felt kinda weird but also kinda comforting at the same time.
“One of America’s forgotten, dusty corners you could say. But it’s my dusty, forgotten corner.” Ash taking a big whiff of that small town air. Much as he’d been acclimated to Bangor as well as Maine and all it’s trappings from the seafood to the often quirky spots dotting the state it was always a relief to go back to little ol’ Rosewood.
“Oh, it totally is… That’s why I came here with you… I wanted to see the place that made Ash Van Zant… Well, Ash Van Zant.” Andrew knew he’d probably be feeling similar if he had taken Ash on a trip to see where he grew up in Melbourne.
“And if you asked, i’d return the favor my friend.” Ash clicking one of his keys into the door, opening up to the house’s living room. “Well, don’t be a stranger now.” the raccoon kicking his shoes off as he walked in and flopped down on the couch. “Ya’ll as welcome as it gets here!”
Andrew joined Ash on the couch as he put his feet up. After spending so long in the FBA, He’d kinda forgotten what it was like to just be in a place that just felt like a normal home. It felt nice just to be back somewhere like this. It was like he had been transported back to his childhood in a way.
“Good to know that I am… It certainly does feel like home.”
“Makes ya wanna get your favorite sugary cereal and watch some cartoons don’t it?” Ash chuckling a bit as he leaned into his avian friend almost subconsciously. “Much as this town’s grown since I got into the league in a lotta ways it’s stayed so much the same.”
Ash in his mind could see some of the memories of the old living room replaying in his mind, the good, the bad and everything in between. “I’ll tell ya’ll, after all the championship celebrations it felt good to just retreat back here. To where everyone knows my name, well before everybody knew my name that is!”
“Exactly… It honestly makes me want to book a visit back to Melbourne some time this off-season. Get to see the folks, The old basketball courts, Maybe even meet up with some of my old friends from when I tried to play footy before committing to Basketball.” The magpie seemed to feel like he could be a bit more open about his past with Ash.
“Ya know, there was a time when everyone thought I was gonna play baseball? I could run bases like no tomorrow but I couldn't hit the ball worth anything.” the raccoon opening up a little more as well now. “Interesting what if sure but…wouldn’t trade basketball at this rate.”
Ash took another look out at the dusky night sky. “So…obviously tomorrow there’ll be a lotta people you’ll see. Possibly everyone admittedly. From the mayor and the fire chief all the way to the owner of Time and Again Thrift. So for tonight if you wanna relax, bond or whatever this is probably the best time for it.”
“I gotcha. Sounds like things are going to be pretty busy after tonight. It kinda makes tonight all that more special. The kind of night to just relax and get to know each other… Which, We’ve kinda already been doing.” The magpie chuckled.
“If we’re going to be going into secret sports backgrounds, I know I had my coach begging me to continue playing footy. I could play in the Forward Pocket amazingly well… But my heart just wasn’t in it… Basketball was my first love and that’s what I wanted to play.”
“Busy if only cause I wanna show ya’ll all the cool stuff around here, lemme clarify.” Laughing a little in response to his friend. “I think the world was more relieved I wasn’t playing a sport where I had a weapon close at hand all the time. Mighta struggled hittin’ the ball but The Boop woulda been a lot uglier If I had a bat rather than a basketball in my paws.”
“Yep. Probably would have busted Leon’s skull and Aldrich would probably have had you arrested for assault… And that’s probably the last thing you’d have wanted…” Andrew trying to joke his way through the talk of The Boop. It had been stressful enough when it happened on the court. The last thing he wanted to think of was an even worse version involving baseball bats…
“But hey, I’m glad life turned out the way it did… It means I got to meet you and honestly, I wouldn’t wanna play Basketball without ya.”
“Ya tryin’ to serenade me here or somethin’?” Ash chuckling again. “Getting all poetic and stuff now.” Much as Ash knew he himself was spoken for, it was probably one of the few attempts he’d make at trying to joke. Least far as tonight was concerned
“You could say so. You make my love for basketball grow even fonder Ash, You’re the perfect teammate and you make trying to go for 3 as easy as a nice autumn breeze.” Andrew said trying to do his best on the fly poetry to Ash.
Ash did let a chuckle slip past his lips as his magpie friend tried living up to their rep of being soulful. “Can’t say ya didn’t give it some effort there dude.” sinking back a bit more into the couch. “I’m good with some silly stuff after what i’ve had to stomach this season…”
“I’m glad to hear that Ash. I’m ready to let go of some of that pressure and just be my goofy self. It’s good not to be the locker room leader for a change.”
“Well, you do a better job than I do in that sense. I’m just a hooper, I wasn’t exactly cut from the cloth of bein’ the role model so to speak.” His voice sinking slightly. “I’ll never be the model citizen so to speak and honestly, I don’t really wanna be. Following the rules don’t make you good at life…”
“That’s true. Some of the best people I know are known as rule breakers and some of the worst people I’ve ever had to deal with were sticklers for the rules…”
“Thank you! Least somebody gets it. It ain’t even that I need everyone to love or adore me, just to maybe lay the hell off!” Ash stopped before too far down on that particular spiral. “But anyways…wanna watch a movie? An old cartoon?” pointing out the corner shelf of DVDs with the occasional tape laced in. “Mama Trudy’s one for hard copies.”
“I wouldn’t mind watching some old cartoons. Wouldn’t mind reliving some old memories of Saturday Mornings gone by. Plus, I don’t think I have the mental capacity to watch anything with a darker tone after that trip.”
“Alright, I got’cha.” Ash getting up and walking his way to the little shelf. “I got Bytemon, Space Tato, Cookie Kingdom, even a later season or two of Mistgrove.” Waving his hand at the middle wrung of said shelf. “Just lemme know.”
“I could go for some Bytemon. Used to watch that as a little birdy on Vulpis Kids. What seasons have ya got?”
“I got seasons one and three. Either of those ya’ll particularly partial to?”
“You know what? Give me Season 3. I really like that season and never really got to see the finish to it.”
“I gotcha.” Ash pulling the case out of the stand with a bit of a twirl and catch before opening it and inserting the disc. “Also, need a drink or anything before we get into watching?”
“Whatcha got in the fridge?”
“Usual stuff. Lemonade, juice boxes, milk, cool water…all that jazz.”
“I’ll take a lemonade I think. Too late for milk or juice boxes.”
“The lemonade’s always a good one.” Pouring him a glass as he grabbed himself a juice box. “For me, never a bad time for a juice box.” rejoining him on the couch and handing Andrew his lemonade. “Made in house by the way so, might not be super sweet just to warn ya.”
“Ok, I’ve never really had homemade lemonade before… No-one really does that in Australia, People just buy it from the store.” Andrew replied. He’d forgotten that lemonade in the US and lemonade in Australia were considered two different things. He didn’t mind lemon squash but perhaps wasn’t what he was wanting at this time.
“Especially down south, we make our own lemonade and sweet tea all the time!” In truth, Ash thought since the pre-season stuff that’d happened, maybe better to not bombard his friend with sugar. “So sometimes it’s really sweet, other times not so much…different from house to house pretty much.”
“I gotcha Ash. I think what you guys would call Lemonade is what we’d call Lemon Squash and what we call Lemonade is what you’d call a lemon-lime I think. Don’t quote me though, I’m not a food expert.” Andrew laughs as he tries to explain what he thinks the situation is.
“Squash? I mean there’s no veggies in that!” Ash taking a second to laugh “But…here’s a test, is what ya’ll call lemonade fizzy?”
“Yes. It’s very much fizzy. Hell, I think our closest thing to your lemonade is a famous fizzy drink here even had over the top macho commercials that were so cheesy that you kinda have to love them for that alone.” Andrew continued to laugh.
“Yeah, does sound a lot closer to a 7-Pup. One of the several clear sodas with that lemony bite to it…and lime as well, which one actually leads that flavor I can’t fully tell. So in comparison, ya’ll ain’t too far off it.” Ash grabbing at the remote “Anyways, Bytemon time it is!”
And a good night it was for the pair, over a few cups, juice boxes, and a night of an old favorite cartoon. Not a drop of beer needed for a good time like this. Their little marathon had stretched into the small hours of the morning, eventually leading the pair to retire to Ash’s old quarters. His bedroom still had the old MK poster from his Lone Stars days, stack of Rock n’ Roll CDs, Guitar and all. Even had his old childhood plushy giraffe from simpler times…However, in the current moment the friends only cared about resting up as they clambered into the old bed and tossed the thin, plaid blanket over themselves.
It might not have been familiar surroundings for the magpie but it still felt comforting. Like he was back home with a good friend having a good time. After all the drama of the past 12 months after the highs of winning the FBA title, It felt good to just be back in a place where the only thing that mattered was him, his friend and the good time they were having…
End of Part 1.
Featured Characters
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