Step Back

The sun was slowly rising, casting warm hues of peach and gold across the sleepy skyline. The city, still half asleep, breathed in silence. The buzz of daily life hadn't started yet, and the world felt like it was holding its breath.

In front of a small coffee shop on the corner its windows fogged by the remnants of night stood Vinnie.

A paper cup of coffee in his right hand let off gentle steam, the rich aroma of roasted beans swirling softly in the cool morning air. In his left hand, he held his phone lazily, occasionally glancing down.

He looked like someone who had stepped out of a magazine rather than rolled out of bed. His cream colored, oversized shirt, decorated with bold black flower prints, fluttered lightly with the breeze artfully careless, intentionally relaxed. His wide linen trousers flowed around his legs like sails, exuding a calm kind of charisma only someone like Vinnie could radiate.

Atop his head was a tan NY cap, stitched with small white flowers a mix of street style. His grey sneakers, slightly worn, completed the look not too flashy.

A large canvas tote hung at his side, heavy with who knows what sketchbooks, old headphones, maybe a few novels and a spare hoodie. Or maybe nothing at all.

"No sign of Aleksandar yet..." he muttered, taking a small sip from his cup.

He glanced at his watch, then at the phone again. His half lidded eyes, still heavy with sleep, held that signature disinterest of someone who knows exactly what he's doing even if he pretends otherwise.

With a relaxed tap, he scrolled through his contacts and selected Small Fry.

The line rang. Once. Twice.

Aleksandar finally picked up.

"Hello?"

Vinnie didn't waste time.

"Where are you? Didn't I clearly say we're leaving early this morning? Uber's coming in twenty minutes. We're heading to Belgrade."

Aleksandar's voice came back, slightly frantic.

"You said we're leaving this morning, yes! But you never told me where to meet you!"

Vinnie blinked. Then nodded to himself.

"Fair. My bad."

He glanced at the café's sign.

"I'm at this cute little coffee shop on the corner. I'll send you the location. Chop chop, Small Fry."

Ten minutes later, Aleksandar appeared suitcase in one hand, anxiety in the other.

Vinnie looked up from his coffee and greeted him with a smirk.

"Yo, Small Fry. I see you actually convinced your parents to let you fly off to Italy with a guy you met yesterday. Impressive. Or concerning. Still deciding."

Aleksandar sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I mean, I did have to promise to call every day and not to do something stupid..."

"Ehhh," Vinnie shrugged.

"Can't promise the second part."

They both laughed.

Vinnie took a long sip of his drink.

"Okay, serious time. Flight's at twelve. Uber's coming in"

He checked his phone.

"Like five minutes. Also, I handled your school. You're excused for the week. Your homeroom teacher was surprisingly chill about it."

Aleksandar raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, actually? That's... kinda amazing."

Vinnie nodded.

"Yeah. But..."

A pause.

"He said you'll have to make up the finals next week. Since you're gonna miss graduation."

Aleksandar's soul visibly left his body for a moment.

"Wait FINALS? GRADUATION?! I didn't sign up for this!!"

"Welcome to the club."

Vinnie patted him on the back with a devilish grin.

"If you wanna play basketball, you gotta survive real stress. Think of it as... stat boost training."

Before Aleksandar could protest, their Uber arrived.

The doors opened with a friendly chime.

"Alright, Small Fry."

Vinnie tossed his bag in and gestured grandly.

Aleksandar looked to the sky one last time half in prayer, half in disbelief.

Then he got in the car.

After a few hours of driving filled with half decent music and one very questionable gas station bathroom they finally arrived at the Belgrade airport.

The morning rush had started to fade, and the sun cast a sleepy golden glow on the terminal windows. With over an hour left before their flight, Vinnie stretched like a lazy cat and glanced over at Aleksandar.

"Alright, Small Fry, I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat. You got any cravings or are you leaving your fate in my hands?"

Aleksandar rubbed his stomach, still groggy from the long ride.

"Honestly, you pick. Just don't take me anywhere with raw octopus. I'm too young to die."

Vinnie smirked, already pulling out his phone to check a map.

"Well, then it's decided. We're going to Restaurant Quincy. Five star reviews, two star prices."

With full stomachs the two headed back toward their gate. The airport buzzed with life announcements echoed through the halls, kids ran around like caffeine fueled missiles, and somewhere in the distance, someone was absolutely butchering a croissant at the bakery.

They passed through security, shuffled through duty free like zombies, and finally made it to the boarding area just as final calls were being announced.

Eventually, they took their seats on the plane row 19, seats A and B.

Two minutes later, Vinnie had his head tilted back and was sleeping like someone who had been in too many international youth tournaments to care about turbulence.

Aleksandar blinked.

"Wow. He passed out just like that."

He turned to look out the window as the plane started taxiing, mind swirling with excitement and nerves.

The engines hummed softly. The clouds drifted by like marshmallows in a sea of blue.

Vinnie stirred. Groaned. Rubbed his eyes.

And then muttered

"...Did we land yet or did I die and go to economy class purgatory?"

Aleksandar snorted.

"You've been asleep for almost an hour. You drooled on your shirt, by the way."

"No I didn't." Vinnie wiped his chin reflexively.

"...Okay maybe I did. Whatever. What's up?"

Aleksandar hesitated for a moment, then asked

"So... What happens when we land? Like, what exactly are we doing in Milan? Am I getting dropped off in some secret underground gym?

And what did you mean yesterday when you said I'm on the team, but not really on the team?"

Vinnie turned to him slowly with the look of a man who absolutely could be messing with him.

"All of the above. Plus a cooking challenge. If you can't make risotto blindfolded, you're off the team."

"...You're joking, right?"

"Who knows?" Vinnie grinned and then shifted his tone just a bit more serious.

"As for what I said yesterday, let me break it down for you real quick.

Right now, the team has 13 players officially on the roster. You're number 14. And after pre season tryouts, one more will be added making it 15 total.

From those 15, only 5 players will be registered for the WBA league.

Another 5 will play in the domestic league. That leaves 5 players who'll just train with the main team but won't be eligible to play. With your current skill level... you'd barely make the domestic league roster. That's why, like you said, this is your chance. This week I will show you how to train properly for next two months so you can push your chances as far as they'll go. I mean... yeah, we could've done all this back in Serbia. But the vibe's better in Italy. Plus, like you said this is your secret training arc, right?"

Aleksandar groaned and leaned back in his seat.

"This trip's going to kill me before the training even starts."

Vinnie gave him a thumbs up.

"Then it's already going better than expected."

The plane kept flying, cutting through clouds on its way to a new chapter.