How We Met #2: My Rival

Day 21/31

How We Met #1: My First Girlfriend

Sorry to say I don't think this will be as interesting as the first found, well I think it is...but I don't think it will blow up like the first one, it's cool tho. So I'm pretty sure this guy won't read this...cuz I don't think he reads my blog...but if he does...that's jokes. So a rival is defined as a person or thing competing with one another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field. That's legitimately chunk of the relationship between me and this my 'friend'. I say 'friend'...because I once hated this dude...now I've known him since grade 7...and boy did we hate each other for a good couple of years LOL. Now I don't wanna toot my own horn (do people still say that) but in elementary school, I was quite the basketball 'star'...like I ran tingz with my boy. So after the summer of grade 6, I'm on the bus with my boy going to school for the first day of grade 7 just talking, having fun and looking forward to the new school year. We get off the bus and one of my boys like runs to the bus and he's like yooooo...there's this new kid on the basketball courts and he's pretty dope. I look at my other boy I was on the bus with and I'm like pshhhhh...who did dude, bring me to him. So we walk over to the ball courts and low and behold...there's this kid playing on the ball courts by himself, so my boys and I just kinda stand there and watch him for a bit and I was like ehhhh...he aiiiiight. Little did I know that would be the first of many epic encounters with me and my rival. So we had many run ins with each other before going into high school. We would always play basketball ourside during recess and naturally it would be like his boys versus mine, we would pick teams...but we would just pick our own friends...ONE DAY...this dude decides to PICK ME ON HIS TEAM...and come up with a plan with his boys NOT TO PASS ME THE BALL...bro, I was so cheesed that game you don't even understand. Fast forward to another time at recess...we literally almost fought...LOL. Like somehow the game got physical...he came up to me and shoved me...so like people are already holding both of us back...I somehow got around the dude holding me back and knocked his glasses off...I don't know what happened after but it was squashed. So recess ended...I'm one of the last ones walking up the stairs...THIS GUY walks up to me and goes yo man...I'm sorry, my emotions got the best of me, are we cool? I looked at him like with a blank face like bruhhh...but I was like uh...yeah sure. Dude, I TOLD EVERYBODY what happened LOOOL...I was like yeah, this dude scared, he don't want this LOL. Biggest W I had ever taken in my young life thus far lol. Fast forward a bit somewhere down the line of our grade 8 year...we ended up playing volleyball together and someone became friends, but were still hella competitive with each other, I remember was like  the 6th man and he was the star setter and I had worked my way into the starting line up lol. And basketball season, I didn't make it but he tried really hard to convince the coach to put my on the team, which was surprising, but a nice gesture. Our rivalry, and blossoming friendship continued throughout high school. He went on to play all the major sports in high school...I ended up only playing ultimate frisbee with him for all 4 years of our high school careers. ONE MOMENT tho...that forever changed my perception of him was grade 10 basketball tryouts...long story short, I dislocated my knee and was in the hospital. The coach of the basketball team visited me, then my parents were like you have other visitors...i'm like true...IT WAS HIM...I didn't believe my eyes...it was him and another one of his...our friends. Like yeah, we were rivals, but we were semi-friends at the same time...but I'll never forget him showing up to the hospital when I had dislocated my knee...mans showed up with APPLES...LOOOOL and an Archie comic, which I still have to this day...I'll never forget that moment, it changed my perception of you dude, and it's probably up there in top 10 nicest things that've ever happened to me, so thank you for that. I know this post has been really long...so let's fast forward to the present...are we still friends...of course. Are we still rivals...I'd like to think so LOL. We have a weird relationship...where we just roast and are really rude to each other. Like REALLY rude LOOL. Like bro, I'm speaking directly to you, if you ever read this...you were always the benchmark for me...for basketball, for volleyball...just your drive, your competitive nature and work ethic...we shared that same hunger you know. It motivated us....that's what made us so alike. So when we finally did start hanging out and talking...everything just kinda clicked. From chilling in my basement till like 4 am...talking about life, girls, scrolling through facebook...to visiting our old elementary school teacher, going to his house and meeting his family...we've come along way from almost fighting in grade 7 LOL. It's funny cuz we don't talk everyday...we don't chill on a consistent basis...but when we do, it's always love....and everything just kinda flows like we never missed a beat. Thank you for motivating and pushing me to get better as a person and as an athlete all these years, thanks for being a worthy rival and an even better friend, tho it's something we've never said to each other, cuz it's not in the nature of our relationship...but you're a real one...and I appreciate you, truly. If you guys read till the end, thank you...see y'all tomorrow.