(Before we begin I know some people are gone be confused as to how Madelyn is in college, as by this point she's 17.... I just found this found out myself after working those calculations.... let's just say she graduated early or whatever. Besides she dropped out anyhow, and we'll get to that in a future chapter)

Karl-Anthony: NOOOOOOO!

Christian: And that's another bag, click on, yick 'em up and we're headin' straight to DA CASA!

On a rare off day from practices and fresh off of winning the SEC Tournament, Christian Travis found himself doing three things to pass the time while the Kentucky basketball team healed from their various nick-ups over the course regular season. Splitting time between playing Madden NFL 14, studying for a number of final exams and getting many shots up to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. Of course it would do the mentals some good to not consistently worry or be paranoid about hooping but... the South Carolina born and Los Angeles raised Christian Travis would be the first to tell you... he couldn't help but be nervous about the next few months.... of course there was the aforementioned tournament, and it was a foregone conclusion his undefeated Wildcats would be one of four number one seeds heading in, of course it helped when you were the hunter and not the hunted. There was of course the NBA Playoffs which his own father would be in with his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, having been traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Cleveland Cavaliers just before the trade deadline ended. Then of course, there would be the long-winding process of preparing for the Draft and its combine process. It was inevitable but thanks strong team and individual play, the odds on favorite to land the National Player of the Year was more than a lock to be drafted within the top five of the 2015 Draft with teams such as Denver, Sacramento, the Lakers, Milwaukee, and Minnesota all vying for the currently projected third overall pick. But what good would do that someone if they were constantly worrying.

Karl-Anthony: Dude I swear you're such a fucking cheat every time when you use Carolina!

Devin: No, you're just ass KAT. There's a big difference, you can't blow a 17 point lead and then say he's cheating.

Christian: Exactly! You're the one who keeps spamming Four Verticals against my Cover 3, I was bound to get you eventually, cope and seethe.

RINNNNNNNNNNNNGGG!

Christian: Christian Travis, speaking.

Madelyn: Hey there, sport!

Christian: Maddy, hey! What's happening?

His best friend, Madelyn had been doing her daily check-in with the freshman student-athlete, as they rattled off all of the events that had occurred since their last conversation a number of weeks ago, all the meanwhile his fellow NBA bound prospects looked on, laughing and snickering at the reaction he gave when answering the phone.

Madelyn: I never got the chance to congratulate you on winning that tournament you were part of. I watched all of the games and I wanted to go to the final game. But prior meetings bogged me down.

Christian: Hey, it's all good, Maddy. Seriously, you're trying to carve out your ideal and legendary career and I'm trying to do the same, you're not at fault, I completely understand.

Madelyn: So what happens now? I know the bigger tournament is happening but how do they even go about that?

Christian: Well... we've already qualified for the tournament so it's really not difficult to figure what seed we're going to be. It's the region that's the tricky part. It's Midwest, South, East and West and then all other the teams who did well or were great and lost their conference championship receive the at-large bids. Then all that make it in are then chosen based on record, notable wins or upsets in addition to their strength of schedule. That's about the basis from what I know watching previous tournament brackets being revealed. Why, are you planning filling out a bracket or ten?

Madelyn: Maybeee... don't worry I picked Kentucky nine out of ten times.

Christian: Lemme guess, you chose Coastal Carolina as the last one?

Madelyn: Shit... nothing ever gets past you huh?

Christian: You go there as a student, not that hard to figure out.

Madelyn: Oh shut up. So what's up with you after you win the National Championship?

Christian: Well the jinx aside, obviously the transition and beginning of getting into the NBA. Combine, Pro Days, a shit ton of interviews with team owners, scouts, general managers, media and then Draft Night. Honestly that's the scarier part of all this but the goal is so close. Potentially playing with the old man, fulfilling then taking the Travis legacy to new heights? That's all I want right now. He never got to win the National Championship and made up for it with three titles to his name. Now I'm gonna win the Natty and get all the big bucks.

Madelyn: You're awfully cocky, you know that Chris?

Christian: Aye what did Deion Sanders say all that time ago when he was at the height of his powers? "If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play well. And if you play well, they pay well." Well when all is said and done, I'm gonna be the most feared. Not cocky, just facts. I'm putting the league on notice.

Madelyn: I already know. All right, let me get off, I gotta study with finals coming up. Good luck with whoever you draw, Chris.

Christian: Same with you and finals, Maddy. Talk to you in about an hour or two?

Madelyn: Yeah, yeah! I should be good and done by then. I know you'll be knee deep in practice or whatever.

They say their final goodbyes with him hanging up first as he turns to find his future fellow NBA-bound teammates snickering at him.

Christian: And what are Colonel Slapnuts and Lieutenant Ligmaballs snickering at over there?

Karl-Anthony: You ain't never tell us you had a girlfriend! When's the wedding-

Devin: That's nothing to be ashamed of-

Christian: Maddy's not my girlfriend! She just happens to be a girl that is my friend, you two. Have you ever seen Madelyn in Book and I's room before? Besides, she doesn't even feel that way towards me, she's even said it herself before my family and I moved away from South Carolina to California. I'll always be like a best friend to her more than anything.

He gives a downcast look, completely oblivious to the tones Madelyn was actually talking to him. One would actually be right in saying she was trying to flirt with the future top-10 pick.

Devin: Hang on, what's this Madelyn even like? Put us through your lens when you see her.

Christian: Well in a sense? She's a free spirited and goofy individual, she's got luscious blonde hair but most people wouldn't actually realize she's a natural brunette. Now her personality, good God, she's super selfless, loyal to a fault, comes from wealth but has never once flaunted it someone's face unless they doubted her. Humble doesn't begin to describe Madelyn. She's truly a saint, and I know it sounds cliche but we need more people like her in the world.

Devin: You sure you're not in love with her, Chris? The way you talk about her-

Christian: Nah.... maybe a few years ago and had I not moved cross country, who knows what could've been between her and I, Book? But it's like I said, she's got her own thing going-

All of their team phones begin beeping at the same time. They all take the time to look at the message, urgently in its timing and the moment they had all been waiting on pins and needles for.

ATTENTION: ALL PLAYERS, COACHING STAFF AND ANY FAMILY MEMBERS REPORT TO THE WILDCAT COAL LODGE FOR PIZZA, CHICKEN AND PASTA AND MARCH MADNESS SELECTION VIEWING!

Christian: Finally! I got so tired beating the brakes off of y'all in Madden, was thinkin' I should give ya a charity victory by using a sorry ass team. You're both lucky your Pookie Bear Coach saved you guys!

Karl-Anthony: That's why I'm bringing the PlayStation with us on the road during the tournament, one of us will get your ass down bad!

Christian: PAUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEE! You lu-lu-lu-luhhhhhhh whorrrrrreeee! I run the University of Kentucky Student-Athlete Madden Circuit! BOW DOWN, PUSSIES! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

He laughs hard, slamming the door behind him as the Sixth Man and starting Power Forward trade looks back and forth with each other.

Devin: Next time, we challenge his bitch ass to a Call of Duty: Zombies marathon on an off-day.

Karl-Anthony: For sure.

Madelyn had been roaming around the college campus and much like Kentucky but a much more relatively smaller scale in Charleston, Coastal Carolina had been in a celebratory mood in their own right. The Chanticleers had not only won their conference's championship for the second year in row but were a virtual lock to get in the Big Dance. Having gotten out of her most recent theatre history class, she was on her way to her acting class before some of her friends pulled her to the side.

Christy: Maddy, there you are!

Madelyn smiles at her roommate Christy and her boyfriend a player for the university's basketball team in Jaylen Shaw.

Madelyn: Christy, Jaylen! Hey guys! Congrats on the tournament win, cannot wait to see you guys go all out wherever you land in the March Madness tournament.

Jaylen: Thanks, Madelyn. I'm kinda nervous thinking about, Christy and I were just about head over to the gym with the rest of the team since Selection Saturday is happening. Wanna join us?

Madelyn: JEEZ, I would really love too, plus I already planned on getting tickets whenever they go on sale..... but my next class- sorry about that, one second.

Her phone begins buzzing and the second she looks up to find her professor of that particular class was going to be canceled for the day as she fell sick before she could clock in.

Madelyn: Well then, I actually find myself with some free time, my last class got canceled. Lead the way, you two.

Jaylen: Right on, they laid quite the pizza spread out too, so I hope you didn't eat earlier!

(Back in Lexington, Kentucky...)

The players, families of the team, coaches and all the important boosters had been enjoying the beautiful spread catered to them while the Selection Sunday was mere minutes away from beginning. At one table Christian had been sitting with his mother and sister who had stayed around the city after the tournament had concluded, his dad having to jet with Cleveland for an immediate showdown with the Orlando Magic.

Christian: Ah. Nothing hits victory quite like a couple slices of Super Supreme Pizza from Pizza Hut. Follow that up with some of mom's homemade chicken fettuccine alfredo with sliced jalapenos? I'm in heaven. Just wish dad was here to bask in all of this.

Zendaya: Yeah, but you know him. He's definitely proud of you in his own way, but the life of an NBA player strenuous. Dad texted me to tell you, he's going to drop a "30 burger" whatever that is on the Magic since you went got a triple double during the championship game. He doesn't want the guy thinking he's gone soft.

Christian: Sounds about Dad. How about you, Mom? I thought you'd be with him, seeing as how he's in the thick of the playoff.

Sabrina: I am, Cubby. But I wanted to take a moment to celebrate you and your sister. I believe she's got some news in her own right.

Christian: Oh, does she? Do tell 'Daya. What does my charismatic older sister have in the stars?

Zendaya: It's nothing, really.

Sabrina: No, I will not having you lying to your brother, Zendaya Neveah Travis. I taught you two better than that!

Zendaya: All right, all right! I just don't see the big deal, mom. It's not as if being cast as MJ in the new slate of Spider-Man films was a make or break juncture-

Christian: Get the hell out- Zendaya that's huge news! Congratulations!

He hugs his older sister and half-heartedly trying to get out of the embrace, she laughs it off while stiff-arming but failing given he was the physically superior of the two.

Zendaya: All right, all right, down boy, down! The only downside is that filming isn't starting for a few months and movies aren't going to be releasing for another two through four years max. So I can fulfill the rest of my obligations with Disney and their Disney Channel sub-station.

Christian: Well I don't care whether I have a game or not, whenever those movies happen to drop, I'll be there on the red carpet right with you, mom and dad. Just like I know you'll be at as many games as you can be.

Sabrina: Cubby, you guys-

Christian: You guys what?

She motions for him to turn around as Bryant Gumbel, a long-standing college sports analyst for CBS begin to unveil the brackets for the entire road that would conclude in Indiananoplis. At the same time, Madelyn and the Coastal Carolina fans, players and coaches alike looked from an inflatable screen which had been displaying March Madness in its fullest.

Bryant: You see the second round and how it's shaping up in the Midwest Region. And there you see them in their undefeated glory, the lone undefeated Kentucky led by a seemingly endless calvacade of freshmen but also littered with tournament experience, the SEC Champs come into the tournament, and as I stated before they'll be looking to make it through the Midwest region which it may not look the part but definitely has its fair share of land mines guys.

Clark Kellogg: And immediately what stood out to me you guys were the Big South Conference Champion, Coastal Carolina. Not a single freshmen but to these kids, they don't care about that. They've been here before and to them, they were within striking distance of downing the East's No. 1 Seed a year ago to Virginia but it won't get any easier because if they have any plans of going anywhere, they have to get past-

Madelyn: Kentucky.....

Christian: That's not good....

Sabrina: You're not nervous, are you sweetie?

Christian: No, of course not, far from it. I like our odds in this region, it's just that, take a look.

The bracket super-imposes itself as the analysts Clark Kellogg and Doug Gottilieb continue discussing Kentucky's potential road to the Final Four and in the 5/12 matchup.

Zendaya: Coastal Carolina? Isn't that Madelyn's college?

Christian: Yeah. Meaning if they win their matchups, I could be seeing Madelyn again as early as the Sweet Sixteen. And just as quick as the reunion, the heartbreak would hit just as hard.

End of Chapter Five! A Kentucky vs Coastal Carolina matchup?! Destiny is indeed favoring the bold, Madelyn is in love, Christian in denial and the two are in line for another collision course! Will the showdown between Wildcats and Chanticleers actually happen? You'll have to find out soon in.... WINNING TIME!