Things began to look up more and more as we got closer to summer. The playoffs were approaching, and Rainbow Dash, being the competitive pony that she was, wanted me to win more than anything. We looked good heading into March, but by the end of the regular season we had just made the fifth seed. Our record was just enough to set us up against the Denver Nuggets.

The first two games were in Denver, so like always the team flew and I drove. When we arrived, one of the first things I noticed was how warm it was. I was pumped to play in my first playoff game, though, so I didn't pay too much mind to it.

After my usual pre-game ritual of talking with Rainbow, I headed over to the Pepsi Center to join the team. After taking a few practice shots, I headed to the bench.

Game 1 was a blowout. Nuggets one, Thunder nothing. I played a lot during the 4th quarter, but we couldn't mount a comeback. I headed to the sort-of-luxury vacation home to tell Rainbow. As I had expected, she wasn't happy about it.

"Relax, it's just a game," I told her. "Besides, we play them again in two days. Maybe we'll beat them then."

"You have to!" she replied. "You can't let them beat you again!"

For Game 2, the coach decided to have me on the floor to start the third quarter. The coach favored a specific rotation during close fourth quarters, mainly consisting of me, Kenny, and Westbrook. Kenny was good at hitting clutch shots in the 4th, so the team gave him the nickname King of the 4th Quarter. Whether he liked it or not, it stuck.

Kenny went out there and did his thing, putting us up by 3 as we entered the final 5 minutes. Clutch time. I checked in for Paul George, who looked absolutely gassed. I was assigned to Danilo Gallinari, who was a great outside shooter. He proved his talents by scoring 8 points on me within 2 minutes. Coach was about to signal timeout when I came down the court, pulled up at the top of the key, and launched a 3.

Swish.

Gallo scored a few more points, but I was heating up, raining 3s and mid-rangers on the defense. They tried to gain a lead, but we held on. Tough game, but a win was a win. Series tied. Our hopes were high as we left the arena on the team bus, including me. We went back to the facility so Coach Donovan could give us a quick rundown of the strategy for Game 3.

"Have some rest, and be in town by noon tomorrow," he said once he was finished. When I got home it was 11:00 and Rainbow was sleeping in the foyer, where I assumed she had been waiting for me. I hung up my team jacket and took off my shoes. I picked Rainbow up and carried her to the bed she slept in like a parent would a child that fell asleep in the car.

Damn, having her really could be like having a child sometimes.

I drove down to OKC with Rainbow early the next morning. I took the opportunity to tell her about our Game 2 win. She was super happy about it, and her happiness was contagious. I was in a good mood when we reached the new home that I had bought in Oklahoma City with my improved salary.

I didn't have any games today, but Coach wanted a training session at one 'o clock. It was almost noon, so I had some time. I made myself a salad and ate it while I watched some film from game 2. It was crazy to me how many points I had put up. Rainbow looked amazed at my performance.

"Woah," she said when I finished watching, "How'd you get that good?"

"I just play," I said. "If I'm good, I'm good. If I'm not, I'm not."

"Are you gonna tell that to all your fans?" she asked.

"Fans?" I chuckled. "I might be alright, but I'm a rookie. Hardly anyone knows me."

"Aw, c'mon, ya gotta have fans! You're amazing!" Rainbow replied, astonished.

I laughed. "Thanks," I said. "But anyone with talent will tell you that there's always room for improvement."

We went into Chesapeake Energy Arena feeling ourselves. The energy in the arena was crazy. It brought the whole team up, and we took an easy dub. Game 4 was a sixteen-point win, giving us back-to-back blowouts and a 3-1 lead. We couldn't have been more energized heading into the locker room.

"Loud City," I said. "I love it here."

"You played good," Kenny told me. "All we gotta do now is close out."

And close out we did. Game 5 was a bit closer, but we still won, setting up a series between us and the Warriors. Since KD joined them, they've become nearly unstoppable, while the Thunder came out worse than before. But I didn't let the thought of Curry and KD playing on the same team scare me.

I also didn't expect us to move on.

For Game 1, Coach Donovan decided to try something different. He decided to play me sixth man. This meant I was going to have a lot of minutes and step it up. I was scared to guard any Warriors player, given they were known for crushing opponents in the playoffs. But hey, might as well try.

I was assigned to Andre Iguodala, and was being guarded by Draymond Green. Draymond was a star player, so scoring on him was tough. But my handles were better, and I was able to cross him over a few times. I scored 22 points, but it didn't matter.

It was a blowout. Once again, we were down 1-0. But this time, I didn't think we could gentleman-sweep our way into the next round.

I was right. Over the next week we lost 3 games in a row. The Warriors 4-0 swept us. We walked out of Chesapeake Energy Arena after Game 4 feeling pretty low. I headed to my house. Rainbow knew that we had been losing, and she was disappointed when I told her we lost. She kept telling me that we deserved to go farther, which prompted a question from me.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked. "When I win, you're ecstatic. When I lose, you're sad or upset. I'm not saying I have a problem with it, but why are you so invested in my career?"

I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't expecting it. She thought for a moment and said, "I don't know, I guess because you're like family to me. You take care of me, you spend time with me, so to me you're family."

I was speechless. All the months since that night I found her had seemed to blow by. I had only a few times thought about our relationship, but had never taken the time to realize what it really was. In that moment I realized that she was like family to me. When I got home she was always there waiting for me. She celebrated my triumphs and mourned my downfalls.

She was the best thing in my life. And I told her just that.

The hug that followed lasted awhile, as neither of us really wanted the moment to end. It was something that lifted me inside, knowing that I really wasn't alone. She would always be there to support me, and that was all I really could've asked for.

Author's Note

Chapter 9!! Yay!

I spent a WEEK writing this, as I hit writer's block several times. But I did my best to finish the chapter strong, and the story will now be taken off of hiatus because I plan to do more writing!

Let me know what you think!