"Lucas, shouldn't you be at the stadium already?" 

The young man snapped his head in the direction of the voice and he quickly smiled as he raised a hand to greet her. "Hey Roca, long time no see! Oh I've got some time to kill, I mean, it's a short walk." 

Rochelle noticed that he was holding his phone in his hand and he dropped his arm to his side, fingers curled around the protective case.

"Sorry, were you expecting a call from someone?" she asked.

Lucas glanced at his phone and sighed as he put it away in his pocket. He shrugged his shoulders and replied that he was and yet he wasn't, if that made any sense. His other hand messed up his hair and he stared straight ahead at the entrance to their apartment complex. 

"It wasn't a call by the way," he clarified. "I was hoping my parents or at least one of them, was planning to come to my last game. But they said they got word that my brother got discharged from his unit and they, ahem, they uh wanna be there when he comes home." 

Rochelle put her trail mix in her jacket pocket and stared at Lucas quietly for a few moments. "You don't have to talk about it if it's a sensitive topic."

He shook his head and turned to face her. The hand that messed with his hair rested on the staircase railing as he explained that his younger brother was serving in the armed forces. "He volunteered – draft's not mandatory like it is in some countries," Lucas added. "I mean, good for him, I didn't have the guts to do that. But I kind of wish..."

"That his discharge date didn't coincide with your last game?" 

"Yeah but I get that's a big deal, probably bigger than me playing my last soccer game of the semester," he reasoned. He shifted his weight to his other foot and sighed. "But it's another case of them choosing him over me."

"Hey you went to college and got a scholarship – they must have been proud," Rochelle insisted. 

"Kind of," he mumbled as he avoided her gaze. "Look Roca, I'm not that great at school. Soccer's my thing – I just knew that I had to work really hard at the school stuff to keep the scholarship. I wasn't stupid in high school, but my grades weren't, you know, all A's. Then you've got my younger brother, he was smart and instead of going to college, he wanted to serve. But my mom was worried about him at first and tried telling him to do what I was doing."

Rochelle listened as Lucas talked about his brother and nodded when appropriate. She had a feeling the younger brother probably reassured his mother that being in the armed forces didn't always mean they'd be in the line of duty – sometimes people could ask to be behind the scenes or not out in combat. College was expensive and it wasn't for everyone. 

"Perhaps he was thinking about you and your parents too," Rochelle offered. "I know that in addition to your training, the armed forces also offers education and it is covered in most cases. Sending two people to college within a few years of each other is a lot, unless both get scholarships and grants to cover the costs."

"Maybe Roca, maybe," he said. "You know, this is the first time I've talked about them. To anyone, I mean. I love my parents and my brother, but it kind of hurts when you feel like you're not good enough." His shoulders sagged and he looked at the entrance of the building again. 

The pair stood there for a few moments and Rochelle gestured to the entrance. 

"Actually, I was on my way to the game too," she explained. "Kook's making me attend and I thought it would be neat to see you, him, and apparently there's this Chris guy everyone is crazy about? Don't worry, I'm not gonna embarrass any of you – gonna sit somewhere and cheer with the crowd, I guess."

"Wait, for real?" Lucas asked as he slowly looked back at Rochelle. "You're not just saying this to make me feel better?"

Rochelle nodded and shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. "Hey Lucas, I'm sorry about your parents, really I am. I'm no substitute for your family, but just know you're gonna have at least one friend cheering for you in the stands."

"Make that two," the landlord announced as she emerged from her office with a smile. "I've heard the team is doing very well this season and I don't wanna miss one of my talented tenants playing."

Lucas grinned as he flashed the landlord a thumbs-up. Then he straightened up and remembered that the game was soon. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. "Shoot, I gotta run now – coach probably wants us to warm-up and do some kind of a pep talk. I'll see you there?"

Rochelle nodded and she waved goodbye as the young man picked up his duffle bag and dashed out of the building, making his way to the crosswalk on the corner. 

The landlord checked her watch and said she was going to drive over soon. "Do you want a lift?"

"Thanks, but I might knock on Jimin's door and see if he wants to come too," Rochelle replied. "We'll see you there." She watched as the landlord grabbed her keys and left to find her car in the parking lot, then she walked across the hall to knock on Jimin's door. 

"I feel bad – this might be the first university game I've ever attended for...any sport, I think," Jimin confessed as they walked past the ticket booth. They flashed their student IDs at the security guard, who waved them through. 

"That makes two of us," Rochelle replied as she climbed the steps to the stands. "I thought I'd attend maybe a football game or a basketball one, but I was swamped with assignments and essays and I didn't check the schedules." 

Jimin pointed out a pair of seats in a middle row and Rochelle thanked him as she slid in and grabbed one. He took the empty seat next to her and shifted in it to get comfortable. 

"Think I see Kook," Rochelle said as she craned her neck to get a better look at a player who was doing jumping jacks on the sideline. 

"Kook?"

"He's in one of my classes," she explained. 

Jimin pointed out Lucas and waved when the latter spotted the pair sitting in the stands. "Found Lucas."

Rochelle followed Jimin's finger and waved back at Lucas, who had a huge smile on his face.

Jungkook stopped doing jumping jacks and joined Lucas, who pointed out Rochelle and Jimin in the stands. The former grinned brightly as he waved with both hands at Rochelle excitedly. 

Eventually the pair were called over by the coach for a team huddle and Rochelle settled into her seat.