JaguarCats

As the potential mob started to move in suddenly!…Jace found a sombrero on his head. And why was she calling him Jim? Fore he could raise a hoof to ask, he suddenly heard Vinyl joining in as his confused and bewildered brain would finally put together that the two of them were improvising as he nodded in agreement with the DJ though blushing faintly from the eye batting. “Um yeah!…Heh yeah silly me, I can be a bit scattered brained like that ^^…” he said tilting his hat up. Trotting over to where Beach Nut was, he’d do as Estrella suggested as he’d lift the sea pony out of the water and for the time being put her over his back to carry. She wasn’t too heavy so he could manage easily enough until they found another means to move her around. The mob itself seemed to have been fooled by Estrella’s sudden improp as they were starting to disperse. There would be some talk about how much Jace looked like well..Jace! But thankfully it wouldn’t lead anywhere leaving the group free for the time being. Who knows maybe when this was all over Vinyl and their new friend here would be able to give him a few tips as to how to manage fame without getting mugged constantly and being driven insane. When Vinyl suggested the fair he nodded in agreement with her. He took a quick glance at the clock, he had three hours left, plenty of time. “Yeah, the fair sounds perfect ^^…” it’d be the perfect place to get everything settled and straightened out as to what their rag tag group was going to do now.

Jace had been sitting there for a few moments as he felt every muscle in his body relaxing. Truth be told he was almost half tempted to just fall asleep right there when-"Hey!" he about jumped from where he sat. Glancing about he didn’t have to look around much to figure out where the voice was coming from. Between the way she reacted and the way she approached him, only one thought went through his mind, “Dear Celestia I’m going to get mugged!” But as Film Reel approached and he was able to get a better look at her…he could see it was far worse then he had first imagined. Of all the types of ponies he could of ran into here on the beach alone…he had to run into a photographer. While for her it seemed like the universe had given her the perfect photo opportunity on a silver platter. For him though, it was like the ultimate joke. He had gone to all that trouble to avoid the chaos that his coach had warned him about…only for him to walk right into it some how! His demeanor was that of being startled if a bit panicked. Part of him was tempted to run, but he realized he was just too tired. And while he could probably out run her the effort just wouldn’t be worth it. And all that aside it was only just one. And though he found this odd as they usually traveled around in packs, he figured a few photos wouldn’t hurt. “Heh sure…you can take a few shots ^^ I’m not really going anywhere for a little while” he said giving her a polite if weak smile. His coach had also advised him about dodging the cameras too much, as doing so would only generate mysteries about him and mysteries often evolved into rumors and unpleasant ones at that!

When Vinyl shot Jace an angry look inside the athletic pony would panic a little until it had appeared that she had taken his hint after all. He wasn’t aware that she was so fond of those glasses having figured that she probably had several just like them. And while unaware that he was technically the cause for her losing them in the first place. This didn’t change the fact he still felt guilty that she might be losing them for his sake of maintaining his temporary cover. When Beach Nut reintroduced herself again it was only then that it occurred to him he’d been less than polite to the poor hippocamp. Even if her behavior was a bit odd, though that might be expected since she’d never met other land ponies before except her father, it was still no excuse to being rude. He’d trot back up to her and exhale a bit, “Sorry for not giving you my name earlier it’s-” he wouldn’t realize what he had done until the words had escaped his lips, “Jace” he said as his eyes grew as wide as saucer plates. His expression not unlike a pony who just realized he just might of triggered a string of land mines as he covered his mouth in a bit of panic. These land mines would come in the form of other ponies who had come up to chat with the others that were already there causing that section of the beach to become a bit crowded. And when the name Jace hit them, a few would look over in their direction. While Vinyl had taken the necessary measures to hide her identity with a simple towel and lack of glasses…Jace sadly hadn’t had much of a chance to do so yet. Other ponies would immediately start to take notice as they would discuss amongst themselves as to whether or not he was the actual rising basketball star. A repeat of earlier, that’s what he kept seeing in his mind as his heart started beating a mile a minute. Looking over to Vinyl, Beach Nut and the newly arrived Pony he’d gulp then get something of a determined look on his face. Vinyl had done more than enough already having stuck by him through out all of this and there was no point in having her and the other two getting swept up in the inedible mob. He would make a simple motion of his head for Vinyl to take Beach Nut and the other pony away from here. “Just go Vinyl” he said in a really low whisper, “Nopony here except me even knows who you are, it’s me they’re after” he said still keeping his voice good and low.

So hippocaps and ponies could have fowls together? This was new to him though to be fair it wasn’t exactly a subject they had taught back in school. But it wasn’t too big of a shock to say the least, hippocamps and ponies weren’t that different from one another. Now that she was out of the water he could get a better look at her. It was now all too clear she was part land pony given she had hooves where she should have had fins. When Beach Nut explained that she was looking for other members of her family he finally understood. That! he could definitely help with, it shouldn’t of been too hard at to look up her father’s name and use that as a starting to point to find her other relatives who lived on land. What was more he had grown up in this area and knew full well where she could easily find such information. But then there was the problem of getting her there.. He’d probably have to help carry her, as she didn’t have any back legs just a tail fin. But before he could think more on the subject, another voice popped up. Apparently some one had picked up their conversation about Beach Nut accusing the two of villainy. Now a authority figure, or some one coming to place them under citizen’s arrest was approaching. Trotting forward he would try to straighten this out with the girl, “listen it was all just a misunderstanding, the hippocamp over there , you see she-” he’d be cut off by Vinyl mentioning how the new mare was wearing her shades. And that’s when he realized it, her trademark sunglasses. No wonder nobody else here seemed to know her! That and she now had a towel wrapped around her flank hiding her cutey mark. But even with her cutey mark covered up, if she got her glasses back they could very well give her away just as easily. “Um….Vinyl, maybe you ought to let her keep them ^^ “ he said nervously.

Jace hadn’t realized how tired and beat he was until the aches and pains of that night’s game began to catch up with him as he trudged on through the sandy dirt path. Muscles would begin to protest all throughout his body especially in his legs with each step he took. The sand while it was cooling his hoofs down was also hindering him as the soft sandy cushion made it seem like he was walking on a mattress. And the once cool night air had warmed up some leaving the basketball player feeling a bit light headed and drowsy. He had to sit down and rest for a bit. The crashing waves along the shoreline would draw the pony’s attention. The sight of the moon just hanging and reflecting over the water’s edge would flood his eyes. Framed by two sand dune hills, the light of the moon would help illuminate the secluded beach. It all just seemed too inviting to refuse. A final protest from his legs and joints would help the young stallion make up his mind. Fate it would seem wasn’t without it’s sense of humor. The same sand dune hills that had helped craft this scenery of relaxation had also obstructed his view of the other temporary occupant of this area that was Cinema. So transfixed was Jace on reaching a spot to lay down at, that he didn’t notice the mare seated a couple of yards away as she sketched. Jace in turn would just sit himself down…just as the mare beside him was probably lamenting on how she had missed her chance at getting a photo of the very pony that was now beside her.

Outside of a locker room cheering and various whistle blowing would erupt and echo as several basketball playing ponies would soon scurry in as if they were escaping a sudden downpour of rain. This wasn’t too far from what had actually occurred as the players were quickly followed by their coach who would be shooing out some reporters and some fans. With some effort the coach would manage to force back the slowly growing mob enough to where he could finally shut the door…but not without a few reporter ponies trying to get their hoofs in. Eventually a partial calm would come over the locker room. The Hoofington Trotters would change out of their jerseys throwing them into a laundry basket to be cleaned later as some would head for the showers. Jace was about to throw his jersey in with the others and join the other ponies in the shower when his coach would stop him. “Not so fast kid” the older stallion said as he took his jersey away and threw it into a separate laundry hamper. “Coach, you know I don’t like this special treatment” Jace said with a sigh. “I know kid, but your last three jerseys that went into the wash never came back and reappeared at an auction at Manehatten” his coach explained, “this is going straight to a separate wash that’s ran by a trusted friend. It’s not that jersey’s themselves are expensive…I just don’t like people leeching off of ya” he explained as the young athlete nodded. “Has it really gotten that bad?” Jace would ask frowning as his ears folded back. To answer his question his coach trotted up to a door and pointed to it, “Stick your head out there and see for yourself” he said with an idle smirk. Jace quickly shook his head, “no thanks…last time I tried going out that way it was like sticking my head into a tank full of piranhas” he explained grimacing as the coach laughed, “that’s what I thought. You’ve gotten good kid, real good. And that five point shot you made tonight just before the buzzer sounded was like lighting a tinder box. If you think the press and fans were bad before, they’re going to be worse, a whole lot worse”. He then slapped Jace on the backside, “but think of it this way kid, that’s good for your career, most contracts with the NPBA only last for five years, but at the rate your going…they’re likely to extend it” he explained as Jace gave a weak smile. The coach’s words would echo in his mind as Jace made his way home that night. He’d been offered a ride in a stage coach by his other team mates but he had decided that the cool night air would help clear his head. He had gone out the back way of the stadium a few hours after the game had ended and most other ponies had gone home. After which it had been a simple matter of making his way across the pavement and to a old dirt path that few ponies knew of. It ran through some woods in some dunes that ran along the coast of Hoofington. It was also one that Jace was pretty familiar with from when he was a colt, a secret path he took whenever he needed to be alone and had a lot on his mind. There was a cold night breeze blowing through his mane and the cooling sand felt good against his heated hooves after running like thunder on the stadium floor. His tail in turn was some what dragging behind him, tired from all the dribbling and passing he had done. Thoughts of that game would race through his head, they had been down four points with just ten seconds to go on the buzzer. His team had gotten the ball back, through a quick and speedy maneuver he’d gotten around the ponies that had been double teaming him. Collin had managed to pass it to him with five seconds left on the clock. The next thing he knew he was taking the five pointer that had won them the game that night followed by the chaos that had made getting home alone complicated. Life was bitter sweet alright, he was doing what he loved for a living yet constantly found the rest of his life like a mine field of gossip, rumors and photographers.

Jace had been thrown for a loop that was for sure! Were all hippocamps like this? The young stallion could only listen as the random hippocamp would go from accusing him and Vinyl of being villainous to oddly rambling about her father and what he had told her about land ponies. It was confusing and a tad bit hard to follow to say the least. When the conversation shifted to members of the mysterious sea pony’s family things got even more confusing for him, especially when Vinyl bought up running into a Pegasus with the same last name as their new acquaintance here and suggesting that she was related to the said Pegasus ….this led to even further confusion. Hippocamps and land ponies (Pegasus included of course!) couldn’t have offspring together….could they? Before he had a chance to ask about this though Vinyl bought up the idea of helping the girl find her father. Oofing slightly from the light nudge and giving a faint blush to the DJ pony’s eye flutter all he could do was smile and nod. “Oh well…no! No..I don’t have a problem at all with that ^^…so um….where do we start looking?” he’d ask unaware of the fact that Beach Nut’s father was in fact a earth bound pony and was thinking they had some swimming ahead of them. Like Vinyl this hadn’t been the afternoon of relaxing he had pictured, though he’d be lying if he said he didn’t find it interesting to say the least with all the recent developments.

Unlike Vinyl Scratch, Jace was what one might call a reluctant celebrity. He hated the spotlight and avoided it as much as he could. He didn’t mind talking one on one with a fan or two, or heck four…but an entire crowd just flat out made him uneasy and would make him bolt at the first opening. It wasn’t that he was phobic of large groups of people, it was large groups of people who were focused on him that he was starting to grow weary of. For now though at least it would seem that he had managed to escape from it. What ponies that were here weren’t paying any mind to him or Vinyl as they continued on with their activities. None of them either didn’t know who they were or were just too absorbed in what they were doing to pay them any mind. Whether it was barbequing, playing in the sand or just enjoying the beautiful sunset that Princess Celestria had provided for them all they were all too distracted to notice the pair. To add further relief to the situation some had even looked in their direction and hadn’t even given a second glance. In the back of Jace’s mind, this would puzzle him. He wasn’t that well known yet, but Vinyl herself was a well known DJ famous for her mixes. Why was nopony mugging her? Unaware that she was missing her trademark sunglasses, this would be something of a odd mystery but not one that he would look too far into. From what he had seen of the girl she was probably just the opposite of him, she enjoyed entertaining others and didn’t mind having all eyes and ears on her…though to be fair she had a booth to hide behind! And at the same time seemed more at ease with and more adjusted to her fame than him. This was probably due in part however to her having been better known by the media longer and had had time to get use to it. All that aside, all that mattered to him now that he could finally! Sit and relax for the next few hours without-Beachnut’s voice suddenly rang out like a hero catching a villain in the middle of a dastardly deed. Jace instantly stood up as a thousand alarms would sound inside his head. Some one had spotted them! And was accusing them! Wait, accusing them?! His eyes would dart around on the beach, as no one had thankfully taken notice of the incident, though he would fail to find the owner of the voice never thinking to look towards the shore until Beachnut spoke again. His eyes would glide over the water briefly passing the hippocamp that floated there accusingly for a brief instance fore instantly darting right back over to where she was. Nodding in agreement to Vinyl he’d laugh nervously, “Yeah…um hi there. Relax…we’re not thieves, me and my friend here were just going for a little swim ^^” he would explain to Beachnut as he trotted up to her, “We didn’t wanna swim out too far though since the sun was setting and it gets harder to see under water afterwards” he would explain leaving out the fact that they were also trying to avoid the potential mob of fans that might come after him.

As the two ponies continued to make their way along the beach under water and past the more crowded areas, Jace would slowly raise his head up out of the water occasionally to gaze about at their progress. With his eyes covered up by a diving mask, his mane wetted and the rest of him submerged up to his neck one would have a harder time realizing who he was now even if they were looking for him. The area of beach they were currently at seemed more spacious with fewer ponies around. A couple of ponies presumably a mother and father were watching their foals play in the sand, while a few others were simply enjoying the sand and sun. But most importantly they were all minding their own business. Jace would do one last visual check as the pony would make certain that no one from the crowd that had mugged him earlier had followed him over here or had caught wind of his and Vinyl’s insane escape stunt. Once he was sure that it was safe to emerge back out unto dry land, the basketball player would duck his head back down into the water and motion to the DJ that the coast was clear. As for what part of the beach they were at, that wouldn’t take too much guess work given that the hotel that Vinyl was staying at was just off in the distance, about a five minute trot from where they were currently at. Stepping quietly and cautiously unto shore, Jace’s pelt would get goose bumps from the sudden cold breeze having gotten use to the water’s temperature. His legs would feel a bit worn out as well, but that was to be expected due to how long a trek the two had done in the water. His eyes in turn would never leave what few ponies that were there as they continued to ignore the pair of ponies that were emerging from the water. Breathing a sigh of relief he’d relax a bit as some tension left him once they were back on the dry sand, Jace would flop himself down as he’d smile and sigh a bit, “thanks Vinyl” he said quietly to her, as a thought struck him. Was he going to go through his now every time he wanted to have some peace and relaxation? Was he going to have to use some sneaky methods such as this if he was going to enjoy himself? He sighed at this notion, this is what he had been worried about since day one when his dad had told him about his own career during baseball. All this needless to say left the pony a tad depressed as he slumped down.

For a moment it seemed like she was going to laugh at his idea, but then she called him crazy and exclaimed how she liked his suggestion. Which was something of a relief to him as in all out honesty he wasn’t sure if he could think of any other means aside from the pair disguising themselves. But then a question struck him? Why was she helping him? After all, it wasn’t as if the crowd of ponies had been chasing her or would be even interested in mobbing her like they had him, or would they? Through her motions of acquiring the goggles and snorkels something familiar would start to present itself, but what was it? “Sweet Beats on the beach, my favorite kind!” He then got a good look at her cutie mark, the musical note! He’d seen that musical note some where else before! But where? Taking a minute to process things he finally remembered, on a record album! “Your!-” he then hushed himself and kept his voice low, “Your Vinyl Scratch aren’t you?” he whispered, “A team mate of mine listens to your mix albums all the time” thankfully he wasn’t going to bug out on her himself, rather he was just surprised as he only smiled to her, “nice to meet you ^^…now lets get to the water fore somepony recognizes either one of us” Soon after a pair of snorkels could be seen just poking up past the water’s edge along the shore as the two ponies swam and made their way to a more clearer section of the beach where there’d be fewer people and less of a chance for some one to point one of the pair out, or worse yet point both of them out! Jace though kept his calm, yes the water would more than likely wash off the temporary disguise he had on his cutie mark but for now at least he had some better cover.

When the world caught up to Jace, he would become aware of two things. The first thing was, was that he had taken a unwitting pony down the small sand hill with him when he had tripped and stumbled. The second thing was that he had a sand castle on his head. What was more the same young colt who had decided that it was a fair trade to use his head as a foundation to replace the sand structure he had lost, was now digging a mote around the bewildering Pony who sat there for a couple of a moments taking this all in.. This wouldn’t last too much longer thankfully when the colt’s mother came trotting up to retrieve her son and offering an apology to Jace. Once they had gone he’d close his eyes and give his head and mane a good shake as the castle a top his head crumbled and spilled down the sides of his head. Not long after this Vinyl Scratch addressed him and said something about a..date?! Had he just escaped from one group of admiring and curious fans only to bump into a more obsessed one? For a moment his eyes filled with a bit of panic before logic would kick in and Jace realized she was just being a bit sarcastic causing him to breath a sigh of relief. Though this relief ended rather quickly when she got a good look at his face and realized just who he was. Laughing nervously he’d lower his head a bit, his face blushing a little, “heh yeah…that would be me ^^;;; though you can me Jace and um…sorry about all this, I was just trying to get away from that mob and well..I guess I didn‘t look and see where I was going” he replied having not yet realized who the other pony was since she was missing her trademark glasses. Although inside he would admit she was very cute and what was more she wasn’t freaking out like the others had which was a relief. As he tried to stand up he’d feel something was still pinning him down. After a couple of more tries he’d look down to see it was the same infamous towel that he had snagged his hoof on that had caused all of this in the first place as it pinned his backside to the ground with some of it buried in the sand. Turning his head he’d grip it firmly with his teeth and lift it out shaking some of the sand off before offering it back to the mare, who he found didn’t even seem upset or angry, but rather amused by the whole incident, “Um…I think this is yours” When she bought up the issue as to how to get past his adoring public, he’d look and stare down at his flanks, “well, for starters this is a dead give away” he said as he’d take some of the wet sand that had been used for the young colt’s castle and idly use it to cover up his cutie marks on both sides. “As for getting past the ponies who have already seen me“ he hadn’t managed to break through various defenses on the basketball court without some wit and cunning. Spying a stand that sold various beach gear, he’d point to some of the diving masks and snorkels they showed, then to the shoreline.

Jace would still be laying there in the sand happy and content for the time being. His head had long since recovered from the volleyball incident and the stallion who had lost it had retrieved it...thankfully without recognizing him. The sun would warm pony's back as he would lay there with his forelegs folded beneath his body. Casually turning his head the pony would look at a large clock that was situated just up on a hill for everyone to see. He'd be a bit shocked to see that half an hour had already passed, while for him it had seemed to have only been just a couple of minutes. There were fewer people at the beach now since the sun was going down, this would be the perfect time to go for a swim. The sand was starting to cool down just a wee bit, enough to where he could trot along it's surface without getting his hoofs roasted red. Glancing back at the clock he could see he still had well over four hours to enjoy the beach before he would have to head back. The basketball player was in no hurry as he made his way to the shore, he had all the time in the world and as far as he knew, nobody seemed to know-"Hey aren't you Jace?" he was about half way to the water when a pony had spotted Jace as the pony froze in mid step. Turning around begrudgingly he'd manage a smile as the stallion would smile brightly and point "Yeah! Your Jace alright! I- and Jace would think along with him as he spoke 'Recognized me from a magazine you read' he thought having heard that numerous times. What was more a crowd was starting to gather and gradually enclose him in. Like a pack of wolves the ponies there would make a small circle around him cutting off any chance he had of escape. Biting his bottom lip he could only nod nervously as some would ask him if he knew famous celebrities, the majority of which he himself had only read about while others weren't even athletes to begin with! Others would question him about certain rumors that magazines had proposed, but whatever the question he barely had a chance to respond fore he was cut off by some one else. Still there were some who just wanted his autograph, to these he'd oblige having long since learned to sign his name quickly. Though he knew the worse was still to come, as sooner or later-flash! A camera would go off, followed by another and another. Jace was in a spot alright, his current coach had always given him this one rule, never push and shove your way past people...even if they are threatening to smother and suffocate you. Jumping and clearing over them wasn't an option as he didn't have enough room to back up to get a good running start. Wracking his brain for more options he could only continue to smile nervously as sweat was starting to become visible on his brow as he wished he'd been born a pegasus. 'Think Jace! what clears a beach fast?' glancing at a young filly who was playing in a inflatable inner tube, he had his solution, sneaky and under handed though as it may be, "Hey is that a sea serpent?!" he asked frantically pointing at the water. That got their attention! People started to fan out a little to get a better look at the water as they searched for something that wasn't even there as the next thing they knew a orange streak would go speeding past the small opening they had given him. He had never run so fast before in his life! 'If the coach wants to motivate us to run faster! there's his solution! Just let a few fans into the practice court!" he thought jokingly to himself as he kicked up a large cloud of sand. His four legs would carry him as fast as they could across the sand, and with good timing despite how it slowed him down. Still it no matter how fast he ran it was like one of those nightmares where a person would be being chased by a horrible monster, and they felt themselves going slower than they usually could. Some members of the herd of ponies that had gathered had realized they had been duped, as when Jace turned his head back he could see that he had a few pursuers chasing after him. Thankfully he did have two edges, one was a good head start and the other was that he was built and conditioned to run faster, so long as he kept up this pace they would never catch-! During the moment he had his head turned, his hoof got caught and snagged on a towel. Jace could get out a quick "uh oh!" as the young stallion instantly went stumbling forward as he crashed into the unsuspecting DJ pony who had been laying there, who in turn would probably receive no end of apology later. His foot caught on the towel combined with the momentum would send the pair rolling across the sand and down a hill. Everything had gone from chaotic to more chaotic as the world turned over and over for him and his unexpected traveling companion as they became entangled in her innocent beach towel. It wouldn't last long though as the world would finally come to a stop followed by a explosion of sand. As the two ponies laid there in a daze, Jace would shake his head as he tried to get his bearings straight as to what exactly had happened to him. Half covered in sand, he'd be unaware for the moment that he and the unknown mare were still wrapped up in the same towel together. As his eyes stopped spinning around in his head he'd see what appeared to be remnants of a sand castle, as a young colt with a sand shovel and bucket would sit there surprised as he looked to the two. Giving an idle shrug he'd smile happily as Jace found his head becoming the foundation for his next project as the colt filled his bucket up with more sand and promptly dumped it's contents upon his mane making a perfectly small sand castle....to add insult to injury he'd add a little flag to it.

Jace would breath in the sea air as he would exhale with a contented sigh. The pony would stand with his eyes closed as wind from the shoreline would blow through his mane and tail as a light shivered went down his back bringing back memories. The young stallion's ears would flicker as they'd sift out the sounds of tourists and other noise pollution as he'd try and focus on the cries of seagulls looking for hand outs and trash. His eyes would then open and survey the waves that were rich with foam as they washed along the white sandy beach area where he had spent many days as a colt running without a care in the world. The water would reflect the sun's rays as it began to set like nothing else in nature could as it shimmered with it's beauty, it was good to be home. The hours he had spent along with his other team mates cramped in a single car on the train now all seemed to be a distant memory. It'd been a first class prison, but a prison none the less, with nobody on his team being allowed to venture into the other cars. No they weren't national celebrities, at least not yet. (One had to win a few national championships fore that happened) But some reason ponies became ecstatic and a wee bit crazy whenever professional athletes of any kind were around, and rather than go through the general chaos that might follow, it'd been decided that it would be best that they all just stay there and let their presence on board the train be kept a secret. Yes just about anything they'd wanted to eat or drink had been available to them, but it was still pure liberation when they finally arrived at their home town. Him and his team's reason for being in town was that their next game was a home town one. Their opponents were the Cloudsdale Trotters. He had played against them before, and for having their wings tied down being pegasus were still pretty good. A spell though in turn had had to of been cast on his coach, the others on his team and him so that they could walk and run on their cloud courts without falling through. And it'd been a close game too, 55 to 57 with his final three point shot being what had sealed it for them with just three seconds left on the clock. Life in the NPBA itself had been bitter sweet at best, he was playing with the big boys now which effectively made the game all the more challenging, and he loved every minute of it. The constant adrenaline as he tried to out dribble, out shoot, out maneuver and out fox opposing players who had more experience than him had only further pushed and expanded his limits and skills. And the practice sessions with his fellow team mates and coach who had become like a second family to him while hard were all things he'd grown use to and had adjusted with since his days in high school. And that was the fun part! But what had made this life sour was the press, if life before the big game back in school had been the fire, then he was definitely now in the frying pan. No his face wasn't on every sports magazine that came out, but it seemed that at least once every day some one would cry out his name or ask him if he was well...Jace, followed by a dozen or so questions. Though the worse was when the last buzzer had sounded and the game was over and he'd suddenly find five to seven reporters from various magazines and papers asking him several questions before he could fine a quick yet polite means to escape. All of this along with the random flashes of cameras from the bleachers and cries of the crowd while he had managed to tune most of it out...still left him with the lingering feeling he was always being watched by some one, that several eyes were upon him at all times, though one might expect that from having his coach throw out a random reporter who always hid in the lockers after the games. But through out it all he had managed to find some mental balance of working it all out without letting the pressure snap him in two. For the time being however all of that was behind him at least until later on that day when he'd have to show up for practice. While he'd been in town he had visited with his parents, who had both been glad to see him and had bombarded him with even more questions than the press did, though it was to be expected. He had eaten dinner with them and had caught up on all the recent events that had happened to them, him and their friends in town since he'd been there last. Jace had also visited with a few of his old high school friends who still lived and worked in town before he had come here to the beach. Jace then collapsed into the hot sand, as he sighed in pure contentment, five hours, five long hours he had all to himself. Five hours to just let his mind drift and to let all his troubles be carried away as far as that volley ball that was about to collide with his head. To just let all his cares and worries be-Suddenly his mind snapped back to reality just in time for him to be beaned by that same volley ball followed by several stars. Yep! It was good to be home! (there x.x....some how this wound up in the questions and answer forum)