It was May and the days were steadily marching towards June. The air around Stedman middle school was one of relief and excitement as students gathered outside study halls to chit chat about test scores and vacation plans.
It wasn't very long after when lunch time finally hit and the student body scattered to their own respective lounging areas. Some fanned around friend groups they'd been in all year, while others chose to spend this time alone in places like the library, enjoying the silent company of thier fellow introverts. Others still, had preemtively skipped class to hang about just barely outside of school grounds—perhaps inhaling something they shouldn't.
It was in the middle of this rest period, that two long-time friends found themselves sitting idly on the bleachers of the basketball court.
They were on the fifth row up, digging into their lunches all the while another group of students were having a friendly game on the court below.
When the conversation between the two had finally gone silent, the one sitting to the left suddenly decided that he still had something to say.
"Hey, Dean. What do you think people play sports for?"
Dean looked up, his mouth full of tuna, "that's kind of a random question. Well, they obviously play so they can win." He answered.
"Play to win…win what exactly?"
Dean sighed. "The game. They win the game. It doesn't go farther than that."
"Doesn't it seem kind of pointless then, I mean, aren't there other things that they would rather focus on instead of a game that does nothing for them."
Dean shrugged "I guess people really like to win, Scott."
The conversation later shifted to another subject. Soon enough they had forgotten that it had even happened.
Later that same day, during one of their shared periods…the entire class of twenty five students vanished into thin air. The disappearances would become one of the largest mysteries in the towns history.