The neon lights of New York City flickered like a thousand stars in a sky that never darkened. Patrick Mahomes, a self-made billionaire with a net worth in the billions, leaned back in his penthouse office, gazing at the city skyline.

The deal he had just secured was worth over a billion dollars—another notch on his belt, another victory to add to his growing empire. Yet, for reasons he couldn’t understand, a strange emptiness gnawed at him.

His assistant, Lauren, walked in with a confident smile, holding a stack of papers. “Mr. Mahomes, your flight to Tennessee is ready. Shall I prepare the jet?”

Patrick didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared out the window, watching the lights of the city reflect off the glass. Then he made a decision. “Cancel the flight,” he said, his voice carrying an unfamiliar resolve. “I’m staying a bit longer.”

Lauren raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “Sir, the meeting in Tennessee is critical.”

“I’ll handle it from here. Change of plans,” Patrick replied, his mind already set on the next step. His driver, Charles, arrived shortly after, and Patrick climbed into the black luxury car. As the vehicle drove away from the city, Patrick’s thoughts drifted to a place he had been trying to forget—the town of Nashville, Tennessee, where it all began.

He hadn’t been back in over a decade. The place where he was once just a boy with big dreams felt like both home and a prison. The car rolled through familiar streets, past the library where he spent hours reading business magazines he couldn’t afford, and the street corner where he hustled selling newspapers just to make ends meet. Then, as the car neared the end of the street, his heart skipped a beat.

Maggie’s Diner looked the same; time had not touched it. The neon sign still flickered weakly, and the same worn-out red booths remained inside. Patrick’s breath caught in his throat. This was the place where he had made a promise to himself as a teenager: “I’ll never come back until I have everything.” But now, here he was.

“Charles, stop here,” Patrick ordered, his voice distant, almost as if he were talking to someone else. “I’ll be a minute.”

The door jingled as Patrick entered the diner, and the familiar scent of coffee and grilled food hit him instantly. The atmosphere hadn’t changed—cozy, old-fashioned, and timeless. He took a seat at the corner booth, the very one where he had spent countless nights dreaming of a life he could never afford. As he stared out the window, memories flooded back: his dreams of escaping this small town, the weight of his family struggles, the desire to prove he was meant for something more.

His thoughts were interrupted when a soft voice broke the silence. “What can I get you, sir?” Patrick looked up, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. The waitress before him had dark brown hair pulled into a messy bun, wearing a simple uniform that was no different from the one he had seen countless times growing up. But there was something about her—something too familiar.

It was Sarah Thompson, the same Sarah who had been the brightest, most ambitious girl in school, the one who had always dreamed of something bigger than this small town. But now she looked different—worn, tired. Her once vibrant green eyes had lost their fire.

“Steak and coffee,” Patrick said, his voice betraying the shock he felt. She scribbled down the order and walked away, and Patrick couldn’t help but watch her. He hadn’t seen Sarah in over ten years. Back then, they had been friends—no more than friends—but they had shared dreams, plans, and hopes for the future.

When Sarah returned with his meal, Patrick didn’t wait. “Sarah?”

She froze, her eyes scanning his face with confusion. “How do you know my name?”

“Westwood High, class of 2012,” he replied. Recognition flashed in her eyes, and her hand trembled slightly as she sat down. “Patrick… Patrick Mahomes?”

He smiled, but it wasn’t the confident smile of the billionaire he had become; it was the smile of a boy who had never forgotten her.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Sarah said, her voice tinged with disbelief. “You made it out. I always knew you would.”

Patrick’s gaze softened. “I didn’t expect you to be here.”

She shrugged, her smile hollow. “Well, some of us don’t get second chances, do we?”

They talked for hours, but as the conversation shifted, Sarah’s demeanor changed. She became quieter, more guarded. Patrick could sense that something was wrong—something she wasn’t saying. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Sarah, what happened to you? You were going to change the world.”

She hesitated, then with a heavy sigh, shared the painful truth. “My father passed away when I was in my second year at Harvard,” Sarah said, her voice shaky. “After that, things fell apart. My mother got sick, and I had to drop out to take care of her. My little brother was still in school, and I had to provide for them, so I took any job I could find. And now I’m here, working at Maggie’s Diner.”

Patrick’s chest tightened. He hadn’t known the girl he had once admired, the one who had been so full of life and potential, had been living a life full of pain and sacrifice. The girl who had always had the world at her feet was now struggling to survive.

“And you’re still here

Patrick Mahomes’ bond with childhood friends remains unbreakable

WHITEHOUSE, Texas (KETK) — For Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, some of his closest friends remain those from back in the days when they were all growing up in the small Texas town of Whitehouse.

“All for one and for all” may be the best way to describe the friendship Mahomes maintains with the friends he grew up with.

KETK-TV spoke with three of Mahomes’ friends who agree their friendship continues to grow stronger over the years — even with unprecedented success and fame that Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, has achieved.

Ryan Cheatham, Coleman Patterson and Jake Parker all caught passes from Mahomes as Whitehouse Wildcats but their relationships started long before that.

“It seem like a lot of people are astonished by, you know, the, the type of friendship that we have and you know, how much we care for each other,” said Cheatham. “But to us, I think, you know, we made that decision a long time ago. We decided that, you know, we were going to be friends and that we were going to have each other’s backs, you know, through the thick and thin.”

Even with the pandemic, tight security, mitigation protocols, and limited attendance, all three will be at the Super Bowl in Tampa cheering Mahomes on, just like they did last year.

Mahomes’ friends are proud, but not surprised, that he has become one of the league’s best players.

“Yeah, and it’s kind of a hard feeling to describe, but you know, it, it (his success) almost seems normal at this point,” said Patterson.

“So proud of him and so grateful for him to be my friend and to continue down this road. And, you know, I plan on being there for him, through it all,” added Cheatham.

They say they knew from the beginning that friendships would last forever.

“That’s just kind of where we’re from and the community that we grew up in and the people that we are around and know we had that friendship That’s going to last a long time,” said Patterson. “And, you know, to see Patrick in a position like this and want to involve some of his best friends speaks volumes to who he is and the type of people that shaped and molded us.”

Their inseparable bonds were forged by spending time together as kids in a small town.

“I just think he just remembers when we were with each other, every single day, almost every single hour, in high school and growing up,” said Parker. “And even though we’re all doing different things in our lives and are away from each other, I think it’s just the reason we’re just, just as strong or stronger.”

They continue to be there for one another.

“It’s just because of that trust. And, you know he knows through whatever that he can always come back to us and call us and text us,” Parker said. “It’s just like, just like when we were growing up.”

Mahomes’ famous work ethic is shared by his friends.

“It makes you want to try to be a better person, day in and day out yourself,” Cheatham said. “The level of success that he’s had makes you want to strive to do better things in your life and help other people in other ways. And he’s been able to help take us along on the ride,” said Patterson.

Parker remembers when they were all kids watching Tom Brady play in previous Super Bowls. “And now Patrick’s about to be in the Super Bowl and take down Tom Brady,” Parker commented.

Parker said Mahomes and his other friends encouraged him when he decided to return to playing football at Howard Payne University after taking two years away from the game and from college.

“They’ve always backed me up, told me not always what I wanted to hear, maybe what I needed to hear, but in this situation they just kind of gave me a positive impact to go back. And now I’m going back. I have a game (to play) Feb. 6, and then I’m flying to Tampa (for the Super Bowl) the next day,” Parker explained.

Cheatham said that when he was a pitcher on the national championship baseball teams at Tyler Junior College and then the University of Texas at Tyler, Mahomes was often in stands cheering him on.

Cheatham says it means a lot him that even though Mahomes had other things to do “he still chose to do it (be at the games) because he wants to be there and to support me and to see me succeed.”

“I wish that I could, you know, say ‘thank you’ 1,000 times to him,” Cheatham said.

Mahomes friends’ said it has been challenging this year to see him play and spend time together because of COVID-19.

“We still got to spend some personal time together, but obviously things were a little bit different this year,” said Patterson. “But anytime that we’re always together, or when our friends can be together, (its) good times.”

They also respect Mahomes for choosing to speak up on issues that matter to him.

“I think it was just time for action for myself,” said Mahomes. “Speaking for myself, it was time for me to say something. It was time for me to go into the community and do what I can, to make the world a better place.”

“I’m most proud of is the way that he did it. He chose to make sure that everybody had a voice,” said Cheatham.

“I’m super proud of Patrick for him using his platform to try to make a difference in the world. And I think that’s super important that everybody’s different, but everyone’s created equal and I don’t think people should be judged, based off some of the things that are out there. You now, it’s treat other people the way you want to be treated,” said Patterson.

Nothing would make them happier than seeing Mahomes lead the Chiefs to another Super Bowl victory.

Mahomes and the Chiefs are favored to knock off Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs at Raymond James Stadium. And Mahomes is the favorite to repeat as the game’s MVP.