Slender Bridge

by Katrina Clemons

  After we were finished, I just held her, cradled right underneath my chin.

  “So, were you serious about what you said earlier?” She asked craning her head to look at me.

  “What are you talking about? So much has happened.” I winked.

  “About being my boyfriend. Were you really serious about that, or were you just saying that?”

  I smiled and kissed her nose. “I told you I did.”

  “Well, I just want to make sure because I told you that I would have liked you to wait 90 days.”

  “And why didn’t we?”

  “Because you’re really sweet and I think that this will be different.”

  “I think so, too.”

  The big game against our rivals came soon. Right after we left the hotel room, everything moved at warp speed. Simone and I were constantly in contact. It was great, but at the same time, it was really distracting. I would be in the middle of practice and I could hear my phone go off. It was usually her showing me a picture of something or just with some randomness. If it wasn’t for the game, I would be into it, but right now I had one focus. Right now it was all about beating the rival team and getting into the playoffs.

  “I’m sure you guys know more than me of how important this game is.” My Coach started with the speech. “Have you taken a good look at the court right now? It’s nothing but their fans out there. Yeah, we have some of our people, but remember we are in their house. They are going to be cheering for their team and booing you. They are going to be saying something really disrespectful towards you, but you have to tune it out. We have to go out there and make them eat their words. We have to go out there and make sure that they all go home pissed because we won this game. Losing is not an option to us, so don’t ever think of slacking up or easing up. If you feel like you cannot do this, then sit down on the fucking bench while everyone does, but if you’re out there, you have to give 110% nothing less. Is that understood?”

  “Yes sir!”

  “Let’s go.”

  The first quarter of the game, we dominated it. We had a 20 point lead and everything. Aaron and I were unstoppable. When we weren’t sinking in shots, we were killing the other team in defense. I was always blocking shots, stealing the ball, or making sure that the opposing team was going out of bounds. It was great. By the time halftime got around, we were beat.

  “I know that you guys are tired and that you want to throw the towel in, but you can’t do that. You have to keep it going. You have to. We didn’t get this far for you guys to lose. B-Wood and Aaron, I want you guys to rest.”

  “Come on Coach. We can be out there, we’re alright.” Aaron said but he was so out of breath, it was hard to take him seriously.

  “No, I don’t want you guys to be burned out by the time the fourth quarter comes around. I need you guys rested. We’ll have Amir and Kyle go in and play for you.” He told us. I wasn’t going to fight him on this at all. I was tired and I could use the rest.

  The second half was going a bit slower. We still maintained a 10 point lead, but there were still one too many turnovers. Our replacements were playing fine, but the replacements on the other team were actually playing better. They were going in it for blood. It seemed like we were going to really lose the lead. I was antsy.

  “Beat those bitches!” A fan screamed from rows behind us. Aaron and I turned and looked at him. He was wearing the opposing team's jersey so we knew who he was cheering for. “What the fuck you fags are looking at?” He nodded at us. “Look at these pussies.” He nudged the guy that was sitting next to him. “You guys think that you’re going to win this game with those bitch-ass ghetto moves that you’re pulling?” He laughed and his friend joined along. Aaron and I just turned back and ignored them. We knew better than to let his comments get to us. “Turn back bitches!” He screamed but we didn’t move.

  “I can’t wait to get back home,” Aaron commented. “I can’t stand these fans that are going so hard for nothing.”

  “For real. They so disrespectful over a fucking game they not even playing. I bet you that they not even that good at basketball.”

  “I know.” We started laughing. “They couldn’t sink a free throw.”

  “Or do a fucking lay up if they life depended on it.” We kicked back and started laughing some more.

  The game got more intense at the third quarter finished. The Coach came back to us.

  “Are you guys finishing up your tea party? I see you over here cackling like hens. Are you ready to play?” We both nodded. The bell rang for the fourth quarter and Aaron and I got in. I passed the ball to Aaron and he shot a three. They got me on a foul on him which was dumb. Aaron had a near-perfect free throw shot. He sunk his two shots in easily. I made my way back to the offense and stole the ball. I dunked it and the crowd went quiet. It was weird not hearing people cheer but I was used to it. When you are not on your home court, you have to be used to the hate.

  Two minutes left in the fourth and we had a nine point lead. I felt pretty confident but that didn’t mean that I could slack up. Coach was right. I had to put my all in the game because the opposing team wasn’t just going to hand us a win. They were making it hard for us and we had to earn every point that we had. Although we had a lead, it wasn’t easy to get it and keep it. Aaron went to steal another pass but he was pushed out of bounds. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but when Aaron got an elbow to the middle of his back, I knew it was intentional.

  Two of the opposing team members got ejected from the game. The team was losing but they were sore losers about it. I’ve dealt with rival teams before, so I thought I knew how it was. Back in the day, the opposing team’s fans would just heckle you, insult you, and maybe call you out personally, but this was something else. This was the first time I saw the teams getting into it. Usually, the team would stay out of it.

  As they ejected more team members, it was clear that it was getting ridiculous. When the game finished with us winning, the stadium was nearly empty and quiet. A lot of the fans started to leave when they saw that we were winning. It goes to show how much faith they had in their team. Once that bell went off, we just cheered our way to the locker room.

  “I’m glad that you guys won but I’m even more proud of the fact that you guys didn’t sink to their level. You guys could have started fighting when they engaged with you, but you didn’t. That took a lot of guts. I know you think that playing well is what makes you a good player, but stuff like that, it matters too.” Coach was getting all choked up.

  “Don’t cry now,” I teased. “The playoffs are about to get crazy.” We all started cheering.

  “I know,” Coach laughed. “It is.” He sighed, “And speaking about crazy, I need you guys to be smart out there. I know these fans are looking for a fight. So, everyone, we are going to meet back at the hotel and leave soon after. Don’t get too comfortable out here.”

  “Not even for a night?” I asked.

  “Nope,” He shook his head. “Now get out of here, you guys stink.”

  “Nah, I think that’s the smell of success,” Aaron joked and we all laughed.

  Right after the showers, I headed out of the gym.

  “I thought you would be walking out of here with your head high.” Simone’s voice shocked me this time. We were nowhere near campus and she told me earlier that she was so busy with blogging that she wouldn’t have time to come to the game.

  “What are you doing out here? I thought that you would be busy.”

  “I was but I decided to meet up with my boyfriend.”

  “I’m liking the sound of that,” I grabbed her and kissed her.

  “You fucking that fat bitch. You really are a loser.”

  We both looked and I immediately recognized who it was. It was the fan from before. I knew he was trouble. I held on to Simone’s hand.

  “You bitch…” He looked like he wanted a fight and to be honest, if I wasn’t there with Simone, I would have done it.

&nb
sp; “Let’s go.” We turned around and walked out the exit.

  “What was that about?” She asked me.

  “It’s best not to engage with fans when you are not on campus. All they want to do is fight, and I can’t let my anger get the best of me. Besides, you’re here and I can’t let you get hurt; I just got you to go out with me.”

  “I’m brand new,” She joked.

  “Yeah, I still got to break you in.”

  “I thought you did that last night,” she gave me a seductive look.

  I pulled her in for another kiss. It started to get hot and heated but I stopped myself.

  “What’s wrong?” She asked pulling on my shirt to get another kiss. I pulled away again.

  “I’m not going to get into this. I have to get back to the bus.”

  “So we can’t have fun?”

  “Not here. We’d have to have fun back at home.”

  We made it back to the hotel. The Coach was standing right in front of it with most of the players.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Some of the team is missing,” he looked worried. “I am just hoping that they are on the way here. I know I should have just rounded you up, but I thought you guys were adult enough to come on your own. Fuck!” He shouted.

  “It’s okay. Aaron is coming,” I looked at my phone and saw him walking up.

  “What’s going on?” He asked. “Hey, pretty lady.” He reached in and gave Simone a hug. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m good, thank you for asking,” Simone smiled.

  “So, are we ready to go?” Aaron asked the Coach. “Where’s the rest of the team at?”

  “That’s what we want to know,” Coach said.

  Minutes passed and most of the team members came back. After about an hour, the driver got restless. The driver called the Coach over and they started talking.

  “Okay so here is what is going to happen. I’m going to wait out here for the remaining players and the rest of us are going to stay in our rooms,” Coach told us. “I am going to give the rest of the guys the rest of the night to come on. After that, they might have to find another way to get back to campus.”

  “Oh, so does that mean we have the night to ourselves?” Aaron had that devilish smile and the Coach looked worried. Even he had gotten to know Aaron’s motives by now.

  “No,” he said flat out. “All of you to your rooms.” Coach walked away.

  As soon as the Coach was not in listening reach Aaron shook his head.

  “Man, fuck that. I think we should go out.”

  “Out where?” Simone questioned. “I don’t really know this place like that.”

  “Me neither,” I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Damn, well can we at least get something to eat because I’m starving,” Aaron commented.

  We all decided to go to a diner that wasn’t so far from the hotel. The whole walk over, Simone and I held hands while listening to Aaron go on and on about the girls that he was with.

  “And then there is Sheila,” He sighed.

  “What is it about Sheila?” I laced my fingers with hers. She gave me a small smile

  “What’s not to love about Sheila? She got an ass like a Kardashian, a cool ass personality, and a smile like a goddess. She is perfect.”

  “So, you’re going to date her?” Simone asked.

  “Why would I do that?” Aaron said in a quizzical tone.

  “Because of all that you just said. She sounds like a great girl.”

  “She is. She’s great. She’s gorgeous and she’s so nice, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to date her.”

  “And why not?”

  “But why would I? Look, I’m young and good looking and have the right to fuck a million bitches if I could.”

  “Oh gosh,” She laughed and rolled her eyes. “You’re a typical basketball player. You think the world is yours.”

  “But the world is mine...just like it said in the movie ‘Scarface’.”

  We all laughed. We got to the diner. I ordered a huge lasagna, ice cream, and a slice of pizza. Aaron ordered a half chicken, brown rice, and a salad. Finally, Simone ordered a small steak with a salad. We were having a great time. It was nice to see that Simone and Aaron got along so well. Aaron kept going on and on about all the girls he was with and Simone rolled her eyes. It was like she was the missing piece of this group.

  “So, what happens now? Now that you guys are in the playoffs, what is going to happen?” Simone asked as she was taking another bite of the steak.

  “It’s going to be crazy now. Now we have to keep our head in the game. It’s so hard to stay focused through.” Aaron admitted.

  “Why?” Both of us said.

  “Because my nineteenth birthday is coming up.”

  “But that’s about months and months away from now,” I pointed out.

  “So? I can’t get it off of my mind. It’s all I can think about.”

  “You’re so crazy,” Simone said.

  “What do we have here?” A voice said behind us.

  We all looked towards the entrance and I heard Simone suck her teeth. She rolled her eyes. I guess she knew what was coming. We all knew. It was about to be some bullshit.

  There at the door was the disgruntled fan that we saw from earlier. He was with some friends and they all were wearing the rival team’s stuff.

  “Can we sit down here?” He asked coming up to our booth. Simone was sitting on the inside, and Aaron and I were sitting on the outside. They couldn’t get in without touching us at least.

  “Fuck no,” Aaron told them flat out. “The fuck do you want?” Aaron played no games.

  “Be easy fellas,” He laughed. “What’s with this guy?” He asked one of his friends.

  “I don’t know, these guys have an attitude problem,” the friend added.

  “We don’t have an attitude problem, but we got a bitch problem. So how about you two bitches leave.”

  “And if we don’t?”

  The tension got thick. I felt Aaron’s anger from here.

  “Yo, it’s not worth it,” I told Aaron. We locked eyes and I was trying to tell him to calm down. I know how our tempers could get. “We got to be getting back anyway.”

  “Yeah, let’s just all take a second and relax,” Simone added.

  “Oh, now the big fat whale has something to say?” The disgruntled fan said.

  When he said that I looked over at Simone, she was hurt by his words but she was trying not to show it. That’s when I felt myself get hot. I stood up, rolled my hand into a fist, and everything blacked out.

  Part III

  Description

  B-Wood and Simone are still a couple. They are doing more things together and are going stronger than ever, but with B-Wood’s suspension, he is out of the game. Naturally, he starts to get frustrated and even begins to leave Simone out of the loop. Simone is there to distract him from it. They are falling for each other harder and faster but still nothing can take over for his love of basketball. He misses it dearly and Simone can start to sense it.

  She has an idea that may come to his rescue but he isn't so sure about it, besides he doesn’t want anything to ruin his chances to get back on the court. As he watches his team start to lose from the sideline, he doesn't know how much more he can take.

  Will Simone be able to help him or will B-Wood never get his chance to get drafted to a professional NBA team?

  Chapter 10

  Madison Square Garden was enormous. I’ve always seen it on TV, but I never thought that I would be playing there, at least not this soon. I got drafted right after finals. Coach was so proud of me and my family was happy too. With the money I made, I managed to make their lives a little better.

  I walked out of the locker room and the screams and cheers from the fans were the loudest I ever heard it. I’ve played basketball my whole life, but this was something new to me. My dreams had come true. I was in a professional team playing my first profess
ional game.

  "Hey." Simone's voice always made me smile. I turned around and saw her standing there being angelic. "You know, maybe I should make a career standing outside of your locker room." She joked. I gave her a kiss and held her hand. "How are you feeling?"

  "I'm good." I lied but she gave me a look to let me know that she didn't believe me. "I'm nervous."

  "Don't be." She assured me. "You got this." She smiled.

  "How about you?"

  "What about me?" She didn't get it. I took her hand and kissed the ring that was on her finger.

  "How are you feeling Mrs. Benjamin Wood?"

  Her smile grew wide. She started looking away. We'd only been married for a few months now. Right after I got drafted, I just wanted to have someone by my side that always had my best intentions at heart. I trust Simone and I know that she would never do me wrong or hurt me. We loved each other too much.

  "I'm good." She told me. "Now go out there and win that game."

  "But babe, I'm still on the bench."

  "So what? Just go out there and look good." She joked.

  Just then my other teammates came running out. Aaron ran past me and grabbed my arm. We were lucky to be on the same team. I guess they didn't want to break us up just yet.

  "If you don't get your ass on." He complained. "Bye, Simone." She waved goodbye to us and he dragged me out by the entrance. They were announcing the players to the audience.

  "Are you nervous?" I asked Aaron and he shook his head 'no', but then he nodded. "Me too."

  "Benjamin Wood!” The announcer called out and I ran out there with all the energy that I had.

  Chapter 11

  “I don’t get it.” My coach was pacing back and forth in the hall. I saw him from the windows from where I was sitting. He was pissed. It was clear by his actions. Every now and then, he would just yell out into the air. He was stomping now. I was so afraid that he would see me looking at him. I know I was going to get the speech of a lifetime, and I deserved it. I let myself get carried away. I should have kept my cool, but now I could possibly lose it all.