Slender Bridge

by Katrina Clemons

  "Oh, we already got that." He replied confidently and we all cheered him on. "So we might as well find out who we face."

  "It might be the three-time champions. They are playing their final playoff game...tonight."

  That's when the mood in the room changed. I ran my hand over my short haircut. We might be going against the three-time champions? That was a lot to take in.

  "Don't get discouraged." My Coach told us. "You've beaten some really good teams and you will get this one too." We tried to be just as confident as before, but we've seen this other team play. They were clean, they didn't give up, and they were fast. By the time you realize which player had the ball, he was already on his way to the basket.

  "We got it." I sighed.

  "Hit the showers."

  "So let me get this straight," Simone asked me as she was lying next to me in bed. She was fully clothed and looking right up in my eyes. We were in her room because she still had no one else living with her. "I have to make sure that I hear you correctly. I don't want to get any part of this wrong."

  "Go ahead." My hands started to venture down her body and she giggled. She was extremely ticklish.

  "Stop. I'm trying to have a serious discussion with you." She laughed out loud.

  "Fine." I stopped... for now. "What is it?"

  "You aren't going to watch the basketball game tonight just to see what your competition might be like?"

  "No, the rest of the guys on the team are going to watch, but I can't let that get into my head. I'll let Aaron fill me in."

  "But don't you want to see what you're up against? Aren't you just the tiniest bit curious?"

  "Yeah, but you're forgetting, I'm not going to be on the starting five. I'm going to be on the bench and Coach has never brought it up to me that I'll be playing. For all I know, he might be feeling sour because of the clip. He might think I'm trying to be about myself again.

  "I'm sorry about that."

  "Don't be," I smiled. "You did that out of the kindness of your heart. I appreciate it. That's what I love about you."

  That's when the room got really silent. As I heard the words slip out of my mouth, I knew there was no way that I could take it back. It's not like I wanted to take it back, but I didn't want it to come out like this either. I thought it would come out while we were at dinner or something. Maybe I expected it to be like the movies and it would all flow perfectly. I never thought it would be like this.

  "I love you." I bit the bullet. There's no point in trying to avoid it. "I love you, Simone." She was quiet but then a smile grew across her face. She leaned up and kiss me. She started to take off my clothes and then sat up to take off hers. Our bodies came together naturally. I touched and grabbed the woman that I loved, everywhere. Every curve in her body, every inch of her, every part of her, I took full advantage of.

  After we had finished, she held me tightly. She hugged me close and started to drift off into sleep. Simone was never the type to say really affectionate things. Even when I did nice things for her, she tended to shy away. It made me think that the guys that she dated before me never treated her as nice. I know some guys who get with girls her size, just to have sex. I've seen it with my own eyes.

  Back in high school, there was this girl named Melissa. She was big, curvy, and cute. She had these dimples that came out every time she smiled. She was in my Marine Science class. She was my lab partner. She was in love with this guy named Michael. He wasn't on the basketball team but he was on the football team. Everyone knew about him and he loved it. He fed off of the attention he got. Melissa, like Simone, was at every game cheering him on. She was his number one fan.

  One day while we were trying to do our lab report, we somehow got on the subject of her and Michael.

  "How long have you guys have been going out?" I asked flipping through the textbook. I found science extremely boring.

  "Just for like six months now." She gushed while blushing. Her dimples were out because she was smiling so much.

  "How did you guys meet?"

  "In Spanish class. I was sitting across from him and the teacher paired us up. He told me I was cute and it went from there."

  "Do you really like him?"

  "I love him." She smiled some more and her dimples got deeper. "Why all the questions?"

  "I'm just curious." I chuckled. "Besides, I'll do anything not to talk about this damn lab report."

  The truth of the matter was that I knew for a fact that Michael was cheating on her. Everyone knew. When he went to his away games, he considered himself single. Even when he was here, he would be sneaking around with some other girls. I didn't think that Melissa should be played like that, but the way she talked about him, I don't think she would listen to a word I said anyway. But she did eventually find out.

  One day Michael came was sitting in the football field with one of the many girls that he messed around with. It was the day before senior prom and the field was decorated with streamers and banners. Melissa was on the decorating committee and she went back out there to see if she could put out some more decorations. She asked me to come along with her because I was tall and could reach high places. When we got out there and saw Michael with the girl, my heart started beating fast. I was hoping that she didn't notice, but when I saw her making her way towards them, I knew that wasn't the case. She saw them and she was going to confront them.

  "What the hell is this?" She asked as Michael pulled his lips away from the girl.

  "What are you doing out here?" He asked her and I had to stop myself from laughing. Was that the best he could come out with?

  "What does it matter? Who is she?" She looked at the girl. "Get out of here." She suggested to the girl, but she didn't budge. "Don't you hear me? I have something to say to my boyfriend."

  "But he's my boyfriend." The girl informed her and I knew this situation was going to get worse.

  "What is going on?" She asked Michael.

  "That's my girl and my prom date." He said coldly. "I wasn't really your boyfriend, I just really liked the sex." He got up and took the girl with him. They just walked out and Melissa broke down in tears. I tried to get her to come to prom with me, but she declined and stayed home.

  I wonder if Simone got played like Melissa did. If that was the case, it would explain why she hadn’t really been affectionate with her words. Her actions told me how she felt. She was always going above and beyond to show me that she cared for me, or maybe that she loved me. I would have to settle for that, and that’s okay.

  "I love you." She whispered and then finally went to sleep.

  Chapter 15

  The last playoff game was a blur. Although I didn’t play in it, I helped from the sidelines. I got in everybody’s ear to make sure that they were playing their best. Aaron was in top form. He was making shots from almost halfway across the court. If any NBA scouts were looking, it would only be a matter of time before he got drafted. As the game winded down, we were leading by ten points. When we beat them, our lead was twelve points. We ran to the locker room cheering. We were going to the finals. We had made it. After all the hard work and crazy long practices, we were going to the finals. And even though I still wasn’t playing, I was still proud of my team.

  On the bus ride back to campus, we were cheering and singing songs loudly and badly. The coach who used to tell us to ‘shut up’ was right by our side. It didn’t take long for us to realize how proud of us he was. He was smiling at us and he was happy with us. When we got to campus, he pulled me to the side.

  “It was great to see you there during the game.” He told me with a grin.

  “But I didn’t play.” I reminded him, even though I felt like I shouldn’t.

  “Yes you were, you were with all the other players out there. You got in their ear and told him that they could do it. That’s shows leadership. You went from being a player to being a leader.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And that’s why you’re playing in the f
inals.”

  “Really?”

  “Yup. And I’ve seen that video clip.”

  I closed my eyes when he mentioned it. "Oh, don't be like that." He grabbed my shoulders.

  "I don't want you to be mad. It wasn't my idea."

  "I know it wasn't. That girlfriend of yours... she's something special." He grinned. "But I'm not mad at it. If anything it got me to see how much you put into the game. You pour your whole self in basketball and that's what makes you a good player, but the way you go for your team, that's what makes you a good leader. Its things like that, that's what the NBA is looking for."

  "Thanks."

  "Get out of here." Coach jerked his head towards campus.

  I went to find Simone. I started calling her on her cell trying to reach her but she wasn't picking up. She wasn't at the game because she couldn't find a way to get out there, but knowing Simone, I knew exactly where she was. I ran to her room to find her buried in fabric. Her sewing machine that I got her was going off. She was concentrating so hard that she didn't even hear me come in. I waited until the sewing machine stopped going.

  "You can't answer your phone?" I asked and she jumped.

  "Oh my gosh, babe, I didn't even hear you come in."

  I kissed her on top of her forehead. I looked around at the usually tidy room. There was nothing but clothes everywhere.

  "What is going on?" I asked.

  "I launched the website so I'm having some inventory of the outfits made already." She smiled.

  "Wow. Congratulations, I'm happy for you."

  "Remember that sewing class you brought me to?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Well, the teacher is helping me get more of my clothes made. So this will be the final batch I do by hand, the rest some manufacturer is going to help get it done."

  "That's great," I smiled. "I'm happy it's working out for you."

  "It was all your doing. First the class and now this sewing machine."

  "I ordered it so long ago, I don't know what took it so long to get here." I shook my head.

  "It doesn't matter." She laughed. "So how was the game?"

  I went on to fill her in on the game.

  "But you didn't play?" She scrunched up her face.

  "No, but that's okay because I'm playing in the finals."

  "You got this." She said confidently.

  "And how do you know that?'

  "Because all you talk about is basketball. One of these days when you're playing professional, I'm going to be watching you, knowing that you belong on that court."

  "You are going to be right by my side."

  "Down on the court with you?" She joked.

  "You know what I meant. You are still going to be my girl."

  The first game of finals, we lost. We were bummed but it made us play even harder. We got to the second game and we annihilated them. Then the momentum went on and we beat them in the third game. We lost the fourth game by two points in OT, but now we were home for the final game. It was nice to be at our home court. When we win, everyone is going to cheer and help us celebrate and on the .00001% chance that we lose, they’ll help us get over it.

  “Here we are.” Coach paced the locker room. “The last game.” He sighed. “I am not going to get into how important this game is, you already know that. I’m just going to thank you guys for putting in the effort to get us here. You guys went from playing okay to playing like seasoned veterans. I know that some of you on this team are seniors and this is your last time playing with us, I thank you for that. I also know that some of you playing have many more years to go, but still I want you to take advantage of this moment.

  “Let it sink in where we are and know that we can be here again if we all work hard. I’m not going to tell you guys to win this, I’m simply going to say … play hard. They are going to be playing hard too and you know what to do when they do that? You play even harder.” He pointed at us with his clipboard.

  The game started and we went out there. Aaron and I exchanged looks. Now that I was playing again, we were back using our double team plays against the teams. They would block one of us and the other would get out and make the shot. Every time they tried to block both of us, we would just find a way out. We were not going to give up. We wanted this win badly, we needed this win badly. The stands were full and I knew that there were NBA scouts in the stands. The Coach didn't have to tell us, the announcers for the game let us know it. The camera kept panning over to them. They were a lot of them there. Tonight was our chance to get drafted.

  By the time the second quarter got around, we were up by only three points. We felt tired and ragged, but we kept pushing on. I tried for another three-point shot hoping to advance the lead, but it bounced off. I didn't give up, though. When I saw one of my players rebound the ball, he passed it back to me and this time, my three-point shot when in. The crowd cheered and I slapped high fives with my team members. We were doing it. We were playing great. It got down to the final quarter and there was one minute remaining on the clock. We were down by two points. The plan was to either hit two layups, so that we could be up by two points or to hit two threes. We had to do whatever go get the win.

  Aaron and I were both out of breath. We barely sat down to rest this whole game. It meant too much for the both of us.

  "You got it?' I asked as I saw him breathing hard.

  "Do you?" He laughed looking over at me.

  "What you want to do?" We looked back out at the court. Our final timeout was almost done.

  "I think we can do it back-to-back." He mentioned a play that he and I made up when we first started on the team. We never really played it with the whole team before. Right now it would be really risky to try something new, but where else would we do it?

  "You sure?' I asked.

  "Positive." He smiled and we went to inform the team.

  The buzzer went off and it was time for the game. We had the ball and as soon as it was on the court, our play went into the action. The ball was passed over to Aaron and he sank a three. The crowd went wild. The other team had the ball and one of our best defense players stole the ball from them and passed it to me. I got the ball, made it to the hoop and sunk in a layup. We were now up by four with thirty seconds on the clock. The other team called their timeout.

  Aaron and I sat down and took a deep breath. We gave each other a pound and leaned back in the chairs.

  "Go B-Wood!" Simone's voice managed to get over all the other loud noise and commotion. I turned around and saw her sitting there five rows behind me. She smiled and waved, and I smiled back.

  The buzzer for the timeout came back and it was the other team's ball. They tried to make a shot, but on instinct, I flew up into the air and blocked it. That's when the final buzzer went off. By the time my feet hit the ground, we were champions.

  THE END

  Completely Yours

  Description

  The chemistry between Tatiana and Clyde is getting stronger.

  When Tatiana is saved by Clyde, a drug dealer who loves to play with women, she instantly gets attracted to him. She vowed not to fall in love after her ex, Trent, left her for another woman but Clyde is irresistible and super hot. Trent wants the ring he gave Tatiana back; he is willing to do anything to get it. Tatiana thinks he is back with an agenda, what she doesn’t know is that their lives depend on the ring. She will not give back the ring and is willing to lie about not having it.

  Tatiana has comes to terms with her ex leaving her for another woman. She is completely bewildered and in love with Clyde, a drug dealer who keeps his life private from everyone. Tatiana knows it is time to decide whether Clyde is the love of her life.

  Chapter 1

  Tatiana Hebert didn’t usually hate Mondays. She knew a lot of people who did, but not her. In fact, she loved Mondays. She saw it as do over day. If she had a problem that she couldn’t solve at work the previous week, or she had an extremely crappy Saturday when nothing just seemed to go right
, no matter what she did, she always had Monday.

  The first thing that tipped her off that her Monday was going to be on the tail end of ‘What-the-hell’, was the rain.

  No, not just rain, she woke up to what sounded like a monsoon taking place outside. She always looked happy while waking up on Mondays but today she was not ready to take in what was happening. She tossed and turned with anger, all her preparations for Monday was going to waste.

  Tatiana’s heart dropped. “Nooo.” She groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. She couldn’t sleep; she was used to waking up early on Mondays. She knew something like this could happen, the problem was, she was not prepared for it.

  On Saturday morning, bright and early, Tatiana had risen at 6am. Before leaving the house, she’d checked, and then re-checked the five-day forecast, to be sure that she would get a few good days out of her new hairdo, before it went south. Then she’d happily left the house before 7:30, so she’d be one of the first clients in line, and hummed her way to the hairdresser to get a new hairstyle that she’d seen pictured in a magazine and lusted after for several weeks.

  She always wanted to look good every Monday because it was her favorite day. She was ready to rock the week with her new hairstyle.

  Tatiana would often say that she had the sort of hair that if she looked out the window during a rainy day, glanced at a picture of, or even thought about rain, her curls would go limp. She couldn’t believe everything was going to be spoiled because of the damn rain.

  The weather forecast had called for sunshine and blue skies, not for three or five, but seven days in a row, so she’d happily gone to the hairdresser. She’d wanted this hairstyle so badly. The weather looked cool until Monday.

  “What a total waste.” She said to herself as she curled up in bed. She never anticipated this and she decided never to trust the weather channels. Sometimes they were all wrong.

  Now it was raining so hard that if asked, she would swear to anyone that she’d seen a sailor in a rowboat floating past her front yard. It was then that she had a gut wrenching feeling that something was going to happen to ruin not her day, but her entire week. This made her angry, she wanted the entire week to be good at least to work well with her new look. She didn’t want to think about it, she wanted to pretend that everything was going to fine the entire week.