by PN Books
“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.
“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 b
asketball 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.
CONTINUE TO PART THREE
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 12 of 15
Full Court Press Part Three
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 professional 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.
*****
“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.
"You're free to go." The officer told me with a nudge. I looked at him. I wanted to say something mean to him, just to blow off some steam, but that would be dumb. The last thing I needed to do was to get into more trouble.
"I know that," I replied slowly. "I'm just trying to buy some time before I go out there." I looked towards my coach.
"But he should be happy. There are no charges being pressed against you. The footage clearly shows who started the fight."
"Yeah but he's not going to care. I know the University is not going to care either. They have a zero tolerance for physical violence. I can either be suspended from the team or expelled from the school. It doesn't look good either way."
"Even if it shows that it was self-defense?"
"I'm not sure," I confessed. "But I guess there is only one way to find out."
"I don't think it’ll be that bad." He shrugged his shoulders. "As soon as everyone sees that not only have the charges have been dropped but you were held and not arrested, this will all blow over.
I hoped that he was right, but when I opened the door, the cruel look from my coach said it all. It wasn't going to blow over. If anything, this whole thing was over. I could kiss basketball goodbye, forget about the University, and give up my dreams of being in the NBA. I might as well start packing for home.
"So how long are you suspended from the team?" Aaron asked as he saw me gather my things out of my locker.
" Coach said he will let me know."
"I don't get it. You're not being charged by the police and the University said it's not a problem, what's up?"
"I think Coach is pissed at me because he told us time and time again to not get into trouble."
"But those guys were asking to get hit. They started the whole thing."
"I know but you know how Coach is."
"But...." Aaron drifted off.
"What is it?"
"The playoffs."
My team had finally made it to playoffs. And we all know what that meant: scouts. We were finally at a place where any one of us could be scouted into the NBA, and I wasn't playing. My heart sank even more. I didn't even answer Aaron. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, no words would come out, just sobs. He got the hint and walked back to the gym. The rest of the team was practicing and I was packing up, not knowing when I would be allowed to get back into the game.
"Hey, All-Star." Simone's sweet voice melted all my stress. She was the one good thing
that kept me going. Her curves, her smile, and her optimism was what I really needed right now. As much as I wanted to get back into the game, at least for now I had Simone.
"I'm not that."
"Not yet." She perked me up. "It's only going to be a matter of time before they realize what a mistake they made by letting you go."
"It's only for a little while. They are not letting me go."
"I don't care if it's for two minutes, they are being so stupid." She grabbed my chin. "You are the best player out there, you got it?"
That's when I kissed her. I just grabbed her by the back of the head and locked lips with her. She was stunned at first, but I could feel her body ease up and warm up to me. I wanted her so badly, but this wasn't the right place for that. I wanted her to myself.
"What are you doing right now?" I asked her as I started to kiss on her neck. I inhaled that sweet, exotic perfume she had on. It caused me to be even more into her.
"I have to get started on my website." She barely whispered. "If I want to really launch this clothing line, I got to get started."
"But does it have to be right now?" I kissed her again, and I could feel her tremble. It was nice to know that she was weak for me too.
"I got to stick to a schedule babe." She kissed my forehead. "But I promise, we will pick up where we left off." She turned away.
I watched her hips move side-to-side until I couldn't see them anymore. Now that she was gone, what was I going to do? All my free time was usually tied up in basketball. I guess this was a good time to start focusing on my studies. Maybe if I started bringing in even higher grades, Coach would let up on this punishment and let me back on the team. At least, I had some sort of plan.
Watching the first basketball game from the stands felt weird. I kept trying to jump in the game. I had to literally force myself to sit still. With Simone next to me, I had to just clap and cheer, when all I wanted to do was to be out there with my brothers.
"It's going to be okay," Simone smiled as she squeezed my knee. I assume she could feel my tension. I was sitting there leaning in. I was trying to absorb as much as the action that I could, but it wasn't the same. I needed to be out there. Although the team was playing okay, they were missing a lot of the shots that I used to make easily. I was hoping that when the Coach saw them miss another shot that he would just scream for me to join the game, but that wasn't happening. It looked as if he would rather lose a game than to let me back in there.