Black or White (An Interracial Love Story)

Chapter 27

DeAndre's POV

Myself and a bunch of the other rookies to the D-League are just now getting back to our hotel after a long day of practice.

Luckily I ended up getting a room to myself.

I shower and put on a pair of sweats, I don't bother with a shirt. I'm going to bed anyway.

I text my boys Trey, Tony, Marcus, and Randy letting them know about the types of drills we did today and what new things are going on. They made me swear to give them some inside scoop and so far I've kept my promise.

After sending out a text to them all, I call my sister.

"Hello?" She answers groggily.

"Hey Marcella." I say.

"Hey baby bro!" She exclaims, suddenly sounding not tired.

"Did I wake you up?" I ask.

"Yeah, but you always do. I don't mind. I understand that your free time is the busiest part of my work day. It's okay for you to wake me up so we can talk. I'd actually be mad if you didn't."

"How was your day?" I inquire.

"It was good. The Boss Man was in a lot if meetings today so I had to make sure all of his notes were prepared."

"I'm sure you excelled in that." I compliment my sister on her extreme efficiency.

"Thanks De'. How was basketball today?"

"It was okay. We did some news drills in practice. We're pretty much just getting into shape this week. Next week we'll all be put onto teams. You know each team is owned by an actual NBA team right?"

"Yeah, I heard. This is your time DeAndre."

"Thanks 'Cella."

"That's what big sisters are for, but you will never guess what I got invited to."

"What?" I ask, not wanting to guess.

"Ivy-Reece's 17th birthday dinner celebration. It's at some soul food restaurant and Ivy-Reece sent me an invitation with a personalized message on it."

My heart skips a beat when she mentions Ivy-Reece's name. I take a deep breath before responding.

"Are you planning on going?"

"Yeah, I already RSVPd."

"I'm gonna send you something I want you to give to her, okay?"

"Of course." Marcella agrees.

"Listen 'Cella, I need you to go to bed. You've got work in the morning and I'm not trying to have you behind the wheel tired."

Marcella yawns before responding to me.

"Okay Hun. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too Marcella."

We hang up and I stare at my phone screen for almost 20 minutes straight. I open up my contact list and scroll through; stopping on the name I'm looking for. I press call.

"Hello?" Her soft angelic voice answers after about seven rings.

"Ivy-Reece, it’s DeAndre."

Silence.

"Hello?" I check to make sure she didn't hang up on me.

"Y-yeah," she clears her throat, "I'm here. How are you DeAndre?"

"I'm good. Practices have been great. They're kinda whipping us players into shape. We're all being put into teams next week."

"That's fantastic." She sounds genuinely excited for me.

"Yeah. I think so too. This is a good opportunity for me."

"You know each team is owned by an actual NBA team?" She asks me.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" I ask her, impressed.

"Huh?" She hesitates, "I just, umm, did some research...ya know, after you left."

"I see..." I respond, not knowing what else to say.

"How was your birthday?" She asks.

My eyes widen in surprise. My 17th birthday was last month and she didn't call or text me. I thought she forgot, but I didn't trip because we hadn't had any contact with each other since the day I told her I was leaving.

"It was nice. A couple of the other players and I went out to this 16+ dance club. It was a good time."

"That's good to hear." She says, "You know my birthday is next week?"

I smile even though she can't see me.

"Of course I do. I'm gonna send you a little something." I tell her.

"Oh no, you really don't have to do that." Ivy-Reece objects.

"I'm pretty sure you know me well enough to know that I'm gonna do whatever I please." I chide her teasingly.

"Good point..." She agrees. "Well in that case, what are you getting me?"

"It's a surprise." I laugh at her eagerness.

"I miss you." She says in her very blunt manner.

I cease my laughter immediately.

"Do you miss me too?" She asks, a little sadly.

"I do. I miss you so so much every single day."

"Come visit; for my birthday."

"I wish I could Ivy-Reece. I really wish I could. My schedule is just all hectic right now. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," she says, "I knew you'd probably say no, but it was worth a shot."

"Did you do what I asked you to do?" I inquire.

"What do you mean?" She sounds confused.

"Chase...” I say simply.

"Yeah. He's really amazing. I love him."

I expect to feel jealously and bitter at her words, but instead I feel peace and content. The girl I care for so much is with someone who can return her love with so much more of their being than I'll ever be able to. That's a good feeling.

"I'm glad to hear that."

Someone knocks on my door.

"Lights out!"

It's the stupid supervisor who's pretty much us minors' babysitter.

I turn off my light and go back to my phone call.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Ivy-Reece asks in her most innocent voice.

"No. I told you I don't have time for a relationship right now. I promise you I wasn't lying. I need to focus on my career, and when I make it, I'll look for love."

Ivy-Reece yawns.

"Go to sleep." I whisper to her.

"No." She whispers back, "I don't know when I'll be able to talk to you again."

"Text me anytime." I tell her, "I'll call you when I can."

"Promise?" She asks.

"Promise."

“Okay, goodnight DeAndre.”

“Goodnight Ivy-Reece.”