Adaeze

57

The whistle blew and the game was over.

Everybody in the stands cheered.

88 to 62 was the score.
We won.

22 of those points were mine.

We had to get in our lines to high five the other team.

Afterwards we headed towards the locker room.

I was first in because I was excited to get out.
Coach followed and started lecturing while we were getting dressed.

"Good job, tonight, boys!" He clapped. "You all get dressed and head out. You got tomorrow off. No practice."
Everybody cheered.

I finished wiping myself off with my towel and changing clothes.

Me and a few of the other guys left the locker room and saw all of the people talking on the gym floor at the end of the game.

"My guy!!!" Dylan shouted happily and I laughed while we dapped.
"Dude, 22 points in one game?" Tristan said in shock and we dapped too.
"Bro's a show off." Dylan teased. "When you make it to the pros don't forget us." he said and put his arm over Tristan's shoulders.
I scoffed. "Yea, whatever."

I heard fast footsteps and looked to see Adaeze hurrying over here.
I smiled and opened my arms for her.
She wrapped hers around my neck and mine went around her waist.
"I haven't seen you all day." I stated and looked at her.
She held my face and gave me two quick kisses.
"I was with Ife. She made my shirt." She let go of me and happily showed me the back of her shirt.
"Awww, how cute." Dylan teased.
"Shut up." I laughed. I looked back at Adaeze. "You look cute, mama."
"yOu LoOk CuTe, MaMa-..." Dylan repeated and I flinched at him like I was gonna punch him. He flinched and put his hands up in surrender.

"Heyy, champ!" I heard my dad say and looked. The family had walked over.
"You did so well, Ko!" Mom stated.
"You gave those kids a run for their money." my dad said and pat my shoulder.
"Kids?" I questioned. "Like three of those guys were 24."
"Kids to me." he stated.
I scoffed.

"First win in a season of wins, are we hungry?" my mom asked.
"Yes!" Everyone answered. Tatum was the loudest.
"Alright. Where do we wanna go?"
We all started heading out of the gym.

"Dude..." Dylan called.
I looked at him.
Him and Tristan were looking somewhere else.
I followed their eyes.

Reagan was standing there talking to Marcus.

"Don't fuckboys and whores usually end up together?" Dylan asked.
I shrugged. "I don't care what they do. It won't last. And it'll probably be the most toxic shit on the planet."
"When did you get so mature?" Tristan asked.
"I've been mature?!" I responded.
"That's debatable." said Dylan.
"You can't tell me what's mature and what's not. You're the most immature asshole I know!"
"Whatever."
"You just used to get pissed when you'd see her with anyone else. Now you don't care? Even when the someone else is your teammate?" Tristan questioned.

I stopped walking when Adaeze turned around.
"Can I ride with you?" she asked.
"Yea, mama. If you didn't ask, I was going to."
She giggled then continued talking to my parents on our way out.

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Tristan and Dylan said at the same time.
"What?" I asked.
"We get it." Dylan stated.
"Get what?"
"Why you're so mature now." Tristan answered.
"Why?"
"Because that's your girlfriend." Dylan responded.
"Huh?"
"You don't care about Reagan because you think you hit the jackpot." he explained.
"I don't think, I know." I fixed.
"You've only known her two months." Dylan argued.
"And? She's lived with me. It's not like I saw her twice a week. I see her every day almost all day. At some point if she was a bad person, it would've slipped. She's genuinely one of the best people I've met."
"Who's second best?" Dylan smiled and put his arm over my shoulder.
"My dad."
"Okay...who's third best?"
"Tristan."
"What the fuck?" Dylan questioned.
"What?"
"Tristan's third best?!"
"Do you genuinely think you're a better person than him?"
Me and Tristan both stared at Dylan.

"Alright then who's fourth best?" Dylan asked and ignored the question.
"My mom."
He rolled his eyes. "Parents don't count!"
"You're not gonna hear your name until like number 52." I admitted.
"What the fuck?! Why not?!"
"You have morals but you're still kind of a dick." Tristan answered.
Dylan gasped and we laughed.

"That's not true..." Dylan argued.
"You laughed for ten minutes when a kid fell off his bike at the skate park and cried."
"...The kid didn't die! Who cares?! It's funny!"
"Your ranking's not going up anytime soon." I admitted.
He sucked his teeth and took his arm off of me.

We made it to my car.

"Are you two riding with me or driving?" I asked.
"Riding with you." said Dylan.
"Yea, I don't feel like driving." said Tristan.
"Neither of you just got done playing a game and scoring 22 points." I stated.
"No one told you to do that. Plus, you offered. Don't be mad when we accept." Dylan argued.
"You're number 76 now." I stated.
"You don't even know 76 people!"
"Yes I do!"

Adaeze came over.

"Ready?" I asked.
"Yes."
We got in the car.

"Was that your first basketball game?" I asked her.
"Yesss...You were so good." she smiled and I snickered.
"You think so?" I reversed out of my parking spot to follow my parents.
"Yea, it was sexy. Lana and Tatum explained it all to me. I like it."
"So you'll go to more?" I asked her.
"All of them."
I snickered. "You can't go to all of them."
"Why not?"
"Because some of them are out of state."
"Oh..."
"You can come to all the home games though." I stated.
"Okay."

Dylan and Tatum talked in the back while me and Daisy spoke in the front.

"When you go out of state, how long are you gone?" she asked.
"It depends on how far we go."
"A day?" she wondered.
"Sometimes one. But sometimes two or three. If there's a tournament."
"Two or three?" she questioned.
"Yea."
She sighed.

I looked at her.
She was just staring out of the window.
I snickered.
Cute. I forgot she warned me that she was clingy.

"It won't feel that long." I stated.
"Yes, it will."
"We can FaceTime or something."
She sighed.
"Don't be upset. You have another week before then."
"A week?! You leave in a week?!"
"Yes." I chuckled.
She groaned.
"Only for a day or two. You can hang with Ife."
"What is the point of a boyfriend if you'll be gone? I might as well have not come here. I should go back to Nigeria." she sassed and crossed her arms.
I laughed. "Now you're being dramatic."
"No."
"Yes."
She ignored me.

"Mama." I called.
She didn't answer.
"Baby, come on. It's just a day." Or two.
"And you'll be fine with being gone for just a day?" she asked.
"I mean I'll miss you. But I know it's not the end of the world."
She stared back out the window and I laughed.