Saturday morning came in easy.
The sky was gray but dry, and the air had that early humidity that told you summer wasn't far away. Kam threw on a fitted black tee, and some Nike tech pants, and slid on his beats over his ears as he met up with Jaylen in front of the house.
Jaylen grinned, already shaking his head. "You actin like Planet Fitness a pro league facility."
"Nah, I'm just tryna get right," Kam smirked. "Can't be average out here."
"Not with how Nylah been lookin at you lately."
Kam chuckled low. "Man, chill."
They caught the city bus across town, laughing about nothing, pushing each other like kids. But the second they walked into Planet Fitness, it hit them.
Nylah was there.
Tight Nike Pros. Gray hoodie cropped at the waist. Hair slicked back. Focused. She stood in front of the mirror doing weighted squats, her form perfect, her curves even more perfect.
Kam paused. Just a beat.
Jaylen nudged him with a grin. "Boy, you see that?"
Kam kept his eyes on her adjusting the grip on the dumbbells. "Nigga you actin like I'm blind."
Jaylen laughed. "She got that thang back there doin curls of its own."
They kept walking, talking low. Kam tried to shake it, but his eye kept drifting back. The way she moved, her confidence it wasn't just her body. It was the energy.
And that's when it happened.
Nylah looked up in the mirror. Caught him staring.
Kam quickly looked away, trying to play it off with a head nod. Jaylen headed to the locker room to grab a towel he forgot. Kam stayed behind, pretending to be busy on the phone.
Then he heard footsteps.
He turned.
Nylah was walking straight toward him, wiping sweat from her forehead with a towel slung over her shoulder. She stopped right in front of him, her voice low and steady.
"You always look that hard, or is it just me?"
Kam froze.
Mouth slightly open.
"...Huh?"
She smiled. "Thought so."
And just like that, she walked off, her hips moving with deliberate rhythm.
Kam stood there, blinking. Brain buffering.
Jaylen came back, slapping his arm. "You good?"
"...Nah. I think I just caught feelings in Planet Fitness."
Later that afternoon, they headed back to the park. Jaylen peeled off to meet up with a girl he was texting, but Kam laced up his hoop shoes and hit the courts solo.
And of course Terrance was there.
Shirt off, muscles on display like always, surrounded by a couple teammates hyping him up. Nylah was on the bleachers this time, earbuds in, pretending to scroll on her phone but Kam noticed how her eyes flicked up the second he arrived."
"Y'all already know what it is," Terrance barked. "Me and Kam on opposite teams."
Kam didn't argue. He just picked his squad.
And once again, he went off.
Pull up jumpers. Fast break dunks. A behind the back pass that had even the old heads nodding from the sideline. He didn't even look in Nylah's direction, but every time he scored, he felt her watching.
Terrance started pressing harder talking trash, shoving during rebounds, trying to get in Kam's head.
"You flashy, bruh. But you not real ball," Terrance spat after Kam hit a deep three in his face.
Kam wiped sweat from his brow. "And you not real comp."
They squared up. Shoulders tense. No ball between them now just ego.
"Nigga say that again," Terrance said, stepping closer.
"I said you-"
Before Kam could finish, hands flew up. A couple of the older guys stepped between them.
"Chill, chill, chill! Not here!"
Terrance kept barking. Kam stayed quiet, jaw locked, eyes locked on him. Nylah stood up, watching them both. But didn't say a word.
That night Mal pulled up in a new rental black on black Charger with temp tags. The windows were tinted, and the music was low but knocking.
Kam slid into the passenger seat. "Where he headed?"
"New block. Heights side. One of my boys set it up. Just keep ya head down and take what I give you."
Kam nodded. "Say less."
The streets were quieter on that side of town, but the money? Even better. Older heads, construction workers, quiet professionals everybody wanted a little something to take the edge off.
Kam moved smooth.
Polite. Quick. Like he'd been doing this for years.
By the end of the night, he made almost $900 on his own. Cash stacked in his hoodie pocket heart pounding with something that wasn't fear.
It was power.
They dropped the last pack off around 1 a.m. Mal looked over at him as they hit the freeway back toward the southside.
"You sure you ready for this life?"
Kam didn't even hesitate.
"I was born in it."
Mal nodded, eyes on the road.
"That's what I'm scared of."
