Klay shook off the negative energy as he stood by his cubicle, preparing for the opening night. So many things have happened in the past couple of days/weeks, that Klay wasn't sure how to handle it. He tried his best to push the thoughts aside so it wouldn't affect him out on the court, but he definitely wasn't as good as Stephen was when it came to all that.
He walked out into the hallway, immediately noticing his ex-girlfriend speaking to Shaun. He watched them closely, as she leaned against the wall, smiling and laughing at Shaun. He whispered into her ear, making her giggle as he caressed her cheek. Klay's jaw clenched as he felt the room get hotter.
"Yo, come on. Coach is about to talk." Stephen said, following his gaze before looking back at Klay. It took awhile for Steph to finally push him back into the locker room, especially knowing that Klay probably wasn't expecting to see that so soon. "You alright?"
"It's whatever." Klay shrugged as he slumped down into his chair, his forehead scrunched.
"Just push it aside for one night."
"Yeah." He simply says, crossing his arms as he impatiently waited for Coach to give them a little speech before the game. He eyed Shaun as he walked into the locker room, wishing he could burn holes into the man. He was trying his best to come into terms with everything happening & that maybe, Shaun was doing a better job of taking care of Sheri. But it hurt him every time. He couldn't do it.
Running out in the court, Klay finally felt the adrenaline rush he's been needing to feel to get his head in the game. But that quickly died when he saw Sheri sitting along the court. She sat alongside Shaun's little sister, the two already laughing and enjoying the atmosphere in Oracle.
He really messed up. And it was hurting him.
"You ready?" Steph puts his hand on Klay's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze.
"Yeah, I'm cool." He shook off the remaining nerves before heading out onto the court. He bends down to stretch his legs, catching Sheri looking over at him. She smiled softly before returning her gaze back at Shaun's sister. Klay wasn't sure what it was, but he felt the urge to speak to her. Even if it meant tracking her down after the game. He wanted to wait so the two could formally talk about everything going on, but it wasn't happening.
During the game, Stephen would yell words of encouragement to the man, hoping his game would get in shape before it was too late.
"Man, what do I tell you every time? Not the place nor time." Stephen said, walking alongside Klay into the locker room.
"I can't fucking do it, Steph."
"What are you talking about?"
"I can't see those two together. At all. And the fact that she's here for him sucks." Klay lightly slammed his hand against the wall as they continued walking down the hall.
"Consequences."
"Yeah, yeah, don't start. I know. You don't have to tell me twice." He sighs. "I just don't know what to do. I think I'ma talk to her after the game."
"It can't wait until tomorrow when we don't really have anything going on?'
"Not really."
"Don't jump too quickly."
"Yeah, well." He shrugs. "Feel like I need to when it comes to Sheri."
"Alright bro, whatever you say. It's a bit of a sensitive time for the girl, just remember that. Don't be that selfish." As much as he didn't want to be selfish, he couldn't help it. He wanted to talk to her, see if she was okay & see if there was anything he could do to make things better between the two if then. He also needed to talk to her about what she fell back on.
Luckily, the first game of the season was a win, putting the team on a great start. It was one of the things that lifted Klay's spirits, being that he loved the game of basketball & grew up with that mentality. He felt like he was ready to tackle anything & everything.
"You stupid." Klay laughed as Draymond shook his head.
"Hey baby!" Stephen said over the phone. "Thank you. Did you want me to stop by anywhere before I head home? How are the twins? Oh, alright. I missed seeing your guys' face." He continued to talk to Alyssa on the phone as Dray had fun mocking him. Unexpectedly, Klay spotted Sheri walking over to her car by herself. He had texting her after the game asking if they could meet but she didn't respond.
"Aye, I'll see you later Steph. Dray, I'ma catch you at home." Both Dray & Steph looked toward Sheri knowing what he was getting into.
"Alright, whatever." Dray shook his head as he parted ways with them.
"Hey Sheri." Klay ran towards her, slightly catching his breath when he finally got to her car.
"Klay, what are you doing?"
"Why didn't you respond to my text?"
"I'm sorry, I was going to get to it eventually."
"You sure?" He chuckled nervously, but she quietly nodded. "Well how are you?"
"I'm fine. How are you?" She crossed her arms, suspicious about his actions.
"Cool. So, uh. How'd you like the game?"
"It was good. Goodjob." Silence. The two awkwardly exchanged looks before Klay broke the silence once again.
"Look, I'm just gonna come out with it. Sheri, why did you go back to all that?"
"Are you really trying to do this right now? Right here?"
"I figured this was the only way to talk to you since you've been so occupied doing your own thing."
"Klay, you put me in that position." She said, emphasizing the statement. "None of that would've happened if you didn't think it was such a good idea to hurt me. We wouldn't be here doing this."
"I know I was dumb & there's really no way to show you how sorry I am. But I do acknowledge that I messed up, and that I let go of something really good for something temporary." His voice was getting softer.
"Well, I really do appreciate you taking the time to say that to my face."
"I just wanna make things right. Make up for everything I put you through. And be happy with you."
"But you shouldn't have to make up for anything if you really loved me in the first place."
"I know, I know. But I really hope you don't let this define me. I love you, you know I do."
"I'm not too sure about that anymore." He sighed as he put his hands on top of his head, a bit frustrated with the way things were going.
"What can I do, Sheri? I hate that I put you in this position. I hate that it was my fault. I just wanna make it better and hold you down. Please, just let me."
"Klay." She said softly, her hand gently touching his arm as she shook her head. "Stop."
"Stop?"
"I'm in a good place right now. & I'm getting myself back up on my feet. Shaun's been doing a really good job of being there for me, especially when you weren't."
"But you couldn't just reach out to me? I would've been there for you."
"No, you wouldn't have. Or else you wouldn't have left if I was a priority." His head fell before he gained the courage to look her in the eyes once more.
"I'm sorry." He said, almost at a whisper.
"I love you. I really do. But I don't think this is the right thing for us."
-
(Hold You Down - Dj Khaled, Chris Brown, Future, August Alsina, Jeremih)
YOU ARE READING
extraordinarylove.
Romance"I was just a girl, you were just a boy / Together we were one, together we were perfect." SEQUEL TO 'NO PRESSURE' With their careers at its highest, supportive loved ones and a family on the rise, Stephen and Alyssa are more than ready to begin thi...
