Dark Beauty

C H A P T E R 8 : Layla

   By this point in the game, my attention was lost, and I was ready to go. If anything, all I wanted was for someone to win so that we could finally go home. This game felt like a black church; once it started, it never ended. Within five minutes, the game had gone from exciting to dull, so dull that not even the mascot could bring this shit back to life, at least to me. The last thing I wanted to see was old ass coaches and an old ass referee bickering back and forth like some high school-aged kids.

   I sighed at the scene in front of me. I turned away and looked toward the crowd and scanned it for my boyfriend. Once I saw him standing at the top of the pink bleachers next to a couple of his friends, I smiled. When he noticed me looking at him, he smiled back. I looked away for a second because his piercing brown eyes made me blush. I looked back up to him, and he blew me a kiss. I blew him one again. The way we were silently communicating was turning me on.

   His focus shifted from me to his boys and then back at me. He licked his lip nonchalantly as he sexually looked me up and down. I bit my lip seductively. That one little move makes me weak in the knees, and my vagina wet. The gaze between us was intense. I wanted to break it but I couldn't. At that moment, it felt as if everything were going in slow motion. I finally broke his gaze and then reluctantly turned my attention back to the game. I looked up and over to the scoreboard; it was five seconds left, and we were now in the lead. All we needed was for Jamal to make one last winning basket, and this game would be over.

   As Jamal released the orange sphere into the air, I held my breath in anticipation. It felt like an eternity as the ball went soaring through the air. It was as if faith knew that the outcome of this game laid within that one shot. The whole gym looked on in silence as they patiently waited for it to reach the basket. It bounced off the backboard and started to spin around the rim like in movies. When it went down with a whoosh sound, every Panther fan went insane.

   We had won!

   I watched as everyone bum-rushed onto the brown hardwood floor. As a crowd began to form around the basketball team, the school started to sing our version of the hit song 'Black and Yellow.' by Wiz Khalifa. The other side walked off, disappointed while throwing obscenities our way. Did they forget whose turf they were on? I thought as I watched them walk past us and out the door. Once most of the crowd started to disappear, I said congrats to Jamal and then headed for the gym doors.

   Behind the gym was where our locker rooms and hall of fame hall was. I headed inside the girl's locker room, did my lock, and grabbed my belongings. I slipped on my coat and slammed my locker closed. I then headed out the locker room and towards the double doors.

   As my sneakers squeaked through the halls, I zipped up my coat and headed out the door. I shivered a lil bit as the northern air hit my face, causing my hair to fly back in the wind. I briskly walked away from the building and started heading toward the crowd of people. As I pulled my dance bag closer, my eyes raked over people in search of my boyfriend. I paused for a moment. "Where the fuck is this nigga at?" I questioned. I grew more impatient without every second that passed. I picked up the pace because the northern air was hitting my face like a brutal slap.

   I bobbed and weaved through the crowds of people. "Just fuckin' great, dude," I said to myself. "When I find this nigga, he gon' get so much attitude." For it to be as cold as it was, you would think people would be hurrying to get into their cars, but yet everyone was still lingering around conversing. "Darien, where the fuck are you?" I mumbled as I put my hands upon my hips. "All a sistah wanna' do is go home, shower, eat, and go to bed," I complained. "Is that too much to ask?" I questioned aloud. "Yo' hardheaded ass is neva' where I ask you to be." I fussed as I continued back walking. "Y'all saw Darien?" I asked as I walked by a group of guys.