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twenty five

la'melo's pov

i was scared awake from my nap when i heard my dad yelling from downstairs excitedly. i took my phone off its charger and turned it on, checking the time. i suddenly remembered that i had a game today in about 3 hours, in long beach. we were supposed to play some high school that apparently has a pretty shitty record this season for basketball, so this should be fairly easy to win.

the more i started to wake up and think about the game, the more i started to think about briella and how the school we were playing at was in a decently close proximity to her. it was basically the perfect opportunity to hang out, but i knew she wouldn't come out to watch, because of our fight.

not even going to deny, i've been struggling without briella. it all has seemed to be piling on lately; me missing being around her, me being bothered because we're not really on good terms at the moment, and so on and so forth. overall, it's made me be pretty distant from my family, especially since my dad has been bugging the living shit out of me to stop ignoring him. ever since he made me take that picture with naiomi and the article about my 'love triangle' was plastered all over the internet, i haven't really said a word to him. lately, he's been fucking good things up for me and i didn't appreciate it at all. but for the rest of my family and friends, i've been trying my best to act happy and stay the same la'melo, but every time i smile, it feels fake.

i reluctantly stuffed my basketball things in my team duffle bag, making sure i didn't forget anything. knee pads, extra jersey, extra socks...

"come on, monster man," my dad was walking down the hall, coming towards my room. before he could step inside and say something, i picked up my dufflebag and fast-walked out, bounding down the stairs. just dad's presence alone irritated me, so i tried my best to avoid him as much as possible. it was hard.

the ride to long beach wasn't near as bad as i thought, because i just chilled in the backseat of my dad's range rover; my music blaring in my earbuds while i scrolled through briella and i's old messages and her instagram page. she hadn't posted anything new since the day after our big blowout, and i wondered what she was doing. she never really told me what she does in her freetime besides volleyball and softball. i could've sworn she mentioned to me one time that she could sing, but i wasn't sure. i began thinking about how i'd love for her to sing to me one day.

once we arrived at parkin high, i got out of the car and made a beeline inside and to the biggest gym in the school, which was the one we were supposed to play in. i saw about half of my team already warming up and the other half still lacing their shoes and laughing and jacking around. i walked past the guys sitting on the bench on the sideline and sat on the floor away from them, my music still loud enough to where i couldn't hear anyone. i didn't feel like talking, at all.

warmups didn't last too long and soon enough, it was game time. by the time it was getting ready to start, a couple hundred people had already gathered on the bleachers and i sighed. a full house.

"alright," my coach said as my team huddled on our side of the court. he fumbled with his clipboard for a second before reading off the names of the starters. i was point guard, of course, and 4 of my closest friends on the team were starting with me. i was internally glad, because we all worked well together on the court.

the first half of the game was a little rough, but i ended up finishing with 20 points. when halftime finally started, i laid on the hard floor beside our bench and stared at the ceiling, wondering if i was even able to finish the game or not, because i knew i would have to play the whole second half, too. i was dead tired, i wanted to go home, and i wanted to see briella. i was just about desperate at the point; to feel her, to smell her, to stare at her. she wouldn't leave my mind. it felt like when she left, she took a part of me with her and it hasn't been the same since.

"melo, hop up, the half's about to start," coach ordered and grabbed my arm, forcing me onto my feet. noticing i wasn't focused for shit, he pulled me to the side away from everyone else and locked eyes with me.

"what's gotten into you, boy?" he demanded. i could hardly look him in the face for more than 5 seconds at a time. shrugging, i looked up at the bleachers so i wouldn't have to make eye contact with coach. "you seem distracted. tell me what's going on."

"it's just personal, okay?" i bit my lip. "it's nothing."

"it don't seem like 'nothing.' is it family issues or what?"

i stayed silent for a few moments before finding enough courage to say, "my girl..."

coach raised his eyebrows and put his hands on his hips, sighing a little. at least his facial expression softened a little and he seemed more compassionate now. "you don't have to explain, i understand. but for the sake of the boys, you need to focus and pull it together. we're up by 10, but we need to finish this team and put them the fuck away."

i nodded, thankful that he wasn't disappointed in me.

i finished the last two quarters of the game stronger than i was before, shooting multiple three's and sinking a half-court shot with 8 seconds left in the game. with a lot of my help, we beat parkin high by 23 by the time it was all over.

everyone shook hands and then filed into the locker room, showering, changing, and icing themselves. i waited until the gym seemed to be completely cleared out to sit down on the bench and take my basketball shoes off, along with my knee pads. with beads of sweat still dripping from my forehead and curls, i pulled my shirt up to wipe my face and left it there, my eyes covered as i tried to completely relax myself.

"you had a pretty good game out there."

i internally groaned to myself because i figured it was a fan still in the gym. it was clearly a girl, judging by the voice i'd just heard, and she was now standing a few feet in front of me. i continued to rest with my shirt over my head and grunted a little.

"thank you."

"y'know, i was pretty shocked when you made that half-court shot," the voice said. "it didn't even seem like it took any effort at all."

my stomach suddenly flip-flopped as i listened harder at what the voice was saying, and what exactly it sounded like. i slowly pulled my shirt back over my head and my eyes were uncovered again, revealing the one and only person i could've possibly wanted to see in that very moment.

briella.

i didn't even know how to react. i just stared at her. she was wearing one of my hoodies she stole from me from whenever she came over my house, along with little nike shorts and some jordans. her hair done up in its usual messy bun, she wasn't wearing any makeup - she still looked beautiful - and a soft, shy smile. i could tell she was timid because she probably didn't know if i was still angry with her or not, but i wasn't. all i cared about was seeing her, and here she was.

i stood up and instantly took her into my arms, holding onto her because i never wanted to let go. i didn't even expect her to come to my game, but she did, and it was probably one of the best things anyone has done for me in a long time, and means a lot more to me than she could ever imagine.

"i'm so sorry," she mumbled into my jersey, and i just held her tighter.

"no," i said, resting my chin on her head. "i said things that i never should have. i just want you to understand that i want you and only you. when i look at you, or even think about you, it's like there's no one else."

bri stayed quiet as we stood there, embracing each other in our arms.

she's just about the only person in my life that could ever make me this happy.

i love her.