Erase and Rewind (Full Book)

Chapter Seventeen: NATs

To keep his promise to Malik, Noah's search took him to an antique store in a middle-class neighborhood. From what he remembered of old 1960s heist movies his mother had loved, step one was casing the joint. It was a fancy expression to mean figuring out how in the world he was going to slip in and out of the store's private vaults.

He'd spent hours going over the information Malik emailed in the community college's library. The librarian was an amiable man who didn't seem to mind Noah was staff rather than a student and encouraged Noah's presence by confirming he could read as much as he pleased.

Noah took him up on his offer and poured over a history of art book detailing the rise of the impressionist movement. Noah had tried and failed to have little to zero breaks between shifts but, ended up with a gap between two non-consecutive shifts.

He had made an alliance of sorts with Jelani, who was desperate to weasel out of the evening shift to surprise Carmen on her birthday. Noah bargained to take over that shift and swore he wouldn't breathe a word of the swap to their boss. Jelani had sneered at him and, in a typical street fashion, had asked what was in it for Noah. Noah kept that to himself, the shift Noah was to take would coincide with the first basketball game of the season.

The students were hyped all week since the college's team was as strong as their rivals. Not to mention the college team featured a Youtube sensation, a certain American Egyptian. Noah could manage to sneak a few minutes to watch Malik play. He couldn't openly sit in the crowd and cheer him on but he could at least be there. It wasn't because Malik brought him the occasional non-expired food... He wanted to be there for the only person who liked him, even if he did out of kindness. To Jelani, Noah had claimed he'd wanted the shift so Jelani would owe him a favor, with reluctance, Jelani agreed to give him the shift.

The hallway leading to the basketball court was empty mid-game. Noah followed the siren call of cheers and jeers and plunged in the impressive arena. The crowd clamored and hollered half standing and half sitting in their seats. The court itself boasted a unique design. A giant warship was painted on the floor, representing the Mid City athletics' uprising. Said athletics were decked out in royal blue while the rivals scrambled around them in drab grey.

Noah had no inkling as to the rules of the game. He knew the bouncing on the ball was called dribbles and players scored by putting the ball through hoops. It was a major help there was a scoreboard. Mid City was winning against the Alligators, and the cheerleaders on the sidelines danced and punched the air to the crowds' frantic gusto. Yet Noah's undivided attention went straight to him.

Malik was a display of raw masculine power. He moved with grace, dodging, sprinting, running, and spinning until the ball was his. Once it was in his grasp, it became an extension of Malik's body. They moved in powerful harmony and the Alligators were no match. Malik didn't have skill; he had a passion and a language known only to him and the game.

It took Noah's breath away when Malik crossed the court's floor in seconds and jumped. Noah and the crowd sucked in air, as Malik was suspended in space. The ball went through the hoop with a slam. The crowd went wild, screaming as their beloved team tipped the scales in their favor.

Noah forgot to be overwhelmed by the noise. His heart swelled to see Malik at his happiest smiling at his mates.

Which was why it was horrifying to see the happiness turn to rage.

It happened in a splinter of a second. An Alligator spat at Malik, called him a terrorist, and that the wrong brother had fucking died. 

The crowd began to boo. Leftover food and drinks flew, the coaches called for order.