Dominic
" Dominic Steele is by far a great player, and I don't think that his talent should be overshadowed by his father's car-"
As ESPN is muted, I turned to see the guys standing there with a look of disappointment. " Didn't he promise not to watch ESPN after last night's game, Kyler?" Carson turned to Kyler, brows furrowed as he crossed his arms.
"Hmmm," Kyler scratched his chin, staring at the ceiling as he recalled the conversation after our loss. " You know what," he snaps his fingers. " I do recall a conversation that took up the majority of the car ride home. The conversation that happened right after we had to convince him that it was a team loss and not his."
" Key word being TEAM!" Carson shouts. " We said no ESPN after the TEAM loss because lately, they have been dickriding your name till the meat falls off."
"Did we not agree to this?" Carson stresses again.
Throwing my head back, I rest it against the couch as I stare at the ceiling. " Yes, Carson," I mumbled my response, annoyed at myself for having to know what was being said about me and the team.
" Look, Dominic," Kyler sat at the edge of the couch. " We had a lot of turnovers last night, defense was shit. Knowing you, you are probably blaming yourself because of the breakup and dealing with the psycho version of Mariah the Scientist, but we all weren't focused last night. It's not your fault and you need to stop beating yourself up over a washed up college player's opinion."
" Thank you, Kyler," Carson backs him up. " There is a reason why they never stepped foot on an NBA court and frankly, they shouldn't have the balls to speak on your game. Unfortunately, I guess that's how they'll be able to afford rent in this economy."
I laughed as Carson smirked at his own petty joke. Sitting up, I pressed my elbows into my knees as I stared at the horrendous turnover performed by Devin— which was soon followed by him getting fouled out of the game.
" I just feel like my game is off lately. Ever since the breakup and this wack ass contract, I just can't seem to catch a break," I admit. Dealing with the breakup was a toll on my emotions alone, on top of that, filming for Zoya's music video started up.
Every time she touched me, my skin felt like it was being burned off by acid and I had the immediate urge to vomit over that stupid sparkly bikini they'd put her in. If I got told to "look like I enjoyed it" one more time, I was going to lose my shit.
The only person I enjoyed being touched by intimately was all the way in New York. I wish that I could resent her for running— I truly did. But a long time ago, I realized that I could never resent her.
" Fuck all of that!" Kyler smacks his teeth. " Not the break up though. Heal," he points at me sternly. " But aside from the break up, fuck Amerie junior and her whack ass music video. Fuck the contract. Fuck your whack ass agent. And fuck the critics."
" Yeah," Carson backs him up. " Because you know why?"
" Why?" I entertain them.
" Because you, Dominic Steele, are a Dawg. Not a dog... a Dawg!"
" Woof! Woof!" Kyler barks in addition to Carson's hyping.
"And a beast on and off the court! You are a 6'7 beast with the best dunking abilities in our generation! You are greater than all of your haters combined! So from now on, you go out there and you leave it all on the court and give them something to talk about! Cus you're a what?"
" A beast," I answered.
" With some enthusiasm please!" Kyler holds his ear, waving his hand for me to speak up.
" A beast!" I gave in, feeling better and determined.
I couldn't sit and mop about something that I had no control over. But what I could do was take all of that energy and apply it to my game. It could be my motivation instead of a distraction. And even though we weren't together, I knew that she would want me to be at my best. She wouldn't want our breakup to affect my game or let the critics get to me.
" Great! Now get dressed. We are going out for dinner."
" Our treat," Carson adds.
" Both of my boyfriends are treating me to dinner? It's my lucky night," I joked.
" If you say anything we'll deny it," Kyler calls out as I enter my room, shutting the door behind me.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I expect it to be a message from my agent, reminding me that I had to be in L.A after this weekend's game to finish up filming for the music video. On one hand, the video was nearly done. On the other hand, I still had two more months of this ticking contract to fulfill.
Instead, it was a memory from snapchat.
A video of Rhegan dancing in the kitchen of the basketball house after she tried— and failed— at making me breakfast.
She didn't have a cooking bone in her body but it was the thought that counted.
I stared at the screen, emitting a longing sigh for the girl that stole my heart and took it half way across the country when she left. The emptiness that I felt inside was indescribable. It felt like I was going day by day functioning on autopilot and only serving off of the thought that she would come back to me.
That we would be together again one day.
I wasn't one to give up and I wasn't going to give up on her.
Not until I knew that it was really over.
There was no bone in my body that believed that. Not even for a second. Either it was a sock cosmic joke that she came to USC, that we ran into each other again, or it was fate. It was meant to be. One way or another, we always found our way back to each other.
And we would find our way back to each other again.
Rhegan Emilia Clarke, the girl who broke my heart, was my soulmate. The love of my life. I wasn't going to give up on her. I wasn't going to leave her.
" We'll be back," I whispered matter of factly before my screen went black. " We always come back."
I released a heavy sigh as I stalked to my bathroom, undressing and leaving a trail of my clothes behind me. Being a fool in love was really a full-time job. It was more stressful than my actual job and the only reason I put myself through this stress was because the reward was worth the risk.
Stepping into my shower that was nearly scorching hot and could give me third degree burns had I not gotten used to the water temperature that Rhegan insisted on showering in, I let the water trickle over my head down my back and chest. My head was bowed as I palmed the wall and allowed the water to wash over my body as I stood in silence alone with my thoughts.
I wondered what she was doing right now?
I wondered how she was?
My google alerts that Ayanna insisted were a tad bit creepy and stalkerish hadn't gone off since her outing in New York. Ayanna really didn't have any room to talk, Ms. I stalk my friends and family for peace of mind to find my iphone.
Now that was creepy and stalkerish.
More importantly, I wondered if she missed me?
I wondered if she thought about me?
The way we left things off wasn't the best. Rhegan and I, we never argued like that— ever. That was our first real argument and tensions were high and feelings were hurt. As a result, here we were, thousands of miles away from each other and mending broken hearts and living with regrets of that night.
At a certain point, my skin started to look like shriveled up prunes and I took that as my sign to her out of the shower. Rinsing the soap suds off of my body, I stayed a little while longer under the shower head before turning off the water and stepping out. I pulled a towel out of the towel warmer and wrapped it around my waist as I headed out of the bathroom, leaving the door open behind me.
I quickly got dressed and met the guys in the living room. " Where'd you get this?" Kyler pinched the fabric of my bomber jacket. " I tried getting this when it went live but those greedy hating ass bitches sold it out before I could get it."
" They sent it to me," I shrugged. "I just got it like that." I had quickly become a fashion icon in the NBA with my tunnel fits and before I knew it, brands were sending me free shit left and right.
" I need to step up my tunnel fits." Carson and I laughed as Kyler continued muttering behind us the entire way down to the garage. He even went as far as texting Jora for reinforcements. His tunnel fits were just as good as mine, however being a nepo baby did have its perks. I would have told him that was probably a contributing factor as to why they sent me the jacket, especially with all the media attention that I was getting. Seeing him get so riled up over it was just too funny to pass up.
It was my turn to drive today. I got into the driver's seat, allowing Carson to put the location of the restaurant that he and Kyler chose into the navigation as I started up the car. The music blared through my speakers at an ear piercing volume, the bass boomed throughout the car as I looked behind me and checked my mirrors before pulling out of the parking spot.
" Jeez!" Carson turned down the volume, ASAP Ferg's voice getting lower. " At this rate, you are just begging to be partially deaf by the time you hit thirty. I bet your phone even alerts you that the music is too loud when you have your airpods in."
" No." I quickly brushed him off.
" The way you just answered that with a quickness is answer enough," Kyler chuckles from the back seat.
I sucked my teeth as I looked into the rearview mirror, seeing his face light up by his phone as he smiled. " Go back to complaining to Jora about your tunnel fits. Where are we going anyways?" I quickly changed the subject to get the two off of my back.
If I wanted to be informed on the causes of ear damage, I would've called up Marcus or Elizabeth. " STK," Kyler answers. " Your favorite. Now stop being a little bitch and be nice to us for worrying about your health Dominic."
" Pfft. I am perfectly healthy." I was the picture perfect of health according to the team physicians and my doctor. My body is a glorious temple and I treat it as such.
Every morning I had a protein shake before heading to practice. Around noon I had a big lunch that was packed with protein and greens. I rarely did sweets and when I did, it came in the form of a glorious twinkie. Kyler was always in charge of dinner but even then, he ate just as clean as I did.
Of course all of our bodies were different. I was the tallest and bigger than Kyler and Carson. Carson was the shortest but he was a bit more on the lean side. Kyler was a perfect mix.
Thankfully, the conversation shifted from them being worry-warts as we got stuck in a little bit of traffic. " Ayanna's been a bit down lately. She doesn't even want a birthday party this year," Carson says.
" Is it because Rhegan isn't here?" Kyler asked cautiously.
I could feel his eyes briefly land on me as Carson nodded his head. " That and she doesn't feel like being in a celebratory mood when her abuser has been left free to roam the streets. She's just been in this funk ever since I left and it sucks that I can't be there for her like I want too."
Ayanna was good for putting in the front that everything was fine but we knew we knew her well enough to know when she wasn't. I didn't like that she was in the city without our protection. Just knowing that she had Abel, Marcus, Xander, and Haze there to watch over her while we were gone gave me and Carson the tiniest peace of mind but it wasn't enough.
Especially with that lunatic roaming the streets with his slimy self. Even with the restraining order that the court granted, I couldn't help but feel like he was just crazy enough to break it and try something. Hopefully that wasn't the case.
" They should've never let his punk-ass out on bail in the first place. He has two domestic violence cases and restraining orders against him. The courts should've let his ass in a jail cell until his sentencing." Kyler spoke nothing but facts. Why would they allow someone with a bad history back into the streets?
" His dad is like a lawyer or something. Having a son in jail for a domestic violence and drug charge is not a good look for his career or reputation. Clearly saving face is better than disowning your sin for his evil behavior." Carson shakes his head in disgust as he typed away on his phone, probably checking in on Ayanna.
" Now that Rhegan is gone, she's thrown herself into her schoolwork as a distraction," he shuts his phone off. " I think that a Birthday party is exactly what she needs to take her mind off of things."
" Plus, Rhegan would definitely cuss me and my entire legacy via a lengthy text message if I didn't throw her a party." I chuckled, gripping the steering wheel a little bit. Rhegan would rather jump off of a cliff wearing stripes and polka dots than to be one of the reasons that Ayanna didn't have a birthday party.
Part of that was my fault. I drove her to leave.
" What's that look for?" Carson demanded.
Stopping at a redlight, I subtly looked in his direction. " What look?"
Carson squinted his eyes, not buying my act. " That look of guilt. It was subtle but it was there," he says. " You need to stop feeling guilty about her leaving. Look, we all love Rhegan but as your best friend and brother, I am not going to allow you to take in the guilt of her leaving on your own. She's a grown woman, she chose to leave."
" You only told her your truth and if I'm being frank here, it was kind of long overdue." I knew that he was right. Deep down I knew that there was a chance of Rhegan leaving again despite her insistence that she wasn't. Anything wrong could have set that instinct off inside of her to run.
" You take so much on and you blame yourself for it everytime. The game. The critics. The breakup. It all has an effect on you and you need to start realizing that not everything is your fault. You don't have to take the blame for everything."
Carson was right. But it was easier said than done.
From an early age, I blamed myself for a lot of things. For years I blamed myself for my mother's drug addiction. If my mother hadn't met my father, she would have never gotten addicted. Of course I was young and didn't know right from wrong back then. But the older I got and matured, that guilt turned into resentment because she was a grown woman.
She made her choice.
The difference between her and Rhegan was that I understood Rhegan. I expected Rhegan to run.
" Dominic, you just missed the valet entrance." Kyler's voice took me out of my thoughts as I stopped and busted a U turn in the middle of the street. Luckily there were no cops around and the light was red. I quickly pulled in for valet and we got out of the car.
I hand my keys to the valet. " Not a scratch," I gripped the valet's hands, leveling him with a look as he gulped, nodding his head furiously.
" Y-you got it," he stuttered.
" Great," I smiled, patting him on the back as I left him to do his job.
" Damn, Dominic. The poor guy was about to shit himself," Kyler chuckled as we walked into the restaurant.
" Good. He'd better remember that feeling when he parks my car." That car was my pride and joy and if anything happened to it, I was truly going to go over the edge. That car had never let me down.
That car had some great memories.
" Reservation for three under Addams," Carson says to the hostess. The lady behind the desk nods and turns her attention to the tablet. She motions for a waitress to come over and hands her three menus along with a small drink menu.
" Right this way," the waitress says. We follow behind her, entering the brightly lit steakhouse. The waitress led us to a booth and sat the menus down in front of us after we were seated. " My name is Bianca and I will be your waitress for the evening. Would you like a moment to look over the menu."
" Yes." We all answered. She quickly nodded her head before pivoting in her feet and heading towards another table.
" I think that we should hit the gym tomorrow morning," Kyler says.
" We have a game tomorrow." I reminded him.
" Well duh! And we need you to remeber whi the fuck you are. So bright and early, we are hitting the gym."
_______________
True to his word, Kyler woke me up bright and early. At least he was thoughtful enough to make my protein shake for me.
" I need a nap," I huffed as we entered the penthouse, coming down from the upstairs basketball court. " If I am going to be at my best I need at least three full hours of uninterrupted z's."
" If? No," Carson shakes his head, wiping the sweat of his forehead with a hand towel. " You will be at your best. Just block everything out, Dominic."
Block everything out.
Before we retreated to our rooms to take showers and get some rest before the game, Kyler cooked us a breakfast bit enough to feed the entire basketball team. Today we were facing Boston, a rival team and we needed to be at our very best. After this morning's workout, I felt like I was ready to get on the floor and tear it up.
Breakfast was filled with less talking and instead, the sound of us shoveling food into our mouths as we inhaled mass amounts soaked up the silence. " Two snoozes, Dominic!" Carson points at lemme as we walk towards our rooms after breakfast.
Thankfully today was a home game and I could get a longer nap in before we had to leave for the stadium. I depended on these pregame naps like no other. Everybody's rituals on game days were different. My game day ritual solely revolved around sleep.
The more sleep that I got, the more energized I felt.
The better I was going to play.
Tonight, I had to play the best I'd ever played so far in my professional career. Tonight I would give every critic, internet thug, and hater a big fuck you. I was going to dominate in tonight's game with whatever minutes that I was given, I was going to make them count. I knew what I could bring to the table and I was going to be damned if I let that get diminished by a bunch of washed up college players.
She would be disappointed in me if she could see me now.
I couldn't disappoint her.
I'd awoken hours later feeling refreshed and pumped up. I got dressed in a pair of converse, black cargos— you can never have too many, a white graphic t-shirt, and a light washed denim jacket. " Beard looks nice. Fit looks nice. Just go out there and play nice." I gave myself a mini pep talk before walking away from the mirror, turning the lights off in my closet and grabbed my Goyard duffle off of the edge of my bed with all of my necessities.
" Let's go get this dub!" Kyler yells as we walk down the hall to the elevator. " Dub nation! Dub nation! Dub nation!"
Our apartment was only a few blocks away from the stadium. Due to our close proximity, we got there in a short amount of time. We pulled into the parking garage and grabbed our duffles. The media team and other photographers stood along the walkway into the stadium. Camera lights flashed in our faces as Warriors media staff swarmed us for content.
" Make sure you get the fit from all angles," Kyler smiles cockily, proud of his and Jora's team work.
Jesus. He was really going to milk this.
Once inside the stadium, we headed directly towards the locker room. Our other teammates quickly began to file in as we got suited up and ready for the game. " You guys ready to remind Boston who's their daddy?" Devin smirked, looking up from his tied shoes.
" Stop being cocky." Warren snaps Devin with a dry towel.
Devin stands tall, holding his hands up in the air. " Ain't nothing went with being a little cocky."
I chuckled. Devin was extremely cocky and ran his mouth because he actually had the defensive skills to back it up. He was probably one of the most hated guys in the NBA but he was a damn good teammate. He also gave out sole insightful advice. Yeah, his mouth was his downfall but that was just Devin.
Minutes later, Coach made his way into the locker room to inform us that it was our turn to get some practice in before the game starts. The stadium was quickly beginning to fill up as we walked onto the court, preparing to run a few plays. The coaches and assistant coaches ran drills and threw us balls, allowing us to take free throw shots and practice some skips.
" Now half court," Warren instructed Carson.
Carson steps back to the logo, dribbles the ball and sets himself up to throw it. He angles his wrist and with a jump, he lets the balls fly off of his fingertips and by the time his feet are flat on the floor, the ball has gone through the net.
"Beautiful!" Warren claps.
Carson jogs over the ball rack and throws me a ball. I dribble it, taking a running start to the basket, and alley-oop, dunking the ball into the basket. " Woohooo! That was nasty!" The team cheers as I land on my feet.
" Save some of that for the game, Dominic." I smiled, waving off my teammates as I went onto the sidelines, stretching out my muscles to get a bit more loose.
Grabbing my airpod pros off of the seat next to me, I pulled them over my ears and welcomed the sound of an old Tupac song. I watched my team run drills, stretch, and communicate with coaches while I got into my zone.
One thing on my mind: Don't disappoint Ice.
When game time rolled around, I was pumped and ready to go. The team ran out onto the court, the fans cheered for us. I even spotted a few fans wearing mine, Carson's, and Kyler's jersey numbers. This was it. We made it.
Coach kept us benched for the first half of the game. After halftime, he'd subbed me in after one of the vets got into some foul trouble. " Woof! Woof!" Kyler barked as I walked onto the court.
I could hear my heart pounding and the blood rushing in my ears as I got into position. Everything happened so fast.
The hall was coming my way. I got possession of the ball and I was off. One second my feet were planted on the ground. The next, I was flying through the air a—
" DUNK FROM DOMINIC STEELE AND THE CROWD IS ON THEIR FEET!"
HEEYYYY!!!
I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapterrr!!!
Thoughts??
I love you guys!!!
Xoxo, Alexis
Dominic's fits.