(Damon Grey)
"Guys!" I say calling my basketball players to huddle together.
"Yes, Coach," said Deandre, a sixteen-year-old player, answered with a mouth guard coming out of his mouth. The rest of them followed behind him like a band of horses. They were sweaty and out of the breath. It looked like they were desperately playing hard to get their heads in the game. Their eyes looked like they wanted to fall out of their sockets.
It was starting to scare me.
"Take a break." I blew the whistle allowing the guys permission to relax.
"Coach Grey!" One of yelled across the court on they're way towards the restroom. "My mom said thank you for keeping me on the team."I didn't know who it was until their voice became more recognizable. Raymond Guzman, one of the greatest players on the team. He's the star player. He gets a lot of attention from the girls, his teammates, and scouts who drop by the gym to check him out. Recently, he's been in a lot of trouble with outsiders. It is always those kids who have nothing going for them who bring down other kids trying to make a difference in their lives. Raymond is one of those kids who would die to be a basketball player and because of his gang-related past, it caught up to him. He was still getting involved with those outsiders. I told him in order to be on the team he had to throw his gang life away. Luckily, he left it behind.
I nodded my head smiling at Raymond. He's tall. The last time I measured his height he was six-foot-two. But now he's probably six-foot-three or four. These boys keep growing and growing. No matter how old I get, I feel like these boys grow with me.
"No problem Ray." I threw my clipboard on the bench and tossed my glasses in my gym bag.
"So," the voice of a woman echo's through the gym. "Did you miss me?"
I turned, picking up the basketballs off the ground.
"What do you want Nora?"
"Nun, just checking on you."
"You're annoying, you know that."
"Only in your eyes."
"Can you get that for me," I said pointing at a basketball rolling by her feet. She picks it up bending over and while she was bending over, Deandre comes out of the locker room.
"Oh shit, Coach Grey gotta girl." A few of his teammates appearing behind him catcalled repeating the same thing. Nora turns around, with her hand on her chest and the other covering her mouth.
"I'm sorry, what?" she said giving a displeased facial expression.
"She's fine too," said Deandre.
"Ay, ay guys. Her name is Nora and she's my cousin."
"Oh, ma fault. I mean, good afternoon Ms. Nora." Nora didn't bother to shake hands with the poor boy.
"Nora, you are so gorgeous, can I make you my wife?" Nora laughed at Deandre.
"How old are you?" she asked still giggling.
"Sixteen, but I'm turning seventeen this August. Next year I'll be legal, can you wait for me by then so I can treat you like a queen?"
"Deandre," I said looking at him with my brows furrowed."Get out of here. Go do some push-ups or something."
"Aw, you are so cute," Nora added giving Deandre a hug."Maybe I will."
"Aye, my son Deandre. Yo, get that number too." his friends added giving him motivation.
"Alright, wash off," I warned the boys. Deandre winks at Nora while he runs backward.
"Aw, they're so cute." Nora pleads as if she's seen the cutest dog in her life.
"Don't flatter yourself," I said.
"Damn, do I smell a hater?"
"A High Schooler hitting on you, priceless," I tease. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I came by to ask you if you'd like to be part of the audience during my show."
"You're performing? Where?"
"Marie Antoinette on broadway. It'll be in the city. Times Square. I got the leading role of Marie. Can you believe it? I got the fucking part!" she said pulling me into a hug.
"Oh, that's great, congrats. Of course, I'd like to be there."
"Awesome. I thought you'd want to hear it in person," she looks down at the floor. She lifts her head up as her smile became wider that I can see both her bottom and top teeth." So here I am mother fucker!" she yelled pushing me on the bench with force.
"Yeah, believe me, I can feel your energy!" I said wincing in pain. I grabbed my shoulder making sure she didn't knock any important joints out of place. Her phone rang. Immediately she's distracted by the call and ignores me while I'm dying over here on the bench.
"Yes, okay, I'll check you later," she said ending her conversation quicker than I thought. She digs in her purse while mumbling a chorus of words that I have no knowledge of. "Damon, here are the tickets," I grab the ticket from her looking at the basic detail. "It's tonight, don't be late okay. I have to go to rehearsals!" She dashes out holding her dress in place and out the double-doors she burst right through.
"It's tonight?" I yell sounding out of life. I hoped it would be some other day. I looked at the ticket in my hand. Another one popped up. I didn't even notice she gave me two. Did she know that I might invite someone? Did she do this on purpose?
____
The thought of going by myself to Nora's show tonight might not be a bad idea. Although bringing someone along would be even better.
I hope she invited Kurt, her mom, or anybody else related to me.
Probably friends too, but then I remembered Nora doesn't socialize much with strangers. Yet alone build a relationship. I'm all she's got. Even though she's my annoying cousin, she's also my best friend.
The clock ticks and tocks every minute. I couldn't decide whether if I should put the extra ticket to good use.
What are you doing Damon? Just go already.
I picked up my phone and dialed Jaide's number. It rang three times. I'd expect her not to answer but then her voice traveled through the wires and my body went off like a school bell.
"Jaide."
"Yes," she replies.
"Do you want to go out to the city to see a play on broadway tonight?"
"Me?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, that seems wonderful. Yes, I'd like to join you." Oh, thank God.
"Great, I'll pick you up," when her voice started cracking, I told her to wait and not hang up."Jaide, what time do you think you'll be ready?"
"It's seven-thirty right now. I think I'll be ready by eight-thirty or forty-five, is that too long?"
"No," Yes! "Just call me back when you're done, princess."
____
I waited for Jaide inside my car immovable, looking at myself and daydreaming through the rearview window. I paused in time and moved again like a robot in action. I blinked his eyes constantly as they were beginning to dry. The street lights covered each car in a triangular gyration. It seemed as if each car had its own spotlight.
"Ah cmon Jaide," I said. Again, immovable. I began daydreaming about Jaide. I looked at my leather dashboard and her face appeared like a fading mist of smoke. I thought about her twice, three times when I first met her. I only messed around with her once and that was yesterday.
"Shun that house," I whispered with my eyes closed. Jaide opens the car door and plops herself onto the passenger's seat. Wrapping her seatbelt around her chest she looks at me with a smile.
"What?" She responded as her rosy cheeks lit up with embarrassment. I was shocked. I didn't see this coming. She looks so good. I looked at my watch and noticed the time.
"Nothing." I started the engine and drove off.
"I never got to ask you this but what do you do for a living?" she asks.
"I'm a high school basketball coach and I do Real Estate!" I looked at her from the corner of my eye. "What about you?"
"Musician. I like making music you know, just strumming my guitar and humming the melody." I smirked at her hands as she pretended she was playing an actual guitar. I can visualize her in her bedroom holding one between her fingers figuring out the right notes to play.
"That's great. I love music as well but I never took an interest in playing an instrument."
"Why?"
"Ball was life and it still is."
"Aha. I mean, that would explain why you're a basketball coach."
______
An hour had passed by. We finally arrived at the theater. We stood at the front entrance holding each other's hand. She stood close to me like she was afraid of being lost.
"Times Square reminds me why I stay in my house," she complained.
"Aha, why?"
"Too close. Everything is so cluttered."
"DAMON!" Nora yelled from behind a security guard tall as a beanstalk with his hands in front of him and a mean mug on his face. Immediately he pushes her back they had a quick talk through. He lets me inside while other people behind us are still purchasing their tickets or either trying to get in line in order to come in. "Oh my God, Damon you came!" she grabs me coming forward chest to chest for a hug.
"How did you see me through the crowd of people?"
"I know your big head when I see it, Day." She stops laughing and looks at Jaide giving her a welcoming glance. Jaide does the same thing opening her arms to hug Nora.
"I'm Jaide, you must be Nora." she squints her eyes making sure she got Nora's identity correct.
"Yes, I am, fortunately. You must be Damon's new girlfriend."
"Yet, not yet!" Jaide adds.
A man with a clipboard had a Bluetooth in his ear by an exit doorway beckoning at Nora. Nora quickly shook hands with Jaide and waved goodbye to me running backstage with a wig in her hand.
"Well, then, shall we?"I guided Jaide towards the auditorium doors and out came an exhausted sound of screams and chaotic audience members patiently waiting for the play to begin.
_____
After the play was over, I left Nora backstage in the theater. I already knew what I wanted to do with Jaide after the play.
I drove back quickly avoiding any trauma that might jinx our date.
She told me she wanted to go to my house to finish what we started.
Turning off the engine, I aggressively pulled out the keys but her hands grabbed mine. We locked eyes. I wonder why she did that in the first place.
"Damon," she says slowly taking off her seat belt.
"Jaide." I mocked her tone.
"Let's stay out here for a while."
"Why?" she didn't answer me. She leans towards my face and lays a kiss on my neck. She gives me more and more kisses coming back and forth for my neck and lips.
I grabbed her neck. She looks like a criminal who's being punished for all the crime she's committed and off to hell, she goes. But in my imagination, I turn into Lucifer and she must suffer for sinning.
"Stop teasing Jaide. Do you know that I will fuck the shit out of you?"
"You've done it before. You can do it again. Actually, I would love for you to do it again."
She begins to unbuckle my pants. I usually close my eyes during this process but I watched her as if she was my slave doing what I want her to do.
"I want to fuck your mouth," I said seductively pulling out my penis out of my boxer shorts.
She bends her head down and takes me in her mouth. She starts doing these oscillating patterns and sucking noises.
I could tell it was her first time doing it because her sucking was a little off.
"Am I doing okay?" she asks looking up. I held her face and moved a strand of hair away from her eyes.
"You don't have to go so fast. Take your time, I'm not going anywhere." She listens to me and I mean listen by taking slow motions licking and kissing the head of my penis. Not only did it made me extremely aroused, but she made me forget what sex with Audrey is like.
She starts doing deeper and harder strokes with her mouth that any second now I might explode.
Just as I was about to cum quick, she stops, looks me in the eyes, wipes her mouth and pushes her hair back.
I fluster and disappointed that she would disobey me. I didn't tell her to stop.
"You didn't think I would let you cum, did you?" she takes my house keys, struts a catwalk out of the car, and walks into my home as if she lived there.
"Bitch. . ." I didn't mean it in a rude way but why would she suck my penis so well and suddenly stop me from ejaculating.
I was moments away from telling her to swallow my kids.