Kenya POV-
"K." I heard Odell's voice as he walked through my front door.
"I'm in the room." I yelled back, laying on my bed finishing up my personal statement for my Rhodes application.
I heard him put his stuff down, then he went in the bathroom. He came out, then got on the bed and laid his head on my back.
"Your nugget is hurting me." I said.
"Your thick ass back can take it."
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and kept talking.
"And did you wash your hands?"
"No."
"Get offa me." I shook to move him off.
He laughed. "Yeah girl. I may not wash my dick, but I wash my hands."
"You are so sick and trifling. That's why I had to go with your scary ass to the clinic last year. Cause you nasty."
"I didn't have nothing tho."
"You are such a disgrace to man-kind. You and them dusty bitches you be fucking."
"What you doing?" He turned his head to look at the computer, still with his head on my back.
"I'm applying to be a Rhodes Scholar."
"What's that some type of science thing?"
"No. It's like a prestigious program that lets you study in Oxford, England for two years."
"Why you wanna go all the way to England?"
"What do you mean, why do I want to go. Some of the top people in their field do this."
"But it's gonna be my first year in the NFL."
"So I'm supposed to center my life around you?"
"Basically."
"Odell goodbye."
He laughed. "No that's cool. I'll be up there as soon as the off-season or we get a break."
"Who says you're invited?"
"That's automatic. Any place you live is mine."
"If you say so." I said typing.
"I got your tickets for the game tomorrow. I'll leave them out if you not up, when I leave."
"I can't make it O. I got to finish this app. The deadline is coming up."
"Kenya don't play with me." He said serious.
"I'm not." I said messing with him. He was so sensitive when it came to me missing games.
"This my first fucking game of senior year before I go to the NFL. Don't play with me."
"I'm sorry that my future is more important than your first game."
He looked at me. Then got up.
"Are you really upset?"
He left out the room. Grabbed his stuff in the front and slammed my door leaving out.
I laughed so hard. Does he really think I would miss his first game of his last season?
The due date for my app was coming up, but I am a planner and I planned accordingly.
And what he didn't know, is the essay I was writing for my app was about him.
It said "If you could be anybody for one day, who would you be?"
I chose Odell. Mainly because he was one of the hardest working people I knew. I worked mentally hard.
But to see his physical work. Getting up at 3am to run until his legs gave out. Even when he's hurting pushing himself to the limit. I wanted to know what that type of work felt like.
Of course I'm too lazy to actually try it in real life, but I'm never short of amazed at his physical strength. His will to succeed on the field. And his confidence, that he would not only play in the NFL, but impact the game in a historical way.
I would never tell him any of this. His ego is already big, but yeah deep down, he's my hero. And he never ceases to amaze me.
I finished typing a rough draft of my essay. I thought O would call by now, but he didn't. 🙄
I called him. He sent me straight to voicemail.
I called him again. Same thing.
I texted him.
Me: So you not my Bestfriend no mo? 😔
O: 🖕🏿
Me: 😂😂 you are so petty
O: you think this shit is a joke.
Me: because it is. What home game have I ever missed. 🤔
O: 🖕🏿
Me: 😂😂😂 when you get out your feelings, leave my tickets in my mailbox please, thank you. Petty Labelle.
He didn't respond. I wasn't worried. I put up my laptop and went to sleep.
----
I got up and got ready for O's game. I put on his jersey he gave me, I always wear for games.
I looked at the time, locked up rushed downstairs. I looked in my mailbox, the tickets were there. Brandon couldn't go, so I would be solo with this one.
I drove to Death Valley, showed my pass O gave me, parked in the special
Lot for players and their family. Then made my way inside. But I wanted to stop at the locker room to see him first.
I made my way to the locker room. I waited outside of it.
"Hey K." Marcus O's teammate said going in.
"Hey can you tell O I said come out here."
He nodded and went inside.
A few minutes later, O came out fully dressed, just without a helmet.
"You still on your petty today?"
He tried to act like he wasn't happy to see me.
"I don't talk to groupies." He said putting on his gloves.
"The only person I'm a groupie for his Jarvis Juice Landry." I said getting some lint out his hair.
"What do you want?" He said with an attitude.
"Stop acting like you're not happy to see me."
"I'm not. I could care less."
"Yeah them tickets was in my mailbox tho. Un huh ."
He laughed.
"Exactly. Anyway, I wanted to wish you a great game. Play your heart out as you do every game. And Know I'm proud of you ugly."
"Proud of you too. Even though your edges nappy."
"Whatever. And since your game would be nothing without me." I took both his hands one by one and kissed his gloves. "Maybe you can catch some passes instead of dropping them, this season."
He laughed. "Now I'm cursed."
"Watch that's gon bless you. Anyway, love you."
"Love you too."
We hugged. He kissed my cheek.
And I went to go find my seat.
This was the last flashback guys. Thank you guys for being so into them.
So how did they change your perspective of the story or the characters?