Page 61 of High Baller

Trey got back from training later than I thought, as the team had a few other meetings to go to. By the time he got home, he only had time for a shower before we had to leave for his mum’s. Derek and Ariel have come with us, and I'll admit that my first night seeing Trey, this isn’t what I had planned—very far from this. The night was planned to be naked in his bed and doing a lot of cardio.

“Shorty, I’m right here,” Trey assures me, and gives me a kiss. “I’m not gonna lie, this is gonna be a hard dinner, and just remember I love you.” I’m not sure who’s more scared about this dinner, Trey or me. He's been giving me tips in the car on how to handle his mum and sister.

“I love you too,” I say as Derek knocks on the door. I let go of Trey’s hand, and he gives me a look. “I don’t want your—”

He starts laughing. “Shorty, you could stand on the other side of street, that’s still not going to help.”

“Before we go in, can I ask you something? If you know that your mum isn’t going to like me, then why are we doing this? I thought your mum’s—”

“Shorty, you might not be what my ma wants, but you’re what I want. You’re the girl I want next to me, you’re the girl that I want to make smile, to make happy everyday. So, please, can we get through the nigh? After tonight, and my Ma realizes that I’m not leaving you, she'll come around.” Trey leans down and gives me a kiss. He's about to make his mum angry for me, which only means one thing for me. No matter what, she’s not going to like me. Trey pulls away from me when we hear someone coughing. “Ma, beautiful as always.” Trey gives her a kiss. “Ma this is Sky, Sky this is my ma.”

I walk over to her. “So nice to meet yo—” I bite my bottom lip as Trey’s mum refuses to acknowledge me, and walks into the house, I look over at Trey who’s shaking his head.

“Ma, you can at least give her a chance.”

“I said yes to dinner, didn’t I?” I hear her say as I follow Derek into the kitchen. She isn’t going to invite me in or tell me where to go, so I might as well just follow them.

Trey stands next to me, his arm around my waist, comforting me.

“You have a lovely home, Mrs. King.” I tell her as she walks around the kitchen. “And dinner smells lovely.”

“Oh, so the whore made it—”

“Madison, will you stop with that?” Trey snaps. “After eight weeks, you'd think you'd get over it already.”

She looks me up and down. “You'd think with all the sexy black women out there—”

“If you’re not going to say anything nice,” Trey cuts in, “don’t say anything.”

This is going to be one long night. I’ve been here less than a minute, and I've been called more things than in my whole life. Trey’s mum puts a glass of coke in front of everyone but me. I take in a deep breath and look at Trey as he passes me his drink.

“My son said that you’re a flight attendant, when do you leave?” Trey’s mum asks. I know that wasn’t a question to ask about my job, more like when will I leave Trey alone.

“Tuesday. Trey wanted me to stay for the first game,” I answer, but she’s not listening to a word I’m saying as she walks around mixing up whatever it is she's cooking.

“Trey, I have dinner with my friends from church on Wednesday, do you have a game?”

“Ma, you know what days I have a game, and the answer is still no.”

I give Trey a small nod and walk over to Ariel and Derek.

Derek wraps his arm around me. “Come on, where’s the fight you had when we first met?”

“You’re his manager, that's his mother. I don’t think she'll like me telling her to… I’m not going to win tonight, am I?”

“No.” That one word from Derek tells me I can sit in the corner and just let the night play out. “Sky, I know that they'll come around. I’m rooting for you,” he tells me and I look over at Trey talking to his mum.

“Would you like some wine?” Jade hands me a glass. At least she and Tracy like me.

“Do you have the bottle? I think I’m going to need it.” I take the glass from her, down the contents, then hold my glass out for her. “I think I need a refill.”

Jade starts laughing as she fills my glass. “My mother will come around. Right now, she thinks you want his money and fame, and the fact you’re white doesn’t help.” Jade starts laughing some more. “Once she sees that you’re with Trey, for Trey, I know that she'll like you.”

“Hey, Sky, so nice to see you again.” Tracy gives me a hug. “You look shorter than last time I saw you.”

“I think you’ve grown,” I tell him. “So, how’s school going? The last we spoke, you said you were finding math hard.” I told him that I could help him as I was really good at it, but I haven’t really seen him since then with traveling back and forth.

“I have a test next week. Do you think you could quiz me?”