Page 18 of Love & Streetball

“Sure,” she shrugged. “I don’t want that nice car smelling like onions.”

She followed me to the bench. As we sat and I started pulling the tacos wrapped in foil out of the bag, I said, “Look, if we’re gonna be best friends…”

“Excuse me?” she squeaked out. “Don’t let Vani hear you say that.”

I guffawed with my head thrown back. “Maaan say, so you can’t have more than one best friend?”

Slim shook her head. “I don’t know you. We’re two different people from two different sides of the track. You won’t get me like Vani does.”

I poured green sauce on all four of my tacos. “How do you know? I might get you more than Vani does.”

“I doubt it,” she replied before biting a taco. Slim’s eyes lit up. She covered her mouth. “These are really good.”

“You’ve never had street tacos?” I quizzed.

“No.”

I nodded. “So you wear size eight in shoes, and you like these tacos. Noted.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Don’t buy me shoes, Kane.” Slim took a sip of her horchata, her eyes scanning the area.

I wanted to tell her that she was safe here, but I didn’t want to offend her again. I can tell Slim was rough, but she had a sensitive side to her as well.

“What else do you like to do besides ball?” I asked, changing the subject because I planned on buying her shoes anyway. I had access to plenty of money, and I had some saved from an allowance I get a week…a very generous allowance…where I wouldn’t even miss the money.

Slim shrugged, picking up her second taco. “That’s really it.”

“Aight. Then what’s your favorite color?”

“Blue. Yours?”

“Green,” I answered. “What college do you plan on attending?”

“To be honest, any college that will give me a basketball scholarship with a full ride. I can’t afford college without it, and I want to go to the WNBA. I want to be as good as Aja Wilson.”

I nodded. “You will be. Maybe better.”

That had Slim cracking a shy smile.

“Hey Stone!”

I looked up to see a few guys from my basketball team over at the taco truck. Conley, a white boy that was also known as a class clown, approached the table with a slick smirk.

“Well who do we have here?” He poked, grilling Slim. “Ain’t this the girl from Love Heights High? The one from the dirty side of town?”

“Back the fuck off,” I warned Conley.

He looked back at his boys that were with him and laughed. “Oh,” he started again, throwing both hands up. “Is this a date?”

Conley was being bold right now. He never tried playing with me like this in school. It was then when I realized the taunting wasn’t for me. It was for Slim. She hadn’t paid Conley no mind. Slim continued to eat her last two tacos.

“Damn, she can’t talk?”

“I don’t do too much talking where I’m from,” Slim warned him, still not looking up.

“Ghetto ass,” Conley mumbled.

Slim hopped up and stole off on Conley. She punched him in his nose and it immediately started to leak. When he reached up to grab it, she clocked him in his eye. I leaped up, and grabbed Slim when the rest of the guys jogged over.