Page 45 of Love & Streetball

“One-one,” he exhaled.

We played like that for what felt like hours when in reality it was just thirty minutes tops. It was just the sound of us breathing hard, our sneakers on asphalt, the rhythmic bounce of the ball, the clang of the rim, and the swish of the net. It was a tie game. 11-11. I had the ball.

Kane was behind me , my back to his front. He was a little too close. I could feel him breathing down my neck. Dribbling hard, I backed him under the hoop. Kane was stronger than me, but I was quicker. Spinning, a move I’d been practicing a lot, I created just enough space to get off a shot. The ball rolled around the rim before dropping through the net.

Leaning over with my hands on my knees, my chest heaved, I’d won.

“You got better. A lot better,” Kane said softly. “Hungry?”

I shook my head. “Not really.”

“Can we go hang at your place? I know Mama misses me too.” He smiled, picking up the ball.

“Don’t call my mama, mama, boy,’ I laughed, “and you said too like I missed you.”

Kane shoved me. “You did.” We grabbed our clothes. My body was still hot to put the hoodie back on so I tucked it under my arm, and snatched my ball from Kane. “I missed you, and you missed me.”

My heard did some weird shit like hammer against my ribs. I couldn’t even find something smart to shoot back. I just pressed my lips together. We walked side by side to his car…a new car. The black Bentley was a graduation gift from his parents.

“I guess we can hang. Grab you something to eat.”

Mama was home and she was very excited to see Kane. He parked his car right in front of the house. That night of his prom when he left his car in front of my house, it was untouched the next morning. It was said that word went around that it wasn’t supposed to be touched. That he was Vani’s homeboy. That meant something in the hood.

Kane and my mama talked for a bit before she was off to work. Kane sat at the table eating his fish and salad while I showered. The hot water washed all the weird thoughts I was having about Kane. I could admit those feelings in this tight space and under this water spout. I couldn’t look at him like this. I wasn’t even interested in…anyone. He was just cute, I told myself. Nothing more.

When I came out, wrapped in a towel, Kane was walking down the hallway. I froze. My feet wouldn’t let me run back in the bathroom. His eyes met my probably horrified ones. His eyes swiftly rolled over me and then he looked away, jaw tight. I saw his Adam’s Apple bob.

“My fault,” he muttered. He turned and strolled back to the front and I scurried to my bedroom, locking the door behind me.

After drying off, I pulled on some loose sweatpants and a sports bra, then pulled a wrinkled shirt over my head. I removed the hair tie and shook my locs. I glanced at my appearance in the mirror. I never just looked at myself and wondered if I was pretty. Mama said it all the time of course, but I was her daughter and I looked just like her.

Kane was on his phone when I came back out, he didn’t even look up when I rounded the couch and plopped down beside him. I pulled my legs to my chest.

“You want to go do some fun shit tomorrow?” he quizzed.

“Like what?”

“We can go to the zoo or arcade,” Kane suggested. He still wouldn’t look at me.

I nodded. “Okay. While you’re heeeere, you want to do a game in Dreamview with me?”

Kane groaned and ran a hand down his face. “I wasn’t trying to, but if you need me, Slim…I’ll do it.”

I nodded. “I do need you. Jalen said one of the guys can’t do it.”

“I gotchu just to make sure you safe. Dreamview and nothin’ to fuck with.”

I giggled. “You cuss so bad now.”

Kane grinned. “Really bad.” We laughed. “When you go to LGU, the streetball gotta stop, Slim. You gon’ be on the right path for the WNBA.

I cocked my head to the side with a lil smile on my lips. “You think I’ma go pro?”

Kane smacked his lips and squinted his eyes with his head reared back. “Do I think you going pro? I know you are. They’ll be crazy not to have you, Slim. You’d do some damage for any team you on, bro.”

I looked down at my knees, still smiling. It felt good to know someone else believed in me that wasn’t my mama.

“What about you? Still thinking about the NBA?” I asked him, pulling my knees closer to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs.