Page 55 of Love & Streetball

Kane knew I had a car which I’d drove over here with Mama. She had my keys in her purse.

“I guess you can take the car home and I’ll be there later,” I let her know. “I’ll bring you a plate home from wherever we eat at.”

Mama hugged me and again, letting me know how proud she was of me. After hugging Kane again, too, she left.”

“I’m ready to get out of this gown,” I sighed as I walked side by side Kane.

“You wearing a dress?” He smirked.

I scoffed. “Just because Mama made me. She thought I was going to wear some heels, but that was where I drew the line I don’t even know how to walk in them.”

We laughed. I glanced down at my feet and the horrible job I did at painting my toes with white polish. They were stuffed in black sandals from Walmart that I ran and bought this morning, at the last minute.

As we walked toward the exit, I peeled out of my gown.

“Kane!”

Even though it wasn’t my name being called, I turned my head to the high-pitched voice. A pretty girl in a short black dress bounced in our direction with a big ass smile on her face. I heard Kane groan.

The girl ran up and hugged him, and Kane patted her back like a child. I looked away, chuckling.

“Oh my gooosh! All those tattoos!” the girl gushed. “Dang!” Kane had yet to say anything to her. Slowly, her head turned to me as if she just realized Kane was not alone. “Oh. Is this your cousin or something?” She knew damn well who Slim was.

“Or something,” I muttered, tucking my gown under my arm.

“Kayla, this is my best friend, Scottie,” Kane introduced.

“Best friend?” she cackled sarcastically with a snort to it. “Since when? While we were dating…”

“We’ve never dated, Kayla. Stop being delusional as fuck,” Kane retorted.

My eyes grew wide. Kane’s changed. He was a little…mean now. Even Kayla’s head reared back because she too was shocked.

“We fucked,” she said with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest. “Does she know that.”

“He said we were friends. Why would I need to know that?” I shot out. “Weird ass.”

I walked off. It was too hot to be standing here. I left Kane, but when I turned around he was right behind me. The Kayla girl stood with her jaw on the floor. I smiled.

16

First semester was over with, and I’d been in Heart Heights for two weeks now. I hadn’t told Slim because the feelings I had for were still there. I’d been chilling, hanging out around the house with my folks when they were home. When I walked in the house with a body full of tattoos, my dad had to catch the wall because he almost passed out. It took a minute for him to spit out his words and when he did, he let loose. That didn’t change the fact that I was lit up with ink, so I let him get that shit off his chest. I was no longer a kid, and I had my own life. I wasn’t going to school on his dime. I had a full ride to LSU. When my dad left to golf with his buddies, Mama looked over my body, fascinated.

Kayla approaching me at the graduation and trying to make it known to Slim that we’d fucked, blew me. I wasn’t the same Kane a year ago in high school. The old Kane let shit roll off. Now, I wasn’t with the foolery.

I was on Slim’s tail, hypnotized by the sway of her hips. She was pretty as fuck with her locs neatly retwisted and down, the white dress hugged her body perfectly, and I knew she despised that shit. Even with no makeup, Slim was eating the girls up. She was just naturally beautiful…just a fucking tomboy.

When we made it outside the gym, I placed my hand on the small of her back to lead her in the direction of where I parked. Slim tensed up under my head and nudged me away with her elbow.

“Aight, bruh,” I laughed.

I unlocked the car when we grew closer to it. It was May, and about ninety degrees outside right now. Slim adjusted the vents on her side as soon as air began to blow out.

“Who taught you how to drive?” I quizzed once we started moving. We couldn’t go anywhere right away since everyone was trying to leave at the same time.

“Mama,” she answered. “It took two of her off days and then a third to go take the test.”

“And you used the money from street ball to pay for the car?”