Ball Or Nothing (2)

(10.)

4 months later...

Jordan

I passed last semester with A's and B's, giving myself a pat on the back for doing so. It was quite hard to get the work done when your boyfriend just couldn't seem to stay away, but when he left for Detroit to train for the NBA, I knew I'd miss him a lot. And so that's exactly what I'm doing.

Right now I'm getting ready to go back to campus. My stuff was packed up and now all we had to do was get it in the car. I got tested for COVID and came up negative. The school required testing before return.

"Ma?!" I exclaim.

"Yeah?" She replies from downstairs.

"Where's my- never mind!"

"What did you need?!"

"Nothing, I got it!"

"Okay!"

I lock my purple iPhone 11 and place it into the back pocket of my jeans. I tape up the last box that's going with me, before sitting on my bare mattress and sighing.

I'm excited to get back to playing basketball, but it's going to be a little weird under these conditions. Getting tested frequently, wearing a mask everywhere. It was suggested that athletes take hybrid courses, but we were definitely offered the option to take virtual. I don't have a problem with either of the options, I just want to take the safer route.

My mom comes up the stairs, standing in my doorway.

"Alright, there should be enough space in the car to store all your shit. All we have to do is actually get it in there." She said, looking around at my boxes. "So I hired some help with the moving process."

I furrow my brows. "Huh?"

"Give me a minute." She said, leaving the doorway.

I look around suspiciously before shrugging. I lay back against my empty mattress, staring up at the ceiling. I'm gonna miss being home, but I'm excited to get back on the court. It's been a minute.

A minute or two would go by before I start to get irritated. Everyone knows that when I'm on my period, I'm very easily irritated. It's just a thing women do when they're menstruating.

I was just about to call out for my mom again when Melo appeared in the doorway.

"Melo!" I sit up and run toward him.

He laughs as I run into his arms. Even though he had a mask on his face, I could still feel his lips on top of my head.

I pull away from him, taking him in.

"You look good." I compliment him.

"Thanks. JJ been hooking me up big time." He said. "The boys out there in Detroit are no joke."

"I bet."

He chuckles. My mom appears on his side.

"How's this for a surprise?" She asks.

"Perfect." I smile up at Melo.

"Thanks Ms. Deborah for pulling this off." Melo exclaimed.

She waved him off. "I'm just tired of seeing her mope around like a sad puppy."

He laughs as I narrow my eyes at her.

"Whenever y'all are ready, we can start getting this stuff loaded into the car. We have quite a ride." She said, leaving us alone again.

I look up at Melo when we're in the clear.

"You're really coming with us?" I ask.

"Yeah. I didn't get to see you off last year because of obvious reasons. But I wanted to be here for this one." He said.