Swish

Timeout - Eli

"Nice, Pat! That's looking better every time I see it."

Patrick stopped mid run on his way to retrieve the ball from where it had dropped into the net just a few seconds earlier and upon closer inspection and realizing who had just yelled out at him, his face broke into a wide, smug grin.

"No way. I think I'm seeing things. Wilt, Miles, look who finally decided to show his sorry face!"

I laughed as my friends ran up to me to give me shit for not coming to visit more often. It wasn't like I didn't want to come visit more often, I was just busy out in L.A. working on endorsement campaigns and practicing with a few different teams in California to get a feel for each team until I decided on what I was going to do...or rather, what they were going to do. Once I was drafted, I didn't really have a choice where I wanted to go, but I knew which teams had an eye out for me, and most were in California.

As the days counted down to the draft, I figured I'd stop by and visit my old teammates, seeing as they didn't really ever go home.

The guys rented out apartments year round near the school and continued using the gym even in off season, and I was almost a little jealous that they were sticking with it for two more years, even if I was off to go and do 'bigger and better things' according to my agent.

I didn't let on the real reason I had come back to Miami with my team, though. They knew I had family there, but not that I was worried about my little sister, Elodie. My stepfather, Jay, had grown more and more controlling with her, not letting her wear makeup or go out on weekends, or ever really leave the house unless it was to school.

Ever since I had shut him out at the gathering before the charity basketball game where everything had blown up with V and her father, Jay had shut me out, and while normally that would've made me happy to drop him altogether, it made me worried for Elodie.

He'd never shut me out because I was the Kidd that he was trying to live vicariously through, but since he couldn't use me as his claim to fame, I figured he was going to use Elodie to latch onto and control like he'd done with me. I thought it would be different since she was his flesh and blood, but if the faint bruises I noticed on her cheek the last time we'd video called were anything to go by, I was dead wrong, and Jay wouldn't know what hit him when I called social services on him and my mother.

Once I signed a lucrative contract and could prove how much money I would be making in the NBA and bought a house with a steady and safe environment for my little sister, surely a judge would put her in the care of her brother who would take better care of her than her shitty, abusive parents ever could.

One step at a time. I had a few hours before I was due to show up at their house, and I wanted to catch up with the guys.

"How you been man? I mean, we saw you on TMZ the other day with that supermodel! Come on, you gotta hook us up with her friends! Isn't she a Victoria's Secret Angel?"

I rolled my eyes at Patrick's words. Ever since he had seen the truth about Maddie, he'd been girl crazy, in more ways than one. He didn't sleep around, but he was never like that anyway. He was more desperate for a relationship than anything, if his late night heart to hearts while he was drunk off wine coolers was anything to go by.

"Nah, there's nothing going on there, we were just leaving the club at the same time and people drew their own conclusions. I'm not with anyone right now."

Wilt coughed but he did it to disguise the word, "Liar", and I threw him a wry smirk after I used my hand to hit the back of his head.

"I'm serious. I don't have time for that shit anyway."