Surprise! Enjoy an extra update because I love you guys and I love this story. ❤️
———
"Superstar!" Jo sighs as she hears him, dribbling away up the court instead, taking an easy layup.
"You fighting with your dad?" A'ja cocks an eyebrow at her as she catches the ball falling through the hoop.
"I'd rather not talk to him right now, no." She shrugs, reaching her right hand up to massage against her left shoulder, it had been overly stiff since their game in LA a couple weeks back, and the layup had reminded her of that.
"Don't let him ruin your game, JP. Team Wilson needs your offensive power to help us win today."
"I'm trying not to let him get in my head. Part of me wishes this wasn't happening in Chicago so he wouldn't have been able to come. But today is a culmination of all my own hard work, setbacks, and dreams, so I'm playing today for me."
"Good, that's who you should be playing for everyday, Jordan. Don't let that old hardass man you call dad change that."
"Thanks." Jo chuckles, grateful when Coach Hammon calls her over so she can continue to ignore her dad for a bit longer.
"JP, what's up with your shoulder? You've been favoring it for weeks now. Do we need to get you scanned?" Coach asks as soon as she gets to her.
"It's just tight, and we haven't been in Vegas long enough to get it fully worked out with the trainers. I'll be fine." She answers quickly.
"Don't lie to me if it's hurt, Jordan. We need you for playoffs next month, if we need to sit you now let's do it."
"I'm fine, if it's still bugging me next week we can figure something out."
"This isn't the pressure you put on yourself talking, right? You're not ignoring it to make dad proud?"
"Are my daddy issues everyone's business now?" Jo rolls her eyes.
"Multiple of your teammates have warned me to watch you as the season progresses because he gets harsh and borderline abusive with the pressure he puts on you. They and I are here to look out for you, JP, even if your dad is putting other thoughts in your head. If you're injured, let's work on getting you healthy before it takes you out for a season or more."
"I know." Jo sighs, "When we get back to Vegas next week we can worry more about it, I don't think it's a big deal yet. It really does just feel tight."
"Shoot right then."
"I'm way less accurate with my right." She frowns.
"Your way less injured on your right." Coach shrugs.
"I can't do that, not when I finally made it to All Star weekend." Jo fights back.
"If I see you so much as wince, you're sitting your ass on the bench for the rest of the game. I'm not playing with injury here, Jordan, not on one of my best players."
"I won't wince." Jordan shrugs, turning back to the court and asking for a ball, taking a shot from behind the arc, watching it fall easily through the hoop as she bites back a wince, turning to smile at her coach instead.
"I'm watching you, Plum." Couch shakes her head, clearly not happy with where their conversation ended.
***
"With another JP Jumper Team Wilson takes a nineteen point lead behind Plum's 27 points with thirty seconds left in the game." The announcer calls out over the noise of the crowd. Jo runs back on defense, watching Stewie take a shot that bounces out, A'ja catching the rebound as she sprints back the other way.
YOU ARE READING
End Game
Fanfiction"Everything in my life has always been a game, a goal, or a distraction. So which one are you?" "A game." Michael answers confidently. "So the truth comes out..." Her tone quite clearly tells him how hurtful she found his response. "Let me finish...
