Just Like Me: Jordan Poole

15

"He's getting traded." Janine slammed her fist on the table. "I've got to trade him now. Having sex, Destiny? I give you a little bit of freedom and you have a pregnancy test in your trash can two days when you got back from your tour of France?"

Destiny looked at the pregnancy test then back at Janine. "At least it's negative."

"He's got you running around like some whore and you have no problem with it." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You do not see Jordan again. You do not leave this house."

"Fine." Destiny stood, walking towards the stairs.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Janine yelled. "Where are you going?"

She turned on her heel. "If you're gonna throw that in my face every single time you see something that's completely normal with me and Jordan, I may as well tell him now."

"Premarital sex is normal?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Yes! If that's what I want to do then that's why I'm going to do."

"Then get the hell out of my house!"

Destiny squinted her eyes before relaxing. "Okay."

Janine was in her head once again after going through Destiny's trash and finding a pregnancy test. The reason for Janine to go through Destiny's trash, no one knew but she'd done it and now Destiny had to leave as if she didn't already have a million reasons to.

Janine watched her youngest daughter stalk up the stairs before turning to Joe. "This is your fault."

"Jan."

"No!" She held a hand up. "You let Ryan move to Paris, you let Jalen go to college, and then you let Destiny starting speaking to that ball player and now we have no control."

Joe stood up. "Janine. Let me get a few things understood with you."

"I don't want to hear it."

"You will hear it." Joe grabbed her arm. "My children have as much access to my house as they want and they always will. That doesn't change for you or anyone. Destiny won't be going anywhere."

Janine grew spiteful. "Our house."

"My house. Second of all, Jordan is not getting traded to Milwaukee or anywhere. I don't care if I have to remove you from this organization entirely." He continued, pointing a finger. "The last thing-"

"You're picking this man over me?" Jan almost yelled, referring to the point guard.

"That's just it, Janine." Joe's voice was quiet all of a sudden. "The last thing is I want a divorce."

The honest statement made Janine flinch, it made Destiny stop her steps in the dead center of the steps, and Jalen who was walking in from an outing with his friends, heard the whole thing and stopped for a second.

Jalen paused before shrugging and continuing his walk to the kitchen.

"Are you serious, Joe?" Janine yelled, walking after him. "Over all of this you're just gonna quit?"

"No." He turned, stopping her in her steps. "That's not it."

"Why, sweetheart?"

"I should've walked away when Ryan was 10 and you called our child a bitch for not wanting to attend a dance. Or when Jalen told you he wanted to play basketball and not go to law school and you said he was a screw up." Joe reminded her, setting an eyebrow up. "Or recently when you began to treat Destiny worse and worse and worse."

Janine was almost near tears now. "Babe, no. I just want what's best for them."

"You want what's best for you." Joe corrected. "That's what it's always been. I'm sick of it."