Just Like Me: Jordan Poole

16

"How was your day today, Jalen?" Janine asked, a really happy mood radiating from her. "I saw you with your gym bag."

Jalen gave her a weird look, cutting in his steak. "It was straight. What I did wrong?"

His mother laughed, waving him off. "Nothing, JJ. I was just wondering how my only sons day was."

"JJ?" Jalen slowly chewed his steak. "I ain't heard you call me that in... You know what? Not my business. My day was good. How was yours?"

"Wonderful. I called and had a lovely conversation with Ryan and Mariah." Janine explained. "How was the shoot today, Destiny?"

Destiny and her father shared a look before she slowly swallowed her food. "It was... good? Took a lot of pictures like you'd... usually do at a photo shoot."

"What are you guys debuting for the end of summer?"

"Uhhh..." She blew out a breath, not used to anyone but Jordan asking her about work. "We're shooting now for my fall line."

Janine nodded, mocking impression. "That's really amazing."

"Aight. Mom, what's ya' problem?" Jalen put his fork down. "You ain't had a attitude all week. You been smiling and it ain't been tense or nothing. What's really good?"

"Look I know I haven't been the best Mom in the past but I'm working on it." Janine looked at Joe. "I want us to stay together as a family."

He looked at her for a few seconds. "I guess."

"She's working on it." Joe repeated, giving his children a pointed look. "Let's behave, please?"

Destiny laughed nervously. "This probably is a bad time to say I'm going to spend the night with Jordan."

"Go ahead, sweetheart." Janine put on her best smile, her plan falling right into place. "Please. Be careful and let Jordan know I said hello. We'd love to have him over for dinner."

Yeah, not going to fucking happen.

If it weren't already very obvious, Janine was doing a good job at selling her plan. Though it was a little suspicious, everyone around her just had to be thankful she wasn't being a nuisance.

She was very slick, though. Janine had tricks up her sleeve that no one saw coming and if they didn't work, she had back up plans that involved taking physical action.

"Okay." She said slowly, backing from the dining hall. "Love you all."

Destiny was driving to Jordan's, per his request. The boy honestly wanted her to stay all the time but she couldn't so whenever she had a second of spare time, he wanted it to be spent on him.

When Destiny arrived, she saw another car in the driveway but she figured it was one of his teammates or something. As soon as she knocked on the door, though, a woman answered.

"Can I help you?"

"Umm..." Destiny looked over the woman's face, able to recognize her as the woman that took a visit to Jordan's hotel room when he got injured in the playoffs. "Is Jordan here?"

The woman smiled. "Yes. Why?"

Luckily, Jordan came up to the door, gently tugging her in. "Sorry, Jonathan and I were on the game."

"It's okay." Destiny blushed as Jordan kissed her in front of the women he'd admitted liked him. "I'm sorry if I interrupted it-"

He kissed her lips again. "Stop. I wish you got here faster, I just ate. You hungry?"

"It's okay. I ate with my family."

Kim finally spoke up, putting a hand over her chest. "She's so cute."