"So, y'all ain't together?"
Ja let his arms swing by his body after shooting the ball. "You think you funny as shit, Des."
Jaren dunked the ball, hanging obnoxiously on the rim before releasing it. "Yo, it feels so weird with Dillon not here."
"Fa' sho." Ja said. "Shit feel off."
"More playing time for Tyus." Des said. "No offense to DB or nothing like that. That's forever my guy."
Dillon Brooks was informed by the Grizzlies front office that they will not be bringing him back. It was actually reported in a way that wasn't that nice, but needless to say the Grizzlies would be without his services next year.
There were many contributing factors that played into it. Poking bears perhaps, or more talking than contribution.
"Ja, we going to Malia's tonight?" Desmond asked.
The guard looked up from his phone, ironically enough, to see if the girl in question text him which she did not. Malia actually hadn't texted Ja since their conversation a few nights ago but she called him this morning. He was busy, so he didn't get to it but when he returned the call, Malia didn't answer.
"I'on think she fuck wit' me." Ja smirked, thinking about it. "She tol' me she like me and I kinda like... let her know that I can't go there wit' her right now."
"Mmm." Jaren sat on the court, with a joking smile. "So, she can go there with my boy Tyus?"
The back up guard for the Grizzlies smiled, shaking his head as Jaren brought up his name. "Y'all know I ain't lookin' for nothing like that. Ja is my guy. Y'all need to worry about the little French boy over there in Detroit."
Ja made a face. "I'm not worried 'bout no Killian."
"You should be if he leaving her $300 tips." Jaren teased before looking at Ja's face. "But she gave it to her friend and probably used the rest of it to fight hunger."
The guard looked around at his teammates, shaking his head as he crouched down. Ja pressed the button to call Malia, not because his teammates had him worried but because he hasn't talked to Malia in a few days.
That's all.
All the nosy men that Ja played basketball with hushed their side conversations when they heard Ja's phone on speaker. It didn't take long for Malia to answer.
"Hey."
"What's good?" Ja took note of her voice. "You was sleep?"
Malia hummed a quick response. "Mhm. But, you're fine. What's up?"
The guard didn't know exactly what to say so he disregarded being around his friends, speaking to Malia how he normally would. "Miss you."
That proved to be an instant mistake because on top of his fellow Grizzlies nudging him in a teasing manner, Desmond had to made sure he was both heard and acknowledged.
"Simp." Desmond pretend to sneeze into his elbow.
"You don't act like it." Malia said softly, taking note of the familiar voice in the background. "Hi, Des."
Desmond took the phone from Ja's hand, holding it in the palm of his own. "What's good, Malia?"
"Hi. How are you?" She stood from her bed, deciding to get her day started.
"I'm hungry and I'on got no girl to go home to so I need my good friend Malia to cook me something." He took his opportunity. "We not doin' nothing after this. Except for Ja and Tyus. They the one with kids."
