Brooklyn sighed, placing her hands on her hips as Ja and Jaren prepared to lift weights. "There's no way you're just about to let Malia pack up and go to Los Angeles."
"Fuck Mali-"
"Woah, wait!" Jaren cut Ja off, his voice echoing through the weight room. "Don't say somethin' you don't mean, 12."
"I mean that shit." Ja said, smugly glancing at Brooklyn. "She talkin' 'bout some 'what's in Memphis for me'... Nigga, what the fuck is in LA for you?"
Brooklyn shook her head. "Ja, instead of getting angry and calling her...that, we have to convince her to stay."
"Convince her ta'..." The guard chuckled. "I sat the fuck ina' hospital wit' her grandma and watched her die, Brook. I paid for a fuckin' funeral. Ain't shit else I ca' say ta' that fuckin' girl ta' make her stop bein' so fuckin-"
"Irrational." Jaren cut Ja off, cutting his eyes at him. "Chill, bruh."
See, anger usually stems from a completely different emotion. Ja was angry, but he wasn't truly feeling anger. Ja was hurt because he thought that he'd done everything to convince Malia how much he cared and how much he cared to be with her.
So, instead of showing that, Ja expressed himself by being angry. Obviously, he was very angry (hurt), for he'd just said a few things that he didn't mean at all.
"I'on want her no whea' near me." He said.
"Ja. That's not true because if she was here you would fold so quick." Brook told him. "So, you can't say that."
The point guard shrugged his shoulders. "I ain't crazy like that otha' nigga she used ta' fuck wit'. If she done wimme', let her ass be done."
"No, Ja." She replied. "She's gonna do it then regret it. So, we have to help her realize how crazy she is."
"Look, B..." Ja started. "I'a talk ta' her fa' yo' sake but me and her done. No bullshit."
Brook scratched her ear. "You're only saying that because your feelings hurt. And I get that but you and Malia are supposed to be together so can you just talk to her?"
"Nah."
"Yes because I said so. I'm not gonna ask again." She told him, turning to Jaren. "And Jaren, you just... come take me to get food because I'm hungry."
Jaren sighed, snatching his shirt from where it hung over the bench. "Bruh, I haven't had a good lift in almost a month. If I get to training camp out of shape then it's you and Malia's fault. Shit, y'all not even my girlfriends and I gotta pull all this weight."
"Shut up. Desmond's visiting family and Ja has to talk to his girlfriend."
"That ain't my girlfriend." Ja said. "Yo' friend kicked my ass ta' the curb and you got me goin' ta' beg her ta' stay. Shit don't make sense."
Brook rolled her eyes. "Hurry the hell up. Y'all cry so much."
Despite her plane leaving in 2 days, Malia hadn't made any progress in packing her apartment. Her dad didn't want to go LA and instead wanted to stay in Memphis in attempts to live his life in the city he loved comfortably.
So now, Malia would be going to Los Angeles alone regardless of having little to no energy to pack her place.
Another reason for being so hesitant was, after her lunch with Jamie and Kaari yesterday, Malia was thinking of everything she'd miss. Over the past few months, she'd built a family with the people around her and it would what she missed the most.
Malia hadn't been in much contact with her friends but TeNiya did send her a lengthy voice mail from college, giving her a curse word laced monologue of how she was foul and weird for what she was doing.
