Street Love

My Game Right, My Game Tight

O. Maraj

Church was amazing, and like every Sunday, my parents' house was packed with our immediate family.

Lauren and I dug into our plates as we sat in the living room. Stephen was somewhere dodging me for various reasons, Mama and Daddy were in the kitchen with Mawmaw and Pawpaw.

My big brother was somewhere outside with Uncle Paul until we the game started.

My mother was the best cook I knew, but it was something deeper than hunger inside of me preventing me from enjoying any meal these past few days.

"Just call her," Lauren whispered, getting up to trash her plate. She came back with two bottles of water, two cups, and some Crown Apple.

"Shit, after having some of that, I'll be doing more than calling her," I admitted looking at the bottle of Crown Royal like we were long term enemies or something.

The relationship I had with brown liquor or liquor at all was nonexistent. I had been more opened to worldly things with me growing up and being grown now. It was up to myself to set my own limits now and it felt so damned good being grown in the eyes of grown ups, especially since my parents were my first friends.

If I was doing good to them I could give a damned what anybody else thought.

"Fuck it, pour me up," I handed her my red cup and watched as the opening guzzled the liquid with ease.

"That's what I'm talking about," Lauren, who was as inexperienced as me, encouraged.

I chuckled, looking up at my Dad when his hand rested on my shoulder. "That's brown, Nika. You must be getting dropped off home tonight?"

I shrugged, knowing my Dad wouldn't sweat my actions, but I knew to keep him far from my side of town now that B and I were....acquaintances.

"Steph drove us here and he's going to drive us home," I assured him, Steph didn't drink period.

His ass was a pothead.

Just like Daddy, which is why I'm confused as to why he's babysitting my cup already.

"I'm good, king," I said once again hoping he'd take that as a hint to leave us alone.

He rolled his eyes and Lauren laughed at his antics (mannerisms he had picked up on from being so intertwined with me and my mother's day to day life). "Girl, he pushes it every time," I said aloud as if Lauren and I hadn't been conjoined at the hip for years now, my best friend since third grade.

The living room though spacious was filled with faces I hadn't seen in years and I knew it was time for me to go. Football didn't intrigue me and I damned sure as hell wasn't up for political debates on this good Sunday, I just had one thing in mind.

Or, one person I should say.

By time the game had started, I was an entire red cup of Crown in. My vision was almost blurry, my equilibrium felt a tad bit off, but I still wanted who I wanted.

"Stephen, bring your yellow ass," I grabbed him by his jersey and wrapped my arms around his body.

"I don't know shit, ight Nika? I'm trying to watch-"

"Look at him, snitching already," Lauren slurred, texting away on her phone, something she had been doing for the past week or two.

I'm pretty sure her and Manny were locking in, which is why she was encouraging me to call his friend but his friend needed to call me! I'd done my share of reaching out to her ass and I'd really appreciated if we talked soon. I liked her.