The journey of two different individuals as they navigate the world of social media fame and professional basketball in, "The Influence."
Dearra Taylor x Klay Thompson
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Strange - Celeste
That night at the hospital, the doctor informed Klay's family and intimate friends that after reviewing the tests and screenings, Klay had torn his ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament. This was due to the sudden, high impact to his knee when he fell.
His surgery was two days ago, and from what I was told, Klay was deeply depressed. He didn't talk to anyone and he sat in his room all day. As you could assume, his season is over, and he probably won't be able to play part of next season either.
Dearra was worried like crazy, she had spent all night researching his injury. She was basically skilled in the knowledge of torn ACL's. She found that it would take approximately a year or better for him to fully recover and he would need physical therapy soon.
The injury wasn't career threatening, but he could possibly never play the same again, and that's what scared her most. She knew Klay loved basketball more than anything, and if he couldn't play the same then there wasn't any point in signing another contract.
She stalked his social media, hoping that he would post something and let the world know he was okay. His name was still mainstream, and speculations were going insane across the internet. Dearra wished people would just mind their business and not spread false rumors.
Closing her phone, Dearra decided that she would edit a wig promotion video to get her mind off of Klay. After editing and posting the promo to her accounts, she fixed a bowl of oatmeal to eat. She started buying cinnamon oatmeal when Klay made it for her once before. The scent brought back the memories they shared in his kitchen. Some were more vivid than others.
The loud phone buzzed against the kitchen counter, pulling her attention away from the microwave timer. It was a group facetime with Jayda and Dess.
"Hey y'all." Jayda said, as she propped her phone up against her vanity, giving a full display of her bedroom.
"Hey." Dearra replied dryly, the microwave stopped so she left the camera for a second.
"I was calling, because a few people are heading to Klay's house in like an hour. Just tryna see if y'all down or not?" Dess explained to the friend group.
Dearra couldn't decide for herself, her mind was screaming both yes and no. Dess spoke up, "I think he needs to see you most, De." She said with a sincere tone. Ever since the injury everyone's behavior has been a little down. The weather had even changed, it was cold and rainy lately.
Dearra sighed, "Yeah, I'm about to get dressed."
The girls parted directions and focused on their own lives for a second. Dearra checked the weather app, and once again it was below 70 degrees and was supposed to rain. She chose to wear her college UC Berkeley sweatshirt, leggings, and Uggs. It was a simple, but so cute fit. She decided against doing her makeup, it wasn't necessary anyway. Her hair was braided into small knotless braids, so she put on a black beanie.
