Angel Reese
I groaned in pain as I lifted my head from the toilet. I felt like shit and to make matters worse, it was game day. I finally gained the strength to pull myself from the bathroom floor and sighed, turning on the sink as I grabbed my toothbrush ready to brush my teeth.
"Babe!" I heard Jelani call out as I let out some sort of noise letting him know where I was. He walked in and stood behind me before pressing a kiss to my temple.
"Good morning mama. You feeling better?" He asked as I shook my wad, rinsing out my mouth.
"No I feel like someone just beat the hell out of me," I said as he sighed pulling me into his arms.
"Damn I'm sorry baby. You need something?" He asked as I pouted.
"No. Ugh! And I have a game today. Spoon gone try to make me sit out," I said frustrated. He smirked before kissing my forehead.
"It's okay mama. You can rest for a day. It won't hurt," he said as I side eyed him and rolled my eyes.
"Okay I'm down feeling sorry for myself. Can you do me a favor and take my bag down to the car please?" I asked as he nodded kissing me. Once he walked out the bathroom panic kicked in. I immediately snatched open the cabinet looking for the clear blue box. I followed the instructions before waiting nervously. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the little plastic stick, waiting for the results. What if it was positive? Jelani and I had talked about having kids eventually, but not this soon. I was only 22 and just getting started in my professional basketball. The timer on my phone went off, snapping me out of my daze. I sucked in a breath and slowly lifted the test to read the result. Positive. The bright pink lines stared back at me.
"Oh shit," I muttered under my breath, sinking down to sit on the edge of the bathtub. This changed everything. How was I going to tell Jelani? And what about my career? Missing games or potentially an entire season because of pregnancy could seriously derail all the hard work I'd put in. I was suddenly overwhelmed, my eyes welling up with tears. This was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life, but all I felt was fear and uncertainty clouding my mind. I hurriedly grabbed another test and followed the instructions once more. After what felt like eternity the second test results came back. I nervously flipped it before exhaling a breath. This was good though, Maybe I just fucked yo the first test. A knock at the door made me jump. "Mama, you alright in there?" Jelani's concerned voice came through the door. Wiping at my eyes, I tried to compose myself. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," I called back, mentally kicking myself for sounding so shaky. He would see right through that. The door cracked open and Jelani peered in. One look at my face and he immediately came over, kneeling in front of me. "Angel, what's wrong?" His eyes were full of worry as his hands came up to cup my face. I opened my mouth, but no words would come out. I simply handed him the negative pregnancy test with a trembling hand.
Jelani's eyes went wide as he stared down at the single pink line. His head whipped up to look at me, a mixture of shock and hurt flashing across his features. "A pregnancy test? You took a pregnancy test...without telling me?"
I shrank back a little at the accusatory tone in his voice. "Jelani, I—"
"No, don't 'Jelani' me," he cut me off, pushing himself up to stand. He brushed his hand over his hair agitatedly. "We're in a relationship, Angel. We're supposed to be a team on this stuff. You can't just go behind my back like that."
Guilt twisted in my gut as his words hit me. He was right; I should've been upfront with him about my fears instead of sneaking around. "You're right, I'm sorry," I said softly. "I just...I didn't want to worry you if it was positive. Which it isn't ." I added, holding up the test again.
Instead of reassuring him, my words only seemed to agitate him more. "So what, you were just going to pretend like you didn't take it? Hide it from me?" He laughed bitterly. "Damn, Angel..."
"No, of course not!" I insisted, finally finding my voice. "I was going to tell you. I just...I needed to know first before putting us both through that emotional wringer. We've only been together 8 months."
Jelani scoffed, folding his arms across his chest as he studied me carefully. "But you wanted it to be positive, didn't you?"
My stomach dropped at his accusing question. Did I want a baby right now? With my career in full swing with the Sky? Part of me did, a bigger part than I cared to admit.
Seeming to read the truth on my face, Jelani's shoulders slumped. "Angel...we talked about taking things slow. Getting married and having kids was at least a couple years away."
"I know, I know," I said quickly, standing up to face him. I reached for his hands, squeezing them tightly in mine. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't loop you in, okay? You're right, that was shitty of me. But I'm actually relieved it's negative."
He searched my eyes, that hurt still simmering behind his gaze. "You are?"
"Yes," I assured him firmly. "The timing would be crazy with the season about to really ramp up. I don't know what I was thinking, getting my hopes up like that." I stepped closer until our bodies were flush. "You and basketball are my world right now. No, we're not in a place for a baby yet." I expressed. He nodded before pressing a kiss onto my forehead.
"Next time please let me be here with you. Okay? We are a team mama. I love you," he said as I nodded.
"I know. I love you too baby,"
-
Jelani Love
Hot. It was hot as hell in this damn arena. Angel had me sitting with Raven and some of her other friends from back home and I've never felt so out of place listening to them talk about makeup and shit.
"Lani, have you talked to him recently?" Raven asked as I chuckled.
"You know I have Ray. That's my bestfriend. Yall done being childish?" I asked as she rolled her eyes.
"Meechy is at fault here not me. I told him to stay out that girl face and he went behind my back and did the opposite. So it's fuck him right now," she said as I nodded understanding her point. Meech was dead ass wrong and I wasn't gonna defend him for that. But this was their relationship so I'm not getting in the middle of it. I nodded enthusiastically, my eyes glued to the court as the second half kicked off. "This game is insane, isn't it?" I shouted over the roar of the crowd, turning to Raven and her friends. They nodded in agreement, their eyes riveted to the action unfolding on the court. "Angel is killing it out there," Raven exclaimed, her voice tinged with pride. "She's unstoppable!" I couldn't help but grin, my heart swelling with pride as I watched Angel dominate the court. "She's on fire!" I yelled, clapping along with the crowd as Angel sank another shot. As the game progressed, the tension in the arena reached a fever pitch. Every play, every steal, every basket had us on the edge of our seats, cheering and shouting encouragement to Angel and the Sky. And when the final buzzer sounded, signaling the Sky's hard-fought victory, the arena erupted into a cacophony of cheers and applause. I jumped to my feet, cheering alongside the ecstatic crowd, my eyes never leaving Angel as she basked in the glory of her team's win. After the game, we made our way down to the court to congratulate Angel. She beamed with pride as she hugged us, her excitement contagious. "Did you see my lil midrange-shot in the third quarter?" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with adrenaline. "I thought I was gonna miss it, but then..." We laughed and cheered, reliving the highlights of the game as we made our way out of the arena. Angel's mom joined us, beaming with pride as she wrapped her daughter in a tight embrace. "You were incredible out there, sweetheart," mama Angel said, her eyes shining with tears of pride. Angel grinned, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Thanks, Mommy. I couldn't have done it without the support of my amazing fans." She glanced at me, squeezing my hand. "And especially not without you." I felt a surge of warmth in my chest, overwhelmed by the love and admiration in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Ang," I said, my voice filled with emotion. "You're truly amazing."
Excuse all errors
Ajah 🫶🏽
