In Love: Against All Odds

Shared Scoops and Sweet Moments

About Damn Time – Lizzo 💃🏾🎶
"Turn up the music, turn down the lights, I got a feelin' I'm gon' be alright!"

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After the game, we streamed out of the stadium, buzzing with energy and still hyped from the win.

"Yo, what's the move? Ice cream, anyone?" Dalia asked, practically bouncing on her toes like a kid who just saw Disneyland.

"Ice cream is always a vibe," Adri agreed, still riding the high of cheering her lungs out. Her smile was so wide, it could've powered the Empire Polo Club stage lights.

"I'm down," Patrick said, giving my hand a quick squeeze. "Katherine, you in?"

"Obviously," I replied, smiling back at him.

"Guess I'll tag along," Olivia said, shrugging in that fake chill way that always made my eye twitch. She was too polished, too calculated, and it gave me the ick, but I shoved the thought aside. No time for drama today.

The squad started heading toward the ice cream shop, the post-game chatter as lively as ever. Nash was in full-blown storytelling mode about his so-called legendary catch. "Y'all saw that, right? One-handed grab like a pro," he bragged, puffing out his chest.

Vinita snorted. "Pro? Bro, you almost fumbled it into someone's nachos. Chill."

"She's not wrong," George chimed in, smirking. "You're lucky you didn't leave with a black eye."

Nash waved them off like the king of clutch. "Haters gonna hate, but that ball was destiny. It chose me."

Brailey rolled her eyes, poking him in the ribs. "You're insufferable. But low-key, that was kind of iconic."

When we rolled up to the ice cream shop, the line wasn't too bad, which felt like a mini miracle. While we waited, Patrick and Nash got into a ridiculous argument about who could inhale the most scoops.

"Triple scoop in sixty seconds? Easy," Nash declared, flexing his nonexistent biceps.

Patrick smirked. "Sure, if you want a brain freeze so bad it fries your last two brain cells."

"Let's see you try then!" Nash shot back, already hyping himself up.

When it was our turn to order, everyone went wild with their choices. Patrick and I went for dark chocolate—it was basically our thing at this point. Adri picked mint chocolate chip, and, of course, Justin had to roast her for it.

"So you're the type that eats toothpaste for fun, huh?" he teased.

Adri shot him a look but couldn't hide her grin. "Toothpaste? Please. Jade Kason eats this flavor, and he's an icon."

"Oh, so it's about Jade again," Brailey quipped, nudging her. "You're never gonna live this down, y'know?"

Adri laughed but didn't back down. "It's not about him. Well... okay, maybe a little. His music hit different when I needed it the most, alright? He debuted his first solo album during a really rough patch for me. It wasn't just music—it was healing. And yeah, maybe he felt weirdly familiar to me at first, but that's besides the point."

The table exploded into laughter, but Adri just rolled her eyes, unfazed. She was unapologetically herself, and I loved that about her.

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The mood was chef's kiss—chill but alive. We swapped jokes, roasted each other, and dissected the game play-by-play. 

Brailey was mid-story about a fashion class disaster when Olivia's laugh cut through the group. It was too loud, too extra. I glanced over to see her leaning toward Patrick, and my stomach did a little flip. Not the fun kind.