The Choice ✔︎ Blake Griffin

3✔︎ Choose

Jubilee

The worst thing about being a teacher is how fast the weekends go by. Whether my week has been slow or fast, the weekend always happens in a flash. I was sitting at the dining room table in my Renaissance Tower apartment on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It's just fifteen minutes away from the University of Southern Cal where I'm studying to obtain my Ed.D in Educational Leadership. The table was covered in my books and notes for class, a stack of essays I'd been putting off grading, a list of special guest requests from my seniors, and a grocery list that I had to take care of or I wouldn't be eating for the next couple of weeks.

I'm definitely regretting letting Blake convince me to spend the entire day with him and Ford after brunch on Saturday. All he had to do was get Ford to say "Please, JuJu?" with those beautiful, blue eyes, and I was done. Of course he also guilt-tripped me by reminding me that him and I hadn't spent time together for a couple weeks, and he missed me. I virtually rolled my eyes just thinking about how pouty he was being when he's in a crucial part of his season leading up to the All-Star break, and I'm out here trying to finish up my doctorate in June while teaching 12th graders at Palisades Charter High School! I anxiously ran my hands through my curly hair that I noticed really needed a wash. It was going to be a long day.

I changed out of my pj's into a long-sleeved University of Texas shirt, black nike pants, and my grey uggs, before heading to the bathroom to pull my hair halfway up into a bun.

"JuJu!" I head Blake yell his and Ford's nickname for me as he entered my apartment with his spare key.

"BG?" I shouted back in a questioning tone. I had no idea why he was here.

He finally came into view, leaning down to come through the door without hitting his head and sitting on my bathroom counter next to the sink that he typically used when he came over. He had on black joggers, a white, Oklahoma half-zip, his ray bans, a black hat he wore backwards, and grey and white 11's. I exhaled to hide my frustration with the wave of attraction that hit me and tried to return to doing my hair before he noticed me staring.

"Why does it look like an academic crime scene in your dining room?"

"Well, Blake Austin, if you must ask, it's because I spent the entire day yesterday with a certain someone and his irresistible son, so all the work I planned to do just stayed here and began to pile up on my table," I responded, hands on my hips and head cocked to the side with a smirk on my face.

"Well, my friend, sometimes in life we have to make sacrifices, and who wouldn't sacrifice for a day out with a handsome father and his irresistible son?" BG shrugged like that choice was a no-brainer.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed at my self-centered best friend before responding, "The disrespect! Get out of my bathroom Blake Griffin before someone gets hurt and by someone I don't mean me."

Blake intentionally looked around before responding, "Oh you mean me? Excuse me for not being threatened by someone a foot shorter than me."

"Don't act brand new, BG. You are quite chummy with my twin brothers who aren't a foot shorter than you and only weigh twenty pounds less than you. I've had my training with big athletes who think they can manhandle us smaller citizens, so don't try me."

"Oh I just might try you. This could get verrry interesting. Julius and Justice are soft, so I'm not worried about what you learned from them anyway."

"Soft?!" I questioned incredulously as I walked into my room and grabbed my purse and keys, "I'm going to text them and tell them you said that, so you can deal with the wrath of two linebackers who are headed to Clemson the next time they come to visit."