Loving the Game

* Broken Bones *

"Are you busy tomorrow?" Deshawn asked me as he walked me across campus to my dorm from Poetic Arts.
"Not that I know of," I answered," Why what's up?"
"I've got a game. Just wanted a little support ya know."
"A packed stadium screaming your name seems to be quite a lot of support if you ask me" I smirked.
"Yeah but none of them are you...," he pointed out.
"You've got a point there," I agreed.
"Come," he repeated.
"I meant what I said when I told you we shouldn't be too public."
"Well, I consider this public. I mean aren't we walking through campus where everyone can see us."
"That's different. It's school everyone is around each other here, and plus we're partners in a class. They could think we were working on the project."
"So no to outside of school?" He asked.
I patted him on the shoulder, "Now you're understanding."
Deshawn shook his head at me as we reached the front of my dorm building. "Technically the game is held here at school so...you could come."
I sighed," if I say yes, will you leave me alone about it?"
He nodded with a smile.
"Yes," I said playfully rolling my eyes.
D started to walk off but I called him back remembering I had wanted to ask him something. He turned around once I called his name. "Yeah?"
"In class, were you trying to seduce me? You know with all those 'shopping' terms substituted for sexual acts..."
Deshawn smiled slyly," You're the one mentioning it. I never said said so. Must be something dirty running through your mind."

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        • Deshawn's POV •

"Let's go!" Coach Howard yelled. We were all taking turns in playing a game of one on one as our last drill at practice before the game against Ohio State tomorrow evening. If we beat them we would be one game a way from the playoffs and then in the championship. This would be my final college championship title and I was hungry for it. Nothing was gonna stop me from owning that title one last time.
I was up against Trey. Lately he's been acting like a little bihh and I wasn't here for it. First it was the Bri thing, then trying to take my spot and now he was going around telling anyone who would listen that he was going to sign with the NBA, too. Trey was good, but not as good as me. And I mean that in a non cocky way as possible.
I had the ball in my hand and began to slowly dribble towards the hoop as Trey guarded me from a distant.
"Is this all you got?" Trey snarled.
"Is this all the pressure you giving?" I retorted.
"Yeah...cause this shit you doing weak," he said racing to slap the ball out my hand but I was too quick for him.
"Weak?" I asked with a small laugh.
"You heard me Harris. You weak as fuck. No wonder why your daddy left you."
After that last sentence I blacked out. I never told anybody about my personal life...especially when it came to my dad because I loathed him.
It didn't bother me for anyone that knew my dad to bad mouth him but when you try to bad mouth me and use him as a way to taunt me...it was a different story.
I dropped the ball and let it roll all the way to half court.

"Harris!" Coach Howard yelled blowing the whistle. But I wasn't paying him any attention. I turned around and looked at Trey who was laughing. Before I knew it I snuck him wit a right hook and he fell straight to the floor. I ran over to where he fell to continue beating his ass. I punched him in the eye and nose before coach pulled me off of him. Coach pushed and scolded me," This is not what a team does! Harris what the hell were you thinking!" I looked over at Trey who was hurled over on the floor scowling at me. He wiped off a trail of blood coming from his lip.
"I ought to put you on the bench tomorrow night!" Howard yelled poking me in the chest. I had nothing to say. I just stood there with a blank look on my face. Howard and I both knew that he wasn't going to put me on the bench. I was too much of a key player to him for him to do that. "Suicides! Now." Howard yelled. "Don't stop running till I say so. I don't give a damn if you hurl on this gym floor. All that means is that you're going to be cleaning it up! Go!!!" Everyone else moaned and groaned. Trey got up off the floor and gave me a cold stare.
"And you...", Coach said turning to me pointing his finger at me," I'm not done with you. But just run for now!"
I sighed deeply and began to jog to catch up with everyone else who was already breaking a sweat. "Push it!" Coach Howard yelled blowing the whistle once again.

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• Brianne's POV •

"I saw y'all over there," Brooklyn nudged me as I sat at the desk in our room. I was finalizing an essay for one of my classes.
"It was nothing," I said downplaying it. I knew good and well that him pushing up on me made me interested in doing some things. Things I had never done because I was highly inexperienced which is past sad.
"Whatever girl," Brooklyn rolled her eyes," I saw the chemistry."
"I thought we are in Poetic Arts class not chemistry." I joked.
"Don't catch you one smart ass," Brooklyn glared at me.
"Did you ever discuss the whole Ashleigh thing with him?"
I nodded," We agreed that until he takes a DNA test that... Nothing major will happen between us. I don't want to be attached to someone I can't have 100%."
"At least it's one kid and not one hundred," Brooklyn added.
"Yeah well I'd prefer none. I never imagined myself to be someone's other mother. Not my thing," I told her.
"What exactly is your thing then?"
"This," I said pointing to my computer," being a pediatric nurse."
"If you want some Brooklyn Santana advice," she said talking in 3rd person," then I'd advise you to stick by him no matter the outcome. I mean you like him and it's becoming obvious that he likes you too."
"Thanks but no thanks. I'll handle it my own way."
"Are you going to the game tomorrow then?"
"I told him I would be there."
"Aww."
I rolled my eyes and continues to spell check my 15 page paper.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Let's go Cougars, let's go!" The stadium roared. I sat court side once again buy this time by my lonely. Brooklyn had already had plans to go on a lil date tonight with one of her girl hoes named Amber. Brooklyn was never truly faithful to the boys and/or girls she dated. Very few times have I seen her be committed fully.

Tonight I wore a simple black hoodie that had Chicago State University on the front, a pair of jeans, and a pair of black air max. I had come in a little late to the game because the concession line had been entirely too long. Now they were in the 3rd quarter leading 58 to 37. Deshawn was on the bench. He looked highly pissed. I didn't understand why. Weren't they winning? I wanted to call his name to let him know I was there but I didn't want him to get in trouble for not staying focused.
Coach came over to him, whispered in his ear, and pushed him towards the court. He was finally putting him back in since the second quarter. "Alright let's get it boys!" Coach Howard clapped his hands with his clipboard under his arm. The ref blew the whistle letting D rotate in as point guard where Rakeem was playing. Keem saw me as he walked off he court. He flashed me his slick smile and threw his head back. "Good job Bestfriend!" I yelled at him waving. Rakeem blushed with embarrassment.
Deshawn went up for a lay up and made it. The crowd went wild putting the team another two points ahead. I stood up clapping,"Whoo!"
"That's the way to do it!" Coach screamed happily. "Get it again!"
I looked over to the opponents side of the gym. The guy that was supposed to be guarding D from making that easy lay up was getting scolded by his coach. He looked pretty agitated as he walked back on the floor.
Donny stole the ball from one of Ohio's players and passed it to Deshawn who was running down the court. The guy who was guarding him made sure to keep up this time. He stood in front of D as he slowed down running to square up for a 3 pointer, which was his signature thing to do. As he pulled up and aimed for the net, his opponent jumped up as the ball released and smacked it out of bounds. As he did so he fell on top of D. They both went crashing down on the floor. The stadium fell quiet when Deshawn howled out in pain. The ref blew the whistle and he and Coach Howard ran from teh sideline to where Deshawn lay hurled over on the floor. He pounded his fist down on the ground as coach came to the rescue. Everyone including me stood up to see what had happened. Coach flipped D over. Deshawn pointed at his foot. He wasn't crying but it looked as if he wanted to.
The paramedics they kept on sight lifted him up and took him out of the stadium. The ref called the play and said the ball was still in our possession and the guy guarding D got a card. I looked at Rakeem and mouthed the words what happened? He shook his head and mouthed back that he had sprung his ankle and can't play anymore tonight. I grabbed my purse and exited towards the gym door trying to figure out where they took D. I wanted to make sure he was alright.