Stay in Your Lane | Lonzo Ball

Chapter 14

 Izzy

I waited up for Lonzo, who showed up about fifteen minutes after hanging up. He wore Big Baller Brand sweats, slides, and a hoodie that covered his head. I could tell that he was pissed. It was all over his face. For someone as stoic as he was, whatever was going on had to be pretty major. He made a b-line for my bedroom, sitting in the empty chair at my desk propping his elbows up on his knees and burying his head in his hands.

"Hey, what's going on?" I closed the door behind me and leaned up against it.

It was silent other than the deep sigh, he let out and the sound of his foot impatiently tapping against the floor.

"Zo, is everything okay?"

He removed his hands and leaned back in the chair, "No, it ain't. This is some bullshit."

"What happened? Talk to me."

"When we were in the car, my friend called me. DC, the one I rap with and shit."

"Yeah," I nodded.

"So he's at the movie theater right? With some girl he's kicking it with or whatever. He tells me that he sees Daina there...with another nigga."

Oh shit.

"I was like nah, that ain't her. She had just texted me telling me she was headed back to campus from being out with her teammates right? But he's like dude it's her. I know her when I see her," he continued to explain, "so, he's like call her so I can see what she does. Of course if it's her she's gonna get up and answer right? Okay cool. I called her and she tells me how she's headed back to campus and will call me when she gets up to her room. DC's like the chick I think is Daina got up to answer the phone. It's her bro. So she doesn't hit me back for like two hours. He told me he would try to get a better look when the movie let out. So I'm waiting and shit feeling like I'm bout to go crazy cause shit ain't adding up and I feel like she lying to me. Bro sends me a picture of Daina's car parked outside. License plate and all. Says he could get her and who she was with quick enough but he saw them for sure."

"Damn Zo," I walked across my room and sat on the bed, "I'm sorry. That's fucked up. Have you talked to her since then and checked her on it?"

"No, I don't know what the fuck to say to her."

God, I know I asked you to help reveal this to him but I wasn't expecting you to do it like this. He was visibly upset and clearly hurt. I didn't like seeing him like that, especially when he did nothing to deserve it.

"What do I do Iz? I don't even know how to go about this shit," he asked, "what if this isn't what DC thinks it is? Maybe one of Daina's home girls borrowed her car and another random chick at the movies that looked like her-"

"It is what it seems," I mumbled lowly to myself, "trust me."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

"Yeah you did. I heard you," he said, "what did you mean by that?"

"Nothing Zo. I was just thinking randomly out loud."

I looked away from him at my pictures on the wall. Shut up, Iz. Damn.

"Izzy, is there something you ain't telling me?" he continued to inquire.

I could feel his eyes on me. Here this situation was presenting itself to me again. There's a reason for it. I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. He didn't want to believe DC and was beginning to make excuses for her. I couldn't sit here and let him do that. I can't let him play himself.

"Izzy, hello?" he waved his hands in front me.

"Zo, your friend is right," I looked him in his green eyes. "she has been running around with some dude behind your back."

He looked at me as if I had two heads and was growing a third, "what are you saying? How would you know that?"

I sighed, "While you were out of town playing ...the Kentucky game. Chat and I went out for ice cream at Coldstone's and I saw her there with some guy. Zo, she was all over him. You could tell they were familiar with each other."

He stood up, turning his back to me and mumbling obscenities under his breath. At that time, I grabbed my cellphone and went to my camera roll.

"Unlike your friend, I was actually able to get a picture," I said, swiping left until I came to it and held it out to him.

He took it from me and looked at it closely.

"Fuck," he mumbled, running his fingers through his hair, "that's her and fucking Chavez. Dammit! I knew it!"

The sudden elevation in his voice startled me. I've never heard him that loud before. He kicked at my chair, sending it on its side to the floor.

"That's some bullshit, Izzy."

"I know. She's a-"

"No, I'm talking about you," he cut me off.

"Me, what did I do?"

"When were you going to tell me, huh?" he threw his hands up, "you've known this for what? A week? All this time that we've been hanging out, kicking it and talking you didn't think to mention that? The damn picture just sitting in your phone while I'm telling you how much I love this girl and want to get us right."

"Zo-"

"Then you sat there giving me advice. Feeding me bullshit when you knew what she was out here doing. That's her fucking ex in that picture man. I...you're just as fake as she is."

I stood up, "One thing I never have been and never will be is fake. So don't go there. Nothing that I ever said to you was bullshit. My words to you were genuine. I didn't know how to address this with you and to be honest I didn't think it was my place-"

"What do you mean? I trusted you enough to let you in my world, in my space. We're supposed to be friends. What makes you think you can't tell me something like that? Or maybe you just don't rock with me like I thought and don't give a fuck about me looking crazy in these streets. I'm out here doing my thing, balling in this big game meanwhile my girlfriend is cheating on me and my friend knows about it but acts like it never happened. Who's side are you on? Damn," he said.

I was pissed. Who did he think he was talking to? I've been nothing but nice to him and he calls me fake? The nerve of him. Who's side am I on? Is he serious? I don't even know his little trick like that for me to be on anyone's side other than his.

"I did what I thought was the right thing to do without putting it all out there like that but here it is. It sucks, I know that but don't you dare turn all of this around me."

 "just don't fuck with me no more. Do you and I'm gonna do me. I don't need all of this drama and bullshit around me. I can't trust her and I can't trust you either. I can't trust nobody."

"Fuck you, Lonzo. Get the hell out of my room, asshole."

"I'm out," he went towards the door, "I hope you got whatever you wanted out of this."

"Get out!" I threw a pillow. 

He stormed out of my room, slamming the door before it could hit him then on out the main door. I sat back down on my bed trying to figure out how in the hell all of this got turned back around on me. He couldn't be serious? I heard him loud and clear though. I don't chase after people or their friendships so he won't have to worry about me ever speaking to him again.