numb.

ezra: ballplayer

          I watched Keisha walk away, I couldn't believe what I had just seen.

          She cuts herself! I thought to myself. I couldn't fathom it. Keisha is such a happy person, or at least she seems like one to me. The fact that she cuts herself is saddening. I sighed as I gathered my things leaving class and walking out of the building, I was done with classes for the day and so did the gang, so when I got back to the dorm and I saw Martin and Blake playing 2k, I wasn't surprised.

          "Yizzo!?" I asked as I came in, "what's up with yall?" Martin smirked.

         "I'm smoking ya mans in 2k, that's what's up." I laughed shaking my head, Blake was good at many things, but video games were not one of them.

         "Well after that, play me, I'll defend your honor, Blake."  Blake laughed and gave me the finger as I walked over to my room. I threw my bag on my bed and walked into the bathroom. I stared in the mirror and sighed. I knew it wasn't my place to worry but all I could think about was Keisha. There were cuts on her wrists, that much cant be hidden, but whether or not she was suicidal was unknown. I seriously hope that she wasn't. I used the bathroom then washed my hands before coming back out to the common area, plopping on the couch beside Martin and Blake.  "Yo," I said to the two, "I wanna hoop." Martin sucked his teeth.

         "Ezra, I'm gonna fry the shit outta you after I get main man out the way." I rolled my eyes.

        "No nigga, I'm talking about actual ball, like let's go to the gym and play ball, dumbass." Blake laughed.

         "Yeah what's up with it? we ain't play in a minute, and them white boys keep talking shit to me in class like we don't win every game against them," I smirk.

        "It's because their fathers' credit cards can't buy talent," I said while pulling out my phone. I sent a text to the group chat so that Stephen and Richard would see.

Me: We sliding to the gym to play ball, meet at my room

        I looked over at Martin and Blake's game as Martin shot a buzzer-beater for the win. "Aw man, that's cold." Matin and I laughed as Blake rolled his eyes.

         "I still fuck more bitches than both of you combined," Blake said as I shrugged.

          "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, come on and get ready to leave." I got up and walked to my room, I fished out a t-shirt and a pair of ball shorts from my drawer changing into them, I grabbed my basketball shoes and laced them up coming out to the common area after I put them on. Just as I got there, Stephen was walking in with his sneakers in hand.

         "Richard said he'd meet us there," Stephen said as I dapped him up, "something about cheerleaders trying out, I think he tryna grab somebody number." Cheer tryouts were today, I had seen flyers inside the hallways of my dorm and inside classrooms. If cheer tryouts were today then that meant Keisha would be in the gym. Stephen and I sat on the couch while we waited for Martin and Blake to change. "Yo, so what's up with you and Keisha? What happened when we left, we ain't wanna cock block so we dipped off." I shrugged.

         "Nothing really happened, we had a basic conversation...she is my partner for this project in my elective class, so I'll keep yall posted." He nodded.

         "You gotta get on that before the boul Kevin get on it," I raised an eyebrow. Surely he wasn't talking about the white boy Kevin from my math class.

        "Kevin as in Kevin Woodson?" He nodded.

        "Yeah, he said he'd shoot his shot tonight at the party...you know he's the one hosting it right?" I shook my head, I didn't know that at all. Kevin was a fucking asshole, the dude had no respect for women what so ever, and I think he may even be racist.

        "We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there, for now, I'm tryna ball."

***

           When we got to the gym we saw that Richard was playing one on one against Marcus. Richard posted up and started backing him down, Richard tried shooting a fadeaway out of the post, but Marcus timed it perfectly and blocked it. As a player who prided himself on defense, It made me smile to see him block it.

         "Good defense!" I shouted Marcus smirked.

         "I'm out here clamping shit!" Richard frowned and threw the ball at Marcus' head.

          "Shut the fuck up, I'm bussin' your ass." Blake laughed.

          "Well listen, fuck all that, we about to get this five on five," he looked behind Marcus, "and there go our competition." I looked around them and I saw that Kevin and his friends were playing ball on the other court, I quickly counted.

          "Well one of us have to join them, it's six of us and four of them." Marcus shrugged.

         "I'll do it, I am the best out of all of us, may as well make it even," at Marcus' remark Stephen raised an eyebrow. Out of all of us, Stephen was without a doubt the best. We walked over to them and I searched the gym, the girls that were here for cheer tryouts were sitting on the bleachers watching the guys play, but there was no sign of Keisha.

         "If you're looking for Ms.McCallister," Martin said, "she's over there." He pointed towards the second gym entrance. There she was, all 5'2 of her. She was talking to her friend Veronica, who I think is the head cheerleader, they both laughed at something and the sound of her laughter made my stomach do a backflip. She was wearing a grey tank top and matching tights that hugged her hips and ass perfectly. Richard looked at me and then at her.

        "So what's the verdict? are you shooting your shot?" I nodded slowly.

        "Yeah, tonight, at the party...that is if she goes." They all nodded in agreement and Blake patted my back.

         "Imma hold you to that one." When we got to Kevin and his friends they stopped and pointed at us as we got closer. Kevin was the last to notice us and he looked us up and down.

         "What's up?" He asked with a smirk, I wanted to punch him in his fucking face. Kevin was the cockiest bastard I'd ever met in my life, he did and said as he pleased because he knew there would be no consequences for it, his father made huge donations to Heston every year and the faculty basically did whatever he told them to do. Stephen was the first to speak up.

         "Nun much, y'all tryna hoop? if you need a fifth man Marcus said he'd join." Kevin eyed us all one by one, but when he and I locked eyes he lingered a bit. He looked away and nodded.

        "Yeah, I'm down with that." He looked back at me and his brow furrowed, "what's up with him, he looks a bit...uppity." My eye's widened.

        "Nigga what the fuck did you just call me!?" He held his arms up in defense and smirked as Marcus grabbed my shoulder.

        "Hey, I'm just saying you look a bit tense is all." I calmed down and shrugged.

         "Whatever, let's play." Marcus looked at me.

          "Calm down bro, it's no reason to react, you already know if you two get into a fight, you're gonna get in trouble, regardless of who wins." He patted my back and walked over to Kevin's team. I sighed and sat my bag down on the bleachers.

         "Yo!" Martin, Blake, Richard, and Stephen all looked at me, "I got Kevin."

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