Chapter 6
Me:
Good morning beautiful. I pray your day is stress free, productive, and light. I pray for your wellbeing, your happiness, and your health. May nothing and no one come between your success.
Today’s random fact: some cats are allergic to people. No wonder so many of them are assholes.
As I pulled on my clothes, my phone buzzed on the table. I picked it up and read the text from Ava.
AVA:
Good morning, handsome. I’m still not used to you praying for me.
That’s a different type of feeling. I appreciate you, and I will extend the same prayers to you.
Good luck today! You got this. Those other niggas in the tournament ain’t seeing you and your squad when it comes to chemistry and ball handling.
Also, LMAOOOOO. I hate cats, so it makes sense. They need to stay away from me, and I’ll stay away from them.
I chuckled at her response to the random fact of the day.
I’d started sending her facts when we were scrolling on social media one night after sex.
The guy had made a random fact known, and the twinkle in her eye made me want to tell her a random fact every day.
We’d been going strong for almost twenty-six days now. Time seemed to fly with Ava.
Me:
Hating cats is crazy. I guess our kids won’t have a cat in the future.
AVA:
Absolutely not. No cats. I’ll accept dogs, snakes, gerbils, guinea pigs, and fish.
Me:
Snakes? Nah. Dogs and hamsters and maybe a goldfish are all I’ll accept.
AVA:
Idk. I feel like our kids would be into some crazy shit. Little quirky things.
Me:
Calling our imaginary kids things is diabolical. How many kids do you want?
AVA:
If I’m being honest, I probably want two or three. I was an only child, and I’ve always wanted siblings. I want my kids to have the experience.
Me:
Siblings ain’t all that. My sister was annoying. Hell, she still is annoying.
AVA:
But you would ride or die for her in a heartbeat right?
Me:
Hell yeah.
AVA:
Exactly. Our kids deserve that too.
Me:
Say no more. I’ll have fun making as many kids as you want.
AVA:
It won’t be any time soon though. I’m in the height of my career with no plans on stopping any time soon.
Me:
I feel you. I’m on the same type of time you’re on. I’m about to head to the venue. Have a great practice.
AVA:
Good luck! You got this. I’ll check in later.
I hearted her message and slid the device into my pocket. Ava was one of a kind and easy to talk to. She was sweet, sexy, and smart. She wasn’t a dumb athlete; she had a leveled head on her shoulders with a passion for ball I only ever saw in a few players growing up.
My phone rang as I headed out of the apartment.
“What’s up, Nay?”
“Good luck today, Marcus. Mama told me to tell you Daddy would be there. She’s coming to my practice.”
“Yeah. Pops sent me a text letting me know he would be pulling up to the venue. Good luck today to you as well. Show them bitches who the fuck Marnajah Hastings is.”
“You know I will. You do the same.”
“Fa sho. I love you, bighead.”
“I love you too.”
We hung up, and I smiled. Life was going perfectly. I prayed I could secure the win for my squad. With the money, I planned on doing something special for Ava.
Every seat in the venue was filled. My team had started setting up before I arrived.
I searched for my father in the crowd first. He was a tall, six feet and two inches in height.
He loved his gray and had fully accepted the salt and pepper look.
When our eyes locked, he waved, and I gave a cool nod in his direction.
There were ten screens lined up on the stage where the teams would compete.
There were also three huge, big screens elevated around the room to give viewers an unforgettable angle for all the fun.
Each screen would broadcast a player’s screen for a few moments before transitioning to the next.
These tournaments were a big deal for esports communities.
It legitimized and monetized something a lot of us did to decompress and have fun doing.
“What’s good, brodie?” I greeted Jayshawn first.
“Yo!” Jalen dapped me up before he went back to connecting our controllers.
I dapped up Garrett, Ronnie, and Kelvin.
I’d met the three of them in a PlayStation party with Jayshawn damn near two decades ago.
We all had a good vibe and had been friends ever since.
We’d been to each other’s weddings, baby showers, and bailed each other out of jail a couple of times.
Men had it easy when it came to finding and maintaining a brotherhood.
“I hate being first on the bracket, but the shit should go fast. One and done. Loser gets up.” Ronnie explained the tournament rules as he signed into his PlayStation.
“Everybody cool on what they are running?” I asked.
Everyone replied with various forms of yes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this season’s 2k tournament, sponsored by Bowers Brews.
The Bowers brothers have set aside three hundred twenty-five thousand dollars in prize money.
This is our biggest prize to date, and we want to make sure everyone involved understands the rules,” the host, Princess Bea, explained.
She recited the rules and asked if anyone had any questions.
Once we’d all agreed to the rules, we claimed our seats.
She gave us a ten-minute countdown to warm up.
I was on my six-feet- and seven-inch-tall lockdown build.
The build had all the mechanics to protect the paint defense.
“Let the first round begin!” Princess Bea shouted into the microphone.
“Let’s get this shit, boys!” I cheered as I adjusted the headphones on my head. I cracked my knuckles, said a quick prayer, and locked in.
The game was evenly matched. It wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped, but in the end, we got the first dub. We had a break between the next two games. During the break, we ate, went to the restroom, and hydrated. I stretched my legs and checked my notifications.
AVA:
Congratulations, babe! I saw the end of the first match. Talk about a clutch player. Not to mention, you look sexy as hell playing the game.
I laughed at her message. I couldn’t lie; it felt good as fuck to have her supporting me.
A lot of women hated a man who spent time on the game, but Ava was different.
She understood how important the game was to me, and I was grateful.
A lot of women didn’t like to let their man do shit that relaxed them.
I couldn’t be with a woman who made me choose between her and my game. There was a balance every man needed.
Me:
Thank you, beautiful. Why are you on the phone right now? Halftime?
AVA:
Yeah. Me and Najah got the whole locker room tuned into your tournament. Good luck in the semifinals. I know you’re going to do great.
Me:
Thank you. Finish the practice strong too. Give them bitches hell.
AVA:
I’ll do my best. See you later.
I hearted the message because I didn’t have time to fully type out a response because we were called back for the next round.
We claimed our seats and greeted our opponents.
Semifinals began. We were neck and neck for most of the game.
At one point, my game lagged and caused me to mess up a play.
My heart sank to my ass when the opponent stole the ball and dunked it on the other end.
“Man, fuck!” I slammed my fist on the table.
“Don’t let up, nigga,” Jayshawn encouraged.
“This isn’t the end,” Ronnie added.
“That’s my fuck up. I won’t let that shit happen again. Rotate!” I called out. Garrett and Ronnie switched positions.
“Cut,” Garrett instructed.
“Green!” I did my shot animation, and the green arch appeared as I shot the ball into the goal from the three-point line.
“Good shit,” Jayshawn shouted.
Once we’d gotten our momentum back, the game became more relaxed. We’d gotten a good lead on them leading into the third quarter and started having fun. We were tossing oops, emoting, and having a blast. The dudes across from us were fuming.
“Good game,” I announced when we’d won the round by ten points.
We remained seated because we would be playing the final game right after the next team set up.
“Aye, we got this. Treat it like any other game. Play with intention and keep the callouts coming. Let’s keep the positive vibes, calculated plays, and hunger for winning. We got this.” Ronnie uplifted us.
“We do.” I dapped him up before I wiped my palms on my pants and looked out at the crowd. I motioned for them to make some noise. The people in the venue cheered and clapped.
This was a beautiful experience. People came from far and near to watch a group of Black men play video games. Life was perfect.
“We’re at the final stretch, y’all. Cade’s Cove very own may be taking home the title of kings of the court against the reigning champions The Houston Hustlers.”
“You’re got damn right.” Kelvin agreed.
We laughed lightly as the match began. Energy was high in the room. My fingers moved with intention as we played our roles. Our scores were neck in neck. They’d match our two pointers with threes.
“Keep that nigga away from the ball, fuck!” I shouted into the mic. Kelvin’s man had scored three times on fast breaks which gave them a big lead.
“You have got to be kidding me. Where is the fucking defense, Kel?”
“Man, I’m fighting for my life. You come guard this nigga then.”
“Cool. Switch on three,” I urged.
Kelvin and I switched, and it seemed to be what we needed to get the lead back. There was forty seconds left in the fourth quarter. My heart beat steadily.
The title will be ours.
The money will be ours.
I continued to replay those ten words in my mind until the final buzzer sounded. My eyes widened when I saw the final score: seventy-three to sixty-eight. We did it. We’d won.
I jumped up. “Let’s fucking go!” I clapped and congratulated my team before I went over to the losers and dapped them up. “Y’all gave us a run for the money for sure. Keep going and build your defensive players up more. Good shit for sure.”
“Congratulations,” their captain spoke to me.
“Thanks. Keep your head up.”
I returned to my team and smiled proudly as we were ushered over to the oversized check with three hundred twenty-five thousand written in black ink.
We lined up and took the picture with the dudes from Bowers Brews.
The tallest one had a mug on his face, but I assumed it was because this wasn’t his type of scene.
I chuckled because regardless, the check would be deposited in my account by the morning.
After the pictures were taken, we thanked them and cleaned up our equipment. By the time we’d loaded our trunks with our stuff, the sun had set, and my stomach was growling.
“Good shit, Son.”
I turned and saw my pops approaching.
“Thanks, old man. I appreciate you coming to support me. I know how much you wanted to be there for Nay.”
“I want to support both of my kids. Luckily, your mom and I were able to show each other y’all’s performances. Teamwork.”
I laughed. “Right.”
“Make sure you get home safely. Don’t do too much celebrating tonight with your friends.”
“I’ll be safe. I’m probably not going to be out too late because I don’t like going out without Ava.”
Dad hummed. “The two of you are getting serious, huh?”
“Yes. I’ve had to catch myself a couple times, man.”
“Catch yourself for what?”
“I’ve been fighting the urge to tell her I love her… She’s the one for me, and my heart and soul are ready to sing it from the mountaintops. However, my head is not on the same accord. I don’t want to say it too soon and scare her off, you know?”
“Don’t worry about any of that. You’ll know when the time is right.
You’ll feel it in your heart, mind, and soul.
No matter if she’s ready to say it back or not, it’s okay to be the first. Hell, most women usually know after the first date whether they love you or not.
They’re just waiting for you to make the first move. ”
“I hear you. I’ll probably do something really special for her the night before the season starts.”
“I know it’ll go perfectly. You got this, Son, and I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Pops.”
I gave him a hug before we parted ways. I waited until he was safely in his car before I got into mine. As I got into the car, one thought stayed on my mind: Ava Starr will be my girlfriend before her season starts.