Chapter 10
Senior Night
“I don’t have to explain to you guys how important this game is. For a lot of you, this is your last year playing, and if you haven’t been recruited, this will be your final chance to be seen by a scout. We are better than this team in skills and strength, but you’ve got to be ready to put it all on the line tonight.
“Get your head in the game, and don’t let up until we win. I believe in each and every one of you, but you have to believe in yourself. Our team has shown up and shown out the whole season. Keep the same momentum tonight. Are you ready!” Coach hyped the team up as we got ready for our final game.
Tonight was the last game and also senior night, so all the people showed up to support us. All day, I stayed to myself so I could cut out the outside world and really make this night count. The coaches from Douglasville University had already given me a full-ride scholarship, but they were here tonight as well, so I felt like I needed to show them they had made the right decision.
We walked out onto the field, and the fans went crazy. I loved my city, and they showed up for the youth. Every place had its flaws, but when it came to support, we were one of a kind. The announcer called our names out, and I waved to the crowd before locking back in. Today, I had something to prove, and I wasn’t about to let a soul get in the way of that.
“Alright, Sutton. I need you and Roderick ready for whatever Jameson throws your way. You’ll be playing offense and defense tonight because I need our best on the field. If you need additional breaks, let me know. Keep your eyes on that fucking ball at all times. Do you understand?” I nodded before he tapped me on the helmet. My eyes zeroed in on our opponents, and I glared in their direction. A few of them made videos talking about how easy of a win it would be for them, and I intended to make them eat their words.
The first quarter of the game breezed by so quickly, but there were no complaints on my end because we were up by ten, thanks to Roberto and his field goal. Madison hadn’t scored yet, but I could tell they weren’t gonna give up that easily. Their coach screamed at them until his face grew red, telling them they weren’t gonna embarrass him tonight. I smirked while I got into position.
Jameson signaled to me that he planned to throw the ball as far out as he could, so I prepared myself to take off. The adrenaline that pumped through my veins on game day was something I couldn’t even describe. I felt unstoppable and powerful with that ball in my hands.
“Forty-seven, thirty-two, hut, hut!” Jameson called out before he snapped the ball and threw that mothafucka down the field. My legs burned as I took off like a bat out of hell. I twisted my body as the ball swirled in my direction before I caught it in my hands. There was no time for me to pause and think of what to do next. I dug my cleats into that turf and sprinted the remaining yards to the touchdown line. The crowd stood up, screaming with their banners in the air. If I had anything to do with it, they would be doing this all night.
Tunnel vision kept me from worrying about anything besides this moment. Madison now had possession of the ball, but they wouldn’t be able to score if I had anything to do with it.
“You can enjoy your points now because you won’t get another one for the rest of the game.” Madison’s quarterback, Jeremiah Reynolds, snarled. He was the only black boy on his team, but I would be lying if I said they weren’t strong players.
“Yeah, tell yourself whatever you have to in order to sleep at night,” I called out. Normally, the coach made me sit out on defense, but I begged him to let me play both tonight, so he agreed under the condition that I took breaks when needed.
Jeremiah faked a pass, but I saw the shit coming from a mile away. Unlike most players, I studied the strengths and weaknesses of all my opponents to know what to expect from them. Even if they switched their plays, there was always a play every quarterback preferred over the others.
He took off running down the middle, but I rushed his ass before he could even get any significant yards. If he wanted this win, he would have to come a little harder than that.
“Nice try. Too bad you didn’t get too far,” I spat. He tried two more times to run the ball himself, and each time, Roderick and I shut his ass down.
I started to get a little cocky, and the next play humbled the fuck out of me. I assumed Jeremiah would try to pass the ball to wide receiver Manns, but he flipped the script in the middle of the play and passed the ball to a sub. We all underestimated this new player as he leaped over one of the defensive ends who had been crouched down and sped past the whole defensive line.
The moment they scored, the atmosphere shifted. Instead of us being on fire, the offense fucked up the next play, which led to a fumble. Anger surged through my body when they got another touchdown. The rest of the second quarter went downhill as we went from being in the lead to being down my seven. When halftime came, the morale of the team dropped. I waited for Jameson to say something inspiring, but he looked like he needed a hug.
The coach came in and cussed us out, but that wasn’t what we needed. We needed our confidence back, which we had allowed to slip from us in a matter of minutes.
“Coach, can I say something?”
“The floor is yours, Sutton.” I nodded, then stood in the middle of the locker room.
“Look, the first half didn’t go the way we planned, but we still have time to pull out a victory. Defense, I need y’all to pull it together. We score the points, but y’all are the ones who keep the other team from scoring any. Right now, we’re playing like freshmen when we have dominated this entire season and brought more eyes to our city than ever before. We can do better than this. We will do better than this, but we’ve got to work together. Offense, we need all hands on deck. Sometimes, a pass may not go the way we plan, so we need to be prepared for any and everything. Jameson, you are one of the best quarterbacks in our division; don’t start getting shaky now.
“Now when we go back out there, we’ve got to go out there on some take-over-the-world type shit. This is my last fucking game of the season, and I’m not going home a loser. We’re mothafuckin dogs on the field, but we’re not playing like it. It’s time to get in the game and stop playing around. Tonight is all about us, and we’ve got to remind them who the fuck they came here to see. Are you with me or nah?”
“Hell yeah!”
The team went crazy, and I prayed this was enough to reignite the fire under us. I refused to go home with a loss unless I could say without a shadow of a doubt that I left it all on the field.
“Let’s go!”
“We’re the mothafuckin champs!” We came back in the second half and won the game. That shit was way too close for comfort, but we still made it happen. We were so hyped that our coach could barely keep us quiet in order to congratulate us.
After the other team packed up, the seniors prepared for our last walk. Everyone lined up with their families as the announcers introduced each player along with their family members’ names. A part of me wished I could have sat out this part of the game, but unfortunately, everyone had to participate. I didn’t even bother to reach out to Uncle Ro because he’d never made it to anything of significance. I didn’t expect him to be a part of my graduation either, but it no longer bothered me. I didn’t have a real family, and it was one of those things I’d grown to accept. Wasn’t shit I could do to change it, so why stress about it.
The closer I got to the front of the line, the more annoyed I became. Some of the mothers of my teammates gave me sympathetic glances as I walked past them. I put my head down to avoid their gazes. Devon, aka Jameson, was in front of me as I watched his family step forward. I wouldn’t lie; standing there by myself in that moment made me feel naked. As if I was somehow incomplete in some way. Then I felt someone hook their arms under mine. When I looked to see who it was, my eyes widened in shock to see it was Tootie with tears in her eyes. Another presence stood on the left side of me, and I thought I must have been dreaming when I lifted my head up to see Uncle Ro.
There was no time for questions as the announcer called my name.
“We have Dinero Sutton, a senior who will be graduating with honors this year. He will be attending Douglasville University with a full ride to play for the Douglasville Eagles. He is accompanied tonight by his aunt Tondalia Richards and his uncle Roman Sutton.” I kept my emotions in check because I hated being soft. It went against everything I had been taught as a young boy. However, my chest swelled with pride as I walked across the field. This was the closest thing I would ever get to having parents. I chose to embrace the moment.
The rest of the night consisted of lots of hugging and picture taking. I wanted to catch up with Uncle Ro because I had a feeling he would be on the first thing smoking before the sun could rise. He hadn’t stepped foot in our hometown in years, and when he did come, the visits were short.
My eyes scanned the field until they landed on the person I really wanted to see. Charae. I’d been so stuck in my head today, I barely got a chance to talk to her since we’d left for school this morning. She stood next to Tootie with blue balloons and what appeared to be flowers. Her face lit up the moment she saw me, and I couldn’t describe the feeling it gave me. I wasn’t a sensitive individual, but the feeling of being wanted was healing for someone like me. No matter what kind of day I was having, her excitement when I came through the door made it so much better. Love was foreign to me, but there were no doubts in my mind that our love was real. I would take a bullet for her pretty ass, and I would deliver them if anyone tried to take her away from me. Everything about her brought me peace, even when her difficult ass refused to ask for help.
“Congratulations.” Charae squealed, jumping into my arms with her hands full. My hands gripped her as I hoisted her up into my arms. I kissed her cheeks repeatedly before I placed her back on her feet.
“You got me flowers? You must really love me, huh?”
“You should know that already. Plus, it was a big day, so I wanted to do something special for you. Your other gifts are at the house, and Tootie and I cooked you a nice celebratory dinner.” I glanced over to Tootie and Uncle Ro. She held a forced smile on her face, but based on her body language, I had a feeling they were arguing earlier. The two of them fought like cats and dogs, which was why I never understood why she stuck around for so long.
Especially now. Nothing about their relationship made sense, but they couldn’t seem to leave each other alone.
“Thank you, shug. I would have been cool with us chilling and watching a movie tonight, but I appreciate everything you do for me. I love you.” I leaned over to kiss her on the lips. PDA wasn’t really my thing, but I never cared when it came to her. I’d become obsessed with touching her. I needed to touch or kiss on her; it didn’t matter where we were. I would smack her ass in the church if I felt led to do so.
“You’re always doing things for me, so this time, it’s my turn, and I don’t want to hear your mouth about what I spent on the gifts because you literally won’t let me pay for anything. It’s the least I could do.” She must have read my mind because I planned to replace whatever money she spent on my gifts. Rae worked for every dime she had, and I wanted her to be able to have a nice savings for when she needed it. I was fortunate to be able to take care of all our needs, so I allowed her to stack her paper.
“I love you so much, and I’m so proud of you. You rallied your team together and brought home another win. I already know when you get to Douglasville, you’ll be doing the same thing, and I’ll get to watch you from the big screen.” I waved her off, bringing her body closer to mine. As excited as I was to play on the college level, I didn’t want to think about her being apart from me. Eventually, we would have to prepare for it, but not tonight.
“Nephew, you did your thing out there. I’m glad I got the chance to watch your last game. Your future looks bright, and this is only a steppingstone to the greatness you’re destined for. I’m proud of you.” Uncle Ro hugged me and stood next to me.
“What are you even doing here?”
“Well, your girlfriend left me several voicemails telling me how terrible of an uncle I would be if I missed this day. I figured I needed to get my ass on a plane and come see about you.” I glanced over at Charae and Aunt Tootie talking amongst themselves.
“She cares about you,” he stated. I nodded with my eyes still trained on her. The fact that she went through these links to make sure I felt supported tonight made me love her even more.
“Yeah, she does. When are you leaving out?” I cut right to the chase so I could prepare myself accordingly.
“The day after tomorrow. I’ve got a few things I need to check on before I head out.”
“Alright.” My vision shifted over to Drake and his sisters. Things between us had been off since I brought Charae home with me. After the blowup at his house, he acted as if nothing happened. He never once asked about Charae or how she was holding up, and it bothered me more than I cared to admit.
His parents were arrested a few weeks ago and he’s been missing in action ever since. It surprised me to see him at the game tonight because he barely showed up to practice this week. He hadn’t said much of anything to me or Dreis, but I noticed him talking to a few of our other teammates. We’d been boys for too long for me to cut him off without a conversation, but something in me told me things would never be the same between us. I watched him smile while posing for pictures with his sisters as if all was right in the world. I guess I couldn’t blame him for trying to hold on to some sense of normalcy, considering the storm brewing in his household right now.
“You need to be careful of who you allow in your circle,” Unc advised.
“What do you mean?” When I looked at him, I realized his sights were focused on Drake as well.
“People often think their enemies are the opponents on the other side, but that’s not always the case. In order for a snake to bite, they must be in close proximity to you. I may not be around physically, but I see and hear everything. You’re about to step into a new level of success, and distractions are detrimental to your journey. Anyone who isn’t an asset becomes a liability, son. Keep your eyes open at all times.” I took in his warning, wondering what information he knew that I wasn’t aware of.
We spent a few more minutes talking before we all decided to head to the house. Of course, Rae went crazy with the decorations. When I walked into the house, I grinned when I noticed the sign in the foyer that read “Congratulations.” There were balloons and streamers everywhere, and even though I hated the attention, I appreciated the effort she put into it.
“You did all of this yourself?” I quizzed with my arms wrapped around Rae’s waist.
“Ms. Tootie helped me toward the end because I went a little overboard.”
“You’re damn right about that. It’s cool, though.”
“You haven’t seen all of it yet. Wait until we get to the bedroom.” She snickered. I glared at her because she knew I hated my room being touched. We argued about the purple and blue comforter she put on the bed a few weeks ago. I hated change, especially when I wasn’t in control of it.
“Don’t make that face. I promise you’re gonna love it.”
“Naw, I love you. That’s the only reason I’mma let you rock. Now come on so you can feed your man.” I huffed, reaching for her hand. Her eyes met mine, and I adjusted the hard-on in my shorts.
“I meant the food. I’m saving you for dessert.” I winked, pecking her on the lips.
Dinner went smoothly, and I actually enjoyed my time with Uncle Ro and Tootie. I caught them glancing at each other a few times, so I figured they planned to spend some time together before he headed out. Something was up with the two of them, but I chose to mind my business. If it were meant for me to know, they would tell me.
He ended up driving her home, with promises to stop by here in the morning. I wouldn’t hold my breath on it, but I thanked him for coming tonight. As soon as I shut the door, I took my girl upstairs so I could enjoy my second dessert.
“Did you have a good day?” Rae asked as we lay in bed together. Her head rested on my chest, and she ran her fingers over my tattoos.
“Better than expected. I still can’t believe you called my uncle to come here.”
“You deserved to have family there for you. I wanted to make sure you felt supported.”
“Thank you. I’m not used to this, so forgive me if I don’t express myself the way I should.”
“No need to thank me. You’re always showing up for me, and I want to be able to do the same for you. I don’t have money or anything to offer someone like you, but?—”
“Don’t do that. Don’t put us in separate categories as if I’m better than you. I’m a regular person like you. Money doesn’t erase my trauma or problems. I’m fucked up like everybody else. I just hide mine better. What you bring to my life is worth more than money can buy.” She shifted so that we were face to face.
“How?”
“Bitches see me, and they see money and status. I live in this nice ass house and have more clothes and jewelry than anyone could ever want, but that’s where it stops. You’re the first girl to ever ask me how I’m feeling and actually care enough to listen. Even when you were going through your own shit, you made sure to check on my mental. My homies don’t even do that.
“Everybody assumes that money solves every problem, but it doesn’t. Money can’t bring my parents back. Yeah, I live in this nice house, but the shit isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when you’re in this mothafucka alone every day. I don’t celebrate holidays, not because I don’t want to. I don’t have anyone to celebrate them with. Tootie includes me in her stuff, but it’s not the same because she isn’t family. You make me feel loved and wanted, things I never realized I needed until you came along. I’ve been alone in this world for almost a decade, and now I’m not alone anymore. You can’t put a price on that.” Her tears had a nigga choked up, but I refused to show it. I meant what I said, though, and she needed to understand just how irreplaceable she was to me.
“Stop crying, baby. You don’t need to feel sad for me. I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to think this shit is one-sided. You make my life better by being in it.”
“I wanted to kill myself so many times in that house,” she whispered. Her words caused me to sit up in my bed. I pulled her into my lap so I could see her face. Emotionally, she may have been scarred, but in my eyes, she was perfect.
“Talk to me.”
“Sometimes it feels like I was put on this Earth to feel pain. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known. Every day in that house, I thought about ways I could end it all so I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. After Ciera left—” Rae paused, and I could feel my blood boiling as she struggled to say the words.
“She warned me that I needed to protect myself from him, but I messed up. The first night he took advantage of me, it broke another piece of me. I felt so defeated, and I couldn’t imagine going through years of that kind of torture. There was a jump rope under Ciera’s bed that she left behind. In my mind, dying would be easier than the hell waiting for me. After he finished that night, I took a shower to try to scrub him off my skin. My plan was to wait until everyone went to bed, and then I would use the rope to hang myself. It’s not like they would have cared, and I was so… tired. Tired of the beatings and going to bed hungry. Tired of wearing dirty clothes and having to endure bullying every single day. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Then I walked into my room and saw the sandwich on my bed. I wondered if maybe it was a sign from God, telling me not to give up. I didn’t know who left it until I read the wrapper and saw the name Sutton written on it. You gave me a reason to keep fighting. A reason to hope. That’s the reason I go so hard for you. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have the heart that you have. I’m not sure if I believe in God, but if he is real, I owe him for sending you to me. Because of you, I know what love feels like—something I’ve been desperately seeking since the day I came into this world. So, thank you. I don’t have to be alone anymore, and neither do you.” Sunny used her hands to wipe the tears from my face.
She managed to break down the last wall I had on my heart. My love for her ran deep. Sometimes, it scared me because I never knew an emotion could be so powerful. This was deeper than words and declarations. There were no limits to what I would do for her.
I hugged her as she sobbed. We had more in common than she even understood. We were two lost souls who had been left behind by the people who created us, looking for love in a coldhearted world. My girl had been broken for a long time, but I planned to repair the damage life had caused.
“I love you, Sunny. I don’t give a fuck if I’m the only one in this world who does. I promise I’ll make sure that you never go a day without feeling it.” I rained kisses all over her face until her sadness turned into laughter.
“I love you too. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m really sad you’re leaving, but you’re going to go out into the world and do great things. Just make sure you tell them girls on campus that you have a girl who doesn’t mind beating ass behind you.” I chuckled, observing the frown lines on her face.
“Man, gone somewhere. You don’t have to worry about those broads. Our relationship means too much for me to take that kind of risk. The idea of losing you makes my trigger finger itch, and nobody wants those problems. Besides, I got the hottest chick in the game wearing my chain.” I recited a line from a Jay-Z’s song, pointing to the “Money” chain on her neck.
We stared at one another, and I saw the exact moment her gaze shifted from love to desire. Heat radiated from her center, and her wetness caused my dick to brick up. Neither of us wore any clothes, so there were no barriers between us. She ground her pussy on me, as my hands gravitated toward her waist. No words were spoken as she lifted up and then slid down my shaft.
“Mmmm.” My eyes closed as I savored the feeling of her tight walls hugging me. Holding onto her waist, I guided her while she rode me slowly. I swear I could never get enough of her. If I could live inside of her, I would. Sunny was my everything, and I would spend the rest of my life proving that there was no other woman out there for me.