15. Akari
It was game night, and I was hyped as hell for it.
Whenever it was a game, I had all the energy in the world.
It had to be like that. If not, I would play lousy, and that was something I didn't want to happen.
I had my good luck charm here with me, so I knew I had this game in the bag.
Since I had Avani in my life, I had been playing better than I ever had.
She was the boost I needed. I guess it was because I loved her.
She just didn't know it yet. After the game, I planned to tell her how I felt about her.
We finally got our shit together... well, she got her shit together.
It had been a month since we had an argument that blew up the way the last one did.
Don't get me wrong, we still argued with one another, but I knew we were able to work through our problems. We had been spending a lot of time going out and being photographed together.
Avani didn't like it, but she was trying to adjust to it.
I gave her grace for that since she wasn't used to my lifestyle all that well.
I wondered if I had enough time to go see her before the game started. She and my sister had arrived already, so he had to be out there somewhere. If I could get a kiss from her, I already knew the game would be an epic one.
"Aye, y'all don't let the game start without me. I'll be back." I rushed out of the locker room with my teammates yelling behind me. They would be okay for a few minutes. I needed to feel my girl's lips against mine.
I searched all around until my eyes landed on her. With a smile, I made my way over to her, but before I could get to her, two women approached me, rubbing on me. I frowned as I glanced down at them.
"Who the fuck..." I muttered as I stared at them, dumbfounded.
One of them reached out and touched my face.
"We have been waiting for so long to get our hands on you!" one of them squealed.
I was in awe at what the hell was happening. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Avani, and the look on her face crushed my soul.
"Fuck..." I dropped my head, not at all paying attention to the women in front of me.
They giggled. "Yeah, daddy. We'd love to fuck you."
I backed away from them and looked up, trying to find Avani, but she was nowhere to be found. Damn it. I had a feeling this wasn't about to end well for me. If she saw what happened, it was a good chance she wasn't going to stay at the game.
I had to get back to the court before it was time to play. As I made my way back inside the stadium, I heard my sister calling my name.
"Wassup?" I looked down at her.
"What the hell did you do to Avani?” She left crying.
I mumbled, "I didn't do anything. Two women approached me and were rubbing on me. Before I had the chance to react, she saw what happened. Damn, man. This isn't good for me."
"Don't worry about that right now. You have a game to worry about," Aisha stated.
"Yeah..."
Damn, I was playing lousy as hell. I needed to get my head in the game, but it was hard when all I could think about was Avani and the look on her face. We were losing bad as hell, and it was my fault.
"Man, get your head in the game!" Kennis yelled to me, sending a glare my way.
I wanted to punch the hell out of him. "My head is in the game. Don't try to play me like that."
"Then play like your head is in the damn game," he retorted.
I had the ball, going down the court with it. I stopped to shoot the ball and missed it.
"Fuck..." I mumbled.
Kennis dropped his head to his chest, as did my other teammates. Hell, I wanted to do the same thing. I had never been as disappointed in myself as I was right now. The way I was playing it wasn't like the man who was a beast. Nah, I felt like a mutt of a dog, if anything.
It was time to set up a play, and we did. Just as one of my teammates threw me the ball, I had butter fingers and let it slip out of my hands. The other team picked it up and took off.
"Man, damn!" I bellowed as the other team scored a point.
I could see the stares my teammates were giving me, and they weren't happy at all. Hell, I wasn't happy with myself either. I wasn't playing anything like my norm.
By the end of the game, we had lost by twenty points. My coach even pulled me out of the game for a while. As I was trying to make my way to the locker room, reporters were trying to talk to me, but I had nothing to say.
"No comment."
They'd better be glad I said that and not punch them in their faces. They were going on and on about me not scoring a lot of points and how badly I played. Yeah, ESPN was going to have a field day with this one.
"Avani!" I banged on her door, waiting for her to let me in. She'd better do just that, or I'd be kicking the door down. "Let me in!"
The door was snatched open, and I was met with glaring eyes. It almost scared me, but I pushed forward. "Man, why the hell you left for?" I squinted my eyes at her.
"What was the point of staying around when you had the women there for you? You let them touch your face and rubbed on you and didn't do a damn thing about it!" she shouted.
I ran a hand down my face. "I didn't have time to do anything about it. My main concern was you. You left for no damn reason!" I shouted back.
We had lost the game, and the way my teammates looked at me in the locker room made me feel bad.
I had let them and my coaches down. The way I played was lousy as hell.
Every time I thought about it, I felt down.
It was the worst I had ever played. Just thinking about it, I wanted to blow up on Avani.
She was why my concentration wasn't on the game as it should have been.
"What was the point of sticking around? You had your groupies with you."
"I can't do this shit anymore, man. Every time I think we're going to be good, you always throw groupies up in my face as if I give a damn about them.
You don't trust me, and I refuse to tell you I'm not doing anything again.
What would be the point when later down the line, you'll be back to the same bullshit?
Nah, I can't. No matter how I feel about you, you need to work on yourself.
I won't let you bring me down any longer. "
It was hard for me to say that, but I had to get it off my chest. I no longer see the point of being in a relationship with Avani. It was only going to bring me down. I couldn't lose another game again. As much as it pained me to break up with her, it was something I had to do.
She pressed her lips together. "Hmm, so that's it? You're breaking up with me?" Her voice cracked. "Wow, of course you would. You're just lik?—"
"Don't you fucking say it!" I yelled. "I tried being with you, tried loving you, but you're too fucking blind to see what the hell is in front of you.
I'm nothing like your mother. I didn't abandon you.
You don't trust me. Why the hell should I stay where I know shit won't be good?
Nah, man. You did this, not me. You're the reason I'm walking away.
Until you get over your past, we will never work, man. I'm done." With that, I walked away.
"No, please don't leave me," she cried. "Please, Akari!"
I paused and dropped my head to my chest. "I can't stay, Avani. We aren't working out. I'm sorry, but I can't do this no more."
"Kari! Kari!" She yelled my name, but I kept walking out of her house and her life. It was the right thing to do. I had to do it. If not, I'd end up hating her, and I didn't want to do that. I knew in my heart it was for the best.