Chapter 22
Two Months Later……
Lyric stood in front of Kenya's bedroom mirror, trying to pull the Chrome Heart jeans over her ass while the music blasted through the speakers. Every few seconds, one of them would start singing along to a song, completely forgetting they were supposed to be getting ready.
"Girl, help me," Lyric fake cried.
“Nah, you knew when you brought them, that big ass booty wasn’t gon’ fit.”
A few minutes later, both women were back to dancing around the room while finishing their makeup and fixing their hair.
"I still can't believe Harmony's man got us floor tickets to the game," Kenya geeked.
"Girl, I'm not surprised. Legend got that bread."
“Shit, I see.”
"I mean, no shade… Nick cool and all, but Legend, that’s bro-in-law."
The two women continued joking as they put the finishing touches on their outfits. Once they were finally satisfied, they spent the next several minutes taking pictures and recording videos for social media.
Just as Lyric was about to post one of the pictures, her phone started ringing.
"What's up?"
"Where y'all at?" Harmony quizzed.
"We leaving out now."
"Okay. Meet me in front of Tiffany's house, and y'all can just follow us from there."
"Okay, bet."
After ending the call, Lyric grabbed her purse and keys.
"Come on. They waiting."
A few minutes later, they were heading downstairs and out to the car. The sun was shining, and the weather was nice enough that neither of them needed more than a light jacket.
"I swear Chicago finally decided to act right," Kenya said as they walked across the parking lot.
"For now."
"You right, give it two days, and it'll probably be snowing again," Lyric replied as they continued toward the car.
The drive didn't take long, and by the time they reached Tiffany's block, Harmony's truck was already parked out front. Kenya pulled in behind it, and as she did, she noticed Melody's car sitting directly in front of Harmony's.
A few minutes later, Harmony pulled off first, Melody followed behind her, and Kenya brought up the rear.
The closer they got to the United Center, the heavier the traffic became.
Between people heading to the game, rideshares dropping off passengers, and cars trying to find parking, it seemed like everybody in the city had the same destination.
Eventually, they made it into the parking lot and found a spot. Once everyone climbed out, the group headed toward the entrance together.
Looking like five fly bitches, they immediately started turning heads. The compliments and attention only made everyone laugh as they made their way through security.
After checking in, they were directed to a separate entrance where staff members handed each of them a laminated pass to wear around their necks. Before any of them could ask questions, another employee appeared and began escorting them toward their seats.
"Now, this what you call a ladies’ night," Ma Ma beamed.
The closer they got to the court, the wider Lyric's eyes became. She wasn't much of a sports fan, but even she knew their seats were a flex. They were literally on the floor.
By the time they sat down, players were finishing warmups, and the arena was filling up fast. The energy inside the building was completely different from anything Lyric expected.
Just as she pulled out her phone to start a live video, the player introductions began.
The lights dimmed, the crowd erupted, and all attention shifted toward the court.
Lyric was barely paying attention at first, scrolling through her screen and getting ready to go live, when a familiar name suddenly caught her attention.
"Oh my God! That’s Zaire!” Lyric turned toward Kenya and screamed.
"Girl, you didn't know he was the starting forward for the Golden State Warriors?"
"Hell no." She paused before going on.
"I mean, I knew he was cold in high school, but I had no idea he went to the NBA… Shid, I haven’t talked to him since the night of his graduation party."
"Girl, you tweaking. This his rookie year. Where the fuck you been?"
Lyric wanted to say pregnant and stressing out about my baby daddy, but she kept it to herself.
Truthfully, she had been so wrapped up in her own life that she hadn't paid attention to much else.
Over the past two months, Vonte had done everything he could to get under her skin before eventually saying fuck her and the twins altogether.
At first, it bothered her, but after a while, she became numb to it.
Being a single teenage mother wasn't part of her plans, but it was the hand she had been dealt, and spending every day angry about it wasn't changing anything.
Once the game started, Lyric found herself cheering for Golden State solely because of Zaire.
Every time he scored, she was on her feet.
Every time his name appeared on the screen, she was recording.
Between the floor seats, the atmosphere, and being surrounded by her sisters and friends, she was having the time of her life.
"Damn, he really made it," Kenya said at one point.
"I know, right!"
Before long, the fourth quarter rolled around, and eventually the final buzzer sounded.
"Aww man. It's over already?" Lyric looked up at the time clock and asked.
"Girl, this game was three hours long," Melody replied.
"And I would've watched three more."
The girls stuck around after most of the crowd had started making their way toward the exits. Between taking pictures, recording videos, and going live on social media, nobody seemed ready to leave.
Lyric was in the middle of posting yet another picture when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Thinking it was one of the girls trying to get her attention, she turned around. But, instead, she found herself face-to-face with a security guard.
"Excuse me, ma’am, but Zaire wanted me to ask if you'd stick around until he's done with press."
"Me?" Lyric blinked.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Umm... okay."
The second the security guard walked away, everyone’s eyes turned toward her.
“What?” She blushed, unable to hide her smile.