33. Givens
GIVENS
“It looks like the rumors are true: WNBA and NBA royalty, Mercy DeCorte and Givens Robbins, are engaged. Givens’ daughter, Faylin Robbins, posted a picture on IG this morning of Mercy standing in the center of the court with Givens behind her and Faylin sitting in front of her with the caption; The Robbins are taking over.
The picture has over three million likes and comments, and counting,” radio personality, Ember, said as I shot the ball.
I was waiting for Mercy and Faylin to finish getting ready so we could leave. We’d been at the arena all day because of practice, workouts, and interviews to prepare for Mercy’s season opener in a few days. I was tired, but I knew my baby was worn out.
“I’m standing on what the other news outlets are saying; their relationship is a front because of all the shit that went down with his baby mama a few weeks ago,” Smooth, the co-host, said with a laugh.
“Givens Robbins ain’t settling down, especially to Mercy DeCorte.
She’s fine, don’t get me wrong, but she’s a good girl and kind of boring. ”
“Have you been a hater your entire life?” Ember replied. “I mean, come on, this is black love at its finest here.”
“It’s a cover-up,” Smoother countered. “He needs a good story. I give it two months, then all of a sudden, the pictures will slow down, and the talk will go away. He needs this.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Ember said, disagreeing.
“He does!” Smooth laughed. “He was hit with that DV charge by his ex not too long ago, and before that, he stayed in the headlines because of his temper. Mercy is a good cover story. The only reason you don’t think so is because you know Mercy.”
The station changed, and I looked at the announcer's table to see Mercy standing there with a smile.
“You know that nigga has a point, don’t you?” I asked, and Mercy shrugged. “People are going to think that I’m with you because of that bullshit with Shai.”
“You were with me before the bullshit with Shai,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “And just so you know, Smooth won't be saying shit by the end of the day.”
“Are you gonna have him killed?” I laughed.
“Morning is on his way to see him,” she answered with a shrug. “And from what I can tell from the conversation, Smooth has a few secrets he will want to keep buried. Especially since one involves Ember and the attack on her a few years back.”
“What attack?” I asked, then shook my head. “You know what? Don’t answer that because if Morning is handling it, then I know the shit will be taken care of.”
“It will be,” she said, then shrugged. “Smooth has been a hater since I turned him down for a date a few years back.”
“Oh, that’s what it is?” I asked, and she nodded. “Why did you turn him down?”
“Not my type,” she said, shaking her head. “Plus, he dated Ember for a few years, and I don’t go behind my friends.” She approached me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Plus, I was waiting for this basketball player I’d seen around to notice me.”
“Oh yeah?” I lifted my brow as I wrapped my arms around her waist. “That’s crazy.”
“Right,” she said, nodding. “But you know things happen when they're supposed to.”
“Exactly.” I kissed her, then pulled back.
“I ran into Pyrite in the hallway; he said he would hit you up later this week. He’s on his way to pick up a payment from Javien,” she said, and I nodded. For the last three days, Pyrite had been searching for Javien; if he were picking up a payment, he’d finally found him.
“Where’s Faylin?”
“Gone with Legacy to see a movie,” she said, unwrapping her arms around me and stepping back. “That means we are child-free until tomorrow.”
“Yeah?” I watched her pick a ball up from the rack and start dribbling. “What you got in mind for the night, then?”
“You know, nothing crazy.” She bounced the ball between her legs and smiled at me. “You down for a hoop session?”
“With you, DeCorte, always,” I laughed, and she passed me the ball.
See you next book!