Chapter 35 Emani
“E.Rose look over here!” the press called as Emani walked hand-in-hand with Sanaa through the tunnel. Andrew walked behind them alongside Aunt Violet, watching the minimal crowd like Jahlil taught him to.
Emani gave them a subtle wave, not wanting to talk about anything to any of them. But it was Sanaa who stopped, posed, and flipped her hair for the cameras. “Mani, you do it too!”
“These matching outfits are making her head bigger,” Andrew grumbled, referring to Sanaa’s age-appropriate outfit that closely mimicked Emani’s short pleated skirt, black thigh high boots, white cropped button down and Los Oceania Hawk varsity jacket.
“That little side part got her thinking she’s mini Mani. ”
Emani reached back to take Andrew’s hand, pulling him into the madness.
Andrew stood close to Emani and Sanaa, letting the glimmer of his braces show for the cameras.
After taking a few photos, they loaded up on snacks and made their way to their courtside seats where Carson, Ashton, Kyrie, and Donnée were seated.
“Okay Sanaa,” Donnée hyped as Sanaa used the side of the court as her runway. “You better, girl!”
Sanaa spun, found a camera and blew a kiss toward it.
“Ay, Ashton, ain’t those your shoes baby girl got on?” Kyrie quizzed.
“Nigga, fuck you. I’m-”
“Three youth,” Carson quipped. “Baby girl got a bigger foot than you, Half Pint.”
“Y’all some damn haters. I’m as tall as Andrew,” Ashton defended.
Andrew looked down at him and shook his head. “Nah.”
Kyrie snickered as Ashton’s face fell flat.
“Fuck y’all I’m going to the box,” Ashton huffed, stomping away.
Carson picked Sanaa up as he hugged Emani. “You look good, girl. How you feeling?”
“Better,” Emani hummed. “Thank you.”
“Girl, you know damn well you don’t have to thank me for shit. You’re my family, I got you forever.” Carson placed a subtle kiss to Emani’s temple.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Jahlil shouted, jogging over.
“Daddy!” Sanaa squealed. “Are you going to whoop some as-butt tonight?”
“You know I am,” Jahlil assured, winking at her. “Good save.”
“No cussin’, more cookies,” Sanaa shared.
Jahlil laughed and held his hand out for Emani’s. After doing the shake they established in college and biting a smirk. “You look good as fuck.”
She flipped her silky tresses over her shoulder and grinned back. “I know.”
“You gon’ cheer loud?” Jahlil asked.
“Yeah, about as loud as you get,” Emani teased, hooking her pinky in his. “You better play good, Savage.”
“You already know.”
Emani sat down by Andrew and nudged him playfully. “You taking notes?”
Andrew tapped his finger against his temple. “I’m locked in, E.”
“My boy,” she buzzed.”
The three days of her being Emani Rose Wheaton were so needed.
As she sat courtside with her family, she was reminded that good, bad, or indifferent, she would always be E.Rose and there was no label on earth who could take that from her.
There was no one who could say any different because she was loved and protected.
The game started and she watched Jahlil command the court, putting up thirty points in the first half.
He played like poetry and she loved every second of it.
On her feet the majority of the first half, Emani was locked in with him, only sitting down when he briefly sat on the bench.
Being his cheerleader came naturally, being his was second nature to her.
So much so, she barely heard her name called as she took a seat at the beginning of the half time.
“E.Rose,” came from a raspy, smoke-tinted voice that she knew but it was Andrew’s gasp that gave it away.
“J-jay Lucci,” Andrew stammered. “E, it’s Jay Lucci.”
Emani looked up, finding the neighborhood Azul that looked out for her before she finessed her way into OSU.
“Lucci.” A smile crept over her face as she stood. Julius hugged her then released her.
“I’m surprised your finessing ass ain’t acting brand new with me,” he stated amusingly. “You good?”
Emani nodded. “I am. I’m better.”
“Nah, you need to be good. What you doing tomorrow night?”
“You going to make me pay you back for that pack?” Emani posed and Jay Lucci kissed his teeth.
“Been handled that, wasn’t tripping on it either. I got this songwriter and you got some songs. Don’t tell me about that label shit either, you know where home is,” Jay Lucci stated.
“Lucci, I-”
“Don’t have shit to do but come to the studio and pop your shit,” Jay Lucci finalized. “Enjoy the game. You might be these niggas good luck charm this season.”
Emani smiled and waved as he strolled off, with Charlie giving her a wink as he passed.
“You never said you knew Jay Lucci like that,” Andrew spoke. “Can I go with you?”
“On a school night? Your brother-daddy would lose his shit. When you get your door back, I’ll consider bringing you with me on a weekend session,” Emani stated, sitting back down. “There’s a whole life I lived before you. Maybe one day I’ll tell you about what I had to do to get here.”
“Are you ashamed of it?” Andrew queried, inquisitiveness piercing his thick brows.
Emani shook her head. “No and I never will be. If I don’t teach you anything else, let that stick with you.
I own everything I’ve done, good, bad, or indifferent.
Forgetting that means you’ve forgotten yourself.
I forgot who I was and it was the loneliest, darkest time of my life.
I’ll never do it again. Once you’ve learned yourself, don’t you ever forget it. Hear me?”
Andrew smiled, leaning into her. “I hear you and I promise I won’t forget.”
Emani held her pinky out. “Promise, promise.”
“Promise, promise.”
The second half started up and Jahlil’s personal cheering section were back on their feet. This half, Ashton was back from pouting and he was encouraging Sanaa’s sugar rush fueled argument with the ref.
“Are you blind ref?” Sanaa shouted. “He fouled my daddy! Ol’ bi-”
“Sanaaaaaa,” Emani droned, snatching her up and placing her on her lap. “Ol’ what?”
“Biscuit eating sucka!” Sanna shouted as Jahlil stood at the free throw line. “Give me two, Daddy!”
Jahlil took his first shot and winked toward Sanaa who clapped her tiny hands in praise. Jahlil took his second shot and got in position to play defense. Emani took it all in.
“That’s right, Daddy! Now run through those busters!” Sanaa shouted making Andrew snicker.
Her spirit was full. Every dribble of the ball, every point added to the scoreboard; this had been the best Jahlil had played in years.
It was like everything disappeared when the rock was in his hands.
All she could see was him, seven years ago, dribbling the ball underneath the night sky.
It’d just been the three of them running drills, shooting, or chasing Andrew around the court.
As her mind played the memories, tears pricked her eyes and Jahlil dropped six more points.
She blinked them away and clapped. When the buzzer sounded for the end of the game, Jahlil had put up sixty points alone, showing the commentators who had something to say about his trade that this was going to be his most promising season yet.
“Jahlil, you had a phenomenal game, sixty points, twelve rebounds and eight assists. What a way to carry your team with Malik not here tonight,” the commentator spoke and Jahlil remained professional in his response.
“The team did what they had to do. We played really good basketball and we’re looking forward to doing it again on the road.”
“Is there anything you want to say to Malik with such an abrupt end to his time here in L.O.?”
Jahlil looked into the camera. “I pray you get better and that all the days ahead of you are ones you deserve. Stay up.”
“Thanks, Jahlil,” the commentator spoke, ending the interview.
Jahlil roamed off the court knowing that the cameras were on him and made a beeline to the sidelines to kiss Emani before heading to the locker room. “Love you.”
She hummed and bit a grin. “Love you.”
Emani turned to find the rest of their crew. Aunt Violet was giving the equipment’s manager the googly eyes, Sanaa was soaking up her fifteen minutes of fame standing in front of Carson and looking up at the ref and telling him how to do his job, meanwhile, Andrew hadn’t left Emani’s side.
The group waited in the press room through the post-game conference while everyone talked amongst themselves, Carson leaned over and muttered, “It’s like a system shock huh? When you realize you woke up in the middle of the shit you dreamed of?”
Emani nodded, trying to hold her emotions at bay. “I literally woke up.”
“I know, I can see it. You deserve for that dream to be reality. Both of you do. Just promise me that if shit gets rocky, y’all hold on to each other.
It’s not just y’all floating through life anymore.
Two sets of young eyes are on you. Andrew will mimic how his brother loves you because this is the only healthy example he’ll see, and baby girl will learn what and what not to accept.
Y’all are in the big leagues now, win this. ”
Emani leaned on him. “We will.”
“Good, I don’t want that nigga planning my death if I have to marry you my damn self,” Carson joked.
“Cool it,” Andrew grumbled. “She’s ours.”
Emani chuckled and looked back at the stage where Jahlil sat, Sanaa now in his lap and grabbing the mic.
“Are y’all finished? We have cookies to go eat,” Sanaa announced, making the press laugh. “Thank you for comin’, drive safe, suckas.”
“How you get her to stop cussing?” Carson asked.
Emani shrugged. “I just have the touch. The kids love E.”
Jahlil