Chapter 23
MJ
Sitting in my room, I finally felt like I could breathe again.
Not all the way, not like nothing ever happened, but enough to know I wasn’t stuck in that place I had been in when I first came home.
Healing had been slower than I wanted it to be.
The healing scars on my arm were a constant reminder of how everything went down, but I couldn’t keep telling myself I was still in that same headspace.
I felt better. Not just physically, but mentally too.
A part of that came from knowing that Cornelius wasn’t stepping on any field anytime soon.
Word had already made its way back to me about what happened to him, and even though nobody broke it down in detail, I didn’t need them to.
My father handled it. I leaned back against my headboard and let out a slow breath as my thoughts shifted in a way I hadn’t expected them to.
I had always known who my father was. Not in the way outsiders tried to guess or assume, but in the way that came from hearing it directly from him and Uncle Sha.
They never hid their past from my mother or me.
They told it like it was, not to glorify it, but to make sure I understood the weight of the choices they made and the lives they lived before things became what they are now.
So, none of it was new to me. But seeing it play out like this just felt different.
It wasn’t just something I knew anymore.
It was something I understood. The way he moved, the way he handled things without raising his voice or losing control, the way everything felt calculated instead of emotional.
It made something click for me in a way I couldn’t ignore.
It wasn’t just about being feared. It was about being in control at all times.
And that is probably what I lacked that got me in this situation to begin with.
That realization sat with me as I shifted slightly.
My eyes drifted over to the wall across from me, where one of my favorite pictures hung.
It was from high school. It was me on the court, locked into the game, caught in a moment that felt bigger than just basketball.
I stared at it for a second, really taking it in, and before I knew it, a small smile pulled at my lips.
I was going to get back to that. There was no doubt in my mind about it.
This wasn’t the end for me, no matter how it tried to feel when I was lying up in that hospital bed.
It was just something I had to get through.
I let out a slow breath as I let that confidence settle in, and my thoughts shifted again, this time to the decision I had made not too long ago.
I had told my parents I wasn’t leaving just yet.
Going away to school had been the plan. It was something we had talked about for a long time.
For a long time, it felt like something that felt like the next step I was supposed to take.
I expected them to question it or maybe even push back a little, because I knew what that opportunity meant.
But they didn’t. Surprisingly, they understood and respected my decision.
Justine didn’t stick beside me once I told her that I wasn’t going away to school.
It was funny how I was trying to ditch the bitch before I left, and she was saying that she didn’t want to be with me because if I didn’t go, then I would lose my chance at playing for a D1 school.
I guess that was my karma a little for trying to get rid of her ass before I left.
The last time I checked, she was dating a nigga that went away to school to play football.
Which was hilarious to me. I shook off the bad vibe I got whenever I thought about her ass.
My eyes shifted toward my open bedroom door, and that was when I noticed her.
Maliah stood there quietly, like she had been there for a minute, just watching me.
There was something softer in her expression now, something that hadn’t been there before everything that happened.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then she smiled. It wasn’t big or exaggerated, but it was real.
And without even thinking about it, I smiled back.
Something about that moment meant so much, even though it was so small.
Because even with everything that had happened, even with the pain, the frustration, and everything I had to push through to get back to myself…
It all felt worth it. Because it was for her.
And I would do anything just to see her smile like she was right now.
MALIAH
When MJ smiled back at me, my heart felt full.
For the first time since everything happened, he looked like himself again, and seeing that did something to me that I hadn’t even realized I needed.
I leaned against the doorframe with my arms crossed.
I let my eyes drop to the healing scars that covered his tattooed arm before a small smirk pulled at my lips.
“I’m not even going to lie,” I said while tilting my head slightly as I looked at him, “it’s kind of good that broken arm really sat you down for a minute, because you were starting to act like you were untouchable.”
His face twisted immediately, and before I could even react, he grabbed a pillow with his good arm and launched it at me. It hit me square in the chest, making me laugh as I caught it before it could fall.
“Boy, you better be glad you’re still healing,” I shot back while tossing the pillow lightly onto his bed as I shook my head at him.
He didn’t say anything, but I could see the smile still sitting on his face. I pushed myself off the doorframe and stepped back into the hallway, glancing at him one more time before turning toward my room.
“I’ll come check on you later,” I said before walking down the hall.
Once I made it inside, I closed the door behind me and walked over to my closet. I pulled the door open and started going through my clothes. Tonight was supposed to be simple, just me and Tahari, having a casual date night.
As I shifted hangers back and forth, my mind drifted to him, and I couldn’t help the small smile that graced my face.
I appreciated the way things had been going lately, especially between him and my dad, because that alone meant more to me than I had expected it to.
My dad didn’t open up to just anybody, so the fact that he had started taking Tahari under his wing, bringing him around the auto business, and really showing him things, said everything without needing to be explained.
It made me feel like things were finally falling into place in a way that made sense.
What made it even better was knowing that Tahari actually had an interest in it, because he wasn’t just around to be around.
He paid attention, asked questions, and carried himself like he wanted to learn, like he wanted to build something for himself instead of just going wherever life pushed him.
That mattered to me more than I could really put into words.
I pulled out a couple of outfits and laid them across my bed before taking a step back.
I was trying to decide what I wanted to wear, but as I stood there looking at them, something shifted in a way I couldn’t ignore.
It was subtle, but I felt it anyway. A strange, uneasy feeling settled in my chest, like something wasn’t sitting right, even though everything around me looked exactly how it was supposed to.
I paused, and my eyebrows dipped in thought as I tried to make sense of it, but nothing about it made sense. Nothing was wrong. Everything was fine.
Still, the feeling lingered in a way that made it hard to ignore completely.
I exhaled softly and shook my head, brushing it off before it could turn into something bigger than it needed to be.
I wasn’t about to let my mind run with something I couldn’t even explain.
I reached for my phone, unlocked it, and then pulled up Tahari’s name.
My fingers moved quickly across the screen as I typed out a simple message.
I can’t wait to see you
I hit send and stared at it for a second before placing my phone down beside me, letting out a slow breath as my eyes shifted back to the outfits lying across my bed. Whatever that feeling was, I wasn’t about to let it ruin tonight.