Chapter 4 #2
“As of right now, I’m just your friend and it’s always a friend's job is to push the other one to their highest potential. When you feel like you’ve had enough, or feel like you can’t do something, it’s a friend's job to pour that feeling of knowing you can do anything, back into you until you believe it again.”
I noticed the way he put a little extra feeling into the word friend when he said it.
“As long as you are that to me, I’ll never allow you to get into your own head and believe you can’t do something. You’ll pull these next games off without any doubts.”
This time, my heart sunk into my stomach. I really hoped I had as much confidence as he had for me when I got back out there.
“Zoo.”
“Yea, baby?”
“Do you really have a teddy that you sleep with every night?”
The way he laughed, gave me my answer. “I don’t but I do now.”
“Just like a nigga to lie to get in your bed,” I joked then fell quiet once what he said, hit me. I do now.
I wanted to dig deeper into those words but decided to leave it alone. Some things are made clear to you, and you don’t have to dig for more answers. I was his teddy bear. If I could’ve gotten this warm feeling that he gave me now, nightly, then I’d be his Teddy Ruxpin bear all day, every day.
Zoo kissed my forehead, and his arm tightened around me before slipping down to my back to rub it. The gentle feeling of his touch soon had me nodding off.
“You got this, Pen!”
Zoo’s shouts from courtside had me sinking the free throw that gave my team a two-point lead with eleven seconds left on the clock. LA called a timeout, so they could get their next play together.
“All I need y’all to do is defend the fucking paint!” Bri coached. Her intelligent ass watched so much film that she knew LA’s strategy back and forth. Because they weren’t a good shooting team, they’d no doubt attack the paint. Their three-point average was one of the worst in the league.
“Fallon, no fouls!” Bri barked. “Let them earn every fucking point!” Fallon’s ass was in foul trouble before the second half even started. The game was going good for me, but Tony was struggling in the paint without Fallon on the floor.
Tonight’s win was crucial. If we won tonight, we’d have a two-game lead going into LA.
The problem was, LA was giving us a run for our fucking money.
My minutes played would’ve been ridiculous for this series for the simple fact we couldn’t get a decent lead on LA for shit. Being real, I was worn the fuck out.
The last eleven seconds ticked off with LA having to shoot a deep three that clanked off the rim.
Me and my team celebrated while the fans went crazy.
Yes, this win was crucial, and celebrating so soon wasn’t in my DNA.
Not until a ring was on my finger. Until the season was over, I wouldn’t be satisfied with celebrating.
“You fixed me a bath?” I cooed when I walked into my bathroom a couple hours later.
“Yeah,” Zoo said. “I saw how worn out you were out there. I figured you’d want to actually soak when you made it home instead of the shower you took at the arena.”
Smiling, I church-hugged him. “You figured right.”
Zoo had been staying with me every night since the first night he stayed. It kind of went with him coming to check on me, to us having dinner together, to him staying the night. I wasn’t against it, because again, I was lonely as hell, and his company was appreciated.
“I’ma be in the living room with dinner when you come out,” he informed me.
“Okay,” I uttered to his back as he left my room.
Before I went into the bathroom, I turned my television on and went straight to the sports station. Zoo must have also known that I was a little pissed off at the questions being thrown my way during the post-game press interviews.
“Can you expect to go up against a team like Chicago, who has the best defense in women’s basketball, when your team struggled terribly tonight?”
Chicago hadn’t won their semifinals series yet, however, all of basketball was betting on them to take it all.
“You looked a little tired out there. Is your sister’s condition causing you to stumble this series?”
Mimi still hadn’t made a public statement regarding what was going on with her, so many were left to speculate. I was on her side and so was management. Her business was her and Sin’s business, and no one else needed to be involved for the time being.
“Any idea how you’re going to pull off a championship without arguably one of the best players in the league?”
They were talking about Naomi, of course.
She and I were a powerful duo, but alone, Naomi could wreck shop.
Being compared to her came with the territory.
It never bothered me because my game was just as strong as hers.
What I lacked, she made up for and vice versa.
She was the one who ushered me in to playing street ball and taught me how to run with the best of them. Also, she helped me develop my shot.
So, my sister had ingrained in me this sport that we both loved. I wasn’t only out here trying to win a championship for me; I was trying to win a championship for her as well. There was no jealousy or envy in me for my blood. There never would be.
Regardless, the media liked to put people against each other, and I guessed this was their way of trying to get me to see myself as less than. Sure enough, my face shown on the television with sweat dripping from me. It was a replay of me making the game-winning free throw.
“While I like Pensacola for the championship, I’m not sure how they expect to go toe to toe with Chicago, who we all know will win their game tomorrow night and slide into the championship. Pensacola has to do a better job at defending the paint and staying out of foul trouble.”
“Yeah, DC, I agree with you. London has an incredible shot and can kill Chicago on the perimeter, but if her teammates aren’t doing what they need to in the paint, Chicago is going to run away from them.”
“Agreed, Quita. London needs to step it up in terms of getting her teammates to pitch in, or else, she’s going to look exactly how she did tonight—tired. She has to get them involved.”
“As far as Coach Kincade, she’s doing well for her first season. Even if she doesn’t win a championship, her efforts thus far have proven she’s a force in this league.”
I shut the television off and chucked the remote onto the bed.
As much as I couldn’t stand commentators or analysts, the majority of them knew a thing or two about basketball even if they’d never actually played the sport.
Still, that didn’t give them the right to act like every play or possession would be perfect.
Bothered by their take on my performance tonight, I grabbed my phone and went into the bathroom. I needed to talk to Mimi to clear my head. Zoo was in the living room, but he wouldn’t understand. Naomi would.
“Hey, boo,” she answered as soon as I sank into the tub. Zoo had the water piping hot, just how I liked it. And it smelled heavenly of something I didn’t own. It was floral yet sweet. The scent was amazing.
“Hey, boo,” I parroted.
“Sin, of course, didn’t let me watch the game, but he did tell me we won. Did you get my text?”
“Yes, I did. I haven’t read it yet. I’ll look at it when I get out of the tub.”
“Please do. I feel something in my spirit, so I sent you that message. You don’t even have to talk about it if you don’t want to because I already know.”
Tears sprung to my eyes. I sniffled and dashed them away.
“I’m sorry, Mimi,” I said. “I shouldn’t be worrying you with this.”
“Please,” she clapped back, “I am your sister. And you know I understand. Read my message, eat, and take yo’ ass to sleep. If I’m on this phone too long, Sin will confiscate it.”
I busted out laughing through my tears.
“How did you feel today?”
“Same, but I’m taking things one day at a time. I have a whole baby to grow, so I’m doing my best to grow him or her.”
Again, I felt something in her words. Now wasn’t the time to bring it up though. I was upset, and I didn’t want to get her upset. The time would present itself soon.
“Alright. Well, I’ll finish my bath and let you go. Stop giving my brother-in-law a hard time.”
Mimi laughed.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I said. “Love you.”
“Love you, too, boo. Read my message!”
“Bye.” I chuckled then hung up. I finished bathing, got out, dried off, and moisturized my body before dressing. Quickly, I did my face routine. By the time I joined Zoo in the living room, he had two plates waiting on the coffee table.
“Better?” he asked as his eyes cascaded down my body. I had on a cute pajama set that didn’t reveal any of my body, yet he made me feel naked. Plopping down next to him, I nodded.
“Very much so.”
He quickly prayed over the food and before I could dig in, I remembered to read Mimi’s message.
Mimi: I wish I could be tossing you those assists, but I can’t. Either way, my sister is the shit and regardless of what happens, she gon’ still be the shit. She gon’ still be the only one I choose to run the backcourt with me. I love you, boo!
I couldn’t even respond to Mimi. Sitting the phone aside, I discreetly wiped my tears, then picked up my plate to eat.
ZOO
“How do you feel going into the finals?”
“Confident.”
Pen’s short answer garnered silence from the reporters.
When she didn’t elaborate it was obvious that she was over it.
It was the same bullshit after every game—the same dumb-ass questions.
Now I understood why players wished they could skip this shit, especially after tough wins and even tougher losses.
And the reporters wondered why they stayed getting cussed out or told to mind their business.