“Thompson must have lost his marbles. There are so many other great players out there. Why him?” I ask.
“It could have something to do with the budget. I mean, look how much you and I make,” he says.
“I need to find out what’s going on.” Turning on my heel, I march out of the locker room.
“Dude! I told you not to make a scene,” he whisper-yells before he shakes his head and jogs after me.
Burning rage crawls through my spine as I see Lucas standing in the hall, chatting with the Dragon’s general manager, Gary Thompson, and our coach, Zachary Watson.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Hilton?”
Lucas’s head whips around. A sardonic smile spreads across his face when he sees me. “Is that how you greet an old friend?” he asks, his tone laced with mockery.
“We haveneverbeen friends.” My fists clench at my side. I want to punch him in the face and wipe that smug look off of it.
Coach glares at me. “Kamado, go change and get ready for practice. I’ll talk to you and the team later.”
Lucas grins. “Oh, I don’t mind sharing the news with him now. I just signed a deal. I’m going to be part of the San Francisco Dragons.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I mutter under my breath.
When I graduated high school, I thought I was finally free of him. Now, at the peak of my career, he’s returned. And his timing couldn’t be worse, with Annalise being back in town.
“So, how much did your dad have to pay to get you into the NBA?” I snicker.
“Show some respect, Kamado,” Gary says, while narrowing his eyes at me. “Lucas has worked his ass off and has been proving himself in the G League. He has a lot of potential and will be a great asset to the team.”
“Wow, you really haven’t changed since high school, huh? You’re still a bully,” Lucas sneers.
Heat surges inside of me. He always tried to give me a bad rap by starting rumors and playing the victim. I may be an asshole to him, but it was always warranted.
I try to charge toward him but Elijah holds me back. “Bro, calm down before you do something stupid,” he whispers. “You’re a professional basketball player now. Don’t let this fucker get to you.”
When it comes to Lucas, I have a tendency of losing my temper. Elijah has always been my voice of reason. In high school, I got into a fight with Lucas once, which caused me to get suspended. There were countless times where I almost beathim up again, but Elijah prevented me from doing so. Otherwise, I probably would’ve been expelled.
I can’t let him get under my skin. Unlike high school, I have a hell of a lot more to lose now if I lash out.
Clapping Lucas on the back, I plaster a smile on my face. “I’m just messing with you, man. I’m beyond thrilled to have you on the team. Welcome to the Dragons.”
I extend my hand and he takes it. I smirk when my grip tightens, causing him to wince.
“I’m ecstatic to be here. It’s going to be a great season,” he says.
Great? More like a clusterfuck. He’s going to ruin our team’s dynamic.
Asami gnaws on her fingernails while she stares at her phone. Okasan invited us over for dinner and now here we are, watching my sister refresh her email every ten seconds. She’s waiting to see if the results for her boards—which she took a couple weeks back—are in yet.
“Anything yet?” I ask.
“No, not yet. I don’t know what’s taking so long. I thought the results would be in this morning. I’ve been a nervous wreck all day.”
“Just eat, Asami. Your udon is gonna get cold. Check later,” Okasan says, placing her hand on top of Asami’s.
“Sorry, Okasan. I’m just so nervous” She sets down her phone. “If I don’t pass, I’m gonna have to wait another six months to retake it.”
“You’re going to pass it. You’remydaughter,” Otosan says, smiling at her.
There is no denying that Asami is his favorite child. He’s always praised her for everything, no matter how small. Me, onthe other hand? I don’t get so much as a pat on the back for my achievements.
