4
Ace
“Ace still got hops,” Titus announces to the crew.
I drive past him and sink the layup, grinning at him as I jog in the other direction.
“Muscle memory,” I say. “I didn’t forget how to cook.”
Bron snorts. “You ain’t cookin’ shit.”
“Yet somehow, I’m beatin’ yo ass, ain’t I?”
Bron waves me off as Jovan dribbles to the center of the court.
I gotta say, it’s been weird since we got here. We’re still balling, still laughing, still clowning, but it’s not coming as easy as it used to. It almost feels forced in some places.
Sweat slicks my back and stings my eyes, but I lock in, determined to end the game on a high note.
Dayton is guarding me tighter than usual. Bron won’t quite meet my eyes when we line up for a check. Jovan’s jaw is clenched tight like he’s holding something back, and Titus’ silence-filling jokes are off, landing a few seconds too late.
But we ball. We’re going hard, playing until our lungs burn and our legs start to wobble. When the game finally ends, I’m up, and I’m satisfied with my performance.
We collapse at the picnic tables under the trees. This is the place where we usually shoot the shit, but it’s quiet today.
I pull my shirt off and down two bottles of water. The cicadas scream from the trees while the sun beats down relentlessly. Still, there's a slight chill in the air.
It’s Dayton who finally breaks the silence.
“My wedding’s almost here,” he says out of nowhere. “I ain’t heard from you, Ace.”
“I told you I was in,” I say sharply. “I guess you don’t see the irony in all this, though, do you?”
Bron blows out a breath. “Finally.”
“What that mean?” Dayton demands.
“It means let’s finally squash this shit,” Bron says. “It’s been tense as fuck in this group since…”
I watch him as he trails off and brings his eyes to mine.
“Since y’all didn’t stand up for me,” I finish.
Dayton sits up a little straighter. “We weren’t trying to disrespect you. It wasn’t even about you. It was about her.”
“She got a name,” I snap.
“It was about Raya,” he corrects. “All the shit we knew about her. We just didn’t wanna cosign it, I guess.”
I shake my head. “It ain’t for you to cosign or not. I’m a grown ass fuckin' man.”
“Ace—“
“And let’s just be clear. Once I made the decision to marry her, it stopped being about whether you trusted her. It became about whether you trustedme.”
Jovan nods. “You spittin’ right now.”
“I ain’t done,” I say. “After everything we been through together, it shouldn’t have even been a fuckin’ question.”
