I gulped. “Well…don’t be like that, bae. Harlem…is a good guy…and he’s probably not over me yet, because I took his virginity.”
“What?” He chuckled. “You bullshitting.”
“No. I’m serious.”
“Damn. That’s crazy. Now, I feel kinda bad.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I mean…I always knew that the nigga legitimately had feelings for you. But…y’all wasn’t even together a year. The nigga got so many hoes throwing pussy at him. So, I told myself that he should take it like a player. But I’m realizing…that was selfish of me. Acting like that nigga is incapable of having feelings. I guess that I honestly didn’t get it. Cause…I aint never been in love before. So, I was looking at it from a superficial point of view. And now…Ion wanna be around the nigga, because I do understand. The way I feel about you…makes me not wanna be around a nigga who used to…do what I do to you.”
I sighed, while stifling a giggle. “One thing about it, Harlemneverdid what you do to me. Maybe it’s a difference in experience. I don’t know—”
“Alright,” he cut me off. “Enough about that nigga.”
“Right. Fuck him.” I waved off. “Let’s stop at one of these clubs tonight.” I smiled.
He grimaced. “Clubs? When do you ever see me going out?”
“Mmm…you don’t, but I figured that it was like my situation. You’re older than most of your friends, so you don’t go out, because they can’t.”
“Mmm…nawl. That definitely aint the case. I got partners back in the hood, who go out damn near every night. The club scene just never appealed to me. I aint paying for a section to act like I’m having it. Ion care for the attention. And too many rowdy muthafuckas in one place makes me uneasy.”
“But if you don’t go, then how can you say that you don’t like—” I got out, before his cell rang again.
Glancing at the screen in the truck, I saw that it was his mama calling.
Sighing, he pushed a button, answering the call.
“Hey, mama.”
“Hey, I was just calling to tell you that agent reached out to me again.”
I watched him stroke his chin. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yes,” she stated cheerfully…sounding rather ghetto. It was just a certain mystique to her voice that sounded hardened. Like she smoked a few packs of cigarettes daily and probably had a few shoplifting cases under her belt. But I digress. “That muthafucka was telling me about all the munyun he can make for you. He was even laying out timelines, and said that there was already deals on the table, if you sign with him. And he swore that he got the inside scoop, and is positive that you’ll be a one and done in college. Meaning that you could be in the NBA in about a year and some change.”
Breeze tucked his lips into his mouth, appearing irritated. “I’m eighteen, so he really should be calling me directly. And…I told you that I wasn’t interested in the one and done thing. The NBA will still be there, after I finish college—”
“Lil’ Ricky,” she interjected. “I know that you wanna do your computer programming stuff, but that don’t happen overnight. Nobody is saying that you can’t do yo lil’ pipe dreams. But get the moneyfirst,” she stressed. “Get them millions,thendo whatever you wanna do. This is life-changing money. Foreverybody. Think about your sisters and brothers. Your granny. You the chosen one, Lil’ Ricky and this is bigger than some hobbies.”
Breeze’s jaw clenched, as he listened with a frown. “Alright, mama. I hear you. Let me call you back.”
“Okay—”
He didn’t let her complete her sentence, before he ended the call.
“She be tripping with herself,” he vented, as he randomly pulled up to a curb, behind some parked cars. “And because I don’t go back and forth with her, she really thinks that she can manipulate me. And don’t even realize that my pops goes out of his way to remind me that I aint gotta take care of nobody, but me. I mean, I’ma always look out for my siblings, but not to the point where it’s dictating my decisions. Fuck what she talking about.”
I nodded. “Right…but,I do understand her perspective. Even if you aint super passionate about being drafted, it is an incredible opportunity, that can open doors to whatever else you wanna do, outside of that. You don’t have to choose one over another.Ifit’s something you can live with. Meaning that you’re willing to delay the things you’d rather do. But if it feels toostifling and pushes you into an unhappy space, then I say no. Ultimately, be smart, while also following your heart.”
He nodded his head. “I feel you.”
“Do you?” I arched a brow.
“I do.”
“Okay, good.” I reached over, grabbed his hand, and interlocked our fingers. “Now, let’s find a club to go to.” I smiled big. “Please.”
