“We got this!” Rae exclaimed as they all held their fists together then yelled, “Champions!”
Ariana may have been surprised they could tell she was in love, but instead of teasing and jabs, they were a team, her friends. They ran out of the locker room and onto the court ready to do battle.
As they went through warmups Ariana looked into the stands where she knew Nicole was sitting. She could see Kate and Emily along with Dave and his wife. In front of them she saw Chloe and her parents. When Chloe excitedly waved to her, Ariana gave her a big smile. Before she had to return to the huddle Ariana’s eyes met Nicole’s and just like all those months ago, the world stopped. Ariana could see the love in her eyes and although she really wanted to win tonight, it didn’t matter, because Nicole would be waiting for her.
The teams lined up to begin the game and Nia outjumped Las Vegas’ center sending the ball into Ariana’s awaiting hands. She dribbled up the court while her offense took their positions and instead of passing the ball she took a long three-point shot. The ball swished through the hoop and New York took the lead.
Ariana ran up to the opposing point guard just as Vegas threw the ball in. While looking at game film last night Nicole had pointed out that Ariana might be able to intercept the inbounds pass because Vegas sometimes got lazy. It could work for a basket or two which could be enough to win the game. Every point counted.
Sure enough Vegas was not expecting Ariana to be there and she stole the inbounds pass, following it with an easy layup. This set the tone for New York as Ariana’s teammates matched her enthusiasm and level of play.
As Ariana ran over to take her place once again she glanced up to see a big smile on Nicole’s face. That play was for her. There were so many times during the season that Nicole had shared details about a team and Ariana had turned them into points.
New York and Vegas battled and the score was tied at the end of the first half. Ariana went into the dressing room at halftime as the coaches adjusted their offense and defensive plays to hopefully outmatch Vegas in the second half.
The crowd was electric and cheered the home team on as the battle continued. Ariana found her teammates with accurate passes and did her best to stop Vegas on defense. Whenever she was open she trusted her training and had confidence in her shooting ability, but Vegas matched New York shot for shot.
The clock continued to tick down in the fourth quarter as the teams exchanged shots. It appeared whoever had the ball last would win the game. Coach Bell called a time out with under a minute to play and gave them instructions on which play to run to score. She willed them to play their best defense and do whatever it took to stop Vegas.
Ariana knew the play, they’d run it so many times throughout the season with success. As the defense came out on her she passed the ball to Nia, but two players swarmed her and Niapassed it back to Ariana. Vegas knew she would try to shoot and sent two players out to block the ball. Ariana sidestepped and flung the ball towards the hoop. She had done this so many times on the roof playing with Nicole and wasn’t surprised when the ball went in. New York had a two point lead!
They ran back on defense with only a few seconds left. She knew Vegas would try to get the ball to their best three-point shooter. Ariana wasn’t known for her blocking skills since she was only five feet nine inches tall, but when the shooter got the ball she leaped with all her strength and imagined flying through the air the same way she did the day she landed in Nicole’s lap.
She felt the ball graze three of her fingers and it was just enough to knock the ball away when the buzzer sounded. New York was once again the champion!
The crowd roared and the players ran onto the court. Ariana hugged Cameron and looked up into the stands to see Nicole running down the steps. In a flash Ariana ran towards her and Nicole leaped into her arms.
“You did it, baby!”
The elation that flooded Ariana’s body as she hugged Nicole was like nothing she’d ever felt. Then Nicole’s lips were on hers with the sweetest kiss. When she opened her eyes all Ariana could say was, “I love you!”
All the rooftop games, the hours studying other teams, and the efforts to hide their relationship had come down to this. It was worth it. They weren’t a secret any longer and Ariana was a champion. She’d had several days in her life that were extremely happy and this was one she’d always remember. But it wasn’t over yet. There was more to come.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Nicole looked on as they prepared to present the championship trophy. Shealyn was doing the honors and interviewed the owner and Coach Bell. Then it was time to announce the MVP and Ariana won.
“You were right,” Kate said, standing next to Nicole.
“She deserved it,” Nicole said. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Ariana.
When Shealyn presented her the trophy Ariana lifted it in the air and gave it to her teammates.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without my teammates and one very special person who always believed in me,” Ariana said.
Shealyn laughed. “Go celebrate, Ariana. You earned it!”
Nicole watched as Ariana made her way through the crowd and ran over to where she was standing. Suddenly Nicole found herself lifted in the air as Ariana held her tightly.
“Our secret is out!” Ariana laughed.
Nicole couldn’t resist kissing Ariana again. It didn’t matter who saw them. Her girl was a champion and the MVP!
When Ariana finally put her down Nicole couldn’t stop the smile on her face. “Go celebrate. We’ll be waiting for you at Stuart’s.”
“Okay.” Ariana took Nicole’s face in her hands and kissed her again. “Thank you. This wouldn’t have happened without you.”
“I love you. I want everything for you.”
