"I came to watch my lady play some ball," I replied. Zoo found our conversation so funny that he laughed.
She shook her head and chuckled. "I am not your lady, Jamison."
Damn, I loved the way she said my name.
"Allat blushin' you're doin' says otherwise, baby," I countered.
She glanced off as her face grew darker.
"I'll be here when the game is over. Holla at me then." I thought she'd say no, but she only rolled her eyes my way.
"Whatever." She chuckled before joining her team in the center of the court.
Her teammates were being nosey by the way a few sets of eyes turned my way. One set of eyes glared at me so tough that I grilled that bitch back. The fuck? She must’ve had a thing for my shawty. I smirked because who wouldn't have a thing for Naomi?
"Damn, number thirty-four wanna scrap," Zoo commented, peeping the broad out too.
She glared a little longer before turning back to listen to whatever their coach was saying. Damn, now shawty had me outchea actin' like a jealous-ass nigga with a fucking woman, no less.
"Nigga, you gon' be outchea competing with niggas and bitches," Zoo drawled. "That's some shit for yo' ass."
"Competing?" I scoffed. "Nah, bruh, you got me fucked up. That's all me," I insisted, finding Naomi's gaze. I could tell she was more than curious.
Her eyes locked on me, caressing my face. I blew a kiss at her and watched them stretch before she glanced away. It was too easy for me to get under her skin. I loved it.
"For all this shit you're doin', I hope ol' girl gives ya ass some play."
Ignoring Zoo's comment, I kept my eyes on the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. If it was possible for a nigga to fall in love at first sight, I must have with shawty because I swear, I didn't see anyone but her.
CHAPTER 5
PENELOPE 'PJ' LONDON
Iwasn't quite sure what made me want to play basketball. One day, I tagged along with Naomi to a scrimmage game, and the next thing I know, I was in a jersey and shorts, dribbling right beside her.
My sister and I were dangerous on the court. While Naomi ran the point, I was her two. Her dribble game was crazy, and my shot was like butter more often than not, making us almost unstoppable.
Many wondered why we chose to play for the same team, but things just kind of happened that way. After the team was bought, the new owner fired just about all the old staff and brought in who he felt would be a better fit. When he made a play for me to trade out of my previous team, I didn't hesitate to make the move. I received some pushback for trading after my rookie season, but my mental was too fucked up in New York, so I pushed for the trade. Not only was I far from my family, but I also didn't vibe with my teammates.
It was no secret that Naomi and I were two of the most disliked women in basketball. It stemmed from us being deemed 'favorites' by other players. They felt we got more attention, ref calls, and no calls on certain plays. Whether our looks factored into anything was stupid. I played with plenty of beautiful women, and to me, we were all treated equally.
"You ready?" I glanced up from tying my sneakers to smile at my coach.
Things would be a little more complicated this season as Coach Brianna Kincade happened to be my and Naomi's best friend. Her acquisition to the team happened just as my trade happened. She was nervous today, with it being her first professional game. Brianna played ball with Naomi and me in college. In her last year, she tore her ACL, leading to her having to be sidelined. After her injury, instead of healing and returning to basketball, she chose to coach. She'd been coaching high school ever since and had been so good at it that she'd gained national attention after leading her team to two back-to-back state titles.
Sighing, I nodded. "I'm ready."
She chuckled, placed her hand on my shoulder, and gently squeezed. There was more she wanted to say, but in the locker room, we weren't best friends. She was my coach. We kept it thisway so the other players wouldn't feel some type of way about Naomi and me being the 'favorites'.
Seconds later, my nerves took over as Coach told us it was time to head to the court. Across the locker room, Naomi met my gaze and grinned. She wasalwaysready without an ounce of nervousness to slow her down. For me, on the other hand, playing in front of crowds the size we'd started seeing in the WNBA was a bit daunting. Still, I had to go out here and do my thing.
I filed out of the locker room, right behind Naomi, who blew me a kiss. I blew her one in return. That was our thing.
The beat of our team's anthem sounded, thumping through the tunnel and drowning out shouts from the fans. It was still early, yet the arena sounded like it was already packed. My heart pounded faster the closer we came to the clearing.
Fans shouted our names as we exited the tunnel, causing me to feel both proud and nervous. While the rest of my teammates jogged onto the court, I made a beeline for the bench. My nerves cut the hell up at the worst times. I chalked up the panic to being in a new city, surrounded by new fans.
As I started breathing exercises, I caught a few of my teammates eyeing me. I pretended to fumble with my sneakers and ignored them. Next, they'd be complaining about me not joining them for warmups. All I needed was a minute to get myself together.
