By the time we made it to the arena, I was ready to play.
"You got this, baby." Sin lifted my chin until our lips met. "You gon' go out there and wreck shop." He was so fucking supportive that he didn't care we were being photographed and recorded for the world to see.
Chuckling, I said, "As long as you behave tonight, boo. The refs are gonna have you put out if you keep threatening them."
"Fuck them," he replied. "They better call shit correctly or get their asses off the fuckin' court."
"Lord," I mumbled. "Babe, I really be okay out there."
"Not to me, you don't. They be too rough on you, shawty."
I'd admit that this was my toughest match-up, but I wasn't worried.
"I've had worse in the streets, Sin," I told him.
"Yeah, but yeen have me on ya ass back then," he retorted.
Laughing, I said, "Babe, just behave, okay?"
Sin grumbled something that didn't sound like an agreement and gave me one last kiss before being escorted by security out of the tunnel. Inside the locker room, I scanned the faces of my teammates, my sister, and my coach... This game was it if we wanted to make it to the semi-finals. Both games had been close, so tonight was a toss-up. Still, these women I stood beside and balled with were the best. I trusted them, and they trusted me. This season had been one for the books, and if I had anything to say about it, our season wasn't ending tonight.
New York wasn't going down without a fight. They were up by two points with another quarter to go. Although each quarter was ten minutes, on the court, ten minutes seemed like a lifetime. The game wasn't over untilFINALblared across the scoreboard.
Coach paced the sideline in her heels, hands in her pockets as she barked for Fallon to attack the paint. She'd made two of our last buckets from doing just that. All of my teammates were focused on getting this win. Even those who sat on thebench could be heard cheering us on and doing a little coaching themselves. I think Sin, Zoo, and Brooklyn were the loudest in the arena tonight, and I was soaking it all in. The fans' energy fueled me to go even harder.
Gina missed a shot, leaving the ball to bounce off the rim, right to me. Coach called a play that PJ and I consistently executed flawlessly. PJ jogged up the court, getting in position. I dribbled the ball up the court, PJ already in my sights. Gina swiped at the ball, but my handles were too quick for her. Before she knew it, the ball was out of my hands and in PJ's. One minute I was cutting through the lane to catch PJ's pass…the next, I saw black.
CHAPTER 1
PENELOPE
Suspended between shock and fear, I abandoned the ball and ran to my sister’s collapsed frame. Blaring whistles, screaming, and fans’ shocked reactions accompanied the roaring in my ears.
“Naomi!” The fear in Sin’s voice touched the stratosphere. “Get the fuck off me! Naomi!”
“Mimi!” I cried, dropping to her side. Other players swarmed her as well, but no one was by her side quicker than I was—noteven the team’s doctor. Reaching for Naomi, I fought the clog in my throat after seeing her lying there not moving.
“Back up!” Dr. Whitlock rushed up, reaching for Naomi the same time as Coach.
“No! Don’t touch her!” That was stupid of me to say, but I was scared that if he touched her, he’d hurt her. But shewashurt! “Mimi!” I cried again. This time someone yanked me up, pulling me away from my sister. “No!” Fighting against their hold, I had to get back to my sis.
“Naomi!” That was Sin again. Realizing I couldn’t get out of the hold of whoever had me, I glanced at Sin for help. Only he was hemmed up, too, by several security guards. His eyes were big, and like me, he was in shock. The more he fought against security, the more of them showed up to try and handle him.
Within seconds, a stretcher was brought on the court formy sister. Freaking out, I busted out screaming and crying.
“She’s breathing,” Dr. Whitlock uttered. That should’ve calmed me, but it didn’t, because what the fuck was wrong with her?
“Calm down, PJ.” Fallon. She had me back by our bench, holding me back from the chaos taking place on the court. The crowd was eerily quiet, small murmurs reverberating throughout the building as we waited for Naomi to move. She never did.
Helpless, I watched as EMS loaded my sister onto the stretcher. Clearly shaken, Coach walked back toward the bench. She didn’t make eye contact with me. If she would’ve, we both would’ve broken. She was trying to keep her composure, but moisture was in her eyes.
“Oh my God!” On the verge of a breakdown, I was about to run back on the court when my teammates huddled around me and held me back. They had tears in their eyes as well.
“Ladies!” Coach came into the huddle. “Listen to me.” She took a deep breath, then blew out slowly as she fought for composure. “She’s going to be fine,” Bri tried to convince herself, too, that Naomi was indeed okay.
“PJ.” That was the first time Bri made eye contact with me. The panic there caused my eyes to well over worse than they already were. “I need you, baby,” she whispered as the crowd solemnly clapped while Naomi was carted off the court.
With tears streaming down my face, I nodded. As much as I wanted to run and be by my sister’s side, the referees weren’t going to call this game until it was over. There was still an entire quarter to be played.
