I shook my head. “Man, nobody fucking with a girl chill over there, Arthur.”
Dio laughed sinisterly. “I’ll be that. Never underestimate a crazy nigga. We are stuck on this campus because of you. I’m missing the game and shit,” he complained.
I stood up from the chair. “Fine, let’s go to the game then. You’re bad. If you go, we go,” I said.
They all looked at me like I was crazy, except Dio. “Now you’re talking, let’s go,” he said as he started to walk out of Hawks Chapel.
Brian rushed behind him. “Whoa! Slow yo ass down. Nigga if we get caught, it’s our ass, and I’m not trying to do no froggy squats and shit.”
Quan nodded slowly. “Nah, I’m with Dio. Let’s go,” he squealed, jumping up and down.
Honestly, I was trying to be funny, but this nigga Dio was on a different type of time. I knew if Jesaiah caught us, it was going tobe hell, but I also knew this shit was a brotherhood, and I had to go. We grabbed all our stuff and headed out. As we strolled through the campus toward the parking lot, something felt off. Dio trotted ahead, still talking shit, when suddenly, we heard a whistle being blown. Dio stopped, and so did we as we glanced around, then at each other. “Nigga, fuck was that?” Jerimiah asked.
Then another whistle came from the other side. “Slimes!” Someone howled.
We looked at each other and hauled ass back toward Hawks Chapel. We were running like little kids being chased by the fucking boogie man. When we got back inside, we peeked through the glass windows. Chris burst into laughter. “Bruh, did they really chase us back inside?”
Quan added onto the laughter. “Damn twin we stuck in this muhfucka like a horror film. This shit crazy.”
“Fuck!” Dio shouted. “Type shit is this. Nigga’s got howling ninjas in the bushes and shit.”
A rumbling laugh fell from me. I couldn’t believe that niggas were running from something we only heard and couldn’t see. This pledging shit was crazy, but times like this made it fun. “I say we do it again. Let’s see who can make it to the parking lot first.”
Dio looked at me and smiled. “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” he said as he opened the doors and ran out.
We watched as he ran through the campus like a madman. Joshua and Brian’s faces were pressed against the glass in excitement. “Ooo wee, he’s almost there!” They squealed.
The whistles went off again right at the moment he was almost to the parking lot. Dio turned around and hauled ass back toward Hawks Chapel, bobbing and weaving like he was dodging bullets. By the time he got inside, he was out of breath. “Damn! I was almost there,” he panted.
We all laughed. “I say we keep them niggas lurking active, Chris, it’s your turn,” I said.
I figured if we were going to be stuck in here until they said we could leave, then why not make this shit fun?
XAVIER
Dean August just finished tearing our ears apart, and the game began. I sat on the bench watching the hyped crowd from not only TSU, but also John Stanley University. The vibe was different. Normally, I would be as hyped as everyone else, but being hurt and unable to play, I wasn’t feeling it. “Zoo!” I heard someone call out.
When I turned around, I spotted Beans coming up the aisles a few rows up. Along with him were Paige, Alyse, Samara, and Phoebe. I gave him a quick nod before focusing on Phoebe. She didn’t really look at me, but looked more afraid, as if she was out of place. Seeing her with the Zoo girls was nice, giving me a sample of what the what-ifs looked like.
Beans kissed Paige before walking off to join his bruhs and whatever shenanigans they were up to.
I turned back toward the game to the shooting guard driving the ball up the court. “Nigga pass the ball!” I shouted.
They had him blocked in, and if he didn’t shake and move, their asses, it was a wrap. The coach paced back and forth in front of me while focusing on him. “He needs to shoot the ball! That’s why I need to be out there!” I shouted.
The coach’s head snapped my way, and just as he did that, one of the players from John Stanley stole the ball. I tossed my hands in the air in frustration. It was the torture of watching people you knew didn’t have the drive or game fuck it up. The coach called a timeout and brought everyone together. When the shooting guard came over, he looked at me.
“Nigga you suck. When they lock you in like that, you’ve got to shake or shoot. Or that shit is going to happen every time.”
“Xavier, this is not your call, it’s mine,” the coach spat.
I didn’t understand. I knew the game and who could play and who couldn’t. The coach went on sending his ass back out there. I watched play after play being treated like they didn’t care about the game. I had gotten so frustrated that I stood up, pacing in my boot, screaming at these corny niggas. I had gone from yelling to shoving chairs out of the way.
The assistant coach pulled at the back of my shirt. “Sit down.”
I turned to walk back to my seat when Phoebe finally looked at me. A pretty grin landed on her face. I almost got lost in it when I heard the crowd go crazy. I quickly turned to look to see that very same shooting guard hit a crazy ass half-court shot.
The coach turned to look at me. “My team, not yours.”
