“Sup?” he said to me.
“Sup?” I mumbled.
He moved around, grabbing clothes and shit. “I got something I want to ask you,” he said as he took peeks over his shoulder.
“What? And it better not be no stupid shit.”
He shook his head. “I want to know if you could help me getback on the court. Look, I know you were hurt last year, and somehow, you made it back to that field like you never left. Whatever it is, I need that.”
I shot up from the bed with a smirk. “Oh, so now you need my help. You come up in here every day with an attitude, but I’m supposed to help you? Nigga, fuck you.”
He nodded slowly. “Fuck me, huh?” he mumbled.
I lay back on the bed. “Yeah, nigga—”
Whap!
He hit me. I lifted, shoving his ass back. Xavier and I were going blow for blow in the room.
“Bitch nigga!” he gritted as his jabs executed every time. However, the blows I was sending didn’t miss either. He shifted his body using his strength, damn near picking me up, rushing me against the door that wasn’t closed, sending me flying into the hallway. His foot with the boot came down so quickly that I didn’t have time to roll over.
“Fuck you, nigga. I tried to give you grace.”
That was when the RA came over, pulling him back. I shot up from the floor and rushed him and the RA, sending them flying back.
“You asked for my help, bitch!” I barked. “I hope your simple ass never gets back on the court,” I gritted as I walked back to my room. “Shit!” I shouted. I knew this shit was going to come back to bite me.
“Fuck!” I shouted as I sent my hand through the wall.
I snatched up my sweater and left the room. Xavier was still being held back by the RA as I left the building. As I made my way across campus, my phone began to ring, and when I checked it, I saw it was a call from my coach. He probably was ready to dig into my ass. Right now, the last thing I wanted was to talk about that nigga Xavier. With no real destination, I roamed around campus. I passed a few people I knew, ignoring their greetings until I heard her voice call my name.
“Percy!” she called out.
I turned to see Royce standing behind me. “Sup?” I said dryly.
Her head flew back. “Um, okay. I saw you walking. You look out of it. Is everything okay?” she asked.
I shrugged with my hand in my pocket. “It’s going to be what it is.”
Her lips formed into a thin line as if she was expecting a different response. I knew I was fucking up an opportunity with her acting this way, but her timing was off, and I was boiling inside. I dropped my head as my eyes rose to her.
“Look, it’s not a good day for me. My bad. I’ll get with you. I know where you be at.”
I started to walk off, and she stopped me. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”
I let out a loud sigh. Turning back to her, I reminded her, “You know I can’t be caught talking to you like this, so meet me in the parking lot.”
She nodded slowly. We both separated. I headed toward the parking lot, hopped in my car, and drove around until I spotted her. I unlocked the door, and she got in. I took off, leaving the campus.
“I didn’t think you had a car,” she laughed.
“I mean, it isn’t much, but it does the job.”
“You have a car to get you from point A to point B. Where’s the problem?”
I peeked at her. “I figured you would be into the fancy shit.”
She shifted in her seat. “I’m a southern girl who comes from a generation of struggle. I know what it’s like, and being here isn’t the exception. I’m still a product of that generation. The only difference is that I’m doing something about changing it. It’s why I’m in college.”
