Tears were in my eyes, and my body quaked. I almost missed the next play because I was laughing so hard.
“Jazz, don’t encourage him. He doesn’t know how to act. Just bad!” She turned to Ahmad. “You had silver teeth as a toddler, huh?”
He burst out laughing.
She put her hands on her hips. “Y’all ain’t about to sit here and talk about my fashion-statement glasses!”
“Y’all?!” I reacted with wide teary eyes. “What do you meany’all?! I didn’t even say anything! How did I get in this?”
“You laughed a little too hard. It felt like laughter of agreement.”
“Those glasses don’t have prescription in them though! He wasn’t lying!” I argued. “You have twenty-twenty vision, and you still missed multiple replays.”
“Your glasses look beautiful on you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “But now use youreyesto watch number ninety-nine on this play. He’s playing defense.”
“Inmydefense, I was watching the offense.” She giggled, snuggling against him.
Watching them, I couldn’t help but smile. They were so cute and playful with each other. They had spent every day together since her party. For the past week, Aaliyah had been in the healthiest, happiest, and most hilarious relationship, and I was thrilled for her. She deserved it.
“That should’ve been a flag!” I exclaimed, throwing my hand up in the fourth quarter.
I’d been ignoring my group chat with my work friends, Ben and Alexa, since halftime. The game was close, but it shouldn’t have been. The Monarchs defense was letting the Wasps make plays on them because they’d located the weak spot—Channing.
“He’s going to have to come out if he keeps letting people run by him,” I commented.
“I think whatever injury he had last year, he reinjured it,” Ahmad mused.
Aaliyah frowned. “Did he trip on that last play?”
I nodded with my eyes fixed on the screen. “Yeah, I— Oh shit!”
Channing got to the running back first, and two other defensive players tackled him, too. Channing attempted to get back up for the next play and couldn’t. He ended up being carted off the field, with a towel over his face and trainers protecting his right leg. It was later announced that he experienced a severe knee injury and that he would be transferred to the hospital.
“I wanted him out, but not like this,” I said, making a face.
“How is this guy?” Aaliyah asked, gesturing to Channing’s backup who came onto the field. “Bennett?”
“He might’ve subbed a few times, but I don’t remember it. I’ve never seen him play with the game on the line,” I responded distractedly.
“Game over,” Ahmad pronounced as the quarterback for the Wasps scrambled and then dumped the ball to the tight end. “The Monarchs need to step their defense up.” He turned to look at me. “Lamar said he works with the Monarchs, so tell him to help them on defense.”
I laughed but said nothing.
I knew he hadn’t told them he played, so I wasn’t going to say anything either. He preferred to refer to his role as a help to the fifty-three men on the active roster—which was the truth. But he was a player—a defensive player. And there was no way for me to tell Ahmad that his exact role was directly related to helping the Monarchs on defense.
The irony.
Ahmad got up, and as soon as he was a few feet from the table, I glanced at Aaliyah.
“I love him for you,” I told her.
She grinned. “Me, too.”
I started to say something, but a trick play pulled my attention, and my eyes widened.
“What happened?” Aaliyah asked. “I missed it.”
“They’re about to show a replay,” I told her.
