Nina Ford:The hell if I know! But if you’re the coach and the other team has the ball and you need to make a stop, what are you going to do to shake shit up?! What’s your favorite play?
Jazmyn Payne:A blitz.
Aaliyah James:I don’t know what that means, but yes, blitz! Do that.
Nina Ford:Do *something*. Anything!
Snickering to myself, I shook my head. The metaphor she was going for had lost itself, and I was about to type that, but my aunt’s advice to fight for what I wanted felt like it was embedded in my friends’ words.
Nina Ford:What does blitzing look like in the game?
Jazmyn Payne:It’s organized disruption. The ultimate go big or go home play outside of a Hail Mary.
Aaliyah James:Yes, blitz!
Nina Ford:Yes! Organized disruption. Go big and tell theworld you’re Lamar’s girlfriend. And go home with him and throw that ass in a circle.
Aaliyah James:And doing it in a big way so it’ll disrupt the weirdos like the lady who’s pretending to be you, the ex-girlfriend who wants to take your spot, and all the other women who think they have a shot.
Jazmyn Payne:I was sitting under the dryer, thinking about what I’m sacrificing and giving up and I decided that as much as I don’t want him to lose his career, I also don’t want us to lose what we have. And if he’s willing to try, then so am I.
My phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered.
“We’re going to the Monarchs game tomorrow,” Nina said in lieu of a greeting. “Hold on.”
My eyebrows flew up.
“Hello?” Aaliyah answered as Nina merged the call.
“We can’t just go to the game!” I exclaimed.
“We’re going to a game?” Aaliyah wondered. “What game?”
I pulled out of the parking spot. “Nina thinks we should go to the game tomorrow so I can publicly stake my claim.”
“That’show you blitz,” Nina confirmed.
“I think that’s a great idea!” Aaliyah agreed. “It’s romantic. That’s basically like sending him flowers to his job.”
“Blitz! Blitz! Blitz!” Nina chanted, and then Aaliyah joined in.
“You don’t even know what blitzing is,” I complained as I tried not to laugh.
They cracked up.
I smiled. Addison Payne would’ve absolutely showed up at the game if she were me. It was the ultimate “go big or go home” gesture. And while I was worried my presence might be a distraction, I was tired of letting other people’s bullshit control my social life.
I’m not letting it happen again.
“I’m down,” I agreed. “Let’s go to the game.”
“Just snagged some tickets,” Nina announced.
“Even if I come off just as thirsty as Milan,” I half joked, as I was doing essentially the same thing that she had.
“You’re a Monarchs fan going to a game. That’s not thirsty,” Aaliyah reasoned.
