Page 12 of Pretty and Loco

“Girl, you need to get some control.” She scoffed.

I laughed and then walked around her. Not even her antics were going to knock me off the high that I was feeling, so I didn’t even entertain them.

All I know is that Rocko and I had an amazing night. Earlier I said that this would either be the beginning of a beautiful life or one hell of a hurricane. After tonight, I can assume that life has suddenly gotten a little brighter.

“Good shit today, Sanders. Your routes were clean as hell today. You made the hard balls look routine. And that throw from the warning track? That’s a damn weapon. That’s the same energy that I need going into the season. That’s the money.”

“Appreciate it, Coach,” I called out as I wiped the beads of sweat from my face and then turned up the water bottle. I had bust my ass in practice today, and the way my t-shirt stuck to my skin proved it.

“ApPreCiATe It CoaCh,” Speedy appeared from behind me and mocked. “This nigga done went on a date last night and came in here today glowing and fucking up the expectations.” He said, elbowing me.

“Man, watch out,” I said as I continued to the locker room.

He laughed.

We walked into the locker room, and I showered before I changed clothes. Normally I wouldn’t shower in the locker room and wait until I made it home. But today, with the work that I put in, it was necessary.

I put my bag in the back seat of my truck, then prepared to drive to the resort where I would be staying tonight. I had an endorsement meeting in the morning in Napa Valley and didn’t want to get stuck in morning traffic.

My phone rang as soon as I started the engine. It was Leah.

“What’s up?” I answered.

“Are you still coming this way?” She questioned. I could hear the attitude in her voice.

“Yeah, why?” I frowned.

“I need help with something important, please. Can you stop by the office?” She pleaded.

“Aight, send me the address. I’m just leaving practice.” I said before we disconnected the call.

I was feeling her more than I expected and more than I cared to admit to myself. Not that she wasn’t a welcome distraction, but I never saw this shit coming. I thought I was dead set on what I saw in this moment, but she was slowly opening my mind to the idea of a relationship.

But I couldn’t be sure. It’s only been two months since our first date, and we haven’t spent much time together because her house was almost two hours away from mine, so I only saw her once a week. After long days of workouts and practice, I would tell her I was tired or busy, and she responded by telling me that niggas make time for what they want. I found myself making time for her, even if it was just an hour or two, and grabbing takeout from whatever was open by the time I left the stadium.

I would say that I don’t know what it is about Leah, but I know exactly what it is about her. Not only was she beautiful, but she also had her own shit going on. I respected that she was a hustler and built her business from the ground up. When we’d talk throughout the day, she’d tell me she had to call me back to give out quotes or do walk-throughs. I could hear the pride in her voice when people talked to her about her business. She was passionate about it. I like that about her.

For now, we’re still keeping it light. We kissed from time to time, but that’s as far as it went. We have no titles for what we are, and that’s exactly where I want to be. But she asked me the other night if I was scared of commitment.

That was the furthest thing from reality. I wanted a family. My father raised me alone. My mother was a drug addict who walked out on us when I was just five, and my youngest sibling was only two. Growing up in a city like Compton, Pops did everything he could to keep us from becoming another statistic.

He made sure we knew the difference between right and wrong and how real men behaved. With that came lessons about family. His two favorite sayings were: “The best thing you can do for the streets is to stay out of them” and “The only gang a grown-ass man should be loyal to is his family.” I took heed to those lessons, but crazy enough, my brother didn’t. I remembered when we found out Shaun joined a gang; Pops beat his ass so bad he wrote a letter to the gang leader to quit it.

Pops made sure I knew the strength of a unit and what it meant to be the head of a household, and if I ever needed a reminder, he was one call away. Commitment wasn’t the issue here. I know that the run that I’m on right now is so personal that committing to someone and expecting them to take whatever I can give them ain’t right. I’ve seen it happen.

I’ve dated over the years, and they all claimed to understand, and then somewhere along the way they wanted more, and I couldn’t fault them for that. Although Leah was slowly starting to open me up to the idea, I never wanted her to wait around for me to decide when the time was right.

I pulled out of the stadium, went to her message, and clicked the address. Her office was closer than her house, but I was glad that it was in the direction that I was already headed. It was about forty-five minutes, so I turned up the volume on To Pimp a Butterfly and rode down the interstate.

I made it to her office in forty, and she was already standing outside looking like she wanted to cry. About thirty large boxes sat in front of the office. When I got out of the truck, I stared at her.

“I know. I know. My assistant didn’t realize the shipping address had defaulted to the office. I stayed late and came outside to this. I literally cannot lift them; I’ve already tried.” She pouted, holding up her broken and bloody nail. “Can you just put them in the lobby before the rain comes?”

“I got you… Grab the door for me.” I leaned down and picked up the first box. I can’t lie, when I saw them, I thought she was being dramatic, but this shit is heavy as hell.

She jogged over to the door and pulled it open.

Once the first one was down, she smiled.