It was exactly one hour to the time when the national basketball championship was expected to start outside of Devin’s Cay in a newly constructed stadium. It was a forty-minute drive, but Levi seriously contemplated showing up unannounced to give the boys the surprise of their lives – especially since deep down Levi knew he shouldn’t have abandoned them the way he did. They depended heavily on his coaching skills and had been looking forward to winning the tournament. It was a tough promise for any coach to make good on, but Levi had a unique way of bolstering the boys’ confidence in themselves, which could very well transfer into a huge win for Xavier High.
In retrospect, Levi recognized his error. He was afraid that if he hadn’t sent in his resignation to Mrs. O’Grady that particular morning – the morning right before he’d proposed to Yasmine, he wouldn’t have the courage to do it any other time, simply because he usually fell prey to second guessing himself. Plus, he had been hoping to distance himself from Sasha once and for all. It was hard working for the same institution, seeing her every day and not being able to do much about the negative way it was affecting his performance.
Now here he was, almost a month later receiving a video clip of his tryst with Sasha in the boy’s locker room with her claiming that she was being blackmailed by it. Even if there was a hint of truth to what Sasha had told him, Levi had been wary about doing anything about it for the simple fact of wanting to avoid getting bogged down with Sasha all over again. That was until Sasha alleged that Myles Deveron was the one behind the threats. Levi dared not believe that Myles was culpable of such foolishness. Myles was the star athlete on the basketball team – an ‘A’ average student who would not jeopardize his chances to play in the professional league.
Yet, there was a nagging feeling in Levi’s gut that if he didn’t show up at the national championship this evening, the boys would not only be disappointed in him, but it was possible that that clip would be aired for the world to see – ruining the reputation of the school and those involved. Feeling now a sudden compulsion to act, Levi stood up from the dining table, leaving behind the leftover chicken and rice Yasmine had cooked the night before.
But before going on about his agenda, he decided to check in on Yasmine, despite being at an impasse about the future of their relationship. She had made him forfeit their plans to tie the knot at the JP that morning. It had certainly cemented her position that they were good enough to be friends, but not good enough to be husband and wife. Regardless of what Yasmine thought, Levi had already made up his mind that Yasmine would be his wife and he would not stop trying until she gave in to his persistence.
He gave several raps on the door before letting himself in. Yasmine was sitting up against some pillows, playing one those game apps on her phone. He edged the bed with his buttocks, aware that his presence was already causing friction.
“I thought you would have been asleep by now,” he said.
“It’s only seven o’clock in the evening,” she quipped. “Why on earth would I be sleeping?”
“I was only asking…” Levi stared at Yasmine’s pouting lips and smirked. “Well, do you want me to bring you some food before I leave?”
Yasmine stole a quick glance at Levi. “I already ate.”
“What did you eat? I was out there the entire time and I didn’t see you venture once into the kitchen.”
Yasmine didn’t respond. The only thing that could be heard was the ping pong sounds coming from her phone.
“You do realize we need to talk,” Levi said.
“We are talking.”
“Come on, Yasmine, don’t give me the cold shoulder.”
Yasmine stole another quick glance at Levi and said, “It doesn’t look like you’re going to the Blue Marlin.”
“I’ve requested to work a later shift, but you’re technically right. I’m not going to work right now.”
“So where are you going?”
“I’m going to the national basketball championship. You wanna come?”
“Nope. Not my cup of tea.” Yasmine ended her game and then rested her phone next to her on the dresser. “I was under the impression that you’d already asked someone to fill in for you. What’s this now? A change of heart?”
“Well, sorta,” Levi said. “But I’m only going for tonight. I don’t intend to work for Xavier High ever again. I’ve closed that particular chapter in my life.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
“I don’t think so, Levi. I believe you’re going to end up working again for that school. And I believe the reason you’re going to the game tonight has everything to do with Sasha and not because you feel guilty over abandoning some sixteen-year-old boys. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with you going and putting smiles on those boys’ faces, but at least show me the respect of telling me the full truth. I overheard you talking to Sasha on the phone this morning. Is she really being blackmailed or is this some ploy of hers to get you to once again come running at her beck and call?”
“Now that you’ve gotten that off your chest,” Levi said, “I want to ask you a question…when did you start being envious of Sasha? In the past I could have told you anything about her and the pain she was putting me through, and you would have consoled me rather than accuse me of being deceptive.”
Yasmine swung her feet to the floor, swiping her phone from the dresser. She gave Levi a long look before she pulled open the guestroom door and walked out. Levi suppressed the urge to follow her for the simple fact that he didn’t have time to find out what was really going on with Yasmine. It was already fifteen minutes past seven and if he wanted to make it to the game in time, he had better leave now. He shook his head as he stood to his feet. With such a whimsical personality, chances were, Yasmine would probably be back to her old self by the time he returned.
About twenty miles into the commute, Levi called Myles, even though he’d prefer to keep his showing up at the game a surprise. But Levi was really bothered over Sasha’s accusation of Myles and he needed to confirm in his heart that Myles was the smart, respectable young man he knew him to be. Not the scoundrel Sasha was making him out to be.
“Hello?”
“Hey, buddy,” Levi greeted.
“Coach Johnson?” Myles was so excited to hear Levi’s voice that he would have jumped through the phone to hug Levi if he could. “Please tell me that you’re on your way down to the stadium. The whole team has been praying you’d change your mind. What’s up with you abandoning us like that, man?”
Levi’s guilt ballooned at the genuine affection he felt coming from Myles. He never meant to hurt the team, he was simply looking for a way to escape those uncomfortable run-ins with Sasha. He realized now his timing may not have been the best.
“Before I answer your question,” he told Myles, “tell me how you guys are coping with Mr. Hanson.”
“Who?” Myles kissed his teeth. “Man, that dude is a joke. He’s eating a baloney sandwich and the game is about to start in 20 minutes. The other three teams are either huddling or doing warm ups on the court. We were told to sit and save our energy. Where’d you find this joker from?”
Levi chuckled beneath his breath. “I can assure you that Mr. Hanson is no joker. He helped our high school basketball team to win seven national championships, including an unprecedented four in a row. He was named the national coach of the year three times.”
“Well his accolades certainly don’t fit what we’re seeing,” Myles remarked, releasing an abrupt sigh right after. “Coach Johnson, we need you, man. I don’t care about this dude and what awards he has attached to his name. We’ve been training with you for two years and I think you owe us at least one championship.”
“I hear you, young blood,” Levi said. “But before I show up and crash my own party, I need to ask you a real serious question. And I need you to be completely honest with me.”
“Of course, coach. What’s up?”
“Are you blackmailing Mrs. Beckford for any reason?” Levi asked point blank.
“Blackmail?” Myles chuckled, genuinely appearing to be stumped by the question. “Are you for real, man? Where’d you get such a crazy idea?”
“Just answer the question.”
“No, man, I’m not blackmailing anyone,” Myles said emphatically. “Why would I do something stupid like that? Shoots…I study too hard to be messing around like that.”
Levi let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, man, I believe you. I just needed to ask to make sure.”
“Well, now that you’ve asked your silly question,” Myles jibed, “please confirm that you will be here at the stadium tonight.”
“I told you I would. In fact, I’m crossing the traffic light on Step Street, which means I should be turning through the gate in about three minutes.”
Myles gave a big hearty laugh. “Man, I told them dudes you were gonna show up. You just made my night, man.”
“I’ll see you in a bit, buddy.”
Levi disconnected with a smile on his face, but his expression gradually turned into a pensive gaze. A small part of Levi had hoped that Myles would admit to blackmailing Sasha. At least he could have talked Myles out of it and stopped the video clip from going viral. However, it was all the more frightening to know that there could be a complete stranger out there with the power to ruin not only his and Sasha’s lives, but also the integrity of the entire school. Levi prayed that his coming tonight to the games would appease whoever this unscrupulous bastard was.