Watching a grown man intentionally lose a game of PIG is downright embarrassing. The things people do for love.
I shake my head at Wes as I rebound the basketball from his weak shot attempt. The odds of him missing three in a row are as bad as my own and I could have made any one of those shots blindfolded.
I gotta hand it to him, though, he’s a pretty good actor and his girlfriend is eating it up.
“That’s G for you. I win!” Blair squeals and jumps up and down in front of my buddy, her ponytail swinging wildly like a whip. I toss her the ball and she brings it up over her head in victory and turns in a circle calling out to me and the rest of my roommates who are hanging around our half-court gym. “Reigning PIG champion, folks. You don’t want any of this.”
I chuckle and she steps toward me. “Come on, big guy. Let’s see what the number one NBA draft picks got.”
“Projected. He hasn’t been drafted yet.” Wes wraps both arms around his girl and tugs her to him.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I tell him dryly.
“Just want to make sure you don’t start slacking, letting the media’s hard-on for you go to your head.”
I resist the urge to continue our banter by telling him to fuck off since Blair is present. My mom would lose her shit if she knew I was dropping F-bombs in front of girls. Besides, I know that underneath the jokes, no one has my back like Wes does.
“Let’s go, senorita,” Joel draws out the word, exaggerating the pronunciation as he pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it out of bounds.
“What’d I tell you about using the Spanish on my girlfriend?” Wes asks, not letting go of Blair.
Nathan sets his beer next to Joel’s shirt and pushes him out of the way. “I got this. I’m three beers in and unbeatable.”
It’s a rare weeknight that we’re all home at the same time. Since the season ended, we’ve each fallen into our own routines. Wes spending more time with Blair, Joel spending more time with his girlfriend Katrina, and Nathan doing whatever it is Nathan does. I’ve been right here making sure I do everything I can to get that top pick Wes is ragging me about.
In less than two months Wes and I will be graduating. He’s staying in Valley as the team’s newest assistant coach, so it’s really just me that’s leaving, and man that feels weird. Exciting too, though. I don’t know where I’m going yet. East Coast, West Coast, Midwest. Honestly, I don’t care so long as I can keep playing ball.
“Actually, I’m gonna have to take a raincheck.” Blair bounces the ball to Nathan. “Vanessa and Gabby should be here any minute to pick me up for girls’ night.” She turns in Wes’ arms and they get tangled up kissing and groping like she won’t be back later tonight. She sleeps over every night.
My buddy has it bad and I’m happy for him. Blair’s a solid chick.
“Speaking of,” Nathan says and nods to the door as Gabby and Vanessa enter.
Joel and I hang back as everyone else walks over to greet them. I watch Gabby smile and hug Blair and then Nathan. She just moved to Valley, but she and Blair went to high school together and have remained tight, so she’s quickly becoming a regular face at the house.
Her long blonde hair is down, and she keeps her chin tilted down ever-so-slightly so the long strands fall into her face. Her gaze meets mine over Nathan’s shoulder and I hold my breath. I don’t know what it is about her, but when she’s in the room, my palms tingle with anticipation like I’m about to walk out on the floor before a game.
Completely unaware, Joel dribbles in front of me blocking my view of Gabby. I step to the side, but she’s not looking at me anymore. “Hey, man, you busy tomorrow night?”
“No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“Blair wants to have a party for Gabby. Thought we’d take it one step further and throw a surprise party for all the girls. One last big hurrah. You in?”
“Sounds good,” I say absently and turn to the basket and shoot a jumper.
“I’m not even gonna tell Wes until tomorrow so there’s less of a chance he slips and tells Blair.”
“Good call.” I glance back like I’m looking at the happy couple, but they’re not who my eyes settle on.
“You and Wes are going to ride over and pick us up. The girls and I’ll be at the theater for Katrina’s play. Then we’ll ride back to the house together. Cool?”
“I guess so.” I dribble the ball and watch Gabby talk animatedly to the group – eyes bright and hands waving in the air.
Joel takes two steps backward to the door. “I’m heading to Katrina’s. Don’t forget about tomorrow. Oh, and wear something nice. The limo will be downstairs at eight o’clock. Be there or be lame.”
“The limo?”
“Yeah, we’re doing it up right. Classy as fuck.” He winks and jogs backward a few more steps before turning.
Everyone leaves at once and the only one who offers me a goodbye glance is Gabby. She lifts one hand in a small wave, but my response is so delayed that by the time I get my hand in the air to wave back, she’s gone.
With the gym to myself, I lift the headphones from around my neck and settle them on my ears, rack the extra balls, and start my routine. I’ve just finished my ball-handling warmup and am starting in on my shooting drills when Wes returns. I drop my headphones back to my neck.
“Are you getting in another workout?” he asks as he walks over to the rack.
“Nah, not really, just thought I’d get my shots in and kill some time until I can eat my last meal of the day.”
He picks up a ball and smirks. “Sara still have you on that cutting diet?”
“Yes,” I grumble.
My agent wants me to lean out before I start interviewing with NBA teams. I’m bigger than the average center, and though it hasn’t been a problem up to this point, I don’t want there to be any question, any slightest of reservations, about drafting me. If dropping weight proves that, so be it.
“How about a little one on one, for old time’s sake?”
“Think you still got it? I just watched a girl with very little athletic ability – no offense to Blair – destroy you at PIG.”
He smirks but doesn’t answer as he moves to the top of the key and checks the ball. Wes and I played together for four years until an injury ended his college career. The boot he had to wear during recovery is newly off, but I’m not about to take it easy on him. Unlike him, I don’t throw competition in the name of love or friendship.
Wes dribbles the ball, a cocky grin on his face. I know his moves as well as my own, so I’m prepared when he pulls a crossover. If I were anyone else, he’d be putting me on skates right now, but I hang with him all the way to the basket. He’s forced to shoot around me but gets lucky with an off-balance jumper.
“Check,” I say after I’ve rebounded the ball and taken it to the three-point line. I narrow my gaze on his and give him my best intimidating smirk. “I think you got slower.”
He shakes his head. “Your smack talk won’t work on me, Z.”
“We’ll see,” is all I say before I crab dribble, backing him up with my large frame. The determination to show me he’s still got it is written all over his face. And he does, but I’m still better. He’s playing me close, chest pressed to my back to keep me from drop stepping low – my favorite move. Favorite, but not only. I go high and use my height and long arms to get a hook shot off and in.
“You’ve gotten even better,” he says as he walks the ball to the three-point line. “Either that or I really have gotten slower. How many shots are you getting in a day?”
I shrug. “Six hundred or so.”
Wes looks at me like I’m nuts, but lots of guys swear by shooting five hundred plus shots a day. Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant are just two in a long line of successful guys doing it. Next level skill and talent are earned with a lot of repetition and focus. It’s the price of success and I’ll pay it every day until I make it.
The next night at eight o’clock on the dot, I head downstairs feeling uneasy. Parties aren’t generally my thing, but it’s not that alone that has me unbuttoning my sleeves and rolling them up to get some air. Something about the plan for the night just doesn’t sit right. A surprise party? A limo? What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Wes is already waiting in the living room and he shoves a clear box in my direction. There’s some sort of flower inside.
“What’s this?” I ask, noticing he has two other identical boxes in his left hand.
“It’s a corsage.” He watches my face for understanding. “It’s for Gabby.”
“What does she do with it?”
“You’ve never given a girl a corsage before?”
“I can’t give her this.” I try and push it back into his hand, but he won’t take it.
“You have to. She can’t be the only girl that doesn’t get one. That’s shitty. Besides, she’s basically your date.”
“What do you mean she’s basically my date?”
Wes’ phone beeps and he looks down at the screen. “Limo’s here.”
“Hold up,” I say before he can open the door. “Explain.”
Wes snorts and looks at me like I’m clueless. I guess I am. “Me and Blair, Joel and Katrina, Vanessa and Mario…” His voice trails off, allowing me to fill in the rest.
“What about Nathan? Where is he and why can’t he give this… thing to her.” I shake the box in my hand.
“Nathan’s staying to get the party going. Would you rather stay here and play hostess or stand next to a pretty girl all night?”
He opens the door and I follow.
“That’s what I thought.”
Vanessa steps out of the limo. “Hello, boys.” She gives us both a once over before nodding her approval. Vanessa, Blair, and Gabby are like the three amigos lately, so I’m surprised to see her without them.
“What are you doing here?” Wes asks. “I thought we were surprising you?”
“Surprising me?” She shakes her head. “Who do you think helped Joel put this together? I mean, honestly, like he was going to leave you two unsupervised to pull this off.”
“Fair enough.” Wes chuckles, steps past her and slides into the limo. I try to do the same, but Vanessa moves with me.
“Hello, Zeke,” she says. “You clean up nice. I almost didn’t recognize you without your headphones.”
“Thanks, Vanessa. You look nice too.”
“Let’s talk strategy. This is going to be the best surprise party ever.” She claps her hands and then climbs into the vehicle.
Strategy?
Once we’re all in the limo, Vanessa’s boyfriend Mario offers us a beer and a knowing look as Vanessa gets right to it. “Blair, Gabby, and Joel are all at the theater for Katrina’s play. Joel’s going to come out to get you two and you’re going to storm in there looking all handsome and surprise the girls.” She pulls out a rolled-up poster board and hands it to me. “When they see you, hold this up.”
As I unroll it, glitter explodes. So does my head when I read what it says. Go to Prom with us? is written in big sparkly letters.
“Prom?” I’m not sure if I’m more thrown by the high school throwback or that this whole thing has been orchestrated as a big group date. Fuck, it’s warm in here. I pull at the collar on my shirt. I’m going to kill Joel for leaving out some very important details.
Wes covers a laugh with his fist. “Uh, yeah, that’s the other thing. Gabby and Katrina missed their high school proms so that’s where the limo and corsages come into play. It’s a surprise party with a prom vibe.” He claps me on the shoulder and shrugs. A shrug that tells me he’d do anything for Blair and by extension, Gabby. “It’s gonna be fun.”