Page 32

By the time the final buzzer rang, I had dropped 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. The gym was lit, the crowd going crazy, my teammates patting me on the back, hyping me up. But as soon as the game was over, my eyes went back to her.

She was already making her way onto the court with the others, that dimpled smile on full display.

"Big time," she teased as soon as she got close.

"You already know," I smirked, wiping sweat from my brow before pulling her into a sweaty hug. She didn’t hesitate, arms wrapping around my waist.

"Proud of you," she murmured against my chest.

I exhaled slowly, letting the weight of that settle in my chest.

I had heard it a million times from coaches, fans, scouts.

But hearing it from her? That shit meant everything.

Later that night, after the post-game celebration had died down, I found myself on FaceTime with Serenity, stretched out in my bed, listening to her talk.

It had become routine—these late-night calls, these quiet moments where it was just me and her, no distractions, no expectations.

"So, what does this look like?" she asked after a moment, her voice soft.

I frowned slightly. "What you mean?"

She sighed, rolling onto her side so she was facing the camera. "Us. You said we’d talk for real. So… let’s talk."

I rubbed my hand over my face. I had thought about it a lot. What it would mean for us to actually take this step. Because as much as I wanted her, as much as I had been avoiding my feelings for months, there was still one thing left to do.

"I gotta end things with Gianna, I know that much at least." I said, voice firm.

Serenity nodded like she already knew. "Yeah, you do."

"It’s not even about her though Serenity. It’s my mama." She stayed quiet, waiting for me to explain. "She’s been pushing me and Gianna together since we were kids. I already know she ain’t gonna like it when I break things off."

Serenity exhaled. "Creed, I get that. But this is your life, not hers."

I knew she was right. Hell, Pop had already told me the same thing. But knowing what I had to do and actually doing it? That was two different things.

I let out a breath. "I’ll handle it. Soon."

Serenity studied me for a second before nodding. "Okay."

Silence stretched between us for a moment, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was familiar. Like no matter what happened, we were still solid.

"You looked good in my jersey, by the way," I finally said, smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "You just had to say it, huh?"

"Hell yeah. You know you were feeling yourself."

She laughed, and damn, I loved that sound.

"Goodnight, Langston," she muttered.

"Goodnight, Beautiful."

As the screen went dark, I exhaled. I knew what had to be done. And this time, I wasn’t backing down.

I knewthis call was coming. Had been waiting for it, dreading it, avoiding it for as long as I could. But my mama don’t know how to let shit slide. So when my phone rang late that night, her name lighting up the screen, I already knew what was up. I let it ring twice before finally swiping to answer, exhaling as I stretched out on my bed.