Page 28

COCO

Tonight it was cool out, much cooler than I was used to in Niceville Shores.

Contently smiling, I laid my head against Adir’s chest and followed his step as we slow danced.

My back was to his front.

His strong, capable, unfailing arms held me tightly.

Softly, his lips touched my neck.

We were a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding on the basketball court across the yard.

Humble and Quilo were destroying Peace, Saar, and the twins on the court.

The loud jeering and carrying on was comical.

Tomorrow night was Quilo and Saar’s first playoff game.

They’d done absolutely amazing over their undefeated season.

Both were being scouted by the largest football programs in the country.

Not only were they killing it on the field, but their grades were also exceptional for two students who struggled with behavior in past years.

Aside from the first incident that happened at the beginning of the school year, we hadn’t had another emergency.

Both boys were focused on their grades and playing football, and it showed.

Peace started banging on the basketball goal post, creating a beat.

All the boys surrounded Saar, who started rapping.

The calm young man who really didn’t talk much was gone.

In his place was a kid with so much fire in his lyrics and delivery that Adir and I stopped to pay attention.

“Did you know he was that good?” I asked Adir.

“I’m not surprised. He wants to be a rapper.”

“No, baby. He is a rapper.” He literally had us entranced.

Adir kissed my neck.

“He is, my baby.”

No one could’ve told me I’d end up here.

Months ago, I was a complete mess and so was Quilo.

Here we were, thriving so greatly that it constricted my heart to think that any of this would ever go away.

“We’re about to be doing a lot of traveling. Provided we make it to the championship game, it’ll be held in Orlando. You cool with that?” Adir asked.

Thinking about my past flowed from his mouth, as the last thing I wanted to think about was my life in Orlando.

“I’m okay with it. I’m going to support Quilo no matter what. Even if I have to endure a place where we almost lost ourselves.”

Adir rested his lips on my neck again.

“Well… Now you have a deranged, overprotective husband by your side.”

I giggled.

“And I’ll be glued to your side the entire ride.”

My smile stretched and lit up the night.

Adir was why I couldn’t imagine my life any other way than it was now.

As the weeks passed, and with each game, the teams NSPH played became increasingly difficult to beat.

Still, Quilo, Saar, the team, and coaching staff played their hearts out every single game.

There were a couple of tough games that ended with NSPH winning by a single field goal.

Yet, our boys made it, and we couldn’t have been prouder of them.

Mid December arrived, and so did championship game week.

We arrived in Orlando, and honestly, I felt a weight on my chest. Seeing my old stomping grounds and places I loved to eat at or visit, brought back so many memories.

Surprisingly, all weren’t bad.

I found myself smiling as we passed the mall, the waterpark, and the university.

Suddenly, I was breathing without the heavy weight on my chest. Glancing to my right, I knew why.

It was the man sitting next to me, holding my hand over his lap.

The next morning, Quilo and I held hands while we stood at our mother’s grave.

Her headstone was well-kept and bore a picture of her as a kid.

I looked just like her.

Normally, I would’ve broken down just thinking about coming here.

Today, I was able to stand here with my head held high, knowing our mother was looking down on us elated at how we’d come so far.

Media outlets swarmed the parking lot of the large stadium where the championship games had been taking place.

According to what we’d seen on the news, this year’s championship games brought in more viewership than past years.

Besides Quilo and Saar, there were other five-star recruits on other teams, and they were all fighting to prove to scouts that they were worth a spot on a team of the player’s choosing.

Quilo was sold on going to college locally.

Florida had exceptional D1 programs, and although I secretly prayed he didn’t go far, he was choosing between four schools.

National Signing Day wasn’t until February, so he was doing all his research to make sure he chose the right program.

As Adir and I walked hand in hand to our seats, a face I wasn’t prepared to see stood out.

He stood on the sidelines, talking to a group of young men.

Two of those young men I recognized as Bryan and Big O.

I wasn’t surprised. Quinton Matthews was heavy in the streets all his life.

He still had the same hard face he’d had since I was a kid.

The man my mother laid down and had children with must’ve felt me burning a whole into his face.

He looked dead at me, stared a minute, then smirked.

Bryan and Big O, with their cocky asses, smirked at me too.

“You good, my baby?” Adir questioned.

His keen eyes were already plastered to Quinton.

With my man by my side, I wasn’t worried in the least.

“I’m good,” I said.

Moving through the thick crowd, we finally made it to a spot that Adir was comfortable with.

Russ, Zel, Humble, and Peace sat behind us.

Alli and Dothan sat in front of us.

Haven and Jabari sat next to me.

The twins took their seats with Alli and Dothan.

Our presence drew attention for the mere fact that Haven and I were two women nestled amongst all these giants.

Being back in Orlando seemed so surreal.

Just six months ago, I was unsure of what a new life looked like for me and Quilo.

Now, the life we had here was a distant memory.

Adir swooped in and changed everything Quilo and I thought we knew about life.

I loved him for it.

The announcer cut into my thoughts, bringing the crowd to a roaring shout as both teams made their debut on the field.

Side by side, Quilo and Saar graced the field.

I was so proud of the two of them and how far they’d come along this school year.

My brother was a different person now.

Even with the slight hiccups we’d had, he was standing tall in the midst of those adversities.

“Whew! It’s been a while since I’ve been in a crowd like this,” Haven commented.

I chuckled because it was crazy thick out here.

Although I chuckled, I couldn’t help but feel the undercurrent of trouble brewing.

Inwardly, I prayed this game would be over quickly.

I was ready to get back on the interstate and head back to my safe space at Bell Estates.

An hour later, my nerves were tore up.

With this being the championship game, I expected there to be strong opposition.

However, the opposing team wasn’t playing fair.

Between the crowd and the referees, NPHS was in enemy territory.

After Adir cut his eyes at me for the second time, I finally sat my ass down somewhere.

I had to remember that my man had this.

Every now and then, Quinton grabbed my attention.

He was down by the rails separating the bleachers from the field.

To anyone, he seemed to be invested in the game.

However, whenever Quilo went to the sidelines, Quinton stared him down.

At no point did Quilo acknowledge him.

I was sure that he wondered why Quilo’s jersey read Bell.

It didn’t matter, though.

He’d never been in either of our lives.

A loud whistle centered me back on the field.

The crowd booed as another flag was thrown.

Some of the noise was drowned out by the announcer and the band.

By halftime, the game was tied at a touchdown a piece.

As the teams headed to their respective locker rooms, Adir went to the rail overlooking the tunnel to get a close up look at Quilo.

Briefly, they talked before Adir dapped him, then came back to sit down.

During the game, his attention was split between the field and Quinton.

Unless he was on his feet watching a play, he was quiet.

“Baby, this is intense,” Haven said.

I agreed. “I’ll be glad when it’s over.”

She smiled knowingly.

“I can tell you don’t miss it here. Not me or Jabari… But this place. This is no longer home for you.”

I sighed, then shrugged.

“I thought I’d be happy to be back.”

“Remember how reluctant you were to leave in the first place,” she reminded me.

We both laughed. “I went kicking and screaming.”

“Exactly! Now, look how things turned out. You got a good ass man. And Quilo is doing better than he has in a long time.”

I smiled and said, “It was your idea. Thank you, by the way.”

She put her arms around me, and I did the same.

“I see Quinton over there,” she whispered in my ear.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Genuinely, I grinned.

“Yes, boo, I’m fine. My life is exactly where it’s supposed to be right now.”

We hugged each other tightly as the band went into their first halftime show.

Both teams played rough, talking shit and everything.

Flags flew left and right, with the refs sending several warnings to each side.

The score was tied going into the fourth quarter.

Rival games were never without their craziness, but hostility on the field bled into the stands.

The crowd was rowdy, and everyone’s emotions were high.

Next to me, Adir’s keen eyes watched everything around us.

Unlike the first half of the game, this half his focus was on the field.

He was quiet and watching every damn thing at the same time.

Especially because the atmosphere was charged with something so heavy that as the game progressed, I grew more and more unsettled.

Kalm and Bragg were just as vigilant as Adir.

They weren’t his biological sons, but they had the same piercing focus that Adir held.

Normally, they shouted and carried on like they had money on the line.

Not tonight, though.

Tonight everyone was on high alert.

Humble and Peace had moved down to the front row.

Any time another player was too rough with Quilo or Saar, they were up on their feet.

With three minutes left in the game, Quilo threw a thirty-yard pass that landed right in Saar’s hands.

As Saar sailed in for the touchdown, we stood and shouted.

Saar snatched his helmet off and jogged back down the field to celebrate with Quilo.

In the midst of them celebrating, the other team took offense.

One player was in Quilo’s face, prompting Adir to stand and make his way down to the rail.

If I felt the tension, he did too.

My baby hadn’t said but a few words to me the entire game.

If these people weren’t careful, they’d bring out the worst in my husband.

Saar and referees quickly broke up the shouting match between Quilo and the other player.

Well, the other player was shouting.

Quilo had a big smile on his face like this was funny to him.

One minute, the referees seemed to have everything under control.

The next, several dudes, including Big O and Bryan, rushed the field.

Standing, my heart fell into my stomach because I knew they were going after Quilo.

Police rushed after them, causing both teams to leave the sidelines.

Adir was already over the rail with Humble and Peace behind him as the field erupted into chaos.

He plucked people out of the way as if he was on a cartoon.

Kalm, Bragg, and Jabari all but dared me and Haven to move.

Other parents stormed the field, too, trying to get to their children.

In the sea of jerseys, police, and people swarming the field, I lost sight of Adir, Humble, and Peace.

Panic set in as the announcer urged everyone to stay in the bleachers.

Then, Adir broke through the crowd carrying Quilo in a bear hug out of the melee.

Humble and Peace were on his heels with Saar in tow.

They carried the two boys to the sidelines, where they created a wall in front of Quilo and Saar.

That was when I spotted Quinton standing nearby with his arms positioned over his chest and a satisfied smile on his face.

I wouldn’t put it past him to have caused this mess.

It took too long for the police to finally get the crowd under control and the players back to the sidelines.

Big O, Bryan, and the other three young men who stormed the field were led off in handcuffs.

I hated to see how the police handled them.

However, the shit they pulled was dangerous.

Lord only knew what would’ve happened if they had weapons.

As I suspected, they were after Quilo.

He calmly nodded at whatever Adir was telling him while still keeping his eyes on Big O and Bryan.

Knowing my brother, he wanted blood.

I could tell by look on his face and the way his feet shifted that he wanted to run those lil’ niggas down.

Adir was right there, though, in Quilo’s face.

I could tell by his face that he wanted to run those lil’ niggas down!

Refs gave stiff warnings to each team that another outburst would cost the game.

Although the game started back, Adir, Humble, and Peace waited behind the police for the game to end.

As time ran down, it was clear that NPHS was walking away the victor.

The crowd didn’t like that.

However, more police had shown up since the fight broke out, and they had this shit on lock.

Alli and Dothan took me down on the field to stand with Adir.

Concern overshadowed the joy I felt.

Not until Quilo was in front of me giving me a big hug did I release some of the heaviness.

I gave Saar a hug, too.

“Congratulations!” I shouted.

I was so proud of my brother.

With my hormones, of course I shed a few tears.

Through it all, Quilo was making me proud enough to bless our mama too