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CREED

B asketball had been my first love before I even knew what love was. It was the one thing that had always made sense, the one place where nothing else mattered except me, the ball, and the game.

And tonight? Tonight was everything.

The first game of the season. The crowd was packed, the energy was electric, and I could feel the pressure heavy in my chest.

I thrived under pressure. But for the first time in a long time, it wasn’t just the game that had my focus shifting. It was them. My people. The small group of people who finally in my third year at school I had become close to after years of sticking to myself.

I had a lot of fans. I was used to the chants, the cheers, the people wearing my name and number across their backs.

But seeing Serenity in my jersey, that shit hit different.

Serenity was sitting court side, rocking my black and scarlet jersey with my name and number stretched across her back, her hair piled into curls that framed her face, looking fine as hell.

Arielle was next to her, paying more attention to Brodie than to me, but I appreciated her all the same. Serenity had even invited Averi and Egypt too, all of them cheering loud as hell.

But I only saw her.

And when our eyes met, everything else faded.

She grinned, mouthing, “Don’t fuck up, Langston.”

I smirked, shaking my head before turning my focus back on the game. And when that first whistle blew? It was go time.

I played like I had something to prove. Every shot, every drive, every pass—I was locked in. Focused. Unstoppable. It was the first game of the season, I had to do it, had to set an expectation of what could be expected of me for the rest of the season. My status in the draft depended on it.

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 knew this 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.

"Hey, Ma."

"Boy, don’t ‘Hey, Ma’ me," she snapped immediately, her tone sharp and familiar. "You been acting real funny lately, and I need to know what’s going on."

I sighed, already rubbing my temple.

"What you mean?"

"I mean," she continued, voice tight, "according to Gianna, you barely talking to her. She keeps calling me, asking if I’ve heard from you. You been dodging her, Creed?"

I leaned my head back, staring at the ceiling.

Yeah. But I wasn’t about to say that.

"I been busy," I muttered.

"Bullshit," she shot back, quick as ever. "You always busy, but you ain’t never ignored her like this. So, what’s really going on?"

I ran a hand over my face. No point in lying.

"I’m ending things with her, Ma," I said, my voice even.

Silence.

A long, heavy pause stretched between us, thick with tension, before she finally spoke. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah," I said, no hesitation.

"And why is that, exactly?"

I sat up, resting my elbows on my knees, gripping my phone tighter.

"Because it ain’t right. I don’t love her like that. Maybe I never did," I admitted. "We were kids, Ma. She was just always… there. And I was doing what you wanted."

"This ain’t about what I wanted, Creed," she sighed, her voice quieter now. "Gianna has been good to you. She’s been by your side through everything."

"Yeah, and I been doing what was expected of me," I muttered. "But that don’t mean it’s what I want."

Another pause.

"So, what, you just gon’ throw away years with that girl? Like she never mattered?"

I exhaled. "She does matter. I care about her and love her. Just not in the way she wants me to."

More silence.

Then—"This about another girl?"

I hesitated, just for a second. "Yeah," I admitted.

My mama exhaled sharply, and I could already picture her shaking her head, pressing her fingers against her temple like she always did when she was trying not to cuss me out.

"So that’s what this is about," she muttered.

"No, Ma," I corrected. "I was already feeling this way about Gianna before I met her. Meeting her just made me realize I couldn’t keep lying to myself."

More silence.

"Who is she?"

I smirked slightly, thinking about Serenity, shaking my head.

"Not telling you that yet."

"Why not?"

"Because I wanna keep her to myself for a while."

And that was the realest shit I ever said. Because Serenity? She was mine. Even if it wasn’t official yet, I knew it in my gut. And I wasn’t about to let my mama plant doubt where there wasn’t any.

"Creed, you know how this goes. These girls see a future NBA player, and suddenly they in love?—"

"Nah, Ma. It’s not like that."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know," I said, my voice steady. "And I ain’t about to lose something real just because you think I should stay in a situation that’s comfortable."

She let out another long sigh. I could hear her shifting, probably pacing the kitchen back home like she always did when she was stressed.

"I just don’t want you making the wrong choice," she murmured.

"And I get that," I said leaning back against my pillows. "But this? This is my choice to make."

Another long silence.

"You really done with Gianna?"

"Yeah," I said, exhaling. "I am."

She sighed one last time. "Then do what you gotta do."

And just like that, I knew—this conversation was over. It wasn’t approval. It was acceptance. And for now? That was enough.