Newport News, VA
One in a Million by Aaliyah
Sat, Oct. 23rd, 5:15PM
"A Unique Type of Love"

Grunge like music played as Dess walked around the infamous store, Spencers. It was her first time ever coming in this store but she knew exactly what it was known for. Her dad refused for her to sit foot inside of it, let alone peep inside. She wanted the posters and t-shirts, but Stephen wasn't allowing it. Now that she was older, she could do whatever. Dess walked right to the t-shirts and looked at rhetorical posters on the wall of the graphics. She saw different artists such as Rod Wave, King Von, and Lil Durk. She didn't want any of those shirts.

Then she saw Aaliyah, Nicki Minaj, Bob Marley, and Juice Wrld. She passed on those as well. She finally saw a Spider-Man shirt and gasped.

"Shai." She called out his name as if he was here with her.

She went to the shirts and saw both their sizes were in stock. They could never go wrong with matching. She grabbed the shirts and continued shopping. He would never forgive her father for not allowing her to come in her when she was younger. All she wanted was the t-shirts and posters. Nothing in the back where Ky and Ivy were having a blast at.

"Dess!" Ivy shouted her name, skipping to the front where Dess was at.

"Yes love?" Dess glanced over. She did a double take when she saw the penis pillow that Ivy was holding.

"What the hell?!" Dess started laughing while Ivy held the pillow near her vagina, pretending she had a dick. Ivy started laughing then tapped the pillow against Dess shoulder.

"Do you want to lay your head on my dick?" Ivy jokingly asked in between her laughing.

Dess rested her head on the pillow and Ivy shouted in excitement. She stopped abruptly and looked back at the cashier that was eyeing her. She apologized then went back to Dess, they both started laughing lowly.

"Are y'all getting anything?" Dess asked. She fixed the four shirts, throwing them over her arm.

"Nah." Ivy walked back to where the pillows were and Dess followed. She ended up seeing Ky where the freaky stuff was at and chuckled. He said he was going to go back there and here he was.

"Okay. I'm going to pay for this. Gimme a second."

Ivy nodded and went to Ky. Dess went to the cash register, placing her shirts on the counter. Her and man behind the counter talked a little then her stuff was rung up. She pulled out her wallet and paid with Shai's card that he gave her. She was going to run it up during this mall run. Shai didn't care, so she didn't either. She grabbed her bag then thanked the man. She headed out the store and met up with Ivy and Ky.

"Them other hoes are at the food court." Ky said, connecting his arm with Dess. He did the same to Ivy and the three of them walked side by side to the food court.

It had Dess thinking about the Wizard of Oz when Dorthy was walking down the yellow brick road with her companions. She chuckled to herself at the thought, yet loved it. Coming to the mall with Candy and her friends was the best decision Dess made. The entire week was stressful with tests back to back and professors throwing out multiple assignments day by day. So having this day to chill and meet new people was a vibe. She was truly enjoying herself and the people that she was here with.

Though they were Candy friends, Dess felt like they were hers because of how welcoming their were. No weirdness was directed towards her. No one was sizing her up and down or making her feel alone. That was the type of energy she wanted from her old friends and barely got it. She wasn't going to jump right into it or scare them away, so she was keeping chill. Reaching the food court, they all headed over to where Autumn and Candy were.

"Took y'all forever." Candy mentioned.

Ky suck his teeth. "Oh, girl boo." He waved her off then started laughing.

"Aight, let's get some food bitches and find a table!" Ivy exclaimed. Their arm connection broke off. Ivy, Ky, and Candy went together leaving Autumn and Dess together.

"Come on girly. What are we getting?" Autumn asked, reaching for Dess hand and they walked together.

"Lowkey a cheesesteak." Dess answered. They went over to Charley's Cheesesteaks and stood in line. Once they were settled, Autumn turned to face Dess.

"Girl, how come we haven't hung out?" She went right into it. She already knew who Dess was. She saw her on the cheerleading team and around campus. They had one class together as well but never talked. When Autumn found out that Candy was Dess roommate, she had to take the advantage.

"Oh, did you know before this?" Dess asked and Autumn nodded.

"I saw you on the cheerleading team and we had one class together. Health and Wellness with Professor Nixon." Autumn told her.

"Really?" Autumn nodded again. "I did not know we had class together." Dess said.

"Girl, yes. I was late all the time but that doesn't mean anything." Autumn started laughing, Dess joining.

"Anywho, when I found out that you was one of Candy's roommates, I wanted to chill. I was coming to the room and everything hoping to see you."

"Oh, I be right in my man's room." Dess mentioned, sticking her tongue out.

"Period." Autumn chuckled. "But I really wanted to meet you last year honestly." She made known and that made Dess delighted. She wished she had met her instead of Freya and Ashley then maybe things would've been better.

"You should've came up to me for real. I'm real friendly and don't mind talking to people." Dess let her know.

"I should've but now that we're here, you're with us now. We have to put you in the group chat. Gimme your number." Autumn told her, taking out her phone.

Dess gave her number to Autumn and she added the contact to her phone. She then put her on the group chat and sent a message. Dess phone dinging and she pulled it out.

People I See Too Often And Love

(609)-436-**** added (612)-290-**** to the conversation

(609)-436****
Y'all I added Dess to the
group! Say hi to our girl
and say names too

(404)-176-****
Heyyyyyy Dess it's ya
girl big mf Ivy

(208)-980-****
We see y'all at Charley's lol
but this is the real big mf
Ky not the lil one

Candy🍬
You already know me
period😝

Dess laughed while reading all of their messages. She saved each and every contact with their own unique name. She finally felt apart of a solid friendship.

🏀

"A nigga is hungry, boom. I said a nigga is hungry, so open the door." Skeeter sung while he made a beat on the door. He continued with it while Dustin and Shai got the food out the car.

They made sure they had everything before shutting the door and walking up the driveway. The three of them came over to Bo crib to chill out with him. Since hearing about their old basketball couch and Bo's dad, Demetrius, passing away they had to come over and see him. It was only right as his friends. Skeeter beat making on the door came to a stop when the door finally opened by Bo.

"My nigga!" Skeeter yelled, throwing his arms out. Bo shook his head. Nothing seemed to change.

"You high?" Bo questioned the most obvious.

Skeeter laughed. "Hell yeah."

Bo shook his head again then looked past Skeeter to see Dustin and Shai. It was good seeing them as well. He wasn't surprised to not see Elijah or Ameer and he wasn't upset about it. He wouldn't want them here anyway to ruin the mood.

"Wassup y'all." Bo greeted them. He stepped out the way and let the three of them enter his home.

"Y'all can put that in the kitchen." He pointed out. Shai and Dustin walked behind Bo to their destination. They placed the food on the counter, Skeeter went right to the cabinets and grabbed a plate. He's been wanting to grab a slice since they gotten the food. He finally had the opportunity and wasted no time opening one of the boxes and grabbing three slices of cheese pizza.

"Bro, come on." Dustin suck his teeth. Skeeter stuffed his mouth with half of his pizza then apologized with his mouth full. He really didn't care and walked back to the living room after grabbing one of the sodas.

"Nothing changed I see." Bo laughed.

"Nothing at all." Dustin remarked.

They went ahead and washed their hands then grabbed their food and drinks. Shai was the last to leave the kitchen and went back into the living room. He plopped on the couch beside Skeeter, the weed scent  hitting his nostrils. It was strong as hell. Bo changed the channel to a college basketball game for them to watch while eating. It didn't matter since they had tons to talk about.

"So, what's been going on?" Bo started the conversation for them.

"Shit! A whole lot." Skeeter answered.

"Like what?"

Dustin and Skeeter turned to face Shai who was busy picking off the burnt parts off his pizza. Bo turned to him as well, waiting for him to look their way. It took Shai a second before lifting his head up to see that they were staring at him.

"What?" I confusedly asked.

"Tell Bo what's been happening. It's mainly about you." Skeeter told him.

"Oh." Shai muttered, knowing what they were talking about.

He wasn't trying to speak on his issue while hanging out. At this point, it seemed as though that the thought of Shamar was taking over his entire life. He still hasn't received an answer from his mom and he was supposed to meet up with her today to talk. However, she still wasn't home. He was unaware where she was at and neither did anyone else. He was going to give it one more try before he say fuck it.

"What's going on with you boy?" Bo asked, slouching in his chair.

Shai hummed, picking at his food again. "Some weird shit." He kept it short because again he didn't want to speak on Shamar. He was trying to have fun, enjoy his weekend with no homework, and chill.

"Man, it's some really weird shit!" Skeeter chimed in. He was talkative when he was high so he didn't mind telling the tea. He shifted in his seat and got ready to tell.

"Turns out this nigga has a twin brother that came out of nowhere-"

"He's not my twin brother." Shai corrected.

"They look exactly like each other though. Anyway, homeboy came in and he's playing on the team and shit. And they've been fighting and arguing since then. I mean full blown fighting. That nigga can box for real." Skeeter continued, pointing the tip of his pizza towards Shai.

"Shai getting shit active?" Bo joked but was seriously asking.

Dustin and Skeeter nodded. "Getting shit hella active." Dustin then answered.

"It's annoying though." Shai finally voiced about the situation. That was all he wanted to let be known.

"Real annoying cause it's nonstop." Dustin threw in there, Skeeter nodding his head in agreement. Shai felt the same way but said nothing about it. He didn't want this night to be about Shamar. For once, he wanted to stop worrying and talking about him until things were settled.

"Well, ion know the issue but just like last year, don't let whatever is happening distract you. I need y'all to make it to the championship to redeem ourselves foreal." Bo informed them all. He was still a little salty about last year and how he had to leave the team so soon. He didn't regret whooping Elijah's ass though. If he could do it again then he would, much worse.

"Real shit yo. I'm tired of Prince talking with his big oval headed ass." Skeeter angrily said just before he stuffed the rest of his pizza in his mouth. He wiped his greasy hands on the arm of the couch, Bo glaring at him.

"My fault."

"Anyway, how is everything with you?" Dustin turned the attention onto Bo. They haven't seen each other for some months and with recent news, a check in was mandatory.

Bo shrugged. "I'm chillin'." He responded. He picked at his food to avoid making eye contact with them because he knew they were staring. He understood. He had just lost his father and he was pretending as if things were all fine and dandy.

"Be foreal." Shai interjected. Bo looked at him then went to Dustin. Skeeter had went back to the kitchen for more food.

Bo sighed then placed his plate on the table. He rubbed his hands against his pants and took a second before answering. "I'm holding in there." He honestly answered. That sounded better for Shai and Dustin.

"How's your mom and sisters?" Dustin continued.

"My sister's are good. I told them to stay with friends and if they need anything to hit me up. My mom, on the other hand, isn't doing too well. She breaks down crying every so often. Since I'm not here with her, she's staying at my aunts until we figure things out. It's...we're holding in there." He repeated as if he was trying to convince himself that was the truth.

Shai noticed how glossy Bo's eyes went. He was looking around, avoiding eye contact again, and blinking repeatedly. Shai knew that feeling. Bo was holding back tears. Resting his plate beside him, Shai stood to his feet and walked to Bo. He said nothing and gave him a hug. It stunned Bo but he accepted it because it was Shai. Dess was right, hugs do work.

🏀

"And they were so freaking nice to me too! Like one girl, her name is Autumn, she was wondering why I was always in my room when Candy brought her friends over. And I told her that I didn't want to disturb anyone or be in the way. So, now I have brand new friends. They put me in the group chat and everything. They're so fun and refreshing to be around!" Dess eagerly spoke on her day.

Shai had taken a break from the boys and called up Dess to hear about her day. Seeing her cheekbones risen because of the large smile on her face made him feel amazing. It was something about seeing Dess cheesing hard that always made Shai relax. He could be so stressed with family or school and the moment he sees Dess, all of that stress disappear. He couldn't wait when he had everything settled and he proposed. Their anniversary was coming up and he was debating on doing it then. But he was unsure how she would feel about it.

He was bringing it up subliminally. The first time he mentioned it was when they went to the trampoline park. He saw the look of slight fear on her face. That concerned him. But when he mentioned it again to her a couple nights ago, he was more than positive that a yes was going to come from her. He had a couple weeks to figure it all out. For now, he was busy admiring his fiancée.

"Oh!" Dess shouted, bringing Shai back. "We're hanging out again tomorrow. We're going to go see a movie and then get something to eat. Would you like to come?"

"Would they allow me to?" Shai asked. He glanced back when he heard the door open. Taylor walked out, apologized for interrupted, then took a seat on the step beside him. He leaned over to see Shai's phone then smirked when he saw who it was.

It was good to see them going strong.

"Probably. I'll ask though." Dess answered.

Shai nodded. "Aight. Look imma let you go and I'll text you when I'm heading back. I love you."

"I love you too!" Dess yelled back then their call ended.

Once the coast was clear, Tay spoke. "The two of you are cute." He cooed, nudging Shai shoulder.

Shai smiled, putting his phone away. "Thanks."

"No problem. You good?" Tay questioned, hanging his arms over his knees.

"Yeah, I'm straight. You?" Shai asked back.

"Shit..." Tay dragged out. Shai looked him up and down, wondering what he could possibly be going through.

The last time they seen each other, secrets were revealed. Shai felt bad for him and Bo, and wanted to attack Elijah as well. Danny Adams was no help either with the situation and almost lost his job. How he got it back was a mystery to Shai. But he was starting to put the pieces together and had a feeling it dealt with Shamar. Why else was he here so suddenly and Danny wasn't fired? It was slowly starting to make sense to him.

"What's been going on?" Shai finally questioned.

"A lot." Tay kept it vague. He stared out into the road, watching a car go by then disappear. He related to how fast it went. That's how his life was going and it didn't seem like it was going to stop or slow down. That was the frustrating part.

Shai was going to continue his questioning but Tay spoke again, "I have a daughter." He put out there. Shai eyes widening.

It went quiet as Shai processed what Tay told him. Several questions filled his mind. It all went back to the revealing of Tay's sexuality. He was a gay man. Unless, he switched over and was straight again. Or for the first time. Shai didn't know and was confused more than ever. He wanted to ask questions but stayed in his lane. Lucky for him, Tay was open enough to answer and discuss whatever. After all, he was stunned himself with the news.

"I'm sure you're confused." Taylor started.

"Very."

Taylor laughed. "Yeah, Bo was the same way when I told him."

"Aren't you...you know gay." Shai hesitated to ask.

"Yes." Shai pressed his lips together, puzzled still. "There was this girl that had a crush on me for a long time and we hung out one night. She said she wanted to lose her virginity and trusted me. Long story short, she got pregnant and now I have a two month old along with a girlfriend." Taylor explained.

"That's...wow." Shai was speechless and even more confused now.

"Yeah, it's fucking crazy, I know." Taylor helped him out. This wasn't his first time having to deal with this reaction before. Bo was far worse than Shai. And his mom was actually happy that this happened. Oddly enough, Taylor was too. A little bit.

Shai was intrigued now. "Y'all dating?"

"Had no other choice to be honest." Bo shrugged. "She didn't want to be a single mom or else her parents were going to disown her. It was too much of family approval and shit, so we're dating and raising a child together."

Shai blew out a breath then cuffed the back of his neck. "Everyone's life seems to be fucked up in some way."

"No seriously." Taylor agreed. "I overheard what's going on down at Hampton. You have a brother?"

"We're not speaking on that." Shai ended just as the topic was started. He was sticking to not wanting to talk about him.

Taylor hummed, deciding to leave it alone. The rest of the boys told him about how Shai refused to speak on the matter. He thought he would get him to talk but that wasn't happening at all.

"Aight, I'm bout to leave y'all niggas and go see my girl." Shai made known, standing to his feet. He didn't mind chilling with his friends but he wanted to see his baby and cuddle her.

Oh, he couldn't wait to smell her shea butter and vanilla scented body wash. And feel on her smooth dark skin as he got ready to go to sleep. Maybe he'd be able to get a taste. If that happened then he was definitely going to sleep good tonight.

"Aight, don't be a stranger dawg. I may need you and ya shawty to babysit for me." Taylor said. He put his hand out and dapped Shai up.

"My girl would definitely love that. She has me taking care of a bear, pretending like it's our child." Shai told him, Taylor started laughing.

"And you better be taking care of y'all child."

"I have no other choice!"

🏀

Thoughts?

*here's a preview of that stripper/millionaire story I mentioned before. It'll be published when Love and Basketball: Junior Year comes out, so be on the lookout*

It's not everyday someone stumbles across an offer like this one...

That's why I was skeptical when it was brought to me...

Let me try and make sense of it...

Her name was Zahava but everyone knew her as Venus. Named after the goddess of love, Zahava, was the sexist stripper at The Dollhouse. Her name brought in tons of cash. Her body made panties drop and dicks harden when she spun on the pole . But when she was off it, her life was as basic as it could be. That was until she came across a strange, yet rich man with all the luxurious items Zahava wished for since she was a little girl.

What was the catch? All she had to do was be his friend.

Weird? Yes.

Crazy? Absolutely.

Worth it? Most definitely.

Zahava was used to having many eyes on her but was she ready to have one two?