"Hustle up!" Coach T blows the whistle for the eighteenth time tonight as we dribble around the cones he laid out across the court.

He is officially in Championship mode.

Championship mode includes:

Increase whistle blowing

Nervous pacing

Intense roasting

Extra workouts

Extra practices

Extra drills

Late practices

Basically, no lif-

"PARKER! I ain't paying you to stand around!" His voice roars out, earning me a few smug looks.

He isn't paying me at all.

I sigh deeply as he blows the whistle again... I think my ears are bleeding.

"If he doesn't stop," Hollis grumbles as soon as Coach blows right in Jordy's ear for spinning the ball on his finger because he finally got it after nine years.

I dribble through the cones with quick footwork, spinning around away from Xavier and almost getting blocked by Shawn.

"There you go! Hands up, hands up!" Coach bellows out between whistle tweets.

I grunt and spin to my right, doing a lay up and getting it right through.

Dang he good.

"Remember, a strong defense is an investment of peace!" He blows again.

"Good job, man." I pat Shawn's back and he smiles

"Thanks, Jaylan."

Shawn's a junior but a hard worker... far from home and out of reach, just like Lizzie but his dreams are to play. His defensive style shares a lot about his life without even telling us. He has been waiting to play for awhile, patiently on the bench during games, and honestly he is a great addition after Rashad quit.

"Good work" Coach blows the whistle.

Soon as this season is over, I'm hiding his whistle... Maybe in one of those hairy drains in the locker room.

Damn, in exactly one month and some change, basketball will be over. The NBA draft in June is around the corner. I officially declared yesterday and it just doesn't feel real honestly that I'm going to be in the NBA. Words can't express the gratitude how everyone came together by my side, especially the Candy bandit for putting everything together last night.

She really went all out for me. No one has ever done that for me before, besides Aunt Lisa and Uncle Steve.

When I said the long one word sentence, yes I will be declaring for the NBA draft this year, the 'yes' weighed down on my heart.

Saying yes means everything to me.

Saying yes to new beginnings.

Saying yes to breaking away from the pain of my past.

Saying yes to so many possibilities.

Saying yes to a future I dreamed of, desired, and deserved.

Saying yes to even continuing my life with Lizzie.

Lizzie told me yesterday that I deserve this and she is proud of me, that my mom is proud of me. Her words wreck me every time, just breaking things down. I don't think I have anything left in my fortress of a heart.

I make it to the end of the half court and make my shot again, swishing the ball perfectly into the net.

"Show off," Jordy grumbles and I laugh, passing the ball to him because he can do it too if he believes in himself. I slap his back and he grumbles just like Lizzie.

I love Dum Dum, he declares as well. Why? Because Jordy Cross eats up the court along with Marcus. Hollis, well... He is still indecisive because he really wants to pursue his dreams of doing fixer uppers and selling them. He loves basketball and this is his therapy but Hollis also really wants to start this hobby, turn it into a business that's up and running. With his business skills, he can do anything.

Sighing deeply, I take a basketball from the rack as my eyes catch sight of the cheerleaders walking past in the concourse. My jaw tightens when Ava stops by one of the exit door's frame. She stands like a pin up model, propping herself up, twirling her hair around one finger, and shooting fuck-me eyes.

As if I'm going to change my mind.

I shake my head, turning away and looking at Marcus. Based on his frown, he is thinking the same thing. "She's getting on my nerves," I grumble.

She is relentlessly desperate for me to fall short so she can try the same toxic shit Gabrielle would do with me.

I don't think if you really truly like a person, you wait for them to fall and then hold it over their heads. I'm not perfect but when I gave them my undivided attention, I was exclusive for the most part. Yet, they constantly drilled me, questioned my loyalties, and worried about me being unfaithful because of my elevated social status.

Thank fucking God I don't have to worry about Lizzie. Despite what she heard from Ginger Demon and, hey, maybe even Alexis, she got to know me like she would have any regular person. I appreciate her just creating her own opinion about me from what we've shared so far. And what she sees in me is what I want everyone to see in me.

"Yo, she's like on 'You' obsessed level." Marcus laughs as I turn back. In the same position, she looks like she's still waiting for me to do something.

"She's actually starting to scare me." Jordy holds his heart and we all laugh because it's fucking true.

"Oooh, she's going to be in your room in your closet, Jordy," Hollis teases, wiggling his fingers at his side.

We laugh and he frowns, glancing at Ava, who's still wanting me to look.

Not a chance.

"I think the creepy stalker shit is kind of hot." Taylor grins but Marcus slaps him against the head.

"It's cringey, and I hate it." I flicker my eyes as Ava presses her lips at me, folding her arms.

I'm actually glad the cheerleaders won't come to the tournament until they know we make it to the championship round but I'm also worried about Lizzie because I don't want her life to be a living hell. While I teased in the beginning, Maxine and probably Alexis won't be here for her, leaving her open for bullying. Maxine already said if Ava does anything then she will make her first flight back here to kick her ass.

And that threat she means it, especially when she almost got her the day Lizzie gave me back my sweatshirt.

I don't ever want to see that again ever, Lizzie reacting instead of acting. What's mine is hers and only for her.

Maxine and Ava never saw eye to eye and never will. They won't ever again, not after Ava slept with their neighbor across the hall, Maxine's little sneaky link.

"Alright, keep hustlin! Hustle up! Pivot! Shoot!"

I grumble because I hate this shit but need to work more on these mechanics anyway. As I walk to the baseline, a familiar raven-haired girl who always stiffs me like a brick struggles to open the door. Maxine pulls it back with ease, causing Alexis to laugh, then hip bumps her.

My hands drop the ball along with my jaw as Lizzie walks in wearing an oversized red and black color block windbreaker. It's half unzipped, showing off a white bandu and revealing off her belly ring. Her grey joggers are rolled down at her hips. She has a messy, low bun with hairs flying everywhere like she's been through a storm and pushes up her big ass glasses.

Damn, she is beautiful.

Licking my lips, I smirk but not after long enough, Maxine blocks my view because she catches me gawking at Lizzie.

Hollis stops what he is doing, rushes over, and swings Alexis around like hasn't seen her in years.

I groan because all the guys begin to stop what they're doing and their eyes go right to Lizzie. Distraction-wise I get it, but at the end of the day, she is mine... After my little meeting earlier we had about befriending her on Instagram and liking her Virginia Beach selfies, all of them know that my girlfriend is off limits.

Lizzie holds up her nursing books to her chest like the good girl she is but probably because she is cold. She told me last night she likes wearing big clothing because it makes her extra warm and feels cuddled but I told she didn't have to worry about that, considering she's already sneaked five of my sweatshirts already. She ended up taking my brand-new, black sweatshirt from the Under Armor representative.

She looks better in it than me, but I gotta get that back for my next game though. It's going to be a battle but I have plenty more. I'll leave my whole damn wardrobe in her closet if she wants while I'm gone.

She has a large brown grocery bag connected to her hands, walking to the empty seats by court side. Coach T walks over to them and he waves. Lizzie bends down to rummage through the brown bag and I inwardly curse when her boobs perfectly squish together. I just want to stick my face in between, motorboating her and hearing those sweet giggles at my nonsense from making blizzard noises in between them.

I can't wait to get my hands on them again, after our little heated encounter last night. Just how she melted under my touch from a small action made her a mess. Fuck, I can't wait to hear her little whimpers, moans, and cries in Spanish from my mouth on them and don't get me started on her honeypot.

Fuck, it got so hot and heavy last night, God know what would have happen if her sister didn't call. But after coming down off my high, something wasn't right. She actually stayed in the bathroom for a while, until I opened the door and found her asleep on the tile floor. Her cheeks were damp and her nose red. I scooped her up in my arms and took her to bed.

I know she has been struggling more with her parents divorce coming up and I can't imagine what she is going through right now.

"Alright!" Coach motions us over to gather around Lizzie and Maxine. Jordy happily gets close to Maxine and she pushes her hand on his forehead. He smacks it down and she shoots him daggers. Marcus shakes his head and breaks the two best friends' love and hate relationship.

Damn, I love them.

"Yo Lizzie, you really came throughhhh." Xavier rubs his hands together, going behind Jordy and rubbing his shoulders.

"Pookie," Hollis teases and she furrows her eyebrows. I do too.

"Don't tease." Alexis grins at the two of them and kisses his cheek, handing him his special power up snack.

I take two strides and Lizzie places her hands on her hip, thinking I'm going to get the first treat. Which, fuck yeah, I'm getting it.

"Ugh, Jaylan back up! Just because you're captain doesn't mean you can go first." Maxine stretches her hand across my chest to stop me.

"He is okay." Lizzie flutters her eyes at me with a sweet smile.

"I'm okay," I tease Maxine.

"Why aren't you at practice anyway?" Jordy asks her, munching on his goldfish.

"Because unlike you guys, this isn't our first rodeo," Maxine boasts.

Alexis snickers and they high five each other at the mini roast but honestly, she's not wrong. The women's basketball team has been to the championships, won every fucking time she took the court, and she will not let us forget it.

"Jordan, don't make me call my wife on your extended bathroom break," Coach T threatens and Maxine presses her lips, folding her arms because we all know she just wanted to see Marcus.

She knows he brightens her day, whether she admits it or not. But she will soon. Don't get me started on how he feels over Ginger Demon. Maxine sheepishly smiles and Lizzie giggles, bending down again and pulling out this orange goodie back proudly. Lizzie displays it in a cute way showing casing it with her hand.

Fuck, I got to stop saying cute.

"For me?" I hold my hand over my heart.

"What happened to- ow" Xavier rubs the back of his head from Marcus slapping him.

I suck my teeth, glaring at him, and look back at Lizzie for me being mean but I crack a smile. She twists her lips at me and I lean down to kiss her softly. She bounces on her heels like a little kid, clasping her hands to her chest. Her glasses are in the fucking way but it just makes her more hotter.

Damn, I miss her soft lips, despite kissing them this morning.

I kiss her again and Coach grumbles at me to give her some space. I chuckle, opening the orange bag and smiling at her Pinterest creation, with the sayings of 'O-fishally Crunch Time' on the goldfish and 'Way to Go!' tag on the Gatorade bottle. She gave me blue, my favorite.

Damn, wish I could have her with me during the games because coach T neglects us with the power up snacks. He pulls 'I'm not your parent' but then turns around and takes us to a bar for team bonding.

"Thanks, Babe." I open the goldfish bag.

She covers her face, pushing up glasses because I know she hates that word... I don't know if she hates it or gets turned on but whatever happens, I love seeing her get flustered.

"This doesn't mean practice is over." Coach T crunches down on his goldfish.

We all laugh at him for dropping one out of his mouth.

Him and Uncle Steve are twins.

"Five minutes tops, Coach." Marcus grins, giving a signal to Maxine, only for her to press her lips.

"Four," he clips, sitting right down, propping his legs up on the right side of the seat next to him, and texting on his phone.

I shake my head and look back at Lizzie, who is unsuccessfully trying to open her purple Gatorade. I smugly grin as she twists hard, grunting but I take it softly from her and open it with ease. She swallows hard with her eyes dilating at such a simple action. Now that I know her hand turn on, like an ass, I wiggle my fingers in front of her eyes.

She furrows her eyebrows. "Te crees muy muy (you think you are so good)".

I throw my head back in laughter, handing it back as she grumbles something else. "Gracias," her lips vibrate against the plastic while sipping her drink.

Something else I've learned about Lizzie is that she gets frustrated or irritated about something she can't open or reach. She then grumbles in Spanish.

"I didn't know you were coming," I tease but she does her eyes at me innocently.

"I finished early studying with Jessica because said her head was going to explode if we memorized another side effect of phenobarbital." Lizzie giggles while opening her goldfish bag.

Phena what?

"Well, this was a nice surprise." I lean over and kiss her forehead.

"Coach Tyree said it would be nice for a treat for you guys." She wiggles her fingers playfully on my chest.

"Well, you're just enough of a treat." I pull one of her fingers.

"And you call me a sap... Mister Sappy." Lizzie giggles and I tickle her side, making her leap.

"You spending the night?" I lick my lower lip and she gives me a Jaylan look. I laugh and she crunches on another goldfish, pressing her lips closed but it's just a smile. "Jaylan, I have to be clinical tomorrow morning."

"Am I taking you home at least? Did you eat?"

"Wow, you sound like Maxine," she teases and I roll my eyes.

Maxine looks back, pressing her lips at me, flickering her eyes and then back at Marcus, who I know is trying to get lucky tonight without looking at him. I really don't feel like hearing them honestly again. It's more Maxine with no shame, those loud moans echoing through the house.

"Don't play me like that."

Lizzie giggles and I press my forehead against hers. She takes another goldfish cutely in her mouth, crunching in my face. She pats my cheek and turns away for a second, walking to place her things down while Coach is talking to Shawn intently.

"We should go to IHOP."

Ahh, a good place after a long night of partying. Freshman year, Jordy was hazed to eat twelve pancakes to be able to have the number nine and... He did it, puked all over the captain's car at the time, and we had to walk after that.

On second thought.

"How about we go to Silver Diner?"

Lizzie's eyebrows furrow. "What's that?"

I gasp, holding my hand over my heart and she giggles

"What?"

"Maxine, you have never taken Lizzie to Silver Diner?" I dramatically say and the guys play along.

"Eww, nobody wants to eat that cheap food," Maxine gripes, and Alexis shakes her head at her best friend's obscured opinion and her boujee self.

"We should go afte..r.. Pr... nevermind." Jordy looks away as we all shoot him dangers about cock blocking.

Man, I got to help him find a girl quick.

"You can come, Jordy." Lizzie beams brightly like the sun she is.

I inwardly groan because I just want to spend time with just her. Honestly, it will be worth spending time regardless with my two favorite people. But I'm going to have to cease the operation.

"Thanks Lizzie," Jordy beams brightly.

She grins big and crunches another goldfish teasingly right at me. The spank bank has fully accumulated for me to go into retirement. She giggles and shakes her head, looking over at Maxine, who is typing on her phone vigorously along with Alexis. Lizzie touches her arm and she looks over at her with lightened eyes. "I'll see you later."

"Parker." Maxine glares at me. "She needs to be home at ten thirty. It's school night."

"Ignore her." Alexis presses her lips at her and smiles at me.

"Uhh, you're coming home too early. You have a big test tomorrow," Maxine reminds Alexis and she rolls her eyes.

Hollis whispers in her ear, shamelessly slaps her butt, and she hits him in the chest. She looks back at her phone and types something when it vibrates in her hand. I look back at Lizzie, who's not paying attention to me but not typing on her phone but looking back at Maxine with furrowed brows. Maxine throws her head back and laughs then pats me on the shoulder.

I don't even want to know.

"See you when you're home Lizzie." Alexis kisses her on the cheek and she hugs her.

Maxine ruffles her already Einstein wild hair she got going on and Lizzie whacks her hand away. The two walk out, laughing and looking back at Lizzie, who's furrowing her brows at their taunting behavior.

She spins around and goes over to a seat next to Coach T and starts digging things out of backpack. Lizzie definitely lives the motto, everywhere you need to go, you need to study. She flips open one of her notebooks and this book that is bigger than her right arm, propping it up on her legs.

"I hope this inspires you knuckle heads to study wherever you go! Invest in your education!"

Coach T's eyes soften at Lizzie while she places her AirPods in, getting right into the zone. The fact she just can study anywhere just shows me she's not playing around. She means business and her purpose matters to help her father whether he wants it or not.

When she told me about her dad, it honestly broke my heart. To have a daughter like Lizzie, you would think her heart matters but what parents aren't perfect and if they were, well, then the world would just be a very different place.

I can't imagine the trauma on Lizzie's face while trying to revive her dad back to life, how her brown eyes glistened with every compression. I can see why seeing her dad smoking and not taking care of himself bothers her and pushes her to study harder. On the surface, no one would ever know that she faces the hardest moments alone, thousands of miles away from her family, while everyone believes she is fine.

I admire that.

Coach struggles to blow his whistle while chowing down on his goldfish. "Four minutes up!"

If this practice couldn't be over any sooner.

🏀🏀🏀🏀

Sweat drips from all of our faces after the dreaded A-Skips because Jordy had to make a comment about Coach's shoes. We literally were almost done and the shoes comment came out. I had to admit I was a bit distracted by Lizzie studying, teething her purple highlighter, or bobbing her head to the music she's listening to, or better yet changing positions in the seat like it's some kind of jungle gym.

I literally had to block all the guys' view because at one point she's just setting herself up to a porn fantasy by spilling her Gatorade all over her top. This girl is going to put me in an early grave or jail for beating somebody's ass just for staring at my girl.

"Huddle up...." Coach yells out, waving with his iPad in his hand.

Our chest are rising and falling and sweat is dripping down like we're standing in the showers, but honestly workouts are the best therapy to just zone out.

"We are getting down to the wire and I just want to say I'm proud of all how hard you have been working to secure the spot. It wasn't easy but we fight... It's in all of you to fight for what matters. And that's what makes us a team."

We nod and he sighs, clicking off his iPad. "I know you all have people who've told you that you couldn't do things, or weren't capable of, but let me tell you what you need to know. Don't live in the past, you can't get points today for yesterday's game."

His words strike deep with me, almost triggering the memories I shove down everytime I step on this court, living with the what if mom was here... or what if PJ turned himself around... What if I had a perfect home.

The constant battle of bargaining gets me every time and I sometimes feel like I'm stuck in it. I just wish I could overcome it but I've learned you can't let it hold you back as much as it tries to restrain you.

"Good work. Hit the showers, Film tomorrow four sharp, Marcus." Coach singles him out and he smugly grins, jogging right to the locker room to see his ginger mistress.

I gaze over to see Lizzie frowning, typing on her frown with that light glow in her eyes.

She must be talking to her dad again.

She shakes her head and clicks her phone off, putting it in her front pocket of her bookbag. I take a few strides to her and she looks up at me with a faint smile. "You stink." She giggles

"That's definitely a lie." I suck my teeth.

She holds her nose and I lift my arm up. She gasps, tucking herself underneath my arm and running away. She doesn't want to play this game. Even though her giggles make the court echo with beauty, I know she's still hurting inside. Easily, I catch her, wrap my arms around her from behind, and swing her around.

"Jaylannnn!" She giggles with a small grunt.

I put her finally down and she furrows her brow at me. "Handled," I tease.

"You didn't handle anything, you pedo (fart)." She pulls her scrunchie out and shakes her long black hair. She ties it up into a bun, making my throat dry at how perfect she does it and making me think of one thing. I smugly grin, looking away.

Ignoring her grumblings, I walk over to the basketball rack because I normally put away the equipment. Something Uncle Steve always taught me was that, to be a leader, you must be a servant first. I take a basketball and spin it on my finger to taunt her. She flicks her hand to knock it out of my hand but I move it.

The one thing I know how to open a conversation about heartbreak is basketball and Lizzie is going to learn today.

"So, Nurse Lizzie, was practice the highlight of our day, since I dropped you off this morning all cranky?" I crack a smile.

Another thing I've learned about Lizzie is that if she doesn't have chocolate milk and her mini waffles then she turns into a gremlin.. A beautiful gremlin, if that even exists, but still a gremlin.

"Thats a tough one. Let's see, maybe my boyfriend eating lunch with me orrrrrr Testudo giving me a rice pudding cup for rice pudding day," she says in awe.

That turtle is concerning me more and more lately.

"I hope it was the lunch."

"Mmm... Nah." She giggles and I wrap her in my arms to tickle her but she pushes her ass back. I don't know why that's her defense mechanism.

I dribble around her and she twists her lips to the side and takes the ball, well, I let her. She poorly dribbles it with ball hands but I just let her be as she tries to dribble the basketball.

"Oh, and finally putting my clothes away from doing laundry a week ago." She giggles, trying to master the ball. I pull my phone out of my shorts pocket and take video of this moment. Her hands look half the size wrapped around it as mine do.

"I definitely feel tha... babe, here," I say, putting my phone away and trying to direct her. I get behind her and she giggles, bending her ass back a bit and hitting my pelvis. Fuck..

"The trick is you want your hands to make contact with the ball in such a way that you have good control over the ball... Almost like learning how to take control of your own life in your own hands." I try to open up a bit. I adjust ourselves and help her palms spread out further to dribble down.

"What do you mean?" she softly says, pressing down the basketball herself, and letting it bounce back up.

"It means don't allow others to control your direction in your life."

She sighs and steps forward trying to bounce the basketball but it rolls out of her hands. I softly chuckle and she grabs it. "You make it seem so easy."

"Believe me I didn't know how to do that at first," I admit with a chuckle.

"You didn't?"

"No, Uncle Steve was going to have congestive heart failure when he found out I wanted to play baseball instead of basketball like the family tree." I laugh because he really was that dramatic.

"Is basketball a big thing in your family?"

"It is." I nod and track as she bounces a few more times, a little more steadily. "So is baseball too."

"Sounds like my family and futbol," she admits and stops, holding the ball into her chest. "Papá always played with us... I miss those days... Did your dad play with you?"

The answer to her question hits me hard in the chest, but I give her the truth, "Nah, but Uncle Steve did."

She gazes up at me for a second and flicks her eyes down but looks back up at me. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay" I take a shot from the three point arc and make it in.

Her eyes follow the trajectory of the shot, then the bounces it makes on the court. "How did you learn so quickly?"

"Because Uncle Steve kept yelling at me." I smugly grin and she shakes her head.

"No really."

"Just grieving honestly," I clear my throat. "Every day after school, I would go to the same court to just shoot baskets. I was tired of Uncle Steve winning against me one on one."

"I learned to control what I could because what consumes your mind controls your life," I walk over and pick up the ball. "My mom dying controlled my life for the longest time but I had to regain the understanding that her death should never control my mind but to empower me."

Lizzie stops for a second, almost thinking of the meaning of the words Uncle Steve said to me the first week I stayed with them since they gained custody of me. I remember Uncle Steve took me to his favorite childhood basketball court and it was just me and him.

"As an eleven-year-old, it took me hours to master just keeping my head up while dribbling because you need to look at every angle of what life faces you."

Lizzie's head tips slightly sideways. "How do you do that?"

"It takes time Lizzie," I reply softly and hand her the ball.

She stares down at it in her hands, softly saying, "I wish it didn't."

"Me too."

"Is that why you are so good with those guys coming at you?" She boosts my ego a bit and tosses the ball at my chest, but I try to break the moment and let out a hearty sigh.

"Yeah, because I learned how to just deal with it." I roll the ball in my hands a few times, then bounce it gently back to her. She adorably closes her whole forearms around it.

"What if you can't, what it just feels like it's impossible?" she adds eagerly, throwing it back with a little more power in her throw.

"Then.... I pass the ball to who I trust will make the shot for me." I give her a pointed look and bounce it back to her.

"I don't know if..." She bites her lip and holds the ball still in her hands. Her head tips back up at the basket, which I'm sure seems twice as far away to her than it does to me. "I mean, that seems hard."

"You just have to find the right teammate to pass the ball to trust they will make the shot." I assure her and lift my eyes up to the net.

"How?"

I try not to laugh at her questionable outlook on her situation because she generally wants to know how to fix it. Something nurses do I guess.

"How what?" I push her but she hugs the ball into her chest and dips her head down, averting her eyes.

"How can I trust someone to pass... well."

"It's okay," I assure her, stepping closer into the gap.

"I feel cornered Jaylan." She keeps holding the ball close to her and I understand the exact feeling of just feeling helpless, like no one is there but I want her to know she can pass the ball to me.

Stepping even closer, I can see her lower lip trembling. In a gentle voice, I prod, "Of what, Lizzie?"

A single tear slips over her cheek, which she ignores and hugs the ball like it's one of those stuffed animals on her bed. When she does speak, I'm glad I'm so close because a whisper comes out, "Not being able to keep my family together."

Those pindrop-quiet words hit me harder than if she'd shouted them in my face.

She is just like Mom.

I swallow thickly at the dryness that coats my throat. "Why do you feel like that is your responsibility?"

"Because Jaylan, I did everything to stop what I feared..."

"And what's that?"

In my peripheral vision, the ball slips from her grasp, bounces a few times, and rolls slightly away. The drop makes me feel a sense of trigger of my own when I remember seeing my mom on the sofa but I keep my eyes on Lizzie's.

When she lifts them to mine, they're light brown, glossy with tears, and full of pain. "Not having a family at all."

She bends down forward, holding her stomach in agony like she's finally let it out and I come over to hold her. "Lizzie, what makes you think that?"

"Because my parents divorce is finalized next Monday and there is nothing I can do to stop it," she whispers.

That's another type of grief I don't think I would understand but I could only imagine what it would feel like if Uncle Steve and Aunt Lisa ever were to that point of just not loving each other anymore. You don't realize how divorce affects the kids until they crack like Lizzie.

My heart feels like it's downpouring rain while Lizzie balls herself into my arms and I just let her cry. My arms cage around her, and I rub her back. With pitching shoulders, she whimpers, even hiccups.

"I tried," she whispers over and over again, shaking her head into my chest.

"I know you did, baby." I hug her tighter.

"Even the days I came up with didn't stop them from arguing or stop Papá from smoking," she mumbles.

Now that crushes me, knowing that she celebrates these wacky days to keep her family from falling apart. It makes sense, given their distance.

"Lizzie, all those days you celebrated with your family were not in vain," I remind her gently.

It was like I was speaking for myself because I honestly felt the days I spent with my mom before she ended her life was in vain. Like I was going to the park or for the drive with her the day before worth how she left me.

She hiccups again and pulls back. After a few sniffles, she bends over and picks up the basketball. With her small hands, she bounces it better.

"And when those negative thoughts corner you, you shift to the other side and spin." I squeeze her waist in my hands and spin her, hearing her gasp but laugh at the sudden movement.

"And sometimes." I reach my arms out and grab her hips. "You need to take a shot"

I lift her up, making her high as I could to reach the basket but she misses. She huffs and I lower her down, then rebound the ball. "Try again."

"But..." She tilts her head back at the basket. "I didn't make it."

With the ball clenched in one hand, I extend it to her. "Try again."

She sinks her teeth, goes over, and takes the basketball again. This time I lift her by her hips, lifting her butt overhead onto my shoulders. My hands wrap over her thighs, which bracket my neck. She's much taller and can definitely touch the rim now. "Make your shot, Lizzie."

She drops it in the hoop, almost knocking me in the face with the ball and giggles when I raise my arms up in celebration. I lower her down and turn her around to face me. Her eyes are brown as sugar but warm vanilla how I imagine them to be. "Uncle Steve once told me, there's no such thing as broken families. Family is family and it's not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, or adoption documents. Families are made in the heart."

She takes in my words and leans into my chest, where my heart is pumping steadily. "It's going to be okay, Lizzie. Just remember to pass it when it gets too tough."

She looks up at me, her small hands grabbing my face and pulling it down to her. Her lips kiss mine softly. I press my forehead against hers and here we are, finishing our therapy session on the court I love... with the woman I've fallen in love with.

Edited, sugar and spice everything nice by the lovely still_just_me!