Volume Five

"She still not talking to you?" My mom asked making me shake my head no. 

"Shouldn't have lied to her." Stel said.

"You shouldn't have said anything." 

"Should've been a man about it."

"Should've minded ya business." 

"Shut up." My pops said as we both glared at each other. 

"Why don't you try apologizing and buying her something for Christmas?" My mom suggested.

"Jaelyn the type to accept the gift then still be mad." 

"She should be." My pops said. "Lying to that damn girl for nothing." 

"I was going to tell her the truth after I went."

"You're dumb." Stel laughed. "You're the reason I don't want a boyfriend."

"The way you look is the reason you don't have a boyfriend." 

"Sterling." My mom warned making me sit back in my seat. 

"Just go talk to the damn girl." Pops said. "She mad but she'll get over it, females always-"

"Always what?" My mom cut him off raising a eyebrow making him look up from his phone. 

"Nothing babe." He said making me chuckle. 

"The gift isn't so you could buy her back but let her know you thinking of her." My mom stated. "Apologize and tell her the real reason you lied then give her her space because you are the one in the wrong." 

"Okay." I shook my head.

"She was supposed to be coming in the morning to give us gifts before the game anyway." Stel said. 

"Who's us?" Pops asked.

"All of us, she bought us all something apparently."

"Aw, I didn't get her anything." My mom picked up her phone. 

"I'll just give her some gift cards." My pops said making us laugh, that was always his go to. 

"Imma go pick up Jay so we could go to the mall." I told them grabbing my keys and jacket.

"Be safe." My mom called out as I closed the door getting in the car. 

Jay literally lived behind my house on the next block so it took me less than two minutes to get there, only because I was stopped at the red light. I honked the horn picking up my phone to see if Jaelyn texted me and she didn't like I knew she wouldn't. 

"Sup bro?" Jay stated getting in the car making me pull off. 

"Wassup?" 

"Who you buying something for Christmas?" I asked curious. 

"My aunts and grandmother, you know I ain't got no girl." He chuckled. 

"That's why I was confused for a minute." 

"I was gon buy Jala some shit but then I know she just gon laugh in my face, I'm bout to give up on trying with her and say fuck it."

"You cheated on her, you thought it was bout to be easy getting with her?" 

"Not at all but she be tryna hoe me." He looked at me blankly. "Like two weeks ago, I go over to fuck her. After we fuck she talking bout "so what you bout to do?""

"She ain't trying to hoe you, she did." I cracked up. "Damn, you left?" 

"I looked at her and hopped the fuck up. I ain't speak to her dumb ass since then."

"Did she even hit you up?" 

"No." He stated making me bust out laughing. "But she gon-"

"Nah, she ain't gon do shit." I chuckled.

"Man, fuck you." He laughed. "You ready for this game tomorrow?" 

"I'm always ready." I nodded. "I hope Jae still walking with me."

"I wanna say she not that petty but she petty as hell." 

"That's why I'm bout to spend all this money on her then apologize and fuck the shit out of her." 

"You know ESPN gon be at the game?" 

"Who said that?" 

"Coach sent it to the chat." 

"I'm not in that remember?"

"No." He furrowed his eyebrows. 

"That day we lost, I left the chat cause I was really tired of y'all niggas." 

"I be wondering why the fuck you don't be saying shit." He chuckled. "I'm bout to add you back, we be talking bout some shit." 

"Like what?" 

"Coach want us to wear matching sneakers and he wanted niggas to cover they tattoos-"

"I'm not bout to cover my tattoos, he tripping tripping." 

"We stated that, like the sneaker shit is cool but the tattoo shit he was really bugging." 

"Seriously and what sneakers?" 

"Them Nike black ones."

"I thought only like seven of us got those?" 

"The most important seven." He chuckled. 

"That's why them niggas hate us." I chuckled. "They can't wait til we leave." 

"You know you play all four quarters and I play all four quarters, nobody else don't so they be hating. We got a early practice at 5 too."

"I thought the game started at 7 though?" 

"Nigga, I mean 5 in the morning." 

"Aight coach bugging the fuck out now." 

"He tryna show off for them ESPN reporters but I don't even give a fuck, without them reporters we still was gon win." 

"We ain't got no chance to lose, niggas better get shit together for these last few games. I've won three championships since I been here and I plan to win four, if niggas not tryna get with it they gon be sitting out." 

"Word to." Jay spoke. "What you tryna get at the mall?" 

"Some last minute shit for Jae." 

"What you bout to buy some rings? Females love rings." He chuckled.

"She got two rings already." I chuckled. 

"They love rings." 

"Nah, Imma get some sweatsuits and buy a hoodie in my size since she like stealing my shit." I told him. "I feel like something else too but I don't know." 

"You know her bra size? I used to buy Jala bras and sports bras, she used to love those." 

"That's smart." I nodded deciding that's what I'll just do. 

~

I walked back in the house exhausted from this early practice, I heard Jaelyn laughing letting me know she did come like they said she would. I walked in the kitchen to see her eating and talking to my parents and sister, I went to the refrigerator grabbing a Gatorade. 

"You looked drained." My mom stated rubbing my back. 

"I am." I shook my head.

"He didn't work you too hard right? I could call coach-"

"I'm good ma." I cut her off. "ESPN coming tonight so it's a lot of pressure on me and Jay, he said we the main ones they looking at."

"Why would he tell you that before a game?" Stel asked. 

"I don't know but it ain't like that's gon make me nervous, it make me go harder. I need scholarships and offers to come in after this game."

"You got this, keep ya head focused." My dad said.

"I am." I stated looking at Jae. "I could talk to you upstairs?" 

"I'm eating." She stated looking at her food. 

"You could come back to it." 

"It's gon be cold by then." 

"Then bring it upstairs." 

"I'll rather eat down here." She mumbled and I stopped myself from saying something. 

"Aight." I shrugged. 

I walked out going up stairs, closing my door I went to my bathroom turning on the water. I took off my shirt and joggers, I went in my room putting my phone on the charger. Jaelyn walked in my room as I grabbed a bag of ice from the mini freezer in my room, I poured it in my tub as she followed me in the bathroom. 

"Your ribs bruised." She pointed out making me look down. 

"Sav was guarding me today and he kept elbowing me." I told her taking off my socks leaving on my shorts. 

"I'm sorry for acting petty." She stated as I sat down in the cold ass water. 

"I'm sorry I lied to you." 

"Why?" 

"I don't even know why I lied anymore." I shook my head honestly. 

"Me either, if you didn't wanna spend new years with me all you had to do was say so. You have your own friends and I have mine, you don't have to lie to me." 

"That's the thing, I do wanna spend new years with you but I can't bring you to Nia party and I don't wanna go to Es party with a bunch of niggas I don't know." 

"Then you should've said that, I would of understood about you being uncomfortable."

"You right." I nodded shivering. 

"How about you go to your party and I go to mine then you spend the night with me?" She suggested. "I'm going to be too drunk to even drive to you and my parents gon be gone." 

"Sound like a plan baby." I said through my teeth chattering.

"Get out." She chuckled holding a towel. 

"I need to soak for two more minutes, I could handle the cold." I told her. 

"I could never sit in no ice, y'all athletes tripping tripping." She shook her head making me laugh. 

"You know our photo shoot pictures came back?" 

"Seriously?" She squealed. "Where are they?" 

"Look on my drawer." I told her standing up. 

I was cold as hell, I took off my shorts grabbing the towel. I walked in the room seeing her take pictures of the pictures, I shook my head chuckling. I dropped my towel putting on some sweatpants, I laid in my bed grabbing my phone as she laid on my chest. 

"I like these." 

"What these four?" I asked her grabbing the pictures.

"Yes, we so cute." She laughed.

"So tell me what's been going on with ya life for the past week?" I chuckled as she started talking my head off. 

~

"40 seconds on the clock! Thomas hands the ball to Vic, ohhh a steal from Jason Kemp! 10 seconds on the clock as he passes it to Sheppard, Sheppard throws the ball from half court and it's in!" The announcer yelled as everybody stood up yelling while I jumped up and down. 

I walked to the chairs drinking some Gatorade out of breath, I walked in the locker room with them as they started cheering. I sat on the bench wiping my forehead, Jay sat next to me and fist bumped me. 

"What y'all niggas cheering for?" I asked making them go quiet. "It's only half time, don't start celebrating, shit could always change."

"Man, we up by 20 we could celebrate." A nigga named Kyle said. 

"You ain't been in the game all season so I really wanna know what you celebrating?" Jay asked making the rest of em clown and laugh. 

I shook my head standing back up, the seniors had to go right back out. I walked in the bathroom so I could wash my hands, Jaelyn rushed in the bathroom making me furrow my eyebrows. 

"What you doing?" I chuckled as she put the garbage by the door. 

"Jay and Jala my look out." She stated hanging her jacket up. 

"Look out for what?" 

"So we can-" She stopped talking reaching up to my face to kiss me. I chuckled kissing her back. 

"You tryna have sex at halftime in the bathroom on senior night when we only got a few minutes til we both have to go on the court?" I asked as she pulled down my shorts grabbing my dick. 

"Yes." She laughed. "I would suck your dick but it's probably all sweaty." 

"Jaelyn." I laughed picking her up. "You so nasty dog." 

"You like it and we're wasting time." She smiled gripping my dick to place it at her opening, she moaned out as I pushed through.

I held her up putting her back against the wall as I stroked in and out of her, she put her hands under my shirt scratching my back moaning in my ear. I could feel her shaking letting me know she was almost there, I put her legs in the crook of my arms so I could go deeper making her yell out and scratch harder. 

"They calling names, y'all got at least two more minutes!" Jala cracked the door. 

I started going faster accidentally moaning under my breath, she looked at me smiling making me chuckle. I pulled out nutting on the floor as I still held her, she looked into my eyes then leaned in kissing me. I smirked putting her down grabbing some napkins so I could wipe the floor. 

"This sumn new." I chuckled wiping myself down with water. 

"It's your last home game, why not?" She smirked wiping between her legs with a napkin. 

"Shep, coach on his way over here. We gotta go." Jay said through the crack. 

"I'll see you in a minute baby." I kissed Jae running out the bathroom. 

Jay and Jala was outside the door, I tapped his back as we ran towards the court. We was the last two thankfully, they had to call two more names before they called Jays so I was chilling. I looked over at Jae seeing she had a big ass print out of my face, I blew a kiss making her catch it as I laughed.

"Corny ass." She mouthed making me laugh.

"Jala wearing ya jersey, she walking out with you?" I asked.

"That was the original plan so yup." 

"I'm rooting for y'all." I smiled. 

"She ain't fucking me in the middle of games." He smirked making me laugh. 

"I had to cover for y'all a few times, stop lying nigga." 

"Man listen." He chuckled as his family walked up.

"Hey Shep." His mom said as I hugged her and dabbed his father. 

All the lights went off as Jay and I started putting on our sweatsuits, everybody was yelling all confused while Jay and I went to the middle of the court. The lights came back on as everybody started looking at us, I dribbled the ball as Jay stole it from me dunking hanging from the basket. I got the rebound running down half the court then throwing it making it go in as everybody yelled. 

"Oh yeahhh!" Somebody yelled out making us laugh as I went towards Jay doing our handshake. 

"Jason Kemp, #44." The announcer yelled as his family walked out with him, I started clapping and yelling making everybody laugh. 

"Sterling Sheppard!" He yelled as everybody stood up making me jump up and down flexing. "#12."

I calmed down putting my arm over Jae shoulder as she laughed, I kissed her temple grabbing my little sister hand. I grabbed the ball throwing it to Jay who dunked making me laugh, the show we was putting on was for the cameras and ESPN. We was bout to get a full ride from somewhere.  

"Y'all niggas some attention seekers." Kyle hating ass said making us laugh as we all posed for the pictures. 

"I like ya hoodie baby." I told her. 

"Thank you love." She kissed me. 

I got my girl back and I won my game on national television.
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