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THE DEEP ATTRACTION

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Read Your Mind by Avant

"I know you wanna feel, So baby keep it real. I know you wanna see, I know you wanna be, In my B-E-D grindin' slowly."

SAMIR MONTGOMERY
DECEMBER 11th, 2007.
TUESDAY 6:30 pm

"YOU KNOW YOU ain't have to walk me here." Samir looked down at kamaria, his eyes shifting up and down looking at her attire.

The girl was wearing a denim mini skirt with a red and pink rose threaded on the back right pocket with a white one piece body suit under it capitalizing her curvy frame, topped with crisp clean white Air Force ones. He didn't know how she could pull off a skirt with sneakers, but he wasn't questioning it either.

Her hand gripped the strap on the light pink and light blue tote bag on her shoulder and she rolled her eyes. "Yes I did." She asserted while he pulled the door open to the recreation center in the middle of their neighborhood.

"Aight if you say so." He didn't ask anymore questions as she walked through while he held the door for her, walking in behind her afterwards.

"Thank you," she muttered softly. "Here, follow me." She instructed him walking all the way down the large wide hall with rooms and clear glass windows in each side of the hall that show cased a variety of rooms.

One with just mirrors for dance, one with work out equipment, and more along the wall with water fountains as well.

She led him all the way to the end of the hall, and once the passed the bathroom, then she went to the tall white double doors, pulling the one on the right open and towards her where they were met with the sound of multiple basketballs being dribbled, and feet hitting the ground, followed by their voices.

"Air ball nigga, you suck!" The voice shot out echoing throughout the basketball gym. Laughter bubbled from the rest of them as they joked during their warm ups.

"Come on, you gotta introduce yourself." She waved him since he wasn't moving as quick as she was, going over to the bleachers unnoticed by the team.

She sat her bag down, rolling her ankles to adjust her shoes. She smacked her teeth once she noticed that he was just standing there staring at them as if he was scared.

"Let's go." She grabbed his hand interlocking his fingers with hers so they were holding hands walking beside him as they made their way out onto the court.

"Y'all look it's that mari girl." Daniel pointed being the first one to notice her and Samir making all of them pause.

"Noo wayyy, I thought her ass wasn't coming back it's been like two weeks." Myreon spoke too as he grabbed the ball he was bouncing so that it would stop.

"For real I thought we scared her ass off." Isaiah muttered. They all started walking towards the two meeting them in the middle.

Derek's eyes dropped down to their hands and frowned. "Mari what is this? We ain't see each other in a week or sum and you already got a new man." He complained.

"Boy this ain't my man, and neither are you, mind yours." She dropped her hand while Derek eyed her skeptically. Daniel—his fraternal twin—snickered at Derek to taunt him making Derek smack his teeth.

"Yeah, so where you been? We thought you wasn't coming back." Jamaries spoke nodding his head towards Samir who was assessing them each one by one.

They were a tall group of boys, and only one was the same height as him the rest a few inches shorter but still on the tall side. He could also tell the two that had matching cornrows were brothers like kamaria mentioned.

"Yeah and who is that." Dontario spoke as well, holding a Wilson ball to his side.

"Well, this is Samir. He the person I was telling y'all and your old coach I think could help y'all. And it's been a few weeks because I was trynna get everything in order. Y'all whole organization is disorganized may I say." She made a yikes face.

Giovanni and Isaiah cackled at her words because they knew for sure. Honestly, if they could go to another team they would have already but they couldn't, due to insufficient funds, transportation and etc.

"He seem a lil young, how old you is man?" Adrian went on to say directing his question to Samir. Samirs head was starting to hurt with how many kids it were and he still hadn't put a name to any of the faces.

"Adrian how about you don't worry about his age, and work on learning how to pass the ball." She cut Samir off from saying his age. She wanted him to prove himself to them first before they had a chance to show a sign of disbelief because of his age.

"Damnnnn." Myreon dragged out as they laughed at him cracking jokes and clowning him. Adrian just waved them off with the roll of an eye as Samir dropped his head with a laugh, then lifting his head back up to eye them.

"So, now y'all know who he is, introduce yourselves and your ages to him. I already know you knuckleheads." She gestured between them.

"Well, I'm Daniel but everybody call me Danny and I'm fifteen."

"I'm Derek, I'm Danny twin."

"I'm Giovanni, everybody call me gio, I'm fifteen too."

"I'm Myreon. I'm fourteen."

"I'm Adrian. I'm fourteen too."

"I'm isaiah. I'm also fourteen."

"I'm jamaries, you can call me jayjay. I'm fifteen." He spoke with a smirk on his face.

"I'm dontario, please jus call me tario I hate my name. And I'm fifteen."

"And this, is Jabari, he prefers bari. He's fifteen as well, and he doesn't speak much, but he's good." Kamaria finished off for them as Jabari's and the rest of them stared at her in astonishment at the fact that she remembered.

"See, I knew it was a reason we liked you. You way better than Natalia." Jayjay pointed at kamaria with a big smile on his face.

Kamaria giggled, "thank y'all, but don't be bad talking my partner." She raised her eyebrows at them making them purse their lips.

Samir bit back his smirk since he was starting to understand what was really going on.

"So you took the job?!" Derek exclaimed knowing he had a crush on her.

"Duhhh, I'm yall new team manager." She informed them watching all of them celebrate giving each other and her high fives.

Once they finished tario spoke up next, running his hand over his waves. "How you gone be our coach and you don't even talk." He looked at Samir.

"My bad, I was trynna think about sum. I'm not finna lie to y'all, I ain't wanna do dis." He came and told them straight up. "But, I think y'all got potential. So this what we bout to do real quick. Break up into two teams of five and four." He instructed watching them move into teams like muscle memory.

Samir shook his head taking the ball from Myreon, "nah, Danny switch with Isaiah ." He pointed separating the twins from the same team. Danny looked skeptical, but did so switching with Jabari.

"Aight, play to seven." He chest passed the ball over to Adrian making him frown.

"Why you giving me the ball?" He questioned quickly looking around seeing everybody else with puzzled looks upon their face.

"Cause, yall team got ball first." He gestured to the team of four that consisted of him, danny, tario, and bari.

"But—nigga just shut up. We got this, I'm on y'all team today." Danny waved adrian off, cutting off his protest. Adrian blew out a breath as kamaria turned on her heels walking back to the bleachers where her items were.

Samir slowly backed up off the court, watching as they formed their teams together.

He stood there, and kamaria crossed one leg over the other choosing to be quiet since Samir had officially took over. She had no idea what his strategy would be, but she had faith in him.

"Oh, hey. Your back." A voice caught kamarias attention, and she looked up with a grin on her face laying eyes on Natalia—the other team manager. She could tell why the boys didn't like her, she seemed to be rude, but kamaria would let that bother her.

"Yeah I am. Hi." Kamaria waved nicely before going back to what she was doing, writing on her note pad.

"I don't see the point of there being two team managers. What will you even do, I do everything." Natalia complained trying to make it seem as if she was concerned.

"Oh, well what do you do?" Kamaria asked sitting up more straight, giving her undivided attention as the team played against each other on the court.

"I set the balls up in the cart." She stated confidently making kamaria straight face her.

"Okay, sooo who sets up the locker room, fills the water and water bottles, who records their games and takes pictures, who washes their uniforms, keep their games and events organized and—we don't have to do all that." Natalia cut her off seeing she was still going.

"And why not." Kamaria tilted her head confused.

"How old are you sweetheart?" Natalia disregarded her question.

"I'm not sure how that matters, but I'm sixteen. You?" She reciprocated the question.

"I'm seventeen, I'll be eighteen soon though. I can see you've had a lot of inexperience, but I promise I will guide you the right way. The team already loves me." She nodded in triumph.

"Well, I'm sure they do, so thank you." Kamaria decided to agree so they wouldn't start off on a bad foot, she knew what she had to do so there was no point in going in a petty back and forth.

Natalia turned her nose up, looking back at the dysfunctional team on the court, averting her eyes to Samir. "Is he the new coach?" She asked kamaria.

When she nodded Natalia proceeded to go on, "He won't be here long just like the rest of them. He's cute though." She blinked repeatedly, starting at the side of his face.

Kamaria mugged her, unsure if it was because she had insulted the group of boys, assumed what Samir would do, or called him cute. She would go for all three though.

She didn't say anything to Natalia, since Samir was busy calling the group in from the court since Derek's team had got to seven first.

"Yo, why y'all only keep passing the ball to Danny and Derek." Samir addressed first and foremost looking between all of them as they wiped the sweat off their foreheads with their shirts.

"That's what all our coaches told us too do." Derek answered looking at Samir with his hands on his hips, his chest heaving up and down while Jabari nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, me, jayjay and Derek ." Daniel added on to his brothers statement.

"Okay, for what." Samir asked knowing he already had a good idea.

"Cause, they the best ones on the team, duh." Giovanni spoke making jayjay smirk cockily.

"Aight...cool den." Samir ran his tongue over his bottom lip letting their words sink in. From watching them he could tell each of them had their strong points, but they weren't utilizing them correctly. Kamaria was right when she said they just needed a little effort put into them.

Kamaria stood to her feet walking down the two seats since she was sitting on the third row. She jogged up to the cart of of basketballs, rolling them towards Samir before she tapped him on the shoulder making him whip his head towards her direction.

"Can I borrow jayjay?" She questioned pointing at the boy. He pointed at himself looking side to side confused.

Samir looked at her, almost getting lost in her soft facial features making him nod quickly looking away from her. "Yeah, jayjay, go wit t—mari." He cut himself off from saying her given nickname.

"Dang mari you don't want me too? I'm available." Derek wiggled his eyebrows making Samir smack his teeth with a laugh.

"Nigga get a ball, and all y'all line up at the base line in two rows of four." He told them while mari walked back up to the third row of bleachers taking a seat with jayjay following close behind.

He sat on the right of her confused, using the back of his palm to wipe his forehead. "Did I do something?" He asked confused.

She shook her head no.

"Hi jamaries." Natalia waved gaining this attention and he eyed her up and down.

"I keep telling you, it's jayjay. Wassup." He nodded his head before looking back at kamaria.

"Your not in trouble jayjay, I just wanna ask you something." She stated softly, reaching her hand up to
touch his curls. He was a caramel brownskin who stood at six foot and he had an Afro with an head full soft curls in which he'd got from his mothers side.

He dropped his head from her action, "wassup?" He questioned her to hide his flustered state.

"What's wrong with your leg, you got a previous injury?" She raised her eyebrows looking at his right leg in particular. "I can tell by the way you moving like you scared to put pressure on your right leg."

"Yeah, I broke my leg last season towards the end, and it's healed but sometimes it feel tight or sore, and I be scared to put too much pressure on it cause I can't afford to hurt it again when I'm starting high school basketball soon." He explained.

"Yeah I figured." She nodded. "Here put it up here." She patted her thigh.

He hesitated, but did so letting his leg up to go across her thighs. He watched her reach in her bag and his eyes widened at the massage gun in her hand.

"Yooo, how you get one of these, they so expensive." He said shocked, while Natalia's eyes widened too. This wasn't in her job description.

"Well, my brother is thirteen he's a football player so his muscles always get tight, sore and everything else. Eventually my mom got him one and I thought it was pretty nice. I'm a cheerleader and I'm always jumping, flipping, tumbling, stomping and all that other stuff so I wanted one too so my dad got me one—this one. It's pretty nice." She nodded eyeing all the settings.

"So, I can use it for y'all too." She turned it on the middle setting using to to move up and down his leg slowly and he sighed in relief.

Samir looked away from the right boys doing drills behind him seeing jayjay and kamaria talking to each other while she used a massage gun on his leg.

"So mari, how old are you?" Jayjay asked looking down at his leg that felt so good at the moment. He was beginning to think she was an angel sent from heaven, and having her this basketball season would be an actual blessing.

"I'm sixteen, and your fifteen right?" She confirmed even though she already knew.

He nodded with a smirk, "you know that's only one year apart right? You can be my girl." He smirked and she smiled rolling her eyes. "Don't listen to me I'm under the influence, this feels so good it's making me say crazy stuff." He pointed at his leg.

"I'm not even gonna address it. Let's talk about something else." She shrugged looking from his legs up to his face.

"Okay, so if you our team manager what you gone do that Natalia don't." He questioned.

"Well jayjay, what does Natalia do?" She questioned back with the tilt of her head. She kept the massage gun in one spot moving it in circular motions and he groaned in pleasure for a second.

"Is this crafted by Jesus?" He asked dramatically scrunching his face up. When she giggled he focused back on her question, "uhhh, I actually don't know. I've only seen her roll the basketball cart out here then sit in the bleachers and watch us all practice." He shrugged looking over kamarias shoulder to see Natalia sitting there with her hands in her lap watching the boys go over their drills.

"Exactly." She finished saying nothing else. She would rather prove it to him and the rest of the team, she was positive they would appreciate her efforts when all was said and done, and she would live up to that.

"So you gone be at games?"

"Every one." she nodded.

"And practices."

"Every one."

"Is it because yo boyfriend the coach." He eyed her skeptically.

"For your information, I got this job before finding out about the open coach position. And he's not my boyfriend, I grew up with him." She explained turning the massage gun off.

She used her palms to kneed into his legs for a few extra moments before finally stopping. "Sure." He rolled his eyes. He placed his hands on his thighs hoisting himself
up standing to his full height.

"Whatever, go back down there and do them drills. Talking bout you one of the best on the team." She scoffed making him jerk his head back.

"What you mean? I'm nice at this." He gestured around him.

"Mhm." She muttered.

She watched them go over drills for the rest of the practice, and even jayjay seemed a little better and less tense about his leg.

At 8:30, they were finally finished and the boys had got a feel for Samir and came to the conclusion they liked him as a coach, they just hoped he wouldn't leave. "Aight, yall got practice tomorrow same time." Samir told them.

"Okay." They spoke in sync feeling relaxed because they had just drunk water.

"When our first game?" Tario questioned , and Bari nodded his head wanting to know the same thing as well. They honestly thought there would be no season, all their coaches kept quitting on them.

Samir looked over at Natalia and she shrugged. "Yall are so useless, it's on the twentieth which is next week on Wednesday, right before Christmas break okay?" Kamaria answered.

"Aight, is we gone have practices during break?" Myreon asked next as they all stood in the circle.

"Y'all want too?" Samir questioned raising his eyebrows and they all nodded furiously making Samir laugh.

"Okay cool we can do that. Anything else?" Samir questioned afterwards looking around seeing them say nothing else.

"Can y'all bring y'all uniforms tomorrow?" Kamaria spoke before they ended off, and when everyone agreed she gathered her things walking to the double doors to wait on Samir.

What she least expected was was for Cayeton to come sauntering through the doors, as if it were natural. Cayeton paused once she laid eyes on Samir, her heart even skipped a beat.

"Oh y'all, I gotta go my sister here to pick me up." Isaiah spoke picking up his bag walking over to Cayeton making Samir look their way.

He wanted to groan when he saw her, but he didn't, instead looking back at adrian, and Derek like he was, finishing off their conversation leaving Cayeton to deflate.

"Isaiah what is he doing here?" Cayeton muttered to her younger brother while was only fourteen years old.

"He our new coach, you know him?" Isaiah's asked as they walked out and she grinned at the information.

"Yep."

Samir flopped in his bed, laying on his back with his hands clasped and his palms resting on his stomach.

He had just showered and it was going on 10 o'clock which was the earliest he had been in the house since he had been released from juvie.

After leaving the rec with kamaria, tameeka dropped kamaria off at home, and took Samir to his second home with his father since Kyaire was in Ruskin.

He was bored, and he could've watched tv but he liked his room dark.

"I'm just finna go to sleep." He muttered to himself, turning on his left side facing the wall where the only window in his room was located.

He shut his eyes, imagining sheep as he started to count them in which he would do until he eventually fell asleep.

The sound of seven simultaneous knocks on his front door made his eyes snap open. He huffed wondering if it were Kyaire at his door as he stood from his bed.

He knew his dad wasn't home, but he had a key. No one ever came to his house, so as he walked through the house he had a good idea of who it was.

He pulled his door open after unlocking it, and his mouth opened and closed back quickly seeing kamaria standing there.

She had on a plain gray jacket covering up her silk button up pajama shirt, and she had on the matching pants with bedroom shoes on, holding a hoodie in her hand.

"You left yo hoodie at my house." She pursed her lips hoping he wasn't on to her.

"You walked here by yourself?"

"You only live like six houses down slim." She shrugged holding her hand out.

"Yeah tayta, but you wouldn't walk here at ten o'clock just cause I left my hoodie. You would just give it to me the next day." He eyed her feeling as if he was missing something.

She looked to the side. "Okay fine bruh, I'm scared. Kyaire and kyree ain't home and my momma workin, and usually I'm fine home alone but I swear I was hearing shit... Now that I think of it my mind was probably playing tricks. Sorry." She apologized.

"Kamaria, get the hell in the house. Why you ain't call." He straight faced her stepping aside so she could come in.

"I did call! No one picked up." She claimed walking right in letting him close the door.

"I must've been in the shower." He took the hoodie from her hands walking towards his room and she stood there for a moment, but followed him into his room.

She looked around as he flicked the light on. "This room bland." She mumbled as he tossed his hoodie on the chair in his room.

"What did coming here accomplish for you," Samir raised his eyebrows sitting at the edge on his bed staring at the girl who was standing there awkwardly.

"Well technically nothing, but I knew I would at least be out that haunted house and in the presence of someone else I trust. Duh." She rolled her eyes. "Can I stay the night?" She went on.

He looked at her almost wanting to tell her she was crazy, then she spoke again. "I can sleep on the couch, I won't bother you." She promised, her eyes boring into his.

"Sure, you already here." He shrugged. She let out a breath of relief. "You can sleep in my bed I'll sleep on the couch." He told her. "Don't know why you wanna stay here and ain't got no clothes for school tomorrow or nothing but okay."

"Whatever, I'll probably stay home from school tomorrow anyway." She dismissed it crawling in the bed.

"If you say so lil bit. I'm finna go get on the couch. You good?" He asked standing up as she looked around his clean room.

"Can you turn the fan on." She referred to the box fan, and he nodded doing so. "You finna go to sleep right now?" She asked him.

He shrugged knowing he was struggling before she came.

"Can you stay till I fall asleep." She pushed her luck one more time knowing he would most likely say no, yet she didn't want him to leave, and the more he babied her the more she enjoyed it.

He wanted to say no, and that she was taking it to far. He wanted to say no to protect himself, and the feelings he deeply had for her, but because of those feelings, he couldn't say no to her.

He huffed, reaching to flick the light off. He then walked back to his bed getting on top of the cover next to her so she was in the inside next to the wall, laying in her right side while he laid in his back carefully.

"Kamaria." Samir spoke into the silence. "What if I wasn't awake, and that's why I didn't answer the phone." He questioned hypothetically.

"Well, I came here thinking you were sleep anyway. I was prepared knock until you got up and suffered the consequences, I swear I heard shit in my house and I wasn't risking it, if I'm lying I'm dyin." She swore making him laugh at how serious she was.

She smiled sitting up, sitting against the wall next to him. "It's not funny, so let's talk about something else. How was your first day?"

He licked his lips thinking of a way to put his answer. "Good actually. I appreciate you for pushing me to do it, or for even getting me the job in the first place. Thank you for everything honestly." He turned his head to look at her.

She smiled softly at his words, feeling the appreciation dripping from them. "You welcome." She felt her stomach erupt with butterflies feeling as if she was getting closer to him.

Samir noticed her leaning, but refused to say anything or pull back—letting his body gravitate to her as well until they met in the middle, placing his lips on hers. It happened so fast he didn't even have time to think about what he was doing, which was a good thing.

When she realized he wasnt pulling back, she deepened the kiss gliding her tongue over his lips gaining access.

He tilted his head to the side at an angle starting to tongue kiss her leaning into her more hoping she wouldn't pull away, and she didn't.

Thoughts and predictions?

I made them kiss on my birthday type shii😜

MYA OUT🫡