Chapter 11 – Tommy
I drain a three over Chad like it’s the easiest thing in the world – because it is.
“Count it!” I shout, letting my hand hang in the air above his head as he frowns in defeat. Chad’s been telling me since last year he’s gonna block one of my shots, but he’s dreaming. Not only is he shorter than me, but he’s not as quick and probably won’t play ball after college. I like to fuck with him.
I jog back down the court to get on defense and give Chad a big grin followed by the finger. He gives me one back and I chuckle.
“Show me what you got, buddy,” I shout after him. Chad takes the inbound pass and comes straight down the court at me. He’s pissed and he’s gonna do his best to put a move on me.
“Quit fuckin’ around, you two!” Coach Carter shouts from the bench.
But Chad’s not listening. He heads right for me and tries a crossover, but it’s his go-to move and it’s obvious. I swipe the ball right out from under him and head down court. He’s not fast enough to catch me and I’ve got a good lead. I launch from just past the free throw line and dunk it like a boss.
I land and turn around and give him another grin and a shrug.
I almost feel bad as we get back to the game, but not about schooling Chad on who the bigger man is on the team. But for bailing on Grace. I know she’s gonna be pissed about me not showing up to sociology, but coach called an extra practice today, so what’s a guy to do?
Ball takes priority. That’s what I’m going to do for at least the next fifteen years of my life. I’m not going to be a sociology professor or a math whiz or a scientist. I’m going to be blowing away the competition on the court, making millions of dollars.
I suppose I could have let Grace know I wouldn’t be showing up, but I don’t even have her e-mail or her phone number yet, and I wasn’t about to go knocking on her door and get a face full of shit from that roommate of hers.
I’m sure I’ll run into her later back at the dorm where I’ll explain things. And if she gives me shit about it – well, too bad. I don’t owe anybody anything. I come from Bridgeport, a rough town that not many people make it out of. Basketball saved my life.
My pops left when I was young. I don’t remember much about him other than a few images here and there. People are always asking me if I hate him, but I barely knew the guy. How could I hate him? I used to wish I had a dad when I was younger, but as I got older and saw so many of my friends’ dads bail on them, or their parents get divorced, I convinced myself that it was probably for the best that he left when he did.
My mom is a saint. If him leaving upset her, she never let me see it. She never even cried in front of me – about anything. She’s a strong woman and worked two jobs to support me, selling shoes at a local store and waitressing at night, and still found time to get me back and forth to practice and my games.
Once I make it big, the first thing I’m going to do is buy her a big fucking house with a nice car and get her out of that town. Somewhere in the countryside. She used to ride horses when she was a girl but had to give it up thanks to life. I’d love to get her a place where she could keep horses and get back into it. She’s done enough for me.
Nothing is going to get in the way of my success.
I crush the rest of practice like I usually do and head to the showers.
“Yo, what are we up to tonight?” Joey shouts at me from his locker as I finish up.
“You’re an animal, Joey,” I say as I finish toweling off and grab my briefs.
“Dover House again?” Joey suggests. “I hear Alpha Phi Ki Ki Ki or whatever is having a rager.”
“Are those the girls who wear skirts and heels in the winter?” I ask. One of the sororities around here has super strict hot chick dress code and you can always spot them with their tote bags and skirts and heels trudging through the snow, even after three feet got dumped on us in a storm. Now that’s commitment.
“Yeah, dude,” Joey says with a grin.
“Aren’t you gonna piss off Cindy if she finds out you went to a sorority party?” I tease him. The chances of Joey ever seeing Cindy again are about as high as me switching careers to astronomy.
“Actually,” Joey chimes in with a tone that actually grabs my interest. “Turns out – Cindy’s a bit of a freak.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh, yeah?”
“Turns out she’s not only into guys – but girls as well,” he says with a devilish smile. “Maybe I’ll bring her along and we can pick one of the girls to take home together.”
“Shit, man,” I say, shaking my head. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”
“Maybe I’ll ask that chick from our floor if you can’t close the deal—”
Before I even realize what I’ve done, I’ve got my hand around Joey’s shirt and have him slammed up against the lockers.
“Hey!” I shout. “Watch it, man. Fucking watch it.”
I grit my teeth and have to fight the urge not to knock his teeth down his throat. And this is Joey, my good buddy.
But something about him even suggesting that Grace would be into him, or having a fucking threesome with his big fake tittied bimbo girlfriend, just threw me into a frenzy. Grace is a fucking virgin who blushed at the sight of a naked guy. She’s not some party slut you can just do what you want with.
“Chill the fuck out!” Joey shouts at me, struggling to free himself from my grip. “What is wrong with you?”
I get ahold of myself and let go. Joey straightens himself up and looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “Just – don’t talk about her that way, dude. She’s not some random slut.”
“Okay, okay,” Joey grumbles. “Jesus. I didn’t realize you’d fallen in love.”
Joey grabs his bag and heads out. On his way out the door he calls over his shoulder.
“I’ll be at that sorority party tonight. I’ll see you there – if you can get your shit together.”
He’s right though. What the fuck is wrong with me? This is not Tommy Mason behavior. I don’t get stuck on girls, even the ones I sleep with. Keep it moving, that’s my philosophy.
But this chick, Grace – maybe she’s a witch or something. It’s like she’s cast a spell on me. I slip into my t-shirt and shoulder my bag and as I walk out of the locker room I realize…
I’ve got a serious problem.