I wasn’t anticipating a tie. It wasn’t my fault. I played my ass off. Wade fucked up in the beginning of the fourth period and the rest of us have been scrambling to clean up his mess ever since.
“One minute to go!” The announcer yells and the crowd starts to roar.
I pass the ball to Bosh, and he passes it to Lebron. I skid to a stop at the three point line, ready to catch a rebound in case he misses so I can give him another assist. Lebron hesitates for the slightest of seconds and stares at me. The game is in his hands. He’s about to get what? His tenth consecutive winning shot of the season?
No.
He passes the ball to me, and I catch it.
“Thirty seconds!”
It’s up to me. He gave me this one moment, this chance to prove myself. If I make this, I’m a shoe in. Coach will back off and I’ll be promoted from rookie row.
“Fifteen seconds!”
“Shoot the ball kid!” Lebron yells, his eyes wide, probably thinking he made a mistake.
I glance at Ellie from the corner of my eye. She’s on her feet with her brother and his fiancé, cheering her ass off for me. I have to say I never thought I’d see the day, and it makes me smile.
I focus on the basket momentarily, as the other team charges towards me. Then I shoot, and despite their best efforts to block my shot, it soars over their heads.
Swish.
Buzzzzzzzz
I raise my hands in the air and close my eyes, letting the fact that I just won the damn game sink in. The cheers erupt, not as loud as they would if we were home, but still, they’re cheering for me. Moments later, I’m pummeled by my entire team, our coaches, and our trainers. Media swarms us, a million flashes go off in my face. I know how big this game was. It just put us in first place. When I get back to the room tonight, my agent will be on the phone with me right away, listing then twenty five different endorsement offers he’s received since I sunk the basket.
Things are going to change now. They’re going to get crazy, because I’ve officially stepped out into the spotlight as an NBA winner. I’m sure my father will come back into the picture, trying to worm his way into part of my new profits. But the difference is…I’m not going to let him this time, or ever again, even if it means the demise of all this.
I’d give it all up for Ellie tomorrow, and I know that.
It seems to take years just to get back to the locker room, and the media is relentless, cornering me by my locker and shooting off question after question. I see Lebron out of the corner of my eye. He’s swarmed by press too, but he’s so seasoned he can pay attention to them and to me at the same time.
“Way to play, kid,” and this time he smiles. “See you at practice.”
I’m in his little circle now, and that’s great.
But I really would like to see Ellie more than anything. I’m antsy and fidget uncomfortably while they all continue to question me and take my picture. It’s getting annoying, but I have to keep smiling for the good of everything I’ve worked so hard for.
“No more questions, please!” Jerry, the teams PR person, interrupts my overwhelming interview and steps in front of me so they’ll all back off. “Some of you will be invited to practice tomorrow for tv segments. For all other requests please email.” He turns to me, smiling as they media pleads for a few more minutes of my time. “You have guests who seem very anxious to congratulate you.”
“I can go?”
“Get out of here.” He pats my back. “You deserve it.”
I don’t wait, I literally run to the door, and become slightly frustrated when I’m not allowed out into the hall without a security escort, but my frustrations melt away when I see her there waiting for me at the end of the hall.
“Hey,” I smile.
“Good game.” Her cheeks turn pink. “Did you get a pick me up or something?”
“Yeah.” I step towards her and can see Adam and Roger smiling as they back away slightly. “I’d say so.”
“I agree with you.” She nods, and takes my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. “And you’re right. I think we should talk, but it might take a while. There’s a lot to tell when it comes to me.”
“Time we have,” I smirk. “What we don’t have, is privacy.”
“Well, I think we can work something out,” she laughs. “Are you ready to celebrate unChristmas with us? We have lemon cookies for Santa, the whole nine. We’re going to get in our flannel pi’s and read stories too. Adam told me he bought you a pair.”
“Sounds amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever been so ready for anything.” I smile and stroke the side of her face with my fingers. “Ellie.”
She stares into my eyes. “Yeah?”
“I don’t care…what happened. I never did, but…you didn’t let me tell you. I didn’t want to leave that night. I love you. I loved you then. You don’t have to be afraid to let me in anymore.”
She closes her eyes and boosts herself up on her toes. Then the kiss comes, soft and smooth, gentle like I remember, like I’ve been dreaming about for months.
“That’s one thing I never had the chance to, you know, actually say. I kind of skidded around the actual words but...now I want to say them to your face,” She says softly, when our lips part.
“What’s that?”
“That I love you too, Justin.”
I smile. “Let’s go.”
She takes my hand and I lead us out, and into the awaiting car. She wraps her arms around me, and I hold her close. We’re silent the whole way back to Adam’s apartment, but I wouldn’t expect anything else. We have each other, finally, and we’ve waited so long for this that we don’t need words. We just need us.
That’s all we’ll ever need.
“Have a holly jolly unChristmas,” Adam sings. “It’s the best time of the year.”
“Baby please don’t. I love you, but you're tone deaf,” Roger sighs. “Justin I’m sorry. You’ll have to get used to this if you want to be a part of the family.”
I kiss Ellie’s forehead and she smiles up at me. “I think I can deal with that.”
*********
Ellie and I are still together. Miami made the playoffs, but lost in the second round, so El and I spent the late spring and the entire summer hanging out and getting to know each other even better. She went back to school a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been busy gearing up for the new season on top of all the endorsements I’ve been working on. It’s been crazy flying back and forth between here and in Miami, but I’d make anything work for the good of us, and Ellie hasn’t let our sometimes long distance relationship get in the way of the fact that we love each other. Adam and Roger are doing great. They’re getting married next month and we can’t wait to be a part of the wedding. Adam’s career has really taken off and Ellie works exclusively for him when she’s not involved in her studying.
As for our families, I can’t say much. But then again, we’re mostly too busy to pay attention to their lame issues. I cut my dad off a week or so after that game at the Garden. My lawyer and my agent had to get involved, but in the end, we got all the paperwork sorted out so he’ll never have a say in what I do ever again. I hope that some day, we can just be a family, but right now it’s just not in the cards.
Jeanine came out to visit last weekend. It took a lot of begging and pleading on my part and Adam’s too, to convince Ellie that it wasn’t going to be dramatic. She legitimately wanted to come out and see all of us, even Ellie, and I told her it was time to let her barriers down and give Jeanine a chance. She wasn’t happy, but she agreed to do it, mostly for my sake. It wasn’t a bad visit, and I know that there was a point that Ellie and Jeanine talked in private. I’m sure it had to do with Max and Jules and what happened at Christmas, but if anything, Jeanine has become more aware of what they’ve done not only to Ellie but to Adam too.
I think things might start to turn around for them. I know I really love Jeanine, and I want us to be close with her, but I haven’t pushed the issue with Ellie. Their relationship will come in time. As for her father, I’m beginning to think it’s a lost cause, but we’ll find out what happens at Adam’s wedding.
“Hey baby.” El leans down and gives me a long kiss before taking a seat beside me on the sofa and handing me the coffee she made. “You played great today. Adam and I watched.”
I take a sip and put the mug down on the coffee table, closing my eyes as I pull her down to lean against my shoulder. I press my nose to her hair and breathe her in. It’s been a few days since we’ve been able to do this, and I’m so thankful for it. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
It’s what I’m most thankful for, her here with me.
I know I’ll never let her go.
The End
Completed
ialwayzbesingin is the author of 25 other stories.
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