His maroon bandanna was securely tied and his senses were alert. His eyes correlated with the color of his uniform, which had just been washed. Just five minutes into the first quarter he’d been fouled twice, both went unnoticed. The extremes of pressure and discrimination hit like a car into a brick wall. The refs, time and time again, overlooked his supreme ball handling, when the opposing team stole the ball illegally. The roars of the Indians fell silent when one different Indian, Justin, fell to the floor. A brown hand reach out to his cream colored one, and Justin accepted graciously.
“You alright, man?” Jerome asked after helping Justin up.
Justin merely nodded his head and smoothed down his nylon uniform. The referee motioned for Justin to move to the free-throw line and Justin obliged.
His eyes nervously scanned the crowd at first and he noticed some scouts sitting in their own little clump. Some had binoculars in hand, while others took notes diligently. Justin locked eyes with Victoria for a brief second-he didn’t think she and all of her friends would be at the game. But then realization hit him like a ton of bricks- Melanie would be performing at half time by herself.
“Kid, are you ready to shoot?” The ref asked from under the basket.
Justin held out his hands and allowed the ball to bounce to him. He took a deep breath, squared up, and prepared to shoot. Free throws were one of his peeks, so he let the ball soar through the air and dropped his hands when the ball went through the hoop.
The people in the stands cheered briefly for their one point lead. Justin shot the next shot and made it in before running to the other end of the court. What everyone had told him before the game was right Justin reckoned. The players for Englewood High were definitely making it harder for him, and the refs weren’t calling anything. He was angry, anyone could see it all over his face. The skin on his forehead was creased and his eyes became dark. His lips were always stiff and tucked in, often being bit upon.
Suddenly, Justin saw something go wrong, and the coach noticed it too. Damien was running along the court instead of guarding his man. Mike, oblivious to what Damien had done, passed the ball to Justin. Justin faced his opponent now, and pivoted to try and get away from him. Another opponent came behind Justin to trap him and Justin recognized him as Damien’s man.
“Damien, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Justin heard the coach yell.
Justin moved his arm around, ball still in his hands, and tried to move out of being double-teamed. Justin moved his foot again, and a whistle was blown.
Traveling violation.
Justin slowly closed his eyes and dropped the ball. The ball was Englewood’s side now, and a player rapidly dribbled the ball down the court. Justin ran after him, to try and redeem himself, but his opponent scored a flawless three-point shot.
A time out was called and the players walked to their designated sides. Justin, on the way to the bench, pushed up against Damien.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Justin yelled.
Damien pushed him back, “Hey, cracker! Don’t push me around.”
Justin moved closer to Damien and scowled in his face. “If you don’t learn how to play freakin’ defense, you’re gonna need someone to defend you cause I’ll kick your ass my damn self,” He threatened.
Samuel pulled Justin back and led him to the bench so he could cool down. The boys crowded around a furious Coach Walker.
“Get it together out there, boys. I need to see teamwork. Damien, stick to your man-you know that. Justin, whatever problems you have, you need to fix them. I will not have you pouting on the court.”
Justin’s eyes widened at his coach’s chastising. “I didn’t have a problem until Damien decided to go stupid!” He yelled and a few players laughed.
Before Coach Walker could say anything, the buzzer sounded, signaling for the game to resume. Justin and Mike walked onto the court together. Mike stood out of bouds and passed the ball to Justin, who took the ball and dribbled up the court. He decided to pass the ball to Leroy and let him dribble closer to the hoop.
He could get further just because he was black.
Leroy noticed that Justin was open and noticed that Justin nodded his head, signaling for him to run the play they’d practiced the day before. Leroy threw Justin a long lob pass and watched Justin jump in the air, catch the ball, and slam it into the hoop, before gracefully floating down to the floor. Justin pointed to Leroy happily, silently telling him thank you.
The crowd stood to their feet and immediately cheered for Leroy and Justin’s display. Justin ran to the other end of the court now, and got back on defense. Suddenly, his opponent rushed past him, knocking Justin back before going to the hoop. Justin, along with the rest of teammates, looked to the referee and waited on him to call the foul.
The foul was called, but on Justin. Justin shook his head, dropped his jaw, and began to move toward the ref.
“Come on, man! Are you blind? He ran right into me!”
The ref shook his head, “I don’t want to throw you out of the game, Timberlake, but you’re makin; it really hard.”
Justin rolled his eyes and walked to the key in order to box out.
*
Half time crept up quickly and Calumet was trailing Englewood, 59 to 67. Melanie’s nerves crept up also, as she walked to center court. The whole team would do a routine, and then she’d be left by herself to do an encore presentation. Joe Budden’s “Pump It Up” came through the speakers as people stood up, and the girl began to dance. Trevante, the DJ, scratched the record as the moved to the beat. Spotlights danced around the dark gym, as they did the same, and bright colors flashed with the beat. The girls made different formations with their bodies, creating an artistic visual. At one moment, some girls jumped up and down to pump up the crowd. After, they all came together again and did flawless axle turns simultaneously. The crowd cheered as the girls spun in the air. Victoria, disbelieving to the fact that the girls were doing more than shaking their asses. They looked like a real dance team.
Trevante switched the track to Old Dirty Bastard’s “Baby I Got Your Money”. The girls picked up batons from the floor and twirled them enthusiastically while the song played. The girls then twirled themselves into two vertical lines with Melanie standing in the middle. She did a back flip/back hand spring combination, signaling to Trevante to change the beat. Pharell and Jay-Z’s, “Frontin’”, played and the steppers danced off the court, leaving Melanie dancing by herself a planned. Melanie began her self-choreographed routine with a jazzy flare. Her solid, double pirouette stood out and amazed some as she continued to move flawlessly. Jay-Z’s verse came up and Melanie broke down from jazz, to intricate hip-hop.
She popped and locked to the new beat of Lil’ Kim and Sisqo’s ‘How Many Licks?’. A Russian jump later, she sexily slid her hand up her thigh and slid into the splits. Justin’s mouth dropped open as he watched from the bench on the sidelines. Her seductive dancing to the beat of Lil’ Kim’s seductive moaning made people even more intrigued at her talents. With a sharp ending pose, Melanie finished her dance with a triumphant smile. A loud roar from the crowd erupted and she waved to everyone graciously. Jerome, Samuel, Justin, and Mike stood to their feet and waved their towels at her. Before leaving the court, Melanie blew a kiss at them all and winked. Mike pretended to faint and Jerome dramatically caught him.
Melanie ran to her teammates and thy embraced her happily. They all jumped up and down simultaneously. The basketball players and the steppers walked out the gym and headed to their ‘strategy room’. Justin held the door for the ladies and playfully let go when he saw Samuel coming.
“Okay gentlemen. We’re in rough right now. You all need to execute teamwork. Trying to show off isn’t gonna get you anywhere.” Coach Walker locked eyes with Damien, “Damien, you’re out the rest of the game, so put on your sweats.”
Damien stood spastically, “What the hell for? Coach, so many scouts are here tonight!”
“Damien, all you’re doing is trying to show off and that’s not getting the team anywhere. You know Englewood doesn’t play fair and they’re one of our hardest competitors! I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I do know that you’ll be getting into you’re warm up suit.”
Everyone in the room was quiet. The Coach drew a play on the board and the boys studied it.
Justin slowly walked up the large staircase and into his room. He turned on the light slowly and was vaguely greeted with the expensive interior decorating and the rugs on the floor. Slowly and tiredly, he trudged into his room and stared at his large, Heavenly bed. Everything was a blur and he could’ve sworn that it was moving. Just then, his maid walked into his room and stared disapprovingly at his drunken and faded state. His silk pajamas lay limply in her hand and she frowned at him before walking near his bedside.
“Nancy, is that you?” Justin slurred.
“Yes, Mr. Timberlake.” Nancy spoke- her Spanish accent audible. “Are you feeling okay, Justin?”
Justin lazily waved his arm around and giggled as he sprawled across his bed. Nancy walked closer to him cautiously and looked into his eyes. Redness was mixed in with the once, astounding, color of his eyes that had suddenly faded.
She looked at the clock, and saw that it was going on two in the morning before helping him out of his clothes. The horrible stench filled her nostrils and she frowned obviously. “Have you been smoking pot? I think you’ve been partying too much Justin. For the last month, you’ve been going out non-stop. Drinking and smoking won’t do anything but hold you back.” Nancy said.
“Hey. When did you become my mother?” Justin laughed lowly and fell back on the bed, not bothering to let Nancy help him fully change.
The Calumet Indians had kept their reign as undefeated champions that night. Even though they’d only won their thirds game, it felt good because they’d heard that Englewood was their hardest game, and they’d bonded that night. The boys had outplayed the Warriors, 97 to 85.
Melanie walked out of the locker room, bags in had, and she waved to a couple of people before walking out into the cold air. She didn’t feel like staying after the game because she was tired. It was already going on 10 anyway. The cold Chicago wind whisked past her with a raw chill to it. New blankets of snow had adorned the floor and Melanie stepped on them, leaving her footprints in the snow. Rustling was heard behind her and she turned around to look. No one was following her earlier. She dismayed the sound temporarily until she heard a grunt and a thump in the snow. A slow chill of trepidation washed down her spine and she began to walk faster. Yelling was heard in the distance. A gunshot and people screaming soon followed it.
The wind howled now and Melanie pulled her long coat closer to her body. Rustling behind her was heard again and she stopped abruptly before turning around. Her eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head a little in order to look around the corner and in the direction of the noise. Slowly and cautiously, she took a step out of the light and into the darkness. The creature stirred momentarily and Melanie took another step forward. The being turned his head to the side and Melanie recognized him.
“Justin, what are you doing out here? You’re going to get pneumonia.” Melanie said.
Justin shook his head and sniffle. He didn’t answer her; he kept his head to the floor.
“Justin, are you okay? Why are you crying?” Melanie touched his shoulder and looked at him. Even though it was dark, she could see the pain stricken on his face. “How ‘bout we go in my car and talk? It’s warm in there.”
She didn’t give him a chance to reply to her suggestion. Instead, she grabbed his hand and interlocked their fingers. Justin dragged his bags along allowed his friend to pull him along. She pulled open her car’s door for him and made sure he got in safely before sitting behind the wheel.
“You did good, Justin.” She stated.
Justin sighed and wiped his eyes. Melanie sat quietly and patiently waited for him to speak. She could see that he was distressed, so she wasn’t going to rush him into anything. She decided to help him by resorting to what always made her happy momentarily when she was feeling down. Melanie reached across Justin’s lap and pulled a bag out of the glove department. In the colorful bag, were Starburst Fruit Chews. She grinned largely and picked out four of the candies-two were red, and the other two were pink.
Melanie turned to Justin now, two in each hand, “Red or Pink?” she smiled.
Justin looked at her quizzically, “What if I like yellow?”
She smacked her teeth and said playfully, “Nobody likes yellow.” She handed him the pink ones.
“What are these supposed to do?”
“They make you feel better,” Melanie said simply and popped the red ones into her mouth.
“Starburst is supposed to make me feel better?” He smiled with a disbelieving stare, “Skittles are better.” Justin joked.
“Shut up and eat the damn candy, Justin!” Melanie whined.
The two sat in silence again, chewing on their soft candy. Police sirens were heard down the street and soon the sound came closer. Justin turned to Melanie now, and looked at her for a moment.
“You did good at halftime.” He stated quietly. “I liked how y’all put that together- it was nice.”
“Thanks. You played well too.” Melanie turned in her seat. “When you get into the NBA, don’t forget about me okay?”
Justin lowered his head and blushed, “I won’t…if I get in, that is.”
“You will get in, Justin, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t have to go to college. You’ll be like the white version of Kobe Bryant, without the nappy hair.”
Justin laughed at her comment and watched the police cars leave the parking lot. He assumed they had their guilty person.
“Why are you so nice to me, Melanie? I mean, I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but before basketball season started, you didn’t even talk to me.”
Melanie stared at him and pondered. “I didn’t know you back then, Justin. Honestly, I didn’t want to know you back then because you were my rival’s boyfriend and you hang out with all of those assholes. But, when basketball season started, I saw you differently for some reason. And…I like you, Justin. You’re cool people.” She smiled at him and patted his hand.
“But, I’m white.” Justin said.
“I can see that.” She laughed.
Justin looked at her skeptically and shook his head. “How can you be with Damien, and not care?”
“Because I’m not a jackass. Calumet for same reason is a weird school when it comes to racial issues. Calumet used to be an all black school, but they combined us with another school.”
Justin nodded his head, “I’m just tired of all the racist shit. I’ve been dealing with it since I picked up a basketball. That one cat that I dunked on said he was gonna kick my ass from here to Springfield, wherever that is. I mean, I brushed it off when he said it, but I could barely get outside because they were all over me, pushing me and stuff.”
“Did you push back?”
“Of course I did. But, then one of them pulled out a knife. Mike came then, and walked me out.”
Melanie shook her head with disgust, “I hate ignorant black people.” She started the engine to her car. “Ready to go home?”
Justin simply nodded his head and she granted his request. He turned up the radio, and ‘Losing Grip’ by Eminem played loudly.
Melanie glanced at the side of his face and grinned as his lips mouthed all the words. His aurora, the way he was hot and cold, intrigued her greatly. It made her want to comfort him and be there for him as much as possible. She made a mental note to figure Justin Timberlake out. Soon, they were in the driveway of his home.
Justin looked at his dimly lit home. He sighed-it looked like a little apartment compared to the mansion he used to live in. “Thank you…for everything.”
Melanie looked at him and grinned slightly. Her grin slowly straightened, and her mouth parted as she watched him inch closer to her face slowly. She looked down at his lips momentarily before closing her eyes at their soft touch. Melanie kissed back willingly, giddy from the warmth they gave her. They way Justin kissed her, was unlike anyone else. His kisses weren’t just sexual, it almost felt as if she found something more about him when he did. Her eyes sparkled at him when they pulled apart.
“How come you don’t kiss like a virgin?” Melanie whispered.
Justin only chuckled lowly and gave her a sexy grin before getting out of the car. Melanie watched in amazement as he walked up the driveway of his home, and tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.
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