Jalen leaned into the back of the onyx leather couch set in his living room before turning to look at his friend, Deon Stroud.

Jalen and Deon have been friends for years, ever since they met at a Bay Area basketball camp back in 2015.

Jalen considered him one of his closest friends, and at the moment, Jalen would rather turn to no one else.

"Yeah. Maybe telling her that late at night scared her off." Jalen replied, "I've been texting her, calling her, nothing. She won't look at me at school, she canceled our boxing sessions... I don't know man. I kinda miss her ass."

Deon snickered, "Oh, you a simp."

Jalen immediately screwed his face up at Deon's words, "I'm not no fucking simp."

"'I've been texting her, calling her, I kinda miss her ass.'" Deon mocked Jalen, making his face droop in what was supposed to be a sad expression.

"What she look like?" Deon continued.

Jalen opened his phone to Noelani's Instagram page and picked his favorite picture set of her before handing his phone over to Deon, "This her."

"Oh, she's bad. Since she's ghosting you, can I slide?" Deon glanced from the phone then to Jalen.

"Chill." Jalen glanced at Deon as he snatched back his phone.

"I'm just saying. What's her IG name again?"

Jalen sucked his teeth a little before turning to glare at Deon, "I'm about three seconds from kicking you out of my crib. Stop talking about my girl."

A slightly awkward silence kicked in before Jalen realized what he said.

"Yeah, you a simp. It's aight tho." Deon nodded, "These bitches are a dime a-."

"Don't call her a bitch. She's not a bitch." Jalen blurted in a snappy tone.

"I'm not talking about your girl specifically, aight? I'm talking about every girl."

She's not like every girl.

"You know what you should do? You should just pull up to her house." Deon stood, "Ask her straight up if her phone is broken or sumn'."

"You think I should?" Jalen furrowed his brows.

"I mean... You've pulled up without telling her before right? Just do it again. Imma head out tho," Deon dapped Jalen up.

"Aight." Jalen responded, a little absentminded.

Deon closed the door and a minute later, Jalen could hear him pulling off.

Jalen rang the doorbell to Noelani's front door.

After a couple seconds, a caucasian woman who looked to be in her late twenties, maybe early thirties opened the door.

She had dark blonde hair and green eyes that matched the gray pantsuit she was wearing.

Noelani's stepmother, Erin eyed Jalen with little subtlety, making Jalen start to feel uncomfortable.

"Hey. Is Lani home?"

"Yeah, she's in her room." Erin opened the door a bit wider and Jalen stepped in the house.

Jalen sped up the stairs and immediately opened her bedroom door without knocking.

Noelani was nowhere to be found.

Not on her bed.

Not in her hanging wicker chair.

And not on the couch positioned below her bay window.

Her dogs weren't even in the room with her, both doggy beds remaining empty.

"Yo! Lani, where ya at?" Jalen called from in her room.

"Out here!" Her voice was distant and Jalen followed it to the open bay window.

He kneeled on the couch below and looked for her on the balcony, "Uh..."

"Come out here!" Noelani repeated.

Jalen carefully stepped onto the balcony.

"Behind you." Noelani spoke.

Jalen turned to see Noelani sitting on the roof, her oversized hoodie covered knees pressed to her chest.

Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail with a red scrunchie, and her feet were bare, exposing her white painted toes.

"Um... What the fuck?" Jalen blurted, "How'd you get up there?"

Noelani giggles, "I did this a lot back home. It takes practice."

She tucked in her bottom lip, "What are... What are you doing here?"

"I can't just come by?" Jalen asked, scrunching his face a little.

Noelani looked away, flicking her eyes up to the chimney near her.

Jalen rolled his eyes before reaching his arms up and hoisting himself over the edge of the roof.

The ledge scraped his arm causing Jalen to hiss.

"Are you okay?" Noelani reaches for his arm to inspect the medium deep cut, "Oh, no. You're bleeding."

"I'm fine." Jalen smiled at her concern.

Ignoring him, Noelani plucked a travel sized package of facial tissues from her pocket and began to pat his right bicep clean of blood.

Now that he was up close, Jalen could see that her eyes were slightly red and puffy.

Without thinking, Jalen laid his left hand onto her face, "Have you been crying? What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I just have a lot on my mind. A lot's been going on. Just needed some time to think." Noelani responded lowly.

"Is that why you've been making me feel like a damn Drake interlude. I've left you like four voicemails."

Noelani removed his hand, "Yeah. Sorry."

Her eyes moved to the sky, "It's finally setting. This is my favorite part of the day."

Noelani casted her eyes on the tangerine and plum sky made by the setting sun.

The purple in the sky deepened and Noelani's transformed into a grin so contagious that Jalen smiled at seeing.

"I love your smile." Jalen confesses.

Noelani said nothing but her grin grew just a little bit wider at the compliment.

"What's one thing you miss about Hawaii?"

"Just one?," Noelani glanced at him.

"Just one."

"I... I miss my mom. I really want my mother." Noelani admitted, hugging her knees closer to her chest.

"Is it hard living with your dad instead of her?"

Noelani was silent for a moment, clearly pondering her words, "It's the little things that I want more than the big things. Things I didn't even know I liked until I left."

Noelani brushed the loose shorter curls that framed her eyes out of her face, "I miss her starting my mornings with a ukulele and the smell of her cooking loco moco. I miss her tucking flowers into my hair and our Sunday trips to North Shore because that's where the best waves are." Noelani said in a wistful, sort of sorrowful tone.

There was a comfortable silence as Jalen absorbed her words.

"About me ghosting you. Me and relationships... They don't work out."

Jalen furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

Noelani sighed and turned back towards the sunset.

"Growing up and seeing my mom change herself to keep my dad around only for him to do whatever... Cheat or lie. Now all she does is spend time trying to get back the years my dad stole from her."

Noelani sighed before continuing, "I thrive off of having my freedom. I've never kept a guy around for more than a single month. Two if he's lucky. I live off of summer romances where tourists come and then they go. Shit, my first time was a one night stand," Noelani shook her head.

"That's, partly, why it took me so long to accept that you might actually like me. Anyone or anything that could... Possibly stand in the way of me spreading my wings terrifies me." Noelani spoke quietly, her eyes still on the sky in front of the two.

"I would never." Jalen replied, lacing his fingers with hers.

"You should know... I don't plan on staying on the mainland. As soon as senior year is over I'm going to college back in Hawaii. Back to where I belong."

"You don't know what could ha-."

"Jalen, yes I do. I do, okay? You're gonna be some hotshot playing college ball, on your way to the NBA. You're too good not to make it and I'm too much of a free spirit to be the type of girl you need."

"Why can't I decide that for myself?"

Noelani stayed quiet.

Jalen licked his bottom lip in contemplation, "I didn't know my real dad until last year."

Noelani's eyes flicked over to him, "Marcus isn't...?"

"No. Didn't know who he was until last year. He called me out of the blue. He saw me on SportsCenter and he wanted to know if he could borrow some money from me." Jalen let out a bitter laugh, "He was so quick to hang up when I told him that I had nothing to give him."

"I'm sorry. He's a piece of shit. No one deserves that." Noelani clasped both hands over the one of his that was holding hers.

"I get what you mean about the whole flying thing. That's part of the reason I wanna make it so bad. He left because he thought I wasn't gonna be shit and now I'm the number two draft pick."

"Only number two? Mmm. Someone's been slacking." Noelani jokes with a giggle.

"Don't play with me, Lani." Jalen rolled his eyes playfully before getting solemn, "Can you give this 'us' thing a try? If it doesn't work then it doesn't and I promise that I won't ever clip your wings."

Noelani observes him for a moment, clearly trying to determine if Jalen's words could be trusted.

"Alright," Noelani decided leaning her head on Jalen's shoulder, "But if you break my heart, I'm sicking Cin' on you. And Imma make sure you tear your ACL."

Jalen faked insult, pressing his hand over his heart, "Wow," He dragged the word out with a laugh.

Jalen threw an arm around her and the two turned to continue to watch the sunset.

The purples had gotten deeper, completely overtaking the oranges.

Jalen rested his head on top of Noelani's, trying to ignore the pinching thought at the back of his mind.

You won the bet.

my Sharife book is out now!

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