is where I stood watching the end of the game play out. The sun had been replaced by the moon hours ago, pushing a cool breeze along the air. Pete was up to bat with a man on both first and third base. This was the pitcher's last pitch, but it didn't matter whether he made it count or not. We were ahead by six points meaning there was no chance of catching up to us for a win. The game was rightfully ours.

Pete tapped the head of the bat against the clay, twirled it around a few times then adjusted his feet for his preferred position. The pitcher took a few deep breaths before raising his leg in the air and launching the ball in Pete's direction.

"Ahhhh!" the crowd roared as soon as the ball landed in the mitt of the catcher. The pitcher struck out.

Rather than walk to first base, Pete swung his bat off to the side to start the lineup to pay respects. The game was over.

After we displayed good sportsmanship, we headed back to the clubhouse to unwind. Unlike like majority of the players, I waited until I was in the comfort of my own space to shower. Thankfully, we were in New York all week, therefore, I was able to go home and shower rather than at a hotel.

I swapped out of my uniform for the clothes I'd brought along with me. I grabbed my bag, standing up to leave. "Alright y'all boys I'm out."

"See you tomorrow." Chad gave me dap.

Pete was on his way to the showers so he simply held his hand up to me. I acknowledged it then left out of the clubhouse to the parking lot. It didn't take me long to make it home where I expected to be greeted by silence. Instead, Brielle and her friend Zina sat on the couch drinking wine and giggling.

The sound of my feet hitting against the floor caused them to turn their heads in my direction.

"I thought you had to work tonight."

"I did too but I was actually off. How was the game?" Brielle sat her glass down.

"We won by six. The pitchers were down bad the whole game giving us an advantage."

She nodded. "I made dinner if you're hungry."

"Alright, I'm about to jump in the shower." I headed toward the staircase.

"Well hey to you too, Gio." Zina spoke.

I ignored her, not caring to go out of my way and speak to her. I simply walked up the stairs toward the bedroom. Zina and I weren't cool and she knew that we weren't. Her intentions were flawed and I honestly hated that her and Brielle were even friends to begin with. She wasn't a true friend. I'd explained to Bri that she needed to cut ties with Zina, but she always swore I was taking things the wrong way.

However, I knew what Zina was up to. She always found a way to push up on me, whether it was during conversation or while we bypassed one another in the house. She was a sneaky one but I was going to find a way to expose her to Brielle.

After my well needed shower, I descended the stairs only to hear Zina's voice. I half expected for Brielle to put her out seeing as it was midnight and I was back home, but I guess not.

"You not ready to go home yet?" I finally directed words toward Zina. The both of them looked over at me with scrunched eyebrows.

"Why you rushing for her to leave?" asked Bri.

"It's after midnight. She needs to find somewhere else to go. You don't have anybody to go home to?"

"And that concerns you how?" Zina tilted her head.

"You don't have to leave. Stop being rude, Gio."

"Like hell she don't have to leave. Bye Zina. I'm sure you've been here long enough."

"Yes, helping me plan our wedding and now we're having a girls talk. C'mon Zina because he obviously gotta attitude." They both rose from the sofa collecting their wine glasses and the bottle.

"He probably need some act right since he wanna be uptight. You need a lil pussy, Giovanni?" asked Zina with a sly smirk.

"You see this? This is what I be talking about right there. She's always saying some slick shit and you act like you don't hear it."

"She's joking, relax." Brielle rolled her eyes.

"Yeah aight."

They disappeared down the hallway but Zina made sure to stick her tongue out at me before I couldn't see them anymore. I shook my head, shoving my plate of food inside of the microwave. As it warmed up I poured myself a glass of juice. My phone vibrated in my pocket causing me to take it out, it was a text message from Eliana: Congrats on the win! But I just wanted to let you know that I gave Korin your number. A smile spread across my face.

Korin wanting my number meant she wanted to talk to me. It was a relief. Since the night at the bar, I've been wanting to have a real conversation with her but it seemed like she wasn't willing. But now that she wanted to talk, it made me happy. I'd missed her. I'd missed us as a duo.

Back when we were youngings, she was my ace boon coon. There wasn't a day where I didn't go and see her at least once. We were inseparable, and it had everything to do with our chemistry. She was easy for me to trust and vent to. I could lay a thick sheet of problems and emotions onto her and she would offer comfort and kind words in return. The gesture was done on my end too, and it gave us room to be bonded like no other.

Sometimes we were too bonded and allowed ourselves to fall into a world of trouble, but we never cared. We took the hit on the chin and kept moving.

I responded to Eliana's message then took my food from the microwave to go sit down and eat. Law & Order SVU was what I watched as I ate in peace. I had been binge watching it for a few weeks now and couldn't seem to stop.

"You think you're good enough to drive?" Brielle's voice played from behind me causing me to glance back.

"Girl yes. I hardly finished the one cup I had, I'll be fine. I'll see you later. Goodnight Giooo."

Once again, I ignored her words. I could hear Brielle smack her teeth again while following Zina out to the elevator. I took that chance to get up and take my plate over to the sink. While I put the dishes in the dish washer, Brielle returned and gave me a look with her hand on her hip.

"Why do you treat Zina like that? She's my bestfriend so the least you can do is speak to her."

"That isn't your friend. I tell you that time and time again but it seems to go thru one ear and out of the other."

"She doesn't want you, Gio!" she laughed.

"If that's what she's telling you and making you believe. Don't be shocked when you see the truth though because I will say I told you so. She don't care about you forreal."

"Yeah whatever you say." she approached me and snaked her arms around my waist. "Anyway, I found the most beautiful venue today. I'm sure you'll like it because I love it. I also set up an appointment for us to cake taste."

I threw my head back. "You know I don't like cake."

"I know but I want you to be there with me."

"I didn't say that I wouldn't be, but I'm not eating any cake." I clarified. "Did you make sure to check my game schedule before you made the appointment?"

"Yes I did and you'll be free. When do you plan on starting the search for your suit?"

"When you set a date. I don't need much time to find a tailor. You're the one who need time to go thru a hundred dresses."

"If you wind up struggling to find a good suit when the time gets close, I will chew your head off."

"Yeah whatever." I smiled down at her. "You drunk?"

"Maybe." she smirked batting her eyes lashes. "If I say no will you give me some dick? I'm horny."

I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off by knocking at the front door. A frown took over my face. There shouldn't be anyone coming to our place this late at night.

I gently moved Brielle aside before trailing toward the door. I glanced out of the peep hole to see a man glancing around at his surroundings, oddly. I cracked the door causing him to look directly at me. He was the splitting image of myself aside from the few grey hairs sprinkled along his trimmed goatee.

The last time I'd physically seen him was when I was fourteen. He picked me up from the bus stop, took me to get a hair cut as we did every Friday afternoon then we returned home. But what I didn't expect was to go home to police outside of our house in search for him. My mom was more frantic than she usually was nearly pulling her hair out as they questioned her.

Rather than make a run for it while he was undetected, he walked right up to the officers and gave them permission to cuff him. I was heartbroken watching my father be hauled away by the police. At the time, he could do no wrong in my eyes, therefore, I was baffled when the officer stated his charge. Manslaughter. The hero of my life had taken someone's life.

"Baby who is it?" Brielle whispered from the end of the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" I asked my father opening the door a little bit more.

"I'm out, son. I know it's late but the greyhound just got in. I should've called first huh?"

"Um—" I cleared my throat stepping aside. "Nah you're good. Did you just get out today?"

"Last week. I had to make sure everything was straight. Langston ain't tell you I was out?" he asked about my uncle, his brother, who took care of me.

"To be truthful, I haven't talked to him. Damn I can't believe you're standing in front of me."

"Get used to it baby boy." he patted my shoulder. "Who is this beautiful woman looking at me like she's about to piss herself? I'm Jonas, this boy's crazy ass daddy."

"Oh." she sighed in relief. "Hi, I'm Brielle."

He took notice of her ring. "You ain't tell me you was engaged, Gio. Congratulations. When's the wedding?"

"We don't have a set date yet." answered Brielle.

"Bri you'll let me talk to my Pop in private please?"

She nodded heading toward the stairs. I locked the front door then walked over into the living room so that we could sit. I gave my father a once over taking in how well he appeared. His line up was fresh, and his attire was just as fresh. It was expected though. My uncle had been prepping for the day my father stepped out of prison for years. He would take care of his baby brother by any means necessary.

"What brought you up this way, Pop? Last time we spoke didn't end too well."

He fanned his hand. "I'm over that. I had a lot going on mentally, you were still in pain about me being arrested, it's cool. And I apologize for everything that I said. I truly am."

"You're forgiven, man. I just wanted to make sure you weren't coming up here to fight me."

"Nah." he laughed. "I'm here to see if I can find some opportunities up this way. I'm not tryna be way in Houston when you up here."

"Opportunities like what?"

"What ever presents itself whether it's welding or construction. Now that I'm out I need to be productive and get back to being a normal citizen. And being a father again."

I nodded my head. "I'm glad you're home."

along the highway toward Asani's house. As promised, I made time to see him before my schedule grew hectic since he was unable to come out to Thailand. To be honest, I was excited to see him. I'd missed him more than I thought I would.

While at the nearest light, I let him know that I would be at his house in a minute or two. I turned down his street to see his truck parked in his large driveway. He stood with an umbrella watching me come down the road. A smile graced my lips. He could be so sweet sometimes and I loved every bit of it.

After I killed the engine, I reached over for my purse just as he opened my door.

"I'm sorry you had to drive in the rain. You could have waited until it stopped." he reached for my hand to help me out.

"As long as I'm still alive I'm okay." I stepped underneath the umbrella pushing my door closed. One thing about me was that I hated to drive, let alone in the rain. But I wanted to see him, therefore, I sucked it up.

He wrapped his arm around me, planting a kiss on my cheek, "I'm glad to see you."

"You missed little ol' me?"

"I did." he closed the umbrella just before we stepped inside of his house. "I didn't have anyone to play with my ears until I fell asleep."

I laughed. "Oh that's why you missed me? Bet."

He only chuckled while I slipped my feet from my sneakers to avoid tracking anything along his floors. Once they were off, he gestured for me to go up the stairs. I climbed the stairs going toward his bedroom which was much larger than the average master. From its spaciousness you would assume his home was a mansion, but it wasn't. The entire home obtained a few mansion qualities yet it didn't quite make the cut.

"Can we finally watch Superfly? I feel like I've waited on you long enough. It's either we watch it today or I'll watch it without you."

"And you'd be wrong for doing me that way. We can watch it now though. You want any snacks from downstairs?"

"Um... do you have anymore Pringles?"

He smacked his teeth. "Don't come over here trying to eat all of my good stuff, chip monster. What else? Is that all?"

"And a bottle of water please."

"Alright. While I'm gone, find it and rent it out."

He walked out of the room leaving me to myself. I reached over the bed for the remote on his night stand. I cut the flat screen on and searched for a streaming app that I thought the movie would be available on. In the middle of me doing so, I received an incoming call from my younger sister. It was rare for her to call me, but as of lately she had been coming to me to vent. It was different for our dynamic but I actually liked that she was now confiding in me.

"Wow, this is the third call within two weeks. That's a world record for you." I teased.

"Girl be quiet. But I got some news for youuuu." she sung. "The kid isn't a virgin anymore and I feel liberated!"

"Um excuse me, lil girl. Who did you have sex with? I hope it was Daniel because I really like him for you."

"No, it wasn't Daniel. It was the guy I was in the car with when I facetimed you last week. The cute one with the long dreads. And though it was a bit painful, I loved it!"

"So he took his time with you, I assume."

"It was almost like the movies but we waited about an hour after he broke me, then we tried it again. Baby the second time around was where the party was!"

I laughed. "I'm glad your experience wasn't bad, babe. Don't let these lil niggas deter you from your studies though."

"Of course. My degree is my main focus but you know I have to have a little fun too."

"I can't really talk because I'm out somewhere right now, but when I get home later I want to know every detail. And I want to know what happened between you and Daniel."

"Alright but what you out doing? About to get fucked on too? I see you girl. Throw a round in to celebrate me."

"Bye Khloe." I ended the call with a chuckle.

I sat my phone aside inside of my purse then continued to search for the movie. I finally found it and soon Asani was entering the room again, pushing the door closed with his foot. He handed me the large can of cheddar Pringles I requested and the bottled water. I sighed at the water being cold rather than room temperature like I preferred it.

"Are you going to share any with me? I need chips for my sandwich." he climbed into the bed beside me.

"Why didn't you get your own can?"

"Because I don't need a big can, my love. I just need a couple. Don't be stingy with me."

"I guess I'll share." I popped the top then peeled the paper off it revealing the precious chips.

"I appreciate it." he smirked, starting the movie. "And please don't ask me any questions about the movie. Neither of us have seen it so watch it just as I am."

I smacked my teeth. "I just need extra understanding to make sure I'm not misinterpreting anything."

"If that's how you want to justify it."

"Can I close the curtains?" he nodded making me climb from the bed and pull the thick curtains closed to block out any sunlight.

The room immediately darkened allowing the television to be glare free and clear. I slipped back into the bed reclaiming my spot underneath Asani's arm.

The movie lasted for two hours and when it was finished, I had the urge to start it over again. I hadn't seen the original Superfly so I wasn't educated on its gritty display of the drug politics, meaning I could not compare. But I knew that the adaption was great! The actors were all amazing in their work, giving the lines more life than they offered. Not to mention, the stars Trevor Jackson and Lex Scott Davis were sights to see.

"Wow... I really liked it. I kinda want to watch it again just because." I sat up.

"Eh, it was cool for a modernized version. The cinematographer did well on the shots but the overall content could have been better."

"So you like the original one better?"

"You don't?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I've never seen it." I admitted.

He caressed my head with a sigh. "Don't tell anyone else that. You have a reputation to uphold."

"I'm sure I'll be forgiven for it. I've seen everything else." I softly laughed. "But on a real note, I need to find the song from the sex scene because whew!"

"You have a scar on your heart?" he looked down at me, basing his question on the lyrics of the song.

"I wouldn't consider it a scar but something's there. I'm working on it." I shrugged.

He kissed my shoulder. "An ex?"

"That's the thing, the situation is complicated so I don't even know how to describe what I feel other than anger. Plus it was a long time ago meaning I should be over it by now."

"That's not true. If you haven't forgiven anyone then the wound is still open so you can't get over it."