ミ☆

she had been texting you all day and night. you sent an apology, for a reason unbeknownst to you. she said it was never going to be your fault, and if she were to blame anyone then it would be riri. 

“every athlete got a bump in the road, i’m just glad it’s not a torn acl.”

man, whatever. 

you knew better than to mess with something that took away from your studies. you knew better than to fuck with athletes. you knew better, so why didn’t you do better?

“if you keep scrolling through twitter you’re going to get a brain bleed. especially reading tweets about that girl’s suspension.” kami says, taking a bite out of her fry while holding your phone in the other. 

“i don’t know how to stop when it’s flooded my whole feed on every app. it’s like my phone knows i did some fuck shit.”

“um!” kami quickly puts a finger to your face, “it’s not what you did. it’s what she did. sure, it sounded like one hell of a kiss. shuri knew the repercussions of getting caught and you didn’t. how can you be blamed for something that you didn’t even know a rule about? stop letting that girl get in your head.”

you lower your head into your hands.

“it’s hard to do that when she keeps wanting to see me. i keep giving her random excuses instead of just telling her i don’t want to be involved in whatever her and riri got going on.”

“then just say that.”

you raise your head again to look at your friend. she was right, you could always just be a big girl and use your words. a part of you was being selfish beyond it all though. shuri was nice to you and clearly wanted to get to know you beyond the surface. but, was it real? or were you just the basketball being dribbled in some ultimate game of riri v.s. shuri? all you knew was that right now you were right where shuri wanted you. in her palms, as she pushed you back and forth, feeling the leather brushing against her fingers. 

really, all you wanted was to be one of the balls put up on one of the racks. nah, you were lying. you loved the chase, the attention of a star wanting to be all up on you. the fact that it may be fake was being shielded by the intense kiss the two of you shared. which was already a red flag considering she barely knew you.

can someone call a referee in, preferably not kami?

“you’re right, i guess i should just tell her that it’s best we don’t communicate anymore.”

kami smiles, and nods approvingly. she hands you your phone back and watches you intently as you stare at the last few messages between the two of you.

yesterday, 3:26 p.m.

shuri : “i have a game tomorrow, i hope you pull up.”

yesterday, 5:17 p.m.

shuri : “i got you the courtside tickets. one for you and your friend.”

today, 10:42 a.m.

shuri : “you been ducking? don’t worry your pretty little head about the basketball shit, fr. i don’t want it to affect what we got going on.”

just when you go to pick up your fingers to type, you feel a finger poking on the top of your shoulder. you can’t help but jump a little, scared of the sudden contact from a mysterious person.

your head lifts up to meet the eyes of the person who was attempting to grab your attention.

riri.

“hey.” she says, hands now in both of the pockets of her hoodie. she looked shy, almost embarrassed to be talking to you. which was the stark contrast to everyone else around the two of you looking too starstruck to move. 

“hi?” you say back, almost as if it were a question. 

“do you mind if i talk to her for a second?” riri says, turning to face kami. it amused you that she was asking your friend, and not you.

“i don’t mind if she doesn’t mind.” kami says, looking to you for a response.

“it’s fine.” you meekly say.

“i’ll meet you out front whenever you’re done. just text me.” kami says, gathering up her stuff.

“you wanna talk here?” you ask riri, noticing that her braids are out of the bun and flowing down her back. 

“nah, i was in a private study room and saw you down here. we can go in there. i booked it for a couple hours.”

oh, she’s a great player and she’s a scholar.

“okay, lead the way.” you say, standing up from the chair. you reach out to grab your backpack that was hanging from the back of the chair when she stops you.

“i got it.”

riri grabs the bag with ease, despite the heavy books and laptops in it. your back had been screaming all day carrying it around to all of your classes.

“thanks.” 

“it’s the least i could do, after the bullshit riri and i put you through the other day.”

you go silent, not really wanting to talk about what has already happened. however, clearly riri was taking you to the room to talk about the instance. from the way she walked, and talked, she was almost scared of you. 

it was a shyness she hasn’t felt in a long time. being around you was probably the first time she wasn’t angry in a long time too. it wasn’t like she understood the effect you had, i mean you two had just met. she just had a feeling that you were too nice. too nice for shuri, too nice for her.

she takes you to a hall in the union you had never been to before. 

the both of you stop in front of a door with windows along the walls that had been frosted to just barely see the inside. a student id is quickly whipped out from where she had been resting her hand in her hoodie. you get a quick look at the picture, noticing she clearly hadn’t updated it since freshman year. 

“ladies first.” she says, holding the door open for you from the outside, instead of the inside like shuri did. 

it was the little differences between the two girls that made your head spin.

you take a seat in the one opposite from where she was clearly working. your backpack moved from around her shoulder and onto the floor beside you. she set it down gently, as if it were a newborn. 

she seemed aggressive on the court, but really riri was just as soft as any girl.

“i know you probably don’t want to talk about this,” she starts, as if she was reading your mind, “but i got some things i need to get off my chest.”

“i’m listening.” 

riri leans over in the chair opposite to you, her face getting closer so that her voice travels better. 

“i want to apologize for how i handled myself around shuri. not that it’s any excuse, but this is my last year to get a ring. i know how to handle a ball, schoolwork, sponsorships, everything but her.”

you raise an eyebrow, curious to see where you come into play with this speech.

“my anger gets out of control when i see her doing dumb shit. the shit she was doing with you was dumb. the shit we were both doing about you was dumb. that should’ve never been a conversation had in front of you.”

“riri, honestly, i don’t want anything to do with whatever y’all got going on. i have shuri texting me, notifications about her suspension blowing up my phone from people i don’t even follow, and then i got you pulling me away to talk about something i don’t even want to be thinking about.”

she furrows her brows, not expecting that response.

“clearly i don’t know how to handle you either.” she says, pushing one of her braids back behind her shoulder. “i don’t want to waste your time with this mess. i just wanted to let you know that i’m sorry. i’m sorry that i said that stuff in front of you, i’m sorry for what she said if she hasn’t apologized already. most of all, i’m sorry for not even acknowledging your presence. i just got so angry and sometimes i don’t know how to stop it from boiling up.”

you two sit in silence for a moment. her words came out of her like a fountain, unable to stop and they sped up with every syllable. you’re shocked you can even make out what she’s saying at the end.

“say something, please?” she looks at you with these dark puppy dog eyes, completely different from the ones she’s showed you before.

“i don’t know what to say.”

she sighs, “okay, i’ll tell you this.”

you nod your head.

“if you come to the game tonight, i’ll know you accept my apology. hopefully we can move on from this and if shuri is what you really want i won’t get in y’alls way.”

huh? get in the way? what could that even mean, considering she without a doubt is the one that got shuri benched. 

“if you don’t come, then i’ll leave you alone. i’ll make sure shuri leaves you alone too. i won’t come at her crazy, i can keep it professional.”

“i’ll think about it, okay?”

a slight smile appears on her full lips, “good enough for me.”

you give her a smile back. you just can’t help it, seeing as her’s is just as contagious as shuri’s. it’s just a different kind of smile though.

for some reason you found yourself sitting in the student section. cuddling up in your skims set as you attempted to still fight off the cold in the southern air. kami wasn’t attached to your hip this time, saying that this was something you might need to think about on your own. she had given you more than enough advice, and this is where you ended up. 

the game was more lively than the last one. the school was facing it’s number one rival and we were down 15 in the third quarter. halftime had just ended, a show was put on by a dog that could ride bikes as his owner directed him where to go. watching them work was the first time she smiled all night, maybe even all day. 

despite the body of students you locked eyes with both girls. shuri was sitting on the bench, anticipating a hopeful return as her coach was looking for any sort of savior. riri was panting, listening in on what everyone was saying at the bench but keeping wide eyes onto you. 

she smiled when she first saw you, but it’s not like you saw anything as you settled into the crowd.

riri had been putting up most of the points, shooting from anywhere and everywhere in a desperate attempt to get a lead on the team. her ball hogging shared advantages and it’s problems when one of the girls was wide open and she went for a three, completely missing it and catching a foul for the other team in the process. 

“udaku, you’re lucky we’re losing,” the coach said, getting deep in shuri’s face. “get your jacket off and get the hell on that court when the whistle blows.”

and she did exactly that. 

the crowd erupted as their savior ran joyfully onto the court. she blew a kiss to the student section and they roared even louder. 

of course, you stood when everyone else did. however, cheering wasn’t going to fix anything that’s happened so far. 

the ball is in their court. riri is playing point guard as she shuffles down the court, telling her other teammates what plays to make with her fingers and hand motions. shuri was towering over the girl beside her, attempting, and failing, to box her out. 

riri, unhappily, passes the ball to shuri, who automatically makes a three from the outside. 

damn, she was talented.

only down 12.

the other team fumbles, losing the ball off their foot and right into the hands of another girl. she passes it off to riri so she can reset the court. they reset it perfectly, landing another three from udaku.

by the end of the fourth quarter they pulled off a miracle, staying down up until the last five minutes. by this time both coaches had subbed players in and out. riri and shuri remained in the same positions, considering it had been working so well. 

down to 5 seconds.

ball is in riri’s hand as she frantically looks around. shuri makes a hand motion, and riri knows exactly what to do. 

the tinier girl barrels down the court. a player attempts to intercept, only to run straight into shuri’s strictly positioned body. 

1 second.

riri lets the ball escape from her fingers, praying to whatever god there is that it makes it in the rim.

it makes it to the rim, but it rolls around. the ball had a decision to make and the entire audience goes silent.

buzzing fills the room.

then finally, the net moves as the ball makes it in.

tigers win!

the crowd erupts into cheers and everyone runs onto the court. for some reason, so do you. an inescapable smile fills your face, showing off every dimple you may have. your face finds riri’s first, and she sees you. the star player pushes past the crowd of people congratulating her and wanting to celebrate.

her arms find your waist as she hugs you from all the excitement. 

you go to hug back, till youre pulled away by the waist. your eyes meet the face, and of course it’s shuri. 

as if no one was in the room, she kisses you. 

shit. 

you can feel the eyes, the lights from the cameras flashing in your face as the two of you lock lips. what had to have been a peck turned into something long as time slowed. you couldn’t find yourself pulling away, bombarded by the environment around you. the feeling of shuri’s soft lips couldn’t even take away the feeling.

you open your eyes the minute the two of you pull away. 

she smiles at you, lifting you into the air in celebration.

you can’t find it within yourself to smile, coming face to face with riri, who has disappointment written all over her face.

hey, atleast we’re making it to the playoffs.

she had been cooking, and burning, the dinner for the two of you. she knew you all too well, sensing earlier in the night that you were going to be too distracted by the paper to eat anything for dinner. 

you see the text pop up with a ding on your macbook, a perk you were glad to have considering your phone had been put up. your fingers go from typing away on a word document to typing back on your keyboard.

you : “not really, why?”

the sheer curiosity of why shuri had been texting you threw you for a loop. it had been a few days since the game. you didn’t bother to text her, not wanting to get thrown into a huge mess with someone during study season. especially not an athlete, that was a recipe for utter disaster. 

shuri : “me neither, we should change that.”

you : “what do u propose?”

she sends you a laughing cat emoji back as a reply to your text.

shuri : “so proper. that’s cute.”

you can’t help but scoff as you see more text bubbles show up.

shuri : “wanna watch me shoot some hoops in the practice center?”

“kami, you’ll never guess who just invited me to hang out with her tonight.”

“you’re right, i won’t. so just tell a bitch!”

you giggle at your friend’s bluntness. 

“shuri udaku, the basketball player.”

kami drops the spatula she was using to flip the chicken and starts bouncing up and down.

“no wayyyyy!!” she screams out, acting far more excited than you. “well, are you going to go?”

you frown, “i don’t wanna ditch out on dinner. you bought all this stuff.”

kami places a hand on her hip, “girl, i’m so sorry but if a top prospect basketball player dmed me wanting to hang out i’d have to drop everything that i was doing. even if i happened to actually be doing someone else!”

a laugh escapes your lips, causing her to smile even wider.

“so, does that mean i have permission to go?” 

“yes girl!” kami says, picking the spatula back off the counter. “just promise you’ll come back and give me a rundown on everything that happened.”

“who else would i tell?” you say, typing back to shuri.

you : “okay. i’m down.”

shuri : “you know how to make a girl wait. i’m already here. parking lot is next door, lmk when you’re at the door. i’ll let you in.”

you close your laptop and grab your phone that you had put all the way at the end of the counter in an attempt to get rid of distractions. clearly, that didn’t work. 

“i guess i’ll see you later!” you say to kami as you pick your keys up from the hook and close the door behind you. 

“you was really gon have me waiting out in the rain?” you say to the taller girl as she opens the door with a wide smile.

“my bad, in my defense i was running over here from the locker room.” she says, clearly trying to catch her breath.

“i guess i can’t be mad with you smiling like that.”

“oh, you like when i smile?” she says, really emphasizing her smile this time.

“girl, please.” you say, with a giggle following. she steps aside, holding the door for you as you enter. she was so tall that she practically towered over you. her locs down, clearly taken out of the barrels. a nike ski rested on the top. her muscles flexed, which of course you couldn’t help but notice. her black tank leaved almost nothing to the imagination.

“cute pjs.” she says as she leads you down the hall. 

your face begins to flush. you didn’t even realize what you were wearing when you had left kami’s place.

your outfit was nothing crazy, but definitely not your best outfit. just a baggy lsu shirt with some grey shorts that had strings coming off the sides. your curls were pushed back with a white headband, showing off your glassy skin and yellow starred pimple patches. 

at least you didn’t have your retainer in.

“you ever been in here before?”

“nah, i don’t know many athletes.”

“you know riri though.” she says, opening up the door to the gym with her student id.

you’re met with bright lights and a wide open court. everyone’s numbers adorned the top of the entire practice facility with their media day pictures above them. your eyes linger for a second on riri’s.

“nah, i don’t know her. we only talked that one time.”

“really?” she says, grabbing a basketball off the rack. you set your keys down and sit in one of the chairs on the sidelines as she makes her way to the free throw line. “y’all seemed friendly enough?”

“do i hint some jealousy in there?”

“maybe. a girl can’t be jealous?” she says as she shoots, you can hear the swoosh of the net as it makes it in. no backboard.

“not when there’s nothing to be jealous over.” you say, watching her grab the basketball again. “besides, you don’t even know me.”

“i don’t gotta know you to know that i like you.” 

“says every player ever.” you roll your eyes as she makes her way towards you.

the ball is thrown out of her hands, and your reflexes act quick. you grasp the basketball, shocking her a little.

“you be hooping? you got good reflexes.”

“not really, i played with my homeboys sometimes in highschool.”

she smiles again, “well come on. show me what you got.”

one thing about you, you loved a challenge.

you get up from your seat and dribble the basketball as you make your way to the center of the court. shuri stands across from you, matching your low stance. for the first time, you two are eye to eye. 

they’re dark brown and sparkling in the bright lights that overhang between the two of you. she notices how yours got lighter, ambition running wild inside of them.

“first to five,” she says, eyes darting between you and the ball, “if i win, i get a kiss.”

you raise an eyebrow, she means business.

“and if i win?”

“i’ll get you a courtside ticket for every game.” 

“even away?”

“even away.”

“make it two tickets and you got a deal.”

she laughs, “sure.”

you smile back. and then you take off down the court. shuri is caught by surprise at how fast you are, not expecting it. 

the sounds of scuffles from basketball shoes follow closely behind you. you’re so close to the rim that you figure you might as well take the step back and shoot. which is exactly what you do. 

shuri’s feet make it to a hard stop just in front of you, not expecting for the step back shot.

the basketball leaves your fingers in a perfect form, which surprised even you.

swoosh, nothing but net.

you can’t help but smile, looking at shuri’s surprised face. 

“boom!” you yell out, making your way back to the middle of the court. shuri is already ball in hand, dribbling back over to you. 

“whatever, man! that was a freebie!”

“that’s two points all i need to do is make a three and you owe me the seats.” 

shuri drops the smile, looking at you like she’s about to eat you whole. your face drops in return, knowing that shit is about to get real serious real quick. shuri was a show off, yeah, but she did know how to hoop. 

you figured that out real quick when she did an in between the leg dribble and a far shot from way beyond the three line. 

the ball moves as if it’s in slow motion as it hits the backboard and circles around the rim. 

“c’mon go in!” she yells out, and as if the ball was listening, it does.

“hell yeah!” she yells again, kissing her arm muscles in response. you roll your eyes as you pick the ball up and begin dribbling towards her. 

shuri runs back over to you and suddenly youre dribbling face to face with her. 

“you like that move i pulled?”

you scoff, “you mean the move that luck pulled?”

“luck still got me one point closer than you. you gon really like this move.”

“what move–”

she tips the basketball with her fingertips and it travels into her hand like a perfect instance of gravitational pull. you stand there in shock, feet not being able to move themselves to stop her.

it’s like something out of a movie the way shuri moves towards the basket. she switches lanes, moving with a quickness till she reaches the middle. she bends, then takes a jump that seems to launch her. 

she dunks it.

no way.

“are you serious?!” you scream out to her, “that is so unfair you know i can’t do nothing like that!”

shuri just laughs and runs up to you. 

“all’s fair in love and basketball, baby!”

next thing you know shes got her hands on your face and she’s kissing you. her lips taste like a peppermint chapstick as they crash into yours. 

wide eyes turn into shut ones as your arms wrap around your shoulder and hers move simultaneously to your waist. they feel like they were molded to fit into your shape as she grabs tighter, and tighter.

normally you weren’t one to kiss on the first date, but this was one hell of an exception. 

the two of you fight for dominance over one another. you could tell that shuri wasn’t expecting it, just like you weren’t expecting the dunk. she was used to running shit, but you weren’t going to be one of those things. you had to let her know that now, before she got to fucking with your heart and mind. 

“so the practice court just used for kissing bitches now?” a voice tears through the makeout session. 

you quickly tear away from the girl towering over you. she’s not so quick, keeping one of her hands placed right on your waist as if to assert dominance. shuri knew exactly who that voice belonged to. however, it took seeing the face to place the name onto it. 

riri. 

she sees your face when you pull away from shuri. an expression of regret, or maybe sadness, fills her face, replacing the angry one. 

“my bad, i didn’t know it was you.” she says in almost a whisper. your ears still manage to pick up on it.

“i was, um,” you break away from shuri’s grasp and walk over to your keys. “i was just about to go actually.” 

“man, ignore short stack.” shuri says, lifting her arms up and then letting them back drop down as she groans. 

“oh so we calling each other names now?” riri says, walking up onto the taller girl. “do you know what coach would do if she saw you bringing a girl up in here just to do your stupid player shit?”

“coach won’t know because she not gonna see shit.”

“yeah? watch, i’ma tell her and you can kiss that starting spot goodbye for the rest of the season since you wanna be on fuck shit.”

“i’m on fuck shit? you mad and for what?!”

the two girls are practically chest to chest as they talk shit to one another. it’s hard to believe they play for the same team when they seem like rivals more than anything. 

“you just had to go and do this dumb shit after what i told you! ever since you came to this team you’ve caused nothing but trouble. everyone sees it but you cause you’re too caught up in the lights and who you think you are!”

“bitch, i am who i think i am! i know you not putting up the shots i’m putting up. especially the shots i’m taking with her, since you so pussy!”

what?

you look at the two girls, who have almost completely forgotten you’re in the room, before leaving out of the doors. you can still hear them fighting as you walk away. sure, you could’ve been nosy, but that also meant being a witness to something you didn’t wanna have to deal with in the future. 

“you think you can just take everything, huh? That cockiness ain’t getting you no where but the bench and flipping burgers!” 

“i don’t give a fuck about none of that! you’re just mad i kissed her! shut the fuck up or do something about it!”

“fuck you, udaku! your ass never touching a court first out ever again!”

that’s all you heard echoing through the halls as you exited the building. your face is all flustered and hot, but cools down as the raindrops hit it. 

you unlock your car and don’t look back. 

“you don’t have to be a regular watcher to know how fine the players are.” kami says, adding on a more than tasteful amount of blush to her cheeks. 

you sigh, rolling your eyes at your best friend. sophomore year for you meant locking in and that came with some sacrifices. you’d much rather be studying for your finals right now, but kami sure did have a way with words. 

kami sings along to the subtle music playing in the background. a few spritz of her perfume makes the whole room smell like strawberries and cream. a contrast from your signature scent, brown sugar and vanilla. 

“andddd,” kami says, placing some freckles on her face, “perfect!”

she turns her chair to face where you’re sitting on the bed. she could always find you staring off into nothing, twirling either your curls or a fresh silk press. this time, it was your curls, held back by a white headband that matched your white jacket. 

“you ready?” she says, standing up from her chair and walking over to your position on the bed. your eyes rip from the window and land onto her. 

giving a quick smile you say, “guess so.”

kami giggles and pulls you from the bed. you both grab your student ids that had been resting on the bookshelf near her door, preparing yourselves for the apparently life changing experience of a LSU women’s basketball game.

“girl, you can get snacks later! i wanna make sure we got good seats in the student section!” kami says, pulling you away from the concession stand. 

you frown, knowing that whenever half time comes the lines are gonna be twice the size they are now. missing the first couple minutes of the game, which was always just warmups anyway, didn’t matter that much to you. what mattered right now was getting some food in your stomach. the business of studying and class had apparently made you forget to sustain yourself with any sort of nutrients for the day. 

kami takes the lead as the two of you head into the auditorium. it was clear she knew where she was going. 

your eyes were traveling faster than your feet were. it was loud, overly loud. you weren’t sure how people’s voices could travel over the rap music playing over the intercom before the game commenced. purple and gold spanned across every seat, other than one tiny section with the opposing teams colors. it was almost pathetic, and you felt bad knowing that they were definitely about to get the worst of it from the fans surrounding them. 

kami continued to drag you through the bleachers until you reached a spot damn near right in front of the court. 

“i told you i’d get us good seats.” kami said, a huge smile on her face as she says it.

“yeah,” you scoff, “after pushing through a bunch of students and maneuvering through bleachers. i swear that was a health hazard.”

she laughs, “oh honey, that’ll probably be the tamest thing you see tonight. wait until we’re up like 50 points. everyone gonna be acting crazy.”

“just how many games have you been to?” you can’t help but ask. kami seemed like a seasoned pro.

“every game since freshman year. well, not the away ones of course.” she says, fixing her lipgloss. “thank you for coming with me though.” 

her tone turns somber, “it’s nice going to a game with a friend for once instead of alone.”

you give her a smile, her words truly touching your heart. 

“i wouldn’t wanna be here with anyone but you.” 

kami just stares at you for a second. a smile building on her face. her dark brown eyes somehow get lighter, with a sparkle in them that you had never noticed before. 

her hug startles you, but you laugh as her arms get tighter around you. a part of you is, however, praying that none of her makeup gets on your white jacket. a selfish thought, but you couldn’t help it.

“oh!” kami says as she pulls her attention from you onto the court. “they’re starting.”

your eyes follow where her’s have landed. 

“oh.. wow.” you whisper out, eyes going wide at the sight of the women flashing toothy smiles and flexed muscles. it was only warmups, but you weren’t complaining at the sight of them in their compression shirts that had a tiger adorned on the front. 

you could’ve sworn they were moving in slow motion as they made layups and smiled towards the screaming girls and guys in the student section. this was something out of a sexy r&b music video, and you swore you could’ve died and went to heaven.

a girl who was by far the shortest on the team ran to make her layup. her muscles flexed as she positioned herself to make the shot. you could see that she put a lot of work into how toned she was, even without the ball in her hand. 

she had braids that twisted and turned into designs, flowing into slick backs that she had clumsily tied back with a flimsy rubber band. the flow from her quickness made the braids float off her back, and you were sure they were gonna hit someone in the face tonight. 

the swoosh from the basket made your ears heat up, and you could’ve sworn that the two of you made eye contact when she ran back to her position. they were a dark brown, and they were utterly enticing. 

as if things couldn’t get any better, a couple of girls behind her was a tall darkskinned woman with locs tied back into barrels. 

the two girls had been somewhat of a stark contrast, but similar at the same time. one tall, one small. one clearly more feminine and one being more in touch with masculinity. the shorter one had muscles for days, the tall one was more lean, but still super fit. 

she was being a showboat, that much was evident. she ran up to the basket with a huge smile on her face, quite literally laughing as she made the shot. 

another swoosh.

this one winked at you, or the crowd. 

it was definitely you. 

“oouuu! girl!” kami says excitingly while shaking you. “i swear i’ve died and went to heaven.”

“yea,” you say breathlessly, taking note of the back of her jersey and how it read ‘udaku’. “i may come to the games more often.”

the rest of the night was filled with three pointers, arguments and technicals called for “inappropriate behavior”, and most of all, a game winner from none other than udaku. you couldn’t help but notice the little one, realizing by now that she was “williams”, pushing her after the game and saying something to her face with her eyebrows furrowed. a hand swayed her away, as the tall girl rolled her eyes and continued to walk over to the benches. 

the high fiving of players from both teams was anything but friendly. smiles were only displayed onto the players faces whenever they reached the student section. 

kami of course had dragged you onto the court to make sure she got her little high five in and a quick, “good job!” 

you reached your hand out, mixing in with the rest of the crowd. udaku approaches you first. your eyes meet hers, and she gives out another wink as her fingers linger just a little too long when pulling away. 

you weren’t crazy.

williams was right behind her, hearing the scoff that left her mouth as she watched the scenario play out. she didn’t bother displaying a smile for the fans, her anger was written all over her like an open book. for someone so small, she sure did have a lot of pent up emotion. 

a part of you, one that hasn’t had sex in months, couldn’t help but wonder how she would take it out on you. 

“good game.” you whisper out to her. it was like the words had escaped faster than you even thought about saying them.     

she looks at you, confusion written on her face. it makes you freeze up.

“thanks.” she says back, of course with the attitude you knew she was letting fester inside of her. 

kami turns to look at you. “you okay girl?”

“i’m fine.” you say a little breathless.

“don’t worry about her. she’s a senior so she takes every game super serious now. i would be too if i was trying to go to the league, but being a bitch ain’t helping nothing.” kami explains with a frown on her face. mean mugging was her speciality and she was definitely doing it right towards williams as she made her way around the court saying hello to everyone and a quick thank you. 

“i’m not really taking it personal.” you say, which is an utter lie.

“perfect, cause i don’t want you to be in a bad mood.”

you make a face towards the girl beside you, “why’s that?”

“we’re going to go to the bar after this. apparently everyone is gonna be there to celebrate the win. some of the players might even show.”

oh great. hopefully it was every player but williams.

the slight breeze was whipping across your face as you took little sips of the drink kami had ordered for you. 

voices filled your ears from every direction. you had literally never seen the bar so packed before. every bone in your body was screaming for you to get up and leave, go home and study. do something actually useful with your time. 

however, you knew damn well if you stood up from the bar stool you weren’t going to be able to walk straight. kami was no where in sight which meant you were going to keep your ass planted in the chair. 

“can i just get a water?” a voice says from beside you, pulling you away from the messed up jumble of voices. 

your chin raises as you look away from the wood covered bar. of course, when they landed somewhere they land right onto the sight of williams.

she catches your eye, right as you turn your head away to shield yourself from the image of the girl. 

“i already saw you looking.” she says.

your eyes shut out of embarrassment, and probably out of an attempt to push away the tipsiness. 

glass hits the table, ice cubes clinging against one another. droplets of water fall out of the cup.

“i was just curious as to who was sitting beside me.” your voice comes out sounding meek.

“well, now you know.” she says. 

the room isn’t silent by any means, but an awkward silence fills the tiny space between the two of you.

“you look familiar.” she says, taking a sip of her water afterwards.

a scoff escapes your lips, “i’m sure i do. you acted like i was some creature earlier.”

william’s eyes go wide, “oh shit.”

“yea, ‘oh shit.’” you roll your eyes as you repeat the words from the girl’s mouth.

she sits her glass down, turning her body in the chair to face yours. you look back at her, only to notice a sad expression on her face. it was a stark contrast to how angry she had looked all night long. despite the sad face, she still looked utterly breathtaking. baby hairs had been swooped on both sides to show off her middle part. some of the long hair fell in front of her face onto her shoulder. the rest of the long inches fell like a waterfall down her back. the nose piercing adorning her right side was glistening in the dim lighting. 

“i’m–...” she takes a second to breathe, “i’m sorry. i just get so into the game that i can’t help but feel it for a while after it ends.”

your chest is filled with air.

“i get it.” you say, knowing damn well you’ve never experienced that feeling before.

“i hate to treat fans that way.”

pause.

your nose turns up at her words.

“i’m not a fan. my friend dragged me out to that game tonight.”

she laughs.

“my bad ma, i just assumed.”

“what’s the saying? ‘assuming makes an ass out of you and me.’”

she flashes a smile, showing off all thirty two pearly whites.

“right,” her hand extends out to you, “i’m riri williams.”

you look at her hand.

williams. riri. riri williams. how cute.

“i’m y/n.” you say, taking her hand in yours and shaking it.

she takes your hand and lifts it up to her lips, placing a soft kiss.

your body is filled with butterflies. 

“yoooo, riri!” a foreign voice calls out to her. it was lathered in a thick wakandan accent.

riri’s voice automatically changes into one of annoyance. which is a shame, considering you had grown to like the soft one that she shared with you. 

“and who is this?” says the player from earlier who had given you the wink.

“nobody, udaku.” riri says, all of the pent up annoyance seeping into the softness of her voice.

“nah, you been holding out.” she turns her body to face you, “i’ve been looking for you.”

“for me?” a curious tone lathers your words.

“yeah, listen, we gotta go. however, i definitely need your number. that’s your phone on the bar top?”

you’re stunned, “um.. yea.” 

“sweet,” she says, picking up your phone. she frowns when she sees the lock. you don’t even have a second to offer to unlock your own phone before she puts it in front of your face. “perfect.” 

she finds the contact app and puts hers in, issuing a swift text to herself. once she’s done, she puts the phone back, face down, onto the table. 

“alright, lets go riri.” she says, patting on the smaller woman’s back.

riri rolls her eyes and gets up, placing a crisp hundred bill on the table. 

“i’ll be seeing you.” she says, giving a meek smile before leaving.

your fingers instinctively reach for your phone, opening it up to see the text thread. it was a kissy face emoji. 

what have you gotten yourself into?

one night with riri taking out your frustrations on each other was all you needed to dissolve the academic rivalry the two of you shared. who knew anger could be so passionate?

she was swallowing your soul with every kiss, and who were you to deny her of it? sure, you were mad she made the highest score on the calc test. but you, you were winning right now in this moment. the fact you got an a- didn’t mean shit when she was dragging her fingertips along the side of your neck, turning your head to the side so she could sink her canines into it. 

you yelp, in pain. in pleasure.

you can feel the way her lips turn into a devilish smile at the noise you make. this is just another way that riri has bested you. only this time, you’re not complaining about it. she liked that this was all it took for you to finally shut your smart mouth. not that she ever grew tired of hearing it. especially when it sounded so pretty like this.

you were falling right into her trap. just like how you did when she first introduced herself to you. she had a plan for you, a plan just like how this night was going. however, your smarts and competitive obsession was putting a damper in it. 

riri’s crush grew into a feeling more than just hating you. 

yes, she hated the way you scored better than her on some tests. or, how you would beat her in class by answering a question that the professor had asked. hell, riri even hated the way you would put your lips on the top of your pen when she knew you didn’t understand something for once.

she hated it because it distracted her from the lesson.

she hated it because it made her wonder how soft your lips were.

only now, she didn’t need to wonder anymore. 

your hands searched for open skin desperately as she continued suckling on your neck. her lips move closer to your ear, leaving a trail along the way. one of her hands is still holding your head to the side, the other grasping at any part of your body that she could feel. 

“i hate you.” you say to her, voice filled with venom. the air around you is sucked through your teeth as she bites down hard onto your neck. only picking up her mouth when she feels like she’s had enough. 

“you love me.” she says, looking into your eyes. your’s are filled with hate, and lust. her’s are filled with desire, and wanting. 

her fingers travel under your dress, lifting the ruffled fabric up ever so slightly. soft fingertips touch the skin of your inner thighs, making your whole body tingle. you could feel the pressure of her two fingers pressing on your heat. a moan escapes from your lips, you just can’t help yourself when it comes to her.

“you wouldn’t be this wet if you didn’t.” a smile can be heard in her voice as she whispers it into your ear.  

you take your hands and place them on her face, pulling her to put her face right in front of yours. her fingers are still rubbing you back and forth, causing you to fight noises that are clawing their way out of your lips. 

“i fucking hate you, riri williams.” you whisper out to her, a smile forming on your face. her once accomplished expression turns into a frown before her lips crash violently into yours. 

your tongues can’t get enough as they dance around in one another’s mouth. her fingers search their way for the entrance into you. you moan out as they begin thrusting in and out of you so expertly. She placed her knee between your legs to make sure they stayed spread out in front of you.

“don’t be afraid to get louder. i want everyone to know i won.” she says in between kisses. you don’t have it in you to fight her smart comment. instead, you get louder with each thrust and tongue swirl. the music in the background from the party is almost drowning you out, but riri can still hear you. she swears she could set her sights on you and see nothing else, hear nothing else but that sweet, pathetic, little voice of yours as you beg her for more, faster, harder. 

that’s exactly what she does, going harder, faster, and brushing her lips across every exposed piece of skin. 

“you’re so fucking wet.” she says to you, hearing the way your body is reacting to her fingers coming in and out of you. she could only dream in her sexed out haze what it would be like to actually fuck you. this was good, but it wasn’t good enough for riri. nothing ever was, but you just might be. 

“come on baby, let it all out for me.”

teeth connect back onto your neck.

your hands grip her waist.

she goes in and out, in and out, in and out.

until finally, you cry out for her. your body leaving her fingers a sticky mess and your thighs covered in slick. your mind could think of nothing more than riri as she disconnected from you, but not before leaving tiny kisses onto your head as you slumped onto the wall. 

“good luck on the calc exam tomorrow.” she whispers into your ears before licking her fingers and walking off back into the party.

you were too busy letting her fuck you that you didn’t even think about the time.

it was too late to study, too late to do anything but sleep.

fuck. you were going to fail and riri was going to win again.

for some reason, you weren’t too mad about it. because if you did fail, she could come over and make it all better again. 

“you’re late.” you say to the girl who’s barely your height. your eyebrow raises and it’s very evident that you’re not amused by her tardiness.

“you know i have other clients.” she says so casually as she slips her backpack off and plops down onto your bed. her hoodie read “MIT” in bold letters on the front. her shorts had been sagging to show off the true religion boxers she had been sporting.

“oh, so i’m just a client to you now.” you roll your eyes.

“my favorite one. you’re the only one i don’t charge for my expert services.” a wide smile spreads across her face.

“get away” by the internet plays in the background of the conversation between the two of you. your jbl speaker was almost always on whenever riri was over. always on a specific playlist that you made for you and her. 

you looked at the smaller girl on the bed. her dark brown eyes sparkled as the light from your window hit them in the low light. her hair was in a soft loc style, something that you didn’t always see her sporting. your eyes traveled to her lips, causing your skin to tingle as you remember how they felt suckling at your skin. then your gaze shifted to her slender fingers as she toyed with her backpack. you loved her fingers.

how did she expect you to think about coding when her fingers were so deep inside of you?

you scoff, “yea, just cause i don’t pay you in cash does not mean you don’t get paid.”

riri frowns, “i don’t consider our acts of passion as payment for my tutoring.”

“acts of passion…” you say with a smile on your face. you sit down in front of her in your chair by your desk. “you are such a nerd.”

“i’m not a nerd when you be riding me.”

“a small price to pay to pass my classes and maintain my scholarship.”

riri lays down completely on your bed, unwilling to meet your gaze. you make her feel smaller than she already is, in every way. she could have any girl on campus if she wanted. you were just the only one who didn’t actually want her in a serious manner. so to her, you stayed as a client in her mind. even if she craved for something more. it didn’t matter how many girls she fucked, you were just too special to her. her skin crawled when she thought about a rumor she had heard earlier in the week.

whispers were crying out your name, and the name of another woman. an exchange student named shuri was constantly tied to you. somehow the rumor managed to find it’s way to riri, where she wasn’t too happy to hear about how the two of you may be hooking up. 

“you paying someone else too, i heard.” she says.

“excuse me?”

“don’t play dumb, everyone knows you’re with that girl in your trig class. so what, i don’t tutor good enough anymore?”

riri’s jealousy was frequent, and usually it was over nothing. however, this time the rumor did have some truth to it.

“riri, it’s not like you don’t fuck every girl on campus. i’m just another girl on your roster.”

“that’s what you think?” riri lifts herself up.

“i mean, yeah.”

“wow, okay.” riri says defeated, she knew all her sleeping around would catch up to her.

it wasn’t a shocker that you didn’t want to take her serious if this was the impression you were under. 

deep down, you wanted nothing more than to be with riri. that was a stupid dream though. you knew she liked you but you also knew what kind of person she was. some part of your brain made you think of all the negatives and outcomes that weren’t even on track to come true. with you so afraid of feeling neglected and cheated on, you pushed it all down. it was easier just to be study buddies, fuck buddies.

“sooo…” you say, trying to take the attention off of the charged conversation you both just shared. “i need some help with some of these equations for my trig section eight test.”

riri rolls her eyes, “you can’t ask your bae?”

“i mean if this is how you’re gonna be then i will call her!”

“what do she got that i don’t? i know she don’t fuck you better than me.”

“i don’t know riri, she doesn’t fuck every girl on campus for one. she’s also not doing illegal shit that can get her expelled from campus and have her future ruined for forever. you’re venturing in dangerous territories riri.”

she gets off the bed and steps in front of you. you watch as she kneels on the floor, putting her arms in between your legs. her fingers fold in between one another, as if she’s praying to you. your eyes meet her’s and they look like puppy dog eyes.

“i’ll stop.”

your eyes widened, surely she wasn’t serious. you knew how much money she made off of her little side business. you also knew how much her saying she’d swear off the other girls on campus meant to you.

“don’t lie.”

“i’m not.” she says. you can feel your heart jumping as she looks into your eyes.

“you could’ve asked her for help with your trig homework.”

“i could’ve.” you say, a little breathless.

“you asked me. cause you want to fuck me. you want me.”

“do you want me?” you ask, a little breathless as she’s close to your face now.

“more than anything.”

“take me then.”

you don’t have to say it twice before riri starts kissing you. her soft lips connected with yours and you could feel the fireworks in your brain erupting. you two had kissed before, but this felt different. it felt less lustful and more loving. a love that you had never felt before as she stood, still locking lips with yours. her hands travel like snakes, knowing just where home is, as she grips your thighs. strong muscles flex as she picks you up so easily from the chair. your hands find the sides of her face, as you feign for more.

she takes your position on the chair as you sit on her lap. your legs fit her to make the two of your bodies be closer. your tongues are fighting for dominance, one hand on your ass and the other completely down your pants, playing with the hem of your leopard panties. her favorite ones to tear off.

“don’t be shy, riri.” you beg as you grow impatient.

the music changes to drake’s “hold on we’re going home” and riri can’t help but think about how ironic the song is.

“i’m taking my time with you.” she says, kissing you in between words. “i never get to just take my time with you.”

you look into her eyes, a finger caressing the top of her cheekbone.

“worry about that later.”

she smiles into your lips. then almost immediately she continues crashing her tongue into your mouth. you open up gladly, gasping from the feeling of fingers entering you.

“slid in so easy, never been this easy before.”

you moan, feeling her fingers slide in and out of you. you lift your hips out of her lap and slide back and forth, chasing the high. lips begin sucking at your neck as you can feel her tongue roll circles on your soft spot.

she thrusts in you, hard. and fast.

“riri!” you scream out as she puts in another finger, something she’d never done before.

it hurt, and shocked you. she didn’t stop what she was doing, instead she went harder and faster. the pain mixing amongst pleasure.

the room felt hot as you two attempted to conjoin two bodies into one.

this was one hell of a study date.

p.s. i recommend listening to "no ordinary love" by sade :)

"why don't you ever stay the night?"

"i stay every night." drolta says to you, licking her lips and recalling the fresh taste of your magnificent blood.

"or rather, morning." you whisper out, finding yourself a little too frail to sit up all the way. your dress falls as you sit up slightly. an exposed bite causing blood to run down your chest. drolta watched through pink eyes. the dark surrounding them was something so hypnotizing that you always found yourself falling into it. it was like some kind of inviting abyss.

"mortals and their silly questions. how you grovel for my touch and teeth among your skin is ever so amusing."

"i grow older drolta!" you weakly yell out to her. this grabs her attention, not once have you ever yelled at the higher powered being. you shed a single tear, letting out a sigh of utter desperation. "i age with every sunrise and dawn. my bones grow weaker and some day you will come to see me only to find an old woman in my place. i know i am young now, but i've aged over the last couple years and nothing about you changes. you're still as beautiful as the day we met and you will forever remain this way."

drolta's eyes drop away from yours, taking in your words of anguish. she knew you were right, because she'd have other companions before. she had bed women and men far before you were ever born. she'd watch them go and come, their children or grandchildren sometimes even becoming her next fling. it was a cycle she had grown oddly accustomed to, not feeling any certain emotion for one or the next. she liked the fact that she aged and grew more powerful in the search of the vessel for her goddess while others perished. it made her feel the power she knew she had within her.

your hand finds her exposed arm. she turns to look at you.

"drolta, i envy that some day i will be too old for you and yet someone will be just young enough. it is not fair that you help me to discover such deep emotions. not ever will i feel for someone the way i feel for you. all this feeling, just for it to one day end once i can no longer serve you."

"there have been some before you and there will be many after you. i am a soul that walks this earth with no true claim anymore. you have a purpose, and warm blood to keep you living in the way your story speaks."

"what if my story is simply for me to serve you? i want to be your companion in this feeble mortal life that i share with my human counterparts. then, have that companionship follow into a new world my soul can not comprehend. i do not want to age among the rest, i want to have a face that is young but a mind that is aged by love. your love."

drolta had heard many a confession, but this one did something different to her. she swore that if she had a heartbeat she could feel it perhaps skip a beat.

"do you know exactly what it is that you're asking of me? what that means to be my partner eternally?" drolta asks, clearly enticed by the idea.

"i don't now what all it means, but i'd have an eternity to learn. i want to devour the sunlight with you, devour the world alongside you. what if i am the vessel that you desire?"

drolta's pink eyes lock onto your dark ones. for the first time she thinks she can feel a devotion to someone other than her goddess. or, perhaps, for her goddess in a new twisted discovery. this shocks her, renders her unable to think properly. she had spent so long devoting her life to a woman that she didn't know what it meant to have true devotion back. her body tingled, and her pink hair began to flame up from the idea.

you were the vessel for her messiah.

"you will devour the sun, me alongside you. first, i shall devour you."

the word devour sent chills through your body.

she extends a hand out to you. you gracefully accept the invite. she uses her enhanced strength to pull you up, your warm body next to her cold one as she spreads out her wings. the two of your exit out of the french doors and onto the balcony that your family's wealth had graciously provided for you. it was where you first met drolta.

her wings flap and for the first time you find yourself floating in the air. your eyes grow wide and a childlike smile spreads across your face. drolta gives you a devilish smile in return.

oh, to be in love with something so unholy as she.

no angel could ever look this beautiful.

"romantic, isn't it?" she asks, licking over the neck wound. it sends you into a euphoria, as your blood sends her into a similar one. you can feel the heat from her inflamed pink hair grazing your skin.

"i love you, drolta."

your lips find hers as you're both suspended in the air over a lake. your eyes are closed but you can still see the pink hues from among your eyelids. as if you were stuck in a trance, she kisses you harder and faster. you can taste your own blood in her mouth, ever so addicting. now you can see why she can't seem to leave you alone.

a moan escapes from inside of you, one out of the millions drolta had heard before. she had come to see you every night since you met, which was three years ago. some nights she'd stay for a chat or a simple couple of minutes. others she would ravage you and drink you almost dry just to do it again the next night.

"take me!" you beg to her, causing her flame to grow bigger and eyes to grow wider. god, how she craved your mortal being. your naivety and free outlook. anyone else feared death, and yet you welcomed it, knowing the transformation may not even work with how powerful drolta's blood truly was. she had turned others before. you were just the first in a very long time.

she stops her feverish and hungered kisses, diving for your neck. sharp teeth overtake you, a pain echoing from your neck to the rest of your body. it was a familiar pain, but it never got any easier to get accustomed to. you welcomed the pain and the feeling of being drained entirely. you enjoyed the feeling of her tongue sweeping over the blood seeping from your neck. just as you loved the way her tongue swept over your feminine autonomy. the devil was draining you and you desired it to never end.

it didn't matter that you were losing the color in your body. nothing mattered anymore. as you could feel your life force being drained from your very being. she was bringing you death, but she was also bringing you to a new life. an eternal one.

your hand fell from her neck, losing all of its feeling. drolta senses that you're near the end and rips her teeth away from you, finding it hard to control herself. your blood was unlike any other that she'd ever tasted. it was blood good enough to compare to the likes of her messiah.

the moonlight shone on the two of you, bouncing off of the tiny ripples that existed among the waters below you. it was beautiful, a perfect end to a beginning. your eyes closing slightly, drolta being the last thing you see. she was smiling at you, but not out of love, more out of accomplishment.

"drink." the words slither out of her mouth. she rips into her own wrist, causing a new blood to seep from within her.

surprised in yourself, you don't waste any time reaching fervently for the blood of your lover. your mouth clings onto her wrist and suckles in any blood she can spare for you. your eyes are closed as you fall into a bliss. her moans filled your ears every so pleasantly.

she pulls you away from her wrist, knowing that if you get any more you may kill her.

when she sees your face again it is still the same shade she's always adorned. yet, your eyes are different this time. no longer a dark brown, but a light one, almost a shade of gold. it reminds her of egypt.

it reminds her of sekhmet.

your fangs are dripping with her blood.

"my bringer of death!" she shouts out to you. you don't register what she's saying due to the unfamiliar new being you seem to find yourself as.

her lips once again collide with yours. there's a newfound hunger shared between the two of you. something much deeper than anything ever felt before. drolta did not know what it meant to love, you did. yet, somehow this seemed like something so unfamiliar to the both of you. was it lust? or was it something much deeper that transcends both vampire and human?

it didn't matter, as the two of you kissed deeply and passionately in the air above the lake. the sight so beautiful that even the sun not dared to come up in fear of interrupting the moment. for a second, it seemed as if the night would be eternal, just you and drolta suspended in the air for an eternity.

an eternity you were sure to bring, as the vessel for the new messiah.

shuri sighs, "i'm sorry. i tried to be quiet this time."

you sit up, rubbing your eyes, "it's okay, my love. it's not your fault that this baby has made me a light sleeper."

you can feel the smile that's beaming on shuri's face, even if you can't quite see it. shuri was always so excited whenever the baby was mentioned, whenever she thought about the baby, and when even anything baby related came up.

"how is my little panther?" she asks, plopping down on the bed and rubbing your shoulders. a smile spreads across your face.

"she's just fine. kicking up quite the storm though. i think she gets that from you."

"i disagree. you're the one who was kicking me when we were kids because i did not want to play house with you."

you chuckle, "and look where we are now. you should've listened to me."

shuri can't help but laugh either, knowing that she would've gotten you much pregnant sooner if she could've. the tech she designed took close to two years after you both decided you wanted a baby. thanks to the effort of shuri's brain and vibranium the baby would biologically be you and her's entirely.

"she knows you're home. i can feel her reaching out to you." you groan as you feel her moving around inside of you.

shuri's eyes light up. she moves around in front of you, allowing you to see her better.

her head presses up against your stomach as she rubs it. "hello my little panther!" she whispers against your stomach. you can't help but smile.

"this is your mommy, y'know the cooler one."

"shuri!"

"sorry, sorry." shuri chuckles, "i can not wait to meet you and introduce you to everyone, including your uncle t'challa. he's almost as excited as i am! and you'll get to meet your cousins, they are a handful. i already know you will be gifted with my smarts and your mother's beauty. she is the most beautiful woman in all of wakanda after all."

shuri's words melted your heart. you knew she would be a great mother but there was a time where shuri insisted otherwise. times like these know tell you that her thoughts were formed out of being scared to raise a child of her own. however, the fact you were doing it with her calmed her down.

"i think the baby and i are both tired."

"ah, you're right. i'll be quiet next time i promise."

"sure you will shuri."