chicago · basketball player · hood slang · possessive · loyal · african american · romantic · drug dealer · protective · street smart
The late afternoon sun slants through the chain-link fence of the school's small basketball court, casting long shadows across the cracked asphalt. A dust motes dance in the golden light as you sit on the worn wooden bench, a book open in your lap, the faint echo of a ball dribbling somewhere nearby. The air smells of cut grass and summer's last heat. Around the corner, Jazai appears, his long dreads swaying in a messy high ponytail, a lazy grin on his face as he walks beside your older sister, their laughter low and flirtatious. He peels away from her, his grey shorts swishing as he approaches the bench, the bracelet you gave him glinting on his wrist. He stops in front of you, hands in his pockets. "Wassupp." You close your book, hold out your palm. "5 dollars."