Page 65 of Playing to Win
“I’m never going to live this down, am I?” Kyle groaned, putting his hands over his face.
“Nope,” Callie said, placing a kiss on Kyle’s cheek. “Now lead me to the food, Dimples, before I get cranky.”
“Man,Kyle, I knew you were full of yourself, but this…man, this takes narcissism to a whole new level.” Jamal was standing on the stoop of Kyle’s condo, holding up one of the shirts Kyle’s family had made, wearing a backwards Thunder hat and big grin on his face.
“I didn’t know that big of a word was in your vocabulary, Jenkins.”
“I just try to throw you off with my bad grammar so you don’t see the genius lurking inside.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, man.”
“Seriously, though, bro. The t-shirts? Come on.”
“Dude, my mom and crazy sisters woke me up this morning with all this stuff. I tried to talk them out of it, but one of my sisters threatened to cut off my hands if I tried to throw anymore stuff away!”
Jamal let out a laugh. “I gotta meet the women in your family, man.”
“Be my guest. But I’m telling you, they’re a lot to handle.”
Jamal rubbed his hands in anticipation. “It’s a’ight. I like a challenge.”
“Well, you’ll be getting it with my sisters, that’s for sure. Hey, Jamal.”
“Yeah, man?”
“You mess with one of my sisters, you’ll have to worry about me cutting off your hands.”
Jamal gave a salute and walked off. Kyle just hoped he knew what he was getting himself into. If he did decide to get involved with a female member of the K-clan, she was definitely going to keep him on his toes.
“Nice party, Kyle.”
“One word about the shirts, Trevin, and I swear I’ll—”
“Hey, man. Wasn’t even going to mention them. But, since you said something first…” Trevin grinned cheekily and elbowed Kyle in the ribs. “Your face, man? Really?”
“Does that even look like something I would come up with, Trev? It was all my mom and my sisters. If I could throw them all in a big, huge bonfire I would, trust me.”
“Don’t do that, man. You can sell ’em on eBay when you win MVP. Those things will go for fifty bucks a pop. Throw in an autograph, too, and those babies will set your kid’s kids up for life.”
“I’d be too embarrassed to admit I had fifty of those things floating around before I was even named MVP. Heck, I doubt I even win it.”
“Are you kiddin’? Kyle, nobody’s put the stats up that you have this year. Plus, with us nearing the NBA championship, you’re a shoo-in.”
Kyle just shrugged his shoulders. He was glad his teammates, family, and friends had such confidence in him. Whether or not he was named MVP at the end of the night, it meant more to him that people believed in him than the trophy did, anyway.
“So, how goes the relationship with your girl, man?”
“Good. She’s…she’s more than good. Man, Trev, I just can’t…I just don’t know…”
“Jeez, she’s got you good, don’t she?”
Kyle looked at his friend for a minute, wondering if he should let him in on what he was feeling. “Yeah, man. She’s got me real good.”
Trevin broke out in a huge grin. “Good for you, man. Now, you got your girl. You’re ’bout to get the MVP award for 2015. All we got to add to it now is a national championship. You think you’re up for it?”
Kyle fist-bumped with his friend. “Totally up for it, Trev.”
“Hey, Kyle, get your skinny tookus over here to this couch and sit down. They’re about to make the announcement!”
