Big Baller : A Hero Club Novel

by Katrina Marie

  The other team steals the ball and I haul ass to the other side of the court, hoping to get there before they score. Doing everything I can to stay in the game. Coach wants to see what I’m capable of…I’m about to make sure he sees me as an asset. Bypassing the guy with the ball, I head straight to the key. That’s my sweet spot. I may not be as tall as some of these guys, but I’m not short either. All I need is for them to pass the ball and I’ll block whoever thinks they’re going to one up me. The point guard passes it to a player behind me and I’m quick to turn around. He sees me and tries for a jump shot. My feet leave the ground and my hands reach out to the empty air above me. For a split second I think I jumped too early, but the ball connects with my hand and I knock it out of bounds.

  As much as I try to keep from looking toward the bench, I can’t help it. His approval means a lot since he’s the one who fought for me to be signed to the team. The coach is clapping and rolling his hand in front of him, signaling “let’s go”. We set up our defense as the opposing team throws the ball in. Jordan steals it and heads back to our side of the court. I’m the first one down the court. These guys may have experience, but I have speed. Training any free moment I had at Hilltown is paying off right now.

  Jordan long passes the ball to me. I dribble the ball. Once. Twice. Three times. The ball is in my hands and I take three long strides before jumping. My arms are up and I bring the ball down. My fingers grip the rim, and I hang for a second before letting go, landing on my toes. The crowd boos and I forget for a second that we aren’t on our home court.

  Five entire minutes have passed since the first dunk of my NBA career and I’m already back on the bench. Hobbs went back in and I was forced to warm the seat I vacated not too long ago. I’m trying not to get mad about it, but I was doing good. There’s no reason I should have been pulled out of the game. Unless…he was trying to teach Hobbs a lesson and show him he’s replaceable. Coaches have done that since I was in high school, and I hated it then. Who knew they did it at this level, too?

  The buzzer at the end of the game sounds throughout the stadium. Fans of the other team began leaving about three minutes ago when they realized they weren’t going to win. My feet haven’t touched the court since Coach pulled me out, but I’ve been paying attention. Watching what the other players do and trying to figure out what I can improve on so I can get more play time.

  The team heads toward the locker room and the coach gives us a speech about how well we played, and I ignore most of it. I failed at picking up a date with the woman on the airplane, and at being able to stay in the game. Even though the team won, I can’t help but feel defeated by the entire day. Once the coach walks out, my teammates and I change clothes. I want nothing more than to go to the hotel room, watch the highlights from the game, and fall asleep. First, I need to call Mom and Gabby. I want to know if they saw me, and what they thought. They love me more than anything, but they aren’t afraid to tell me where I need to brush up my skill.

  To my shock, there’s a message on my phone. I slide my finger across the screen to open it, ninety percent sure it’s a text from Derrick, my college roommate. We’ve done a decent job of staying in touch since I graduated. He wouldn’t have made the team if I was drilling him hard before tryouts.

  The text isn’t from him, though, and I don’t recognize the number.

  Unknown: Hey, it’s Lana. I’m sending a pic of Jolene’s flight schedule for the next couple of weeks. Don’t do anything to screw it up.

  And just like that. My whole day has turned around.

  Six

  Jolene

  “Good morning, Jolene.” Bentley nods his head at me before walking down the aisle and taking a seat next to the window. He doesn’t wait for a response from me. I wonder what that is all about. I knew being on the same flight as him would be inevitable. His team is flying exclusively with our airline. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.

  I eye him warily before turning to the rest of the passengers and welcoming them aboard the plane. This job is easy for the most part, repetitive, but easy. I skipped college and ran off to travel the world the cheapest way I knew how, but I’m getting bored with the same thing every single day. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. I want to settle down somewhere, I just don’t know where to start. I’ve lived in my apartment for over three years and I can’t name any of my neighbors. That’s how rarely I’m home. How am I supposed to figure out my life when my only support system is also a flight attendant who craves adventure?

  “You look like you’re thinking too hard.” Lana bumps me from behind. “You know there aren’t any more passengers coming on board, right?”

  The hall in front of me is empty. “Sorry, it’s a habit waiting for those last few stragglers rushing toward the gate.”

  “You thinking about the hunky basketball player sitting right over there?” She points to the man in question.

  “Not really. Just life in general.”

  “That sounds like way less fun. You should be fantasizing about all the ways you can get him in bed.” She laughs and thrusts her hips like a hormonal teen.

  “Last time I did that, the man dropped me like I was nothing.” I shake my head and sigh. “I’ll do anything to keep from going down that road again.” He made a fool out of me. No, I made a fool out of myself. I knew what kind of man Carter was and I willingly threw myself at him. All hoping to make him settle down with me. I won’t make that mistake again. Bentley has player written all over him, and not in a way that describes his profession. My heart will stay perfectly caged within my chest, thank you very much.

  Lana sighs and places a hand on my arm. “You can’t let one bad experience ruin you for life. No man is worth that. You learn and move on. That’s all you can do.”

  “This is me learning. All that happens when I chase down a man’s attention is heartbreak and tears. I don’t want that.”

  “Then how about you go into new relationships as something fun. No strings. Just out for a good time. If you end up in the sack, great. If you end up as something more, even better. But just go out and do something that doesn’t involve drinking wine at a bar with only me.”

  “But I enjoy drinking with you,” I pout. It’s not a lie. She’s really the only friend I have. It’s hard to make new friends when you’re constantly working. She has the ability to fit in wherever we are and I just can’t do that.

  “I refuse to be your only drinking date.” She points toward the front of the cabin as the pilot’s voice comes over the intercom. “We need to go do our thing. We’ll continue this discussion later.”

  “No, we won’t. You’re working first class again.”

  She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s nice up there. I’ll see you when we get off this plane.” She rushes down the aisle and disappears behind the curtain that separates first class from coach. I used to work that area, but I couldn’t get over the arrogant asshole men that I encountered way too often. The ones who thought they had a right to anything, and everything, they wanted.

  I make my way down my aisle and stop in the middle. I don’t like being the one at the front or back; they are usually the ones that give the whole spiel while making the motions. I’m not about that life right now. The least visible I am…the better. And being in this spot gives me a chance to watch Bentley when he’s not aware.

  The guy that was with him last time isn’t with him today and the poor guy looks like he’s uncomfortable. There’s a little girl sitting next to him and she’s squeezing a stuffed animal close to her chest. He leans down until he’s almost face to face with her. I’m close enough that I can hear the conversation.

  “Is this your first time flying?” His voice is gentle. The little girl nods her head and hugs her bear tighter. “It’ll be okay. This is only my third time, and I’m still nervous. We’ll get through this flight together.”

  The little girl looks up at him, eyes wide, and clearly doesn’t believe anything he’s saying.
Bentley reaches into his backpack and pulls out a package of gum. He looks to the girl’s mom and asks, “Is it okay if I give her this.”

  She smiles and looks down at her daughter. “Of course. My husband is flying into his hometown today from deployment. We wanted to surprise him. I didn’t realize how scared she would be.”

  “It’s okay. My first flight was a few weeks ago, and if it hadn’t been for my friend, I’m sure I would have curled up into a ball.”

  “I’m glad you’re here to help ease her fears. I flew all the time before I had her, and she doesn’t always believe what I say.”

  Bentley laughs. “I had a similar conversation with my friend.” He holds out the pack of gum and offers it to the little girl. “Here you go. If you chew it, your ears won’t pop when we lift off.”

  “Thank you,” she squeaks out as she takes a piece and shoves it into her mouth.

  We’re done with our safety precautions, and the pilot announces for everyone to prepare for takeoff. I won’t lie, what he did for that girl melted my heart just the tiniest bit. I’m sure he doesn’t have any kids. At least, nothing I googled showed that he did. Doing that was probably a terrible idea, but I needed to know more about him. If anything, to prove that my first impression of him was correct. Every image I found of him since he joined the team is with a different girl. That’s not exactly compelling evidence for me to want to consider a date with him. He’s obviously not like that all the time if his interaction with the little girl is any sign.

  The plane starts down the runway and I see Bentley’s body tense and his hands grip the armrest. The child next to him grabs hold of her mom’s hand and squeezes it tight. She looks over at Bentley before setting her bear next to her and places her hand on his arm. My heart is now mush. I quickly make my way to the back of the plane and take my seat until we are in the air. Seeing a softer side to him should not change the way I see him, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. At least a little bit.

  We’ve finally landed, and people are getting off the plane. Those who are seasoned at this are already off and doing whatever it is they came here to do. Bentley is still sitting with the woman and her daughter. I’m sure she’s waiting until there are fewer people since she has to make sure her little one has all of her stuff.

  Bentley and the girl are laughing, and a bar from the cage around my heart disappears. Oh no, that shit needs to go right back where it was. I’m not letting this guy get under my skin. Now that most of the passengers are gone, Bentley and his seatmates can get into the aisle. While the mom is getting her daughter situated, Bentley reaches above them to the bins, and pulls out his suitcase as well as the suitcase for the mom and child.

  Another wall is destroyed. He pulls out his phone and taps something on it. Before showing it to the girl. The mom and child are now heading toward the exit, and the girl is carrying one of our napkins with ink scrawled across it. He must have autographed it for her.

  They near me and they are both beaming. “I hope y’all had a great flight, and hope you have fun while you’re in Chicago.”

  “Thank you. I had no idea athletes flew on regular planes. It looks like my family and I have plans tonight, now.”

  “What do you mean?” It’s weird that they wouldn’t have plans before they got here. Most people have an entire itinerary set out before they leave home.

  “Bentley plays for the visiting team, and he set tickets up for us and my husband, who just got back from deployment, to go to the game tonight.” Her smile is gigantic, and I can tell that it means a lot to her.

  “That’s great. I hope all three of you have a fantastic time at the game tonight.”

  “Thank you.”

  My eyes fall on the man of the hour and he’s now helping an older woman get her luggage from the carry-on bin. This is such a different side of him than I saw when we first met last week. Maybe he’s not as arrogant as he appears. When the woman reaches for her suitcase, he waves her off and tells her to go ahead of him.

  They walk down the aisle, slowly, and finally make it to me. “I hope you both had a great flight.”

  “Thank you, Dear. This is one of my favorite airlines to fly with.” The lady gives me a curt nod and takes a few steps into the hallway.

  “That’s good to hear.”

  Bentley rushes toward her, and asks, “Can you give me just a second I’ll bring your luggage out to you at the gate.” She glances at him and then me before grinning and shuffling along down the hall.

  “When did you become such a hero?” I roll my eyes as he lopes back toward me.

  He stops in his tracks and puts his hands to his heart. “You wound me.”

  “Please,” I laugh. “Don’t act like you weren’t doing that for my benefit.” It’s the only reason I can come up with. What other person is that helpful without getting anything in return?

  “My mom would beat me into next week if I saw someone struggling and didn’t offer to help. I’m not a total asshole.” He leans against the doorway and looks straight into my eyes. “The fact that you saw it is just a bonus. Maybe you’ll go on a date with me.”

  “Bentley,” I sigh and lift my hand to my temple. “I already told you, I don’t date.” How many ways do I have to spell it out for him? Dating leads to heartbreak. I don’t care what Lana says.

  “You know, you can’t let whatever asshole hurt you win. By shutting yourself off, that’s all you’re doing. Believe me, I have experience with it.” A flash of sadness crosses his eyes, and I want to know who hurt him so badly.

  Damn it, Jolene. No, you don’t. His life is none of your concern, even if he has a point. “Look, I have to get this plane cleaned up before the next flight.”

  “Point taken,” he mutters under his breath. “Do you have a pen and piece of paper?”

  I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but I pull both out of my pocket and hand them to him. If he doesn’t leave soon, the next flight will be delayed, and we’ll get bitched at. He scribbles something down and hands both back to me. “What’s this?”

  “My number,” he deadpans. I’m sure he had some other smartass remark to add to it, but decided not to say it. “I’ll be here for the next two days. If you change your mind about the date while I’m here, or any other time, you know how to reach me. The ball is in your court now.” He doesn’t say anything else. He grabs the woman’s suitcase, and his, and walks down the hall without a care in the world.

  A part of me wants to crumple the paper up and toss it in the trash. I almost do, but Lana shows up out of nowhere and stops me. “You’re going to want to keep that.”

  “Why?” Apparently, my best friend hasn’t gotten the no dating memo either. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be hounding me so hard about this.

  “Because you need to date. You need to get over being cast aside. Do it on your terms.” She stares me down, waiting for an argument, but I will let her say her piece. “You hold all the cards and can take a date with him as far as you want. Something out of the ordinary will be good for you, even if you can’t see that now.”

  “When did you turn into such a wise woman about relationships?”

  She laughs as she picks up trash from the seats. “Nobody said anything about a relationship. I’m the queen of casual dating. You just have to figure out what exactly you’re looking for?”

  That’s the problem. I have no idea what I want out of life. I only know that constantly being on the move is no longer it.

  Seven

  Bentley

  Another win for the Austin Rattlers name. I actually had a decent amount of playing time during the game. Much better than the last out-of-town game where I was in a whole two minutes before Coach had pulled me. The only thing that could brighten my day is a text from Jolene. Not that I would know it was her since she didn’t offer her number.

  Jordan walks out of the stadium with me. We go through the back entrance to keep away from cameras. Even though we won, he’s not a big fan of the
spotlight and will always find ways to dip out of interviews if he can help it. “When are you and the Mrs. heading back home?”

  “Tomorrow night. She wants to do some sightseeing before we leave.” He shakes his head and smiles. “I don’t know what’s left for her to see. This isn’t the first time she’s been here.” He looks over his shoulder at me, “What time are you leaving?”

  “Not until Sunday afternoon.”

  “You’re not still chasing that girl, are you?” The car he ordered for us is sitting at the curb, and we climb in. “How many times does she have to tell you she’s not interested?”

  “Until I actually believe it.” I pull my phone out of my pocket, hoping to see a message from her. “You should have seen the way she kept watching me on the flight today. Tell me that doesn’t mean something.”

  “She could be freaked out. Did you tell her how you got her flight schedule?”

  “Of course not. I’m not an idiot.” Seriously, this isn’t my first time trying to get a girl’s attention. Well, not since college, but that was doomed before it even started. “If Lana wants to tell her, she will.”

  “Well, if you don’t hear from your flight attendant, you’re free to join me and Vanessa tomorrow.”

  “I don’t want to be the third wheel.” These two are so in love it’s sickening. I’ve never felt that way about anyone. The only people who hold my heart are my mom and sister, and I intend to keep it that way.

  “You won’t be. If anything, you’ll be someone I can talk to while she goes into the fifteen million small shops that catch her eye.” He grins at me, “Then you can also help me carry her crap everywhere.”