The PreGame Ritual (Lynstone University Book 1)

by Warren, Alexandra

  He took a few steps closer, invading all of my personal space to ask, “Well did you like your findings from that...accident?”

  “And that’s a wrap. Nice job you two.” I rushed off the set knowing Miles would be right on my toes, probably looking for an answer that I had no plans in giving him.

  I mean what was I really suppose to say?

  “Hell yeah, I liked my findings and I’m gonna ride those findings until no one can find them.”

  “Ava, hold up. Why are you runnin’ from me?”

  I kept my swift pace as I replied, “I’m not running.”

  “Jogging, power-walking, whatever you wanna call it. You’re tryna get away for no reason. I’m just fuckin’ with you, ma.”

  I didn’t stop my stride to throw over my shoulder, “Obviously.”

  “So why are you buggin’ like this? Can’t take a joke?” Of course, I could take a joke. The problem was that my body didn’t want it to be a joke.

  Like...not even a little bit.

  I finally stopped and turned to him, giving him my full attention, “I’m not buggin’.”

  “Well tell me exactly what you are doing then?”

  “I’m…I’m…,” what the hell am I doing again? Oh yeah! “I’m going to get my stuff so I can go home.”

  He reached down to grab my wrist, pulling me closer as he asked, “Can I come?”

  Oh little boy, you do not want those problems.

  “Matter of fact, yeah you can. I’m sure my little sister Avery would love to meet you.”

  Yes, Ava!

  Remind yourself why you can’t be with his fine ass!

  He took a step back, offended as he replied, “Wow. You’re gonna try to pawn me off on your little sister?” It was pathetic that using her was the only thing I could come up with as a way to get him to back up; as if I really wanted him to back up.

  “She’s probably more your type. I’ll see you later.” I strolled into the girl’s locker room knowing that was the one place he couldn’t follow me.

  miles.

  I had lost my appetite.

  Sitting in the cafeteria designated for athletes and seeing Ava from afar, looking all giddy while having lunch with my teammate Darrell literally made me sick to my stomach.

  If she would’ve told me she and Darrell had something going on, I would’ve definitely fell back, but it had never seemed that way until now. I watched as she threw her head back in laughter from what was sure to be a corny ass joke. Darrell was just a cornball brotha period. He was team captain but only a halfway decent baller in my opinion. The media had a bad habit of comparing us since we played the same position and since they always chose me over him, I already knew he had a little beef with me though I was sure he would never admit it.

  Truth be told, there was no doubt in my mind that I would take his starting point.

  And now it looked as though I would be taking his girl too.

  I grabbed the tray of food I had only picked over, getting rid of it before I headed their way. The second I approached their table, Ava peeked up and gave me her little version of a death stare.

  “Yo Ava, what’s up? I didn’t know you and Darrell knew each other.”

  “Of course we know each other, Miles. We’re both seniors. We’ve practically grown up together,” Darrell replied with a little cornball ass chuckle like I had posed the statement to him and not the redhead sitting across from him.

  “Right.” I turned my body to Ava so that I could make it clear who I was talking to, “Hey ma, can I talk to you for a minute? I’ll make it quick.”

  “Ummm...we’re kinda in the middle of a conversation, Miles.”

  I had a strong feeling nothing about their conversation was that important so I remained persistent. “Two minutes. Please.” She rolled her eyes before she excused herself from the table and followed me outside of the cafeteria.

  “Now what do you want?”

  Beating around the bush wasn’t really my thing so I came straight out with it. “Why didn’t you tell me you and Darrell were kickin’ it? If I would’ve known that, I would’ve never came at you like that, beautiful.”

  She let out an annoyed sigh, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head to the side. “First of all, I doubt that. Second of all, maybe I didn’t tell you we were ‘kickin’ it’ because we’re not.”

  I shrugged, not fully believing her little spill. “Sure looks like it to me.”

  “Darrell and I are cool by default. I was eating alone and he...wait a minute, why am I explaining myself to you?”

  I could only smile, way too happy that she realized it before I could point it out. It could only be natural for her to start explaining herself if she was feelin’ me; if she cared about what I thought. Instead of taunting her for it like I should’ve done, I gently grabbed her hand, giving it a little swing before I let her know, “Your guess is as good as mine, ma. But now that you’ve cleared things up, just know I got next.”

  ←&→

  College day life was already the shit.

  But being introduced to college night life took my experience to the next level. I initially assumed there wouldn’t be a lot I could do since I wasn’t twenty-one, but off-campus house parties opened up a whole new can of worms.

  I had attended my share of house parties back in high school, but they were nothing compared to what I walked into with Cam. I could already tell he lived for this shit, while I on the other hand, preferred to be a little more observant before I just went balls to the wall. We walked through the crowd with Cam stoppin’ to dap up just about everybody we passed until we made it to the kitchen that was a little less crowded. Cam grabbed a drink for himself and handed one to me. I took a short sip and could immediately tell the alcohol to juice ratio was way off so I would have to take it slow if I wanted to last the whole night.

  “Mmm, you see who just walked in?” I looked to the door and saw a girl that surprisingly looked a little like Ava but was a few shades darker and missing the red hair.

  “Who’s that?”

  Cam wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in to answer, “That would be Avery, Ava’s little sister.”

  Wait a minute.

  That’s who Ava was tryna hook me up with?

  I mean the girl was cute for sure but looked a little too high maintenance to be anywhere near my type. She must’ve made eye contact with Cam because she was already headed our way by the time I finished my second sip.

  “Cam baby, what’s up? How you been?”

  She gave Cam a hug with a lengthy little squeeze that I was sure he was just relishing in before he replied, “I’ve been good, Avery. And you?”

  “Oh, you know I’ve been amazing. Always always amazing. Now don’t be rude. Introduce me to your friend.”

  Or don’t.

  “This is my boy, Miles. Miles, this is Avery.” She gave me a non-discrete onceover that told me everything I needed to know about her.

  She was out here.

  Which was fine, that was her business, but I wanted no parts of it.

  “Nice to meet you, Avery.”

  “Even better to meet you, Miles. I hear you’re gonna take the team to the championship. Is that true?” She batted her eyelashes at me like I gave a damn about them fake shits.

  “Possibly.”

  “Well I’ll be front row at every game to cheer you on, baby. Don’t let me down.” I gave her the most pleasant nod I could come up with before she blew Cam a kiss and switched her ass away from us.

  Cam watched every step intently before he finally spoke up, “Got damn, she is bad.”

  I took a nonchalant sip of my drink then corrected him, “She’s aiight.”

  “Bruh, you must be blind or somethin’. Avery is easily the baddest chick on campus.” Avery had all the right attributes that could make her into the baddest chick on campus. Long hair, big tits, nice lips, decent ass, good shape, flawless skin. But in my opinion, her sister wore al
l that shit better.

  “I mean I guess if that’s what you’re into.”

  “Whatever, freshman.”

  We made our rounds through the party a few times before we settled against a wall. The vibe was cool and all, but I couldn’t help wondering how Ava was spending her Saturday night. Probably playing ball, or watching film, or...

  Maybe she was with another guy.

  Nah, fuck that.

  I pulled out my phone and decided to shoot her a text, hoping it would mess up any mood she could’ve been setting with whoever dude was.

  What’s up, ma? -Miles

  I was staring at my phone waiting for her reply when I was distracted by a pleasant, now kinda familiar voice nearby. Her words were coming out a little slurred and since she wasn’t exactly talking to me, I had trouble picking up everything she was saying.

  “Cam babyyy, can youuu...home? I can’t possiblyyy...like this.”

  “Avery quit bein’ a drama queen. You’re good.”

  “Noooo I’m...takeee me.”

  “You better ask Miles or somethin’. Matter of fact, he stays that way anyway so he can definitely take you.”

  Hold up, what?

  There was a little tap on my shoulder and I turned to Avery’s pleading eyes. “Miles, can you pleaseee give me a ride home? I had too much to drinkkk and it wouldn’t be safe for me to be behind the wheel.” She fell into me the second she finished her sentence so I knew she was definitely in bad shape, but I was still trying to figure out how the fuck I got put into it.

  I hardly even knew the girl and now I was just supposed to give her a ride home?

  I mean, it wasn’t my fault she chose to get fucked up.

  “Can’t do it, Avery. Sorry.”

  “Come on, Miles. She doesn’t live too far from you for real. And you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if she did actually crash her whip.” Leave it to Cam to guilt trip me into some shit.

  “Where do you stay at, Avery?”

  “Four blocks from campus.” I couldn’t help noticing how coherent her reply came out. Considering I lived on campus and the party wasn’t far from campus, it really wasn’t that big of an inconvenience to drop her off. And maybe I’d be able to catch a glimpse of Ava since they lived together.

  “Fine. I’ll take you.”

  ava.

  I wasn’t responding.

  Not because I didn’t want to but because I didn’t wanna get his hopes up.

  There was no way in hell I was gonna date a guy younger than me; simple as that. I didn’t know why it bothered me so much, but it did and I wasn’t going back on it no matter how good he looked or how his voice seemed to caress my skin, or how my heart was still racing from the fact that he had text me yet again.

  Do I sound as ridiculous as I feel?

  I turned to ESPN, hoping to catch a glimpse of the highlights from my dream baller bae Russell Westbrook’s game. Whenever people described how I played, they always said it resembled how he did which was definitely a compliment in my book. He was explosive, he had hops, his athleticism literally went unmatched and I had a strong feeling that all probably translated to other facets of his life. They were just getting ready to scroll to his picture in the line-up when there was a knock on the door.

  It was late so it scared me more than anything, especially since Avery - the only person who belonged here - had a key. I grabbed my keychain that had a can of pepper spray attached before I headed to the door. I took a deep breath as I cautiously cracked it open to a sight I was far from ready for.

  Avery...and Miles?

  Avery hit me with her fake drunk smile before she said, “Heyyyy sis. Sorry if I woke you but I couldn’t find my key. Or did you take it from me, Milesy?”

  Milesy?

  What the hell is that all about?

  I looked to Miles for answers and he appeared to be just as confused as I was.

  “Why would I take your keys, Avery?”

  “Maybe to solidify a chance of seeing me later. Trust me, I’ve had guys do much crazier things,” she replied with a flirty little wink before she finally brought her not really that drunk ass into the apartment. There was a stiff silence between Miles and I, neither of us really knowing how to proceed. I wanted to be mad but I couldn’t be because if I was mad that only meant I cared and I had no business caring about the likes of Miles.

  “Well… I see you found her after all.”

  He immediately got defensive. “It’s not even like that, Ava. I just wanted to make sure she got home safely.”

  “I’m sure it was the least you could do after what you probably got from her.” It was no secret to me that Avery had quite the sexual track record. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Miles took advantage of that fact. Hell, what man wouldn’t?

  “Got from her? I didn’t get anything from that girl. Not because she didn’t offer but because I didn’t want it, ma.”

  Damn if that two letter title doesn’t make my heart flutter every time.

  “No reason to lie about it, Miles. I know how she is and can pretty much assume how you are. Match made in heaven.”

  He gave a little laugh, taking a step closer before he said in a low tone, “You really think you know it all, don’t you?” He was so close that I had to look up to find his eyes. I was deemed tall for a girl at five foot nine but Miles still had me beat by at least six inches.

  With a challenging look, I quickly corrected him, “I don’t think I know it all, I know I know it all.”

  “Well tell me something, what do you know about this?” I didn’t recognize what he was talking about until he bent his head and pressed his lips to mine sending all types of hallelujahs through my limbs.

  It was a simple kiss.

  A perfect first kiss.

  A... what the hell am I talking about?

  He stepped back, wiping his lips of my lip gloss with a smile before he said, “Goodnight Ava.”

  ←&→

  My lips tingled for a week straight.

  Anytime I licked them, moisturized them, put them to a bottle of Gatorade, I was reminded of the kiss.

  I had kissed on plenty of occasions, but none of them - literally not one - ever made me see stars the way that basic ass kiss did. And the fact that he just strolled away all casually like it was no big deal left me extremely flustered. I mean, who did he think he was showing up at my apartment door all late at night with my sister and then leaving with a kiss from me?

  We were supposed to be playing pick-up ball today, but suddenly nothing looked right. Every t-shirt I put on fit weird. Every ponytail I put my hair in didn’t sit right on my head. And I couldn’t find a pair of crew socks that actually matched for the life of me.

  Girl, you gotta chill.

  Why was I really so fazed by a little kiss from a little ass boy?

  Probably because he wasn’t a little ass boy.

  From the chisel in his jawline down to the little hint of a goatee, he was far from boyish in looks but that age…that teen ass age.

  Ugh.

  I reminded myself that it was my decision not to go there with him, settling with whatever I already had on - mismatched socks included - and headed out of the door. The court was only a few blocks away so I opted to walk instead of drive, giving me a moment to calm my nerves about seeing him, but more importantly psyche myself out of the fact that he could pretty much get it by this point.

  That’s gotta be the drought talkin’.

  When I made it to the court, there were already a few other guys there so naturally I gravitated towards them instead of Miles who was sitting alone adjusting his ankle brace. They all gave their what’s-up but mostly ignored me, too engaged in the conversation they were already having when I walked up. I sat on the ground, changing out of my walking shoes to my basketball shoes, before I got up to do a little warm-up. I could literally feel him watching me as I shot a few close-rang jump shots just to get my form right. I tried my best to focus on shooting t
he basketball, but his gaze felt so heavy against my back that I had to turn around.

  And boy did I regret doing that.

  He flashed that amazing smile at me, like he just knew he was the shit, before giving me a wink. I quickly turned back around and tried to resume shooting but my limbs literally felt weaker causing me to air ball. I heard him chuckle and turned around to give him the stink-eye but again...mistake.

  He’s so damn cute.

  My second look caused him to head my way, the absolute last thing I needed to be happening right now. But since I couldn’t let him know that, I took a deep breath and faced him straight up.

  “What’s up with the air ball, ma? That’s so unlike you,” he said with a laugh, as he took the ball from me and dribbled from hand-to-hand.

  “Everybody makes mistakes. Kinda like the one I made when I let you kiss me.”

  He picked up the ball, putting it to his side. “Ava, who do you think you’re foolin’? You couldn’t even say what’s up to ya boy cause you were still thinking about that shit. Don’t worry though, I’ve been thinking about it too. Well, thinking about how much I wanna do it again...and again...and again.” I rolled my eyes, snatching the ball from him the way he had taken it from me, eliciting a laugh. “It’s cool though, Ava. I’ll wait. Whenever you’re ready sweetheart, just say the word.”

  I mimicked his hand-to-hand dribbling as I expressed, “We don’t even speak the same language, Miles.”

  “I gotta disagree with that one, ma. I mean...I love basketball. You love basketball. I love pretty girls with attitudes. What are you? A pretty girl with an attitude. I love big titties. You have big titties. What’d you call it? A match made in heaven?” I literally mushed his face, unable to hold back my laugh.

  “What the hell ever, dude. I came to play basketball, not to be harassed.”

  He tugged at my basketball shorts, causing me to stumble back as he said, “Oh, I’ll harass you alright.”

  “Miles!” I shrieked, accidentally causing a scene in front of all the boys. I didn’t want them to mistake me for being the girl trying to get chose by hanging around all guys but I also couldn’t help the natural flirtation that came with being around Miles no matter how much I tried to fight it.