Nessa drops back into her seat again and crosses her arms over her chest, her cheeks flaming bright red. “Fuck off and go start this game already.”
Slade howls with laughter as he gets his ass back to his court and within the next three minutes, the most exciting game of high school basketball plays out before me.
Slade dominates just as I knew he would with Damian and Blake reading his every move. The three of them work like a well-oiled machine, making it look as easy as waking up in the morning.
The opposition is great. They’re nearly as good as my boys but when it comes down to it, no one can beat the Mambas.
Blake runs up the court with the ball, dodging the opposition like a pro. He weaves in and out, always in tune with what he’s doing, always knowing where his teammates are. Getting backed into a corner, he passes to Slade who instantly passes to Damian. The ball is like a hot coal, no one daring to hold it for a second longer than necessary.
The boys cut in front of us and Damian stops by the side of the court. He’s so close, I could reach out and pull his baggy shorts down. He goes to pass the ball back to Blake but when one of the opposition throws himself high in the air to block the pass, Damian changes course and throws it back to Slade.
The guy comes down on Damian, his weight pulling him down. My eyes widen in horror as Nessa sucks in a sharp gasp.
We’re fucked.
They come hurtling toward us at a speed neither of us is ready for. I go to scream and within the blink of an eye, Nessa throws herself in front of me just as the boys come crashing into us. Their momentum has them scooping up Nessa and slamming into my chest, their weight coming down heavy on my leg.
I scream in agony, the tears instantly springing from my eyes. “FUCK,” Nessa screams. “GET OFF HER.”
Damian is quick to move as someone grabs the opposition and tears him off me, sending him flying halfway across the court. Nessa scrambles wide-eyed and Blake barges his way through the players, desperate to get to me. Damian looks as though he’s about to be sick and I briefly wonder what the fuck happened to Slade when Blake demands my attention.
“Are you okay? Is it hurting? Fuck, Sky.”
My jaw clenches as I try my hardest not to break in front of all these people. My leg aches and as I clutch down on it, trying to ease the pain as I feel a small bit of blood seeping through my jeans. I’m not going to lie, while I may be in absolute agony, it’s nothing compared to when it first happened.
“I’m fine,” I say, trying to control my breathing and telling myself that if I can make it through the crash, then I can make it through this. “I’m fine.”
Blake sighs, not believing me for one second. “Sky. You’re not fine.”
“Really,” I insist, turning my gaze to Damian who watches me like a lost puppy and knowing exactly what’s running through his head right now. “We’re good. It could have happened to anybody. That guy didn’t know there was a basket-case sitting on the sidelines. This is not your fault.”
“I never should have brought you here.”
Blake scoffs in agreement.
“Don’t,” I demand. “I wanted to come and I’m still happy that I’m here. Now, man the fuck up and go win me that game.”
Damian starts rising to his feet. “Are you sure?”
“Sure enough to still kick your ass if you don’t hurry up and move.”
He nods and then finally looks away, prompting the others around us to start scattering away and minding their own business. Damian looks down at Nessa who’s still down on the court, rubbing at her thigh. He bends down and brings her to her feet, keeping his eyes locked on her, completely capturing her whole attention. “Are you alright?” he murmurs low.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve suffered through worse than this,” she whispers, indicating to the burn mark on her forearm. We all suck in a breath. That’s got to hurt.
“You saved Sky from getting completely fucked-up.”
Nessa shrugs and glances back down at me. “It’s nothing you, Slade or Blake wouldn’t have done.”
“True,” he grins before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you.”
Her cheeks flush and as he turns around, she drops down beside me and holds up a hand. “Shut up. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Hear what?”
“How you think Damian and I should be making babies. It’s never going to happen.”
“How do you know I’m not trying to say thank you for throwing yourself in front of me?”
“Because you’re Skylah Daniels.”
I grin. She knows me well. “If you’re all about throwing yourself in front of me, where the hell were you when I was getting shot? I could have really used you then, you know?”