Page 49 of Hood Legacy

* * *

“Move your feet!” our couch, Diara yelled from the sideline. I looked to my left to see Mercy in position with a mug on her face. I could tell she was in her zone, and I gave her a single nod, and she returned it. “Legacy! You’re the leader; why are you in the back?”

“I’m in the middle,” I said, putting my hands on my head to help my breathing. “I can see everything better from here.”

“Explain,” Diara said. She was trying to hold back her smirk, but I could see her eyes starting to dance. “Tell me what you see.”

“The court.” I dropped my hands to my side and looked around. “I know if we break out into a sprint, Mercy will get there first because of where she is positioned.”

“What about Vine?” she said, pointing to the newly acquired shooting guard. “Where will she go?”

“To the left corner,” I answered, and Vine nodded as she crossed her arms. She’d been picked up while the arena was closed, and I was with Aceyn. Vine led the league in made three-pointers and had an eighty-six percent scoring average. She was calculated with her shooting and didn’t just take wild shots.

“What about Helix?” Diara asked.

“Lix is going to trail,” I replied. “She’s quicker than all of us, and if by chance we have a turnover, Lix can pick up the defense.”

“And Archer?”

“Archer is going to crash the boards with Mercy,” I laughed. “She’s not going to wait for any of us, but at the same time, she’s watching the entire court to see where she can slide into.”

“Let’s see it in action, then,” Diara said, throwing me the ball. “Lead this team, Legacy. It’s the reason we brought you here. Yeah, you have chemistry with Mercy, it's obvious, but now you have to prove that you’re a leader and can control the court, which I know you can do.”

I caught the ball and then dribbled it between my legs. The second string sat down, and the men’s practice squad stepped onto the court. The Queens was one of the few teams that practiced against the G-league men’s team connected to our city. When I asked about it, Pyrite explained that he needed us to fight, hustle, and move better than any other team in the league, and he knew that playing against men would give us that extra push we needed.

“Four quarters, ten minutes long, regulated,” Diara explained, and I nodded.

We huddled, and I wiped my hand over my face. We’d been practicing for the last three hours, and even though we were worn out, I felt our energy shift. We were excited and it showed by the way we could barely keep still.

“We aren’t going to try and out-muscle them,” I started. “They are bigger, and we are tired. We have to move smarter.”

“Outrun them?” Mercy suggested, and I shook my head.

“We are going to be running off fumes by the second quarter,” I said, then looked over Mercy’s shoulder to see Diara watching us. “Which I think she wants.”

“So, what do you want to do?” Lix asked. “Because however you want to run, it is cool with me. I came to win a championship, and I’m never too humble to admit that I knew coming to play with y’all would get me that.”

“We’re going to do what we do best,” I said, nodding. “I spent the off-season studying y’all as my opponents, so I know your weak spots.”

“Get the fuck outta here,” Archer laughed. The skepticism on her face was apparent. “The rumors are true?”

“I wish she was joking,” Mercy said, shaking her head. “She’s not, though. So, either follow her lead or step off the court.”

“Nah, I’m here,” she replied. “What I mean is, there were rumors that you did that; I just didn’t believe it.” She turned to look at me. “You studied us?” I nodded, and she smiled. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

“Play to your strength. Your defense is top-notch; move whoever you defend into a corner and keep them there.” I turned to Vine. “Shoot the ball and don’t think about it. Don’t doubt it. I know they had you doubting yourself on The Maze, but we aren’t them. I trust your IQ.”

“Bet,” Vine said, nodding.

We broke from the huddle, and Mercy threw her arm over my shoulder. “You know you can show out now, right?”

“I know,” I said, dropping my goggles to cover my eyes. “And I plan to.”

“Fuck yeah!” she laughed, then moved her arm. We dapped each other, ensuring we flashed our tattoos before getting into position.

“Show the fuck out, Point Guard!” I heard from behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Aceyn. He clapped and laughed. “Play the fucking game, baby!”

* * *

---