Page 30 of His Starr Player

“Marnajah—”

“I’m sorry, Mama. Blame Marcus’s peanut head for making me cuss.” Marnajah kissed Mama’s cheek.

“I can’t wait to watch your film during my workout later this week. Expect some pointers,” I explained.

“I appreciate you.” Nay hugged me before she talked to Dad. He was also serious about her game. He complimented her on several plays but also gave her his fatherly advice.

“Hey, you,” Ava greeted me.

“Hey. You’re balling hard out there,” I complimented her.

“Thanks. It’s such a natural high being on the court. I will not lie; I was giving more tonight because you’re courtside.”

I smirked. “Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm.”

I placed my hands on her waist and pulled her close. Sweaty and all, she wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned close. She puckered her lips. My tongue slid across my lips before I pressed mine against hers. In the moment, I felt like the king of the mothafuckin world. Kissing Ava Starr while I sat courtside at the season opener. God was really on my side.

When our lips parted, flashes erupted around us. Ava leaned close and whispered in my ear, “I didn’t post you, but the whole world is about to know you’re mine.”

I thought back to our bet at the cabin. It was a cute and harmless bet that I followed through on. It was almost as if she’d planned on doing this to begin with. Pop out with me at one of the games to get the most attention.

“You’re not slick.”

She grinned and pecked my lips a few more times. “I have to get to the back to speak with the team, but meet me at the post-game interview area. I’m sure they’re going to ask about you.”

“I got you.”

I kissed her again and watched her jog to the locker room. My mind ran a mile a minute. I had a decent following and went viral every couple of weeks, but this would be a different type of viral. I was grateful for my media training.

Ava Starr was mine.

My heartbeat resembledthat of a college drum line. The adrenaline coursed through my veins as I dribbled down the court. I stood at the top of the arch and looked around for Kimberly. She had two defenders on her. I looked to the right and saw Cinnamon with a defender on her. If Kimberly had two defenders on her, someone had to be open.

“Rotate,” I instructed as I took a step back and dribbled behind my back.

Ashley and Marnajah rotated, which resulted in Ashley having the open. I passed the ball to her; she passed the ball to Marnajah, and Marnajah passed the ball to Cinnamon. Once Cinnamon got the ball, she drove it to the basket for a smooth off the fingertip layup.

We had calculated plays all game. I was a beast on offense and a beast on defense. Inside the paint, I locked up the girl I guarded. Leslie Ortego. Leslie was mad she’d gotten ten of her twelve shots blocked or stolen by me. I could see the anger and frustration in her eyes.

“Come on, Ortego. Don’t let me see that frustration or I’m going to really start clowning your ass,” I taunted.

“Shut up, bitch.” She growled as she tried to do a step back move. Unfortunately, her movements were predictable. As she stepped back, I stole the ball and launched it back down the court. Najah was exactly where I knew she would be to take the ball to the basket. She did an effortless layup. The shot brought our score to seventy-nine, while the other team had sixty-one. We had a strong eighteen-point lead, and I prayed we kept the momentum until the final buzzer.

Leslie swore aloud. The referee blew her whistle to start a substitution. Their coach subbed Leslie out for Brenda Jones. Brenda was a big woman. She was six feet and six inches in height with a good 210 pounds on her. She was terrible with getting points, but her defense was immaculate. I’d studied her for moments like this.

“You might could get them shots off on Leslie, but I’m not letting you make shit else.” Brenda cracked her knuckles as she stepped up to me.

“Luckily for me, I don’t have to be the highest scorer on my team. If I don’t have a shot, I’m passing that shit. Your big ass ain’t fast enough to steal any of the passes I’m throwing.” I smirked as she glared at me.

As predicted, all my passes still increased my stats. I had ten assists in the fourth quarter alone by the time the final buzzer rang.

“Let’s go, Vipers! That’s how the fuck you get the dub.” I clapped my hands as we all celebrated our first win of theseason. Like professionals, we spoke to the other team. During that, I kept it respectful with Leslie, who ignored my handshake. I smirked, though. She’d be trending for her nasty attitude.

One of the sports reporters came over to me as I grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off my face. She smiled brightly at me as she held the microphone up to me.

“It’s Jana Givings here withthee Ava Starr.Ava, you had an amazing first game. Your stats are unrivaled. Twenty-six points, twelve rebounds, and sixteen assists. Congratulations on your triple double. Despite the unorthodox pregame drama that occurred, you came onto this court and left no crumbs. How were you able to lock in tonight?” she asked.

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