Page 13 of The Only Shot that Mattered

Kenna did without question, feeling like a child who couldn’t take care of herself. Jendaya took great care to clean Kenna’s face. The towel felt heavenly and seemed to soothe Kenna’s soul. Her breathing and sniffling calmed, and Jendaya smiled. “You’re so pretty. I thought you had makeup on, but there’s not a lick on your face.”

Kenna didn’t know how to take the compliment. She never did. She gave Jendaya an awkward smile before finding it in her to speak. “You’re pretty too. You look like Zendaya.”

Jendaya barked out a laugh, startling Kenna, but she managed to maintain her cool. “If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I would be richer than Damien.”

Kenna looked at the floor while Jendaya stepped back. Finally, Kenna mustered up the courage to ask, “Are you his girlfriend?”

When Jendaya chuckled, it sounded warm and from the soul. “No, girl. I mean, we have a child together, but no. I’m married to someone else, and happily, at that.”

Kenna looked at her with her brows pulled together. “You guys are… friends, then?”

“Best friends.” Jendaya leaned against the sink and hung the towel on the edge of it. “We have been for a long time. We tried to date after he was drafted, but it didn’t work out. The best thing that came from that was our daughter.”

For some reason, relief flooded Kenna. “How old is your daughter?”

Jendaya smiled wistfully. “She’s thirteen and the biggest pain in my ass, but I love her with everything in me.”

“You sound like my mom,” Kenna commented, and she noted that when she gave a light chuckle, it felt good. The panic attack was passing, thank God.

“You must have given her hell.”

Kenna shrugged. “I think I was a pretty good kid. Cam got me into a lot of trouble… before…” Her words trailed off as she wondered how much she wanted to share. She never opened up about that part of her life, but she felt like she owed some kind of explanation. “Me and Cam are survivors of the Bairwood High shooting.”

Jendaya gasped. “Oh shit. No wonder you’re having a damn panic attack.” She grabbed Kenna’s hand as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and Kenna let her like it was the most normal thing in the world. “Only like twenty people survived that, right? My God.”

“Twenty-three out of six hundred and forty seven. Some were shot before he set off the bomb…”

“I’m so so sorry.”

Kenna looked up at Jendaya and saw how genuine she was. She relaxed slightly and nodded. “I appreciate that. I should really go check on Cam.”

Kenna stood, but Jendaya stopped her. “I’ll give you a moment alone, okay? I’ll wait just outside so you don’t get lost in this big ass house. Take a moment, I insist.” And then she hesitated slightly before saying, “This might be the wrong time to say this, but Damien likes you. He never brings strangers to his home.”

Kenna shook her head. “Oh no… He brought us here because it made the most sense. It doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

Jendaya snorted and gave Kenna’s hand a squeeze before twisting the knob on the door. “He’s been doing these meet and greets all season, and there are disturbances often after the games. Drunk and rowdy fans… this isn’t new. He’s never brought any of his previous meet and greet fans to his home, I guarantee you that, but hey… what do I know? I’m just the baby mama.”

She winked and then walked out of the bathroom, leaving Kenna to her racing thoughts.

Damien ushered Cam,Annalise, and Alanzo into the family room and watched in amusement as Alanzo brimmed with excitement. He kept tugging on Annalise’s arm and looking around with wide eyes.

“I’ll make sure you all get home or to your cars. I’m sorry for kidnapping y’all.” Damien chuckled.

“We took the bus, so it’s fine,” Annalise said as she sat down on the buttery leather couch.

“We Uber’d,” Cam muttered.

Damien noticed that his bubbly personality had fizzled out slightly, and he opened his mouth to ask if he was okay, but Annalise spoke first.

“What happened back there?”

Damien focused on her. “Crazy fans is all. It happens a lot after the games. Rumors spread about weapons or fights and it’s procedure for the players to vacate the building during those instances, just in case.”

Cam stiffened and looked like he was about to fall out. Damien put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to sit?”

Cam nodded as if he was in a daze and sat down slowly across from Annalise and Alanzo in an oversized chair. All eyes were on him, and when he noticed, he offered a small smile. “Sorry,” he whispered. “Kenna doesn’t really do well with big crowds. It’s my fault she freaked out. I forced her to come today.”

Annalise peered at him and then gently spoke. “It seems you aren’t doing all that well yourself, baby.”

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