Fuck that.
“Racist asshole on top of being a dick? Nice.”
Tommy laughed. “I’m not a fucking racist, my nanny and most of our staff is black. I like them, it’s just you I don’t like.”
Bingo. So maybe not so long ago. What an asshole.
Teyler made to grab at Tommy then he stopped and smirked when he watched the scared guy flinch. It was too slight for his friends that had gathered around them to see, but Teyler saw it. He saw it because he knew the type of guy Tommy was. A bully. And once you stood up to a bully, they backed down and ran scared. Unless they needed to save face in front of their friends. Teyler smiled to himself as he pictured what fun this would be. “I hear you play ball,” Teyler said, a challenge laced his words.
Tommy and his friends chuckled. One of them snickered. “Play ball? That’s cute. We’re the state fucking champions.”
That just made Teyler smile wider. Oh, how the ones who think they’re so mighty fall so perfectly.
“Great, play me.”
“Play you?” Tommy asked. “What, one on one?”
“Nah, play me. All y’all. Three on one.”
Tommy and the other guys from Falls Village, laughed and slapped their thighs like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.
Colleen quirked her head to the side as a smile began on her lips. “I’ll keep score,” she offered. She didn’t know much about the sport, but she assumed if Teyler would be playing at UConn, he must be pretty good. None of the guys from Falls Village were going to school to play anything. They’d all gotten accepted at their universities of choice by their daddies writing checks to the schools.
“That’s my girl,” Teyler whispered into her ear then added, “Don’t ever let a guy treat you like that. You deserve respect and I’m going to teach these assholes a little right now. I don’t usually say this, but I’m fucking good. They don’t stand a chance.”
Colleen smiled and agreed with a nod. With Teyler next to her, she felt as if she could do anything because he made her feel like something. Something more than a chubby girl who used her body to gain male attention. “Okay. Good,” she said as thoughts of him showing Tommy up made her happy. “Just don’t get hurt.”
Teyler chuckled. “I got this, baby.”
The group made their way toward the court. Tommy and his friends, assuming victory, led the way. Colleen walked next to Teyler, who removed his shirt and handed it to Colleen. “Hold this for me? I don’t want it to get all sweaty.”
The girls gasped as Teyler’s eight-pack abs and rounded pecs came into view; his obsession worthy arms, broad shoulders and man V, almost made them lose their footing. Colleen wanted to say she wasn’t one of them behaving in such a manner, but she’d be lying. It had only been a few hours since she’d last seen his bare torso and she missed it, couldn’t get enough now as she allowed her eyes to drink him in.
Stretching to warm up, Tommy assigned one of the guys as referee of the game. Teyler knew that meant it would be impossible to avoid getting the shit fouled out of him or to get a call. He also knew it would only make the win that much sweeter.
Teyler has been playing street ball since he learned how to walk. He could remember his father taking him to the courts in the cities where he played and sitting back to watch his son. Leroy Walker never said anything. He sat back and watched the older players beat Teyler. They’d knock him down, steal the ball, and hand him his ass all while his father sat in a lawn chair like a regular Joe shooting the shit with the neighborhood guys. After every game, Leroy would sign autographs and hand out T-shirts or whatever team apparel he brought for the neighborhood kids that didn’t have as much as Teyler was being raised with. Teyler grew up, probably with as much money as Tommy and his cronies, but Teyler was taught to appreciate everything he had and give back to those who didn’t. So, pretty much not be a rich douche with a silver spoon lodged up his tight ass.
As Teyler got older, those games became more fun because he started winning. They also became one of his favorite things to do. Sure, he loved the National AAU tournaments, but playing on a shitty outside court in a rundown hood, that was where the guys played with heart. So, Teyler wasn’t worried about this game as he smiled at Colleen and her friends.
“Who’s the black guy?” one of the girls from Colleen’s class asked.
Colleen scolded her, “African American. Jesus, have some respect. We don’t live under a rock, I know it’s small-town Maine, but please.”
“Should we even be talking about this?” Diana asked.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about this,” Kim agreed.
Colleen rolled her eyes then smiled when hers locked with Teyler’s. “Be quiet. I need to concentrate on keeping score. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”
“I can’t concentrate on anything but him. Jesus, we’ve really been missing out in this damn small town, huh? Is that how they’re made other places, because if so, I can’t wait to leave for school.”
Colleen paid her friends little to no attention as she watched the start of the game.
It begins at the top of the key with Tommy announcing, “Check” to ensure they’re ready to begin while passing the ball to Teyler as hard as he can. Teyler, who then passed it back to start, smirked at Tommy’s attempt at intimidation.
Bro, please.
Tommy then returned Teyler’s smirk as he inbounded the ball to Lincoln, his point guard, with the self-assigned nickname of “Three-steps” because he can stick his three-point shots from three steps behind the line. “Let’s see what you’ve got, man,” he taunted Teyler, thinking he had actually tried to deny Lincoln the ball. He hadn’t, but only Teyler knew that…now. The group watching was about to find out the same thing.
But for now, Teyler laughed to himself and sent a flirty wink in Colleen’s direction. It would have been way too easy to have denied the kid, stolen the ball, and scored. But he wanted to have a little fun before these douche bags caught on to their destiny. So, instead of swiping the ball away, he bent his knees, stretched out one of his long arms, and kept his eye on the ball.
Tommy, seeing Teyler in the defensive stance, got his first flutter in his stomach that he might be legit on the court and that this game might not end well. But who could play three on one and win? And not play just any old three players, Tommy and his friends had won the state championship. They’d win this pickup game too, right?
But as Tommy watched Lincoln airball his first attempt at a three-point shot, because someone had obviously taught Teyler the importance of playing defense, a skill his coach never cared much about, his trepidation grew stronger. The coach at The Maritime Academy values offensive players, shooters like Lincoln, while putting the importance of defense on the back burner. It worked for their team, so their coach didn’t see a reason to change. Tommy and his friends hadn’t either. Until now.
Now, with the ball in his hand, Teyler questioned what he should do. He could easily break any of their ankles, laugh when they tumbled to the ground, dribble around the other two and slam dunk the ball. That’s something no one ever expected from him. Because, sure, he’s tall by real-life standards, on the court, he’s average height at best. But Teyler can jump and dunk on the best of them. This would be a piece of cake.