First Round Lottery Pick (14 page)

We decided on the spur of the moment to go to New York City for the draft, instead of staying in Columbus. Jalen really wanted to go overseas to check everything out, but we didn't even have passports yet, which took some time to get. I decided to go to New York, so I could let my mom shop. Plus, as the media mecca, Toy wanted us to line up interviews there, since my jump to overseas would be monumental and more than likely lead the way for future high school ballers to do the same.

While on the plane, I knew my life would never be the same again after I returned to Columbus. I would officially be a professional basketball player. Everything I had ever dreamed of was about to come true. We flew first-class, and Jalen was up in there like he had lost his mind, ordering food he knew he wasn't going to eat and tripping out when the flight attendant gave us all steaming-hot cloths.

Jalen placed his over his face and asked for a shave, and that's when my mother promised to smack the black off of him.

 

 

First things were first when we landed.

A car pulled up and my mother wanted to drop her bags and go shopping. Toy had scheduled a meeting with a public relations firm that wanted to pitch everything they could do for us, so I ended up getting my mother another limo so she could go shopping solo and have the car with her at all times.

My nervousness didn't calm down though, but I felt good that I was the first high school player to make the jump to the European league since the NBA decided that high school players needed one year of college.

Jalen wasn't lying when he told me that Tori was keeping me on ice. I tried to call then text her, but she wasn't getting back.

Toy hadn't moved from in front of the television and
SportsCenter
since we returned from our meeting. I felt him looking at me when I was staring out the window, checking out NYC.

“You still thinking about your girl,
L
?”

Before I could answer, he was already putting his two cents in my personal.

“Don't worry about it. I'm telling you, after this draft and she hears all about it and all that money you're going to make, she'll be blowing your cell phone up.”

Jalen was sitting on the couch, shuffling a deck of cards on a table. “What makes you think that?”

Toy exhaled. He and Jalen had been going back and forth on the simplest of things.

“I think it 'cause I know it. Women love money, and there is no way that little girl is going to let
L
walk away from her and keep her ass living up in The Vil.”

“See, what you don't know, though, Tori ain't like that. And for all it's worth,
L
, I'm worried 'bout y'all getting back together, 'cause this ain't like Tori, man. Even though she told me how she was going to play you. It's just been too many days now. You know how we do it. We a family.”

Toy stopped watching the TV when they started talking tennis. “Look, all the same, she's just trying to play you, so she can get more on the back end.”

“Check this here, Toy,” Jalen told him. “She's not worried about no back end, okay. Tori's not even like that. She came up with us and is the best thing for him. She's his friend too, a road dog for real. Like I say, family.”

“Whatever you say, playa. But I'm telling you, ain't no skank from The Vil going to turn down what
L
is offering. So shuffle that in your deck.”

“Watch your mouth, Toy. I already told you she's family. Respect her!”

At that point I didn't think I needed to add any more 'cause now Toy was talking about my girl like he didn't care how I felt about her.

“Look, I'm getting a case listening to you trying to correct me,” Toy told Jalen.

“And I'm tired of you disrespecting people you don't know.”

“You mean like that ho the other day?”

Toy laughed and turned back around at the television, unaware that the small glass Jalen had picked up was headed in his direction. It hit the back of his chair and exploded, barely missing him.

Toy jumped out his seat and looked at the glass on the floor. “Oh, so you finally want to do this?”

“Punk, I been ready.”

Jalen took a few steps to get closer, and Toy was already rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

“Yeah, come on over here, so I can knock your ass out. First, you draw that pistol on me and don't use it, you put my business with
L
in jeopardy with your wannabe-thug-ass, moneymaking schemes, and now this? Yeah, c'mon over here and get knocked out.”

I stepped right between them before they went to blows. “Would y'all fools sit down. Sit down and chill, Toy. You don't have to worry about my girl. And, Jalen, stop worrying about him talking about Tori. I got that, a'ight. I got it.”

Finally it was draft day.
Big, baby!

There was so much media coverage, the hotel had to open up two conference rooms to accommodate everyone. And many fans came out, some of whom had never seen me play, except some of the clips on
SportsCenter
. The attention was so powerful, a few times I'd wished I was back in The Vil, on the court, in my own comfortable surroundings.

The rumors about all types of trades the teams in the league were making didn't help my nerves. Toy was getting word that Barcelona had changed their mind about making me their first pick, and sixth overall, opting for a big man instead. To get that number one spot, Olympiakos, a Greek team, for next year's number one draft pick, plus some cash, offered Barcelona their second selection first-round spot, leaving me out in the cold, not knowing what team, if any, was going to pick me up.

Then through all the swirls, Toy asked me to meet him out in the hall. He didn't hesitate. “We got trouble,
L
.”

I looked at Jalen then back at Toy. “What kind of trouble?”

“Barcelona has definitely changed their mind and wants a big man now.”

My whole life stopped right then and there. I felt like I couldn't get enough air. I just remember putting my hands up to my head for a second or two, trying to get my composure.

Jalen lashed out with the quickness. “And why they change their mind all of a sudden?”

“Look, they said they really like you,” Toy explained.

“Okay, they like me, but they not sold on me right before they supposed to take me?”

“It's political,” Toy responded.

“What the hell you mean, Toy?” Jalen asked.

“The league pushing their buttons, telling them, if they take you number one, they might not let them do any deals within the league for the next ten years.”

“So what happens now? I mean, am I here for nothing, Toy?”

“Well, we go in there, sit down, and wait and see what happens. That's all we can do. If worse comes to worse, you can go to the B league and tear it up for one season then get in the league, like you planned all along.”

“So what? No shoe deal?” Jalen sang. “His deal is for playing pro, not semi-pro.”

“Toy, if I don't get taken, I have to pay New Funk back. You telling me I already spent money I don't have? If I don't get taken, I'm going to be right back in The Vil.”

Toy looked in the direction of the huge conference room filled with media cameras and reporters then back at me without a word. From all appearances, it didn't seem like the news was all new to him.

“How long have you known about this, Toy?”

Toy looked at me with surprise. “What?”

Jalen himself wanted to know. “How long have you known about how they feeling?”

Toy looked us over. “Shit! A little over a week now. I thought things would work out on their own.”

Without warning, Jalen reached over and punched Toy in the jaw. I tried to break them up, and two security guards came over and told us all to go sit down.

I sat down feeling like a fool for giving up my college eligibility, especially now since Tori didn't want anything to do with me. I was sitting there watching the draft on a big screen, not knowing whether I was getting a chance or not.

I looked over at my mom, who didn't know anything about what was going on, yet she had the proudest smile on her face. How was I going to tell her that we would have to move back to The Vil?

Meanwhile, Toy and Jalen were still beefing with their eyes.

After a few picks went by, my mother asked me why my name wasn't called. Then two more picks went by. She tugged on Toy's arm and asked him the same thing.

I felt embarrassed and ashamed that I'd made the wrong decision. As I sank down into my chair, all of a sudden, my name flashed across the big screen. With the fifth pick of the first round, LE MANS of France made me their number one pick!

Things turned out for the good and there was no way I had any complaints to going to France to play some ball. Right after the news and a few interviews with some reporters, we were in a black SUV with all the tricks back to the airport on our way back to Columbus, with a two-year, ten-million-dollar offer plus a signing bonus that was going to be kept on the hush.

We rolled back into town feeling good and ready to finish up everything we had to do before I had to report to rookies camp in France.
France? France?
It was unbelievable.

Jalen was driving then stopped the Escalade. He seemed to have his focus back.

“I can't believe how fast they put this court up! Man, look at this!”

We were both giving each other hugs and pounds then shooting without a ball, like we did when we were young bucks on the come-up.

“They did a good job,
J
.”

“Yup, and we're going to use them for the rec center too.” Jalen jotted down something in his small notebook. “They putting up bleachers, right?”

“Yeah, we got enough for both sides, so when the tournament pop off, everybody is going to have a place to sit.”

Jalen was looking around. “How many we tryin' to sit though?”

“Fifteen hundred,” I told him. “Do it big.”

Jalen pulled out his notebook again and started writing.

“Oh, so you takin' notes on everything, I see.”

“Believe it. Yo', man, New York City ain't no joke. They 'bout business up in there, so I need to have mine on point.”

“That's what I know,
J
. We on another level now.”

“While you in that summer league, I signed up for a few summer courses in France.”

“
J
, you don't speak no French,
negro
.”

“They say they got American instructors for some of the classes. I bet when we leave there I'm going to know what to say when I whisper in a French cutie's ear. Everything is in place, man. We've done it! We're on our way!”

“Naah, man, not yet.”

“Tori, right?”

“She's still not returning my calls.”

“I talked to her this morning. It's going to be okay.”

I think Jalen was still thinking that we were just having a little spat or whatnot and we would more than likely get back together. But I had different feelings altogether. Time was playing against me.

“So she okay?”

“That baby, man. It's messing her head up, not knowing what to do. Nobody need to be goin' through that,
L
.”

“Hook up a dinner for me,” I told him.

Jalen smiled. “Dinner?”

“Yeah. Tell her that I had to fly to France ahead of you, but you want to see her before we leave. When she walks in and sees me, she's going to have no choice but to talk, right?”

 

 

Jalen hooked the dinner up at the Brownstone Restaurant downtown. It was Friday night, so of course, it was packed with the crowd coming in for drinks and dinner after work.

Jalen had talked to the manager and told him I was coming out, so they put us in VIP, where we sat and waited.

Tori called Jalen and told him to meet her on the first level, and when he went down to get her, I felt like I was about to meet her for the first time. He was walking behind her when they made it back upstairs, and when he pointed to where we were sitting and she saw me, she stopped then looked back at him.

He grabbed her by the waist and sort of scooted her over to our table. Then they sat down.

“Now isn't this special?” he said.

“What's up, baby?” I was really happy to see her, even though she didn't have a smile on her face.

“Hey,
L
,” she said, super-duper quick.

Jalen flipped over his BlackBerry. “Damn it!”

Tori looked over at him. “What's wrong?”

“That's the team in France. Gotta take this call. I'll probably be about an hour or a little longer.”

“Dang! That long?” Tori sang. “I know you lying,
J
.”

“I'm for real. 'Bout an hour, girl. The last time I talked to them, it took me forty-five minutes just to understand they were just saying hi!” Jalen kissed Tori on the cheek. “Gotta go.”

Tori rolled her eyes at Jalen, and we sat at the table just looking at one another, halfway snacking on some breadsticks, sipping water, and listening to the music.

Tori stood up to leave.

I reached over for her. “Hold up. Where you goin'? I thou-ght we were having some dinner?”

“No. I thought I was having dinner with Jalen.”

“Tori, c'mon, we better than this. Can we at least talk?”

“Talk?”

“Yeah.”

“About what?”

“You know . . . about things going on with you.”

“Oh, I thought you wanted to talk about why you snuck off with that trick, Katrina.”

“Look, I know that was a mistake. I mean, who don't make them?”

“Not mistakes like that. Katrina couldn't wait to rub that all in my face. Do you know what people are saying about me?”

I honestly didn't know, so I didn't answer her.

“They're saying I don't care, that as long as you're making money, I'm going to be with you, and I'm going to let you walk all over me.”

“When did you start caring about what people say about you, Tori? Damn! You were the only virgin at”—I stopped myself as quick as I could because of what happened to her.

“No, go ahead,” Tori pushed.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do. Before I was raped, I was a virgin, and then I was raped and now have a baby inside me.”

There wasn't anything I could say. Tori had way more problems to deal with than I did. I decided to tell her how I felt.

“I still want to get married.”

“I don't understand why you would want to do that.”

“You really don't know?”

Tori shook her head no, looking down at her glass of water.

“I want to marry you, Tori, because you're supposed to be the one I'm with.”

When Tori looked at me, her facial expression wasn't hard anymore. It was like she enjoyed what I said but didn't really believe it.

“Girl, I'm serious. How many years have we talked about getting married? How many conversations have we had? How many plans have we made?”

“Yeah, we did all that.”

“So what's the problem?”

“We didn't think I would be gang-raped and have a baby on the way though.”

“But, see, the thing is, I'm willing to look past all that. Wasn't your fault in the first place, and if I knew who did this to you, they wouldn't be breathing. And that's my word.”

Tori began to open up, and we started talking like we always had. We ordered steak, baked potatoes, and salad then dessert.

While we were eating, Tori told me that she'd made up her mind and planned to have an abortion the very next day but was so unsure about how it made her feel.

I let her know that whatever she wanted to do was fine with me, but the bottom line was, I wanted her to go with me to France so we could get married like we'd planned all along.

“I don't think that will work,” she said.

“Why?”

“'Cause,
L
, it's just not. You'll be on the road, and there will be a lot of temptations. How are you going to resist it?”

“I will. It's something I'll have to do.”

Tori didn't look like I was convincing her.

“Look, I won't be the only one on the team married. I just don't feel like dealing with groupies and all that. I want to be with you and spend all my time with you and concentrate on my game so it will be on fire once I jump to the league. Look, all I want to do is take care of you. That's all I want to do.”

“Really? Take care of me and respect me?”

“Yes, baby, that's all I want to do. Me and you in France.”

“And Jalen,” she said.

“Yeah, and
J
.”

Tori smiled a bit. I knew she was thinking of us getting out of Columbus and just starting fresh and doing what we had always planned.

She finally took my hand. “Sorry,
L
, I don't think so. I'm staying here. I just can't.”

 

 

After Jalen came back, and we dropped Tori off. I wat-ched her walk into her mother's spot in The Vil. I knew it was probably the last time I would see her for a long time. When she shut the door, I took out the ring I bought for her in New York and looked at it. Then put it back in my pocket.

“So what's next?” Jalen asked.

“Look, man, I tried. She's not hearing me. In a couple of days I have to dedicate the court to the streets, and then we're gone.”

“Damn, man!” Jalen mumbled as he drove off. “Don't make no sense. Just don't make no damn sense.”