𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞, Jalen Green

xvi. hope, part two

September 5th, 2019.

TWO PIECES OF ADVICE NADINE WOULD GIVE TO HER PAST SELF WOULD BE IS one, don't be flattered with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and a Paul George rookie card, and two, the devil's name is Joshua Markelle... and that his associates go by the names Gio Vasquez, Damian Hayes, Tia Sanchez, and Kentrell Washington, and occasionally, Jalen Green.

But of course, Nadine is not a clairvoyant nor does she have time travelling abilities. Nadine has to live life after eating the forbidden fruit, absolutely no take backs or re-do.

And Nadine really wished there were re-dos.

The past is set in stone and the best Nadine can do now is play. But Nadine, especially after her game, can't stop thinking of what could have been. Maybe she'd have ten offers for D1 instead of one measly deal from Ohio State. Don't get her wrong, she's forever grateful for that offer, but Nadine knows she's great. Hell, she made the district's volleyball first-team as a freshman. And now she's considered lucky for even jumping as high as she can.

Marcus carefully drives along the road, humming to w a Kendrick song. He quickly glances to right, seeing his sulking girlfriend. "Hey, you good?" he asks as the light turns red.

"Yeah, I'm good," Nadine mumbles as her eyes stay steady on the window, watching the passing cars.

Marcus taps the steering wheel with his index finger. Usually, Nadine would smiling, talking- talking about whatever her mind could think of. But right now, the silence was killing him. He knew how to read her, and her sulking like that only meant one topic. "I could stop being friends with... them if it's a problem."

Nadine lifts her head from the door, giving her boyfriend a look of disbelief. "No- don't do that. I don't wanna be that girl that controls her boyfriend."

"Who cares. Plus it'd be for you and not you asking me to," he shrugs.

"Yeah, but it's not like you're flirting with them or something... unless you are. Marcus?" Nadine questioned.

"Hell no! I only have my eyes set on you, dumbass," Marcus defends.

"Yeah, yeah," she laughs, acting as if she didn't believe him. "But if you wanna keep being friends with them, I'm fine. I mean Aira seems pretty close to Josh, and she's my soul sister."

"But Aira doesn't know," Marcus points out.

"She doesn't," she repeats. "But I don't think they'd do anything bad to her, right? We're seniors now, and when they had that plan in motion we were freshmen."

"I guess," he shrugs in agreement. "Would you ever tell her, though?"

"About what they did?"

"Mhm."

"I have no reason not to. Maybe I might, but I really don't want to ruin her perception of Jalen. I feel like I owe it her even though, you know, he was apart of it." That wasn't the only reason why she kept to herself about that day.

"Damn, you root so hard for those two."

"Of course. They've been in love ever since... forever."

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January 29th, 2016

"JUST DO IT, TIA! WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?" Kenny motivates, trying to push the girl next to him to ask out one of the guys that sat across from them. "You guys have a lot in common, plus Josh and I put in a good word for you during volleyball practise!"