Vegas stared at himself in his body mirror, noticing the wound on his stomach. Visions of Zayde Ross flashed in his mind and it bothered him. How could he feel so humiliated. He remembered how Raja looked in his arms, uncomfortable and as if she wanted to escape.
It was ridiculous to feel the urge to free a woman from the embrace of a man she believed that she loved. He can't "save these hoes" as Tron would love to put it. Vegas wished that his heart was not so big. He felt for Raja. Not just for the simple fact that he wanted her, but because he felt bad for her.
Tron stood behind Vegas in his work uniform. "You think Rin and her friend are gonna request an Uber to the restaurant again today?"
Vegas chuckled lightly, recalling how exhausted Raja and Rin looked going into their apartment complex. "Nah, brother."
"Good, because we ain't getting roped up with them crazy bitches again." Tron slid on his Air Maxes. "And I hate to call women that, but-"
"Ain't no buts, man. Weren't you the one yesterday tripping over Rin?" Vegas asked, folding his arms against his chest.
"She's perfect. But, hanging out with a girl who willingly throws hands for a nigga-"
"Have no right to speak, Tron. Girls fought over you back in the day and even now." Vegas mugged Tron. "You ain't no different than Zayde, brother. You just own up to your shit. That's why I respect you."
Tron smirked and smacked Vegas in the back of his head. "Don't compare me to that pussy ass basketball player."
"If the shoe fits," Vegas said. "And he may wear a size 18 or whatever in shoes."
"You could have been him," Tron replied.
Vegas chuckled, recalling his short-lived basketball career before he got injured in Stanford. It was just two weeks into the season where he got his infamous injury that ended everything from his scholarship to potential girlfriend to his life on the west coast. Before Vegas came back to the south, he was in Stanford. Tron was his illegal roommate who was also sort of living with his girlfriend at the time.
He was on top of the world with a full ride to Stanford with an athletic scholarship. He was going to the next big name in college basketball, scouts were staring at him hard. He had all the Youtube hoop videos and women flocked to him once he got there. But, he was too sweet unlike his teammates. He wanted something real, not just the endless waves of women coming at him. Everyone seemed to want him for his status, but not for who he was. Tron was the only one who really understood Vegas' true spirit. He was the charming type who loved watching old 90s' films and reading books from Oprah's Book Club because he appreciated a good read. His favorite music artists were jazz musicians and old school r&b. He did not like parties.
Tron thought Vegas was just too good of a guy for everything. He met someone whom he thought would be a soulmate. But, that all came crashing down when it was the third game of the season. First game off the bench. It was a home game. Vegas was the youngest on the team, but the fastest. Clearly, not fast enough.
He got pushed and eventually kicked in the knee and stomach "by accident". It appeared to be hostile and aggressive. Then, once he got up, he tried to pivot the ball from him. He felt immense pain. The opponent got frustrated and pushed him, snatching the ball out of his grasp, right into the steel stand. His spine was messed up for a while. Now, he walked with a slight limp.
The guy got away with no repercussions, until he got aired out for a marijuana and steroid stint a couple months later. Vegas had trauma with getting kicked by a fellow big, tall man because of that incident. It felt emasculating to him. It felt like he was a mad dog and the man was trying to punish him. He was going to make sure to get his lick back if he saw Zayde again. Not just for himself, but for Raja as well.
Vegas wished that he could get her out of his mind. Maybe Tron was right. He should not be getting roped up in her shenanigans. But, she was so beautiful. She was so unenthused by his pretty boy look. For some reason, it was attractive to him. The slick way she talked just made his heart beat.
"Veg, I never seen that look on your face since we was in high school and you had a crush on that girl who used to sing in the hallways all the time."
"Shut up," Vegas shot, his cheeks warm.
"Nigga....are you blushing?"
Vegas went to check his phone for no reason, just to avoid eye contact with Tron.
"Aw, man. I can't teach you my player ways." Tron leaned in the doorway. "You really like her?"
"Since I dropped her off this morning, I can't stop thinking about her."
Tron slammed his palm against his face. "Damn, bro. You down bad for a shawty who will definitely think you're corny."
"It is what it is." Vegas checked his phone and saw it was almost time for his Uber shift. "I'm gonna head out. You just hope I see Raja today. If I see her, it's fate."
"Fate never fails," Tron said. "I guess fate wants to see me with Rin. She wants to see me tonight. We're gonna go see a movie."
"Go see a movie is code for you fucking her, right?"
"No. This time, I'm actually taking her to see a movie." Tron began walking away to finish getting ready for work. "Some niggas like me actually like taking girls on dates before fucking."
Vegas laughed as he looked at his phone. He hoped that Raja would want to see him, but he doubt it. She could still be pondering over Zayde Ross. He felt a little disheartened by that. Better to break his own heart before she could break it. However, his phone chirped. Low and behold, Raja T. had requested an Uber to a hotel in downtown ATL. It was going to be a 45 minute ride due to traffic. Vegas' lips curled into a slight smile and he accepted the request.
Fate never failed for once.
