"JP." She turns as A'ja calls to her, walking half a dozen steps to meet her teammate.
"You look like you're on a mission." Jo laughs halfheartedly.
"I am. A mission to get your head out of your ass!" A'ja sighs, "Forget your asshole dad, forget your even bigger asshole ex, and play this fucking game for you. You fought way too hard to get yourself back in shape to be here on the court for playoffs to let two men get in your head and in your way."
"I know." Jo sighs, "I'm sorry about Sunday."
"Prove it." A'ja pushes, "Because this game means a hell of a lot more to you than either of those worthless toxic men."
"Ya." Jo sighs, "Oh fuck." She adds, her eyes going wide as she sees a head of shaggy blond hair she recognizes, the person enters the stands behind A'ja.
"More than that man too, though I'm here for him not giving up on you." A'ja grins as she glances over her shoulder to see what Jo is looking at.
"Why is he here? I haven't talked to him in over a month." Jo insists, clearly panicking slightly.
"Because that man actually loves you, and your sister loves you, and I bet that after the two assholes came to the game on Sunday Jackie took matters into her own hands. And someone came running when he heard you needed some protection." Her friend is looking rather smug as she shares her theory.
"There is far too much testosterone in this arena for me." Jo huffs.
"Forget the men who need to lay them out on a table and get it over with. We need to win this game so Seattle doesn't go home two up on us. And we need your help to do that." A'ja smiles softly.
"Ya..." Jo sighs, shaking herself internally. "After we win, I'm killing Jackie though."
"As long as you're out of jail before we head for Seattle." A'ja laughs.
"Do you know how much desert is around us? I won't even be caught. And I'm her roommate, so who else is going to tell the cops she's missing?"
"Good. Scandals come after we win the championship." A'ja laughs, "But seriously, forget any of them are here and play for you, you play your best when the only expectations are your own."
"For me." Jo nods, glancing towards Michael and Jackie one more time. Her breath catches as she makes eye contact with Michael, reading a million emotions in his green irises in the moment it takes for her to look away.
***
"She's never going to talk to me, Jackie." Michael sighs. This wasn't a good idea, he should have known that when he'd answered the phone to find Jackie on the other end instead of Jo.
"She needs you, Michael. She admitted breaking up with you was a mistake, and right now with dad and Spencer snooping around and trying to do whatever the hell they are, she needs someone who actually wants the best for her in her corner. That is you."
"She hasn't even looked at me since we walked in, not since that single glance, and she didn't exactly look happy to see me."
"Well, I mean, with all the men here to mess with her head, she might have simply added you to the list for the time being. But she will take you off that list, Mike, she loves you. She told dad in their fight last week that she felt she could love you for the rest of her life. Don't get cold feet now, you told me on the phone that you wanted a way to fight for her to take you back. This is your way, and you might just come out the hero in her eyes while doing it."
"I hate that I'm nervous." Michael sighs, his eyes glancing to the clock as Jo checks back into the game. There's only two and a half minutes left, and if she's playing the way they had in the last three games she had enough time to play the rest of the game.
"You're nervous because you love her, and you don't want to be rejected again. But I swear if she tries to reject you again I will stick my foot up her ass to force the stick out of it."
"Thanks." Michael chuckles, perking up slightly as Jo takes control of the ball on the court. The game has been close, similar to Sunday, the biggest difference being Jo's playing. She'd scored twenty points in her few minutes on the floor, and she'd dished half a dozen assists as well. At least if they lose, she can't entirely blame herself for it. Though, he does feel it will work better for himself if she's coming off the joy of winning rather than falling two-zero in the second round of the playoffs.
"Go. GO!" Michael can't help but jump from his seat as Jo steals the ball from one of the other teams players. The Aces are up by three points, but that's not enough to keep Michael's nerves at bay. That's a single possession. His eyes track her as she races down the court, lifting the ball in her right arm into a perfect layup, giving the Aces a five point lead, the arena bursting into cheers as the Storm set up a full court assault to try and take back the lead.
"Come on! Come on." He mumbles under his breath as he watches the team set up their defense, a full-court press, man-to-man style. Jo is guarding the point guard, following her through the key as she cuts to get open. Jo does manage to force the opposite team to touch the ball earlier than they had wanted, starting the clock before Seattle can set up as well as they would like. The clock runs down quickly, the point guard being forced to take a shot with defense in her space. The buzzer sounds as the ball hits the net under the rim, Jo's team winning by five points.
"YES! YES!" Micheal yells out excitedly, turning to hug Jackie as she cheers too.
"She's running again, hopefully not from you this time." Jackie sighs as she steps back from the hug, seeing Jo racing down the tunnel towards the locker room as her dad and Spencer approach the team's bench.
"I came here to do something about her running from me. Get me to her, please." Michael nods, suddenly nervous again, his throat tight as he swallows.
—-------------------------
Oop, what is Jo thinking? How does show down with Michael go? What happens with dad and Spencer??
Vote and comment!
I love you guys!!!
~M =)
YOU ARE READING
End Game
Fanfiction"Everything in my life has always been a game, a goal, or a distraction. So which one are you?" "A game." Michael answers confidently. "So the truth comes out..." Her tone quite clearly tells him how hurtful she found his response. "Let me finish...
