🅽🅾 🆂🅸🅶🅽🅰🅻™️ [NBA Youngboy]

Part. 10

The two settled on going to an old classic diner after Kentrell had decided that Willie's was "too packed" and he didn't want to have to wait to be seated. They had already ordered and received their food and were now just eating and having small conversation about nothing in particular.
"So when you gone start telling me about yourself?" Kentrell asked, breaking a chicken tender apart and shoving it into his mouth.
"What you wanna know?" The girl piped back, holding her head in her hands as she stared at the boy. She hadn't ordered anything but some fries and they were long finished. Kentrell on the other hand had ordered chicken strips, fries, fried okra, and a small serving of collard greens. An odd combination, but Isla didn't question it.
"What you wanna be in life, do you plan on going to college, what you like to do on your free time, do you want kids, anything you wanna tell me, really." Kentrell asked, his eyes never leaving the plate of food in front of him. To Isla, it seemed as if he was just trying to hold conversation to fight off any awkwardness that may come if they get too quiet, but Kentrell genuinely wanted an answer to all of the things he asked. He wanted to know everything about the girl.
"I want to start my own clothing brand-"
"What's the reason behind that?" Kentrell cut her off. He wasn't trying to be rude, he just wanted her to be as detailed as possible so he could really learn her. She leaned back, running a hand through her hair.
"Well, my momma runs a boutique here. Everything she sells is black owned. She really put alot of these people on the map, getting them in bigger stores and I want the same." Kentrell nodded, wiping his fingers off before grabbing a fork for his greens.
"You wanna design em yourself or you just gone wholesale like everybody else?" He asked, shoveling the food into his mouth. Isla thought the question was standoffish and that he wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying, but she answered anyway.
"I'd design them myself, I already started. From shirts and jackets to shoes and socks, everything head to toe I'll have it." Kentrell really was listening to her, but he was also preoccupied by his food. He picked up and okra, popping it into his mouth.
"You got some pictures of what you working on?" He asked, going back to a tender. She picked up her phone, unlocking it and pulling up her design album, sliding it over to him. He wiped his hands again, picking up the phone and going through the photos. He furrowed his brows.
"Damn, this shit hard as fuck. What you waiting on?" He asked, passing the phone back to her. She ran her hand through her hair again, a nervous habit of hers. She never really liked talking about herself or her passions cause no one took them seriously but Von.
"Trying to save up and find someone who can give me the quality I want, honestly. I don't want no cheap shein shit. I want it to be able to last, something timeless." She spoke. He finally looked up to meet her gaze.
"I'll invest, how much you need?" The question threw Isla for a loop.
"I don't need-"
"I wanna invest in yo brand, atleast to give you a start. Bout how much you need to get yoself up and running?" He asked seriously. He seen potential in what she showed him and he was all for seeing people grow into something bigger than themselves. She looked down, twisting a curl at the back of her head.
"I don't even have a vendor yet." She said quietly. He shrugged.
"I can help with that, I know one of my homeboy's probably know somebody. I'm finna text them now." He pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to his groupchat before putting it back in his pocket.
"Now how much? Anything you need, I got it." Money seriously wasn't an issue for Kentrell. She shook her head, starting to feel discouraged as she always did and not really believing what he was saying. She didn't think he was really interested in supporting her, just another tactic to get in her pants.
"It's stupid, no one would buy any of it. You'd be wasting your money. I'd rather waste my own than yours, an investment means that I'd have to pay you back. How can I do that if no one buys anything? And I just met you, why are you offering?" She said, twisting the lock of hair so hard her nape was starting to burn. Kentrell shrugged, going back to his food.
"It ain't stupid, I would buy it. That's why I'm offering. All you need is to start and getchu a couple good ambassadors and you in the doe'. Why you talking like that 'bout something you worked hard on?" Kentrell pushed his food to the side, not finished but wanting to divert his full attention to the conversation. She looked off, still twisting the piece of hair. Kentrell had long took notice of the act but decided against mentioning it. He wanted her to stop, but didn't want to overstep his boundaries.
"I just don't think people would like it. It's not like it's something extravagant, anybody could've made it-"
"But you made it. I ain't never seen nothing like that befo', so no, anybody couldn't have made it. You not giving yoself a chance, so I'm trying to. I don't want nothing in return. I just want you to do something that's gone make you happy." Isla felt her heart jump at the words. She couldn't tell if he was being genuine, but the way he spoke still made her feel warm on the inside all the same. She looked at Kentrell plainly, but she was internally smiling.
"So you gone keep looking at me like I'm dumb or you gone let me help you out?" He asked, reaching for another piece of okra. She sighed.
"Can I get back to you on that? You don't even know if we're going to be around eachother long enough for you to see it take off if it ever does." Kentrell smiled, knowing he had won her over.
"It don't matter if I'm around or not, I'll know when I see it in the sto'. I'm gone be on yo ass bout this, too, lil girl." He said sternly, meaning every word. Even if they didn't end up long term in any sense, he still thought that she should end up with something good. Everybody deserves that and she truly seemed like a sweet soul, just a little misguided and unmotivated. Kentrell couldn't help her with the guidance, hell he wasn't on the straight and narrow himself, but he could very well be the motivation she needed. She nodded, finally bringing her hand away from her head and putting them in her lap.
"Now, next question. You wanna go to college?" He asked, picking the menu back up to find something else to order.
"I'm already going. Well not now, but after the summer. What about you?" She asked, also picking up a menu. The fries had hit the spot, but now she wanted something sweet. Kentrell looked at her over the menu, cocking a brow. He had assumed the girl was still in highschool or atleast in her senior year. It wasn't like it mattered, he had only graduated last year.
"How old you is?" He asked. She looked back at him, wanting to face palm. Neither of them had ever mentioned their age. For all she knew she was linking with a thirty year old man who happened to look young for his age. That would explain the wanting to "invest" in her business.
"I'm seventeen, I'll be eighteen in September. How old are you?" She shot back, now mirroring his facial expression. Kentrell just went back to his menu.
"Nineteen, twenty in October." He said, flipping through the sticky plastic. She only gave a slight "hmph." in response, her suspicions laid to rest.
"You never answered my question, though. Do you want to go?" She asked curiously.
"Already going. Where you enroll?" He asked, setting the menu back down.
"LSU." She answered. She was honestly shocked. He didn't strike her as the college type. She didn't want to judge a book by it's cover, but Kentrell just didn't seem like one to put his head in a book, or to even be seen in a school period for that matter.
"That's where I go. You online or on campus? What you studying?" He asked, looking around for a waitress.
"Online for my first semester, then I might go on campus to see if I like it. I'm studying fashion design and business management, but I may change it if I feel like it's not working out. I'm thinking about picking up cinematography later. What about you?" He looked at the girl, wanting to point out her doubting herself once again, but he felt like it was too soon to start chastising her. He didn't know what it was, but he felt like the girl was so much more than what she was really seeing. He shook the thought off, opting to answer her question.
"Audio production, music therapy, and music performance. What made you wanna do cinematography, you wanna make movies?" He asked, finally spotting a waitress and nodding her over.