When We Were Young

Chapter Thirteen

A/N: Remember when I said Odell's family was gone be different from his his real one? Well yeah now you'll see...

2014

Odell POV

"What's wrong baby?" My mom asked me as I entered the house.

"Nothin," I shook my head, "I'm just really tired."

"Okay we'll get some rest, we gotta be ready bright and early tomorrow," she kissed my cheek.

I entered into my tiny room and went to my closet. Other than seeing my mother this was my favorite part of coming home. I pulled out the box that was filled with hundreds of letters from Dezzy.

I flipped through the stack and plucked one and couldn't help the smile that came over my face as I saw which letter it was.

Letter from 2007

With the number one pick in the 2015 draft the (whoever the worst team is at the time) select : Odell Beckham Jr. *cue everybody going crazy*

Then she actually drew a picture of some cameras flashing and a shirt with my last name across the back. Dezzy really could draw, she was good at plenty of things that she gave herself no credit for.

(Is that what they say Dell? You know I don't know cuz I never watch it lol)

But anyway... That's gonna be you one day Dellie, and imma be right there with you cheering the whole time. I know that you been down about your back being messed up and you not being able to play, but you're gonna be just fine and you're gonna make it as big as your dreams and then some. You just can't give up. You can give up when I give up and that's gonna be never.

I want you to know that I'm always here for you and I love you :-). Like I said I know it's frustrating for you, but do your best and you got this. You can do anything. Remember that.

I love you Dellie and ALWAYS remember that!

Your #1 Fan,

Desireé ❤️

I folded the letter back up and slipped it back in the box as I wiped my eyes.

Dezzy was nothing but good to me our entire friendship.

She was the only person that ever really believed in anything about me with nothing to go off of, everyone else came after when shit started looking up. If I didn't do well it would be like I failed us, not me.

That was before I fucked everything up, but I had to, because if I didn't I would have put my mom in even more danger. I felt like I fucked over my sister to protect me mother, it's a lose - lose situation.

I felt like I did her the way my father did me. He made me feel like shit and then left when the only thing I did was try and be a good son, but as I got older I realized you're not supposed to be a good son to have your dad around; he's just supposed to be there.

~
Flashback- Ten Years Old

"Hey, dad you wanna come over and play some ball?" I spoke into the phone.

"Nah, I can't today," he huffed.

"Oh, okay," I nodded as if he could see me. "Well maybe tomorrow, or another day."

There was a long pause, "Dad? You still there? You'll come by another day, right?"

"Look man, I ain't ready to deal wit' all this. I got a lot a' shit on my plate and I ain't got time fa' this."

"Don't have time for what? I can just come over, or something, or go with you somewhere?" I just wanted to spend time with my dad.

He sucked his teeth before mumbling, "Man, I done told Heather 'bout this shit."

"Huh?"

"Look, you not getting it, I don't have time to raise you! I don't want to raise you! Why you think I'on come around? I ain't busy all the time, I know you ain't that damn dumb.  I got a life ta' live, and kids ain't in it right na'."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything. I wiped my eyes and stared at the phone. Who tells their kid they don't want them. My father that's who.

"Aye! You still there?! Tell ya mama to lose my number! Again," he yelled through the receiver before hanging up the phone.

I hung up the house phone and stared at it for a long time before I picked it up and threw it on the floor, and I picked it up and threw it on the floor again. I kicked it, and punched it, and stomped on it until it was nothing but shattered pieces.

I stepped over what was left of the phone and went to my room and just laid there until my mother got home.

"Odell Beckham Jr.! What got into you?! What did you do to this phone?!" My mother yelled as she walked through the door and saw the broken phone. "Odell Cornelius!"

"Why you name me after somebody who ain't want me?!" I turned around with tears rolling down my face, and she just stared at me with a sad look on her face before sitting down next to me and rubbed my back.

"Oh baby, you know it wasn't always like that-"

"What was it like then ma? He told me he didn't want me, and he ain't have time to want me."

"I'm sorry baby boy. I love you and I'll always want you. He's the one who's missing out on having the greatest son ever, don't think it's the other way around."

"Whatever ma. I'm sorry about the phone, but I just wanna be by myself. Please," I shrugged her arm off of me and laid back down.

She sighed heavily and got off the bed and I felt her eyes on me before she walked out of the room.

Once she was gone I pulled out a a pen and paper and wrote my letter to Dezzy telling her the shit that happened.

~

The next letter I got from her was so long telling me about how special I was and all of the things I was good at and had gotten good at on my own, and that was the first time she told me she loved me.

To this day it was one of my favorite letters.

~

But now I fucked that up beyond repair. Just like my dad did with me.

I promised I'd never be like him and now look at me: shitty as ever.

When I would see her around I would act like I didn't see her, act like I didn't hear her voice, act like I didn't need someone to talk to,  act like I didn't want to be there for her.

I acted like I didn't want to protect her; I acted like she didn't matter to me, and acted like I didn't need her when I needed her more than anything. But that's all that it was: an act.

I knew that when I decided to enter the 2014 draft and the only person I wanted to tell was her.

Now me and my mother were getting ready to go to New York, a place that I could never think of without thinking of Desireé. I never imagined that I would be going there without her, or to not see her, but here I was going to New York, to the draft, without the only person who said I would ever make it here.

A/N: To my new readers: Im so glad y'all like my book check out my other ones, and to my old readers thanks for sticking with me :-) Please vote and comment! 😘 xoxo