“Do you also understand that you’re the first touch on the ball every single play? You’re the protection call.” I pointed to Sakai, who was the center, then at Sahil, who was the left guard, before adding, “And you’re at my side each time we line up. Your failure is my failure and every mistake you make is my problem.” My eyes darted between both of them. “Do you understand that type of pressure?”
They both nodded, frowning hard. “We ain’t new to this,” Sakai stated.
“If you were, you wouldn’t be here.” Omiri grinned cockily before his expression turned serious. “I trust Land. I don’t have to think about where he’s going to be on the field and how he’s going to show up. If I can’t have the same confidence in you, you won’t be on the field.”
He lifted his arm and I did the same. Our forearms met before the twins nodded. “You got that.”
“Aight, then.” Omiri stood and I followed, extending a closed fist to both Sakai and Sahil after Omiri met theirs with his. “If this is where you end up, please understand that’s your brother,but we’re going to be your family. You respect what that means and you’ll be fine.”
Omiri and I left the film room, heading to the parking lot, pausing when we got to our vehicles.
“What you think?” he asked. I brushed a hand over my head, glancing back at the training facility.
“They’re gonna be alright. Coach feels like we can get both. Sakai is going before his brother. Sahil had some issues this season. An injury, I think.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
“Yeah, but nothing we need to worry about.”
“We have time to get them right before Johns and Holland step away.”
I nodded. “I’m out though. I have to get Rylee from school. She wants to pick my suit for the father-daughter dance.”
“Damn, you’re about to be all fucked up in the game. Avi is forever trying to get me to wear some shit that matches her, which is why I have all them damn pink shirts.”
He was grinning big as hell, expressing that he didn’t mind one bit. Whatever Avi wanted was as good as done, which was pretty much how I was moving behind Rylee. I couldn’t love her any more if she had been my own child instead of my sister, so I fully understood the bond he had with his daughter.
“She has her dress already. Somee took her shopping over the weekend and spent a grip, so I’m sure she’s about to go hard trying to get me in something purple. I fuck with it though, as long as it’s just a tie.”
“Seems like y’all are figuring shit out. Do we need to run that back with Turks?”
I laughed thinking about the trip we’d taken a few years back where Omiri and Makari decided to get married on what was supposed to be a couples’ trip to relax before we hit the field at the start of our season.
Thinking about it now, my life was so different than it was a few years ago. Hell, even a few months ago, if I was being honest. When I invited ol’ girl I chilled with in Turks on the trip, I barely knew her last name. If we made that trip now, I would be trying to give Someemylast name.
“If I thought I could get her to say yes, I would damn sure be down.”
“I thought y’all were cool?”
“We are, but she overthinks everything. I got her to agree to stay, so that’s enough for now. I’m not going to push. Her dad leaving because she and her mom are deaf really messed with her head. I have to prove that I’m in this and not gonna run. She hears the words but she needs the actions behind them.”
“You willing to put in work to keep her?”
“She’s the only one I’m willing to put in work to keep because there is no option other than having her with me.”
“If you need some advice, hit me up and I got you.” He smiled arrogantly.
“Did you forget I was the one giving you advice on how to keep Kari in your life?”
He smirked and shrugged. “That was just to figure out the parenting thing. Making Kari my wife was all me. When you need advice from a real one, let me know and I got you. Real shit though, she’s a good look for you.”
“’Preciate that.”
I dapped my boy and hit the locks to my ride so I could head out. I had a date that I refused to be late for. At this point, the two women in my life had become not just my responsibility when it came to keeping smiles on their beautiful faces but also my reason for existing.
Since Rylee had a half day,I pulled up to get her from school then drove us to Styles By Oni. Oni Krew had been my personal stylist for the past couple years and never dropped the ball when it came to keeping me clean. She had become the go-to for the majority of athletes in the city and her husband’s cigar bars, Flavor, were frequented by all of us when we needed a chill spot to unwind with top shelf drinks and cigars.
I stepped out of the dressing room and adjusted the sleeve of my jacket before I placed my focus on Rylee who was grinning from ear to ear.