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𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐧
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🏀

Hampton University
Wed. Sept. 21th, 2:12pm
"Here's My Number...Call Me Maybe"

"On todays news, elevator footage was recently released of basketball star, Sean Carter, and wife, America's supermodel, Allison Payton-Carter having an altercation. The footage was released anonymously and have gain close to three million views on all social media platforms. The disturbing video shows Sean and Allison getting into an argument before Sea attacks. Sources are saying..."

His feet were glued to the floor. He couldn't move not one muscle. How could he when he was watching a video of his mother being beaten. It wasn't anything he could get used to no matter how many times he saw it happen. It was disturbing at any time to see your loving parent be hit on by someone that's supposed to love them. It was all too much, but Shai couldn't seem to look away from the tv.

"Shai..." Axel breathed out, trying to lift the weight off him. The two boys were working out in the school gym after class. They figured they get a good workout out the way before the football team had practice later that day.

It started off easy. Treadmill. Dumbbell. Jump rope. Jumping jacks. Push-ups and pull-ups. Things took a turn once the gym tv was turned on and TMZ, Extra!, and the actual news were all reporting the elevator incident between Shai's parents. Though the news was disturbing to hear, Axel was praying Shai looked away so he could help for a second.

"Shai..." Axel called out to his friend again. Shai was supposed to be spotting him but was doing a terrible job at that. Axel groaned lowly, feeling the weights taking power over him. The more he tried lifting them, the heavier they got. He was certain he was going to give up soon and allow the weights to crush him.

Or not.

"Shai!" Axel managed to shout. Shai averted his attention away from tv and down at his friend.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. He grabbed the weight, lifting it up and placing it back in its spot. Axel breathed heavily, placing his hand on his chest.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Shai." he cursed.

"My bad." Shai apologized. Axel sat up on the bench, shaking his head.

"Goddamn man. If you wanted me dead, at least try a less painful way." He remarked, shaking his head again. When he didn't receive a response, Axel looked back to see Shai staring at another tv.

The View was playing and they were talking about his parents again. Getting up from the bench, Axel grabbed his towel and wiped his face. He kept his attention on Shai, reading his body language. He could see his back tense up once the video was played again. The ladies commentary on it didn't make things any better. Axel was far from an expert when it came to abuse. His home wasn't perfect; there were issues left and right. None that resulted in any type of abuse though.

He wasn't sure what his friend had been through when it came to his family life. Shai never spoke on it and Axel never asked. At that very moment, he figured that was the right thing to do.

"The shit that happened to your mom is terrible," he began, walking closer to Shai. "Whoever posted the video is fucked up for that too."

"Yeah," Shai muttered, still staring at the tv. Axel took his place beside him, looking at the tv too.

"You know if a dude can do that to their wife, they can do it to their kid." Axel slowly eased his way into the hard conversation. He glanced at Shai to see if he reacted.

Nothing.

So, he continued.

"Shai, have your pops ever...you know abused you?" he bluntly asked. Shai turned to him quickly. The two boys stared at each other. Axel noticed the excessive blinking Shai was doing.

"No," Shai chuckled nervously, pulling his hair. "Nah, I never been abused. My pops...he...my mom...she..." he paused after he kept stuttering.

Axel refused to take his eyes off Shai. He realized that whenever Shai was nervous about something, he always pulled his hair. It was one out of the many things he picked up on while being friends with him. It was easy to read Shai since his movements, fidgeting, and hair pulling was obvious. He never seemed to hide it.

"You know there's different types of abuse right?" Axel continued, not letting up. He knew this probably wasn't the right way to go about it, but he couldn't help himself. He saw Shai more than a friend, but as a brother. He wanted to make sure he was straight all the time.

Shai nervously chuckled again, "Yeah, I know that. There's physical and sexually-"

"And mental," Axel cut him off. He noticed Shai jaw clenched. "There's also emotional abuse and verbal. There's different kinds. I'm just wondering if any of that applies to you." he continued.

Shai swallowed hard, looking around the gym. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"Uhh, what if I said it does apply?" he asked out of curiosity. "I'm not saying it does, but what if I did?"

"Then I'll let you know that I'm here to help out. Just ask for help and I got you." Axel answered, Shai nodded his head.

"And what if I said that it doesn't?"

Axel waited to answer just so he could think it through. He wasn't trying to pin abuse on Shai since that was inappropriate and quite ignorant to actual victims. Unfortunately, a part of him wouldn't believe Shai if he said he wasn't.

"Then I wouldn't believe you." Axel finally answered. Shai tucked in his lips, not expecting that answer. He hummed to himself, looking around again. His attention landed on his water bottle that was resting on the floor. He reached for it, using it as a get away.

"Imma refill my water. I'll be back." He turned around and started making his way towards the stairs.

"Water bottle still full," Axel muttered to himself, watching him walk away.

Once out of view, Shai let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding in. He shook his head feeling stupid at how he answered. Of course, he wasn't abused. Physical and sexually at least. It was a different story in reference to mental, verbal, and emotional. When Axel asked that, he couldn't help but think about all the times his father told him that he wasn't going to be anything.

It got worse once Shai got into basketball. It was like his father took scolding to a whole different level. Imagine hearing that you're a nobody from your so called role model. It was devastating and draining, however, Shai wasn't worrying about it anymore. At least he was trying not to.

Approaching the water fountain, he took the cap off his bottle and poured the water out. He knew using water as an excuse to slip away was a dumb idea. Still, he was glad to be out from all the questioning. He didn't feel comfortable per usual. He'd never feel comfortable.

Shai shook his head. "Fucking stupid," I chastise himself as he refilled his water. "You just had to make a scene. Staring at the tv like you're dumb or something then have the nerve to stutter when asked if you're abused. It wasn't a hard question to answer, Shai."

"So freaking dumb. Now, he gonna think I'm getting abused. I mean I am a little, but people don't need to know that. It was something kept between me..." he continued chastising himself in a whisper. The last thing he wanted was someone else to hear his ranting.

He glanced over for a second to make sure he was alone. His attention landed on Dess who was walking directly to him. She gave him a wave, he returned with a head nod. He finished refilling his water bottle soon as she approached him. Shai found himself getting lost in her pretty smile. It was his first time noticing the small gap she had. It suited her well.

"Hey." He spoke nervously, waving at her.

"Hello. Are you alright?" she questioned, Shai raised his brow.

"Uhh, yeah. What makes you think otherwise?" he tried to play everything off like he wasn't just talking to himself. He prayed she didn't seem him.

"I saw you talking to yourself and was just wondering. You looked a little upset. I was going to ask what the water did to you." Dess joked.

Shai looked at the fountain and tucked in his lips. "Yeah...I'm fine. Perfect. Awesome." he threw words out there to make it more believable. Boy, was he struggling.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" he changed the topic away him. He looked her up and down. She was dressed comfortably in leggings and a crop top. Her green hair was curly this time and up in a messy bun.

She was extremely pretty. Extremely.

"I'm not allowed in the gym?" Dess retorted.

"You are, but I wouldn't expect to see you in here." he replied, Dess raised her brow.

"Oh real?" Dess questioned. It took Shai a second to realize how ignorant his statement was.

"Dess, I didn't mean it like that. I was just speaking in general about the gym. I wasn't trying to be rude or say anything negative about your body type. Anyone can come to the gym, I was just surprised to see you in this particular location at this particular timing. Again, this has nothing to do with your body shape because there's nothing wrong with it at all. It's pretty the way it is, no change need to be made. I like it," he rambled. His hand found it's way to a strand of hair in front of his face. Instantly, he started pulling it.

Dess looked him up and down then let out a small chuckle. "Have anyone ever mention how awkward you are?" she asked, reaching out to him. Shai tensed up a little then relaxed when she moved his hand from his hair.

"Yeah, I been told several times. The person usually end up saying how annoying I am afterwards too," he added.

"I hope you don't expect me to say that because I'm not. I actually find your awkwardness cute..." she paused, staring up at him. "...I find you cute as well," she continued. Shai lowered his head, smiling to himself from the compliment.

He received compliments before, but all of them felt force. This one from Dess felt different. It was different.

"T-Thank you," he stammered over his words. He looked back at her, seeing her pretty smile. He didn't waste any time looking back at the floor; too nervous to ever make eye contact with her pretty dark brown eyes.

"I know I mentioned this before, but I wanted to know if it was okay for me to text you. I was thinking we could hang out sometime this week. We could get something to eat...or maybe just chill on campus." he caught himself before his statement was taken out of context again.

He scratched the back of his head. "Nothing major. I was just wondering if it was alright for me to text you about it. I know you ladies don't like to be bothered at certain times of the year. So, I don't want to be a burden. Just wondering." he continued.

"I said it was cool, Shai." she told him and he nodded his head.

"I was just making sure. So, we can hang Friday or Saturday?" he questioned.

Dess chuckled while nodding her head. "Yes, it's fine." she assured him. Shai muttered an okay to himself which came out like a deep breath to Dess.

She shook her head, grabbing her bag strap and walking around him. She turned around and walked backwards. "Shai," she called his name, making him turn to face her.

"I'm expecting a text tonight." she told him.

Shai nodded his head, "You will get one." he replied.

She smiled at him then faced forward. Shai leaned on the fountain while he watched her walk away. Her front and back side was pretty. She was a beautiful woman overall. He wondered just how a girl like that wanted to talk to him.

🏀

If there was a reward for staring at a woman's picture the longest, Shai would win. After the gym, Shai and Axel went their separate ways. Shai headed back to his dorm and been there since then. He laid on his bed, took a short nap, then went on his phone to stare at a picture of Miss Desdemona. It wasn't intentional...actually, it was intentional. After their conversation in the gym, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her.

His thoughts weren't weird either. It was mainly about her voice and how soft it was. Her beautiful face that carried her gorgeous smile with her small gap. Her uniquely green hair that matched her brown skin. The kindness and confidence she walked around with. The way she didn't make him feel less of himself for the way he acted. Everything about her was different. He liked it.

Now, still in his dorm with Axel and Keith, Shai was staring at Dess Instagram pics. Her most recent one was her and Freya enjoying a cup of froYo. They both looked happy. Swiping out the picture, he went to her dm's that were empty. He still haven't texted her and knew she was expecting one soon. He wasn't sure how to text her. He was bad at approaching girls in real life and even worse on the internet. He knew what he wanted to say. How he said it was the problem.

"These niggas are fucking cheating!" Axel shouted, smacking his lips. Shai glanced up from his phone at Axel and Keith who were playing the game.

They weren't paying much attention to him which is exactly what Shai wanted. He needed to concentrate on how to get the words he was thinking typed out into a message. It wasn't as hard as he was making it out to be.

"Fucking 2K man!" Axel shouted again, almost tossing his controller out his hand. Keith started laughing at Axel's outrage. He started flexing, kissing his muscles. He had won yet another game against Axel. He was in the zone and was ready to beat just about anyone.

Glancing back at Shai, Keith snapped his fingers to grab his attention. "Yo, you tryna play?" He questioned.

Shai shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."

Keith nodded his head, turning back around. Axel looked back at Shai who haven't spoken to them for hours. He was still stuck on earlier events. Axel knew Shai wasn't going to tell his business, however, he was going to keep his eyes on him. That was what friends do.

"Yo, start another game, Axel. I'm tryna beat your ass again." Keith nudged Axel's arm. Axel smacked his lips, picking his controller up and starting a new game.

"I'm bout to play with the Clippers. Finna use Shai's dad to beat your ass." Keith said as he went through the basketball teams.

Axel glanced back at Shai out of a reaction and saw he was looking up from his phone. The two of them made eye contact before Shai looked away quickly.

"Choose a different team." Axel told Keith.

"Why?"

"Cause I said so. Now, choose another team." Axel repeated himself.

Keith smacked his lips, muttering under his breath. He went through the basketball teams again and picked the Miami Heats instead. Axel did one more look back at Shai. He didn't need to say anything since Shai was still in his phone. Turning back to the tv, Axel picked his own team and prepared for their new game.

Waving his thumbs over the keyboard, Shai was still debating on what to say. He was struggling and didn't want to ask for help either. He didn't want Keith nor Axel to be in his business. Though, Axel may have been an exception, he still didn't want him in his business. He wanted to do this on his own despite not knowing how to approach a woman. Shai let out a sigh, leaning back on his bed.

He thought about what other kids his age would say. Some dudes would do too much when sliding into a girls dm's. Others had methods like corny jokes, rolling a ball inside then joke afterwards, and other stuff. All of that was stupid and cringe. He just wanted to do something simple. Something basic. Something normal. Taking another deep breath, Shai finally built up the courage to type something out.

𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚_𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐮𝐡𝐡𝐡, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐡 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨
𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞
𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮

𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞. 𝐖𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞.
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐡

He sent his message right after he was done typing. He instantly locked his phone and bite his lip as he anticipate what'll happen next. Will she respond? Will she ignore him? What will she say? Did he say too much? Did he say too little? All these questions filled his head, making him grow more anxious and slight regret. He so wanted to take that message back.

Unlocking his phone, Shai was preparing to delete his message but stopped when he saw the three bubbles. His eyes widened at how quick she was responding. He wasn't prepared. He didn't know the protocol for this. He kept calm though since he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Sitting up on the bed, he glanced up to see Axel and Keith deep in the game. He looked back down at his phone when he felt a small vibration. She had texted back.

𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚_𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐮𝐡𝐡𝐡, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐡 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨
𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞
𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮
𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞. 𝐖𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞.
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐡

𝐥𝐨𝐥 𝐮 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤
𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐈'𝐥𝐥
𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲
𝐈'𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥...
𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝😊😂

Shai smiled as he read the message once again. He wasn't sure why he was thinking of the worse, but he was happy that she agreed to hang out. He sent her a small message back after he decided not to overdo it. Locking his phone, he leaned back on his bed and watched Axel and Keith play the game.

That night he went to sleep with a smile on his face.

🏀

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Discussion Board:
1: how do you think the news of Sean and Allison will affect Shai?

2: do y'all think Axel was right for asking Shai if he was abused?

3: thanks for 3k!