The PreGame Ritual (Lynstone University Book 1) by Alexandra Warren

straight.”
    “Bro, don’t tell a story. I know you and you look…I don’t know; down .” Ever since our mom had passed away, Bryson had pretty much taken on that parental role while our father dealt with his heartbreak. He had watch me grow up from a different perspective and could often depict my emotions before I even had them figured out.
              “I’m good, Bryson. For real.”
    “Is it a girl?” He asked it jokingly.
    “No.”
              Again, I wasn’t convincing enough. “Yes it is. I can tell by the way you said it. What’s her name, Miles? Is she fine?” He was settling in for story time, so I knew I had to tell him the truth.
    “Her name is Ava and she’s finer than fine, man. She’s a hooper too.” Those two traits alone made her the closest thing to perfect.
    “A hooper? Wait a minute, you’re talking about Ava that plays for Lynstone? Red hair, big titties?” His excitement caught me off guard. Actually, the fact that he even knew who I was talking about caught me off guard. But I also knew Ava had made a name for herself in the college hoops scene. He had probably caught some highlights of her on ESPN.
    “Aye, chill man. That’s my girl you’re talking about.” Though we weren’t exactly official, it still felt like she was mine already.
    “My bad, my bad. She’s like my age though. How’d you pull that?” He had no idea how hard it had been to convince her to take a chance on us. He didn’t need to know either.
    “What can I say? I got the juice.”
              He had the proudest look on his face as he said, “Ahh look at you, man. I mean, you’ve always had an old soul, but now you’re really growing up. She’s a good look for sure.” In my opinion, she was far more than a good look.
    She was it.
    “Yeah, I know. She’s just been buggin’ a little bit about our age difference.”
    “Oh yeah? Not use to dating somebody younger than her, huh?” I shook my head yes. “Well, you’re just gonna have to show her how old you really are. Feel me?” He didn’t have to go into details for me to catch his drift.
    “Just waiting for the opportunity, bro.” If it was up to me, she would’ve found out the day we ran into Avery. Now that she was taking her sweet little time with everything, I wasn’t sure when next time would actually present itself.
    “Don’t wait for the opportunity, make the opportunity. If she wants you like you think she does, she’ll definitely be down.”
     
     

ava.
    How many times must a girl watch Love & Basketball before she realizes that shit is just a movie?
    I had given up on keeping count once I made it past the thousandth time and was grateful that my DVD hadn’t began to skip. I knew the movie like the back of my hand; every word, every scene, every argument, every make-up. Hell, I could sing you the background music that nobody is really even supposed to be paying attention to. But it was my thing, my vice, my...dream. Maybe not all of the movie-made drama but the love...the basketball love.
    My mind instantly drifted to still shots of Miles on the court.
    I paused the movie, feeling the need to cure my suddenly dry mouth and wash away those crazy thoughts with some water...or maybe Gatorade...or maybe even some of the ready-made margarita I kept stocked in the fridge.
    Damn, Miles again.
    With his young ass.
    I really wished I would’ve been able to capitalize on all the shit he was talkin’ about how good he was gonna... do me . My legs got a little weak from just the thought of it.
    For some reason, I didn’t doubt his skills regardless of his age. I was just sure he had plenty of experience from the girls who threw it at him knowing what his future held. And if he could work what he was carrying even a little bit, he would definitely show me a good time.
    The margarita was definitely a much better choice.
    I poured a glass of it over ice, taking a few sips before topping