10

Angel Reese

"Mommy! I don't wanna stay," Arayah whined, on the brink of tears. I turned around to face the toddler and saw she genuinely was upset.

"Oh lovey. As much as I would love to bring you, your too little for a grown up party sugar," I said with a small giggle hoping to cheer her up.

"But I don't like staying," she protested further.

"You don't wanna stay with me? And to think Gigi brought you a cupcake," my mom said making both of our eyes snap to her.

"Cupcake?" I questioned, as it was already 9 pm, but That was all Ray needed to hear.

"Cupcake!" She cheered as she ran over and my mom waved me off.

"Better hurry before she remembers again. Bye Angel," she said as Ray turned around and waved.

"Bye bye mommy," she said as I laughed and waked out of the hotel. As I made it downstairs I finally saw Rickea, Abby, and Jeanine waiting downstairs. Abby was Rickea's manager, and Jeanine was mine. They were basically our life lines.

"Okay, so yall have options on where you want to go first, but keep in mind you need to show face at each event tonight. 1, the W is having a roof top party in 20 upstairs. 2, Azzi fudd, she's launching something, I think a podcast, but she's having an event for that, and then your own respective brands," Abby said referring to sketchers and Reebok. I nodded as Rickea shrugged but caring.

Suddenly a blur of pink walked past us, who I then realized was court and T.

"Hey, where yall finna go?" I asked as they turned around and I could see the phone meaning they were streaming.

"Ouuu look at this yall. We found fine shitttt. We finna go to the roof top, yall comin?" She asked as we nodded, and driver to follow them up,"

"Okay we'll be down here, call if you need us," Jeannie said as we nodded, and walked towards the party.

⸻

The party was in full swing—strobe lights snapping across the room, music so loud it rattled in Angel's chest. She wasn't drunk-drunk, but she was definitely warm, that sweet spot where laughter came easier and the bass felt like it was vibrating her bones.

On the far side of the room, Court and T had their phones propped up, StudBudz Twitch stream rolling live for what had to be tens of thousands of viewers. Every few minutes, Angel wandered into frame—throwing up peace signs, mugging at the camera, leaning over to rap a bar before walking off again. The chat went crazy each time she popped up, spamming emojis and inside jokes.

T stumbled over at one point, clearly three shots deeper than Angel, grinning wide. "Ayyyye, look at you," she said, leaning a little too close. "Angel Reese outsideee. You know if you wasn't straight, I'd be tryna take you home myself."

Angel laughed, shaking her head. Cause straight was something's he wasn't but she let T slide, "Girl, you too drunk. Chill."

Natisha just winked, exaggerated and sloppy, before Kmac tugged her back toward the dance floor, trying to help her avoid embarrassing herself.

Angel exhaled, but she felt it right away—Jackie, sliding into the empty space beside her. Not crowding, not touching, just there. A steady presence.

"Hey Jackieee," Angel grinned as the woman gave her a warm smile back.

"Hey pretty. You good?" Jackie asked, her voice low enough that the music nearly drowned it out.

Angel smirked, tilting her head. "Yeah. Ehy, you jealous or somethin'?" She teased in a joking manner, feeling the 1942 get to her.

Jackie just gave her one of those tiny half-smiles. "Just didn't like the look on your face. That's all."

Angel rolled her eyes, but she didn't move away either.

Then the DJ switched the track. The beat of Big Mama hit, and Angel's whole body reacted—eyes bright, grin wide. "Ohhh, that's me!" she shouted, already making her way back toward the StudBudz camera.

The chat exploded when she reappeared. "AYEEE BIG MAMA!!" "Angel the baddest, stop playin." "She always outsideeee."

Angel started dancing, hips rolling with the beat, leaning into the frame with a playful grin. She angled her face so the light caught just right, mouthing every bar like it was second nature.

Jackie followed, almost without thinking. She slid in behind Angel, wrapping an arm loosely around her neck and pulling her in while they both rocked to the rhythm.

The chat went insane.

"NAHHH Jackie got her like that??""ANGEL + JACKIE??""Hold on they too close to be just friends , I fear""Idc what nobody say, Jackie lowkey gay and so is Angel .""Not the crossover we expected but the one we needed.""Angel stay collecting introverts like Pokémon's."

Angel laughed when she saw the screen, tossing her head back before ducking into Jackie's side again. "Yall messy," she muttered, still smiling.

Jackie didn't even seem to hear. She was just... there. Solid, warm, unshaken.

And for once, Angel didn't pull away.

The rest if the night Angel was glowing. Shots, laughter, the music rolling like waves—it had her floating. Jackie had faded into the crowd somewhere behind her, but Angel didn't notice for long. She was busy dancing, hopping back into StudBudz stream when Court yanked her in, dodging Natisha's jokes, leaning against whoever was near to catch her breath between songs.

Eventually, she half-stumbled, half-pranced her way out of frame, pressing her palms together like she was begging the chat. "Y'all not about to make me work overtime on this live, I'm out. Don't ask me for nothing else!" she yelled playfully before ducking away, laughter spilling from her chest.

On the other side of the lounge, A'ja was leaned back on a couch with DiJonai next to her, drink in hand, looking far too calm for the chaos happening all around.

"There go trouble," DiJonai grinned as Angel plopped down beside them, breathless.

"Trouble? Babe, I'm the life of the party," Angel shot back, hair sticking slightly to her temple.

A'ja gave her a look that screamed girl, please. "Nah, you drunk. But at least you're happy drunk. That's a win."

Before Angel could come up with a comeback, Jackie reappeared. Smooth, quiet, sliding back into their orbit like she'd never left. She leaned down toward A'ja, her voice low—but Angel, with her messy half-focus, caught it.

"Yo, I ordered pizza," Jackie murmured, lips brushing against A'ja's ear so she could hear over the music.

Angel's head snapped around. "PIZZA?!" she practically shouted, eyes widening. "Come on A, you gotta feed me I'm starving."

A'ja groaned, dragging her hand down her face like she'd aged ten years in one night. "See... this why I don't hang out with y'all after midnight. Between Jackie and you, I'mma be broke by the end of the season."

"I'm weak," DiJonai cut in with a grin, "they be in yo pockets bad huh?."

Everyone laughed, but Jackie just smirked, eyes cutting briefly to Angel before looking away.

"Fine," A'ja huffed dramatically, pushing off the couch. "But y'all both owe me. I'm putting y'all on dish duty all week. Come on before this delivery dude leaves."

The three of them crammed into the elevator, Angel pressed against the mirrored wall, Jackie beside her, A'ja next to them.

The ride was only a handful of floors, but Angel swore she could feel Jackie there—her warmth, her steady calm cutting through the dizzy haze of liquor. Jackie didn't say much, just hummed along with the faint music still bleeding in from the party upstairs, but every so often their shoulders brushed.

Angel grinned at her reflection in the mirrored wall. She wasn't imagining it. There was something thick in the air, wrapping tighter the longer Jackie stood beside her.

A'ja, sandwiched in the middle, clocked every bit of it. But she wasn't sure what she was looking at. Drunk people touched more, leaned in closer, laughed louder. She figured it was nothing. And besides, Angel had never once said anything about liking girls.

By the time the elevator dinged open, A'ja shook her head and muttered, "Y'all better not fight me for the first slice, I swear to God."

And waiting there in the lobby—like a gift straight from heaven—was the Domino's delivery guy, holding up two steaming boxes of pepperoni and cheese.

Angel clapped her hands together like a kid. "God is real!"

Jackie just smiled faintly, already pulling a few bills out of her pocket.

A'ja groaned again. "See? I told y'all. My money, her money... it's all just going to food."

Angel laughed, leaning against her like the little sister she was. "That's why we love you, Big Sis."

But as she stole the first slice and nearly burned her tongue with melted cheese, Angel caught Jackie looking her way again. Quiet. Observing. Almost protective.

And just like that, the hazy night didn't feel so light anymore.

Excuse all errorsAjah