chapter Five

A'ja Wilson pov

"Bad bitch, fat ass, nice smile, real good personalityyyy," Syd sang her impromptu song as we sat in this restaurant . "Booo! Get her off the mic!" I yelled with my hands cupped around my mouth."She singing about me yall," KK said as she stood up modeling. This made everyone laugh hard as Sydney's finally stepped down, letting some random person go on stage. "Can't take yall asses now where,"I teased. We were in Los Angeles for our game versus the sparks, and decided to go to this karaoke restaurant since we had a day in between the game.

"If they call one of us up, Who next?""Not me," KK said, hands raised in mock surrender, looking like she was ready to bolt if anyone called her name.

"Girl, you ain't getting outta this," Chelsea teased, nudging her. "Rookie's gotta do what the team says."

Everyone laughed as KK groaned, dramatically sliding down in her seat. Meanwhile, Sydney was still riding high from her earlier performance, which meant she'd probably talk about it for the next week.

"Alright, alright," I said, clapping my hands to get everyone's attention. "Before KK runs out the back door, let's eat. We got a game tomorrow, and y'all know Coach ain't gonna be happy if we roll in looking tired."

The restaurant had a cozy vibe—low lighting, people on stage singing their hearts out, even if half of 'em were off-key. The food had been solid, and the team was in good spirits. Los Angeles was always a fun city to hit, and since we had an extra night between games, we made the most of it.

"Alright, who's paying?" Jackie asked, leaning back with a grin.

"Not me," I shot back quickly. "That's rookie duties."

KK's eyes widened. "Oh, come on, y'all can't be serious!" She looked at Angel for backup, but Angel was too busy flipping through the dessert menu like she hadn't heard a thing.

"Dead ass ," Chelsea chimed in with a smirk. "Welcome to the league, kid."

KK groaned again, but we all knew we'd split the bill like we always did. Still, teasing the rook was part of the fun.

As the night wound down, we headed back to the hotel. Everyone had their own room, but somehow—because of course she did—Angel ended up knocking on my door like she was on a mission.

I barely opened it when she barged in, dropping her bags and flopping onto my bed like it was her own. "What do you want?" I asked, already knowing I was about to get pestered.

"Just visiting my favorite person in the whole world," she said with a grin, flipping onto her back and poking me in the shoulder. "What you doing?"

"Minding my business," I said, trying to sound annoyed, but we both knew that wasn't gonna stop her.

She grinned, getting comfortable as if she'd paid for the room. "What time we leaving tomorrow? You know I need my beauty sleep."

"You? Beauty sleep?" I laughed. "Girl, please."

Angel started poking my face, knowing it was the easiest way to get on my nerves. "You think you're so cute, huh?" she teased, poking again.

"Angel Ciara," I warned, swatting her hand away.

But she didn't stop. Of course, she didn't. She was like an annoying little sister in the truest sense. A few minutes later, I glanced over to see her pulling out her phone.

"Oh, hell no. You're not going live right now," I said, catching sight of that Instagram logo loading up.

Too late.

"Hey y'all!" Angel said, grinning as she held the camera up. "Guess where I'm at? In with the one and only A'ja Wilson!"

I groaned as she turned the camera toward me, poking my face again for good measure. "Yall finna see Sin City Barbie get her ass kicked live"

The comments started rolling in fast, and I could already see my mentions blowing up. "Yall see how she treats me, right?" Angel said, laughing as she zoomed in on my annoyed expression.

"What do you want, Angel?" I asked, grabbing a pillow and smacking her with it, trying to block the camera. "I'm kicking you out."

She dodged, holding the phone high to keep recording. "Nah, y'all gotta see how she really is. A'ja thinks she's all big and bad, but watch, I pull out the Louis Vuitton, she turns soft!"

I watched as Angel got up, walked over to the corner where I had my bags, and pulled out my favorite Louis. "This one right here? This bag is probably worth more than my rookie contract," she joked, holding it up for the camera like she was doing a fashion haul.

"Put it down, Ciara!" I half-shouted, getting up to chase her around the room. She was laughing so hard she could barely hold the phone straight.

"You need to let me borrow this for pregame tomorrow," Angel teased, holding the bag up like it was hers.

I finally grabbed the bag out of her hand and tossed it on the bed. "I'm about to initiate you into all the rookie duties you should've had last year," I said, half-joking, half-serious.

Her eyes widened, but she didn't back down. "Oh, so now you wanna talk about rookie duties? I was a star last year."

"Yeah, a star who didn't do her rookie duties. You're about to find out real quick what you missed," I teased, grabbing her by the arm and walking her toward the door.

"Y'all see this? Abuse!" Angel joked, laughing as I finally opened the door and playfully shoved her out. "Alright, alright, I'm going. Love you!"

"Love you too, now get out before I make you carry all my shit tomorrow."

I closed the door behind her, shaking my head. That girl just knew how to push my buttons. After cleaning the slight mess she made, I fixed my bonnet laid back down, knowing we had to be up early as hell.

—————I stood in front of the hotel mirror, adjusting my hair with precision as I prepped for the game. Game day was a sacred ritual for me, and I took pride in every little detail

As I finished up, I checked my phone, noticing the time. "Alright, time to lock in," I mumbled, grabbing my bag and heading down to the lobby. The energy in the air was electric as the team gathered, ready for the game ahead.

Arriving at the arena, I felt the tension build. We were facing the Sparks tonight, led by their stars Rickea Jackson and Dearica. With Dearica's...feelings towards the team, and whatever vibe Angel and Rickea had going on, I could sense the rivalry simmering beneath the surface. Their history was well-known among the team, and and really anyone in the women's hoops world.

The game started with high intensity. Vegas and L.A. battled fiercely, each team fighting for every possession. The atmosphere was electric, filled with fans cheering and jeering. I was in my zone, making plays and leading the team.

But midway through the second quarter, things took a nasty turn. While driving to the basket, Angel took a brutal foul from Rickea. The hit was hard, and I immediately felt her heart race seeing my teammate hit the floor, grimacing in pain. Trainers rushed over, and after a quick assessment, they escorted Angel to the locker room for evaluation.That shit looked like it hurt so bad. I shook my head and kept my focus on the game though. We dominated the paint, allowing us to maintain our lead. When Angel returned, the crowd erupted in cheers, and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing we needed her back on the court.

The game continued with high stakes, but we remained composed. The final buzzer sounded, signaling a hard-fought victory for Vegas. As we celebrated, I felt a mix of emotions. They had won, but the i was so damn tired it almost didn't matter. I just wanted to go lay down.

After the game, I saw Rickea on the court and she smiled waking up to hug me. "Hey A, good game," she said as I returned the hug. "Thanks girl. Your handles looking better. Keep at it kid," I said as she smiled thanking me, before we parted ways. I left off the court and stepped into the press conference room, greeted by a sea of cameras and microphones. I took my seat beside Angel and Chelsea, and waited for the questions to come. Questions flooded in, and I fielded them with ease, wanting it to be over.

When the topic of the game came up, a reporter asked Angel about the hard foul from Rickea. "That was some serious contact out there, Angel. What's your take on the play?"

Angel's expression hardened slightly. "It was a hard ass foul, honestly. I'm good though I was a little shaken up. But yall know me I'm from Baltimore, and I played for Kim Mulkey. I've had worse done to me," she replied, with a slight laugh, but she was anything but happy.

I shot her a concerned glance, but before I could intervene, the reporter pressed further. "Do you think it was intentional?"

"It's hard to say. I don't put anything past anyone though so yeah," Angel retorted, her competitive spirit flaring.

Sensing the tension rising, I quickly stepped in. "What Angel means is that we're focused on our game and will let our performance speak for itself. We have to keep moving forward and not get caught up in that."

The room calmed, and the reporters shifted to other questions, but I could feel the weight of Angel's comment lingering in the air. My girl was pissed. 

Once the press conference wrapped up, I returned to my hotel room, still buzzing from the game. I kicked off my shoes and plopped onto the bed, ready to unwind. Just then, the door swung open, and Angel barged in, flopping dramatically onto the bed next to me.

"What nowwwww?" I dramatically and jokingly asked, as Angel rolled her eyes at my antics.

Angel sighed, her earlier bravado fading. "Can yew believe that bitch? She's been at my neck since college. All cause her ain't shit nigga slid in my dm's like what the hell that go tew dew with me. I'm literally engaged with whole child. That shit so damn petty. And now it feels like she's trying to steal yew and Dearica from me. Like, the fuck!"

I chuckled softly, shaking my head. Every time she gets mad that got damn accent come slipping through. "Baby girl, you don't have to worry about that. Nobody's stealing me from you. And you know I'm not speaking on that woman that don't like me. But she's seems to be fond of you as well. Just focus on your game."

"But it's just annoying! Then they always want to compare us, and I don't want to feel like I have to prove myself every time I step on the court," Angel admitted, frustration bubbling up. That was the real reason Angel was so mad. Ever since she transferred to LSU that had been an underlying issue for her. First it was her being compared to Aliyah Boston, then after the championship it was Caitlin Clark, and her rookie year the same thing, but they had also found a way to attach her to Kamilla and Rickea. Angel hated that because she was nothing like any of these players. Not similar play style, position, or even personality. I understood her there though because the same thing happened to me A LOT.

"Listen," A'ja said, turning to face her. I held her shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You're Angel fucking Reese. Just play your game and let the results speak for themselves, as they have been. You've got this baby girl."

Angel smiled, her mood lifting slightly. "Thanks, A. That means a lot. I needed to hear that.""And I'll always be in your corner to let you know,"

Before they could continue, Angel's phone buzzed on the nightstand. She picked it up and glanced at the screen, a grin spreading across her face. "It's Jalen. He's calling with Halo."

"Go ahead and answer. I'll just be here, fighting off the flood of people trying to steal me away," A'ja joked, lounging back as Angel laughed and answered the call.

"Hi my love! How was your day?" Angel said, her voice instantly softer."Hi mommy! Where's TeTe?" a'ja heard and she smiled as she leaned over. "Hi Halo  baby. I miss you," I said blowing her a kiss. She smiled looking every bit of angels twin as she blew me a kiss back. With that I sat back and let her talk with her mom. I listened in as Angel chatted with her daughter, feeling a sense of warmth wash over me. Their little family dynamic was sweet, and it made me proud. From watching little freshman year college Angel till now had been so bitter sweet.

Excuse all errors Ajah 🫶🏽