After the last few players left the gym, BJ and Benny headed out together, the chilly Indiana air hitting them as they stepped outside.
"Solid night for the family, huh?" Benny said, with a grin.
BJ smirked. "You saw the box score. 16 points, no big deal lightwork."
Benny laughed. "No big deal? Boy, you sound like me back in the day. Keep it up, and maybe you'll be better."
"Better?" BJ raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "I'm already faster."
"Yeah, yeah, faster to the fridge maybe," Benny shot back, pulling out his keys as they approached their car.
The drive home was quiet BJ was scrolling through his phone and Benny playing some old-school R&B song on the radio. They lived in a modest two-bedroom house in a decent neighborhood on Gary's west side, a step up from where Benny had grown up.
The house was small but comfortable there was a nice porch that Benny had built himself. Inside, it was clean and organized, the walls had a few framed pictures of BJ as a toddler holding a mini basketball, Benny in his younger days in a college jersey, and a shot of BJ's mom and dad from years ago, smiling brightly.
The living room was cozy, with a worn brown couch and a small flat-screen TV that Benny always claimed was "big enough." A shelf in the corner held Benny's basketball awards trophies, plaques, and even an old pair of signed sneakers from his short stint overseas. He still had money saved from his professional basketball days, which he had invested wisely, allowing him to focus on coaching and raising BJ without financial strain.
BJ dropped his bag by the door and plopped onto the couch, kicking off his sneakers. "Man, this feels good," he said, sinking into the cushions.
Benny walked into the kitchen, flipping on the light. "Don't get too comfortable. You know we've got stuff to do tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," BJ called out, scrolling through texts from teammates and friends. He opened one from Xavier: 'Yo, that Christmas tournament gonna be crazy. You ready?'
BJ texted back, "Hell yeah especially since we get to ride with the varsity team"
From the kitchen, Benny peeked his head out. "You eat enough at the game? I can throw something together."
"Nah, I'm good. Nachos hit the spot," BJ replied.
Benny nodded, grabbing a bottle of water and joining BJ in the living room. He sat on the armrest of the couch, looking down at his son. "You know, I'm proud of you, right?"
BJ looked up, surprised by the sudden sincerity. "Yeah, I know thanks."
"You've got something special, kid. Stay hungry. Stay humble."
BJ nodded, letting the words sink in. "Always."
As BJ was chilling before getting in the shower and scrolling through his phone, a notification popped up from X: 'Yo, check this out. They really think they like that."
Curious, BJ opened the message and saw a screenshot of an Instagram story from a Southport JV player, @Jay2Cold. It read: "Gary West Overrated. We already cooked these dudes in middle school. Friday gonna be a breeze "
BJ frowned, recognizing the name immediately. Jayden Collins, a guard who played for their rival middle school team back in the day. The kid was all talk back then, and it seemed not much had changed.
Before BJ could type a response, Xavier sent another screenshot from @BigZeke25, another Southport player, who had posted: "Gary West JV ain't on nothing."
BJ shook his head, laughing. "Man, them boys still corny."
He replied to Xavier: "They really out here trying to hype themselves up? We dropped 66 tonight. Let me know when they hit 40."
Xavier shot back almost immediately: "Facts they the same dudes from middle school still living off old wins"
BJ leaned back on the couch, grinning as he typed: "Jayden and Zeke can talk all they want, but we're gonna shut them up quick. Friday gonna be a show."
Xavier replied with a laughing emoji and added: "Facts. They don't even know what's coming."
BJ put his phone down hit the shower then the sheets.
Got it! Let me revise and include Tyreek properly as a member of the JV team.
BJ groaned as the sound of his dad's voice boomed through the house early Saturday morning.
"Let's go, kid! You said you wanted a fresh cut for the week, didn't you?" Benny called from the kitchen.
BJ buried his head under his pillow, muttering, "Man, it's Saturday. I should be sleeping in."
"Saturday or not, you're getting up. The shop opens in an hour, and we're not missing our spot!" Benny replied
Reluctantly, BJ rolled out of bed, dragging himself to the bathroom. After a quick shower and throwing on some sweats, he trudged to the car where Benny was waiting, sipping his coffee.
The drive through the west side of Gary was quiet, with the streets still waking up. BJ stared out the window, barely keeping his eyes open, while Benny tapped the steering wheel to the rhythm of old-school R&B playing on the radio.
When they arrived at "Ty's Cuts," BJ perked up slightly, spotting Tyreek Lawson sweeping the sidewalk out front. Tyreek looked up and grinned, waving them over.
"Man, you ain't had to wake me up this early to see Tyreek sweeping," BJ muttered to Benny, earning a laugh.
Tyreek smirked as they approached. "BJ! You better not be whining about being up early when I've been here since seven. That's the grind, my boy."
Inside, the shop was lively even this early. Mr. Lawson, Tyreek's dad and the owner, greeted them warmly. "Morning, Benny. Morning, BJ. Y'all came early to beat the rush, huh?"
"You know it, Ty," Benny said, shaking his hand. "I had to drag him out of bed, but we're here."
Tyreek leaned on his broom. "BJ, you lucky you're getting a cut today. Some of those Southport dudes have been DM'ing me about the game next week, saying they're ready to 'shut us down.' Like, okay."
BJ raised an eyebrow. "Shut us down? The last time we played them, I dropped, what, fifteen? And Xavier had them spinning in circles."
"Exactly," Tyreek said with a laugh. "They're just mad 'cause we used to cook them back in middle school."
BJ smirked as he sat down, letting Mr. Lawson start shaping up his hair. "They're still salty about middle school? We've been running them since the rec league days."
"Don't let 'em get in your head," Mr. Lawson said, focusing on BJ's cut. "You handle your business on the court, same as always."
After finishing up, BJ admired his sharp cut in the mirror, giving Mr. Lawson a fist bump. "Fresh as always, Mr. Lawson."
"Appreciate it. Go drop 20 on those boys next week," Mr. Lawson said with a grin.
By the time they got home from the shop and a quick stop for breakfast, BJ was feeling more awake. Benny made him help unload groceries, despite BJ trying to sneak back to the couch.
"You know you can't be this lazy every Saturday," Benny teased. "What happens when you're a senior and I'm not around to make you move?"
BJ grinned. "When I'm a senior, I'll be averaging 30 points a game, so I won't need to move. The highlight reels will do all the work."
Benny chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Let's see you make it to Southport first without tripping over your own shoelaces."
As BJ finally settled on the couch, his phone buzzed. Xavier had sent him a screenshot from one of the Southport JV players' Instagram stories. It was captioned: "Gary West? Overhyped. We'll see next week."
BJ rolled his eyes, typing back to Xavier: "Same dudes we dropped off in 8th grade talkin' crazy now? Bet."
The two kept texting, laughing at how much trash was being talked about. But deep down, BJ was already planning how to silence them on the court next week.