Hate the Game ( Urban Sports Romance )

Gametime +

"Look Brina," Chantelle called to her friend to look at the front-facing camera while she recorded a video of them. Sabrina smiled and flipped her fresh silk press, mentally thanking Gail. The ladies were seated a few rows from the floor across from the home team bench.

Sabrina was glad to have someone with her because she would have been nervous coming alone. Some of the ladies that Sabrina had met on the flight to Chicago were in the family lounge where they ate dinner. They stopped by Sabrina's table and said their hellos before finding their own seats. A wife of a veteran player invited her and Chantelle to get drinks in a lounge Sabrina didn't even know was in the arena. It was nice to feel welcomed.

Of course, once they were seated for the game Sabrina and Chantelle were getting strange looks from some of the other women in the section that was reserved for the family of the players and staff.

Gradually, Sabrina's overthinking was getting the best of her. The feeling triggered her. It was like being with Nicholas all over again, except before, all the significant others knew about Nick's infidelities well before she did and no one said a thing. She started wondering if any of the women Amir dealt with in his past had come to his games. She never thought to ask.

"Sabrina," Chantelle repeated, pulling her friend from her thoughts, "you alright?"

"Yeah," Sabrina lied, giving a generic smile. Chantelle gave Sabrina a knowing look because knew her friend all too well.
"I'm just overthinking things, that's all." She confessed, laughing a bit.

"You're supposed to be having fun. We're here to support your man, who's out there ballin' by the way." She nudged her shoulder.

"Yeah. The man is great at what he does."

Chantelle leaned closer, "Don't worry about nobody here. They don't have to know who you're here for and if they do know, they don't know how long y'all been together. For all they know you were with him before he was traded." She shrugged. "And it ain't none of their business either way."

Hearing that made Sabrina feel a little more at ease.

The game came to a close. Sabrina and Amir stole a few glances at each other as he did his post-game interview. The team had been winning most of their games since Amir joined the team, and he fought hard every game.

Sabrina's phone vibrated inside her clutch, and she pulled it out, seeing Nick's name on the caller ID. "Hello," she answered putting it close on her ear.

"Hey, you busy?" Nick asked on the other end hearing it was loud wherever she was.

"I'm at the Laker game with Chantelle, what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something, can we meet up later?"

Sabrina looked over at Chantelle, as she tried to see who was on the phone, "Is it important? It's kinda late already."

"Nah, it's nothin serious."

"Oh, maybe we can talk tomorrow then. I'll text you, okay?"

"Aight." He hung up realizing she was blowing him off, again.

Other than when their son got hurt, Nick and Sabrina hadn't seen each other in person. She was either picking Niko up from one of the grandparents' houses or directly from school so there weren't any real exchanges anymore after the birthday incident. Sabrina liked not having to talk to him as much.

Nick felt things changing between him and his child's mother, and it didn't help that Lauren, who followed all the gossip pages, told him she heard that Sabrina had been seen with someone at an All-Star weekend event.