… at the park
Hoodie Girl (Mikayla) goes to the park like she usually does to watch her little brother, Michael, play on the swings.
Except today… she keeps catching Kiran in the corner of her eye.
Sweat. Headphones. Dribbling.
Just doing Kiran things.
Then her parents arrive and tell her, Andrea, and Michael they all have to go to the other park.
No excuses. No escape. No "I-have-homework" lies.
At the other park, she can't find a clean bench to draw in her notebook, so she just sits in the grass, away from the courts.
Michael runs straight into the basketball game—Kiran's game—and gets obliterated.
His team's losing badly. He quits and immediately tries to recruit his twin sister like she's LeBron.
He yells across the court:
"MIKAYLA! I heard you dating KIRAN! Ain't that him right there?!"
She wants to crawl into the earth and die, but she walks over anyway.
And sure enough… it's him.
Kiran notices her and thinks:
"Oh so my long-term plan worked. Damn.
Should I pass to her or Tyrese first?
…nah, that other Michael wanna play."
He slingshots the ball toward Michael and says:
"Eight to three. I win. New game."
He walks off to the sideline and whispers to Jalen:
"Aye don't let Jamal find me, man. He gonna try to kill me."
---
The Game Starts
Mikayla joins the next match because Michael keeps talking trash to Jaques.
Everyone goes soft on her—giving her room near the hoop—because they all know if they went full skill mode, she'd get her ankles evaporated.
Somehow she gets the game tied, and everyone claps it up.
Meanwhile, Kiran hasn't moved in 10 minutes.
He's just sitting, playing a game on his phone.
Tyrese walks over, snatches off his headphones:
"Aye go play against your girlfriend. Her brother taking MAD shit to Jaques."
Kiran doesn't even look up.
"Man, I don't even feel like it. What y'all gon give me?"
Tyrese grins.
"Four bands."
Kiran's soul leaves his body.
He doesn't even TRY to hide the greed this time.
He springs to his feet, sweat sizzling off him, grabs the ball like it's Excalibur, and steps onto the court.
Everyone goes silent.
He looks at Mikayla.
"If you don't mind, it's my turn.
So you either guard me, or I guard you. Which one?"
She crosses her arms.
"I'll guard you.
And just so you know, I'm not your girlfriend.
I don't date people who don't mind their business."
The whole squad:
"DAAAAMN she flamed yo ass!"
Kiran doesn't react.
Money is on the line.
"Check up."
He passes the ball to her.
She passes it back.
The game begins.
---
The Ankle Murder
He dribbles twice.
Gets in her face.
She reaches—ball stays glued to his palm like it owes him rent.
He does a clean around-the-world move and hands her the ball.
It slips out of her hands.
Phones come out IMMEDIATELY.
People hit record so fast their screens crack.
Kiran puts his headphones back on, totally calm.
She's guarding him high, away from the hoop.
He "accidentally" ties his shoes.
Cracks his neck.
Adjusts his wristband.
Stalls just enough to look cool.
What she doesn't realize:
He's slowly maneuvering to the half-court line.
Then—
A quick low dribble.
He slips the ball clean between her legs.
She tries to adjust her glasses—too late.
Trips over nothing.
Stumbles.
He accelerates.
One feint.
Switches hands.
"Stiff on 'em."
He jukes.
Her ankles spiritually disconnect.
She falls.
He steps back and launches a perfect spiral shot—
SWISH.
The court erupts.
"BRUH! You didn't have to do her like THAT!"
Kiran—headphones on—hears NONE of it.