Play For Keeps - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Two days later
The soft hum of early morning surrounded Imani as she leaned over the sink, brushing her teeth in slow, methodical strokes.
Routine mattered.
Teeth. Face. Pray. Social Media.
She sighed, rubbing in her sunscreen before grabbing her phone from the bathroom counter. Notifications piled up, the screen lighting up with comments, reposts, and tags from softball fans.
Texas had clinched a spot in the Conference Tournament, and Imani had dominated the last game- two home runs, two doubles, and lockdown defense at third.
Her name was everywhere.
She scrolled absently, smiling as she liked a few comments under team's latest post.
Money did NOT come to play. Straight beast mode 💪🏼💰
A shame what they did to LSU🤦🏻‍♀️ Tournament bound!!
My girl Imani never disappoints. Love her real bad❤️
She smirked, liking the last one as her mother's voice carried down the hallway.
"Off that phone and eat, baby."
Imani glanced up, knowing better than to ignore her mama twice.
She tucked her phone under her arm and made her way to the kitchen, where the familiar smell of buttered grits filled the air. Her father sat at the table, flipping through the sports section, a deep furrow in his brow.
"And where you going, chick?" he said, observing her workout clothes.
"Rye and I are going to the facility to work with Coach Dre's team." she replied, putting a kiss on her mom's cheek.
"You need to rest before the tournament begins," he said, putting his eyes back on the sports section.
Imani walked over, placing a soft kiss on his cheek before sitting down. "I will...Right after I help the kiddos at the facility today."
Her mother placed a steaming grit bowl with eggs and turkey bacon in front of her, along with a glass of orange juice and a bottle of water. She didn't argue- just hummed knowingly.
As she ate, she glanced at the door- already ready to go.
While Imani pulled out of the driveway, heading toward the facility, somewhere across town, Ezra stood inside the chilled air of the training complex, gripping a bat.
The space was cool, crisp, controlled- a welcome contrast from the brutal Texas sun outside. Overhead lights buzzed faintly, reflecting off the polished turf, while the rhythmic crack of batting practice echoed against high ceilings.
Trey adjusted his stance, exhaling slow.
"That swing needs more drive, bro," Ezra muttered, tossing another ball Trey's way.
Trey grunted as he swung, sending the ball into the net. "It's coming back," he said.
Ezra nodded. "Let's keep goin then."
Then- the sound hit them first.
Screams.
High-pitched, excited, sharply cutting through the steady hum of the facility.
Ezra and Trey exchanged a look, both frowning slightly.
"What the hell?"
They walked toward the commotion, jogging across the facility, weaving between training stations.
Then- they saw her.
A crowd of kids swarming two figures near the entrance, voices overlapping, faces bright with excitement.
Ezra squinted, taking in the scene.
Imani stood in the middle of it all, her presence electric, her movements effortless- hugging each kid, crouching to their level, making sure every single one of them felt seen.
Ezra frowned slightly.
He'd never seen a player- a college athlete no less- command a crowd like that. Not in the way that felt...effortless. He didn't even get a crowd like that when he was in college.
Trey exhaled a soft laugh.
"I think she more famous than you."
Ezra scoffed, shaking his head. "She famous here...that's it."
But his eyes stayed locked on her anyway.
Like he was watching something he wasn't sure how to process.
Trey, meanwhile, was already walking over arms stretched wide.
"Big Money in the building!" he called, grinning. "You showed yo ass the other day."
Ezra frowned, his eyes on Trey now. How the hell did he know her?
Imani turned, smiling wide as she met Trey with an easy hug, squeezing his shoulders.
"You were at the game?! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked, playfully pushing him.
Trey laughed. "It was last minute for real. Malik hooked us up with the tickets like earlier that day." she nodded with a smile. "I'm proud of you though. Y'all in the tournament?"
She nodded just as Riley chimed in. "They'd be stupid not to put us in the tournament."
Imani nudged Riley with a laugh, shaking her head.
Ezra exhaled slowly, stepping forward. Imani glanced over, eyes flicking to him.
"Well, hello."
Ezra gave a nod, brief, controlled. Riley squinted at him slightly. Sizing him up.
Imani motioned between them, introductions hanging in the air.
"I'm Imani, this is Riley. And you are?"
Trey held in a laugh, while Ezra frowned.
No one ever asked who he was. Most people already knew.
He rolled his shoulder slightly. "Ezra. But the fans call me Eezy."
Imani raised an eyebrow, amused, but not impressed.
"Fans? What do you do?"
Trey and Riley were already laughing, while Ezra fought the urge to glare.
"I play baseball wit Trey."
Imani acknowledged it with a nod, no reaction behind it.
Then- a kid ran up, breathless, bouncing on their toes.
"Coach Imani! We done warming up!"
Imani turned, all focus shifting back to them.
"Alright, let's get started." she said warmly her voice carrying through the facility.
She and Riley said quick goodbyes before jogging off, their presence like a pulse moving through the space.
Trey chuckled. "You good, Ezra but the fans call me Eezy?"
Ezra pushed him lightly, shaking his head. "Shut up."
At the other side of the complex, Ezra rolled his shoulders, forcing his focus back into training.
Trey adjusted his stance, ready for another kind of reps.
Ezra tossed him a ball, watching as he made contact- solid, but not perfect.
For the next hour, the facility hummed with parallel movement, the two sessions running separately but with an unspoken awareness between them.
Ezra wasnt looking at her. Not really. But his gaze flickered toward Imani sometimes- a second too long , a glance too sharp, an acknowledgement he didn't fully process yet.
Meanwhile, Imani remained fully focused, guiding the kids, hyping them up, adjusting their form with sharp but encouraging corrections.
But she never looked his way. Not once.
Ezra exhaled, shaking out his stance. "Ight, one more round," he muttered to Trey, snapping himself back into focus.
Then- as practiced wrapped up, the irony hit. They all ended up leaving at the same time.
Ezra stood back as Imani and Riley finished with the kids, watching as she gave each one a a final goodbye, a hug, a laugh, a reassurance that she'd see them again soon.
Then they all walked out, heading to their cars.
Trey checked his phone, then glanced at her. "When yalls next game, Mani?"
Imani raised a brow, turned around and smirked slightly. "We don't know yet. We don't even know which site we're getting, hopefully we stay in Texas. I'll let you know though." Trey nodded. "It's about time we exchange numbers, honestly. We been social media friends forever."
She pulled out her phone, unlocking it, handing it to Trey.
Ezra crossed his arms.
Tray tapped his number in with ease, grinning before handing it back. "Bet. Just let me know when y'all play."
Imani nodded before her gaze flickered toward Ezra, expectant but casual.
She wasn't offering her phone to him and Ezra noticed that detail too quickly. But before he could make sense of it, Riley spoke up.
"You should come too," she said. "I mean, since you play baseball and all, maybe you should see what real athletes look like in action."
Ezra scoffed. "Real athletes? Relax."
Imani's smirk deepened. "What?"
Ezra shrugged slightly, tone dismissive. "Softball ain't real baseball, that's all I'm saying."
The air shifted just slightly.
Riley folded her arms. "Excuse me?"
Trey exhaled hard, already sensing the shift. "Bro, chill."
Imani tilted her head. "Softball ain't real baseball?"
Ezra held his stance, nodding once. "It's cool, sure. But it's not the same level."
Imani chuckled- soft, effortless, like she already knew the ending of this conversation before it started.
Then- she challenged him.
"Okay. What makes baseball harder than softball?"
Ezra huffed a small laugh. "Speed, distance, strategy."
Imani hummed knowingly. "Mm. Speed?"
Ezra nodded. "Yeah. Pitchers throw faster."
Imani's smirk sharpened. "Softball pitchers throw from forty-three feet. Your pitchers throw from sixty. Do the math. The reaction time is shorter for us."
Ezra opened his mouth- then stopped. Riley grinned, loving every second of this.
Ezra narrowed his eyes, slightly. "Ight. Distance."
Imani shrugged easily. "Okay. But let's talk about home runs, hmm? Your hitters have way more space to get lucky with a ball clearing the wall. You think thirty extra feet in the outfield makes baseball harder? Y'all have space for mistakes. We don't."
Trey shook his head, watching Ezra getting his ass handed to him.
"Strategy then."
Imani nodded. "Sure. You've got pitch sequencing, defensive shifts, base stealing rules, so do we. But tell me this- how many times do you play defense when your team's batting?"
Ezra frowned slightly. "What?"
Imani smiled. "Softball players play every inning. Baseball pitchers get breaks when their team is at bat. You ever watched a softball player throw seven straight innings?"
Ezra hesitated- just barely. Imani noticed it and she won.
She grinned slightly, shaking her head. "See you later, Trey."
Ezra scoffed as she and Riley turned to leave, then called after her. "Wait- whats so funny?"
Trey couldn't hold back the laugh, letting it rip as he shook his head.
He clapped Ezra on the back. "You'll figure it out later."
Ezra stood there for a beat, watching as Imani disappeared into her car.
For the first time- softball wasnt just background noise anymore. It was real and in his face.