Nikki and Domenic were hot and heavy during the next few weeks and the abrupt boyfriend swap was the talk of the girls when the news broke. Gina and Stefania were both surprised to know that Nikki had dumped Daniel, but everyone also felt she made the right decision. They never bought her relationship with Daniel and Domenic suited her much better.
It wasn’t uncommon to see the two making in her office from time to time and Nikki sometimes made it a point to go to Domenic’s office, planting a kiss on him right in front of Daniel.
Once summer arrived, Stefania played basketball every evening during the week, so while she was there, Nikki enrolled in a kickboxing class with Gina. She found it exhilarating and that it acted as an outlet for her stress and aggression.
Several of the weekends during the summer were also spent traveling. At the basketball team banquet, Stefania’s coach approached Nikki about playing for his AAU travel team during the summer. His daughter and Stefania’s classmate also played on the team, but the remainder of the girls came from nearby Trenton.
Most of the other girls were black or Latino, which Nikki felt would be good for Stefania. She not only felt it would help her improve as a basketball player, but would also help her become a more well-rounded person. She had been kept in a bubble since moving to New Jersey, spending time around kids that came from white wealthy or upper-middle class families. So rather than going visiting beaches or exotic places, Nikki drove around New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania a few weekends a month.
Nikki didn’t mind, however, as she found time to lounge around hotel pools in between games -- although the hotels were not nearly as luxurious as the ones she usually stayed in -- and she still enjoyed watching Stefania play. She was not a big fish in a small pond with this team or the teams they played against, so Stefania was forced to step up her game, although she was still struggling with the physicality against much more experienced girls.
One problem Stefania had on these trips, though, was finding ways to sneak cigarettes. Still hiding her habit, from her teammates, Stefania often had to wait until getting in the car with Nikki, often coaxing her into driving some place so they wouldn’t be seen in the parking lot. Her smoking had decreased from a pack per day to six or seven since she began playing basketball, but still needed her fix.
During an August tournament in Chester, Pennsylvania -- a suburb just south of Philadelphia -- Stefania’s team had a six-hour break between an early-morning game and a game in the evening. After being up so early, Stefania fell asleep when they returned to the hotel room, while Nikki went to the hotel fitness center to workout.
Naturally, Nikki went outside the lobby afterwards to smoke, waving to Stefania’s coach, Mike, as he entered the hotel. When Nikki returned the room, Stefania was finally awake and she sat down on the bed to watch the end of a Friends rerun. When the show concluded, Stefania wanted to sneak away for a cigarette, but Nikki was already changing out of her workout clothes.
“Sorry, babe,” Nikki said as she took off her tank top and stood in the doorway of the bathroom in a sports bra and leggings. “I just had one. You’re on your own.”
Stefania tried to whine her way in getting Nikki to take her, but now it was her turn to relax. She showered and was about to go lay by the pool for a bit. Stefania, obviously needing a cigarette and was beginning to get grumpy, but for an hour she attempted to fight through her craving. Knowing she likely wouldn’t be able to smoke until the game ended that night, there was no doubt in her mind that she needed to sneak out.
Wearing a tank top and a pair of leggings that went down to her calves and a pair of vintage Air Jordan sneakers, Stefania picked up her purse and exited the room and went down through the lobby. She decided it would be best to go out one of the back doors and quickly put one of her Newport Menthol 100s into her mouth and nervously sparked the tip. She devoured the cigarette in record time before spritzing herself with perfume and returning to the lobby.
While waiting for the elevator to go upstairs, Stefania saw Mike coming back through the lobby and headed towards her. She knew it was impossible to bolt for the stairs at this point, but she feared he would smell smoke on her if he got close. In the elevator, Stefania attempted to stand on complete opposite ends, but it didn’t work.
“Do I smell cigarette smoke on Sefania?” Mike thought to himself. “Nikki is a heavy smoker, but she doesn’t smell like stale smoke. This is fresh.”
Mike wanted to find out if his best player was a smoker, so he attempted to close the gap between the two of them or perhaps get close enough to smell it on her breath. The elevator was too fast, however, and Stefania was able to get off without tipping her hand any more.
Later that night after the game, Mike attempted to see if Stefania would light a cigarette with Nikki, and while the older of the two girls lit a cigarette on the walk from the gym to the car, he was never able to confirm or deny his fears.
____________________________________________________________________________
While Stefania attempted to remain in the closet, by the end of the weekend Nikki felt it was time to have a chat with her. For the most part, Nikki never injected herself into basketball discussion with Stefania. She didn’t possess enough knowledge of the game to coach her, and even if she did, Nikki wanted her coaches to handle that.
After the final game, however, Nikki had to talk with her about being more confident and tough. After the previous night’s game, Nikki overheard one of the Trenton girls talking on her way to the locker room.
“Stefania’s so good,” the girl moaned to another teammate. “But that girl is so damn soft.”
The following morning during the championship game, Stefania had the ball in her hands with time running out and a chance to win the game. She dribbled into the paint and had an open shot, but rather than shooting, she passed to a teammate, who missed an open 3-pointer at the buzzer and lost the game.
Nikki waited for Stefania to come out of the locker room -- wearing a black tank top, tucked into a pair of dark blue bootcut jeans, tied together with a black leather belt with silver rhinestones and a western buckle, along with a black dress blazer and a pair of black cowboy boots -- attempting to think of what to say to her. Nikki checked the gold Rolex on wrist and nervously fiddle with the necklaces around her neck.
Stefania exited the locker room with a dejected look on her face and Nikki gave her a hug and put her her arm around her shoulders as the walked to the car. She knew that it was best to wait to give her a pep talk for a bit, so instead they got into her Mercedes SUV and drove home.
It was only a 60 mile drive, but Nikki decided to stop for lunch at a rest stop once they entered New Jersey. Nikki wasn’t a big fan of fast food, but she was traveling with a depressed teenage girl, so she agreed to eat at Burger King.
They decided to eat outside at a picnic table and when she was done with her food, Nikki decided it was time to talk. She took off her blazer, which was no longer necessary in the warm sun, and lit an after-lunch cigarette.
“So that was a tough game,” Nikki began, exhaling, as her left arm rested on top of the table, her Rolex sliding down her forearm. “How come you didn’t shoot the ball at the end?”
“I don’t know,” Stefania moaned.
“What did your coach want you to do?” Nikki asked, dragging on her cigarette.
“He told me to shoot it if I was open,” Stefania said.
“You were open,” Nikki responded.
“I know,” Stefania moaned in frustration. “I was afraid I would miss.”
“Listen, babe,” Nikki said, pushing her Louis Vuitton full-shield sunglasses from the bridge of her nose to rest on her straight brown hair. “We both know you I don’t know much about basketball strategy, but I know you’re the best player on that team. I think, deep down, you know that, too.”
“I guess,” Stefania mumbled.
“You just have to act like it more often,” Nikki encouraged. “Sometimes you’re going to make mistakes or miss shots, but you’re also going to make a lot of them.”
“Yeah,” said Stefania, who was struggling to make eye contact.
“You also have to learn to be a little tougher,” Nikki said. “Why are you afraid of the contact?”
“I don’t know,” Stefania responded.
“Does it hurt?” Nikki asked again.
“No,” Stefania said. “It just takes me off my game a little.”
“Well you have to get past that,” Nikki encouraged. “You’re the point guard, which is supposed to be the leader of the team, so all of those girls are looking at you to make the best decision and they trust that you will.”
Stefania now had an unlit cigarette dangling from her lips and was rustling around her purse for her lighter, but it was distracting her from the conversation, so Nikki placed her half-smoked cigarette between her lips, stood up, leaned over the table and lit the cigarette for her.
Knowing she needed to wrap up the pep talk or she was going to lose her attention, Nikki decided to put it in terms that would sink into her brain.
“Look, Stef,” Nikki began, taking a drag and speaking through her exhale. “You know that tattoo all of the girls have?”
Stefania’s ears perked up and she nodded, exhaling her own smoke and tapping ash off her cigarette.
“In order to get that, all of those girls had to prove toughness, leadership and commitment to our family,” Nikki said. “You may not be blood and you’re only six years younger than me, but I look at you as my daughter. Between me and Mom, we consider you family. So you have to act like a Perrillo.”
Stefania exhaled and nodded again, while Nikki took one last drag and flicked her cigarette into the parking lot.
“Perrillo’s are tough and they’re leaders,” Nikki continued. “We also don’t take shit from anyone. I’m not telling you to start fights or act like a bitch, but you have to start acting like a star on and off the court.”
“OK,” Stefania responded.
Nikki had no idea if her words resonated with Stefania and it would be a few months before she got a definitive answer. With the tournament marking the end of the travel season, Stefania wouldn’t play competitively until the high school season began in November. Nikki just hoped she would begin to see herself in the same light everyone else did.
It wasn’t uncommon to see the two making in her office from time to time and Nikki sometimes made it a point to go to Domenic’s office, planting a kiss on him right in front of Daniel.
Once summer arrived, Stefania played basketball every evening during the week, so while she was there, Nikki enrolled in a kickboxing class with Gina. She found it exhilarating and that it acted as an outlet for her stress and aggression.
Several of the weekends during the summer were also spent traveling. At the basketball team banquet, Stefania’s coach approached Nikki about playing for his AAU travel team during the summer. His daughter and Stefania’s classmate also played on the team, but the remainder of the girls came from nearby Trenton.
Most of the other girls were black or Latino, which Nikki felt would be good for Stefania. She not only felt it would help her improve as a basketball player, but would also help her become a more well-rounded person. She had been kept in a bubble since moving to New Jersey, spending time around kids that came from white wealthy or upper-middle class families. So rather than going visiting beaches or exotic places, Nikki drove around New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania a few weekends a month.
Nikki didn’t mind, however, as she found time to lounge around hotel pools in between games -- although the hotels were not nearly as luxurious as the ones she usually stayed in -- and she still enjoyed watching Stefania play. She was not a big fish in a small pond with this team or the teams they played against, so Stefania was forced to step up her game, although she was still struggling with the physicality against much more experienced girls.
One problem Stefania had on these trips, though, was finding ways to sneak cigarettes. Still hiding her habit, from her teammates, Stefania often had to wait until getting in the car with Nikki, often coaxing her into driving some place so they wouldn’t be seen in the parking lot. Her smoking had decreased from a pack per day to six or seven since she began playing basketball, but still needed her fix.
During an August tournament in Chester, Pennsylvania -- a suburb just south of Philadelphia -- Stefania’s team had a six-hour break between an early-morning game and a game in the evening. After being up so early, Stefania fell asleep when they returned to the hotel room, while Nikki went to the hotel fitness center to workout.
Naturally, Nikki went outside the lobby afterwards to smoke, waving to Stefania’s coach, Mike, as he entered the hotel. When Nikki returned the room, Stefania was finally awake and she sat down on the bed to watch the end of a Friends rerun. When the show concluded, Stefania wanted to sneak away for a cigarette, but Nikki was already changing out of her workout clothes.
“Sorry, babe,” Nikki said as she took off her tank top and stood in the doorway of the bathroom in a sports bra and leggings. “I just had one. You’re on your own.”
Stefania tried to whine her way in getting Nikki to take her, but now it was her turn to relax. She showered and was about to go lay by the pool for a bit. Stefania, obviously needing a cigarette and was beginning to get grumpy, but for an hour she attempted to fight through her craving. Knowing she likely wouldn’t be able to smoke until the game ended that night, there was no doubt in her mind that she needed to sneak out.
Wearing a tank top and a pair of leggings that went down to her calves and a pair of vintage Air Jordan sneakers, Stefania picked up her purse and exited the room and went down through the lobby. She decided it would be best to go out one of the back doors and quickly put one of her Newport Menthol 100s into her mouth and nervously sparked the tip. She devoured the cigarette in record time before spritzing herself with perfume and returning to the lobby.
While waiting for the elevator to go upstairs, Stefania saw Mike coming back through the lobby and headed towards her. She knew it was impossible to bolt for the stairs at this point, but she feared he would smell smoke on her if he got close. In the elevator, Stefania attempted to stand on complete opposite ends, but it didn’t work.
“Do I smell cigarette smoke on Sefania?” Mike thought to himself. “Nikki is a heavy smoker, but she doesn’t smell like stale smoke. This is fresh.”
Mike wanted to find out if his best player was a smoker, so he attempted to close the gap between the two of them or perhaps get close enough to smell it on her breath. The elevator was too fast, however, and Stefania was able to get off without tipping her hand any more.
Later that night after the game, Mike attempted to see if Stefania would light a cigarette with Nikki, and while the older of the two girls lit a cigarette on the walk from the gym to the car, he was never able to confirm or deny his fears.
____________________________________________________________________________
While Stefania attempted to remain in the closet, by the end of the weekend Nikki felt it was time to have a chat with her. For the most part, Nikki never injected herself into basketball discussion with Stefania. She didn’t possess enough knowledge of the game to coach her, and even if she did, Nikki wanted her coaches to handle that.
After the final game, however, Nikki had to talk with her about being more confident and tough. After the previous night’s game, Nikki overheard one of the Trenton girls talking on her way to the locker room.
“Stefania’s so good,” the girl moaned to another teammate. “But that girl is so damn soft.”
The following morning during the championship game, Stefania had the ball in her hands with time running out and a chance to win the game. She dribbled into the paint and had an open shot, but rather than shooting, she passed to a teammate, who missed an open 3-pointer at the buzzer and lost the game.
Nikki waited for Stefania to come out of the locker room -- wearing a black tank top, tucked into a pair of dark blue bootcut jeans, tied together with a black leather belt with silver rhinestones and a western buckle, along with a black dress blazer and a pair of black cowboy boots -- attempting to think of what to say to her. Nikki checked the gold Rolex on wrist and nervously fiddle with the necklaces around her neck.
Stefania exited the locker room with a dejected look on her face and Nikki gave her a hug and put her her arm around her shoulders as the walked to the car. She knew that it was best to wait to give her a pep talk for a bit, so instead they got into her Mercedes SUV and drove home.
It was only a 60 mile drive, but Nikki decided to stop for lunch at a rest stop once they entered New Jersey. Nikki wasn’t a big fan of fast food, but she was traveling with a depressed teenage girl, so she agreed to eat at Burger King.
They decided to eat outside at a picnic table and when she was done with her food, Nikki decided it was time to talk. She took off her blazer, which was no longer necessary in the warm sun, and lit an after-lunch cigarette.
“So that was a tough game,” Nikki began, exhaling, as her left arm rested on top of the table, her Rolex sliding down her forearm. “How come you didn’t shoot the ball at the end?”
“I don’t know,” Stefania moaned.
“What did your coach want you to do?” Nikki asked, dragging on her cigarette.
“He told me to shoot it if I was open,” Stefania said.
“You were open,” Nikki responded.
“I know,” Stefania moaned in frustration. “I was afraid I would miss.”
“Listen, babe,” Nikki said, pushing her Louis Vuitton full-shield sunglasses from the bridge of her nose to rest on her straight brown hair. “We both know you I don’t know much about basketball strategy, but I know you’re the best player on that team. I think, deep down, you know that, too.”
“I guess,” Stefania mumbled.
“You just have to act like it more often,” Nikki encouraged. “Sometimes you’re going to make mistakes or miss shots, but you’re also going to make a lot of them.”
“Yeah,” said Stefania, who was struggling to make eye contact.
“You also have to learn to be a little tougher,” Nikki said. “Why are you afraid of the contact?”
“I don’t know,” Stefania responded.
“Does it hurt?” Nikki asked again.
“No,” Stefania said. “It just takes me off my game a little.”
“Well you have to get past that,” Nikki encouraged. “You’re the point guard, which is supposed to be the leader of the team, so all of those girls are looking at you to make the best decision and they trust that you will.”
Stefania now had an unlit cigarette dangling from her lips and was rustling around her purse for her lighter, but it was distracting her from the conversation, so Nikki placed her half-smoked cigarette between her lips, stood up, leaned over the table and lit the cigarette for her.
Knowing she needed to wrap up the pep talk or she was going to lose her attention, Nikki decided to put it in terms that would sink into her brain.
“Look, Stef,” Nikki began, taking a drag and speaking through her exhale. “You know that tattoo all of the girls have?”
Stefania’s ears perked up and she nodded, exhaling her own smoke and tapping ash off her cigarette.
“In order to get that, all of those girls had to prove toughness, leadership and commitment to our family,” Nikki said. “You may not be blood and you’re only six years younger than me, but I look at you as my daughter. Between me and Mom, we consider you family. So you have to act like a Perrillo.”
Stefania exhaled and nodded again, while Nikki took one last drag and flicked her cigarette into the parking lot.
“Perrillo’s are tough and they’re leaders,” Nikki continued. “We also don’t take shit from anyone. I’m not telling you to start fights or act like a bitch, but you have to start acting like a star on and off the court.”
“OK,” Stefania responded.
Nikki had no idea if her words resonated with Stefania and it would be a few months before she got a definitive answer. With the tournament marking the end of the travel season, Stefania wouldn’t play competitively until the high school season began in November. Nikki just hoped she would begin to see herself in the same light everyone else did.
Chapter 48?
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