Jayla Rae

Loved by a Player

Our Hood Love Story

He’s back, and he says he came back for me. Can I believe him?

The basketball players dribble and dodge on the court down on Second Avenue, and I have to stand outside the fence and watch. Yahir Jenkins is back in the hood after five years playing at the top of the NBA. Are his loyalties too divided? How can I put aside all the conflicting notions to find the truth?

I grew up with Yahir. We used to be friends. We used to be real close. That was before he left the neighborhood and forgot his roots. How can I believe him when he says he loves me, that he never stopped loving me?

Things get complicated when the neighborhood turns against him over a mysterious death, and when I finally let my guard down to love him, he up and vanishes into thin air. Can I ever give my heart again, or will he turn out to be nothing but a player waiting to take advantage of me?