In chapter 21 of Basketball Jones, I am a huge idiot and I am taken on the most shocking twist of my life because it shows how wrong I was throughout this whole adventure. Intrigued? It’s time for Kingett to read Basketball Jones.
What?
What?
What?
Wait a minute!
Holy cow!
You are unprepared!
I just…. I don’t know, I don’t know. I am in total shock because this isn’t what I was expecting at all, this twist. Wow. I am speechless, blown away, baffled. Wow, ladies and gentlemen, I was eternally unprepared for this chapter. I just finished reading this chapter and my mouth is still gaping open like a chasm.
Oh my god!
Wow,
What’s the big twist? Cisco isn’t behind this in the slightest.
Nope, no, no, no, no! I feel like a fool. I’ve spent all the while thinking and believing that Cisco was the one behind everything and, wow, oh my god! He isn’t!
Cisco stops by AJ’s house because he wants to make up for trying to finger AJ in chapter nine. It’s hard to believe but in the book, everything that’s happened so far has taken place over the span of two weeks. Two weeks have gone by and Cisco is worried that he hurt AJ. Well, no duh, but AJ relents to his apology, though not before blasting Cisco for all of the things that have been happening to date. The video, the phone calls, the ransom threats and notes left to Dray, the ransom notes left to AJ, everything, and when Cisco looks genuinely confused, even after having been shouted at and ruffled, AJ finally does something that I’d honestly never thought I would see in this book. He tells someone what has been happening all along, that he and Dray are boyfriends, about the blackmail, about the threats, the stress, everything. It all comes washing out of AJ, and it’s such a good feeling that I smiled all the way through the second half of the chapter.
This is so beyond refreshing that I want to dwell on it because it relieves AJ of so much baggage he’s been keeping that he suddenly feels much happier about, well, everything, and I LOVE it to pieces. It’s really epic that AJ finally realizes he can’t do this alone. While I still wish he’d told Dray, at least he’s getting it out in the open, and he and someone else are in this together, not alone like so many times before. AJ is no longer alone and everyone is happier. This is totally beautiful. This is totally magical, breathtaking, and just really refreshing in a way that just lifts everyone’s spirits; AJ’s, mine, and even Cisco’s.
Oh my god, I’m touched by this moment! AJ, you’ve done the right thing! I’m beyond proud of you!
The two sit and contemplate who could be doing this. I admit I don’t have a clue. I’m left with Judy, out of everyone, who may be a viable suspect, but all of the callers who have called AJ have been male. I don’t know what to think about the future, but I know that this is a huge moment for AJ, one that I totally support, him telling someone at long last about everything. It’s interesting that he confides in Cisco because he barely even knows Cisco.
I believe that Cisco, to AJ, is a symbol of secret keeping or just plain trust without anything attached and nothing to lose if Cisco knows, because AJ feels like he will lose everything anyway so that’s why he spills the beans to the last person I would have confided in.
Then again, Cisco is literally an outsider in all of this, so there’s a certain level of safety with him that he would never get with Dray or even Jade. Cisco isn’t AJ’s friend, Cisco isn’t even Dray’s friend, Cisco is just there, and I believe that this is why AJ feels so good after telling Cisco because there’s nothing attached to what he tells Cisco, nor is there anything attached to Cisco. There’s no friendship to be lost or any of that, so he feels safe telling Cisco.
Did I mention how epic this is that AJ finally told someone? I am beyond ecstatic!
That’s the biggest thing that happens in the chapter is that AJ tells Cisco everything. The end of the chapter shows AJ and Dray having sex, and AJ is more animated when he’s making love to Dray because he’s free. His mind is free because he has finally told someone, and now I won’t have to yell at AJ anymore! This is brilliant! This is wonderful!
Now that this has been aired out, I’m really interested to see what will happen next. The secret is out, and perhaps AJ and Cisco, what an odd couple still, can finally do something about all of this. I am totally psyched. This is a huge development in the plot and even in the characters, not just AJ. Cisco understands, sort of, that having a rich life isn’t all roses and puppies, and he even goes out of the way to help AJ. The two are finally coming together and I honestly can’t wait to see what the two will do in order to combat this whole thing. I’m also intrigued to see how AJ and Dray will communicate in the coming chapters. So far, this is shaping up to be an epic road ahead.
Before I go, though, I just have to point out something that confused me a lot. When AJ finishes telling Cisco everything, Cisco says the below.
“I’m saying I got some associates who can bring the wood and ain’t anybody got to know.”
What does THAT mean? Huh? Bring the wood? What in the world does THAT mean?