Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity
- Darrel Royal
~ ~ ~ ~
It's Saturday morning. The morning of the infamous "Recruit Me!" tournament, that's being held at Energy Volleyball Club this year. Minus the National Qualifier and the AAU Nationals, this tournament is the most important. This is where over 150 college coaches and scouts come to visit, and it's for the 15U, 16U, 17U, and 18U teams only. The only teams that are coming from Chicago Juniors is the 17U and 18U.
I had my parents drove me this time since I didn't feel like it, and it was a great idea because I got to catch up on some sleep.
I got to the facility around 7:25am, and everyone was already there waiting for Fred like always. My parents were sitting on the bleachers with the rest of the parents.
I was looking at a couple of teams warming up when I saw some scouts walk in. I nudged whoever was next to me, "Oh my gosh, the scouts are here." I caught the attention of the rest of the girls and they sat up, probably looking for their school. I saw all of my choices. I even saw some HBCUs, but none of the ones I was applying to. I couldn't take my eyes off of them.
"Alright ladies, let's warm it up." I jumped a the sound of Fred's voice. When did he get here?
We all stood up and did our regular jog to the net and back, then our stretches. We then grabbed a ball and our pepper partner. That's when I realized we were missing someone.
"Where's Ali?" I ask Mya. She shrugged her shoulder. She still couldn't be mad about what happened last week, right?
I shrugged it off and turned my attention back to Kailah. I tossed the ball to her and she passes it back to me. I set it back, and she hits it down to me. We do this a couple of times before the ref finally shows up. We do the coin flip and we get first serve.
Fred sets up the ball cart and we do our regular hitting warm up, hitting from each side, and we go into the actually hitting from our own position. Everything was going pretty smoothly, and the bleachers were getting filled up pretty quick. When we're finished with our warm up's, the other team, IPV, came up. I notice their hits and they seem really quick. They know their corners. Their libero is also amazing, but she has a little problem with digging tips.
The ref finally blew the whistle, and it was time to start the game. We shook hands with IPV and did our rituals.
"Fuck shit up on three!" Marcey says,
"One, two, three, fuck shit up!"
We get into position so the down ref can check the line up. Once he was done, the ball was rolled to Kailah.
She bounced the ball a couple of time before the ref blew the whistle. I heard the other team screaming to watch certain areas on the court.
She tossed the ball up and purposefully served a very short ball. I moved to my spot at the center of the net. They were able to get it back up, but not that much. One of the girls passed it higher in the air and the ball was then set over the net.
We transitioned to our "free ball" position. The ball was going towards Kaliah and she passed it perfectly to Miracle.
"One, one!" I yelled out. Carter and Kailah called their numbers as well.
Miracle ended up setting Carter, who got a kill instantly.
"Ayee!" We all cheered.
One point down, twenty-four point to go.
The ball was passed back to Kailah, and this time she served deep, throwing them off a little. This time their libero was able to get the ball up perfectly. My eyes followed the ball as it went to the setter. I thought she was going to set the outside, but she set middle, and let me tell you. That girl was tall. She's probably around 6'0" because I'm 5'10".
She was set a two, which is easier to block than a one. I went up for the block and I felt the ball touch my hand, but it came over pretty short. I sighed in annoyance because nobody was going to be able to get the ball back up.
"Touch!" I heard Carter yell. I look back and saw that Liana got the ball back up to Miracle semi-perfect.
I get back to the ten foot line, and call out my number. This time I did get set. I did my step approach, and I went for the kill.
When the ball went over, I thought it was going out, and apparently so did the other team, but I was in.
"Ayee!" We yelled again. I heard the crowd get loud with us.
2-0
The ball was passed to Kailah, and she served deep again making it look like it was going out, but was actually in. We got the point.
3-0
IPV's coach called a time-out. I was excited, but nervous because some coaches like to call time-outs, to get the other team off track with their serves, and sometimes it works.
"Okay ladies, you're doing amazing out there, but you have to communicate out there. I know you're with some new people, but it's very important that you do that." We all nodded our heads, "Also, amazing serves Kailah, keep it up and don't let this time-out mess you up."
"Thanks." Kailah says as she drinks her water.
Marcey put her hand in the middle, "Juniors on three!"
"One, two, three, JUNIORS!" We go back to our positions to wait on IPV.
I looked out in the stands and saw a scout from University of Georgia, Tulane, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Southern California. I got a little excited when I saw Tulane, USC, and Texas because I applied to those schools. Hopefully they saw our first 3 plays.
I felt someone nudge me. I looked back to see Mya, and the clutched onto my arm.
"University of Georgia is here. Like, they're standing right over there." It looked like she was about to run over there.
"Look, snap out of it. If you want them to notice you then you have to play hard enough. This is a big day for all of us." I say.
She sighed, "You're right, but if they don't talk to me then I'll personally give them my portfolio." She says and walks back to her spot.
"Aye!" Miracle called out, catching out attention, "We're running a 'C' and Carter you're hitting a three." She whispers, but it was loud enough for us to hear. I nodded my head and my attention went to another team playing their game. They looked to be about 15.
IPV was finally ready, and the ball was rolled back to Kailah. She looked nervous, but she quickly shook it off. She served short, and IPV looked ready for it this time.
Their D/S, I'm guessing, got the ball up perfectly to their setter, who set the outside; their strongest hitter. quickly did the approach and went up for the block. I didn't feel the ball touch my hand which meant that the ball went over. I came down and looked back to see that Kailah shanked the ball. She pouted a little, but I went over and told her to shake it off because she can always get the next pass or dig.
3-1
The ball was rolled over to IPV so they could serve. The girl served hard and deep, and it came straight for Mya. She passed the ball perfectly to Miracle, who then set the three for Carter. It was her first time hitting a three in an actual game since she only hits them in practice.
She probably planned out where she wanted to hit it because she got a kill.
4-1
*
We're now on break and I'm exhausted. We won our game 2-0 and had to ref afterwards. They even made me line judge, so my feet are killing me. I bought a sandwich and some fruit snacks from the concession stand and sat down with the rest of the team.
I pulled out my phone and went to Snapchat. I saw that someone added me and it was Kado. I smiled a little and added him back.
I immediately got a message from him.
Kado: Ayyyeeeeee Izzzzaaaayyyyyy
Me: lmaoo waaaasuuuupp
Kado: wyo?
Me: im at a tournament rn, but im on break. why?
Kado: awe damn. well u wanna help me record afterwards?
Me: yea sure
Kado: ight cool, imma be at the kroc. just text me when you done.
Kado: & good luck iz :)
Me: gracias muchacho!
Kado: lol de nada
I closed Snapchat and went back to my sandwich.
"Has anybody talked to Ali today?" Marcey asked
"Nope" Most of the team responded.
"I asked Fred and he said she didn't call either." Mya says.
I sigh and roll my eyes. That means Fred is pissed and he's gonna blame it on us because we didn't talk to her before coming here. But it's not our fault. It's her fault for not texting us this morning, and if she shows up to practice Tuesday we're all gonna run.
"Well, all I know is if we run because of her, I'm beatin' her ass again." Kailah says. I couldn't agree more. Hell this time I might even join.
We all finished our food, and decided to go watch another team play. We stopped when we saw Lions Jr's 16U team playing Midway's 18U team. I know this because we've played Midway before. It just shocks me that a 16U team is playing against 18 year olds, and they're winning.
I watched as one of the taller outside hitters got went up and got a kill from a bad set.
"Damn, they're good." I heard Liana say next to me.
"I know right. I wonder if we'll ever have to play them." I thought out loud.
"Yea, probably for the qualifiers. But I think we'll play their 18s team though." I mentally rolled my eyes thinking of Destiny.
I don't know why, but she got even more irritating this year. Last year, she only bothered me whenever we saw each other at tournaments, but now it's every time she sees me. All I wanna know is what I did to make her do that.
After watching the game for a minute, we all got a text from Fred telling us to come back to the court, so we can warm-up.
We all got back to the court to find Fred not even there yet. He was actually at one of the tables eating a sandwich. I laughed to myself as I watched him. That man really loves his food. But who doesn't?
We decided against waiting on him to finish, so we did our regular warm-up and began to pepper. Kailah and I got in our regular spots on the court and began peppering.
When she hit the ball towards me, I shanked the ball across the court. I huffed, and jogged to get the ball. As I bent down to pick up the ball, I noticed Adam sitting on one of the bleachers watching a game. Not even a minute later Ali comes running up to him with a Lions Jr's. jersey on.
I froze.
I stared at her, my blood boiling. How could she? I don't even care that she left, but why didn't she tell us? And more importantly, why Lions Jr's?? Did she not realize that there were so many other teams like IPV and Chicago Elite that she could have gone to?
I felt someone come up next to me.
"You good?" It was Mya.
I didn't say anything, but I Mya caught on to where I was staring. I heard her gasp.
"Oh this bitch." She then made her way over to where Ali was standing, "Oh, you really fucking did it, bitch." She said as she stood in front of Ali. Destiny then appeared by her side smirking.
Ali's eyes widened, but she smirked, "What surprised?" She shrugged and turned her attention back to Adam.
I could tell Mya was about to do something, but I pulled her back because I didn't want to get in trouble with Fred or another ref.
"Welp, I guess I gotta kill two bitches." Mya says as she walks away. I looked back at Ali, hurt and angry, but all I can do is shrug. It is what it is.
I get back to my court to find Mya, Kailah, and Miracle pissed while Liana and Marcey looked hurt. The other team, Top Flight is already on their side warming up as well.
I sighed then cleared my throat, "Aight y'all, circle up." They came closer, and we wrapped our arms around each other. "Now what we're not gonna do is stand here and sulk and be pissed about what we just found out. Yea, what she did was petty, but we're better than that, and we already know that we don't need her. Do you not know how many tournaments we've won without her? I mean all she's been doing is bench warming because her ass don't ever come to practice." I was getting angry even thinking about her. "So, we gon' play these last two games like it's our last to show her that we don't need her to win. And when we see her at the qualifiers and nationals, we'll see who the real winner is."
I put my hand in the center, "Fuck shit up on three?"
"One, two, three, fuck shit up!"
As we went to finish peppering, I felt someone come beside me. I turned to see Fred.
"Nice speech." He said nodding his head, "You know I always knew it was something off about her. But I always thought that her heart just wasn't in the game anymore." I looked at him and I could tell he was hurt. Ali was like a daughter to him; hell, all of us were.
I nodded in agreement. Ali would almost always show up to practice late, and she would always be lazy when it came to passing, and when we had to condition or drills. We noticed, but we thought it was a personal problem that she was dealing with at home. She even missed a couple day of school.
"Same, we all thought it was something personal, but I guess not. The only thing that's bothering me is that she didn't even think about talking to us, telling us why she was leaving."
"I could call her mom and ask why, but since most of you all go to the same school, I'm just going to leave it up to you guys to handle it."
I shrugged, "I guess." I didn't want to give him a hint that we already had something planned because he would be extremely pissed.
Fred patted my shoulders, "Well, get back to warming up, the game is about to start."
"Alright Freddio." He rolled his eyes at the nickname, making me laugh loudly.
I get back to Kailah, and right when I picked up the ball, the ref was already calling for the captains. Liana decided to go this time. She came back telling us that we had serve.
We put the balls away and the ref blew her whistle signaling Top Flight to get off the court. Fred came and we began our warm-up, which is hitting from all sides a couple of times. We then got in our regular hitting spots and began hitting. Once the ref said that we had one minute, we went to serve.
I did a couple short serves, then deep, and a did one jump serve.
After the one long minute was up, Top Flight took the court. They had pretty tall players, and the only short one was their libero, which is pretty common. As they were hitting, I couldn't help but to feel quite intimidated by their height. I mean yea I'm tall too, but most of them were taller than me. Even their hits were precise.
"Tu beuno?" Liana asked.
"Yea, I'm good. They just look really good."
"Oh, I personally don't worry about what they look like during warm ups."
"How come?"
"Because anyone can get a perfect kill without a block."
*
We ended up getting first at the "Recruit Me!" tournament. We even got to talk to some coaches. I talked to coaches from Texas, Penn State, Nebraska, and LSU. The coach from Texas recognized me as Destinee's little sister. I didn't mind, but they did ask me a lot of questions that dealt with her, and not volleyball. They would ask me things like, "What's she up to now?" and "Are you trying to become like her?", oh and the most famous question, "How does it feel to be the little sister of Destinee Hooker?"
I tried to answer them as quickly as possible because I really didn't want to talk to anyone who wasn't interested in my volleyball career. But I had all my attention on LSU because it's becoming my first choice. I talked to USC as well, but I didn't seem to have their attention anymore.
After the interviews, I called Kado and told him that I was on my way to the Kroc Center. Since he was already there I decided to keep what I had on and just wait until I got home to take a shower.
I got to the Kroc in an hour which was record timing because there was so much traffic. I slipped on my sweats and running shoes and headed inside.
I scanned my I.D. and headed to the gym. I found him already playing basketball with a couple other guys. From the looks of it he's pretty good. He has to work on his footwork a little more, but I could say that he's better than an average high school player.
I waited until he was subbed out to go over to him. He was really sweaty, so I didn't touch him.
"Kado!" It sort've came out like a whisper instead of a yell.
He turned around and smiled when he saw me. He held out his arms for a hug, and I declined. But of course he didn't listen and he wrapped his arms around me anyway, covering me with his sweat.
I squealed and pushed him away. I wiped the sweat from the side of my face.
"Ew, why would you do that?"
He shrugged, "Because I can. You ready?" He asked holding up his camera. I nodded my head, and we went to the other side of the court.
He grabs a ball and I take the camera and turn it on. I face it towards him and give him the go. He starts at the three-point line, doing a little footwork before shooting the ball. I heard a swish meaning that he made the shot. He did that from every angle 3 times.
He put the ball back and walked to get his water.
"That's all I'm doing for now. Thanks for doing this, you're probably tired since you're coming from your tournament." He says.
I wave him off, "You're fine, I didn't really have anything to do afterwards anyways. " I couldn't help but stare at him. From his jawline to his abs; they were just so precise and perfect.
"So, when do you wanna do this again?" Kado asked. He lifted up his shirt to wipe some of the sweat from his forehead. I turned my head a little, so that I wouldn't get distracted.
"I dunno, I'm pretty sure I'm free next weekend, so I can record a little more."
"Aight, but I wanna go to the school's gym. I don't really like it here."
I shrugged, "That's cool." I pulled out my phone and saw that I had 2 missed calls and one text from Mya.
From: Mya
girl u need to get ali's house now.
To: Mya
tf are yall doing at her house? i thought yall was doing something different
From: Mya
nah its just me & kai & she couldnt wait apparently. like this girl is ready to kill ali.
To: Mya
ight, im omw.
I stuffed my phone in my pocket, "Look, I have to get going. Something came up."
"Aight, well I'll text you later." he said grabbing his jacket and bag.
I walk back to my car and noticed how chilly it got outside. Ugh, I hate Chicago weather.
As soon as I got in the car, I turned on the heat and blasted Kiss It Better by Rihanna.
The drive to Ali's house was pretty long because of all the traffic, but I got there right before Kailah and Ali was about to fight. Kailah already had on her sweats and her hair was tied up, so she was ready. I quickly got out of my car and grabbed Kai before she could do anything.
"You fucking bitch! You're a fucking traitor! And then you had the audacity to show up to the fucking tournament knowing we were going to be there!" She was still trying to get out of my grip, but I held on even tighter.
I looked at Ali and I could tell she was scared.
"Look Kai." I paused and looked at Ali, "She ain't worth it. Just let it go." I shook my head and Kailah calmed down a little.
"You good bro?" I heard Mya asked, Kai just nodded her head simply and went back to Mya's car.
I looked back at Ali and watched as she silently cried. I became angry all over again. Why is she crying?
We're the ones who are supposed to be crying, not her. Without even thinking, I walked over to her, and my hand connected to her face.
Her head flew back as she held her face in pain.
"Since Kailah didn't get to do it." I said as I walked back to my car, and drove home.