"Shasha Morreti is the team captain."
Viviana was introducing me to the girls one by who were already in the school team.
"Right, what a captain to lead us to three losses."
Cole snarled, uninterested. Viviana glared at him spitting that they could hear him.
They were standing only a few meters away from us, judging the new participants who would join them if any of us qualified today.
"Look Arthur is here!"
Everyone exclaimed, making us look at him as he walked inside the court with his soccer friends.
"Congratulations Janet."
"For what?"
I asked Cole, not understanding what he was congratulating me for.
"With the Great Smith here, the girls could never focus so the game is yours."
He said. I could not bring myself to agree with him when even Viviana was siding with his analysis.
Cole got ready to leave after wishing me luck for his next class. Viviana was ditching it to support me. I did not know how I got so lucky in just a month to land a friend like her.
"Happy to see you here, Ms. Johnson. I'm already counting you in."
Coach Pamella came to us and graced me with her wise words that boosted my spirits right away.
"Look at them..."
It was only then I saw what the others were busy gawking at.
There he was...making out with the captain as if it was just the two of them in here.
"What are you doing here?"
She asked, wrapping her arms around him. Perhaps it was not very usual for the school's soccer star to visit the fields here.
"It's for that girl..."
Vance was about to say something but as usual, he kicked him off making the others laugh out loud.
I shook my head off. Everything was all fun and jokes to him. Coach Pamella blew her whistle making us all aware that she was going to start the match.
One by one and then it was my turn. As I put my foot on the ground, inhaling the competition.
"Sasha come down to the field."
Coach called her in. Sasha did not budge at first, thinking it was a mistake. She was the captain and the best Volleyball player the school had...so far I had come to know at least this much while standing in line for my turn.
She could not be asked to perform in these entry-level matches. She only played with those who qualified after scanning who would make it to the school team.
"Isn't this the entry-level match?"
Sasha voiced out. And even I did not understand why the Coach was calling her to compete with me.
"Janet here is a Semi-finalist player from Inter-school tournaments last year and I want to check her skills more before she gets entry here."
Coach let out, making me feel all the more self-concious gaining the attention of everyone, including him even though his eyes were already on me.
"That's why she was kicked out of Mount High, a public school for not winning the semis?"
Sasha mockingly said. It made me see her, shocked that she knew me. She remembered me.
"But she defeated the team you lead in the Quarters, Ms. Morreti."
Coach Pamella voiced out making Sasha narrow her eyes. The crowd that she had made laugh before, died in slience after that.
"Now come on in, Sasha."
It was as if playing with me on the ground here would tarnish her reputation. I felt that disgust eminating out from her as she stepped in after he had whispered something in her ears.
The air felt heavy as I inhaled in. The competition could make me a laughing stock if I did not make it through.
A year of not playing competing against someone who was always in practice. Sasha's blue eyes threw fires my way.
"You go JANET!"
Viviana yelled out, making me all the more nervous, at the same time glad that there would be someone I could lean on if I lost it to the blonde before me.
The whistle blew off and I could not even get where the ball came from missing it.
Everyone laughed. Sasha smirked. I earned the next five losses in a minute. I could not even hit the ball once to the other side of the net.
"Mounts High knew what they were doing, Coach."
Sasha chuckled, eyeing me as a piece of mockery. Her teammates cheered with her and so did others.
Sweating profusely by then, although another two rounds were remaining, I almost felt as if I would not be making it through.
As the whistle blew off this time, I kept all my focus on the ball and scored my first point when Sasha missed it for the very first time.
Viviana was the only one to stand up and clap. It made me look at her and smile despite seeing the angry face of my competitor.
Scoring my first injected me with dopamine. A sudden adrenalin rush in my body not wanting to lose again.
Back and forth the ball bounced from this side to the other side of the net, and it was not going to touch the soil this time...at least on my side.
And Viviana screamed out yet again when Sasha missed it. Coach blew the whistle declaring me as the winner.
My heart was pounding against the confinement of my chest as I could not believe that I had made it through.
Sasha stepped out of the field forming an enmity with me when it was just a game that we played.
"Coach?"
He stood up and came down to where we stood. He walked upto me, towering over my frame.
"If she defeats me, a direct ticket to the school team."
He challenged me. Everybody started to murmur listening to what he had said. Coach Pamella did not want to approve it at first but let it happen when he manipulated her into thinking if I was the player she wanted to recruit then why wait for another entry level matches?
"He is here to avenge his on and off girlfriend."
Viviana told me in the breaktime before accepting his challenge. He was going to defeat me to take the humiliation off of Sasha's face.
"You do not have to."
Even coach said but I did not know why I went ahead and accepted it as if wanting to make myself stand out for him.
"I accept!"
I said, making him smirk at me and I did not look away from him this time.
________________________________________
The story will begin with a soft and static note before all the drama unfolds. It will transition between the past and the present.
If you are liking it, please support the book with comments, drop a review, vote, donate GT, and a small gift to encourage the author :)
Thank you!