I slammed my locker in a hurry. Today was Tuesday and I had a basketball team practice. I got to the gym and changed with the rest of the girls of our team. I silently fallowed the noisy girls, gossiping about the day’s event, out to the gym where Mr. Smith was already waiting. We picked jumping ropes from a pile beside the door and started the familiar warm up. The coach always made us jump rope before we started the practice to warm up our muscles. He hated laps because, he said, they took too much time for some of the team member’s. When we used to do them, back at my first year in the team, 2 years ago, he would always push us to go faster and faster and some of the girls would collapse because it was too much for them. He never really was a patient guy and always pushed us to our limits.
After 5 minutes of warm up, we gathered in a circle and started stretching. I rolled my head to the side and pulling at my muscles, I felt them relax.
“So,” Coach Smith, said over the chatter, “Today, we’ll start in the fitness room.” He stopped eyebrow up at the glares he was getting from some of the girls. “Then, we’ll come back in the gym for some practice.”
There was a collective sigh as we filed out of the room to the weight room. Apparently some of the girls were not happy with his decision but they quickly changed their attitudes when they was that the boy’s team was already there, doing their work outs as well.
“Okay so I want 25 of each with your best weight,” he said, pointing to the bench press, leg press, squats, pushups and sit ups stations.
The boys approved loudly. I looked around to see the girls smiling idiotically. Stupid, stupid girls they were. Couldn’t they see the glimmer in their eyes? They were all the same, in the end. Stripped of their good looks and beautiful manners, they all hid the same hurtful thoughts and intentions.
Mechanically, I put on some medium weight and started my leg press. I allowed my mind to wander; my muscles did the rest for me. Behind me, I caught a string of conversation.
“Yeah, he visited the school yesterday. Derek talked to him. He’s moving tomorrow.”
I recognized the voice with a shiver. Kevin, another of Jake’s friend used to be really nice with me.
They were probably talking about the new students, apparently a boy. Not that it mattered. He wouldn’t come to our school, anyways. With the beautiful new house he has, his parents would never enroll him in a crappy school like ours. He would go to Ashburry.
Somewhere, our coach whistled for us to change stations. I got up and walked to the next one, careful not to look behind me. I let the numbness come over, with the mechanical movements that released so much anger. It radiated through me, taking everything in its waves; a dangerous hurricane. Physical work had always been one of my favorite ways to cope. Everything seemed to disappear; the only thing remaining was the effort, the pain of the muscles struggling but none of the emotional non-sense. Maybe that was why I chose to come back in the team after Jake, to forget and only concentrate on the pain. My fingers tightened around the weights in my hands and I shook my head. My jaw popped and every muscle in my body seemed to stiffen like the cold lifeless stone that I was. No thinking, I told myself, and blocked everything out, envisioning only darkness.
As I finished the last exercise, the boys left the room, leaving behind the girls buzzing with energy. We went back into the gym to practice our shots and play. By the end of the hour, I was sweaty and desperate for a shower. I wanted to hurry but Mr. Smith stopped me before I could get out of the gym.
“Kaylee, wait a minute, I need to talk to you,” He called after me.
I uncertainly turned around and walked back to him.
“As you may know, the final match against Ashbury’s next week...” he started hesitantly. I simply nodded, not knowing where he was going. “Shawna changed school and now, we are going to need a new team captain… and I thought of you. You’re by far the best player on the team,” he continued with a little more confidence.
I shook my head. No way was I doing this.
“Uh… no I’m afraid I can’t do that”, I said coolly. I was already seeing the faces when they would learn that I had been chosen to take them to the victory. I had a talent, yeah, but I didn’t exactly have all the qualities it took to lead a team, especially one that didn’t like me.
“Look, I know how they treat you at school but I really think that being captain will help you step up for yourself. And I really think that they will listen to you”.
I sighed. Seriously? They would never listen to me.
He must’ve seen the hard-to-miss expression in my eyes. “Kaylee, please. We need a captain and you’re the best candidate. Think about it, please.”
I looked down, averting my eyes. Okay, sure, maybe I was the best candidate for this. I knew the girls and their forces, the different strategies we used and, most importantly I knew the adversaries’. I nodded slowly.
“You’ll do it?” he asked excitedly.
“I…” I started, unsure. Did I really want to do this? Or did I need to think about it?
He cut me off, sure I was agreeing to the role. “Thank you. I know you’ll do well”, he said, honest.
I walked off, feeling confused. I was team captain. Only when I was in the cold shower did I realised the full impact of what it meant. My shoulders pushed down with the extra weight.
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