She starts to walk away. “Star,” I call out, and she turns back. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow's the day.”
She smiles. “It’d better be.”
“You’ll get your chance, and you’ll slay us all with your skills.”
She grins again. “See you tomorrow.”
I head into the bathroom to take a shower. I’m hoping to get in and get out, so I can meet up with Reid. He knows now not to wait for me right away. Several girls are already in the bathroom. Of course, the two girls I had the run-in with are just inside the bathroom when I come in. Now, I know their names are Jaida and Angeline, both returning players from last year. “You finally got to play,” Jaida says.
Angeline huffs out a laugh. “If you could call it that. Have you ever played basketball before?”
I ignore them and head to the showers. I take a fast shower and keep my bag close, not trusting one of them to take it. Assoon as I’m done, I dress in shorts and a t-shirt. I throw my hair into a wet braid, slip on flip flops, and throw my bag over my shoulder and make my way to the door. I finally leave the locker room behind and make my way for the exit. I just want to see Reid and get a big hug from him. “Blackwood.”
I turn at the sound of my last name and see Coach Parella standing with several coaching staff across the gym. She waves me over, and I walk over to them, being careful to stay off the court. I stop a few feet from them. I don’t look over at the guys from the practice squad who are shooting around. She doesn’t look up from her clipboard. “Do you always dress like a bum?” Her words so startle me, I don’t respond a moment. I must wait too long to answer because she looks up from her clipboard and looks down my body, letting her eyes linger on my flip flops. “If that’s the way you dress and carry yourself, no wonder you’re so terrible on the court.” I feel my face burn in embarrassment and have no idea what to say. “You have played basketball before, right?”
I feel my heart sink all the way to my toes. “Yes, Ma’am.” She scoffs at me, and I react. “I’m actually here on a basketball scholarship. But I’m used to playing as a shooting guard. That’s where I’ve always played.”
She stares me down, and I know I’ve just made things worse. She cocks her head to the side. “Are you telling me how to coach?”
I don’t dare look away. “No, Ma’am.”
She continues to stare at me. “Players that can only play one position are worthless to me.” I swallow hard and force myself not to react. “I don’t care that you’re here on a scholarship. If you can’t prove to me that you deserve a spot, you won’t get one. Only the girls that earn a spot on my team get to play for me. I don’t care who their brothers are, and I don’t care about scholarships.” I feel my heart drop even more. She knows whoZane is, and in this case, it’s not in my favor. “You’ve got one chance to prove to me tomorrow that you deserve a spot on my team. Don’t blow it.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“It’s Coach,” she says in response, and I correct myself.
“Yes, Coach.”
She turns back to her coaching staff, and I figure I’m excused. I do my best to keep my head held high as I make my way over to the door. I leave the gymnasium behind and walk down the hallway towards the exit doors. I'm thankful for the breeze on my face when I step outside. My eyes search the fading daylight for him. He steps out of the shadows, and I walk towards him. I just want to be wrapped up in his strong arms. I need his scent wrapped around me. But before I can get to him, somebody stops me. “Hey, Riley.”
I turn back to see Cameron jogging towards me. “Hey, Cameron.” I hope my voice sounds polite.
“Listen, Riley, I just wanted to check to make sure you’re okay and to tell you not to give up.” He glances over his shoulder and then steps closer. “Coach Parella is always hardest on the girls that have the most potential.”
I consider him in a new light. “You’ve been on the practice squad before?”
He nods. “This is my second year. I know she was brutal on you today, but that’s a good sign.”
“She was brutal to that girl on Monday, and she was cut the next day.”
He grimaces. “Yeah, but that was different. She really was terrible, but you’re not terrible.”
“Thanks,” I say dryly.
“No, seriously, if you need any help, I’d be happy to help you practice. I could show you some power forward moves, show you how to post up.”
I feel a presence at my back. “If she needs any help, I can help her.”
If I was in a better mood, I would smile at Reid’s possessive words; tonight, not so much. Cameron doesn’t look the least bit fazed to see Reid. In fact, he grins. “Hey, Reid. My brother told me to watch out for you.”
I glance up at Reid and see the confusion on his face, but then it clears. “You’re Caden’s younger brother.”
Cameron nods. “Yep.”
“Basketball must run in the family,” Reid says.
Cameron smiles. “Yeah. I wasn’t good enough to make the men’s team, but honestly, I really enjoy this. It’s all the fun of good basketball without the stress of performing for games and all the traveling.” He glances at me. “Don’t worry; my brother told me about Riley before I started. I know she’s your girl. I’m just looking to help, nothing more.”
