AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Stoll!”
Layne looked over at Coach, who was motioning for her, so she removed her warm-ups and hurried over to Coach’s side.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah,” she replied nervously.
These would be her first minutes of the season, and while she knew she was ready mentally, on the physical side of things, she wasn’t sure so yet. Layne had been improving, yes. She could feel herself getting stronger. She could run a little faster and for longer than she could when she first got back into basketball, too. But she hadn’t been in a game yet. And no matter how much they tried to make their practices feel like games, nothing could really simulate the full game experience completely.
“Go in for Ledger. Switch with Shay on picks, okay?”
“Yes, Coach.”
Layne moved to the score table and checked in before she knelt and waited for the next buzzer. Then, she stood up and pointed to Lisa, who nodded and slapped her hand as she hurried past.
“Switch on picks,” she instructed Shay.
“I’ve been staying with her,” Shay said.
“Coach,” Layne replied.
Shay nodded and smiled at her.
“Don’t do that. Not now.” Layne gave her a playful smile back.
Then, the ball was inbounded by the other team. Layne stayed with her player, and when their center shot over Hilton, it was Layne who managed the long rebound and tossed it out to Shay, who ran it up the court. Shay slowed things down a bit, and Layne caught up, took her spot, and received the pass. She got it inside to Hilton, who couldn’t get around the double-team that joined her and shot it back out to Layne, who had an open shot because of that double-team. Layne passed it out to Shay, though, who looked at her, confused, and pushed the ball to the other side of the court, where Jessop took a shot, made it, and they all ran back.
“Why didn’t you shoot?” Shay asked.
“I didn’t think I had it,” Layne replied, half-lying.
She knew she’d had an opening, but she didn’t think she could make the shot.
Three plays later, the two teams were tied, and the third quarter ended. Layne was exhausted and breathing hard. She’d only played a total of about three minutes, but when she sat down on the bench, Coach told Ledger to go back in, and Layne knew her night was probably over. She hadn’t scored, but she’d gotten a rebound and assisted a shot by Hilton, so she considered that a minor success for her first game back. She sucked down her entire water bottle before she wiped the sweat from her face and watched the team take the court for the fourth quarter.
???
“Layne, outside for a second,” Coach said as Layne picked up her bag in the locker room.
Shay looked up at her in confusion, but Layne smiled down at her and followed Coach outside into the hallway.
“Yeah, Coach?”
“How are you doing?”
“Good, Coach.”
“I’m serious, Layne.”
“So am I. Why?”
“I know you weren’t planning on coming back, so your off-season work wasn’t what it would’ve been otherwise, but you’ve been a little slower, and I’m worried about giving you more minutes after tonight.”
“I’m good, Coach. I think I was just getting used to being back out there tonight. That’s all.”
“And you’d tell me if there was something else going on?”
“Yes. I’m okay. I think the lockdown all summer got the better of me. I’m in a small apartment that I share with my mom back home. We don’t have a gym or anything, and it’s not all that safe to go for runs outside, day or night. I was trying to be cautious and not leave unless I absolutely had to, so I’m just a little behind in my fitness.”
