Third Time's the Charm

Chapter 8: The confrontation!

I smiled, a little relived  as my eyes finally  landed on her. Finally, I found her at last. Bella had disappeared right after the match was over and was nowhere to be seen. I had been searching all over the grounds but here she was in the ladies room. Of course! What an i***t I am! She needs to change out of her jersey, well, so do I technically speaking but my clothes were still in the changing room in the sports room, way opposite to this ladies room.

“Bella!”, I called out, my cheeks blushing with the tremendous high I had just felt from the gigantic cheers from the stadium.

She turned around startled and narrowed her eyes at me as I neared her. She continued on to adjust her hair.

 I flashed her a cheerful smile, being eternally grateful that she had somehow managed to convince me to come to the game. My life would have just stayed the same old boring if I hadn’t shown up to the court today.

“You must be pretty happy with yourself”, she spat at me with venom in her voice and my smile froze on my face, unsure of how to react.

“Huh?”

“Oh! Stop acting all innocent. That spot was supposed to be mine. You said it yourself that you were bad at basketball, yet you played like you were on fire or something. I am a national level player for god’s sake and yet I was beaten by a nobody like you”, she spit at my with dark venom interlaced in her otherwise sweet tone.

I blinked in surprise, startled and took a step back involuntarily, shrinking at her venomous expression. It was obvious that she was mad. Oh! I was so stupid. Being so immersed in my own victory, I forgot that only one spot in the girls team was open this year and she had wanted it so badly. I bit my lips guiltily as I realized why she was mad. I had automatically assumed that if I was to get in, she too will obviously will. I feel like such an i***t now.

I averted my eyes, feeling guilty all of a sudden.

She was right! It was definitely mean of me. I was supposed to only show up there to cheer her up and not to steal her position. During a brief moment of glory, I had said yes to coach without even thinking much. I wasn’t lying. I really forgot that only one spot was vacant, but excuses weren’t going to cut it, was it? After all, I had hurt my best friend’s feelings so blatantly and the worst part is that I didn’t even realize it.

“I am so sorry, Bella. I completely forgot about the one spot thing….I ..uh”, I stopped, not knowing what to say. I had never been good with talking about my deeper feelings with others and I was feeling so damn guilty that I couldn’t even meet her furious eyes.

I pursed my lips uncertainly. There was obviously one way to fix this but for the first time in my life I was hesitating. I didn’t want to give it up even though I knew it was the right thing to do. Remember Ava! Bella is your best friend. She had always stayed by your side even after hearing about all the bad rumors Mia had spread about you she had defended you. Yes! Being in the basketball team is great and all but it isn’t worth destroying your friendship with. Bella means much more to me..she is my best friend….

“I can tell the coach that I changed my mind. Then he will give the spot to you”, I offered, my voice steady and calm knowing full well that I could carry on with that promise because she meant more to me. I was a person who never broke promises.

“Are you pitying me right now? No need, that will only make me look weak. I don’t want to be someone else’s replacement. I can just try out next year.”, she replied dryly, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

“Are you sure?”, I pressed again, not knowing what else to do.

“I don’t take charity”, she muttered and stalked off, leaving me alone with my own demonic thoughts.

It felt like she had just slapped me. I tried desperately to reign in the tears that were threatening to erupt from my eyes and ran out of the bathroom to the sports room. I need to change fast and get the hell out of here before I start full out banshee wailing. Whole my life, I had never let someone see me crying….not even my mom and I don’t intend to start now.

I can’t let it all out here. I have to reach my home first, then play loud music in the shower and cry my heart out just like I always do.

I opened the door to the sports room, and realizing it was empty, hurried to change into my normal clothes, there and then, instead of getting into the changing room.

I blinked back the furious tears as I started undressing myself.

“Well, isn’t this a pretty sight?”, a voice said smugly from behind me and I jumped, startled.

Because of my hurry to get out of here, I hadn’t done a very thorough scan apparently.

I let out a shriek as I covered myself with the top, blushing furiously as I stared down a very jubilant, dark haired guy who was sitting on the coach’s chair holding a couple of sheets of paper and who was currently looking at me as if I was the most interesting creature he had ever met. …..Ethan Goddamn Torronto.

He let out a whistle and said grinning, “Not bad Langdon”

Despite being in this awkward situation, the first thing that came to my mind was, how the hell did he know my name?

 I clutched the top tighter while I shot a death glare at him. He chuckled, unbothered by my glares. I realized that he had no intention of leaving, so without another thought, I made a direct run towards the changing room. Even inside, I could still hear his throaty chuckles.

Ethan Torronto laugh? I had never even seen the guy smile before.

After dressing, I calmed down my frantically thudding heart and took an unsteady step outside and back to the room.

I prayed to god that he was long gone, but to no avail, there he was standing idly next to the door, circling a basketball with his pinky finger.

I raised an eyebrow at him, surprised, “You play?”

He shook his head and replied dryly, “I just learned how to do this circling thing on my pinky finger because my producer thought it would look cool in my next music video. I don’t how to play”

Seriously! What was I expecting from this show off jerk?

I rolled my eyes at him, then proceeded to head too the door. A big hand encircled mine and stopped me from going out. I turned back confused and he let go of my hand immediately.

“Are you alright?”, he asked softly.

Upon seeing my incredulous expression, he further explained, “I mean, you just made it into the team, you should be jumping around with happiness but here you are tearing up instead.”

I gritted my teeth at him, upset that someone had at last had seen through my façade. I had never cried before my own mother and I was stupid and carless enough to get caught by an arrogant, pompous loner of a celebrity.

Without another word, I went out, slamming the door behind me.

 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Bella had apologized right after that day saying that she way too emotional that day and I had immediately forgiven her, kind of relived that she was finally talking to me. We decided to set it apart and never speak of the incident again as we were both too emotionally charged that day and said some mean things that neither of us meant sincerely. Deep down, I was just glad that I got back my best friend.

Today was the first coaching day and I was hell of nervous.

We had to stay back after school for our coaching. Seeing me look so out of place, a blonde girl who looked younger than me approached me pitifully and said politely, “Hey! You are in Mike’s year right? I had seen you play at the tryouts. You have a mean layup”

I grinned at her. She is at least younger than me by a year and yet she was already on the team so she must be pretty damn good herself. I found myself flushing in response to her praise.

“How do you know Mike?”, I asked her curiously.

“Unfortunately, that i***t is my brother”, she replied with a dramatic hair toss and I found myself giggling at her dry humor.

“Ava Langdon”, I said holding out my hand and she shook it firmly while replying, “Rory Dillon”

Just then the coach came up with the boys basketball team and I found myself frowning.

I shot Rory a disgruntled look and said, “We train together?”

She smiled and nodded at me and I let out a curse internally. I was already nervous just with the girls here and now the crowds just seems to be getting bigger. I didn’t know that girls team and boys team always train together.

Luke waved at me while Mike looked at me curiously and punched on Luke’s shoulder to get his attention back and murmured something in his ear.

The coach blew a whistle and everyone assembled into a single line.

“Let’s do some warm up first. Ten rounds…”, he said and I groaned out loud.

The ground was rather huge and ten whole rounds and I would be beat. As I had never played for a team professionally, my body was far away from being fit. After ten rounds, I was so sure that I wouldn’t have any energy left to continue on with some actual basketball training. But I guess coach was right in a way. Stamina is an important thing in this sport.

To my horror I realized that they weren’t really jogging. They were actually sprinting. I tried hard to keep with them but to no avail. I soon fell behind. By the time I had completed ten rounds, I was breathing like an old man in a ventilator room in a hospital breathing his very last breath.

The coach narrowed his eyes at my disheveled state but didn’t comment on it. Then he made us do some lay ups which I obviously didn’t miss because that was my strength then dispersed us by saying that since this was the first day, he was taking it easy on us. If this was him going easy on us, I really didn’t want to stick around watch when he gives his intensive training.

After practice, Coach asked me to stay back and a thousand thoughts immediately flooded my mind.

Was perhaps he regretting his decision? Did he change his mind about letting me in the team?

My legs were trembling with fear as I waited for the coach patiently in the sports room, my brain a complete nervous reck.

I immediately straightened up as I saw him enter.

“Ava, don’t take it the wrong way. You are an excellent player. You are a natural but you are not very athletic and that may work against you in actual matches. You would be tired and all out of stamina in the first half of the match itself”, he said calmly, gritting his teeth.

I waited with heated breaths, not sure where this was going, as he continued on, “ you are not fat but you are not lean and fit either. This chart right here, you have to follow the diet mentioned in it from today onwards. Tomorrow onwards, you will show up an hour early for practice and get some personal training from Mike Dillon, the sports captain. You have a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the team”