The video went viral overnight, and Javier watched it seventeen times before practice.
It was posted by a player named Marcus Webb—no relation to the national team scout—a senior outside hitter from their rival school. The video was shot in a locker room, bad lighting, shaky camera. Marcus Webb sat on a bench, his arms crossed, his smile smug.
“Javier Vasquez thinks he's a star. Thinks he's the next Leo Cruz. But we all saw what happened when I served at him. He froze. He couldn't move. He's scared. He's weak. And when we meet in the conference final, I'm going to expose him.”
The video had 50,000 views. The comments were brutal. Some supported Javier. Most didn't.
Javier put his phone down and stared at the ceiling. His hands were shaking. Not from fear. From anger.
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Leo saw the
