A Volleyball Story

Chapter 44

"Good players inspire themselves, great players inspire others."

-Anonymous

Noah.

Practice earlier had nearly killed me, well not literally but you know what I mean. I was pretty stoked about this big tournament with the other camp but it seems like every team here is working their butts off. Was it really that important to win?

I mean yes, you always want to win, but winning isn't everything. Sure you may get a trophy or some sort of an award but I think when you truly win is when you and your team work your hardest as players, as a team, as a family.

After second practice, and after lunch we did more of playing our positions the entire practice time. It actually seemed to go by fast that the team stayed a little longer playing Kings Court 'till another team kicked us off.

Now that it was almost dinner time, Keith, Corey and I were making our way to the dinner hall when we ran into the girls.

"Noah!" Jess yelled attacking me in a hug.

"Hey there." I smiled at her returning the hug.

"Watch where your arms go Noah." warned Corey as Jess rolled her eyes.

"Ignore him." she whispered.

"Hey guys." Dylan said as she went to Keith's side who put his arm around her waist.

"So how are your guys practices going?" asked one of Jess's roommates, I think her name was Mandy, or Michaela, something like that.

"Oh don't remind me." groaned Jess from beside me. "I don't know about you guys, but we have been running and conditioning a lot."

"Hey, me too." agreed Dylan.

"So have us." Corey said for Keith and I.

"What is it with them wanting to kill us by working so hard." joked another one of Jess's roommates.

"My dad takes volleyball very seriously, and to have another camp that's pretty close to us, he doesn't want us to lose campers, he wants to promote the camp so more and more players come. That and my dad is very competitive." Keith joked at the end.

"Well that makes sense, but they shouldn't kill us before we even get the chance to play." Dylan joked making us all laugh.

Within the next five minutes the dinner hall doors open and the flood of us campers rush in to get food. After our little group getting split up, we eventually met back up at a table that was held by this huge fire place in the back of the dinner room.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am starving." Corey said as he had two plates full of food.

"What? Eating for two are we?" laughed Jess as she came and sat by me.

"Shut up." he muttered. Oh sibling love, something I never got to experience as an only child.

But also something that I'm probably glad I don't have. As I can tell that siblings fight all the time.

By the time all of us at the table were full of food, the campers started to slowly trickle out.

"Don't we have the late night meeting to go to?" asked Corey.

"Yeah, we should probably make our way there to get our seats. That and we are like the last ones in here." Keith observed.

"Wow, I didn't even notice we were the only ones in here. We must have been having too much fun." Jess laughed.

As we all cleaned up our mess we made our way to the meeting room to only get there right in time before they started.

Since it's later in the camp they let us sit anywhere instead by our team. I mean we still can sit by your team but I now sit by my group of friends.

A group I never thought I would have made. Back home I'm usually a loner and so called "nerd". Here I feel like one of the jocks, a popular kid. And man does it feel good.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen!" Exclaimed the director, "We have a treat for you! A funny skit by your own coaches!" with that we all clapped as one of the other girl coaches who's name I don't know came on stage looking like a homeless person.

The skit ended up being a very funny spoof version of Cinderella. It was actually pretty funny I'm sure I had tears coming out of my eyes from laughing so hard.

Once the skit was done, the director came back up front. "I know we are close to end of camp, as we are soon to play the other camp. Which I have seen amazing improvements from all of you." He had this proud look on his face. He didn't look so scary when he had a smile on his face. Now I feel bad for Keith, he has to live with that the rest of his life.

"Because you all have been doing so great, tomorrow you can sleep in," with that everyone started cheering. "But-" he began. "After lunch until dinner you guys are going to practice. Got it?"

"Yeah!" All of us in the room cheered.

"Alright, you are free to go, but be back before curfew." after he said that everyone went crazy.

"Finally get to sleep in!" said an excited Jess.

"My dad has never done that before, he must really think we have a chance at winning this thing." Keith said.

"Well either way, I'm just excited to sleep in." Dylan said.

"What...? Dylan actually wanting to sleep in?"

"Oh shut up. Just because I love volleyball so much, doesn't mean I love sleep any less." she said back.

As everyone split up to do their own thing for the night, Jess and I decided to take a walk around the campus.

"Are you excited for this tournament?" Jess asked after a few minutes of silence and the soft of her hand in mine.

"I really am. A whole day of playing volleyball for a camp trophy. It's exciting." I smiled like a little kid on Halloween with a bag full of candy.

"I know, me too!" laughed Jess. "But then we leave pretty much after the tournament ends." she said with a frown.

"It's really the end of camp?" I questioned. Had it really been three months already?

"Yeah, some people are leaving the day after the tournament and those who have a longer way to go will leave that next day."

"When are you leaving?" I asked her. As much as I dreaded the question I had to know to prepare myself from leaving her.

"Day after. My parents won't waste a second for us to come back home."

"Hey, no matter what we are still together, okay?"

"Okay."

"There's that smile I love." I said which made her smile even more.

I can't believe there's like a week left of camp. I don't want to leave here. Just as I was getting used to the place, the friends I've made and being able to see Jessica every day.

Well I guess I have to face reality, and that school will start up again. At least it's senior year.

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Well here's the next chapter.....FINALLY. I'm soooooo sorry you guys had to wait!! The more comments I get the more it makes me want to write!

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