My Coach's Lover

1

The beginning of the school year and I'm once again joining the basketball team. This is my first year at this high school, I transferred from my previous one, and I'm a little nervous. See I don't have many friends. At my old school I was what they'd call a 'troublemaker' and I used to constantly be in ISS.

See here at this new school my mom says I can't be causing trouble. As if she would care anyways, she's never around to even see my accomplishments or at any of my games. I was kicked off the team last year because i got in a fight with the teacher and I wasn't about to lose.

But enough of all that, this year I need to be a better kid and make more friends. That is .... if nobody bothers me, I hate having people in my face and i also hate when they bother me. People always play and if they start to play around with me its not going to be a pretty moment.

I don't have a car or anything but my coach for this new school is supposed to be picking me up, or at least that's what my mom said. She doesn't know shit.

*BEEP BEEP*

Oh shit, I guess she does know something because my coach is outside. She could've at least texted me or something because I didn't even eat my food.

I walk outside and get in the car, but I don't say anything.

C: "Hey Imani"

I: ".. you couldn't have texted me or something? I was about to cook myself food and you pulled up rushing me"

C: "School starts at 8:15, and it's 7:35, you should've been ready so you could eat and do whatever else you needed to do. Your mom already told me about what happened at your old school and as your new coach I don't want to have to have conversations with you about getting in trouble or your attitude alright?"

I: "yeah whatever ig"

We drive in silence for a while, I live 30 minutes away from the school so I end up falling asleep because, who doesn't love sleep?

Eventually we arrive and the coach wakes me up

"Imani, conditioning starts today at 3:00 and you need to be there at 3 and no later than that or else that's extra laps for being late" coach said.

"K, thanks, bye" I say.

She was already getting on my nerves. "ThAtS eXtrA lAPssS" i mocked

I made my way to the front office to get my schedule so I could go to class. "Hi, I'm Imani Jones ... I'm a transfer from St. Petersburg high school and I'm here to get my schedule." I tell the front office lady.

"Imani Jones ..." she says looking through the files.

"Ahh yes , miss imani, we've heard a lot about you imani. Please go to the principals office." She says

Principals office? Why the hell I gotta go there. If she's giving me a talk about not wanting my bullshit in her school she might as well just keep going about her day.

I snatch the schedule from the front desk lady's hand and all she says is, "Strike one Imani." Strike one? What's that supposed to mean?

I made my way to the principals office, still thinking about what strike one could mean. Once I arrive i knock on her door and hear a faint, "come in". I enter her room.

"Hello imani please have a seat." She says with a smile.

I take a seat and she starts off with so much bullshit.

"So .. Imani we took a look at your background and we see you had a lot of problems at your old school. You hit a teacher for 'getting on your nerves', you broke the janitors broom because he apparently looked at you the wrong way. You've done so many things ... this is just- wow." She says. I start getting aggravated because she's listing things and judging when she doesn't know the real backstory.

"Can you just hurry up .... Please?" I say aggravated.

She looks at me with the same look the front desk lady looked at me with when she gave me a strike. She started writing a note and put it in an envelope.

"Here" she says, "give this to your coach, it says here that she's your guardian so you need to give this to her as soon as you see her. Do not open this."

My guardian? The fuck I need a guardian for? "My guardian? That's not right. I have a mother why the fuck is my coach labeled as my guardian?" I say very annoyed.

"Well for starters Imani that's strike two and she's your guardian because that's what your mom gave in the letter." She says, a little too kindly.

"Okay what's with all these 'sTrIke OnE stRiKe tWO' and what do you mean she said it on the letter? What letter?" I say annoyed and confused.

"Oh she didn't tell you did she? You're going to be living with your coach because she got a new job across country and she couldn't deal with you anymore. Until she gets back your coach is your guardian."

What the fuck.

"Oh and you'll find out what those strikes mean, let's just hope for your sake you don't make it to strike 3 or over. Your first class is AP History so get going, you don't wanna be late." She says as she kicks me out her office.

I really don't wanna be here.