Heaven Is You

|05|

Oscar Atkins

I wipe the sweat accumulated on my head with my arm, as Greenvill's server gets ready to serve the ball. We're basically halfway through the game and still down by four points. Sure in Volleyball it's not much but, every point counts. Plus, we needed to even the score, surpass them if we wanted to keep our title.

Coach Evans is standing aside, her wrath transmits automatically into the court; I could feel the harshness of her glare penetrating through my skull, as everyone else' as well.

I can already picture the torture the following week may entail if dared we lose this match. Daily practice, overtime, in the heat of the blazing sun, doing drills, deprived of water until she deems it.

I gather my senses together as I noticed the ball flying through, my defense mode kicking in. I watch the ball shifting from our libero, Dean's hands, onto someone else's before it generates back to the front. I take the chance spiking it to Greenvills ground harsh, the net staying untouched.

My confidence boosting in, my beast mode kicker helping me lots, our score actually lifts up, little by little, digit by digit, until it's draw.

Now, we just need to score the winning score as the game moves towards the end. Always, the final minutes, even seconds, are significant in every match. No matter what sport it is, just like life, everything can change when least expected and nothing is guaranteed.

By the time the referee whistles, signaling the end of the game, we had won.

A grin plastered on my face, we're high-fiving and bumping fists, ecstatic with our win, although a close one, it's still victory.

I don't miss how coach Evans congratulated us, but a look of unsatisfactory gleams in her eyes, promising of wrecking workouts for the rest of the week, because she knows we can do better than this. And it's her job at the end of the day to bring us to our best, no matter how hard or bossy she may be; it's for our own benefit.

I was drowning water in by the gallons from my bottle when we went back to the locker rooms to wash away the stinking sweat.

Greenvill, though a tough competitor, were respectable guys and despite how often we butt heads on court, it's all in good sports. Off court they're really chill, we sometimes get to meet at Dunkin's, a bar downtown, and have a few drinks accompanied by good laughs and fun times.

So, when Tim starts brawling with Sam, their fiery libero it's no secret eyes are drawn to the scene. It started verbally; throwing some words around as a joke.

I didn't think it would escalate to an actual physical fight. Danny and Dean step in, trying to separate the two bulky bulls, who are still trying to throw punches at one another.

"Enough" Shouts Danny, eclipsing Sam's body with his, before he gets triggered again to go after Tim.

"Whatever. Fuck you" Tim spits loudly, his voice gravelly and Sam just shakes his head, a look of disgust evident on his swelling face.

I wonder what that might've been about? It's not like Sam is easy to get riled up, so whatever Sulfaire had to say clearly crept under his skin.

The air shifts to utter uncomfortableness, stuffed with tension, like one single wrong move and you might end up electrifying the whole building; setting it on fire.

A few moments later, the sound of footsteps can be heard as figures near in, it must've been a scene for has someone noticed, which was bad publicity for the team.

Emerged from the shadows, the black haired girl I've been praying hard for her to come, arm in arm with a redhead.

She rushes towards us, panting with worry in her deep brown eyes, before standing a couple of feet away, near Tim.

My eyes furrow in confusion, before she opens her mouth talking to him in a hushed voice, bringing her hand to Sulfaire's arm squeezing lightly.

It's not long before he shrugs her off, nostrils flaring. The girl's eyes blurry over and she just recoils and my stomach clenches so hard I swear it became bricks. My chest tightens when I notice her lowering her head in embarrassment maybe; having the entirety of two teams witnessed this.

Her fiery redhead doesn't compromise though, standing her ground, quirking an eyebrow in Tim's direction while crossing her arms on her chest indicating her wrath.

Her eyes blaze with fire and I noticed Will and Alex whom emerged from the locker room -having went in to shower first- come out and stand beside me witnessing the whole ordeal now.

"Dude, what's going on?" Will asks in a low voice, without having to look at him, I'm certain he's sporting a look of utter perplexity on his face.

I just shrug slightly, having no clue what the hell is going on; so much for having been a front row looker this whole time.

After the redhead jumbles her words at Tim, him hissing at her, she drags her friend away, sauntering back to where they came from.

By now, most of the guys have entered the showers, dismissing the stupid brawl, while the three of us stood stuck in place, unmoving.

"That's Talia Herera, Tim's girlfriend" He says and I turn to face him "Who? The redhead?" I ask in all hopes of an affirmative answer.

"No, the raven haired, the fiery redhead is Sierra Thompson, her best friend" His words knock a dent in my chest.

Well, there goes my chance. His girlfriend. Regardless of whom was she to him, he shouldn't have treated her this way, belittling her worth and shrugging her presence off like it meant nothing to him. I open my closed fists that tightened on their own accord, willing the fire I felt in my blood be chilled by the cold water coming from the much needed shower.

•••

A/n:
Okiees, so what do we think?