Sagas

{23} Memories ~ D

We stood before the coaches, waiting to be told off for our bad performance. How they expected us keep our heads straight and on the race when the week had been a hard one for  everyone? Was beyond me.

Today, we started with warm-up exercises before we began the three-hundred-metre- race. And while I was able to keep my thoughts in check and focus on the race, Phoebe had been distracted. During the race, she had been way behind, slower than she was last week and slower than even Becky. She also looked extremely tired. Thick shadows lined her eyes, and she seemed thinner than when she first got here. The incident on Saturday and Patrick’s death had taken a mental toll on her, and she was yet to fully recover from the strain.

“What is going on with you two?” Coach Gloria asked with her eyes fixed sternly on Phoebe. “That was bad. Worse than last week. We can’t win if you keep this up."

Phoebe looked away, getting nervous from how Coach Gloria was yelling at her. Her hands came together, and I knew that she would soon begin picking her nails.

“I’m sorry, Coach. We’ll do better tomorrow,” I said, bringing Coach Gloria’s attention to me.

"The competition is in four weeks! Four weeks is all we have to make this perfect, and you cannot afford to get distracted. I won’t tolerate any slacking from the both of you!” Coach Williams yelled, his voice was sharper than that of coach Gloria. “Phoebe, you did so well last week, and I expect you to keep up the pace, not slow down," he added.

“It won’t happen again,” she responded almost inaudibly.

“It better not,” Coach Williams said. “We’ll meet here by eight tomorrow morning. And do well to clear your heads tonight and kill this energy."

“Sure, coach,” I answered.

“Yes, coach,” Phoebe said.

Coach Gloria’s eyes lingered on Phoebe, and even if they were still tough, there was a trace of concern when she spoke. “You should take good care of yourself, Miss Kuro. Exercise, eat, and sleep properly. You can only give us the best when you’re in the right frame of mind, and your best is what we want. Understood?” Coach Gloria asked her.

Phoebe nodded.

“Speak up!” Coach Gloria said sharply.

Phoebe cleared her throat. “Yes, coach,” she said.

“Good. That is all then,” Coach Gloria said. And with that, she left the stadium with Coach Williams.

I turned to Phoebe, who was now absentmindedly picking her nails.

She watched me inquisitively now, with a new kind of curiosity that was absent before today. I had not gotten the chance to speak to her before training. The coaches were here before us, and they put us to work the moment we got to the stadium. Now that we were alone, I wanted to talk to her badly, even if she acted like she would probably shoot me if I said her name. But I said it anyway.

"Phoebe," I called out to her.

“What?” she asked heatedly, a warning note  in her voice, that I should keep my distance.

She walked away to the spot where she kept her bottle of water, and I followed behind her.

“I know you’re still upset with me. But can we just talk?” I asked.

She picked up the water silently, opened it, and gulped down half of the content. After drinking the water, she brought out an orange handkerchief from her jersey pocket and wiped her face with it.

And it was only after she put the handkerchief in her pocket, that she faced me.

“There is nothing to talk about,” she said.