Inspiration Song: You're Gonna Go Far by Noah Kahan
5AM is too early to be up, and it's definitely too early to be grabbing coffee before a basketball practice. I flew in last night around 11PM, and didn't get settled into the hotel until 12:30 this morning. I'm currently running on 4 hours of sleep.
One thing about me: I'm a perpetually sleepy girl.
I yawn as I walk into some inconspicuous coffee shop, the bell dings. I'm the only customer in here. I guess I'm not surprised as this city is known for its late nights-never early mornings. I wish our practice schedule would follow accordingly.
I walk up to the counter, the barista has her back turned to me, refilling coffee machines and cleaning up after what I assume was last night's closing shift. I let her carry on, watching her back as she hummed softly. She was a thin brunette, probably 5'6" in stature who was, seemingly, oblivious to the world around her. I clear my throat softly as I don't want to be rude, but I need to get to practice. Wouldn't want to be late on my first day. The nervous butterflies fluttered in my stomach.
"Oh," she startles and turns around. "I'm so sorry. I must've been in my own little world. What can I get you?"
"Umm," I start before realizing I didn't even look at the menu. I was too distracted by the girl. She had a pretty smile and black rimmed glasses that made her brown eyes pop. I scanned the menu quickly, hoping this coffee shop made matchas. Thankfully, they did. I had a tendency to panic order everywhere I went. "Can I do a large iced vanilla matcha tea latte, please?"
"Nice pick," she nodded approvingly. "I definitely recommend trying it with strawberry sometime." She turned away and started working on my drink and I just stood at the counter, taking in the barista. She moved so effortlessly-especially for so early in the morning. "So are you heading to the gym to work out? I don't really see too many people this early."
I cleared my throat, "Basketball practice."
"Basketball practice, huh?" She turned around to take in my appearance once more. "I can see it. Are you on a rec team in town or what?"
I chuckled, "Not exactly. I just got drafted to the Aces."
She kept quiet as she was finishing my drink. When she turned around, we locked eyes. She then examined my Iowa Women's Basketball sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. "You're Kate Martin, aren't you?"
"I mean, most people just call me Kate, but yeah," I shuffled my feet. You'd think I'd be comfortable with the recognition by now, but it never really got easier. Before I had Caitlin taking the brunt of the media and attention, but after the unexpected win for me in the draft, people were starting to take notice of me more and more.
"Well, Kate, I'll be honest: I don't know much about basketball. The only reason I know who you are is because this city loves its Aces, and so everyone has been talking about the great picks they were able to secure this year."
"Well, hopefully I end up being a great pick. The team is so stacked already that I doubt I'll make the roster," I admitted.
"Hey," we locked eyes again, her eyes warming. She smiled softly, "Don't psych yourself out like that. I'm sure you're great."
I blushed and mumbled out a thanks. "So how much do I owe you?"
"You know what? It's on me. Good luck, just Kate," she smiled. I smiled back and started heading for the door. Just as I was almost out the door, I heard her call out, "Make sure you believe in yourself. It'll go a long way. You already made it this far."
I took her words as a good sign. Maybe I was meant to be here.
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Small Town Girl, Big City Dreams • Kate Martin
Romance"You're not slick, Martin. I hope you're much smoother on the court," she chuckled. "Not really," I admitted with a smile. "This isn't just the alcohol talking right now, is it? Cause if that's the case, I'd rather we not," she admitted. "I know I...
