The next morning, Yn arrived at training with a heavy heart, her conversation with Lauren from the night before echoing in her mind. She’d spent most of the night replaying her interactions with Coach Graham, trying to pinpoint where things had gone wrong. But all she could come up with was the feeling of constantly running into a brick wall.
As the warm-ups began, she kept her head down, running through the motions with barely contained frustration. She noticed Lauren on the sideline; her sister had come in early, maybe sensing Yn needed someone in her corner today. Yn took a breath, trying to calm herself, and focused on the drills.
Halfway through the training session, they moved into positional drills. Coach Graham paired Yn with one of the newer players, someone who wasn’t used to her pace or style. Yn made an overlapping run, signaling for the ball, but her teammate’s pass was miles off target, sailing out of bounds. Yn clenched her fists and muttered under her breath, fighting the urge to scream.
"Eyes up, Yn!" Coach Graham’s voice cut through the air, his tone laced with impatience. "Stop rushing ahead—your runs are all wrong."
Yn shot him a glare. "The pass was off! How am I supposed to work with that?" she snapped before she could stop herself.
Coach Graham folded his arms, his eyes narrowing. "Watch your tone," he said coldly. "And don’t blame your teammates for your mistakes. I told you before, your positioning needs work."
She felt her face flush. "Positioning? I’ve been making these runs for weeks now—exactly where you asked. And you still blame me every time something goes wrong!"
"Maybe if you listened instead of talking back, you’d understand," he shot back, his voice louder, drawing the attention of the other players.
Lauren, who had been watching from the sidelines, stood up and took a step forward. “Coach, come on. You can’t seriously be putting all the blame on Yn. She’s been one of our best performers out there.”
Coach Graham’s gaze shifted to Lauren, unimpressed. “Lauren, with all due respect, you’re not in charge here. Yn’s performances haven’t been as impressive as you think. Maybe she’s been good enough for the lower leagues, but at City, she’s not cutting it.”
Yn felt her pulse spike, anger bubbling up so quickly she could barely contain it. “Are you serious?” she said, her voice shaking. “I’ve been busting my gut out here, game after game, training after training, and you have the nerve to say I’m not good enough?”
Coach Graham’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I do. And let’s not pretend your attitude is helping either. Every time I give you feedback, you’re either rolling your eyes or talking back. Your behavior has been unacceptable.”
Lauren stepped forward, her voice sharp. “She’s frustrated because you haven’t given her a fair shot, Coach. You’re sidelining her for reasons none of us understand.”
Coach Graham scoffed. “Maybe you don’t understand because you’re too close to her. Yn’s performance, her behavior—neither of them is up to the standards we expect. And frankly, her reaction right now only proves my point.”
Yn couldn’t hold it in any longer. She took a step forward, squaring up to him, her fists clenched by her sides. “Say that again,” she said, her voice low and furious. “Say it to my face that I’m not good enough, after everything I’ve done here.”
Coach Graham didn’t flinch. “I’ll say it as many times as I need to, Yn. You’re not good enough for this team. And as of now, you’re suspended.”
The words hit her like a punch. Yn’s jaw tightened, and she took another step forward, her face inches from his. She could feel Lauren’s hand on her shoulder, a silent plea to back down, but she couldn’t—she was done being quiet.
“You can’t do this,” she seethed. “You’re punishing me for being passionate about this team, for caring enough to stand up for myself.”
Coach Graham’s face was impassive. “You’re right, Yn. I’m punishing you for refusing to take responsibility and for undermining my authority. Effective immediately, you’re suspended. And I don’t want to see you back here until I say otherwise.”
Yn felt a lump rise in her throat, a mixture of rage and disbelief. Her hands shook as she tried to process his words. “You’re just using this as an excuse to get rid of me. I’ve seen how you treat the others, but it’s different with me. You’ve been waiting for a reason to push me out.”
Coach Graham’s face remained stony. “If that’s what you want to believe, fine. But I’ll remind you, Yn, that I make the decisions here—not you. You’re done. Go home and think about your behavior.”
Lauren squeezed Yn’s shoulder, trying to pull her back, but Yn wrenched herself free, glaring up at him. “You think this’ll make me stop?” she said, her voice barely a whisper but laced with anger. “This isn’t over. I’ll be back. And I’ll make sure everyone sees just how wrong you are.”
Without another word, she turned and stormed off the pitch, her heart pounding as she tried to keep her composure. Lauren jogged after her, catching up just outside the training ground.
“Yn, wait,” Lauren said, grabbing her arm. Yn stopped, breathing hard, her fists still clenched.
“I can’t believe this,” Yn choked out. “He’s just written me off. Like all the work I’ve put in means nothing.”
Lauren pulled her into a hug, holding her tight. “He’s wrong, Yn. So wrong. Anyone with eyes can see that. But you need to take some time, cool off, and let things settle.”
Yn took a shaky breath, burying her face in Lauren’s shoulder. “It’s just so unfair. I don’t understand why he’s doing this to me.”
Lauren pulled back, looking her in the eye. “Because you’re a threat. He knows you’re good enough, maybe even better than some of the players he likes. And that scares him. So, he’s trying to keep you down. But he won’t win, Yn. You’ll get through this.”
Yn nodded, wiping her eyes. “Thanks, Lauren. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Hey, you don’t have to find out. I’m here, always.” Lauren gave her a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure this out. You’re not done yet. Not by a long shot.”
Yn forced a weak smile, but the bitterness remained. As she walked away from the training ground, she knew one thing for certain—she wasn’t going to give up. This was only the beginning. And Coach Graham had no idea what he’d just set in motion.
