MAVIS - walker scobell

CH9 "percy"

The roar of the crowd was muffled, like a distant echo, as Mavis's team swept through each game, climbing the ranks with a skill and focus she'd never seen before. Her team was killing it; they were on fire, securing victory after victory.

She'd imagined this exact scenario a thousand times—her team making it to Nationals, almost at the top. But instead of the thrill she'd always dreamed of, there was an undercurrent of unease.

The pressure had started to build up fast. Her friends had been cheering her on from the stands, her parents and brother watching each game with pride, but somehow, the added attention felt like a weight she couldn't shake. Each glance toward the stands made her shoulders tense, each cheer from the sidelines pulled her focus in ways she wasn't used to.

Finally, she'd made a decision: she asked everyone—her parents, her friends—not to come. The night before the semifinals, she'd had a quiet conversation with her parents in the kitchen.

"Are you sure, honey?" her mom had asked, her voice hesitant but understanding. Her dad had looked equally taken aback, his hands resting on the table, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I think I'll do better if... if nobody's watching me," Mavis replied, doing her best to keep her voice steady.

"It's just... too much, you know? It's not that I don't want you there. It's just... better this way. I need to focus."

They had exchanged a look, then her mom had reached across the table, squeezing her hand. "Alright, baby. We're rooting for you."

Since then, Mavis had played each game solo, in her own head, just her and her team on the court. No one cheering, no one watching in her mind.

It should have felt lonely, but it was the only way she could keep herself focused and relaxed. But as focused as she was, she couldn't ignore how she'd also cut Walker off.

After that kiss, she'd felt the walls closing in, the pressure of something she didn't know how to handle. The kiss had been intense and wonderful, and it had scared her. So, she'd made herself stop. Stop texting him, stop seeking him out.

Since school ended, there was no need for them to cross paths, and she'd managed to keep her distance. But Leena had noticed. Mavis could feel it every time she tried to chat with Leena at practice. There was a subtle shift in her tone, a coolness in her responses.

Leena wasn't rude—she was still her friend, still loyal, still a teammate. But Mavis could sense the difference, and she had a feeling it was because of Walker. Though Leena never brought it up, Mavis guessed she was aware of the whole situation, especially the way her brother had seemed deflated in the days after.

Even now, as Nationals neared their final rounds, Mavis found herself working to ignore the strange, gnawing guilt that crept in at the edges of her thoughts. It was easier to pretend everything was okay, to pour her energy fully into the game, even if something inside her felt unfinished, unresolved.

A couple of days before the Nationals final, Mavis found herself sprawled on Millie's bed, a bowl of popcorn balanced between them as they watched an episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Millie was her best friend, and if anyone could distract her from the chaos of Nationals and her messed-up feelings, it was Millie. Charismatic and fiercely loyal, Millie was the kind of friend who always had Mavis's back, her playful attitude balanced with a surprising softness.

Millie tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth, glancing sideways at Mavis with a smirk. "So, we're watching Percy Jackson, huh? Not awkward for you at all?"

Mavis groaned, pulling her hoodie over her head. "Oh, come on. I didn't even realize it was on until you started it."

"Please." Millie laughed, nudging her. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You just wanted an excuse to talk about him."

"No, I didn't," Mavis muttered, though her cheeks were turning pink. She grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into her mouth to avoid further comment. But Millie wasn't about to let it go. "Come on, Mav. I know you. This is bothering you." She gave her a gentle but firm nudge.

"You kissed the guy. And now you're ghosting him?" Mavis exhaled, leaning back into the pillows.

"I know. It's just... I can't. I can't have this—whatever it is—distracting me. Not now. Nationals is everything right now."

"Uh-huh." Millie rolled her eyes, giving her a look that was somehow equal parts judgmental and compassionate. "You know, you're allowed to have a life outside of volleyball."

Mavis sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Recalling Walker saying almost the same thing to her. "It's just so much pressure. I feel like if I mess this up, everything I've worked for... it's all for nothing."

Millie softened, reaching over to squeeze her arm. "Mavis, I get it. I know this is huge. But cutting everyone out—your parents, your friends... Walker?."

Mavis bit her lip, silent. She knew Millie was right, but hearing it out loud made it real. Made her choices feel like they'd been carved into stone.

"And look," Millie continued, gesturing to the screen where Walker was as Percy. "Maybe he's good for you. You know, someone who's a little less obsessed with you might be exactly what you need. And he's a fucking actor girl."

Mavis shot her a skeptical look. "Really, Millie? You think he's 'good for me'? What is this a dumb
rom-com?"

Millie laughed, tossing a piece of popcorn at her. "Hey, just saying what I think. Sometimes you need someone to make you feel things, remind you there's more to life than sports. And I'm not saying you're supposed to marry him or anything." She smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Just saying maybe it's okay to let someone in." Mavis went quiet, her mind drifting to that night in the gym, to the warmth of Walker's hand over hers, the way he'd looked at her like she was the only person in the world.

She shook her head, almost in disbelief. "I don't know," she murmured. "Maybe. But it's complicated."

"Everything is," Millie replied with a shrug, her voice gentle but unwavering. "But sometimes it's worth it." Mavis let everything Millie told her sink in, it's not all the time that they have deep conversations.

They both went quiet, letting the sounds of the movie fill the room. But even as they watched, Mavis couldn't ignore the flicker of doubt lingering in her chest, the lingering question of whether she'd made the right choice.