Ten

Chapter One

Julianne-

     The sound of the left turn signal ticked as I sat in the front seat in complete silence.

No music, no discussion, nothing. Silence.

     I was on my way to volleyball practice which started in about fifteen minutes. Usually on days like these, I would be super hyped and excited for practice, but today, all of my energy was drained. 

I was back to being lifeless.

~

     "What?!" the voices of the girls on my team shrieked in sync.

     A few surprised voices delayed after the scream. Hushed whispers discussed the new problem arising us all. Coach Hicks held up her worn hands, attempting to calm us down.

"Now, now, girls," She said as she continued to hush a couple girls in the corner, looking as if they were ready to cry.

"There's no need to be so upset."  

A loud, sarcastic scoff sounded at the front of the gymnasium.

     My head turned and I saw the middle hitter of the team, Aubrey, bounce towards us, her wavy blond hair suddenly losing its vibrancy. "No need to be upset?" She laughed mockingly, throwing her head back "Come on, coach! You know better than this," Aubrey shook her head. Her eyebrows were arched up in concern.

I found myself shaking my head, too.  

     "She's right," I sighed. The members of the team looked at me.

     "You've seen how well we get along with the Quentin girls. Actually, we don't get along at all." A couple voices agreed with me.

     Coach Hicks rubbed her eyebrow, a common gesture she did once on the verge of a breakdown. All of us were sweaty, just finished what probably could have been the best practice if it wasn't for the news. 

     "Look, girls," Coach sat on the wooden bench with her clipboard. "Spring league is cancelled. Not many schools are willing to participate in it, so it shut down. We're going to use this time for our skills and we have much, much more room for improvement. I'm sorry to break it to you but I've already arranged the rest of our practices with their coach. " 

     All of the girls groaned, stomping around like preschoolers. Madeline, the captain of the team stepped forward.

"Hey!" She yelled, brushing her long brown ponytail off of her shoulder and then placing her hands on her hips.

     We all went quiet. "Quit acting like kids and get your game together," Her eyes shot daggers at each one of us, one by one. I almost flinched when her cold grey stare settled on me.  

     "This is the reason why we lost the championships. Second place. Remember that," Madeline's strong voice echoed off the walls. "If we want to beat them, why not practice with them? That way we can see their weaknesses. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?"

     The team grumbled.  

     "Right?" She repeated, clapping her hands to get the attention of half-asleep players.  

     They perked up. "Right." 

     Smirking as if she'd just completed something, she held her hand out to the coach. "Take it from here, Hicks." Coach stood up and sighed, looking at us all with an apologetic shrug.

Next to me, I felt Audrey shudder. I couldn't help but smirk. Without saying a word, I knew the girls agreed with me. The practices with these girls could be lethal.