Chasing Blue

#16: Plot Twists.

Just because the trash can be recycled, it doesn't mean your ex deserves another chance.

Present

Isabella

"Good work team, wrap it up for today." Coach Mathew whistled, giving the sign for us to pack up and get back home.

A drop of sweat slowly trickled down my forehead, now going to the side adjacent to my ears. I let out this deep breath that I'm holding as I'm unable to calm the rate of my heart down. I get up from my position which is my hands on my knees and looking at the floor.  

I walk towards my Coach, following the other girls. We each give him a high-five as we exit the field. I'm the last one to high-five him. He joins me as we leave the court. 

"Can you stay in one piece until the game tomorrow?" He asks me, hinting with a smirk. 

I roll my eyes. "Depends on what life has planned out for me." 

He gives me the look. The look that says he does not appreciate sarcasm when I use it to answer. "Bella, International coaches are coming in to watch the match. I know you don't want a volleyball career but you might as well bag the scholarship." 

I nod. I'm not the best player on the team. I think Chloe is. But her temper is too wild. My coach said I was the most composed player and a captain doesn't always have to be the best player. A captain leads the team and according to the coach, I am the best leader on the team. 

It's true that I didn't want a career in volleyball. But the scholarship meant a lot to the girls and we're either going to bag it as a team or no one gets it. So there's no option left. We have to win. My dad is yearning for the scholarship more than I am. God knows where he's applying me to, but I know Yale is on the top of his priority list. He knows better. He has the contacts. 

My coach waves as he walks back into the gym. I am near the resting bench where all our bags are haphazardly thrown around. I reach for my bottle and begin to start drinking from it. 

"Captain, how's your hand?" Brittney was sitting on the bench, her knees supporting her elbows. 

"Fortunately still working," I smirked.

"You have serious enemy problems, mate." Ashley laughed as we all grabbed our bags and sling them on our shoulders. 

Today was the last day of practice. We have another warm-up match tomorrow morning and we play the league in the evening. Two days of vigorous practice was enough to get me back into form but it also drained me more than I predicted. 

"You think?" I scoffed, sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes as she patted my back as we began walking towards the alternate exit. "I'm glad we don't have to hunt for another captain."

"That feels awfully cute." I nudge my elbow at Ashley as we both laugh. 

We're taking the alternate exit because the main exit opens only at school hours. And right now, we're here just for practice. It's sad that we don't get that privilege and harder because the alternate exit takes five minutes longer to reach home. 

But what do I care? Austin's been my chauffeur for the last two days. He's been driving me up and down from school. What happened at the party two days ago already seems like a blur. No, we didn't bring it up again. I left early for my run in the morning and he slept until 10 am and woke up with a slight hangover. I doubt he even remembers how we slept. 

I did something bad too, so I didn't rake up the topic. I took his poetry paper and stuffed it in the back of my phone case. I don't really have an excuse for doing that. But I'm still cracking the meaning of it in every instance I get. Staying at his house cuts down a major part of my privacy.