My Gift

Weight

AN: A little word play for me. Since some expressed that they do wait for an update. And well... yeah... nerd. Yo otor issa nerd. 😞

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It's been eight months since my debut on a pre-season tournament. To tell you the truth... it was bad. I was bad.

Because she hasn't been playing volleyball for three years, and that includes every exercise, run, weight lifting and scrimmage. It's just right to say that she's been inactive for too long.

And being inactive meant that her muscles wasn't used to volleyball routine they made her do for two months. Her muscle strained so hard and easily. Also, her power and vertical leaps changed

"It's okay..." Claire cheered her up. "You will get back on shape in no time."

Besides that her body wasn't really ready, everything about volleyball holds so much memories about them... her.

She fastened her pace. It's 5:00 am and she woke up earlier than Claire or their teammates.

Nangangatog ang binti nya sa pwersa sa pagtakbo pero hindi sya tumigil. Sa halip, ipinikit nya ang mata at pinilit pakalmahin ang sarili.

"Girls, I'd like you to meet your newest teammate... Alyssa Valdez." Coach Samuel introduced her to the team. She saw Claire smiled at her and give her thumbs up.

But it didn't do anything to ease her mind and nerve for just one bit.

It felt like the first time she and Kim auditioned for their school's varsity team in Batangas. Gusgusin pa ito noon. She's a lanky, scrawny kid. Plus, she'd been known to be of lower class. Some kids see her work in their farm instead of playing with them. Walang pinagkaiba to noon.

Murmurs filled around the gym as she watch her new teammates whisper things about her. She almost walked out of them but Coach Sam's hand on her shoulder stopped her from doing that.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Coach called for their attention. "Shut it, you guys! Stop being rude to her and line the eff up and introduce yourselves! Be the player with dignity and respect I taught you to be."

Still, she wasn't exactly fully accepted by her teammates. She doesn't hold it against them though. To be honest, she understands them. Here's the Asian foreign student, who happens had served them their coffees and then now their coach happened to foster her and put her inside the team. Not to mention she's really rusty. She expects it to be bad but in reality... it was worse.

She accepted sharp and hurtful glares that came from her setters, liberos (other than Claire of course) and her fellow spikers. Everytime she commits a service error, everytime she gives up freeballs, everytime she wasn't able to hit the ball hard enough or if she hits it straight to the net...

It literally brought her to the days when she's just starting to love the sports.

"Damn, Ly!" Claire almost yelled on top of her lungs when she saw her on her bed. Her roommate just woke up and was extremely shocked to see her friend, bathing in her own sweat and quivering.

Alyssa give her a small smile.

"Don't give me that smile, Aly... you won't get me with that smile."