My Gift

Ghost

It wasn't like they expected the team not to perform well because she's not there. After all, in here, she is not the Phenom of women's volleyball back then. Here, she is just Alyssa Valdez. The Filipino scholar who's secretly a celebrity athlete who was out of her prime.

But when they got lost by landslide 3 sets without even stepping beyond 20 points, she knows she got to step up.

"Just let me play, Coach." She said with deter while Coach Sam looked at her with hesitation.

"But you just had a concussion."

She swallowed an invisible lump in her throat. "And the doctors already gave me a green signal to play. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What if---Alyssa, I caused you that. I don't want to add more to your injury."

She shake her head. "Coach... it wasn't your fault."

Five beats and Alyssa slumped on the floor.

"Back then. When I played for U23 for women's volleyball, I hit my hand on the post. But I was the team captain. I had to fight for my team. Got my wrist heavily taped. Played despite the pain. And do you know what my former coach told me?" She asked. "That I will play even if I had my head break open... well, not that that could be possible but. Coach, do know that I will fight for this. I fought before, nursing an injury, why can't I now that I'm okay to play?"

Samuel looked at his wife that is secretly listening to them behind the cabinet, nodded then sighed. "And I guess that coach of yours has had a hard time getting you out of the court huh?"

"You betcha, coach." She grinned. "Does that mean..."

"Well. Who am I to hinder the Phenom with a mission?"

A look passed Aly's eyes. "I'm not the Phenom anymore, Coach. Not here, not now."

Samuel couldn't even say more when Aly excused herself, clearly don't want to talk about it anymore.

Broken bottles in the hotel lobby
Seems to me like I'm just scared of never feeling it again
But I know it's crazy to believe in silly things
But it's not that easy

"Going for a run?" Claire asked Alyssa when she saw the woman in her usual workout clothes.

Ly looked up, pausing her tying of shoes. "Uh. Yeah. It's not that early, right?"

"Well, yeah." Claire carefully said. "But you know, I should flex my muscles too, right? You know... I got a championship do-or-die game coming."

Aly looked at her roommate and squinted at her. "Do... you want to come? I have a do-or-die game too. But I guess I could use a little company."

Claire grinned cheekily.

"10 minutes or I'm leaving you." Ly added as Claire beamed and jumped inside the bathroom.

"What!?"

Ly shrugged. "We're going to get sweaty later on. No need to smell good. Your boyfriend isn't gonna go jogging with us."

The libero just shake her head at her and grumbled.

"Ten minutes, Saffitz! Ten minutes!"

I remember it now, it takes me back to when it all first started
But I've only got myself to blame for it, and I accept that now
It's time to let it go, go out and start again
But it's not that easy

They saved that one. They survived the do or die game.

But she didn't contributed that much. Though she has scored all the crucial moments.