Storm [H.S.]

chapter 5

I'm currently walking to the gym we'll be practicing in with Willow and the rest of the team. After waking Willow up, which took a hot minute and a pillow, we met the girls downstairs so we could all walk to our first practice together.

I'm trying not to think about seeing Harry again but that's kind of hard when I'm literally minutes away from seeing him. I keep telling myself it will all be fine but I'm anxious to see his reaction. I also don't want him to think that I knew he was my coach at the bar when I smoked his cigarette.

Being in spandex is something else I'm trying not to think about. I've never felt exposed playing volleyball before but now I just want to put on a track suit.

Willow must notice I look tense because she grabs my hand and squeezes. "It's gonna be fine. Just take deep breaths."

I take a deep breath and then smile at her, silently thanking her. We reach the gym and Jules pulls open one of the double doors. She holds it open for everyone and I thank her as I step inside.

Woah this is a nice ass gym. It's huge with two volleyball courts, the nets already set up. Did Harry do that? Probably not.

He's nowhere in sight but he could be back in his office or somewhere else. The team starts walking toward the locker rooms so I follow. As I walk into the room full of empty lockers, I stop and take a look around. This is where I'll change from college student to volleyball player and back as I chat with my team almost every day for the next four years.

It's still so weird to me that I'm in college. When I was playing volleyball in high school, I didn't know if I was good enough to play in college. I mean I knew I was good but I always thought college ball was so advanced. I really couldn't believe it when I was scouted to play here.

I go over to an empty locker and start changing. I put on spandex shorts and a t-shirt and then my knee pads. Walking over to a mirror, I start putting my hair in a ponytail.

"Are you ready?" Willow appears next to me, fixing her hair in the mirror beside mine.

"To play volleyball? Yes. To see him? No...but I never will be so let's get this over with." I start walking towards the locker room exit.

I hold open the door while everyone walks through it, me and Willow trailing behind them as we make our way down the hallway to the gym. The double doors get pushed open and when I step through them, my eyes scan the big space.

The first thing I notice are volleyballs, a lot of them. There are 2 carts full and some scattered on the floor. Out of the corner of my eye to the right, I see Bailey talking to someone. She's one of the middles on our team. I know it's her because she left the locker room earlier than everyone else. I can't see who she's talking to because they're too far outside of my vision but I can take a wild guess.

I turn my head to look at them and my heart skips a beat when I see that brown hair. It somehow looks so perfectly messy, like he took the time to make it look effortless. I know he just woke up and ran his fingers through it though.

He's talking to her with his left side facing me and I can see how sharp his jawline is from here. I wonder what it would feel like to lick along that jaw-oh my god Violet pull it together. He's your coach.

Harry then smiles at something Bailey says and his left dimple indents his cheek. I look away and walk behind the rest of the team to the nets. I look at Willow, who was also just looking at Harry, and she smiles while pulling me next to her. Bailey and him are standing off to the side of the gym so when they finish talking, they walk over.

We're all standing between both nets in a group so he doesn't see me yet. As he gets closer, I can see those green eyes that haunt me. I don't know how it's possible, but he looks even better in gym lighting. I think he's just gonna look better every single time I see him. Ugh I hate that. He's wearing black adidas joggers and a gray hoodie.