Online Love, Offline Hate

Chapter Two

Amy

Amy Exner spun the volleyball around in her hand, an action that was entirely subconscious. After playing volleyball all through middle school and up to her final year of high school, these actions came naturally to her.

She tossed the ball up, ran and jumped, hitting the ball across the court in a perfect jump serve. The ball hit the mark perfectly but she felt she needed to add more power to the serve.

Picking up a ball from the floor, she went for another try. Perfect, she reminded herself. It has to be perfect. The serve toss, the approach, the hit, the landing. It all had to be perfect. She needed to be perfect.

The summer break was well under way but Amy had not gotten over the way the last school year ended. The female volleyball team of Pristine High had gotten to the final eight of the nationals. It was a record for them. The year before that, they had only managed to get to nationals and were eliminated in the first round.

This time around, they were going for gold. The girls knew how strong they had gotten. They were confident that they could challenge for the Female Senior High Championships. Their quarterfinal matchup was not at all favourable. They were up against the defending champions but they felt like if they didn't make any serious mistakes and with consistent point scoring, they would win.

That was until they played the match. They lost the match 2-0, unable to win even a set against their opponents. The scoreline looked acceptable to anyone who hadn't seen the match.

Those who did described it as murder. The Pristine Female Volleyball team had been completely destroyed. Serve after serve, spike after spike, block after block. They were completely crushed. At first, they didn't make too many mistakes, it was just that their opponents were better than them. Then later, as the point difference began to widen, they lost confidence and began to make ugly errors.

In the first set, they lost 25-16, unable to get into the 20s. in the second set, they lost 25-8, unable to even get into the 10s.

Amy played as a wing spiker and with every spike that was blocked and every serve she missed, she felt herself downward spiral. She knew she had to pull herself out of the slump. Before she could adjust her mindset, however, the match was over. The opposing team was just too good.

They had lost. Losing was a normal occurrence in competition and the Pristine team was used to it. But this was the first time they had lost in such a manner. There was nothing they could do about it except to accept it.

Life went on. The seniors retired and there was a small party to send them off. While Amy didn't like parties, she felt at home with her volleyball club. There was laughing, storytelling and a bit of crying. The evening ended with the announcement that Amy would be the new captain of the team. The pressure she felt increased.

Perfect, she repeated.

She tossed the ball high up in the air and hit it once again to the water bottle she used as a mark. Amy observed the way the bottle fell over and felt the power and precision was perfect. She looked around for a ball to try again but all the balls were on the other side of the court.

"Here." Someone said and tossed her one of the white and red balls littered around the court.

"Thanks." Amy was surprised but she caught the ball. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough. I know the answer but I'll ask anyway. Had lunch yet?"

"No. I was hoping to get another hour of practice in."

"You'll burnout before we even start the season."

"I need to get better. To get better, I need to practice. It's simple."