Wrangling teenage emotions is hard enough on good days, but what if on bad days they could manifest as giant flesh and blood monsters?
Pacific Rim meets Friday Night Lights as knee-jerk rebel Sage Sawyer is forced to join her high school "tourneytub...
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The mood in the locker room after the game is as black as the Barracuda uniforms.
Every Jackalope here seems deflated, like a balloon after the longest and most disappointing birthday party in history. All their strength has been sapped. For a while there, they thought they were pretty good.
Then came the tie last week and now this debacle tonight.
Talia wouldn't be surprised if a few of the Jackalopes were beginning to suspect they weren't as good as they thought they were. And there's nothing she can really do or say to pick them up out of this sad swamp they've found themselves stumbling into. A few pats on the back, perhaps. An encouraging smile. But it's no use. The Barracuda haven't just battered the Jackalopes' record, they've managed to batter their very soul.
Someone has to do something! But what?
On the bright side, at least the jubilant tumult of the home crowd has died down to a mere whisper. It's taken a few hours, but the Jackalopes are now able to throw on their civvies in the solace of silence. But the quiet can drive people nuts after a while, too.
Talia knows this all too well.
Luckily, Coach Wu takes this moment to limp to the center of the room. She looks as tired as Talia feels, and neither of them were out on that court tonight. Unlike her jockeys, though, Coach doesn't seem all that disheartened. In fact, Talia may detect a certain spring in her hampered step and a twinkle in her wrinkled eyes. Talia wonders just what Coach might have up her sleeve.
"Alright kids. Tough loss tonight. We're gonna have to do a helluva lot better if we're ever gonna hope to make it to the Owl County Cup in three weeks. All of us."
"No shit." Sage cuts in from behind Talia's shoulder. Talia turns her attention away from Coach for a few seconds to shoot her teammate a knowing, but muted, laugh.
She finds she's warming up to Sage more and more with every passing day.
Coach Wu is smiling and nodding herself. "You're right. I apologize for my part in this. I thought I had prepared you better for this game than I apparently had. I'll do better going forward. I promise you that. And so will all of you."
A murmur of agreement rumbles through the team. A chorus of nodding heads. They may not feel totally competent and capable right now, especially not after a performance like tonight's, but at least they want to be.
Talia feels a stab of jealousy spike inside her. She wants nothing more than to be out there with them, giving it her all; trying. But she knows those days are well and truly gone for her now. Talia figures she should be used to these longings by now, considering she's had them since early September. But she's never been able to grow accustomed to their lingering sting.
It surprises her.
Every time.
Coach Wu indicates for the Jackalopes to follow her with a brisk gesture of her arm. She starts limping out the open door. "C'mon. Before we go, I want everyone to see this."
