Page 7 of Full Court Crush

“And finally, we’re going to do things a little differently this year. We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard, so we’re going to start training under fatigue as much as possible. So, with that in mind, folks, please report to the baseline…”

The entire circle groaned, knowing what was coming, but everyone dutifully followed orders. Coach Grant and TJ moved to the side, the latter chuckling good-naturedly. Keira wished she’d managed to squeeze in some more speed work since she’d been back.

“We’re going to go easy on you to start with. Three sets of five reps,” Coach Grant proclaimed. “A minute rest between sets. Time it yourself.” She pointed to the scoreboard on the wall, just as TJ turned it on, the seconds and minutes now able to tick over.

“We’ll go on the minute,” Coach Grant said, whistle poised. They all watched the board.

Once the shrill blast of Coach Grant’s whistle sounded, the group sprinted forward like a wave swelling at the shore. Keira bent to touch the first line, in line with the free throw line, then ran back to the baseline. Next was the halfway line, and the dozen players touched it at roughly the same time. By the far free throw line and back, small gaps had appeared between players. By the end line and back, Amelia had a noticeable lead. Keira tried not to think about her position in the pack.

By the time Keira started the penultimate sprint of her final set, Amelia had already finished, despite visible strapping on one of her ankles. Keira’s legs burned with the effort and her lungs begged for more air. Each breath was laboured, like breathing through cloth. Patches of sweat soaked her t-shirt, and she regretted not wearing one of her many cooler basketball vests.

Amelia stood on the end line, shouting encouragement for everyone to dig a little deeper. She cheered them on, clapping the next players over the line. On her final sprint, Keira glanced up; Amelia was looking directly at her. Her aquamarine eyes twinkled under the lights.

“Come on, Keira, last effort!”

Keira almost stumbled at being addressed directly. But the encouragement did help her find a spark of extra energy; she propelled herself forward. The end line was slightly blurry from the sweat that had trickled into her eyes. A few more staggering steps and she crossed the line, barely stopping before she crashed into the wall. Placing her hands on the rough bricks, she closed her eyes, taking many deep breaths. Someone clapped her on the shoulder and spoke quietly beside her.

“Great job, Keira.”

The hairs on the back of Keira’s neck stood on end.

Keira turned as Amelia returned to the baseline to cheer the final runners over the line. Keira was glad she wasn’t last, but her regret at not doing more training resurfaced tenfold.

An hour and a half later, tired bodies jostled for position at one end of the court. The communication levels had been slowly dissipating as their energy levels dropped. Sweat trickled down Keira’s back as she wiped her face with the front of her shirt. Coach Grant was definitely putting the team through their paces, going over an offensive play that involved a lot of ball movement and multiple screens. They’d done a crash course in a few different plays and Keira’s head was swimming. Sienna, whose under-eighteen team had used the same tactics, was slotting in fine. Keira felt about as useful as corrosion in a complex, well-drilled machine. As she desperately tried to remember the next part of the play, she caught something in her peripheral vision and turned just in time for the basketball to hit her square in the nose.

The pain was instant.

Keira grabbed her face as she staggered backwards. Tears pooled in her eyes and blurred her vision.

“Oh, shit, sorry!” Lucy’s voice darted through the air.

“That’s why we always put names on passes, everyone,” came the exasperated voice of Coach Grant. “Congratulations, Lucy, you’ve just earned the team another set of shuttles…” Coach Grant’s voice trailed off as someone took Keira by the elbow and led her off the court.

“C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Keira allowed herself to be guided to the chair in Coach Grant’s office. She blinked a few times to clear her vision, and saw Amelia squatted down in front of her. She was holding out a handful of tissues.

“Thanks,” Keira said stuffily, taking her hand away from her face to accept the tissues. There was a smattering of blood on her hand, and now that the shock had worn off, she became aware of the warm liquid dripping onto her top lip. She wiped her face and went to press the tissues to her nostrils, when Amelia’s hand reached out.

“May I?” she asked, and Keira looked at her quizzically. “I’m a doctor.”

Keira nodded, but instantly regretted it, since it made her nose throb more. Amelia examined the bridge of her nose, gently pinching up and down the length. Keira winced.

“It doesn’t look or feel displaced, so I think you’ve just taken a knock. Lean forward a bit and pinch it just here,” she said, using her own fingers to indicate the correct location. Keira complied, trying not to think about how the stranger from the park had just given her an examination, and the trickle of blood soon slowed.

So much for making a good first impression.

Keira took the tissue away from her face a few minutes later, and no fresh blood trickled out

“Better?” Amelia gave her a clean tissue to wipe her face.

“Yeah, thank you”

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she joked, making Keira blush.

“I am so sorry about the other day.” The memory alone was enough to make her uncomfortable.

“Eh, no harm done.” Amelia shrugged, moving from her squatting position to the plastic stool where Keira had sat earlier.