Beads of sweat dripped from her brown neck as her feet lightly skipped over the hard-wood floor like pebbles skipping across a pond. Chocolate eyes watched the leather ball bounce once, twice around the rim. Elbows instantly went out to block the defender and Yolanda pushed. Back, back, the other girl struggled for the bound while Yolanda crouched like a tiger ready to pounce. Satisfaction shone strong in Yolanda's heart as her sneakers sprung from the court and fingers grasped the offensive rebound. She came down strong with the ball, pivoted once, and made a sweet shot off the glass for two points. The crowd cheered and the Georgetown Lions ran backwards down the court into a zone defense.
After her game that night, Yolanda was left sore but wired. Vibrations went through her as the adrenaline continued through her veins even after the final buzzer sounded. Cheers from the crowd still filled her ears even after her cool shower in the locker room. Games like this were why Yolanda played basketball. She had had an all star game tonight for a center like herself. Twelve points were gained from put-backs and she had at least eighteen rebounds. And crashing the boards wasn't her only strength tonight; Yolanda had four blocks and two steals.
Walking out of the locker room with a smile on her face, Yolanda spotted two of her teammates, point-guard Ebony and forward Latisha.
"Hey girl!" shouted Yolanda.
Both muscular girls waved in response.
"Watcha doin' tonight, Yolanda?" asked Latisha.
"Nothing much. Anything you guys got planned?" Yolanda inquired.
"Just the usual post-game meal at the diner. You comin'?" said Ebony.
"You know it!"
"Ain't hangin' with those dudes from the east side again, are you?" joked Latisha
"Never again! See you there!"
Yolanda began to depart briskly from her friends and thought about last year's incident with the east side gang. How immature she had been! Changing her name to Georgia and hanging out with the scum left over from high school just to be with Sean, her old boyfriend, had been the story of last year. Sean ended up leaving her for some twenty-year-old with big hair and an even bigger attitude. It was a nasty breakup and left her with a broken heart and a broken leg, leaving her sitting on the bench for the rest of the basketball season. She watched helplessly as her team lost in overtime in the playoffs to their rivals, the Wildcats. With tears in her eyes that last night of the season, Yolanda vowed never to hurt her girls again.
But, this vow might just get broken tonight as she heard an all too familiar voice behind her when she crossed at the corner of 22nd Street to the diner. There she stood on the asphalt, between her teammates and her past under the moonless black sky.