"Hustle, boys! Move it faster! If y'all don't hurry it up, you're all getting double
suicides." Coach Ford yelled above the loud scoffing of tennis shoes against the freshly
swept gym floor. Levi strained himself harder, trying to push his straying thoughts of a
girl to the back of his mind. Apparently, it wasn't enough; Coach singled him out for a
lecture.
"Barron!" He yelled, "If you're not gonna put your back into these practices, then
you can just pack it up and go home. What's wrong with you today? Are you sick or
something? You're not yourself."
Levi shook his head, "Just tired, Coach," he lied.
"Okay, then," Coach said while looking the sweaty team over, "Maybe you should
go to bed a little earlier, so you're not so tired during practice. A little less video games
and a lot more sleep would do you all some good." Coach continued his lecture, "I don't
want to see my team dragging like this during games. It had better stop. Now back on
the line. It's time for the grapevine."
The sweaty, red faced ball team took their places on the red line at the end of the
court; varsity in front, junior varsity in the back. Coach blew the high pitched whistle
into the silent atmosphere. At once, the rhythmic pattern of one foot behind the other,
filled the gym with noise.
After the final whistle blew, Levi stumbled out the gym doors into the hall,
panting. As he gulped his water down his dry throat, he caught a glimpse of her. His
breath caught, causing him to chock on his water. The rest of the guys laughed, telling
him not to drink to fast. Levi flushed, knowing that the volleyball team had seen his
mess-up, and a few found it amusing.
"Hey, Barron," called one of the team members, Chase. "Some of us are going
down to the Sonic for some breakfast. You want to come?"
"Umm..." He started, "No, I don't think so. I'll just stay here today, and wait for
the girls to finish. My mom won't want to wait on me, and Tiff has to leave immediately
after practice."
Chase eyed him. Normally, he would have jumped at the idea of leaving this
smelly gym, and just chilling. But lately, he'd been staying behind, even though there
was nothing for him to do. Something was up. There was a girl, he knew it. Chase
couldn't figure out who, though. Yeah, the girls on the volleyball team were pretty, but
there weren't any that really stood out.
"Alright, man. Whatever." he said, giving the 'I know what you're up to' smile.
Levi scowled, "Shut up, Chase!"
"What?" Chase teased back, while walking out the door, "I didn't saying
anything."
After the team had left, Levi sighed, and started toward the walk-track door above
the court. Please let it be unlocked, he prayed to himself. It opened with ease, and he
slipped through the partially open door with grace, then quietly shut it behind him. He
quickly descended the dark stairs, avoiding the dead bugs along the way. This place had
always given him a little bit of the creeps. It was dark, damp, and a mouse had lived up
there since before he could remember. But it was worth it to him to be freaked out for
half a minute, to see his girl.
Once on the track, he slid against the wall, hiding himself from view, until he
found a place where he could see the girls, but Coach couldn't see him. He sat down on
the sticky, grime inlaid carpet, and watched the team warm up.
