"Anna, make sure you keep the ball in your sight line when you make contact."

Elsa watches as Anna rallies against another girl from the team. She tries to offer the younger girl some advice on her technique. Their first game of the season is going to be against one of the best schools in their division and Elsa doesn't want to take any chances; she wants her team to come out on top.

"Will you chill out coach? I got this," Anna yells back, continuing the match.

Elsa wants the team to be ready- especially Anna. Her game hasn't been up to par lately and Elsa is pushing her harder than the rest, because she knows the younger girl is capable.

Anna grits her teeth as she swings her racket and misses the ball. She then curses under her breath as she steps away from the court, sweat dripping down the side of her face.

Elsa steps forward, getting in better speaking range. "Anna, keep your eye-"

Before Elsa can finish her sentence, Anna violently flings her racket against the fence. Elsa instinctively flenches, thanking the heavens that the fence was between her and the racket. Was she trying to hit me? Elsa gulps as she tries to figure out how to handle this situation

Anna angrily runs a hand through her hair as she storms off the court. "If you're so damn perfect, why don't you get in there and show me what needs to be done," she says through clenched teeth, gesturing toward the court.

Elsa takes in a breath and tries to remain calm. Anna has been consistently making Elsa's life harder. The older woman can't figure out exactly why the younger girl gets under her skin so much. She tries speaking to Anna as calmly as possible. "I'm just trying to help you, Anna."

Anna rolls her eyes. "Well you can help me by shutting up. Your yelling is so distracting. I can easily beat her if you're not constantly barking out commands." Anna walks back into the court and picks up her racket, the other girl still waiting patiently for Anna to return to the match.

Elsa sets her clipboard on the ground and begins to roll up her khaki pants. She then picks up a spare racket and enters the court, motioning Anna's partner away. She looks at the younger girl as she makes her way to the opposite side of the net. "You're good Anna, but there are certain parts of your game you still need to work on."

Just as Elsa gets into position Anna lets out an exasperated breath and unexpectedly serves the ball. Elsa, quick on her reflexes, returns the serve to the opposite side of the court. Anna rushes over to return it, but comes up short, her racket barely missing the yellow sphere. "Lucky shot," she says dryly as she picks up another ball.

Elsa shakes her head. "No, Anna. It's all about placement. Even when you're going after it like that, you have to stay in control."

Anna drops her hands by her side in a display of anger. "Like I don't fucking know that. I can hit the ball if you stop pissing me off."

Elsa nods her head, still trying to remain calm. "Okay. I'll stop talking and we can just let our playing speak for us. I was only reminding you that ball placement is crucial."

Anna walks to the back edge of the court and gently tosses the ball in the air. She then brings her racket down hard, slapping the ball into Elsa's side of the court. Elsa returns it and Anna grunts as she aggressively slaps the ball back toward Elsa. The older woman realizes too late that the ball is heading straight for her face.

Elsa closes her eyes as the ball makes contact and she feels the sting that accompanies getting knocked in the face. She stumbles back and brings her hand to her nose, the racket toppling to the ground. She then opens her eyes, staring down at the blood slowly covering her hands.

"How's that for placement," she hears Anna mutter as she throws her racket and walks off the court. The other girls stop playing and all turn to look at Elsa. She starts to panic.

Elsa feels like she's losing control, and she knows what normally accompanies that feeling. She wants to avoid having a panic attack in front of the prying eyes of all of these high school girls.

She cups her nose and runs off the court, trying to find a first aid kit, or a tissue, or a cloth. She realizes all of that is probably back in the building so she heads toward the gym office to look for it. She realizes how she must look -running away from this situation- but none of that matters to her anymore.

When she makes it inside of the building she feels her pockets, realizing she left the keys to the office outside. Fuck. She doesn't want to go back out there. She isn't going to go back out there.

By this time blood is running down her arm and she decides to just use her shirt. She lifts the garment and places it over her nose. She then closes her eyes and leans back against a wall, taking in a breath through her mouth as a tear rolls down her cheek. I don't know what to do anymore. The thought gently glides through her head, bringing more tears to her eyes.

Before she can sulk anymore, Elsa hears soft footsteps approaching her and she opens her eyes, finding Anna standing in front of her. The younger girl smirks and looks down. "Nice bra, coach."

Elsa quickly looks down, releasing her shirt. Blood continues to leak from her nose and she tries to wipe it away with her cleaner hand. Anna raises the office keys. "I thought you might need these." She walks forward and places them into the door, opening it.

Elsa walks into the office and looks around for something to stop the bleeding before giving up and just dropping down into the desk chair. The blood has finally stopped flowing from her nose, so the issue doesn't seem as pressing. She puts her head down on the desk as tears continue to flow from her eyes.

After a couple of minutes she feels her head being lifted and she sees Anna reaching a wet cloth out toward her face. She lifts her hand toward the cloth but Anna pushes it away. "Calm down, I got this." Anna says, her voice soft. "It's just a bloody nose. You didn't have to start crying." Elsa opens her mouth to protest but Anna lets out a small sigh. "I'm sorry coach. I didn't mean to hurt you... I guess I didn't think that through. I really messed up this time, didn't I?"

Elsa still has tears pooled in her eyes as she looks up at the younger girl sitting on the desk. Anna continues to gently wipe the blood from her face. Elsa tries to speak but she can't manage to get the words past the lump in her throat so she just nods.

Anna nods in return. "I figured that." She finishes with Elsa's nose and starts to wipe the blood from around her mouth. "I have a small temper problem… in case you haven't noticed. I just don't like being told what to do all the time." Anna finishes Elsa's face and she gets off the desk to fetch another cloth to wet. She finds one and heads toward the sink. "You don't do so well when you get overwhelmed, do you?" she asks over her shoulder. There is genuine concern in Anna's voice.

Elsa clears her throat. "You hit me in the face with a tennis ball!" she says angrily. She refrains from saying anything else so she can attempt to regain her composure.

Anna returns with a fresh wet cloth and she hands it to Elsa. Elsa begins to wipe her arms and Anna sits back down on the edge of the desk. "Tennis is all I'm good at and you just went out there and made me look like shit. You're better than me, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I'm just the spoiled rich brat who will never amount to anything more than being my father's daughter. You treat me differently than you treat the other girls. You don't even try to hide the fact that you hate me."

Elsa shakes her head. "I never said that Anna. I'm only hard on you because I think you have so much potential, yet your attitude completely negates all of that. I don't hate you. I just want to see you succeed."

Anna presses her lips into a hard line before letting out another sigh. "Thanks." She rolls her eyes. "I'm really sorry I hit you and stuff. Do what you need- suspend me or whatever… but do me a favor, and stop trying to change me. I think I was doing just fine before you showed up here."

"Anna-"

"No," Anna interrupts. "I know you're TFA. In two years you won't be a teacher anymore, and you'll be off trying to do whatever it is that you really want to do. Can you please stop acting like you give a shit? If you agree to stop being so hard on me, or trying to push me to be a better person or whatever- I'll stay out of your hair. You're the coach, and I'm the player. When the season is over, you won't even know I exist. Just let me do my thing. Please."

Elsa finishes cleaning her arm and she drops the cloth in the trash. She nods her head. "That sounds like a great plan to me. I had this weird idea that I could make a difference in my student's lives, but you're right- I'm not doing anyone any good. You've got a deal- as long as you give me your best effort out there."

Elsa stands to leave, but Anna remains in her place. She grabs Elsa's arm and looks up to her. "I'm sorry I've been so rude to you, coach. Its been a while since-" She looks away. "I know I might have scared you when I called you that night. I really appreciate you picking me up." She pauses. "If it helps… I have a date with a pretty nice guy- like genuinely interested in me. His name's Kristoff. I'll be okay coach. Thanks for caring." She gives Elsa a small smile before jumping off the desk and walking out of the office.