January 21st 2018

Chapter 21
Their Days of Speaking

Over the weekend they had worked at their argument, the reasoning they would present to the principal on Monday, as they had decided. This had been left in the hands of the representatives selected from each team, Julianne and Maya for the girls, and Étienne and Asher for the boys, although many more of the others had pitched in here and there, calling, or texting with some anecdote or another. The more they worked at it, the harder it became to imagine that they could ever be told no, but then they had to keep that possibility as something… well, possible. As hard as they were working, it might all be for nothing. That wasn't going to stop them trying.

When Monday morning rolled around, Maya was a nervous wreck. She'd been up at the crack of dawn, showering, looking through her clothes for what might be the most appropriate for this meeting, and then working her hair into cooperation, which for some reason, on this day of all days, was just not happening. Her mother had finally decided to come in and help her when, as she put it, she was concerned that hairbrush would end up in a thousand pieces.

Lucas arrived to find his girlfriend sat in the kitchen, reviewing notes while her mother brushed through her hair. Catching on the very present layer of nervous energy coming off of her, he knew there'd be no point asking how she was feeling about that day, and whether or not she was ready. The best he could do was keep to her side and let his confidence in her radiate from himself as her nervousness did from her.

Once Katy Hart had completed her work, Lucas and Maya had taken off for Riley's and then school. Riley's leading mood was encouragement, of course, and she seemed just as aware of the need not to point out how frazzled she looked, although in Riley's case it appeared to be just a bit harder to keep it all held in… Okay, more than a bit, but she still managed to keep it together, and they reached school without incident.

Julianne, Asher, and Étienne had very quickly joined Maya, and they had marched into the school, and off to see the principal. The earliest they got in there, they figured, the best chance they had to get this going as soon as possible, the better for them not to miss much of class.

Not being part of that quartet, Lucas thus found himself heading into chemistry class not knowing what would be happening over there and finding it so much harder than usual to focus on what was happening around him that he almost did cause an incident like the ones Riley had been worried she would cause herself all along.

After getting out of chemistry, he'd gone in hopes of finding Maya for a minute before algebra, only it was Nadine he found, and she informed him that Maya had yet to return, that she hadn't been in her chemistry class at all, and by the looks of it she wouldn't make it for the start of algebra either. So he'd gone to his class, ready to wait again for her to text that the meeting was over.

Landing in third period French, the first of the two classes they shared, he was informed by Rebecca that Maya had not been in AP Algebra either. That was two whole classes now that she'd missed. Had they been talking to the principal this whole time? How long was it going to take before…

"Maya, you're back!" Riley's voice behind him had sent him twisting around to find she'd just walked into the room, and quickly Lucas, Riley, Dylan, and Rebecca gathered around the blonde to hear about how it had all gone.

"Can… can we wait until lunch time? Then we can get everyone together?" she replied, but even as they agreed to this, they didn't have to wonder what the answer had been from the principal, they only had to look at her to know they wouldn't be getting the teams back this season.

Lucas would watch Maya as they sat through third and fourth periods. She didn't look unwell, unfocused. If anything, concentrating on whatever they were being told about or asked to do seemed to be all she wanted to do, so that was what she was going to do, and he was going to help her do it where he could. Finally though, when the bell rang and they got set to leave history class, he found her hand and she squeezed his with a small sigh.

"Maya…"

"I'm okay," she assured him without his having to ask; she knew he'd have been concerned, one of the many reasons she loved the guy.

The teams had been summoned, a text telling them all to get their lunches and meet outside. As much as the quartet would take the time to explain what had gone down at the principal's office, it became clear that they had all figured out the answer itself before they ever made it to this summons. Still, they wanted to know the story, so Maya and the others had given it.

As it turned out, the actual meeting hadn't lasted all that long. The four of them had waited outside his office before first bell and all through the majority of first period. They had only finally been called into the office a few minutes before the end of what would have been AP Chemistry for Maya and Asher. The principal had heard their piece, not interrupting once. But then, when they had said what they'd come to say, the principal had only been able to sigh and tell them that, unfortunately, as much as he understood what they were trying to say, and as much as he would have wanted to accommodate them and allow the basketball teams to be reformed, it just couldn't be done. His hands were tied on this one, and as he laid out all that he could tell them, it said for him what he didn't want to have to say. They could keep on trying, but really they would be wasting their time. The best they could do now was carry on with their school year, with their lives, and just let it go. The hope was that they would be able to start again the next year, but for this year it would not be possible.

"What happens from now on is up to all of us, of course," Julianne said. "But as far as the four of us go," she indicated the others who'd gone in with her, "We think it might be best we did as the principal said. It's only going to keep us from doing what we're supposed to do."

Looking from one face to another, they could see the great many of the others agreed on this. A few of them looked like they would have wanted to keep on pushing, but then looking to the rest… the fight went out of them, too. Now the best thing they could do was to look to the future and what they would do without basketball this year.

Lunch was a quiet affair, and after they'd all finished they had started to disperse, though the seven stayed behind a while longer. Knowing she wouldn't see him again all afternoon, Maya sat there leaning to her boyfriend's shoulder. She would be alright, she knew. They'd fought well, this was just above their heads. And maybe in the end it would be for the best. It wasn't as though she had nothing to look forward to. School was keeping her very busy already, and she had her family, and her friends, and she did still work at the diner, and well… soon she would have her first anniversary with Lucas, which really felt impossible. A whole year had nearly flown by already…

The rest of the day, under this spirit, had found its way to normal again, and she was glad. She knew that it wasn't really over, not for all of them. There'd be those of them dealing with losing this last season before graduation, like Étienne, like Lizzy. There'd be those who saw their future shifting, like Dylan, like Zay. And then there were those, like Scott Shelby, who had been looking forward to trying out for the first time and now had to wait another year… or two… How long would it be before they got the teams back, how long… She didn't know, and neither had the principal. With any luck, the next year…

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners