For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1

Scene 16: A Time to Choose
(Age: 16)

Kara was glaring at her coach with everything she had. Who did the man think he was? Her father? She couldn't believe they were having this conversation but she knew better than to try to walk away. Of course, the fact that she was stuck listening to him didn't mean she had to be a willing participant.

"You just can't keep sleeping around," he told her for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Well, sir, with all due respect, I don't see how that's any of your frakking business," she growled, almost losing her temper, even though she knew that would be a really bad idea.

"Watch your language, kid... and that's not an answer," said the coach, refusing to take the bait and let her off the hook.

"'You just can't keep sleeping around' wasn't exactly a question either," Kara pointed out, rather defiantly.

"So you want to lose everything you've worked so hard for these past three years?" he asked. "Because I can promise you that's exactly what would happen if you were to get yourself pregnant. Right now you have a shot at pretty much any college you want to go to. Even though you still have almost two years to go before you graduate, there are several schools that have already expressed an interest in you and your grades are good enough to satisfy the basic academic requirements that would allow you to qualify for a full pyramid scholarship in any of them. We are talking top schools here and from there you would have a good shot at the pros and everything you've dreamed of. Are you really willing to jeopardize that for a one night stand?"

"No, but..."

"No 'buts', Kara. This has got to stop," he interrupted, leaving her feeling more than a little lost.

"Yeah, well, I don't see you getting on anyone else's case," snapped Kara, trying to fight back. Besides, it wasn't so damned simple. That was the part her coach didn't seem to understand... no, that was the part her coach couldn't possibly understand.

"No, you are right, but the bottom line is that, even though it is not fair, you are at a greater risk than pretty much anyone else in the team. You are by far the strongest one of the girls and the only one of them I see as having a real chance to make it to the pros, hell, you are probably the only one with a good shot at as much as a scholarship," he reminded her. "As for the guys, even though I would give hell to any of them if they were to be stupid enough to get a girl pregnant and I would make damned sure they took responsibility for their actions if they wanted to remain in the team, the fact is that such a pregnancy would not interfere with their ability to play. That's what makes you special and that's the reason you can't afford to take any chances."

"I'm not taking chances. I'm being careful," she said, rather defensively.

"That's not good enough, kid. Accidents happen no matter how careful you are... and I have to say that, the way you are going, the odds are getting pretty much stacked against you," he pointed out, making her blush.

"Yeah, well, my mom always said I'd never be anything but a whore," she spat out, feeling hurt and trying desperately to fight back the urge to yell at him to stop being so damned naive, that it wasn't that simple. She regretted her words almost immediately, knowing she had said too much, but she knew there was no way for her to take them back so she was going to have no choice but to deal with the fallout. Besides, what else was she supposed to do? Tell him that she'd much rather take her chances with whatever guy would have her for the night than with the guys her mom kept bringing home, that she liked having a frakking choice, thank you oh so very much? That was not an option and she knew it. Sure, she trusted her coach more than she had ever trusted anyone but telling him that was a line Kara was not willing to cross... it was a line he had never asked her to cross before and that prospect terrified her.

Kara was well aware that her coach knew things were far from perfect at home --and he knew she knew he knew-- but they had never really talked about it, in fact they had been carefully dancing around the subject for years. That was their tacit agreement: he didn't ask her about her home life and she didn't lie to him about it but now for the first time since they had met he was really pushing it... though Kara knew chances were he didn't even realize he was doing it.

"So I guess this is where you have to make a choice, isn't it?" asked her coach in an oddly conciliatory tone, catching her totally off guard and bringing her attention back to their little 'chat' but --even though she was deeply relieved by the fact that he seemed to be willing to back down, at least a little-- Kara wasn't ready to relax just yet. Things were far from over and she knew it.

"A choice?" she asked, rather hesitantly, realizing almost instinctively that she was walking into a trap but not quite knowing how to avoid it.

"Yes," he confirmed. "You say that your mother told you you would never be anything but a whore, so now the question is what do you want to do? After all, you are not a little kid any more. You are old enough and smart enough to make your own choices so, the way I see it, it is basically up to you to decide if you want to prove her right or prove her wrong."