Season on the Brink
"You ready not to suck?" Nathan asked as Lucas walked into the locker room before the game.
With a smirk, he shook his head. "You kiddin' me? I think this is the only thing that I can trust myself not to fuck up right now."
Watching his older brother, Nathan sank to the bench and tied his sneaker. "Can I tell you something, Lucas?"
"I guess," Lucas shrugged, stripping out of his tee shirt and fumbling with his jersey. "What's on your mind, kid?"
"My dad brought a scout from Oakworth to the house the other night." Even as he said the words out loud, Nathan wished he hadn't. He was supposed to let the idea go, but it kept wiggling it's way back into his mind without permission. "I told him I didn't want to go, but he said he's going to leave the offer on the table until the end of the quarter."
Lucas wanted to tell Nathan that he had made the right choice, except he wasn't sure that he had. "Oakworth's a great school," he finally said, sitting next to Nathan to lace his own shoes. When the younger Scott didn't answer, Lucas sighed. "This because of Haley?"
"Partially," Nathan shrugged. "But it's also because I think there's a real chance for us this season. And I guess I think that it'll be more impressive if I lead this team to State than if I just follow someone else at Oakworth."
He thought about his words carefully. Nathan had a tendency to only ask for advice, or let Lucas into the major things in his life, when he really wanted answers. "Choice is yours, Nathan," he said finally, patting Nathan's knee as he stood. "But if you want my opinion? I'm glad you're sticking around."
"Alright, boys!" Paige called out as she let her office doors slam. "Circle up!" When her team gathered around, she looked at each of them, smiling slightly. "Most important game of the year takes place tonight. Running until your legs ache? Lifting until your legs feel like they're gonna fall off? Tonight we find out if all of that was really worth it. Or if I'm just full of bull shit and popscicle sticks.
"What is tonight about, Tim?" she asked suddenly.
Looking at her in shock, Tim shrugged and then thought. "It's about letting everyone know that we're the best."
Nodding, she moved into the midst of the players an stood up on the bench. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail and she wore a fitted 'Ravens' polo shirt with jeans that hugged her hips. She really looked like one of the students. But there was an authority in her voice, and in her eyes, that transcended any other appearances.
"You're wrong," she said, clapping her hands together as she surveyed all of them looking up at her. "You have the rest of the season to prove you're the best. Tonight is about making a statement. Lucas," she pointed to her co-captain. "What statement are you making tonight? What's the one thing you want everyone who steps onto the court with you to remember?"
"Nobody stops me from behind the arc," he said with confidence.
Paige nodded. "Nathan, what about you?"
"If you're gonna take a shot against me, you better make it. Cause you're not getting the rebound," he smiled, emphasizing the defensive skills she had been teaching him over the last week.
"Nice," Paige responded, moving on to the next player until everyone had established exactly what their part on this team was. "Everyone on this team is here for a specific reason. You've just proven to me that you know what that reason is. But we also have a statement to make as a team." Nodding to Jason and Dustin, she pointed to the wall.
Together, they unfurled a banner that simply read "Unbeatable."
"That's it?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrow.
Paige shrugged. "That's it. You can't beat us. That's our statement. We don't care how much you want it, how hard you've worked for it. We want it more. We've worked harder. You just can't beat us." Tapping the clipboard in her hand, she studied their anxious faces again. "Of course, if you fuck this up tonight, then we all have to ammend our statements. And do any of you know how we do that?"
"By running until our legs fall off?" Tim asked flatly.
A genuine smile finally flitted over Paige's lips as she nodded. "I'm so glad you're learning," she winked, holding her hand out. "Alright, 'unbeatable' on three." As they put their hands in, she felt the pride swelling again. "One, two, three," she shouted.
"Unbeatable!" the team shouted, breaking to take to the court for warm ups.
Following them, she tried to keep from jumping up and down at the excitement building in her. It was like her first game, freshmen year, when she was fifteen. Until she rounded the corner to the gym. "Good evening, Mr. Scott," she sighed, crossing her arms as Dan held the door open for her.
With a smug grin, he chuckled. "It's going to be a very good evening. When your team loses and the athletic committee sees what a mistake they've made," he said.
She smiled at him and winked before walking past. "Good thing we're not going to lose then, huh?"