The team from Yakima finally arrived, and as team warm-ups concluded, Sasha surveyed the scene in the gym. Every seat in the bleachers was filled, and all the spectators made up a sea of red. However, amongst the crowd, Sasha couldn't find the one face she was looking for. She was mildly disappointed, and she and her fellow co-captain Amanda made their way to net for the captain's coin toss. Ridgeway won the toss and they chose to serve. However, as she made her way to her position at net, Sasha found him. Spencer had made his way into the gym, and found a seat on the bleacher stairs. She smiled to herself when she saw him.
The game play was fast and furious; however, Ridgeway's attacking line led by Sasha proved too strong for the Blue Devils, and they had little defense against the barrage of spikes aimed to the corners. The Lady Comets soon found themselves up to sets to none. They only needed to win one more set to bring the state title to Ridgeway.
At the change of sides, their coach gave the team another pep talk. "All right ladies, this is it. One set for the championships. This is what we've been working for all season. Keep it up; you're all playing great! Don't feel bad for them; step on their throats and give them no chance of getting back up for air!" Needless to say, their coach was a little too excited about state championships. She was pretty competitive, but the girls had never seen her quite like this. Sasha and Amanda put their hands in the huddle, and the other girls followed.
Sasha and Amanda locked eyes, nodded and shouted, "Trust on three! Ready, 1,2,3…trust!" The team echoed them in response.
The third set proved to be much more competitive than the first two. The teams were dead even most of the way, until a crucial error by an outside hitter on Yakima gave the Lady Comets a 24-23 lead. This was it; it was championship point! The girls assumed their positions with Amanda at the service line. Amanda smacked a serve over the net and Yakima played the point out. The ball came over free, and the Lady Comets were set up just the way they wanted. Eva set the ball high in the air for Sasha on the left, and she came down on it and delivered a hard spike straight down on the other side of the net. The libero for Yakima could only get a piece of the ball, and it fell dead. The game was over; the Lady Comets had won the state championship! The crowd erupted as the six girls on court mashed into the middle and began to jump around. The bench quickly emptied to join their teammates in a huge group hug.
The team exchanged customary high fives with Yakima at net, and they were presented with the state championship trophy. Slowly the crowd began to empty, and soon only the parents of the girls remained. Or so it seemed. Sasha was so caught up in the moment that she barely noticed Spencer had stayed back. Sasha had hugged her parents and sister and told them to wait for her at home as the girls had to disassemble the net. Sasha brought up the rear as the girls made their way back to the gym and said their goodbyes, knowing they'd see each other the next day. Just as Sasha was ready to walk out the gym doors, she heard a voice.
"Sasha!" the voice called out.
She spun around; it was Spencer, running up the hallway.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you were able to make it!"
Spencer ran up to Sasha and gave her a friendly hug. "You were great out there," he said. "I never gave much thought into girl's volleyball before. If anything, I just thought it was an excuse to look at hot girls in spandex shorts," he said with a laugh.
Sasha playfully rolled her eyes. "Typical. Please continue to tell me how you could only keep your gaze on my ass the whole game," she said.
"I didn't look at it whole time! Just a couple of quick peeks," he said with a smirk. "Besides, your face is so pretty it doesn't really matter."
Sasha didn't really know what to say. She intimidated most guys, and they rarely wanted to talk to her. She'd been on a few dates, but it never amounted to anything serious. She and Spencer gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, until her wrapped his arms around her and placed a quick kiss on her lips.
He quickly pulled back. "Sasha, I'm sorry! The moment…and everything just felt right," he stammered.
She smiled back at him. "I didn't tell you to stop did I?" she replied.
This time she pulled him into a deeper, more passionate kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, but to them it seemed like years.
They forced themselves apart, and no words were said for a few minutes. Finally, Spencer spoke again. "Sasha, you're an incredible girl. I've been trying to get the courage to ask you on a date for a while now. Would you like to go to dinner and a movie with me on Friday?" he asked.
"Of course I would," Sasha replied with no hesitation. "You intrigue me, Spencer Shay, and I like it."
"Really? That's great!" he exclaimed.
There were still a few people outside the building talking as the two of them made their way out. Sasha and Spencer had parked their cars on opposite sides of the parking lot.
"Well, I guess this is goodnight then," Sasha said. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, definitely," Spencer replied. The two shared a friendly embrace and Sasha turned and left.
He watched her for a moment, and as she got into her car, he whispered to himself, "I love you Sasha Striker."
THE END
A/N: That's it; hope you guys enjoyed it! Please, please, please review! I'm begging you guys, seriously. Reviews make me happy and they let me know what I have to work on to get better. Seriously, you win the chocolate bunny if you review. (Okay, not really, but you get the point.) Thanks guys!