Chapter 8: Daria Digs
"Dig Daria, go for it," Mai encouraged as she lobbed another volleyball at her sweaty, panting protégé. Daria suppressed a whimper which she did not have time for as she gamely dropped to one knee and tapped the low-flying ball up and away.
Mai let her stand before lobbing another ball low and to Daria's other side. Daria had to lay herself out on the floor and stretch to bat the ball up and away. She stood and readied herself for another onslaught but Mai had run out of balls.
"Outstanding," Mai said surprising Daria with a quick hug. "You're picking this up a helluva lot faster than the girls on j-v."
Daria looked around the gymnasium at the few assembled boys regarding the two girls with frank curiosity, admiration and thinly veiled desire.
"Only in America would I be suffering under an evil Chinese coach while being ogled by Korean boys in a Methodist church."
That Sunday Mai had taken them to the church at which her family attended English services, a short drive in the direction of Oakwood. The Korean Methodists in the tri-county area, Mai explained, had gotten a good deal on a former mega church building which included the full-size basketball court on which Daria was diving.
A Korean boy just a bit taller than Mai spoke to her in halting Chinese. At least Daria assumed his Chinese was better than her nearly non-existent skill. She had come to recognize the sounds of the language and Mai had gleefully taught her and Jane some of the saltier expressions. Then they both demanded that Mai teach them how to order pizza in Chinese. They were eager to try their fluency at the Good Time Chinese Restaurant.
Mai smiled at the boy and nodded. He headed over to the other side of the net.
"Devon offered to serve some a few to us. You practice your digs, Daria and I'll get 'em over the net."
Mai and Daria turned into a well-oiled machine as Devon gave them a variety of serves. At least Mai was as well-oiled as Daria was sweaty. Daria missed a few but she was actually buoyed by Mai and Devon calling encouragement. A few boys in the bleachers called some comments in Korean causing Devon to turn to them and extend a middle finger from time to time.
"Only in America would I be mocked in Korean and watch a Korean boy flip off his friends with an ancient European obscene gesture."
Devon approached. "Are you coming to Sunday service, Mai?" He asked shyly. "Oh, you're invited too, Daria. We have a great band. I play drums."
Mai smiled sweetly. "Sure Devon, I'll be there and I'll see you at youth league next Wednesday too."
Devon went off with a more hopeful look than Daria thought he was likely to see fulfilled. Mai sighed and turned to Daria.
"Damn big day tomorrow. Just a shitty gym game sure, but it's for all the marbles or at least to see if the Pipsqueaks hold onto second place or suck on third."
The Pipsqueaks as Mai and everyone else insisted on calling Daria's team had rallied following the first game in which Daria had attempted to play with any effort. Daria had continued to improve under Mai's coaching and under a commitment to herself to play harder. Daria was realistic enough to know that her better play was not alone responsible for their wins. Mai was playing harder and her teammates had rallied too. Even so, they were so far behind; first place was out of their grasp. Tomorrow was the game to decide if they would 'suck on third' or have an honorable second place finish.
And Daria cared. She was galled that Morris only occasionally acknowledged her effort. She was somewhat amazed that she had come to actually enjoy volleyball and playing it hard. A combination of Mai's coaching and heeding to Jane's advice to see Quinn's face on the ball had propelled her to drive and dig deep for low balls and jump as high as her five-foot-one-and-one-half inch frame could allow.
And oddly enough, Daria was noting that her skirts seemed a tiny bit shorter lately? Was she finally growing? She'd sit through Korean services at this Methodist Church every Sunday for a year, she vowed, if she could just be taller than her kid sister.
For all her insouciance at just a stupid gym game, Daria could see that Mai was taking tomorrow seriously too. Mai stopped her from immediately getting out of Mai's truck in the driveway of Schloss Morgendorffer. She was in nervous mode again, Daria noted.
"Daria, it's just a stupid gym game but I'm going to play hard tomorrow. I know you will too, but, just remember, uh, it's just a stupid gym game. Uh, win or lose, I really enjoyed coaching you. I hope we can hang more, me and you and Jane. Maybe Pris and Siobhan too. I know we're not much alike but you know, opposites attract. Uh, I mean Pris seems kind of snotty at first and Siobhan is a little loud, ha, like me I guess. Oh, never mind."
Daria should have been impatient with Mai's hesitation and rambling but she was grateful at Mai's effort with her and Mai seemed so sincere and innocent.
She favored Mai with a small smile as sincere as it was tiny. "Win or lose there's nothing that pizza can't make better. I'll grift some cash out of my 'rents and treat everyone to a couple pies, Mai." She leaned over and embarrassed Mai and herself with a small hug.
DM DM DM DM DM
Daria would have never admitted it, except maybe to Mai, but she was nervous as the Pipsqueaks faced what could be their final point. If the other team scored they would face the ignominy of third place. If the Pipsqueaks could eke out getting the serve back they would stand a chance of making the final point themselves and clinching their coveted second place.
"Mai's right, Morgendorffer, get a grip. It's just a shitty gym game."
"Whoo-hoo," sounded Mai's unmistakable cheer behind her. "This is fucking awesome. For all the second-place marbles now, ladies. Let's get the serve back, Pipsqueaks."
That morning Daria had almost fallen asleep in Mr. O'Neill's class as he lectured on the hoary proverb, For want of a nail… If Daria knew the full background of what happened to her next she would have amended the proverb to something like, For want of adequate janitorial funding… As Daria went to bump the ball to a waiting Stacy she slipped on an almost imperceptible piece of slippery trash not swept up by the ninth-grade boys Ms. Li had hired on small wages to be apprentices to Mr. Pavlov, the head and only janitor for the large school. The ball bounced wildly off her platform and bonked Stacy on the head. Mai made a superhuman drive but only knocked it out of bounds.
As Daria recovered a collective groan went up from the third-place Pipsqueaks even as the other team cheered their resounding victory. Daria felt her heart sink as she examined the spot she had slid on. Nothing to be seen, just a tiny smudge on the bottom of her almost new sneakers. Her mother had sprung for new top-quality gym apparel, happy that Daria was taking an interest in sports.
"Damn. Fuck. Oh, well. Good game. Great comeback ladies." Daria did not have to look to see who said that.
Stacey rounded on Daria now menace written on her otherwise timid face. "What was that? Did you do that on purpose? It's like you never passed before."
"Yeah," another girl said suddenly happy to have a scapegoat. "That was a pretty easy slow ball. You should have gotten it."
"I bet she just set us up. She wanted to lose. Something for her dumb stories."
"You guys? What the fuck? She played hard. I saw her slip on some shit. These floors are fucking filthy lately. Get a damn grip. Nobody plays as hard as Daria and then throws a game at the last minute."
"Um, we're in third. There are only eight teams so we're better than average." Daria ventured. She could feel her face burning.
Tweet. "Showers, ladies," Morris called time.
"But Ms. Morris, Daria…" someone started.
By then Daria was running off the gym floor. She didn't hear Morris say, "I don't care. Tomorrow we start our limbering up and flexibility exercises unit."
Daria showered quickly, ignoring the glares of her former teammates and surprised she was fighting back tears.
"I can't fucking believe you guys. You're all two-faced rat finks. She motherfucking slipped. I saw it."
"Jeez, Mai. You don't have to stand up for her. We all know what you're after."
"And just what the hell am I after?"
Daria's heart beat faster as the two girls angrily faced each other, other girls backing away hastily. She didn't know what to do. The other girl was almost as tall as Mai and Daria knew she played basketball. She was probably Mai's equal in a fight. Should she jump on the girl's back if it came to that?
TWEET. "Is there a PROBLEM, ladies?"
"No, Ms. Morris." Mai and her antagonist echoed as they backed away from each other.
"Ling, please no more swearing. I'm getting tired of giving you detention."
"Yes, Ms. Morris."
That shut everyone up. Daria avoided everyone and everyone avoided her for the rest of the day, normally a happy circumstance for her but today she just wanted to go home. As she was getting her books out of her locker someone gently put a hand on her shoulder.
"Daria," Mai said softly. "I saw you slip and I know you would never throw a game anyway. I know you."
"Don't worry," the taller girl went on. "Tomorrow Kevin will finally asphyxiate himself or he'll shove olives up his nose and everyone will forget about this."
"Thanks, Mai," Daria said sincerely with more emotion than usual for her.
"So," Mai rubbed the back of her head and looked down. "Wanna go hang out at the park with Pris and Vonny and me? Maybe you and I can gang up on Pris? Or we can get Vonny away from her damn laps around the park and have a game. You're a good player. Hell, if you weren't such a shrimp, I'd invite you to join the team next year. Hey, maybe you could try basketball? Never mind that...witch in the shower. She's really not so bad, just a little too competitive. And she plays basketball." Mai shuddered.
Daria should have been mad at Mai teasing about her lack of height but she saw Mai's coy smile and returned a tiny one of her own.
"No thanks, Mai. I think I just wanna go talk to Jane. Some other time for the park and your friends. Really, I want to."
"Sure, Daria, I understand."
Mai hesitated then gave her a brief hug. Daria watched as she turned and walked away.