A/N: [October 11th 2024]

October 11th 2023

Chapter 284
We Aim For the Win

Maya had spent so much time in this gym over the years, as a student, a player, a teacher, a coach… There were other parts of the school that felt personally bound to her, too, in their own ways, from her classroom to the auditorium, her bench outside… This one could seem like the most unlikely place for her to feel inspired, and yet here she stood on this morning, casually preparing for the start of tryouts, and her brain wasn't locked on candidates, on the basketball teams or her own cheer squad. No, instead, the vast space and its squeaky floor had her mind spun in notes, in a melody that was brand new and completely captivating. She had no instruments before her, no paper or pen, only her mind doing what it had been doing for more years than she dared to count. Soon enough she would have to set the thought on hold until later, but for as long as she could…

"Sorry, sorry!" Betsy's voice followed the great thump of several runaway balls, pulling Maya from her thoughts to take in her fellow cheer coach chasing after the bouncing things. Maya went and helped her at once, getting the sense that her mother's cousin had known exactly what was running through her mind and had tried and failed not to disturb her.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Maya chuckled.

"No, no, you were working on something, weren't you? Did you lose it?"

"Still here," Maya assured her. "Actually, the jolt kind of gave me an idea."

"Great, don't forget me in your acceptance speech if you win anything for that song," Betsy gave her a smirk, and Maya gave her a tip of the head, a promise if there ever was one. "Incoming," Betsy warned her a moment later, and the shift in her facial expression was all Maya needed to know who was headed their way. The click of heels was confirmation she didn't even require. She set her face into as casual and friendly of a way as she could, the better to then turn and face the principal.

"Good morning, Sandra," she greeted her. She knew the woman would have much rather be called Principal Davenport, but then she'd gone and insisted for her to be called by her first name in front of people she was plainly trying to impress, and since then, well, what was she going to do, come back on her word? Never.

Maya had not specifically taken Betsy on to assist her in order to annoy the principal, but she had also come to the conclusion, soon after her introduction, that her presence there seemed to throw Sandra Davenport off her game. She might have been able to shake this off except that Betsy had realized this and was fully on board with playing into it, the better to get her to go away as soon as possible.

"I will sing your praises so much in that speech, they'll have to play me off for time," Maya beamed once the principal had left, and Betsy laughed.

The members of their cheer squad as it presently stood made their entrance even as the hopefuls were settling in, getting ready for their tryouts, and they could have been in slow motion, the way they presented this united front. Knowing how they had started off, just three years back, it was really saying something that the hopefuls were that, hopeful, eager to gain a spot among them. They were really coming up in the cheer world after their shaky start, and this was in part thanks to Maya's involvement, of course, and thanks to Betsy's, too, once she'd joined them, but both of them would lay just as much if not more of that praise at the feet of their young cheerleaders past, present, and now future. None of their work would have meant a thing without those kids wanting to make it happen, would it?

Looking at them there as they settled in, Maya was very happy to have them there, and factoring in that she had never set out to be their coach before the position was more or less laid on her shoulders, that said something. She had more than enough on her plate, but she had heaped them on and she was glad that she had. She'd gotten to see people like Austin Abbott and Max Farrell grow into important and irreplaceable parts of this squad. She got to share this activity with her little sister, and she knew how much it mattered to Haley, too. And she had Madelyn Carter, settling into her sophomore year as though it was take two for her high school years. No one would forget her as the freshman who'd arrived on day one, belly round and baby kicking, but she had taken control of her narrative, and she would do all she could to keep her hands on it.

Not far behind the cheer squad, the boys' and girls' basketball teams came along, too, a mixed bunch with clusters of friends here and couples there before they could take to the stands, some of them waving at their coaches while the others were already taking a look at their prospective teammates up in the stands or making their way into the gym. It continued to be something that Maya, Lucas, and just about everyone who had been part of those teams were proud of, that these two teams were the way they were. It was never just about the way the played, though that of course had been stellar whether or not they ended up winning.

They were two teams and also a single one, looking out for one another, cheering one another on, and they were players who loved their sport and were a credit to it in all they did from the moment they got to wear its colors. Did they have the occasional player who didn't show as much good sportsmanship? Sure. But that didn't always stay that way, and if it did… well, they generally didn't last longer than a year in their ranks. The rest of them, they just got it. They had been welcomed into this world, this growing family, not unlike the quiz teams, and they each of them added to it in their own ways. Freddie Jacek and Noor Kaur, Jake Bennett and Amy Dixon, Rafa Cruz, Hunter Matthews, Jonah Killian, all of them… And soon their numbers would grow.

As focused as she was in getting everyone where they needed to be, checking through her lists, checking on their materials, Maya was genuinely – and loudly – startled when the call ripped through the press of voices in the gym, like a line shot right across the gym and wrapping around her. Her jump of surprise made the students laugh even as she turned on her heel and spotted her husband stood in the doorway, grinning. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, left to admit that she couldn't even be 'annoyed' because the sight of him could, would, and did make her heart start doing its very own cheer routine.

"Alright, warmups, go, go," she gestured at her cheerleaders and her hopefuls as she moved out to join Lucas and tug his arm to follow into the hallway. "I think you're a bit past the cut-off to be a cheerleader, but I can make an exception for you," she teased even as he leaned in to kiss her, which trapped his laughter between their lips until they could pull back and look to one another. "So, what brings you here today, Mr. Friar?"

"Curiosity, Coach," he shrugged, and she could so have informed of how much he reminded her of his own father, back when they'd been in school, but this was probably best kept to her own silly brain.

"Alright, well, let's go and find you a good seat, yeah?"

Did it boost her energy to see the way they responded to his presence, some for knowing he'd been one of their star players back in the day, or because he was just that good looking? It certainly made her smile, especially because she could tell that Lucas didn't know what to do with this sudden bit of attention. He took his seat, and after a big wave from Dylan here and a loud 'Hi, Lucas!' from Haley, the tryouts began.

The boys' team had a few spots to fill this year, joining those of the previous team who were set to reclaim their spots. To no surprise, the standout for the freshman class was Willy Bennett. Following in the footsteps of his big sister Maia, graduated out of the girls' side, and his big brother Jake, very much following in her footsteps already. He was the tallest boy in his class ever since preschool, and that continued to be the case today. He was hard not to notice, even when he'd just be sitting on his own, quietly reading, but that didn't stop him from closing in on himself, on the world he had immersed himself into. Now, as he stood among the other students in the gym, he was as focused on the real world as anyone could ever see him be. He loved reading most of all, but basketball was right underneath, and he was ready to get started, to get his jersey and start to play.

On the girls' side, which had seen about half its team go the way of caps and gowns, there was a good opportunity for bringing in a lot of new talent, and for what she saw of them, they would get it today. Of the freshmen who tried their hands at it, she got to see a lot of those beyond her classroom, but also some of her own students, chief among them being Julie Dixon, stepping in to join her big sister. Was she a phenomenal player at this point in time? Not particularly, no, and she looked as though she was fully aware of this. But she was trying, and she wanted to get better, and maybe that would make all the difference. Whether or not she had any say in the matter, Maya saw her as having just what their team needed. She would uphold their standards, that much was undeniable. The returning players saw it, too, she could see. Amy Dixon was like a nervous mama on the sidelines, watching her sister go through her tryout, looking like she couldn't breathe the entire time, and a couple of her teammates were sandwiched around her with caring reassurance.

All of this, Maya had to take in whenever she got the chance to look. On her side of the gym, she had to give her attention to her squad and to those who wished to join it. She was very happy to see the likes of Hazel Yasuda giving it a go. She was a trained ballerina, not exactly trained in this kind of movement, but there was no worry whatsoever that she'd make a wonderful addition. Maybe more surprising was having Katie Willows out here today, though Maya had played a hand in that one already, hadn't she? The tall girl still gave off the impression of a baby giraffe, but a very spirited one at least, and her presence might not fall in line with the way the squad had evolved over the past three years, but it was in Maya's gut that, given the chance, she would become someone they could not do without. At least for today she had one good supporter in the stands in the form of XC Cate Ngo. The way she cheered Katie on, one would think that she was a seasoned fan favorite already, and it gave the freshman all the confidence she could have needed.

"It's a shame we only have you for a year. You could have been great for the squad," Maya later told the exchange camper, and her smirk made it clear she thought the same.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners