𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞, Jalen Green

xiv. breakthrough

September 4th, 2019.

AIRA GETS NERVOUS OFTEN.

She gets nervous right before and after taking a test which she knew she studied her ass off for. She gets nervous when she's driving on the road, afraid that somehow, despite staying under the speed limit, she'll kill someone. She even gets nervous when she's sleeping, worrying that she's overslept her alarm (and that usually ends with her being awake four in the morning).

And yet, none of things ever stressed her out like the first game of the season. Of course, every game in of itself was frightening, especially if you haven't seen the competition play. But there was just something about the first game that really made Aira nervous; like nail-biting nervous.

Aira believed that teams are always at their weakest point at the start of the season. Even despite previous chemistry or an insurmountable amount of talent, no team is 100% during the first serve, jump ball, or whatever applies. They haven't had time to merge and gain chemistry, or fix their weakest points and discover the hidden gems. And while practise helps, gametime is when you really need to show. Especially if you're shooting for the brighter, further stars.

And right now, like any other team, the Springfield Heights Spartans were a clean slate.

Each team had been warming up. The giant clock mounted on the white walls displayed twenty minutes left, which was more than enough time to get their bodies heated. The net stood about seven feet from the ground, dividing them into two sides. Underneath was a rack of volleyballs for both teams to share.

She managed to calm herself somewhere in between dismissal and getting changed. She told herself she should be hyped, and she has so much left to prove. She told herself she belonged here, and she was going to ass either way. She told herself so many affirmations that slowly, she began to believe it. And after staring a hole through herself at the mirror, the tension and the anxiety quickly left. And by then, Aira was still a little nervous, but more ready and excited than nervous.

Aira followed along with the stretches with music flowing into her ears. She nods her head to the music as her eyes watch every person who exits and enters the gym. She sees couples, a few strangers, and even flashes a quick smile to Joshua, Marcus, Kenny, and Gio.

Aira continues to pace up and down their half of the court. With Nadine being on the other end of the line, she mostly kept to herself. It wasn't anything on her teammates, she just had nothing to say or talk about.

Her eyes continues to stay locked on that door. The stands were almost full at that point, which she was surprised by. Back in New York, their team would be lucky if half of the stands were filled. But to be fair, athletics weren't a strong suit at Aira's old school.

Then, Jalen walks in, almost catching her off guard. Aira moves her glance away before they even meet eyes. It was stupid, and immature for the most part, but Aira was just as stubborn as he was. And if it meant playing a stupid game, it was game on.

Jalen takes his seat next to Gio in the little section the four of them had claimed. It was near the same spot where they sat during the first day of lunch. Instead, this time she and Tia were on the court.

And just like that, the nervous feeling in Aira returns. She feels it in her chest; like her heart is going to explode with the rapid beating. Aira's stuck in motion for a split second, until the hurried footsteps of her teammate snap her out of her nervous bubble, moving towards the rack of volleyballs.

"You see that guy over there?" Nadine subtlety points with her eyes to an middle-aged man dressed in a navy blue polo with orange accents that was tucked underneath khaki pants. He was caucasian and looked to be about six feet tall and walked with power oozing out of him. He looked intimidating; supercilious even, yet that aura quickly faded when Breanna greeted him. "That's Breanna's uncle."