Winner Takes All

Chapter Nineteen ✘ Finders Keepers

"You'd be amazed what we could do,
We could roll those windows down."
Pull Up — Jason Derulo

"Yes Ma, I'm potty training her." I say into my phone, swirling around the fruits in my bowl. I feel Mocha nudge against my foot under the table, and I peek down at her.

"Oh, darling, did you have to get a dog just weeks after you moved in?" My mother's voice tinkles through the other end of the phone, her dutch accent thick and prominent even though she's lived in America for almost 30 years now.

"Come on, she's cute. And we needed some company." I tell her, stabbing an apple slice with my fork. "She's pretty well trained already."

"Alright honey. I have to run, Nico is waiting on lunch. Talk later, Jordyn."

"Tell him I said he looks incredibly ugly today," I laugh, poking fun at my thirteen year old brother, and I can practically hear my mom's eyeroll through the phone.

"Will do. Stay safe, love you."

"Love you too, Ma." I reply, and she hangs up. Pocketing my phone, I finish off my bowl of fruits and glance at the clock. Just thirty minutes till our evening practice session. I'm already dressed in my kit, so I plop the bowl in the sink before pulling my hair up into a high ponytail, gathering my things before putting Mocha in her crate and setting off.

Faith and Bella are at college because they have classes today, and I only had one morning class. Checking our group chat while I drive to college, I see that Bella has texted that they're waiting for me in the locker room.

I'm parking my car and heading towards the field in no time, my duffel bag thrown over my shoulder. The evening sun glowers down at me as I make my way towards the locker room, my eyes surveying the field. It's empty, but the basketball court tucked away towards the left side certainly isn't. Even from this distance, I can see the basketball team practising, a bunch of attractive giants fighting over a rubber ball.

Some infuriating part of me wants to seek Jace out, but I force myself to look away and duck into the locker rooms. I'm met with the loud chatter of my teammates as everyone gets ready. Saying hello to a bunch of people, I walk towards the bench Faith, Bella and Thalia are sitting on. Throwing greetings their way, I stuff my bag into one of the lockers, taking my water bottle out.

"You guys heard about the away game?" Thalia asks, tying up her shoe.

"Yeah, the Stanford game. Is the date confirmed?" I reply, tightening my ponytail and stretching my arms abit.

"This weekend, apparently. Coach will probably tell us when practice starts." Faith adds in.

"Which is now," Malia appears next to me, Maya next to her. "Let's get going."

We follow the rest of our teammates to the field, where Coach Raye and Coach Summers are waiting for us. We huddle around them, forming a half circle.

"Evening, ladies. Looking good." Coach Summers adjusts her white baseball cap. "I'm assuming most of you are aware of the Stanford game coming up."

"It's this Friday. You will be pardoned from your classes, but you will have to hand in the missed work by Monday morning." Coach Raye adds. "We leave Thursday morning, and return Saturday night."

"As mentioned before, the basketball team will be accompanying us." Coach Summers flips through her clipboard. "Their game against Stanford is on Friday afternoon, a few hours after your game, which all of us will be attending."