"Fight so dirty, but your love's so sweet, talk so pretty but your heart's got teeth." The music pounds through Jo's head, the arena and world around her gone as she focuses on warming up. This might be the most important game of her life thus far. One win away from the WNBA finals, and she is not about to let Seattle force a game five in the series. No, the Aces are going to win tonight, and they are going to make the finals.
"JP!" She sighs to herself, pulling her headphones down around her neck as she looks over to the reporter calling out, trying not to be annoyed. They technically have the right to ask questions during the pregame shoot around, but she hates when they do.
"Hi." She smiles far kinder than she's feeling, approaching the person.
"How are you feeling in preparation for this pivotal game?"
"Focused, determined, and ready. We've been fighting all season to get here, now it's time to show the world what this team is truly made of."
"How do you get set for a game like this? Any specific rituals you do?"
"Nothing too crazy, just making sure I've fueled my body and slept well. I have a playlist of music that helps get me pumped up and focused and that's about it. Overthinking things is where slip ups come from and when playing a team as good as the Storm, we can't risk that."
"What are some songs on your playlist that help you focus?"
"It's a pretty selective group of songs, but my most recent addition is Teeth, by 5 Seconds of Summer, which the bass in that song really gets the blood pumping and helps me hone in my focus. It has songs from all eras though too, Queen is on it, some Michael Jackson, Fall Out Boy, just the most random variety."
"Sounds like it might just be a great playlist."
"It's messy, but the songs are specific to what I need before games, so it works." Jo laughs.
"One more question and then I'll let you get back to warming up. Is there anything you'd like to say to the other team before the game tonight?"
"I'm not much of a trash talker off the court, but I'm definitely looking forward to sending the bird flying into retirement on her home court." Jo shrugs, "Sue has been a huge inspiration to me for so many years, to be on the team that she plays her last game against is not something I'm taking lightly. Not many people get to send their role models into retirement by handing them a loss, and I plan to do just that tonight."
"Thank you for speaking with me for a moment, and good luck tonight."
"Thank you." Jo nods, turning away to head back to warm ups, somehow more determined now to win.
***
The game is brutal, the lead changing twenty times by the time the two minute mark comes around in the fourth quarter. Currently the Storm is up by two points, and Jo has hit her fifteen minutes of play time for the night.
"Coach, please!" She begs as her foot taps against the wood floor.
"Ty said fifteen tops." Coach doesn't even look at her.
"Give me two extra minutes tonight and I won't have to play any minutes in game five because we won't have one." Jo pushes again, sitting on the bench is torture, she should be on the court.
"Fine, go sub in for Aisha. But if you get injured it's on you!"
"I won't. But I am going to help us win this series." Jo grins, tossing her t-shirt on the bench as she hurries to make her check-in known. Crouching by the media table as she watches and waits. A'ja scores and gets fouled only ten seconds later, getting an and one. They're tied again at least, and up one as A'ja makes the free throw. Jo subbing in quickly, the team's usual starting lineup on the floor. Their best group to seal this win.
YOU ARE READING
End Game
Fanfiction"Everything in my life has always been a game, a goal, or a distraction. So which one are you?" "A game." Michael answers confidently. "So the truth comes out..." Her tone quite clearly tells him how hurtful she found his response. "Let me finish...
