Sweat More In Practice...

Inside the athletics building and down the main corridor past the gym are the indoor courts which consist of a basketball court and two badminton courts. There is a divider that can be pulled across the badminton courts when both are in use. The basketball court has two sets of bleachers that make it able to seat roughly 500 people for a game.
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Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

Sweat More In Practice...

#1

Post by Frozen Smoke »

Bleed Less In Battle

That was what the solitary motivational poster in the Gym said.

((Luca Thomas: Pregame Start))

And as much as that slogan reeked of male insecurity - framing everything as life or death - she soaked up the message behind it more than anything. Training was what made you a winner, and she was a vital part of that for the team, which was why both her and Arizona were filling the courts with the sounds of squeaking shoes and hurried motions as she did her best to put her defence to the test. It was an interesting position they shared, with Luca occasionally subbing in for her in matches when they needed a forward who would pass off to Sam or run interference with Aleks. It wasn't regular, but it was enough to drive just a little bit of rivalry between them, or at least, that was how she liked to think of it.

She bounced the ball back and forth between her hands, waiting for Arizona to make a move. She was an aggressive player, almost as much as Sam, but the distance between them was enough that she was pretty sure she had a chance of getting past if she could get her to move first. Or, at least, that was what she'd thought. Now they were both just awkwardly staring at each other, breathing heavily as the sound of the ball smacking against the wood panelling of the floor echoed through the otherwise empty hall.

"What's the matter, tired already?" she asked, trying momentarily to imitate some of the smack she'd seen the others on the squad lay down, but finding herself unable to put the same weight into her voice that the others seemed to be able to, much to her disappointment. Still, maybe it'd be enough to spur her into action.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
User avatar
Deamon
Posts: 1367
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:28 pm

#2

Post by Deamon »

((Arizona continued from A Trip to the Nerd Zoo))

Training was important. In fact, it was the most important thing. Natural talent could only get you so far. At least, that was what Arizona hoped. That was why she was in the gym every day working out. It was one of the reasons anyway. She needed to be better. That was what drove her. She needed to improve to ensure she kept her spot on the team. She needed it.

That was why she was on the court with Luca. They played in the same position but filled different roles, she still got most of the minutes. But they were competing for the same role. Despite that Luca was also focused on improving her game and Arizona could respect that. That was why she had agreed to practice with her. Iron sharpened iron after all and even though they were the best team in the state they could always improve. On top of that, the only way to get truly better at the sport was to practice against another live person. So that's what they were doing.

Still, Arizona did pull a face at Luca's attempt at trash talk. It was weak.

"I've not even started yet."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
[+] V7
G047 - Aliya Kimia Nemati - Blowgun w/ 10 Poison Darts - you're nobody till somebody kills you - "I just wanted to talk." - DEAD
G001 - Arizona Butler - Camping Stove - Dead Bxdies in the Lake Part II - ""We got there eventually." - DEAD
B046 - Bret Carter - Weighted Net - Swerve - "I'll just be on my way and we can all continue with our evenings." - DEAD
G022 - Forrest Quin - Ball-gag and handcuffs - DRUGS SAV3D MY LIF3 - "Abe-" - DEAD
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Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

#3

Post by Frozen Smoke »

Luca saw her opening as she began talking, but she didn't quite take it right away. 'Zona always ended up talking on the court, it was one of the edges she and Sam ground out, putting the other team under enough pressure that they underperformed. But, well, she did talk a lot. Too much. Her hands began to move a little faster, swatting the ball down harder with each pass from left to right as she squared her footing, preparing to break into the fastest dribble she could muster. By the time she was ready though, Arizona was laser focused on her again, and the opportunity had passed. She'd have to come up with something else to get her to talk again. She wanted to show Arizona what she could see, but just saying it wouldn't help her at all. If Luca wanted to help her, she'd have to show her that even she could get past her if she wasn't keeping her head in the game.

"Really? Cos, uh, you're looking really um..." she stumbled over her words, trying to pick something out that she could pick on, and failing. "... tired." she finished up lamely, after a few moments. God, she was the worst at this. Hopefully it'd be enough though.

As soon as Arizona started speaking again though, she trusted her feet to be faster than her tongue and made a break for it, trying to dart around the taller girl, keeping herself low as she tried to take it wide around her left side. There was a small, satisfied grin on her face as she did so, feeling rather clever for putting a ploy like this into action.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
User avatar
Deamon
Posts: 1367
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:28 pm

#4

Post by Deamon »

"What the fuck are-" Arizona didn't get to complete her sentence as Luca had already taken off at a full sprint in an attempt to get past her. She succeeded as well. As the kept low and turned off to the side. Arizona couldn't do much but turn with her and give chase.

Arizona let out a single fuck as she attempted to catch up with Luca. The girl had a small headstart however as she hadn't needed to turn. Her legs carried her as fast as she could and while she caught up it would have been too late in a game. Luca would have had enough time to do whatever she wanted. Take a shot, make a pass, anything.

She had been outsmarted and that stung.

It wasn't good enough.

She chewed at her lip a little as she watched Luca. There was a heat rising in her face.

Luca was good, it wasn't a secret. George Hunter had an entire second team of starters that made up the bench. Arizona, however, was one of the stars. She had to keep pace with Sam. She wasn't going to be able to do that if Luca could regularly get past her.

It was frustrating and she needed to be better.

"Not bad."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
[+] V7
G047 - Aliya Kimia Nemati - Blowgun w/ 10 Poison Darts - you're nobody till somebody kills you - "I just wanted to talk." - DEAD
G001 - Arizona Butler - Camping Stove - Dead Bxdies in the Lake Part II - ""We got there eventually." - DEAD
B046 - Bret Carter - Weighted Net - Swerve - "I'll just be on my way and we can all continue with our evenings." - DEAD
G022 - Forrest Quin - Ball-gag and handcuffs - DRUGS SAV3D MY LIF3 - "Abe-" - DEAD
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Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

#5

Post by Frozen Smoke »

Luca melted into the action for a moment as the hurried motions of the play whirled around her, their hurried pace undoubtedly leaving marks that would frustrate janitors for years to come as 'Zona hurried to try and make up for her mistake as she rushed towards the three point line, pulling the ball up into one hand as she prepared to take a shot - Only for her to remind Luca exactly why she was the starter as she caught up, ruining the line she had to the basket, so she kept the ball in her hand. In an actual game, she'd have passed to someone, but passing to players that didn't exist on the pitch would be very silly. And she'd probably have to go get the ball.

She didn't reply for a moment, the sprint having started at an awkward moment that left her straining for breath the whole time, so she gulped down some fresh oxygen and took a moment to bask in the compliment. Her expression eventually stabilised into a modest smile as she calmed down, her cheeks dimpling slightly as her lips turned up a little at the edges.

"Dirty trick, I know" she replied, feeling like she ought to do something to rectify the embarrassment - or was it frustration? - that was spreading across her team mates face. "But not like anyone's gonna beat us playing fair, right?" she added, stretching her smile a little wider as she held the ball out in front of her, offering Arizona the chance to take a turn on the offence if she wanted to get her head back into the game with what she was undeniably Queen of the team at.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
User avatar
Deamon
Posts: 1367
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:28 pm

#6

Post by Deamon »

She accepted the ball with a nod.

"Yeah." She said, not knowing which statement she was replying to.

Arizona already knew what she was going to do. She also knew it was the wrong thing to do.

But she had to do it. She needed to prove a point.

It was for her own benefit.

Bouncing the ball a few times to get a feel for it Arizona got into position, legs tensed, waiting.

Then she with a quick burst of energy she was moving. She had always had pace and she used every bit she possessed to blow past Luca as she cut inside and with assured, confident steps she set herself before leaping, The lay-up was academic.

After landing, Arizona kept her gaze down as she walked away from the hoop. The ball being left to roll away.

The worst part was that she felt better.
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
[+] V7
G047 - Aliya Kimia Nemati - Blowgun w/ 10 Poison Darts - you're nobody till somebody kills you - "I just wanted to talk." - DEAD
G001 - Arizona Butler - Camping Stove - Dead Bxdies in the Lake Part II - ""We got there eventually." - DEAD
B046 - Bret Carter - Weighted Net - Swerve - "I'll just be on my way and we can all continue with our evenings." - DEAD
G022 - Forrest Quin - Ball-gag and handcuffs - DRUGS SAV3D MY LIF3 - "Abe-" - DEAD
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Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

#7

Post by Frozen Smoke »

Unlike Arizona, Luca had known exactly what was coming as she saw the intensity ratchet up in her, looking for all the world like a predator getting ready to pounce. She readied herself as she stood, gait wide as she got ready to launch herself in either direction to block her advance, trying to keep her breathing steady as the two squared off.

It didn’t really help as Arizona blitzed past her, barely getting a step in towards her, her reach not nearly enough to swat the ball out of the air in the brief opportunity she had. She let out a quiet expletive and spun on her heels, trying to at least keep the defensive pressure up as her partner pulled away from both her and the earth as she slammed the ball down into the hoop with practiced ease, racking up another point on the non-existent scorecard.

Luca suppressed the little sigh she wanted to make as she ran after the ball as it bounced across the court, stopping it before it found its way too far and interrupted their little routine. As frustrating as it was, she knew Arizona needed to get this sort of thing out of her system from time to time. She was a point scorer, she wanted to be making it rain, and as useful as practicing everything else was, it wouldn’t help if she was just waiting for a chance to dunk and hear an imaginary crowd roar in her head.

She got that.

She remembered what it was like, being the person who won the game, rather than making sure the team didn’t lose. As important as both halves were, there was no denying that people paid more attention to the person sinking balls than stopping them. That wasn’t a great thing, either, there was a pressure to being under that much scrutiny. Defence tended to get a pass versus good offensive play, but stars like ‘Zona and Sam had to blow past defences, no excuses allowed. If they couldn’t, they were going to lose, it was as simple as that. The only way to deal with something like that seemed to be to develop an ego, to always think you were better than your opponent, to truly believe that no matter what, you would score.

She wasn’t going to take that away from her team mate.

She bounced the ball over to Arizona, it hitting the ground between them once, before springing up into her hands. ‘Zona still looked like she was annoyed.

“Gimme another try” she half-asked, half-demanded as she jogged over to the centre of the court again, facing Arizona from the other side, an encouraging smile on her face as she tried to get herself ready to make another futile attempt to stop her from sinking the ball.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
User avatar
Deamon
Posts: 1367
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:28 pm

#8

Post by Deamon »

Luca returned the ball and retook her position. There was an edge as she spoke. Arizona had been expecting it and she couldn't blame her. It felt like a challenge though.

There were a few options she had. She visualized potential plays as she slowly bounced the ball. Her eyes focused and face unmoving.

If Luca wanted her to keep going she could. There was no problem there.

She bounced the ball a couple more times as she thought.

It was a hierarchy. There were the benchwarmers, then the players who had minutes in the rotation, the fifth man, the starters in some sort of order and Sam. Sam was ahead of everyone and Arizona was trying to catch up to her, but she also had to make sure she kept her spot in the starting line-up while making sure she stayed ahead of the other starters and she wasn't even sure she could consistently do that. All while trying to be Sam's main competition on the team. Meanwhile, Sam didn't have any of those problems, she was just naturally amazing at everything. The kicker was that Arizona had to put in more effort than Sam did in order to even get near her. Then just when she thought she was closing the gap Sam would just stroll up and smash her without a care in the world.

Sometimes it made her wonder.

She had been where Luca was. She understood how it felt.

That didn't change anything though.

She started moving again. It was very similar to the play she had just run, except instead of slashing all the way inside she took a couple of steps before switching the ball to her other hand and cutting across to go the other way. It wasn't the smoothest technique, however, meaning it gave Luca a chance as Arizona went up for another shot.
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
[+] V7
G047 - Aliya Kimia Nemati - Blowgun w/ 10 Poison Darts - you're nobody till somebody kills you - "I just wanted to talk." - DEAD
G001 - Arizona Butler - Camping Stove - Dead Bxdies in the Lake Part II - ""We got there eventually." - DEAD
B046 - Bret Carter - Weighted Net - Swerve - "I'll just be on my way and we can all continue with our evenings." - DEAD
G022 - Forrest Quin - Ball-gag and handcuffs - DRUGS SAV3D MY LIF3 - "Abe-" - DEAD
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Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

#9

Post by Frozen Smoke »

Luca stared back into the game face of Arizona, her normally soft features sharpening into a serious look that would have been intimidating if she hadn’t seen it a thousand times before. In fact, she still remembered when it had, back when the team first formed. She’d frozen up at it, just for a second, but enough that she’d felt Coach’s eyes burning into the back of her head before she moved to stop her rival 3. She’d probably just imagined that last part, but it didn’t stop it being one of those memories that she always wished she could go back and re-write, just to see what would have happened if she hadn’t hesitated as the towering girl had barrelled in her direction. Wishing she’d just been a little bit better.

She shook off that train of thought with a sharp exhale as she looked back across the court at her, once again, refocusing on the task at hand. A few scant, thoughtless moments spent watching Arizona get a feel for the ball later, the two of them moved. Arizona made an exaggerated motion to the right, and Luca’s feet followed before Arizona’s didn’t.

Luca grunted, and twisted her body around to try and adjust, her right ankle screaming in pain at her as she fought against her own momentum with a swing to the left. Arizona was already level with her, cutting towards the basket. She lunged out with a hand, fingertips grasping desperately against the dimpled rubber of the ball, but only succeeding in sending it wild away from the both of them as her arm continued to block Arizona’s path.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
User avatar
Deamon
Posts: 1367
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:28 pm

#10

Post by Deamon »

Fuck.

That was Arizona's only thought as she watched the ball sail out of her control and across the court. Meanwhile, she kept moving forward and Luca kept moving across her body. Contact was always going to be the end result. Her body crashed through Luca's arm, the impact sending her off-balance. Arizona span before falling straight onto her ass on the hardwood of the court. She slid for a few inches before coming to a stop.

"Fuck!" She snarled as her fist pounded the court.

She had been practicing the crossover for a couple of weeks but still hadn't been able to pull it off. She needed to be able to do it. It would add something new to her game and make her more of a threat. But that was only if she managed to get it right, which apparently she couldn't.

Luca had also managed to block her. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair.

She wanted to be better.

"God fucking dammit."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
[+] V7
G047 - Aliya Kimia Nemati - Blowgun w/ 10 Poison Darts - you're nobody till somebody kills you - "I just wanted to talk." - DEAD
G001 - Arizona Butler - Camping Stove - Dead Bxdies in the Lake Part II - ""We got there eventually." - DEAD
B046 - Bret Carter - Weighted Net - Swerve - "I'll just be on my way and we can all continue with our evenings." - DEAD
G022 - Forrest Quin - Ball-gag and handcuffs - DRUGS SAV3D MY LIF3 - "Abe-" - DEAD
User avatar
Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

#11

Post by Frozen Smoke »

Fuck.

That was Luca’s first thought as Arizona clipped her forearm, spinning off on one foot like the world’s least elegant ballerina, before falling to the ground with a thump that made her mouth go a little dry. Everything seemed to be still for a moment, as she stared at the calamity she’d caused, before Arizona shattered that as her fist came down onto the floor with an equally loud thump and a fountain of cursing began to echo around the gym and Luca’s head.

Luca quickly ran over to her side, reaching a hand down to offer to help her pick herself up wordlessly as she spoke in a hurried, panicked tone, her eyes wide and fearful as she looked down at her. She looked like she was in pain, which wasn’t a good sign, oh God.

“Shit, shit. Sorry. Are you okay?”

If she wasn’t, Coach was going to kill her.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
User avatar
Deamon
Posts: 1367
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:28 pm

#12

Post by Deamon »

"Yeah. I'm...yeah." Arizona saw the look of panic on Luca's face and looked away with a sigh. "I'm fine."

Now she was embarrassed again.

There was a delay before she reached up and took the hand that had been offered to her. It sucked that she couldn't do it, but Luca had seemed genuinely scared. Arizona knew exactly why she would be and that made her feel worse.

"It's nothing you did." She said as she pulled herself to her feet. "Don't worry."

She rubbed the side of her hand where she had hit the floor. "I just...fuck."

Arizona's hands went up again to push her hair back. There was so much she could have added to that sentence. So many options that summed up her feelings. She knew that all of them came back to the same core issue though.

"Nevermind."

Without waiting for a response she jogged over to the ball and picked it up.

"Let's keep going."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
[+] V7
G047 - Aliya Kimia Nemati - Blowgun w/ 10 Poison Darts - you're nobody till somebody kills you - "I just wanted to talk." - DEAD
G001 - Arizona Butler - Camping Stove - Dead Bxdies in the Lake Part II - ""We got there eventually." - DEAD
B046 - Bret Carter - Weighted Net - Swerve - "I'll just be on my way and we can all continue with our evenings." - DEAD
G022 - Forrest Quin - Ball-gag and handcuffs - DRUGS SAV3D MY LIF3 - "Abe-" - DEAD
User avatar
Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

#13

Post by Frozen Smoke »

Luca managed to bite her tongue and avoid asking Arizona if she was sure she was okay as she pulled her to her feet. She knew she wasn't exactly made of glass - she wouldn't have gotten this far if she was - but seeing someone take a fall like that always made her worry. All it took was one thing in the wrong place and you'd be out of action for a few months, and that was the sort of thing Arizona would never forgive her for. Her silent assistance was instead only accompanied by the look of relief that was written clearly on her face.

There was something gnawing at Luca about how she'd reacted though, as she watched Arizona jog off and grab the ball from where it had come to rest. She couldn't put her finger on even what made her think that though, let alone what was wrong. Part of her wanted to ask if something was wrong, but she wasn't even sure if anything was wrong in the first place, and needling her with personal questions seemed like a good way to get a ball thrown at her head if she was wrong. She chewed on her lip for a moment, before swallowing the unspoken question and trying to put it out of her mind.

The tiny moment of peace in what had been a rather intense little session let some of the tension drip out of her form. She ran a hand up to her hair, brushing the errant, sweat slicked strands that had slipped out from her messy ponytail out from where they clung to her face. She probably looked like a mess, but it wasn't anything either of them hadn't seen before. With that sorted, she began to stretch out her right arm, pulling it across her chest and holding it there with the other arm. You weren't really supposed to stretch until you were done with exercise, but her deltoids felt tight, and she wanted to be ready for when they got stuck back into it.

She nodded enthusiastically at her suggestion, mentally running through the list of things they could practice as she held the stretch in place for a little longer, before landing on something that would get the two of them back into the swing of things. They were heading up against Clarksville next week, who were horribly predictable. Their coach was a stickler for the old ways, sticking to a simple 2-3 zone defence almost every time, which revolved around sticking players around the 3 point line. That was good if your opponents weren't good enough to sink shots under pressure from outside the three point line, but Arizona and Sam could slam them home any day of the week. Normally Cheridene or Aleks make a run through the centre, then passed to whichever shooter had the best line, and watched the points rack up as they kept them on the defence.

If Arizona and Sam had a good game, she'd probably even get some court time herself. That deepened the smile on her face a little, as she motioned for her partner to throw her the ball over as she spoke.

"Short-corner setups?" she offered.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
User avatar
Deamon
Posts: 1367
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:28 pm

#14

Post by Deamon »

"Sounds good," Arizona said as she bounced the ball off the floor to Luca.

She knew Luca was giving her a softball. Something easy that she was able to do without much effort. She didn't appreciate it but held her tongue. It did also help with their upcoming game she supposed. So at the very least, she could pass it off as game practice.

They got in position on the court and ran the play. Everything was good. They had pace, control, and timing. Luca took the ball down the court as she moved into position. The pass was crisp and straight to her. Arizona was in prime position on the corner to receive it. She caught the ball, turned her body and hit a jump shot. She watched as the ball left her hands and sailed through the air.

It hit the rim.

The outside of the rim.

She had missed so badly the ball hadn't even gone high enough.

The sound of the metal vibrating from the impact overtook the gym. It echoing around the empty court.

The noise drilled into her skull.

She could Sam making that shot on repeat in her head.

She wanted to be better.

The ball rolled back towards her but it was sent careening away as Arizona kicked it as hard as she could.

"Fuck this!" She yelled, unable to keep her voice cracking.

That was when she remembered Luca was still there.

She looked over at the other girl for a moment and felt a rush of color in her face,

"Do what you want," She said, unable to keep her voice from wavering. She started heading across the court to the changing rooms, head bowed. "I don't give a shit."

Her hand came up to rub her face. Her fingers came back wet.

She didn't look back.
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
[+] V7
G047 - Aliya Kimia Nemati - Blowgun w/ 10 Poison Darts - you're nobody till somebody kills you - "I just wanted to talk." - DEAD
G001 - Arizona Butler - Camping Stove - Dead Bxdies in the Lake Part II - ""We got there eventually." - DEAD
B046 - Bret Carter - Weighted Net - Swerve - "I'll just be on my way and we can all continue with our evenings." - DEAD
G022 - Forrest Quin - Ball-gag and handcuffs - DRUGS SAV3D MY LIF3 - "Abe-" - DEAD
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Frozen Smoke
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
Location: Where I need to be

#15

Post by Frozen Smoke »

The pass was clean. A little shaky, maybe, but clean. She shouldn't have run the whole court though, not after the amount they'd been practising. She didn't watch Arizona take the shot, doubling over as she put her hands on her thighs as she took in a few long, deep breaths as Arizona finished the play off. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. She could hear Coach telling her to pace herself, somehow, as if making herself worse so she could be bad for longer would do her or the team any favours.

The sound of the shot slamming into the rim and going astray didn't cause her to look up. Shit happened, even Michael Jordan didn't hit every clean shot, even if he came damn close to it. The roar of frustration, almost formless as it spilled out of Arizona wasn't surprising either, she was used to that. But the twang of the ball being struck once again, and the dull thunk of it hitting the wall got her attention, her head snapping up to see what had happened just in time to see her walking away, her strides long and determined as she stormed away.

"hey" she tried to call, breathlessly, her voice barely carrying above the stomp of Arizona's feet. She closed her eyes for a moment, and grit her teeth, before jogging over to her, lungs burning all the more as she tried to close the distance.

"Hey!" she called again, almost at a normal volume as she approached her, feet pattering against the ground as her breathing stayed rapid. The insides of her cheeks felt like they were tingling, as though she was about to throw up. She kept moving.

"HEY!" she called a third time, firm and loud and clear as she reached up and grabbed a hold of Arizona's right shoulder with her left hand, trying to get her to stop and turn around. To face her. To think, to talk. Something other than this.

"The fu-" her speech was interrupted as she gulped down another desperate mouthful of air on reflex. "The fuck is up 'Zona?" she asked, the confusion and concern clear on her face as she tried to figure out just what she was supposed to do. What was going on. Arizona didn't just quit because she missed a shot. She got mad, sure, but that was who she was. Because she did give a shit, always. Maybe too much of a shit.

This wasn't her.

Something was up, and she was going to find out what the fuck it was.
[+] V7
Relationship Thread!

ImageFaith Clementine Marshal-Mackenzie
[+] Pregame
Memories: Making old enemies
Present Day: Making new friends - Playing childish games - Acting like an adult
Oneshots: Tidying up - Coming home
ImageParker Green
[+] Pregame
Memories: Cheaters never prosper - Except when they do - Keeping promises
Present Day: Getting informed - Playing nice - Keeping up appearances - Playing Games - Talking too much
Oneshots: Preparing for battle
Luca Thomas
[+] Pregame
Present Day: Being a team player
Prom: Trying her best
Memories:
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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