Team Player

Jenny sat across a row of new, smooth dark green lockers, leaned her back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. Down the row towards the other end of the small locker room, four girls stood talking as they finished dressing in their practice clothes.

“Whatchu talkin ‘bout Y’Eishia? I aint never heard nothin about Treyshawn Jackson askin anybody to dance with him, least of all a chickenhead ho like you!”

“Hey now, yall don’t have to believe me cause Treyshawn and I know and thas all that matters. Besides, least I got asked to dance at all, Audrey!”
“Yeah whatever, whatever, yall are only talkin cause you too jealous of me and Dontae,” At Nikki’s comment, Audrey and Y’Eishia rolled their eyes. Audrey turned back toward her locker and reached for a hair band to pull back her long braids into a bunch at her neck.

“Uh huh, uh huh, yeah, yeah, Nikki. I don’t even remember yall bein there except when you came in.” said Crystal.

“That’s cause Dontae has a curfew. His momma don’t let him stay out past nine,” cracked Y’Eishia as Audrey whooped in response.

“Yall trippin’ cause you know we did leave before nine, but it sure wasn’t to go see his momma.”

“Is that right? Then were you two run off to? The dairy queen to split a 99 cent ice cream?” Crystal asked, hand on her hips; Audrey and Y’Eishia laughed again.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Crys.”

Jenny smiled inwardly at their banter as she felt someone sit beside her on the bench. She opened her eyes and saw her friend, Molly Hobbs pinning her hair wisps back with bobby pins. Molly was wearing her large white t-shirt with sleeves that hung off her shoulders to almost her elbows; she said it kept her cooler that way. Jenny preferred a more fitted t-shirt so she could roll the sleeves up into the straps of her sports bra more easily. Standard issue green shorts complemented both.

“Hey chica, how was your weekend? Didn’t see you at the dance on Friday.”

“Yeah. I was at my dad’s this weekend. He gets mad if we skip.” Jenny was more than glad to have a reason to miss the dance; she’d only end up making trips with Molly back and forth from the punch bowl to the wall.

Other girls began to drift into the locker room from the adjacent showers and changing rooms. The light smell of deodorant wafted through the air mixed with the fresh paint smell that still lingered from the walls.

“You know what I think?” began Audrey again.

“Girls!” Coach Bailey threw open the heavy metal door leading from the locker room to the gym. Without actually entering she yelled, “School let out ten minutes ago, yall better get your butts on the court pronto!” and continued to hold the door open expectantly until girls started towards the door.

Jenny stood up and waited for Molly to stick in her last pin. As they trailed into the gym with the rest of the team, she undid the white sweatband wrapped around her wrist and stretched it around her head to keep back her own brunette wisps.

Inside the gym, Coach Bailey stood underneath the basket, leather brown ball propped between her upper arm and torso. Around her neck was a whistle, reserved only for drills, as her voice carried easily throughout the tall gymnasium. The crowd of thirty girls circled around their coach . Audrey and her friends stood closest to the coach, while Jenny and Molly stood on the fringe, sometimes arching their feet off the ground to see the coach’s face over Audrey and Crystal’s shoulders.

“Allright, ladies. Congratulations on your first win of the season. I hope you all had a nice weekend rest, because it isn’t going to get any easier just because you won against Lake Meadows, who, if you’ll remember, had the worst record of the district last season.” As she spoke, the coach moved her head back and forth, meeting the eyes of each individual player. “You girls are going to have to step it up if you want to beat Northland this Thursday.” As she paused she let her eyes settle on Jenny, then shifted them directly to Audrey. “You guys have to work as a team.”

“Coach, its all good. We gonna run Northland outta this building before they see us comin’,” smiled Aurey as she knocked fists with Nikki.

Bailey smiled and said “Alright, I like that talk, yall just need to back it up and show me in practice today how yall are gonna play Thursday night. If I see any more hot-doggin like I did last night I will run your butts ragged. When I call the plays you’re gonna follow em, do you hear me?” She still stared at Audrey and the group gave a muffled murmur of assent.

“Alright, let’s go. Line up for lay-ups.” The girls formed two lines facing the basket, one for shooting the lay-up, the other for rebounding. This was followed by passing, defense, and rebounding drills. The team found their practice rhythm easily, talking lowly to each other as they waited their turn, snickering when Nikki did her drills while doing impressions of Michael Jackson.

During one of the passing drills, Jenny found herself paired with Audrey. They passed the ball back and forth as they ran down the court. Jenny sprinted to keep up with Audrey’s long strides. As they neared the basket, she shoved the ball from her chest with all her might out in front of Audrey. Audrey caught the ball easily and gently tipped the ball into the net with a graceful leap. She landed with a bounce and gave Jenny a pat on the back as she retrieved the ball. Jenny sighed with relief that she hadn’t messed up with the team’s best player. Audrey Parker wasn’t just the most outspoken of the girls basketball team, she was the tallest, quickest, and best ball handler they had. She was voted ‘Most Athletic’ in the class two years running and probably would again this year. Most of her teammates teased the guys’ team that Audrey could run circles around them, but for the most part it was true. Jenny did her best to stay out of her way lest she make Audrey look bad.

“Okay, circle up!” shouted Coach Bailey. As the girls circled up Nikki came up behind Audrey and popped the ball from her circled arms and ran past with her stolen treasure. Audrey reached out and slapped the air where Nikki’s quick body had been, and Nikki laughed.

“Settle down,” Coach Bailey brought her voice down to a lower level as the thudding of dribbling balls was silenced. “Okay, before we start going through some plays, I have a few changes to make for this week’s game. You girls remember that if your spot changes, it doesn’t mean you played badly last week. Sometimes it’s a matter of chemistry with your teammates.”

Jenny felt the crowd tense up a bit in anticipation. She wasn’t much worried herself. Last week she had been a second string forward, which suited her just fine. She and Molly were together that way. Deep down she knew she shouldn’t care, but it made her feel better not being the only white girl on the court.

“Alright, second-string now will be Hobbs, Roston, Lawrence, McCoy, Deming. Deming I want you at forward again and McCoy at point.” Jenny turned to Molly and they both frowned. Looks like she’d be riding the bench this week.

Bailey was still looking down at her clipboard from which she was reading, as the group began to murmer about the changes. “Now first string. Parker, Evens, Herndon, Green, and Haywood. Haywood you’re on point, Evans we need you at forward.” The group went silent.

Haywood. Jennifer Haywood. Jenny felt a wave go through her body and knew her face was flushing. First string? Starting point-guard? Was she kidding? Jenny knew Molly had turned to look at her but she stared straight ahead, focusing on a point in the folded up bleachers behind Coach Bailey’s head. The sweat on her temples and back clung to her in cold drops. She saw the heads in front of her darting glances behind them to look at her.

“Okay then, let’s get started. I want first string on offense, running our inbounds plays then we’ll switch. Subs on the sidelines, watching closely, I’ll switch you out too.”

The group broke up and moved towards the court. Jenny finally turned towards Molly, who slung the ball into her stomach. Oohmf! Molly winked at her and said, “Glad I’m not you right now, chica. Don’t throw up in front of the team, okay? Wait till later.” She bounded off towards the court to find her spot on defense.

“Haywood, let’s go!” Coach Bailey shouted. Jenny snapped around and jogged towards the baseline to throw in the ball.

Jenny gulped air into her lungs and bent over, her ponytail flopping down and tickling her nose. She felt her quick, hot breath on the sweaty skin just above her knees.

“Okay that was the last sprint today, good work girls.” Coach Bailey ended practice and headed towards her office.

Jenny straightened up and reached out to lean against the wall. Audrey and Y’Eishia had sprawled face up on the polished wood floor of the gym, eyes closed in exhaustion, like homicide victims. Coach had run them hard. Jenny turned towards the water-fountain and changed her mind after seeing the line of girls, each leaning on the back of the one in front of her. Instead she started walking towards the locker room. Inside the paint smell rushed over her and she quickly spun open her locker and the caged metal door creaked open. She started to pack up her bags to leave, hoping to get out before the rest of the team made it back.

“Whooooo!” shouted Nikki, running in from the gym. Crystal and Audrey followed. “Mmm mmm don’t yall just love coach? I just want to run those sprints all day!” Nikki said this with a wide smile and squinted eyes to indicate she was joking.

“Shutup Nikki,” muttered Crystal.

Y’Eishia banged the door open again, and sauntered into the locker room, with most of the team following in after her. Jenny slowed her motions, and focused on her brown imitation Tommy Hilfiger purse which still sat in her locker. She reached and pretended to search for something inside.

“Hey Tara, you say something to make Bailey mad at you last week?” Y’Eishia asked loudly.

Tara Deming was at her locker, two down from Jenny. “No I don’t think so.”

“Wonder why she bumped you then.” Y’Eishia walked slowly back towards her own locker down the aisle, turning once to give a significant look at Jenny.

Crystal shut her locker and shouldered her bag. In a much soft voice she leaned over to Y’Eishia, who was tying her shoe, one knee up on the bench, “Y don’t sweat it, you do your thang this week and coach’ll put you back on a point.” Y’Eishia didn’t answer but stood up and opened her own locker.

On their way out Crystal and Audrey paused by Jenny, “Hey Jen,” said Crystal. She glanced at Audrey whose gaze was turned away from either of them, then turned back, “Don’t let us down on Thursday.”

Audrey’s dark lips were set in a line. “Let’s bounce Crys.” They walked out together, followed by much of the team. Molly walked over to Jenny, who finally closed her locker and shouldered her bags. Molly reached out towards Jenny’s head, pulled and snapped her sweatband back onto her forehead. They walked out of the empty locker room smiling together.

The rest of the week’s practices flew by and suddenly it was Thursday. When Molly placed her PBJ sandwich in front of Jenny at lunch, Jenny shook her head and said she couldn’t. Molly thought about pushing the issue, but instead changed the subject to last night’s episode of One Tree Hill.

“Hey Jenny, how’s it going?” Jenny looked up to the tall form of Mark Hodges, starting guard for the boys team. His short, jet black hair was combed towards his tanned forehead and glistened gel. He held his books propped against his side and smiled down at her. “I hear you’re playin point tonight. Nervous?”

Jenny tried to smile back, “Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, I’ll be there to watch with my boys, so make us proud alright?”

Jenny nodded and mumbled, “yeah” but Hodges had already made his way back towards his buddies. Jenny looked back down at the plastic-sealed sandwich and let her forehead fall to the table, smashing jelly out of the bread.

After school the team had free time until the Northlan team arrived at 5:30. Jenny hadn’t seen Molly, so after changing into uniform she took her copy of The Hobbit and found a darkened spot on the unfurled bleachers to read. The slick jersey slipped against her forearms as she turned the pages to find her place.

She looked up when she heard the loud noise of talking girls come from the other side of the door to outside. Looking at the clock: 5:35! The other team must have arrived. She closed her book, carefully marking her page, and hopped down the bleachers back towards the locker room. Molly was inside.

“Hey, where’ve you been Jen? I wanted to go get a Fanta or something from the machines but I couldn’t find you.” She had her arms folded across her chest inside her jersey. Because it’s chilly in here or to stretch out the material? Jenny wondered.

“I was sitting on the bleachers, didn’t you look in the gym?”

“Oh well, I wasn’t hungry anyway.” Molly said. “You wanna go sit outside or something?”

“Nah, we have to be in here soon anyway, the other team just got here.” Jenny sighed and leaned over, her head between her knees.

Molly sat on the bench beside Jenny. “Hey…want me to do your hair?”

Jenny looked up, “Okay.”

The teams stretched and warmed up as the crowds began to arrive. A stray ball went towards the bleachers and Jenny walked quickly to pick it up. She scanned the crowd and located the faces of her parents. The student section was already packed and she could see Mark Hodges surrounded by the rest of his teammates as well as several pretty girls. She looked back down at the ball in her hands and ran her fingers over the bumpy surface, tracing the black lines. She turned back towards the basket, dribbled towards the bucket. Ten feet out she stopped short, bringing the ball snapping up into her arms. Without thinking her right elbow brought itself in, lining up horizontally, left hand on the side of the ball. Her knees bent and legs exploded off the balls of her feet as her right arm extended forward, all one motion straight up. The ball was gone, but her wrist flopped over in follow-through. She waited the split second as the ball arched towards the goal, hoping for a shot clear of other balls. Amazingly they all cleared and the ball dropped easily through the middle of the bucket, the net curling up nicely after the ball slipped through. I can do this, Jenny chanted to herself.

The buzzer sounded to end the warm-up period. Coach Bailey called the girls over for a quick huddle.

“Alright, let’s play some good basketball, ladies. Start with 2 or 3, look to Haywood for the call down the court. Team on three: one, two, three..”

“TEAM” hooted the girls. The circle broke and the starting five headed to midcourt. Nikki, thumbed around the elastic of her shorts and tucked in her shirt. Jenny saw Audrey take her place for tip-off. She had at least four inches on the girl next to her. Jenny saw her smile sideways at Y’Eishia.

Jenny turned back towards the bench and jogged towards her coach. Bailey looked up from her white-erase clipboard.

“Coach I gotta ask you – “

“What is it Jenny?” she asked sharply.

“Why am I starting?”

“Do you have a problem, Haywood? Plenty of these girls want to get off that bench and play.”

“No, that’s not it. I guess – well, never mind,” she started to turn back to the court.

“Hey,” the couch grabbed her arm and squeezed lightly. “All you gotta do is play ball.” Bailey’s wide eyes zeroed in on Jenny’s, raising her voice to be heard over the crowds. “Run the plays, listen to my calls, and play ball. Go!” She gave Jenny I final pat on the arm and turned towards her seat by the score table.

Jenny turned towards mid-court, both teams looking at her expectantly. A referee held the game ball in his hand, lifted between Audrey and another tall girl. His other arm raised in the air as if to start a race, his whistle held between his lips, his eyes followed Jenny as she found her spot on the other side of Audrey, ready to catch the tip.

The ref blew the whistle and lowered his arm. He bent his knees and slowly lobbed the ball into the air. It floated at the top of its arc and Audrey’s fingers reached skyward.

Jenny heard the loud buzzer signaling the game was through. She stopped dribbling and casually threw the ball towards the nearest ref. The crowd was clapping loudly for the winning team. Jenny was exhausted. She joined the line to brush hands with the opposing team and declare monotone “good game’s” to each player.

Molly came up behind her and squeezed her shoulders as they turned towards the locker room.

“Now that wasn’t so bad was it?” she asked, still squeezing her cold palm to Jenny’s slick shoulder. Jenny didn’t answer, just turned her mouth into a smile for her friend. “I gotta go quick, Mom needs to get home and feed my brothers. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, bye Molly.” Jenny waved her arm towards her friend as they parted at the door to the locker room. Inside, most of the girls were talking, but Jenny just tuned them out. Her whole body was sore; all she wanted was a hot shower and some peace and quiet to read. She emptied her locker with jolted movements, tipping items to fall over the edge into her bag sitting on the bench below.

The door to the locker room opened and Coach Bailey walked inside.

“Good game girls, we’ll talk more on Monday. Jenny, I want to see you in my office before you go.” The room got a little quieter, and Jenny slammed shut her locker and walked out of the locker room as quickly as she could, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

Jenny followed Bailey to her office. Inside, she fell into a grey folding chair opposite the coach’s grey desk. Bailey turned and leaned against the desk, looking at Jenny. Jenny didn’t look back. For awhile Bailey didn’t say anything. Finally, Bailey turned and settled herself into her brown desk chair.

“How did you play, Jenny?”

Jenny looked up at the coach and didn’t answer.

“Haywood, you asked me before the game why I put you as a starter. Point guard isn’t all about ball handling; it’s about smarts, seeing the whole court.” Jenny’s body jerked with an incredulous laugh.

“That doesn’t mean you gotta be tall. It means you can see the whole picture, and make good decisions about how to play the ball. You’re the playmaker, you make everyone else look good. And most importantly, the starting guard has to have an ego that lets her listen to the coach.” Bailey leaned forward and placed her arms on her desk.

“Jenny. You played good tonight.” Jenny let her chest rise with a deep breath. “Keep it up; you’re still starting next week. Now go home, see you Monday.”

Jenny stood up and left. Walking slowly back towards the gym she let her soles slide across the floor. She gripped the bag strap cutting into her and lifted it higher on her shoulder. From around the corner she heard a voice.

“Hey, we got these fools next time, right? Come March, we’ll get ‘em when it counts!” Audrey was turning around the corner towards the offices Jenny had just come from. Seeing Jenny, she stopped, letting her bag sway forwards and backwards, hitting her knees. Jenny stopped too, then moved to the side to let her go by so their bags wouldn’t hit.

“Good game, Rip,” said Audrey. Jenny winced.

“Yeah, you too.” Jenny started walking slowly again towards the gym.

“Hey,” Audrey called to her from behind; Jenny turned around. “Their guard was pretty good tonight, huh? And that one other girl, you know she ran me hard too.” Her eyes drifted and she shifted her weight. “You got some hustle, bring it out next game and we’ll see.” Not waiting for answer, Audrey turned and continued on towards Bailey’s office, her lanky legs moseying down the hall.

Jenny turned around again and wobbled with the weight of her bag.