Rivals Pt. 02

I wish I would've said this in the first part, but this is going to be a very long series that will touch on some series issues. That being said, part 2 is rather long and still doesn't have any sex. There probably won't be sex until part 4 or 5. Sorry for that. But it's a slow burn romance with lots of build up. And since this will eventually be a 3 or 4 book series, it takes a bit to really get into the story.

So, here we are with Part 2. We left off with Marcela finding out that Sarah, the girl she played against in high school from her rival basketball team is not only her teammate on her college team, but now her roommate.

Sarah on the other hand has had a crush on Marcela ever since Freshman year of high school. We also get introduced to their teammates and that pretty much sums it up.

If you haven't read part 1, you're going to want to head back there and read because it'll make sense.

With all that being said, enjoy! And please leave your feedback in the comment section below. I really want to hear what you all think.

Sarah's Perspective

Practice

I arrive with Marcela long before practice begins. We both head to the opposite sides of the court and go through our warm-up routine. She works on her dribbling skills and I work on my shooting drills.

After a while, I head over to her. She sighs. "What now?"

"Think you can beat me in a game of 1 on 1?" I ask as I spin the ball on my finger.

"Bring it on," she says with a smirk. I hope she doesn't actually think she can beat me because that's not going to happen. I don't care how cute she looks in those shorts. Even if I melt when she looks at me with that confident smile, I'm not going to let her win. God, why does my heart pound in my chest as if it's fighting for my life when I'm around her? "Go ahead and shoot for the ball."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I ask as she sets her ball aside.

"I'm not worried," she says. "Besides, I need to work on my defense."

"You're only setting yourself up for defeat," I laugh as I line up at the three-point line. I pull up and sink it. "Looks like it's my ball."

She grabs the rebound and tosses the ball over to me. After I check it in, she gets in her defensive stance as I put the ball in my pocket and pivot away from her. That look in her eyes makes my knees buckle. So determined. I pump fake, and she puts her hand up. I then go to drive it down the lane. Her body pushes up against mine, sending a shiver down my spine.

I dribble it behind my back and step back as her momentum takes her forward. I pull up and sink it. "Taking the lead to start."

I walk back to the top of the key. "So it's make it take it, huh?" she says, grabbing the rebound.

"Of course. That's how it always is," I smile as she passes me the ball. She gives me way too much space. As soon as I check it in, I pull up a three-pointer and sink it. "This will be a quick game. You're about to get skunked."

"Don't count on it," she says as she gets the rebound. God, the way she jogs after the ball, the swaying of her hips, the bobbing of her hair that's held out of her face by that headband, it all craves my attention.

As I check the ball in, she gets so close to me. I pivot and turn my back to her. She places her hand on my hip and a rush of heat courses through me. Oh god. Why is my heart thumping so loudly? Can she hear it?

I spin off her hand into a dribble and drive it down the lane. She's on me like green on grass. I stop dead in my tracks as she brushes up to me. I push my butt out into her. She leans up against me. I can feel the heat of her breath against my neck and it sets my heart on fire. I could easily get lost in the warmth. Before I realize it, she knocks the ball loose and grabs it. Shit!

She takes the ball back and squares up to me "Looks like someone got a little lazy," she says with that cocky smile. Then she stutter-steps me and as I react, shifting my weight to stop her, she crosses me over and takes the lane. I trail her to the basket as she goes to put it up, she dodges my attempt to block her and wheels the ball to the other side of the hoop and lays it off the backboard and in.

God, I have to admit that was hot. She moves so elegantly and she's quick. I'll give her that. "And you thought you were going to skunk me." Her laughter is such a sweet melody to my ears.

She checks the ball into me. Once I pass it back, I get on top of her, not giving her an inch. She pivots to the right, then drives it to the left. I'm not phased. She goes to cross me over, but fakes and stutter steps before she drops back and pulls up, sinking a mid-range jumper.

She's got skills and she's only gotten better since high school. "Coming back."

"Don't get too overconfident," I smile as I grab the rebound and pass it back to her. Once she checks it in, she turns her back to me and sticks her butt out. God, I just wish I could pinch it. She head fakes before dashing the opposite direction. I manage to get my body up against her as she tries to drive past me. She drops back and just as I think she's going to pull up, she crosses over and slips by me for an easy layup.

"All tied up," She grins. God, her teeth are so white and perfectly straight. She's got the kind of smile every ad company would kill for.

"Time to take off the training wheels," I say as I get the rebound and pass it to her. As soon as she checks it in, she pulls up and bricks a three, but she hustles and gets the rebound and puts it back in.

"Make that 4 to 3," she smiles. It's really not fair, she's way too much of a distraction to play against. I grab the rebound and once again, she checks it back, this time I close the distance and as she pump fakes, I knock the ball out of her hands and get a hold of it.

"Uh-oh, look who's got the ball now," I smile. I go at her, stutter-stepping before I cross her over and drive it to the rim. I stop on a dime and spin up to do a hook shot. It goes into no surprise of mine. "All day! All tied up now."

"You got lucky," she says, passing me the ball back. Once I check it in, I drive it immediately. She's caught off guard as I slip by her for an easy layup. "Crap."

"Guess who just took the lead back?" I smile. She gives me a sarcastic smile as she checks the ball in.

"Your shoes untied," I say. As soon as she looks down, I pull up for a three and sink it.

"Seriously?" she asks, raising a single eyebrow that sends a shiver down my spine.

"What? You fell for the oldest trick in the book," I laugh.

"Whatever," she sighs as she goes to get the rebound and chucks it at me. After she checks it in, she gets all up in my business. I find it so irresistibly cute how frustrated she gets when she's losing.

"So... How does it feel getting beat by a Gladiator all the time?" I ask and before she can respond, I dart to the right and then spin back to the left before stepping back to the three-point line and pulling up. It goes in of course. "Make that 9 to 4. I didn't think it was going to be this easy."

"Oh, shut up. I'm just getting warmed up," she says whipping the ball at me. God, I just can't resist egging her on like this. She's just too damn adorable.

After I check it in, she gets up in my face. I pivot and turn my back to her, pushing my butt into her. Then I twist off her and dribble it between my legs as I beat feet to the left and then cross her over as she tries to guard me. I step back to the three-point line and pump fake without picking up my dribble and she goes flying through the air as I take a step to the side and pull up. We both watch as the ball sails through the air and into the hoop. "That's game!"

"Best out of 3!" she says.

"Okay..."

We play another game and this time she barely beats me. In the third game, I manage to squeak by her for the victory.

"Best out of 5," she says, the frustration so visibly displayed across her beautiful face and I'm loving every second of it.

"You must really love losing, don't you?" I laugh. She grinds her teeth. As we play another game, we start to gain an audience as the team trickles in. She and I go at it like two cats fighting over a fish. This time, neither of us can pull ahead.

"Come on Dandi, don't let me down!" Cat yells as they all start to cheer us on.

"My money's on the 3 point shooter," Solette says. I can't help but smile and I can tell how much it ticks her off, by the way, her nose crinkles. I think the thing I like most about her is how transparent she is. She wears her heart on her sleeve. I'm the same way. If more people spoke their minds, there would be fewer hearts broken.

"Trust me, you made a good bet. The little Dandelion has no chance against her," Danielle says. Some people need to be a little less transparent. I turn to Marcela and it's as if someone turned the furnace on inside her. There's a fire in her eyes that wasn't there before.

"Since you won last game, you get the ball first," she says, hurling the ball at me. I check her the ball and she closes the distance as she passes the ball back. The way she puts her hand on my hip is a little more aggressive than last time. I pivot away and square up to protect the ball. She's leaning against me, her breath sets my skin on fire.

I juke right before spinning off her. I try to blow past her, but I am not able to shake her. I stop and give her just a little push off as I dribble the ball between my legs. As her momentum takes her off to the side I drive it up the lane. I make a break for the basket as I clear pass her. As I go to put in the easy layup, she nearly flies through the air out of nowhere and smacks the ball away as it leaves my fingertips.

"Ooooh shit, Dandi! Damn." Fionna yells. She gets the rebound and takes it back. As I gather myself and get on defense, she's in attack mode and drives it to the paint. It's taking everything I've got to keep up with her. There's no way she's getting that ball up past me. She goes up and I leap as high as I can before she twists and spins in the air, releasing the ball over her head. It bounces off the backboard and in. I look over at the team. Fionna leans back as she brings a hand to her mouth. "Daaaaamn!"

I'm a little embarrassed but mostly impressed by that move. She's improving. We're both breathing hard.

"Are you fucking serious, Danielle?" Usha says as she gets in Danielle's face. Everyone goes silent as they look over at Usha and Danielle.

"Alright ladies, let's get practice started," Coach Clayton says as she walks in.

Marcela's Perspective

Practice starts

I'm exhausted. I can't let up. There's no way I'm going to let Danielle get the best of me again. I can barely keep my head up and sweat is pouring down over my eyes. She blows by me and I'm desperately trying to catch up. She pulls up a jump shot and drains it.

I can't help but clench my fist. What do I have to do to beat her? I take the inbound pass and dribble it up the court. I have to fight her for floor space as I get up to the half-court line. She's on me like corn on a cob. Great, now farm references are taking over my thoughts. I stutter step and cross her over before I toss it back to Vertasha waiting at the three-point line. She pulls up and drains it.

Danielle beats feet down the court and I can't keep up with her. She's fast, I'll give her that. She crosses me over and takes the lane. Kathleen goes up to block her but as she jumps in the air she spins in mid-air and lets it go over her head and into the bucket. She stole my move.

I get the ball and drive it up the court. I dish it to Salenne. She pivots, spins off of Malynne, before crossing her over. Maly trips over her feet and lands flat on the floor as Salenne gets off the easy bucket.

"Damn! Salenne just broke that poor girl's ankles!" Fionna says as everyone laughs. I help Maly up off the ground. She looks so embarrassed.

"Subs!" Kennedy calls. I rush off the court as the starters take the stage.

"You must love getting beat," Danielle says as she walks by. "Why else would you lose so much?"

God, I hate her! Why is she such a bitch?

"Says the girl who has yet to break a sweat," Sarah says. I look over at her as she walks up beside me. What's her angle? She confuses me. Sometimes she can be so nice and kind, then there are times where she's so aggravating.

"What can I say? Just shows how talented I am. I make winning look effortless," she smiles.

"More like you're just too lazy to put in the work," Sarah says.

"Pff. Please. With talent like mine, work isn't necessary," she snaps back.

As the scrimmage ends, coach gathers us all together. "Good work today ladies. Let's keep this up and that championship will be ours for the taking. Now, freshman. We do a buddy system here. A big/little sister partnership. I talked with the seniors and juniors and we have assigned each of you a big sis. You will be required to meet with your big sis at least twice a week. Bigs will be reporting to me and updating me with your meetings and how much effort you put into it. Without further ado, here's who you're big sis will be."

She takes a moment to clear her throat. "Catlynne will be with Sarah Woods."

"Nice!" Sarah says, pumping her fist. Damn, I was hoping Cat and I would be sisters. I look over at her and she's smiling as if she expected it.

"Solette will be with Malynne Poole," coach says.

"Oh cool!" Maly says with a smile.

I can't help but wonder who am I going to be with? With my performance, I'd be lucky to get a big sis. If I don't shape up, I'll be the one getting cut. I just know they'll probably put Danielle with Kennedy the way she's been playing. They're probably looking to groom her for the starting position. This sucks.

"Vishay Carson will be with Fionna," coach says. That's her name. I'm so glad I didn't call her Leena. Not surprised she got put with Fionna, they're pairing us based on position.

"Danielle Owen will be with..." I can't help but grind my teeth as I try to mask my disappointment. "Usha."

"Wait. what?" Danielle asks as her jaw drops. She's got that stupid look on her face.

"You're with Usha Patton. Is that a problem?" coach asks.

"Uh..." A mix of emotions dashes across her face. "No... Not at all."

"Lastly, Marcela Elvira will be with Kennedy," coach says.

My eyes light up as the excitement within me explodes. "Yes!"

Come on Marcela, keep cool. Don't be a doofus. Kennedy comes over to me and wraps her arm around my shoulder. Oh my god, I must be dreaming. "Looks like it's you and me, little sis."

"I expect you to spend some time today with your bigs. With that, you're all dismissed," coach says.

"Freshman. Mandatory team meeting at the house tonight," Fionna says.

"What do you say we grab a bite to eat and chat?" Kennedy asks me as the rest of the team tickles out.

"Oh my god, that'd be great! Can we do it in like an hour or so? I really should do a couple more drills after today's practice. My defense needs work and I'd like to work on my mid-range jumper," I say.

She laughs. "God, you remind me so much of me. Yeah, that works for me. If you'd like, I can stay and work with you."

"You'd do that?" I ask looking up into her eyes.

"Of course, we're teammates," she says.

"That would be so cool!" I beam. This really is a dream.

"Come on, let's work on your defense. I know a few drills you can work on to help," she says.

"Catlynne, would you train with me too?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah, of course," Cat says. "By the way, you can just call me Cat."

"Awesome, thank you so much!" Sarah says.

"Alright, get into your stance," Kennedy says as she grabs a ball. I D up and go to guard her. "You're getting too low. How are you going to react when you're restricting your movement?"

"Oh... um. How low should I be?" I ask.

She hands me the ball and then gets in her defensive stance. "You want to be comfortable enough to be able to move on a dime."

"I usually like to be lower than my opponent, but not to the point where I'm sacrificing my mobility," she says. "You see how easy I can shift from side to side or back up?"

"Yeah, I see," I say mimicking Kennedy's stance.

"Yeah, there you go," she says. "Now you'll want to stay on the balls of your feet and keep them moving. The worst thing you can do is be flat-footed or on your heels."

"Okay, I understand." I copy the way she moves her feet.

"There you go," she smiles. "Just remember, if they get you on your heels, you're toast."

"Got it," I say.

"Now let's work on those hips," she says, getting behind me. She grabs my hips and heat takes over my body. "You'll want to move with your hips, but keep your chest facing your opponent. Shuffle back with me and pretend your opponent is the line."

She guides my hips back as I shuffle my feet. "You see? By moving your hips like that, you can always keep your chest squared up to your opponent."

"Yeah, I totally understand now," I spit out as I suck in a breath. The way Kennedy touches me makes my entire body feel like it's on fire. Is that normal?

"Now, let's practice some drills. Here, let's go over to the sideline and I'm going to cross you up and you're just going to practice moving your hips and feet. We'll work across the court and back. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," I say.

She laughs. "You don't have to be so proper."

"Sorry, old waitress habit," I say.

"Don't apologize," she says. "Now let's give it a try."

I get in my defensive stance and Kennedy works me down the width of the court, crossing me over every few steps. It takes everything I have to stick with her. As we make it to the other side of the court, we stop and take a breather. "Great job. That's so much better than in practice. You're a quick study."

"Thanks!" I say, practically glowing. I look over to see Cat and Sarah working on different off the dribble and shooting drills.

"How do I defend shots off the dribble and step backs?" I ask.

She looks over at Sarah and Cat before letting out a chuckle. "I'll show you that later. Just focus on one thing at a time."

"Can we do this a few more times?" I ask.

"Of course. I love your work ethic. Keep that up and you'll be taking over," she says.

"You really think so?" I ask.

"Of course. Hard work always wins," she says. "I was literally just like you when I came into CMU. I walked on and had to fight for every opportunity."

"Of course! That's what inspired me to try and walk on myself. That and Cat also convinced me. She's actually the one who told me that you walked on," I say.

She just laughs. "Cat was right about you. Now let's do a few more drills and I'll show you one more exercise you can do on your own."

We work from sideline to sideline a few more times before Kennedy shows me that wall sitting can help perfect my defensive stance. I notice Cat and Sarah have stopped their drills and are not just chatting. Kennedy wraps her arm around my shoulder as we walk over to them. "What do you two girls think of getting something good to eat before the team meeting?"

"You literally read my mind," Cat says. "Although, we all need to shower first. You all stink."

We all laugh. "That's a side effect of hard work," Kennedy says, she then turns to Sarah and I. "Why don't you two head back to your dorm rooms and get ready. We'll pick you up in like 30 mins or so."

"Okay," Sarah and I say at the same time.

Kennedy unwraps herself from me and walks over to Cat, placing her hand on the small of Cat's back. She leans in and kisses Cat on the cheek. "Come on babe, let's get all nice and clean."

Cat blushes as she laughs. "Of course. I just have to say something real quick to Dandi."

Catwalks over to me and pulls me aside. "Hey, no hard feelings about last night, it was just a team thing. Okay?"