Rivals Pt. 03

"Well, then maybe this was a mistake?" I ask.

"Maybe it was," she says.

--

After the excruciating hour of bio, I call up Cat and ask if I can come over. Of course, she says yes.

Once I'm in the safety of her room and it's just the two of us, I break down. "God, I don't know why, but I feel awful. Cassie and I had sex last night. It was amazing, but this morning we just argued and broke up. Not that we were in a relationship, she just wanted a friends with benefits relationship, but we got into an argument over Marcela because something was up with Marcela this morning and I can't shake the feeling it has something to do with me and Cassie."

"Okay, let's start from the top, when did you first notice a change in Marcela?" Cat asks.

"Well, this morning she looked miserable. She skipped bio, which she'd never do. Although, last night was odd too. She did so amazing during practice but played awful during the scrimmage and after practice, she just went back to the dorm. Normally after a scrimmage like that, she'd work her ass off to make up for it, but she went straight to the bathroom and took the longest shower ever. She was in there for a good hour before she went directly to bed afterward. I swore I heard her crying at one point," I say.

"Yeah, something is definitely up," she says.

"With cuts coming up, she can't afford to slip like this," I say, looking up at Cat. "What should we do?"

Just then, Kennedy comes in. "Oh... Sorry, didn't mean to barge in."

"It's okay, we're just worried about Marcela," Cat says.

"What's up with Marcela?" Kennedy asks.

"She just seems really down since yesterday's practice," Cat says.

"Yeah, she did play awful during the scrimmage, but she had a lot on her mind and I figured once she took care of what she needed to take care of, she'd be back to normal," Kennedy says before she turns to me. "Did she talk to you after practice at all?"

"No. I mean, she wanted to, but I promised Cassie that we'd hang out, and then she eventually spent the night," I explain.

Kennedy's eyes go wide. "Oh, god... I've got to go."

She storms off out of here. Cat and I both exchange looks. "That was weird," she says.

Marcela's Perspective

I don't know how long I've been in bed for. I feel like I could sleep here all day. I hear a banging against the door and I just don't care enough to answer it. "Marcela! Are you in there?" I hear Kennedy's voice. "I heard what happened."

I take a deep breath and pull myself up just as Danielle answers the door. "Hey, is Marcela here?"

"Yeah, she's been in a room all day. She looks like shit," Danielle says. I hear Kennedy sigh. Then I hear her walk into the bunk room. I roll over away from her.

"Hey... I heard what happened..."

"I don't want to talk about it," I say.

"I understand, but I'm not going away," she says.

"Please, just leave me alone," I snap back.

"Sorry, not going to happen," she says.

I roll over to her as tears fall down. "Please... Just go."

"No. I know what you're going through and I'm not leaving you to deal with it alone," she says.

"Why does it have to hurt so much?" I ask. She pulls me into her arms as I break down.

"I know... Come, let's go for a drive," she says.

"Okay," I sniffle. I put on sandals and follow her out only to run into Sarah and Cat. I turn away. I don't want Sarah to see me like this.

"Oh my god. Is..."

Kennedy puts her hand up. "It's probably better if you give us some distance for right now."

Kennedy pulls me along as we walk past them. Soon, we're in Kennedy's car as she pulls out of the parking lot. She drives until the city of Mount Pleasant is behind us. I lose track of the miles as she just drives.

"When I was in high school I had the biggest crush on my best friend. She was amazing. Beautiful, confident, and super talented. I wanted to tell her how I felt. I was going to this party. We were both drinking and I went to use the bathroom to gather myself and run through what I wanted to say. When I finally came out, I couldn't find her anywhere. I looked everywhere. But eventually, I found her in a room having sex with this boy in our class. I was devastated. I broke down and left. I was too late in telling her how I felt."

"But that's not the same. She was straight, right? Sarah's gay. I lost my chance because I was afraid of my feelings. You never had a chance with her," I say.

"You didn't let me finish," she says. "Turns out she was bisexual and now she's dating a girl she met in college. I remember talking to her long after I started dating Cat and I admitted I had a crush on her. What surprised me was that she felt the same way about me. I've always regretted not telling her how I felt. I could've been the one she was kissing. But fortunately, everything turned out for the best. I met Cat and I'm glad about that."

We eventually come across a small town called Lake Isabella. "Anyways, the point of my story is that you never know what could happen if you just tell someone how you feel. Don't make the regret of not making the decision to speak."

She pulls into a little tiny restaurant attached to a gas station. "Best cheese bread ever," she says as we head in. We sit down and Kennedy orders cheese bread.

She places her hand on my forearm and I look up at her. "Please don't make the same mistake I did. Talk to Sarah. Tell her how you feel. Trust me, you'll feel much better than you do right now."

"I don't know, what if..."

"No what-ifs, buts or anything other excuses. This is the best thing you can do, trust me," she says.

"Okay..."

--

After Bio

I somehow manage to pull myself together for the bio lab. As I walk in my eyes meet Sarah's eyes and after a deep breath, I walk over to her and take a seat.

"Hey, is everything okay?" she asks.

I nod. "Can we talk after this?"

"Yeah, sure," she says.

Cassie walks in a few minutes later and takes a seat at a different table. "So what's going on between you and Cassie?"

"We just got into an argument. Nothing serious," she says.

As Solette walks and we start our lab analyzing slides and learning about microscopes, Sarah and I become partners.

For the most part, we work in silence. The lab is relatively short and by the time we finish, my nerves have built up and threaten to boil over. I can feel my heart beating uncontrollably faster and my hands are starting to sweat.

As we get released from lab Sarah looks up at me. "I just have to say something to Cassie really fast."

I can't help but overhear their conversation. "Hey..." Sarah says.

"Hey... I'm sorry. I overstepped," Cassie says.

"That's okay. I'll be honest, I don't think the whole friends with benefits was a good idea, but I still want to be friends," Sarah says.

"I understand and I would like that," Cassie says. "Well, I should get going. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, definitely," Sarah says. I watch as Cassie walks out of class while Sarah comes back over to me. "So... What did you want to talk about?"

"Can we go for a walk or something?" I ask.

"Yeah, sure," she says.

I follow her out of the science building and then we stroll down the sidewalk in the direction of the dorms.

"Is everything okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, everything is fine," I say and then I stop and face her. She looks up at me with those blue eyes. "Sarah, I'm just going to flat out say it. I'm starting to realize that I am... Gay."

Her eyes go wide. "What? Really?"

"Yeah... And not only that but I... I have feelings for you," I spit it out before I have a chance to take it back. Before I know it, I"m wrapped in her arms. A warmth develops over me that heats me to my core and for once in my life, everything feels so right.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," she whispers in my ear. I pull back and look into the sky in her eyes and I find myself leaning in as I close my eyes. As our lips touch, my world explodes. I hold onto her because I'm afraid that I won't be able to stand on my own. The touch of her lips makes my knees weak. She wraps her arms around me and pulls me tight.

"Yeah, get some!" A random guy says, breaking us out of our spell. We pull apart and for some reason, I feel a tinge of shame. Is that normal? I look up at Sarah and she's got a smile even brighter than the sun. It fills me with warmth and makes me feel better.

"We should probably get ready for practice," she says. "Especially with cuts coming in 3 weeks."

"You're right, I have so much work to do. I played so terrible yesterday. I have a lot to make up for," I say.

"You'll make it, I have no doubt," she says.

"I wish I had your confidence," I say.

"I don't understand why you don't, you work harder than everyone else," she says.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter when I still end up getting beat by Danielle," I say.

"Maybe in scoring, sure. She's a very talented scorer, that's for sure. But you're a point guard and shooting the ball isn't necessarily a point guard's job. Scoring is. She always tries to shoot the ball, where you always try to get the team to score."

"But if you're trying to win a championship, who would you rather have, the point guard that dribbles a ball on her shoe, or a point guard who can score on anyone?"

"She can't score on anyone. Don't you remember Usha schooling her?"

"Yeah, but Usha's a top-notch player. She's definitely going pro. And she's a junior. Danielle's only a freshman."

"And so are you," Sarah says. "But you work harder than her."

"I hope you're right," I say.

"Stop being such a pessimist," she says.

"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. I calculate my odds of victory and right now it's only 50 percent. Either Danielle's getting that position or I am. No way is coach going to cut any other position when she's got, 4 point guards."

"Yep, you're right about that too," she says.

"If you're comparing the both of us, what better way to compare us than to pit us against each other in a scrimmage. Every time we've gone up against each other, she's scored on me."

"Not every time," she says. "You've stopped her a few times."

"But still..."

"I know one way we can change the odds?" she says.

I raise an eyebrow. "How?"

"We still have plenty of time before practice to get a few reps in. Let's take advantage of it."

"You're right."

She smiles at me as we arrive at the dorms. "Sarah?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"What exactly is this? Like, are we... Dating? This is all new to me."

"Oh, right. Let's talk about it after practice, over smoothies."

"Okay, yeah. That sounds great." I smile.

--

Sarah's Perspective

Practice

I swear to god if this is a dream I hope I don't wake up anytime soon. Seriously, the last thing I was expecting was to have Marcela admitting she has feelings for me. I thought she made it clear she wasn't gay. God, I'm so giddy with excitement right now. I feel so alive. We spend the little time we have left before practice doing drills in the skillsets we both need improvements on. I egg her on every now and then. I love to see that look on her face when she gets frustrated. On and definitely the look when she's flustered.

But when practice starts, the fun and games end. The smile vanishes from Marcela's face. Replaced with a look of pure determination. Lord forgive me, it is so god damn sexy. But fucking hell, it is hard to keep up with her. She goes all out every sprint, every drill, every shot she takes with 100% conviction. She's the first to volunteer. The first to dive for the loose balls. I can't even touch her. When scrimmages come around, her whole demeanor shifts. She looks like a nervous wreck.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey," she breathes.

"Good job out there. Once again, you're leaving me in the dust," I say.

"Thanks." She bites her lip as our eyes meet. She looks like she wants to say something.

"Subs," Kennedy says.

Marcela and I rush in along with the rest of the bench. Danielle takes the inbound pass and immediately attacks Marcela. She crosses her up and races her down the court. Marcela does all she can to keep up. She drives it to the lane and stops on a dime as Marcela goes screeching by. Danielle pulls up and sinks it.

The look on Marcela's face is unsettling. The way her eyebrows narrow down as she gives Danielle the death stare sends a chill down my spine and yet it turns me on. She takes the inbound pass and pushes it up the court. Danielle meets her as she comes to the top of the three-point line.

She shifts so her body is between Danielle and the ball. I rush up and set a screen on Danielle, giving Marcela an open opportunity and she takes it. Vertasha tries to switch off the screen, but Danielle tries to stick with her, leaving me wide open. Marcela sees this and lobs it over both of them. I catch it and nail the wide-open shot.

Once again, Danielle takes the ball and pushes it up the court as Marcela squares in on her. They duke it out as Danielle takes it across the half-court line. This time, Marcela doesn't give her an inch, and yet Danielle still manages to slip by Marcela and takes it into the lane. I crash the lane to give her some help as Danielle pulls up. I get my hand up, but she adjusts in mid-air and somehow manages to score.

I have to give to her, she's talented, there's no doubt about it, but her selfishness is going to catch up with her eventually. As Marcela takes the pass, she meets the Drama Queen at the top of the key. She passes me the ball and then rushes over to set a pick for Salenna. I pass her the ball as she reaches the top of the key and she pulls up and nails it.

The one thing Marcela is really good at is setting up a play. That's something Danielle just doesn't understand. She'll never sacrifice her own stats to score where Marcela's overly willing to do that. However, Marcela doesn't have the confidence to take the shot.

Danielle crosses Marcela over at the half-court and rushes past her before taking it inside the key. She stops as Marcela catches up and switches her direction as she dribbles it between her legs and takes it into the paint. As Vishay steps up, Danielle steps back and pulls up a fadeaway shot. It goes off the backboard and in.

Kennedy calls subs again and we rush off the court. I can tell Marcela's visibly distraught. I honestly think she did pretty good out there, but I know she's pissed she couldn't stop Danielle. I walk up to her and put my hand on her back. "Good job out there."

"As if..." she sighs. God, I wish there was something I could say to make her feel better. She's always so critical of her own skills.

After we wrap up practice, I catch Marcela afterward. "Hey."

She looks up at me and there's a light in those dark eyes of hers. "Hey," she says.

"So... Smoothies? Although, if you want to do some more drills, we can get smoothies afterward," I say.

"Yeah, we probably should do some drills. My defense is still lacking," she says.

"Fair enough," I smile. We work sideline to sideline, as I work on my dribbling skills while she works on her defense. We work until we're both completely worn out. "We've definitely earned our smoothies today."

"Yeah," she breathes, her hands on her knees.

"We should probably clean up before smoothies. We both kind of stink," I say, waving my hand in front of my nose.

"Yeah, that usually tends to happen after working hard," she smiles. I can't help but feel a little nervous. I'm not sure if this counts as a date or not, but still... The possibility of dating my crush makes me so anxious and excited.

Marcela's Perspective

Smoothies

After we head back to the dorms and get cleaned up, we head down to the Bovee Center and order smoothies. A million thoughts are going through my head right now. What if she doesn't feel the same way about me? What if I'm not gay and this is just like a phase or something? What if I end up getting cut from the team? The thoughts and doubts are endless.

But after we get our smoothies and sit down, Sarah's smile puts me at ease. I wish I could be more like her. She always seems so happy, carefree and she laughs at everything.

After we sit there in awkward silence for what seems like forever, Sarah finally says something. "So..." she laughs.

"Yeah," I can't help but giggle too. "This is all so new to me."

"I'll be honest, I have never had an actual relationship either. At least not one that was public. Or healthy for that matter."

"Me neither," I say.

"So, what now?" I ask.

"Well, we should define this. And talk about what exactly we want out of a relationship if that's what we both want," Sarah says. "You do want a relationship, right?"

"Yeah, I do. And that makes total sense," I say.

"I'll say this, I'm totally on board for a real relationship. I've wanted a girlfriend for a long time and if I'm being totally honest with you, I've had a crush on you since forever," she says.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah, like since we first played against each other freshman year of high school," she says.

"No way! I thought you hated me," I say.

"Oh no. I definitely didn't. I just didn't know how to express the way I felt. We were on two different teams and I definitely didn't think you were gay. I didn't even know if I was gay. Then as time went on, I thought you hated me," she says.

"I kind of did," I admit. "But I didn't know you as I do now. I didn't realize you were such an amazing person."

Her face reddens as she shifts in her seat. "Aww. thanks. You're pretty amazing as well."

She bites her lip as her ocean blue eyes glisten. I rub my arm and dig my nails into my skin. "I'll be honest with you, this is the first time I ever felt this way about someone. I was beginning to think there was something with me."

"You mean, you've never felt this way towards another girl or guy for that matter?" she asks.

"No. Not at all. I basically spent my entire high school trying to avoid people. The funny thing is that some of the girls on my team would spread rumors that I was a lesbo and here I am falling for a girl..."

"God, I'm so sorry you had to deal with all that. I would've never guessed that you were going through all that. You always seemed so put together and so calm on the basketball court," she says.

"I wish that were true. I always felt like a wreck. Basketball just gave me an outlet to deal with all the emotions"

"If you ever want to vent, you can talk to me, you know that right?" she says.

"Thanks," I smile.

"Of course. That's what girlfriends are for." I feel my face heat up.

"Girlfriends... Wow. I can't believe I have a girlfriend."

"We can take things slow if you want to. I don't want to pressure you or anything. If you feel like things are going too fast, please say something," she says.

"I appreciate that and I think it's a good idea to take things slow, but I am so ready for a relationship. Especially one with my best friend."

Her face lights up with that heart-melting smile. It's so hard to believe that my first ever best friend is now officially my girlfriend. It's so surreal. She finishes off her smoothie and I drink down the rest of mine.

"Should we head back? It's getting kind of late," she says.

"Yeah, we probably should," I say. "Should we... like, tell the rest of the team?"

"Do you want to?" she asks.

"Can we wait until after the cuts have been made? I'm still really nervous about it," I say.

"Yeah, that's totally fine," she says as we walk out of the Bovee Center. It's super dark out and the sidewalk is illuminated with artificial light. I feel her hand slip into mine as our fingers intertwine. I can feel a wave of heat rush through my body just from her touch. I look up into her eyes and the way she bites her lip makes my heart light up.