Visions Of Us

14| Better Luck Next Time, J

JULIA

It is finally the day of the match and holy crap am I nervous! I mean you would think after all these years of matches and tournaments the nervousness would wear off but it certainly doesn't. My eyes scan over the crowd and I spot her my number one cheerleader - Rory. Her curly brunette hair is in a tight ponytail, both of her eyelids are lined with red and yellow, and she's also wearing my jersey number. There are small food vendors in the hallway connecting to the basketball court so people getting to the match can grab a drink or popcorn.

Emma usually has to manage these types of big events but obviously since she's going to play with us, the rest of the student council will have to overlook this event instead. Everyone was already on the court practicing a bit and side eyeing the other team with both admiration and determination to beath them except I couldn't help but I feel like we were missing someone. I was grateful there was still an hour left before the match even started.

"Where is Maybelle?" coach Morgan asked me with her hands on her hips.

"I had a feeling someone was missing too. I'll check the dressing room"

Maybelle Welton is one of the new sophomores that I recruited to the team in the first week. She's amazing on the court, like a cheetah. I trust her to carry the team on her back when Emma and I graduate this year. May is also just so incredibly sweet and I like looking at her as if she were my little sister.

I made way into our dressing room and called her a few times before getting a quiet response after a while. I sensed it was coming from the locker area and I saw her sitting on the bench in between the blue lockers.

"May," her eyes flit to my face "Is everything good?"

"Nope" Maybelle stated, her fists under her chin.

"What happened sweetie?" I sit with her on the bench.

"Brandon - my boyfriend - cheated on me with Delilah Francis ," she starts crying and I hugged her from the side "Last night. "

"Brandon who what's his last name?"

"Brandon Green." her eyes are full of tears when she looks at me.

"Don't worry about him for now okay? I'll deal with him for you later but for now I want you to kill it on the court May forget about him. He's just a boy. Boys will come and ago but basketball is a constant"

"He's just a boy?" she asked herself more than me, trying those new words out of her lips.

"He's just a boy" I repeated with a certainty to encourage Maybelle to get this scumbag off her mind.

"Your right! Why was I evenp sulking, this is my first game and I was about to blow it for some boy,?" the ginger stated, suddenly getting up from the bench and I did too "Thanks Julia you really put some sense in me"

"Anytime May" I said, not following her way outside of the dressing room.

"Your not going out?"

"I have to do something before I go" I cocked my head to side of the court.

Maybelle nodded before quietly leaving the dressing room. I know that mom nor dad would have neither have the time or energy to come to this match but I still found myself tapping on my mom's contact. I leaned against the lockers with my phone pressed against my ear, anxiously waiting for the woman on the other line to please for the love of her and my life pick up. The call picked up.

"Mom"

"Yeah, Julia?" her drunken voice made my heart sink further in my chest.

"You've been drinking." I said to myself more than her.