Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Mila was eager to see what her varsity squad would do in today’s match.
They had played two scrimmages already this week, winning both times, but today’s opponent would be a bit of a challenge.
She knew the turnout would be big in the gym because it was the first Saturday match to be played of the season.
Although football was the revenue sport, its profits paying for all the other sports at the high school, there was a loyal fan base which was wild for volleyball.
Since volleyball was the only game in town right now, she expected a heavy crowd.
The fans would include her parents, Michael and his family, and Carson and Lily.
Mila had sat with Lily several times this summer, calling up YouTube videos of volleyball games, telling the four-year-old all about how to score points. She seemed fascinated and had told Mila that when she got big, she was going to be the best volleyball player ever.
Summer couldn’t have gone any better. She had been busy with her new university courses, but she was a disciplined person and set aside a good amount of time to complete them.
The first two classes had gone so well that she had felt confident enough that she could complete two more before the start of school.
Even with volleyball starting at the beginning of August, she was able to carve out time in her schedule.
Tomorrow, she would submit her final paper for her supervising instruction course.
She had already turned in her last assignment in the appraisal system class three days ago.
She had only registered for one course this fall, knowing that not only would she have volleyball practices and games to deal with, but she would also add teaching her US history classes into the mix.
She was a student who had been antsy when teachers didn’t return papers or tests in a timely fashion, and Mila made certain she had a decent turnaround time.
Now, she stepped into the locker room, hearing the girls teasing one another.
This squad was very loosey-goosey, at least at this point, and she wasn’t going to step in and play dragon master by messing with their chemistry and squelching their fun.
As long as they took the game seriously when they were on the court, she didn’t mind them having fun in the locker room.
It helped keep tension down and built camaraderie amongst the athletes.
She had known she would depend upon the two seniors on the squad, but she had been surprised at how much growth she had seen in two other players.
Annie Morgan was a sophomore, six-one, and an intuitive athlete.
She had moved to the Bay two years ago and played volleyball for the first time at the middle school.
Mila had been salivating, biding her time for Annie to join the ranks at the high school.
As she had thought, Annie was an excellent player for the JV last year as a freshman, but she had come on even stronger than she had in middle school with a sweet serve, as well as dominating at the net.
The player who had really surprised her since practice had begun a few weeks ago was Belinda Carter.
Belinda was only five-six, but she also played basketball and softball, a natural athlete.
She had been a member of the JV volleyball squad last year and had been good but not great.
Mila didn’t know what had happened over the summer, but Belinda was making plays left and right during this first week of play, taking a strong leadership role as the team’s setter.
If Mila had to name only one player whom she thought would land on the all-district team at season’s end, it would be Belinda.
Belinda spotted Mila and gave a loud, shrill whistle. “Coach in the room. Listen up!”
“There’s not much I have to say to you today,” she began.
“You’ve looked crisp in your first two outings this week.
The Blue Devils will be a much tougher opponent than the teams we’ve already faced, however.
They were their district’s champions last year and only graduated one starting player.
They have a talented team and a deep bench. ”
Deirdre Echols, a senior, said, “We’re more talented and deeper, Coach.”
She smiled as the girls all nodded in agreement and clapped at the remark.
“I think we have what it takes to be winners this year,” Mila continued.
“Now that you’ve gotten your feet wet, we’ll be setting goals next week when school begins.
You’ve seen where you are, based upon your play and those around you, so you’ll have a better handle on the goals you wish to attain.
We’ll set individual goals, as well as team goals.
We’ll also set one academic and one personal goal. ”
“Is praying I pass geometry a good goal, Coach?” Annie asked, causing everyone to laugh.
“You just think you’re math challenged, Annie. Don’t worry. We’ll get you the tutoring you need.” She looked around, zeroing in on Fiona Garrison, the other senior on the team. “Fiona, you’re our resident math whizz. You need to make certain Annie makes it through geometry.”
“Will do, Coach,” the senior responded, giving the sophomore a grin.
“Let’s bring it in. Pirates on three.”
Mila stepped to the center of the locker room, thrusting out her hand, and each player stacked a hand on top.
“One, two, three,” she called out.
“Pirates!” reverberated through the locker room.
They went out to the larger gym, with its bigger seating capacity.
She had told Carson that she wanted it reserved for this afternoon’s match.
As they came out onto the court, she saw the place was about ninety percent full and figured by game time that the few remaining seats would be filled.
It pleased her that a larger number of students than usual was present.
Moving toward the bench, she scanned the crowd, finding familiar faces.
Piper’s parents, Elmo and Ellen Roberts were there.
Elmo was the Bay’s police chief, while Ellen taught drama and choir at the high school.
Sitting three rows in front of them were Jack and Lark Larson, Layne’s parents.
That surprised her since they kept to themselves a lot, especially since Layne had graduated years ago.
Mila had spoken to her mom about Mrs. Larson, asking about her recent behavior.
Mom said that Lark had not been in Coastal Charms for a few months but when she did come in to shop, she would keep an eye on her and report back to Mila.
That alone seemed worrisome to her since Lark Larson had always been a frequent customer at her mom’s boutique.
When she updated Layne on their last FaceTime call, her friend had merely shrugged, seeming a bit distracted herself.
Mila sensed things were still not going well with Jeremy, and she and Piper had texted about that after their call ended.
Piper said they needed to stay out of it and let Layne make the decision to stay in or end the relationship without their input.
Knowing how stubborn Layne could be, Mila had agreed.
She also saw the town’s librarian and its mayor before turning her attention to the court. Her girls were undergoing warmups, led by their two senior captains.
Glancing to the clock, she saw there were two minutes until the first game began, so she walked along the sidelines, approaching the Blue Devils’ coach.
“You like your team this year, Coach?” she asked, her manner friendly.
The woman smiled enigmatically. “Let’s just say they’re better than last year’s, and you know we took district and then went deep into the playoffs.”
“We earned a district title, too. I see that happening again,” Mila said with confidence.
“You’ve got a young squad, Coach.”
“Young—and hungry,” she replied, smiling before she turned and retreated to her own bench.
Play began, and the first game was close. The Pirates won fifteen to thirteen, and Mila breathed a sigh of relief, happy her players had taken the first game. The two teams switched sides, and she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she saw it was Carson.
“They look good. Especially Annie Morgan and Fiona Garrison.”
“I think so, too. How is Lily enjoying her first volleyball game?”
He chuckled. “She may only be four, but she’s acting as if she’s an expert.
I’m surprised she’s not down here, asking for a whistle to be placed around her neck so she could help coach.
She’s telling me all about middle blockers and opposite hitters and really sounds like she knows what she’s talking about. ”
Mila laughed. “See you after the match. We still on for Backyard Bites?”
“You bet.”
As the scoreboard was reset, she watched where Carson went to sit, seeing that he was with Lily and her entire family. Gina caught Mila’s attention and blew her a kiss. She pretended to catch it and blow it back, delighting her niece.
Her team lost focus during the second game, losing by five points. They came roaring back, however, in the final game of the match, defeating their opponents fifteen to seven. The gym erupted when the last point was scored, and satisfaction washed over her.
The band director was always good about having a few band kids play at the volleyball games. Today, two trumpets, a trombone, and two drummers were present. They had kept the spirits of the crowd high throughout the game, as had the cheerleaders who had turned out for the match.
Her players lined up, walking past the other team and shaking hands. Mila fell in at the end of the line. She told a few of the other players, “Good game,” as she passed them and then reached their coach.
“You do have a good team, Coach Perry.”
Grinning, she said, “Told ya so.”