Chapter Nineteen

It was the second basketball training and gradually, Bette was learning about the way of playing of her fellow team members. There wasn’t a girl there that she didn’t like, but they weren’t the best of friends. Which was pretty normal, considering the fact that they hadn’t met that often.

Debbie, Kit’s friend, turned out to be a really nice person, but also a very demanding couch. Bette considered herself lucky to be able to handle the ball well, because some girls who were less fortunate really had to fight back tears at times. Bette sometimes thought Debbie was too hard on them, but she couldn’t deny that she admired the passion this woman had for the sport.

The school was empty. They practiced at the sports hall of Bette’s school and it was weird to be there when it was so quiet. Normally, it was full of students and lots of noise. Debbie had a friend who had a cousin who was very good-looking and this cousin had asked Jodie Lerner the favor of placing the hall at the disposal of this up and coming team.

Hearing that her top student was on the team, added with the good looks of Debbie’s friend’s cousin, had been sufficient to convince Jodie.

They had just finished their showers and were walking the high hall ways that were so scarily quiet when one of the girls pulled Bette from her thoughts.

“Hey,” she simply said, walking next to Bette.

Bette looked up and smiled. It was Candace Jewel, a very straight-forward and honest girl who seemed to be unable not to curse when she was into a game. She called her team mates all kinds of names that weren’t very flattering when they were in the midst of the game. Some of the girls had taken offence of it, but Candace always apologised afterwards and after all, they knew that this dark-haired girl didn’t mean what she said.

“How are you?” she asked Bette.

“I’m fine, really. Tired, of course, after the training.”

“Yeah, me too. So… are you looking forward to the first real match?”

“I don’t know. If Debbie told us we had to play one tomorrow, I’d freak out. But once we get to know each other well enough and really know how everyone plays, I think it’ll be cool.”