Page 38 of On Merit Alone
She lookedpissed.
Unlike her practice wear, she wore her long braids in this half-up, half-down style during games. And now it was strewn about her shoulders haphazardly after being sprawled out on the court floors. She was glistening, dusted with perspiration from her effort and her chest was heaving up and down like she would start to breathe fire soon.
Normally pouty, her mouth was drawn down in a tight line, and her eyes were seething as she looked around at nothing in particular.
It was her eyes that worried me. I knew that look. She was in her head. It must have been her knee, like I suspected.
“C’mon, Six,” I mumbled under my breath.
The camera people were doing me a favor by following Merit as she walked it off. I tried my best to get a look at those eyes. She needed to get her head back. This was too tight a game for her to go all Merit on me—them. The Dynamite.
On the screen, Merit was taking a spot at the free throw line, ready to shoot two. They were only up by one, so they really neededthese two points. The camera panned again to those stormy eyes, and I could see she wasn't all the way there. She was probably thinking about her injury and the scare she just had on it.
“C’mon, Mer,” I murmured almost inaudibly under my breath as I watched her.
Going up for the first shot, she missed. Hissing, I cursed under my breath.
“She’s been missing those a lot less lately,” Neil commented. “I guess the fall really shook her up.”
I grunted, keeping my eyes on her. Stepping back to the line again, she dribbled the ball. Her routine was a series of extremely quick dribbles before she lined up and shot. Some might think it was random the way she bounced them, just doing it enough to feel good. But I’d been counting. She dribbled nine times every single time. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower, but always nine. And knowing what I knew of Merit, there had to be a reason behind that.
Now, as she finished up her round of nine super quick bounces, she paused. When she paused, my breath paused, unsure of what she was doing. And when her nostrils literally flared, all I could think was,easy.
I’d like to think the universe was on her side today because something must have told her the same thing as she took a deep breath and started her ritual again. This time harder, so much tension in those shoulders as she slammed the ball into a dribble so hard you would think the thing would burst. But as she went up for her second shot, something seemed to relax in her posture, and she just went for it, sending the ball clear through the hoop.
Dynamite up by one at half.
And the parting image as they moved to disappear into the tunnel was Merit looking like she could raise hell with her bare hands alone. Growling the words in that reserved but intense way of hers, “Let’s fucking go, Mites.”
Let’s fucking go, indeed.
I was happy for her, genuinely. So much so that I let out a long wheeze of relief as I sat back against the cushions of the couch. That’s when I noticed multiple eyes on me. “Since when do you care so much about the Mites?”
Giving a face, I said, “I’m a fan.”
“Alright,” Dad said slowly. Then he motioned toward the TV. “Well, they’re coming back. If they win this one, they’ll tie their record back up.”
“Yeah,” I nodded.Merit will be happy about that.“Six is getting her groove back.” Then, to not make it weird, I added, “Number thirteen is looking good too.”
“Six is a head case,” Isaac said on a scoff. I cannot explain why, but my blood boiled immediately. “If you ask me, she’s done. She’s not making it past this season.”
I glared. “Yeah, why’s that?”
“She’s rusty man. She also starts tanking after she makes any sort of mistake,” he said. Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m telling you. It’s all downhill from here.”
Grumbling, I said, “Whatever. She’s alright. They’re on an upswing, and she’s in the center of it.”
“Alright, I. Take up for your girl then,” he laughed, a teasing smile on his face.
I knew he was joking, but I couldn’t help my words. “Damn straight. So watch your mouth.”
Because as the Dynamite retook the court and started shooting through their warmups, I caught a glimpse of that face. The same one I’ve seen more than once right before she wiped the floor with me in drills. She wasn’t done. What my brother didn’t know, and what I suspected many people didn’t, is Merit was never done.
There was a vast depth to that girl that I don’t think anyone understood. And I wasn’t sure how far or wide it went, I wasn’t even sure if I was the right person to traverse it, but I knew I was becoming curious enough to try.
Chapter Twelve
Ira
