Page 1 of Bound to a Virgo Menace
May2014
Savannah, Georgia
I exhaled. My tongue swept across my lips. I wiped my right hand against my damp shorts. The time was now. I held my volleyball in my left hand as I tried hard to tune out the fans.
Tonight’s game was the last semifinals game. If our team won, then next week, we’d play in the championship game. Not only that, I stood a really good chance at getting recruited for SU, Savannah University.
It had been my dream since I was a little girl to play there. Both of my parents attended and graduated from SU. I wanted to follow in their footsteps.
If SU recruited me for their volleyball program, I’d receive a full scholarship. That had always been my goal. I’d let nothing deter me from my path. With a lot of motivation from my mommy, that was the plan for my life.
It was what I wanted for my life as well. All I had to do was serve this ball over the net, and my teammates and I would go to work like we always did, or we could win with this one serve. I had served a perfect game.
I was on my twentieth serve, and all I needed was one more. Again, the time was now. I rubbed the tips of my fingers together and took one more deep breath.
“You got this, Hevyn! Kill that shit!” my boyfriend Rashad yelled from the stands.
Laughter could be heard around the gym. I wanted to grin and laugh, but I had to stay focused. My eyes locked with the ball. I tossed it up and quickly jumped in the air after it. My eyes never strayed from the white rock.
That feeling overcame me. It was the same feeling I always got when it was time to spike the ball. I reached up high with my right hand then spiked the ball as hard as I could.
My feet landed back on the floor. I watched as the ball sailed over the net. Two of my opponents leaped to hit it, but they missed it. The white rock hit the floor. It was a perfect ace. My team and I jumped up and cheered.
“We did it!”
We were going to face the Rockets in the championship game.
“We’re going to the championship game!” Kelis, my bestie, screamed loudly.
Kelis and the rest of my team picked me up. They carried me around, chanting our school song. My crew was beyond happy with tears running down some of their faces.
As their captain, it felt damn good to lead them to the championship game for the third year in a row. I didn’t get much playing time my freshman year of high school. Our previous captain was in her senior year and the school’s shining glory during that time.
When my sophomore year came, I showed everyone just how skilled I was. We won the championship game that year and my junior year. Now in my senior year, my goal was for us to take the championship game one more time before most of us graduated.
I wanted to leave a legacy behind at my high school. From the looks of things, I was on the path to accomplishing my goals. My crew lowered me to the floor when the recruiter from SU strolled over and stopped in front of us. She was tall, curvy, and the prettiest shade of dark brown I’d ever seen.
“Hi, Hevyn. I’m Mona Sims, the recruiter at SU. Do you have a moment to chat?”
“For you? Absolutely!” I expressed excitedly.
She smiled and led me over to an empty bench.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Hevyn, you are a real natural. It’s been a while since I recruited real talent like yourself. SU and I would love to make you the newest addition to our school and volleyball team. Here’s my card. There’s no rush, but if you want this partnership like we do, then reach out to me next week. A full scholarship isn’t the only incentive we’re offering.”
Mona stood and held out her hand. “It was a privilege to meet you, Hevyn. Enjoy your win and night.”
I stood and placed my hand in hers. “It was really nice to meet you. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’ll be reaching out,” I replied.
Mona walked away and toward the exit. I turned and squealed in my place. It was happening. My dream was about to come true. Hell yes!
I climbed my tired body out of my car and walked a few steps to the front door of our luxury two-story home. I exerted a lot of energy during all my games. Plus, the ride home relaxed me, but my body was tight and stiff as ever.
What I craved right now was a hot shower and food. When I stepped inside our home, my brother Tevyn was sprawled on the couch with his handset on. He could’ve simply played the game in his room, but nope, he chose to hog the TV in the living room as usual. Not only were we siblings but twins at that. Tevyn was a minute older than me, and he never let me forget. He was surely a bugaboo.
“What’s up, big head?” I probed, locking the front door behind me.
“If it ain’t Mama’s favorite. How was your game?” Tevyn questioned.
