Get Even by Gretchen McNeil

Author:Gretchen McNeil
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-03-10T16:00:00+00:00

THIRTY

COACH MILES BLEW HER WHISTLE WITH A FEROCITY THAT froze the entire Bishop DuMaine varsity girls’ volleyball squad in their tracks. Kitty snatched the scrimmage ball in midair and spun to face her as she blazed across the court.

“Annabelle!” Coach Miles said. “If I ever see you half-ass a kill like that, I’ll bench you for an entire match, you hear me?”

Annabelle’s beet-red face flushed even deeper. “Yes, Coach.”

Coach Miles swung around to the scrimmage team on Kitty’s side of the net. “And, Zoe, I have no idea what you thought you were doing with that last dig. The goal is to keep the ball in play, not launch it into orbit. Come on, guys. It’s only Tuesday. I’m not used to seeing this much lazy ball handling so early in the week.”

Kitty knew Coach was right, but her approach to motivating her players wasn’t exactly what Kitty would have done in her place.

Two short blasts on the whistle signaled a change of drill. “Accelerations,” Coach Miles said. “Eight balls.”

The entire team groaned in unison and skulked to one side of the court for the hated drill. Coach was about to throw the first balls, when Mika walked into the girls’ gym with Theo Baranski close behind.

Coach Miles tooted on her whistle again. “Water break. Ten minutes.” She pointed at Kitty. “Wei, come with me.”

“Coach, this is Theo,” Mika said, her hand on Theo’s shoulder. “He’s interested in the team manager gig.”

Coach Miles examined Theo up and down. “You’re the first in and the last out,” she said curtly. “You’re on the bus for every away game, and I expect stats on my desk first thing the next morning. Can you handle that?”

“Yes, sir!” Theo barked.

Kitty bit her lip to keep from smiling as Theo’s eyes grew wide, instantly realizing his mistake.

“I mean, ma’am,” he squeaked.

“Sir is fine,” Coach Miles said. She pointed at the two girls. “Get him up to speed.”

Theo hustled after Kitty and Mika as they strode to the athletic lockers across from the main gym. He had to take three steps for every two of theirs.

“All the team sports keep their equipment in these lockers,” Mika explained. “Volleyball, basketball, soccer, water polo, whatever.”

“Coach Miles is kind of a hard-ass about keeping the equipment organized,” Kitty added. “If you can manage that, you’ll be golden.”

They gave Theo a tour of the locker, explained the setup for practice versus home and away games, then stopped by Coach Miles’s office to retrieve copies of the team rosters and schedules.

Theo took prodigious notes throughout, scribbling away in a pocket-size spiral notebook. He seemed eager to do a good job, motivated by the luxury of avoiding Coach Creed in sixth-period PE, and soaked up everything Kitty and Mika spilled out. By the time they ducked into the main gym where the team played their home matches, Theo had picked up enough of the lingo to anticipate what they were going to say. It was kind of adorable.

As they started to leave,

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