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SHE WAS STANDING behind the glass wall again, watching the passion and sweat pour from her teammates from the other side of the pane, close enough to witness greatness but far enough away she couldn't reach out and feel it. They wanted it so bad, and Juniper couldn't help but feel guilty for not harboring that same want.
The only sign the she was even alive on the pitch was the half-assed attempts she gave at playing defense when the brave girls on junior varsity burst through the midfield line to try to prove themselves worthy.
It was a habit as this point, like covering her mouth when she coughed or putting cereal in the bowl before milk. Shifting through the motions she knew like the back of her hand.
Lazily, she traced the outline of a forming bruise above her knee. Scrimmages were easy when Coach Martinez wasn't there, which wasn't often but it was a reprieve when it happened. The man was so uptight about everything it was almost like being smothered when he was glowering at them from the sidelines.
"This is how state champs play?" She heard Coach Scott's rumbling voice penetrating her peaceful bubble and once more throwing her back in the game. His shrill whistle sliced through the air.
Apparently he was taking his job title seriously for once, because he was nodding at something Taissa said, "All right! Let's go, Varsity! Taissa wants to see you step it up. And, quite frankly, that makes two of us. Let's see some hustle!"
With a scoff Juniper abandoned her bruise and turned her face towards the sun above. Judging by its placement in the sky, they only had twenty minutes left of practice. Mari knocked into her shoulder teasingly as she jogged past her to settle into her designated spot, "You good?"
"Fantastic." She puffed out a deep breath, the whistle sounded again signaling the start of the game. The ball was once again in play, and Juniper watched with minor annoyance as Taissa drilled into Allie, forcing the girl to stumble and lose control.
Claire looked as she always did when she was playing — eyes trained forward, shoulders tight, knees bent. If Juniper didn't know any better she would've thought she'd blacked out all of a sudden and woken up to them on the field at Nationals. As far as she was concerned, there was no need to play like their lives depended on it during a practice game.
Ahead, Taissa continued to put pressure on the shorter freshman. Until at last, Allie broke free of her forceful defense, spinning out with the ball still in front of her. For a small second, Juniper let her lips quirk up in what she would consider a victory. By no means was she a fan of the snobby girl, but if cheering her on meant Taissa's ridiculous plan would be trashed, she would gladly do it.
