A Tale of Wild Roses [ROUGH DRAFT]

Chapter 18

"Listen boys, this is the last game of the playoffs. We've had a good season so far, but this is gonna make or break our chances of getting into the championships. You hear me?!" Everyone replied with a "yes, sir" and got back to warming up for the game. Angel was extremely stressed out. He had already messed things up with Oliver, he didn't want to mess this game up too.

They were up against one of the strongest teams in the state. It was down to them and Angel's team. Only one team would move onto the championships, which would be a first for his small team. He wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts before joining Adrienne and the rest of his friends.

Adrienne, Alexander, and a tenth grader named Simon were set to be the hitters like usual. They were the tallest out of everyone on the JV team. Angel was a little jealous, but he had an important role to play too. He had been the first setter for the past couple of games they've played, and his coach realized how smoothly the games had been going since then. Angel was just glad he was good at something. Leo and other freshmen were the passers. Everything was planned out so why was he so incredibly nervous?

Angel had found that change was a really scary thing for him, but this wasn't any different from other matches. It was probably the pressure to move on to championships that was weighing on him. Or maybe it was the fact that he treated Oliver like shit, and now they were avoiding him like the plague. Honestly, he deserved it. It had been a week since they talked to each other, and it was killing him to see Oliver at school, but what was there to do if he wouldn't talk to him? He wished his friend (ex friend??) was there to watch him play, but this was his fault. He chose Adrienne over him, didn't he?

Next thing he knew a ball was flying towards his face at an alarming rate. Angel leaped out of the way, face planting on the gym floor. "Dude, what is up with you today? Now is not the time to fuck up!" Adrienne was clearly frustrated with him. All he could say was "sorry." Angel got up and slumped down on the bench, taking a drink of his water.

His coach must've noticed his embarrassing moment on the court, and sat down next to him. "You gonna be alright tonight, kiddo?" Angel responded, "um, yeah. Sorry." He shrugged. "The key is to let everything you got pent up in that head of yours go. Just focus on keeping that ball away from our court's side of the floor, okay? You've got potential, but you need to work on focusing."

Angel hadn't even realized he wasn't giving it his all, but looking back on past games it made sense. From questioning his sexuality to realizing how shitty his friends were, he had a lot on his mind. It was hard for him to stop thinking about it all the time, especially now that everything had gotten worse. He looked around the gym to find his parents and little sister sitting in the bleachers.

They looked so excited for him. He couldn't fuck up. He had to be perfect tonight. He just couldn't disappoint anyone else. He had to be the best. Angel could feel his back tensing up, but ignored it as he stretched before the final minutes of warm ups. It was time to win.

...

Angel Romero's team was set to be offense first. He would be the first person to make a move. No pressure at all, right? He could feel the adrenaline kicking in as he prepared himself to smack the volleyball across the net. He had done this time and time again without failing. It would be okay. Angel held the ball in his hands, staring it down. Volleyball. That's all this is. That's all I have to think about.

He shook off all his frustration and confusion and disappointment in himself for messing things up and raised the ball up. Then he took all those emotions and transferred them into his hit. The sound of the collision rang throughout the gym. Angel watched as it crossed the net, nearly hitting the floor, before a passer hit it at the last minute. They were caught off guard, which was a good start considering they were a really phenomenal team.

He prepared for the ball to come flying back across, watching as the opposing team kept it from touching the floor. Their middle hitter smacked it across the net and it came straight for Angel. He put his arms out as it hit his wrists, leaving a slight sting, which he had gotten used to over the years. The ball went straight for Adrienne and over the ball went again, except it landed on the ground. Their first point. Angel's face lit up with a smile. He forgot how freeing volleyball was to him, and felt a deep appreciation for it. The first set was in their favor, the opposing team scowling at them from across the net.

"Dude, we fucking did it! We're set!!" Adrienne wrapped an arm around Angel's shoulders. They both smelled horrible already, but they didn't care. They now had an advantage, which was a good sign. "Well we haven't won yet boys. You never know what could happen." Angel chugged half of his water before fanning himself off with a random pamphlet his coach had lying around.

"I'm already worn out, I'm not gonna lie." Adrienne sat down beside him, looking at him with an almost peaceful expression. He had no idea why his friend was acting more serene than normal, but he didn't mind. "Two more sets, and then we're done. You're one of the strongest guys here Angel. You'll be fine." Angel gasped, "wow. I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me before." Adrienne smacked him on the arm with a scowl. "Yeah, whatever." Was it just Angel or was Adrienne's face heating up? It was probably because of the game.

The next set was a lot more intense. Angel was a passer for the majority of the game, which he didn't mind, but a lot of the boys struggled to set the ball when they played offense. It ended up being a close match, 20-25. The third set would be the deciding factor in who would win. It would be a shorter round as it would only be a 15 point round instead of 25. His nerves were back, but he was more focussed than he ever had been this season.

He looked at his parents again. His mom was the first to notice, and blew kisses at him. His little sister waved at him eagerly while his dad stared down at his phone. Angel waved back, trying not to over analyze anything. Then he focused his attention on the court. The net stared back at him, the open space above the net suddenly felt so far away.

He wondered if he'd ever be a good hitter. Since he was below average height wise, he had to learn to jump really high in order to block or hit while playing the role. The kids on the other side looked pretty tall. At least a lot taller than him. He wondered how the last set would turn out.

When it finally started, Angel's team was set to play defense first. As a hitter for part of the set, he struggled with keeping the ball away from the floor. Luckily, Alexander was there to back him up. Halfway through, Angel's team was winning by a point, 10-9. He remembered how his coach said anything could happen, and started to worry that something would go wrong. Near the end of the game, when his team was mere points away from winning, his worries came true.

Angel was back in the setter position. Everything had come full circle, and now this was on him. He had to focus. He couldn't fuck up. He kept telling himself that. Over and over again until the ball was finally out of his hands. It flew across to the other side and the boys scrambled to smack it back. Angel wasn't prepared for it to come barreling back towards him.

This was just like the warm ups, right? Except this time he wouldn't move out of the way and let the other team get a point. The ball couldn't touch the ground, it just couldn't. His team was depending on him. He couldn't fuck up. He had to impress them. He had to...

Pain spread across the bridge of his nose. He could feel the typical sting of a volleyball making contact, but it was more painful than usual. Angel felt so disorientated. His vision was blurry, and he could feel the cold ground against his sweaty back. He could hear a buzzer go off, and outlines of people standing over him. Angel tried to sit up, but fell right back down. He took a shaky hand and touched his face to find that it was wet. Was his nose bleeding? Then the world went dark.