The Seven Virtues of Life | completed

Temperance

2nd Trimester 2011-12 School Year

"Please don't tell me that you're going to interfere or make me interfere with this basketball star," I groaned.

Axelle smirked at me, "Hey, we did just fine with the other ones." This was true; Aubrey and Rainer had gone on a couple successful dates, and both of their futures seemed to be a little bit brighter than before, but that didn't mean that I wanted to make this 'helping people' a habit. "Pleeeeease," she pleaded, laying her head on my shoulder.

"Fine," I groaned.

*********

"Leya!" Coach Lowell Daley shouted. Leya Shields, the star of Westmoore High School's women's basketball team, threw the ball down in frustration.

"Yes, Coach?" she gritted out. I snickered. The coach had just stopped her in the middle of one of her favorite drills for Monday practice, and she was beyond ticked off. I guess she'd just assumed that he'd trust her and never check on her grades, because between her and me, she was never going to pass Precalculus.

He beckoned her over with one finger, and she huffed. "Leya, it was midterms last week."

"Yeah, so?" she asked, with a false air of confidence. I could even see her trembling from here.

"I'm pretty sure that you know what your grade is in Precalculus," Coach said matter-of-factly. "By the school rules, you have two weeks to get your grade up above an F, otherwise I'll have to kick you off the team. For now, I'll have to bench you."

"I can't get it up! She won't let me retake any of the tests, and I certainly am not getting a tutor," Leya scoffed.

Coach just looked at her with a blank expression. "You'd rather be kicked off the team than get a tutor?"

"Yes, at this point I would." It scared me how dead serious Leya's face was. Man, did that girl have some issues. I would've never done that.

"You'd rather sacrifice your place on your team, the team that has been counting on you since your freshman year, than ask someone for help." Coach stated. Ooh. He had her on that one.

"No," Leya said slowly, "but I don't need any help. I'll get it up without any help. You'll see."

"That's the spirit," Coach said sarcastically. "Now go back out there, and enjoy your last two weeks of practice." By the look in her eyes, I could tell that she was considering flipping him off, but luckily, she held back that urge and turned her anger into deadly accuracy, quickly dropping three threes in a row. I sighed, Axelle sighing along beside me. This girl had a long way to go.

********

Frustrated, Leya slammed her basketball locker, and her teammate and best friend, Adanna Haben, put a hand on her sweaty shoulder. "Dude, it's going to be alright," she said. "You know how Mrs. Duerring is with grades, and after the test next Friday, your grade will raise." Leya frowned even more, obviously worried about her class. To take Leya's mind off of it, Adi also mentioned, "Coach told me to try to talk you into studying with Aubrey Alvis or Fayanna Warren."

"I am never going to study with those nerds," Leya replied, scrunching up her nose. Hey! That Aubrey was really growing on me, even though it was all Axelle's fault.

"That's what I told him, but he seemed to get ticked off at me, so I said I'd mention it to you," Adi said. "I don't know just tell him you're not interested and that you can do it yourself or something like that. And honestly, we all know that you're going to get a scholarship if you're kicked off the team or not."