AU: High school
Your age: 17
Jo's: 18
Gym was your least favorite subject. Not only did you have to deal with dodgeballs being thrown at you, or the sweat and body aches, you had to put yourself out there no matter how shy you were. You couldn't count how many times your coach yelled for you to be more active on the field.
You did the best you could, as you were on the court for volleyball day. Your team leader was your classmate Jo and she was very strict and competitive. That intimidated you a little, especially because she was aggressive and had a habit of insulting other people. You did your best to stay out of her way, but make a good impression.
"Go Y/N, go!" Jo yelled, startling you.
You noticed the ball heading towards you, and tried to hit it, but you missed.
"Dammit Y/N! Could you be any more useless?" Jo yelled, glaring at you.
Hearing this really upset you. You felt stupid for not doing well on your team. You knew you were shy in class and being bad at sports added onto that.
You glanced at your teammates and they all looked at you sympathetically.
"Jo, that wasn't necessary." Gwen said.
"Yeah, Jo. She's really shy. She just needs to be more confident. It's just a game, you know?" Zoey added.
"I don't care. She shouldn't even be on our team!" Jo shouted.
Your face heated up and you immediately started crying and ran towards the locker room.
"Way to go, Jo!" Scott chimed in, sarcastically.
You sat on the bench and buried your face in your hands, letting everything out.
"Y/N." You heard Jo sigh. "Look.. I'm.. I'm sorry I said those things."
You didn't want to look at her, because of the shame and guilt you felt.
Jo sighed and sat next to you, rubbing your back. "I realized what I said was mean and I should've encouraged you more instead of scaring you. I know you're shy and I made things worse."
You uncovered your face and gave Jo a soft smile. "Don't worry about it. I should've tried harder."
"Maybe I can help you get better?" Jo offered. "But don't think I'm being nice or anything like that!"
You chuckled a little at her comment.
"That would be appreciated."
For the next few months you and Jo practiced different sports together. She helped you become more confident in yourself. You are still shy, but you improved a lot when it comes to social events.
You also got to know Jo and became very attracted to her. Little did you know she felt the same way about you and eventually asked you out, after her basketball game .
Not only did you gain confidence in yourself, you gained a tough - yet soft loving girlfriend.