Gemotions

She stood there, arms crossed, watching the drill. The coach’s words still echoed in her ears: *“We need you at libero, Maya. Your agility will be an asset.”* Agility? What about her cannon of a spike, the one that routinely flattened blockers? She’d poured years into perfecting it.

Her jaw clenched as she saw the other players, those *fast* players, practicing their digs. She wasn’t fast. She was power.

The volleyball thudded against the hardwood floor. Maya turned away, the words “libero,” “agility,” and “asset” all tasting like ash in her mouth. She felt a prickling sensation behind her eyes.