Gemotions

Sweat beaded on Maya’s forehead, not from the exertion of the practice drills, but from the raw frustration that simmered within her. "Center forward," Coach Hernandez had declared. *Center forward*. She was a defender, a rock. Now, they expected her to score goals?

"Again!" she snapped at a teammate, her voice tight. The pass was sloppy, the shot off target. She found herself moving with a clumsy unfamiliarity, a constant knot of tension in her shoulders.

After practice, she kicked a stray ball with vicious force, sending it soaring over the fence. The emptiness in her chest was now a vast, hollow ache. The sun was setting, casting long shadows, mirroring the darkness that was settling in her.