Gemotions

The locker room, usually a cacophony of shouts and laughter, felt eerily quiet. Coach Chen stood in the center, arms crossed, watching the players slowly filter in. He could feel the tension, thick enough to cut with a knife. He dreaded this.

His gaze landed on Sarah, her face a mask of anxious expectation. He’d seen her dedication, the hours she’d poured into perfecting her free throws. He took another breath to compose himself.

"Sarah," he said finally, his voice level. "You know how hard this decision was." He gestured, letting the words hang in the air. He tried to think back to the early days and what she wanted. It was simple, or so he thought.