Gemotions

The weight of the clipboard felt enormous in Coach Ramirez’s hands. He kept running his thumb over a name – Emily Carter. Her smile, usually so bright, haunted him. He remembered her face when she missed the winning shot in the last scrimmage, the look of determination dissolving into disappointment. Now, she'd face a different type of disappointment.

He paced the length of the locker room, the metallic tang of sweat and liniment filling his nostrils. The air felt thick, heavy. He noticed a stray basketball lying under a bench. He felt the sting of a memory – Emily practicing her layups, the focused way she had.

He made his way to the field, where Emily was practicing running drills, alone. He slowed his pace. Her ponytail whipped back and forth with each stride. He called her over and the words he had to utter felt like a physical blow.