Gemotions

"You're moving to center, Maya," Coach Davis announced, his voice booming across the basketball court. Maya, the team's star point guard, felt a lead weight settle in her gut. She’d spent years perfecting her dribbling, her passing, her court vision. Center? She had never even played the position seriously before.

The ball felt foreign in her hands, the footwork awkward and clunky. She missed the freedom of the point, the thrill of controlling the game. The practices felt like a slow, agonizing crawl. She avoided eye contact with her teammates, her usual bubbly energy replaced with a quiet, almost sullen demeanor. The constant bumping and jostling under the basket left her bruised and battered, both physically and emotionally.