Gemotions

"We need you in the back court," the captain of the volleyball team announced. "Our setter is injured." Sarah, who had trained as a hitter since childhood, felt the familiar heat rise in her cheeks. The setter, Emily, had been undermining her for weeks, constantly criticizing her spikes. Now, Sarah was to take her place.

The first few sets were deliberately erratic. Short. Over the net. Aimed at the ceiling. Emily's face, a mask of forced cheerfulness, started to crack. Each error, each missed spike, felt like a small, exquisite pleasure.

She watched Emily's exasperated face. Sarah's body felt cold but her spirit was soaring. During the next match, Sarah intentionally set a complicated play, one she knew would fail without Emily's guidance. The ball sailed out of bounds, and she allowed herself a small, almost imperceptible smile.