Bouncing

by Jaime Maddox

Alex’s key in the lock announced her arrival, and Brit turned in that direction just as the door was opening. She wore a ski hat, dusted in snow, and her blond curls poked out from beneath it in all directions. In a gesture Brit had come to love, Alex pulled off the hat and shook out her curls, then smiled. “It’s really snowing hard. I think school’s going to be canceled tomorrow.”

  “We can play in the snow.”

  “Or in the bedroom.”

  Her troubles were forgotten as Alex’s smile lit up the darkness in her heart. A few long strides carried her across the room, and she presented Brit with a bouquet of flowers she’d hidden behind her back. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” she said, and Brit felt the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

  “Hey,” Alex said as she wiped them away with gentle strokes of her fingers.

  “Will you make love to me?” Brit asked, wanting, needing the connection to Alex that she knew such intimacy would bring.

  “I’d love to.”

  And so they turned off the stove, carried the candles to the bedroom, and slowly undressed each other. Alex wore dress pants and a silky, light-blue shirt that matched her eyes, and Brit draped them from her desk chair when she removed them. Alex wasn’t so careful and, when she had Brit naked, pulled her quickly to the bed, as if sensing Brit’s need. The hurry ended there, though, and they made love more slowly and tenderly than ever, coming together in a wave of emotional as well as physical release that left them both drained. They fell asleep that way, awakening as the chill of the bedroom set in.

  “Hungry yet?” Brit asked when Alex sat up to fix the covers.

  “Famished.”

  They sat down at the elegant table wearing sweats, and Brit’s mood was much better than it had been an hour earlier. She was finding that fabulous sex could do that to her, at least temporarily.

  “Have you talked to Kelz?” Brit asked halfway through the meal. She’d stuffed shells the night before, picked up fresh bread on the way home, and tossed a simple salad while she was waiting for Alex. It all came together perfectly. She wished she could settle her mind as easily.

  “I talk to her ten times a day,” Alex said, but she sat back and studied Brit, seeming to sense more to the question.

  “About anything important? I mean, she just seems out of sorts. I know she’s probably worried about college, and all of these recruits have to be annoying, but it just seems like something’s weighing her down. She doesn’t talk to me like she used to, and I think whatever’s bothering her is affecting her game.”

  “She’s scoring twenty-five points a game, blocking shots, and pulling down rebounds. What more do you want from her?”

  Brit sighed. “I know the stats, Alex. But her scoring’s down. Way down from the beginning of the season. It just seems like she’s doing stupid things. Shooting from out of her range. If she moves any farther into the corner she’ll be making threes. She’s out of position for rebounds, too, and she’s fouling. But it’s not just those tangible things. Her passes aren’t crisp, and she’s not seeing the plays develop. She’s missing the open man. She’s a step behind on the break.”

  “I hadn’t really noticed. But you’re obviously more tuned into Kelz than I am. You probably see more.”

  “I used to think we had a connection. I’m not so sure anymore.” Brit frowned and shrugged.

  Alex reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ll talk to her, okay?”

  Brit nodded.

  “Did you make me dessert?” Alex raised a suggestive eyebrow. “Or will that be you?”

  “Chocolate and me, but the chocolate’s optional.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Snow Day

  As Alex had predicted, they awakened to a world blanketed in nearly a foot of snow. This wasn’t the winter’s first storm, and Alex had left her cold-weather gear at Brit’s during the last one. After breakfast they bundled up and went walking through the woods. The sky was clear, and the sun reflected off branches and rocks carrying their heavy burdens. Using trees as barricades, they held a snowball war and ended it by calling a ceasefire, sealed with kisses that quickly turned heated.

  “I think we should negotiate the peace in bed,” Brit suggested.

  Back in the apartment, Alex had a message on her cell. “My mom wants us to come for lunch.”

  “Do you think it’s safe to drive?”

  “I have an SUV. We’ll be fine. Are you up for spending time with my parents?”

  Brit nodded. “Of course. I always enjoy your parents’ company.” Since she’d been skipping family dinner at her own parents’ on Sundays, she and Alex had begun a new tradition with the Daltons. Every Sunday evening they shared dinner with Alex’s parents, and her brother and sister-in-law. Afterward, they played cards or watched a movie while a load of laundry cycled through the washer and dryer.

  Brit took a plate of cookies for dessert and was warmly welcomed by Alex’s mother. This time they came in through the garage, and they found her in the kitchen, preparing their lunch. A huge bouquet of flowers adorned the center island, brightening the room.

  “How lovely,” Brit said as she sniffed the bouquet.

  “Thanks. My valentine bought them for me with his gambling money.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “I am sweet,” Alex’s father said as he waltzed into the kitchen and kissed all three of them.

  “You must have hit the lottery. That’s the biggest bouquet I’ve ever seen.”

  “I won a hundred bucks on your team.”

  Alex’s jaw dropped. “You bet a hundred bucks? On a high-school basketball game? Dad, you’re insane.”

  He waved dismissively. “I have confidence in you. And that freshman guard.”

  Alex laughed. Melissa had hit six out of seven three-pointers and scored twenty-six points in their most recent game. For the first time all season Kelsey wasn’t the high scorer.

  “I’m fond of her, too,” she said.

  “She busted the spread wide open.”

  “Dad, for some reason I think we shouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  And so they changed the conversation to the most reliable of topics, the weather, and Alex and Brit helped her mother set the table while her father watched them all working. After enjoying tomato soup and grilled-cheese sandwiches, Brit served the cookies.

  “Alex, you should marry this girl,” her father said as he bit into a Gramma Cookie.

  Brit’s jaw dropped and Alex blushed, but quickly recovered. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  “Never. But I wouldn’t mind having Brit around more.”

  Brit felt herself blushing. One day she’d like to marry Alex. For now, they needed to think about living arrangements. Brit’s lease expired in August, and even though it was only February, she liked to plan ahead. Neither one of them had enough space to accommodate them both. A two-bedroom apartment in her complex would only cost a few hundred dollars more each month but would give them a little more space. If Alex was willing to give up her place. Brit felt like she was ready, but she wondered if Alex wanted to make that commitment to her. She was afraid to ask.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall

  Alex came through Brit’s front door carrying a gym bag, a paper bag of Chinese food, and her briefcase, and Brit laughed at her balancing act.

  It warmed Alex’s heart to hear her laugh. Since her mother had discovered them on Christmas Day, Brit had been struggling with her emotions. Alex knew she tried to stay upbeat, working hard on her class assignments and coaching, cooking for her and keeping up with laundry and chores. Yet when she was quiet and still, Alex detected a certain sadness she knew she couldn’t fix. It made her sad as well.

  Not to mention stressed. She’d done this, practically forced herself on Brit, and she constantly questioned herself and their relationship. Had she been selfish to push Brit? Maybe Brit wasn’t emotionally ready to be in a sexual relationship, an
d every day Alex worried Brit was going to call the whole thing off. So she went out of her way to do little things to make Brit laugh, to let her know how much she loved her. It was hard, though, to be responsible for someone else’s happiness, and Alex hoped Brit would come out of her funk soon. It was exhausting.

  Focusing on school, and on her team, was the best way to cope with her stress, Alex realized. It helped that the team was winning and had a superstar on the roster as well. They were working toward a district championship and a ticket to Pennsylvania’s high-school championship tournament. It was amazing to see what her team had done! She’d had such low expectations at the start of the season. All she’d wanted was a winning record to prove to the suits in charge that she was competent enough to be their coach. Even if they lost every game for the rest of the season, they’d still have more wins than losses. They wouldn’t, though. There was no reason their success wouldn’t continue.

  But success caused other issues.

  Kelsey’s play and the parade of college recruiters at every game had created a frenzy with the local media, and Alex had been interviewed dozens of times by television, radio, and newspaper reporters. Strangers were talking to her and offering congratulations and, of course, advice. Casual acquaintances were suddenly treating her like friends. Business associates of her parents were requesting tickets to the sold-out games, and now Alex had to beg the athletic director for tickets to appease her family. It was overwhelming, but compared to dealing with Brit, coaching was easy.

  Even though basketball was stressful, Alex loved it. She loved the practices, loved the games, and loved the attention. What if she really was offered a college job because of the great season her high-school team was having? It would be the most amazing climb in history. From high-school assistant to college coach in only two seasons! Just one of many records she hoped to log in the books before she was done.

  “I have dinner,” Alex said.

  “Good. I have the video ready to go.”

  They planned to make it a working dinner. Their next contest was against a team they’d played in the first half of the season. They’d had some problems getting into an offensive rhythm during the game, and it had been their lowest scoring effort of the season. If not for some clutch foul shots at the end, they might have lost. They wanted to review the video so they could work on strategy at the next practice.

  Alex changed while Brit plated their food, and both found seats on the couch. Seconds later they were watching the previous game.

  “Did you see that?” Brit asked a few minutes later, eyes open wide as a play unfolded before them on the television screen.

  “I sure did. That was sort of boneheaded.”

  “I think she does it again.”

  The subject of their conversation was Kelsey. She’d ignored an open player a few feet away and threw a pass cross-court. It was nearly intercepted. As they watched, Kelsey did the same thing again, and this time, the pass was picked off and taken in for a layup by the opposition.

  Instead of scouting their opponent, as they’d intended, Alex found herself watching Kelsey. To her dismay, she realized Brit was right. Kelz was managing to score, but she wasn’t doing it the easy way. It was actually hard to watch all the bad passes that left her teammates off balance. The bad shots taken from out of position. The missed screens. The missed opportunities.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t notice all this before,” Alex said.

  “It’s hard to be focused on the mistakes when she’s scoring and the team’s winning.”

  “If she keeps doing this shit, we won’t keep winning. Not when we play anyone with talent.”

  An hour later, they’d pushed their food aside and sat with notepads in their laps, watching and taking notes. When they decided on their game plan, Alex turned to Brit.

  “Any chance you have other games I can watch?”

  “They’re all on there. Which one do you want to see?”

  “All of them.”

  “Alex, would you mind if I get some work done? I have to proof my bio exam and email it to the secretary before morning.”

  “Sure. Just set that up for me.”

  Brit pressed some buttons on her laptop and it fed the video into her television, and there they were, back at the first game. “I’ll be in the bedroom,” Brit said as she kissed the top of Alex’s head and left the room.

  Alex barely noticed her leaving. Her mind had already moved on. She watched Kelsey’s performance carefully, noting the difference between her performance at the beginning of the season and her current play. How could a player get worse over the course of a season? Her mistakes were all mental, as if she’d forgotten the basics. Which, of course, was ridiculous.

  Yet there it was, in color. In real time and slow motion, Alex watched Kelsey pass up easy shots and attempt difficult ones, make bad passes and stupid mistakes. A wave of nausea overcame her, and she wasn’t sure if it was her dinner or the suspicion brewing that caused it.

  Something was definitely wrong with Kelsey, and Alex was determined to learn what it was. She needed more information, and she knew just who to call.

  “Dad, tell me about the spread on my team.”

  “You’re giving the other team eight points.”

  “So we have to win by nine for you to win money?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Do we always give the other team points?”

  “Yes. The number of points varies, based on how good your opponents are. That’s what makes it interesting. Everyone would bet on you winning. The question is can you win by twenty-five points.”

  “Do we usually cover the spread?”

  “No. The last game was the first time I’ve won, and I’ve been betting on you since the holiday tournament.”

  “So roughly ten games you’ve lost by betting on me. Even though we’re supposed to win.”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow. Why do you keep betting?”

  “Because you’re my daughter. And because you should be able to beat the spread.”

  Alex nodded in understanding. If Kelsey had played up to her potential, to the ability she showed in the first part of the season, they’d win every game by forty points. They’d beat the spread. But Kelsey wasn’t playing up to her potential, and Alex was concerned. If her suspicion was right, Kelsey was shaving points.

  *

  Talking to a player in her office with the door closed wasn’t all that unusual, so Alex wasn’t worried about what the team would think when she called Kelsey in. Brit was used to it, too, and she didn’t ask questions. Alex hadn’t wanted to share this with Brit. Not until she had proof. Brit adored Kelsey, and Alex knew she’d be devastated by this discovery.

  “I know what you’re doing,” Alex said when Kelsey was seated across from her. Alex leaned forward, her hands folded on her desk, thankful for the barrier separating them. Otherwise, she might have shaken Kelsey senseless.

  “What are you talking about?” Kelsey asked innocently, but her eyes began to dart around the small office and she shifted in her chair.

  “Point shaving. I know you’re shaving points, Kelz. I just don’t know why. So that’s my question. Why are you doing this? You have so much talent, and so much potential, and a bright future ahead of you. Why would you do something so stupid?”

  Kelsey sighed and hid her face in her hands, seeming to search for courage. When she pulled them away, she didn’t look at Alex when she spoke, and her voice was so soft Alex had difficulty hearing her clearly. “Have you ever heard about students buying tests?”

  “You mean exams?”

  Kelsey looked up, and though Alex saw fear in her eyes, she didn’t hesitate. Apparently she needed to get this off her chest. “Yeah. You can buy them.”

  “Old exams, like last year’s?”

  Kelsey shook her head, and Alex’s heart pounded as it sank into her abdomen. This wasn’t sounding good. “No. You can get a copy of current tests the day before. Then a
ll you have to do is memorize the answers.”

  “Jesus. Have you been buying exams, Kelz?”

  Kelsey nodded, then swallowed, and tears formed in her eyes. “Since the beginning of the year.” She sniffled and wiped her nose before continuing, and Alex felt the need to cry as well. “Now I’m in trouble. The guy who sells them is blackmailing me. He said he’d tell the principal and I’ll get thrown off the team, and I won’t be able to get a scholarship or go to college. He told me if I shave points, he won’t tell.” As she said the last words, she began to really sob.

  “Oh, shit,” Alex said. It was just as she suspected, only worse. She’d imagined Kelsey was betting on the games, making money when they didn’t cover the spread. It would have been easy to stop her just with this conversation. The truth was an entirely different matter, and Alex wasn’t sure what she could do about it. She ran her hands through her hair and tried to stay focused. How could this be happening? She did everything she was supposed to do with her team. There was no impropriety on her part, and she’d tried from the beginning to teach them about integrity and sportsmanship and character. In spite of the lectures and the threats of dismissal and suspension, the one player who mattered most to her team had seen fit to not only break the team rules, but to get into trouble, too.

  Alex could only shake her head in disbelief. “You have no way of holding him to that, Kelsey. He’s a criminal, a blackmailer. What makes you think he’d be honest about your agreement? And I don’t think this is the sort of thing you can put in writing.”

  Kelsey crossed her arms on the desk and buried her head in them and cried again. Alex was silent. After a moment, Kelsey turned her head and spoke. “You’re right, Coach. I don’t believe him, either. I think he’ll just keep hounding me, follow me to college and want me to throw games there.”

  Alex wondered how someone who’d done something so stupid could grasp such an intelligent concept. Of course he wouldn’t let her walk away. He’d hold this over her the rest of her life, and no matter where she went or what she did, he’d still own her.