“I love playing basketball, but soccer has always been my sport. I started playing when I was four and never wanted to stop. I ended up playing at UConn.” Chloe glimpsed pain or maybe regret flash across Madeleine’s face, only to be replaced immediately with composure. Unsure what to make of that and whether they were on a safe topic, Chloe faltered. Instead of continuing, she waited for an indication from Madeleine of where their conversation would go. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long.
“You downplay your skills at soccer, but I hear from Taylor that you were incredible at St. Michael’s. Is there a basketball record over there without your name on it?”
“Honestly, I don’t know the individual records I have.” Chloe paused. She hadn’t thought about those since she was playing. She had game balls somewhere from each of the scoring milestones she’d achieved, signed by her teammates. And Coach had given her some certificates and a plaque or two. “You would have to ask my parents. They have all of my stats and whatnot. Dad counts it among his personal duties to always be ready to rattle off my career stats to the extended family.” Chloe remembered the embarrassment of hearing him do that during her senior season. “What I’m most proud of is that we went to the Division II Final Four three times and won the whole thing my senior year. That was one of the best experiences of my life.”
“Nothing compares to winning a championship does it?”
“Not even close. So how many national titles did you guys win? I can tell you know the feeling. It’s all over your face.” Madeleine’s cheeks went pink, a fact that pleased Chloe a bit too much.
“We won two. I was lucky.”
Chloe was more than impressed. Winning a Division I championship was a big deal. If Chloe hadn’t pressed her, she might never have told her that she was a two-time national champion.
“That’s more than lucky, Madeleine. That’s incredible. Being a part of a team that talented and disciplined.” Chloe paused, processing this new information. “Yeah, you have the right to tell anyone that tries to tell you how to coach to shove it.” She saw gratitude, warmth, and passion flit across Madeleine’s expressive face. She leaned back in her seat. Stuffed with pizza, warmth finally back in all of her extremities, Chloe was entirely content.
Chapter Six
Tuesday
It had been exactly one week and one day since she interviewed for the long-term sub position, a period of time which any rational person would understand was much too short for a school to make a decision on a candidate. That had not kept Chloe from feeling anxious and jumpy all day. The reasonable side of her personality had gone on strike. Yesterday had been her first painful Monday since coming to Wiscasset. And wow, had it been painful. At least tonight she could work out some of that frustration with the girls at open gym.
Parking her Jeep and zipping her coat up all the way, Chloe headed into the school through the biting wind. Inside she was greeted by the usual crowd. Taylor was talking to Stacey and Anna animatedly about the cruelty of Sea World. Chloe had to laugh, assuming Taylor had recently watched Blackfish and was feeling particularly inspired. Madeleine was sitting with Robin and another woman Chloe didn’t recognize, though she assumed it might be Jess, a colleague of Anne’s. Though she hadn’t officially met Jess, Taylor had described her as mellow and fun.
Chloe was excited; they would have eight tonight—she had seen Jaysa pulling into the parking lot as she was walking in the door. She tossed her bag on the gym floor near where Taylor was sitting and sat down to lace up her sneakers.
“Hurry up, guys,” Taylor yelled. “Let’s shoot for teams. Today was a long day and I want to get playing.”
Once the teams were divided, it was Stacey, Chloe, Jaysa, and Anna against Madeleine, Taylor, Jess, and Robin. Chloe shook her head. She had done a solid job of guessing who had played at which level in college, as well as picking up on people’s habits and strengths. Madeleine’s team was stacked. There was only so much that knowledge could do when facing a team loaded with that much talent.
Jess was the smallest person on the other team so Jaysa would guard her for the night. Both of them had played Division III ball, so it was a fair matchup. As for the rest of the pairings, not so much. Robin had played at Lemoyne in Syracuse and had been an All-American power forward. Though Anna was barely five-ten, she was pretty solid and could body up with her defensively. There was only one problem: Anna wasn’t skilled enough to ever score over Robin. That meant that offensive production would fall to Chloe and Stacey. She had always made it a priority to facilitate during these games. As the new girl she didn’t want to be a black hole; she’d always been afraid of being called a ball hog, even as a kid. But having lost most of her games since coming to open gym, she was sick of coming up short.
Chloe asked Stacey who she would rather guard, Taylor or Madeleine. While Taylor was the oldest of the group at thirty-four, she was also a Hartford Hall of Fame inductee who played basketball nearly every day in class and at practice. Age was nothing to Taylor. As a five-foot-ten guard, she wasn’t an easy matchup for anyone.
Then again, neither was Madeleine. She had shown her Division I athleticism from the first day. She had a killer first step and was so quick it almost wasn’t fair. She was a dead stick shooter too. Her only weakness was that she was only five-eight. That didn’t really count as a weakness, though, since she had more than enough skill to compensate, even against much taller adversaries. Chloe couldn’t imagine what kind of career Madeleine would have had if she had chosen basketball.
There was absolutely no way Stacey could guard Madeleine, but Stacey would struggle with Taylor as well, so Chloe let her pick her poison. Stacey shrugged. “I’ll take Madeleine, but who knows how long that will last.”
Chloe laughed and clapped her on the back in a supportive way, hoping they wouldn’t get blown out.
* * *
Four minutes in, it was clear to everyone that Stacey, try as she might, was never going to be able to contain Madeleine. Madeleine was way too quick. Stacey had been scored on four possessions in a row. As Taylor went to put the ball inbounds, Chloe yelled over to her teammate. “Stace, switch with me. I’ll take Madeleine.” Stacey nodded gratefully.
Taylor, instigator that she was, had to add her own comment, of course. “Watch out, Madeleine. Chloe thinks she can shut you down. Take it easy on the new girl, will you?”
Chloe had played with Taylor for long enough now to recognize her playing mind games, trying to get under her skin. She chose to ignore her, pivoting mentally instead to how she’d have to play Madeleine. Chloe was at least four inches taller and had a much longer wingspan, but Madeleine was smart and quick. They hadn’t been matched up before. It should be interesting.
Play continued as Taylor brought the ball up the floor, swinging the pass to Jess on the wing. Madeleine cut to the basket baseline. Seeing Robin, she changed direction up the lane, trying to shake Chloe by running her off Robin’s down screen. Chloe managed to beat her to the spot, but then got nailed on a back screen by Taylor.
Fighting through the screen, Chloe trailed behind as Madeleine slipped toward the basket. On the entry pass from Jess, Madeleine went up for the layup, but Chloe had closed the distance between them. Amped up from getting hit on the screen, she extended her full length and swatted the ball out of Madeleine’s hands from behind. She hadn’t intended to be quite so vicious, but she couldn’t contain her competitiveness any longer. She decided then and there not to hold back again.
Taylor, of course, had to let out a loud “Oooooohhhh” from the elbow as Madeleine sent Chloe some challenging side-eye.
“Our ball,” she stated calmly. She tossed it to Jess at the top of the key and headed to the wing. Jess checked the ball with Jaysa and Madeleine immediately cut through the lane, popping out to get the pass on the opposite wing. Taking two dribbles left, Madeleine faked the pass inside to Robin. Chloe bit on the fake. When Madeleine pulled the ball back, Chloe scrambled to close out a half
-second too late; she drained the three in her face. “Fuck,” Chloe muttered under her breath. Madeleine nodded to Chloe and then jogged back to play defense. Okay, if that’s how you want it, you got it.
Chloe brought the ball up the court and kicked it over to Anna. Cutting through the lane, Madeleine bodied her up, bumping her on her cut to the basket. Chloe stopped like she was going to post Madeleine up to take advantage of the mismatch, then popped out to the baseline for the pass. Madeleine scrambled out to Chloe. Hesitating a moment, Chloe jab-stepped left. Madeleine, off balance, took two extra steps to cut off Chloe’s drive. Chloe changed directions and put down the dribble going right. As Madeleine started to recover, she brought the ball backward between her legs, stretching out completely to get separation for the step back jump shot. Damn, it felt good to be back out here. She smiled to herself as she heard the ball hit the net. Anna gave her a high five before running back on defense and Chloe knew this game was going to be a little different.
The next possession, Madeleine caught the ball on the wing and Chloe reached out to check up. Madeleine swung the ball through to break Chloe’s contact, trying to get the first step, but Chloe cut her off. Keeping her dribble, Madeleine brought the ball up with her right hand, faking hard, then out of nowhere kept it and sliced left past her to take it in for the layup.
Jogging back down the court together, Chloe acknowledged Madeleine. “That’s all you get tonight.” Madeleine nodded at Chloe and put an arm bar on her ribs, pressing herself along the length of Chloe’s side. Chloe couldn’t quite focus on what was happening on the other side of the floor, the proximity to Madeleine—her hands on Chloe’s side, the intensity of her golden brown eyes—currently eclipsing the game.
Wondering for a moment if Madeleine was at all affected by her, Chloe nearly missed Taylor as she picked Stacey’s pocket and started the fast break. She refocused and sprinted to catch up. When Taylor tried to force the pass to Robin, Anna stepped in front of it for the steal. She quickly passed the outlet to Stacey and they ran back up the court. When Chloe caught the reverse pass, she drove right, getting the defense to collapse on her. Drawing Robin from the opposite block, she dropped a shovel pass underneath Madeleine’s outstretched arms to the waiting Stacey across the lane.
After Stacey scored, Chloe offered Madeleine a high five to taunt her a little bit, but she shook her head at Chloe, playfully slapping her hand away. The two of them laughed together, the excitement of being evenly matched providing an opportunity to enjoy the challenge of one-upping each other and carrying their respective teams.
Chloe’s team scored four more times, thanks to her creating most of the offense. They were only down by one, but Madeleine had the ball in the backcourt for game point. Determined not to let her score, Chloe unashamedly kept checking her, bumping her to remind her she wasn’t getting through, pestering her, and keeping her from making her break to the basket. She was definitely fouling her, but it was call your own and there was no way Madeleine would call an off ball foul.
Madeleine sent a pass over to Taylor, who drove off Robin’s screen. Chloe had to slide over to help the screened Stacey, so Taylor crossed it back to Madeleine on the opposite wing. Anticipating the drive, Chloe sprinted across the lane again as Madeleine lowered her head, driving baseline from the wing. Chloe stopped dead at the edge of the lane and set her feet as Madeleine left hers, hanging in the air to take the game-winning layup. Madeleine shielded the ball from Chloe, releasing the shot as the two of them crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
Madeleine collapsed on top of Chloe, the full length of her body pressing them to the floor, her face within inches of Chloe’s. Together they watched to see if the shot fell. As soon as it did, Chloe’s focus shifted to the face inches above hers. Her jawline was set tightly in concentration, the soft features enhanced in the rush of competition, and Chloe was mesmerized. Taking in the sight of Madeleine’s furrowed brows, the easy slope of her nose to her soft lips, she greedily absorbed the details before her. God, she was beautiful.
The thundering of her own heartbeat faded to the background as the sound of Taylor’s celebration pierced her consciousness. Anna nodded, acknowledging that the final basket would count. Game over.
The victory announced, Chloe and Madeleine remained on the floor. Madeleine locked eyes with Chloe, grinning, sweaty, and beautiful, and Chloe’s breath caught again. She didn’t want Madeleine to get up. Madeleine hesitated as well, lingering briefly before breaking contact. The jolt of adrenaline Chloe felt wasn’t the typical basketball-induced high, she knew. No, this had much more to do with Madeleine.
Extricating herself from the embrace, Madeleine offered her hand to Chloe. Chloe grasped the outstretched hand, feeling another surge of sensation at the contact, then pushed herself off the floor. Without breaking their grip, Madeleine pulled Chloe in for a half hug. Bringing Chloe into her personal space, she whispered in her ear. “That was definitely a charge, but I’ll never admit it again.”
Her low whisper and breath on Chloe’s ear raised goose bumps on the back of her neck, and another surge hit Chloe, flooding her skin with energy from Madeleine’s nearness. As her stomach flipped, Chloe could only manage a halfhearted nod in return, one eyebrow arching. Madeleine however appeared completely unaffected by their little exchange and walked to the sideline. She carried on, giving out high fives and hugs to all the women as they always did after the games.
“No question! That was a charge! The bruise forming on my ass is proof,” Chloe called after her.
Taylor reached over and slapped Chloe’s butt. “That’s the bitterness talking. Nice play, Madeleine.”
“I’ve never played better defense in my life,” Chloe retorted. “Damn right, I’m bitter!” The group broke out in laughter, untying their shoes and preparing to bundle up to head out into the cold night air.
While they were getting ready, Madeleine called out to everyone.
“Guys, I have a huge favor to ask. The girls have been playing so hard and with sectionals coming up I want Saturday to be a fun practice. With that in mind, I got a bunch of my old teammates to come out this weekend for a scrimmage, old farts versus young guns, but I need some of you to play and maybe level the playing field a bit?” The look on Madeleine’s face was endearing. Her desire to put together a great weekend practice was evident.
“Stacey, I’d love to have you, but I know you have practice Saturday, right?”
Stacey responded, “Actually we’re having team bonding at the bowling alley, their request. But next year I’m totally stealing your idea, Coach.” Everyone laughed at that, then started piping up. Jaysa, Jess, and Taylor were in, but Anna and Robin couldn’t go. Madeleine turned to Chloe.
“So, are you in? You’re my last hope. I don’t have a keeper.”
“There’s no way I’m playing. I was traumatized in high school. Don’t ask me to relive it. Taylor, can’t Anne come?” Chloe turned desperately to Taylor.
“Sorry, sunshine. She’s at a conference all weekend. Come on, Chloe, it’s all for fun. How big of a wimp are you if you can’t suck it up for these kids?”
“You guys don’t understand.” Chloe refused to relive that awful halftime experience. She had never been more embarrassed in her life. Moments like that never truly fade.
Madeleine had been quiet, a pensive expression on her face.
“Chloe, I respect whatever skeleton you have in that closet of yours, but I need you, so… I have a proposition for you.”
Chloe, clueless as to where this was heading, was intrigued but still disinclined to play.
“I want you to come out to the pitch with me tomorrow after school. I’ll shoot five times from the top of the box. If you actually try and you can’t make at least one save, then I’ll figure something else out. This way you can prove to me the universe is opposed to you playing soccer.”
Chloe did not want to be the asshole that messed up this great scrimmage idea for Madeleine. But she
had managed to stick to her vow of never playing soccer in public for ten years and she didn’t want to break it now. The high schooler in her was stubborn.
“Take the deal, Chloe. She’s giving you an out. She was on the fucking women’s national team. You stand no chance,” blurted Jaysa, shaking her head at Chloe’s hesitance.
Chloe was blindsided by this news. Madeleine had played with Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd? The fact that Madeleine had reached the absolute pinnacle of her sport was mind-boggling to Chloe. She was fully star-struck—until she noticed Madeleine’s expression. It had dimmed considerably. Though she found it odd that those memories were so painful to her, she couldn’t prolong her response any longer.
“Fine, but this is going to be ugly.”
The joy that replaced Madeleine’s pained expression was infinitely better. Chloe couldn’t help but feel herself lighten at the possibility that she had somehow caused that change. Even if it was only for agreeing to be a target in goal.
The chatter around them picked up at the prospect of the scrimmage. Chloe tried to tell herself it wouldn’t be that bad. Five shots. Then she would be free.
Leave it to Madeleine, though, to pit Chloe against herself. Chloe had fancied becoming a soccer player after meeting some of the very cool, very beautiful upperclassmen on the team during her freshman year, but that dream died at the pep rally. She’d refused to embarrass herself on the soccer field since then, but now here she was, struggling with her competitiveness—as Madeleine must have known she would. Her best strategy would be to simply let the goals in, but already, unbidden, she was thinking about ways to avoid getting blown away by Madeleine.
Breaking Even Page 9