Playing college basketball has been my dream for as long as I can remember, and now I have a chance to achieve it. I got the opportunity to walk onto CMU’s top-ranking basketball team. To think I made it through the walk-on tryouts is a miracle in and of itself. There were so many talented athletes, and somehow, I managed to rise above them all to claim a spot on the team. Now I have to continue to work hard and prove that I belong on this team. I have my work cut out for me, especially with players like Kennedy Brooke—who is my absolute role model! Last year she led the team to the Final Four, giving CMU their first elite eight victory in the history of the program.
Just watching her play gave me goosebumps, and now I actually get to not only meet her, but I get a chance to play on the same team as her! I’m so giddy with excitement. And she’s not the only one I’m excited to meet. There’s Fionna Beasley, the top defensive player in the conference. Solette Caldwell, a remarkable small forward. Lauren Hamilton, the center that’s impossible to score on. And of course, Head Coach Tallah Clayton is another one of my role models. In her first year as head coach, she took a losing team and brought them to the playoffs for the first time in years. Obviously, in her second year, she took them to the final four, which is even more impressive. And then there’s assistant coach Milena Riddle who was the starting small forward for the team last year and has come back to coach!
It does help that I already have a friend on the team. Even though Catlynne Foster graduated a few years before me, we grew up next door to each other. She’s the person who got me into basketball. She convinced me to try for a walk-on position at CMU. Now she’s the starting shooting guard. I can’t wait to talk to her later.
As I make my way up to my dorm room, I’m super excited to meet my new teammates. I wonder who my roommates will be? I know they’re all on the team and they’ll most likely be freshmen. As I enter the dorm, I’m met by a lanky black girl with long raven-black, braided hair. She’s got a fire in her eyes and a confident smile.
“Hey, you must be my new roommate. I’m Malynne Poole, but you can call me Maly.” As she holds out her hand.
I take it ecstatically. “I’m Marcela Elvira.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Marcela, what position do you play? I play small forward.”
“I’m a point guard,” I reply, proudly.
“Nice, where did you go to High School?”
“Just a small town up north called Boyne City. Nothing special.”
“Great, I’m from Grand Rapids,” she says.
“That’s cool. I’ve always wanted to live in a big city,” I tell her.
“You’re not missing much,” she says as another girl walks in. She’s got bleach-blonde hair that falls just past her shoulders, she seems a bit taller than me but I can’t completely tell from where I am standing. Her plastered on smile looks like she bought it on sale at Neimann-Marcus. The color of her skin was definatly payed for and sprayed on.
. “Hi, you two must be my roommates, I’m Danielle Owen, and I’ll be your new starting point guard.”
Of course...
“Oooh,” Maly responds, glancing at me, then at her.
“And what are your names?” Danielle asks.
“I’m Malynne Poole.”
“And I’m Marcela.”
“Nice, what positions do you play?” she asks.
“Small forward,” Maly says.
“And you?” Danielle asks as she looks me over.
“Point guard.”
Her eyes go wide before a smirk plays across her face. “Oooh. Well, have fun riding the bench.”
“You know we’re both going to be riding the bench this year, right? There’s no way we’re going to beat Kennedy out for the starting point guard position,” I reply, shaking my head. “Or even Usha for second string.”
“Not with an attitude like that. I’m a winner, and winners always start,” she states.
Before I can respond, our fourth roommate barges in. She drops her bag as soon as she sees me. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. How did you make the team?” Sarah Wood demands.
“I walked on for your information. I take it daddy bought your way on, am I right?”
“Please, like I need help getting on the team, I actually got a full-ride sports scholarship unlike you,” she claims.
“I take it you two know each other?” Maly says.
“I definitely wouldn’t consider us friends, we went to rival schools. She went to Boyne City and I went to Traverse City St. Francis. And of course, we stomped them in the regular season and in the playoffs.”
“Because you’re a private school and can recruit players all across the nation,” I retort.
“Big C’s, little c’s, ain’t no c’s like excuses,” she says.
“This is going to be a long year.” I sigh.
“You can count on it,” she says as she grabs her things. “So have we decided on sleeping arrangements?”
“Not really,” Maly says.
We walk into the room with the bunks. “I call bottom bunk,” Sarah states, as she sets her shit down on a bed.
“I don’t mind taking top bunk,” Maly replies, taking the bunk above Sarah.
“I actually prefer the top bunk because I’m a top player,” Danielle proclaims, as she takes the other side.
“I guess I’ll take the bottom bunk. Well, we should probably get to the gym. Our first preseason practice starts soon,” I suggest.
“It’s just practice,” Danielle replies.
“As much as I hate to say it, I agree with the rambler,” Sarah says. God, why? I'm not only stuck on the same team as her but we have to be roommates?
“Rambler?” Maly inquires.
“It’s our school mascot,” I inform her.
“What kind of mascot is a rambler?” Danielle asks.
“It’s because Boyne City is full of people who talk too much,” Sarah tells them.
“Coming from you, that’s the pot calling the kettle black,” I argue.
“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” Sarah demands.
“Let’s just head to the gym,” Maly sighs.
“For once, that’s something almost all of us can agree on,” Sarah says.
________________________________________
________________________________________
We get our stuff ready, and at the gym, we change and head out onto the court. It’s almost like a dream walking onto the practice court.
“Shit, I’m going to get warmed up,” Sarah states as she puts on a headband to keep her blonde hair from falling into her face. She grabs a ball. I’m definitely not going to stand around while she practices. I grab my own ball and put on my headband, it’s exactly the same as the one Kennedy wore during the game they won in the Elite Eight. I go to the other side of the court to warm up while Maly stretches, and Danielle does whatever she does on her phone.
After a few minutes, the other players start to trickle in. And soon, my idol walks in, Kennedy Brooke. I try not to gawk. I can’t help it. She’s got on her signature headband that holds back all that light brown hair. I can’t help but touch my own identical band. Her Hazel eyes shimmer in the light as she walks up in practice shorts and a t-shirt. Her honey sun-kissed skin directly contrasts with her bright white shirt. Her legs show years of hard work and both ankles are wrapped up in braces. I have to say something. “Kennedy Brooke, It’s such an honor to finally meet you. I watched every game. This is crazy! My name is Marcela, and I’m your biggest fan!”
“Woah, settle down Dandi,” Cat exclaims. Her normally messy curly brown hair pulled back into a bun. Her dark almond skin is smooth like always as her dark brown eyes narrow at me.
“Cat! I almost didn’t see you!” I yell, as I practically leap into her arms.
“Jeez, Dandi. Come on, you’re embarrassing me,” Cat insists as she pushes me off of her.
“This must be the neighbor you were telling me about.” Kennedy grins at Cat. Oh my God! They were talking about me? I wonder what they said.
“Yeah…she’s kind of like a stray cat that won’t leave you alone after you feed it. Babe, meet Marcela Elvira, aka Dandi.” Cat turns to me. “Obviously, you know Kennedy. I’m glad you decided to walk on.”
“Thanks!” I say, overly eager.
“Oh my God, the game against MSU where you pulled that step-back jumper for the win was amazing!” I say to Kennedy.
“Calm down, Dandi—Let the girl breathe,” Cat replies.
“It’s cool, I’m flattered. I think it’s cute,” Kennedy says.
“Damn, Cat. You sure know how to pick them,” Fionna interjects. Her long dark black hair done up in braids and she stands much taller than Cat or Kennedy with rich dark chocolate skin.
“Oh my God, it’s Fionna Beasley! This is like a dream come true!” I assert.
“Come on, Dandi! Stop making such a big deal of this,” Cat grumbles, as she rubs her temples.
“Yeah, I like this girl,” Fionna says. “I got to know, what’s the story behind the nickname?”
“Dandi?” Cat asks. “This girl was always picking dandelions. Her hair was always full of them. I just started calling her Dandi.”
“That’s hilarious. Dandi, it is.” Fionna laughs.
I can feel my face burning hot. “Thanks, Cat.”
“What are friends for?” She smiles as she puts her arm around my shoulder.
“Alright everyone, gather around,” Head coach Tallah Clayton says. My eyes glaze at the sight of her. She’s got on sweat pants and a CMU shirt. Her silky dark black hair pulled back into a pony tail. She’s got smooth skin the color of expresso.
“Oh my God, it’s head coach, Tallah Clayton!” I squeal. Kennedy and Fionna chuckle as Cat facepalms. I know I’ve already met her before when I built up the courage to walk on, but it’s still so surreal.
“It’s good someone has some enthusiasm. You’ll need it. We have our work cut out for us this year. We may have made it to the final four last year, which is much farther than anyone thought we’d make it, but that doesn’t mean shit. I want you all to erase last year from your minds. It’s a new season, and we’re back at the bottom.”
She looks around at all of us. “That means, I expect you all to work hard. Your positions are earned, not given. So give me your best, and let’s get at it.”
After coach finishes, she has us start with basic warm-ups, running layups, passing drills, and a lot of conditioning.
“Ladies, let’s hustle,” head coach Clayton yells as we run sprints up and down the court. We continue to run more and more sprints. “Alright, girls, bring it in. That was a good start. Now let’s run a scrimmage. Kennedy and Catlynne. You’ll pick the teams. Kennedy, shoot to see who gets first pick.”
Kennedy takes the basketball and pulls up, drains it. “I’ll take Fionna.”
“Crap. I’ll take Solette,” Cat declares. Wow. Solette Caldwell! The 1st string small forward. I remember the game where she stole the ball with less than 20 seconds left and took it in for the game winning layup. Now she’s standing in front of me with her dark black hair done up in braids and her umber skin slicked with sweat.
“Lauren,” Kennedy says. Well, there goes the top players on the team. Lauren Hamilton! She’s the teams starting center. She’s wearing pink headband that pulls back her bright blonde hair. She smiles widely as she walks over to join Kennedy.
“Usha,” Cat calls. Crap, she’s the second-string point guard. No way, it’s Usha Patton who’ll be a junior this year. She’s going to be one of the best point guards next year after Kennedy goes pro. Her face lights up with a smile as she joins Cat. She’s got a head of curly bleached blonde hair and light almond skin.
“Vertasha.” Kennedy takes the second-string shooting guard. A short skinny girl with a small dark black afro and rich dark honey skin.
“Eva.” Cat takes the second-string center. A tall skinny blonde girl with skin the color sand.
“Kathleen, get over here,” Kennedy orders, taking the second-string power forward. Another tall blonde.
“Salenna,” Cat says, taking the second-string small forward. A girl with dark bronze skin and dark black hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Now that all the established players have been taken, Kennedy looks at the rest of us. “Take Dandi,” Fionna says.
“Alright, we’ll take Dandelion,” Kennedy adds. As glad as I am for not being picked last, I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to shake that nickname.
Cat points at the freshman I haven’t met yet who’s got beautiful creamy chocolate skin and long silky dark black hair in a long braid. “Skyscraper, you’re on our team.”
“We’ll take the twig.” Kennedy points at Maly.
“I’ll take Blondie,” Cat says.
“They both have blonde hair,” Kennedy says.
“Does it matter?” Cat smirks.
“Come on ladies, we don’t have all day,” Coach declares.
“You two, what are your positions?” Kennedy asks.
“I’m a shooting guard,” Sarah says.
“Point guard,” Danielle says with a hint of overconfidence.
“You take the shooting guard, I’ll take the point guard?” Cat inquires.
“Works with me,” Kennedy says.
Great, Sarah’s on my team…
“Alright, pick your starters and let’s get started,” Coach says.
“Alright, my team, huddle up,” Kennedy says. “Fionna, obviously you're at power forward. Lauren you’ve got center. Vertasha, you’re at shooting guard. Which one of you plays small forward?”
Maly raises her hand. “Good, you’re starting. We’ll sub the rest of you in as we get started. Dandi, what’s your position?” Kennedy asks.
“Point guard.”
“Okay, sounds good. You both pay attention, and we’ll make subs as we go.”
The girls line up as Danielle and Salenna sit out on Cat’s team with Kathleen Prince, Sarah, and me.
“Just because you’ve got it in with Catlynne doesn’t mean you’ve got the point guard position locked in,” Danielle says as she walks over to the sidelines.
“You know there are two other point guards who will be starting over us?”
“Not for long. I’ll soon be the number one point guard on this team,” Danielle insists.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” I reply, keeping my eyes from rolling.
As Kennedy’s and Cat’s team go back and forth, scoring on each other. Kennedy, Cat, Solette, and Fionna dominate the game. Eventually, Cat switches off and starts to guard Kennedy. The two go at each other with such fierce competitiveness. You can tell there are strong feelings between the two of them. Even though Cat’s normally pretty chill and fun, right now, she’s a straight-up tiger out there as she battles it out with Kennedy. It’s like watching a battle between legends. They both lead the team last season in scoring and assists. They were the dynamic duo, and to see them face off against each other is beyond anything I’d ever dream of. I can’t believe I get to witness it.
“Subs,” Kennedy calls. Sarah, Kathleen, and I rush onto the court for the first time, along with Danielle, Salenna and, the other freshmen. My nerves are on fire as my heart races in my chest. Just breathe, Marcela. Just breath. You got this. I take the inbound pass from Maly and push it up the court. As Danielle comes to guard me, the ball bounces off my foot and into her hands. Before I can react, she blows by me and scores.
Crap! Not a good way to make my first impressions. “Come on Dandi!” Kennedy shouts.
I take the inbound pass again and take it up the court. I pass it to Maly before I can mess up again and rush to set a pick for Sarah. Sarah takes the ball off the screen and sinks a three-pointer.
Danielle takes the inbound pass and drives it up the court. I meet her at half-court, and she crosses me over, getting the best of me. She takes it to the top of the free-throw line and pulls up, scoring easily.
Crap! I’ve got to play better defense. I take the ball in and move down the court. Fionna’s posting up, I bounce pass it down low to her. She easily dominates the freshman and scores.
I meet Danielle as she dribbles up the court. She tries the crossover again, but I’m not going to fall for it twice. She spins and sidesteps me. She battles me tooth and nail to the paint before she takes a step back and pulls up, scoring again.
“Subs!” Kennedy calls out, and once again I’m on the sideline. Didn’t score a single bucket. Great—
“Nice screen,” Sarah says as she meets me on the sideline. “For a rambler.”
I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.
“See? Told you I’ll be starting in no time,” Danielle says as she walks by.
As practice wraps up, I can’t help but feel down after my performance. Cat comes by and wraps her arm around my shoulder. “Keep your head up. It was just the first practice.”
“Thanks, I just know I’m better than that,” I say.
“My first ever college practice, Kennedy, had me tripping over my own feet,” she says.
“Really?” I ask, not really believing she could have done worse.
“Yeah, it was terrible. Much worse than yours,” Cat says.
“That does make me feel a little better.” I laugh.
“Hey babe, are you ready to leave?” Kennedy asks as she walks up to us.
“Yeah, let’s bounce,” Cat replies. Are they like…dating or something?
Cat smacks Kennedy’s ass as they head out. “You got so lucky this time,” Cat says.
“You always say that when I beat you,” Kennedy laughs.
Cat turns to me. “Hey, Dandi, why don’t you and the other freshmen stop by the house later tonight.”
“Really?” I ask with an open mouth.
“Of course, text me, and I’ll tell you where it’s at.”
“Cool! I’ll definitely be there!”
“Great, let the other shinies know,” Cat tells me, as she and Kennedy head out.
I hang back and grab a ball to work through some dribbling drills.
“What are you still doing here?” Sarah asks.
“I clearly need to work on my ball-handling skills.” I sigh.
“Yeah, no kidding.” Sarah laughs.
She and I work on drills over and over again for the next hour. Neither of us wants to quit while the other continues to practice. Every time I glance at her, it just makes me want to work even harder. I’m not going to let her or Danielle beat me. I’m going to do whatever it takes to earn my spot on this team.
“How late are you going to stay here?” she asks.
“However long it takes. I’m not going to repeat the mistakes I made today,” I say. “Why are you still around?”
“Because I’m not going to let some Boyne City Farmgirl out work me.”
“I’m not a farm girl, I grew up within the city limits, Ms. Daddy’s girl!” I state.
“What makes you think my family’s wealthy?” she demands.
“You went to a private school. My family could never afford the tuition. So yeah, you must come from privilege,” I snap back.
“Well, for your information, my family is probably as broke as yours. I got in with a scholarship because of my skills and grades, thank you very much,” she clarifies. For the love of God, she just knows how to get under my skin.
“This is going to be a long four years…” I sigh, as I head for the locker room.
“Hey! Where are you going?” she insists.
“I’m done,” I say. “Besides, Cat and Kennedy invited all of us over to the team house.”
“She did?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to tell you all,” I say.
“Well, shit. Let’s get going!”
---
I shoot Cat a text.
Hey, Cat. It’s Cela.
Dandi! Hey, gather up all the shinies and bring them over to the address I’m texting you.
Shinies? I ask.
You know, shiny like a brand new penny.
Oh. I get it. She sends me the address.
“Hey, everyone,” I shout out at my roommates. “It looks like they’re asking us to go down to the team house.”
“Do you think they’re throwing us a party?” Danielle asks.
“They’re probably going to lay down the law,” Sarah says. “Show us, freshmen, our place.”
“I heard the parties at this school are legendary,” Danielle says. “I bet that’s what it is.”
“Is that really why you chose this school?” I ask.
“It wasn’t the deciding factor, but it definitely was one of the bonus features that caught my eye,” she says.
“Well, I bet we’re just going to do some team bonding, probably a little get to know ya,” I say.
Sarah snorts out loud. “That’s definitely not going to happen. I bet they’re probably going to haze us at some point.”
“You can’t be serious?” Daniella says.
“Oh, I’m serious. I have brothers who played college ball. We’re getting hazed. But it’s cool. I’m sure it won’t be anything serious. Just go along with it, and then you’ll get to do it to the future freshmen,” Sarah says.
---
“Alright, freshmen. We’re having an official-unofficial team meeting,” Kennedy says in the basement of this giant colonial-style house one road away from the traditional Greek row.
Fionna starts. “We’ve got some rules to lay down.”
“Just listen and don’t interrupt,” Kennedy continues.
“Only speak when spoken too,” Fionna says. “Understand?”
“This is one of those few moments where you’re being spoken too,” Catlynn carries on.
“Understood,” I say. Sarah, Maly, and the other freshman I still haven’t got the name of chime in as well.
“Seriously?” Danielle drags out.
“Excuse us?” Fionna comes back with a hint of menace.
“This is ridiculous.” Danielle’s petulant personality is on full display.
“Then leave,” Kennedy says.
“Any of you other bitches who have a problem can too, but good luck trying to find a spot on this team,” Fionna says.
“Yeah, Coach always brings on more players than we can take. So one of you is getting cut,” Cat relays.
“And don’t think for a second the undivided weight of our team’s opinion won’t make a deciding factor on our coach's decision.” Kennedy’s eyes bore down on Danielle. Danielle shuts up.
“Now, do you all understand?” Fionna asks.
“Understood,” We all say in unison.
“Good,” Fionna says.
“Now, let’s talk about the rules. The first and most important rule, the team comes first. No petty squabble, no boyfriend or girlfriend for some of you.” Kennedy says before pausing and wrapping her arm around Cat, pulling her into a hot and steamy kiss. Cat wraps her arms around Kennedy, her dark-caramel skin perfectly contrasts with the honey-white skin around Kennedy’s neck. Some of the other teammates cheer them on. Without letting go of Cat, Kennedy breaks from the kiss and looks at us. “Will ever come before the team.”
“Second rule, I’ve already stated it, but I’m going to state it one more time, only speak when spoken too,” Fionna continues. “Third rule, the hygiene of the house is now your responsibility. It will be your duty to make sure the weekly cleaning list is taken care of. If the trash is ever full, take it out. If there are dishes in the sink, wash them, dry them, and put them back in their place. Got it?”
“Understood,” we all say, not in unison.
“Rule Four!” Cat injects. “You all are to remain sober for the entire season. If we need a DD, one of you will be called to pick us up and drive us around.”
“If you don’t have a car, we’ve got a team van. But so help me God, if it gets scratched, there will be hell to pay,” Kennedy adds.
“Also, anything said behind closed doors in a team meeting can be repeated outside of the team,” Fionna says as she looks at every single one of us.
“Listen.” Kennedy’s voice takes on a softer tone, as she let’s go of Cat. “We’re successful because we’re more than a team.”
“We’re a God damn family,” Fionna insists. Her words echo in my head.
“That means we have each other’s backs no matter what. Any questions?” Kennedy asks. We all start shaking our heads.
“Good, now you’ve got your work cut out for you. This house hasn’t been cleaned in a long time, and none of you can leave here until it’s spotless. The list is posted on the corkboard up in the kitchen. You better get to work if you want to leave here at a decent time.” Fionna finishes and begins to laugh as we all scramble to climb out of the basement. Dannielle sighs all the way up the stairs.
Looking at the list, it’s really not all that bad. Nothing I haven’t done at my job. “I’ll clean the bathroom.”
“Seriously? Why would you want to do the bathroom?” Sarah asks.
“I’m used to cleaning bathrooms. I’ve got cleaning bathrooms down to a system,” I inform her with a satisfied tone.
“Fine by me. I’ll take a crack at the mountain of dishes,” Sarah says.
“I’ll be damned if I clean up after them,” Danielle grumbles.
“Have you ever cleaned a day in your life?” I ask.
“Pff. No. That’s what you pay people for,” she says, flipping her perfect blonde hair.
“You know, somehow I’m not surprised,” I say.
“I’ll dust and vacuum,” Maly pipes up.
“I guess I’ll clean up the trash and take it out.” Comes from the only other freshman I don’t know. I think her name is Leena?
“This is so stupid.” Danielle opens up the fridge. “Oh my God, this is so disgusting. There’s no way I’m going to clean the fridge out.”
“Fine, we’ll just clean it out ourselves,” Sarah says. “And when Kennedy asks us why you’re not helping out, we’ll just tell her you’re not committed to the team.”
“Urgh.” She growls out. “I did not come here to be someone’s maid.”
And yet, she bucks up and starts to clean the fridge out.
“Since we have to do this weekly, I say we just start a rotation,” I shout out.
“Obviously!” Sarah shouts back from the kitchen. God, I can’t stand her, but I’d rather spend all day with Sarah than a minute with Danielle. At least with Sarah, even though I may not like her, I respect her. She works hard, and she is at least a team player. Danielle complains constantly, she’s selfish and is so arrogant.
Cleaning the house doesn’t take us nearly as long as they made it out to be. We’re out of there before ten. “You know, that wasn’t so bad,” I state as we walk out.
“Are you serious?” Danielle whines.
“Ehh, I’m used to cleaning. I do at home, I might as well do it here too.” Sarah sighs.
“You know, Walk on is wrong about you, you can’t possibly be rich,” Danielle says to Sarah.
“I know, right? That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her, but I swear she just doesn’t listen,” she retorts. I’m not sure whether I should feel insulted or if I want to laugh. You know, Sarah’s actually kind of funny.
“Will you girls ever stop arguing?” Maly asks.
“Well, maybe if they ever stop talking. Then I’ll have nothing to argue about,” Sarah says with her bright smile. I’ve never really noticed it before, but it can light up the night better than the moon and stars. The way she wears her blonde hair in a mess or tied up in a ponytail as she did during practice, just doesn’t really fit the whole picture I painted in my head of her. I just always assumed everyone who went to a private school was a wealthy rich kid who never worked a day in their life. Sarah’s definitely not at all like that. She’s funny, she works hard, she’s a team player, and she doesn’t complain.