Page 78 of Making It Count

Shay rushed to her coach.

“In for Stoll. You’re in for the rest. Let’s press aggressively but be smart. We’ve got two fouls to give, so we’re good there, but don’t give up anything easy.”

“Yes, Coach.”

Ten seconds later, the buzzer alerted the refs, and Shay jogged onto the court, slapping her girlfriend’s hand on her way in and giving her a smile.

“Win it,” Layne said.

“We will.”

Layne jogged past her, and Shay put all worries about the woman out of her mind as she pushed the ball up the court quickly and passed it off to Hilton, who took a shot from the free-throw line and made it.

Dunbar was up by two. They needed to protect the lead. Shay defended aggressively but didn’t foul. Someone else did, though, but it was okay because they didn’t have enough team fouls yet to give the other team a free throw.

The other team inbounded, and Shay watched the ball bounce as the player she was guarding dribbled. She waited, trying to time it perfectly, and then reached a little, pushing the ball out of her hand. There wasn’t a whistle from a ref, so she grabbed the ball, looked up, and saw Roy running fast down the side of the court. Shay passed it over her head and followed the ball as Roy caught it, dribbled once, and went in for a layup.

Dunbar was up by four now. The other team called a time-out, and they went to their benches. Shay sat in her chair and turned her head when Layne handed her a bottle of water and a towel with a smile. Forty-seven game seconds later, Dunbar was eight and three.

???

“How are you?” Shay asked on the walk back to their rooms.

“I’m okay. Tired, mostly.”

“Babe, how bad is it? Did you need your inhaler, and you didn’t use it?”

“I got it under control, so no. Classes are hard, and with practice and–”

“Layne…”

“Okay. Fine. It was hard. That’s the most game minutes I’ve played so far. I’m getting better. It’s just slow. I’m good now. Hungry, mostly, but I’m okay.”

“Food should be at our doors. Want to watch something while we eat it?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Layne replied.

CHAPTER 26

Layne dressed for the away game in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She tossed a hooded Dunbar sweatshirt over it and grabbed her stuff, including her jacket. Then, she headed down the elevator and walked toward the multi-purpose room, where they did their away-game testing. There, the game tables had been pushed toward the walls, and chairs were spread out. The room had effectively been turned into one giant testing facility for any teams that needed the space. While people administered COVID tests, the athletes went to a chair or stood against a wall by themselves and checked their phones, waiting for their results.

Layne waited her turn and saw Shay in a chair toward the back. Shay looked up at her and smiled through her mask. Layne winked at her in response, and Shay shook her head at her. When it was her turn, Layne let them stick that thing up her nose and went to sit down as close to her girlfriend as she could get while she waited for her results.

“Shay Amos?” the woman in front yelled.

“Yeah. Me,” Shay replied.

“Good to go. You can get on the bus.”

“Thanks,” Shay said and stood. “I’ll see you on board.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

She watched as Shay grabbed her things and headed the way they’d all come through and out to where the bus was parked to take them to their away game. Layne checked her phone and noticed a text from her mom. She hadn’t been as much of a pest to her mom since she’d been better recently and had been as careful as she could while still having to work.

Mom: All good. I’m home and wanted to wish you luck at your game tonight.

Layne typed her response and locked her phone.