الحركة بركة (Al harakat barakat - Movement is a blessing)
Content Warning. Please see this post for the advisory information.
Part 3
2400
“Did you hear, Ayesha?”
Ayesha looked up from her PADD, a new set of earpods in her ears. The Trill was hovering by her, sitting on a bench on the school grounds. “Ma?”
“Did you hear?” the Trill responded.
Ayesha pretended she didn’t know what the Trill wanted, and shook her head, pulling her earbuds out. “Ma?” she repeated. “What is it?”
“They’re holding tryouts for the volleyball team,” the Trill said, excitedly.
“And you think you’re going to get in?”
The Trill huffed. “I don’t know why I’m telling you. I still haven’t forgiven you for being rude to me the other day,” she crossed her arms.
“You have,” Ayesha said, bored and looking back at her PADD.
The Trill was taken aback slightly before she sighed. “Yeah, of course, no hiding anything from you,” she said, taking a seat next to her. “But you know, you’re the best volleyball player I’ve seen. Your shots are unstoppable,”
“Don’t be offended if I don’t take that as a compliment,” Ayesha said, lazily. “You don’t watch volleyball,”
The Trill looked at Ayesha. Ayesha looked up. Suddenly the pair were smirking. “You’re right,” the Trill began to laugh.
“Shot. What in the stars is a volleyball shot? It’s a spike, ya hamar!” Ayesha chuckled.
“Are you going to go for it?” the Trill asked Ayesha. “For the team?”
Ayesha bit her lip and considered. “La,” she replied, after a moment of thought. “I won’t,”
“But Ayesha…”
“I can’t, Nori,” Ayesha said. “It’ll take too much of my time, and I have to study,”
“Study schmudy,” Nori cut in. “You’re already top of the school, never mind the class. Come on, you’ll be great this coming season for our team,”
“No, I don’t want to do it. And you’re so confident that I’m going to get into the team. You know the coach. She’s just going to pick Velizira. Her dad is “on the council”,” she said, stressing the last part in a mocking tone and shaking her head.
“Come on, you’re streets ahead of her,”
Ayesha crossed her arms and looked at Nori, impassively. “If that mattered here, there would be sunshine and rainbows,”
Nori sighed. “So you’re not going to go for it then?”
Ayesha looked out at the school grounds. Part of her wanted to go for the team. What if she got in? There was no harm in trying…
Just then, the bell rang over the grounds and the rumble of students going to their classes snapped Ayesha out of her dream.
“La,” she said finally and stood. She grabbed her bag and PADD and then left for her classes.
2421
“WE HAVE A WINNER, FOLKS! THE COSMICO RYU-TACHI HAVE SECURED THEIR VICTORY!!! 16-17!!! The Endeavour Team has fought a long hard battle, and just managed to out beat the Saber-Bears!”
The stadium erupted with cheers as the Endeavour’s baseball team ran out to the baseball pitch in celebration. Ayesha gave a small smile. She stood and left the stadium as the roars of a dragon lit up the screens.