The junior girls played first. After them it was the junior boys, then the varsity girls and finally us. With each match, the bleachers filled up a little more. By the time we took the court, the gym was packed. The noise was incredible. We were playing Glenlawn — our longstanding rival according to Jai — so their fans were trying to out-scream ours. And just in case that wasn’t enough to clean out a person’s earwax, there were horns and kazoos and warm-up music bouncing off the walls too. I was pumped, but because I was playing a new position, I was also a little nervous. In the past, I’d always been a weak side hitter, but Mr. Hudson said my long arms were great for blocking, so he’d switched me to middle. His theory was put to the test on the very first rally. Glenlawn served a floater to the back line. Bump, set, smash — we returned it. But Glenlawn dug it up and their setter made a perfect pass over to power. The hitter took his approach and I slid toward Paul, who was playing weak side.
What do You think about Hemingway Tradition (2002)?
