Page 51 of Wicked Serve

Izzy

I bounce on the balls of my feet as I dribble the volleyball, waiting for Coach Alexis’s whistle.

We’re doing a scrimmage, half the team against the other, and I’ve been playing setter the entire time. One more point, and my team will win. She didn’t say it explicitly, but if I can prove to her I know all the current plays and their signals, she’ll give me a spin at setter during our next match, after the break in the schedule.

It also happens to be a match that Mom and Dad are attending, which explains the nerves zinging through me right now. They came to one of my other matches, a few weeks ago, and Dad made a face when he realized I was playing opposite hitter. It was brief, but I saw it.

Alexis nods at me. I jump into action to serve, since it’s my turn in the rotation. The ball stings my palm just right as I hit it, sending it over the net in a perfect arc. I run into position, setting up Shona’s pass for Ellie, who spikes it down onto the opposite side of the court with an authoritative smack. Too easy. Alexis’s whistle blows, punctuating the point.

“Yes!” Ellie says, clapping me on the back.

I spin in a circle, my heart sprinting with a heady mixture of excitement and satisfaction. It wasn’t a real game, fine, but it was something, and I know I totally rocked it.

“Excellent way to end practice,” Alexis says as she walks onto the court. Her pullover is white today, with gold jewelry accenting her look. “This was pretty successful for both sides, regardless of the score. And nice job calling those plays, Izzy.”

I beam as Victoria gives me a sweaty hug. “Thank you.”

If I get to show that off during an actual match, I’ll be thrilled. I smile as I shake my hair out of its ponytail, wrapping my headband around my wrist.

Alexis looks around the group. “We’ve got tape, so let’s break it down now, and I’ll let you go after that. Grab some water and change first. Good work, ladies.”

While everyone heads into the locker room to take a breather, I hang back, hoping to catch her eye.

“Yes, Izzy?” she says.

I swipe my headband-turned-wristband over my frizzy hair. “Was it... enough?”

She glances at her clipboard, making a note, before replying. “We’ll try it out for at least a couple sets at the next match and go from there.”

“Wait, really?” I nearly hug her, but manage to contain myself.

“Really,” she says, quirking an eyebrow as if she can’t believe I just asked that. “You’ve been putting in a lot of work and improving. Wasn’t sure you had it in you, Callahan.”

A backhanded compliment if I ever heard one, but I don’t care. Not right now, at least. Mom and Dad will see me play setter again. Suddenly, I feel lighter.

An hour and a half later, I walk up the porch steps to my front door, keys in hand. I run my fingers through my shower-damp hair. Sebastian has work tonight, but at least Cooper’s home, judging by his truck in the driveway. He’s going to be pumped when he hears about practice.

I open the door and do a double take.

I haven’t spoken to Nik since the ice cream disaster a couple days ago, and now he’s in my house.

Sitting on the couch.

Laughing with Cooper as they play something on the Xbox.

I freeze like a rabbit in an open field. They’ve clearly been at this for a while; a half-eaten bowl of popcorn sits on the coffee table alongside seltzers. Tangerine, curled on the armchair, blinks her orange eyes at me as if to say, weird, right?

“—just get dinner or something, for the team formal,” Cooper is saying. He glances over casually. “Hey, Iz. How was practice?”

“Good,” I say automatically. “What...”

Nik looks over too, his fingers continuing to move on the game controller. “Your sister, Coop?”

“Dude.” Cooper nudges his side in a bro-ish manner that makes me blink like Tangerine.

“What? I’ve never met her. Isabelle, right?”

He’s just acting right now, because for some reason he’s in my house, hanging out with my brother, and I know that, but still, my pulse races. I shouldn’t draw attention to us by staring, but I can’t make myself move.

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