Putting up the Block

Stationhill.com

Fiction

Putting up the Block

Fiction by Kim Becker

“And that is how it’s done! Quit being such girls and get over it!” This is how I started off my freshman year, living in complete fear of a single, inconsiderate, feeling-hurting person. If it wasn’t bad enough going to a new school and not knowing a single soul, I had to spend each glorious day playing volleyball with her.

“Honey, are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?” questioned my sympathetic mother.

“No mom, that’s just embarrassing,” I mumbled as I fidgeted with the seat belt, and shook with fear. How can mothers be completely oblivious of their actions? That would have wrecked my unknown reputation.

I gently opened the glass door framed in blue. Gliding through the crowds of giant girls dressed in spandex, mismatched socks and a bow in the hair to top it off, I grabbed my name tag and slapped it on my shirt. I hunkered next to the wall becoming a wall flower.

Once volleyball try-outs started, it seemed like the day wasn’t going to be so bad. Everything went smoothly and I thought I might actually be capable of making a couple of friends. That is, until the dreadful game of Queen of the Court. Queen of the Court is a simple game of volleyball. It is a tournament of short matches and the winner stays until they loose. My team was doing incredibly well. We bump, set, and spiked the ball to no end. Anyone who crossed our path was blown away. I was having a great time, that is, until Ronnie’s team stepped onto the court to challenge us.

I didn’t know much about Ronnie at the time, only what I saw of her and the quiet conversations involving her that I listened to. She seemed rude and angry, with an aggressive nature. Every play Ronnie would yell something negative. My team couldn’t do anything right! It was time Ronnie’s rude attitude and negative ways were put to an end. I was going to be the one to step up to her (or so I thought).

“You cheated, and your team sucks!” shouted Ronnie through the net. The composure of her body showed that she was completely full of herself.

“We are not cheating, and you are the one who isn’t playing fair!” I managed to keep the waiver in my voice to a minimum. I was just hoping she couldn’t tell that I was shaking in my well laced shoes.

“What did you say to me?” she began stepping closer to me. It seemed the whole gym fell silent. “It doesn’t matter if I cheat because you can’t stop me. You better watch your back and not come anywhere near me again!”

Once I made it through that dreadful day, I thought the worst was over. Little did I know, the worst was just beginning. It was the last day of try-outs and teams were being made. I felt like the end of the world was coming. Ronnie and I were placed on the same team. How was I going to spend every day for a whole season with her?

People aren’t always as bad as they may seem at first. After playing on the same team as Ronnie for awhile and getting past her front, we actually became really close. Two years later, we are still good friends and I’m glad I didn’t let my first impression of her get in the way of getting to know her. Many people are often misjudged at first, and those initial impressions they make are usually completely wrong.

Kimberly Becker, age 17, contact kimberly_becker_5@hotmail.com

Posted 06/01/2008