WISKAYOK, NEW JERSEY. JANUARY 21ST, 1996. 5PM. @drunivers.
annie's heart is hammering in her chest as she runs. a kick to the ball, forceful and direct. she skids to a stop in the mud, almost out of control, but she catches herself in time to see the ball hit the high corner of the net. more precise than the last gazillion attempts. the muscles in her legs are warm and the sweat on her forehead has gone cold. the afternoon itself is cold, and wet, and she's exhausted, which all seems like a recipe for a bad mood. instead, annie's grinning, mid-laugh. home used to feel like this all the time.
she whirls around to taissa, both hands on her hips, triumphant. they've been running drills in their free time for weeks now. annie's gotten stronger and faster on her feet. more confident. confident enough that annie doesn't think she needs to ask... but she wants to hear taissa say it. "it's better, right?"