Pick the tennis team

You wake up bright and early the next morning and after getting ready you give Mrs. Stevens’s office a call.

"Jane you're up early what can I do for you?"

"Well I thought I'd like to try coaching the tennis team this year."

"Really? I'm a bit surprised. I was sure it was either going to be the swim team or the cheerleaders."

"Well the thing is..."

"Let me guess, you heard about how the tennis team gets all sorts of perks right?" She says with a smile in her voice. "All the teachers love to gossip about how pampered that team is. I can't say new teachers aren't tempted by that all the time."

"If you'd rather...”

"No, no it's no problem. I just hope some one warned you, most of those girls have been spoiled by their parents there whole lives. Coaching them will take a lot of patience. Between us I think that's part of the reason that the parents offer so many perks to the coaches. They'd be hard pressed to keep one if they didn't do something to compensate them for how difficult their daughters can be sometimes."

"I'd heard that the girls are spoiled but I think I'll be able to handle it. Some of the girls I swam with were pretty spoiled too."

“As long as you think you can handle it. Do you have a tennis racket?”

“Yes, I never played competitively but I did play with some of my friends at school.”

“That’s fine then. The team starts practice an hour after final period. Do you think you’ll be able to find the courts all right?’

“Yes, I’ve gotten pretty used to reading the map so I should be fine.”

“All right, good luck then, enjoy the perks. To tell the truth I’m a little jealous.”

Your first day of classes goes extremely well. Since it is just the first day and you're new you figure it can be a get to know each other session. After introducing yourself to each class and taking roll most of the girls seem very nice and eager to hear about what college life was like. You do get the occasional comment on how young you look and asked if you're sure you're old enough to be a teacher, but you laugh and take it in stride. It isn't anything you hadn't heard when you were doing your student teaching. A few girls ask about your office hours and if you will be available for tutoring. At the end of the day you head back to your apartment to grab your tennis racket.

When you get there your friend April is sitting on your patio and has a gift laying on the table beside her.

“Hey Jane, how was the fist day of class?”

“It went pretty well thanks. What are you up to?”

“Not much, mom told me you decided on the tennis team. Couldn’t resist the mysterious perks huh?”

“Hey for a girl who lived on ramen and mac and cheese in college mysterious perks are just too hard to pass up.”

”I hear you. I’m just bummed out that you’re not coaching my old cheer squad. But just to show that I still love you anyway I got you a present.” She says gesturing to the package on the table.

“April! You shouldn’t have, you’ve already done so much for me.”

“Don’t worry” she says stroking her chin and doing a bad godfather imitation “one day I may come to you and ask a favor of you, and on this day you will repay me your debt.”

You both laugh as you open the package. Inside is a Navy blue jacket with “Cleopatra Cats Tennis coach” written on the back in dark grey letters and a whistle, and two crossed tennis rackets on the right breast.

“Wow this is great thanks.”

“No big. I just thought it would help you look official on your first day as coach.”

You hug each other and then you grab your bag and head off to the tennis court. Once there you head to the coach’s locker room and change. You’ve picked a short black pleated tennis skirt that comes to mid thigh and a tight dark green shell top, and put your hair into a ponytail with a matching scrunchy.

When you step out not the courts it appears that all the girls are already there. Most of them are already practicing with each other and from what you can see they are as good as advertised. You spot the girl who you bumped onto on the path they other day, Nikki, and she sees you and waves. She turns to the girl standing next to her; she has dark blond hair done in a ponytail that reaches done to her shoulder blades, and points at you. The two whispers to one another for a minuet and the blond looks you over appraisingly. Finally she nods and the two of them walk over.

“Miss Doe this is Cecile she’s the team captain, Cecile this is Miss Doe the new teacher I told you about.” Nikki says by way of introductions.

“Nice to meet you Miss Doe,” Cecile says shaking your hand “so you’ve decided to take on the tennis coaches’ job?”

“Yes, Nikki told me about it and all the other teachers spoke of how good you girls were so I thought that I’d like to try it out.”

“Nikki told me she thought you were a new student. I can see why, you look so young.”

“Yeah, I get that all the time.”

“No, don’t get me wrong that’s a good thing. Some of the other coaches we have had were pretty old. Just because we’re the tennis team doesn’t mean we need Billy Jean King as a coach. I think you’ll do just fine.”

“Goody!” shouts Nikki hopping up and down clapping her hands, “I told you I found the perfect candidate Cec. She’ll be just what we were looking for.”

“So what’s all the excitement?” asks a stunning little blond, in a slight Russian accent, who walks over with an equally attractive red head in tow. “Did Nikki find herself a new playmate?”

“No Anna” Nikki says sticking out her tongue at the other girl “this is Miss Doe she’s a new teacher and has just become our new coach.”

“Really?” Anna says appraising you “For a minuet I thought you might be Genieves’ sister” motioning to her red headed friend. “It’s nice to see that they aren’t just hiring old ladies to coach us anymore.”

“It’s nice to meet you Miss Doe” Says Genieve with a smile, “I just transferred in myself, so I guess that makes us booth new girls.”

After they introduce you to the rest of the team practice begins in earnest and once again you are amazed at how good the girls are. Genieve invites you to play a match against her even though you’ve told them all you’re only a novice. She wins the match in three sets straight while Cecile, Nikki, and Anna watch on. Afterwards Genieve asks if you might be available after practice, she is feeling a little overwhelmed being at a new school she says and would like to talk to another new face about it.

            Anna walks over after Genieve leaves and offers to help you with your forehand noting that you made several faults when you used it to try to return serves.

As everyone heads to the locker room Cecile and Nikki stop you.

“Miss Doe, we were wondering if you would have time to get together? We wanted to talk to you about the coming season and let you know some of the traditions we have on the team.”