Post-practice learnings

"TWEEEEEEET! Huddle up, folks!" Logan called out, blowing his whistle to get their attention. Immediately, the balls were picked up and the girls jogged on, covered in rivulets of sweat from the practice.

"Great practice today, guys. I've got a real good feeling about the season. Next practice is in two days, and our first game is next week, at home. It's not ideal, but we gotta work with what we got. One quick reminder, before our next practice- please email me with your choice for who you think the Team Captain should be- me and Coach Darcy will take this into account when deciding. Remember, the Captain isn't your best friend, or who you think is the best player, but the player you trust the most to lead the team." He announced. The girls nodded.

"Alright, hands in!" Darcy announced. The girls huddled up in a circle with Logan and Darcy. Logan couldn't help but get slightly excited, their sweaty, toned body rubbing up against each other, causing their vests and shirts to stick revealingly to their curves.

"Cowgirls on three, Cowgirls on me! 1... 2... 3..."

"COWGIRLS!" Everyone yelled out, launching their hands into the air before the group disbanded.

"Uh, Brooklyn! Hang back for a moment, please!" Logan called out, wincing at the viciously judgemental eye roll she directed his way.

"Yes?" She asked, injecting an inhuman amount of displeasure into the single word.

"Do you need me to drive you home?" Logan asked, fighting to keep his eyes from drifting to his stepdaughter's perky bosom that was struggling against her sweat-soaked Nike top.

"Yes, duh." She answered before sauntering off. Logan bit back a retort.

"Alright, wait a little while, I need to touch base with Coach D!" He called out to her before turning around.

"Yeesh. She does not like you." Darcy murmured, falling into step next to him. Logan cocked his head.

"Heh. What gave it away?" He snorted as the two coaches walked into the office, sitting across each other on the huge conference table.

"Anyways, onto the team." Logan said breezily, keen to change the subject.

"I like it, This group is amongst the strongest we've had in a while." Darcy said, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Mhm. Who do you think should be captain? You've known them longer than I have." Logan asked. Darcy leaned back in her chair, looking to the sky and taking a second to collect her thoughts.

"Many votes will definitely come in for Sha'Maria- she quite a popular one, but we shouldn't pick her. She's too angry, too prone to outbursts." Darcy murmured. Logan's eyes perked up at the name, having recalled Jo mentioning her to be a bit of a troublemaker.

She was also an absolute bucket. She was one of two players on the team to be nationally ranked, a versatile forward who brought the energy on both defence and offence... though her anger issues unfortunately didn't go away on court also.

"What about Belladonna?" You asked, referring to the tall center. She was easily the best player on the team, ranked top 40 in the nation. A tall and lean center, Donna was a powerful **** on the court and a surefire WNBA prospect.

To his surprise, Darcy shook her head. "No. Donna's a baller, but that's about it. Even if we offer it to her, she'll decline it. She just wants to put her head down and hoop." Darcy murmured.

"I think it should be Cat." She said. Logan frowned, before recalling the name. Kathleen Langley, though she went by Cat. She was short- 5'7, but displayed incredible ball IQ and vision, and many people seemed drawn to her calm personality.

"Actually, good pick. She's calm, likeable, and a point guard she's also going to have to lead on the court." You mused.

After that was settled, you and Darcy spent a little while discussing the playbook until you realized almost half an hour had passed, and you quickly adjourned the meeting.

You walked up to Brooklyn who was bobbing her head to something playing in her AirPods. She looked up and saw you before wordlessly scooping her bag up and heading to the car.

"So... how was practice?" You asked as you started the car up. No answer. You looked over to see her staring at her phone, giggling at a Reel she was watching. You sighed. Baby steps.

After a painfully quiet drive in which Brooklyn did not once look up from her phone you pulled into the driveway. Once again, Brooklyn slipped out of the car without acknowledging Logan, striding up to the front door and rapping onto it.

"Hey Brooks! How was your day?" Sarah asked as she opened the door.

"Fine." Brooklyn intoned, still having not looked up from her phone as she brushed past her Mother. Sarah looked and Logan with a frown, which Logan answered with a helpless shrug.

"Hey babe... how was your day?" Sarah pointedly asked, wrapping her arms around Logan's neck and pressing a quick kiss to his lips,

"Ugh! Can you guys not do that, like, around me?" Brooklyn yelled out, disgusted, from somewhere behind them.

Sarah giggled as she tugged Logan in by the arm.

"Dinner's on the table... I hate to be this girl but work was a bitch today- you think you can handle the dishes?" She asked. You looked over to the kitchen to the intimidatingly large pile of unwashed utensils. You sighed heavily. You were tired out of your mind.

"Hey, it's fine. In fact, I was thinking of hiring someone, sort of like a house-sitter." Sarah answered. Logan's eyebrows raised. When he was a kid living with his Mom, they couldn't afford a babysitter, much less a house-sitter. If Mom came back from work tired, he would be the one to do this dishes.

Brooklyn however, seemed to have immediately retired to her room to do... whatever.

"Sure, babe. I think it's a great idea." Logan answered.