Feeling The Pressure

As the team filed into the practice gym for morning cardio, Tati couldn’t help but be impressed yet again. Sure, it was just a gym, but the site and quality of it were another reminder of just how far from “home” she really was.

Tati knew the routine: start with some warm-ups to get the blood flowing before things really got intense. She was happy with the familiarity, but something was off. Before she was able to piece together what was wrong, a sharp piercing sound came from Kristin’s whistle, letting them know to switch positions for stretches. She felt her body lean forward farther than she wanted as the weight of her breasts caused her to lose her balance when trying to touch her toes. Next was the body weight routine. She struggled even with one of the most basic exercises, push-ups. What’s the point of my wish to give back my body if I still can’t do anything? she complained to herself. But that wasn’t really true: she could do all of them, but her body’s new parameters meant that everything just felt strange. It was a bit like driving someone else’s car: doable but requiring some adjusting.

Coach Kristin blew the whistle, signaling the next exercise: sit-ups. In a nonverbal manner, April asked if she wanted assistance holding her legs down. She looked down at her toned tummy, happy that once again she had abs. This was going to be easy, she thought, remembering how easy this was before Kris. Both women got into position with April going first. After the first few reps, Tati could see April getting tired, the poor girl had never been quite as strong as herself, but she tried. “Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two,” she struggled to get out. Her face was turning beet red as the poor girl tried to lift herself one last time. She dropped flat on her back, exhausted and panting.

“You’re… so much better… at this than me. I wish… I had abs like you,” April sighed in between gasps of air. Kristin blew the whistle, and the women switched positions. Tati was confident as she started in an upright position; that feeling was nearly immediately dashed as she lay on her back for the first rep. Tati felt pressure on her chest, like wind pressing out of her lungs. As with the other exercises, Tati had the added challenge of her larger boobs. With them constantly shifting in her bra, Tati decided that going slower would be better. While she did that she couldn’t help but notice April glancing at her chest.

“Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five…” The additional weight caused her to tire more, but she pressed on; admittedly, her ego couldn’t let April outdo her either. “Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine… Thirty.” She lay on the ground, tired as her friend was only a few moments ago. A weird mixture of emotions clashed as she recovered her stamina. Tati was happy to have her body back, but she could have done 40 or even 50 sit ups. How did she have abs if her chest prevented her from doing something that used to be easy?

“I guess Mommy Tati can’t keep it up like she used to?” April jokingly asked. She offered to help Tati on her feet, extending her hand.

“Oh, haha… I’m still better than you,” she retorted, teasing her friend back. She took April’s hand, and as she got up, she winced as her abdominal muscles flexed for her to stand properly. Her breasts shifted, causing her to lose her balance; luckily, April caught her. She leaned on her friend only briefly, but she could see her looking at her chest again, which caused both of them to blush.

***

While the team sat recuperating on their break, Tati took the chance to catch up with her other friends. She was told about some of the latest gossip of who was in a relationship and the latest bit of drama with her fellow teammates. She had loved watching celebrity gossip during the off-season, but it was quite strange knowing that not only her team but also their personal lives were watched by the entire world. Tati made a mental note to herself to look at any celebrity news about herself after practice. Among other things that came up was how team performance had lowered with her absence. One complaint was both enough to bring the new reality home and enough to confuse her. “We have to win the next few games. My stats in Morgan have been going down every week with the updates they do. I might be on one of the best teams, but I'm lowest on the roster.” Tati didn’t even know what the woman was whining about.

A shrill whistle cut through the conversation and let the women know it was time to form up. Another coach emerged from an adjacent room, her tall figure a reminder of her playing days. Even at the age of 50 with gray creeping into her brunette hair, head coach Beaufort was still considered beautiful in every sense of the word and could pass for 35. She wore a sports gray skirt with leggings, hiding any sign of this world’s ‘feminine bulge’. She wore a tight athletic top with the Austin Bats logo on the left shoulder. Marissa had green almond shaped eyes and high cheekbones. Tati didn't know her own breast size but, at a glance, could tell Marissa's were larger.

The team stood in single file as she walked past them. If ever there was an alpha woman, she was it. Marissa stopped in front of Tatiana, inspecting her up and down. "Seems like motherhood grew on to you, Flores," she began with a smirk before her face shifted to a serious expression. "I expect the same performance of the Bats’ top player regardless of that." Coach stepped back and addressed the whole team. "Listen up! I know we’re all disappointed about missing out on that first-round bye in the playoffs, but the Carolina Queens are coming for us, and we can’t let up. We need a new strategy and new drills if we’re gonna keep it up this year." Marissa began explaining some of the new elements to their practice, some of them just there to shake things up.

Tati wasn't able to play and move to her full capacity, constantly having an arm cradling her chest. This is getting to be too much, she complained. The new movements in their drills caused her more than once to consider quitting for the day, something she never thought would cross her mind in the middle of a playoff hunt. However, she knew that her teammates were counting on her and decided that wouldn't be a good idea. I'm glad the day is almost over, she sighed.

Three shrill blows of the whistle signaled an end to the exercise and a cascade of sighs of relief from the teammates. “Alright, wrap it up, practice is over!” Marissa proclaimed. The team shuffled toward the showers in the locker room. Tati had just walked over to her locker when she heard her name being called. She turned around to see Coach Marissa beckoning her over to a quiet corner. Uh-oh. She’s never here after practice.