Gym

I slid a foot back, taking a step away from her. “I’ll see you in the gym.” For a second, I thought I saw a flicker of disappointment.

“Suit yourself,” she said with a shrug before slipping into the locker room.

Heading down the hall, I walked into the empty gym and took a seat on the bleachers. While I waited, I fished my phone out of my pocket and fired off a few texts to Liam. He was probably driving home, so he didn’t answer. The remaining time, I flipped through memes, chuckling to myself every time I saw a particularly good one.

“Mr. Hoffman?” a voice called out, startling me. Looking up, I found Mrs. Hardy walking towards me, clipboard tucked under her arm. The English teacher was dressed casually in sweats and an athletic jacket with the school's mascot emblazoned across the front. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting on—Practice to start,” I said, narrowly avoiding Kaylee’s name. The older woman didn’t look convinced. Examining eyes on me, she suddenly looked reflective.

“You a fan Mr. Hoffman?”

“Hmm?”

“Of the team. I notice you’ve been to quite a few of our games.”

“I uh… Suppose so.” I certainly wasn’t going to admit I was only there because of Kaylee.

“You ever consider a more active role in supporting the team?”

“What do you mean?”

“The manager position is still open.”

I waved the thought away. “Oh no. I’d be terrible for it. To be honest, I don’t know much about basketball.”

This was the first time I’d seen Mrs. Hardy laugh, at least that I could remember.

“Oh Mr. Hoffman, you have nothing to worry about. I assure you, you have everything required to fulfill the role.”

“What role?” a new voice asked. I looked over to see the team trickling out of the locker room. The one who asked was a junior. I didn’t really know a lot of the newer players yet. I think her name was Sophia.

“Team manager.”

“Oh. We finally getting one?” she asked, sending a judging look my way. I felt myself frown when I saw the clear disappointment in her face.

“A new manager?” I could recognize Zoe’s voice anywhere. Our eyes met as she rushed out. She didn’t even bother trying to hide her disappointment. “Oh. You.”

Ellie and Kaylee followed Zoe. My eyes automatically moved to follow Kaylee. She gave me a smile and a small wave. I caught myself before I waved back. That would have been obvious, and everyone was staring at me.

“Scott!” Ellie said in her bubbly voice. “You’re our new manager? Yes!” She pumped her fist in victory.

“Hey now. I didn’t agree to this,” Zoe snapped, crossing her arms. “There’s no way he is management material.”

Moving up beside her, Ellie tilted her head. “I don’t know. I think he’d do fine.”

One of the juniors spoke up.“I’m with Zoe on this one.” In a few seconds, the other juniors rallied behind Zoe. With members like Abby and Kaylee staying silent, she had her majority.

Just like that, my reign as manager—a role I didn’t even know or want—came to an end by popular vote. Mrs. Hardy gave a resigned sigh before calling for the girls to warm up.

I spent the rest of practice trying to figure out what I’d just been voted out of.