Driven_589066

Mac quietly slid up next to her. “Well, that went well, huh?”

Dylan gave him a look hot enough to smelt metal.

“Or not,” Mac replied, swallowing hard and scratching the back of his neck. “I’m…just gonna….” His voice trailed off as he gestured weakly toward the

stands where the others were sitting.

“You do that.”

Hodge listened carefully as one of the camp directors explained the three-on-three drill. The large group had been split into teams of three, two forwards

and a guard. They’d play a half court game to eleven points, one point per basket. Four games would go on simultaneously on the two courts.

When the director called out the names for the first two teams, Keisha Brown smirked. “You and me, shorty. You and me. You’re goin’ down, Kitty Cat.”

Hodge didn’t let the use of her nickname bother her. Nor did she so much as flinch when Brown rifled the ball into her belly from less than three feet

away. Instead, she grinned, gathered her teammates around her, and planned a strategy for the game.

The two teams were very evenly matched, and after twenty minutes, the score was tied, 10 – 10. Keisha, ball in hand, smirked at Hodge. “Take a look at

this face, baby. It’s gonna be famous.”

The whistle blew, and Brown shot a pass over Hodge’s head to one of her forwards. Hodge’s teammates closed quickly, guarding against an easy shot.

The forward passed the ball back to Brown, who dribbled it easily, still smirking.

Faking to her left, Brown went right with a lazy, over-confident stride. Hodge waited, backing slowly up and watching the ball like a hawk. Then, using a

quickness startling to anyone who didn’t know her well, her left hand darted out and tipped the ball away. Stepping easily around Brown, she gained

possession of the ball and brought it back to half court.

A nod, and her teammates went into motion. As Brown, teeth grit tight in anger, came up to guard, Hodge dribbled once, then passed to the forward

cutting across the top of the key. The forward stopped, turned, and shot, but the ball bounced off the rim and into an opposing player’s hands.

Brown had the ball again at half court, her grin firmly back in place. “Let’s see if you can do that again, Kitten.”

Brown had one of the fastest first steps in the game, and this time she made it count, blowing by Hodge, who was forced to turn and run. A lane was

cleared, and Brown dribbled forward, headed into the paint for what looked to be an easy, game winning lay-up.

Hodge slid into place beneath the basket, and froze. Brown charged into her, knocking her to the ground hard as she shot.

The whistle blew. “Charging! No basket.”

Angered beyond reason, Brown slammed her foot into Hodge’s chest. “Stay down, bitch!”

Hodge rolled to her feet, eyes blazing green fury as she tried to get her wind back. Her arms were immediately grabbed from behind by one of her

teammates. Brown was grabbed in a similar manner as the referee stepped in between them, blowing her whistle repeatedly.

“Go home and eat out your girlfriend, dyke!” Brown shouted, struggling to break free from the arms holding her.

Dylan flew over the railing dividing the stands from the court, the sounds of her boot heels slamming on the varnished wood heard even above the yelling

of the crowd.

“Grab your things and go, Keisha!” the ref snarled, grabbing the young woman by the front of her jersey. “You’re outta here!”

“You can’t kick me out! You can’t fuckin kick me out!!”

Two of the staff grabbed the young woman’s arms and began leading her off of the court.

“Wait!” Hodge said, yanking herself free of her own set of restraining hands.

The referee looked at her.

“It’s alright. Things just got a little heated, but it’s okay.” She paused, looking toward Dylan, who slowed to a stop some feet away. “Please. Let her

stay.”

“We can’t do that, Cat,” the referee said, not unkindly. “She broke the rules. She needs to go.”

“Please,” Hodge said softly, still looking at Dylan. “Give her a second chance.”

Dylan stared into Hodge’s eyes for a very long moment. The gymnasium was silent.

Finally, Dylan looked over to the ref, and gave a slight nod. The referee sighed. “Fine. Go to the showers and cool off, Keisha. You can come back

tomorrow, but you’re done for today.”

Hodge smiled. “Thank you,” she mouthed to Dylan, who gave her a short nod before turning and leaving the court.

Hodge stepped out of the shower and into the empty locker room, gingerly toweling her hair. There was a lump the size of an egg on the back of her head

and it throbbed like a rotting tooth. As she passed by a mirror, she stopped and looked at herself. A large bruise was forming between her breasts. She

winced.

“Way to go, Cat,” she whispered to her reflection. “One day in front of the important folks, and you look like you’ve been through a war. But hey! At least

you didn’t break anything vital.” She hissed as her towel touched the knot in her head. “I hope.”