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Chuckling to herself, she toweled dry as best she could, and pulled on her street clothes. Stuffing her uniform into her duffel, she slung it over her shoulder

and headed for the darkened gymnasium.

She felt another’s presence before she saw it, and stiffened when Keisha Brown came into view. Brown moved forward until there was less than a foot

separating them.

“Don’t think this squares things between us, bitch,” Brown hissed. “You’re just takin’ longer to dig your own grave, that’s all. I’ll get drafted first whether I

get kicked out of here or not. Remember that.”

“Why are you doing this?” Hodge asked, careful not to show her discomfort.

“Because I’m the best. You get that? The best, and no two bit wannabe player is gonna take that away from me.”

Hodge held in a groan of pain as Brown pushed a hand against her bruised chest.

“I can take you down anytime I want to, Kitty Cat. Anytime I want to.”

“Think you can take me down?”

Both women started at the deep, smooth voice that floated in from the shadows.

Brown spun, and she gasped as she stared up into the flickering blue eyes of a woman who topped her by over eight inches. “C-Coach Lambert!”

“You didn’t answer my question, Keisha. You wanna take me down?” A smile curled Dylan’s lips.

The kind that made all the spit in Brown’s mouth dry up. “I-we-we wuz just talkin’, that’s all.”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah,” Brown replied, laughing weakly. “Honest.”

Dylan stepped fully into the meager light cast by the locker room, causing Brown to shrink back in fear. “A liar and a bully. Nice. I’m sure some team is

gonna consider themselves real lucky to get such a prize.”

“But…”

“Get outta here, Brown. Now.”

As Keisha scampered away, Dylan looked Hodge carefully over. “You alright?”

“Yes,” Hodge replied. “Just wasn’t meant to be my lucky day, I guess.”

The corner of Dylan’s mouth turned up. “Oh, I don’t know about that. You managed to set a record in the shoot around, won all your three-on-three

games, and talked me into breaking the rules and letting that little thug stay on. All in all, not a bad showing.”

Hodge laughed, then stopped abruptly, one hand going to her head while the other covered her chest. “Ow.”

Dylan looked down at her, concerned. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah. The trainer looked me over. I’m just a little bruised. I think I’ll live, though.”

“Alright. Are you headed back to the hotel?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll walk you to your car then. C’mon.”

Dylan shortened her strides so that her smaller companion could keep up with her as they walked through the gym and into the chilly Minneapolis night.

Hodge stumbled as they stepped from the sidewalk onto the paved parking lot, but quickly righted herself. Her head spun from the effort.

“Dizzy?”

Hodge nodded. “Just a little, when I tripped. It’s okay now, though.”

“Let’s not take any chances. I’ll drive you back to the hotel, alright?”

“No, no,” Hodge demurred. “I’m fine. Really.”

“And I’m driving you to the hotel. You can get a ride back with one of the players in the morning.”

Hodge really couldn’t do anything at that point but give in. “Ok,” she said simply, allowing Dylan to lead her to the rental parked close by.

The ride to the hotel was made in silence. Dylan, by nature, wasn’t much of a conversationalist. And Hodge, who was, found that the close presence of

the woman she idolized managed to wither away every single thought in her head.

Unable to speak, Hodge contented herself with catching glimpses of Dylan’s chiseled profile as the car moved in and out of bars of light created by the

passing streetlamps. Hodge had always thought her incredibly beautiful—who wouldn’t?—but in person this was even more true. Dylan had a charisma

that cameras captured well, but cameras couldn’t hold a candle to seeing her in real life. She had a physical presence that went far beyond her unusual

height or her looks. It rolled off of her in waves, and Hodge was quite happy to be caught in the undertow.

Dylan was quite aware of the scrutiny. It had been a part of her life for so many years, she all but forgot what it was like not to be seen as if from under a

microscope’s lens. She’d learned very early that to have any type of privacy at all, she would have to hide within the glass bubble of her own popularity. It

was a lesson she learned well.

The hotel came quickly into view, and Dylan found a parking space very near the front. Shutting down the engine, she exited the rental and popped the

trunk, withdrawing Hodge’s duffle and handing it to her. Together, the two women walked into the nearly empty lobby.

The doors to the elevators opened as if by magic, and they entered, pressing the buttons for their respective floors. When the doors opened on five, Hodge

turned to Dylan. “Well, this is where I get off. Thanks…for helping me out back there. And for making sure I was alright.”

Dylan smiled at the slight blush that colored Hodge’s cheeks. “You’re welcome.”

“Well…I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“You will. Be sure to ice yourself down, or those bruises will get worse.”