The distinct thwack of leather against palm echoed off the rafters of the Yonkers Middle High School gym. It was a sound Denise had known since seventh grade, a rhythm that had defined her teenage years.
She landed lightly on the balls of her feet, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. The scoreboard was dark, and the net was already being taken down, signaling the end of one of their final open gym sessions before graduation.
“Nice kill, D,” shouted Maya, her setter and best friend since elementary school, tossing her a water bottle.
Denise caught it, looking around the familiar gym. The blue and orange banners hung proudly on the walls. In a few months, she would be trading those colors for the Purple and Gold of the University at Albany. It was everything she wanted—a great program, a beautiful campus, and a chance to study psychology—but right now, the excitement was heavy with nostalgia.
She sat down on the bottom bleacher, pulling her knee pads down to her ankles. Maya and their libero, Sarah, flopped down beside her.
“I got the email about dorm assignments today,” Denise said, staring at her sneakers. “Quad living. It sounds cool.”
“You’re going to love Albany,” Sarah said, nudging her shoulder. “It’s only a train ride away. We’ll visit so much you’ll get sick of us.”
Denise managed a smile, but her throat felt tight. “It’s not the distance. It’s… this.” She gestured vaguely at the court, the locker room doors, and her two friends. “I’m excited for the fall, I really am. But I’m terrified of waking up and not having you guys five minutes away. Who’s going to know exactly how I like my coffee before a game? Who’s going to hype me up when I shank a pass?”
Maya sighed, leaning back against the hard plastic of the bleachers. “We’re going to have new teammates, D. New friends.”
“I know,” Denise whispered. “But they won’t be the friends who saw me through braces, bad haircuts, and that time I tripped over the net freshman year.”
The three of them laughed, the sound bouncing around the empty gym. It was a bittersweet sound.
“Yonkers is always home base,” Maya said softly, resting her head on Denise’s shoulder. “And Albany isn’t the moon. You go up there, you dominate, and we stick together via the group chat. Every single day.”
Denise took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of floor wax and old gym mats one last time. She was ready to be a Great Dane, but a part of her heart would always remain a Bulldog.
“Deal,” Denise said, wrapping her arms around both of them. “But if I don’t get a ‘Good Morning’ text on move-in day, I’m driving right back here.”
