Each lady went into position. Hachi and Angie took the middle line, on opposite sidelines. Lilly stayed at the front while Jaime remained at the back. Together, they looked like a diamond.
Logan’s over hand serve had been caught by Jaime who brought the ball straight up in the middle of their court, hitting it with her forearms. Hachi dashed to catch and dig it back towards the other court.
Jae tossed the ball back up in order to slow it down and control it. Logan immediately took the chance to spike it towards the net. It brushed against the top, its momentum breaking. The trajectory went from aiming for the back and to touching down a meter away from the net.
Another point for the teenagers.
Hachi rolled the ball back into play, directing it towards Logan.
He slammed it towards the ground once before opting for an under hand serve. Instead of throwing the ball into the air, he let it rest on his palm. With his other hand, he clenched it into a fist and used its wrist to hit the ball, flying it over the net.
Jaime quickly tossed it up, passing it to her other teammates. Hachi moved quickly to toss the ball again in Lilly’s direction.
Like clockwork, Lilly spiked it near and over the net.
Just in time for Alex to block it, hitting the ball towards their part of the floor.
That gave the teens a total score of 3-0.
Meanwhile, Jae kept an eye on the area around Emily. After their first score, he told her to aim the ball towards her teammates if it ever landed on her forearms. It didn’t make sense to her at the time but she kept it in mind, nonetheless.
Logan did a quick under hand serve which Jaime caught, digging the ball back to them with her forearms. It went with a short curve and aimed for landing near Emily’s spot.
Then, the ball went flying backwards towards the corner of the baseline and outside of the court. Logan immediately chased after it, bringing it back inside. Then, Alex spiked it towards the other side.
To say Emily felt stunned would be an understatement.
“Told you” Jae smirked behind her. She didn’t give any retorts, merely glancing at him with an okay-I-now-know-what-you-mean expression, big blonde oaf.
Jae enjoyed that look.
On the other side, Jaime had little room to receive the hard spike. She cupped her hands just in time for the ball to hit her arms. It changed its route and headed for Lilly’s stomach. She took a quick step back and hit it with her wrists. Angie ran for the ball and spiked it towards the other court.
Jae crouched to receive it with his wrists. The ball bounced on his cupped hands and simply skipped to the floor next to him.
The score now became 3-1.
The ball rolled back towards the other court, Hachi now to serve. Their team had rotated once they took a point. She went for an over hand serve, already aiming for her daughter. Nothing personal, of course, just purely focused on the game. Emily would understand anyway. She did not inherit skills for volleyball but she did acquire the competitive spirit.
“Emily, go to your left!” Jae shouted. He instantly ran from his spot while Emily moved two steps away. Jae lunged the remaining steps and hit the ball with his wrists. It went for Lilly who now occupied Hachi’s previous spot. She tossed the ball back over the net.
It happened in less than a second. Jae didn’t have enough time to get back onto his feet and chase it. He yelled, “Emily, get it!”
Emily went after the ball, intending to aim it at Alex’s direction. Once again, it went flying towards the outside of the court. Alex stayed on her spot. She didn’t have the legs to chase it—unlike someone else.
Her cousin may not be able to control the power she used but it helped that she knew how to aim. Instead of a straight ticket to the bleachers, the ball curved upwards. This made it fly high but in a short distance.
Logan hit the ball with his forearms. He would have spiked it but it might not make it over the net. Instead, the ball headed for his team.
Alex made her move, keeping her eyes on the ball. When it was only a meter away from her head, she spiked it towards her mother.
Angie quickly tossed the ball with Lilly already near her. They spiked it back over the net.
Alex hit it with a sideway dig, her forearms swinging from her left. The ball went back up and into the other court.
Lilly caught it with a toss and tipped it over the net.
Alex’s wrists received it near the ground. The ball flew upwards, barely brushing the net.
Lilly blocked it with her fingers—only for Alex to jump and spike it away.
But not too far… only to make it land next to her aunt.
And it did.
The whole scene happened too fast. The other players had no spare time to run and catch it.
Alex wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Her aunt hid a smile from the other side of the net.
“Really?” Alex exasperated.
“It’s not my fault you kept catching the ball” Lilly laughed.
Alex grumbled at her expression, “It was in my spot.”
The teens rotated in their positions.
Jae grabbed the ball that rolled towards him. His under hand serve wasn’t his best nor was his over hand one. He rolled the ball in his hands, making a quick decision. He tossed the ball with an outstretched hand and hit it square in the face. Between the two, that one packed in power which he figured would be the better one for their chances.
The ball’s trajectory wasn’t as high as Logan’s. It narrowly scraped the top of the net and broke momentum. Lilly lunged for the ball, hitting it with her wrists. It went back to the other court.
Alex shuffled her feet back a little to dig the ball over the net. Lilly blocked it from the net and spiked it towards the ground. It was Alex’s turn to lunge for the ball. She used more power than before. It flew up high, falling directly on the net. Both girls jumped to catch it just before it could land on the net.
When Lilly smacked the ball in the middle, Alex swept it off with her fingers. It ultimately landed on her aunt’s side of the court.
“Damn, Alex” Lilly chuckled, “Can’t let me have one, huh?”
Alex grinned, “All is fair in love and war.”
Then, she turned around, glaring at Jae, “Are you trying to kill me?”
She had just finished a row of trading the ball with the other team. He already caused another with his over hand serve. The front always held the critical part of the court for the ball. The distance was short and most players aim for a straight landing.
Jae held up his hands in surrender, “I didn’t mean it.”
“Can’t you at least direct it across Logan’s side of the court?”
“Hey, I’ve had my share of sweat from running,” Logan defended. He straightened up from his crouch and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Good job” Alex waved a hand, smirking, “Make your brother run next.”
On the other side, Jaime Greenwood cracked her knuckles. She had never felt this much adrenaline for a while. It was a good thing Hachi suggested for a game. She could also throw in her frustration over her husband into play.
“They surely know how to put up a fight” Hachi chuckled, a hand on her hip. If she counted correctly, the score was 5-1.
Angie laughed, “With two cats focusing on the game while a knight guards your daughter, it’s not surprising at all.”
“Those two are quite a pair,” Lilly added, folding her arms over her chest.
All four women focused on Alex and Logan. Both of them stood meters apart. They bantered back and forth about their foreplay while Emily and Jae had their own conversation behind them.
“Are you trying to set your daughter up now, Ange?” Jaime asked.
Angie snorted, “Of course not. Just giving it a little push.”
Jaime shook her head. Well, she couldn’t really blame her. Alex was at the ripe age of her youth. After her granddaughter’s isolation all these years, Angie must have worried about the possibility of Alex experiencing romance. It certainly didn’t help that her husband was old-fashioned.
“Anyway, let’s keep playing. Once they win, they can go out and celebrate. It will bring them all closer together” Lilly suggested and waited for the opponents. They could have called out to them but when they arrived, the teens hardly talked. Now it seemed like they won’t be stopping anytime soon.
Maybe they could let them off for a little longer.
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