Chapter 17: The Other Court
Two days after the semifinal, Rafael woke up to the sound of Lia banging on his door.
"Kuya! Wake up! We’re going to be late!"
Rafael opened one eye and looked at the clock. It was barely past eight. "The game starts at ten."
"Mia said to be early."
"Mia said that to you?"
"She said it to me and to you and to Mama. She said everybody has to be early." Lia paused. "Also, she said you have to bring water."
Rafael sat up slowly. He remembered the day of his evaluation, when Mia had shown up with a bottle of water and a quiet smile. It seemed she was returning the favor, in her own way.
By nine, he was standing in the kitchen with a water bottle in each hand while Elena packed snacks into a bag. Manuel had already left for work, but he had told them to send him a message when the game was over. Daniel had also given the team a full day off, so there was no practice waiting for Rafael.
For the first time in weeks, he had nothing to study, nothing to prepare, and nobody to face.
It felt strange.
The gym was already noisy when they arrived. It was smaller than the baseball stadium, but the sound bounced off the walls and made everything feel louder. Students from two schools sat on opposite sides, waving banners and beating plastic drums.
Lia grabbed Rafael’s sleeve and pulled him toward the front rows. "Come on, we need a good seat!"
"You’ve been to a volleyball game before?"
"No. But I want to see everything."
They found a spot near the sideline, and Elena sat on the other side of Lia. Rafael put the water bottles on his lap and looked toward the court. The teams were warming up, and it didn’t take him long to find Mia.
She was wearing her team jersey, with her hair tied high, and she was stretching her arms while talking to a teammate. She looked different from the girl he saw in school every day. She looked focused, like someone who knew exactly why she was there.
Lia leaned toward him. "You’re staring."
"I’m not."
"Kuya, you’re literally staring."
"I’m just watching the warm-ups."
"Sure."
Rafael didn’t answer. Behind them, Joshua’s voice called out.
"Bro!"
Rafael turned around. Joshua was pushing through the crowd with Miguel behind him, both carrying snacks.
"What are you doing here?"
"Supporting your girlfriend," Joshua said.
"She’s not my girlfriend."
"That’s what you always say."
"Because it’s always true."
Miguel sat down beside Elena and greeted her politely. "Good morning, Tita."
"Good morning, Miguel. Have you eaten?"
"Yes, Tita."
"Then eat more."
Miguel laughed and took a piece of bread from her bag.
The first set started with a loud whistle. Mia’s team served first, and Rafael watched the ball fly over the net and land in the corner. The crowd cheered, and he found himself clapping without thinking about it.
He didn’t know volleyball well, but the game made sense to him quickly. The rally began with a serve, then a pass, then a set, and finally a spike. It was a lot like baseball in one way: everyone had a job, and one mistake could change the score.
Mia was an outside hitter. Her job was to hit the ball hard, and she did it with strong timing. Twice in the first set, she jumped high and drove the ball to the back of the court, and the other team couldn’t react.
"She’s really good," Miguel said.
"Yeah," Rafael said.
He meant it more than he expected. He had known Mia since he woke up in this body, but he had never seen her in her own world before. In baseball, she was the person in the stands. Here, she was the person everyone was watching.
Her team won the first set, 25–21.
The second set was harder. The other school adjusted, serving to the weaker passers and blocking Mia’s spikes more often. They won it, 25–22, and the gym got even louder. On the bench, Mia wiped her face with a towel and listened to her coach with a serious expression.
Rafael noticed something then. His hands were tight around the water bottles.
Joshua glanced at him. "You okay?"
"I’m fine."
"You’re squeezing those really hard."
Rafael looked down and loosened his grip. "It’s just a close game."
"You’ve hit two home runs in a semifinal. You’re not nervous about a volleyball game."
"I’m not nervous."
Lia looked over. "Kuya, you are."
Rafael sighed.
He was nervous.
It was ridiculous, and he knew it. Alex Sterling had played in game sevens with the whole world watching. He had stood at home plate with two outs in the ninth inning, and his heart hadn’t moved faster than usual.
Now he was sitting on a wooden bench in a small gym, worried about a girl’s serve.
The difference, he realized, was control. On the field, he could do something. He could swing the bat, read the pitcher, or make the throw. Here, all he could do was watch and hope.
Is this what Mia felt when I played? he thought.
The third set began, and Mia’s team took an early lead. Mia hit two spikes in a row, then made a quick dive to save a ball near the sideline. Her teammate got the next touch and sent it over the net for a point. The whole gym jumped up, and Lia screamed loud enough to make Elena cover her ears.
Mia got up from the floor with a big grin. She looked toward the crowd and found Rafael in the front row. She gave him a quick thumbs-up before turning back to the game.
Rafael lifted one of the water bottles in reply.
Joshua nudged him. "Girlfriend."
"Shut up."
Miguel laughed so hard that he almost spilled his drink.
Mia’s team won the third set, 25–19. In the fourth set, the other school came back strong and won 25–23. That meant there would be a fifth set, and the winner would take the championship.
The last set was played to 15. Both teams looked tired, but nobody in the gym was sitting down. The drums had stopped, and people were clapping in rhythm as the players got ready.
Rafael stood up too, without realizing it.
The score went back and forth. 3–2, 4–4, 7–7. At 8–7, the teams switched sides, and Mia walked past the front row, breathing hard. She didn’t say anything, but she looked at Rafael for a second, and he understood.
He nodded once. You’ve got this.
She nodded back.
The other team scored the next two points, and the score became 9–8 in their favor. Mia’s coach called a timeout, and the players huddled together. Rafael couldn’t hear what was said, but when they broke apart, the whole team looked calmer.
Mia’s team tied it at 9–9. Then 10–9. Then 11–10.
The other school was still fighting, and they pulled ahead again at 13–12. Rafael’s chest felt tight. One more point for them, and it would be over.
Mia’s setter passed the ball high toward the left side. Mia ran in, jumped, and swung with everything she had. The ball hit the floor on the far side of the net, and the referee raised a hand.
13–13.
The whole gym exploded. Lia grabbed Rafael’s arm and shook it. "Did you see that?! Did you see that?!"
"I saw it."
"She’s so good!"
"I know."
The next point came from a long rally, with both teams saving ball after ball. In the end, Mia’s teammate tapped it softly over a blocker’s hands. It dropped just inside the line.
14–13.
One more point.
Mia stood in the back row, waiting to receive the next serve. Rafael watched her shoulders rise and fall as she took a deep breath. He knew that feeling. It was the moment before a pitch, when everything else disappeared.
The serve came. Mia’s team passed it, set it, and hit it. The other team blocked it, and the ball flew high into the air. Mia dove for it, and her arm barely got under the ball. It floated over the net.
The other team jumped to return it, but the ball dropped between two players.
15–13.
The buzzer sounded, and Mia’s team fell onto the court in a pile. The gym went wild. Lia was jumping, Joshua was shouting, and Elena was clapping with tears in her eyes. Rafael just stood there, smiling so widely that his cheeks hurt.
After the awards, the gym slowly emptied. Mia came out of the locker room with a medal around her neck and her bag on one shoulder. She was still smiling, and her face was red from all the excitement.
Rafael was waiting near the exit with a water bottle. He held it out to her.
"You said to bring water."
Mia took it and laughed. "I didn’t think you would actually remember."
"Lia reminded me. Three times."
"I did!" Lia said proudly.
Mia drank half the bottle before speaking again. "So? What did you think?"
Rafael took a moment to answer. "I was really nervous."
Mia blinked. "You? Mr. Home Run?"
"Yes."
She started laughing. "Rafael, you hit two home runs in a semifinal and you didn’t look nervous at all."
"That’s different. I can do something when I’m playing."
"And when you’re watching?"
"I don’t like it."
Mia laughed harder. "Now you know how I feel."
Rafael smiled. "Yeah. Now I know."
They walked out of the gym together, with Lia, Elena, Joshua, and Miguel following close behind and pretending not to listen. Outside, the sun was bright, and students were still taking pictures with the champion team.
Mia stopped beside the steps and looked at the medal in her hand. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course. You came to my games."
"That’s different."
"Why?"
"Because I like watching you play." She said it lightly, but her cheeks turned a little pink. "And you looked like you liked watching me."
Rafael didn’t know what to say. He had faced pitchers with 95-mile-per-hour fastballs, but that one sentence made his mind go blank.
"I did," he said finally.
Mia smiled and looked away. "Good."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Behind them, Joshua whispered something, and Miguel elbowed him.
Then Mia looked back at Rafael.
"You have the final coming up, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then it’s my turn to be nervous."
Rafael laughed. "You’ll be fine."
"That’s what I’m supposed to tell you."
"I know. But it’s true."
Mia shook her head, still smiling. "Go home and rest, champion. You have another game to win."
Rafael nodded and followed his family down the steps. The day had been quiet, and nothing about it had involved a baseball field. Still, as he walked home in the afternoon sun, he felt more ready for the final than he had in a long time.
End of Chapter 17