Chapter 35

“SO, ARE WE GOING to continue to cheer for the girls?” Rachel said. “Lana looked so smug sitting on their bench in her little warmups. I think it should be Bob who rips her a new one.”

“We bide our time,” Susan said. “If the Angelines go the entire tournament, there will only be a few days before the boys start theirs. I’m sure after they lose the first game in regionals, some of the guys will need consoling. And the girls won’t be around any longer. She’ll pay.”

“So, what about cheering for them?”

“We wouldn’t be showing very good team spirit if we didn’t go out and lead cheers for them. Think of all the people who will be in the stands. I bet the boys won’t have half as many in the stands. They’re the sweethearts of the school right now.”

“Do we have to ride the same bus?” Linda asked.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Susan answered. “There will be a fan bus for all the games. We should ride that and get everyone whipped up on the ride.”

“What happened to Ms. Sanders?” Rachel asked. “She was all ready to do battle with Coach Graves when Lana quit. Then nothing. She teaches her classes and goes home. She hasn’t even been to practice since.”

“I think somebody found out about her affair with the principal,” Linda suggested. “He used to prowl the halls at almost every class break. Now he doesn’t come out of his office.”

“Yeah, too bad. He always stopped anybody we pointed to. It’s like being alone out there now,” Rachel said.

“We have each other, girls,” Susan said. “And we’ve got enough cock on the varsity to keep even your hungry cunt satisfied.” Rachel started to look offended but couldn’t keep the grin off her face.

“You worked hard this week, team. Tomorrow we’ll be headed for Jamestown and the regional tourney,” Ardith said as the girls got ready to shower after practice. They were in various stages of getting their practice clothes off to shower. Dennis and Lana were both cutting tape from ankles. Dennis did all the wrapping, but Lana was getting good with the scissors. “I know you’ve all got visions of the State Championship dancing in your heads. But there are sixty-three other teams that need to be eliminated before we get there. So far, we’ve only met seven of them and the one we meet tomorrow is out for revenge from earlier in the week. But what do we know that no other team knows?”

“Every game is the championship game!” the girls shouted back at her.

“Right. Jamestown thinks it’s their first game of the tourney. We know it’s their last. What are we going to do?”

“Run, run, run!”

“That’s right. Who are we?”

“Angelines!”

“Now get your showers and let’s get out of here. You need good rest tonight, so don’t stay up late,” Ardith said. Leanne got up from the bench in front of Dennis and started to strip off her panties as she walked away. They were the only thing she was wearing. He was surprised when Ardith sat on the bench facing Lana and him.

“Coach?”

“You two will have your work cut out for you tomorrow. We’ll dress here and ride in uniform. Get here early enough to have everything ready. I’ve noticed the girls seem to have a little something extra when they are taped, so I want to do all of them tomorrow. Say I’m paranoid, but I don’t want any of them twisting an ankle in the first game.”

“We’ll need to call them in earlier in order to make the bus time,” Dennis said. “It takes ten to fifteen minutes for each girl I tape. That’s the only reason we’ve limited to taping just three at a time.”

“Lana, have you been practicing what Dennis has shown you?”

“Yes, Coach. My little brother and sister have been walking around all evening with tape on their ankles. I even got my dad to sit still so I could demonstrate proper taping for him. He said he could see how it would help, but he was unhappy about pulling the tape off his hairy legs,” Lana said.

“Show me.” Ardith pulled off her shoe and sock and held her foot out to Lana. The surprised girl grabbed a roll of tape and began wrapping, carefully following Dennis’s instructions as he observed and made suggestions. When she was done, Ardith tested the flexibility and strength of the support. She nodded. “With three of us taping, we should be able to finish all the girls in forty-five minutes. We’ll need to be on the bus within fifteen minutes after that.”

“Coach? Are you okay? Did you twist your ankle?” Judith asked. Dennis and Ardith looked up at the naked girl who was drying her hair. The rest of the team all paused where they were and looked at the coach.

“No. I was just running a test to make sure your assistant manager could do a good taping job. Are any of you uncomfortable in the tape?” She asked surveying the room full of naked girls as Dennis and Lana put away their kits. They all shook their heads. “I want everyone taped for tomorrow’s game. So, don’t be late getting in here. Got it?”

“Yes, Coach.”

“Now put some clothes on. You’ve paraded around long enough.”

Dennis set to cutting the tape off Coach Graves.

Getting the team all taped went smoothly, but if Coach had any concept of cutting down the displays in the locker room, she was disappointed. When Amy sat in front of her to have her ankles taped, the girl hadn’t yet put her sports bra on. Ardith found it slightly distracting and wondered how Dennis could stand it as Brenda sat topless in front of him. Lana seemed to have no difficulty as Daniella sat in front of her. The twin had not yet put her shorts on over the game panties.

Regardless, they made the bus on schedule and entered the Jamestown gym to the cheers of their fans on the opposite side of the court. The Jamestown fans tried unsuccessfully to match the enthusiasm of Bartley. Perhaps having cheerleaders leading them did help.

The cheerleaders danced and jumped on the sideline as they whipped the fans into a frenzy. The stands were so loud the airhorn Jamestown used to end warmups was scarcely heard.

“Watch for your teammates’ signals,” Ardith said in the huddle. “You may not be able to hear over the noise. This gym seems to amplify everything. You haven’t worked with a referee and two umpires before. Be aware of where they are so you don’t get tripped by them. I don’t care if you run over them, but I don’t want you falling.” The girls laughed. “Aside from that, settle in and play your game. You’ve got the skill and the stamina to win this. What are we going to do?”

“Run, run, run!”

“Who are we?”

“Angelines!” The cry was echoed from the visitor stands and the Angelines took the court as their names were called. They stood respectfully for the anthem and everyone left the court except the players who were starting and the officials. The ball was in the air and the game was on.

Disaster struck four minutes into the first quarter. Diane went up for a jump shot and was undercut by a Jamestown player who slipped on her attempted block. Both girls hit the floor hard. Whistles blew and the clock stopped. The ref signaled for the coaches. Lana and Dennis ran to the court behind Ardith as a manager came from the bench for the Wildcats. Diane was sitting up and shook her head.

“Are you okay?” Ardith asked.

“I hit my knee and elbow,” Diane said. “How’s number 21?” They looked over where her opponent was still stretched out on the floor. After a minute, she was helped up by her coach and limped off the floor. Diane stood and Ardith led her off the floor signaling Rosie to come in for her. Dennis immediately went to work with his towel, wiping up where the girls had lain. He could see the smear where number 21 had slipped and made sure he got that wiped. Lana and the team manager from Jamestown joined him, inspecting the area to be sure they’d caught all the drips.

“Team managers,” the ref addressed them. They all stood in front of him. “The building seems hot—probably because of all the fans—and the girls are sweating a lot. I’d appreciate it if you watched carefully for wet spots and run out at any buzzer to wipe them up. This wasn’t your fault. You’re doing a good job. We just didn’t see that spot. Do I have your cooperation?”

“Yes, sir,” the three responded. They ran back to their benches and the game resumed with a jump ball in the foul circle.

“Dennis, ice!” Coach called. Dennis grabbed two instant ice packs from his kit and brought them to Diane. She took one and held it to her elbow while he activated the other and held it to her knee.

“Ow! I always hate the cold,” Diane complained. “How am I going to hold both of these in place?”

“Can you hold the knee with your nose?” Dennis asked. She groaned. He reached for his tape roll and quickly secured the pack to her knee. “I can do the same for your elbow,” he said.

“I’ll just hold it,” Diane responded. “It’s not so bad.” She sat out the rest of the half, unhappily watching her teammates fall behind by two at the horn.

In the locker room for half-time, Diane begged to be allowed to play in the second half.

“How’s your knee?” Ardith asked.

“It’s just a little bruised. I’ll be fine,” Diane protested.

“I can tape it, Coach,” Dennis said. “I’ve been practicing stability taping besides on the ankle.”

“Really? Go ahead and tape. I’ll assess it and decide if you’re stable enough to play. You had two baskets before the injury, Diane. See if you can grab and fire. Don’t try to do any fancy footwork or get mixed up under the basket. If you don’t have a shot, pass it off. And if you show a sign of limping or pain, I want you off the court. Understand?”

“Yes, Coach. I won’t let you down.”

“You haven’t let anyone down, Diane. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game.”

Dennis followed what he had learned and practiced after he discovered several rolls of tape marked ‘kinesiology’ in the equipment cage. It looked like they were older and had never been opened. The tape had a bit of stretch to it and had to be rubbed to activate the adhesive.

“You know, I’ll rub your legs any time you want,” he said to Diane when he looked up. “You don’t need to go to all this work.”

“If this works, I’ll let you rub my legs all the way up!” she answered.

Diane wasn’t the most valuable player on the court, but having her back in the rotation seemed to lift the team’s spirit. They took the game back in the second half and ran the Wildcats down. It was a solid victory. Diane let Dennis start rubbing her leg as soon as they got on the bus.