The Netball Diaries, part one

Jenny had introduced me to Emily Sparks, a family friend whose daughter Suzette was younger than me and starting netball practice that Saturday. It turned out I was right to have a sinking feeling about the last part! Jenny insisted however that if she and I were determined to make a go of it, then my performance at sports had to improve. Somehow or other she eventually talked me into it, though like any self-respecting boy I was pretty sure I’d never live it down!

When the dreaded day came, Emily said Suzette and I looked so cute together in our gym kit that she insisted on taking a photo of us before we even started out.

“Mum!” exclaimed Suzette, while I blushed.

Once that was out of the way, Emily drove us to the courts. “And I’ve got a nice tea ready for you little sports stars when you’re done,” she went on.

Though I was almost too shy to even talk to Suzette, I gulped and asked her, “So, um, please tell me you girls don’t play too rough!”

She and her mother laughed. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to turn that into a joke!

“I’ll go easy on ya,” said Suzette with a smirk.

“I’m sure a lot of boys play netball and get good at it, little Missy,” Emily declared from the driver’s seat. “Even if there aren’t any others at our particular club. Anyway I can seem to recall it was one of the first things you put your name down for!”

I could believe that! While her mother wasn’t watching, Suzette wrinkled up her pretty nose and smirked at me again. Inwardly I groaned at what I already knew this was going to be like!

When we arrived I must have been looking fretful, because Emily said encouragingly to me: “Try your best and you’ll be as good as Suzette before you know it.”

“Yeah, maybe in a year or two!” Suzette taunted me. This time I really blushed!

“Don’t show off, Suzette,” said Emily. “And also, it’s not nice to tease.”

None of this was exactly building up my confidence prior to my first netball game! Suzette ran onto the court to meet her friends, but I hung back.

“Don’t be frightened!” beamed Emily, noticing this. It was clear though she couldn’t help but laugh. “They’re only girls!”

“The other boys at school say I play like a girl,” I confessed dejectedly. “Guess this proves them right.”

I scuffed the toe of one of my sneakers on the court, then gave my gym kit a self-pitying pluck. Gently Emily slapped my hand away.

“You’ll look less like one if you quit fidgeting!” she informed me with another laugh.

I smiled to her wanly, and knowing it was about time, turned to set off. When I did however the ticklish scent of perfume crept into my nostrils, and the warmth of someone near was on my cheek. To my already nervy self, it was almost maddening. Fitful I turned my head and glimpsed Emily’s beautiful blue eyes, not to mention her her lips.

“Good luck,” she whispered, and kissed me on the cheek.

I gulped hard, all in a flurry, and had to turn clumsily around to thank her. My head was in a whirl!

I must have looked almost neurotic as I trotted as if on tiptoe out onto the court, and it turned out I had good reason to be. Every single time I thought I could get the ball in time when a girl was holding it, she let me try and waited until my fingertips nearly brushed the thing before passing it to a team-mate. What was worse, whenever I thought a pass was dropping into my hands, a girl would flit in front of me and jump and snatch it a spilt-second before I could make the catch. This sort of thing happened again and again until I was about ready to stamp my foot! I saw by the end that Suzette was right. It was going to be a long time before I was as good at netball as these girls!

The tea was delicious. Suzette ate her cucumber sandwiches very daintily and quietly, though I knew she was just busting to tease me about how the game had gone.

“A cup of tea helps ease you down when you’re hot and bothered,” Emily said kindly to me while we were sipping.

“Thanks, Mrs. Sparks, this is all so nice nice of you,” I said, mustering a smile. “And Suzette, if that’s what you call going easy on me then I guess I really do need practice!”

Suzette erupted into tinkling giggles.

“OMG, Mum, did you see how we kept him from getting the ball?” she exclaimed.

“I think our guest might be a little embarrassed about that,” Emily told her tactfully.

“Oh, I’m really not!” I lied, red-faced.

“I would be!” snorted Suzette. “So what does it feel like losing to a load of girls?”

“He’s not a little boy in your form, Suzette!” chided Emily.

“I can see that, er he’s like how much older and he can’t even play!” Suzette scoffed, and pinged a cherry tomato at me.

Emily shook her head fondly. “If I’d had a little boy I’d be going through all this with him right now!” she remarked with a laugh.

“Instead you got me and I’m awesome at sports,” slipped in smug Suzette.

“Don’t show off, Suzette,” said Emily. “You know it’s embarrassing for our friend here to think of a girl your age being better than him at this.”

I sighed heavily. “I don’t know if I’ll even get any better at this rate, at least not in the way Jenny wants!” I blurted out.

“You’re sure to,” Emily told me warmly. “Next time just try not to start the game with your pants already in a twist.”

“Yeah, because all we had to do then was make it worse,” Suzette agreed conversationally.

“I was a little horror for that at her age,” confided Emily, and gave my hand a pat in show of support. “Like mother, like daughter. The boys used to shudder at the sight of me!”

They both laughed. Emily poured some more tea.

“As for you,” she continued to Suzette, “a little less goofing around next time, please. But if you play as well you did today, when you could be bothered that is, I’m sure you can keep winning right up to the end of school.”

This time Suzette really looked smug. She poked her tongue out at me.