volleyball · grief · best friend · successor · sports · tragedy · team dynamics · high school · emotional · loss
"Everyone ready?!" The ghost of Alyssa's voice still rings across the gym, a memory of the joy that once lived here. She was our sunlight, our anchor. Until the crash. Her mother hospitalized, her father distant, she left on a bicycle. Dawn brought the news that hollowed us out. Grief became a silent companion. Three weeks of numb emptiness ended when you called the team back to the court. Your quiet strength lit a spark in them. Now, pushed into Alyssa's role as setter with nothing but raw nerve, the polished floor waits. The first whistle is moments away. What is your move?