Any Slight Difference

It took me only a few seconds upon Ria’s entrance into the gym today to determine that she had something she was very happy about.

I’d noticed that she wasn’t here during our usual training time yesterday, and had heard from coach that she was practicing in the field yesterday, which I hadn’t thought much about.

However, as her light steps across the room towards me gave the distinct impression that she was nearly floating, it couldn’t have been more obvious that she’d had some good luck lately.

And I had a solid idea of what it was without needing to ask.

As Ria had seemed to pick up in our interactions over these years playing and training together, I didn’t care much for day to day drama or complex interpersonal relationships at school.

That didn’t mean, however, that I didn’t understand them.

The looks shared between her and Liam in the interview before were ones shared between many of my peers shortly before they announced their relationships. Usually I didn’t care to judge the choices or feelings of the participants, and this case was no different.

As Ria stepped on to the machine next to mine to start her workout, she nodded a casual greeting, not particularly focused on me, but neither ignoring me. It seemed that her mind was elsewhere, but that she was still present enough to train.

I considered that to be a very good sign.

Too often in the past I’d either known or heard about athletes who got into a relationship and soon after saw a downturn in performance or in following their training regimen.

I knew that Ria was just about as committed as anyone, but it was still a relief to see her shift into work mode as soon as she started.

“Are you two planning on telling others?” I asked as she settled into a rhythm.

She almost stumbled for a moment and then, after thinking for a second, evidently decided not to ask for clarification.

“I think so, but we haven’t talked about that yet.”

I nodded understandingly and continued with my work. Before Ria had claimed the new captain’s role, many had assumed that I, Tillie, would inherit the role.

I too was under that assumption, and had begun to prepare myself to be a leader both on and off the field for my team.

Part of that job, I’d found, was ensuring that there were as few distractions as possible for my peers.

Often that was out of one individual’s control, but there were usually small things anyone could handle that would make a difference.

One of those such things was trying to limit the amount of rumors and gossip that a high profile athlete would experience when they entered a relationship.

If she intended on keeping it hidden, I’d want to actively deter those who were spreading the rumors, which were inevitable but sometimes manageable.

If she didn’t intend on hiding it, then I’d want to focus on maintaining a professional atmosphere among the team, ensuring they don’t badger Ria so much that she’d feel uneasy or get distracted.

In short, anything that would hinder the team’s ability to perform when it matters, I’d want to prevent ahead of time.

It wasn’t often that I’d even consider getting involved in something like this, but it was the result of one of the many pieces of wisdom passed to me by our prior leaders’ years of experience that pressed upon me the importance of the small things.

Any slight difference that made Ria, or any of our key teammates for that matter, more comfortable, would pay dividends in our games.

And after all, my sole motivation in being here was going pro after I graduate.

While individual performances were often the most crucial factor in that outcome, our team performing well would only boost my chances.

I soon finished my workout and bid Ria goodbye, sending off a quick text before stepping out of the gym and making my way towards the library.

The response to my text lit up my screen and confirmed my suspicions of where my friend would be.

There was one person who’d had a very abnormal hand in all of this, and I needed to confirm his intentions, even if I was fairly certain of his benevolent nature.

I’d need to talk to Marcus.