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Carol parked in the school's parking lot quickly. Maria's old Camaro stopped purring as soon as she turned off the ignition, and she climbed out swiftly. Monica jumped out of the passenger seat. Carol lowered her seat, and Monica's four teammates climbed off carefully."End of the line, everyone!" Carol declared excitedly."Thank you, Mrs. Danvers," they all said one after the other as they made it out of the vehicle.Monica opened the trunk without much difficulty and they all took out their sports bag. Carol pushed her seat back up and locked the car."Who's ready to win another match!" she shouted excitedly.All five thirteen years old agreed, though with a lot more apprehension. Carol smiled brightly. It was the third match of the season, and luckily for them, it was home today. Meaning that she didn't have to cram five pre-teens in a car barely able to fit four to the other side of the county."Alright! Let's show these girls what the Marvels are made of!"Once again, the teenagers agreed loudly. Monica had suggested the name to the coach who had agreed enthusiastically. Of course, it made Carol very happy that Monica's basketball team was somewhat named after her, and that their mascot, to boot, was a Pegasus.They entered the gymnasium and found a small crowd already assembling to watch the match. A lot of students had come to support their friends, a few teachers too. The opposing team had also come with their fan-club, thought it was far smaller than theirs.Carol followed the girls until they were in the care of their coach with the rest of the team, and heading to their locker-room. She instantly went to sit by her spot on the tiers. Third row, smack-dab in the middle. She always picked that spot, so Monica would know exactly where to look if she was looking for her in the crowd. She sat down and waited. Her leg was jerking anxiously, quicker and quicker every time she glanced at the clock on the scoreboard.More people arrived in the forty or so minutes Carol waited. Five minutes before the beginning of the game, the gymnasium was full. Carol spent the entire forty minutes looking around and trying to distract herself, in vain. She was anxious for the game to begin, and even more anxious to see her daughter win another game. They'd lost the first two but won the third, and Carol was convinced they could win another. They were just a team of beginners but she had faith in them.
Both teams went to warm-up on the course, and that distracted Carol long enough. Her military tactical brain had gone in full analysis mode, and she was looking back and forth between Monica's team and the opposing team and observing them attentively. She was looking for strengths and weaknesses on both sides. She was familiar with the Marvels, so she quickly noticed who had improved at what. The opposing team, the Centurions, had a few good players who never miss the hoop. She spotted a few girls faster than the others, a few taller too. In her mind, this wasn't even going to be a challenge. The Marvels were going to wipe the floor with them.The match started and Monica was in forward position, as usual. The Marvels were dressed in black and white, with a Pegasus on their front. Monica was number 16, her last name proudly written in white behind her back. Carol could see her wiggling excitedly as everyone assumed their position. The Centurions were in orange and green, a truly hideous combination of colors if Carol had ever seen one. Even her suit in neon colors looked better.The referee whistled, signaling the beginning of the game, and threw the ball in the hair. the Marvels caught it easily. They ran to the backboard without losing a second. The Centurions were a bit slow to react, and the Marvels scored the first point of the match within two minutes of the first quarter. Carol jumped out of her seat, shouting excitedly as the ball fell through the hoop and the number 2 appeared on the scoreboard. She wasn't alone, as everyone else around her also started to cheer for the Marvels, applauding their quick reaction.As the match continued, both teams played to the best of their abilities, switching players from time to time. The Marvels led for most of the first quarter, and when the end of the first quarter rang, Carol was pretty confident they were going to win. The Centurions switched out two players, the Marvels switched three and Monica was allowed to rest. Carol wasn't watching the game as carefully during the second quarter. Her gaze kept shifting between the court and the bench. She saw Monica rest and drink, which was always a good thing in her books. Monica must have felt her insistent gaze on her because she turned around a few times and waved at her with a smile. Carol returned the smile and gave her a thumbs up. However, by the time the second quarter was over, the Centurions were leading by 3 points.Both teams retreated to their locker-room during the half-time break, and Carol was once again left anxiously waiting on her bench. She started playing with her pager, sending a message of the current score to Maria, who'd been stuck at work that day, and then, because Maria didn't reply, she sent one to Fury too. He replied a few minutes later with 'Stop playing with your pager again'. She pocketed the device with a smirk.The third quarter started and Carol jumped to her feet, ready to support her daughter's team once more. Monica was back on the court, and Carol shouted her name every time she got her hands on the ball."Go Monica!" she said. "Show them who's the best!"The Centurions were advancing toward the Marvels' side of the court, but during a pass, Monica caught the ball and started running toward the enemy's backboard. Carol happily encouraged her, using her hands as a megaphone:"Go Monica Go!"Monica had to slow down before she could shoot as a Centurion, taller than her, blocked her way. She tried to push past her, as none of her teammates were close enough to help her. The taller girl pushed her back, and Monica landed hard on her side, losing the ball which rolled to the edge of the court. The shrill sound of the referee's whistle cut through the crowd's shouts. Carol's angry voice, however, was even louder:"Foul! That's a foul!"All the parents around her suddenly turned to her, puzzled looks on their faces. Some seemed to recognize her from previous games. She ignored all of them."Come on, it's a foul!" she continued to shout as the referee talked with both Monica and the girl from the other team. Finally, the referee whistled again and motioned for a free throw. Carol let out a sigh of relief, before once again holding her breath as Monica prepared herself to shoot."You can do it, Monica!" she shouted, just before the teenager stopped dribbling.Monica took in a deep breath, and she jumped, shooting the ball straight through the hoop. The crowd applauded and Monica's friends came to congratulate her. Carol continued to shout:"Monica! Yeah!"Monica looked her way, a little embarrassed by Carol's behavior, but when she saw her aunt giving her two thumbs up, she couldn't help but smile back.