Haiki, Not Haiku

From head to toe she was prepared, uniform in perfect shape. She rushed to her friends, not even realizing she was late to class, forgetting to give the late pass to her art teacher, Mr. Sensei. “LANA!!!! BRENNDA!!!” she huffed, tired from the sprinting, “Guess what!!!” Before she got the opportunity to tell her best friends her major news, she tripped on her excitement.
“Take your seat, Miss Late to Class,” Mr. Sensei said, nearly choking on his fury. “You’ve been late EVERY day for the past year, Zoey!!!”
“Right…here’s my late pass…” Zoey gasped, holding the pass up with a trembling hand. Zoey was used to this by now, for she’d been late for EVERYTHING, even her own birthdays!!! She had her two best friends, Lana and Brennda, who helped her with just about everything, so she didn’t have the need to be punctual. Zoey rose to her seat and slumped down. The moment Mr. Sensei looked away, she jumped up. “GUESS WHAT!!!!” Zoey whispered briskly.
“What is it THIS time?!” Lana sputtered, “are you REALLY gonna make me miss class for your NEWS?!”
“Tch, of COURSE!!!!” Zoey whispered excitedly.
“Well, hurry up with it!!!” Brennda yelled awkwardly, soon realizing it was the middle of class. “Um…oops…” she said, as Mr. Sensei handed her a Golden Ticket to Detention.
Zoey waited several minutes until Mr. Sensei looked away again before she said her big news. “Well…drum roll please…”
“Just get on with it!!!!” Lana and Brennda said in unison.
“Erg!!! Fine!!!” Zoey snorted. “Well…you know about how they’re starting a girl’s basketball team…?”
“Yeah…” Brennda squealed, bouncing around in her chair.
“I’m gonna try out!!!” Zoey said triumphantly. “I play in the backyard with my Papa ALL the time!!!”
“Playing with your dad is different than in an entire team. It may take awhile to get used to it,” Lana said, “but I’m glad you’re going to do something serious… for once.”
“Tell us ALL about it OR ELSE!!!” Brennda threatened jokingly.
“Of COURSE I will!!!!” Zoey said comfortingly, “You have been my best friends since 1st grade!!!!” This was no hyperbole. They truly had known each other even BEFORE then. “I’ll sit with you at lunch today and tell you all about it. I’ll be trying out during free period.”
They all clutched hands and said, “GREAT!!!”
“GIRLS!!!!!” Mr. Sensei exploded. “I hope you don’t have plans tonight…” Mr. Sensei began, clutching his fist, “…because you’ll be hanging with me FOR DETENTION!!!!!” Of course, since Brennda already had detention, she had to stay even longer. Zoey and her friends didn’t care, for their news was more important.
Before Zoey could even glance at the clock, and Mr. Sensei was STILL yelling, it was finally free period. Zoey zoomed down the halls to gym so fast, she wasn’t even seen. Maybe I should also try out for track…Zoey thought, before she crashed into the gym door.
“For the Girl’s Basketball team, eh?” The coach said from behind Zoey, forcing her to scream. She could smell the horrid stench of the gym she’d always hated. She let the coach push her into the gym and explain why she was there to the other coach in charge of basketball.
“I’m Coach Uchida, in charge of the Girl’s Basketball team,” the tall, slender, rather attractive woman said. “Well, what’re you waiting for? Suit up!!!” Zoey nodded and rushed to the locker room.
After Zoey had changed, she was surprised to see that there was only one spot left!!!! “All you have to do is get as many baskets as you can before I steal the ball from you. Don’t worry; getting just one is really good!!!” Coach Uchida said, smiling a smile so sweet, Zoey felt numb. Just one basket…Zoey thought, just one…
Coach Uchida passed a ball to Zoey, but as soon as she tried catching it, it bashed her in the head. The girls who already made the team laughed. Zoey giggled a bit too, and started her match!!! She dribbled the ball with amazing skill and SWISH; she made her first basket, Coach Uchida going after the ball. Zoey snatched the ball right before Coach Uchida caught it, and Zoey rushed to another basket. Zoey tripped and blacked out a bit, but still felt the sweaty ball being clutched to her chest. Coach Uchida clutched Zoey’s shoulders, getting her to her feet. “You have some real potential, with a little more practice…” Zoey heard a voice say, a spit second before she fainted.
“WAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!” Zoey screamed, jumping up almost hitting the ceiling. Zoey frantically glanced around the little white room. She began to weep, not knowing exactly where she was nor if she even made the team. Just then, a light cloth landed on her head.
“Congrats, kiddo. You made it,” Coach Uchida said, eyes gleaming. Zoey struggled under the cloth for a bit before she realized what had just happened. She yanked the cloth off.
“A Jersey!!!” Zoey muttered in disbelief. She looked up at her coach, who was smiling, and tackled her in a huge hug. “THANK YOU!!!” Zoey squealed.
Meanwhile, in the lunchroom… “Man!!! What’s taking so long?!” Lana yelled.
“Dunno…maybe she died…” Brennda sobbed. Brennda spotted Zoey with her overflowing lunch tray. “ZOEY!!!!” Brennda shouted, “WE SAVED YOUR SEAT!!!” She watched in horror as Zoey rushed past her table. Brennda stared in disbelief as Zoey sat down on her heart and had her basketball team help tear it to shreds.
“Well…looks like she finally joined the dark side…” Lana sighed, blinking back a tear. It felt like a house of lead on their shoulders, hearing that new clique laugh, and be serious, or perhaps even cry. The whole lunch period the two abandoned little friends ate silently, attempting to not make a scene.
Lana and Brennda stood by their lockers as Zoey, and her team, rushed up to them. “Hey, Lana!! Hey Brennda!!” Zoey waved, as if nothing happened. Lana glared at her, and Brennda began to cry. Zoey wrapped her arms around the sobbing Brennda. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it to our lunch table!!! We needed to discuss a game plan,” Zoey said soothingly. Lana glared at Zoey as if they’d hated each other for all eternity.
“STAY away from me, creep!!!” Lana lashed, unable to control her infinite rage, yet crying as well. “You’re a demon, I SWEAR!!!” She added, turning away to hide her swollen red face. Brennda stood there, staring at Lana’s back as it faded into the throng. Brennda’s face was entirely still, except for the waterfalls on her face.
“Brennda…a-are you…okay…?” Zoey stuttered, the epidemic of sadness so strong, even she and her teammates caught it. Suddenly, Zoey felt a hard tackle behind her, and arms curled around her. “…Lana…?!” Zoey gasped, turning around.
“Heh…If you cried for me leaving you like that, you really aren’t heartless!!!” Lana sniffled, giving a sneaky grin. The three friends embraced in a group hug, and even the basketball team and a few innocent bystanders joined in.