Chapter 6: Winning Isn’t Enough

Celebration was loud in the locker room. After landing another fiercely contested triumph, Westbrook's team was riding high on adrenaline. Clapping one other on the rear, players yelled and laughed as they revisited pivotal game events.

But the excitement of winning felt strangely empty to Jaxon.

Quietly seated on the bench, he stared at the floor with a towel thrown over his shoulders. Though his body groaned with tiredness, his mind was elsewhere. Though the squad had prevailed, something was chewing at him—an unpleasant sensation that had been developing since Liam arrived.

Today, winning was insufficient. Not to him.

Internal strife: The price of rivalry Though Jaxon knew he should be celebrating with his colleagues, the conflict with Liam had eclipsed everything. Their strained chemistry had exhausted him even as it had driven him to lead with more vigor and to play harder. Every victory seemed like a little respite from the ongoing struggle for supremacy.

Like usually, Liam was not far from his ideas. He had pushed Jaxon to his boundaries and performed brilliantly once more tonight. But Jaxon's demeanor, the natural confidence that seemed to question his authority on the court, worried Liam more than his talent.

Maya's comments from a few days ago kept returning to him. Jaxon, "You can't win everything." She had stated that following one of their several disputes, her eyes glistened with a mix of anxiety and irritation. He had dismissed her at the time, concentrating instead on proving he could outplay Liam and guide the squad toward success.

But now Jaxon started to question whether she was correct as she sat by herself in the locker room as his buddies applauded.

The Tension Builds The strain to keep his Alpha status was wearing him. Every game, every drill, every exchange with Liam felt as though it tested his value.

Jaxon also couldn't get rid of the sense he was losing something else, something more vital even though he was winning.

Jaxon stayed behind, lost in thought as the players filed from the locker room. The way Liam had been surrounded by colleagues, laughing and joking with an ease Jaxon hadn't experienced in weeks caught his attention.

Liam seemed to have already won over the crew, while Jaxon battled to hold onto the part he had labored so hard to obtain.

The insight came to him like a kick to the gut: winning the game was insufficient if he couldn't win the respect of his colleagues—or prevent Maya from veering further away.

An Interview with Coach Davis Jaxon stayed behind in the gym later that evening, quiet free throw shooting.

The sound of the ball striking the hardwood reverberated in the empty room, but it had no effect on calming the irritation chewing at him.

The sound of the gym door creaking open drew him to Coach Davis heading toward him. At first, Coach said nothing; she just watched Jaxon fire shot after shot.

Coach talked last. "Hayes, you have been performing really brilliantly. The victorious team.

Still, you seem not to be enjoying it.

Jaxon, with a clenched jaw, wiped sweat off his forehead. Not sure, Coach. It seems as though my efforts are inadequate no matter how hard I try.

Coach nodded with a careful look.

Jaxon, you are the team captain. But leading calls for more than simply game-winning ability. It's about keeping the squad together and inspiring belief in something greater than only the scoreboard.

"I get that," Jaxon answered, irritation tumbling into his voice. Liam, but, he is not making it simple. Every time I attempt leadership, he is there, pushing back.

Coach sighed, slanted against the wall. "Being the Alpha is exactly this. Someone wanting to occupy your position will always exist.

You have to learn to manage it without allowing it control.

Jaxon turned the ball over in his grasp and stared at it in his palms.

And what if I could not?

The voice of the coach softened. "You can, Jaxon." You have to resist, though, from viewing Liam as the adversary.

He is not the issue here. You are more often fighting yourself than you are fighting him.

Long after Coach exited the gym, those remarks floated about. Jaxon understood Coach was correct, but that made acceptance more difficult. When it seemed like what he had worked for was vanishing, how could he give up battling for control?

A Tense Meeting with Maya Later that evening, Jaxon exited the gym and saw Maya waiting for him seated on a bench outside. She put her phone aside and got up when she saw him while browsing through it.

Her voice cautious, she replied, "I didn't know if you were still here."

Jaxon shrugging. "Just needed to clear my head".

Maya studied him intently, her eye softening. " recently you have been different. I understand the significance of this season, yet you are not alone responsible for everything.

Jaxon did not respond straight away. Rather, he slumped against the wall and peered out at the vacant parking lot. "I feel as though I'm engaged in two front combat.

I'm aiming to keep this squad together as well as to win games. Liam is making it difficult;... I feel as though I am losing you in the process.

Maya moved forward a step, her voice soft but strong. Still here, Jaxon is. But you have to quit driving me away.

I understand that basketball is your universe, but life has more than just winning.”

Though this time they impacted Jaxon differently, her words reflected the ones she had spoken before. He came to see that in his quest of excellence he had overlooked Maya, his friends, and his teammates—the people most important.

He looked at her, his face austere. "I refuse to lose Maya."

She grinned, but her eyes betrayed a slight gloom. Then stop acting as though you are by yourself in this. People on the team and off also show concern for you.

Don't isolate them.

Jaxon nodded, but within he remained divided. He aimed to be the Alpha, the leader able to bring his squad triumphally. Maya, though, might have been correct.

Perhaps there was more to be learned from being the Alpha than only game performance.

The next difficulty Jaxon came back to practice the next day driven differently. He was not going to let Liam slide under his nose any longer. He was not going to allow his irritation create a gulf between him and his colleagues, or Maya.

But the strain between him and Liam erupted once practice got underway once more. At first, it was subdued—an aggressive screen here, a hard foul there—but it grew rapidly. Jaxon and Liam were running head-to-head at the end of practice, their competitiveness permeating every play.

Liam grinned at Jaxon as they made their way to the changing area. "What is the matter, Hayes? Fearful; I will be replacing you?

Jaxon forced himself to remain cool even though he tightened his hands. "It's not about that," he responded, his voice measured. If we are going to win, this squad needs both of us.

But you have to stop viewing the world as a one-man performance.

Liam ar eyebrows, obviously taken aback by Jaxon's reply. Walking away, he muttered, "We'll see."

Jaxon understood that the fight was not finished as he watched him depart.

Possibly, though, Coach Davis was right. Perhaps he was not obliged to win every bout. Perhaps, just perhaps, success was not the only thing that counted.