Love, After Dark

Chapter 27

SIRI

By the time gym rolled around, I was already exhausted. Not in the I-worked-out kind of way. More like the first-day-at-a-new-school-is-a-contact-sport kind of tired. Coach Parks made sure we felt his presence the moment we walked into the gym. The man was a literal statue of muscle. Broad shoulders, thick arms, veins that looked permanently angry. His whistle hung around his neck like a threat, and the way he stood- arms crossed, chest out- made it painfully clear he took his job very seriously. Too seriously. Like gym class was preparation for war.

“Alright!” he boomed, clapping his hands together. “Today we’re gonna have a little fun.” That sentence alone should’ve been a warning. He told us to line up on either side of the gym, facing forward. Sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as everyone shuffled into place. I slid into a spot near the middle, trying to look invisible.

That’s when I felt it. I glanced across the court and immediately wished I hadn’t. Wynter stood on the opposite side with her two shadows- Courtney and Whitney- clustered close to her. The three of them were whispering, eyes flicking up toward me, smirks tugging at their mouths. Courtney said something that made Whitney snort. Wynter’s gaze locked onto mine, sharp and calculating. My stomach sank.

Coach Parks walked to the center of the court carrying a large mesh bag. He dropped it with a heavy thud, reached inside, and started pulling out balls. Red. Blue. Rubber. Dodgeballs. My eyes widened. Oh no. No, no, no. I had never been good at dodgeball. Not in elementary school, not in middle school, not ever. I was the kid who got hit five seconds in and spent the rest of the period sitting against the wall pretending I wasn’t fighting tears. I looked back up, and there they were again. The mean girl trio. Smiling like they’d just been handed weapons.

Coach Parks went over the rules, pacing back and forth like a drill sergeant. “No hits to the face,” he emphasized, glaring around the gym. “Three rounds. Losing team helps Mrs. Parks set up props for the upcoming play.” A collective groan rippled through the class. The whistle shrilled. Chaos erupted instantly. Students sprinted forward, grabbing balls and launching them across the court. I barely had time to bend down and pick one up before— Thwack!

Pain exploded across my side. Then another hit slammed into my shoulder. Then a third, hard enough that my feet actually left the floor. I flew backward and crashed into the wall, the impact knocking the breath straight out of me. For a second, all I could do was sit there, stunned. My body buzzed with shock, my ears ringing. I looked down at myself like maybe I’d imagined it. I looked up. Wynter, Courtney, and Whitney were laughing. High-fiving. Like they’d just won something. My chest tightened.

A hand suddenly appeared in front of me. “You okay?” I looked up into warm, steady eyes framed by thick lashes. The girl had deep, dark skin that glowed under the gym lights, long locs pulled back and decorated with a few silver cuffs that caught the light when she moved. A small nose ring glinted at the side of her nose, and large hoop earrings swung gently as she leaned closer. I took her hand, letting her pull me to my feet. “Yeah,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely sure it was true. “I think so.”

She studied me for a second, like she was assessing damage. “Those hits were rough.” “I… don’t think balls usually hit that hard,” I admitted. She snorted softly. “Yeah. That wasn’t an accident.” She stuck out her hand again. “I’m Nala.” “Siri,” I said, shaking it. “First day?” she asked. I nodded. “Mmm,” she hummed. “You’re gonna wanna get your head in the game then. Unless you feel like spending the next couple of weekends setting up theater props.” Despite myself, I smiled.

The game continued, fast and loud. Balls flew everywhere. Someone yelled. Someone else cursed when they got hit. I threw my balls wildly and missed by a mile. Surprisingly, I held on much longer than ever before. I didn’t last until the end of the second round, but I held my own. I wasn’t the first to be eliminated, and that felt like a win. By the time Coach Parks blew the whistle for rounds 3, I felt as if I’d gotten my footing. When I turned back around, my stomach dropped.

Wynter and her friends were already winding up. They threw. I reacted on instinct, catching the first ball just in time. One smacked into it, bouncing off harmlessly. The other one ricocheted away. Coach Parks blew his whistle. “Out!” “Wynter,” he barked. Her head snapped toward him. “What?” “You’re out.” Her face twisted in fury as she stomped to the wall. Courtney and Whitney glanced back at her. “What are you looking at?” she snapped. “Get the ball!”

They scrambled, pretending to play against everyone, but it was painfully obvious their target was me. Luckily, my teammates weren’t clueless. They focused on eliminating the other side, making it harder for Courtney and Whitney to line up shots. Eventually, it came down to five. Courtney. Whitney. A kid named Liam. And me and Nala. We moved in sync without saying a word. Nala dodged. I threw. She caught. I ducked. Courtney got taken out, then Whitney. Both in ways that made them shriek with outrage. Liam finally got us in the end, landing clean hits that sent us both out. Coach Parks blew the whistle to mark the end of the game. Nala and I high-fived, laughing despite losing. It felt like a win anyway.

That’s when it happened. A ball came flying toward my face fast. Too fast! I froze. At the very last second, Nala’s arm shot out. She caught it midair, inches from my nose. The gym went silent. Coach Parks blew his whistle. Three sharp blasts. “Ms. Mayfield!” he roared. “Principal’s office. Now!” Wynter spun around. “That’s not—” “I don’t want to hear it,” he cut her off. “Move.” “You’ll be hearing from my mother,” she snapped. “Looking forward to it,” he replied calmly. She stormed out.

When class ended, Nala and I walked out together. She laughed suddenly. “So,” she said, glancing at me, “what did you do to piss off the b***h squad?” I blinked. “I honestly don’t know.” She raised a brow. “I haven’t said anything to them,” I continued. “I haven’t done anything. But today made it pretty clear I’m officially on their s**t list.” “Yeah,” she said dryly. “That tracks.”

We stepped back into the bustling hallway when Keisha appeared out of nowhere. “Siri!” she called. I smiled. “Hey! Keisha, you know Nala, right?” Keisha paused. “I don’t think we’ve actually met.” I frowned, surprised. I was about to ask how that was possible when I felt it- the shift. The air between them went weird. Tight.

“Anyway,” Keisha said quickly, grabbing my hand, “we should hurry before we’re late.” “But I thought next period was study hall,” I said as she pulled me along. “Library,” she replied, not slowing down. I looked back over my shoulder. Nala lifted a hand, giving me a small smile. I waved back, then turned and followed Keisha down the hall, my mind buzzing with questions I wasn’t sure I was ready to ask yet.