Page 9
1247 Words
Maya checked her phone again.
“We should probably keep moving.”
Elena stood.
“Where are we going?”
“I told you. I'm showing you something.”
“You've said that three times.”
“And now I'm finally doing it.”
“That sounds suspicious.”
“It isn't.”
Maya started walking.
Elena followed beside her.
They crossed the lawn and passed a group of students sitting around a table covered with flyers.
One of them called out, “Hey, Maya!”
Maya stopped.
“What's up?”
“You coming tonight?”
“Maybe.”
“You said that yesterday.”
“I meant it yesterday.”
The guy laughed.
“That's not how invitations work.”
“I'll think about it.”
He shook his head and turned back to his friends.
Elena waited until they were a few steps away.
“You know everyone.”
“Not everyone.”
“That sounded like everyone.”
Maya shrugged.
“I've been here a while.”
“Two weeks.”
“Two weeks is a long time.”
“For you, maybe.”
Maya laughed.
“You'll see.”
They passed another table, this one covered with colorful posters.
Maya grabbed one.
“Look.”
Elena took it.
“Fall clubs?”
“Yep.”
There were dozens listed.
Photography.
Debate.
Dance.
Volunteering.
Student newspaper.
Outdoor adventure.
Cooking.
Even a French language club.
Elena stared at it.
“There's a French club.”
“Obviously.”
“Do you think they actually speak French?”
“Probably.”
“That could be dangerous.”
Maya laughed.
“Why?”
“They might be terrible.”
“You're already judging them.”
“I haven't met them.”
“Exactly.”
Elena handed the flyer back.
“I'll think about it.”
Maya raised an eyebrow.
“That's basically a yes.”
“No, it isn't.”
“Sure.”
They kept walking.
A few minutes later, Maya led her toward a large open building with glass doors and a sign above the entrance.
The student recreation center.
Elena looked through the glass.
Inside, she could see people moving between different areas. Basketball courts, exercise equipment, students carrying sports bags.
Maya pushed the door open.
“This is where people come when they suddenly decide they're going to become healthy.”
Elena looked at her.
“Do you?”
“Absolutely.”
“When?”
Maya thought about it.
“I'm still waiting for the right day.”
Elena laughed.
They stepped inside.
The sound changed immediately.
Sneakers squeaked against the floor somewhere nearby.
A basketball hit the court.
Someone shouted across the gym.
Maya pointed toward the courts.
“Volleyball is usually over there.”
Elena glanced toward the sound.
A group of students were playing on one of the courts.
“Do you play?”
“Me?”
Maya laughed.
“No. I have coordination issues.”
“You drove here.”
“Driving is different.”
“How?”
“The car does most of the work.”
Elena shook her head.
Maya smiled.
“You're getting funnier.”
“I was always funny.”
“You were hiding it.”
“Maybe.”
Maya looked toward the court again.
“Come on. We can watch for a minute.”
Elena followed her.
They moved closer to the bleachers.
The game continued in front of them, fast and loud.
Elena watched the players move across the court.
She didn't know any of them.
Not yet.
She simply stood beside Maya, taking in another unfamiliar part of the life she had crossed an ocean to find.
The volleyball struck the floor with a sharp slap.
Elena flinched.
Maya laughed beside her.
“You're okay.”
“I wasn't expecting that.”
“It's volleyball, not a gunfight.”
“I've never watched a game this close.”
“Then you're about to learn.”
Maya walked toward the lowest row of bleachers and dropped her bag onto a seat.
Elena followed, but before she could sit, a volleyball came flying over the net and bounced toward them.
Maya stepped aside.
Elena didn't.
She caught it against her chest.
For a second, she just stood there.
Maya stared.
“Okay.”
Elena looked at the ball.
“What?”
“You said you've never watched volleyball.”
“I haven't.”
“You caught that.”
“It was coming at me.”
“That is generally how catching works.”
Elena threw the ball back toward the court.
It sailed higher than she intended and dropped neatly into the hands of one of the players.
He raised it over his head.
“Nice!”
Elena gave an awkward little wave.
Maya leaned toward her.
“See? You're already making friends.”
“I returned a ball.”
“That's how it starts.”
They sat down.
The game continued.
Elena found herself watching more closely than she'd expected. The players moved quickly, calling to one another between serves. Shoes squeaked against the polished floor. Every few seconds, the ball snapped through the air.
Maya began quietly commenting beside her.
“That guy always thinks he's better than everyone.”
Elena glanced at the player Maya had pointed toward.
“He seems confident.”
“That's a polite way of saying annoying.”
“You know him?”
“Unfortunately.”
A serve came across the net.
The opposing team returned it.
The ball moved back and forth several times before one player jumped and slammed it down.
The small crowd reacted immediately.
Maya stood.
“Yes!”
Elena laughed at her reaction.
“You're very invested.”
“I have standards.”
“You don't even play.”
“That doesn't mean I can't have opinions.”
Maya sat again.
A student walking past stopped beside her.
“Maya, you're actually watching a game?”
“Don't ruin this for me.”
He laughed and kept walking.
Elena watched him go.
“You really do know everyone.”
“I told you.”
Another point started.
This time Maya leaned forward, elbows on her knees.
Elena noticed something different about her.
Maya wasn't talking.
She was watching the court.
Her eyes followed one particular player.
Elena followed her gaze.
A tall guy moved toward the back line as the other team prepared to serve.
Maya's expression changed slightly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Elena noticed.
She looked at Maya.
Then back at the court.
Then at Maya again.
“Oh.”
Maya immediately looked at her.
“What?”
Elena smiled.
“Nothing.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You just said ‘oh.’”
“I did.”
“Why?”
Elena shrugged.
“I think I know what you're doing.”
Maya's eyes widened.
“I am doing absolutely nothing.”
“You're watching someone.”
“I am watching volleyball.”
“You haven't looked at the ball for the last thirty seconds.”
Maya opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Then looked back toward the court.
“Okay.”
Elena smiled.
“Who is he?”
Maya hesitated.
Then she sighed.
“Don't make it weird.”
“I haven't said anything.”
“You're about to.”
“I promise nothing.”
Maya shook her head, trying not to smile.
“That,” she said quietly, “is Ethan.”
Elena looked back toward the court.
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