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  “Ok, so we had a week to get to know how everyone plays with free play. We all got to go over the rules as well as briefly go over technique. Now, we are going to break into four teams to do a round robin. Do we have any takers on being captain?”

  Of course the two muscular guys raise their hands. When no one else volunteered, coach picked two other people to be captains. Memories of my high school gym class begin to flash through my mind as the captains one by one begin picking players for their teams. True to form, I was not the first player picked, but like in high school I was nowhere near the last. Michelle and I were separated onto different teams for the first time since class had started. She shoots me a pretend frown as we divide up and make our way to our assigned courts.

  “Ok, team,” shouts Evan, my team captain. I roll my eyes. Evan is one of those types who didn’t get enough competitive sports in high school. Missing out on some unseen glory, he tries to relive it in every miniscule competition he can. If he really wanted to relive it, he should have played a sport in college.

  “Ok, team. Our team name is going to be…” Evan lets a dramatic pause go by, “Team America!”

  Some people smile but the general consensus seems to be that we are just going to do whatever it takes to make it through this class with Evan as our fearless leader. He begins barking off more orders as we organize our team’s rotation. Opposite me, on the other team, is the new guy. Secretly inside I am leaping for joy. Now I have a legitimate reason to stare in his direction. So I did. Ty is beautiful. His muscles are defined and he moves flawlessly as he swings his arms back and forth warming them up for the game. He takes a spot on the back row. I must have been staring too intently. His eyes meet mine. Quickly I look away as shyness unexpectedly takes over me. Shooting Ty a halfhearted embarrassing smile, I force my mind to concentrate on the game.

  “Zero serving zero!” I snap my head around just in time to see Evan make contact with the ball sending it soring over the net. The other team volleys it back. The ball went to the guy behind me. I hear a loud thud as he hits the ball sending it back over the net to a small girl on the other side. Feebly, she hits it sending it out of bounds and earning us our first point.

  “Yeah! Team America!” Evan shouts from behind as he recollects the ball to serve again. “One serving zero!”

  Evan sends the ball flying over the net. Where the girl in the middle swings and misses.

  “Yeah, Ace!” Shouts Evan.

  “I’d like to kick your ACE,” I state to myself under my breath.

  I look up and my eyes naturally find Ty’s handsome face. I feel my chest tighten as I notice him intently looking at me. A small smirk finds its way across his face as if in response to my pun on words and joke at Evan’s expense.

  Crap, am I saying it out loud? I look around at the people surrounding me to see if there are any signs they heard me. They all are completely wrapped up in the game oblivious of what I said. I look back at Ty. His smile grows wider. Then his eyes flicker back toward Evan. His concentration is back in the game and no longer on me.

  Once again, Evan sends the ball soring over the net. He places the ball in the same spot as last time. This time the girl is ready for it. She pops it up in the air to the front row. A guy sets it up for another who pounds it in to the gym floor on our side thus ending Evan’s reign as server.

  “Let’s try to hold on and get all three touches like that before we hit it over the net guys,” commands Evan.

  “I’d like to hit you over the net,” I whisper under my breath.

  As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret saying them. I know I am trying to think before I speak, but Evan pushes my buttons the wrong way. I know no one could hear it, but for some reason I quickly look for Ty. He is smiling, but this time he isn’t looking at me. He seems to be laughing at a private joke. I shrug off the notion that Ty can hear me. There is no way. The game continues as me and the rest of the team tolerates Evan. As soon as the game is done, I walk off the court to get a drink of water. Michelle comes hopping over to me.

  “We play you next.” She states with a smile. “I was kind of hoping to play against the new guy, but oh well.”

  “Yeah,” I respond. I can feel my body heat up as my face flushes. I shrug it off and smile at Michelle. She looks at me inquisitively. She analyzes my face for several seconds before speaking.

  “Miss Kimber,” Michelle states with a fake southern accent. “I do declare your blushing. Do you have a crush?”

  “Shh!”

  I quickly hush Michelle before she says anything else. Truth be told, she didn’t have to say anything else to know her words were true. The sly smile across her face said it all. Coach Lopez blew the whistle saving me from any further scrutiny. I dodge Michelle’s accusatory grin and return to the court first. Ty is not across from me anymore. Now I can really concentrate on playing.

  “Let’s go!” Yells Evan

  Now I just have THAT to worry about. I let out a small grunt of disgust as I get into position to play.

  The game went by quickly. Much to my relief, we won. I did not want to see what Evan would have done if we lost. His accusatory tone each time we missed a ball would probably pale in comparison. I grab my stuff and begin the slow walk out of the gym. We were the last to leave as usual. I did not mind. We always mill around and talk for a while before going outside. Today, I was extra thankful for not going out early. I did not think my body had the strength to handle seeing any more of Ty. Thankfully, he had already left and I could relax.

  “So Mr. Lopez is kind of hot.”

  “Michelle” I scold.

  “What?” replies Michelle defensively

  “He is our teacher,” I reply.

  “Yes, but he is not that old. I mean, he is probably twenty-five…twenty-eight tops. There are guys in our class older than him,” retorts Michelle. “Besides, he is short for a guy which is perfect for me.”

  “True, but he is our teacher,” I laugh as we push open the door. I hold it open for Michelle allowing her to exit first. As I walk through the door, my heart begins to race again. There, carelessly leaning against the wall talking casually with our teacher is Ty. Their attention turns toward us, the only other people in the hallway. Ty stops leaning against the wall and adjusts his posture as we walk closer. I bite my lip. The only option we have now is to go forward towards the front exit.

  “Hey coach Lopez,” greets Michelle.

  She has on her award-winning smile as we approach the two men. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Michelle’s reaction to Ty wondering if he has this effect on all women. She has the same smile as always. Her attitude is carefree, but it is the same confidence she exudes for all guys she finds attractive. Why did I react this way to Ty? It is something I cannot explain. I concentrate on my breathing hoping to still my heart before we get closer.

  “Hi Michelle,” replies Coach Lopez ignoring Michelle’s flirtatious attitude. He turns his attention back to Ty. “Ty, this is Michelle and Kimber. I am sure you haven’t gotten any names of the students yet.”

  “Nice to meet you,” replies Ty. He flashes a crooked smile that melts my heart.

  “So how did you like class?” Michelle asks Ty.

  “It was good,” replies Ty. “It is kind of strange having my workout partner as my teacher but I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

  “Should make for an easy A.,” Jokes Michelle.

  I stand quietly listening to their conversation as I get lost in watching Ty. His copper skin is flawless. His hair, weighed down by sweat, lightly wafts over his ears and forehead. He lifts up his hand and pulls his fingers through his sleek hair. His nose is prominent and strong. All of his features on his face mold together reminding me of the handsome Native Americans in movies. He must be predominantly Native American. His eyes are a light brown perhaps only a shade or two darker than his skin. All in all, he is an amazing specimen of a man. As if staring in to the sun for too long, I had to look away. I
turn my attention towards Michelle concentrating to listen to her and Mr. Lopez talk.

  “So what do you think about the class?” Ty interjects. I watch Michelle’s smile turn towards me in anticipation for an answer. Only then did I realize he was talking to me. I look into Ty’s eyes and my heart skips a beat. Thoughts and phrases muddle in my head before I can pluck words from them to speak.

  “I like it,” I reply.

  “Even your team captain?” Asks Ty

  A crooked smile creeps over his face. Now I swear he could hear me under my breath, but that would be impossible. He would have to have super hearing.

  “Yeah,” I reply a bit thrown off. “Evan can be a little intense.”

  “He definitely gets really in to it.” Coach Lopez chimes in.

  “At least you only have to deal with him during class, right?” Asks Ty

  He winks at me. It catches me off guard and I cannot respond. I look up into his eyes. The questions that fill my thoughts begin to evaporate as his light chocolate brown eyes cause my body to heat up. My cheeks begin to blush as I give him an enthusiastic nod to agree. He stares at me with a smile. His face is unreadable. All I know is that my eyes are glued to him.

  “Well,” interjects Michelle. “I think it is time for us to head back to the dorms and take showers. We will see you two on Thursday.” Michelle grabs my hand and pulls me towards the door. “Nice meeting you Ty. Bye!”

  She pulls me and I manage a quick wave before disappearing out the building. Eventually, she lets go of my hand as I get my bearing and walk forward on my own.

  “Why Miss Kimber! I do declare!” repeats Michelle from earlier. “You have a crush on him! You know what? I think you intrigue him too. Look at the way the two of you stared at each other.”

  “Shut up,” I reply. I feel my body going back to normal. Being around Ty felt like I was standing on the edge of a bridge with a bungee cord strapped to my ankles staring down about to take the plunge. All my senses were heightened and adrenaline ran through my body. However, as soon as I take a step away from the edge, everything calms down. Now that I am away from Ty, I calm down. How can a person I just met have this effect on me? I did not understand.

  Infatuation, I think. All these feelings coursing through me is nothing but lust for a gorgeous man.

  “He is very attractive,” Michelle eggs on.

  “Yep,” I respond. I let out a slow breath as my heart rate reaches its normal pace. Michelle looks at me as we walk. A huge smile that is not going away is across her face.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Ugh huh,” replies Michelle.

  She left it at that. This is a side of me that Michelle has not yet seen, but it is also a side of myself I have never seen. Sure, I have had crushes before, but this is something different. This one hit me like a ton of bricks. Its symptoms lasting long after the cause was removed. Something deep down inside of me had surfaced when I laid eyes on Ty. I let out one more sigh. My heart rate is completely back to normal. The intoxication caused by Ty’s presence was wearing off and the brief cloudy haze, a side effect, has lifted. It is gone for now. At least it is gone until Thursday

  Chapter 3: Seeing Double

  Andrew and I chill out on my bed watching a movie. It is the Saturday directly after I first laid eyes on Ty and he remains in my thoughts. After making a minimum amount of conversation the first time, I stayed true to form by only saying a total of ten words the next time I saw him and yes I counted all ten words.

  The first word was ‘hi’ as he walked past me followed by a ‘how are you?’ We exchanged awkward looks. I would flash him a few dumb smiles. He would return them with crooked yet cool ones. We were picked to be on the same team this time. The next words I spoke were ‘your turn’ as I handed him the ball. Our fingers touched sending electricity coursing through my body jumpstarting my heart. He smiled as I released the ball into his hands. The next words were ‘see you next class.’ He returned them with yet another crooked smile sending my heart racing and butterflies shooting through my stomach one last time before vanishing.

  “So tell me again about this guy Michelle says you have a huge crush on,” insists Andrew as he grabs another chip out of the communal bag between the two of us.

  I glance at him. I didn’t realize I had drifted off until he spoke.

  “So you and Michelle have been talking about me,” I squint at Andrew. “What else do you two say about me?”

  Andrew smiles broadly.

  “Currently, it is just of the new guy.”

  “Well,” I reply. “He is very pretty to look at.”

  “So Michelle tells me,” interrupts Andrew.

  I smile at him as I take a chip out of the bag. I will have to remind Michelle of the roommate confidentiality clause when she gets home.

  “He is handsome,” I reply, “but I don’t know him. We just met this week. I am just going to chalk it up to infatuation.”

  “Infatuation is all you need, honey!” Exclaims Andrew

  I roll my eyes at him.

  “Listen Kimber,” begins Andrew as he hops up on a metaphorical soapbox, “you are in college and this is your time to take chances. Experiment with your feelings. This is your time to be selfish about what you want for yourself. I say go for it as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. You need to explore life and figure out what you want in a relationship as well as in life in general NOW before it is too late.”

  “Wise words from a young man,” I jest at Andrew.

  Andrew shrugs his shoulders.

  “Well, maybe it is just me justifying what I do,” winks Andrew, “but it is also good words to live by. Eventually, you will have to test the waters. What better place to do so than in college? It will be up to you if you want to jump right in or test out the waters with your little toes. Either way, I say test it out with the hottie!”

  Andrew was very insightful. These past few weeks have been awesome in so many ways, but I have been living only minimally out of my comfort zone. Eventually some event will push me out of that safety circle and knock me to the ground. Perhaps it would be best if I were the one choosing the event. I look up at Andrew’s smiling face and smile back. He was offering friendly advice that comes from someone who really cares about you. In that brief moment, I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. I felt very lucky to have a friend like Andrew.

  “You’re a good person,” I compliment.

  Andrew shrugs his shoulders. This made my smile grow bigger. He nudges me jokingly then throws a chip at me.

  “Am I still a good person?” He jokes.

  I throw a chip back at him.

  “Yes.”

  Our bonding moment is quickly interrupted by the sound of keys harshly being pushed into the door and locks turning quickly. Andrew and I stare blankly at the door waiting for whatever flurry is going to come rushing through. After the second lock turns, the door flies open to reveal little Michelle. Her grin stretches from ear to ear as she bounces into the room.

  “HEYYYY!!!” She lets out throwing her shopping bags on the chair.

  “Hi, Michelle,” I reply.

  Her hair is frizzy from the humidity outside. She is dressed for the hot weather in short shorts, a tank top and flip-flops. Her smile, which is already big, seems to grow bigger as energy emulates from her bouncing around the room. It is hard not to return her smile.

  “Ok,” begins Michelle as she takes off her flip-flops and uses my desk chair to boost up in to the spot on the bed beside me. I move closer to Andrew giving Michelle a little more room. “So you can’t say no to this because I really need you to come with me.”

  “What do you need?” I ask

  “So I just got off the phone with Daniel,” begins Michelle talking a mile a minute, “and he wants to go out for dinner tonight.”

  I smile at Michelle. She has had her eyes on Daniel since the first time I met him. It is good to see him finally picking up on it.

  “That’s great!” I reply. �
�So why do you need me?”

  “Ok,” she begins again. “So a little birdie told Daniel that one of his frat brothers might have a little crush on you and wants to get to know you better. The problem is he is too scared to ask you out on a date with just the two of you. So he wants to do a set up where we have a double date. That way it is not awkward for the two of you.”

  I roll my eyes at Michelle and give her a questioning look.

  “You know the guy,” pleads Michelle.

  “Who is it?”

  “Well, its Jake… Please, please, PLEASE do this for me. I really like Daniel and want to get to know him better. Plus it is not really a date. In fact Andrew could even come if he wants. Do you want to go Andrew?”

  Michelle was grasping at straws.

  “Umm no,” replies Andrew. “I have plans tonight.”

  “What kind of plans?” asks Michelle

  “Plan plans,” replies Andrew with a wink. “A few of us guys are going to hit Bourbon Street and Oz.”

  Oz is one of the bars at the end of Bourbon Street. It is part of the rainbow district and is definitely a good place for Andrew to go cruising for guys. I let out a laugh as Andrew winks once again at Michelle.

  “Ugh. Ok,” states Michelle rolling her eyes. “Andrew’s out, but Kimber, you have to come. It won’t work if you don’t go and Jake is CUTE! He has that long scruffy hair and do you remember how gentlemanly he was buying us drinks. He is a great guy!”

  “So he is a good guy because he bought us alcohol?” I joke

  “Yeah,” replies Michelle. “PLEASE…”

  “Dip a toe in,” interjects Andrew.

  I give him a look then throw another chip at him. He is right. I need to experience what college has to offer. It wasn’t like I was going on a date alone. Michelle would be there with Daniel. I look down at my blanket pondering all my options and who should pop through my head but Ty. He was the guy I really wanted to go on a date with. I did not understand my pull towards him. Nor did I believe he would really ask me out only after meeting each other twice. Maybe he would never ask me out. He seems so unattainable and here is a guy who wants to go on a date with me. I even like how he did a set up date that way I would not feel uncomfortable with him.