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Digging out my tennis kit was a big moment for me. I'd put it at the back of the wardrobe and filled the space in front so I didn’t have to see it when I was getting out clothes. It had been three years since I'd put it on. But I'd already been tall at fourteen and I hadn’t grown since. Well, except in the chest department, but even there it wasn’t much.
I looked the garment over and gave it a sniff to check it hadn’t gone mouldy or something while in storage, but it was still as fresh as the day I'd put it away. I swung the racket. It wasn’t the latest model anymore, but it had been the best on the market back then. It was still a pretty good racket.
Did I really want to get use it again? Was I ready?
No.
This was a terrible idea. I looked at my clothes spread out on the bed and felt something akin to fear. I set my mouth in a hard line. I was Cami Smith now, and she didn’t do fear!
“It’s just a bit of tennis, and he’s just a boy,” I said out loud to myself.
Yeah, just a boy you thought you were in love with three years ago.
“That was then, and he didn’t even know I existed. He wasn’t even the one I had the date with,” I told my mind off firmly.
But looking at the tennis stuff just brought it all back. My crush on Luke Nevis, my date with George Miller, my row with my mother.
So what! It was ancient history - just so long as she never knew I was playing again. And it wasn’t really like I was. I would be pretending I didn’t know how to play, and it was just a school class, nothing professional.
I shoved the kit in my gym bag and set off for school. Only two hours until P.E. and then I'd be back in tennis whites.
I hung back in the changing rooms, waiting for the other girls to leave so I wouldn’t have to rebuff any curious comments, then when it was all quiet, I moved in front of the mirror.
Yep, it all still fit me. It was a bit tight now across the chest, but hey, that wasn’t really a bad thing. It would be kind of nice if Luke noticed.
Not that I want anything to do with him, I reminded myself hastily. But it would be good to have him lust after me for a change!
No, it wouldn’t, that’s a dangerous road.
I sighed and decided I needed a bit of battle armour to do this. I went back to my locker and got out my black lipstick. Clean-cut Luke Nevis would never like a girl who wore black lipstick. Good.
The tennis courts were on a different level to the changing rooms, and I went up the stone steps cautiously. Maybe he wouldn’t even be there, I was a bit late and there was a chance he could have given up? But then I heard the thwack of a racket hitting a ball and I knew he was there. I just had to hope there wouldn’t be anyone else as well. I really didn’t want an audience seeing me play like a hopeless beginner.
Of course, none of that was going to matter if Luke recognised me.
I ruffled my hair, checking my spikes were still in place. Making it short and blue had changed my look quite considerably. I just had to hope it was enough.
Oh crap, he’d seen me, and he was coming over; this was the moment of truth.
“Hi, I’m Luke, You’re Cami, right?” His smile was friendly, with no hint of recognition. I waited for a brief second, giving him a chance to really see my face, but his expression didn’t change.
“Yes.”
“Are you fairly new here? I don’t think we’ve ever spoken?”
Oh, we have, just not for a very long time.
He didn’t remember, even though I was dressed exactly the same as the last time we spoke. I felt my own smile spread with relief at overcoming that hurdle.
“I’ve been at Blue River for over a year,” I told him, deciding not to mention I'd deliberately avoided him if I could help it. “But there’s no reason we would have spoken, is there?” Especially not with him only hanging with his ‘popular’ clique. He hadn’t looked twice at the misfit with the blue hair sitting at the back of the room, which is exactly what I'd been hoping for.
“No, I suppose not. Coach Morehouse told me you’ve never played tennis before?” He asked, and I could see him looking at my kit. It was clearly far too good a quality to belong to the school. Oh crud, he had a good eye for this stuff and mine was all top of the line back when I'd got it.
“Never, my mum played a bit, she let me borrow this.” Okay, that was a total lie, but it came easily, which surprised me as I didn’t like lies. In fact, I had a rule about total honesty, which was why I preferred not to talk to anyone at all. Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies. Needs must, however, and I suspected I'd have to tell quite a lot of lies if Luke kept asking me questions. It tasted bitter on my tongue, making me annoyed.
“Okay, well let’s get started with some basics.” He stepped close and I felt a shiver of awareness go through me. Damn it, I thought I was past that!
He came even closer and began to move behind me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, side stepping away to put in much-needed distance.
“Teaching you how to hold your racket and the right stance.” He was looking at me like I was being weird.
“Oh, right.” To hell with his blue eyes and perfect hair! I was not going to be scared off by a bit of close proximity, no matter how handsome or talented he might be.
So, this time as he moved close again, I held my breath and tried not to give anything away.
Nope, I couldn’t do it, his mere proximity was sending quivers up and down my spine. My reaction was instinctive, I backed up hard and deliberately bumped him away from me. The look on his face was priceless though, like he couldn’t work out if I was a total klutz or if I was being deliberately difficult. It made me smile.
“Sorry,” I said, unrepentantly. Deliberately difficult it was then. It would be a good way to keep him at a distance and it had the added advantage of throwing him off any scent of remembering who I really was.
He sighed with irritation and moved back into position right behind me. Hmm, he was clearly not easily put off from doing his duty as an instructor.
“Hold up your racket.”
“Like this?” I let it dangle from my hand as though I had no clue how to hold it.
“Like this.” He put his arms around me to demonstrate the hold and I felt my whole body stiffen up as I tried not to turn around and kiss him. I couldn’t even remember the last time anyone had stood this close to me, but the fact it was Luke was utter torture. I could feel the warmth of his body, his breath just behind my ear, the touch of his skin on mine. “Once you’ve got the grip, you can learn some strokes.”
I couldn’t take it anymore, he had to move away and now! “Easy, I just swing at the ball don’t I?” I lifted my racket and pirouetted on the spot as though swiping at an imaginary ball and very deliberately whacked him around the head.
He looked dazed for a second and I wondered if it had been too hard, but it had the desired effect and Luke released me to stagger back.
“Sorry.” I clamped my lips to stop myself from laughing as he glared at me.
I realised I had pushed Luke too far. His expression was one of someone who could take no more. But I didn’t want him to stop teaching me, otherwise it was back to square one with Physical Education classes, and at least doing this meant I only had to talk to one other person rather than deal with a whole group of idiots. It was Luke or the deep blue sea. Tough choice, especially as it was Luke and tennis. But it was still better than netball. This girl did not like to play with others, not anymore.
“Sorry,” I said, trying to sound like I genuinely meant it. “I’m a quick learner, just give this a chance, I promise to try.”
Luke gave me a look that made it clear he didn’t really believe me, and he shook his head as though I was some great trial he had to endure. That annoyed me and I felt my anger spike again. He had no idea how painful this entire charade was for me. It was much harder than I'd anticipated, and I felt more emotional than I'd thought I would. Acting the part of a novice was more difficult than expected, too, but I had to keep it up. However, I'd also have to show some interest to get him to continue. So, I took up a good ready stance and gestured him to carry on with our lesson.
“I assume you can hit the ball?” he said, sending me a very easy lob over the net.
As I watched it come towards me, I considered how to act and decided that missing it was the optimal choice, it was the best way to be able to show some improvement by the end of the lesson. From no-hoper to occasional hitter.
I swung my racket in the complete opposite direction to the one the ball was coming, and heard Luke give another huff of irritation.
“Are you always this useless?” he demanded, finally losing his temper. I felt my fingers tighten around the racket as another surge of anger went through me. Who was he to call me useless?
That’s the whole point, Cami, you are supposed to be useless!
But the way he was looking at me, like I was nothing but an absolute irritation to him, annoyed the heck out of me.
“Haven’t you ever played any racket sports at all?” he asked in a patronising and kind of pissy voice.
I didn’t like being patronised, I mean, who does? I could handle people being annoyed with me, or arguing with me, but I really hated being patronised. I knew I had anger issues, that wasn’t really in question, as I regularly tended to snap on a pretty short fuse. I also got over it fairly quickly but that didn’t happen in time to save me from reacting to Luke’s petty comment. I picked up a tennis ball, threw it into the air and whacked it straight at his face.