Chapter 1, Part 2

"Listen, girls, don't laugh," Vicky suddenly said. "I just imagined all of us as prehistoric apes."

"What?"

"Well, thanks, Craney!"

"No, wait!" my friend waved us off. "Rewind two hundred thousand years in your head. Imagine a clearing full of orangutans. There we are, sitting and watching primates dance without shorts, choosing which one to go off into the night with and make little apes. If you look at it that way, I would never choose Demond!"

"Why?" Dasha raised an eyebrow, curious despite herself, and I followed suit.

"Yes, why?"

"Because first he'd dance, then take a selfie, then give an interview... and then run off into the sunset, leaving me with a coconut and an undefined relationship status. Every little ape wants stability and a fresh banana for breakfast."

Silence hung for a second, and then we fell apart laughing. Oh, I think someone was about to get a failing mark from the coach!

"That's it," I breathed, still laughing, "now I won't be able to look at Demond without thinking of the tropics and drama!"

"Hold me! Instagram orangutan," Dasha sobbed with laughter.

"W... with a 'beach breeze' filter and the caption: 'Where you are, there I am. Even if I'm a banana!'" Vicky howled with laughter. "Di, diagnose me, quick! I think it's incurable!"

Laughter washed over us again. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the guys on the court slowing down. Some of them were turning around. But stopping was impossible.

"These are tears of evolution, girls! With an IQ like that, you don't reproduce!" I pinched my fingers together, showing a tiny slice of air. "He couldn't even find a stick to get a coconut. He'll miss the basket again and run off into the sunset!"

I don't know what Demond thought at that moment as he watched us, but the ball suddenly slammed into the basket. It bounced back across the floor into his hands and immediately came whistling in our direction.

"Oh!"

We scattered with shrieks, each in a different direction.

I was the unlucky one. The ball landed squarely on my backside, and I skidded nose-first across the mat.

"Did I hit?"

"Double three-pointer! Right on target!" a familiar voice rang out behind me, and now the guys started laughing too.

Morons. Half-baked primates! Now I wouldn't be able to sit normally until evening!

My hair clip snapped, and my hair spilled loose again. Damn it, one day I really was going to cut it all off!

"Need help getting up, Catkin? All paws intact, only the tail got hurt?"

"Get lost!"

"What are you doing down there? Sharpening your claws?"

I got onto all fours and touched my butt with my palm.

"Coming up with a way to kill you, idiot!"

"No point. It wasn't me, it was gravity. The ball sensed the attraction between us and decided to act. I couldn't hold it back."

"Very funny, Demond! Don't strain yourself, I'm allergic to primitive wit. And to evil spirits!"

I got up, tugged my T-shirt straight at the waist, and turned gloomily toward the guy, who was in no hurry to get lost. Dennis Demond stood in front of me, shining and damp with sweat like the hero of a teen western, and smirked shamelessly.

My brows pulled together over the bridge of my nose. My chin lifted. My lips pressed into a belligerent line, the way they always did whenever we ended up near each other.

"Hello, princess of toilet tanks," he greeted me rudely. "So what didn't you like about the size?" His blue eyes narrowed unpleasantly. "My... coconut? Is that what you were measuring from downward dog, like a sex expert? I mean, because you were close to the floor."

"Your brain, moron!"

Dennis nodded. He was clearly enjoying this.

"That's what I thought, Catkin. Because there's nothing else about me you'll ever get to evaluate. But don't be upset. Try other positions. Maybe it'll help."

I gave him a furious once-over in return.

"If your brain is the size of a pill, the only thing that can help is a flashlight, so you can find your one lonely brain cell! Plus instructions for putting in the batteries and staying away from intelligent girls! I doubt there's anything in that body," I snorted contemptuously, "that's worth any attention at all!"

Bending down, I picked up the ball and shoved it hard into his hands.

"Disappear, spawn of hell! Better yet, self-destruct before I scratch a cross on your forehead instead of a pentagram!"

He caught the ball and snorted in response, rocking it lightly on his palm.

"Likewise, kitty! Shoo, out of the way! And next time, wipe up your drool when you're watching me. Otherwise I'll think that pill in my head is catnip!"

"Wha-at?! You... I can't stand you!"

"Likewise! Whenever you're near me, everything itches like I'm allergic to fur! Ever thought about cutting your hair? I've always dreamed of becoming a hairdresser..."

I went pale.

"Bastard... I'll never forgive you!"

"I know. That's why I said it. It drives you completely insane!"

My patience snapped. I raised my hand and gave him the middle finger. To hell with it! Let them kick me out of class!

I was just about to leave proudly when the coach's whistle shrilled, and a loud voice commanded:

"Attention, everyone! For the next twenty minutes, we're working in pairs! Abs, chest, and legs. Watch and help your partner, I can see everything!.. Demond! Catkin! You two together! Get moving, time starts now!"

What? I turned to the coach. Oh, absolutely not!

"Coach Aronovich, but I don't want to be with him..."

"Catkin!" the man barked menacingly. "I'm not marrying you off to Demond. You'll survive!"

I had no choice but to let my shoulders slump obediently, find my hair clip, and tie my ponytail. Then I had to go back over to Demond, who was baring his teeth unpleasantly, showing off his canine and cosmic indifference.

"Touch my thighs and you're dead!" I warned him honestly.

"In your dreams! Show me the finger again and you'll lose your claws!"

We sat down on the mats and started the exercises. Dennis wrapped his strong fingers around my ankles and moved closer again. I put my hands behind my head and closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to see the look on his face. The one that said my very existence annoyed him. Then I began rising and lowering, doing crunches.

But not even two minutes passed before, as expected, I heard close to my face:

"You breathe so loudly, Catkin. Do you think about me on the inhale or the exhale?"

What?! And I had hoped the next twenty minutes would pass in silence?

Thank God we weren't sixteen anymore, and I no longer had to blush at his stupid jabs.

"On the exhale," I answered in the same silky tone. "I imagine you drowning in a pool. Sinking to the bottom with the bubbles!"

"Mmm, romantic."

"Very! When it comes to you, I don't limit my imagination."

"Then when it's my turn to do crunches, Di, and you have to sit on me," the guy smirked meaningfully, "your imagination will be impossible to restrain!"

But I was the one who didn't hold back. Still lying on the mat, I opened my eyes.

Demond was looking down at me like I was a stupid little bug he wanted to squash but could play with first. Once upon a time, he had managed to fluster me, and then he'd laughed with his friends for ages while I felt like the world's biggest fool.