Chapter 13: Happy

“Come on, Paul!” Alannah said, her frustration evident in her tone. “You have to call for it if you’re coming forward from the back of the court.”

“I know. I just didn’t think you’d get to it, okay,” I replied.

“I know I’m out of shape, but I’m not that out of shape. And besides, if you call before you come forward then I can move to cover the back of the court for the next return. Come on, this is basic stuff.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not used to playing with someone as good as you, okay. Give me a break.”

“Well, get used to it. I’m not entering this thing to make up the numbers—I told you that.”

“I know. And you keep telling me!”

“We have to get this down, Paul. Talk to me, okay. Tell me what you’re doing. Call if you’re coming forward. Tell me to leave it if you have a better shot from the back. If you’re at the back, you can see the game better, so you have to communicate.”

“I know! For fuck’s sake, Lana! I’ll get there. Just—”

“I know, I know. Give you a break. Give you some time.” She stopped berating me and stood with her hands on her hips—her racquet sticking out to the side as she held it. She was wearing another tennis skirt this session—a red one and pleated rather than straight. It was almost like the kind of thing you saw cheerleaders wearing in America. Only not quite as short. She also wore a sleeveless white top with red trim to match the skirt.

And she was smirking at me.

“What!?” I said. My anger with her was rising. I knew she wanted to do well—I did too—but she was pushing me just a bit too hard, too far and too fast, I thought. I’d only ever played this game casually, not competitively.

“That’s the first time you’ve called me Lana.”

“Huh?”

“Lana instead of Alannah. That’s the first time you’ve done that.”

“Sorry, I—”

“No, it’s fine. I just thought...”

“Thought what?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Will you two stop fucking about and get on with it,” Jem said from the other side of the court. “It’s our serve.”

I went to my side of the court to receive Jem’s serve and got myself into the ready position.

“Remember,” Alannah said from her side, “receiver moves to cover the front. So go for—”

“I know! For fuck’s sake, Jem, just serve will you.”

It was our first full session as doubles partners and it wasn’t going all that well. Whereas the previous week we’d teamed up on a whim for a couple of games and it hadn’t exactly gone badly, this week we arrived as teammates and left barely speaking to each other. Alannah had taken it upon herself to act as our coach—well, as my coach—and it was, quite frankly, getting on my nerves.

“That was a good session,” she said as we walked over to the entrance to the sports hall. Lily hadn’t come to this session, she’d gone for a few laps around the running track instead, so it had been me and Alannah against Mark, Jem and Phil in various combinations and one or two other couples who’d asked us for a game.

We’d won them all, so you could easily argue that it had been a good session. But...

“You think?”

“Yeah! Why? Don’t you?”

I shrugged. “Honestly? I got a little tired of your...” I shook my head.

“My what?” she said, harshly. “Come on. My what?”

I sighed. “It’s supposed to be fun, all right? But you’re already acting like it’s the most important tournament in the world.”

“I just want to win, Paul. Don’t you?”

“Well ... I mean...” I shrugged. “Yes, I do. But not if it’s not fun.”

She huffed. “It’s more fun when you win. But to win, you have to put the work in. I thought we made progress today. We’re getting there.”

“We beat everyone we played.”

“Yes, but...”

“But what?”

“We didn’t play Ross and Gemma, did we? And we probably won’t play them now until the tournament. They just wanted to put us in our place last week. Show us who’s the best. So we have to work so we can show them who’s best.” She was grinning from ear to ear.

Lily was waiting by the big double doors when we got there.

“How’d it go?”

“Great!” “Don’t ask.” We said at the same time.

Lily grinned.

“Paul, can I ask a favour?”

“You know you can, Lils.”

“Will you come running with me?”

“What? Now? Lils I’m—”

“No, not now, silly. Tomorrow evening. Well, a couple of evenings a week, actually. I mean, running around the track is great and everything and it’s well-lit and there’s loads of people about all the time so it’s really safe and stuff, but I’m a cross-country girl at heart, so...”

“So you want to be able to run around campus or the park but don’t want to do it on your own?”

“Exactly. I mean after—”

“Yeah, I get it.” I paused but before I could answer, Alannah answered for me.

“I think it’s a great idea. I mean, we’re both a little out of shape. Okay, not out of shape as such, but we’re neither of us in top condition, so some road work will do us both good. What time tomorrow? Six-ish? That okay with you, Paul?

I rolled my eyes and nodded. “Six-ish.”

“Mate, you’re a lost cause, you know that?”

I grunted as I lifted the weights. I was lying back on the bench press and Mark was spotting for me. He had a habit of making points when I was in this position and couldn’t respond properly.

“I mean, going running? You? Running’s never been your thing, has it? So why now? I tell you why, because two pretty blondes batted their eyelashes at you, that’s why. I mean, you wouldn’t go running with me if I’d asked you, would you?”

I lowered the weights and, as I rested between reps, said, “You’re welcome to come too.”

“Ha. No fucking chance.” He rolled his eyes. “Running. I ask you.”

I pushed the weights upwards again and, holding them up said, “It’s ... Good ... Cardio...”

“Whatever. Pussy-whipped. That’s what you are, mate. Those two have got you pussy-whipped and they’re not even offering you any pussy. It’s just sad.”

I heaved the weights onto their stand and sat up. “I’m just being nice. With these attacks—”

“Yeah, yeah. White knight syndrome and all that.” He paused. “Mind you, I wouldn’t mind running behind that Alannah. Christ, the arse on that girl! I mean, the other one’s arse is top drawer too, but that Alannah’s ... Man alive! And those little tennis skirts she wears too.”

I grabbed my towel and wiped the sweat off my forehead and the back of my neck. Then I stood and said with a grin, “Has Gen heard you talking like that?”

His face fell. “You’re not going—”

“Don’t be daft. I’m no snitch.” Then, looking past him, I said, “Oh, hi, Gen. Ness.”

He spun around and said, “What?”

When he saw there was no one there, he turned back to me, threw the towel he was holding at me and said, “Ha bloody ha. I fucking hate you.”

And so I’d added another activity to my weekly routine. Lily and Alannah were waiting outside their entrance to Campus Heights when I arrived the next evening. Lily was dressed in tight-fitting leggings and a sleeveless top, Alannah wore loose-fitting grey jogging pants and a matching hoody. Both of them had their long blonde hair in a ponytail.

I’d also opted for jogging pants and a hoody rather than shorts. After a pleasant couple of weeks, it had suddenly turned very cold earlier in the afternoon and I suspected that the first of the winter storms was on its way.

I was right.

It started to rain—lightly at first—just as we passed the Law building and turned right to follow the path to the park. By the time we got to the park’s entrance, it was tipping it down.

“Shall we head back?” I said. “It’s mad trying to run in this?”

“What?” said Lily. “Running in the rain is the best!”

“In your strange world, maybe,” said Alannah. “I’m with Paul on this one. Let’s head back.”

Lily rolled her eyes at us. “You two are pathetic. Come on then, let’s head back.”

By the time we got back to Campus Heights, we were soaked. Lily didn’t seem to care—and she was wearing the least warm clothes out of the three of us. Although, in fairness, I suppose that the comparatively heavy cotton of mine and Alannah’s outfits held more water.