The Iron Will of Genie Lo (The Epic Crush of Genie Lo 2)

“. . . yeah sure she’s the CEO of the fastest-growing wind farm company in the world, but if you read that interview closer you can tell she’s missing out on the political situation entirely . . .”

By the time I reached the end of the hall, I was fairly convinced that the only way college students could communicate was by taking turns explaining reality to each other. It was like they’d handed out operating manuals to life itself during orientation, and everyone was convinced their particular copy was the only error-free one in existence. If I had a dollar for every time I heard the words “It’s all a big scam,” I could have paid for a fake ID and a fancier drink.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Yunie chatting with a mousy-looking guy in a turtleneck who, while very obviously and painfully smitten with her, at least seemed to be listening intently to what she was saying while maintaining a respectful distance. She gave me a little violin-bowing motion with her hand that indicated she’d found a fellow musician. We traded “I’ll be okay on my own” waves and I turned back, only to crash straight into another girl.

I looked down out of muscle memory and almost apologized into her collarbone. I awkwardly scanned up, and up. It turned out the reason I was having trouble finding her eyes was because they were level with mine.

Holy crap.

’Twas the unicorn. A girl who was just as tall as me.

“Genie, right?” she said. “Genie Lo?”

She shifted her cup into her left hand and stuck out her right. Her wingspan was so great that she had to tuck her elbow into her ribs to do it, or else she wouldn’t have enough space.

Ah, the elbow tuck. How familiar a feeling.

“Uh, yeah,” I said, shaking what I could grab of her fingers. “How do you know my name?”

“Ji-Hyun told me she had some guests and that one of them was a hot prospect. Kelsey Adekoya. I’m the assistant captain of the volleyball team.”

Kelsey had short, dark braids and a wide, easy smile, but the peppy intensity in her eyes made me think I was staring at Jenny 2.0. Upgraded for the game with an extra half-foot of reach.

“Okay, I’m about to come off as weird, but I stalked your high school’s website and looked up your stats,” Kelsey said. “You’re a beast. Please tell me you’re gonna try out once you get here.”

Once I get here. Like it was a sure thing. I didn’t want to rehash the speech I gave to myself earlier about not coming to this school to a complete stranger.

“I–I don’t know,” I said instead. “I kind of assumed I’d have to drop sports due to workload.” That much was true, regardless of where I ended up. I knew I was going to prioritize courses over athletics. And I’d probably have to get a part-time job as well.

“Aww,” she said, making a face like she’d been gutshot. “You can be on the varsity team and keep up your grades at the same time. Just don’t take so many credits, and you’ll be fine.”

My brain needed to process the idea of not pushing myself to the brink academically. How was I supposed to keep my life options open if I didn’t at least double major? The concept was rationally appealing but still unpalatable, like cilantro.

Kelsey took my scrunched-up thinking expression as a signal to switch tactics. “You know, you forge lifelong connections on a college team,” she said. “A lot of our alums hook each other up with jobs once they graduate.”

“Pssh,” someone said in my ear, disturbingly close. “If that’s what you’re after, you’re barking up the wrong sport. Come play basketball instead.”

I turned to see another girl crowding in on our conversation. Even though she was swaying a bit, I could still tell she only gave up a few inches to Kelsey and me. A rounding error at this scale, really.

Three giantesses under one roof. The revolution had begun.

“We have so many investment bankers in this year’s graduating class alone,” said the newcomer. “Basketball is the sport of leaders. Volleyball is what you do at picnics.”

“Goddammit, Trish, wait your turn,” Kelsey snapped.

“I’ve never played basketball before,” I said.

“That’s okay,” the other, drunker girl said. “Ever heard of Tom Dinkins? He was a swimmer up until his senior year of high school, and then he became arguably the greatest power forward in the history of the sport. We can teach you handles.”

Kelsey was desperate not to lose her momentum. “If it’s connections you want, you can’t do any better than the dean of our business school. She’s former volleyball. You’d have an in on the number three program in the country.”

Trish waved the statement off and nearly caught her finger on Kelsey’s necklace. “An MBA doesn’t mean anything these days. B-school is all a big scam.”

My breath was feeling shallow. “I, uh, need another drink,” I said, even though I hadn’t had any of my first one. “Excuse me, ladies; I’ll be back.”

I wormed my way toward the staircase, fearful of an ambush by the school’s “reaching things on the top shelf” team. If Trish and Kelsey were continuing their argument without me, I couldn’t hear them. The music was louder now, the air stuffier. I needed some space.

On the way down the stairs I passed two different couples making out, or maybe the same couple twice; I couldn’t tell under the beanie hats. I didn’t stop once I reached the steps to the apartment. The atmosphere there was so cloudy and skunked that I had to walk around to the back just to clear my head.