Teacher's Pet

I got a text message just a few seconds after I pulled out of the parking lot.

Hey, missing you already. Can't wait until we have some alone time together.

I typed out a quick response as I waited at a red light.

I can't wait to see you either. Miss you, too.

As the light turned green, I realized I was going to have to be extra careful while Anne was around. She had told me in no uncertain terms that I was to have nothing to do with Wade beyond a professional relationship – but here I was, going against everything she'd advised.

I pulled up to my building and parked my car, then recorded a voice note and sent it to Wade explaining how we were going to have to be very cautious about keeping things between ourselves, especially while Anne was visiting. As much as I didn’t like it, we'd probably have to refrain from contact during her visit.

He replied immediately. Of course, he was understanding about the whole thing, he was practically perfect. I kept expecting him to turn into a complete ass. No guy was ever as considerate and kind as Wade.

Sure as hell not Tim. I still didn’t know how or why I’d put up with him for so long. The thought of him being with Tammy made my skin crawl, but not out of jealousy, out of dread for anyone who had to be around them. They were a perfect pair, those two – they really deserved each other.

I couldn't help worrying when I thought about them, though. The little stunt with Peter acting as a cop seemed to have silenced the pair for now, but I was sure Tammy wouldn't take being kicked off the volleyball squad lightly.

She was vengeful, and I had no doubt she was probably plotting something in retaliation. I mean, she'd resorted to physical violence just to get the evidence out of Wade's hands – she was capable of almost anything, and that was a pretty scary thought.

Still, there wasn't much I could do about it. I knew she'd have her eyes on me, looking for some opportunity to get me somehow. I just had to watch my back.

*****

I was breathing hard, and every muscle and every joint in my body was on fire. I was reaching into my last reserves of strength. This had been one of the hardest games of volleyball I'd ever played, and I'd had to pull out every ounce of strength and endurance I possessed.

We'd won two, lost two. And to tell the truth, Rollins was outplaying us. The games we'd won had been too close. They'd gotten 22 points and 23, respectively, in those games; and in the two they'd won, we'd only managed 17 and 20 points.

Being a home game, a big crowd had shown up – bigger than the crowd we’d seen at our season opener. The roar of their cheers echoed in my ears and spurred fresh energy into me, but the biggest boost came from two pairs of eyes watching me intently: Wade's and Anne's. And, of course, two very different kinds of strength came from each of them.

This game could go either way now; it was a dead draw at 22 points each. The tension was almost unbearable.

They had serve, and the serve they sent over the net was almost an ace, but Leena managed to save it with a spectacular dive.

I got a great setup and used the same trick I often had against Tammy – setting up for a major slam, and then feathering the ball instead so that it just dropped over the net.

It worked, and we got the point. The crowd roared; 23 points. Only two more needed, but if they scored, we'd be in real trouble.

Leena served the ball, and it was a great serve. It wasn't good enough for an ace, though, and Rollins returned it with a vengeance, attacking hard. We blocked, and sent it right back over the net just as hard. There was a series of volleys, and they tried a spike, which Leena dived for and saved, setting up an attack. I spiked it and managed to score.

The crowd roared again. We were at match point, and we had service. Leena called us into a huddle. I could see something was wrong from the expression on her face.

“Guys,” she said, breathing hard, “that last save hurt my wrist bad. I can't serve.”

“Damn,” Kerry swore. “What do we do? Leena's our best server, and this is match point!”

As much as I knew my best position was at the net, I also knew I was the best server next to Leena. I didn’t want to leave my perch at the net, but we didn’t have a lot of choice.

“I'll serve,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Leena eyed me.

I breathed in deeply and nodded. “I can do this. I can.”

She nodded and handed me the ball. “Make it count,” she said. “This is the biggest serve of the game.”

“Yeah, no pressure,” I joked. “Thanks.”

She smiled and winked at me as I took the ball, and we swapped positions. I pulled in a breath slowly and deeply, doing my best to hone my focus. This was everything, right here. The roar of the crowd faded out, and my vision narrowed, coming to a crisp focus on the spot I wanted the ball to land. The sound of the referee blowing her whistle seemed to echo through a tunnel.