Shinju wasn’t in when I got back to my room after the late workout, and seeing that it was almost midnight I was a bit worried, but tired enough that I fell asleep right away anyhow. As I drifted off I realized Stephanie still hadn’t returned my call.

I got up way too early to actually call Steph, so I sent her a text saying I had practice until ten and I’d call her then. Shinju was sleeping soundly in her bed, I was happy to see. I hadn’t heard her come in, but at least my roommate (who seemed to be discovering both her freedom and boys at the same time) wasn’t one more thing for me to stress over for the day.

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Kerry at our morning workout, which was O.K. I guess. I really didn’t know what to tell her, anyway.

I only had one class on Thursdays and that was in an hour after workout, so I showered at the gym and headed straight to French, but took my time. I called Stephanie, and it was great to hear her voice.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call last night. We have workout until ten on Wednesday nights, and I got to talking with a friend and it just got too late to call you,” I said.

“So, your friends up there are more important than talking to your girlfriend? Is that how it is?” she demanded, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Mongo just pawn… in game of life,” I replied, knowing she’d get the reference.

Stephanie laughed, and replied “Candy-gram for Mr. Mongo!”

“Mongo like candy,” I tried to say, but couldn’t help but crack up before I finished.

“Oh, baby, I’ve missed you so much,” Steph said when she stopped laughing. “When are you going to come home so we can watch movies and eat popcorn and fool around? It’s no fun by myself,” She complained.

“What? Fooling around?” I teased.

“Well, yeah, that most of all. Babe, you have no idea how much fooling around by myself I’ve been doing. I’m getting callouses!”

“What are you wearing?” I asked in a low, sexy voice.

“Um, nothing,” Stephanie replied. “Just cocoa butter. It’s really hot, and I’m laying by the pool.”

The image of Steph’s tanned, naked body, skin hot from the sun, sprang to my mind. “Oh, jeeze,” I said.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Now there’s no way I’m going to be able to concentrate in class,” I groaned, making her laugh.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m actually getting ready to go to my crappy job in Temecula. I wish I were lying by the pool, sunning myself. If I were, I’d be imagining you putting the cocoa butter on my back.”

“Just your back? I asked.

“No, most definitely not just my back. Damn. We have to stop talking like this. Now I’m not going to be good for anything at work, either!”

Promising to talk at bedtime we hung up. I got to my French class early, with a smile on my face that just would not quit. Since I had a few minutes before the previous class got out, I texted Steph back.

“You make me happy.” I didn’t need to say any more, because it was true.

Her response a few minutes later? “U make me horney”, which made me laugh when I read it, and for the rest of the day I had a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

That evening Stephanie and I were deep in a conversation about how and where to apply cocoa butter and what events might develop as a result of that process when Shinju walked in. I knew that my roommate hadn’t heard any of the intimate details of my phone conversation, but just being interrupted during such a steamy talk was enough to turn my face bright red.

“Hey, Steph. My roommate just came in. I should get off the phone,” I told my girlfriend.

“Isn’t getting off just what we were just talking about?” Stephanie asked, her voice all innocent.

“You are terrible,” I said, chuckling. “Be good.”

“Oh, baby, if you were here, I’d show you just how good I am,” she purred in reply.

I laughed, even though I know I blushed even more. “Sweet dreams, babe,” I said, kissing the phone.

Steph responded with a phone kiss of her own, then said “You too. I miss you.”

When I got off the phone, Shinju asked “Was that your girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” I said, still a bit embarrassed.

“The girl who is very black?”

“What? No. That’s my old girlfriend,” I said. “I haven’t seen her in months and months. No, I was talking to my current girlfriend. The girl I showed you in that picture? The one by the pool?”

“Oh, I remember. The girl with the brown hair? She is very pretty.”

“Yeah, she is,” I agreed.

I had a hard time falling asleep that night, wondering just what the heck I was doing even thinking about Emmy, and how this was all going to work out with Stephanie. A million doubts and a ton of guilt, but very, very few answers kept my thoughts spinning until way past midnight. All I knew was that the alarm for my morning class went off way, way too early the next day.

Friday was a very busy day for me. Writing class at nine was mostly a vague blur, mainly because I hadn’t had time for my morning coffee before class. I made up for it in a big way afterwards and was buzzing for Bio.

“Wow, Leah. Nervous much?” Donny joked, seeing my jitters.

“Too much caffeine,” I answered, to which he just snorted. “I’m from Seattle, home of Starbucks, so I can definitively tell you,” he paused. “There is no such thing as too much caffeine.”

I told him I hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before, and that night was going to be a late one because it was our first home game, and Fridays are always night games.

“I thought you were playing tomorrow?” he asked, puzzled.

“We play two games a weekend. Usually. Most often Friday night, then Saturday morning, but sometimes it’s other days. In a week and a half we play at Cal on a Tuesday night, for example.”

“So you’re gonna miss lab that night?”

“Well, yeah. Team athletes get special consideration for scheduling, so I’ll just make it up that Thursday.”

“When I traded my football tickets for tomorrow’s game I thought I was going to catch your season opener, but now I find out that isn’t the case,” Donny said, thinking. “I wonder if there are any tickets for tonight’s game left?”

“It’d be great if you could come tonight,” I told him.

“Hey, you don’t get any freebies, do you?” he asked, hopeful.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I think we do, but only for a couple of games. I think it’s the kind of thing where you have to ask in advance. I’ll ask tonight.”

“Yeah, but that won’t do me any good tonight, will it?” Donny asked, regret in his voice.

“I’ll tell you what. If you promise to sit up front and cheer loud, I’ll pay you back for whatever the ticket costs. It’ll be on me.”

“Really? I could do that! That’d be great!”

“I also brought you something. I figured you’d need this for tomorrow, but I guess it’ll come in handy for tonight instead,” I said, pulling a bunch of info I’d printed out about volleyball. The rules, strategies, and so on. “If you’ll notice,” I said, handing it to him, “The last page is our game schedule. I expect you to try to make as many as you can. Well, if you don’t find tonight too boring, that is.”

“Wow, this is great,” Donny said, his eyes lighting up. “Thanks a lot!”

After class we went to lunch at the Thai place again, making small talk about nothing in particular. It was nice, just hanging out. Donny made me laugh often, and I liked that about him.

After Calculus I had to hustle back to my room, get changed, and get over to the gym by six so I had no time to grab anything to eat. It turned out O.K. though, because Sammy had laid out a bunch of energy bars, bananas and muffins for us. She explained to those of us new to the team that she didn’t want us eating anything heavy before we played, but to continue snacking as the night went on. The food she provided was all high in energy but easy on the system. She also reminded us to stay hydrated, and to drink the watered-down Gatorade whenever we took a break.

True to his word, Donny showed up early so he could get a seat up front. He was right near our bench, so I introduced him to some of the other girls and explained what to expect when I had a moment during warm-ups.

Donny cheered for Stanford and booed Duke so loud that I was sure he wasn’t going to have a voice by the end of the night. I only got to play the first set, but I played well, which made me happy. Kerry had some good words to say, and Leslie, the assistant coach, even told me that she thought my days of bench warming weren’t going to last much longer at all.

“The only reason you aren’t out there right now,” she explained, “is because this is our first home game and Joe wants to evaluate our veterans under familiar conditions. I’m sure he’s going to start playing you full-time pretty soon, maybe even for the Cal game.”

I was secretly pleased that we won the first set by a greater margin than the second and third, but I certainly wasn’t going to claim that I was the difference. Donny was happy to mention it later when he walked me back to the dorms after the game.

“You really kicked ass, Leah. I’m all kinds of serious. A couple of those other girls were good, but you were the best player in the court tonight.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” I teased.

“I know, I know,” he said, pretending to be completely downcast. “But seriously,” he said, perking back up, “To heck with football. I’ve found my new favorite spectator sport.”

“Really? You liked it that much?”

“Heck yeah! What’s not to like? A bunch of tall, good-looking athletic girls wearing those little bun-hugger shorts and sleeveless jerseys? Are you kidding me? It’s fantastic!” he crowed.

I elbowed him, and he laughed. “Plus,” he said, “the kneepads. I love a girl who looks good in kneepads.”

This time I gave him a big shove, but he just laughed harder. “No, seriously. You guys are real serious, no joke athletes, and it shows. It was incredible to watch. The teamwork, the individual efforts, volleyball has it all.” Then grinning again, he added “and kneepads.”

That night I showered and got to bed as quickly as I could, knowing I needed my rest before the game the next morning and thankfully fell into a deep sleep right away.

Donny showed up early to watch warm-ups again at the Saturday game.

“That curly-headed boy is some kind of crazy for you,” Kerry said.

“I know,” I sighed. “I’ve told him there’s no chance, and he hasn’t tried to push things, but I’m still worried that I’m somehow leading him on.”

“Have you explained your preference in bed partners to him? You’d better make that clear, girl, or he’s just gonna keep following you around like a puppy dog.”

“Yeah, I’ve told him. Heck, I even showed him Stephanie’s picture.”

“Your little kitten? That’s another issue you need to deal with, honey. Those things aren’t going to straighten themselves out. You are gonna have to deal with it, and do as right as you can.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Kerry just laughed at that, and gave me a quick shoulder hug. “It’s gonna work out all right, somehow. Just be honest to everybody else, but your self most of all.”

Unlike the night before, I sat the first set, then played the rest. It felt good to forget about Stephanie and just focus on the ball, the court, and the other players. It was hard to forget about Donny, though. He’d become our biggest and loudest cheerleader. I didn’t mind, but a few of the other girls told me to tell my boyfriend to be quiet. Personally, I liked the fact that I had someone in the bleachers cheering for me most of all.

Donny hung around to take me to lunch after the game. “I’m going to treat you to lunch in honor of your glorious victory,” he’d said. When I protested that I still owed him for last night’s ticket I’d promised to buy him, he scoffed, saying “Hey- what’s thirteen bucks between friends? Besides, if I’d known how great volleyball is, I would’ve come to watch anyway.”

I gave in, partly because I was feeling good about myself and how I was playing, and partly because I didn’t want to argue.

As it turns out, his idea of lunch was the same Thai place.

“I like the food there, don’t get me wrong,” I said, “But a little variety is a good thing, you know.”

Caving in to my request, Donny agreed to try someplace else. We went off campus to an amazing burger place a few blocks away that Kerry had mentioned, and I have to say it instantly became my new favorite place to eat.

Donny agreed that the sliders were phenomenal and worth the extra walk. “I’m going to have to thank your friend Kerry for the recommendation. The sweet potato fries are incredible.”

Halfway through lunch my phone rang with Stephanie’s special ringtone. Donny looked at me as I fished the phone out of my pocket. “Blondie?” he asked, wondering why I’d have “Call Me” as my ringtone.

“It’s my girlfriend,” I explained as I answered the phone.

“That’s right. It’s your special, wonderful, and very sexy girlfriend,” Steph said when I held the phone up to my ear. “Who were you talking to?”

“My friend Donny,” I answered. “We’re having lunch.”

“You didn’t call me to tell me how your games went. I feel like we don’t communicate anymore,” Steph teased in a petulant voice.

“No, Sorry. I should have texted you right away. I just didn’t think of it. Anyway, we won both of them. It was great. I only got to play a little the first match, but most of the second. I’m really starting to feel like a solid part of the team.”

“Did Donny watch you play today?”

“Yeah, and he came to last night’s game, too. He says he really enjoyed both games, and volleyball is now his favorite sport.”

“Well, I can understand that. Hey, I want to talk to him. Hand him the phone, will you?”

“Uh, O.K., but I get the impression this could be a very bad idea,” I said, wondering what I was going to have to live down. I handed the phone to Donny, saying “She wants to talk to you.”

“The cheerleader? Why would she want to talk to me?” he asked, taking the phone and holding it as if it might bite.

“I have no idea, but it’s probably something that’s going to embarrass the heck out of me,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Donny, still looking uncertain, held the phone to his ear. “Uh, hello?”

I could only hear his half of the conversation, but I could tell part of what they were discussing was my V Ball uniform and the bunhugger shorts, and how amazing I was on the court, and other exceptionally humiliating topics. Finally I had enough, and demanded my phone back. Donny handed it over, blushing but smirking, too.

“O.K. I hope you enjoyed embarrassing the bejeezus out of me, because it’s going to take me a while to live this down,” I told her.

“Oh, babe, don’t be that way. We were only talking about how amazing you are, and how freaking hot. I mean, you told me he has a crush on you, so it’s not like he wasn’t thinking those things anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I conceded. “Still, he didn’t need to hear it from my girlfriend. I mean, he’s already perving on the idea of the two of us, anyway,” I said, giving Donny a glare, which made him blush again.

“Really? He thinks it’s hot you’ve got a girlfriend?” Stephanie sounded intrigued by the idea.

“Yeah. I showed him some pictures of you, and he thinks you’re hot, too.”

“Please tell me it wasn’t any of the private pictures I sent you,” Steph replied, suddenly embarrassed.

“No, not those pictures,” I said, loud enough for Donny to hear clearly. “In fact, until this moment he didn’t even know I have nude pictures of you on my phone.”

“But, like, he does now because he just heard you say that, didn’t he?” I could practically hear her face turn red.

“Yes, Stephanie baby. Now he does know that I have super hot, sexy naked pictures of you in my possession.” I was enjoying my revenge, and Donny was grinning like an idiot too.

“Well, can I at least ask you to not show them to him?” Steph begged.

“Don’t worry about that,” I answered. “I had absolutely no intention of showing him any of those photos. Nope. Those are for my private enjoyment.” I was looking at Donny when I said it, and the crestfallen look on his face made me bust up.

“What?” Stephanie demanded to know.

“You should see the bummed look on Donny’s face,” I told her.

“Quick! Take a picture!”

I did as she requested, and Donny cooperated, posing with his silly downcast expression. I told Steph I’d send it to her as soon as we hung up.

“Hey, Steph? I may not be able to call you tonight. If I can’t, I’ll call you tomorrow morning, ‘K.?”

“Sure. You going out tonight?”

“Yeah. I don’t know where or for how long, though.”

“O.K. Just be safe, all right?”

“Will do.”

Hanging up, I turned to Donny. “So, now you’ve met my girlfriend. Impressions?”

“Well,” he began, not sure how to phrase it. “She seems like a lot of fun. I mean, she’s real outgoing, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is. I told you she was captain of the cheer squad, right? She was also Homecoming Queen a bunch of times, and all that kind of stuff.”

“So you’re telling me that she’s the kind of girl I could never, ever have even dreamed of talking to back in high school,” he said, a little dejected.

“You might think that, and I did too for a long time,” I agreed, “But once I got to know Stephanie she didn’t turn out to be the stuck-up snob I’d imagined her to be. I mean, I’d always just assumed she fit the stereotype, you know? It’s just weird how things work out sometimes.”

Just then my phone chimed that a new text had just arrived. It was Stephanie, wishing me a happy birthday. “I forgot 2 wish u a happy birthday” she’d sent. Another text arrived from her at that moment. “I wish u were here for some hot birthday sex. Maybe with candles?”

“Oh, man,” I groaned, then texted back “I wish I were there, too, you sexxxy little thing.”

“Do I want to know what that was about?” asked Donny.

“Yeah, probably, but I’m not gonna tell you,” I said, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

“She’s really, um,” Donny said, at a loss for words.

“Yeah, she is,” I agreed.