Two games into the set, and Natti and Wanda were already leading two to zero. Q’s rage intensified with every lost point. He sent deadly glares in Natti’s direction with his bottomless onyx eyes and paced like a tiger inside a cage. When Seth and Ky finally had a break in their game, he turned to the chain-link fence to chat. Natti bounced the ball impatiently, ready to serve.
“Oh, come on, Q!” she called, hating every minute he was on her court. His negativity was choking the fresh air around her, making it hard to breathe and stay focused. “You can talk to your boyfriend later!”
Q whirled around, his face red. “Hold on!”
He whispered one last thing to Ky who nodded and returned to his game. Q jogged back and took his position on the court.
“All right! I’m ready. Service, bitch!”
Natti flinched at the word; it was like a slap hitting her across the cheek. Her composure faltered. “There is no need for—”
“I said service me, bitch!” Q snapped.
Natti’s anger flared at the second blow. Her grip strangled the ball in her hand while she took a moment to collect herself. “Thirty-fifteen!” she called and served.
Q returned with a well-done backhand stroke that shot the ball straight down the court mid-line. Wanda made the save, just catching the ball before the second bounce. The ball lobed over the net.
“FORE!” Ky’s voice bellowed. “Heads up, dudettes!”
Natti took her attention off the game when another tennis ball came spiraling down from the sky.
“Wanda! Look out!”
Natti pushed her partner out of the way, causing the both of them to skid across the ground. The tennis ball crashed into the court and chipped out a tiny piece of clay on impact. Natti gaped in shock. Her mind spiraled while trying to process what she just witnessed. There was no way a tennis ball could cause clay to chip, was there?
She finally snapped out of her shock when she heard a moan beneath her. Wanda was pinned by Natti’s abdomen and hip, pressing Wanda’s face into the court. Natti shoved herself off with a small scream. She rolled onto her bum to examine her wounds. Scrapes and cuts ran along the exposed flesh of her entire right side. Droplets of blood trickled onto her gym uniform.
Natti’s attention turned to Wanda, looking her over. “Are you hurt?”
Wanda winced. “Just a scraped elbow. And maybe a bruised rib or two. You?”
Natti gritted her teeth and tried to move again. “Just dandy.”
A hand appeared in Natti’s vision, and she looked up into Seth’s eyes. A smile was plastered on his lips, but his expression was filled with concern when he scanned the scrapes along her body. A new look compared to the cocky one he always paraded around with.
“Here,” he whispered. “Let me help.”
Hesitantly, she accepted his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. A soft heat passed through her body with his touch. It was different than the other strange sensations she had felt from him before. The ones that tried to block all her reason. This touch made her feel like she was floating on air, and she could hardly breathe because of the altitude.
“How—? What—?” she stammered, the words barely making it past her windpipe.
Seth cocked his brow at her, his concern deepening. “You all right?”
Still unable to breathe, she nodded, her mind whirling with more questions. The tingling sensations of Seth’s touch were one thing. The heat she just sensed was completely overpowering. Stronger than the fire Seth set under her skin a mere week ago.
“That’s a point!” Q’s little victory jig caught Natti’s eye, snapping her head back into reality. “The score is thirty-thirty!”
Realizing her fingers were still intertwined in Seth’s, Natti quickly pulled her hand away and focused back on the game. She glanced from their bouncing tennis ball to Q. “Like hell! That was interference!”
“What happened here?” Mrs. Kuft growled.
Ky stepped forward. “Sorry, ma’am. Don’t know my own strength sometimes.”
“Bull!” Natti hissed. “You did that on purpose.”
Seth brushed a finger over her hand. A calming, tingling sensation, soft and cool like a gentle breeze, filled her body, distracting her slightly while Seth spoke to Mrs. Kuft. “He didn’t mean any harm. Ky lobbed the ball just a little too hard.”
“Really!” Natti snapped back and stepped away from Seth. “The ball bloody chipped the clay surface! And Ky did it on purpose. He did it because Q asked him too.”
“I didn’t do anything of the sort!” Q crossed his arms. “And it was our point.”
Natti’s temper flared at the lie. “That was not a point!”
“Enough!” Mrs. Kuft slammed her foot down, and everyone fell silent. “As the instructor of this class, I’m the one who will make this call.” She glanced at Q then turned to Natti. “Start with your last point and serve again.”
“But . . .” Q demanded.
“No buts! It’s the rules, Mr. Chang.”
“Actually, Mrs. Kuft,” Seth piped in, “I think Natti should be sent to the nurse to be looked at.”
He held up her arm to reveal the scrapes, dirt, and blood. Natti yanked herself free from his grasp. “I’m fine.”