Free Blue Eyes and Other Teenage Hazards by Janette Rallison

the fact that chess club was held on Friday was a clear sign that none of the people in it had social lives; but despite all that, she had fun. She had printed out tiny pictures of Carter and Bell a and taped them to her opponent’s king and queen. “It’s to give me incentive to win,” she said.
    She won one game and lost another, but the one she lost was to Bob Matthews, and he almost always won. I’d never beaten him.
    Afterward, while my mom drove us home, I said, “See, didn’t you have fun?”
    Elise leaned back into her seat. “It has obviously been so long since you had fun that you’ve forgotten what it’s like.”
    “We can play tennis tomorrow,” I told her and then quickly added, “at the high school courts.” Just in case she was still harboring thoughts of being Bambi and Trixie up on campus.
    Elise sighed, but in the end she agreed.
    We weren’t the only ones at the high school Saturday morning. A couple of tennis courts were taken and a few students were using the track.
    Elise checked around for cute guys, but finding no one she deemed interesting, she concentrated on the game. I wasn’t much of a challenge for her.
    She had neglected to tell me she was skilled at the sport. She was one of those people who could place the ball anywhere. I spent my time sprinting around the court and considered myself lucky if I hit the ball back over the net. After she humiliated me in the first set, I insisted that we not keep score and that she return all my balls whether they were in or not. It made it a fairer game.
    For the next half an hour I ran back and forth across the court while Elise coolly returned balls. Then she said, “Let’s take a break and get a drink.”
    “What do you need water for?” I panted. “You haven’t even broken a sweat.”
    With a wicked grin, Elise nodded toward the school. That’s when I saw the guys. Chad and Mike were about to use the track. They were warming up by the drinking fountain.
    “I’m suddenly thirsty,” I said. “And my water bottle is empty.”
    “Mine too,” Elise said, and we headed toward the drinking fountains.
    We were halfway there before I realized I was not only thirsty but also hot, sweaty, and bedraggled. I pushed loose strands of hair back into my ponytail and hoped I looked sporty.
    Chad and Mike lay on the ground, each with one leg bent and one leg straight, stretching out. I had no idea how to start a conversation with them. I racked my brain for something to say, but the only thing that came to mind was Hi, remember me? We talked about the school stew once. I got a drink from the fountain and hoped for inspiration.
    Elise stopped in front of them, blatantly considering them. “That’s good,” she said, “but if you want to make the cheerleading squad you have to do the splits all the way.”
    Chad glanced up at her and smiled. “I’ll remember that if I ever go out for cheerleading.” Elise swung her racket lazily back and forth. “They don’t work you guys hard enough at football practice, so you come here on your spare time?” Mike shrugged. “You can’t take a break if you want to be the best.”
    “What a wonderful motto,” Elise said, still swinging her racket. “It sounds like the beginning of a cheer. Are you sure you don’t want to go out for cheerleading?”
    “I think I’ll stick with football,” Chad said. “I like knocking men down.”
    “So do the cheerleaders, from what I hear.”
    Chad and Mike both laughed.
    I still couldn’t think of anything to say. Why was this so easy for Elise?
    Chad switched legs and stretched again. He was tan and muscular, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off him.
    Elise spun her racket slowly between her hands. “You know, I don’t know why they don’t have cheerleaders for tennis. It’s the more difficult sport.”
    “Yeah, right,” Chad said, tilting his chin down in mock challenge. “I’d like to see the tennis team do squats or bench press 250.”
    “They could