Page 78 of His Secret Obsession

“Do you have a partner?” I use my nicest voice.

In the tiniest voice, she replies, “My friend…Lola…went to the bathroom.”

“I see. In the meantime, do you want to pair up with me?”

“Um…okay.”

I grab a volleyball from the basket by the edge of one court, and we find an empty space in one corner.

“I’ll throw to you first,” I say.

“Okay.” Hesitantly, she gets into the receiving position.

“Yep, that’s right,” I say with an encouraging smile. I throw her the ball, and she receives it, but rather than aiming it back to me, it goes flying left.

“Sorry!” she says.

“That’s okay!”

I chase after the ball, and we continue the drill until Lola arrives. I think it goes pretty well, even though the girl — whose name I learn is Madeline — apologises every five seconds. A few times, we even manage to get a rally going as we pass it back and forth to each other. Every time I compliment her, she looks down at her shoes and mumbles a thank you. By the time I leave to let Lola take my place, I reckon Madeline’s gotten more confident, and there’s something satisfying about that.

The next hour of the session follows a similar structure. Chelsea shows everyone how to set, then we do a couple of drills. Next is a serving demonstration, then some serving drills.

Then, Chelsea tells everyone to drink some water and take a rest because next we’re going to play some games.

“What about spiking? I want to spike!” The tall kid — whose name is Newton — exclaims.

“I don’t have spiking in our schedule,” Chelsea tells him. “It’s pretty difficult.”

“What?” Newton whines. “But spiking’s the coolest part of volleyball!”

“Sorry, dude,” Chelsea says. “Maybe if we have time at the end, but for now, I need to take a break and get something to eat.”

“I can show you how to spike,” Lucas says after Chelsea disappears. “But only after you drink a lot of water. You gotta stay hydrated, okay?”

“Okay,” Newton says, and no joke, he sprints to his water bottle. I feel like I’m eighty years old, because I genuinely don’t understand how kids have that much energy. Then again, I remember being that energetic when I was in primary school too. There were more than a few lunchtimes when Lucas and I would run non-stop all lunch, pretending we were being pursued by the pirate-hunting navy.

Lucas catches me listening in, and I flush. “Can you set for us?” he asks.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” I consider telling him that I’m not the most accurate setter, just like I told Chelsea, but stop myself. It’s unnecessary. I don’t need to constantly tell people about all my deficiencies, especially when I know Lucas will just wave his hand and say that it’ll be fine.

I stand by the middle of the net while Lucas goes through spiking with Newton, showing him the footwork and how to open up his chest in order to slam the ball down. Lucas demonstrates by getting Newton to throw the ball to me, and I set it up high. Lucas jumps up and hits it fast and hard, and the volleyball bangs against the other side of the court.

“Good set,” Lucas tells me.

“Thanks,” I say.

When it’s Newton’s turn, I’m worried that he won’t be able to jump high enough to spike the ball, even though the net is lower than usual to accommodate for kids. There’s no need to worry though, as he manages to hit it.

Soon, more kids gather round, likely lured in by the spectacle of spiking. In no time, most of the group are lining up, waiting for their turn. The other two volunteers get involved too, setting on the other courts. When some kids express the fear that they can’t jump high enough — including the chipmunk-cheeked boy from the running warm up — Lucas offers to lift them up.

That gets them really eager, because with Lucas’s help, they’re more than high enough to smack the ball. After Lucas sets them back down, he gives them a high five, and I can’t help staring. I didn’t think he was a kid person, but he’s genuinely encouraging to everyone, and they all seem to love him. Even Newton, who constantly badgers him, likes him. I can tell in the way he follows Lucas around, demanding Lucas teach him how to jump higher.

I realise my mouth’s hanging open and quickly shut it. It’s just that…wow. I’ve never seen him be so…sweet before.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Lucas

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