New Friends

Kamari

After the teacher walked into class, I could tell who the natural leader was. Her black leotard and tights silhouetted her long muscular legs and toned upper body. She was wearing her hair in a tight bun, showing off her high cheekbones and dark brown eyes that bore into you. I learned Ms. Swan is a no-nonsense type of teacher who expects a lot from her students, just like I like it. Everyone fell in line the moment she stepped into class, including Miss Perfect, whose name I found out was Olivia, by the teacher’s praise for how well she did in class.

I’ve always been naturally athletic; sports and dance came easily as if my body was made to move freely and fiercely, but... this class was no joke. By the end of class, I was sweating and panting like it had been my first day of dance when I was 11. All the other girls seemed to move smoothly and gracefully, running through drill after drill as if they were warming up. I knew after class if I was going to keep up, I’d have to work extra hard.

I wasn’t complaining, though; it’s been a while since I had my butt handed to me in anything physical, so I was up for the challenge. What I wasn’t up for, however, was the constant poking and sidestepping from Olivia. It was almost like she was out to get me or something. Throughout the whole class, she kept glaring at me and saying sly remarks when no one was looking to try to get in my head.

“See you around, new girl.” Olivia sneered at me over her shoulder as she walked out of class with two other girls following behind her. I didn’t say anything back, ignoring her as I wiped the sweat off my brow with my towel. I barely noticed someone approaching me from behind, coming onto my right side. When I turned to look at her, I had to look up a bit. She was tall for a girl with long, dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She had a slight smile when she looked from Olivia to me.

“Don’t mind Olivia, she is a raging bitch. No one likes her, but we have to put up with her because she’s the captain. She’s usually more bark than bite, though. I’m Naya, by the way. Kamari, right?”

“Yeah, hi. And thanks, I didn’t realize I’d get this friendly treatment on the first day of class. I was the captain of my old dance squad, so I understand the stress of leading, but wow, she’s on a roll, huh?”

“Yea. Olivia’s parents are one of the wealthiest families in town, so she thinks she owns the place.” Naya proclaimed, letting me see a little into the town’s politics.

“Ah, I see. So spoiled, too. That’s fun. I have to admit, though, the girl can move. You all can. I thought I was in shape before this class, but you guys kicked my butt. What’s your secret?” I asked, genuinely thinking there had to be a secret juice everyone drank before class.

“ah ha... No secrets. It’s part of being on the squad here. We’re all part of a tri-training regiment—school rules. To be on the squad, you must take two other physical courses to compete: Weight training and martial arts. They say it keeps us flexible and strong. But you only have to do it if you make the team.”

Naya brushed a strand of her long, dirty blonde hair behind her ear, looking down at the ground as she spoke, seeming a little nervous telling me about the tri-training program as if she didn’t know if she was allowed to, but I was intrigued. I had taken a couple of Jui Jitsu classes on a Groupon once but stopped when the teacher tried to get Sera and me to pay a ton of money for the Gi and equipment. I had always been interested in martial arts but have yet to do it.

“wow really?! That’s rad; I want to do that! When is the martial arts class? I’ll see if I can fit it into my schedule!” I asked excitedly to Naya as we walked out of the gym together.

“Um, not sure if you can actually unless you make the team. But, if you want, I can show you to Ms. Swan’s office, and you can ask if you want. Or ask her in class on Thursday? By the way, I’m starving. Do you have class right now, or do you have time to grab a bite to eat with me? I can also show you around the campus if it helps?” Naya asked sheepishly.

Naya was a little shy but seemed genuine, and I was excited to have found a potential friend already.

“Oh, I’d love that! And yes, I’m starving. I don’t have another class for an hour, so maybe grab a bite to eat, then take a walk? I had this guy show me where ballet was this morning, but I’d much rather you showed me around. I could use a friend.” I said as we got in line to buy some food.

“Which guy?” Naya asked, intrigued.

“Reed, I think his name was? He seemed nice in an arrogant; I rule the world kind of way.” I laughed.

“Ha! Reed is a little full of himself but also a really sweet guy. He would show you around AND try to get with you simultaneously.” She giggled. “He’s the right-hand man of our football team captain, Theron. They’re always together. They do rule the school, I guess you could say.” Naya said knowingly.

“You seem to know him pretty well?” I asked, trying to see what everyone’s dynamics are.

“Oh yeah, very well. Reed is my brother. We grew up with Theron and the other players on the team. It’s a small town, so everyone knows everyone. I’m a little surprised not as many people are trying to talk to you, seeing as you’re the first person to move here in a very long time.” Naya mentioned casually, but something told me there was more she wasn’t saying. The first person to move here in a long time stroked me as a little odd, but I didn’t think too much about it.

“Ha! I guess you would know him well then. Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend him by saying he was full of himself. He did mention everyone knows everyone, too. So different from where I’m from. You could walk the campus daily at my old school and not see the same person twice. It’s a culture shock for sure.” I said, feeling slightly bad for talking badly about her brother.

“Don’t feel bad; I tell him he’s full of himself all the time. ” We laughed together at that, and as if we had called him to us, Reed strolled up, pulling Naya into his arm with a headlock.

“What’s so funny, baby sister? I see you’ve met our new girl.” Reed chuckled as he held Naya in a headlock for a moment before letting go. Naya punched him in the arm.

“I bet you’d like to know, bro. It’s Nunya. What do you want?” Naya proclaimed, folding her arms at her chest. She spoke much more confidently with her brother than earlier in the classroom. The shyness went away when she was around people she was comfortable with.

“I was looking for Miss Kamari. I wanted to see if she wanted a ticket to Friday’s homecoming game to familiarize herself with the town. But now that I see she’s with you, I’m sure she’ll be going. Right, Kamari?” Reed spoke confidently as he looked from Naya to me.

“Umm... well, I wasn’t going to actually. I have a lot of homework to catch up on since I came to the semester a little late. I was going to take the weekend to work on school work and try to find a job.” I felt myself stumbling over my words slightly. I used to love football games. It was the highlight of my week back in LA when I was on the dance team at my college, but after everything that happened right before I left, I almost didn’t know how I would feel going to a game. I needed some time to myself to assess my surroundings.

I saw Reed give Naya a slight nudge with his elbow before she jumped into action, trying to get me to go.

“Nonsense, Kamari! You have to come! It’s the homecoming game, and the dance is Saturday night! You should come. If you want, we can get ready together even? After the halftime show, the squad sits in the stands, and I can introduce you to more of the girls. What do you say?” Naya asked, giving me her best convincing face with big, innocent, bright blue eyes and a slight pout. Reed followed suit with a similar look that you could tell they were related. I had to laugh at their attempt to convince me. At least I found a couple of possible friends here.

“Oh, alright. You convinced me.” I said, laughing a little. Some things about my life wouldn’t change. It would feel good to be back at a stadium. It may help me feel like I was back home before everything fell apart, even if I wouldn’t be on the field with the squad.