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“Sounds charhed

“Now you knohy I – ”

He caught himself and clammed up

“…why you sleep around so ly

He winced “Let’s not talk about that”

Yeah, not really a topic of conversation I wanted to dwell on

“Good,” I said

30

We’d been trailing Ryan and Shanna for about three aisles e turned the corner and found ourselves in the kids toys area There was one of those six-foot-tall containers, a big rectangular wire structure, full of brightly-colored rubber balls

Derek went over and grabbed a pink, swirly-colored one He served it volleyball-style to me –

And I just let it hit the ground and bounce twice before I grabbed it

“Come onnnnn,” Derek complained, like If you were cool you would do it

“No,” I whispered, and looked around in alaret in trouble”

“So?”

“I don’t want to get in trouble”

“You just know I’d kick your ass in grocery store volleyball, that’s all”

“I don’t think so I was on h school team”

“Yeah, right” He started i a chicken “Baak - bok - bok - bok!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah”

“Fine” I picked up the ball “Ready, punk?”

“Ready, Ms High School Volleyball Queen”

I hit it to him He hit it back – and then I jumped up and spiked it at his feet

“Booyah, bee-yotch,” I said, throwing up my arms in victory

“Hey, no fair, no spiking!” he laughed

“‘No fairrrr, no spiking,’” I ust “You’re such a wimp”

“Oh yeah?” he asked as he picked the ball up, an undercurrent of aggression beneath the humor

“Yeah,” I taunted him

“Where’s the line?”

I pointed at the beginning of the toy section, where the cereal boxes ended

“And where’s the net?”

“Top shelf”