“Maybe not. But I’m doing this thing where I try new things.”
Eva’s gaze was soft, open in that way Lily was starting to love, and she felt her heart beat faster in her chest.
“We have our first contender,” Mark said, and Lily stepped back as Mei positioned herself behind the black cross taped to the floor. “You get three shots, Miss Chen.”
“I’ll only need one,” Mei said, already drawing her arm back.
Eva snorted, her arms folding across her chest. How did she look so comfortable? “Please. I suspect you’ll need at least ten.” And how could Eva taunt the person about to try and knock her from her perch?
Though perhaps Lily should give Eva credit, because it seemed to rile Mei up—so much so that when she threw the first ball, hard, it missed the target by some distance.
“You can do better than that, surely,” Eva said, and Mei scowled as she marched forward to retrieve the ball.
Her other two attempts were unsuccessful, her face thunderous as she handed the ball back to Mark.
“Come on,” Lily said, knocking Mei’s shoulder with her own. “Let’s go and play something else.”
“Do you not want a try?” Mei seemed surprised. “I would’ve thought you’d be all over this.”
Lily glanced back at Eva. It might be satisfying to wipe that smug look from her face, but Lily wasn’t willing to jeopardize their blooming relationship because of it.
Eva had no such qualms.
“Come on, Miss Cross,” Eva said, the challenge in her eyes unmistakable. “Let’s see what you can do. It’s for a good cause, remember?”
“All right.” Lily dug a hand in her pocket for her wallet and handed the cash over to Mark. “But here’s a little-known fact about me. I was a pitcher on my high school and college softball team.”
Still, Eva looked unfazed. And her smugness grew as Lily threw her first ball, missing the target by a couple of inches. But at least now she knew how heavy it was—and what angle she needed to throw it at to hit the button.
“Are you sure about that?” Eva called as Lily retrieved the ball. “Because it looks like—”
Lily didn’t wait until Eva had finished before aiming her second throw. It hid dead center, and Lily watched Eva’s expression morph into one of surprise before she disappeared into the water.
“I suppose I deserved that,” Eva said when she re-appeared, and if Lily had thought that skirt looked sinful before, it was nothing compared to it now. It was molded to her thighs, her blue blouse clinging to her skin, outlining the definition of her abs, and Lily ached to trace that same path with her tongue. “Well done.”
Eva looked amused more than anything, running a hand through her hair to slick it back against her head as she re-took her seat. “Does anyone else think they have what it takes?”
A line had formed behind Lily, and she stepped out of their way. Mei clapped her on the shoulder. “Nice. I bet that felt good.”
“Yeah.” Though not for the reasons Mei was thinking. “What’s next?”
* * *
After her final class of the day had skipped from her room, Lily returned to the courtyard to help the kids dismantle what was left of the funfair. Once they were done, they retreated to Lily’s classroom to count the money they’d raised and reflect on the year they’d had.
Lily looked around the room once they were all inside, happy that their little group had grown from seven to seventeen in the span of just a few months.
It was a relief, considering the administration’s reticence to start up the club in the first place, that they’d managed to do so well…which Lily was only too happy to tell them all once the meeting was nearly over.
“I’m so proud of each and every one of you,” Lily said, trying not to get emotional for the second time that day, “and everything you’ve achieved this year. It’s been a privilege getting to know you all, and I’m so grateful you trusted me to be your advisor. You’ve managed to raise nearly two thousand dollars over the past few months for all kinds of worthy causes, not to mention raise awareness of the issues the LGBTQIA+ community face across the school. I feel like we’ve barely gotten started, and now summer’s here, but I know when we come back in the fall we’re going to pick things back up again. I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for all of you.”
“Thanks, Miss Cross.” Macie was misty-eyed in the front row. “We wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for us, too. We wouldn’t have a club if not for you. We got these for you.”
Macie, Sara, Hannah and Jude approached her desk, each of them holding a candle.
“These are from one of the charities we donated to,” Sara said. “All the proceeds go toward their projects to help LGBTQIA+ youth.”
“Thanks.” Lily didn’t make a habit of hugging her students, but she figured this called for an exception. “You have a good summer, okay? And I’ll see you all in August, hopefully with some new ideas.”
