Ryan Hunter

and the other three were plastered into skintight jeans and tops that left the navel exposed to our view.
    “Hi, guys,” one of them said , batting her lashes at me. I guessed that she was barely seventeen, still a year younger than me. “We usually know all the good looking boys who come here. You must be here for a visit?”
    Okay, she was a brave one, and not only because she dared to come here in heels that were longer than my middle finger and clearly gave her trouble walking. I wondered if she would have said this if she had faced us alone, without her lioness pack to back her up.
    “We’re playing soccer just outside the city,” I told her. “In the next few weeks, you might have time to get used to us coming here.”
    She smiled a wide welcome and hooked her brunette hair behind her ears, revealing pirate hoops for earrings. “Mind if we sit down?”
    “Sure.” I grabbed a seat from the vacated table behind me and pulled it around so that she’d sit right next to me. I don’t know why. Maybe because Frederickson had made the most hopeful face when the girls came over, or maybe just because it was an old habit. Whichever it was, I regretted doing it the moment the other girls got chairs, too, and the pirate replica scooted so close that our legs touched under the table.
    Gentlemen that we were, we paid for a round of sodas and made some casual conversation, but other than Frederickson, none of us guys seemed really impressed with the catch we’d made. The girl next to me, who had introduced herself as Sandy, ordered a mineral water and leaned in a little too close to say thank you. When I looked at her face, all I could think was that I’d prefer a girl who came clean and natural, without all the colorful cement on her face. I leaned back a few inches then widened the space between us to a solid foot. Not only was she painted like Picasso’s first guinea pig, but she also seemed to have fallen into a pot of her mother’s perfume, which stung my nose.
    I had stood next to Liza a million times, and the floral scent of her shampoo and soap had never curled my toes.
    Mitchell had troubles warding off a strawberry blond, who flashed braces in a flirtatious smile at him. It would have been interesting to know if he was avoiding her because of the same girl that was on my mind right now. We made it one hour, but finally Tony and I shared a look that said Run, and run as fast as you can .
    To escape, we produced a lame ass excuse. That we weren’t allowed to stay out so long or we’d get thrown out of soccer camp, which wasn’t exactly a lie, but also nothing that we were really bothered with.
    “Will you come back in on the weekend?” Sandy asked and curled a strand of her hair around her forefinger. God, who had taught this girl to flirt? It was like she had watched the worst chick-flicks ever and taken notes.
    Okay, maybe she wasn’t that bad, and a few months ago, I might even have encouraged her flirting, but tonight I wasn’t in the mood. “Guess we will. But we’ll probably bring our girlfriends, too, so this round won’t happen again.”
    That made her back off, and I wasn’t in the least sorry for pulling that shitty lie from nowhere. I tapped Frederickson on the shoulder and interrupted his making out with a girl who had hair as red as his. “We’re off, dude. Are you coming?”
    He bit his lip, seriously deliberating. Then he detached himself from the girl he called Kelly and walked out the door with us.
    “I’ve never been that happy to get away from a bunch of girls,” Mitchell said as we climbed over the threaded wire fence back at camp.
    “Why?” Frederickson mumbled. “The chicks were willing. What’s your problem? Don’t want to get laid?”
    Tony and I simultaneously smacked him upside the head. “I don’t like it when a girl doesn’t take no for an answer,” I told him then held the door open for the rest to slip inside. And Sandy’s hand on my thigh definitely hadn’t heard the word no before.
    We crawled into the bunk beds and turned off the light.
    As we walked out to the training grounds the following morning, we knew at first sight that this was going to be special day. A group of girls all dressed in soccer jerseys and cleats sat on the lush green lawn, apparently waiting for us. This year was the first time that girls had come to soccer camp, too, and initially I thought this was a good idea. But when the coach told us to gather into co-ed teams, I