Chapter 4: Kairus

Three hours before the storm…

Not a lot of people knew that a powerful storm was coming. Meteorologists warned of a potential storm sweeping over the Auberlin City Metropolis, but with such strange and unusual weather patterns, it was very difficult to call for certain.

News anchors on TV suggested the possibility of a storm, but didn’t anticipate that it would be of any substantial consequence. Weather apps showed about a 50% chance of thunderstorms as well, and at this time, the sky was still clear with very little clouds overhead.

It was otherwise a regular September afternoon.

Josephine had just completed her Wednesday morning classes and found a nice place to relax and play ping-pong with Phil. They were in one of the Morris Wells Residence Hall break rooms where there were multiple games, TVs, lounge couches, and computers for the residents to enjoy. This is also where Josephine, Merideth, and Josephine’s roommate, Alana, all lived. Their rooms were on the first floor just a few hallways down from the break room.

Phil stood across the net from Josephine with a ping-pong paddle gripped firmly in his right hand, he swiped the air back and forth with intent in his eyes as he waited for her to serve. He glared at her with a smirk as she raised the ball up and braced for a swing.

Josephine served the ball hard and it clanked onto his side of the net with great force, bouncing up and to the left of his corner where his eyes swiftly veered, focusing the ball directly in the center. He leaped like a grasshopper, showing his impressive agility as he clipped the ball eloquently with the edge of his paddle, sending it back, soaring to Josephine’s side.

She grinned with her hair tied tightly in a ponytail, hanging out through the open hole of her tennis cap. It fluttered and swayed as she reacted gracefully to the bouncing ball coming straight towards her. She wacked it back to Phil on the opposite corner, giving him a microscopic window of opportunity to respond. He jerked back as quickly as his scrawny chicken legs could move him, and his effort was briefly successful.

He smacked the ball back at Josephine, bouncing to the very edge of her opposite corner, but her movements were precise and calculated. She leaped straight to that side with maximum efficiency, wasting no movement, and smacked the airborne ball with intent to kill. It plunged through the air like a heat seeking missile to the empty side of Phil’s table. It smashed into the wood, making the familiar “clink” sound as it bounced into the air and escaped Phil entirely.

He shook his head with his eyes pointed at the ground and hands on his hips. “Damn it. You got me again.” He exhaled an exhausted breath and looked back up to Josephine with a bright smile.

“10-0. Don’t think you’re beating me anytime soon,” she responded smugly and took a seat on one of the couches. She patted the couch, gesturing for Phil to come and sit next to her. He obliged and sat down beside her.

“All that Tennis you used to play in high school really did translate to ping-pong, huh?” He asked, getting more comfortable in his seat.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Yeah, It’s not just that though. When I stopped playing tennis, I started playing ping-pong. I’ve been in this residence hall since my freshman year, and I used to come down here to play at least 3 or 4 times a week.”

“Why did you stop playing tennis?”

“Because… fuck tennis, that’s why,” she responded angrily, raising her voice.

“What?” Phil was shocked. “You were just telling me how much you used to love tennis… what happened?” He asked shyly.

“Nothing. Just stupid people making stupid decisions. That’s all,” she urged, trying her best to avoid the subject.

“And which stupid people made what stupid decision?” He pressured, forcing Josephine to open up.

“The fucking stupid coaches here kicked me off the team when I was a freshman over something I had no control over.” Her skin burned red as her emotions began to surface. She rarely talked about her personal issues with anyone, not even Merideth or Kairus. She often found more comfort in faking a persona and giving the impression that she was unmovable, confident, and proud.

“Now why would they go and do a dumb thing like that? Weren’t you among the best in the state at the time?” Phil offered a sense of comfort that Josephine was drawn to, and she used that as an opportunity to talk about things weighing on her mind.

“It’s because I got an injury at the summer camp right before the season,” she paused with a brief moment of reflection, expressing her sadness and discontent with this part of her life. “It was a hyperextension in my shoulder that could have stopped me from playing for the entire season. Three to five months recovery on the severe end. Six to eight weeks on the short.”

“So you missed a season and they wouldn’t let you come back the next year? Is that what happened?” Phil tried to anticipate how the story would go, trying to ensure that Josephine wouldn’t leave him on a cliffhanger.

“No, Phil… that’s not what happened,” she denied with an annoying tone. “I was lucky to recover on the short end just a couple weeks after the season started, but it turned out, they didn’t need me anymore. Coach Shit-stain told me that they got a new girl and that I wasn’t going to be returning to the team. My spot was filled,” she mocked. “What a stupid son of a bitch, right? And get this! That new bitch quit next year and they came begging me to come back to the team. Well I told them they could lick my left nut and fuck off.”

“Your left nut?” Phil asked for assurance, just to make sure he heard that right.

“Yes. My sweaty fuckin’ non-existent left nut. I don’t know. I was mad, okay?” She said as she relieved her frustration and laid her head comfortably on Phil’s shoulder.

Phil wanted to shy away, but he didn’t want to disturb her comfort. Doesn’t she have a boyfriend? He thought to himself as he resisted the temptation to comfort her more.

“I know what you’re thinking. ‘Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?’ I don’t. Kairus isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just someone I hang out with a lot and occasionally call babe,” she assured him, getting more comfortable on his shoulder.

“It doesn’t look that way, though… and hey… I’m sorry about your whole tennis thing. That really sucks, but I don’t want to be a part of anything weird…” He began to resist and pull away, but that only made Josephine hug him tighter. She brought her feet and legs up onto the couch and leaned her body onto him, wrapping her arms around his waist and planting her head into his chest.

“It’s fine! Stop being so uptight. You think I’m hot, don’t you?” She spoke manipulatively as she squeezed him closer.

“Jos! What the fuck??” Kairus squealed unhappily from the break room door. He looked distraught and confused with his mouth gaping slightly.