Amnesia - The Matlock Pack: Book One
Chapter 20 - Nat

Monday 7 December

~*Nat’s POV*~

Murph tossed the ball into the air and, with a crack, punched it over the net.

Tatum sprang forward, tapping the ball up into the air, where Cody leaped higher than I thought was possible for someone so short and pounded it back over the net.

Bells dove to where the ball was headed, catching it just before it hit the ground, and made sure the ball ricocheted off his hands, back into the air, just high enough for Owen to push it higher. Murph ran forward and thumped it back over the net onto our side.

The ball was whizzing around so quickly, but as I was concentrating hard, I could just keep track of it. Cody had given me simple instructions — don’t let it touch the ground on our side — and yet, I could see that was precisely where the ball was going as it sailed past both Cody and Tatum, aiming for my feet.

I bent over and angled my arms underneath the ball and made it rebound back into the air, just enough for Tatum to get his bearings and thump it higher. Cody was in the wrong position to take the next shot, so I leapt up as high as I could, then brought my hand down on the ball and slammed it back over the net, making it land in the rear left corner of the court behind all three of our competitors.

“Goddess…” Owen said in awe as he watched the ball bounce away. “Where the hell did you learn how to do that?” Murph took off after the ball to retrieve it. Owen and Bells looked at each other wide-eyed, then at me.

Cody turned around and jumped up to give me a high five, beaming. “Looks like you’ve played before. Bringing back any memories for you?”

I shook my head, stunned. “None whatsoever. That was what I was supposed to do, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah,” Tatum replied. “Exactly what you’re meant to do. Think you can repeat it?”

“Honestly? I have no idea.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” said a relieved Bells from across the court. “We might need to up our game, Owen, just in case. What do you think?”

Owen slowly nodded, looking between Bells and me, his hands on his hips. He still looked bewildered.

Murph returned to the court and bounced the ball under the net to us. “It’s your go to serve.”

Tatum grabbed it and tossed it from hand to hand. “Do you want to have a go, Nat?”

“Not this time. You do it, I’ll get it next time.”

“Only if you get a next time, that is,” Bells goaded. I grinned at him. Oh, it was on.

The game continued much like it had started. Cody was shorter than the rest of us, but she made up for it with her quick movements around the court. Even though I was the tallest, everyone else playing the game was only an inch or two shorter than me, so none of us had a distinct advantage over the others. It basically came down to skill at keeping the ball in the air, and power at bringing it down to the ground on the opposing team’s side.

Gradually, we began to accumulate an audience. A few campers initially stopped by under the guise of chatting with Zelda but really were only there to watch Owen.

The next few paused as they were walking back from the hockey game that had just finished. They were the ones who started cheering whenever one team scored a point.

That attracted the attention of more campers, including Takeshi, who came over to see what the noise was all about. They all sat down around the court, but far enough away that they wouldn’t get hurt if the ball went wide.

The last of the audience, as well as Spence, showed up just as we were getting close to finishing the match. Spence wandered over to Takeshi, and they had a quiet discussion with each other whilst watching the game.

We were all putting in everything we had to get the ball clear of our opponents until it was neck and neck at twenty-four points each. One last point left to grab to seal the win.

Tatum, Cody, and I huddled together on our side to discuss potential plays.

Cody was hyped beyond belief that she was in a team that had made Owen, Bells, and Murph work so hard at a game. It seemed that the three of them were sports stars in high school that were almost impossible to beat, so she considered this a massive victory, even if we didn’t win the next point.

Tatum didn’t agree. I gathered he hadn’t won against Bells all that much in anything over the years and was eager to take out this match now that we were so close to winning. He was beyond desperate for this to be something that had the potential to change the dynamic between him and his brother.

I was just stunned that I was holding up my spot in the game as well as I was. The more I concentrated on the ball, the more I could predict where it was going to go next, and which of my team was the best to get to it first. I thought we worked incredibly well as a team, with each of us communicating with the others almost instinctively.

I could tell how shocked Bells and Owen were at how well we were doing against them. Murph just laughed them both off, telling them it was about time they realised they weren’t the only sports gods in the state, and if they could get their heads out of their arses, they might just learn something new.

After Cody, Tatum, and I decided on how to approach our last point, we broke apart and took up our positions. I stood at the net, as Tatum thought I had the best chance of slamming the ball back over the net for an easy win. Cody stood behind me because her speed meant that she could cover the court quicker than either of us. Tatum also stood at the net to my left.

We waited for Murph, Owen, and Bells to break apart from their own huddle. Once again, the ball was in Murph’s hands to start the point. As they pulled away, Owen slowly sauntered across the court to take his position opposite Tatum. Murph headed to the back of the court where he needed to serve from. Bells stood to the side for a second, grabbing his water bottle for a drink before putting it back down.

And then he took off his shirt and wandered over to stand directly in front of me on the other side of the net, his bare torso gleaming with sweat.

Uh oh…

My eyes widened, and I gulped. Bells saw my reaction and grinned wickedly at me, then winked.

Oh, it’s like that, is it? If you’re going to play that sort of game, so could I.

I called time and turned to my teammates. “I need a drink. Give me a sec.” They nodded, and I headed for the pile of clothes where I had left my hoodie earlier in the game.

I knew I had a decent sports bra on underneath my t-shirt. I had kept my t-shirt on during the match because I was using the hem to wipe away sweat from my face, and I had noticed that Bells’ eyes always seemed to be on me when I did so.

If he thought he could distract me with his chiselled, delectable abs, let’s see if I could distract him too.

Grabbing my drink bottle, I took a swig of water before I tugged my t-shirt off, giving my face a good wipe and tossing it on top of my hoodie. I returned to my spot on the court, opposite Bells, then gave him as innocent of a stare as I could muster.

He swallowed nervously, drifting his eyes up and down my torso, lingering at my breasts, before slowly returning them to my eyes.

I winked at him, and bent forward to prepare for Murph’s serve.

Bells couldn’t help but laugh as he, too, leaned forward, his eyes darkening with anticipation.

Murph served, the ball sailing over the net, before Cody tapped it up into the air. Tatum boosted it, and I leaped into the air and smacked the ball across the net, trying to pin it between Bells and Owen.

Owen was too quick for me, though, as he popped the ball back up into the air slightly. Murph ran forward, flinging the ball higher, before Bells slapped the ball back across the net.

I watched as the ball sailed through the air towards Tatum. He dove for it, trying desperately to repel the ball back up into the air. Cody dashed forward to help, but it was too late. The ball landed right next to Tatum’s hands, just inside the white painted line, granting Murph, Owen and Bells the match-winning point.

Cheers erupted from the crowd of spectators. Tatum angrily slapped his hand against the ground in disgust at himself, but Cody knelt next to him, muttering to him quietly. I stood there with my hands on my hips and nodded to all three members of the opposing team, congratulating them on a great game.

Bells nodded back to me and joined his teammates in a victory hug. Owen paraded around the court, flexing his muscles in every way he could think of, showing off to the onlookers. Murph and Bells slapped each other on the back and laughed at Owen’s antics.

I joined Tatum and Cody, helping Tatum up from his position on the ground.

“I felt so sure we had that,” Tatum said, shaking his head in disappointment.

“We very nearly did, Tatum,” I replied. “I’m sure that there’ll be other chances to take them on again. Maybe next time we’ll beat them.” I hugged him and patted him on the back.

Cody clapped her hands. “That was so much fun!” She pulled us both in for a hug. “I can’t wait for there to be a rematch, so there’d better be a next time.”

I laughed as I pulled away. “There will be if we want one.”

Cody whooped, jumping up and down. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Tatum finally sparked a smile.

I grinned at them both. “Next time?”

They grinned back at me and nodded. “Next time.”