Page 21 of Sunflower Persona
There goes any hope I had of talking to him today. I should have bailed when I had the chance. This was never anything more than business for him, and I built it up to be something more.
“Evelyn, meet Kori. I want you to work with her today.”
The woman she introduces me to looks about as comfortable as I feel. She’s wearing the same karate costume that everyone else is, but hers is stiffer and whiter than the rest. No one told me I needed a uniform. I’m going to stand out like a freak in my neon spandex.
“Hi,” Evelyn says, raising her arm in an awkward wave.
“Hi,” I mimic.
“You two are going to get along great. Have fun.” The terrifying woman smiles in a way that seems more threatening than friendly and leaves us on our own.
“Sorry about Karis. She can be a lot,” Evelyn says with a sigh as she fidgets with the end of her thick chestnut ponytail.
I file away the name for future reference. It beats calling her “the goth girl.” Especially since she doesn’t have the same edge here. It makes sense. I wouldn’t wear a full face of makeup or a dozen rings to work out either.
“Wait, you guys are friends?”
“Yup, and she’s been pestering me to join her here for months. I tried to explain to her that my idea of a good time doesn’t involve rolling around on the ground with sweaty men. Wait, that makes it sound way dirtier than it actually is—and like I’m shaming people. People can do what they want with their bodies. I just don’t want to be touched by strange men all the time. Especially for exercise.”
Her full cheeks grow pinker with each sentence she rambles.
“Then why are you here?”
“Karis is nothing if not persistent, and she always gets what she wants. Fighting it is futile.”
“She sounds lovely.” Sarcasm coats the words.
“She is…a unique person. But a great friend to have.”
“So does that mean you know Gage too?”
“Sure. I—”
“Line it up,” Karis shouts, cutting our conversation short.
My partner grabs my hand and leads me to the end of the line. We bow in, and then I’m in hell. No one told me there would be running or jumping or rolling. I’m fully ready to quit by the time we finish the warm-up. Fuck this workout thing. I’m out.
The only thing that keeps me on the mat is Gage watching from the fence. My skin prickles with the awareness of his gaze. It’s unnerving.
Once we start focusing on the actual technique, the situation gets a little better. There’s a lot less moving and a lot more learning. Plus, the only person I have to touch is Evelyn. All things considered, it isn’t so bad. She’s as clueless as I am, so we spend most of the class laughing at how awful we are instead of drilling anything properly. That part is actually pretty fun. By the time class comes to an end, I’m conflicted about what I want to do.
“Okay, spill. Why has Gage been watching you for the past hour?” Evelyn asks once we’re dismissed.
Her question causes me to trip over my feet.
“Are you sure he wasn’t watching his girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend? Gage? That’s a good one.” She wipes away fake tears from her eyes as she laughs.
“Isn’t he with Karis?”
That sends her into a fit of giggles so intense she doubles over.
“You’re funny,” she says once she catches her breath.
“So that’s a no?”
“Hard no. Like, not even if they were the last two people on earth levels of no.”
