Under Pressure. A. C. Meyer

angrily and went straight to the gym. The boy needed to do something to vent the anger he was feeling. Not that he was a violent or tough guy, but Ashley had the power to piss him off and take him seriously. But that was nothing new. Since the previous year, when they were still freshmen, her obstinacy in saying that they should be a couple, since he was not attracted to her, had crossed the line. Her insistence - which bordered on obsession - had left him in a position where just hearing her voice would made him angry. If the bullshit she used to say was also considered, the result was not good.

      He went into the men's locker room and put his things in the closet with his name, after taking out shorts, T-shirt and sneakers. A run would do him good. The release of endorphins by physical activity would make him cool his head and be calmer. After getting dressed, he went to the court. He was stretching when Dean, his best friend and teammate, showed up.

      "Hey, guy! How are you?"

      Without stopping to stretch, Ryan stared at the blue eyes of the boy who was as tall and strong as he was, and answered with a grunt.

      "Annoyed" - he muttered, continuing to stretch, accompanied by his friend. They were silent for a few moments, until Dean spoke again.

      "What happened in the cafeteria, Ry?" - The boy asked, puzzled. - "Each day, you are more impatient with Ash. And this is not the kind of thing that usually happens to you, quite the opposite. You are the most patient guy I know."

      Dean was right. The friend was very calm and always encouraged his teammates to have a kinder and friendlier behaviour. He believed that violence led to nothing and that their differences - with anyone - should be solved with dialogue.

      But it didn't seem to apply to Ashley.

      "Ashley pisses me off, Dean. I can't stand this girl."

      "I know, she gets tough sometimes. But did you need to get to that point? And the other girl? Are you going out with her anyway?"

      Just hearing about Mandy, the image of the girl with very dark hair and sweet perfume came to his mind. It was strange how a bump made him so impressed ... maybe it was the fact that they attended the same school in high school. Who knows, some kind of recognition ... of familiarity with someone from his hometown. Or, maybe it was Mandy, her delicate and skittish way, that made him want to know everything about her.

      "No, man, I'm not. I almost dropped her in the hall, I had to hold her so she wouldn't fall to the floor. Then, when I went to class, I found out that we were in the same class and the teacher assigned us as a pair for the semester project. That's all that happened” - he explained.

      The two finished stretching and started running. Their movements seemed rehearsed, foot to foot hitting the ground in a rhythmic way, the result of a lot of training together and a partnership that surpassed the games.

      "So, why all that, Ry? If she's a girl you barely know, why fight Ash over her?"

      "I do not accept Ashley's arrogant behavior. She has no right to question who I have a relationship with - lovingly or not. And I'm tired of seeing her mistreating people, of making fun of other students. At that time, in the cafeteria, she was making fun of a girl who did nothing to her, just because Mandy is not part of her group of friends. I am against this kind of injustice. I'm even thinking of talking to the cheerleader team coach. As an important member of the team, she needs to be a positive role model for people, and that's not what happens, you know."

      Dean looked at him, surprised. As team captain, Ryan has always condemned any aggressive attitude - in any case - on the team. He always had an active voice with the team, stimulated egalitarian attitudes among the players and promoted activities to support the community. But he had never been involved in any controversy with the cheerleaders. The team coach was extremely rigid, she required hard work on choreography and exemplary behavior, and such a complaint could cause Ashley many problems - perhaps even expulsion from the team.

      "But who is this girl, Mandy? I don't think I know her” - Dean asked, as they completed the course and started the second lap on the field. Their pace was quite fast.

      "Freshman" - Ryan explained.

      Dean rolled his eyes and laughed.

      "Yeah... Ashley is terrible with freshmen...."

      "As if she's never been one" - Ryan pointed out and Dean laughed. They continued to run. Sweat was beginning to wet his hair, but his breathing was controlled. - "She passed us at the entrance. Short, very dark hair with bangs and green eyes." - Dean watched him as Ryan described the girl and was surprised to see a small smile appear on his friend's lips. Yes, Ryan, like Dean, was a popular guy, dated a few girls and there was always someone interested in being his date at campus parties, but the two boys had shown no interest in anyone in particular. They hadn't fallen in love, that was the truth. - "We did high school at the same school."

      "Um..." - Dean murmured as they continued to run. They were on the third lap around the field. - "Is it a freshman who arrived with a red-haired fox, in a red car?"

      "Ahem" - Ryan nodded, his breath starting to accelerate.

      "Dude, she's a fox!" - Dean spoke and Ryan nodded, looking at his friend and trying to find out if his friend was interested in her. - "But she's serious, isn't she? She and her friend took a class with me before lunch"

      "I think so" - Ryan replied, uncomfortable. Was the friend interested in her? Suddenly, he felt a knot in his stomach and his heart racing.

      I think the strong sun is doing me harm. It can only be that, he thought to himself.

      The boys ran a little more in silence. When they completed the sixth lap, Dean slowed down, being accompanied by Ryan.

      "I'm going to stop" - Dean said, and Ryan nodded. - "I have class in twenty minutes."

      Ryan agreed and the two went to the locker room, still in silence. On the way, he went over the conversation, feeling that discomfort again.

      ***

      The summer days in Providence passed slowly. Ryan saw Mandy a few times in the halls, always quiet, with her redheaded friend. He realized that she was very different from most Brown girls, who used to wear short, low-cut clothes and flirt with guys in and out of classrooms. Her clothes were always well behaved and her shyness barely allowed her to talk to a stranger.

      The first time they met in the corridor, after literature class, their eyes met and she seemed to be the color of her friend's hair. Ryan smiled and she dropped her eyes and quickened her pace. On another occasion, he was running around the football field with the guys on the team. Looking at the bleachers, he saw that she was sitting, writing something in what appeared to be a notebook. He couldn't take his eyes off her. As he ran, he saw Mandy looking away, as if thinking about something. She brought the pencil to her lips, biting the tip. A few seconds later, she wrote again. He was already on the ninth lap when she realized he was there. Their eyes met. He smiled and blinked as he passed. Mandy looked back over her shoulder, as if confirming that he was really blinking and smiling to her.

      By just remembering the reaction, a silly smile appeared on his face. He thought she was so cute that he couldn't help but be more and more interested in her.

      And so, the week went by. Ryan stole glances from Mandy on campus lawns, winked as he passed her in the halls and smiled every time he met her unexpectedly on the way.

      At night, before going to sleep, her eyes popped into his mind and he wondered what was so special that made him daydream, wanting to touch her soft hair, steal kisses from her full lips and feel her body against his. At times, the memory of their first meeting made him remember the way she treated him, wondering why he was wasting time, wanting a girl who was obviously not interested in him. But it was enough to remember the feeling of having her in his arms, to make caution flow out the window, making him anxious for more.

      Every Friday, Ryan, like many Brown students, volunteered. Teachers used to recruit students to provide social service in the activities in which they stood out or had an affinity, as a way of helping the community. He was a coach on the children's basketball team and had worked with