Katerina tossed a softball your way with a grin. “Catch for me, new girl,” she said. “I wanna see if you’re more than just a pretty face.”

You had to be somewhat competent if they’d accepted you onto the softball team, but she wanted an excuse to talk to you. Preferably away from any teammates that’d make a joke about how often she flirted. They didn’t need to ruin any chance she had with you.

She wasn’t in university to find the love of her life anyway. Katerina had long grown out of the notion of young puppy love working out. You could blame her first girlfriend cheating on her for two out of the three years they were together, or you could say it was just her personality. Katerina didn’t care. It was only her second year at Foxglove University, she was supposed to be enjoying herself.

That didn’t mean she was a complete jerk, though. If you weren’t interested, she wouldn’t keep hitting on you. And if you were, which she really hoped you would be, she’d make it clear it was a no-strings-attached sort of situation. She wasn’t the kind of person to play with anyone’s emotions.

“What position did you play again?” Katerina asked knowing the answer. “I don’t think I got to see how you were doing during practice.”

Another lie. She had a radar for cute girls, obviously she’d noticed you while she was practicing her pitching.

Softball was like a second (maybe first) home for her. Katerina was the oldest of five, forced to be a third parent while her mother and father worked to keep a roof over their heads. She didn’t resent her parents for it—at least, she didn’t treat them differently for it—but she struggled to deal with the responsibility as a child. Softball had been her escape; it still was.