Yes. You run into Vivian.

Neither you nor Shelly have a car, so you have to take the bus to college. On your way out of the building, you run into Vivian, wearing her school uniform, obviously heading to school.

“Ah! Good morning, Vivian!” Shelly greets her in a good mood.

“…” Vivian stays silent for a moment, eyeing you and Shelly. “Good morning.” She says, much to your surprise. She even directed the greeting towards you, too.

Still, she’s frowning and not looking directly at either of you.

Awkwardly, the three of you walk towards the bus stop. Well, it seems that Shelly's not feeling any of it. She's is trying to make conversation while Vivian answers in very short sentences.

“So, Vivian. How’s school going?” She asks.

“…It’s fine.” Vivian answers flatly.

“Are you getting good grades?”

“…Not really.”

“So you’re bad at studying, huh? Don’t worry, wasn’t good either.” Shelly assures her.

“You’re still not good a it though.” You comment.

You swear you heard Vivian snicker softly behind Shelly’s complaints and rebuttals, but she has her head turned away from you, so you can’t tell for sure.

“Anyway!” Shelly says, shifting the topic back from her to Vivian. “Are you in any clubs at school?”

“…No, I’m not.” She answers.

“Really? So what do you do after school, then? Do you just go back home?” You feel like Shelly’s questions are starting to make Vivian uncomfortable, but you don’t know her enough to say. You have to admit you’re curious too.

“…I go to a private tennis club.” Vivian admits with some ****.

“Really? That’s really cool.” You find yourself answering. You regret it as soon as Vivian shoots you an icy look.

“So you play tennis! I thought you’d spend your free time with your boyfriend.” Shelly says, either not noticing or completely ignoring that brief exchange. “Wait, sorry, I’m assuming. Do you have a boyfriend?”

Vivian visibly flinches and looks down and away from both you and Shelly.

“…No, I don’t.” You notice a hint of… something… in her flat voice. Anger? Sadness? Frustration?

“Leave it at that, Shelly.” You tell your sister, trying to stop her.

You can hear people’s voices in your head. Memories of people asking: “Do you have a girlfriend?”, “why don’t you have a girlfriend?”, “are you gay?” “Come on, get a girlfriend already!”. Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice?

“You don’t have anyone that you like?” Shelly asks, not listening to you.

“…I-I… I d-don’t…” Vivian stammers.

“That’s enough, Shelly!” You say, more forcefully than you intended. “Just leave it that.” You say, calming down.

Shelly stares at you intently but complies.

You all remain silent, even as Vivian boards the bus, leaving you and Shelly waiting for yours.

That’s when Shelly finally speaks again.

“You like her.” She says.

You’re taken aback by her sudden words. “W-What?”

“I get it. She’s hot, young, and has this cold, mysterious air to her. I don’t blame you.” She says, teasingly.

You try to collect yourself. You’re not as **** to teasing as you used to be when younger, but still.

“Sure, she’s hot, but I’ve barely even talked to her! Hell, you can’t even consider this talking to her, so I actually never have.” You say. “I just… think I can relate a bit.”

“What do you mean?” Shelly asks.

“I have no idea what a girl like her and a guy like me could possibly have in common, but… I at least know what it feels like when someone asks questions you don’t want to answer, even to yourself.”

You sigh.

“Mmm…” Shelly hums, deep in thought.

After you finish your classes, you go back home. Remembering Vivian saying she played tennis is the final push you need to get into those tennis animated series you’ve been eyeing. Two episodes in and you’re hooked, staying up late to binge the series. After cross-referencing things with real tennis matches, you feel like you’re now a tennis fan.

Federer is pretty cool.