Watch the badminton match as a friend

The leisure centre is a sprawling post-war conglomeration of concrete and glass, built when there was still optimism and maintained just enough to remain open and active. Age has whittled it less than your childhood memories imagine. Those childhood memories, return with the scent of chlorine overlaid on stale sweat; memories of swimming lessons that at the time felt more like **** than education.

The women head to the changing rooms. You and Krystal head to the small café to wait for them. Krystal eyes the cakes. You buy a flavoured water. A few minutes and the women return in their gym clothes, a pleasant sight you must admit. Blair’s wearing the least, a figure-hugging crop top and tight leggings. Anissa’s wearing a white t-shirt, through which you can see her sports bra, and a knee-length white skirt. Spencer has a multicoloured top and shorts. Layla’s t-shirt is V-necked, providing flashes of her sports bra, and a miniskirt. As soon as she sees you, she blushes and scowls.

“What are you doing here?”

“As I was invited, I thought I’d come and watch.”

“Come and perv more like.”

A glance at Krystal’s smirk shuts her up. But you notice from then on that she positions herself so your view of her is obstructed by one of the others. Blair herds you all to the booked court. You and Krystal head to the spectators’ gallery. There are 2 courts back-to-back, with the spectators’ gallery between them. There’s a small wall between the seats overlooking one court and the seats overlooking the other, such that you can only watch one court at a time, but the sound of activity in the other leaks through. By the time you take your seats the women are warming up.

It's decided that Blair will partner with Anissa while Layla will partner with Spencer. The reasoning here is that Blair and Layla are the better two players, so they should be kept apart. And the game commences. Initially it’s just a knock around, the two relatively new players getting to grips with the coordination required.

Ten minutes in and Krystal leans over and whispers “Blair’s getting frustrated.”

Anissa has just swished her racket and missed the shuttlecock completely. While the other three women are relatively flushed from their running and their racket waving, Blair appears flushed more by her frustration and her attempts to keep this bottled in. Layla is clearly the most skilled of the women, but Blair is clearly the fittest. What Blair lacks in skill she makes up for in athleticism. Anissa and Spencer have more enthusiasm than anything else.

“She’s very competitive.”

“Tell me about it. Blair would turn everything into a competition if she could, and she hates to lose.”

Eventually Blair calls their knockaround over and insists on a match. Anissa appears uncertain, but under pressure from the other 3 she shrugs and agrees. The match starts. And Blair’s competitive streak, under control during the knockaround, grows more obvious. She almost hits Anissa with her racket several times going for a swing Anissa was better placed to get.

“Maybe Anissa and Spencer should swap?” you suggest.

Swapping makes sense. With more trust of her partner, Blair doesn’t lunge in when she’s not needed. With more control, Layla is never in danger of hitting hers. The game carries on. Eventually Blair and Spencer are declared the winner. A warm down and the women head to the changing rooms and the showers.

You and Krystal head back to the café to wait.