"We should start calling Katie ‘The Terminator,’” Rebecca joked, "…even though I think she could probably even take him."

"What did the nurse tell you?" Cindy asked.

"Just to get some rest…wait, did the other team ever score?"

"Ha! You would be worried about that," Cindy answered. "No, the game pretty much ended when you hit the floor."

"Yeah, we’re really sorry about that, but none of us saw it in time to warn you," Amanda apologized.

"If you guys were so sorry, then why didn’t anyone volunteer to take me to the nurse?"

There was a pause, as they gave each other knowing looks.

"Well,…today was the day we all got to pick our practice partners," Cindy finally confessed. "No one was going to volunteer to miss out on that."

 "Oh no!” I gasped.

This was terrible.  The camp was on a buddy system that called for each girl to be pretty much joined at the hip with someone else.  No one could leave campus without their partner, or without letting their partner know where they were going and who they were going with.  Partners also had to run drills together, and were teamed up in the camp’s two-on-two finals tournament. 

“I completely forgot.  Now, I’m probably gonna get stuck with some third-string freshman.”

“No, you won’t.  Ashley’s your partner,” Amanda assured, not realizing the remark would startle me to such an extent that I nearly choked on the bite of pizza I had just stuffed in my mouth.

“What!?  How did that happen?”  I exclaimed.

 “I don’t know. She probably picked you or something? You two are good, I’m sure you guys are going to win the tournament this year,” Amanda volunteered.  My thoughts were so muddled I barely heard her, and had no idea when I mumbled out loud,

“Why would she do that…?”

Everyone looked at me with confused stares.

“Wait, don’t you two get along?” Rebecca asked.  Clearly, these girls weren’t from anywhere near Los Angeles.

 “No! Not at all.  We can’t stand each other.”

In less than the time it took for me to get the sentence out, all three girls flashed each other questioning glances. It was so quick that had I blinked I’m sure I would have missed it.   Just as I’m about to ask them what’s going on, Rebecca shoots an intense stare my way, as if she’s contemplating something.  When she finally opens her mouth to speak, Amanda elbows her in the side.  But Rebecca, apparently determined to divulge their little secret, ignores her and asks,