Ryan had a two-hour break between lessons, and decided to enjoy the weather for a bit. It was sunny, and not too cold for the time of year.

Outside he found Simon and Tasha smoking.

“Cute cat pics!” was the first thing she said when she saw Ryan approaching.

Ryan smiled. “I knew you’d like them. You’re a crazy cat lady too right?”

“She totally is!” Simon said as he hugged Tasha and kissed her cheek.

They’re a nice couple, Ryan thought.

Tasha was a cool girl. She wasn’t too girly in her mannerisms, and with her petite figure and long brown curls she was exactly Simon's taste. He could almost see the sparks flying between them, even after being together for more than a year already. They’d probably get married straight out of college.

Ryan had never felt that. He’d dated before, obviously, but he never had felt a real connection with any girl. He hoped he would sometime. To be able to find a girl that attracted him enough to be more than just a one-night stand. To have feelings like Simon did for Tasha. He wondered what that would be like.

“Yo dude, what’s in your head?” Simon nudged him.

“Oh, he’s obviously put off by your constant showing off of our love”, Tasha said, hitting the nail on the head.

“Hey Ryan, you’ve met Lilah before, right?”

Ryan looked at Tasha blankly. “Yeah, what about her?” he asked.

“Well...” Tasha started. “She asked me if you were seeing someone. I told her you didn’t and then she gave me ‘the look’. So she’s interested. You?”

Lilah was pretty. Everyone thought so. On Ryan's scale she'd be an eight, with her long blonde hair and her bright smile. Her pics on Insta were very nice to look at, and her voice was melodic and happy sounding. She also liked cats.

“She seems nice” Ryan answered.

“Nice?!” Simon said, “She’s freaking hot!” That remark got him a slap in the face by a mock offended Tasha.

“Well anyway…” she began. “She’ll be at the party this Friday. So, if you’re interested… you should give it a shot.”

“Thanks.” Said Ryan. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

And he did, as he walked towards the basketball court where Allen and Jake were probably hanging out. Lilah would be a good catch. He didn’t have any feelings for her yet, besides the very disrespectful 'I'd do her', which he would never say out loud. But Lilah had more than looks going for her, and would probably be a good candidate to try catching some feelings… It could be an experiment.

He found Jake at the basketball court with some other guys. He walked up to them quietly, took off his jacket and asked: “need an extra player?”

“Hey Ryan!” Jake replied. “We sure do! I have a thorough need to kick some ass, but these pussies keep getting beat too easily. Go help them, and make it interesting for me!”

Ryan laughed at his friend’s bravura, and joined the other team. The guys were happy with his help as they managed to get beaten a little less. Ryan was a good player, but Jake was a whopping 6 foot 8, and unbeatable at basketball. So it was never really fair anyway.

Good exercise though.