The Tiebreaker

The weather was perfect on that Labor Day. The streets around Ravensworth Academy were crowded with parents and taxis dropping off students for school. Although many students quickly went to the office to get their rooms so they could relax, a majority of the student population gathered in numerous groups to recount their summers. There was utter chaos between the summer flings, the parents triple-checking bags, and the long lines of students waiting for their schedules and room numbers. Despite the confusion, there were two students calmly sitting on a park bench eating ice cream cones, with nothing but content smiles on their faces..

Jay Mahan was a very reputable student. Not only was he the top student of the junior class and very likely to be the tennis team captain, he was handsome with his boyish charms and had a humorous personality to match. His black hair swept down into dark eyes, which he often swept back into place with a mere flick of his hand. His dark skin from life in India was a perfect shade; it was neither light nor dark, but a pleasing color to the eyes. He definitely had a nice body from his intense training, but still had the tall and lanky look that made the girls swoon over him. In other words, he perfectly fit the definition of “tall, dark, and handsome.”

Anna Mahan also inherited the looks from her parents as well. Even though she was a sophomore, she was commonly mistaken as a junior like her brother because of her height and maturity. Her silky hair fell half-way down her back and was often pulled up into a ponytail, showing off her beautiful face. Just like Jay, she was tall and thin, but she too was fit from her training for tennis. Were it not for the fact that they were siblings, they would’ve made the most beautiful couple at Ravensworth.

Therefore, it was fairly obvious how they managed to relax on the day before classes. Jay most likely charmed some girl into letting him cut in line to get their papers and Anna most likely flirted with some boy to convince him to carry their things to their rooms. So they had the rest of the day to relax and look for friends.

After finishing his ice cream, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and shot it into a nearby trash can. “So, who do you think is already here?” he asked.

Anna continued licking her ice cream, not even halfway done. “I dunno,” she replied casually, “but maybe Steven and Lydia are. I heard they came yesterday to beat the crowd.” Unsure why she even chose chocolate, she handed the ice cream over to Jay, who gladly accepted the free ice cream. “Do you think Walker’s here yet?”

Jay, now with a chocolate stain down the front of his green polo, shook his head. “I called him yesterday. He and Olivia are taking the same flight out of California and their flight doesn’t come in until later tonight.” He threw the ice cream away and tried to look for another napkin to save his shirt. “Besides, I doubt he would want to talk to you.”

Anna smirked, already seeing where the conversation was going. “And why is that, oh wise one?”

“Because,” he started, rubbing the chocolate in more instead of wiping it out, “Walker is more into the casual sex and you actually want a relationship with him. You represent commitment. Walker and commitment don’t go together. Therefore, you and Walker won’t work together.” He took a deep sigh, realizing his shirt was probably ruined for good. “Besides, even if he does want a relationship, I would make sure it never happened because you’re my little sister, and even if he’s my friend, I’m not letting you get hurt by him.”

Anna got up, rolling her eyes. “You know, I don’t need you looking over my shoulder 24/7, Jay,” she muttered. “I’m well-aware of Walker’s habits and I know what I’m getting into. I know he just needs a normal relationship.”

Right as Jay was about to reassert his point, a ringing came from Anna’s bag. Looking through her purse, she found it. The caller ID read “Lydia Dam.” Smiling, she answered the phone. “Lyddie! Haven’t talked to you in ages! How was Vietnam and England? You have to tell me about everything. Three o’clock on the courts? Got it! See ya there.”

Jay listened to the ridiculously fast conversation very attentively. “I guess they are back. Did she mention Steven was going too?”

Anna nodded curtly. “If you don’t mind, it’s 2:30 and I’m going to ditch you for better company.” She began to head towards the dorms.

With a chuckle, he got up and followed her. “Au contraire, my dear,” he said. “I think I’ll join you with them.”

“Steven, it’s your ball!” the girl shouted, missing the overhead shot.

Within seconds, the boy ran behind her to get the shot while the girl ran to the other side of the court to cover it. With a swift stroke, the ball shot just out of Jay’s reach, winning the match for the other two.

Jay and Anna walked over to the net to congratulate them. “Jeez, Lydia,” Jay muttered, catching his breath, “you’ve really improved since last year. Too bad that high ball was too high for you, Shorty.”

She politely smiled back in thanks. “Well, at least that comment was better than last year’s. ‘Oh, you play really well for a girl.’ Yeah, right.” She grabbed Anna and the two of them headed over to Anna’s dorm to catch up.

The other boy sat down on the bench by the fence to catch his breath. “Man, Jay, I think you’re gonna do pretty damn well this year. Definitely making captain and even more likely to be first seed.”

“Oh, come on, Steven,” Jay chuckled, trying not to let his ego blow up, “you’re not too shabby yourself. You barely even practiced this summer and you beat the both of us.”

“I’ve been pretty busy over the summer,” Steven said. “Lydia got lucky and went on that trip to England with one of her tennis buddies for Wimbledon. I was either at home or in Vietnam visiting family for business stuff.”

“What kind of business stuff?” Jay asked, taking a sip of his Gatorade.

Steven waved him off. “None of your business. Nothing important, anyway. I mostly just finished paperwork for college.” Eager to change the subject, he turned the question onto Jay. “Anyway, what did you and Anna do over the break?”

“We went back home to India,” Jay sighed. “You know, it sucks when you can’t go to the beach and hang out with some cute girls.”

“Can’t even get a steady girl, Jay,” Steven smirked. “Who knew that the ladies man of Ravensworth could go for two years without a single steady relationship.”

Jay grabbed his bag and headed for the exit with Steven following suit. “You know, you don’t have to rub your perfect four-year relationship with Olivia in my face.”

A smile came to Steven’s face, although a bit delayed. The two of them passed the dorms where the line had dwindled down to the late arrivals. It was getting late, but the summer sun refused to admit otherwise. The sun shone down on the two as they made their way to the dining hall. Perhaps they would bump into the others there. Perhaps, Jay thought, there would be some girls to hook up with later. Perhaps, Steven thought, Olivia was already there and was waiting for him. Perhaps they were both just really hungry.

Lydia found herself in Anna’s dorm, patiently waiting on the bed. She flipped through the various magazines on the desk beside her before she bothered speaking up. “Anna, are you seriously going to take this long to get ready for a dinner in the dining hall?” Lydia complained. “Everyone’s gonna be there already and you know we have serious catching up to do with Olivia.”

The bathroom door opened, releasing a cloud of steam that slowly dissipated into the cold air. Anna came out wearing a plush pink bathrobe and scraggly wet hair. “Just a sec, Lyddie.” She fumbled through her dresser, looking for suitable clothes. “Unlike you and your ‘natural beauty,’ some of us have to actually wear make-up and get ready to look nice.”

The petite Asian sat up on the bed, reaching for another of Anna’s books. “Don’t be so humble, Miss Mahan,” she scolded mockingly. “You know that you look perfectly fine without make-up.” Rather tired of waiting, Lydia got up and grabbed her tote bag by the door. “I’m gonna head down first. You better get ready fast because everyone’s already there.” With a wave, Lydia left the room.

Anna paused for a moment, staring at the door where Lydia just was. With a sigh, she began blow-drying her hair dry in the mirror she hung on her closet door. Lydia was right. Anna didn’t need all that make-up and hair styling to be pretty. She was just plain-pretty without it. She didn’t want that. She wanted to stun the guys and demand attention.

But Lydia was just that, without even trying. Her perfectly straight black hair was either casually swept up into a sporty ponytail or let down, letting it hang down to her shoulders. Her skin was a beautiful tan from her time spent in the sun playing tennis and swimming. However, her smile was youthful, charming, and contagious. Lydia could probably stop someone from attempting suicide or even cure cancer with her smile. She possessed a vitality and optimism that would often be characterized as childish (especially with her rather short height), but had a mature grace about her that made her appear otherwise. All in all, Lydia was highly sought after, even though she refused to get into a relationship to “jeopardize her tennis and academics.” She was such a nerd too.

Anna finished herself up, deciding to not put any make-up on, and looked at herself in the mirror. Not entirely satisfied, she tied her hair back into a low ponytail. At least she could look like she didn’t try. Dressing herself into a pair of jeans and a tank top, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

The grounds were nearly empty, save for a few of the really late arrivals. The sun was just setting, but it was only 7 P.M. She made a left at the office building, cutting through the well-kept grass to the dining hall. Even from the office building, she could hear the bustle and clamoring of the thousand or so students and the few teachers not eating out that night.

Upon opening the doors, Anna was met with a loud burst of sound. Without hesitation, she began scanning the room for her friends. In the corner nearest the door, she found her five friends eating and talking animatedly. She walked over, grabbing a chair from an empty table nearby and wedged it between Lydia and Jay.

“Hey,” Jay said, feigning a look of hurt, “that was rather unpolite!”

Lydia held up her fork as if to pause, finishing her bite of potatoes quickly. “Impolite, Jay,” she corrected, “The word is impolite.”

Steven chuckled, elbowing his sister in the ribs. “Typical Lyddie, correcting grammar wherever she goes.”

“That’s vocabulary, not grammar, Steven,” she corrected again. “Can anyone get it right?”

On the other side of Steven, a tall brunette laughed and put her arm around Steven’s shoulder. “Anna, I haven’t seen you in forever! How have you been?”

Meet Olivia Wilson. Imagine a taller and Caucasian version of Lydia and that’s Olivia. She was tall and pretty; she was the perfect image of the girl next door. Accomplished in her studies, she was also graceful as a dancer and popular though her many connections. And to top it all off, she was dating Steven, one of the most popular and handsome guys in the whole school. Athletic and confident, he was someone that no one wanted to mess with while he was mad. But otherwise, he was strong-spirited and honest. Not to mention his fit body and charm drew all the girls to him. Unfortunately for them, Olivia and Steven didn’t look like they would be breaking up anytime soon after four years.

“I’ve been busy with tennis, of course,” Anna sighed. “Otherwise, all I did was hang out with my cousins and go shopping.” She poked Jay in the arm, getting his attention. “All he did was sit around doing nothing.”

“Not true!” Jay said. “I went to the movies and stuff too!”

The guy on Jay’s other side chuckled. “That’s Jay-speak for ‘I went to pick up girls,’ isn’t it?”

Jay furiously shook his head while Anna giggled and nodded. The guy flashed one of his heartbreaker smiles. “How typical of Jay.”

Olivia playfully shoved the guy. “Oh, be nice to him, Walker. Just because we’re seniors and he’s not doesn’t mean we have hazing rights.”

Walker grinned. “You’re no fun at all, Olivia.” With that, he turned his attention back over to Jay. “So, did you see any hot girls over in India?”

Walker was the object of lust, affection, and adoration of Ravensworth Academy. His dirty blonde hair and perfect skin brought out his hazel eyes. Just like the other tennis players, Walker was fit from all his training. On the other hand, he played soccer instead of tennis. Even so, he excelled at anything physical. On the field, on the courts, in the gym, and in bed. If Jay was looking for casual sex, Walker already got it. Even with promiscuous behavior, his stellar athletic skills and model-worthy looks kept him popular.

Olivia turned to Steven, whispering into his ear softly. “How’s Lydia dealing with him?” she asked. “No one else here even knows except us. Does Anna even know?”

Steven shook his head. Softly, he kissed her on the head. “Don’t worry. Lyddie’s responsible enough. She can deal with it on her own.” He leaned back, smiling in contentment. “Let’s just enjoy the rest of the night. Last day of summer before senior year.”

Olivia grinned along with him. “Bring it on!” she said, pumping her fist in the air. With that, the conversation between them went on, ending their frivolous summer. None of them could even imagine what was in store for the year.