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Aspen hit the ball hard against the box and caught it. Then, she repeated the action. To anyone who looked out their windows, it would look like she was just warming up her shoulder for some hitting or serving practice, but Aspen realized what she was doing by the third catch of the ball.

“Hey.”

She turned and smiled at the sight of Kendra, who had walked out onto her patio.

“Hey. You’re back?” she said as if she’d had no idea.

“Yeah, just. You decided to start practicing right when I was about to make myself some coffee? Are you hitting harder than usual? I could hear you inside from the front of the house, Aspen.”

“Uh… Not that I know of. But I have been lifting more, so maybe I’m getting bigger guns.” She held up her arm as if to show off her muscles.

Kendra looked at her arm before returning her attention to Aspen’s eyes as she walked out into the grass.

“Showing off?”

“No.” Aspen dropped her arm to her side. “Just joking. How was your trip?”

“Good. Did you watch it?”

“I did, yeah. You were quiet at first, but you got better as the night went on.”

“I think I had some bad food at lunch or something. I didn’t feel well. But I took some medicine and felt better by the third set.”

“You didn’t look sick,” Aspen noted.

“Look?”

“You were on camera twice, Kendra. I saw you. I just meant that you… didn’t look unwell or anything. You looked fine. Good, I mean.”

“Well, thank you.”

“Sure,” she said.

“I can let you get back to practice. I just thought I’d say hello.”

“I was done,” she replied. “Just wrapping up.”

“Oh,” Kendra uttered. “Good. I can have my coffee in peace, then.”

“Yeah,” Aspen let out softly, silently wishing that Kendra would invite her over to have coffee with her.

“Okay. Well, good night, I guess,” Kendra added.

“Good night,” she replied, knowing that she sounded disappointed.

She watched as Kendra walked back toward her house before she turned to go inside her own, wondering what she was going to do with the rest of her night.

“Hey, Aspen?”

Aspen turned and said, “Yeah?”

“Do you… I have decaf, if you want it.”

Aspen smiled and said, “Regular is fine.”

“Use the gate, at least?”

“Nah.” Aspen dropped the ball in her yard and jumped the fence, which she really shouldn’t be doing because it was too tall, and she risked hurting herself, but she did it anyway.