Page 14 of I Can’t Even Think Straight

Saturday: The New Boy—Bouldering

“Hot new boy alert,” Matt whispers in my ear

as our bouldering youth squad gathers

in a circle on the crash mats

for our first session back since

before the summer holiday.

Matt and I haven’t spoken

about yesterday in the lunch hall,

and I don’t think we will.

What’s done is done, says my angel.

Let’s try to move on.

This new boy may be the fresh air you need.

The new boy looks mixed, Black and Asian,

like that tennis player Naomi Osaka.

“He is hot,” I whisper back to Matt.

The new boy smiles when he looks my way,

and I worry he’s heard me.

The new boy wears a fresh-out-the-box

youth squad T-shirt: I can see the creases

from where it was folded,

waiting to be claimed

and worn for the first time.

When Matt and I introduce ourselves to him,

we find out his name is Obi

and he’s done some bouldering before;

in fact, his private school has its own wall.

“Do you have a boxing gym as well?”

Matt asks Obi enthusiastically.

I can’t tell if Matt’s flirting or just being friendly.

“Yes, but I don’t really go in for contact sports,”

says Obi. “We have a pool, which I use a lot.

My issue with our school’s bouldering wall is

they hardly ever change the problems.”

He looks at me. “I like new challenges,” he says.

“I’ve heard they switch things up pretty often here?”

“Yes, they do,” I answer, feeling aflutter.

“Every few weeks they close one section,

strip it down, and put up new problems.”

“That’s what I heard,” says Obi. “Sounds perfect.”

“So, how did you hear about this place?”

Matt interrupts us in a fake-casual voice.

Matt’s as keen to figure out Obi as I am.

Never in a million years would I have imagined

Matt and me in competition for the same person.

“Jenny told me about it.”

Obi points to Jenny at the top of a wall.

Matt and I privately nicknamed her

Spider Girl before summer

because she’s so much better

at bouldering than us,

but also because she always jumps

down from the top of a wall

and lands like a superhero,

rather than climb down

like we’re supposed to.

Right on cue, Jenny lands

deftly on the crash mat.

Our youth squad coach has his back to her,

and if he heard her rule-breaking landing,

he’s chosen to ignore it.

I’m about to ask Obi how he knows Jenny

when she calls him over.

“Your turn, Obe,” says Jenny,

effortlessly cool,

dusting the chalk off her hands.