Page 27 of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove

“But since you brought it up,” Piper adds, “um, is there a reason?”

TJ hesitates. Telling Chandani about her resolution hadn’t exactly gone well. But something tells her Piper wouldn’t react that way.

So she tells her the same thing she told Chandani.

“I think that’s cool,” Piper says. TJ’s heart flutters with hope.

“Really?”

“Yeah!” She picks up her phone from the bench. “Look, body hair is totally in vogue right now. It’s, like, a feminist statement.” She taps away for a few seconds and turns the screen towards TJ: a Google Images search result with cute photos of celebrities showing off the peach fuzz on their legs and underarms. “Honestly, I wish I had eyebrows like yours. I have to draw mine in. Rock that hair. Maybe people will stop being mean to Simran now.”

TJ fake-smiles.

She might have taken Piper’s advice with a little more oomph had it not been for the fact that the way her body hair looks is nothing like those practically hairless celebrities. Besides, Piper hasn’t seen anything. TJ’s legs are the least of it.

But Chandani knows. Because Chandani’s a brown girl. They went through the crucible of getting waxed the first time together. She’s the only person who remembers what TJ looks like without her routine. And she has condemned her as a freak for it.

TJ glances across to the second soccer field, where the boys’ team is doing a scrimmage. Liam’s tall outline is distinctive among the others, effortlessly scoring in the top corner of the net. Something’s been off between them lately, and she has the terrible feeling she knows exactly why.

Not long after they made up in January, she’d gone to his house to do homework. Somehow, naturally, they ended up watching TV on the couch instead. Partway through, he pulled her legs towards him to give her a foot massage, and TJ let him. At least until his hands slipped under her yoga pants to her calves. She’d flinched away, feigning ticklishness, but it was too late. He’d felt her hair.

At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. He hadn’t said anything. But he also hadn’t... reached for her again. Not then, and not later, either. Like last week: they’d gone out for a dinner date, but he barely touched her, and she initiated all the kissing. There were more silences than usual. TJ supposes it could just be leftover weirdness from their fight.

But it doesn’t feel that way.

“Come on,” Piper says, jarring her from her thoughts. TJ looks over to see there’s a team huddle on the field. She gets up and follows, trying to shake off her paranoia.

Coach glares at her as she joins them. “Almosteveryone did great today. Later this week is our first game of spring season. We’re aiming for gold this May, girls. It’s ours. Unless you want Whitewater to get it again?” Boos all around. The Northridge-Whitewater rivalry is legendary—not only in athletics, but everything else. Even spelling bees are basically a death match when Northridge and Whitewater face off.

Coach dismisses them, and the team heads across the field to the changeroom, past the finished boys’ practice. Jake, who plays midfield, gives Piper a once-over as she goes. She pretends not to see, but her hips sway more than usual. TJ smirks. Piper clearly has a plan in motion.

TJ heads straight for her center forward boyfriend as he’s coming off the field. She wraps her arms around his middle. “Hey, you.”

“Hey.” He gives her a side-hug. There’s an awkward pause. Those never used to happen. And she could swear his eyes flick to her arms before returning to her face.

He must see the hair there, too, by now. The space between her brows is beginning to narrow, and TJ feels the hair on her chin every time she leans her face on her hand in class. TJ waits again for him to ask about it. If he does, her explanation—about her resolution—is on the tip of her tongue. But he doesn’t.

It’s Coach who breaks the silence, yelling across the field at them. “No PDA!”

“Jesus Christ,” Liam mutters, and then yells back. “We’re not even doing anything!”

“Is that so? Then get your paws off my midfielder!”

Liam swears and lets go of TJ’s waist, holding his hands up. Despite herself, TJ laughs.

“God, Liam, control yourself.”

“He always acts like we’re about to shoot a porno on the field,” Liam complains, but his lips tug into a smile as he looks at her. TJ laughs again, more out of relief than anything. Thank god the weird moment is over.

“I have my first game on Thursday,” she blurts, while the magic lasts. “Are you coming?”

Liam tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

TJ beams, and all is well for exactly one second before Coachshouts “PDA!” at them again. Liam curses under his breath once more before they separate to their respective changerooms, TJ with a bounce in her step.

As usual for the past few weeks, she walks straight by the communal showers where all the girls are headed and just grabs her duffel bag. She’s itching to wash all her sweat off, but it’ll have to wait until she gets home. There’s no way she’s stripping down around her teammates.

Today, her mom is picking her up from the school’s main parking lot, so she crosses the road back to Northridge. Since it’s freezing, she takes a shortcut through the side door of the school. The halls are quiet at this time, apart from distant voices coming from one of the classrooms. TJ pays them no mind. At least until she passes by the slightly ajar door.