Chapter 9: Meeting The Cute Girl Once Again

Wilt PoV

The next morning, Wilt went on his daily jog. Despite getting mugged at the park, he kept returning to the place.

He noticed Natasha on her jog. She had on some shorts, and a white T-shirt.

He smiled. "Natasha," he called out.

She stopped.

"Hey, Wilt. How's it going? Jogging still?"

He nodded. "Say, why do you jog here? Aren't you worried the thugs will mug you or worse?"

She sighed. "I can't let those jerks intimidate me. Isn't that why you also keep coming back?"

He rubbed the back of his head.

She chuckled. "Thought so."

"Still, it's a little reckless," he commented, concerned.

Natasha laughed. "Thanks for the concern, but I can take care of myself. I might not look like it, but I can handle a lot."

Wilt was skeptical. Natasha was petite. Not exactly intimidating.

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't believe me, huh? How about I prove it to you? I challenge you to a judo match."

"Judo?"

"It's a martial art."

"I know what judo is," he responded, annoyed.

She smirked. "Then you're on."

Wilt shook his head. He didn't want to hurt a girl, especially one as cute as Natasha.

"Come on, Wilt. I'll go easy on you."

"You'll go easy on me?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. She was clearly egging him on.

Natasha grinned. "Of course. Just try not to get hurt too badly, okay?"

"If anyone is going to get hurt, it'll be you."

She giggled. "Is that a yes?"

Wilt sighed and nodded. "Fine. But just one round."

"Deal."

The pair went to the local gym. There they had rooms for sparring matches.

"Alright, let's start," she said, grinning.

He got into position. "You better not hold back," Wilt said, smirking.

"Of course," Natasha replied, her expression serious. "If anything, I should be telling you that."

Wilt took a deep breath, readying himself. He could see the determination in her eyes.

He lunged at her.

"Got you," he muttered, his hand closing around her arm.

She chuckled and grabbed his arm, twisting it and throwing him onto the ground.

Wilt groaned. He blinked in disbelief.

"How did that feel, Wilt?" Natasha asked, a mischievous grin on her face. "Losing to a girl."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Fine. You win. I underestimated you."

She giggled. "Looks like you did. But you did better than most guys."

Wilt smiled and got up. "Not like I'm a novice."

"I can tell. You have the muscle for it."

He blushed.

"Oh, are you embarrassed?"

"No, no," he stammered.

She put a hand on her wide hips. "You don't need to be. You're not bad."

"Thanks," he muttered, still blushing.

"Say, wanna work out here while we're at it?"

He scratched his head. "Uh, yeah, sure."

She led him to the weight room. She sure was strong.

"I used to train here with my cousin," she explained, sitting down on a bench.

"With Yosiah?"

She nodded. "Yeah. This was where he would workout outside of school."

Wilt sat down on the other bench, starting to do some weight lifting. He could lift twice the weight she did.

"So, you like basketball, huh?" she asked, taking a break from her workout.

He smiled. "Love it."

"Ever considered going pro?"

"That's the plan."

She chuckled. "Good luck. Not many make it."

"I'll make it. You'll see."

"I'll cheer you on, then."

His face warmed up. Slowly, he set his barbell down. "Say, Nata, why are you so nice to me? I know you said you no longer hold any animosity toward me for making fun of you during elementary, but..."

She sighed. "Wilt, you were only ten. Kids do stupid stuff. I rather not hang on to grudges from elementary."

"Really? Even after how much of a jerk I was?"

She sat up and hummed. "You know, my cousin once said something about you that stuck with me."

Wilt blinked. "Yosiah and you talked about me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I was asking him about his team, at the time he was still in Noderey High. He ended up bringing you up. I'll admit, at first I wasn't happy hearing your name again."

"I can imagine. I was a real pain."

"He didn't mention that," she said, shaking her head. "No, what he said was how hard working you are. While you got talent, you never relied on it. You practiced non-stop. When your mom got sick, you still found the time to practice, even though you were stressed and worried. He said that kind of dedication and commitment is rare."

"Well, I couldn't let the team down. And playing helps me forget about stressful stuff."

She smiled. "I guess so. I wish I had something like that. The closest thing would be judo."

Wilt laughed. "No wonder you're so good at it. You train a lot."

Nata blushed. "It's not the same. Besides, I don't have an athlete's body. I have a lot of catching up to do."

He chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be fine. And your body is nice and curvy. Most girls would kill for that."

"You're sweet, but I'm not most girls," she replied, stretching.

"True. Most girls wouldn't be able to beat me."

She laughed. "You're still so full of yourself. But thanks, I appreciate the compliment."

He smiled and watched her continue her workout. He had a feeling that their friendship would grow stronger.

"Want to grab a bite after?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, not looking up from her exercise.

Wilt smiled and continued his workout, the sounds of their breathing the only noise in the room.

After an hour, they finished and showered.

"Let's go to my favorite cafe," Nata suggested. "It's full of kitties."

"Kitties? You like cats?"

"Yes, very much," she answered. "It's why I applied at a pet shop, after all. To see all the cute cats, dogs, and other animals."

Wilt couldn't help but laugh. "You're really an interesting person, Nata."

"Why? Because I like kitties?"

He shrugged. "It's not that. I can't explain it in words, but there's something about you. It makes me feel like I can be myself."

Nata blushed. "That so? Oh, right! Yesterday there was this customer who came in looking for some kitten milk. The kitty was so tiny and adorable. It was in the trash. Can you believe that?"

He sighed. "It's sad that there are people out there who will abandon such an innocent creature."

She sighed. "Yeah. But thankfully the kitty was found. From the looks of it, the guy is going to take good care of it."

Wilt chuckled. "Seems like you got the same knack for reading people as Yosiah."

She shook her head. "Nah, I'm just a simple girl with a soft spot for animals."

"Whatever you say, Nata. Now, let's go eat."

She giggled and grabbed his arm

Wilt blushed but didn't tell her to let go. He smiled instead as the cute girl dragged him along.