Wallflowers
Copyright 2015, LilacLilyFlower
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except for my OCs.
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Prologue
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She stood on the stage, knees weak. This is happening, she told herself. We did it. We made it to the top four. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. It didn't work. She was still shaking.
A hand reached over and clasped hers, squeezing lightly. She looked over at Morizaki Ayame, the team's captain and ace spiker. "Calm down, Haruka," Ayame whispered.
Hitawara Haruka's trembling ceased, and she squeezed Ayame's hand in return, then let go. She scanned the audience and found the grinning face of her younger brother, Kogane. She shot him a quick smile, before her eyes made eye contact with the disapproving green glare of her mother.
Haruka looked back at the announcer, who was listing members of her team. "Mizuyago Junior High: Morizaki Ayame, captain and ace; Hitawara Haruka, vice captain and setter; Umetane Kaori, middle blocker..." She closed her eyes to rid her mind of the image of her mother: golden hair styled into perfect curls, green eyes accentuated with eyeliner, beautiful and perfect. She shook off the feeling of being her mother's washed out copy (with straight, light brown hair and less vibrant green eyes) and said her thanks as the presenter began handing out medals.
Third place. They'd placed third this year. She returned to her spot as the team prepared for the final bow, but the announcer cut in.
"Now, we have another award to give out," he said, smiling. The audience began whispering, wondering which award it was this time. The best libero award had gone to the libero on the fourth place team, so the remaining awards were for the best spiker, setter, and blocker.
"We would like to give Hitawara Haruka the award for best setter, because of her outstanding decisions on the court."
Her mind froze. Wasn't Ayame supposed to be winning the best spiker award?
Her teammates pushed her, prompting Haruka to walk forward and receive the trophy. Her mind was still in a daze as she registered the announcer's next words. "Haruka is currently enrolled in her second year of high school at Takemine High, although she's only fourteen. She will be graduating next year," he said, clamping a hand down on her shoulder.
No, no, no! As the announcer continued to list her achievements, Haruka felt like sinking to the floor. She found her mother again, and saw the triumphant look on her face. Of course. Of course it was her mother who told the announcer to say everything. Her mother was using money again to satisfy her pride.
The audience clapped, and Haruka gladly returned to her seat amongst them with her team, clutching her trophy. She slouched, blowing her bangs out of her face and twirling one of the slightly longer locks of hair that framed her face and was too short to be pulled back into a ponytail, and waited for the ceremony to end.
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Haruka navigated through the crowd, thanking everyone who congratulated her. Her eyes lit up as she saw a familiar, tall, lanky blonde lounging by the exit.
"Kei!"
Tsukishima Kei glanced over at her. A smirk graced his face. "Congratulations, I guess," he said wryly.
"You 'guess'? Thanks," she replied, raising an eyebrow and sticking her tongue out at him. "I'm surprised you actually showed up."
He gave her a look. Of course I would show up, his eyes said. I'm your best friend. Tsukishima pat her on the head, knowing that it would annoy her. "I had nothing else to do."
She pouted as she fixed her ponytail. "Just because you're tall doesn't mean you can mess up my hair," she complained.
"It's not just that I'm tall, but also that you're short." He yanked on her ponytail, irritating her further. "Besides, you should get going. Your brother is waiting for you."
"Oh, shoot," she said. Haruka shoved her trophy into Tsukishima's hands. "Give this to my mom! See you at dinner tonight!" She ran out to the front of the building and saw Kogane bouncing a volleyball.
"Nee-chan (Older Sister)! It's about time you came!"
"Sorry, Kogane. I got distracted by Kei."
"Well, I'm your brother, not Kei. Besides, you promised me that when I turned nine, you'd teach me how to play volleyball, and I turned nine yesterday," he whined.
"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Okaa-sama (Mother) had to talk with me about something yesterday," she explained.
Kogane quickly sobered. "Did she yell at you again?"
Haruka hesitated, before ruffling his hair in a manner not unlike Tsukishima's earlier. "Don't worry about it. Now, can you show me the position for receiving?"
He did, but with mistakes. "Don't clasp your hands; lay one on top of the other and bring your thumbs together. Extend your arms so that- good, just like that!" she corrected.
She backed up with the ball. "I'm going to serve the ball now. See if you can receive it."
Haruka served it as gently as she could, resorting to an underhanded serve to lessen the impact of the ball, which could hurt for beginners. Kogane managed to touch the ball with his arms, but it bounced off at an angle.
"Ah, I'll go get that!" he said, scurrying after the ball, which was going into the street.
"Wait, Kogane-"
A car turned onto the street.
"KOGANE!"
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A/N: Here I am, in volleyball hell.
Honestly, what was I thinking, starting a new fanfic when I already have another one? But inspiration struck, and I had to write before I forgot everything.
The next chapter will take place two years after this incident, which I call the DRAMATIC SITUATION.
Please review and tell me what you think!
See you next time!