Chapter 6
"Let's get drunk, on our tears"
-Adam Levine Lost stars
Yukimura parks in front of the cafe. Walking in as a flurry of crowds, they all line up to place their orders.
"What do you want, Sayoko? It's Sanada's treat today." Yukimura seems to shield his sister away from Niou. Seichi, at least, seemed to be in a great mood.
"Um, you decide for me. I've never been here." Sayoko replied.
"Alright. I think you'll like… the frappuccino and a muffin. You always get the chocolate muffins, right?"
Sayoko seemed hesitant. Niou took this as an opportunity.
"I think Sayoko should get the peach white tea. It's low calories and good for your skin." Niou interjected.
Sayoko seemed to brighten. "Yes, I'll get that."
Yukimura looked crestfallen. "The Frappuccino is really good though, are you sure?"
Sayoko nodded. "I'm on a diet. Plus I don't work out these days so I should count my calories."
An jumped in to ease the irritated Seichi. "I'll get the frap."
He smiled gently. "Alright then." He gestured to the two girls. "You two go get us seats outside. I order for you."
"Ok, thanks!" Sayoko seemed relieved that her brother wasn't upset and went with An.
The boys place their orders. Marui was getting a box of cupcakes and a smoothie. Jackal decided he would just steal food from Marui and was sitting with An and Sayoko outside. Niou held Sayoko's white tea in his hands and was waiting for his normal cup of iced cappuccino. Yukimura had An and his drinks and was patiently waiting for Yanagi and Sanada to make a decision. Yagyuu stood beside Niou, already sipping his black coffee.
Sanada finishes picking the green tea that he always gets, and Yanagi chooses a red tea in a similar fashion.
"I don't know why you guys take so long," Yukimura says to Sanada after they all get their drinks. "You and Yanagi get the same thing every time."
"Hn."
Yukimura pouts. He wanted to get a reaction out of him.
"I was deciding between the jasmine tea and red tea. It seems that red is always better." Yanagi pipes up.
They all go outside, to where Jackal and the girls were waiting patiently. They spread out over two tables, seeing as their group was so large.
"Sayoko, try some of this, it's delicious!" An proclaimed.
Sayoko leaned in and sipped. Sugar and coffee burst into her mouth.
"Yum! Try some of mine." She extended her arm.
"It's great! Wow, this cafe sure is something."
Jackal swiped two of Marui's cupcakes and was working on the third.
Niou leaned in close to Sayoko's drink and, with a mischievous grin, bit down hard on the straw and sucked- hard.
Sayoko squealed and pulled her drink towards her. Niou let go, but not without chewing on the straw first.
"Brother!" Sayoko complained. "Look at what he's done." Sure enough, the straw was covered in bite marks.
"It seems that I owe you a game, huh? Niou Masaharu?"
Niou shrugged indifferently, and opened his mouth to say something, but shut it abruptly. He seemed to be focused on something - or rather, someone behind Yukimura.
Seichi twisted his body to see what Niou was looking at, and the others followed suit.
Atobe Keigo was walking in a normal white t-shirt and shorts, seemingly going to the exact cafe they were currently located at. That may have been weird enough, but besides him was Hanae.
Before anyone could react, An stood up, placed her hands in front of her mouth and yelled. "Hey! Hanae-san, Atobe-san! Over here!" She waved her hand wildly before Kirihara yanked her back onto her seat.
"What are you doing?" He hissed. "Do you want him to come or something?"
"Yes." She scowled back at him. "Hanae-san is really nice, and I would like it if we interacted more. Before I left Rikkaidai, none of you talked to her, even though you're both on the tennis team."
"We don't really talk to anyone. Or at least most of us don't," Yukimura inputted. "But An is right. We should get to know our teammate and classmate more."
"What's there to know?" Sanada grumbled. "She's a troublemaker and a horrible student. The only redeeming quality is her art. And tennis I suppose."
"Not to mention her and Niou-senpai-" Sayoko added before cutting herself off. "It could get awkward." She ended.
"It's not really," Niou interjected.
Everyone looked at him.
"What?" he asked. "She's a good kid. Great at cuddling, if you know what I mean." He waggled his eyebrows up and down.
"Don't start this again." Marui wailed as Jackal sighed and placed his head on his hands. "I don't want to hear about Niou's sex life."
"Niou has a sex life?" Yukimura jokes.
Everyone startled a bit before laughing. An continued to smile brightly and waved at Hanae again. This time, Hanae waved back.
"I set myself up for that one, didn't I?" Niou complained.
"Sorry, but I had to do it." Yukimura apologized with a smile. Niou waved him off. It was rare for Yukimura to make jokes, let alone sex jokes. He'll take what he can get. Yanagi was rapidly writing things into his notebook. People could only guess what it was.
"Well, isn't this the merry group."
Everyone looked up to see Atobe Keigo standing next to them. The outdoor tables were located in front of the store, complete with beach umbrellas for shade. Each table was round and could seat up to five people. Due to the number of people, they had dragged two tables to be close to each other and was spread out. They didn't really need tables for drinks.
"Atobe, it's nice to see you." Surprisingly, it was Sanada who greeted the duo first. He gave a nod to Hanae. "The phone you gave me works great."
"No problem," Atobe replied easily.
"Hanae." Yukimura smiled gently. "I have finally seen your art. We must talk about it. Go get your drinks and come to sit with us."
Hanae looked flustered. "Um, we weren't planning on staying for very long, actually. It's not that we can't but we wanted to make use of our time. I want to, don't get me wrong but uh…" She forced herself to stop stammering. This was the first conversation that she could remember between the two and she's already messed up.
Beside her, Atobe shook his head. "We'd love to." He decided for her.
Hanae nodded.
Yukimura bit down a giggle. "Wonderful. I'm looking forward to it," he said and sat back down.
Atobe cast a look at Hanae and dragged her into the shop. She was slightly dazed from the talk. Yukimura was extremely attractive and she's always had a weird sort of admiration for his tennis skills.
"With all the time you spend around Oshitari one would think you'd get used to talking to attractive people," Atobe said to Hanae, once they were out of earshot of the others.
"Stop it. I'm mortified." Hanae covers her face with her hands. "What am I going to do. Everyone is there. Everyone saw that. Oh god, Niou was there. Niou." She emphasized.
Atobe patted her head. "Too late to back down now." She pouted at him. "No. That's not going to get you out of this. Your mother wanted you to socialize more."
"I do too." She wailed. "I just… he's right there and there are so many people. I get stressed from running laps together, what am I going to do?"
Atobe offered a sympathetic look. Yes, it must be hard. He had all those girls passing out on him from throwing them a wink or simply maintaining eye-contact. Too bad he was always the object of desire. He had no idea what it was like on the other end, but he could make a fair guess.
Outside, Niou was looking into the cafe at Atobe and Hanae. He saw Atobe pat Hanae on the head and gritted his teeth. Even if Atobe was Hanae's cousin, he was still a condescending prick and had a huge superiority complex. There was no way he thought of Hanae as his equal.
"Niou-kun? What are you staring at?"
Yagyuu's question dragged him back to reality. His glasses reflected the sunlight, giving him an eerie glow similar to that data guy from Seigaku.
"Nothing. Nevermind." Suddenly, remembering how Hanae acted around Yukimura, he smirked. "So, have you guys never talked before, or?"
"No, we have. Just very little. I mean, it's nothing compared to you, of course." Yukimura smiled back.
Kirihara shuddered. "What's with the captain? He's so moody," he asked An.
"I think it's because Niou was acting too close to Sayoko." An shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. It could be anything."
"What are you guys whispering about?" Yukimura's sharp voice cut through.
"Um- About the time when Atobe beat vice cap at tennis!" Kirihara shouted.
There was silence. Then, simultaneously, Sanada's face got purple with rage and Marui let out a chortle.
"Oh yes, I remember." Yukimura's smile stilled. "It's good that Sanada has improved, so he will win this time right?"
"Hn. I'll have to reschedule. There's a chemistry exam soon," Sanada grumbled.
Niou let the chatter wash over him. He looked back inside the cafe where Hanae was still talking to Atobe.
"Just talk about colours or something. If it gets too bad I'll invite him for a game. Don't worry." Atobe coached.
Hanae seemed pacified by this and got herself together and ordered. She got Atobe his Yorkshire pudding and herself a cup of rose tea. They waited for their order and goes outside once they get it.
"Hey, come sit." An stood up to greet them, going as far as to pull out an extra chair for Hanae. Atobe decided to sit next to Sanada but was still at the same table as Hanae, just in case things went wrong.
"What is that?"Sayoko asked. She was pointing at Atobe's food.
"It's Yorkshire pudding," Hanae answered for him.
"Pudding?" Marui jumped from his seat and ran towards the group. His mouth curled in disgust. "This isn't pudding. Even Jackal would know that. At most, it's a tart and that's being generous."
Atobe lightly waved Marui away. "It's a taste I acquired from England. It's as close to a pudding as you can get over there."
"It's actually not that bad." Hanae defended. "Most people are just a bit thrown off by the name is all."
"What an insult to good food." Marui sullenly shakes his head.
"I mean, it's British, so…" Jackal snidely commented.
Hanae chuckled, but Atobe didn't look very amused. "Yes, yes. We all know that British food has no flavour. But, believe me, this tastes great."
Marui made a face, but before he could say something, Hanae threw him a look of warning. Marui backed down, though unwillingly.
Everyone is relaxed under the shade of large umbrellas, in the heat of the summer. Summer break was coming and afterwards, fall. Hanae loved school in the fall, when all the leaves became golden and the Earth becomes crunchy.
Conversations stilled, with the occasional side remarks by Yukimura or Atobe. Hanae sat by idly, sipping her drink, consumed in her own thoughts. She wasn't very interested in the challenging snippets of conversation that the tennis players seemed fond of.
A quiet laugh caught her off guard.
It was Sayoko, talking in a hushed tone with Niou. Their heads were bowed close to each other, and Hanae could make out little remarks about the recent political scandal. She scowled. This was her place, where she was supposed to stand with the team.
Maybe it was because she was too quiet, or too plain to be noticed by them. But Yukimura had already given her an in, and she needed to use it.
Her captain had taught her tennis, but she also taught her seduction. It would be a shame if this opportunity just slipped out of their grasp.
"Hey," Hanae interrupted. "Yukimura-kun, where did you see my drawings?" She made sure to emphasise the kun.
This certainly caused a reaction. Yukimura tilted his head and Niou looked over.
"I mean," Hanae clarified, "I don't usually display my art."
"Yes. Sayako showed me."
"Oh, I see. I wondered if you're applying to anything art related? For university."
"Well," Yukimura placed a dainty finger to his lips. "I was considering Janscrest, but to be honest, I doubt my portfolio is anything impressive."
"I'm sure that's not true," Hanae said.
"It's not compared to your's," Niou cut in, "Right, Sayoko-chan?"
Hanae glared at Niou who returned it with equal viciousness. The two Yukimuras seemed to be caught up in a lover's quarrel, except that Sayoko was Niou's lover, so to speak.
"N-no," Sayoko stuttered. "Seichii's and Atobe-san's are both good."
Hanae flinched, "What did you call me?" She turned her glare on Sayoko with gritted teeths.
Sayoko almost cowered, but forced herself to sit straight. She grabbed An's hand for support, "Atobe-san? I- I thought you were cousins?"
Hanae blinked and the previous anger dissipated, "I'm Akiyama." Was all the explanation that she offered.
Atobe looked over when he heard his name being called, "What? Did you say something?"
Hanae rolled her eyes and gestured towards Sayoko, "She calls me Atobe-san."
Atobe let out a bark of laughter, "Oh, is that right? There's only one Atobe here and you should follow that up with a -sama."
"No, but aren't you cousins?" Sayoko inquired.
Niou kicked her under the table, but she stared back defiantly . He sighed in a what-can-you-do manner and sat back to watch the show.
"We are cousins, but Keigo doesn't like to be reminded of that," Hanae said dryly.
Atobe spluttered, "I don't? Brat, the amount of times you could've reserved under my name is astounding."
"I don't need your name. Just your money," she cheekily threw back.
"I'm sure it's because Hanae-san is cousins on her mom's side," An said to Sayoko before she could continue to push.
"Oh, I see," Sayoko said, "That's funny, I've never thought of it like that. Isn't your mom divorced, though?"
Hanae head snapped to the right as if she's been slapped. Sayoko didn't seem to be deterred.
Oh I see. Sayoko was upset about Yukimura, insulted at how close her and Niou were. If I go after Yukimura then she'll go after Atobe. But she wasn't as insecure in her relationship with Atobe as Sayoko with Seichi. Wasn't that ironic. Who knew that Hanae would be the secure one? The warning couldn't be more clear, go after Niou or Yukimura and Atobe would be dragged into this. Hanae was surprised at how clever Sayoko was in achieving her goals.
She must've taken something away from the conversation they had at Atobe's. Hanae was being too open, too trusting. Sayoko went in there to find out everything she could and she left with a lot more than Hanae had initially thought.
Cat-fights were always her forté though. Besides, she got two things over Sayoko's head; she dated Niou before and she had a similar humour style to him.
Of course, Sayoko pleased his challenger side, his curiosity and sparked new ideas and creations. But Hanae was safe and familiar. In such a tense situation, Hanae would be appreciated to calm things down and relax. Sayoko was just pouring gasoline on an open flame.
"What? No, my dad's just out getting some milk," Hanae jokes with a straight face.
Atobe smirked as there was a moment of silence when everyone took in the joke and then burst into laughter.
"Milk, huh?" Yukimura asked, with a puzzled smile on his face.
"Yeah," Hanae heaves a fake sigh, "I don't get it. The grocery store's only a couple minutes away, why has it been twelve years?" She laments as she tosses her head up in fake melo-drama.
Niou was just sipping his drink when she said the punchline, and started laughing. The liquid went straight up his nose and he started to choke.
"God, it wasn't that funny," Hanae pouted, "My dad did leave me, after all."
This only make Niou laugh even more, combined with him coughing, his face was a very deep shade of red, borderline purple.
"Stop… talking," Niou managed through the coughs.
Sayoko pursed her lips and patted his back, "Have you always been this funny?"
"Have you two always been so close?" Hanae shot back, completely at ease now.
Everyone looked rather alarmed at this. Even though Hanae seemed rather moody and passive, she didn't take shit from anyone. That made her more of an Atobe, supposedly.
"Careful, I didn't think you'd fit the jealous ex type," Yukimura said with a soft smile.
Hanae felt shivers despite the heat. Of course, because Sayoko wasn't just a younger sister, she was Yukimura's little sister. She tossed a look at Atobe, but he just shrugged his shoulders.
Sighing, she stole the last bite of food from Atobe's hands and said, "Wow, Keigo would never defend me like that."
Yukimura raised a thin eyebrow, "I'm surprised that you're this blunt," he admitted, "Although, it's a lot easier to get things done. And refreshing too."
"I'm just calling it as I see it," Hanae said as she finished her drink, "Come on, I didn't bring my rackets out here for nothing. There's a court nearby."
Hearing this, everyone stood up and grabbed their own garbage and rackets. A couple of the guys dispersed from the group, saying that they had too much homework or family obligations.
Finally, it was just Yukimura, Sayoko, Niou, An, Kirihara, Hanae and Atobe. Sanada parted with a firm reminder to Hanae to study and not play out too late. She would've insulted him, but one glance from Yukimura and Hanae found herself agreeing.
Besides, she could use the advice.
They walk mostly in silence. Atobe didn't talk much and Hanae was quieter around people she didn't know. Yukimura walked as commanding as a leader, with Sayoko and An hanging off his side.
If Hanae didn't know better, she would've thought he was a harem boy. She whispered her thoughts to Atobe who found the entire situation horribly funny.
They arrive at the tennis courts when the sun is leaving its last few beams of light. They had around an hour or two to play before darkness would begin to creep in.
"Wow, the sun sets so slowly in the summer," Hanae observes as she ties her hair up.
"Wow, it's as if the sun is closer to the Earth in summer. Did you realize it's warmer too?" Atobe mocks.
Hanae laughs and punches him in the arm. "Stop it," she complains.
Kirihara wrinkles his nose at the two. "Let's play tennis, Buchou."
"Warm up first," Yukimura advises.
"Hey, Sayoko, wanna help?" Niou asks.
"Sure!"
Atobe pointed looks at Hanae, who shrugs and walks onto a court. Atobe follows.
"I was looking forward to playing Sanada," Atobe admits when he's facing Hanae from across the net, "Too bad he seems to care about studying. Unlike somebody."
"Okay, first of all, I am going to study. Just, I set a firm deadline or else I procrastinate."
"Are you going to pull an all-nighter again? Because your dark eyebags are not attractive, no matter what you think."
"Shut up and serve. I swear to God, you're sounding like Sanada," seeing the smirk on his face, she adds, "Which is not attractive, no matter what you think."
"Gay jokes? How backwards of you," Atobe shakes his head, but serves anyways.
"What's wrong with being gay? This is a safe space, no one is judging," Hanae throws back.
They don't say much more as the game becomes more intense. They know each other's style quite well, at least, Atobe does. Hanae always seems to forget that Atobe is really good at tennis, in spite of all his talk.
Meanwhile, Niou lets Sayoko push his back as he stretches, "You can go stronger, sweetie. I'm not going to break."
"I'm using my entire body, Niou-senpai," Sayoko huffs, "Do you want me to sit on you?"
Niou freezes and then a slow smirk spreads across his face, "Do you realize what yo-"
"Yes! Okay, don't repeat it," Sayoko's face was red. After giving one last hard shove, she stalked away to her brother and An.
"Hey, wait, come on. I'm sorry," Niou called out. But all Sayoko did was stick out her middle finger.
"What happened?" An asked. She saw Sayoko talking to Niou but didn't want to interrupt, settling to watch Kirihara play with Yukimaru.
"Niou's being an idiot," Sayoko replied, sitting on the cement floor next to An.
"Well, at least he's not doing anything stupid- oh, wait I spoke too soon." An glanced over to Hanae and Keigo. "Look, he's talking to her again."
Sayoko followed An's line of sight and groaned, "Why did you have to invite them?"
"I was trying to be friendly. Don't tell me you're jealous."
"I'm not!" Sayoko immediately flushed and lowered her voice, "I'm not. I'm upset that you're trying to make me like my current boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. Especially since they're still really close. It's annoying and I'm uncomfortable around her, okay?"
An narrowed her eyes, "Don't blame this on me. Besides, if it weren't for you transfering, we would still be at Rikkaidai."
"I never told you to transfer."
"Yeah, but your darling brother did."
"That's what this is," Sayoko all but snarled, "Go back to your own brother and stop trying to suck up to mine. You're never going to replace me."
"I don't want to," An sighed, "Why can't you just be nice? It's not that hard."
"What are you guys whispering about?" Yukimura asked from above.
"Nothing. An wanted to play Kirihara," Sayoko answered without missing a beat.
An glared at Sayoko who pointedly ignored her.
"Oh, that's alright. Here you go, An," Yukimura stepped off, forcing An to replace him.
"We're continuing this conversation," An said as she walked up, "It's not over."
Sayoko didn't say anything to her but grabbed her brother's hand. "Let's take a walk to calm down."
"I'm the one who played." Nonetheless, Yukimura followed his sister for a walk around the courts.
"Do you like Hanae, brother?" Sayoko asked when they were a safe distance away.
"Where did this come from? Did you and An fight?" Her brother was still scarily perceptive.
"No. Well, I mean, An and Kirihara are so good at long distance. It's not even really long distance. We see each other every other day. So why can't I be the same?"
Yukimura took a moment to consider this. When he spoke again, his voice was soothing and comforting. Every bit an older brother.
"Don't worry too much. An probably just wanted to thank Atobe. I don't blame her. But it's not your fault for feeling like you do. Are you and Niou on a break?"
Sayoko shrugged. "We never said anything but- I mean, I did move schools. I don't think we're on a break."
"Okay, but does he know?"
Sayoko looked helpless. "I don't know?"
"Then tell him. I know I don't have much room to talk, but communication is important."
"How am I supposed to bring this up? 'Hey, remember when I told you I was moving to Hyotei and you ignored me for a week and then suddenly started talking to me again? Yeah, are we over?' I can't say that," Sayoko complained.
"Don't say it like that," Yukimura said incredulously, "You know what they say, humour is right for any occasion."
"How can this be funny?" Sayoko grumbled. They were getting close to courts again.
"Make it funny. The same way Hanae made a joke of her parents' divorce. It's an important skill to have, especially for someone who wants to do film and acting."
Sayoko pouted, "Okay, I'll be better."
"That's not what I meant," Yukimura sighed, "Look, just talk to him, okay? That's all I'm saying."
Sayoko nodded as they approached An and Kirihara. She threw her brother a sullen stare, which he returned with a beaming smile.
She sighed and walked to Niou. He seemed like he was just innocently sitting at the sidelines while Atobe and Hanae played.
"Niou-senpai? Can I talk to you-"
"Just a minute sweetheart. I'm playing Atobe next." He didn't even glance at her.
She stomped her foot, knowing that she was being a spoiled brat but beyond caring. "No, I want to talk to you, right now."
He waved her off, as if she was an annoying little insect.
"Niou-senpai."
Hanae scored a point and Niou cheered. Hanae looked over and locked eyes with Sayoko. She smirked and returned Atobe's serve, grunting loudly every time her racket connected. Sayoko felt her face grow hot.
"Niou."
Niou finally looked at her- angry face and wind ruffled hair. "Come on, then. Sit down and we'll talk."
This was Niou's idea of a compromise, Sayoko had to remind herself. Fine. She sat down and leaned in close. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hanae miss a ball. Ha.
"I was thinking about us," Sayoko began.
"Oh," Niou laughed, "Oh. This is what you were so tense about. I thought someone kicked your puppy."
"More like people kicked my feelings," Sayoko grumbled under her breath.
Niou raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"Nothing, nothing," Sayoko said as she waved him off, "I was wondering; what are we?"
Niou pulled back. "What?"
"What are we, Niou-senpai?"
Niou chuckled, "You know what we are."
"No, I don't," Sayoko raised her voice, "Or else why would I be asking you?"
"I could ask you the same question sweetheart. Look, Atobe's done. I'll get back to you, alright?" Without waiting for an answer, Niou stood up and walked away.
Sayoko suddenly felt very, very, afraid of the answer that Niou would have given her. She'd rather pretend that there was something rather than hear a firm no.
"Hey, what are you brooding about?" Hanae asked as she walked over to where Sayoko sat.
She didn't reply. Hanae didn't join her on the floor, just stood to the side, watching the game.
Sayoko almost wanted Hanae to continue to pester. She looked over to An but she was still playing with Kirihara. Her brother stood at the sidelines, eyes crinkled in a fond smile.
Hot red anger filled her heart. How dare An pretend like everything was fine. This was a personal attack.
"You know what?" Sayoko stood up suddenly. Hanae flinched and looked at her sharply.
"What?"
"I'm done, being cast aside, for someone better. Okay? I'm done with doing that. If you think that you're going to replace me, you're dead wrong. You're not better than me, or An for that matter. So why don't you just leave me and my friends alone." Sayoko whispered, with poison dripping off her words.
Hanae scratched at her neck, seemingly unfazed. "I'm not the one you're mad at."
"No, but you're pretty damn annoying," Sayoko rebutted.
"I know," Hanae laughed, leaning against her racket, "It must be that way to you. I'm your boyfriend's ex, right? That's how you see me. Unfortunately, or fortunately for you, I'm not interested in your boyfriend."
"Good," Sayoko said curtly, "Because even if I'm not there, Seichi is."
That seemed to trigger a reaction. Hanae's face immediately clouded over and Sayoko knew that this was something to hold over her head.
Hanae looked downright pissed. "You're using your brother against me like this?"
"I have the resources to. Don't feel upset just because Atobe doesn't listen to you."
"He does," Hanae argues. But they both knew that she was only bluffing. Atobe wouldn't do anything he didn't want to and no one could force him. Especially not Hanae. "He doesn't need to. Because I have class."
"Oh please," Sayoko rolled her eyes, "Who was the one who called my brother 'Yukimura-kun'? Complimenting his art? You know you could do better."
"There's always someone better," Hanae says in a defeated tone.
"Sure." She dragged out the word, Suuure.
"Don't be mad at me because Atobe doesn't deem you worth protecting. He uses you, like a little puppet on a string." Each word was emphasised by Sayoko leaning closer and Hanae retreating.
"He doesn't care what you think as long as you serve to make him look good. Do you know how I know? Because if he cared for your opinions, I wouldn't have been sitting in his living room when you came through the door."
Hanae looked away from Sayoko's gleaming violet eyes. "I don't care about you," she said, but it sounded weak even to her own ears. "I don't."
Satisfied, Sayoko pulled back, "And for the record, I have class. I'm the classiest around here."
"Yeah, you have a lot of class. Blaming your relationship problems on me. Real classy." Tired and irritated, Hanae twisted around and grabbed her tennis bag.
"Where are you going?" Sayoko asked, voice raised to alert the others. Sure enough, Atobe stopped his game, letting the tennis ball bounce into his palm.
"Hanae? Are you alright?" Atobe called at her retreating back.
"Fine, fine." It was stupid, how after any argument, Hanae could feel the tears welling in her eyes, her throat constricting. "I'm gonna head back to study."
"Study?" Atobe frowned. He definitely heard her wrong.
"Yes, study," Hanae said as she finished packing up.
"Study." He repeated.
"Yes. Like what Sanada wanted. What 'normal kids with normal parents' are doing." She didn't mean to throw the words back at him, but she couldn't care at this point. The lump at the throat kept on growing and she could feel heat travel from her neck up to the top of her forehead.
"What are you talking abou- oh. Are you seriously upset about that? Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Atobe was now right behind her, and he grabbed onto her wrist to prevent her from leaving.
There was a split second of panic, where Hanae could turn back or rip her hand away.
She swallowed around the tightness in her throat and felt it settle into the pit that was her stomach. She felt the blood fall from her face and as she turned around, the tears dried up.
"No, it's fine." Bright, gleaming smile. "I think I might actually be stressed for this one."
"Stressed? I haven't heard you say that for anything besides art. Ever."
"What can I say?" Laugh. "Sanada's been rubbing off me."
Atobe narrowed his eyes, but released her. "Alright. If you're feeling well. You don't have a fever, do you?"
Hanae rolled her eyes and turned around, already walking away. "Bye guys. See you later."
It was when she was a block away from Atobe's house where she realised his cap was still on her head.
Gingerly, she brought her hands to the cap and took it off. She looked at it, in her hands. It shook, slightly damp from the sweat in her hair.
She needed to hold off the tears until she got into her room at least. But just as she thought about that, the same lump returned and lips curled down on reflex.
There's no way she can go back like this. Her mom was there. Her uncle, aunt. If she went back home, the way she was now, sobbing and clutching Atobe's hat, what were they supposed to do?