Chapter Eight
The thing about collective sports is that the bond between teammates takes a short amount of time to developp. In real life the process in which two people get to become friends is way slower. That is why, when the third years retire from the team after the Interhigh to focus on studying, they leave a big hole in Ishihara girls' volleyball club. The first and second years left are like lost puppies dropped in the streets.
Of course they keep on practicing every afternoons, but it just doesn't feel the same. And the fact that they are only five left drags the team spirit down even more. Well, actually there are not enough players for them to be even considered a team. And finally, three weeks after the Interhigh the final blow puts them to a deadlock.
The coach has to leave the town to take care of some sick family member. It's unfortunate, but there's nothing they can do about it.
They try to keep practicing regularly, but when for three following days the two first years are the only ones to show up at three p.m at the gym door, things start to get tense.
The next day at lunch time Misaki and Ame decide to have a little talk with their seniors.
They walk through the second years' floor. In the hallway a few boys are wiping the windows. Ame feels uneasy as the other students, older and taller, give them curious looks (why are these two first years here?). She gulps and decides to imitate Misaki who helds her head high, not in the least intimidated.
They arrive at the 2-5 classroom and state their reasons to the class representative. She gestures to a table in the back of the room where their three teammates are happily enjoying their meal.
As the two girls approach they are greeted nicely.
"Hi, Kozuki, Fukuoka, what brings you here?"
They sit on two of the chairs scattered around the table.
"We just wanted to see you guys to talk about the club, and you know, what we'll do from now on" Misaki explains, calm as always.
"Oh" the one in the middle breaths. She taps her index fingers sheepishly. "Right, we also wanted to talk to you about it." She looks to her friend for help.
The girl on the right sighs. "Alright, I'll do it. We think we're going to quit the club", she gives them an apologetic face. Neither of the first years react so she wonders if they heard her.
There is a blank silence for at least five seconds when Ame practically jumps.
"What do you mean, you want to quit?" Her eyes widden with denial. She doesn't believe it.
Her senpai winces slightly.
"I'm really sorry girls, we had such a good time together, you both are lovely but maybe it should end here."
Somehow it feels like a break up but worst, because here it's three people leaving two others.
Misaki bites her lips. Ame leans closer to the table.
"I don't understand, don't any of you like volleyball?"
"Of course we do" the one in the middle replies. "It's fun and everything, but you gotta admit it's a lot of commitment and we don't even have a coach. And we don't even have a complete team."
"But!" Ame shouts, earning a couple of stares, "we'll find new members. We'll find a new coach!"
"Where?" The other says softly.
And Ame doesn't know what to answer to that simple question. Her stubborn eyes stare at her clenched hands on her lap.
"Come on" she gives a last attempt. "It can't end like this. We haven't been to nationals. I, I didn't even win an official match." Her voice is full of bitterness like a child who's been told for the first time that no, she won't be able to change the world. She thinks it's too unfair, that they decide to leave like that when she didn't even get the chance to play an entire match.
"We're sorry" they say genuinely.
She wants to protest and to convince them, or even force them to come back on their decision if she has to, but Misaki who's been silent for the whole discussion stands up and bows.
"Thank you for your honesty, and everything you've done. You've been great teammates."
Without a second she grabs Ame's arm and the two of them leave the classroom, while the other girls exchange sorry looks.
They get to the end of the hallway when Ame removes her arm.
"Why did you leave? We have to convinced them to come back!"
"There's no point if they already made up their mind. Plus, do you really think they'll truly play with us with all their heart if somehow our begging makes them come back?" Misaki states simply.
This is too much. Ame explodes like a volcano that's been sleeping for too long.
"I refuse it!" She shouts. "I can't accept the fact that I didn't even win anything!"
Misaki grits her teeth.
"And I didn't even get to play a match."
Ame furiously clenches her fist. That's so unfair. Everything ends like this, when neither of them have been able to make it to the court. That's so unfair. So fucking unfair.
"Damn it!" She kicks the empty bucket one of the cleaning boys has left earlier with all her strength. The metal pail flies towards the wall and hit the window before flying outside. A terrible sound of broken glass fills her ear, but she's too furious to regret it.
Misaki jumps at the sudden act of violence, and quickly looks around them. Maybe, if they run fast enough, they can get away with it, after all there are no evidence that they're the ones who perpetrated the act of vandalism. Her hopes die when she sees the dozens of second years watching the commotion, all of them inconvenient witnesses to Ame's crime. They are everywhere, in the hallway, at the doorsteps of the classrooms. A group of boys start to clap their hands. For once in her life, Misaki loses her composure and gulps, as the principal comes to them from the other side of the hallway.
Oh, shit.
That day, Ame does her best to put off the moment she'll have to come home. She takes the longest way home, walks the slowest she can but still, she arrives home at five p.m. She thought about calling Oikawa to meet him at the park but at that hour he's still practicing. She would be as well if her teammates hadn't decided to leave and if she wasn't excluded from school for four days. She wonders if her parents will kill her once they see the paper informing them of her exclusion and the indemnity for the broken window. Probably. No, it is certain actually. At best, her father will make a sarcastic yet hurtful comment about her short temper and anger issue. At worst, he'll refuse to speak to her for the week. She sighs. She just hopes her mom won't have a too violent heart-attack about it.
"What do you mean, you're kicked out of school?" Oikawa's high pitched voice perces her ear. She moves her phone a few centimeters away from her face.
"Don't shout like this, it's late!" She scolds him. "And that's not even a big deal, it's just for four days." She realizes she sounds just like the delinquent kid her father mockingly said she was becoming.
Oikawa coughs.
"I always knew you had a violent side, but I didn't know it was that problematic."
"Do you want me to hit you?"
"Wow, I'm terrified, someone call the police!" Then he snickers at his own joke.
"That's not funny" she says. "I don't have a team anymore."
Oikawa becomes serious.
"Yeah, that's the real problem here. Have you tried to recruit new members?"
"I didn't have the time as I was stuck in the principal's office for the whole afternoon" she replies dryly. "Still amazes me how he managed to repeat the exact same lashing in several different ways for several hours."
Oikawa snorts.
"Yeah, that's a talent only old people possess."
"Anyways, Misaki told me she'll try to find new teammates tomorrow among the first years, but I don't think that'll work. Most of them are already part of a club."
"I see" he mumbles.
There's a silence and Ame looks at the screen to check if he has actually hang up. But no, he's still there. She rolls on her back and pops her head on her pillow.
"Oikawa, are you okay? You're abnormally quiet for, well, your loud and annoying self."
"What?" He hisses outrageously. "I was just thinking about a solution to your problem, as it turned out yelling on your former teammates and breaking walls doesn't work out."
"It wasn't a wall, it was a window."
"Right. Anyways…"
He pauses and she longs to hear what he is about to say, thinking he's got a miraculous solution.
"Do you want to go out with me tomorrow? I don't have practice for once so we could hang out."
She glares at Oikawa's photo on her phone.
"You want to go out on a date?"
Seriously she doesn't know what she expected of him.
"Wow, I think you're going a bit fast. If you wanted to be my girlfriend you should have court me or at least ask." His voice is low and flirtatious.
Ame ignores the redness on her face.
"What's wrong with you? I told you I was in a period of crisis and you ask me out? I think I'm going to hang up."
He chuckles.
"You're so cute when you're playing hard to get. Don't worry, I'm infatuated, so I'll definitely chase after you."
She gulps because he's saying such words at such a late hour at night and the sound of his voice makes her heart pound. It's disturbing.
"O-okay, good night!"
She quickly hangs up and sighs. She makes a quick reminder in her head to never call Oikawa at night, in risk of getting a bad case of tachycardia and insomnia.
Seconds later he sends her a text.
[Sorry, did you get flustered? I didn't mean to scare you. You're still okay with going out?]
[I'm fine. Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, if my parents don't lock me up in my room] she replies right away.
[I'll come to save you if it happens ^^]
[Ugh, I think you'll pass out once my dad sees you. He's really intimidating.]
[Aw, don't worry I'm your knight in shining armor.]
She always knew Oikawa liked cheesy things, but that's a whole new level. Just for the thrill of it she decides to mess with him a bit.
[Actually, I think Iwaizumi would be better as a knight than you, haha.]
[What?!]
[What's that supposed to mean]
[Ame-chan, do you like Iwa-chan?]
[Answer me!]
[Oikawa, you're being too pushy, it was just a suggestion. I'm going to sleep.]
[You didn't answer my question.]
[Oh well, it doesn't matter because I know you won't resist me for long.]
[Goodnight princess]
Ame grins at his last texts and puts her phone on her desk. Today has been a crappy day, but at least she's not alone and things will get better eventually. They'll find a new team. She'll figured it out, she promises to herself.
Author's Note
Just a quick update before I get back to my monstrous ton of work. School is killing me, but at least I'm learning lots of interesting things ahah. As always, thank you all for reading, reviewing and following this story. It makes me happy. Until next time...