A/N: This chapter was brought you by… SELF WORTH! Because I don't have it.
Just A Day In The Life…
Day 3
(Roommates and Soccer Tryouts)
Early morning the next day, Kouji woke up earlier than the other three in their dorm room. Takuya was half asleep and drooling all over the pillow. He mumbled half incoherent words of "No don't go! Purple doves!" and rolled ever on his belly. Right now sleep was his best friend and he did not want to let go of her.
Kouichi was just the same, lied out on his bed with no covers to cover him. Despite how chilly it was outside, he was on top of his bed with no shirt and some black pajama pants, limbs hanging off the bed's edges.
JP was on the top bunk above Kouichi and was sound asleep. Not a peep from him since he had a nice meal of midnight pizza.
SSSSCHWIIINK!
The sound of what sounded like a blade swung in the crisp morning air. It woke Takuya up with his watery eyes focusing on what he just heard. He saw Kouji sitting down on the back of his heels with eyes closed. Before him lied a black sheathed samurai katana with silver embroidery.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Takuya yelled as he jumped out of bed.
Poking one of his eyes open, Kouji evil eyed the brat then closed his eye, regaining focus.
"Its my prize Katana that was pasted down by many family."
"Yeah, I don't really care about that I just want to know WHAT IS IT DOING HERE?"
"Don't worry. I have permission to keep this as long as I don't unsheathe it or stab anybody with it."
"What? That's all? They don't have you under surveillance? Don't you need a license to carry that thing?"
"No…"
Takuya blinked with a dumbfounded expression. "That's absurd."
"Hey, I need this to practice for my Kendo class anyways so shut up."
"Well…whatever… just be careful where you swing that thing… OK?"
By now the others were waking up from all the noise. JP was the first to fully awake. "What's going on? Why do I hear a conversation about- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT, KOUJI? A BUCHER KNIFE?"
-xxx-
YAAAAWN…Zoe yawned loudly like a princess who just had her beauty sleep. She removed the covers as she stretched her arms and legs in her white cami and pink plaid pajama bottoms. She scratched her morning hair and smacked her morning breath lips. That familiar morning after taste lingered in her mouth, urging her to do something about it. She sprung to her feet and went the bathroom to clean up for the day.
After brushing her teeth and taking a warm shower, she dressed herself up in her uniform while looking at herself in the mirror to adjust and readjust her outfit a thousand times just for it to be right. She still felt lonely since she had no roommates yet.
Todays' the second day of school, and I still don't have anybody as a roommate, and on top of that I already have a potential enemy. She had a short memory lapse from yesterday when, that one "mean girl" gave her the death glare. It was then her old memories of her elementary school days began to haunt her. She wanted to do everything in her power not to repeat those same dreadful events.
"I better not be a part of some high school rivalry with this girl…" Zoe said as she finished tying her black tie. She fluffed her hair to style it up, and slapped her hands across her thighs when she was done. She then walked through the door to the hallway on her way to school.
As she trotted down the hall to avoid skewering eyes of scrutiny from anyone, two girls stood in her way. She looked at them and was slightly taken off guard. They both had violet hair and white toned skin twined. They both seemed to be aloof, with no goal in mind towards education or going to school at the moment. One of the girls was leaning against the wall in her black blazer and black/white plaid skirt, with her back towards Zoe. She turned around after feeling the sense someone was behind her.
"Hmm?" She stared at Zoe and gave a casual smirk, "Hey! Aren't you that new girl?"
Zoe paused as her hand clenched tightly to the strap of the schoolbag latched across her torso. She nervously twitched in place as her mind developed a response.
"Uhmm… yes… who wants to know?"
"No need to worry. We just heard that you've been stirring heads."
Zoe nervously laughed while rubbing the back of her neck. "Um, is that a good thing?"
"Depends…" the other twin spoke.
Suddenly, an entourage of girls gradually began to form around the new girl with a plethora of questions.
"Hey you're that new girl, right?"
"What's your name?"
"Where are you from?"
Zoe was surrounding by a throng of inquisitive students. She still wasn't adjusted to all the attention, but nicely answered all their questions.
"My name is Izumi Orimoto, but my friends call me Zoe."
"Ooooo…" the girls chanted in awe.
None of the interested girls noticed, but the three mean girls from yesterday appeared at the end of the hall and were approaching the crowd. The three girls had never seen such amount of activity before and were a bit jealous of whoever was receiving the star treatment. At the drop of a hat, the mood of the situation changed as if an ominous presence filled up the hallway. The female students that once circled around Zoe gradually backed away from her to let the three girls through. The leader with the blond hair and piercing blue eyes glance at one girl standing toward the side, making her cry spontaneously. She then looked at Zoe who was now standing alone.
"So it looks like we meet again…new girl."
-xxx-
"And so I had him by the throat, right? And he was like… 'gah gah gah', gasping for breath…" JP was babbling about his one encounter with a bully back in middle school. It was a gruesome story that none of the others ever heard of before, nor witnessed.
"So tell us again. What did this guy do to deserve this?" Kouichi asked, skeptically.
The group of guys strolled along the way to the front gate of the girls' dormitory to see if they could meet Zoe along the way to school.
"This guy stole lunch from me on a consistent basis, until I couldn't take it anymore. He had it coming!"
"I thought it was because he was making fun of you." Tommy corrected.
"….eeeyeah….that too, but he wasn't going to get away with it again this time, so I unleashed havoc on the little guy till he knew who his daddy was."
"Little guy? I thought you said he was taller than you?" Kouji took his turn of questioning JP's story, or should I say fairy tale.
"Oh uhm… yeah he was bigger than me…but I just called him little just to emphasize how belittled he was at this point…"
Takuya grew bored from listening to JP's makeshift story, and gazed up ahead towards front gates to the girls' dorms. He noticed three familiar faces standing near the front gate to the girls dorm. It was Kyle Konner and his goons, Mike McJagger and Zack Zimmerman.
Kyle looked up at the group and noticed Takuya looking at him. He shined an arrogant smirk before he turned around and walked away with the rest of his buddies.
"Do you know that guy?" Kouji asked Takuya.
"Yeah… me and him had an encounter earlier this week. It wasn't pretty."
"He looks like an arrogant jock like the ones you see in the movies." Tommy remarked recalling old tv clichés he had seen in his youth (he's still young).
JP was annoyed by the fact no one was listening to him, "Hey are you guys listening to me?"
"JP, there's no need to listen to your made up story."
"WHAT? It's not made up. Do I look like a guy who would take the trouble to make that up?"
"Yeah you have history of making up stuff just to glorify yourself." Kouichi replied.
"No I don't"
Kouji quickly responded. "Bullshit! Like that one time at the homecoming dance in Shibuya! You said the girl that you brought with you was your actual date."
"Yeah you nearly fooled us, until your plan fell apart. You were actually bribing her until it was over." Kouichi filled in the blanks, "But you didn't have the money to pay her back and got beat up."
The guys persecuted JP left and right following up by chortling at such a wonderful memory. JP was the only one that didn't find the situation funny.
"But that was different. I was young and naïve."
While the guys went back and forth verbally, Takuya paused to think about Kyle and what the guy was up to. Was he truly a threat that he should worry about, or was it waste of his time?
-xxx-
The second floor of the girl's hallway was practically still. No one bothered to speak, but instead listened to the two blonde girls, converse with each other.
"Yes, I'm the new girl. My name's Zoe by the way." Zoe took the liberty of introducing herself in hopes of befriending the girl.
"Zoe? I see…" she carefully eyed her up and down, as she walked a complete circle around Zoe as if she were a fashion designer, critiquing her outfit. "Well, let me let you in on something. If you think you're coming here to steal all the attention, you're wrong! Around here, I call the shots, and what I say goes, goes!"
"Mmmhmmmph!" the girls behind her backed her up.
"So don't think for one second you anyone one special, OK?"
"There's only room for one blond around here, and that's Sheila Scathenbaum" the girls behind her informed Zoe and the rest of the girls that seemed to have forgotten this wonderful information.
With that being said, Sheila snapped her fingers and the three girls gathered, walking towards the elevator. The two girls entered first before Sheila did the same. With a dramatic stride she stepped in and turned around facing Zoe and the rest of the onlookers. The door closed and she disappeared behind them.
As soon as the elevator descended everyone went back to normal, caring on with their daily business.
"Yep, that's Sheila Scathenbaum for yah." Said the twin with curly violet hair, folding her arms in disgust.
"She can be a total bitch sometimes if you get in her way, her and her two followers, Camille Colebanks and Giselle Gransworth." It was the other twin that informed Zoe of Sheila's gang members.
With the amount of attention Zoe was receiving from Sheila and her group, she was curious to know more about the three girls, but from a safe distance where she wasn't confronting them face to face.
"So who are they, really?" she asked.
"They say their parents own part of the school or something." The twin with curly hair added. "They come from a long line of prestigious family members."
It finally occurred to the three girls that they didn't acquaint themselves with one another, after speaking for so long.
"Oh and I'm Victoria by the way. Victoria Leaphorn. And this is my sister Vanessa." The twin with the violet straight hair introduced herself and her identical twin.
"Hi!" the other girl waved at Zoe, beaming with an adorable smile.
"Please to meet you guys." Zoe echoed back a greeting of her own.
As the three girls got acquainted, another female student approached the group. She was about six feet tall and had orange red hair, green eyes, and rosy white skin peppered with small freckles on her cheeks.
"I overhead Sheila speaking to you earlier. Don't let her get to you. She's just an attention whore."
"Amen to that!" Victoria replied. The four girls snickered as if they had been friends all their lives. They all came to the sudden conclusion that they should make it official and become friends for life.
"You know. I've been alone in my dorm for some time now, and I could use some roommates." Zoe stated her current predicament.
"Are you suggesting we join you?" Victoria asked.
"Yes! I would greatly appreciate that!" Zoe confirmed. This was he chance to make new friends so that she would not be alone anymore.
"Sounds like plan." Vanessa said as she fluffed her hair.
The tall redheaded girl nodded her head and smirked. "I'm Naomi by the way. Naomi Baines."
With that being said, the four girls walked out the door heading towards the school premises.
-xxx-
"So this is the girls' dormitory, eh?" JP said, in awe of the beautiful structure while he and the others stood in front of the gates
"JP, don't get any dumb ideas." Kouji quipped.
"Hey, I wasn't thinking anything weird OK."
"Guys I think we're going to be late for class." Tommy interrupted, but nobody listened.
"Hold on, Tommy. We've got to wait for Zoe." JP reminded them why they were there.
Kouji took the liberty of correcting JP. "NO! It's you that's got to wait for Zoe."
Meanwhile, four groups of girls walked out of the front door, towards the gate. It was Zoe escorted by three other young ladies, two of which were twins.
"Sweet Mabonya! Who are they?" JP hooted while salivating from the corner of his mouth.
Zoe saw her guy friends standing outside and gave them a wave as she approached them. Her new friends surrounded her like a group of Charlie's Angels.
"Hey Zoe." The guys said, unanimously.
"Who's your friends?" Kouichi asked. He was just as curious as the other guys.
"Guys. Meet my new friends, slash, roommates: Victoria, Vanessa, and Naomi."
The guys introduced themselves and became familiar with Zoe's new friends.
"So you guys are twins?" Kouichi asked Vanessa, who was acting abash.
"Well obvious they are when they look identical to each other." Kouji rudely interrupted his brother.
"So? Still! Can't I still ask her anyways? I'm trying to start a conversation."
"Mmhmm. I bet that's not all you trying to do."
Everyone listened to the two brothers go head to head on this pressing issue of twins and identities.
"Well guys have fun. I'm going to class!" As if Tommy were mad, he stormed off to meet his first class of the day. The other should do the same he thought.
-xxx-
(Later on that morning in class…)
"…And so that is why the concept of the pressing issue of literature in today's society lingers throughout…" Ms. Avery lectured to her homeroom class as she had their undivided attention. With the sound of her soothing voice, resonating with the students ears, she could practically talk the students into anything, even into a nice long nap.
Despite the fact 99 percent of the male students held the teachers gaze, Takuya was the only one staring out the window like he always did whenever he had a lot on his mind during class. He wondered how he was going to get through the day without sleeping or dying of boredom. There was also the issue of today's lunch menu. It was Tuesday's Surprise on a Wednesday, and he didn't like the sound of that. But what stood out the most was the last thing on his school schedule. It was his after school soccer tryouts. He couldn't wait for it, but he was also nervous of his first impressions. He hadn't practice in a long time and he wanted to make a good impression for varsity. The last time his feet had touched a ball was the beginning of summer.
"Mr. Kanbara!"
Takuya's attention snapped. He looked back at the teacher calling his name and his cheeks flustered a rosy pink.
"Can you answer my question?"
"Uuuhm… sure… of course I can." He gulped loudly before he nervously looked at his friends for some help.
Neither of them gave him any aid with their anticipated expressions
"Ahem…the answers FOUR! Two plus two is four."
"Mr. Kanbara, this is Literature." Ms. Avery reminded the young man as if he lost his mind. The class suddenly laughed from his irrational answer.
Takuya glanced over at his friends and noticed Kouji shaking his head with sarcastic disappointment. "Idiot!"
(Meanwhile in the lunchroom…)
During lunch period, the gang sat at their usual table in their usual designated spots they had unknowingly given themselves. Zoe was in between Takuya and JP while Kouji, Kouichi, and Tommy sat across from them.
"You know what? We should hang out more often." JP said. It was more of an afterthought.
"What did you have in mind?" Takuya wondered, spooning the mash potatoes on his plate. They were untouched and he could have sworn he saw a strand of hair.
"Oh I don't know, maybe check out the local restaurants… or go to the club."
"Or maybe we could go to the mall. They should have one around here." Zoe exuberantly interjected, JP's list of venues.
Kouji, ignored Zoe as he found it hard to grasp what JP mentioned earlier. "JP? When have you ever been to the club?"
"…never. It was just a suggestion."
"The idea sounds good to me," Takuya said, "When do we go? I got soccer tryouts after school."
"Yeah, I have kendo classes also." Kouji admitted, in his usual nonchalant pose which consists of folded arms, and closed eyes facing the ground.
"Well that's no good. I have piano lessons after class." Kouichi sounded heartbroken to realize the majority of preoccupied schedules.
Zoe suddenly recalled she too had plans after school. "I nearly forgot. I have my first volleyball practice after school today also."
Tommy looked at the others disbelievingly. "Am I the only one that doesn't have something to do after school?" he said in his winey voice.
"I guess we'll try again this weekend. Nobody should be doing anything then." JP suggested before he drank his orange juice from a glass, "Is that a tooth?"
Meanwhile, on another table a few rows behind them, Victoria, Vanessa, and Naomi called out Zoe's name. "Hey Zoe!"
Zoe looked up and saw them waving. She waved back at them, excited to see them.
"We saved a spot for you!" Vanessa called out.
Zoe, acknowledge their invitation and got up from her chair to go sit with them. "Sorry guys. The girls are calling me. I'll see you guys later."
"Bye!" the young men all spoke in unison. Now that Zoe found new friends of her gender, the guys figured they would be seeing her less and less of her.
As Zoe strolled away from the table, JP called out to her "Take me with you."
-xxx-
(After school during soccer tryouts…)
The outside was pleasant and the grass was green and well-trimmed. The soccer tryouts were about to start and a line of students had already showed up. Some attended last year's tryouts and didn't make the cut, only to return to see if they could make it this time. On the other hand, there were returning players hoping to advance once again this year. Then there were those that were trying to make the cut for the first time.
"Alright, gentlemen! Today is soccer tryouts, as you might know, and it's nice to see some returning faces." Coach Schneider spoke to the participants that showed up in their tryout outfits. Coach Schneider was a well-built young man in his thirties that had the resemblance of Brad Pitt but younger. The coach had seen many soccer tournaments in his day before he retired to become a coach. Let's just say he knew a thing or two about winning… a lot.
Takuya showed up late to the tryouts in his black athletic shorts and white tank top with knee high black socks and white cleats.
"Well. Well. Well, if it isn't Mr. Takumzy." Kyle Konner, the star athlete stood to the side as he eyed Takuya approaching the soccer field.
Takuya grunted under his breath as he dropped his bag of extra stuff. "First of all my name is Takuya! And second, I didn't know you play soccer?"
"I could say the same thing about you Takky." Mr. Konnor quipped, while his two buddies snickered.
Takuya snarled under his breath like a pit bull ready to bite a house intruder. His suspicions of Konnor being a cocky school jock were correct from the get go.
"Alright! We'll start with warm ups, and get going from there!" Coach Schneider barked as he blew his whistle.
For the next ten minutes the soon-to-be soccer teammates jogged around before stretching their leg muscles as well as their upper bodies. From there, they got up and started doing lunges and laterals to get in to the mood of playing soccer.
"You all will be placed on teams: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and freshman, by the end of this tryouts, depending on your performance." The coach explained.
The coach's words rustled up the students expectations. Everyone in particular coveted a position on the varsity team.
"Well, boys...it looks like I'll be making it to Varsity again this year." Kyle bragged to Mike and Zack as he placed his arms over his head.
Takuya scoffed under his breath. This Kyle guy was starting to be an annoyance. He had to shut him up somehow, and doing so would be to make varsity team as a freshman.
-xxx-
Everyone got intro groups and practice passing the ball and dribbling down the field while controlling the ball. Everyone was doing exceptionally nice with their foot work.
"Man, I wish I could make it into varsity." One kid jabbered while dribbling his own soccer ball next to Takuya.
"That Konnor guy is so good. I'm sure he's going to get into Varsity no doubt." Another kid said.
"This Kyle Konnor… is he some sort of star player?" Takuya asked, annoyed that this was the thirteenth time he heard that name today.
"You bet! The guy is the only reason we win in off season tournaments. He scored most of our goals in regionals last year."
"His parents even tried to get him into better soccer program somewhere else where he could home his skills, but the school principal begged him to stay."
"I heard they bribed him."
All this talk about Konnor was getting to Takuya's head. "You guys got to have a little faith. I'm sure anyone can make it in varsity if they just try hard. "
The guys glanced at Takuya then back at one another before laughing like cackling hyenas.
"Dude! One does not simply "make it" into varsity!" one of the players said, who had long hair and the resemblance of Boromir from Lord of the Rings.
"Yeah, man you have to have connections, like having rich prestigious parents, or be with the team for at least 3 years."
"Oh…I see…"
"Pahaha… Make it into Varsity." the player scoffed under his breath.
"Hey, I don't see what so funny. Now gather so we can get this game started." Coach Schneider blew the whistle, calling all participants.
-xxx-
Takuya found himself on the black team with the same group of guys he practiced with along with a few others. Kyle and his goons placed on the orange team. Throughout Kyle's team, the teammates felt a bit more confident than they had expected since they had a star player like Kyle.
Kyle started with the ball as he placed it down on the center field. He placed one foot on top of the ball and posed for the opposing team with his hands crossed starring into their souls.
The couch blew the whistle, and everyone immediately played their part as attackers and defenders. Kyle blazed down the field towards the goal, faster than his teammates with an unmatched speed. He dribbled the ball with each stride without it escaping his feet. One of the opposing team members rushed Konnor for the ball, but Konnor read his moves and faked a pass with a crossover in order to get past him. If there was one thing he was known for it was that he wasn't much of a team player.
With each step closer to the goal, the defense intensified, as another opposing team member came from behind for a tackle. Kyle watched for the perfect time to escape his attempt and broke speed, avoiding the tackle. He was meters away from scoring a goal, and the goalie stood in his way, nervously.
With a sharp and precise kick, he volleyed the ball in the air like a missile, sailing towards its target. It went past the goalie as he staggered in the opposite direction of the incoming ball, misjudging the shot.
Kyle went on to walk off to the side as his fellow teammates ran up to him and hug him from behind. They were excited as they always were when he scored a goal as if it were effortless. His team already scored their first point and it wasn't even a five minutes yet.
Takuya stood back and watched as he waited for his chance to shine on the field.
Before the ball was thrown back in for play, the volleyball girls came outside from the gym in order to do some exercises. In the midst of girls were Zoe and Naomi. Since Naomi was exceptionally tall, she was a good blocker for the team and Zoe was normally the server. The volleyball girls as well as a few students witnessed the soccer match from afar.
As if Takuya didn't have enough pressure to worry about, now he had to look good in front of the female spectators. He glanced at Kyle since most of the girls were going wild over him He noticed Kyle eyeing Zoe.
Takuya snarled as he called for the ball from the goalie. He was fired up now more than ever to play better than ever before. He realized in order for them to score they he had to play smart but aggressively. With adept footwork he dribbled the ball down to midfield as far as he could before he was forced to pass it to a teammate due to the opposing defenders. He continued jogging down the field to get into a perfect position when the time was right. He took the liberty to glance back at the girls watching to see if Zoe was looking back at him. She wasn't. Instead she was looking elsewhere at the game. He snapped his attention back and grieved after he saw the ball get stripped from one of his teammates that tripped over his own feet. He was back on defense chasing after the ball.
"Come on! Get up!" Takuya encouraged the fallen comrade as he ran past him.
The opposite team already inched closer to the goal. Mike (the goon) had the ball and passed to Kyle for another perfect assist, sending the ball through the net for another goal. The goalie looked defeated as he grabbed for the ball to through it back in.
"Seriously, guys? Seriously?" Takuya said to himself. He couldn't believe the attitude his team was portraying. It was as if they weren't even trying.
The goalie made sad attempt of throwing the ball in but the ball slipped from his hand causing the trajectory to fall short.
"Oh come on!" Takuya scowled with his hands on his knees, regain his energy. This was going to be a long game.
-xxx-
Twenty minutes had past, and the score was 3 to 1. The orange team was in the lead all because of Kyle's help. If it wasn't for him his team would probably be losing, Takuya thought. The one point that the Takuya's team received was from his own penalty kick.
"Alright! Time out!" the coach blew his whistle in order to break the match.
Takuya's team immediately huddled up to discuss the way the match was going, which was terrible.
"What are you guys doing?" Takuya immediately addressed.
"Man, that Kyle guy is too good. Nobody can touch him." One guy admitted.
"That's stupid. We're not even trying." Takuya snapped.
"Actually I was!"
"Look, if we're going to win we have to play with confidence and we got to play together. He's only one guy and he's been making all their goals."
"Easy for you to say mister penalty kick," said another player with sweaty armpits.
"That doesn't mean anything. We too can score if we learn how to set up great plays. Now let's do this game some just and make a comeback."
"One does not simply make a comeback in a game of soccer." The same Boromir guy from earlier mentioned. He was producing bad vibes for the team's self-confidence.
"Well I say we can. Now who's with me?"
The other teammates looked at one another before giving each other a reassure grin. "He's right. He's just one guy and we can still win this."
"Now that's what I'm talking about."
-xxx-
Later on in the game, the black team came back as if they were a different set of people. They played with more purpose and zeal to win this game… even if they were severely losing.
The coach blew the whistle again and the match picked up where it left off.
Takuya sprinted with the ball and passed to one of his teammates that he passed to before, but this time he didn't slip. He passed the ball again further down the field to one of the midfielders ready to score. Seeing that Takuya was open, the teammate passed it across the field to Takuya as he dashed towards it like there was no tomorrow. With all his might, Takuya planted one of his feet in the ground and used his shooting leg to launch the ball towards the goal. He put a spin on the ball, giving it a curved flight right into the goal, past the goalie.
The girls watching began to cheer slight as they did when Konnor made his three shots. Takuya nearly swelled up inside from the ego boost, but his team still had to make two more shots in order to win the game and there was only five more minutes on the clock.
The opposing goalie kicked the ball back in the game all the way down past the mid field. They wanted to keep the ball on the goal side in order to stall time if necessary. Realizing this, Takuya sprinted down the field as fast as possible. They needed the ball back in their possession as soon as possible if they were to have a chance to win.
When Takuya finally got down the field, one of the orange shirts had the ball. It was Zack and he was looking for a chance to pass it to his friend, Kyle, there trusted trump card. Takuya noticed ahead of time and immediately sprinted toward Kyle. As expected Zack kicked the ball towards Kyle, but the ball was immediately intercepted by the sharp Takuya Kanbara. He deadened the speed of the ball with his chest before he transitioned it down the opposing goal. His sweaty hair whipped from side to side with each jogging step he took. Kyle realizing that the ball was intercepted already made a run for it down the field ahead of time. It was now Takuya's responsibility to play the ball to the other side for a potential game tying goal.
His surroundings seemed to have moved in slow motion as he jogged down the field. Sun beat down on his eyes, as they analyzed down the field for safe options. No one was open, and this was his final chance prove himself worthy of perhaps a spot in varsity.
A player in an orange jersey ran up to him for a blocking tackle, but Takuya wielded the skills to dribble and juke the ball effortlessly right past him. Another opposing player ran from the side to slide tackle the ball from his possession. He saw it coming and gently lobbed the ball in the air far enough for him to jump over the players diving foot. Takuya then landed gracefully, still in possession of the ball without missing a beat.
The goal was finally in sight and no one was in his way except Kyle himself. He stood firmly in place with his knees bent, ready to stop Takuya like an agile brick wall. Takuya saw this as the shinning opportunity he needed to score on Kyle and in the process, gain instant gratification, respect, and popularity. If he schooled the great Kyle in a game of soccer, people would begin to have second thoughts of him and his credibility as a godly soccer player like everyone was perceiving him as. Takuya would be the new guy among people's conversations.
The space between him and Kyle began to narrow and the time of truth was approaching. It was now or never. Takuya could sense the hesitation in his adversary as the wind jet across his body. He was like a missile ready to explode.
At the same time this was occurring he glanced up at the girls watching (especially Zoe) and noticed the anticipated looks on their faces. He then glanced at the coaches standing on their feet. With one last look at Kyle he smirked.
"Nothing personal…" he said under his breath. At the same time he was about to strike, he noticed an open player to the side that was coming next to him. He then reconsidered the situation and realized it would be better for a double team.
He nodded at the teammate as the teammate did the same. Takuya subtly passed the ball to him from behind with his heel and watched the rest unfold before his eyes. Konnor was taken off guard from the assist and had to readjust his body position… but it was too late.
The ball was launched in the air and found its mark pasted the goalie, into the goal, as it barely sailed over the goalies out reached hand. The time was up. The game whistle blew. The game ended in a tie.
-xxx-
Realizing that no one actually won, that didn't stick with Takuya's team as they cheered due to the magnificent comeback they displayed.
"We did it!" one of the teammates yelled as he dropped to his knees, crying to the sky.
"Well it looks like I was wrong. One can simply make a comeback in a game of soccer."
"See," Takuya brushed a strand of wet hair from his eyes, "What I tell ya?"
-xxx-
The players gathered around in the locker room to clean up and change as the coach gave his speech. "Well with what I have looked at on the field and off. I and my fellow colleagues will make our decision on who places in what team." With that speech setting the tone for the rest of the wait, the coach went into his office along with the panel of judges to make the decision.
"Man I hope I make it into varsity. I should especially with that comeback from out team." Another teammate said as he dried his hair from the shower.
Takuya remained quiet for the remainder of the wait. He was nervous as to how he performed on the field. He didn't do as badly as he thought he would. He even managed to pep talk his teammates into an unexpected comeback. That at least had to mean something.
He sat down on the bench with his head hung low due to fatigue. The match took a lot of stamina. He realized he needed to get his vascular health back in shape.
With an exhausted look on his face, he looked up to see Kyle looking back at him. Kyle knew that the last moments of the game went horrendously on his part and could have gone exponentially worst if Takuya himself had scored on him at the end. He instantly broke his gaze from the freshman and talked to his two friends.
Takuya knew that Kyle would never live this one down. From now on he still had a target on his back even though he didn't out show Kyle directly on the field.
-xxx-
As the day almost ended, the results displayed on the bulletin board while the young soccer players gathered around and watched for their name. A mixture of cheers and scowling as well as sobbing filled the dense warm room. Takuya watched for his name hoping to see varsity next to his name. To his misfortune it was not. Not even Junior Varsity lined up next to his name. He was placed on the freshman team as if his talents were not considered in the process of choosing.
"What? I don't understand?" he gazed at the results with a gaped mouth as if he were a trout fish.
"And it looks like I have once again, made it on varsity!" Kyle bowed as few of the team members clapped while others pouted with disgust and jealousy. Takuya was among those that writhed with disgust.
The room began to empty and it was only Kyle and Takuya left. Kyle grabbed his bag and made his way towards the door, but before he did he made eye contact with Takuya who was standing nearby.
"Well, tatti, I must say you almost had me at the end there," Kyle said sarcastically with an arrogant smile. "It's just too bad you didn't go head to head with me. Not like you would have score, but maybe the coach would have considered putting you in varsity."
With his arrogant remark, he flicked his auburn brown hair back and strolled out the door. Takuya snarled even louder than before, but did not have enough in him to make any clever remarks.
Coach Schneider suddenly appeared out of his office and was surprised to see Takuya still there. "Hey kid. Go home already."
Takuya was confused, baffled and infuriated all at the same time. He had to speak up for this injustice done upon him.
"Coach! I don't get it! Why didn't I make it on varsity? Am I not good enough?"
"Oh you were good alright. You were perhaps one of the best out. Your name is taknubli, right?"
"NO! It's Takuya, and if I was sooo good, then what gives? Why does Kyle make it in Varsity two years in a row, while I make it on freshan" Takuya was infuriated.
Coach Schneider changed his body position to face the young confused player. "Takuya, the reason why I put you on freshmen was because you have potential… even more than Kyle."
"Huh?" Takuya was taken off guard by that statement. He expected some bull crap answer like "because I'm the coach. What I say goes".
"You see Takuya. When I saw you out there you demonstrated key qualities such as leadership, commitment, and perseverance, as well as your great soccer skills."
"… But that still doesn't explain why I was placed on the sorry freshmen team." Takuya stated, positioning his hands as if he were displaying an imaginary box in front of him.
"You're missing the point. It's not about what team you're on. It's about how well you play on that team. Think of this as a chance to mold yourself into a better player as well as help your teammate around you. This team needs your redeeming qualities to help them out."
"I… I don't know…" Takuya, still disgruntled, looked down at the floor.
"Alright, I'll make you a deal. If you survive this year being on the freshmen team, then next year if you do just as well, I'll place you on the varsity."
Takuya gave a half haggard smirk. "I guess…"He wasn't sure if he was up to the challenge.
"But what about Kyle?" The coach was about to exit before he was stopped by Takuya's open ended question.
"Sooner or later he'll learn that it's not all about him and that there is no 'I' in 'team'." With his words of advice, the coach left the scene. Takuya heed the coach's words and took it to heart. He wasn't going to let this experience bother him too much.
"Better luck next year…" he said to himself before he exited the locker room.
-xxx-
As the brunette came outside, he was received by the fresh outdoors. The breeze hit his face like a gentle warm kiss. The sun was setting in the distance which added a pleasant warm hue to the scenery. He took a deep breath of the air, and exhaled, letting go of any anger.
After clearing his thoughts, he glanced over to the right and noticed two girls standing together, talking to each other. It was Zoe and one of her new friends, Naomi. They both looked sexy in their volleyball uniform which consisted of a white clingy short sleeved jersey that had burnt orange numbers and black spandex short shorts, which sculptured their nice toned backsides. They also wore knee-high black socks and white sneakers to complement their jerseys, and their hair were in ponytails.
Takuya couldn't help but stair at the two for a good minute before the thought of calling their attention came to his brain. But to his misfortune, a hideous and nightmarish scene began to unfold before his eyes. Kyle Konner was approaching them…without a shirt, and he had a lean muscular figure. Zoe didn't stand a decent chance against him.
"Hello ladies." Kyle spoke to the two girls. Zoe blushed madly while Naomi stood firmly in her place without a single change in her facial expression. She was unfazed by Kyle's shirtless body.
"Umm… hi?" Zoe replied, trying to be nice. Naomi however wasn't so pleasant.
"What do you want Kyle?"
"Easy. Easy. What's with all the harsh brutality?" Kyle replied in an easy smooth tone.
"Don't play dumb, Kyle! After what you did?"
"Oh c'mon Naomi. I thought we got past that. It's been a year. Can't you forgive and forget the past?"
"Um… what happened?" Zoe wondered.
"Over my dead body."
"Come on Naomi. Don't be like that."
"Um, can someone tell me what's going on?" Zoe was still clueless as she watched Naomi and Kyle go back and forth.
"Nothing! Just take it from me, Zoe. Whatever you do, don't trust this guy. He may seem flattery, but he's just a jerk."
"Naomi, something tells me your still not over-"
"You're damn right I still haven't gotten over it!" she stormed off, leaving Zoe all alone and defenseless to this unknown danger.
It was now Zoe and Kyle's shirtless body standing together. Takuya was still watching form the background. He wanted to see how this would turn out, unfortunately.
"What was she talking about?" Zoe nervously asked.
"Don't worry about her. She's just having a rough time. How are you by the way?"
"I'm-I'm fine." Zoe stuttered. She rarely stuttered.
"Why yes you are."
Zoe blushed again, darting her green eyes away from his hazel ones. She didn't know if she should let her guard down with him. Would he take advantage?
"So you got a name?"
"I-I don't know?" She realized what she said, "I mean-Zoe… my name's Zoe, but my friends call me Izumi."
Kyle chucked before he took a step closer to her. "That's a nice name. Has anyone ever told you how hot you are?"
"Oh…not… really…"
Takuya stood helplessly with his jaws locked open wide. So wide, a colony of bees could fly in and build a nest. Takuya could not make out what they were saying, but he knew Kyle was trying to make a move on his lover- I mean best friend.
"You know this may sound crazy and too soon, but I was think maybe you-"
Zoe felt the request of him asking her out coming and she had to think of something quick. She frantically looked around for anything that change the subject of the conversation, and to her luck she saw an astonished Takuya standing to her left, a far off.
"Hey! Takuya!" Zoe waved and rushed off to his direction, "Sorry Kyle. It was nice talking to you!"
It was Kyle's turn to stand motionless with a dumbfounded look on his face.
Takuya watched Zoe jog over to him in a graceful manner. She jogged like an athlete.
"So you wanna get out of here, right now? Far far away… right now." Zoe sounded apprehensive with good reason, and it Takuya a second to realize what she was implying.
"Oh yeah. Let's go somewhere far away from here." Takuya replied. He looked over to Kyle who was obviously unhappy.
The two then carried on, and went home to their respective dorms.
-xxx-
"So are you alright?" Takuya sounded his best to sound concerned. He wasn't doing so well, realizing that Zoe would probably succumb to Kyle's unforeseen charm.
"Oh yes. I'm fine. For a minute there I thought he was going to ask me out." Zoe sounded relived that she dodged the bullet.
Takuya's faced grimaced for split second. The mere thought, made him sick.
"I'm just glad you showed up when you did." Zoe said.
"Me too…" Takuya replied under his breath.
"I don't know what I would have done."
Takuya chuckled uneasily. He blocked the thought from entering his mind.
A few awkward minutes passed between the two in silence. Like always they found it hard to speak to each other in situations like this.
"I can't wait when I get to my room, though. I'm finally going to have some roommates that I can relate to." Zoe changed the subject. She couldn't wait to experience what it was like to have friends that were females. She spent most of her years with just the guys it almost felt awkward, otherwise.
"We'll probably get to know more about each other, or do each other's hair. We could even study together, or talk about boys."
"Ah yes… heh-heh. Girls talking about boys." Takuya teased as he repeated Zoe's last remark, knowing that's what they would be doing more of.
"AH CRAP!"
"What is it?" Takuya's outburst took Zoe off guard, nearly giving her a heart attack.
"I forgot my books in my locker, and the literature homework is due tomorrow. Gah, I got to go get them." Takuya turned on his heels and sprinted back toward the school.
"Hey! You're just going to leave me to walk by myself?"
"I'm sure your new friends will keep you occupied!" Takuya joked as he flashed one of his signature grins. From what he could see, Zoe looked mildly disappointed, but smiled back at him half genuinely.
-xxx-
The brunette jogged inside the locker room and opened his locker full of books. He found what he was looking for and closed it, ready to head back out.
"Well. Well. Well. If it isn't Tatanuka."
Takuya spun around, but didn't need to in order to know who was speaking to him. It was Kyle and his two goons that never seemed to separate him like Siamese twins.
"Geez, for the last time, it's Takuya, and are you guys following me?"
"I saw you out there, stealing that girl from me." Kyle went straight for the chase, ignoring Takuya's question.
"I didn't steal her. She came to me."
"Whatever, man! So is she your girlfriend or something?"
"Uhm… no," he stammered for a second, "… just a friend."
"That's good. I can ask her out then tomorrow."
"NO! I mean…no!"
"And why not?" Kyle changed his smooth tone to one that was much darker.
"Because… she's not interested in you." Takuya stood his ground a firm as a whimpering Chihuahua.
"Oh really! Did she say so herself?"
"Actually as a matter of fact she did."
Kyle laughed and encouraged his two friends to laugh as well. "Pah! That's absurd. No girl has ever come across me and called me 'uninteresting'."
"Yeah!" with a peculiar look on his face, Zack backed his friend up.
"Look pal. All I'm saying is back off, OK?"
"And what are you going to do about it." Kyle threatened as him and the other two slowly approached the defenseless Takuya.
"Oh well, I'm going to… do absolutely nothing. Come on guys! You would really triple team me on school premises?"
"He's got a point!" Mike replied, stopping the three of them for a second.
"Well in that case…" Kyle gave them a peculiar look then continued proceeding closer and closer to Takuya like stalking predators. Mike cracked his knuckles while Zack popped his neck.
Takuya was backed into a corner and he could feel it… his end was approaching.
(DUNH! DUNH! DUNH! )
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: Things just go serious there at the end. Let's hope Takuya makes it out alive. Heck with his luck he could make it out of anything as long as he has his wits.
Anyways, sorry for the long update. I haven't had a whole lot of free time to myself lately. Actually I haven't had a whole lot of free time period. Work and other stuff like… work.
It's been a while since I last been on fanfic and it seems as if people are leaving left and right… its kinda sad (T.T). Kinda like in my real life also. (These are sad times.)
Anywho, as for you hardcore Takumi fans, I promise there will be more moments between the two, so don't give up just yet. (I'll tell you when to give up though.)
P.S. Don't mind the OC's. They're just written in order to move the plot along.