Chap 5

"Since you are on the advanced track, I expect you to pay attention and to be studious. I expect you all to…"

Yuki stopped listening to the old woman who was standing in the front of the classroom. This was the fifth time in three days that the teacher was lecturing the class again about how the school expects a lot out of the smart kids of the school. She sighed and laid her head on the desk and looked out the window.

Rawr, rawr, rawr, I am a dinosaur. Oh god, I need to stop watching Land before Time with Kyo. I wonder why we don't have class outside. Oh my gosh, there is a new episode of Wonder Pets on today! The girl perked up, but then immediately slouched down. I really need to stop watching TV with Kyo and find friends my own age or spend my free time more wisely.

"And this class is why we expect you to become the top in the school and…"

BRING.

The school bell sounded and the students nearly ran out the door to escape the teacher's monotonous lecture.

Club, club, club, what club should I join? What did I tell mom again….Literature? Yuki sighed and spied one of her 'acquaintances' packing up and leaving at the same pace that she was. Yuki had never really paid too much attention to the girl and was left to scramble to remember her name.

Foo-chan.

Moo-chan. The students around Yuki gave her a weird look when they heard her snort.

Loo-chan

Boo-chan.

"Koo-chan!" Yuki mentally pat herself on the back for remembering the nickname that she gave the girl. The girl whose name she had remembered turned around and put a small shy smile on her face.

"Is there anything you needed, Yu-chan?"

"Ah well, I had a question. I remember you mentioned about joining the Literature Club and I just wanted to know a little more about it. I was thinking of joining." Yuki trailed off.

Koo-chan smiled a little wider. "Ah, yes, they didn't really go into much info about what we will be doing for the year during our first club meeting yesterday, but we meet every other day after school. It really is an adequate club to join if you want to get ahead in your studies." She said while pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Yeah… getting ahead…studying…right." Yuki said awkwardly with a constipated smile on her face. She had remembered the reason why she never gave Koo-chan her full attention. It was because the bespectacled girl only talked about school and studying. " Alright, ah, I just remembered I have to go clean my fridge and…er…pick up my little brother from school. Excuse me, Koo-chan. Thank you for informing me. Talk to you later."

The excuse sounded forced and fake to Yuki's ears, but thankfully, Koo-chan was not as bright as she claimed to be because the glasses wearing girl nodded her head before turning around and walking away accepting Yuki's lie. Yuki booked it out of the classroom.

When walking, people tend to look straight ahead and not pay attention to their surroundings. However, Yuki was not most people. She liked to observe and notice small details around her. It was her observational skills that landed her in the deserted and dark school gym after she had walked by it. She noticed that the gym door was open and being a Curious Cat, she went to see what was going on inside the gym. It was dark and it looked deserted except for the lone basketball rack that was left unlocked, beckoning anyone to take a ball.

Yuki couldn't help herself. Even though she had made a promise to herself, her urge to hold the orange ball between her hands was stronger. She had missed the sound of the ball, her hands that became black if the ball was dirty, and the squeak of shoes. She missed everything about the sport. And she hated that she missed it.

Yuki walked up to the bin and grabbed a ball from the bin that was located at half court. After much deliberation and thought, she picked the perfect ball. She walked toward the hoop, dribbling the basketball between her legs as she walked. It looked so smooth and natural. She was not forcing her stride wider nor was she walking slower. The ball bounced from one hand to the other and back again between her legs as if it were attached to a string.

When she got to the hoop she set up a shooting stance in front of the hoop with her shoulders parallel to the backboard. She took her supporting left hand away from the ball and shot the ball only using her right hand while making sure that her elbow was at a perfect 90 degree angle.

Swish, nothing but net. Yuki grinned and took a step to get the ball before repeating the drill again. She was performing a drill that she and a certain green haired shooter had created in order for them to warm up their shot form. It was a simple drill but helped a player get the correct mechanics of a shot ingrained in his or her brain. She just stood there in position, two feet away from the hoop shooting with one hand until she did not have to think about her form anymore.

Yuki was afraid that since she had not played basketball for three months that all of her moves would have abandoned her. She happily noticed that she just had to get into the groove of basketball again before the moves came back to her naturally.

After hitting her twentieth shot in a row, she decided to change it up a bit. She dribbled away from the hoop and just started shooting from anywhere on or inside the three point line. She was good. Not as good as the green haired shooter, but good enough.

"Please, tell me you are putting those skills to good use." A feminine voice echoed across the gym as Yuki shot the ball again.

Yuki whirled around as the ball swished through the hoop, adding a dramatic effect. Yuki just shrugged her shoulders in response to the girls' question.

"I stopped playing after middle school due to certain…complications."

The girl standing in the doorway cocked her head to the side, picking up Yuki's pause in the middle of the sentence but she decided not to press it further.

"Well, I am Aida, Riko and I am the basketball coach here at Seirn. You're pretty good. Would you ever reconsider playing at the high school level?"

Yuki raised an eyebrow at the bluntness of the girl. Yuki snorted and shook her head. "No there is no way that I am playing that god-awful sport again." Yuki turned and started to walk away. She felt the twinge in her chest again, but pushed down the feeling. Yuki could sense the disappointment and agitation from the girl she was walking away from. She was going to keep walking if she hadn't remembered.

"Promise me that you're going to play basketball again."

Damn it. With a sigh, Yuki stopped, before she reached the exit. "Is the position of manager open?" she asked almost begrudgingly.

A squeal of delight could be heard echoing throughout the campus.

Yuki turned around and grimaced at the older girl.

"You could really blow out someone's ear drum if you do that." Another voice added. Both girls looked and saw Kuroko walk out of the locker room and up to Aida giving her a pointed look. Aida reached over and grabbed onto Kuroko's cheek, pinching it with all her might.

"What did you just say to me?" Riko said with a smile on her face as a dangerous aura started to come from her.

"Bwahahahahaha, oh god, the timing on that was priceless. And her reaction, hahahaha!" The two teens that were having a mini fight turned and saw the silver haired girl on the floor clutching her stomach.

Riko let go of Kuroko's cheek and walked over to the girl on the floor who was attempting to compose herself, but failing.

"Are you serious about being the manager. I could really use the help. Why did you decide to be a manager?" Riko asked as she helped hoist Yuki off of the floor.

"Well, I am serious about being a manager. If your squeal indicates anything, it means that there are no other girls on the team and that you need more estrogen. And I am taking the job because I made a promise to someone. And I figured that I might as well start fulfilling that promise."

With those words she stuck out her hand for the short haired girl.

"Call me Yu-chan."