Lu Xia watched from the comfort of the sheltered school hallway as the heavy rain poured down all around the school. The sudden rain had cancelled practice and Lu Xia couldn't have been more relieved. It had been a grueling day of exams and all he wanted was to go home and sleep.
After ten minutes of basking in the allure of the rain and realizing that it was not going to stop anytime soon, Lu Xia decided to take out his umbrella and head home. Before taking the first step from the sheltered hallway, the young boy scanned his surroundings in search of his usual shy companion.
She was nowhere to be found. Weird. He was sure she followed him to the hallway leading to the south entrance of the school once it was announced that practice was cancelled.
"Qi Ying!" the tennis genius called out. Receiving no response after a couple of moments, a frown formed on his face.
"Qi Ying!" he called in a louder voice. Once more, he received no response.
It was unlike Qi Ying to leave without notifying him first. It had become a routine between them; after practice, she would wait patiently at the south entrance for him so they could walk home together. If she had to leave early or was getting picked up, she would always let him know before he went to practice.
But she hadn't notified him of any change in plans for today and he was sure that she had followed him out of the tennis courts.
Turning on his heel, Lu Xia started to walk back to the practice area in hopes of finding Qi Ying. Right before turning right to the hallway leading into the courts, he heard a laugh that he could recognize anywhere. He peeked his head around the column to see what was going on. By the entrance of the main court stood Qi Ying and Zhuo Zhi, not even two feet apart from each other.
"Zhuo Zhi, of course!" Qi Ying exclaimed with a vibrant smile etched on her face.
"Thank you, Ying. I'll see you Saturday at ten." Zhuo Zhi replied with a small smile on his face. He waved goodbye to the young girl before heading out in direction of the east entrance of the school.
Full smile on her face, the young girl seemed lost in thought as a small blush appeared on her face. Shaking her head a moment later, Lu Xia heard her give a small chuckle before he saw her start walking towards his hiding spot.
Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, Lu Xia whipped his head back and quickly walked a few steps towards the south entrance.
"Eh? Lu Xia, wait!" He heard her call out to him. The tennis prodigy stopped walking but didn't turn to face her.
"Hurry. It's raining." He mentally cringed at the sharp tone of his response. The sound of her footsteps faltered for a second before he heard her scurry to catch up with him.
Once she was next to him, he started heading for the exit. His companion matched his pace with ease and they continued in silence until the end of the hallway. Lu Xia opened his umbrella, placed it over his head and proceeded to walk under the rain. Not sensing his Qi Ying walking behind him, he stopped in his tracks and turned to see her still standing at the end of the hallway staring back at him.
"Aren't you coming?" He asked expectantly.
"Um. Lu Xia, I don't have an umbrella." She bit her lower lip and turned her gaze down to her hands. Even with her head bowed, he could tell that she was blushing. Even after so many years of knowing each other, he couldn't help but give a small smile at her nervous habits.
"Let's go." Qi Ying looked up and found Lu Xia standing in front of her with his umbrella covering them both.
"Thank you, Lu Xia!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face.
The pair walked in silence until they reached the front door of Qi Ying's house.
"Lu Xia, thank –"
"Why were you talking to Zhuo Zhi?" His stoic gaze was fixed on her front door.
"With Zhuo Zhi?" The young girl asked with a confused look on her face.
"You're going to meet up with him on Saturday. Is it a date? Are you dating him?" He couldn't hold back the sharp tone.
"No, no, no. It's not like that. I'm there to meet his brother."
"His brother? You're going on a date with his brother?" His gaze darted to her.
"No! No, no. He just needs my help." She shook her head and felt intimidated by the intense glare he was giving her.
"Help with what?"
"He needs my help to pick out a gift for the girl he likes."
"Hn. I don't see why he has to ask you."
"Well, we are friends. And that's what friends do. They help each other out."
"I'm going with you."
"Lu Xia, you don't have to."
"Goodnight Qi Ying." Without another word, Lu Xia turned and headed for his house. Qi Ying, still with confused look on her face, watched at his retreating figure until he was completely out of view.
"Lu Xia sure acts strange when there's no tennis practice." The young girl thought as she headed inside her house.
The next two days went by like any other day. Classes were a blur and tennis practice were uneventful. Until Friday's practice came along.
She was smiling again.
Her eyes were shining bright.
Qi Ying was talking to Zhuo Zhi on the main tennis court and anyone with eyes could see that her attention was fully captivated by the older student.
Lu Xia's eyes narrowed at the scene in front of him. His grip on his tennis racquet was tighter than usual, but other than that he did not show any emotions.
"Don't forget tomorrow at ten." Zhuo Zhi said as he raised his hand over the Qi Ying's head and rubbed the top of her head, slightly messing up her hair.
"Zhuo Zhi! Of course I won't forget!" Zhuo Zhi smiled as Qi Ying giggled.
If looks could kill, Zhuo Zhi would have been dead in an instant.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Qi Ying said as she turned to exit the main tennis court.
"Qi Ying!" Lu Xia called out. The young girl turned her head and saw Lu Xia beckon her over to court where he was practicing.
"Hi Lu Xia." She said.
"Are you dating Zhuo Zhi?" Once more his voice had a sharp tone.
Large brown eyes widened and the young girl quickly shook her head no. "Lu Xia, I told you. It's not like that. Zhuo Zhi is just a friend."
"Hn." The tennis star replied as he fixed Qi Ying's hair. A small blush formed on her face as she mumbled a quick thank you.
"It looks like it's going to rain soon. Go sit by the covered bleachers for a bit. I'll be done with practice soon and then we'll head home." Lu Xia said.
"Lu Xia, I won't be staying to see you practice."
"Why not?" He quickly asked. She always stayed at tennis practice. Always.
"Since I agreed to meet Zhuo Zhi and Zhuo Yu tomorrow, I have to finish all the homework assigned today and I won't have time to finish it all if I stay around for your practice." She quietly explained.
"So don't go." Lu Xia said flatly.
"What?" She stared at him confused.
"Don't meet up with them tomorrow. Stay here." He said as he rummaged through the cart of tennis balls.
"I can't do that. I'm sorry."
"Hn." The tennis player grabbed an old looking ball and threw it at the nearest trash can.
"I'm sorry Lu Xia."
"I'll see you tomorrow." Lu Xia said as he looked up from the tennis cart and stared right into Qi Ying's eyes.
"What?" The shy girl asked once more.
"Tomorrow. I told you I was going with you."
"But-"
"I thought you had homework to do. You should go." He stated.
"I.. Ok. I'll see you tomorrow Lu Xia." Defeated, the young girl left the tennis court and headed home.
Lu Xia grabbed his racquet and started practicing his famous serve. Although, he was adding a bit more force than necessary.
He never noticed the smirk aimed his way from the tennis prodigy on the main court.
1/6/24 UPDATE: There were some corrections that I made to this chapter. I can't believe I made such silly mistakes in Qi Ying's name. So sorry about that!
