It was a beautiful summer day. Hitori shifted his bare feet in the warm, soft sand of the volleyball pit. It wasn't a familiar feeling, but it wasn't bad. Kibou stood at his right, and Nozoka at his left. On the other team was Yuuki, Mitsuka, and Sabishi. The sun was directly overhead, and they had the entire pit to themselves despite it being the weekend.
"Serve's up!" Kibou yelled a bit too loudly, tossing the volleyball into the air before jumping and delivering a powerful blow. It sailed over the net, directly at Mitsuka, who smiled defiantly. How she could stay confident when faced with Kibou's incredible serve baffled Hitori. She blocked it with a quick underhand motion, sending the ball into the air.
"Get it, Yuuki!" she called. Yuuki looked up at the ball which seemed to eclipse the sun for a moment. Her eyes went wide and she turned away, shielding her head with her hands.
"I got it!" Sabishi called, sprinting across the sand to hit the ball. It went over the net, directly at Nozoka. She yelped in surprise but prepared her stance. A moment before impact, Kibou appeared in front of her, jumping to hit the ball. It brushed over the top of the net, bouncing on the corner of the enemy field and far away, scoring their team a point. The ball continued to bounce onto the grass that filled most of the park, coming to a stop under a tree.
"YES!" Kibou cheered, pumping his fists. Nozoka punched him in the arm as the other team regrouped to talk about their strategy.
"I totally had that point in the bag!" she complained. "You completely stole the ball and sent it flying halfway over Japan!"
"We got a point, didn't we?" he retorted with a smirk, running his hands through his curly brown hair like he was a star. "Besides, I'll get the ball."
He jogged away, slowing down near the other team and pretending to not listen in on their plans. Mitsuka playfully shooed him away.
"He's got such a big head showing off like that!" Nozoka thought aloud, kicking at the sand. Hitori wiped some sweat from his brow. He'd never had so much fun playing sports.
"He just loves to torture you, that's all." Hitori hushed his voice. "It just means he cares."
Nozoka's cheeks turned the shade of bubblegum. "W-well— who asked you anyway?!"
Hitori laughed aloud, beginning to understand why Kibou enjoyed teasing her. Mitsuka caught his eye, like he was a wildcard that hindered her master plan to win. She looked away, continuing to discuss strategies with the others. Hitori watched in amusement, wondering what devious ideas they were concocting. He turned to his teammate.
"Hey, do you think we should be coming up with—"
"A plan?" Nozoka finished for him. "No need. The game's simple enough, I just need to get a good hit in!"
"You're just hoping you can rely on Kibou to score most of the points. The guy's crazy good."
Nozoka waited for answering. "Well, he is our greatest advantage, being in a volleyball club and all."
Hitori knew this, but he was still wary about Mitsuka. Despite never really playing volleyball, she was quick to adapt to the rules, even coordinating plays for her team. Impressive, as always. He regarded their team quietly. Mitsuka was serious about winning, her hair tied back in a ponytail under her baseball cap. Yuuki didn't seemed to be listening, fanning herself with her hand and watching the clouds in the distance like she was deep in thought. Sabishi was all ears, giving enthusiastic responses like 'Definitely! Just one question; what does that mean?'
YOU ARE READING
Forget to Love
RomanceAfter being lonely for years, Hitori was finally beginning to meet some new people after his neighbor, Sabishi, began inviting him to hang out with her friends. Everything was going smoothly until strange feelings began to swell in his chest, making...
