Querencia

14

Taking fast steps inside the court as he secured the ball, he swiftly moved dodging his opponents that got into his way. His tall body was an advantage as a basketball player but his long arms were his hidden talent. Up until now, no one on the campus resembled his physical which made him a special member of the team.

Easily, Juyeon shot the ball into the net and his team scored.

His ceremony every time he succeeded was looking up the bleacher, finding that certain girl who was so loyal sitting there in every practice and match he was in, sending her cheers from afar.

"I've improved a lot right?" he panted as he asked, Hana on the bleacher raised a brow with a questioning look before taking the book she abandoned beside her earlier, slightly shrugging.

"I'm not a player, how should I know what improvement you've got?" chuckling, she did not even look at him in the eyes which made Juyeon wonder.

Had he done something bad?

Hana was never like this, she had never been so cold towards him but now, he could feel the coldness radiating from her though they were standing a few meters away from each other.

Maybe she was not in the mood - Juyeon could only simply conclude it that way, hoping that it was right before he joined his team back for the practice.

Had only he known that the second he started playing, Hana once again abandoned her book to watch him despite thousands of pieces of her heart falling. Looking at Juyeon now was only reminding her of Heiji.

Was this the ending of her story of having a crush on her best friend?

If yes, she was not ready for it.

"Juyeon is indeed hot, no wonder he got so many fans".

It was then, that Hana got herself a companion, who radiated a very different vibe from hers. Crossing her legs as she leaned comfortably against the seat, her spooky grin appeared on her face as if she was melted by all the moves Juyeon did in the court.

Little did she know, Hana was shooting daggers at her remark, stoic expression masking her friend's face, Freya swore she could have died by the scary vibe the latter brought.

Well, it was her intention all along - to make Hana jealous.

But, she was here in the first place for a reason - to convey some information she got for her best friend. Nonetheless, the moment she saw Hana blankly watching Juyeon, she did hesitate if she could proceed with the original plan.

"Just tell me what you got", Hana insisted, a part of her was not ready but she knew she should.

Sighing for what seemed so deep, Freya looked into her best friend's orbs, those which were shaking with fear of what she would hear after this. She knew the moment she proceeded to report, Hana would be broken.

And unfortunately, her guess was right.

She could see how crumbled Hana was at that time, how struggled she was to look normal, specifically when many eyes were looking at them. But, they both knew, that Hana would soon break down unconditionally.

That was also why Freya did not stop her best friend when she jolted up from her seat, collected her stuff and left the bleacher. She left without saying goodbye to Juyeon which was rare, let alone turning back for a last glance.

Hana was heartbroken.

On the other side, the boy noticed the abrupt leave his best friend had taken, he was too taken aback by the attitude given. It resulted in him losing focus on the ball which came towards him, it was rolling on the floor without anyone catching it.

"Juyeon, are you okay?" his teammates questioned, Juyeon had missed the ball - something that never happened before, and it did startle everyone.

"Continue without me", he told them before he swiftly left the court and climbed the bleacher where Freya was sitting at.

Noticing the boy was approaching, she took a towel and a bottle of water which was originally Hana's task every time Juyeon took a break to relieve himself.

"What happened? Why did Hana suddenly leave?"

Neither the towel nor the water were taken, instead, she was bombarded by those questions.

Strangely they made her furious.

"She's having a bad day, let her be", Freya advised, comforting herself on the seat back.

"You shouldn't let her be. You know how fragile she is", Juyeon's eyes widened, his mind was traveling everywhere, to some possibilities he hoped would never happen. "I will-"

"You do know she's fragile", it was then, that Freya cut him with an intense tone, glaring at him like how predators eyeing their victims. "But, don't you notice she's already broken?"

"She's not talking much but I guess she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Are you serious Juyeon?" it was then Freya stood up, facing the confused boy. If she wanted to obey her heart, she would have beaten him up but she knew nothing would have changed if she had done so. "You two literally everywhere together! At a certain point, you do look like her brother, not Eric but you don't even dare to ask her how she feels?"

"Why are you upset?"

"How could I not?"

Freya's loud voice did startle Juyeon, leaving him speechless for a few seconds, watching the girl take a deep breath to calm herself down. This was so unexpected for him, having both his female best friends in a bad mood was something he was not ready for.

"Freya, what did I do wrong?" he questioned lowly, not to gain any attention from the rest of his basketball team.

Running her hand through her silky hair, Freya huffed as she squeezed her eyes tight. Truth be told, she was upset to know that something was getting in between Juyeon and Hana. Regardless, she chose not to side with either of them.

"Let Hana calm down first", she took her bag from one of the seats and draped it over her shoulder. "She will talk to you when she's ready I guess."

With a soft pat on his shoulder, Freya then left, remarking the second time in the day, the boy was left alone without a goodbye and last glance.

It somehow hurt him.