What A Girl Wants

Ten

tw: sae's got some eating issues that come up in this chapter, so if that stuff triggers you, maybe skip this one. mental health > fictional lesbians, y'all. 

The rest of the game went on uneventfully and Sae found herself bored and zoning out. Everyone else was giggling and squealing and plenty occupied with it, so she eventually lay her head down on Ryusei's shoulder and started wondering about how much sleep she would get tonight and how ugly she would look tomorrow as a result of the unfortunate answer.

She should have known that Shuto would have been her downfall. Of course she was just being nice. Trying to include Ryusei in the name of sportsmanship and team bonding. And if it were any other two people, she might have applauded the efforts, especially if it helped them get to nationals. But in this circumstance specifically, she was thinking how she should have listened to Rin's many, many requests to formally boot her off the squad. That, and how she was going to get out of this. Because when her turn came, who else was she going to pick but Sae?

Which might not be all bad, Sae tried to convince herself. It's not like Ryusei would ask her something overly embarrassing or make her do anything dangerous. They were best friends, after all. That relationship, she assumed, came with some respect and investment in the other's wellbeing.

From the moment Ryusei's name appeared on Shuto's lips, time was moving in flashes rather than linear time. Dare, Ryusei had answered in response to the question, followed by, obviously. She didn't catch what she'd been asked to do. All she knew was that Ryusei gently nudged her head with her own and said, I gotta take a break on being your pillow, bestie. Which was of course, terrifyingly followed by, but don't worry. I'll be right back for you.

She got up to fulfill the task, which Sae didn't pay attention to either, because she was looking down at her freshly hot pink painted nails and trying to discern what her answer should be. For all the talking they did and all the time they spent together, she had no idea what she might ask her or what she might try to get her to do. And why was the thought so terrifying anyways? No was one of her favourite words and lying was one of her most well seasoned pastimes. So there was no wrong answer, was there? Or, by that logic, no right one. Whether she understood the reasoning behind it or not, it was terrifying. And she still hadn't come to a decision by the time Ryusei returned to their mats and placed herself right in front of Sae.

She leaned right in until she was just a few inches from her own face, like they were the only two people in the room, and said, "Alright, captain. Your turn. Truth or dare?"

Sae knew it showed weakness to hesitate. She'd always thought so. But she couldn't help it. She didn't have any fully formed word ready on her tongue. She tried to race through towards one, knowing it only got worse with every moment of silence. Dare, obviously. They were best friends. Maybe she should follow suit. But truth would be such an easier option to cope with. She had a good poker face. She thought so, anyways. Both felt like a trap, just ready to clamp her leg in it and eat her alive.

She begged herself to just make some choice for god's sake, and was just about to, but the second her lips parted, like by divine intervention, the doorbell rang. Pizza was here.

In the same second that Sae's eyes looked over to the stairway, Ryusei reached for her wrist, her hand finding a tight grip on it. "I don't think so. Rinny, can you get that?"

"In what fucking world would I ever listen to you?" Rin shot back from across the room.

Sae pulled her arm back. She expected it to be difficult, but Ryusei let her go with surprisingly little fight. She rolled her eyes, hoping she could take the focus off her own embarrassment.