The Only One Who Matters

Preparation

It's hot. Way too hot.

The sun is strangling me, I can't breathe. It's burning the grass that I'm sitting on, slowly cooking me. I see all the runners pacing the steaming tracks carelessly, whilst i'm sitting here, minding my own business, being turned into a weird shade of pink. All the water that I'm drinking must be turning into sweat, since there's no other explanation for this unusual amount. But hey, natural glow coming through.

I hate summer.
But, i love the school's sports festival.

Every year, it's the same sports, same activities, same intensity, and same experience. With me, it's the same choice.
I always choose Volleyball.
It's the only sport I actually enjoy, so of course I'm going to stick to it. It's also the only sport I'm confident in, despite the fact that it is least compatible with my height (I'm 157cm, to be precise). But, I still manage to be a powerful weapon in whatever team I'm in. I'm not trying to brag, but I am kinda good if I must say so myself.
This year, the game arrangements are slightly different. As usual, there's a few teams with just girls, and then a few with just boys. It's girl vs girl, and then boy vs boy. But this time, whichever team wins out of the two sides, vs each other. So the last game will be girl vs boy.

I really hope i get to play in that. It's always vs girls for me, so it would be a challenge to go against the boys. I also heard that all of the boys in the volleyball club are doing this sport too, so I'm extremely curious which year group is going to win. First, second, or third?

Now, I don't know about the other years, but as a third year student, I obviously know about how skilled the third years are in this sport. Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Kōshi, and Azumane Asahi. I heard that they are incredible on the court. I'm excited to see them play, and if I get the chance, play against them. It will be really fun, I hope.
"Hey, (Y/N), you okay there?"
It was Yachi.
"No. I'm dying. Is that water for me?" I ask, my eyes glued to the icy cold bottle of water she was holding in her hands. She glanced at my face, saw how desperate I was, and said,
"...Yes."
Pouncing at her, I take the bottle away from her gently - because she is easily frightened - and I down it. I can feel the cold temperature of the water going through my body, and boy does it feel great.
I look up, to see a traumatised Yachi.
"Sorry. I was thirsty." I look at her sympathetically.
"Yeah, I can see that."
"I can see that too. You should take it easy, (Y/N)." I swing my head to see where that came from, only to see an elegant Shimizu standing in the sun.
"Oh, hey Shimizu. How's it going?"
"Everything is going smoothly. The volleyball games are about to begin, so if i were you, I would warm up, and get ready." She finished off with a smile, that mocked my decision to lay around, but also said 'good luck'. She twirled around, and left.
"Oh, yeah! That's right! You're playing in the games. You really should get off your butt, they're going to start in about ten minutes."
My eyes popped out of my head.
Crap.
I leap from my comfortable position on the ground, a sudden rush of energy flowing through me.
"'Kay, see you later. Wish me luck, Yachi!" I shout as I'm running to the locker rooms. I hear a faint "good luck!" escape from her as I'm sprinting. My friends are so cute.

I get to the locker rooms, my only purpose to clean up so I won't feel disgusting during the matches. Deodorant, a quick fix of my hair, and a splash of tap water to my face is enough to get me mentally prepared.  Now, for the torture.

I begin stretching violently, groaning as I feel my muscles tense. I do a few different types of stretches, and then I begin my journey to the court, so I can practice with the actual volleyballs.

On my way there, I pass the boy's gymnasium. Somehow, I let my curiosity take over me, so I stop by the doors and take a little peek to catch a glimpse of my possible competition. As my eyes scan over the spacious gym in-front of me, i realise its the same size as the one I'm heading too, which is also noticeably quite big. There is one net in the middle, and most boys are putting all their effort into their practise. I see a few people doing the usual stretches and exercises. But there is one person that stands out to me.

I mentioned him before. It's Asahi. My heart skips a beat as I notice how incredibly big he is, compared to me. He's tall, I think the tallest in his team, and he looks quite strong and powerful. But, I won't let myself overestimate his power. I'll just assume that they're all equally amazing, because it makes me feel better about myself for some reason.

After gazing at the boys' teams for what I think is too long, I spin on my heel and continue sprinting to the girl's gymnasium. I haven't started sweating yet, despite the suns heat scratching at my skin. I'll save all of my effort and energy for the hardest matches.

I get to my destination after about 3 minutes of leaving the lockers. Not bad. I begin my usual routine, which I realise is actually more complex than what the other girls are doing. But it doesn't bother me, besides, why should it? I'm doing my thing, they're doing their thing, and as long as they try their best on the court, then it's all cool.

I'm really looking forward to my first match.

Aaaye, my first fanfic. To those who are actually reading this, feel free to comment and vote, it would help a lot 😉