heart of stone | j.hs

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

"You should stop being a little brat, Saki. We need to practice hard this time!"

She was embarrassed.

The young junior looked up at her team captain, shivering for some reason neither of them could grab a hold of.

Witnessing her own teammate horribly terrified out of embarrassment, Areum heaved a heavy sigh and slowly placed her palm on the girl's tensed shoulder.

With the sudden arm lift, Saki flinched hard enough for Areum's hand to cut through empty air instead.

She was petrified.

Purely scared of the higher authority in front.

"Saki...don't be sacred. I'm no one to hurt you by any means. I just--practice, Saki...you need practice. I myself--"

It would be better to be a bit closer to her, Areum thought.

Pausing her own statement while she discreetly walked closer to Saki.

She sighed, loud enough for the teammates to hear and pay attention to them.

Landing her eyes on Saki, Areum gently began;

"You have to play, Saki. I want you to play, the team wants you."

Turning back to the other members, she informed.

Saki slowly lifted her head and looked into Areum's hazel eyes.

As if confirming the statement, she asked;

"Do you...? Do you genuinely want me to play?"

This naïve thought of the latter made Areum smile peacefully and nod her head firm;

a satisfying assurance.

//...//

The bell struck the players who were practically working their asses off.

Each one of them, gradually, yet somehow with an oblivious rush, began leaving the gymnasium.

"Thank you, Areum-ssi",

"We'll see you tomorrow, after school, captain!" or "Thanks captain!" were the only sounds she could sense while wiping her just showered body off with a cotton towel.

Greeting all of them back with a genuine smile on her face, Areum gathered all her stuff and headed towards the first class for the day.

She reached near the door of the class and slid it open, only to find her spot surrounded by those people who never even dared to greet her in the morning.

Frustrated, she walked towards her assigned seat and banged her bag onto the table, resulting in umpteen heads to turn towards her with slight worry.

"Move."

She was almost successful with her words, but then someone from behind the unwanted group of girls, spoke up quite confidentially;

"And next to yours, is my seat. These people are here for me, miss."

She looked up and all her expectations, once again, came down falling apart.

She wasn't expecting that one person to be such an attention seeker, just like the others she had encountered.

Upon realizing how long she had been staring at the figure in front, she brutally smirked from beneath the opaque cover her mouth wore and yet another time, stabbing her heart, she gave off a pure answer with absolutely zero emotions which could hold it together.