A Different Kind of Beauty

Chapter 8

I wasn't sure what to do. Oikawa had decided to drag me into this, wanting to do something since Rinko was off doing her own thing. So I stood on the gym floor, watching as Oikawa tried to serve and hit the multitude of small cans and bottles placed around the other side of the court. 

With a cart of volleyballs at my side, I tossed them over to the brunette. Each time he caught the ball and proceed to do a jump-serve. There weren't many cans left. 

Simply put I was impressed. 

"Oikawa-san," I spoke up, not passing the next ball, "maybe you should take a break."

"What?" He looked over at me, a confused look on his face. 

"You seem tired. Take a break."

"Come on Anzu-chan!" he whined, pouting at me. "Just a few more?" 

"Fine. Don't blame me when you collapse from exhaustion." I tossed him the next ball and carefully watched his form. My eyes traveled down to watch how he jumped, when I noticed something about his knee-pads. 

"Knee-supporter..." I mumbled. 

"Anzu-chan? Would you mind getting me a drink?" Oikawa asked. I nodded and tossed the ball in my hands at his head. I spun around and left, going towards the closest vending machine. After getting two waters, I counted my change and decided to get him a protein bar as well. 

"Only an idiot like him would forget water when he planned on practicing." I walked back in to see Oikawa hit the last can. His serve was fast and powerful, making my jaw drop. 

The next thing to fall was my stomach. 

As he landed, his knee collapsed under him, and he fell to the floor. I dropped the bottles and raced to his side. He laid on the ground holding his knee with a grimace of pain.

"You... You idiot!" I knelled next to him, completely unsure what to do. 

"Anzu-chan!" he said in shock. "Don't worry, I'm fine." He moved to stand, but couldn't place much weight on his leg. 

"Liar..." I spat, my face downcast. 

"Wha-"

"Don't lie to me." I glared up at him, the brunette looking down at me with a blank face. "Don't you... Don't lie to me, please." I pushed his chest, watching with a small finch as he fell again.

I grabbed out stuff, before sitting across from him. "Don't move." I pulled out my phone and called Iwaizumi. "You're going to explain what happened." 

"Anzu-" Oikawa stared at me as I shoved the phone in his hands. His brown eyes stared at me as the phone continued to ring. I placed his stuff separate from mine, before moving to sit with my back up against his. 

I listened in silence, staring at my jeans as Oikawa tried to explain things to Iwaizumi before the boy started his lecture. Once everything was explained, the two of us sat in silence as we waited for Izwaizumi to arrive. 

Unable to sit still any longer, I stood up and started to clean up the mess. I put away the vollyballs and threw the cans away. The entire time I felt Oikawa watching me. 

"Say, Anzu-chan..." Oikawa started. I glanced over the where the tall boy had laid down. 

"Yes..." I quietly answered. 

"What did you mean-"

"Trashykawa!" Oikawa flinched at the sound of Iwaizumi's furious voice. 

"Anzu-chan," he pleaded. I turned away, unable to face him. Iwaizumi walked in, Rinko not far behind. 

"What do you think you're doing?" 

"I was just practicing..." Oikawa responded with a sheepish smile. 

"And look what happened!" he furiously responded. "What about the practice match? You're the captain for god's sake!" Oikawa looked away, a blank look on his face. 

Iwaizumi sighed, and rubbed a hand over his face. "Let's go dumbass." The two boys made their way out of the gym while Rinko and I collected Oikawa's stuff. 

I didn't hear any news of Oikawa until the nest day. Apparently he wasn't at school, and Iwaizumi wasn't in the best of moods. Rinko and I tried not to bother the boy any more than possible. His best friend had just injured himself after all. 

It was near the end of the day when I heard the two of them snap. 

"Would you stop defending her?!"

"As soon as you stop blaming people who had no part in it!" I quickly grabbed my stuff, and hurried to the classroom that Rinko and Iwaizumi shared. There were still a few lingering students, all who where watching as the two glared each other down. 

"It's not her fault that he overworked himself!"

"She could have stopped him!"

"How? How could she know what his limits are?!"

"She sits in on practice every single day!" Ah, so that's what it's about. I silently entered the classroom, Rinko noticing as I approached from behind Iwaizumi. "If she's so observant then she should have known!" 

I tapped his shoulder, the boy turning around with anger still clear on his expression. His face suddenly dropped, and I handed him the only book I had never opened at least once. 

"If you could, give this back to Oikawa-san the next time you see him." 

"Michishio-san..." He started to say something as I left, his words stopping me at the door. 

"Don't worry about it. You're right, it was my fault for being careless." I left, not bothering to stay after for practice or wait in Rinko. I walked the empty road, my bag clenched tightly in my hands. As I past a store, I stopped to look at my reflection in the glass. 

Why didn't I stop Oikawa when I had the chance? I assumed that he would be resting when I came back, but instead he had worked even harder. I should have expected it. I should have known.

I didn't share a class with them, nor did I spend much time with them outside of school. I didn't even know enough about Oikawa to stop him from overworking himself. 

What right did I have to call them my friends?