My Crush Plays Volleyball

The Third P.E. Day

"Tinininit! Tinininit! Tinininit!" said my alarm.

I woke up, and replied, "I hate Wednesdays."

I rise up from bed and do my daily morning algorithm: Pee, shower, brush teeth, change into uniform clothes, and get straight to school. I live near our school so rush hours were never really a thing to me. I could leave home as late as I like and still reach school on-time.

The thing about first day PE is that we have to find our instructors from this large hall and the density of people also doing the same makes this task like finding a needle in a haystack. The last time I experienced this, I had a friend who has been attending the wrong class for three meetings until he realized he was never called during attendance calls. But not anymore, and it seems like they have something new to brag about. Class codes written on coupon bonds? How clever! I don't have to be asked by random students about my class code anymore (though I could've liked it if a cute girl asks for it, not to mention these class codes start with 09-, more like the local cell numbers).

Going back to reality, this is actually the third meeting for my PE class and things are just about to get worse, or would they? This third meeting is the first day of getting ready for playing volleyball, and it started with a vigorous warm up. 

While doing jogging, this cute girl at the front really caught my attention because we really seem to be in-match. She wears a face mask, a towel at her back, and wears jacket during PE - all of it implies that she is not a jock and could be a nerd like me! She also seem to have no friends in this class like me so I knew we are both irregulars. 

This is the perfect chance for me to ask her course, then her name, and she would talk with me about having been left alone in this class. I hurried to my bag, finding out her bag was beside mine. She was also coming towards her bag. I need to get ready to ask her. She was getting something from her bag and it was taking her a few seconds. This is it, I have to take this chance.

"Anong couse mo, klasmeyt? (What's your course, classmate?)"

"BS I.T., you?" she replied with a smile.

I was melting.

"Ako rin! (Me too)"

"Oh? Pwede mo ako tulungan sa activity ko? (Could you help me with my activity?)"

She answered with a full smile. Our conversation continued longer than I expected. After all these questions and answers, she then asked if we could be friends. 

"Of course yes, we could be best of friends because you're the only one I have here."

She blushed. I blushed. 

"You too." she replied. 

My heart now skips three beats. I do not know what to do because I have never thought it would reach this far. I have to think of something that would make our friendship more than this and would not be limited in this class. I asked her if she was free after class. "Well, we could..."

"Sinabi ko bang tumigil ka? (Did I tell you to stop?)"

"No, ma'am!"

"Dapat lang! Only three minutes of stationary jogging to go, so keep it moving!" my instructor shouted.

She is a really great PE instructor because of her tough personality. She also woke me from that daydream of mine. I almost thought that was real. So, where is she? Oh, right there she's at the front of the third line. After three minutes of jogging...

"Water break, one minute!"

I hurried to my bag and finding her bag really was beside mine. I'm not dreaming this time, ain't I? She was coming towards her bag. I need to get ready to ask her. She was getting something from her bag and it was taking her a few seconds. This is it, I have to take this real chance.

"Anong course mo, klasmeyt? (What's your course, classmate?)"

"BS Psychology." she replied. 

I didn't know if she was smiling because of her face mask. She seems to be uninterested of this conversation (or if this is considered one). I don't know what to say next because I do not know any about her course nor knowing someone from there. She is about to get that thing she was trying to get from her bag. I need another question fast!

"Ikaw lang mag-isa? (Are you alone?)"

She didn't reply. Well her eyebrows said, "Huh?" I walked away slowly.

It was a total freaking disaster. Why the freaking heck did I asked that? What was I thinking? Well, I know I wasn't thinking but I could have thought of a better response. "Kamusta ka naman? (How are you?)" "Kung may kailangan ka, nandito ako. (If you need someone, I'm here.)" I don't know what to do right now, it was so embarrassing even though know one saw that.

The activity started. It was ball-handling. In case some of you don't know, it is making the volleyball bounce through the air using your arms  without making it touch the ground. It is so hard, especially for me who does not play ball games. Most were doing it fine and good, and some, including me, were like monkeys playing with balls. Though I might say monkeys play ball better than me. We formed lines taking turns on practicing ball-handling.

I was looking for her, while trying not to make it obvious so she wouldn't notice me and think, "Why is that creep keep looking? He almost got me of his good-guy trick earlier." Found her again, she's at the fifth line. I was watching her. A ball out from nowhere suddenly made a trajectory towards her. 

Pump! Bam!

She managed to receive it with ease and return it to the other class. "Nah, she's just lucky to have seen the ball before it arrives." I said to myself. It was then her turn to do ball-handling. You want me to tell what happened next? She just made the ball bounce 15 times in a row! And it was done in total ease. No way! She could be a volleyball master or maybe a varsity. 

I just felt weaker and smaller now. This isn't going well at all. 

After the practice, the instructor called for a graded activity on ball-handling. I cant't do it. I stayed in last in the line and was the only one left not to be able to do it because time did not permit. I was happy but also worrying that ball handling will return to me because it is required.

Right after the class was dismissed, I got back to my bag and found her bag not there anymore. She has already left. Not unexpected for someone to has no friends in this particular class. At least I now know that she is not to be underestimated. 

After some self-reasoning, I must not lose hope now. I can and will talk to her and I will do so in the next meeting. I need a plan of attack and some sub-plans in-case of inevitability...