No One
The classroom is filled with chatter as the students wait for the bell to ring. It's game day and all the students want to go home to get ready. The teacher didn't even give an assignment that day to talk about the game. They always make game days a big deal. Since they have a strong team; it's always fun to watch them beat other schools, especially their rival schools.
The bell rings and everyone packs their things in a rush. One person takes their time in packing. The star of the school's basketball team, Kang Yeosang. He waits till the class is somewhat empty to finally leave. He's about to walk out when he sees a classmate limp to the door. He looks at them and contemplates whether he should help.
Yeosang nods as he makes up his mind. "Do you need help?" He asks. The person turns around and looks startled. "Are you talking to me?" They ask in a small voice. "Yeah." He responds. "Oh... You don't have to. I'll be fine. I have to walk home anyways, so I should get used to it." They shrug.
Yeosang frowns. "I'll take you home. Granted I have to be back at school, but I have no problem taking you." He says. "Are you sure? You really don't have to." Yeosang sees the way they tilt their head and their eyes look at him as if a puppy were staring at him. He doesn't know why, but he feels drawn to them.
"I'm sure." He nods. The person smiles and agrees. They begin to walk, but Yeosang steps in front of them. He grabs their bag and swings it over his left shoulder. "I'd carry you, but I have no room. Hold onto me so you could walk better." He offers his arm. The person nods and holds his arm.
They're walking down the empty hallway. Yeosang can't help but wonder who this person is. "Are you new? I've never seen you before." He asks. The person looks up. "Ah. I moved here two months ago." They answer. Yeosang hums. "I'd ask if you were going to the game, but that injury tells me no." He chuckles.
They walk out of the building and towards his motorcycle. "I'd normally go to a game, but I haven't in a year." They say. "How come?" Yeosang asks. "It's a very long story. One that involves this injury." The person points to their ankle. Yeosang hears the sadness in the person's voice.
"Would you go to the game if I invited you?" He asks. The person looks at the taller boy. "Me?" They ask. Yeosang nods. "Maybe... but I'd have to wait for a ride home." The person says as they stop next to the motorcycle. "I'll be your ride." Yeosang offers with a small smile.
"How about this? I'll take you home and you change. Then we'll treat your foot at the trainers room when we come back to school. I'll order some food for you and we can talk for a bit. Sound good?" Yeosang was hopefully they'd agree.
This all hasn't registered to the boy yet. He's just going with what feels right for him, even if he's clueless to the many stares from students still waiting for their rides. "Sounds cool." The person nods. "Oh. I'm Yeosang, by the way." He introduces himself. "Moon Sooyoung." The person introduces themself.
Pretty name. Suits her. Yeosang thinks. "I don't have an extra helmet, so I'll let you use mine." He then grabs the helmet and puts it on the girls head. He makes sure it's secure and then hops on his bike. "Come on. I'll make sure not to scare you." He jokes. The girl slowly gets on.
"You have to hold my waist so you don't fly off, you know." Yeosang says with a smirk. The girl blushes in embarrassment but complies. She rests her head on Yeosang's back and he clears his throat. He tries to ignore that tingly feeling that shot through him. "Which way?" He asks.
"Oh! You can go down Fourth Street and then make two rights after a street light and a stop sign." The girl, Sooyoung, tells him. Yeosang nods and revs his motorcycle. He rides off in the direction the girl gave him.
The girl has never ridden a motorcycle before, so this is both frightening and exciting. She wonders why he'd help her, though. She's heard people say he was a bad person despite being the basketball captain. That he ignores anyone that's not his friend. Maybe they judged too fast.
The motorcycle comes to a stop in front of a little house. Not too old, but not new. The girl lets go of the boy and gets off the bike. She tries to take the helmet off but pouts when she can't. Yeosang laughs when he sees the girl struggle.
He takes his keys and walks to the girl. "Let me." He then moves closer to her and helps take it off. His face is so close to hers. She feels her cheeks heat up and blinks rapidly. He takes the helmet off and holds it under his arm, his backpack on his chest. "Do I wait for you out here?" He asks.
"You can wait inside." She says and starts walking. She swings her backpack off of her and searches for her house keys. She finds them and unlocks the door. She slides off her shoes as does the boy. They walk in and she walks to the living room. "You can sit here, I'll be back." He nods and sits down.
Yeosang
I sit on the couch. It finally sinks in that I'm talking to someone other than my friends. What scares me is that I don't want to stop. I somehow feel like what I'm doing is the right thing. It's not like it's anyone's business on what I do. They can fuck off with their nosy asses.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I take it out. I see Mark calling so I answer the phone.
Question Mark
Me: What?
Mark: Where are you?
Me: Out. Why?
Mark: You should already be here for practice, Yeo. Coach has been on our asses all week for the first game.
Me: I know that. He can wait. It's not like I'll suddenly forget how to play basketball.
Mark: What's more important than practice?
Me: Anything is better than practice. You'll have to wait a little longer even if I do get to campus, Mark.
Mark: And why is that?
Me: I'm gonna see the trainer.
Mark: WHAT?! ARE YOU OKAY?
Me: Calm the fuck down. It's not for me.
Mark: Oh... Then who?
Me: That's my business. I'll see you in a bit.
I hang up when I see Sooyoung walk out of her room. I chuckle when I see her wearing school colors and some slides. "Well aren't you festive?" I tease. "Is it too much? I'll change." I grab her arm before she leaves. "I was kidding." I say.
She nods and slowly walks to the door. "Let's go!" She says. I furrow my eyebrows. "It's cold outside and your not wearing warm clothes." I point out. She looks down. "Oh... Well I haven't washed my hoodies yet, so I'll just live with it." Not on my watch, beautiful.
I quickly take my letterman jacket off and wrap it around her. "Wear it. And I'm not taking a no for an answer." She nods and puts the sleeves on. "Thank you." She says. "No problem." I dismiss it, exiting the house. I see she even put her hair down.
We ride back to school, but I park near the gym. I walk her towards the athletic office and see the trainer. "Oh. Need anything today, Yeosang?" She asks. She's currently taping Yangyang's wrists. "Yeah. Could you take a look at my friend's ankle?" I ask. She nods and I place my backpack down.
I lift Sooyoung onto the table while we wait for her to finish with Yangyang. "You're all set. You can go now." Yangyang nods and leaves the room. The trainer comes to Sooyoung and she starts looking at her foot. "How'd you get injured?" The trainer asks.
"Oh. I used to be a cheerleader at my old school. It was a very bad injury and hasn't properly healed." She answers. "This may be a pushy question, so feel free to not answer... but what caused the injury?" Sooyoung purses her lips.
"It was during a stunt... My stunt group thought it would be funny to hold my foot the wrong way and then twist it in the air. That's not all they did. They even let me go mid-air and I completely landed on my ankle." Sooyoung says. She looks sad, so I grab her hand for comfort.
"So, they were bullying you?" The trainer asks. Sooyoung shakes her head yes. "I thought we were friends... They let me hang out with them for a while before the pranks started." The girl shrugs. I feel sad that she had to go through that.
I'd punch each and every one of them for the bullshit they put her through. "They? There was more?" Sooyoung nods again. "The players and the cheerleaders. They all made me some kind of puppet. But I was too blind in making friends to notice anything." She sighs.
"It's why I moved. My brother works here so my mom thought it would be better for me. That I'd at least have some sort of protection." She laughs bitterly. "I wouldn't let any of that happen to you, Sooyoung. I'll protect you." I say. I surprised myself. I wasn't even thinking.
"Oh... Thank you." She says looking down. "Well good news. It seems to be healing but very slowly. I can give you this spray for you to put on every night before bed and every time you wake up." The trainer says. "I'll wrap your ankle right now so you can at least walk better."
"I want you to ice it and then place a hot rag on it when you get home." Sooyoung nods as the trainer finishes wrapping her foot. "Does it feel too tight?" The trainer asks. "It feels fine. Thank you." She says with a smile. Oh, she's cute.
"Of course. Take this spray with you." I grab it and put it in my bag. "I'll hold it for you and give it to you later when I take you home." I grab her waist and slowly bring her off the table. "Thanks for helping." I tell the trainer. She nods. I take Sooyoung's hand and walk out.
We walk around to the entrance of the gym. "She can't be in there, Yeosang." The security guard states. "Why not? We usually have people watching anyways." I roll my eyes in annoyance. "Coach kicked every stray person out. No one can get in until they pay later." He says. Well ain't that some bullshit.
"What's Coach gonna do? Bench me? He needs me on thus team. Plus, I'm not leaving her here with an injured ankle." I scoff. He looks down at her ankle and sighs. "Fine, you can handle him then. But if he says something to the girl, it's not my fault." I nod as he opens the door.
We walk in and I walk to the locker room. "Wait here. I'll be quick." She nods and I run in. I open my locker and take my uniform out to quickly change. I change shoes too. I grab my headband and put it on. I close my locker and walk out to see Sooyoung still waiting.
"Sorry I took long." I apologize. "It's okay. You didn't have to rush." She smiles. I grab her hand again and open the doors to the gym. I see everyone gathered in the middle of the court. "Oh great, you're here." Coach says. I pull Sooyoung in and he raises his eyebrow.
I walk her to the gap in between the bleachers and sit her on a comfortable chair. It's better than the bleachers itself. I grab another chair and lift her leg onto it. "Hope that helps a bit." I say, earning a smile. "Yeah... Thanks again." She says. I nod and run out to the court.
They're all staring at me. "What?" I ask. "Um... Who's that? Since when do you talk to anyone other than us?" Wooyoung, my bestfriend, asks. "None of your business. Let's just get this practice started." I say.
••••
Sooyoung
I'm so bored. How do normal people do this? Just sit here and wait for the game to start? I moved to the edge of the bleachers four rows up. The railing giving somewhat protection. I feel really warm wearing Yeosang's jacket. If only I could nap somewhere.
This school's cheer team enters the gym and sits in their designated area next to me. What's interesting about them is that they're all guys. I smile when I remember my guy friend back in my old cheer team. He was the only one who was there for me after everything that happened.
I sigh as I look back up. I just realized that I don't know what school they're playing against. I turn to ask one of the cheerleaders, but they all seemed to scatter to the floor to stretch. I sigh; I'll just wait until they arrive. I zone out until I hear my name being called.
"Sooyoung!" The voice comes from the other side of the gym. I look up and see my old friend, Kim Jungwoo. Cheer uniform and all. He comes running to me and hugs me. "Holy shit, I thought I'd never see you again." He chuckles. I smile and hug back.
"Feels that way, doesn't it?" I ask. Then I realize what this means. I pull away from Jungwoo and look into his eyes. "This means our school is against..." I trail off. "Oh... I guess so. It was added to the list of schools we compete with recently." He says. How unfortunate.
"So they're here, then?" I ask in a whisper. His smile fades. "Oh fuck. I forgot about that. Maybe you should-" He's interrupted by a voice that makes me want to breakdown right here in this very gym. "Well isn't this such a surprise?"
I'm on the verge of tears, but I hold it in. This fucker isn't worth the crying. I look behind Jungwoo and they're all standing there with amused grins. I've never wanted to punch someone so bad before. "Look who's here. The street rat." Kang Yeri says.
I hate her with a passion, yet I will always be afraid of her. She's the whole reason I'm so fucked up and built walls around me. They all played me and made me their personal entertainment. "Leave her alone, guys. You've done enough." Jungwoo says. I smile. He's still protective.
"Shut up, Jungwoo. You're always defending the bitch. Stay out of it." The main asshole spat. "I'll always defend my friend. Especially to assholes like you, Kunhang." Jungwoo sasses. Hendery clenches his jaw. He's about to say something when someone speaks.
"Ayo, planet of the apes! This ain't your side. Next time we'll make bigger posters so you can read properly." The small boy yells. They all laugh at him. "And who are you to tell us what to do?" Hendery laughs at him. "Shut the fuck up, Sasquatch. I'll literally stab you." The tiny boy growls.
Hendery is taken aback by the small boy and puts his hands up in surrender. "Fine, short stack. We still have halftime and after the game to talk with our... friend." He muses. Hendery smirks at me and they all scatter. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Don't let them get to you, Soo. They ain't worth it." Jungwoo says. I smile at him. "I'm fine. You should go though. They're waiting for you." He looks at me me with a sad smile. "Let's talk later, okay?" He asks. I nod my head yes and he runs back to his side.
"Are you okay?" The small boy asks. I look over and smile. "Ah... Not really. I was hoping to avoid them, but I guess that was a fail." I say. "Thank you. You didn't have to help me." I say. "I didn't, but I wanted to. He sounds like such an asshole." He scoffs. "I'm Renjun by the way. Huang Renjun."
I shake his hand. "Moon Sooyoung." I introduce myself. "Well Sooyoung, let me introduce you to some of my friends." I nod and scoot over with him to sit behind the cheerleaders. I sit off the corner of one boy. "Guys! Meet my new friend." Renjun speaks up.
"NEW PERSON!" Someone screeches and hugs me tightly. "Na Jaemin! Let go of her before you scare her away!" A boy with beautiful tanned skin yells at this Jaemin boy. Well ain't this fascinating. I'm making friends with cheerleaders. They seem nice already. Jaemin pulls away. "I am so sorry! Please don't run away."
I laugh lightheartedly. "It's okay. Nice to meet you." I say. He smiles brightly at me. "Can we keep her, Duckie?" Jaemin asks the tanned boy. "Not on my watch. I saw her first." Renjun playfully scowls. "And what are you gonna do about it?" Jaemin asks in a teasing manner.
"I have my bat. I'll use it." Renjun states. Well he's a scary little thing. "Nevermind then." Jaemin dismisses. "Anyways. We'll properly introduce ourselves another time. The game is about to start. I nod and they get ready. Renjun stays with me as the lights dim down.
The announcer speaks into the mic and the crowd cheers along. I ignore him when he lists off the players names. I search for one particular person and see he's already looking at me. Yeosang smiles and winks at me. My cheeks heat up and I look away.
Why did he do that? After the announcer calls our team's players, they start the tip off. I roll my eyes when the other team starts doing the cheer. I look at our cheer team and furrow my eyebrows. "Renjunnie, why aren't they cheering?" I ask. "They don't know any basketball cheers." He answers.
"Well that's just sad." I pout. The ref blows the whistle and Yeosang smacks the ball to one of his teammates. I cheer for him as he runs down the court. His teammate dribbles the ball and tosses it to another player who then tosses it to Yeosang.
Yeosang shoots the ball from the three point line and the ball flies to the basket. The ball rolls around the rim and into the net it goes. I cheer louder and clap for Yeosang. It's not as boring as I thought it would be. My eyes look over to Jungwoo and they're in the middle of a cheer.
I unconsciously do the moves with them and finish. "You know their cheers?" I hear Renjun ask me. "Ah, yeah. I used to cheer with them." I state. "Oh. Well then I know for a fact you were the best one on that team!" He beams. They don't tend to think so.
"Wait... do you think you could teach our team? They'd be grateful." Renjun asks. Oh wow.... So sudden. "Uh... Right now? No. I'll try at halftime." I say. "Yay!" Renjun says. He informs Jaemin who was very happy to deliver the message to his teammates.