"Y'know, it's at times like this that I really wish I listened to what my mother told me once" Eden sighed as she begrudgingly lined up next to Lei and Nikita. Lei was stretching out her hamstrings, Nikita looking stormy at the track ahead of her.
"Your mother did track in sport class on days that are simply sweltering? One would think that the beginning of winter would be cold, yet I'm literally being air-fried right now." Nikita crouched on the ground and pulled her bucket hat down, tugging it down while remaining crouched on the grass.
"Apparently so. Said she enjoyed running in the heat of wild Indian summers while banana leaves swished and roads melted around her." Eden sat on the floor, legs sprawled out in front of her and hands out behind her to steady.
Lei took a sip from her water bottle and glanced up at the sun, covering her face with her hand and squinting. "What did she tell you?"
"I don't know, I didn't listen."
"Alright everybody, I know it's hot but let's get the show on the road!" The overhyped sports teacher bounced around, random aerobics moves thrown in when it seemed right to him.
Nikita and Eden stood up, joining Lei at the line once again.
"How is he so hyped up?" Nikita stared at the P.E teacher with a mixture of confusion, curiosity and disbelief.
The remaining girls lined up, until 15 people were spaced near evenly on the red, grassy line. "Why do we have to do track sports again?" Nikita whined out loud, catching the attention of a few of the people next to her. They all murmured in agreement, complaining about the heat, sport, and the fact they had to run.
Eden looked over to the spectator side of the field, where she caught sight of her friends. Kash stood cooly, one hand in pocket as the other waved over to the girls. Hong was talking to Lucas, teasing him about his now honey coloured locks.
The previous morning, Eden had been scanning for his pitch silky hair, when she realised it was no longer pitch dark and instead, a soft colour of honey and sunshine. Shocked as she may have been, it looked quite pretty. The deputy apparently didn't think so, shooting dirty looks at Lucas whenever she saw him, although Lucas didn't seem to notice.
"Doesn't his hair look pretty?" Eden glanced at Lei, who sized the boy up and down menacingly. She scrunched her nose.
"Looks like Winnie the pooh."
Eden paused and glared at Lei, who simply snickered.
"I said what needed to be said. The yellow-
Lei caught wind of Eden's face.
-HONEY hair reminds me of Winnie."
Hong caught sight of the three girls and waved. Lucas ran a hand down his hair, a little shorter than before but floofy nonetheless. He gave a small smile, before turning away and focussing his attention on something else.
Eden smiled back and looked away, staring gloomily at the track ahead of her.
"Honestly, I would rather play volleyball right now."
Lei whipped around and looked excitedly at Eden. "You would?! Do you maybe wanna play with me at lunch?"
The eagerness radiated from her puppy dog eyes, her face animated with happiness. The joy illuminated herself in that moment so cheerfully and beautifully, that Eden didn't have the heart to say no to her best friend and let her down.
"We shall play at lunch. I'm telling you though, my hand eye coordination-"
The conversation was interrupted by shouts from the group of rowdy boys, who were playing soccer, and gaining speed while doing so. Their frenzied running kicked up grass and dirt into the air, along with shouts and screams that saw them coming from miles away.
From where they came from, nobody knew.
The boys ran closer and closer, recruiting new members to the squad as more of the grade joined in on trying to tackle the ball. Eventually, the sport evolved into some form of a hybrid, foreign balls joining in on being kicked around or pegged at other kids.
Eden swore she saw a tennis ball somewhere along the mass of bodies and grass.
The teachers were attempting to calm them down, the noise from blowing whistles barely creating a dent on the packed atmosphere.
The ball bounded towards them at an alarming pace.
"Umm. Lei? Might wanna watch out-"
Warnings were too late to be heeded. The ball headed straight for Lei, who sent it flying as it made contact with her foot.
Only it went flying the wrong way.
The next thing Lucas knew, he was down on the ground.
"Man down."
Nikita stood with her hands on her hips.
Lei stepped back into shock. "Oh my God i'm so sorry-" Lei stumbled back, merging lanes with Eden's before crashing into the other girl.
Next thing she knew, Eden was on the ground.
Lei stood with her hand clasped around her mouth, eyes wide at the chaos settling.
Nikita laughed as Eden tried to prop herself up but failed miserably. "And another one bites the dust. Truly soulmates, I'm telling you."
The volleyballs were flying in bulk as the three girls entered the courts. Lei and Eden walked in first, a volleyball meekly clutched in Lei's hands, and Nikita entered behind them. She screeched as a ball came her way and ducked.
"Why am I here again?"
"To learn how to play Volleyball."
The trio chose the furthest corner of the court, with the big net blocking the courts from the main road a few metres away from it.
Lei glanced at the ball, then at Eden. "Girl, I swear to God. If you hit the ball over the net-"
Eden waved off her friends' worries. "My coordination might not be the best, and I might not have the best aim ever, but I ain't THAT bad."
They also chose the court furthest away from all the boys playing basketball on the other end. Or at least, most of the boys.
"Ooo, pass to me Lei!" Hong threw the basketball he had come to collect back towards his group and stood eagerly a fair distance away from the girls, arms poised to dig the volleyball.
Lei set the ball to Hong, who dug it backwards towards Lucas. This time, instead of succumbing to the ball and ending up face down on the ground, Lucas hit the low flying ball with his foot, kicking it to Lei.
"That's what I call character development", Eden tells Lei.
Lei stood staring at Lucas, obviously imagining him kicking the volleyball. "That's what I call a war-crime. He did not just kick a volleyball."
Lei orders everybody to stand in a circle, making sure to tell specific people that they were to use hands when handling the ball. After much pushing and urging from all parties, Nik finally joined the circle.
"If I get concussed, I'm suing you all." She pointed her finger threateningly at everyone, before adjusting her formal hat so that it sat properly on her head.
The ball went through everybody, starting off easy so that most could hit it to another.
Nikita dodged the ball every single time, until Lei taught her how to position her arms. After that, she managed to hit a few yet still kept dodging, this time her arms remaining in position.
After about 30 minutes of playing, the game became more and more rowdy. The ball went higher and higher and the boys eventually turned it into a competition to see who could hit it hardest and not miss. Lei ran around, hitting it with them.
Lucas eventually received the ball, finding someone to hit it too. The ball flew up, up before coming down, down.
Straight at Eden.
She saw the ball coming, arms poised to hit the ball. Lei was in front of her, getting ready to receive from what would be Eden's dig.
"Oo, all yours Eden," she shouts. "Looks good."
It was a good dig. If the ball went the right way.
It bounced off her arm and flew backwards, up, up and over the tall wired fence. It landed in the middle of the road, where thankfully few cars were going.
Eden turned around and looked at Lei, who's shocked face matched her own.