Xiao
My heart pounded with every step, and the vivid memory repeatedly played in my mind. Aether has been my best friend for six years, and the more he clings to me, the more his actions become difficult for me to digest.
It was as if he used a method to lure me into a hole with unusual emotions, such as earlier. His lip bit tempted me, and a voice in my head told me to take possession of his lips. What was it?
My knowledge is only limited when it comes to people's interactions, but friends are not supposed to do that, and it is also not normal for me to think like this.
In fact, his voice makes me nervous and makes my heart race. His touch paralyzed me and warmed my insides. And his stare hypnotized me and made me blush.
What is wrong with me? Did my stomach have too much almond tofu today? Also, why does it disappoint me when my lips can't taste his?
Since Venti's appearance snapped me to my right state of mind, my plan to skip basketball practice did not happen.
As the captain of the basketball team, my duties and responsibilities should be prioritized, but my only purpose for skipping one practice was to help my best friend.
However, my body needs to cool down, and Aether's presence would not be able to help me with that.
• Court •
A tall green-eyed guy with messy blond ponytail hair ran towards me and approached me with a smile.
"Xiao, you're here." He greeted and squeezed me into a tight hug until my bones started to crack.
"Get off of me, asshole." I said and tried to escape from his treacherous embrace, but he squashed me to death.
"No can do, mister because you are so cute." He responded.
It is an insult for someone to call me cute because it is an alternative method to calling me short and it makes me pissed.
My foot stomped on his other foot, and my anger vanished when he pulled away and screamed in agony.
"What the hell was that for?" Thoma yelled.
"You deserved it."
He pouted and crossed his arms. "Can't a friend hug his other friend?"
"No." He rolled his eyes at my response and followed me inside the locker room.
He accompanied me to the change room to change into my basketball jersey and rested his back on one of the lockers as he waited for me to get done.
"So, why are you late?" He raised an eyebrow as he asked.
"No reason."
He scoffed and smirked. "Do you plan to lie all day?"
It was hard for me to lie when my cheeks involuntarily blushed without my permission. "Am not."
Thoma gave me a suspicious stare and snapped his finger as if he had figured it out. "Was it a girl?"
His question made me speechless as words wouldn't come out of my mouth and flustered because my heart skipped a beat for some reason and heat arose on my face.
Aether may not be a girl, but he looks quite feminine and sometimes makes me forget that he was a boy.
He cheered and spread a wide smile on his face. "Xiao, you are quick, so when are you going to introduce me to her?"
"It's never like that." My response seemed to be the reason for him shifting his emotions from happy to upset.
It was creepy when he patted my shoulders, and I was confused when he acted as if a tear had rolled down on his cheek, but there wasn't.
"Rejection is a pain in the chest, but you will be okay. It may be understandable that she was scared of you due to your bad personality, but keep in mind that you are still a unique person, so better luck next time."
His false assumption made me want to reward him with a stomp on his foot, and he whined in pain. "Do you want to be an actor as a stomper? Because it suits you well."
"You do know that your idiocy was the reason, because we were just best friends." He paused for a second to consider my words and shook his head.
"Do you want me to accompany you to a bar after practice? You could even use my shoulders to cry on because being friendzoned may feel ten times worse than rejection. Do not worry about the bills because it will be my treat."
His misinterpretations are on another level of stupidity and made my head ache. "Do you want me to punch you in the head?"
Thoma placed an apologetic smile on his face and formed a peace sign, which calmed my head down. "But, do you like her?"
"Yes, as my best friend."
"Are you sure you only see her as your best friend?" His question made me pause and think.
"What do you mean?"
He shook his head and massaged his temples. "Do you like her more than just a friend?"
It was not easy to understand his question, but for some reason, my decision was divided into two and a part of me wanted to say yes.
"No, just a best friend."
Thoma looked at me with doubt, as if he didn't believe my word. "Really?"
"Yes, so shut up already."
He rolled his eyes and faked a cough. "Doubt it."
"How about we just go and practice before the coach punishes us?"
He scratched the back of his hair and nervously chuckled. "About that. You know, the coach hates tardy people, and since you're the captain, you will probably die."
"How about you? Aren't you late?" He is the vice-captain, so it would be unfair if he didn't receive punishment.
"Yes, but coach already gave me twenty push-ups, so there will be no funeral for me." He responded.
"Figures."
He patted my back and prayed for me. "Good luck. May the archons protect you from dying."
We both headed out of the locker room and saw the other players jogging around in every corner of the court. As soon as the coach saw me, he gave me a glare and made a hand gesture for me to come over.
Thoma already left my side and ran along with the others because he was scared of receiving another push-up.
"Yes, coach?"
He put his notebook down and forced a smile. "Care to explain why you are late?"
You can hear the anger in his tone, and it is not a good sign at all. My mind couldn't think of some lame excuse, so the best solution was to tell the truth.
"I was helping my best friend clean the classroom and got completely sidetracked."
Something tells me that my answer was a bad idea because everyone's expression did a facepalm as they jogged around the court, and the coach may have red eyes, but it was redder than usual.
He looked pissed and even broke the pencil he was holding. "So, does that mean you prioritize your best friend more than basketball?"
"Perhaps." I said and scratched my nape. It was the truth, so it confused me that he was mad about it.
Everyone stopped their jogging session and placed their hand on their chest while they raised the other hand to me as if it was a goodbye message.
So, does this mean my honest answer was really a bad decision?
Coach Diluc twitched his eyebrows, and it made me sigh to see him explode in his rage. "Give me seventy push-ups now!"
It was.
•••••
Author's Note:
Thoma's personality reminded me of a baby girl persona.