The boys played a morning game, us afternoon. So this time, we get the band and the cheerleaders and the boys team and everyone out to support us.
And it feels good.
What doesn't feel good, is us losing this point. 24 to 22, game point third set. My first time up against a blocker ranked higher than me. She's taller than most but I still have highet on her.
We didn't practice enough trick plays. We're too predictable. I've been dancing around her all day. And their receive is always there to pick up a block.
"Let's get this point," I call out. The serve is over.
"Here," I and another hitter call out.
Aimi probably should have sent it left, I've been trailed all game, but she sends it to me and of course the block is waiting. It's a quick, no time to readjust so, I swing and it bounces off of the double block and back into our court.
"Again!"
Aimi cries out, "Z!"
The block is up, I go for a cross. It's still touched by the block, an easy receive. It's going left. I move, I jump for the block and she swings. I got her, arching over the net I know I got her. But of course she has back up. She's saved, but when the ball comes back up, it travels to the top of the net.
My feet just hit the ground when I launch back up and slam the ball down with no one in my way. Players still recovering from the last play.
"And with that quick back to back jump, Fukurōdani wins today's match going on to semi-finals!"
The crowd is cheering, but above everyone else I hear Bokuto's booming, "HEY HEY HEY!" With both fists in the air.
I try. I put a single fist in the air and gave a smaller, "Hey hey hey!" Than his.
He's in the front row with my family around him and his team behind them. Beside him, a camera and a man with a mic. Doing an interview during my match I see. Or I suppose I will see tonight. We all will.
Me probably on repeat since he'll probably come to my room and watch it 50 more times tonight.
He doesn't look at the camera, he still smiles down on me from the raised stands. Beaming really, for a moment at least. Then his face turns hard after saying something and quickly he turns towards the reporter.
"Mac, line up."
Wonder what happened. Guess I'll find out later.
We go through the post game motions and grabbed our things. I spot Bokuto at the edge if the of the gym, beyond the low fencing, that he lifted me over the moment I was close enough to touch.
He grabbed me into his arms and swung me over to his side, "Baby Bird that was so cool! Uh, I'm super proud of you right now!"
Proud of me? Yeah, I know. But the question lingers. I didn't get to see their game today so, "Semi-finalist?" I ask him.
He smiles boldly, "Semi-finalist!"
"Nice!" I cheered, putting a hand up for a hive five which he gave quickly, "Who are you up against?"
"Nekuma."
"Ooo, who am I up against?"
His smile grew more as a brow raised, he said, "Nekuma," Once more.
And all I can do is sigh, "Oh this should be fun."
He laughs, taking my bag and throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Got to fight for the victory Baby Bird." We turn and start walking out and when I see myself I start to step towards them. Bokuto grabbed my hand and holds me back for a second, "Hey, um can I talk to you later? Like alone?"
"Um, yeah," I question. We've seen each other everyday after our team meetings.
But he goes on saying, "Like, before we watch the news together." My family spots us and start heading our way, he says quickly and quietly, "I got to tell you something."
He finishes right when my brother runs up hugging me. "Zara, that was crazy! I thought you sucked or something."
"Geez thanks," I roll my eyes. I look up towards my Aunty, "Semi-finals. That means-"
"We sent a car to get her from the airport." She smiles, "I knew you would make it."
Uncle Kaoru jumped in, smiling looking to Bokuto, "Just like Bokuto said, double victory."
"Is that what he told the news reporter?" KJ asked.
His twin chimes in. "Because I heard him tell the reporter something else." She smiled mischievously, looking up to Bokuto.
Ros jumps in saying, "Well surely said more to that reporter than he did to Zara.I mean, did you see his face?" She laughs a little, "Or perhaps we should look now."
"What did he say," I ask, looking up to see Bokuto. He dragged his hand across his face.
He grunts, "Ros!"
While she and her siblings simply snicker. At least until Aunt Bri snapped, "Children."
And they all stop at once and stand up straight and proud.
Uncle Kaoru said, "We'll get out of here. We have to talk with your coaches about having a meal together before finals." He comes forward leaving a kiss on my forehead, "Keep doing great." He says to me, then backs away and points a finger towards Bokuto, "Talk to her. No one likes being ambushed," He says sternly.
"Ambushed," I question but my family only looks to Bokuto and turns away. I let out a nervous laugh, "What, you're not breaking up with me or anything, right?"
"What? Baby Bird no, it's just-"
"Bokuto, Mac, let's go!" Coach shouts and Bokuto's head flicks towards him.
"Shit, um not here. Just, um… just wait until after dinner okay? We'll talk in your room?" He asks now, instead of taking leadership that is usually seeping from him. He takes my hand and heads towards the coaches and the teams.
And I wonder, what has gotten into him? What happened with the reporter?
And what does he have to tell me?
The questions linger and build in my mind as we eat our food. Bokuto still smiles and laughs and talks, being better at faking this than I. But still, he keeps a hand on me. Brushing my arm, my hand, my thigh, as though it pained him to be even an inch away from me.
Once the coaches dismissed us to bathe, Bokuto got up quickly, took my hand and pulled me with him up the stairs with him while the others take their time.
We get to my room and I open the door and head inside. I flop down at the edge of the bed. I look up to Bokuto who leans against the door with his head down and hands shoved into his pockets.
"Bokuto, what is this about? What did you tell that reporter?"
He took a deep breath and swung a leg saying, "I told him that…. I'm proud of you. And…"
"And… and what? Bokuto come on, did you tell him something dumb like where my birthmark is or something?"
He smiles now, shaking his head, "I'm not telling anyone that," he laughs, probably thinking of the discovery of my birthmark, high up on my inner thigh. A place that his lips have touched.
"I just told him, that…" he took another deep breath and looked up at me for the first time since we've been alone. His eager eyes calm for once. Still as he says, "that I love you, Zara."
I stopped breathing. My heart dropped at the words. My mouth opened to say something, anything but no sound comes out.
"Your uncle was standing right there and he thought, I should tell you, before I tell all of Japan," he sighs, "You know." He lifts his back from the door and awkwardly points towards it, "That was it. All I had to say so… so I can go now." He went to reach for the door.
I couldn't let him go, not before listening to what I've been denying. "I love you too," I stand and blurt out, too quickly, too breathy. No where near as romantic as the movies make it seem. But, he does stop.
He turns back to me, a nervous smile twisted to one corner of his mouth. "Yeah?"
I step closer, quickly, "Yeah," I nod, throwing myself into his arms.
Feeling his warmth take me in as his arms settle around my waist. I look up at him, the excitement returning to his eyes and flickering as I say, "I love you Bokuto."
No I thinks. No indirect. Just truth that feels easier to say than I thought it would be.
Our lips come together, every inch off this moment feeling so right as we move together. His back ends up against the door as he pulls me closer to him. The longing to be impossible close settling in both of us when voices on the other side of the hollow door made us pause.
"Where'd Skyscraper go?" A girl from my team asked.
"Her and Bird braid ran off so fast after dinner."
"She probably agreed to suck his dick for good publicity in that interview."
Bokuto's face is so close to mine. I see the flick of anger that rises to him. I take his hand in one of mine and raise the other to touch his chest, gently. "It doesn't matter," I whisper, shaking my head as their taunting voices move away. I shrug, "They'll always think the worst so-"
A smile pulled to his face, a brow raised, "I mean, would that really be the worst?"
If course he takes this moment to actually think of me sucking his - "get out," I push his chest with a laugh, "Before you get yourself all excited right before you bathe with your whole team."
His smile is plastered to his face as he sighs, "This is going to be awkward."
He turns to go and I grab him to kiss him one last time, before letting him walk out. I grab my things and go to bathe.
I keep my head down and just bathe. Ignoring the girls as best I can and heading towards the boys room. With them to watch the news. I contemplate on if I should sit beside Bokuto, knowing what's coming. But despite any since that goes through me. My body still moves to him, pulled to him the moment he looked up and smiled. I go sit beside him and everyone files in sitting down as the news reporters introduce the teams they'll discuss tonight.
When we get to the section of talking about Fukurōdani, they start with the boys team who played earlier in the day. They're victory a smooth one, with no Emo Owl in sight.
Then a clip cuts towards Bokuto with a reporter off camera asking, "Bokuto, Bokuto can we have an interview?"
And he smiles playfully saying, "Catch me later, I have a game to catch." He took of running towards my game I suppose and the cameras did in fact catch him later, knowing exactly where to find him.
He had a mic clipped to his shirt and his eyes were still on the game as he spoke with the reporter.
"My teams goal is to have fun," He says eyes watching the court, "The fun things are not always the easiest but, when you get them, man does it feel good." He smiles, contagiously, hungry, as though there is no other life besides this. Then his fist fly up and he gives a loud, "Hey hey hey!"
The camera pans to me with one fist up returning the phrase, before turning back to Bokuto and the reporter. The reporter asked, "So Bokuto, what are your thoughts on Fukurōdani's female middle blocker, Zara Mac?"
His smile still plastered to his face as he looks down on the court, "I love her."
I freeze, while Bokuto's head drops beside me and sounds from the teams started around us. Gags from the girls. A few Snickers and laughs from coaches and managers, hooting at out burst from the boys, who felt the need to grab Bokuto's shoulders, shaking him.
On screen Bokuto's eyes snapped wide for a moment of panic that he tried to brush away. He turned to face the reporter saying, "I mean, I am very proud of the work Baby - I mean Zara has been putting into the game. She is an extremely dedicated player and I am honored to share a school with her." He cleans it up just fine but behind him, I see Uncle Kaoru snickering.
Real-time Bokuto dropped his hand between his, lacing his fingers with mine.
On screen, the reporter smiles smugly, "Just so we are clear. This relationship between you and Mac is serious?"
"Yes," Bokuto nods.
"And what about after high school?"
"We both have been accepted into North Carolina University in the United States and plan to attend there and continue playing volleyball. But before that, we both plan to send Fukurōdani home as double national champions for this year."
The news spent some time talking about the female team and clips played from our game as they mentioned the long rallies and the skill level being shown on the court.
When our broadcast time was over coach called, "Bokuto, way to redirect the interview to get back to talking about the team."
"Yeah, good job," A first year teased.
And Bokuto muttered, "At least I got an interview."
Hina puts a hand up saying, "Coaches, don't you believe it's distasteful to display this… This whatever, on national tv?"
"Normally, yes. But this is drawing more attention to the school and honestly, more attention to the event as a whole. People are turning in just to see Mac and Bokuto and broadcasters know that, so Fukurōdani has had far more screen time than ever before! We're losing a lot of great seniors this year. We need this to attract strong players to our school, to hold up the legacy you guys are building. So. I say, give the cameras what they want."