The gym was filled to the brim with our school overflowing the student section. The only spots being open were the ones saved by the 2 tickets Tabby had bought a week before. The anticipation of the game building within her each passing day. The crowd was buzzing with excitement as the players warmed up.
I scanned Karasuno highschool's boys volleyball team. I had ignored these boys for a good majority of 3 years, and now my streak has ended at the second half of the 4th. Walking in I could fear the tension in the air, my nerves heightening and everyone's energy crackling with each step I took into the gym.
Tabby dragged me to our seats on the bottom row, we could practically touch the players, just as she wanted. She was particularly eyeing this one boy, who was playing around with another player before they were all called by their captain to practice dive rounds. Their captain was Daichi Sawamura, I've known him since freshman year Science, and he's proven himself to be an overall hardworking, determined, and honest guy. So what is he going to do with this team of restless monkeys?
As I'm staring down the team, I get patted down by Tabby who is overjoyed at the sight.
"DOLPHIN DIVES!! THEY'RE DOING THE THING!!!" she squeals as she leans over the barrier, I keep a hand down low just in case she starts to fall over, while I satisfy her request to look.
The boys are doing a drill where they throw themselves at the ground, I assume to keep the ball afloat and lower the risk of injury by trying to trick their brains and remove the fear of the fall. I see it as a protective measure but clearly Tabby sees it as a provocative blessing for her perverted senses.
Once the boys are done with their drills the game is about to start, the starters lay themselves in formation, while the others warm up the bench. Her favorite, a small ball of energy with an affinity for hair gel, runs over to his bag on the floor, placed conveniently right in front of our seats.
He takes a swig of water and she can't contain herself.
"Goodluck Noya!" she practically sings in her sweetest tone. Her smile is from ear to ear, as her cheeks flood with a pink tint. She's got it bad and he would be a fool to not notice. And I can't tell if he does or not, as he goes to respond to her with a thumbs up and a smile, before he is interrupted by his friend joining him in our space. He's a tall guy, maybe 5'10 or so, with a sharp smile and blue-gray eyes. It's hard to tell his natural hair color with the buzz, but one thing I can see is that he's definitely my age. An upperclassman with the aged team jacket to prove it.
"You ladies need something with our libero? Getting the girls huh Yuu.¨ he cackled loud and proud, patting a hand on the smaller one's shoulder, who responds with a confident "you know it Ryu".
"No, No just saying goodluck! You guys got this!" she responds, me choosing to sit silent and observe the new guy that just approached. Ryu? Is that what Nishinoya said?
"LUCK?" the taller one speaks in playful disbelief, " we don't need luck! We've got THAT little guy." he refers to the carrot-top ginger boy bouncing around the court, seemingly just excited to be here.
"And who is he? No offense..guy.. But I know nothing about you, your sport, or the ace in the hole you claim to have" I scoff, finally speaking up and questioning their credentials.
" You have a point, Im Ryunosuke Tanaka, wing spiker, this is Nishinoya Yuu our libero, and that little guy is our decoy, Hinata Shoyo." Tanaka introduces himself and the other two.
I look at him with a face of disgusted confusion, " i don't know any of those positions.." and I get a slap on the arm from Tabby telling me to be quiet before I offend them.
Tanaka doesn't seem to get offended though, not just yet. " Well keep an eye on us and learn. I'll make sure to play hard for you girls" he smirks as he walks backwards making his exit to the court. His friend, Nishinoya, joins him after thanking Tabby for her good wishes.
Tabby practically faints as they walk away, swooning at their every move. Me, on the other hand, I'm not impressed. Some cocky guy that assumes I'm going to fall at his feet, is not going to get past my attitude and glare. He wants me to watch him, fine, he better perform then.
The game begins as the whistle blows, our team starting off the game. I rely on Tabitha for the play-by-play terminology. Our setter, Kageyama Tobio, serves with a jump serve to launch the ball to the other side with a strong slap to its curvature. Tossing it in the air and running up to it, only to launch himself in the air to meet the ball halfway. The ball is slammed into their court bouncing off the fragile looking wrists of the other team's player.
This game looks more violent than their warmups. Barbaric even. What joy do they get out of thousands of bruises up their arms?
The ball bounces up and over the net inches away from the ground, Hinata throws himself at the ground diving to get the ball, but his fist is inches away from the contact point and the ball hits the ground. Just like that, the whistle blows and the ball is thrown back over, Hinata receiving encouragement and pats to the back.
I expected some acknowledgement from Tanaka seeing as he was speaking so well of his friend before this, but nothing. He's in the zone, stuck in the closed windows of the game.
The other team serves the ball and it volleys back and forth between the sides of the court before Kageyama sets it, pushing the ball up into the air lightly, he pushes it behind him as if he had a target. That's when Tanaka jumps up and slams the ball across the court to the other side. Cheering as the other team is left unprotected and the ball bounces off the floor and rolls off.
He turns and smacks down the hands of his teammates in a low-five. I can feel the energy radiating off of him as he hops in place trying not to exercise his bragging rights. He turns to me, and his beryl eyes meet mine with a wink and a nod. I scoff and turn to Tabby.
"Can you believe this guy?" I roll my eyes. But she can't hear me, she's far too enthralled in the eyes of the small smiling doofus she's been crushing on.
I detest this feeling in my stomach. I'm not one of those girls who reeks of school pride, but I'm also far from being desperate enough to want to entertain this guy's flirtatious nature.
I'm the kinda girl that's gonna knock his teeth in if he EVER winks at me again.
I hate those kinds of guys.
The ones that think that they have full control over you with a cheesy smile and a sports position on their name.
If I were being honest, I'd admit it's a shame Tanaka turned out to be that guy. He had potential, an attitude I liked. His confidence unrivaled. But it turns out that confidence comes from a place of douchebag.
The game continues and the team is doing fairly well, the first set being close to a tie. I find myself watching more closely. Looking at their bodies moving in sync, trying to disguise who it is that the setter is going to set the ball up for. But they've been giving it to Hinata this whole time, wouldn't it be obvious for them to give it to him again?
I'm watching their tactic play out, and I see a tall man on their team leap up and slam the ball down onto the bruised wrists of their rival's team member. This one was much stronger than Hinata, taller, and looked like a religious symbol waiting for his rebirth.
He seemed comfortable with the ball, like they were friends in grade school and went way back. He could control the target of his hard-hitting aggressions.
After bouncing off the wrists of the receiver, the ball flows right back into the air and in the hands of their setter, rising into the air and getting smacked down by their version of Hinata.
But unlike Hinata's spike, his isn't strong enough to get through the wall our players made to block him. Number 11 and Number 12 are there, hands up and looming over the net. The ball hits the floor, unable to be recovered in time. The spiker for the other team curses under his breath as #11 speaks,
" maybe you're not cut out for this?"He smirks, knowing his words always reach their mark, getting into people's heads.
They take the first set, and it isn't long before they take the second set too. I didn't know our volleyball team was this celebrated, people are going crazy.
The game ends and the boys turn off their game faces, it's almost an instant change. But watching them celebrate is almost..adorable.
The boys hop around and hug each other, Nishinoya struggling to stay on the ground and even the grumpy looking #9 is letting loose after the win. The boys line up and thank the other team for the game, shaking hands and bowing in appreciation. Tabby is overjoyed, really rooting for 'her boys'. Her eyes were fixated on Noya as he practically jumped over his friends. That's when he remembers he has an audience, one that's there just for him. He runs over to us, eyes meeting Tabby's with an ear to ear smile.