"What do you mean?", [Name] asked.
"Give me a chance to get your trust", the boy explained. "I know you won't trust me out of nowhere so let me show you that I deserve your trust, and open up to me a little bit".
A silence followed and the girl's pent up mumble could be heard.
"Why would I agree?", she asked, but it wasn't a voice of refusal - rather of a hesitation.
"Because you want it", Oikawa replied confidently.
And [Name] couldn't really deny it. The sole fact that she was standing there with the boy and saying all of this was a clear evidence that she was desperately yearning for some contact with the outer world. But after all these years of isolation it was hard for her to simply agree to Oikawa's proposition.
As she already managed to calm down a little bit, she moved back with remorseful expression on her face.
"I'm sorry to make you see me in such a state", she said, wiping down her tears.
"I'm happy you let me know your true feelings", the boy answered with a light smile.
"But tell me", [Name]'s voice was more confident than before, she even tried to smile, even though it turned out to be a little bit awry, "why did you notice me?"
Suddenly, Oikawa recalled the bet he made only few days ago. He felt guiltiness overflowing him as he peeked at the girl awaiting his answer just after she stopped crying because of him. A cold sweat formed on his forehead, but, of course, he couldn't say how he got interested in her.
"To be honest...", he started, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "At first I thought that you were pretty so I decided to try picking you up", he said, a light blush flowing on his cheeks. "But when I started talking to you, I kind of... got really interested in you. In why you're so withdrawn even though you're pretty, clever, and kind".
He wasn't sure if [Name] would believe in it, but what he said wasn't fully a lie. He really got curious about the girl who seemed to be different than all his fangirls. He peeked at her and saw a light blush on her face as well.
"I-I see...", she replied, avoiding the boy's look. "Thanks for being honest", she added and Oikawa felt a pang of conscience once again.
"So do you agree? Do you want to be friends?", he asked.
"Yes", she answered and smiled at him brightly.
For a moment, Oikawa's heart stopped. This smile... It was different than all the smiles she sent him until now. It was honest. And full of hope.
She just let herself trust somebody. This one last time.
"Iwa-chan, you won't believe what happened!", Oikawa's excited voice clashed through Iwaizumi's phone.
"What? Another girl confessed to you?", his friend replied indifferently.
"If I was calling you everytime a girl confesses to me you wouldn't have time to rest", the chocolate haired boy hummed to the speaker.
"I already have no time to rest with you, Shittykawa", Iwaizumi riposted.
"Mean, Iwa-chan!", Oikawa whined. "Do you remember this girl-"
"I'm ringing off", his friend chimmed in.
"I told you it's not that!", the boy pouted. "The girl from yesterday", he explained.
"Ah, the one from the bet?", Iwaizumi asked.
"Y-Yeah, this one", Oikawa replied, suddenly feeling awkward about the bet.
"What's with her?"
"I convinced her to be friends with me!"
"And?", Iwaizumi didn't understand his friend's enthusiasm.
"She's so withdrawn, you would never imagine! And yet she trusted me, isn't it amazing?", Oikawa continued.
"You're getting too deeply into this bet, Oikawa", Iwaizumi said with a sigh. "Do you realise that if she falls in love with you, you would have to break her heart eventually?"
For a moment there was a silence.
"I won't hurt her", Oikawa said and with those words, he rang off.
[Name] was lying on her bed, deep in thoughts.
It's been a while since she opened up to somebody. Should she have done that? Was it really okay to break these promises she had made with herself?
Never trust anybody.
Never expect anything from anybody.
These two resolves were the very foundation of her present self. What would happen if she broke them? What would remain from her?
And above all, what would she do if she was hurt once again?
No, she shouldn't think about it. She already made her decision and all that was left was to stick to it.
Oikawa...
The boy she was quietly observing all this time was now her friend. She always admired him, but she never really believed that they would have anything in common with each other. She didn't even count on it. The way she viewed him was completely different from the way other girls viewed him. Instead of fighting for his attention, she would rather observe his moves from hiding. And, of course, she knew how handsome he was, but it wasn't the main reason for her to be amazed by him.
It was his passion for volleyball. The way he was acting on the court and the way he was acting in school were two different things. His determination, his will to keep getting better, his strive for more - these were the things [Name] admired.
And maybe these were the things which made her agree to open up to him.