Sports Fest
2073 Words
Monday morning arrives sooner than I realized. I wake up past my usual time. I couldn't help it because my sleep is so good after the day of that exercise. After preparing my cute little rice cooker and water heater, I let them do their thing while I take a bath. My muscles are sore and it's hard to move around. I can't even reach my back to rub it with soap because I feel my muscles would tear. Then I had an urging feeling to satisfy myself by “giving myself a hand.”
Hah... Eli...
What the hell? Why am I- Well, technically, she gave me permission so.... No, no, no, no! Eli, get out of my mind.
Since I'm alone in my dorm, I don't bother to cover myself while doing things around after a bath. The curtains are closed as well as the door so I have no shame being bare and alone in here. I went for the closet and grab the clothes I'm supposed to wear today. They said we should wear plain red t-shirts. Luckily, I have one. After wearing my underwear, I wear my less stylish, old jeans. Lastly, the new sneakers that Eli bought me. I got a better look at it just now and I realize it's not all white but mixed with silver color. Everything on it looks original and would last longer.
Rice is ready and the water is boiling. I have a little kitchen here and it's only a small ledge with a butane gas stove, the rice cooker, sink, and the water heater. They're all I need to live. To save time, I decided not to cook but just open a sardine can to pair with my rice. It's not the best food there is but it's enough for me and I'm not much of a picky eater. I've been always like this since I was a child. I even mentioned I hate sweets and oily foods. Especially deep-fried chicken—I don't like it that much. I only eat this food if there's nothing else to eat. I'd rather have the chicken roasted than fried. While eating, I charge my phone and think about life.
What does it feel like to have a girlfriend? I guess I won't know until I have one. But I'm worried I might not have one. To remove this suffocating feeling in my chest that I feel every morning, I sigh.
I brush my teeth after eating and make sure I don't have a booger under my nose in the mirror or a lather on my face. That would be so embarrassing.
The morning air when I leave the building is refreshing. The jeepneys are filling with passengers while I just walk to school as usual. Most of the passengers are my schoolmates. They're ready for today. I kinda like this week because no class—yay! After our performance, I'll chill around and watch the games if I can. My friends have sports of their own except me. So, I'm on my own. They don't even need my support since they have other circles of friends to cheer for them.
The entrance is flooding with students and it took me quite a while to enter. It's 9 a.m. and the first performance for the dance cheer is starting. We're third and there are eight teams in total. I join my friends among our classmates as we wait. We waited here at the edge of the field for like twenty minutes before joining with other sections that belong to our team. Then we went to the center of the field to perform. All of us wearing red t-shirts.
It's so hot in here, my God!
After that, we all feel refreshed under the shade of trees at the edge of the field. “Wish you all, luck, dudes,” I tell my friends while giving them fist bumps.
Ian will be playing volleyball, Jude will be playing chess, John will play basketball, and Rick will be playing football. As I said, I'm the only one with no sports.
“Where will you go?” John asks me.
I answer, “Watch here and there and play with my phone while waiting for your games. You guys better win every game.”
“See you, dude,” says Jude, patting my shoulder before leaving.
Their games are starting soon so they can't waste time like me. Straight to the canteen, I bought something to drink. It's soda in a bottle with a straw to drink from it. I feel I need it to cool myself from the inside out. Alone at a single table near the window, I drink and play Genshin Impact with my phone, not minding others inside the canteen.
Then a message pops up on my screen. It's Eli. She says, “Where are you?”
Closing my game, I reply, “At the canteen.”
“Which canteen?”
“The smaller one.”
“Where the hell is that?”
“Right next to the field.”
“Okay. I'll be there after our dance.”
“What team are you again?”
“Yellow team.”
They're the 5th performers. I didn't reply back and just went back to my game. For about thirty minutes I waited, she comes in through the entrance of the canteen and spots me. She wears a plain yellow t-shirt and skinny jeans. I notice she's bringing a different bag. Its color is leathery black. Then she wears yellow sneakers. I bet those are new. Her face is full of sweat. She wipes it with her towel while putting her back on the chair on the opposite side of the table.
“Hang on,” she says, panting. Her face looks like she's dying. “I'll buy something to drink.”
“Okay,” I answer, waiting here patiently.
She comes back with the same drink I'm drinking. She already drank half of it even before sitting. “Argh!” she sighs, wiping the sweat off of her neck. “How do you Filipinos handle this heat?!!”
“It's not even the hottest time of day,” I remark.
“Yes, but a second more, I would've died because of heatstroke!”
“You'll get used to it.”
“I hope not or my skin will darken. Also, I wasn't supposed to be exposed to the sun because of my skin products. Thank goodness I remembered to put on sunscreen!”
Her worries are like that of a typical girl. I'm beginning to think that she's not a tomboy even though I know she's just doing this to keep playing her girlish character.
“So,” I speak. “did you join a sport?”
“Obviously, none. I'm a transfer student, remember?”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“How about you?”
“I-”
“Let me guess: None.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“I expected it comin'.”
“Did you play any sport before?” I ask.
“Yeah, I played softball when I was in high school in Korea.” She sips from her soda bottle and sighs. “It didn't last long though because we left Korea and moved back to Japan when I was just in my 2nd year. Sometimes, I play basketball but only to pass time.”
“Why do you guys move a couple of times?”
“Father was struggling to find a job in Japan after the company he was working in, got bankrupt.”
“I heard that it's hard ro find a job in Japan. Is it true?”
“I just told you,” she says, annoyed.
“Right... So, what is his job?”
“An architect but right now, he's freelance. He's near retirement but I can handle myself. I run a business or two.”
Business or two?!! “How can you handle it while studying?” I ask calmly, sipping my drink.
“I have people to watch over them while I study.” Then she smugs at me. “One of my businesses is a maid cafe in Japan. It's very popular there and...” She bites her lip (that's s*xy). “my employees are so... tasty.”
I look around and thank goodness no one heard it. I whisper, “Stop it, you sound like a s*xual predator.”
“If you want to, you can share them with me.” She smiles while sipping on the straw.
“No, thanks.”
“You're no fun,” she scoffs, looking to the side. Then we just look at our phones without talking to each other. After a minute or so, she says, “I almost forgot why I came to see you. Introduce me to Irene.”
“Introduce you? She might misunderstand.”
“Nah, it'll be okay. Just say we're friends and I'll do the rest.”
I sigh but say, “Okay.”
“Don't worry, I'll try to pull you into our conversation so don't waste this chance. And no phones or I will slam it onto the floor.” She threateningly points at my face. “You understand?”
Sh*t, I still have to collect primogems for the new character banner. This will slow me down. But... it's not more important than getting a girlfriend. “Okay,” I answer.
“So, let's go and find her.”
She finishes her drink so I finish mine too. We walk side by side along the pathway around the football field. The game is starting but it isn't Rick's game yet.
“Wait, I wanna see,” she says so we stop, buying me time to stall. I'll feel so uncomfortable if we find Irene. The delay was short-lived. After a minute, she says, “Let's go.”
While walking on the pathway covered by the shade of trees, other guys who spectate the football game, glance at her. She just looks straight ahead, not noticing them. Or maybe she does but she just doesn't mind them. I'm afraid to walk beside her for they will think that I'm her boyfriend and they'll think she has a low level of standard. I slow down to unmatch her pace.
“What are you doing?” she asks, looking above her shoulder.
“What do you mean?” I pretend I don't know.
“Why are you walking behind me?”
“It's nothing.”
“Tch, don't fool with me.” She grabs my arm and pulls me to walk by her side.
“Let go of me,” I tell her.
“Don't be a girl.”
“Just let go!” I pull my arm with force. We stop walking and she looks at me while I look to the side, shamefully.
“What's the matter with you?” She's furious.
“Nothing.”
“You definitely have a problem.”
“I don't! Just-”
“Let's talk somewhere else,” she says, looking around. I just notice that the people around us are looking.
Argh!! I made a scene! I'm pathetic!
She brings me away from the people and into the school building near the football field. There are no people here for a moment. The air is cool and our footsteps echo in the hallway. We climb up the stairs and watch the whole field from the parapet.
“Tell me what's wrong,” she says with a calm voice while leaning her side against the parapet, facing me.
My reason is ridiculous and I don't wanna tell her about it. “Nothing.”
“I've had enough of that word. Tell me, what's bothering you from walking beside me?”
I step away from the parapet then walk past her. “Let's just find Irene and-”
“No!” she yells, punching my shoulder.
“Ow!” I cry in pain. “What's wrong with you?!”
“I'm the one asking you that!”
“I told you, again and again, nothing!!”
“Are you just gonna go on and leave this unsettled just by saying your favorite word, ‘nothing’?!”
“It's not even a big deal and you're just making it bigger! You know what? Just leave me alone!”
- Writer
