Her Captain, The Gamemaster

Going Home

~Back to Present~

I walk out of the bathroom with my eyes still closed. I walk over to the kitchen countertop and I run my hand over the marble, smiling. I hear Soo-ah walking down the stairs in her pajamas. Our matching pajamas.

Two years ago, she gave me these to match with her. She outgrew hers ages ago so she bought another and another and another. Somehow I haven't grown much in the past two years.

Two years ago, she created the playlist that runs through my head 24/7. The same playlist with the same songs we both love, the same memories of making it and the secrets we shared listening to it.

Two years ago, we both moved out across a whole ocean before we even turned 13, before we even began to understand the majority of our decisions.

We had no idea that we would win nationals. Never even thought that we would last a chance. But we did. Once, twice, three times, we've won nationals. Playing the same game that united the two of us.

I open my eyes to look over to a large glass display shelf where the three trophies used to stand. I walk over to it and run my hands over the top shelf. I look at all the other medals, awards, trophies that the two of us have amassed over the past three years.

I spot my three 'Best Libero' awards and Soo-ah's two 'Best Setter' awards. I see several MVP of the match trophies with our names on it and 2 'Best Player' awards with my name on it. I look at  all the medals and trophies from outside-of-school tournaments.

'What are you looking at?' I hear her voice from behind me.

'Nothing,' I 'say' to her.

'Sure it's nothing,' she rolled her eyes, ignoring my silent lie. 'You're gonna miss this place, huh?'

'Yeah,' I feel a lump in my throat and I'm suddenly glad I don't have to talk but she sees it.

'You don't have to keep looking ahead all the time. There's nothing wrong with looking back or having regrets,'

'I don't regret anything. Giving the school the trophies seemed right,'

'Aye aye captain. I trust you. The whole team trusts you and so does our managers and teachers. What about all these ones then? And all the ones we left in Guangzhou from Elementary?'

'They belong to us, don't they?'

'Of course they do. Just wanted to know what you're gonna do with them, that's all,'

'I'm probably going to send it back to China to put it on the shelf as all our Elementary ones. You want to put it there too? After all, they are yours as well,'

I see her smile a little.

'Of course I do, Li-ah. We're a pair. We belong together,' I read her expression and I internally smile.

'Yeah, we do,' I whisper, admiring the life we've made together. 

We stay like that for a few minutes, just reminiscing our joined past. Our first encounter, the countless hours of teaching, the endless hours of practicing, sleeping over at my grandma's house and all the times we've went out in the morning just to get boba tea and arriving home late at night for no particular reason.

I breathe in and breathe out.

Closing my eyes, I walk up the stairs to my room, which was filled with books and closets bursting with duvets. My grandma always insists on giving me more blankets and extra sheets. I look at my bed which had 7 layers of blankets neatly folded under my pillow. I prepare my bed into a more comfortable position and look at the rectangular white clock next to me.

9:27pm.

About 3 minutes until she barges into my room.

I get off my bed to pack a few things into some moving boxes. The two of us still don't know where we want to go for high school but I know that both of us have already received scholarships and other programs. I'm not surprised. Soo-ah has worked hard to make it into class 7 with me. She excels at Language Arts and many subjects but her biggest weakness is Math which is a shame seeing as Math requires the most logical thinking. It suites her though. I've always had good marks in all my subjects except Chemistry and Biology.

I feel shivers down my spine at the mention of those two subjects. 'Duck them,' I think.

'I don't need them. Biology is disgusting and it's not necessary to understand ALL living organisms. Like what the hell is Ms Somatora teaching this for anyway. And chemistry is just irrelevant. Because I definitely need to know that my pencil has 1127 protons of whatever,' I grumble to no one is particular.

'I've commit the whole periodic table to memory and I still don't see it's use. Out of the three sciences, Physics is by far the most logical,' I carry on thinking about random things as I open up another cardboard box to stuff my many many duvets into. But just as I finally close the box-\

'LIIIII,' I look up to see my noisy roommate, the movement causing me to accidentally let go of the bursting box. 'Haha, you need help?' she offers, laughing.

'What type of help?' I ask with a monotone expression.

'I'm a bad choice for therapy but I can definitely help your short ass pack some shit,'

I grumble in agreement and I grab the tape-roller while Soo-ah holds down the box. 'Damm, I forget sometimes that Grandma sent over so much of these duvets. How much more do you have left?'

'3. I did them all the others throughout the past 2 weeks,' I answer, taping the box. With Soo-ah's help, I finish packing all my blankets and duvets. I begin to pack my drawers from my desk, putting them into separate containers.

'You're so organised, Li-ah,' I hear her sit down on top of the box. 'All my stuff is thrown around randomly inside the boxes.

I turn to her with a worried look and she giggles.

'You did leave out the things you'll use before we leave, right?' I ask her.

'Yepp, in a separate suitcase and backpack. Just like you said,'

'Good. We graduate soon but we won't leave back for Guangzhou until Sunday,' Today was Wednesday. And we graduate in 2 days.

'You're nervous, Li. I see you shaking,'

I'm not shaking at all. I turn to her, raising an eyebrow.

'Shaking in a theoretical sense,'

I roll my eyes mentally and I sit on one of the other boxes to face my roommate. 'You ready to go back to Guangzhou?' she asks me.

'Of course. I miss it so so much,' I smile, whispering my words.

'I know you do. You talk more in Taishan than you do anywhere else,'

I press play on my speaker and I hear the guitar strums of Memories by Maroon 5 play.

'I'm ready to go home,'

Author's Note:

another piece of crap for you guys 🥰. tbh i think this is more painful for me to write than for you all who are reading this.

thxx.