Her Captain, The Gamemaster

An Ally Or A Liability?

I make a right turn to come face to face with my friend having a crisis on the floor.

Huh.

'I'm not going to ask anymore,' I think to myself before walking over to Soo-ah.

You good? I send.

No. She replies telepathically.

Want help?

What type?

I see her smirk and I blink at her with my monotone expression before sending her another look.

Either I leave your ass here or you say 'yes please,' and shut up.

She looked at me, sweat dropping a little before standing up and moving out of my way. I brush off some dust on the back of her skirt and begin stacking her textbooks.

These are all from the first semester.

She rubs the back of her head and laughs.

I probably should've have cleaned it out a while ago...

 I give her a small glare but I continue dusting off a familiar Law module filled with messy notes and doodles in the laminated margins. The two of us finished her textbooks and stuff pretty quickly so the rest of Soo-ah's stuff can be packed after break.

Speaking of which, the bell is supposed to ring in 5, 4, 3, 2...

RING. RING. RING.

The nearby students let out sighs of relief, dusted their hands and walked to the cafeteria. Now that the corridor was empty, you could only see boxes and open lockers and a bunch of trash lying around.

I walk over to my small box which contained all my belongings and picked it up, checking the weight. It's not particularly light especially with all my books for English Lit., but it's acceptable and well-packed so it doesn't make any noises when shaken.

Perfect.

 I place it up against my locker again and grab my bag to take out a small plastic bag and a sharpie as well as a small white lined square sheet

I uncapped the pen and was about to begin writing when I felt a familiar annoying triplet tap my shoulder. I turn to see Esme, Wren and Isla peering over my shoulder. 'Whatcha doing, captain?' they asked in sync.

I say nothing and start writing out a small note, ignoring the whispers behind me. Once I finish I staple the note to the small white bag which I hang on the bag hook. I then turn back to my teammates and walk past them, leaving them watching my retreating back as I pick up my schoolbag, slinging it onto my left shoulder. 'A note. For the next occupant of this locker,'

'ReAlLy?' asked one of the triplets behind me. I think it's Isla.

I give the slightest nod and motion to them to look if they want. I sense Annie taking the cute white bag out and looking inside. 'Wow~, how thoughtful of you, captain,'

Inside the bag, I had put stationery such as bull clips, pens and a spare USB and some snacks such as instant noodles, instant coffee, tea bags and other snacks I'm fond of. All of them last until February next year.

Most public schools in Japan end on March 31st and start April 1st and holidays after each semester but Takeshima follows the XinShan calendar like all it's institutions so school starts beginning of September and ends in mid-July.

Today is Thursday 17th July, 2014. I was born on the 14th February, 2000. Right now, I am 14 years old. I am finishing middle school. I begin high school in 46 days.

I snap out of my thoughts to turn back to my teammates.

Let's go.

As if they understand me, they grab their bags from the floor and we head to the cafeteria which was filled with third-years, all tired from cleaning. The juniors will clear their lockers tomorrow. Lucky them.

I see a few people heading back to eat in their classrooms but I head to somewhere else. My teammates followed me up the elevator, heading to level 8, from where I took a flight of stairs and open the only door.

I was greeted by the frosty wind flowing through my hair and I opened my eyes to admire the beautiful sun, emerging from behind the clouds to gaze upon it's planet. I sense the eyes of my teammates do the same and I walk over the our usual spot. We sit against a stack of old crates, none of which are being used, unless you count the triplets hiding their stuff, and I climb to the highest one, to get a better view.

I look down at the five girls who were seated randomly on the crates, taking out food from their bags and I smile to myself.

A little over two years ago, I introduced Annie and the triplets to this special spot. No matter where I go, I will always find the roof. After all, it has the best view.

It was right after we had won nationals for the first time and we were finally syncing up after a year of 'communication'. Annie had become one of the top 5 spikers, I earned my best Libero award, an MVP award and Soo-ah had become nationally recognized as one of the top 10 setters in the country. Our blockers had become national icons, known for their synchronization and being frustratingly quick-witted, winning several 3v3 street tournaments.

In our first year as middle schooler, we had already surpassed national standards. It's a shame that we won't play together forever but that's not gonna stop me from pushing forward.

I take out an earbud and placed it into my left ear, hearing the soft beginning beats of Fireflies by NCT Dream as Soo-ah stuffed a milk bread into my mouth from the crate below me. I toss her the right earbud and she places it into her ear and leans backwards, easing into the beat.

I'm not going to ever forget you guys, am I? No matter how hard I try, we'll always haunt each other with our happiest memories, right?

I sigh, half-glad at these true friends I made, half-sad knowing I'll have to let them go.

I can't afford to be weak right now. I can't afford to be weak ever.

I tell myself all this, yet I can't help thinking back to that one year, where I made the best friends I'll ever have.