Forbidden Protege

Ch. 4: Friend and Foe (Part 2)

Alexia clenched her jaw.

"Can you believe her? She's almost late to practice on her first day."

"She would have been if the coach hadn't been late. And what was up with that lame excuse?"

"Did she really think we'd buy that bullshit of waking up at 4?"

"Seriously. I bet she was just trying to show off to Miyuki. You know girls are always after him."

Alexia closed her eyes forcefully and counted to five, tuning out their conversation. She took a deep breath and gripped the handle of her shower bag tight, her nails digging into the fabric. She evened out her expression and took measured strides around the side of the building and passed the two boys. She caught the flash of surprise across their faces as they saw her, but she didn't react. She kept her pace steady and gave each of them a small smile, trying to not show hostility. Whether they came out as smiles or snarls, she wasn't sure. Then she squared her shoulders and walked away, just catching the last bit on their conversation.

"Do you think she heard us?"

"Of course not. If she had, she wouldn't have smiled at us."

Apparently she did manage to smile.

She kept her pace steady, refusing to let herself flee from the boys as she made her way around another corner and to her room. She opened the door and shut it gently. Then her patience snapped.

"Fucking pieces of shit. What the fuck do they know? I showed up. I was there and I worked my fucking ass off. Who the fuck are they to-?" Alexia cut herself off as she slammed her fist on her desk. No. She had promised herself she wouldn't let people get to her. She had spent the last year managing her anger but her screw ups from before still haunted her. All it took was losing her temper once and then she'd be known for it.

She took a deep, shaky breath. She let her hands wander over all of her earrings. A small silver droplet, a ruby stud, a gold hoop, and silver stud were on her left ear. A blue stud, tiny gold flower, silver ball, black stud, and emerald stud were on her right. Alexia knew they didn't match in the slightest, but she didn't care. They were from her teammates, her family, and no way in hell was she going to ever forget them.

She took another deep breath before stooping to pick up her shower bag and towel. Once her things were put away she turned to the mirror and smoothed out her school uniform. She smoothed out the gray skirt, glad that either no one cared she wore black shorts underneath, or no one knew. She wasn't actually sure if it was against the rules, but if she had won the war over her earrings, she was sure she'd win this one too.

She slipped on her school shoes and slung her school bag over her shoulder before leaving her room. She shut her door and hurried down the stairs and through the dorms towards the school, hoping she didn't run into another whispered conversation. Just as she neared the dorm gates, she saw the group of third years. Jun, Tetsu, Ryosuke, and Tanba were walking together and Alexia made a mental note that the four of them were always hanging out.

"Good morning," Alexia called to them, flashing them a smile. The group turned and watched as she approached. Tanba greeted her and Tetsu nodded at her with a smile.

"You cut it awfully close this morning," Ryosuke purred to Alexia. "I was wondering if maybe you had wimped out on us."

Alexia smirked and narrowed her eyes at the older boy. "Like hell would I. What I said to Miyuki was true. I had gotten up early for some personal practice and lost track of the time."

Jun scoffed. "I heard some of the guys sayin' you claimed you were up at 4. Boasting isn't gonna get you anywhere here."

Alexia huffed. "It was 4:45 for starters," she corrected. "And I wasn't boasting. Miyuki had asked me why I was already sweating and then we were joking later." Alexia heard the edge in her own voice and was hopefully she wouldn't get flack for it. She wasn't trying to tick off her seniors, but she also didn't give a shit for age superiority. It was harder to walk that line than she had anticipated.