Her Captain, The Gamemaster

If You Knew Her

'Were you ever gonna play us like that?'

I stop. My emotions were back in control and my eyes were fixed back to their normal dazy and tired stance as I open my mouth to reply.

'Does it matter?'

I feel a shocked aura come from Annie. 'Of course it matter,'

'How so?' it came out like a whisper.

'You're our captain. You trained us and helped us hone our skills. You carried us and pushed us to nationals. I can't count the amount of times we've lost to you. So you ask how?'

She took a breath and I flinch unknowingly.

'Are you aware of how much we look up to you?!? Are you aware of how everyone admires you?!? How much we would LOVE to be like you?!?' she yells.

My eyes widen at these words and I spun around, the streetlights reflecting in my eyes. I feel a fire burn inside me but it was one completely opposite to my usual competitive flame. 

This was anger.

'WELL, THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM, OK?!?' I yell, completely losing my cool.

'YOU SEE WHAT I CAN DO, NOT HOW I EARNED IT. YOU MUST THINK 'WOW, SHE HAS SUCH A NICE LIFE',' I continue, my voice strong and rebellious. 'BUT I DON'T. I'VE WORKED SO HARD TO BECOME WHAT I AM AND IF YOU THINK I WAS JUST BORN LIKE THIS AND GIFTED UNFAIRLY-,'

I take a deep breath.

'Then you are disrespecting everything about me,'

'Academics, sports, everything. None of it was handed to me on a silver plate. I've worked harder than you can imagine to earn them rightfully,'

There was a pause as I took in what I had just said. I open my mouth to apologize but my voice was broken and dry. 

It's too late.

'Let's face it,' I whisper. 

'We're too different,'

~Timeskip~

*Soo-ah's POV*

No matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about it. She's been indifferent all her life and I've adapted and grown fond of that. But these past few days have been throwing me like a lone sock in a washing machine.

She was crying not that long ago about graduating, the next day she's the happiest I've ever seen her and then she completely shut us out.

I'll be the first to admit that it was a fault on our behalf for pushing her like that but she's been closed off all her life.

Li has this philosophy that no one was born with a purpose. They just find something they want to do and do it. For her, no one is born meant to do something. Everyone has something special about them but it may not correlate to what they love.

For Li, she was born with these eyes that understood everything and the flexibility and reflexes of a cheetah. They had nothing to do with what she loved - volleyball - but she adapted with the use of hard work.

I think to the words she told us yesterday when she blew a fuse.

~Flashback~

It was after the party and Li slammed her bedroom door in anger. The rest of my teammates just calmed down and I then shared Li's story with them.

I think it was there, where they finally understood Li.

A few hours later, our captain came out of her room and it was nearing 3am. She sat down on the carpet where we huddled and took a breath before looking at us through her circle lens.

It took us a minute to understood the message in her eyes but we got it eventually. We relaxed into a smile and knew it was better. We may have cried and yelled but we were better now. 

We them bunched up on the carpet in front of the couch and just watched some movies. Well, technically, we were too tired to actually process anything happening so we just stared at the screen. Eventually Annie broke the silence.

'You don't have to do the things you don't want to do, Li,' she said, her eyes focused on the TV.

I turned to the girl whose legs I was in between. I tilt my head back to look at her but she just shrugged.

'There will always be someone better and stronger. It's unsettling for me. I don't like the idea of being weak so for me, I prefer just watching people, seeing who really is my competition,'

'In volleyball, your teammates are your enemies as well as your allies. You want to get stronger because of them. They encourage you,'

'You guys weren't the competition I was searching for,'

There was a pause but the triplets and Annie nodded. 

'That makes sense,' 

I smile.

Li has always been a competitive person but most people don't see that because she's never not at the top.

'If only they knew the girl who would die for her family,'

~Back To Present~

I stand proudly in my graduation robe feeling a tad bit insecure but I stay smiling, posing cutely for pictures.

All the other clubs had already been called out except ours. Screw volleyball for starting with a V. (NUGA NAREUL MAGADO)

On the cue, our team walks up and we hear a loud applause. The volleyball team was well-known across the school and we had plenty of friends and even more juniors celebrating us.

I spot several juniors that Li tutored as well as members of our school's new team. The principal begins to call out our names and I know that I will be called second-last as vice-captain.

Annie goes first and I clap for her, cheering.

Then the three triplets' (was that neccessary? how many else triplets would there be smh) names were called and I whistle for them, earning a laugh.

Then it was my turn.

'Jung Soo-ah,'

I walk across to the principal who shook my hand and I turn to the audience.

'Vice-captain of the volleyball team, regular for three years,'

I bow as they begin to list my achievements, tuning it out.

The spokesperson lady finally shut up as the vice-principal handed me my diploma. There was a loud applause as I walked across the stage, standing next to Isla.

'The leetle mice finally got to the cheese?' she said in a mocking baby voice.

'Shut up,' I roll my eyes at her, making them laugh but I was more focused on something else.

'Tang Liling,'

Author's Note:

aye shawty

as promised, i have a crappy update for yall. why they call soo-ah mice will be explained later on.

also im thinking of doing smth special like a oneshot for my ocs or smth??? 

lemme know ur opinions 

thxx.