The Flyer

CHAPTER 20

Cc: First Challenge

VALYRA.

To be careful with my words isn't something I usually think of, but today I could barely do the usual competitive banter. I didn't mention that today's our first mock trial as a group. We're supposed to go against a group from a nearby town who isn't part of whatever rivalry quadrangle we're stuck in.

Our boys are playing against theirs too.

"We got this," I told the girls.

"What if we don't win?" Kat asked, looking surprisingly vulnerable and unfocused.

Marquesa nudged me from behind and whispered, "She gets really nervous before these things."

Jessa nodded hesitantly. "She may or may not mess up too."

"Unintentionally, though," Annie quickly quipped.

The three of them looked embarrassed and guilty that it almost bothered me, but of course it didn't. I can't think badly of my teammates. They were probably just scared or trying to protect their captain's pride, and I can get that in a sense.

I gave them a stern look and told the rest of the girls to go change and warm up.

"Kat."

She kept facing forward and refused to look at me.

"Kat, come on."

"Did the girls tell you?" Her voice was neither trembling nor calm, but rather lifeless. An outsider would barely notice that she was nervous by the way she was standing so confidently.

I sighed. "Yeah, they did. I don't care, okay? Just make sure you do your best and try to have fun."

I really didn't care. Winning is not as special to me if it wasn't attained with wholehearted spirit. I've experienced empty winning before when I was in freshman to sophomore year and as much as we deserved it, I didn't feel anything and it didn't make me happy. It felt too... routine. Like, here goes another win. Surprise, it's us. Sometimes it won't be us and it's just shrugged off with the lecture on what to fix like we're a game that just needed updates. 

Finally, she turned to me with teary eyes. "Why are you the flyer?"

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow at her. It wasn't the time to pick a fight with me.

She widened her eyes to let her tears dry and asked again in a low voice. "Why are you the flyer?"

I decided to humor her. "Because I was best at lessening the weight when it came to stunts."

She eyed me weirdly. "I see," she said after a while. "I thought it was because you were liked and the ideal star of the show... But I'm not trying to provoke you. I'm saying this because that's the reason I get nervous. That's how I was chosen." She looked upset enough.

I grinned at her and gave her a pat on the back. "Don't worry. We both know I'm the star this time."

She was about to say more but I pulled her with me. "Hold on. Let's talk by the benches later." We might get late and set a bad example after all.

She followed along like she was being dragged but silently got ready and sat down on the bench beside me.

"Are you afraid of upsetting others or not being able to maintain yourself?" I asked casually, while glancing around to make sure the other girls were already nearby and prepared.

"Both, I think."

"Did you see the ice cream shop earlier?" I proceeded, sure she'd feel better. "I'm treating y'all later no matter what."