One, two butterflies

Chapter 6

Basketball try outs were filled with tall girls she had never seen before. She felt small upon stepping foot inside the gym. All the faces were unfamiliar to her. Throughout her day all she could think about was despising herself for not being able to say a simple no to the older girl. Chaeyoung was nervous the closer she got to the girls, her heart was pounding. This was an unfamiliar feeling to her, such anxiousness and yet, it made her feel alive.

She walked to the gym alone after changing into some sweatpants. Chaeyoung didn't see the older girl all day long, she even stuck around before going out with her friends for lunch in case she found Mina. And then she heard the familiar voice behind her.

"Oh Chaeyoung!" She beamed walking with Ryujin, "You came"

I regret it. "I did"

"You got me a basketball buddy" Ryujin smiled while looking at the girl, "This is going to be fun. Come on let's go"

She pulled Chaeyoung by her left wrist causing her to immediately pull away and hold it in her hand. There was no pain as she had expected, no throbbing wrist like she had waited for. Mina noticed she reacted the same as when she had pulled her wrist at the harvest festival.

"Woah, sorry dude. Didn't mean to hurt you"

"It's fine" Chaeyoung sighed letting go of her wrist.

"I'm going to stay for a bit" Mina says following them to the bleachers. "Good luck"

The two girls were shorter than more than half of the team. But unlike Chaeyoung, Ryujin didn't feel so small. She had been the star shooting guard for two years in a row now. It was the position she had been playing since sixth grade. All of the girls here knew her.

"Yo! Ryujin" A girl with a high messy ponytail approached them.

"Heejin!" She smiled wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders, "This little one is Chaeyoung"

Little one? The fuck am I even doing here?

"Ahh Chaeyoung" Heejin slowly said her name raising her chin as she looked at the shorter girl, "Youre the one that never shows up, huh? What makes you think you can do a sport?"

"Hey hey" Ryujin calmly stepped in front of her, "Tone it down a bit, she's new"

Heejin scoffed, "A junior who's new? Come on now. I don't want her messing us up this season."

The girl wanted to say something, she wanted to take her down on the floor and beat her up. But she didn't. Instead she tightened her first and told herself breathe. Heejin's words had been taken heavily. Chaeyoung had always been sensitive to what others had to say yet never showed it.

"Can you drop it?" Mina quietly spoke up.

"Alright ladies!" The gym coach suddenly called out, "Every player on the bleachers where I can see you.... Wow. We are a bit short"

Tryouts started as any other practice would. The girls jogged a lap and stretched. Chaeyoung couldn't believe herself, she was completely out of breathe. Even if she wasn't so fond of Ryujin, she stuck by her side. On the bleachers, Mina sat and observed Chaeyoung. She noticed the girl wore long sleeves even though she was exercising, she noticed everyone wore basketball shoes and she wore converse. The main thing she noticed was the way Chaeyoung seemed so uncomfortably tired.

My fucking god. Why did I agree to this?

The next thing they did was dribble the ball. Chaeyoung had absolutely no experience yet easily got the hang of it. She dribbled up and down the court as if she had done it a million times before. The sound of the ball filled her ears as if her favorite melody.