Lean On Me (Chaelisa)

1| Go Team!

"AND TAKING THE FIELD RIGHT NOW, GIVE IT UP FOR OUR VERY OWN TEAM!" boomed the announcer. "THE TITAN TIGERS!"

"Tigers! Tigers! Tigers!" chanted the crowd enthusiastically as the team clad in crimson and yellow sporting streaks of black paint on their cheeks thundered out on to the field, waving at the crowd who were cheering and yelling, excitement reaching fever pitch.

"WILL OUR HEROES MAKE THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR?"

"TIGERS! TIGERS! TIGERS!" everyone screamed.

One lone girl wasn't singing or chanting as she cautiously made her way down the bleachers, clutching a sketchpad to her chest. Pleased to find an empty front row spot near the stairs with enough light, she settled in her seat and swept her flowing blonde hair over her shoulders before pulling out a pencil and casting her eyes over the scene in front of her.

There was much to take in. Football season had officially opened with much fanfare and the whole college had been abuzz. Crimson banners bearing a ferocious feline logo hung in the hallways in support of the women's team, the Titan Tigers. Even the Arts Department was rife with speculation, as students and teachers alike hotly debated the odds of the women team finally taking the league after twenty years.

The blonde was probably among the few who was mildly lost amidst the football mania that swept through campus and the fan frenzy that erupted overnight. She wasn't a sporty person at all, could barely toss a ball straight to save her life, but curiosity got the better of her and she decided to check out this first match.

She had never been to a live game before and hardly knew anything about rules, save for some garbled lingo she caught when her father and sister used to watch matches on TV, but the buzzing atmosphere around her was infectious.

The announcer's voice echoed all around them, with banners of the Tigers and their opposing team assaulting her eyes. People were either wearing casual clothes or else decked out in full Tigers' regalia, complete with headbands and posters, screaming their support.

She smiled, taking it all in. Her interest lay elsewhere-the sculpted athletic bodies on the pitch were the perfect anatomical studies she needed for her homework assignment.

Her critical eye roved over several players as they stretched and gathered around their coach, some laughing, some bantering or going through pre-game drills. They had their helmets in their hands, arms wrapped with tape and cleats kicking up dirt as they talked amongst themselves.

One in particular caught her eye, a tall jock with a loud voice like a foghorn wearing the number 3 on her shirt.

She was one of the taller girls, her black ponytail sailing behind her as she moved from side to side, unable to stay still. She laughed with the rest of her teammates, pulling faces at her opponents nearby. The girl had an easy laugh, her eyes shining with keen energy. A notable feature was her broad forehead that complemented her round nose.

The blonde quickly started sketching the players, her steady hand moving fluidly over paper as lines connected and flowed, following the figures' movements. She stuck out her tongue as she drew, concentrating fiercely to nail down the poses because this was going into her portfolio and she needed to show top notch work.

"Whoa!"

She leaped back in shock as a hulking shadow loomed over her, blotting out the spotlight.

"That's really good!" exclaimed the Tigers player, leaning on one knee as she stretched to check out the drawing. She looked up, grinning, making the girl catch her breath.

It was the football player that had caught her attention on the pitch, No.3, and now she was all up in her face.

"Oh-h thanks! Just...sketching," the blonde stammered out, clutching the sketchpad to her chest and hoping to goodness she wasn't blushing.

The other girl looked at her curiously. "I've never seen you here before."

"You remember every single face?"

No. 3 gave a roguish laugh, one that probably had people swooning at her feet.

"I wouldn't forget a pretty face, that's for sure," she grinned, eyes twinkling. "What's your name?"

The flirting tone didn't go unmissed but No. 3 was magnetic, her smile warm and easy-going, and it felt so natural to be talking with her that Chaeyoung didn't mind at all. "I'm Chaeyoung. I guess it's obvious I'm not a sports person."

She had always been rather intimidated of the loud jocks, male and female, that passed by in packs on their way to gym or the field, muscular arms and legs carrying them in a stampede that cleared everyone from their path, lest they carried you off with them in a great furore of noise.

"Guess it's up to me to change your mind, then!" No.3 winked.

Before Chaeyoung could come up with a witty retort, the blast of a whistle startled them both.

"Get your ass back here! We're about to start!" yelled someone from her team.

"That's Jisoo, gotta run," said No. 3 with a rueful grin. "See ya!"

"Good luck," Chaeyoung said. The girl beamed and tipped her head before jogging away.

On sudden impulse, Chaeyoung cupped her hands to her mouth. "Wait! I didn't get your name!" she called.

The girl merely smirked over shoulder, brimming with a sense of confidence that Chaeyoung envied as the announcer boomed: "QUARTERBACK LALISA MANOBAN TAKES THE FIELD!"

Lalisa didn't look back again. She entered game mode as she pulled on her helmet and joined the rest of her teammates as they took their place on the pitch, shouting to each other. Chaeyoung couldn't understand a word above all the escalating noise of the spectators.

Lalisa Manoban. The campus sweetheart and resident heartthrob.

Everyone knew her name, even if they didn't know her face.

Everyone had heard about YG University's most prominent success story-how Lalisa Manoban made it to the college women's football team on a sports scholarship and scaled up the ranks of the team even as a freshman, breaking out like the star she was and helping the Tigers get closer to snatching the league than they had in twenty years.

Few people had anything bad to say about Lalisa Manoban, save for the jealous embittered few.

Chaeyoung smiled to herself, still replaying her brief conversation with the girl wearing the No.3 shirt.

With the blast of another whistle, the football zipped through the air and the players scattered.

The game had begun.

/

"THAT BRINGS THE SCORE TO 24-14 AND THE TIGERS TO THEIR FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON!" screamed the announcer jubilantly over an hour and a half later as the Titan Tigers whooped and cheered.

"We did it Lisa! We're off to a blazing start! High-five me bitch!" Jisoo hollered and Lisa hollered back, clapping hands and banging on people's backs to congratulate her hard-working team.

She knew she smelled like old socks and would have given tomatoes a run for their money, and also her hair looked like she stuck her hand in a socket, but Lisa didn't care at the moment.

The first match of the season was over and done with, and she felt on cloud nine.

Speaking of cloud nine...

Lisa turned to the bleachers with a victorious grin on her lips, searching for the familiar mass of fluffy blonde hair and shy smile. Her face fell when she noticed the empty seat at the front, with Chaeyoung nowhere to be seen.

Oh. She must have gotten bored.

A strange hollowness in her chest made the jock frown, but the feeling was soon swept aside as her teammates surged around her yelling like banshees and she joined in the celebrations.

But at the back of her head, Lisa wondered whether she would see the blonde again.