He Started It by Hitting on Me

Rematch

It was officially Senior Week at school. That meant no tests, not much work, and freedom. Today was Monday, the start of a new week. The school decided all the seniors were to have a thrilling game of dodge ball last period.
And the teams were divided between girls and boys.
Course, this meant that I would have to be hitting several girls to be able to win. I forgot to mention the winning team gets an ice cream-and-pizza party, all paid by the opposing team. Who knew my school could have such entertaining ideas? The rest of the guys and I (excluding Taemin) joined the other male seniors in the gym as we got out of the locker room. Some girls were already out, others were still prettying themselves for the game.
"So," Key began, leaning his hands on my shoulders behind me, "how was that date of yours?"
The butterflies from that day returned to my stomach, except it was out of happiness and not the dread of pissing my pants from being so nervous. A lopsided grin broke out my face. "It was really great," I replied.
"What did you guys do?" Key asked, nudging me slightly.
"Stuff..." I trailed off, uncomfortable explaining my date with Mi Young out loud.
"Come on, you , just tell me," Key urged on, nudging me harder in the ribs. I told him about the water gun and how we were soaked in water. I went on the details about our walk, seeing that was where things had really made me absorbed in thoughts of Mi Young all Sunday. I contemplated whether I should have called or messaged her, but ended up thinking I would be considered "clingy" or "obsessed". Or something like that.
"Whoa. That doesn't sound like you guys at all," Onew commented.
"They sound cheesy," Key added on, nodding.
"You should have seen them," Minho rolled his eyes, sighing.
My smitten, sickened-with-affection smile turned into a scowl. "Shut up. We're ing adorable. And Minho, you were more cheesy than I was." Key rolled his eyes, thumped my head with his hand, and told me they were just kidding.
"You think she enjoyed it?" Onew asked.
"I think she did. Otherwise she would have told me...I think," I mumbled the last part, my mind slightly on the fact she might have not enjoyed it like I did. If she didn't like it and I found out, you could call it a sad one-sided love.
"Don't worry, Jonghyun!" Key's hand waved carelessly. "She would have complained how horrible you were on the first date, but she didn't."
I raised my eyebrows, curiously attentive. "She talked about me?" I asked eagerly.
"No. Your tail's showing," he slapped my .
My shoulders fell as I rubbed my . "Why get my hopes up?" I muttered. Key leaned in forward and squeezed me in his arms.
"We could just ask her now, you know, and see what she really thought," he suggested. He let go of me and walked a few steps forward near the girls' side. "HEY, PARK MI YOUNG. KEY IS SPEAKING TO YOU." I followed Key's shout and had my gaze directed on a certain redhead whose back was turned.
Mi Young. A déjà vu moment started to cloud over my mind, the end of our date at the porch of her house. I called her by her name. I didn't call her by , for those of you who think that's really her name. I even thought that was her real name for a while. I called her by her birth name and it was rather weird saying it out loud. I haven't addressed her as "Mi Young" ever. Maybe she thought it was just as weird.
Mi Young turned a certain angle but didn't completely face us. Key yelled again. "LOOK OVER HERE." She turned slightly, forming an acute angle measurement. "NO, NOT THERE. SERIOUSLY, DO I LOOK LIKE THAT GUY? NO, KEEP TURNING-THERE YOU GO." She finally turned to face us, her eyebrows raised.
"What?" she asked flatly.
Key smirked at her. "Nice shorts," he observed, eyeing the school's mandatory polyester shorts. Our gym uniform consisted of a white T-shirt and black shorts that hung right above the knee. Mi Young looked down at her legs and looked back up at Key, her impassive face unfazed.
"You too," she replied. Her eyes traveled to me and stopped. "Hey," she acknowledged me.
Those familiar butterflies flew inside my stomach once again, urging me to say something back. I pictured those butterflies having the soft, mute colors of blue and green, which happens to be my latest favorite color. I smiled. "Hey."
Suddenly a few gagging-it sounded more like choking-sounds rung in my ears behind me. Those idiots still kept gagging when both Mi Young and I recognized this. I rolled my eyes but couldn't be able to stop a furious, embarrassing blush cover my face. Mi Young's lips formed a small smile at my appearance and raised her eyebrows in amusement. The whistle that hung around the gym teacher's neck blew, diverting our attention to him.
"Okay, seniors of 2011, listen up! For your final dodge ball game of the year, you are supposed to be active in the game and play until there is a winning team. The team that loses will have to pay for the victorious team's party. Same rules follow for this game: the face and lower part of the body shall not be hit, or you will be out of the game. All right, good luck to all of you and may the best team win!" And with that, the whistle rung again. Several people ran for the balls all lied out between the two congruent lines that divided the gym, which was also the line that created a barrier between our two teams. This time there were no captains chosen, unlike the first time where both Mi Young and I had been chosen.
I still remember when she gave that powerful blow to my abdomen.
I grabbed only one, barely in the game when a ball came my way. It was a mess, the dodge ball game. There were several red balls flying. Somehow it reminded me of the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.
I didn't throw my ball just yet-I patiently waited for the right time to aim. A few people were already out from both teams, yet the ones I knew were still in. Surprisingly, Mi Young was playing, though she was really dodging all the balls that came flying her way. She had a ball in her hands as well but didn't really throw yet. I don't think this would be the greatest time to point out how we both we're doing the exact same thing.
Key was the being the barbarian for the boys, yelling and throwing as many balls he could muster. I snickered mentally.Balls.
Onew was ready to throw a ball and Minho, being the cocky athlete he was, swiftly dodged one that attempted to strike him. I realized looking at my fellow comrades would not be much help if I wanted to avoid paying for hundreds of girls. I scanned the crowd of females, trying to find an easy catch somewhere, anywhere-but there really wasn't much to aim at because the other guys were doing a decent job at it. At this rate we'll be just fine.
Though I wasn't present at the previous dodge ball game (I was too busy ing a girl out of her wits), I was told the girls had planned out this somewhat bad but effective strategy where they let the boys throw the balls, and these balls had been saved within the opposing team's side, thus giving them more to throw and eliminating several boys. This time there was no strategy; it was throw or be terminated.
I still didn't throw my ball. It was hard as it was with all the red balls trying to get rid of me. A handful of boys and girls were already resting at the bleachers. My friends and I were still in the game. I ducked under from a ball that was thrown by a familiar girl I've seen before. She might have been one of the girls I had taken into the janitor's closet in those months of playing around. I looked around my team's side and found several balls (ha, the word just reminds me of my lower parts) lying around. I thought it would be fine to throw the ball I had in my hands. So I threw and struck a girl on her thigh. She was out of the game.
I took a glance around my team and was just in time to see Onew stumble back from a ball that hit his chest. He yelled at the girl and threw a ball back at her. I'm guessing the girl wasn't targeted because I heard a giggle. But then I found out it was that girl who bothered Onew a lot in science class. Everyone else was still in the game. I looked back at the girls' side and spotted Mi Young throwing her ball, taking someone out. Though she showed no signs of emotion, I could tell there was a sense of triumph dancing around somewhere inside her.
Look at her, that amazing creature...I reminded myself I should not drool over Mi Young when in a deathly game of something consequential like dodge ball. I grabbed another ball around my side and threw it, except I didn't benefit anything out of it because no girl was caught. I prayed silently no one saw that.
The game dragged on for what seemed like hours. It was either hit someone or dodge a hit by someone. I was sweating profusely and my lungs were wheezing out of my insides either way. It was like death, but it was even more excruciating because I had to live through every second of it. Minho was out by a girl who did not seem to be Yanna. Key was out when he was busy laughing at a girl who got bonked on the head. And there were only a few more to go.
I didn't know why I was still in the game. Maybe luck had thought Hey, you know what? This handsome fellow had a rough time with all the studying and waiting for Mi Young and everything else in between. I think he should be given a break and finally be able to find some happiness in life, like you know, still being in the dodge ball game. Yeah, maybe that'd make him happy. I think I will do that.
A girl was out when my ball hit her hip. I gave out a heavy sigh of relief when she was the only girl on the opposing team's side. I wiped the perspiration dripping down my chin and ran my tongue over my lips. "Did we win?" I asked anyone who was on my team. The only response I got was silence.
I frowned slightly and looked over my shoulders to find no one with me. My heart lifted on a cloud of happiness and triumph as a small smile took part of my face. I'm the last one? Did I really outlast all of them? Oh my God, I even outlasted the Choi Minho.
I almost jumped in victory but the teacher's deep voice called out. "You guys aren't done yet. There's another player on the other side," the gym teacher informed me. So when the teacher pointed towards the opposite side, it was then I realized what luck had decided for me.
To make things fun, I would have to go against none other than Mi Young.
Oh .
Honestly I was genuinely surprised to see her still in the game. I thought she would have stayed on the bleachers when she got bored. I wished she did get tried of the game. It would make me feel less dreadful. It didn't help me when I had seen how good of a thrower she was.
Mi Young's eyes flickered in bewilderment. "Oh," was all she could say.
I had an idea maybe it would make it less uncomfortable to start a conversation. I gestured to her ball with mine. "You're still in the game, I see," I started off, nodding. She stared at me for a while, contemplating what I was trying to do. She looked down at her ball and traveled up back to meet mine.
"It's fun," she casually replied. "I should've played last time."
"Yeah, me too," I agreed. There stood a moment of silence around the air of the gymnasium. Even the bleacher people grew quiet to stare at us.
They didn't know. Those bleacher people didn't know I was officially dating Mi Young (damn, it feels so good to say that). No one really knew. Word spread fast around school, but this kind of shocking news took some time to divulge.
They thought we still loathed each other, hated each other's guts. It's become a regular thing-us bickering, them wondering when we'll ever silt each other's throat to the death. What some people know and don't know is that these sorts of relationships sometimes take the turn for the better. And knowing Mi Young's and my current relationship, these ignorant kids will certainly be surprised.
Mi Young's sigh broke the extended silence. "Well, a player is a player, right?"
A memory started to play out in my mind but unfortunately didn't get to finish when Mi Young's fiery throw almost scratched my cheek. I jumped back to the sudden hurl, alarmed and unready for anything. I stared at Mi Young, wide-eyed with the sensation of shock tingling my spine nervously. But she wasn't staring back at me; she was hurrying to one side to get another ball.
I was about to protest and whine about not wanting to get hit, but then stopped short when I knew it was not going to amount to anything. Mi Young wasn't going to stop for me, whether I'm her enemy or lover. Neither one of us were going to back down, that I knew completely. And because of that, this was going to be one hell of a fight.
And it wasn't going to be either of our faults when one of us lost. It was all because of the game anyway. Like that saying goes: Don't hate the player, hate the game.
I threw the ball without another thought and missed by a few inches. Mi Young watched the ball go and turned back towards me to target my torso. I jumped to the side and let the ball roll beside me. I picked that ball up and aimed at her hip, failing when she ran to avoid the hit. She grabbed another ball and tossed the ball, though it did make an attempt to swing right by my head. She would be disqualified if it hit either my face or . I wasn't going to win that easily. I wanted to win fair and square. Besides, Mi Young and I have some unfinished business to deal with before we dated.
Have I said how great it is to know we're finally dating?
Mi Young took a hold of another red ball and hurled it at me, missing my right leg. I tried to strike her shoulder blade but she dodged the blow. We threw several balls at each other and kept missing. It was as if we didn't want to take the other out, possibly because of the guilt we'd feel or we wouldn't feel so mighty when the loser has to pay for the food for hundreds of people. Or maybe that's just me.
Mi Young threw a ball at me but it landed on the ground with two bounces. I dug my fingernails into the ball I was holding, debating when to throw. You couldn't hear anything in the gym. Everyone was dead silent, not bothering to talk during our game. Even if it was air-conditioned, the air still felt hot and heavy against my clammy body. Mi Young had a ball in her hands, staring at me, probably wondering when I was going to throw. I ducked my head slightly, my gaze still intent on her. She pushed one of her legs back a bit, still contemplating what my next move would be. I stayed still, keeping my expressionless facade on. She seemed to buy it. Before she could register what I was doing next, I directed the ball right for her chest and it struck her in the center, where her s did a tiny dance.
She dropped her ball and stumbled back, her feet encountering another ball and she fell, demonstrating an Onew move. She landed on her and as she did, the whistle's shrill hurt my ears.
"The boys win!" the gym teacher bellowed, earning an equally loud cheer from the male seniors. Some girls groaned while others whispered their groans. A couple of guys came up to me to slap me on the back, as if it were really important to win this thing. It wasn't. Not really. I just wanted to win against Mi Young for something. But I already had her love so what else was important?
I ignored the claps and pats I got from the boys. Instead I jogged my way to Mi Young, who was getting ready to pick herself up. I lent her a hand, silently suggesting taking it. She stared at my offered hand for a moment but hesitantly took a hold of it. Sudden warmth enveloped my palm, a fortunate thrill tickling my insides. I was sweatinga lot, so much that my hair was drenched in sweat. Even with the state I so desperately wanted to get out from, her warmth would keep me in place for a longer time.
As I pulled Mi Young up to her feet, she staggered towards me but halted to a stop. She placed her eyes on me. I panted heavily, taking time to express words from my mouth. "I'm sorry," I was able to make out before breathing hard once again. I expected a nasty remark or something in the lines of that.
She opened her mouth slightly, still staring into my eyes. It was then I had memorized the color of her eyes. A soft cocoa brown, almost like roasted coffee with a bit of cream. "You played well," she replied, complimenting me on my game. "I thought I was going to lose, which I did. So kudos to you."
I shrugged slightly, as if it weren't a big deal. It wasn't. But the compliment was. "Thanks," I panted.
"So you're going to get ice-cream and pizza for free, eh? Lucky ," she teased. I still didn't let go of the fact we were still holding hands in the middle of public with almost every senior witnessing this scene. It made me happier, knowing they were finally seeing what I wanted.
I grinned at her. "Yeah, I get free food. I can see how jealous you are," I poked fun at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I still kept playing?" she asked. This time I rolled my eyes.
"You're a pig, you know that?"
She shook her head. "I'm a , remember? And don't think you got away easily with winning this whole dodge ball game thing. It's not over between us."
I smirked at her. "The will never give up her pride," I stated.
She gave me the same smirk, only hers was crooked and made it more of a trademark. "And the bastard will always follow."