Favorite Lesson (Slam Dunk Fanfiction)

一四 Lesson 13: Not The Lucky One

Jousie High

Classroom

Ayoko slid the curtain open to let the sun ray enter the room. "I know you're awake. Are you worried that I will ask about yesterday?", Ayoko sighed. She opened the door to see Rukawa carrying her in his arms. She was about to ask but the lady was fast to dive into the futon and wrap herself like a cocoon. 

Flashback

Amane sat on the floor and tried to reach on her ankle. Rukawa knelt down and massaged her ankle. As an athlete, he knew how to take care of sprain and injuries during games. The lady relaxed and just sat on allowing the lad to perform his first aid. After sometime, Amane felt her warm on her cheeks. "I'm fine, Rukawa-kun. It's just some minor injury. It won't stop me from celebrating my victory", she tried to stand but Rukawa scooped her from the ground and carried her on his arms. She found it embarrassing. 

"Rukawa-kun. Wait, I gained a lot of weight this year since I quit track and field", she started convincing the lad to put her down. "Why did you stop track and field? You have decent moves in basketball, why didn't you join your school's team?", Rukawa didn't mind the wriggling lady and managed to close the lights in the gymnasium. One of Jousie's player passed by and mentioned about being tasked to lock the gymnasium to ensure that all players will take the night as their rest time. There is no use of players will over practice. The lad flushed and excused himself. 

Corridor

Amane gave up on wriggling and just remained still. "It needed a lot of commitment. I finally realize what I was lacking when I was watching you. I don't have the courage to sacrifice nor to jump in the unknown", the lady confessed. Rukawa just listened silently. "I told myself that I will be less scared and will attempt to go back to that girl who was impulsive and ready to face whatever comes her way, I think it wasn't that easy to go back to something you stopped for a long time", she added. As they continued to walk on the corridor, she lifted her head and saw the stars. "When people get older, the more they calculate the risk. Stars are so far this time of year", she sighed. 

"You just have to start it", Rukawa said the most rational thing to say with him just looking forward. There's no use of going around the circle trying to figure out how and why. She'll just cross the bridge once she gets there. "Alright, then. Just don't complain if you won't see me for a month or a year because I am busy acing all those track and field competition, quiz bees and basketball", the lady suddenly gained her composure. The lad just nodded. "Carrying you is equivalent to working on my leg and arms", he looked down on the lady. 

Then, I won't mind being picked up like a princess. I better bite my tongue before I say something stupid. 

As Amane stared at the lad's face, she noticed how different his facial features and instantly corrected herself when she compared Sendo with him. 

How can someone have this unfairly beautiful features and be clueless about it?

"By the way, we're being forced by Ayoko-san to attend the festival. Want to ditch the group and just go somewhere else? I think I cannot match their energy by that time. We have six more sets to play", Rukawa can already feel his drowsiness. "Sure. Ditching people is kind of exciting", Amane gave a thumbs up. 

Present

Toilet

Amane just realized what she agreed to. "Mizutani, were you listening to my question?", Ayoko wiped her face with towel. The black haired lady lowered her toothbrush and her bed hair showed how conflicted she was. "What was that again, Ayoko-san?", Amane politely asked back. "Is there anything between you and Rukawa? You see, I have an underclassman whom I had been cheering on for quite sometime. I don't want her to keep clinging on such emotions", the curly haired lady was thinking on Haruko.