Childhood friends

17. Clash

You hum a song to yourself while filling up the water bottles for the boys in the volleyball club. As you walk back to the gym, you hear yelling and things slamming against the floor and the walls. You panic, hurrying into the gym and setting things down, seeing members of the club arguing. Your heart drops when you see who exactly is arguing.

Kyoutani is about to fight some of the third years.

"You're weak." Your friend was saying to the older boys. "Why should you get a spot on the team when people that are younger than you are better than you'll ever be. Honestly, you should just quit now and leave the team to players that are actually good."

The captain of the team had veins bulging on his forehead. "You little brat! Don't you dare talk like that to me! I'm your captain, and your senpai! You must address me with respect!"

You quickly run over to get in between the two boys. "Let's calm down, guys. We can all get along. Take some deep breaths and think carefully before you open your mouths. You both are being rude to each other. Captain, I promise you Kyoutani just wants the best for this team and he has his own opinions. Sure, maybe he doesn't say it in a nice way, but he's trying to make sure the best lineup is chosen for the team so that we'll be at our strongest. And Kyoutani, this is a more experienced player. Try to play nice with others. You can't get everything you want, and you need to be able to get along well with others in order to work well on a team. The coach won't put you in unless he's sure you'll get along with the other players in order to create a strong team. Remember, you're not playing by yourself. You need to trust and rely on your teammates. Can you both apologize to each other, so we can all get back to practice?"

The captain sighs. "Fine. If Kyoutani can say something nicely, and beg for my forgiveness, then I'll forget all about this."

Iwaizumi was holding the younger boy back. "Kyoutani, I know you don't like what he's saying. However, you need to get along with the others. L/n was right. We're a team, we work together. Nothing will get better unless you work with us, not against us."

Kyoutani was sending a death glare to the captain of the team. "In his dreams. I don't beg for shit. Fuck him, and fuck the other third years. They're all useless and just riding on being in their final year to play and trying to use that as an excuse as to why they should be chosen to play on the court over those of us with actual talent. Never will I apologize to this asshole."

You sigh. "Kyoutani. That's no way to treat anyone. You need to respect others. Please, if not for the team, if not for yourself, then do it for me. I'm begging you. Don't continue to fight with others." You held tears in your eyes, giving the glaring boy a pleading look.

Kyoutani sighs. "Sorry, Y/n. But there's no way I'll get along with whiny guys that wanna bitch about things just because their older. If that's what's important to this team, then fuck it." Without saying another look, not even sparing you another glance, and left the gym.

You stare at the door as it gets slammed shut, your gaze lingering over that spot just a little longer. "Kyoutani... I'll go and-"

"No." Iwaizumi shook his head. "He needs time to cool off. You two might be friends, but right now he'll probably take his anger out on you, even if he doesn't mean to. Let's just get back to practice." He guides you back to the sidelines, then heads back off to continue practice.

You watch the team practice, feeling sad that you couldn't fix things between the members. You just hoped that Kyoutani would cool off and come back. You wanted to see him getting along with the others and seriously be considered a part of the team. You were friends, after all, you care about him.

During a break, Oikawa walks over to you and gently rubs your back. "Don't worry, Y/n-chan. Mad Dog-chan will get himself together and come back to us. It might take some time, but he'll come around and play with us again. Let's not worry about him right now. There are other things that matter at the moment."

You raise your brow at him. "What's more important?"

Oikawa grins. "The fact that the whole school seems to think you're my girlfriend."

You groan. "Of course. I hate these rumors going around. Maybe I should've just let Kyoutani beat up the people that are spreading the lies."

Oikawa pouts. "So you don't enjoy the fact that people think you're my girlfriend? I mean, I'm the hottest guy in this school, the very guy every girl wants to date."

You look into his eyes, a somewhat sad look in your e/c eyes. "I think if I wanted to date someone, it would be my childhood best friend. He's always been there for me and I wouldn't want to break his heart by falling for someone else. I want to give Taichi a chance. If these rumors spread to all of the schools in the prefecture, Taichi will only be hurt, especially since I haven't mentioned them to him yet."

Oikawa hums. "Then tell him. Let him know exactly how you feel about these rumors. Let them know how it's affecting you, and what you think about whenever you hear them. Let him know just how much you care about him."

You sigh. "Is that really what I should be doing right now? I mean, some of you guys just had a fight and Kyoutani stormed out. Should I really be thinking about these rumors, about Taichi, with everything else going on with the team." Your gaze falls to the ground, a sad look on your face.

Oikawa stares at you, wanting to embrace you and tell you things were going to be alright. He wanted to be selfish and have you all to himself, but he couldn't do that. It wouldn't be fair to you, which was why he put a little distance between you and him. "Y/n. Follow your heart. Forget everything going on in your head. Do whatever your heart tells you to do. Let your emotions control you for once. Maybe then you'll find whatever it is that you truly want in life." He walks away before you can even say anything to him.

You just watch his retreating form. You slowly take out your phone, sending a quick text to Kawanishi.

You
Taichi, once my practice ends, I'm heading over to your school
I wanna tell you something important