I'm Not That Girl // Prince of Tennis

Chapter 1: Oh Hell No

And so this is where the story officially begins. I hope you find this alright. Please leave me comments because feedbacks are really important to me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

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Chapter 1

"...And on the third lane, we have Okuda Shizue-san from Hyotei Gakuen! She is one competitor I wouldn't take lightly, for she has two gold medals under her belt from the two years, what a record!"

So here she was, standing at the starting line before a crowd of strangers and feeling like a specimen under the microscope. The attention was unnerving, and Shizue couldn't help but squirmed inwardly as she tried not to let her nerves get the better of her.

This wasn't her first time representing Hyotei High in a track and field competition, though it was her last.

A round of applause and a burst of cheers sounded from the spectators' stand as she raised a hand to wave and pasted on her biggest smile. She could feel all eyes on her - the calculated looks from her opponents beside her, the expectant gaze of her team, and the strict stare of her coach.

Kicking up her knees to her chest to warm up her muscles, Shizue imprinted the image of the track into her head as the announcer moved on to introduce the rest of the sprinters. The announcer gave a brief summary of each sprinter's track record but they fell past her attention, easily bleeding into the background.

All she had in mind was the race.

After months and months of intensive training under her coach, she was ready to prove herself.

"Sprinters, into your positions!"

Alright. This is it.

She stepped forward with a sharp curt exhale of breath and got into the starting position, instantly feeling the heat radiating off the ground.

Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing and urged her racing heart to calm down.

The unnerving anticipation that lingered in the air was almost tangible enough to make her skin prickle and hair stand. She could feel the weight of the heavy gaze of the spectators, boring into her and the ones that shared the starting line with her.

But they slowly faded as she felt a wave of calmness wash over her.

It's the last thing you can do for the team, make it count.

Then her eyes snapped open, heated and resolved.

Shizue spared a quick glance at her coach and her trackmates and quirked a small smile at them as they gave her a thumbs up. She breathed out the last remnants of tension as she turned back to the front and watched the starter walk to his position.

"On your mark..."

Taking it as the cue, she lifted herself off the ground and adjusted her form. From her peripheral view, she could see tension in the form of each and every of the sprinters beside her.

"Ready, get set..." She felt her leg muscles tightened in anticipation for the battle ahead. "...GO!"

The gun went off, and Shizue flew.

...

The school bell rang the moment the hands of the wall clock struck 3:30PM, signalling the end of a school day for the students of Hyotei Gakuen.