The Stupidity Of Love (Lev Haiba)

Soccer Meets Volleyball

Alright, you can do this. Currently, I stood outside the gym doors. This was where the boys' volleyball club was practicing and I knew they'd probably be here late, but still I had to try. It's not like they're gonna try anything funny. The worst that could happen is that they tell me to get lost.

"They might be a little intimidating, but they can't be that bad. Right S.B.?" I held my soccer ball up as I asked the question. Obviously, I didn't get any sort of response. S.B. was just a soccer ball after all. But to me, S.B. meant a lot.

Tucking S.B. under my arm, I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Inside was exactly what I'd expected. The volleyball team was hard at practice. Watching them, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. They were a real team and the girls' soccer team... well, it simply wasn't.

Once they stopped a moment to take a break, I approached them. They didn't really seem as intimidating as I'd heard. Then again, Shibayama was in my class and I'd heard him mention some of the other boys. Though I'd never really talked to him or his friends myself.

Just relax. Be confident and polite. "Excuse me," I said, mentally face-palming myself when my voice came out smaller and weaker than I intended. Clearing my throat, I tried again with better results. "I'm with the girls' soccer club and we were wondering if we could borrow a corner of the gym for today's practice..."

The captain looked at me with an eyebrow raised. What was his name... Kuroo? Yeah, that was it... "Why don't you just practice with the boys' team?" he asked with a neutral expression. I was certain he was planning out his refusal though. "Isn't that what you usually do?"

True, the two teams usually practiced together, but not anymore. "They're jerks, so we don't want to practice with them," I said bluntly. "There's nowhere else that I can practice, besides the hallways. But the last time I tried that, the teachers got pretty mad." Scratching the back of my head, I tried to give a playful smile.

"Why isn't your captain asking us?" one of the other boys chimed in. He was a first-year, Inuoka, I thought his name was. From what I knew, he and Shibayama were pretty good friends. "Why send you?"

That answer was a simple one, though I'd hoped to avoid the subject. "We... don't have a captain..." I admitted. While I could have lied about it, I'd never been much of a liar. "Me and S.B. here are the only members." I held up my soccer ball and smiled.

After receiving some looks from the coaches, I decided my time was up. At least I tried. "Forget it. It's just me, so it's no big deal if I miss a practice," I sighed. With a wave, I started to walk away. "Good luck with practice!"

Once I was outside the door, I lingered there a moment. From inside, I could hear a few muffled voices, though I really couldn't tell who was saying what.

"We could let her practice here. I mean, it's just her, right?"

"What's the point of even practicing though if you're the only one? Might as well just be the manager for the guys." Actually, they'd asked me a few times and I'd refused because, as I said, the guys on the team were jackasses.

"Why did she name her soccer ball?" That one made me laugh. Though the answer was a bit sad.

Shibayama, I knew would be the one to answer that. "It's her best friend. She takes it everywhere."

"Doesn't she have any friends?"

That was when I decided not to listen anymore. In all honesty, I really wasn't friends with anyone. Sure, I knew a lot of people and we were on decent terms, but in the end, not one of them was someone I could call a friend.

I gave S.B. a quick hug and walked away. No point staying here any longer. Might as well head home.