Now I Can See You // Nishinoya X Reader

# 6 - In case you saw me

I tried to calm myself down and had some deep breaths while I took my practice clothes off to wear my tracksuit. I even tried to get up and take some steps. However, whenever the weight of my body was all on my left ankle the same sharp pain struck me like a thunder and gave me goosebumps. I sat helplessly on the bench in that empty locker room and buried my face into my hands again.

Could have been a couple of minutes later when I heard a familiar voice talking to me behind the door. It was a male voice and it was teasing me.

"Ne, Salty Senpai... have you perhaps rushed there because you hate to lose and you're crying a river because of that? Can't you bear that your kouhai is a better libero, huh?" he uttered. I could imagine his face engraved with his usual cheeky grin. His words were almost right. I hate to lose but this time was different: as you know, I wasn't just crying for having been defeated.

The thought of him guessing my personality like that made me feel uneasy. I felt like I was standing naked in front of a stranger. The truth is, I was an ordinary girl and I was invisible. Why did this ball-breaker have to pay so much attention to me?

Therefore, I harshly replied: "Go away. This is none of your business!".

But I knew he still was there. "You can't stay in there forever, [Surname]-senpai! Don't mind, I won't mock you anymore. I just want to shake hands with my opponent, as volleyball players always do after a match".

If only I could move...

I thought it wouldn't be kind to force him to go away without at least shaking hands, so I tried to get up and to go towards the door. My eyes saw it wasn't far, but the distance between me and the grey, iron door seemed to be infinite to my heart. I felt a burden in my chest and the ankle seemed to scream from the pain. There was nothing to do. A few steps later, I had fallen again on the ground.

"SENPAI?! ARE YOU OKAY?" Nishinoya's voice was now filled with worry.

I started sobbing and couldn't find a way to answer.

Without asking for my permission, Nishinoya immediately entered the locker room and bowed down by my side.

"Senpai! What's happening? Is this because you fell during the match?" he asked. In the meantime, I had come to sit on the floor and was holding my left ankle. I was still crying, so I just nodded.

"Please, let me see it" he took my shoe off and had a look at the ankle "It's swollen... you must have had a bad fall".

I looked at him and our eyes met for the second time that afternoon. I suddenly felt that I could trust him.

"W-well... my ankle... it's not the first time, you know" I spoke.

"You should have rested... why didn't you? And how did it happen?" he asked, helping me to wear my shoe again.

"It's... quite a long story, it would bore you".

"Bore me? What? I don't mind listening to you" he simply replied. How could he, a complete stranger, tell me those things? I was a bit flustered, but I decided to confide in him. His bright eyes told me to.

"Okay... if you want to know it, then I'll tell you. There was a guy in another class and we are... he was my boyfriend. I don't think you know him so I won't tell you his name. Anyway, this guy hurt me..."

"Do you mean he hurt your ankle?! I'm gonna break his ass!" Fire Guy clenched the both of his fists while exclaiming this.

I had a little smile. "No, he hurt me in the sense of breaking my heart. You know that Shimizu is my best friend... it's thanks to her and Tanaka that I came here today. But... that guy didn't want to be with me. He wanted to be with Kiyoko, instead"

"And how do you know it?"

"I heard him myself... One day, almost two weeks ago, I was looking for him to have lunch together and when I found him, I heard him talk about this with one of his mates. He said he was in a relation with me just to get closer to her. It was like being stabbed" I paused because I felt a pain rising in my throat, the same pain you feel when you're about to cry.

"Are you okay..? Don't tell me more, if it hurts so bad" he spoke.

"No... I must be strong and get over it once and forever. I was furious and so I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall, right in front of his mate. The shit ran away. I punched my ex-boyfriend into his stomach and yelled that he was a coward and a liar... Then a lot of people came out from various classrooms because of the noise..."

"I remember it. I heard it from Tanaka, you know. I think you were great" he smiled.

"You do?" I was looking at him with my eyes wide open.

"Yeah, for sure!"

"So you must know the rest of the story... The shitty mate had run away to call the headmaster and I told him to leave me alone when he himself showed up... This is why I got detention and that's how we met. I hurt my ankle because I overworked it during practice... I was trying to forget all this but I ended up hurting myself." I ended my story.

Nishinoya looked like a satisfied child who's just heard a story from his mom or granny at bed time. His face looked cute and it caused me to smile a bit in spite of the sad story and the sharp pain that still was in my ankle.

"I'm happy, then" he said.

"About... what?" I was confused.

"About the entire story. You know, if all those things hadn't happened, maybe we wouldn't have met..."

I didn't know how to feel about the words he spoke, so I didn't say anything.

"I mean I think you're interesting, senpai. I have never met someone like you". No one had ever told me that. Those words made me feel somehow special, for the first time in forever.

"Plus, you're the first pretty girl who doesn't slap me in the face!" he grinned.

"No way! This means Kiyoko was talking about you yesterday!" I laughed, trying to ignore the fact that he had called me "pretty girl".

"Did she really talk about me?" his eyes were shining. For a moment, I felt disappointed by this.

After some silence, he helped me out so that I could stand up and offered himself to carry me to the infirmary.

~~~●••●••●~~~

Hey people! ^w^

I apologize once again for the inconvenience of last week... I was convinced the chapter was on! The Wattpad app really drives me crazy!

As you may have noticed, this chapter's a bit longer than usual but it's very important for the story..! ;)

As usual, I ask you to comment and vote to give me feedback..!

Lots of love!

Shiri-Chan96