Love and All It Does

13

Anika's POV
The next morning, I woke up before my alarm; a usual thing that happens to me on days with big or special events. I barely got sleep last night because I kept thinking about the different ways today could go wrong. I don't move for a while when my alarm had blared off from the bed side table. When I got annoyed by it, I then pushed myself up from the bed, slipped on my room slipper and turned it off. I head for the door, rubbing my eyes as I descend down the stairs.

"Good morning." Anne says, hurrying to the dish rack and pulling out a bowl and a spoon. "If I couldn't attend your game, might as well help you get ready for it." She says with a satisfied smile, turning to the fridge to bring out a carton of milk and our box of oatmeal. I sit down the chair and she places those before me.

Grandad ambles in the kitchen and slides in a banana by my side with a gentle smile. I thanked him and kissed him by the cheek.

Shortly after, we hear militant steps taking the stairs. I didn't have to look to see who it was because I know it's Arren. He sits across me with a groggy look on his face.

The clock reads 6:42 in the morning and Arren complains about waking up early. He then asks if Peter will join us today and I nod at him. A smile instantly fixes on his face.

Peter arrives right after I've finished eating breakfast. He was in plain army green shirt, light-washed jeans and white sneakers. He plumped down on the couch and announced he was waiting for Grandaddy and Arren.

I have to be at school by 7:20, so we've talked this over dinner last night and decided I go ahead of them. I take a cab and arrived there ten minutes before call time.

"I'm so nervous." Lorriane says, rubbing her hands together and looking up to the small vent above us that blew cold air right onto her. She was sitting by my side, all wrapped up in our school hoodie. "Coffee?" She offers her cup and I shook my head. "Uhm...hey, are you still a little upset that we left you out that first night in camping?"

I was, but now not anymore. "I don't hold grudges." I smile and silence stretched between us for a short while. After a few hesitations, I finally asked. "Is Louis coming to see you?"

She looks taken aback. "Why would he?"

"Why would he not?" I raise my eyebrow at her teasingly. "It's not like I don't know what happened."

"Does the school really talk about it?" She grimaces.

"The school talks about everything." I sigh. "They move onto another gossip after growing tired of another." Like Stacy coming back. Now, people are barely even paying attention to her. It's how things are in this school. You have to either be super popular or be involved in a stupid drama to be recognized.

"Things got a little messy that night." She chuckles, but her eyes were meaningless. "We stopped talking for a while, so hell do I know if he comes to see me. He's probably still asleep, anyway."

"I wish we could talk about it more." I say as the bus pulls up and the door hisses open.

I started to feel my heart pound heavily against my chest as we all rose from our seats and began lining down the isle in single-file. The venue was already packed with people, bodies in tight uniforms scurrying around the arena and through the entrance.

Twenty minutes in and the teams are now standing by the poolside, preparing for the match. Honestly, I like tournaments for they serve as a gateway for me to challenge myself even more. I don't think of it as trying to prove I'm better or worse than everyone I'm competing with.