The Newbie ~ Tsukishima Kei

Chapter 26 ~ News

Signature Sentence: "Why didn't you tell me?"

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Akiko stared at her bedroom ceiling on a Sunday Morning. It was practice time but she didn't go. She would have gone to practice if what had happened the other day didn't, but it did.

And she still felt down. 

She looked to the side, at her clock. 11:12

"Akiko!"

She tried to ignore the shout, closing her eyes.

"Akiko you coming down, hun?"

She tried her best, but her mom would definately not give up without an answer. Reluctantly, Akiko stood up and began her morning routine.

"Yeah! I'll be down shortly!"

After she finished brushing her teeth, Akiko got into comfortable clothes, not feeling like going out today.

Akiko jogged down the stairs, with Ren resting on the couch watching TV.

"Akiko!" He called out with a smile. "Took you a while."

Akiko tried her best to smile for her little brother as she walked over. "Yeah, I just love sleeping-in on Sundays." She took a sit next to her little brother, wrapping an arm around him.

"Don't you have practice?"

Akiko pressed her lips into a thin line before smiling again, thinking her brother didn't notice. He did.

"It's been cancelled for today." She lied. And with that, her brother's attention turned back to the TV, his favorite show had come on. "You should probably have breakfast." Ren muttered as he looked at the TV, absorbed in the show.

Akiko walked over to the kitchen, finding her mother inside. "Good morning, made you breakfast."

"After you finish, I have something to tell you."

Her mom worked on a few dresses and designs for her little indie brand, Moxy. Silence filled the room as Akiko ate, so she took out her phone and got entertained.

Akiko finished, and looked her mother, expecting her to notice. She didn't. "Mom?"

"Oh, right." Akiko's mom put her drawing tablet aside and looked at Akiko, slightly frowning. "I have some news to tell you. You decide if it's good news or not. And it's a long story so sit back and relax."

"Akiko, dear, you played volleyball during Grade School. I know it's not big news, but that's not it. You were basically the ace of the team, if Libero's could be aces. But then, somebody came, a third year of your grade school. They were a transfer, and they wanted to be Libero. You instantly argued with him - it was a unisex club - fighting for the position. In the end, he was the better Libero. Bitter at the fact you were not a regular anymore, you quit the club, much to the protest of your teammates. A few weeks after, you came back home, utterly depressed. And that day, you told me all about the bullying, and the fact you had quit the club weeks before. And so, you transferred schools. I guess you forgot."

Akiko took a deep breath, nodding to herself. 

"I only have one question... Why didn't you tell me?"

"Honey, I didn't know what you would do after I told you, quit the Volleyball club after I told you, afraid it might happen again?"

"Mom, I'm very close to quitting." Cherry stared up at her daughter, wide-eyed. "What happened, did somebody hurt you?" Akiko sighed, shaking her head.

"No, mom. I just... I'm not a regular. I'm not good. Mom, I'm... I don't know."

Cherry cupped her daughter's cheeks in her hands, forcing her to stare at her. "Akiko. You're good, don't doubt yourself. In middle school, you were very well top 3 on those teams your were on. And you didn't have past experience on those sports. Now if that's not something, I don't know what is."

"You can get better, you can always get better, and you will be top 3 again, I promise."

"Thanks, Ma."