A Queen Among the Jocks (boy x boy)

Part 9

Author's Note: this part is dedicated to all my readers this far. Thanks for the comments as well 😍 enjoy!

👑👑👑

Minutes later, our order arrived, and I couldn't wait to dig in. Elliot, my teammate, did not order much, but I insisted on adding more. After all, we were both starving from practice. As we began to eat, Elliot suddenly asked me about how volleyball worked in my country.

I took a bite of my burger, savoring the flavor before answering. "Hmm, nothing too interesting, really. We follow the same rules as everyone else, but we do have some unique playing styles. We're known for our open, quick, outside and combination plays."

Elliot nodded, clearly interested. "Were there many good spikers there?" he asked, taking another bite of his burger.

I smiled at him. "Yes, definitely. We have some tall and heavy hitters who know how to outsmart their opponents. I'm actually very proud of how the volleyball community in the Philippines works. I was a product of my school's training program, which brought me here to America."

As I spoke, memories of playing in the Philippines flooded back. Our games were intense, and we had to make do with what we had. The courts often had concrete floors, and we had to use a single-strip garter as our net without any holes to stop the ball from hitting us when the service was straight to the net. And who needs a referee when all the players decide the point every time?

"Cool, I've always wanted to play there someday," Elliot said with a smile. I was surprised by his response. The thought of him playing in the Philippines was amusing to me, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" Elliot asked, clearly confused. I tried to compose myself before answering. "I'm just imagining you playing in the Philippines. You'd be famous there, especially among the gay players," I replied, still chuckling.

Elliot looked amused. "Oh really? Do you think I'd look good playing there?" he asked, smirking cockily. I blushed, not expecting him to turn the conversation in that direction.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I mumbled, feeling embarrassed.

Elliot laughed, clearly enjoying my reaction. "So, what do you think of our team?" he asked, changing the subject.

I took a sip of my drink, trying to gather my thoughts. "To be honest, it's way better than I expected. Watching international volleyball players always makes me excited, but actually playing with them challenges me to level up and improve more. You guys are strict here!"

I realized that being a part of the team was hard work, but I also enjoyed the challenge. It was something that was lacking in Philippine volleyball, which lacked a foreign perspective. As I continued to eat my burger, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to be here in America and play with such talented players like Elliot.

As I looked around at my new teammates, I couldn't help but be in awe of their strength and speed. "You guys are way stronger and faster than my previous teammates. Your genes are terrifying," I said to them. The captain of the team smiled at my words, clearly loving the compliment.

"Aww, that was touching Apol. Thank you," he said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Honestly, you're a great player too. I haven't seen someone with that swag and attitude to the game. You also know how to fight back, which is why I adored your play, really." As he spoke, he took hold of my right hand, sending my heart racing. I could feel myself blushing as I placed my other hand on my chest, trying to convey just how touched I was by his kind words.

He burst out laughing at my reaction, and I couldn't help but join in. It felt so good to be around someone who could make me laugh like this.

As the evening wore on, we finished our meal and started to make our way out. But then he turned to me and asked, "I'm not sleepy yet. Would you like to join me on a road trip?" I could feel my heart pounding in my chest at his words. "Maybe some other time? I should probably get going. My parents might be worried," I said, trying to be responsible.

But then he offered to drive me home, and I couldn't resist. I hopped on the back of his motorcycle, and we set off into the night. As we rode, I couldn't help but hug him tightly from behind, taking in the scent of his cologne and feeling his warmth against my body.

"Thank you, El. I hope we're even now?" I said, trying to make light of the situation.

He laughed and said, "Yeah, we're even." As he pulled up outside my house, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that the night was over. But it was too early to be developing feelings for him, so I simply thanked him and went inside to do my nightly rituals before bed. Still, I couldn't help but think about how magical the night had been, and how much I was looking forward to spending more time with him in the future.

The next morning, I groggily woke up and started my usual morning routine before heading to school. I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen today, but I knew I had to prepare myself for whatever was coming my way. As usual, TJ and his group of friends kept pestering me during lunchtime, trying to figure out who I was giving my thoughts to. They were laughing and squealing like crazy jocks, making me feel embarrassed and frustrated.

During practice, I noticed that Seth was very approachable and he even asked me to be his warm-up buddy. I had to decline, though, because I had already promised Elliot that he would be my partner for the day. When I turned down TJ as well, Seth and TJ ended up being partners for the drills.

Our coach told us that we had an upcoming match and that's why we had to extend practice until 8:00 pm. We had made so much progress as a team since we first played together, and from my perspective, we were ready to compete. I felt proud to be mentoring these jocks on where to position themselves when a spike was coming their way.

Seth and I were the most involved in the ball drills, and the coach made sure that we weren't going home until our bodies were used and exhausted like bruised vegetables. From diving to rolling over and throwing our bodies just to save the ball, we worked hard.

The spikers were also practicing their placement and lifts, and they were doing a great job. The days went by fast, and before we knew it, it was only one week before our first game together.

Our coach invited some local players to tune up with us to make sure that we were completely ready for the competition. The looks on their faces were intimidating, and it seemed like they were ready to trash us out of the game. Our coach introduced them to us, and with no surprise, they were alumni of the school who previously represented us in this kind of competition.

The coach gave us time to do quick drills before we started the games, in order for us to be heated up and conditioned. When we started the partner warm-up, TJ suddenly grabbed my ass from behind. I was about to shout back at him when he covered my mouth and hugged me from behind. I was dumbfounded and angry at the same time, and I hated him for it.

After he released me, he muttered something like, "Do your best today," and winked at me before he started jogging away, still laughing. I was fuming with anger when Elliot tapped my shoulder and asked if I was okay. He could tell that I was pissed and asked if TJ had teased me again. I nodded, and he reassured me not to mind him and that he was just messing around.

Despite everything that had happened, I was determined to do my best. The tune-up games began, and I was ready to show what I had been working hard for.

👑👑👑

Author's Note:

Hi, thanks for reading this chapter!

Hope you enjoyed it 🤗

Vote and share thanks!