Serendipity (Ryeji)

Sketchy (Pt.2)

Facing the others after Yuna's injury was undeniably a downside. No excuses to miss school came to mind. A gut feeling warned her it'd look worse had she not attended, anyway.

Jiu even contemplated skipping to take care of Yuna till she remembered how strange it was last night. She pushed the thought away, denying any evidence of her soft spot for the girl.

Keeping up the role was important, though, so avoiding Yuna wasn't an option. The best approach she could concoct was to limit the time they spent together and not be too affectionate.

Jiu phoned Yuna right before lunch. It took a few tries before she found the courage to let it actually ring. "Hey, Yuna. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. Haven't walked on it."

"That's good." A moment of silence. "Is something else wrong?"

"Y- yeah. I haven't told my coach yet."

Did Jiu feel bad? Yes. Did she secretly want to help? Yes. Again... would she admit that? Hell no, not to anyone, hardly even to herself. Simply, she saw an opportunity a girlfriend would take. Though they didn't have a label, they sure acted like a couple, and to get what she wanted, she had to continue. 

"I can talk to her if you want?"

"You'd do that for me?!?!"

"Uh." She winced at the sudden high-pitched sound. "Not if you yell like that, no."

"My bad."

Laughter on the other end brought a smile to her face, lasting ten or so seconds before she noticed. Jiu shook her head to snap out of it, thought this was weak of her. "I should get going, but I'll come to visit you after practice if that's okay?"

"Sounds great! See you later!"

"Why did I even say that?"

She bonked her head again and again while wandering into the cafeteria toward her usual table. Ending the conversation so soon wasn't intended, but her nerves made what should've been an easy task stupidly difficult.

"What do I even like about her anyway? Nothing." She began rambling to herself. "Why did I even choose someone I'd obviously get along with?? She's weirdly attractive when she's competitive and just a literal ray of sunshine when she's off the court. What was I thinking— "

"JIU?!"

Unbeknownst to Jiu, Lia waited on her arrival.

"Fuck, I saw this coming," she whispered to herself. The athlete sighed before closing the distance between them. The amount of attention Lia gained wasn't necessary. "Yes?"

"What'd you do to Yuna?"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't hurt her if that's what you're thinking."

"Then what the hell happened? You're supposed to watch after her, not let her get hurt!"

"Quiet down, would you? People are staring." Jiu tugged on her hood to cover her face and motioned toward the tables on her left, filled with students watching with anticipation. Lia glanced over and calmed herself. Sometimes this motherly side got out of hand. She blamed her parents for that trait. "And I didn't do anything. It was an accident. You knew we were going to the park, didn't you?"

"Lia, why are you talking to her?" Chaeryeong cut in. She had just entered the room.

"Is that a bad thing?"