one step further // haikyuu x OC

failed entrance exam // 17

The girls club ended up being crushed by the boys club in the practice match. Well, maybe not crushed, we actually kept up well. But our altogether skills were far behind what the boys had already accomplished. I found myself feeling unnecessarily frustrated when my teammates would make mistakes or let the ball drop. To counter those negative feelings, I would say encouraging things to them to keep their spirits up. And give tips about their form - the second years seemed off-put by getting coaching from someone younger than them. I sat against a wall getting a drink when Yui marched over, she looked mad. When she approached me she pointed to my left leg.

The ankle brace...?

"What is that Toshiko? I noticed it at the beginning of practice! Were you injured?!" Unintentionally, she was beginning to draw attention with her loud voice. Members of the boys club looked over as well. Even Coach Ukai picked his head up suddenly to listen. I stood to her and tried to calm her down. My eyes were big with worry and anxiousness from drawing so much attention.

"Michimiya, please calm down. I'm not injured!"

"Then explain why you are wearing a brace! You weren't wearing that last week!" She had not once expressed anger or disappointment with me since arriving to the school, so I was beginning to feel the pressure of the negativity intertwine with the feelings that had accumulated from my off week. My gut began twisting. I clenched my fists to keep my composure.

"I just..." My voice trailed off and grew quiet as I looked around and realized that everyone had gotten closer to us to listen. The boys club, besides Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, looked at me with concern. Or was that disappointment? I sighed. The secret had finally come to bite me in the ass. I looked to the ground and squeezed my eyes shut for a split second, buying myself some time from the ever growing emotions. Gathering like a storm cloud in my chest, making it feel harder to breathe. I looked back up at my upperclassman who had her hands on her hips. I moved my hair over my shoulder and spoke again. "Okay... I haven't been honest. Last week, on the last day of golden week I rolled my ankle. But it's fine now! There's no pain! I kinda got lucky that I wasn't really injured, I wear the brace just in case, you know? ...I'm sorry I kept that from all of you." I bowed and took a deep breath.

I can't break here. Please accept my apology... They all look at me with such disappointment...

Yui was silent for a second, first glancing at my ankle, then meeting my eyes with her brown ones. Strands of mousy hair were beginning to fall and tickle my face.

"And you're sure you have no pain? No true injury?" She said in a scolding manner. I nodded earnestly.

"Yeah! Captain... please don't be mad at me. Everyone... please don't be mad..." My arms tightened at my sides and I deepened the bow. Mostly to hide the pain in my eyes. Her hands on my shoulders straightened me out. I kept my face blank, only showing remorse for being secretive. She had a small smile on her face.

"I'm not mad Toshi, just a bit disappointed. I thought something bad had happened and you were causing yourself further injury." She patted my head, yet that did nothing to soothe my rattling emotions. Would I have felt worse if she had said she was mad at me? Disappointing people wasn't something I was very fond of either. She shifted to a light-hearted tone. "Well! Now that that's settled, let's win in the tournament tomorrow!" I looked at her and barely managed a weary smile before the realization of how the boys, Coach Ukai, and Takeda must feel sucked what little fake happiness I could manage out of me.

xxx

So far, the walk home with Shouyou was quiet. His stride was parallel to the street with his bike and I shivered with arms crossed in front of my chest. I forgot a jacket again. Even if he wanted to talk to me, the energy to speak felt far out of reach. My heart and head felt heavy. My muscles tensed further.