Opposites Repel - Liskook

Chapter 20 ~ The Best Surprise

Jungkook's POV ~

"Where were you guys ?" Chae asks Jen, raising her eyebrows suggestively behind her. I wordlessly hold up 4 tickets in my hand as they frown. Jisoo holds up the two she'd gotten, smiling as they jump in excitement. Out the corner of my eye, I see Lisa pick up her phone, hobbling to the patio to answer the phone. I try desperately to follow her, the others trying to congratulate me. Fortunately, she comes back in a matter of two minutes, a forced smile on her face. As the evening passes, I finally get the chance to talk to her alone as she helps make some popcorn, throwing out the blackened kernels.

"What happened ?" I ask, catching her hand as she stumbles a little.

"I'm sorry," She says sighing and putting the bowl down on the counter, "I can't come to the championships." My heart drops, shoving aside disappointment and replacing it with curiosity.

"Why?" I ask.

"I've got to get my cast off that day," She says apologetically. "I'm giving my tickets to Jisoo."

"Oh..."

"Are you mad at me ?"

"No, of course not," I say truthfully, "You've been waiting to get it off since the day you got it."

"Are you sure ?" She asks, ignoring the beeping of the microwave.

"Yeah," I say opening the hinge of the microwave, and taking the bowl out.

"You found that annoying too ?" She asks, smiling. I nod continuing on with my thoughts.

"On the bright side, two good things will happen tomorrow if I win," I say. Trying to be happy. She smiles at me too, both of our expressions not reaching our eyes.

"Oh, who am I kidding. It's not the same....." She says as we walk out of the kitchen together, the bowl of popcorn on the counter, forgotten.

~ Cut to the day of the championships ~

"Ready to go ?" Coach asks, patting my back. I nod, shaking off the heavy, sinking feeling in my stomach. Readjusting my bag on my shoulders, I trudge onto the bus, sparing a nod of acknowledgment to the others.

"Why so glum ?" I hear Tzuyu say as she sits next to me. I ignore her, burrowing my earbuds deep into my ears, not bothering with music. I hear a faint trace of Jisoo's charming laugh in the background as Jin does something silly. As the bus starts moving, I ignore Tzuyu's attempts of making conversation, annoyed that she can't take a hint. Deciding that it's best, I stare out the window, my head propped up on my palm as I try to ignore the ledge digging into my elbow.

I fiddle with my phone, playing my workout playlist, skipping to all the songs that Lisa liked; I found no use in listening to the other songs. As I watch the rolling hills and pine trees pass by, certain things start to remind me of her as a fond smile grows on my face in remembrance. As the pine trees get more and more stout, the faint memory of Lisa trying to climb a branch with her crutches comes back to mind.

"So foolish..." I laugh, smiling as her favorite song plays in the background. The bus screeches to a halt as we back into a parking slot. I start to stand up, pushing my phone deep in my pocket as I carry my bag and walk out the doors, not waiting for Tzuyu to get out first.

"You'll do well," Chae says as she walks by, patting my shoulder. The rest of them give me a comforting hug which lasts only for a second before my heartbeat seems to double. As the coach waves Jisoo and me over, we walk behind everybody else, both for different reasons. I pull earbuds out, stuffing them in my pocket as I find my chance to talk to Jisoo.

"Nervous ?" She asks.

"More than you would think," I say, my fingers moving wildly as I fiddle with my shirt. "Though you don't really have a reason to be nervous. Always the winner..." I smile, looking at her. "This isn't a good idea," I say, halting in my tracks.

"What isn't ?"

"I can't. I can't do it. I'm going to lose it." I say, slightly trudging on as Jisoo pushes me from behind.

"Relax. You're the best on the team." She says, walking next to me as we catch up to the others. "You were just fine a day ago. What happened ?"

"Lisa isn't here," I say, blushing as she stares at me incredulously, "I mean, I-I'd just like to h-have all my friends here. Is that so wrong ?" She rolls her eyes at me, pulling me to the track.

"Even if you're scared, you can't back out now." She says, ruthlessly dragging me to the Coach.

"How comforting," I drawl, jogging over to the huddle.

".....Got it ?" Coach says. Spotting me as I arrive, he rolls his eyes, restarting his explanation as I smile apologetically. "Boys, listen up," He says, splitting us by teams. "Relay racing. That's what we're doing. Got it? We're not here to shine individually. Let's play to our strengths, shall we? Right, so - here's the order. Jinyoung, you're up first. We need a strong lead. Chan and Jisung, you're going next. We need to keep the lead. Don't lose it. Jungkook you're the hook. You need to sprint as fast as you can." He says, eyeing me as Jisoo pats my shoulder, trying to calm me down."

"When's the race ?" I ask. The loudspeaker booms over the stadium, marking the beginning of the relay race tournament.

"Right now, I suppose," Jisoo says, shoving me forward as she goes to find the others in the crowd.

I snap my neck, stretching as much as I possibly could. The pistol blows in the air as all 4 teams start to sprint forward. I narrow my eyes as I watch helplessly while Jinyoung isn't nearly as fast as the other starters. Chan takes the baton, sprinting forward with all his might as he falls behind the red team. As he sped around the curve, he shoots an apologetic glance at me. Jisung grabs the baton, sprinting for the life of him as he attempts to speed the curve and sprint the straights. I take my place on the track, keeping my arm outstretched. Looking for my last source of comfort, I glance at my friends, all 7 of them. Wait....7? There's only supposed to be 6! I squint at the extra figure, butterflies exploding in my stomach as I see who it is.

Lisa......she came.