Smart Girl | Ushijima x OC

Chapter 29: Results and... Who?

Ummm.. this is the first time I've been late for a chapter.. sorry bout that.

F in the chat.

Hana kept her eyes carefully on the clock, as it ticked second by second. She had more focus on the slowly moving hands than the actual lesson.
"Pstt! Hana?" She heard from her side. Kaori had her hand covering one side of her mouth , and her eyesbrows raised.

"What?" Hana mouthed. Kaori glanced to the front of the class, then back to her. Hana followed her gaze, and was met by the look of their teacher, as well as a few students.

"Miss Watanabe? Do you know the answer?" He asked. Hana finally caught onto what she missed, and glanced down at her paper where she'd worked out all the answers.
"Ah, sorry sir, the answer is 36.8." Hana said quickly, followed by a curious look from her teacher.

"That's correct, please pay attention." Hana sighed, slightly annoyed at herself, despite getting the answer right. By her side she could see Aya and Mari giving her questioning looks.

"Hana ," Aya whispered. "You ok? Something on your mind?" Hana shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep last night. A little groggy is all." A convincing excuse, knowing Hana, yet it was a blatant lie.

In fact Hana slept soundly that night thanks to her new found good mood. What was distracting her as of this moment was the impending ring of the school bell.

There was a measly five minutes left until the next period, and yet she seemed to grow more impatient every passing second. She made sure to keep her head in the class, yet it tended to drift away at times.

Their teacher droned on and on, his voice becoming seemly more monotonous. After what seemed like far too long, Hana heard the familiar drill of the bell, and her hand shot up.
"Sir, can I go to the bathroom?" She asked.

"That's alright, just make sure to be back before the next lesson starts." He answered. Hana thanked him and quickly stood up from her chair, rolling out of the classroom. Kaori, Aya and Mari looked around each other, shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders. Something was obviously different about her.

Hana made her way to the secret meeting place that wasn't all the secret, being outside the boys bathroom in the middle of the hallway. Ushijima stood waiting there, seeing her arrive.

"Dammit! How the hell did you get here before me? I literally ran out as soon as the bell went." She cursed a little breathlessly. Ushijima smirked and came closer.
"Was it supposed to be a competition then?" Hana sighed and looked away.

"Oh please. If it was a competition we both know you'd inevitably win. Anyways, are you ready for the test?" She asked. They planned to meet up right before the test, just as a sort of preparation.

"I'm ready. I brought the flash cards like you said. They've been very helpful." He replied. Hana sighed in relief. She'd never tutored before, and she was glad her attempts weren't in vain.
"Sounds like you're fully prepared then. You better do well, the team won't be the same without you Toshi." She smirked. Ushijima kept flicking through his notes, stopping occasionally to speak.

"Yes, I recognise that. And I'm very well prepared, after all I had a great teacher." He said. Hana's smirk fell as her face took a light flush. Hana couldn't take compliments well. Ushijima's hand gently brushed against hers, his fingers slightly tangling with hers.
"Toshi, there's people in the hallway, you can't do that out in the open..." Hana hushed.

There was people walking from class to class, and if word got out that the two were more than just good friends, it would spread like wild fire. Ushijima reluctantly retracted his hand, going back to flicking through his notes.
"You're right, sorry." He mumbled, keeping his focus on the questions.

Just then, the bell rang, signifying the next class about to start.
"Shit, we gotta go," Hana said, before glancing around at the now practically empty hallway. She stood up on her tiptoes, and pecked his cheek quickly. "There. That's your pre-test encouragement. You better do well Toshi, good luck you dork!" She smiled, and began speed walking to her classroom.

Ushijima smiled, brushing his fingers over his cheek. Hana never failed to calm his nerves. He matched her pace, walking the opposite direction to the his class, prepared for what was to come.

~~~~~

Hana paced around the gym hall, dodging flying balls from the players around her and scratching a pen against her clip board, trying to distract herself from the nerve and anticipation rising inside her.

It was the following Monday, and Ushijima was late again because he wanted to collect his test result from last class. She wanted him to do well so badly, not just for the team and the sake of their captain, but also because they put in so much work.

Hana desperately wanted to prove to herself that not only was she smart, but she could teach other people what she knew effectively.

It had occurred to her a long time ago that there's a big difference between being smart, and being able to teach. The two skills don't come in a package deal.

It was only 10 minutes into practise, when the door swung open with a loud creek, and Ushijima in all his glory came stalking in, a question paper in hand. The team all immediately dropped what they were doing and crowded around him, the tension rising as they waited for the result.

Hana pushed her way through the boys and to his side, looking up at him with her eyebrows raised.
"81," he stately, turning the page to her, a big red 'A' circled in red pen. The room stayed silent for a mere half second, before everyone was jumping at him and shouting for joy.

"AYEEE YOU DID IT USHIWAKA YOU BIG BRAINED BEAUTY!" Tendo yelled, dropping an arm round his shoulders. All the players one by one were congratulating and patting Ushijima on the back, everyone laughing and sighing with relief.

Hana hadn't said anything yet, her heart swelling with pride for not just him but herself too. It was a joint effort, and he aced it.
"Nice going Toshi, seems like my teachings weren't for nothing. You are quite the student now aren't you?" Hana smirked, a bit of playful sarcasm in her voice.

"Thank you for the assistance Hana. It helped very much." He smiled at her. His eyes looked so very genuine, and Hana wasn't expecting such a pure hearted response to her upbeat input.

"Uh... yeah, you're welcome. But you're the one who did all the work anyways" She replied bashfully, and looked away. The group was broken was Washijo urged them back to practice, and with their captain finally with them, the began drills.

The atmosphere was lighter than usual, with everyone glad they won't have to worry about being down an ace for their future matches. All was carefree, until when the cleanup began, and  another dramatic swing of the door was heard.

"I'm looking for Hana Watanabe, class 2," the voice called with great confidence and pride, causing all eyes to avert to the sudden noise, and who stood in their gaze confused the crowd to great lengths. 'What the heck is this about?...' Hana thought.
—————————————————————
A/N: MY FRIENDS KEEP ASKING ME IF IM OK AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE ANSWER ANYMORE.
Also enjoy that wee cliff hanger hehe