23| Game Day

                                    

                                          
   "Well, damn. She isn't half bad," I hear Maki say after I nailed my jump serve, a loud BAM echoing through the gym.  
                          
   Nakagawa frowns, "She's easily at a national level. If she-," she begins but doesn't finish her sentence. 
                          
   "If she what?" I hear Maki ask. 
                          
   "Nevermind. It's just a speculation," Nakagawa says, coming up to the line to serve. She throws the ball high into the air, slamming it down on the other side of the court with even more power than me. 
                          
   All said and done: We should be able to overpower Tokyo. But it all depends on how well I can bring the team together as the setter. In all honesty, I'm not sure if I can do it. 
                          
~~~~
                          
Game Day: 
                          
   "This is gonna be awesome! We're totally gonna kick Tokyo's ass!" Nishida, the team's libero, says, jumping up and down as we exit the bus. She's extremely short. Like N/n sized and has long black hair and black eyes. 
                          
   Nakagawa sighs, "Yeah, yeah, now save that energy for the court," she says, putting her long red hair up in a ponytail. 
                          
   I groan, "Hey, who invited them?" I ask, referring to my dormmates that are following closely behind us. 
                          
   Maki chuckles, looking over her shoulder, "I did. They came up to me during lunch and begged to tag along," she says. 
                          
   I look at her with a conflicted and annoyed expression. 
                          
   "You should be glad we came to support you!" Ayame yells. 
                          
   "Yeah! I hope you serve the ball under the net!" Haru shouts. 
                          
   "You've got this!" Sato and Hanako yell as Akira remains silent. 
                          
   I sigh, turning back to the team, "Maki-san, do you hate me or something?" I ask, approaching the front door to the gymnasium. 
                          
   Maki laughs to herself, "Look at it this way, now you have your own personal cheering section," she says, holding the door open for the rest of the team. 
                          
   "Oh, yay. That's all I've ever dreamed of," I groan, rolling my eyes. 
                          
   I look out at the gym. People are already filling the stands. The gym is huge with nice wooden floors. The arena is well lit, and the ceiling is extremely high. 
                          
   My dormmates look around with astonished expressions. "Damn, this is super overwhelming. Are you going to be okay playing in front of so many people?" Haru asks with concerned eyes. 
                          
   I take a look around, "I've played in front of bigger audiences before," I state, shoving my hands in the pockets of my sweats. 
                          
   Yonamine, one of the third-year wing spikers, hits me across the back of the head, "Yeah, yeah. We get it, little miss powerhouse. Now move your ass," she says, walking towards the locker rooms with the rest of the team. 
                          
   My dormmates gasp, unable to fathom the fact that someone has the balls to hit me across the back of the head. 
                          
   "Coming," I say, following the upperclassman's lead, "You guys can head up to the stands. We'll talk after we win this thing," I say while waving.
                          
   Yonamine looks down at me, "You sure seem like you've got it together," she says with a smirk, walking with her hands in her pockets. 
                          
   I look down at the ground, "The setter is supposed to be the on-court leader. I have to be confident in our ability to win," I say.