Don't Even Try

"Hey, don't go sick on us now. We are only in our third match," Gridas tapped Zordyz's shoulder.

"It's nothing, just an itch. Let's continue," Zordyz reassured him.

Riff rotated the players for the first few matches to give each member enough rest. Today, the second and third years were out on the court with Zordyz as the only first year in the lineup.

They got a first-round bye since they are a seeded team, only needing to play a match on the first day.

Zordyz played for both matches on the second day. He requested it himself to get back into the groove faster.

He already looked intimidating enough on the sidelines, having him on court turned it on to a whole new level.

Zordyz was pretty laid back when they trained together. His movements were fluid and sharp but he didn't exude much threat. He coordinates well with everyone too. There were the occasional strict orders from him, a habit from being a captain. He apologized to the seniors whenever he caught himself doing so.

His hair covered most of his face during practice, hiding his expression. On the contrary, he combed his hair up when he came for the tournament; that completely changed the air about him.

The seniors were taken aback, experiencing his full-blown presence first-hand on the court. They were stiff at first; just as intimidated as the opponent but adapted quickly to his pace. Soon they were back on track with the scores.

The only thing going through their mind was it was fortunate that they were not on the opposing team.

"He's not the junior division's captain for nothing," said Riff, who is currently switched out and resting on the bench. "He has the ability and aura to match."

"It's scary to play against him but when he's on your team, that's the best feeling ever," Ayden said as he was cheering.

"He will likely be the next captain after we third years retired." Riff was chuffed with Zordyz's performance. "Everyone listens to him after just one match!"

"About that, Zordyz only agreed to be our backup player because I asked him to. I don't think he would stay after we finalized our lineup for the next tournament." Ayden said.

"No chance for him to join the team? He's been playing for so many years, it's hard to stop doing something that has turned into a habit." Riff looked at him.

"Negative. Once Zor is set on something, he never goes back on his words," Ayden said while cheering.

"He seemed very determined with his current class too. It made it harder to convince him of anything else. If Yuenelia can't change his mind, nobody can." he added.

"Yuenelia...the girl who was waiting for him on the first-floor seat every day?"

"Yeah."

"Must be nice to have a girlfriend who supports him in whatever he does."

"They're not a couple though."

"Eh?"

"Just childhood friends. Friends who are as close as family." Ayden flashed him a smile and continued cheering.

...

The few days without Zordyz in school was quite a bother for Yuenelia. People tend to keep their distance when he is with her which made her life easier and less stressful.

Two students from another class were walking behind Yuenelia during the afternoon break and they saw it as an opportunity to hit on her.

"Our angel is all alone today. This is our chance!" whispered the first guy, all excited.

"That damn wolf is constantly around her. Where is he?" the other guy looked around cautiously.

"Didn't you hear? He's playing in the basketball tournament at the moment," the first guy said, showing a dreadful expression.

"You didn't realize it? Half of the girls in school went to watch the afternoon match!" he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"I never thought about it since Yuenelia is in school. You would've thought she'll be there too." the second guy scratched his head.

"Because he told her not to go,"

The two students jumped at the voice.

"What do you want?" the first guy turned to the person who appeared to be Triniekit.

"To stop you from doing anything silly? Just because Zordyz is not around, that doesn't mean you can drool all over her!" Triniekit said, hands on her hips.

They missed the opportunity to go up to Yuenelia. She skittered up the stairs and disappeared out of their sight.

"Bah! Why do you care? I'm not hitting on you!" the guy huffed, irritated with her interference.

"She's my friend, of course I care," Triniekit rebuked. "You don't even need to try, she's not gonna like you anyway," she added.

Before the guy was able to say anything back.

"You think she'll like you when she has such a hunk as a friend?" Triniekit smirked. "Get a life." She walked away, leaving them speechless.

Yuenelia waited on top of the stairs for Triniekit to arrive before walking to the class together.

"Thank you, Trinie. You don't have to go through the trouble."

"Small matter. I know you can handle them better these days but it's faster for me to get them out of the way." Triniekit said.

"Our Yuenelia is all grown up now! It's a shame that you didn't get to show it when Zordyz is around." she giggled, putting both hands on Yuenelia's shoulder from behind.

Yuenelia shook her head and looked down at her fidgeting hands.