Chapter 03 - Stepping on the volleyball court

Wasn't that the guy from earlier?

The one who had taken Nathaniel's mask?

The beta accompanied him, surprised to see him coming down the stands and warming up with such confidence. Turning round, he realised that Nathaniel was still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Did the two of them really not know each other?

Well, Nathaniel doesn't play any sport, which makes it unlikely that he would come to the college gym. But it was too much of a coincidence that the person who took his mask was there. Even more so when he was greeting some of the team's players as if they were old acquaintances. Even the coach seemed familiar with him!

— Are you sure you want me to play? I mean, I'm a bit rusty and I could embarrass myself.

— I want to see what kind of disaster you're going to show me, brat.

— At least I can choose the team I want to play for?

— At will.

The dark-haired alpha turned in the direction of the blond beta's team, where he pointed his index finger.

— I'll play with them.

— Taking pity, are you?

The alpha laughed amusedly before nodding. 

Wait a minute! He was going to play? And still on your team?!

The beta looked in despair at the other players, who also seemed completely lost. This was a try-out for the college volleyball team, so could it be some kind of prank? 

A prank on the freshmen?

And they'd still have to play again? 

— Let's go to the second match. You'll have a chance to reorganise yourselves before you start. Oh, and besides — the coach pointed at that alpha who had just approached his team — if you can catch his ball, you'll get more points.

— Come on! That's unfair! — Complained the alpha.

— Didn't you say that oyu was rusty? Then turn round.

What was that situation?

The alpha turned to the team, smiling without any sign of nervousness. It was as if it was natural to be assessed. 

— Is it okay if I play opposite?

Not just the beta, but everyone on the team looked at the captain, who was quick to complain.

— No, play lock since you're tall.

Argh, he really was a pain in the arse. 

The beta rolled his eyes in annoyance at the guy's arrogance. Typical of an alpha. Always wanting to command, regardless of right and wrong, only his reason and morals mattered.

However, the newcomer continued to smile even though his voice sounded thicker than before.

— I'm not asking for permission, I'm telling you that I'll play the opposite.

That was enough to make the whole team tense. 

It was true that the beta had received complaints during the previous match for not following the supposed captain's instructions, but he hadn't answered him as directly as the alpha had. Of course, this left all the players confused and even lost, as they didn't quite know what to do.

Nor did they have more time to reorganise.

The match began with the opposing team serving. 

The blond beta took advantage of his space at the back of the court to receive the ball well enough for the setter not to have so many problems passing to the attacker. Defending was his job, and he had to make the most of it while he was on the court.

— Stand up for John! — The captain shouted as soon as the ball touched the centre-half's fingers.

What the hell, he was doing it again!

The way he dictated the rules to the players was abusive. The setter completely messed up by lifting the ball to John, who wasn't even ready to receive the pass. Thanks to that ridiculous move, the opponent's block managed to prevent the ball from going through the net, securing the first point of the match.

It didn't take long for the opposing team to take advantage of the alpha captain's shouts. His last-minute co-ordinations were precisely wrong, and he was also giving away what they were going to do. 

What's more, they were getting more and more used to the attacks of the winger, who wouldn't know they were going to jump until the last second when the ball was heading in his direction. 

And just like the blond beta, the opponent had already noticed that the captain never ordered the lifter to play to the other alpha.

The blond boy managed to save the ball most of the time, but the lift and attack weren't coordinated. The ball hit the net, went out of bounds or was easily received by the opponent.

Glancing round the corner at the alpha in the opposite position, he was surprised to see that he didn't seem annoyed, upset or bothered by the fact that he hadn't touched the ball. He just followed the ball as if analysing the team game. 

When their gazes met, the alpha smiled like a child.

Who was he? How could he stand on the court like that?

The whistle blew, finalising the first set with the other team winning. 

The blond beta sighed in annoyance at not being able to show as much potential as he would have liked, and all thanks to...

— So... can we play for real now? 

All the players stared at the alpha holding the ball under his arm.

— You're joking, right? You haven't even done anything... — complained one of the wingers.

— What's your name?

The beta was startled when those clear eyes rested on him. Was he talking to him? He even pointed at himself in mute questioning, with the alpha patiently agreeing.

— G-Guilherme...

— Right, Guilherme. Instead of receiving the ball, leave it to one of the wingers, and then lift the ball to me.

— Hey, why should he come out of defence? 

That winger completely ignored the other players' complaints, which surprised Guilherme.

He had never played like that, he just knew that he had to defend when his position reached the back of the court, and when the rotation took place that would throw him close to the net, he would drop out. He never imagined that a libero could lift the ball if he moved his position in front of the net.

But those were the alpha's instructions. And his confidence seemed so clear that Guilherme chose to believe him.

A thousand times more him than the other shouting alpha.

When the whistle blew to start the second set, the beta could feel his heart racing with nervousness. Every moment he looked in the alpha's direction, waiting for the signal to change his position and make his first lift. 

Not only was the beta anxious, but so were the other players who had no idea when that moment would be. Their silence delayed the captain's commands, showing that he was also waiting for the signals. 

Clearly many points had been taken away from his team because of this.

It was then that Guilherme finally received that look, deep enough for him to understand that the moment had arrived. It was at the moment when the opposing team decided to try to attack from the wings, forcing the setter to move and receive the ball awkwardly.

Jumping into the setter's position and playing the ball high enough for the alpha, Guilherme was able to contemplate the most beautiful move. 

Not only did he jump very high, but his cut was strong and clean enough to pierce the block and make a big bang when it hit the ground, scoring the team's point. His strength was so tremendous that the players from both teams were surprised.

And that surprise continued when this type of play was repeated throughout the set. 

Every now and then the setter would disobey his captain's orders and lift for the other alpha, who skilfully took the opportunity to cut in from the back of the court. 

The more Guilherme watched him, the more anxious he became. 

Clean, clear moves, so beautiful and well done. The way that alpha positioned himself on the court and responded quickly made it clear that he had been playing for a long time. And what's more, when he went for the serve...

It reminded Guilherme of that person.

That player who used to play for Rapoxia.

The one who made him want to play volleyball.

At the sound of the whistle, he threw the ball into the air and ran a little before jumping. And all his strength gathered in the palm of his hand as he sliced the ball. It sped across the court, hitting the ground with such impact that neither team could move. Guilherme turned round, shivering at the seriousness of that alpha.

With him on serve, they managed a good number of points until the other team got used to receiving their balls. The problem was that none of them could breathe a sigh of relief when the rotation took place, because the alpha showed a thirst for points when he was on the attack. 

Even Guilherme had to work hard to keep up with the pace of the alpha, who seemed to be focussed on nothing but winning. 

And with the set over, the coach blew his whistle with a satisfied smile.

— All right, that's enough for today!

As the coach brought the test match to a close, the participants threw themselves down on the court to rest. The team's players handed out towels and bottles of cold water to each of them, comforting them and congratulating them on their game.

Guilherme looked at the brunette alpha still surprised by what he had seen on the court. He should definitely join the team, he was too talented.

— He's a meddler! — Complained the alpha captain, growling when he received the water bottle from another alpha with tanned skin — Where have you seen ignoring the captain? Doing what you want and what you want.

— So you like being captain? 

The question posed by Rapoxia's alpha made the boys look at each other, afraid to answer. Even though the captain's arrogance was evident in his cocky smile.

— Wouldn't it be natural since I'm an alpha?

— If you were going to join the team, you wouldn't be the captain. Because I am.

— But aren't you in your final semester? Soon you'll have to appoint someone else.

— Which won't be you — smiled the university student, despite the coldness in his tone — since I've already chosen my successor.

It was a rather risky conversation. 

They were still under evaluation, so they couldn't pick fights with their seniors. Except that the team captain hadn't said anything about the boy not being chosen, only that he wouldn't be the captain. Guilherme found that interesting.

As soon as the coach ended the trial period and told them that the results would be announced the following week, the players who were already part of the team took to the court. 

Guilherme looked at their uniforms, the all-black outfit with the fox emblem on the chest and the team name above it. Rapoxia was the name given to the university team three years ago, thanks to a single player who performed the miracle of taking that team to the national competition. 

He was known as the White Fox.

Unfortunately, rumour has it that he graduated and abandoned sports. Guilherme didn't know his name to look him up, but perhaps he could find out if he joined the team. But just looking at that emblem was enough to tickle his stomach.

He wanted to wear that uniform too.

Feeling something cold touch his cheek, the beta woke up from his reverie realising that a bottle of water was being held out to him.

— How long are you going to sit there dreaming, Gui?

— Nath! Don't you think they're cool?

— Hm... Do you?

Taking the bottle and opening it, Guilherme drank, realising that the coach was still talking to the dark-haired boy he had played with. It was such a coincidence that they would meet again in the gym, would he also join the team? 

It would be nice to have someone as experienced as him as a colleague. 

— Did you know, Nath? That's the guy who took your mask earlier today.

— What about him? 

— He... He's great!

— I don't know anything about volleyball, Gui. So if you say so, I'll believe it.

— I don't doubt at all that he's played before. Even though he was ignored by the team captain, he didn't lose his temper.

— Hm... I still don't know what makes him so special.

The tall boy bent down to pick up the beta's sports bag, then headed for the exit of the gym, followed by the short blond.

— Trust me, maybe if I stay close to him I can get some advice on how to improve.

Nathaniel stroked the shorter man's head, who looked at him curiously.

— I'm glad to see you upbeat.

— The guy's great, Nath! And we both bumped into him this morning.

He tilted his head, not looking very interested, but nodded nonetheless.

— For an alpha, he seems like a nice person.

Guilherme stopped walking, staring at the taller man in astonishment.

— Did you... like him?

Stopping a few paces ahead, the masked man turned to the beta and thought for a few moments before answering.

— Yeah... I didn't have a bad first impression.

He didn't show any dramatic emotion, it was as if his comment was occasionally thrown to the wind. He didn't want to say anything between the lines. But William didn't stop covering his mouth again when he realised that this person was finally showing an interest in someone.