#6 - It's A Small World

Although it was only ten and a half in the morning, the sky was dark and the best word to describe the atmosphere outside was gloom. Flashes of white zapped in the background as thunder followed seconds later. The rain was pouring badly as pitter patters sounded akin to the crowds in marketplaces. The bad weather meant that the school's Lightning Warning System was turned on and all outdoor activities were put on hold.

This meant you could catch a glimpse of a rare sight - Cheng Hou in the classroom during recess.

Next to him was Darren who was digging into a wrap he bought from the school canteen. Cheng Hou scrolled through his phone as he swiped past numerous content links on Google. He grunted as he wasn't able to find what he was looking for. He gave out an exasperated sigh as he set his phone down on the table and turned to Darren.

"That girl was lying to me," Cheng Hou whined as he waved his hands about. "She said she was a national team player. But I've scrolled through everywhere and I don't even see her name. Not even any resemblance to it."

"Does it matter though?" Darren asked, biting into his wrap in between sentences. "It's not as if whether someone plays for the national team will have any impact on your life." Darren said with a sarcastic chuckle at the end but was stunned with a pause.

"Hold on, don't tell me you're interested in her or something. Is that why you're trying so hard to see if she's an international player or not?"

Cheng Hou stared at him. He was notoriously known for having an RBF. Resting Bitch Face. But the stare he gave to Darren didn't give the impression that Cheng Hou was a stuck-up nor obnoxious. He gave a judgmental look. His eyes squinted as his mouth opened agape. It was as if Darren said something completely stupid.

"Nevermind," Darren took back his words. "I just remembered you have zero knack for personal relationships, let alone a romantic one."

"I'll beat the shit out of you," Cheng Hou slapped Darren's shoulder. "I'm not really bothered by whether she lied or not, but if she was a national team player I'd want to ask some questions on how I should work on myself individually."

"I literally sit besides you in class," Darren shot back. "For every lesson," he paused in between his words. "For four years running."

"And besides," Darren crushed up the paper bag that held his wrap. "You're doing fine. You got the gymwork done, you keep yourself fit and conditioned, and you're always working and refining your skills. All you need to do is to get into a club and it'll go up from there."

"It doesn't hurt to find out more," Cheng Hou replied. He leaned further back on his chair and groaned. "I don't get why I have to try so hard and research so much when there's people like Aziq who got into the national team by doing the bare minimum."

Cheng Hou spruced back up as he faced Darren. "He spends more time vaping and messing around outside than actually training yet he got in the team over me just because his school won? I made one mistake out of the countless contributions I had. It's so unfair."

"It's alright. The team selections are kinda biased these days. Even for the senior team," Darren put his hand on Cheng Hou's shoulder, "But good things comes to those who work hard for it, so keep believing and you'll make it."

Cheng Hou shrugged in agreement. Darren was right. It had always been unfair when it came to team selection for years and it didn't just apply to youth level, it was the same case for the senior team. Players who under performed were always called up due to their club's standings in the league whilst the players who did perform beyond expectations barely get a look in due to their club's reputation. It has been a talking point amongst fans in the fraternity but as always, the association turned a blind eye and the coaches continued with poor pickings.

"Ah," Cheng Hou realized. "Did you do the Math homework?"

"Yeah, did you-?"

Just as Darren finished his question and Cheng Hou was about to respond, the loud chatter in the class was frail in comparison with the borderline scream of a question that succeeded. Walking into the class as if it was her own, a loud "Cheng! Can I copy your Math answers?" erupted from Meili at the entrance.

Inviting herself in as Cheng Hou and Darren's classmates greeted her with some reconfirming their after school plans with her, Meili danced her way to the pair's seats and rested her palms on Cheng Hou's table. "I completely forgot to do it, can you lend me your answers? Pleaseee?"

"You did nothing yesterday and you still couldn't do the homework?" Cheng Hou rejected.

"Hey, I said I was sorry for not coming yesterday. I'll buy you bubble tea if you help me."

"Just ask your friends  la. Next time don't be such a xiao meimei1 then you'll get your work done."

"I'm not a xiao meimei! Darren, back me up here!" Meili turned to the other guy in the vicinity.

"No comment," he chose to ignore her instead.

"How did you even get into Express Math anyways?" Cheng Hou began to passively insult her. "Your grades are shit and you either sleep all day or go out all day," he asked the Normal Academic girl. 

"I'm not stupid, okay?" Meili answered the Express student. "I'm just lazy to study, and it just turns out I'm good at Math."

"If you're good at Math then do it yourself," Darren rebutted. This was thanked with a high five from Cheng Hou as they dapped each other up. While Meili was bickering with Cheng Hou and slowly getting on Darren's nerves, another girl from her class walked in. She scanned the class looking for her and once she spotted her, she walked towards her.

"Eh, stop bothering other people again." The girl interrupted Meili's pleas as she slapped her in the back... before immediately panicking as she feared she might have hit too hard. "Shit! You okay?"

Rubbing her back, Meili turned around. "What the hell... that was much stronger than last time! Did you workout yesterday or what?"

"Yeah," she answered before going back to her original statement. "Anyways, stop bothering people again. You still got the whole of recess to do it, so let's go."

"You're such a downer," Meili whined. "We're friends y'know. I'm just asking if he wanted to help me." Meili defended herself as she pointed to Cheng Hou and Darren. Both of them stared at the girl and shook their heads.

"No."

Meili sighed. "Fine... fine... I'm not treating you to bubble tea anymore, Anri."

"Hey! We had a deal!" The girl argued back as Meili rolled her eyes and mocked her by mouthing the same words she said. While the two of them playfully bickered, Cheng Hou just had a realization. He didn't realize it when she entered the classroom because the last time he saw her, she had her hair down rather than tied up. 

"Wait," he got up, catching the two girls' attention. "You come to our school?" he pointed at her. It seemed as if the late realization was mutual as Anri stared at him for a good second or two, trying to recall who he was until her mouth opened. "Cheng Hou?"

That was when Cheng Hou remembered. Anri was also a friend of Meili's, but he assumed they knew each other from club football and not because they were from the same school. That was one mystery down, but he still had questions to ask.

"I just wanted to ask. You said you played for the national team, but I can't find you anywhere."

"Really?" Anri tilted her head. "What did you search for?"

"Anri Singapore football team," Cheng Hou said the exact words he searched up on Google.

"Anri isn't from here," Meili added herself into the conversation, clarifying his misunderstanding. "She's from Japan."

"That's a good joke," Cheng Hou said in doubt.

"Oh. I'm actually from Japan," Anri confirmed herself. Cheng Hou's face slowly turned into disbelief. Staring straight into her eyes with his mouth opened in an O shape, Anri chuckled in amusement as she clarified it further.

"I'm from Miyagi but I moved here when I was two because my dad was playing football here. I lived here until I was twelve when he moved back. I knew Meili because we lived nearby and went to the same primary school."

"Anri returned last year because her dad got a coaching role at LCS. That's why she's here now."

"And as for the national team," Anri touched on that topic as she saw a bit of doubt in Cheng Hou's eyes. "I'm not lying about that," she said as she laughed a bit. "Search up Anri Kimotsuki online and you'll see," she re-introduced herself as Cheng Hou began to search for her on Google. And rightfully enough, things started to fall into place as pictures of her playing for her country's youth setup was displayed on the screen.

"I'm still part of the setup but because the quality of football here and Japan is very different, I'm working thrice as hard to make sure I still stand out. I still have to go for the provisional training camps so I'm not a regular callup."

"Which is stupid," Meili said as she clicked he tongue while shaking her head. "She's also the captain."

Cheng Hou was in absolute disbelief at this point. However, this time it wasn't because he thought they were playing him like a fool. It was pure admiration at this point. He wanted to ask many questions but he couldn't think of any. He looked at Darren who shrugged and he looked back at Anri who smiled. His admiration for those who were at a higher level knows no bounds regardless if they were a veteran player at the top, or a youth player who was crafting their way to glory.

"Hey Anri, if you help me with the homework then I'll buy you bubble tea," Meili interrupted the awkward silence as she hoped to get Anri to help her with her homework. Anri turned around and sighed, "Fine."

As she was about to walk off with Meili, she stopped and then turned around just as Cheng Hou sat back down and started to talk to Darren. She walked towards Cheng Hou's table and caught his attention.

"By the way...

I'm playing football at Turf City this Friday night.

Do you want to come?"