Sixteen

The day of the sports festival

“Good luck!” I heard the guys shout as I ran off to school, chewing on a slice of toast. It was 5 am. Most of the people in school would be there by this time for early morning practices and also to set up the ground.

When I reached, the school was already abuzz with people running here and there. I stared up at the huge sign that said “Annual Sports Festival 2013”.

Guess it was time to get ready. I smiled and yelled into the dark sky.

 

“FIGHTING!”

“Yo! Mihi-ssi, will you get the tape for me?” I asked as I measured a portion of the track lanes. It was 6am now, and the PE ground was filled with busy students.

“Sure!” she said and went to get it. When I got it, I started my work again.

Our PE ground was very big, and very different from other schools. This was actually an old football stadium, and when our school was built here years back, they reconstructed it. So it’s a huge ground with seats all around.

I looked up at the activity all around me and couldn’t help a grin. I loved it when there was so much of activity. Actually, I loved the sports festival. I just didn’t like being a representative for it.

After about 30 minutes, I ran inside the bathroom to change into the PE dress. For the red team, we had a red polo T-shirt and white knee length shorts. The shorts were the same for everyone, but the color of T-shirts was different. Red for the Red team and White for the white team. We also had to wear headbands of the respective colors.

I jogged back outside and continued being busy.

I swear, I’d win.

And if Jiyong was there… I wouldn’t want to look like a loser, would I?

7am. Everything had more or less been set in the PE grounds and the coaches were making some people practice. There were also some serious sports buffs running laps around the entire school.

I walked to the cafeteria and bought myself some juice. I was hungry as well as thirsty as hell, and already sweating. Suddenly a pair of hands covered my eyes from behind.

I’d know those hands anywhere.

“Hana-ah,” I smiled and she appeared before me, pouting. “You’re not supposed to guess it so easily Jinhee-ah!” she complained. She was also dressed in her PE dress, though her sleeves were rolled up until the shoulder, so she could show off her slender arms.

“Are you participating in anything?” I asked. I didn’t remember her joining anything. I didn’t ask her, cuz I was too busy with everything else.

“Yeah. Throw ball,” she said and held up two fingers, smiling wide.

“Really?!” I exclaimed. This was a first. She never participated in anything, if she could help it.

“Yeah… Joon likes sports… so…” she said, twiddling her thumb. “We… talked yesterday.” She said.

“Really? And?” I enquired, sitting down on a chair. She sat down too.

“Um, it was a misunderstanding, just like you said.” She laughed sheepishly. “It was just his sister and her friends…”

“He has a sister?” I raised an eyebrow in suspicion. From what I remember, Hana told me that he was an only child, soon after they started going out. How come this ‘sister’ suddenly came into the picture? But I didn’t tell her that.

I continued listening to her tale of their phone conversation, which she was telling animatedly. She was happy. I felt happy that she was happy, but I had my suspicions about this Choi Joon guy, and I wasn’t going to believe everything she believed from him, so easily.

After a while, after she’d finished her over-the-phone-romance rant, and after I’d finished my juice, we headed back out onto the ground. Then I decided to take a small walk around the field, Hana followed me idly.

“Yo Jinhee!” I heard a certain voice and froze on the spot.

“If we win the sports festival… go out with me.”

I didn’t know what to do. Lee Hyukjae said that to me. I didn’t know how to react yesterday, so I just mumbled something incoherent and ran. I know that must have looked very bad. Very bad, I say.

I slowly turned around and faced Hyukjae w