“Left, right, left, right, left, right” the soccer team from Busan High School shouted in sync, moving their feet in sync too.

My eyes were set permanently on the boy with number – who had dirty grey hair. He agilely ran in zigzag. His feet were moving really fast and well, he had good sense of balance too.

Meanwhile, I was still practicing together with the trainees. We learnt new move of cheerleading today. Seniors were strictly scolding us who got the move wrong. The one who was scolded the most was no other than me.

Late one beat or two beats, wrong direction, wrong foot, wrong arm – everything that you could categorize as a mistake.

One of the seniors who had short temper almost kicked me out from practicing this new move. Fortunately, the leader saved me. As expected, she’s such a caring person. She had a great leadership.

Below her leadership, our cheerleader team already won around six awards.

---

The practice was over after two hours of nonstop practice. All of the trainees were feeling exhausted, with I was the most exhausted one – basically because of me, since I kept making a mistake.

I sat on the bench first, next to bag of bottles with a towel around my neck.

“Won’t you give out our bottles?” a senior scolded.

I flabbergasted at first, but react immediately. Kindly, I gave each of the trainees and seniors their bottle and towel, taking poms from their hands and kept them inside a bag.

“Hey, water girl!” a boy shouted. I didn’t know who he was calling since I was too busy with packing poms.

“Water girl, aren’t you going to give me a bottle of water?”  the boy asked. I felt like he’s right behind me, from how a shadow covered me. I heard how loud were his pants.

“Hey,” he said as he patted my shoulder.

I turned around only to face a boy with grey hair was drenched in sweat. Towel was around his neck. Even though he’s drenched in sweat, he still looked cool. He’s of course the boy in number ten.

“Calling me?” I asked.

He nodded and rolled his eyes, “Water girl, can you hand me my bottle?” he asked, showing the palm of his hand – asking for me to give him a bottle of water.

“B-but it’s my team’s…”

He chuckled and rolled his eyes, “Gosh, I’m just teasing you. You’re so cute.”

I smiled awkwardly at him. He too – was cute when he’s smiling.

“So you’re really a water girl?” he asked once again, the same question that he asked to me last night. “No need to be shy, a water girl isn’t a bad job,” he said as he patted my shoulder. Looked like he’s trying to make me feel better.

“I’m not a water girl,” I smiled sheepishly and shrugged his hand off from my shoulder.

He raised an eyebrow, “But you’re giving – never mind”

I sighed. His words made me want to give up more, somehow. Did I really look like a water girl? If yes, maybe I should really stop trying to be a cheerleader.

“Jung Daehyun, come back here!” a voice of a boy roared from another side of the field.

“Yes!” the boy number ten who’s in front of me saluted back.

“I must go now,” he said and jogged away from me.

“I hope to see you tonight!!!” he shouted to me before he completely ran back toward his own team.

Maybe even if he thought me as a water girl, as long as I was with him, I felt happy.

Let’s meet tonight, once more time.

---

The sun almost set fully, the sky already went orange. Afternoon had come and the leader asked us to go back to the lodge as soon as possible.

As usual, I walked in the back – walking with following the trainees with two big bags on both of my shoulder. I followed the crowd like I was a lost child.

“Heeyoung,” suddenly someone grabbed me by my shoulder. It’s a girl’s voice which was belong to the leader of Seoul High School’s cheerleader team.

“You know, how many trainees were really exhausted because we must kept replaying the move,” she said, followed by a heavy sigh.

I knew where this conversation went to.

“I hope you don’t mind to be our manager,” she told me.

Her eyes were saying that like she pitied me. No, being manager of a cheerleader team wasn’t my dream.

I shook my head, “Can’t you give me another chance?”

She shook her head, unfortunately. “It’s enough for me to be your side. Show me how good you are. I’ll wait you in the last day of the Summer Camp,” she said.

“I wish you a good luck,” she encouraged me and left me alone on the field.

I stared the blank air in front of me, watching my leader was walking away from me without looking back at me.

Yes, she already gave me too much. Maybe I didn’t belong to this cheerleader team. Maybe it’s not my fate at all.

I started to walk away with my shoulder was deflated. I felt two bags on my shoulder were going heavier than before.

Life is hard, I know.

“Water girl!!” someone shouted. Knowing that I didn’t know any other boy except that boy number ten, beside he’s the only one who called me ‘water girl’, I turned around – guessing that it was number ten who called me.

He was running toward me, still with sweat was drenching his face.

“Water girl, why are you still here?” he asked.

I smiled awkwardly, “I just want to go back to my lodge before you called me.”

His lips formed a big ‘o’ and nodded his head in acknowledge. “They look heavy, let me help you,” he said as he took two bags on my shoulder and slung it on his own shoulder.

“It’s okay,” I muttered, trying to take one of the bags from him.

He shook his head and grinned, “I’ve finished my practice, we can go together since our lodges are close enough.”