The morning came and all of the young athletes from all the regions nationwide gathered for the National Games opening ceremony.
Each region wore their color-coded uniforms and cheered loudly whenever the host called them.
Everyone was enthusiastic and full of young energy.
These are the young seedlings of the country's sports industry.
Everyone was talented and everyone worked hard. Many of these young athletes hoped to be noticed and be offered scholarships by universities or schools that were hunting for a new set of varsities to further their studies. Some were looking forward to sponsorships for their training and international competitions.
The morale was high.
Even under the scorching heat of the sun; even if the speeches of the high officials were long and boring; they still happily participated and cheered when needed and applauded when needed.
Yumi, who was profusely sweating under her thick uniform jacket, roamed her eyes to get rid of her boredom and irritation. When her eyes laid at the area where the NCR was, she was attracted by a stunner who was shielded from the harmful sun. The girl enjoyed the meticulous service of the boy beside her who held an umbrella in one hand and swayed a fan in the other.
Everyone close to this beautiful lady was shy and unconsciously freed an arm-wide circle around her. She did not pose any hostility or anything unpleasant, but her beauty was so intimidating that they did not dare to come any closer.
Her roommate followed her gaze, "She plays table tennis. My former classmate from Metro told me that she was called the table tennis goddess in the NCR." She whispered like a gossiping aunty in the streets.
Seeing that Yumi was interested she continued her insider's report. "See that man holding the umbrella? That's his boyfriend. Boys and girls couldn't comprehend how a beauty like her could be with a plain Jane, but seeing him now, I think he got her by being meticulous."
She looked at the couple and found them quite perfect for each other.
Maybe it was the subtle tacit understanding between the two or maybe because of their perfect height difference. They just gave a vibe that nothing was misplaced and they were harmonious.
The other probably noticed her gaze. Yumi, who was caught gawking at her beauty, was flustered. The beautiful girl looked over her shoulder and smiled like a blooming flower to her, making Yumi blush.
Yumi turned her head and refocused her eyes on the stage.
After moments had passed, she almost forgot this small incident.
She listened to another long speech, watched an archer shoot an arrow with fire into the giant torch and swore an oath of sportsmanship together with thousands of players from different sports.
After the ceremony, she went back to her room to rest and prepare for her competition tomorrow. At dinner, she and her coach had their final analysis of different players and the things that she should be mindful of.
After they said what they needed to say, she was finally let off and she once again hid inside her room. Her heart was pounding like a running horse. She tried to meditate to calm herself but it was not effective.
She was in this state when the phone on the top of the bedside table lit up. She stretched her torso across the bed and snatched it. She tapped the screen to reopen it and a bubble message popped out.
"Grandma Cruz wanted me to tell you that she was proud of you. She also made dried mangoes and chocolate tablets. She told me to tell you that you can eat it when you get home."
After she read this text message, another one came.
"Dry your hair before you sleep. Don't catch colds. We're not there to look out for you. Take good care of yourself."
Her heart magically calmed down. A warm current flowed into her chest.
Her face also instantly softened. She could not even remember why she was so listless just now.
She carefully laid back on the soft bed and reread the text. All of a sudden, all of the hidden tension on her body was washed away. Her lips hooked gently.
"Don't you dare touch my dried mangoes! You can't take even a single piece ah!" She texted back.
"Silly. Grandma gave me two packs ah. I won't touch yours. I'm not greedy like you."
"Oh yeah? You stealthy finished my dried mangoes inside the cave years ago?" She snickered and then laughed when she remembered the incident before.
"You are too hateful. It is not right to hold grudges this long. Learn to forgive and forget."
They bickered back and forth; when the clock turned into nine they said their goodbyes and went to sleep.
The first round of the competition went well for her. The match might not be easy, but it was also not difficult.
There was a small friction between her and the umpire and one of the line judge, but what was important was the game was over now and she won.
All the training that she did was now doing its magic. Her every move was smooth and well-controlled. After her match, she easily gained the vigilance of the other players, especially the new ones who had not seen her play before.
Her face was flushed and her lips were agape from panting. When the game was officially over, she clamped her racket under her armpit and walked towards the benches. Her coach handed her a cold bottle of water.
She quenched her dried throat and rubbed her towel into her soaked hair.
Having gotten rid of the dripping sweat on her forehead, she now tidied up her equipment and tied it to her bag.
They both sat and ran down all the highlights and room for improvements in the game.
Yumi was usually patient with this after play review but the coach noticed her unusual fidgeting.
She waited for her coach to finish everything that he had to say; she almost did all the kinds of twists that she could think of just to suppress her protesting bladder. New beads of sweat replaced the wiped-out ones earlier and she even called all the saints that she knew to help her hold on tight.
Right after his last word, he saw her hook her body bag across her shoulder and sprinting like a chicken that was running for its life.
She went straight ahead to the nearest restroom. Maybe it was too near the competition venue, the line was now as long as a giant snake. She really needed to relieve herself now and she could not wait for all the people in the line to finish their own business before she could do her own thing.
Why did they all decide to use the restroom at the same time? Was this some sort of gathering she did not know?
She went up to the second floor and found the same scenario. Given no choice, she hurried down the corridor and went to the connecting bridge to the next building.
There were few to no people that could be seen in the hallways and rooms.
All of the people were now condense at the competition venue at the next building that this place looks like a hunted one right one.
The only noise that she could hear was her footsteps.
After encountering locked bathrooms, she finally found an open one.
There were six cubicles inside. Only the third one and the one at the very end were open. She rushed into the latter and finally got the relief that she wanted.
She grinned from ear to ear. She was proud of herself that she won this painful battle with nature. She was also happy that she secured her beloved dignity and did not release the dam in public.
Her little self-appreciation time was interrupted when she heard the phone in her body bag ring. When she checked who the caller was, she swiped her finger over the green icon and took the device beside her ear.
A mellow-sounding voice was transmitted into the speaker, "How's your game? You still have two legs and two arms, right ah?"
Sometimes she could not just understand how this boy's brain waves worked. He could simply ask her if she finished her match safely and unharmed, but he instead chose these unpleasant words.
She could not help but ask if he was really pursuing her. What was this self-sabotaging mouth spitting unromantic words?
She rolled her eyes and answered, "Of course ah! I am still capable of taking care of myself, you know?"
"Good. Don't try to sneak another drill session. You don't strain your wrist, right? Rest as much as you can, okay?"
The morning came and all of the young athletes from all the regions nationwide gathered for the National Games opening ceremony.
Each region wore their color-coded uniforms and cheered loudly whenever the host called them.
Everyone was enthusiastic and full of young energy.
These are the young seedlings of the country's sports industry.
Everyone was talented and everyone worked hard. Many of these young athletes hoped to be noticed and be offered scholarships by universities or schools that were hunting for a new set of varsities to further their studies. Some were looking forward to sponsorships for their training and international competitions.
The morale was high.
Even under the scorching heat of the sun; even if the speeches of the high officials were long and boring; they still happily participated and cheered when needed and applauded when needed.
Yumi, who was profusely sweating under her thick uniform jacket, roamed her eyes to get rid of her boredom and irritation. When her eyes laid at the area where the NCR was, she was attracted by a stunner who was shielded from the harmful sun. The girl enjoyed the meticulous service of the boy beside her who held an umbrella in one hand and swayed a fan in the other.
Everyone close to this beautiful lady was shy and unconsciously freed an arm-wide circle around her. She did not pose any hostility or anything unpleasant, but her beauty was so intimidating that they did not dare to come any closer.
Her roommate followed her gaze, "She plays table tennis. My former classmate from Metro told me that she was called the table tennis goddess in the NCR." She whispered like a gossiping aunty in the streets.
Seeing that Yumi was interested she continued her insider's report. "See that man holding the umbrella? That's his boyfriend. Boys and girls couldn't comprehend how a beauty like her could be with a plain Jane, but seeing him now, I think he got her by being meticulous."
She looked at the couple and found them quite perfect for each other.
Maybe it was the subtle tacit understanding between the two or maybe because of their perfect height difference. They just gave a vibe that nothing was misplaced and they were harmonious.
The other probably noticed her gaze. Yumi, who was caught gawking at her beauty, was flustered. The beautiful girl looked over her shoulder and smiled like a blooming flower to her, making Yumi blush.
Yumi turned her head and refocused her eyes on the stage.
After moments had passed, she almost forgot this small incident.
She listened to another long speech, watched an archer shoot an arrow with fire into the giant torch and swore an oath of sportsmanship together with thousands of players from different sports.
After the ceremony, she went back to her room to rest and prepare for her competition tomorrow. At dinner, she and her coach had their final analysis of different players and the things that she should be mindful of.
After they said what they needed to say, she was finally let off and she once again hid inside her room. Her heart was pounding like a running horse. She tried to meditate to calm herself but it was not effective.
She was in this state when the phone on the top of the bedside table lit up. She stretched her torso across the bed and snatched it. She tapped the screen to reopen it and a bubble message popped out.
"Grandma Cruz wanted me to tell you that she was proud of you. She also made dried mangoes and chocolate tablets. She told me to tell you that you can eat it when you get home."
After she read this text message, another one came.
"Dry your hair before you sleep. Don't catch colds. We're not there to look out for you. Take good care of yourself."
Her heart magically calmed down. A warm current flowed into her chest.
Her face also instantly softened. She could not even remember why she was so listless just now.
She carefully laid back on the soft bed and reread the text. All of a sudden, all of the hidden tension on her body was washed away. Her lips hooked gently.
"Don't you dare touch my dried mangoes! You can't take even a single piece ah!" She texted back.
"Silly. Grandma gave me two packs ah. I won't touch yours. I'm not greedy like you."
"Oh yeah? You stealthy finished my dried mangoes inside the cave years ago?" She snickered and then laughed when she remembered the incident before.
"You are too hateful. It is not right to hold grudges this long. Learn to forgive and forget."
They bickered back and forth; when the clock turned into nine they said their goodbyes and went to sleep.
The first round of the competition went well for her. The match might not be easy, but it was also not difficult.
There was a small friction between her and the umpire and one of the line judge, but what was important was the game was over now and she won.
All the training that she did was now doing its magic. Her every move was smooth and well-controlled. After her match, she easily gained the vigilance of the other players, especially the new ones who had not seen her play before.
Her face was flushed and her lips were agape from panting. When the game was officially over, she clamped her racket under her armpit and walked towards the benches. Her coach handed her a cold bottle of water.
She quenched her dried throat and rubbed her towel into her soaked hair.
Having gotten rid of the dripping sweat on her forehead, she now tidied up her equipment and tied it to her bag.
They both sat and ran down all the highlights and room for improvements in the game.
Yumi was usually patient with this after play review but the coach noticed her unusual fidgeting.
She waited for her coach to finish everything that he had to say; she almost did all the kinds of twists that she could think of just to suppress her protesting bladder. New beads of sweat replaced the wiped-out ones earlier and she even called all the saints that she knew to help her hold on tight.
Right after his last word, he saw her hook her body bag across her shoulder and sprinting like a chicken that was running for its life.
She went straight ahead to the nearest restroom. Maybe it was too near the competition venue, the line was now as long as a giant snake. She really needed to relieve herself now and she could not wait for all the people in the line to finish their own business before she could do her own thing.
Why did they all decide to use the restroom at the same time? Was this some sort of gathering she did not know?
She went up to the second floor and found the same scenario. Given no choice, she hurried down the corridor and went to the connecting bridge to the next building.
There were few to no people that could be seen in the hallways and rooms.
All of the people were now condense at the competition venue at the next building that this place looks like a hunted one right one.
The only noise that she could hear was her footsteps.
After encountering locked bathrooms, she finally found an open one.
There were six cubicles inside. Only the third one and the one at the very end were open. She rushed into the latter and finally got the relief that she wanted.
She grinned from ear to ear. She was proud of herself that she won this painful battle with nature. She was also happy that she secured her beloved dignity and did not release the dam in public.
Her little self-appreciation time was interrupted when she heard the phone in her body bag ring. When she checked who the caller was, she swiped her finger over the green icon and took the device beside her ear.
A mellow-sounding voice was transmitted into the speaker, "How's your game? You still have two legs and two arms, right ah?"
Sometimes she could not just understand how this boy's brain waves worked. He could simply ask her if she finished her match safely and unharmed, but he instead chose these unpleasant words.
She could not help but ask if he was really pursuing her. What was this self-sabotaging mouth spitting unromantic words?
She rolled her eyes and answered, "Of course ah! I am still capable of taking care of myself, you know?"
"Good. Don't try to sneak another drill session. You don't strain your wrist, right? Rest as much as you can, okay?"
