Chapter Seven
Rin
I step up to the window, smiling at the woman working. “Hi,” I say, loud enough that she can hear me past the crowd around us. “I have tickets waiting for me to pick up. My name is Rin. I’m a friend of Maki’s.”
“Got you right here,” she says, sliding three tickets through the window towards me. “Enjoy the game.”
“Thank you!”
I hand a ticket to Rodney and Kei. We head through the gates. Once inside, I make my way straight towards the gift shop.
“Hey! Don’t get lost, asshole,” Kei says, pulling Rodney along so the three of us don’t get separated. Rodney tends to be a bit of a wanderer in places like this.
One time, when the three of us were out at a bar, Kei and I looked over and Rodney was just fucking gone.
It turned out, he’d drunk just a tiny bit too much and headed outside.
He started walking through the neighborhood until he found a nightclub that would let him inside.
It took us hours to track him down. We found him surrounded by a bachelorette party with him square in the middle.
It was a sight to behold but even so, Kei was livid. Which in Kei language means he was worried about Rodney.
Now, we always make sure we have our locations on for each other, just in case.
“I have to find something to wear,” I explain, looking through the jerseys. “Oh, shit! Look! I can wear Maki’s jersey! That would be so cute.”
“You’ve been on one date and you’re already disgusting,” Kei murmurs, rolling his eyes at me.
“Why is Maki’s jersey orange instead of black like the rest of them?”
The guy working behind the counter perks up.
“That’s because Maki is our libero. They follow their own set of rules and are allowed on and off the court outside of substitutions.
To help the refs keep track, liberos wear the opposite color as the rest of the team.
So when they’re home, Maki is orange and when they’re away, he wears the usual black. ”
“Oh,” I say, nodding my head. “I still have so much to learn.”
Rodney squeezes my shoulder. “We can make a stream out of it. Watching game footage and learning the rules,” he says with a grin.
“Owl will be so excited,” Kei says in his deadpan way.
“I love the way you think, Rodney. We can make content out my dumbassery.”
“We usually do,” Rodney says back with a grin.
I buy the jersey and run to the bathroom, quickly switching into it. When I look in the mirror, I can’t help but flush. I turn around, checking out the back.
There’s something very exciting about wearing Maki’s jersey. The bold number five is plastered across my chest and across my back. His number. His last name, Quinn, written across my shoulderblades.
Not only is it exciting, but it’s also kind of erotic if I’m being honest with myself.
I can picture it now; standing in the living room wearing nothing but this jersey, tugging down the front to cover my goods.
Would Maki like that? Would he find it as hot as I do?
What if I stole his actual jersey instead of just the merchandise version of it?
I bet it would be even longer than this, going down to the middle of my thighs.
Okay, fuck. I can’t think like that right now! After splashing a bit of cold water against my flaming cheeks, I head back out into the hallway, finding Rodney and Kei waiting for me.
Rodney does a low whistle when I step out, looking me up and down. Kei totally clocks my blush but for once, he doesn’t comment on it.
“Popcorn?” I ask.
“Popcorn,” they both say.
After grabbing some popcorn and some beer, we make our way into the gymnasium, finding our seats. These tickets couldn’t have been any better. We’re above the floor so we can look down at the court, having a bird’s eye view. We’re right at the net, so we’ll be able to perfectly see both sides.
“Damn,” Rodney says as we sit down. “Your man is really treating us well.”
“He’s not my man,” I say, shoving my elbow into Rodney’s side.
“That’s not what these tickets are saying,” Kei butts in. “These are really good seats.”
“He said he has tickets to give out every game. It’s not a big deal.”
“If you say so,” Rodney says with a smirk.
I shove a giant handful of popcorn into my mouth so that I don’t have to respond. Just then, the lights dim and a spotlight shoots down towards the doors opposite where we’re sitting.
“Tonight’s opponents, coming from Scottsville. Please welcome the Scottsville Scouts!”
Music starts to play as an otter mascot wearing a safari outfit runs through the doors.
He pulls out a comically large set of binoculars, pointing up at the stands where the Scouts’ fans are sitting.
They all roar and cheer. A moment later, the volleyball team is running out, all of them stopping to pat the mascot’s back.
“Everyone, get on your feet for your home team! Please welcome our very own, Nanio Ninjas!”
The three of us stand up, clapping along with the rest of the crowd.
I’ve never been much of a sports fan but the energy in the arena is contagious.
I find myself whistling as the Nanio mascot leaps through the door, doing a cartwheel on his way out.
He throws comically large ninja stars into the crowd before finally, the team starts running out.
I watch all of them, looking for number five.
Maki is towards the back and I can’t help but smile when I see him.
The entire team runs over to a cart of balls.
They line up on one side of the court, starting to run drills with each other as they warm up while the away team does the same on the opposite side of the court.
Once the lights go back to normal and the players are no longer in the spotlight, Maki’s eyes drift up into our section. I see the moment he notices us, his face lighting up. I wave down at him and he gives me a little wave before going back to warming up.
Kei snorts. “Not your man, my ass.”
“Shut up,” I hiss out, stealing some of his popcorn.
Maki looks so good in his libero outfit.
Everyone is wearing short shorts that are black with an orange accent down the side.
Their jerseys are black short sleeves, their numbers and seams orange and an orange collar.
Maki’s outfit is the opposite, orange with black accents.
He stands out but in a way that makes him look like the star of the team.
Everyone is wearing black kneepads but Maki is wearing tall socks that cover his entire lower legs. I like how his calves look in them.
It’s kinda funny that their mascot is a ninja but their team colors include orange. Who thought of that?
After warming up, both teams take turns with the net, doing spiking drills. Above the court, there are giant screens, showing close ups of the action. When we get our first close up on our setter, I can’t help but gape.
“Jesus,” I hiss out. “Our setter is probably the prettiest man I’ve seen? What the fuck?”
Rodney agrees and even Kei nods his head, his eyes wide.
After warm ups, it’s finally time for the team introductions.
The screens show shots of everyone’s faces, listing some of their stats and their names.
The crowd politely cheer for the Scouts but once it’s time to introduce the Ninjas, once again, I’m swept away in the excitement along with the rest of the crowd.
“And now,” the announcer says, his voice taking on a really upbeat tone to it. “Put your hands together for your Ninjas’ starting lineup! Our team captain, number 1 is Daniel Lorray!”
Daniel steps forward, waving at the crowd before standing across from his team, his back to us, his feet on the outside line. He’s handsome with dark, short hair and the most amazing looking thighs that even I can appreciate from all the way up here.
“Our middle blocker, number 44, Kurstin Oya!”
Kurstin waves at the crowd before jogging over to stand next to Daniel, the two of them clapping hands together.
He’s tall with broad shoulders. He has a buzzed head with a rainbow dyed into the short strands on the back of his head.
He smiles at the camera, showing off the most luxurious porn-stache I’ve ever seen.
“Our other middle blocker, number 22, Amour Potenza!”
Amour is a bit shorter than Kurstin but not by much.
The camera zooms into his face as he waves.
He has long, black hair that’s tied back into two tight braids that end in buns on either side of his head above his ears.
He’s got little beauty spots in random spots on his face that only seem to enhance how beautiful he is.
Kurstin bumps his hip with Amour and Amour seems to huff with amusement.
“Our opposite hitter, number 11, Bo Clyvedive-Heratoshavicz!”
Bo is the shortest person out of all the starters. He’s got broad shoulders and toned arms. His hair is the shiniest shade of blue I’ve ever seen, styled in the perfect mullet. He excitedly jumps up and down, flashing double ones as he runs over to the rest of his team.
“Our outside hitter, number 10, Ivan Moorestone!”
Ivan walks over to his team. He smiles for a moment as the camera zooms in before going back to his perpetual deadpan expression. He’s got short, spiky hair, gauged ears with black earrings, and tattoos across both of his arms. He gives everyone a high five before taking his place beside Bo.
“Our setter, number 4, Oli Krenz!”
Oli puts on a giant smile, throwing a peace sign and wink to the camera.
Beside me, Rodney sucks in a sharp breath and I get it.
Oli is pretty. He’s got chestnut hair that almost seems to shimmer with purple undertones that falls in natural waves around his ears and the back of his neck but somehow perfectly stays out of his eyes.
His eyes are a vibrant green color and his smile is damn near perfect.
He gives his teammates high fives and leaps into the air when he gets to Ivan, forcing the other man to catch him.
Oli throws his head back and giggles as Ivan sets him back down.