𝗘𝗚𝗢𝗜𝗦𝗧 | blue lock

IV. Chapter Four | Round Robin

She always loved the smell of wet asphalt after it rained, frequenting the school courtyard even on the gloomiest of days. It might've been the fact that no one else shared the same interest, and on days like these, she could sit here in silence. Or perhaps rain was a nostalgic memory, always feeling that she had been here before, right in this exact spot, humming to herself as she sullied her skirt by sitting on damp wood. It was okay, she thought. The skirt was darker in color. And besides, who would care enough to point it out? People couldn't be bothered with such things.

But she knew how cruel teenagers could be sometimes, despite being one herself.

Scurried hushes and high pitched giggles, watching as a group of girls run away from the shoe cupboard at the entryway, shoving past her in the process. She didn't do anything in protest, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. Her cracked glasses that sat crooked on the bridge of her nose were knocked off from such a forceful push, body having turned in a slight stumble.

She kneels down, brushing her fingers against the slim black frames before picking them up and placing them right back onto her face.

She straightens back up, smoothing down the back of her skirt. She could still feel the dampness from sitting on the bench this afternoon, fingers twitching after running over the cold, wet fabric.

Walking towards her cubby, leaning down and peeling her shoes away from her black stockings, she neatly lines them up together before tucking her fingers against the heels end and lifting them up. She grabs the other pair that sits inside of the confined space, replacing them with the ones she had just taken off. A bunch of paper slips come tumbling out as she turns them upside down, alongside steel thumbtacks, bouncing off the floor in small clicks.

She didn't need to read what was written, she already knew. Old, cheap tricks.

She really wished that she had kept her mouth shut.

Her eyes open, short lived open-mouthed breaths leaving her lips, trying to swallow them down quickly. She didn't want any questions aimed at her, shutting her eyes in silent thanks that her upper body didn't jump after waking up. She was sweaty, night shirt clinging to her stomach. Her mind briefly flashes to the guy from the cafeteria.

She really needed a shower and some deodorant right about now.

The lights were still dim, her eyes darting around the room as she sits up, covers rustling. Everyone was in their futon, a symphony of snores nearly putting a crease in her brain.

It had to be at least two 'o clock in the morning, seeing as most of her teammates were early morning risers. Which didn't give her much time, sliding out from under the futon coverings, welcoming the cold feeling of the floor contrasting against the warm skin of her feet. She treads with careful steps, making a beeline for the shower room.

She ensured her towel was close by this time, she crosses her arms over her stomach, lifting her shirt over her head. A bit lost in thought this morning, it seems she couldn't help but revise over her dream.

She had already reached the conclusion that they were most likely real. She couldn't recall being treated like that, but then again, all of her memories prior to her last two grade levels were blurry, save for a few bits here and there. She could remember the first time she met Ego, and had probably a swarms worth of knowledge from how she was treated by her family. But getting bullied? Meeting up with that mysterious purple haired boy for years?

She shakes her head at the thought, piling her clothes on top of one another and setting them aside in a more dry area. She combs out a few knots in her hair with her fingers as she turns the warm water on, detaching the shower head and holding it in the other direction as she waits for the temperature to change.