Chapter 8

Chang'e, Xia Ling, Ming Li, Kai Lan, Yu Ran, and Yi Xin. The six main players of their school. Almost every Saturday, they spend half an afternoon playing practice games against their backups, and another half spent trying out different teammates to play with. Chang'e honestly thinks they're the most tiring days of the week, but also the most fun.

"Good job, girls," applauds their coach once training is finished, handing each of them a bottle of water and a sandwich, "You did great today. I'm proud of you all."

They send tired smiles as an appreciative response, but Yu Ran is the only one energetic enough to make a heart with her hands and say a cheerful thank you. Chang'e smiles tiredly, laying down on the floor and closing her eyes.

"Chang'e Jie?" Chang'e opens her eyes to see Yu Ran looking down at her, blonde pigtails hanging from the sides of her ears.

"Ah, Yu Ran. Just let me close my eyes for a moment." Yu Ran doesn't say anything in reply which makes Chang'e open her eyes again. "Yu Ran—?"

It's Hou Yi looking down at her now with an amused smile on his face. He extends an arm to help her up, and she takes it, putting all of her weight on him. But Hou Yi still manages to lift her up.

"Training's over," he explains.

Now that she's standing up, she can see Yu Ran giggling with Kai Lan a bit further off, and gives the pigtailed-junior a squint. Yu Ran simply wiggles her eyebrows in reply, pointing at Hou Yi who now looks at her questioningly.

Then Kai Lan starts laughing. Really hard. To the point where she leans on Yu Ran and the two of them almost topple over because Kai Lan is taller. Hou Yi is about to say something, when Chang'e realizes what they're laughing at.

She looks down on their intertwined hands. And suddenly, Hou Yi is aware of this too. Neither of them has let go ever since Hou Yi helped her up, and Chang'e's thankful her face is already red from practice because at least now, it seems normal.

"Ah," they acknowledge simultaneously before untangling their hands. Hou Yi rubs his hand on his neck and Chang'e shoves her hand into her pocket.

"I was gonna say," Hou Yi starts, slightly awkward, "Do you wanna go to Naicha to study for the science competition? And math for me, actually."

"Oh, sure! Just let me shower first."

"Yeah, I need to shower too anyway."

"Meet here?" she offers and Hou Yi nods before saluting and heading back to the rest of his teammates. They all seem to give him a pat on the back, congratulating Hou Yi on something.

"Chang'e held hands with Hou Yi~" Yu Ran teases, interlocking her own hands together and waving it in front of Chang'e's face as a reminder.

"Yu Ran, she needs to shower so she can go on a date with her lover boy," Ming Li helps from her sprawled out position on the bleachers, head in Xia Ling's lap. It's not as helpful as it seems though, since that only makes Yu Ran cheer louder.

"How did you even hear that—"

"I didn't," Ming Li hurries to say before sitting up with glee, "So it is a date?" Xia Ling smirks and gives Ming Li a commendable pat.

"Chang'e Jie has a date.." Yu Xin mutters, hands to her head in disbelief.

"Nonono," she protests frantically, hands waving around, "We're just going to study together. For the competitions, you know?"

"Sounds like a date to me~," Kai Lan remarks.

"That's because it is!" Yu Ran squeals from her spot in Kai Lan's arms.

"Come on, let's all go wash up. We can still tease Chang'e in the shower rooms," Xia Ling negotiates, leading the five other girls to the shower rooms. Chang'e throws a glance back to their backups who are making up for their tardiness, still practicing under the gaze of their coach.

"Goodluck!" Chang'e cheers and some of them smile at her before focusing on their training again.

"Hey, Chang'e, don't you think Hou Yi likes you too?" Yu Ran's voice asks over the shower stalls.

'Squeak, squeak, the shower faucet cries out as she turns the handle. Warm shower water rains down on her. Sha~.

"No, there's no way. We're literally enemies."

"He sure doesn't look at you like you are one," Xia Ling argues from another stall, "Or treat you like one."

"Maybe he's just being nice?" she tries to reason. Yi Xin scoffs at that. "Hey, what happened to not knowing anything about my love life?" Chang'e retorts.

"Being nice? To his enemy?" Ming Li asks in shock, "What happened to star student.."

"MING LI JIE, THAT WAS SO FOUL," Kai Lan howls from her stall. By now, steam from the warm water starts to rise up to the ceiling.

"Ming, you're actually capable of that?!" Xia Ling teases, receiving a Hey! from the offended in reply.

"You should just kiss him or something," Yu Ran says as a joke, but then Chang'e drops her shampoo bottle in surprise. Then it's dead silent, save for the sound of water hitting the porcelain tiles.

"YOU KISSED HIM?" Yu Ran shouts out loud, "I WAS KIDDING, BUT YOU DID?"

"I DIDN'T," Chang'e back, but it's far too late as the whole shower room descends into chaos.

"What was it like?" Kai Lan questions.

"But you literally said you guys were enemies and then now you say you kissed him?!" Ming Li fake sobs at the nonexistent logic.

"Holy crap, Chang'e actually has a love life." Yi Xin mutters, "And it's not one-sided?"

"Old news," comments Xia Ling.

"Guys," Chang'e whines as she steps out of the shower. Yu Ran's already done, sitting on the bench between the shower room and the locker room. "I didn't kiss him. I just blew some air on his cheek to cool him down on a hot day, and then our faces ended up really close, but we didn't kiss."

"IT'S ONE-SIDED?! HE DIDN'T KISS YOU?" Yi Xin screams in agony as she emerges from the shower curtain. She looks a little like a swamp monster which makes Chang'e laugh.

"I know for a fact it isn't one sided," Yu Ran consoles, patting Yi Xin's back on her way to the shower room to pick up some of her stuff, "He literally asked her out on a date."

"It's not a—"

"Nuh-uh-uh. It's a date, no matter what you say," Xia Ling tsks at her.

"Acceptance is key, girl," Kai Lan drawls out uncharacteristically. Ming Li backs Kai Lan up with a 'Get it girl!'

Chang'e shakes her head hopelessly, grabbing her bag and standing up. "I better head out now," she says, waving goodbye to Yu Ran and Yi Xin. Xia Ling, Ming Li, and Kai Lan are still in the shower, but soapy hands stick out from the curtains to wave goodbye.

"Goodluck with your date!" Yu Ran encourages, winking at her. Chang'e snorts at that, rolling her eyes playfully before closing the door.

She's out now, back in the gym. She can see Hou Yi sitting on one of the bleachers, looking at his phone as he waits for her.

"Hey!" Chang'e calls out, waving to him. Hou Yi waves back before jogging towards her. "You good to go?" he asks.

"Yup, let me just tell Feng Mei upstairs."

"Oh, sure." Hou Yi accompanies her to the room, and when they open the door, Chang'e is suddenly grateful she set her easel facing away from the door.

"Feng, we're going to Naicha to study a bit. Don't wait for me and go home when it's time, okay?" Chang'e says.

"Sure. Have fun!" replies Feng Mei with a thumbs-up.

Chang'e closes the door quietly, leaving Feng Mei to analyze her book in peace.

"I saw your easel in there," Hou Yi remarked when they're walking over to Naicha, "What are you panting?"

"Oh, I don't know yet," Chang'e lies as she kicks a chip of cement on the sidewalk, "I just paint whatever I want to."

"I've never heard of that painting technique before."

"Mr. Melanay uses that technique," Chang'e uses air quotes, "for 'therapy art,' as he likes to call it. Works really well with me, but most of the time, the result loves to expose you,"

Hou Yi laughs, "I suppose we found the Lasso of Truth but for art."

"It would seem so," she jokes back, before swinging open the doors of Naicha. They've arrived, and various sweet smells of milktea, fruit teas, and the like welcome them in.

"Same order?" Hou Yi asks, wallet out and ready to spend. "Mhm," she replies before leaving to find them a seat.

She sits down on the very same lavender couch, at the very same spot by the window where they talked about art, math, and in between.

Hou Yi slides into the space beside her. "Figured you didn't bring your science book, so we could share mine?"

"Oh, yeah, good thinking."

"It's just gonna be about the lessons we've had so far, right?" Hou Yi flips to the start.

"Should be," she answers, looking at his neatly highlighted book. There are little sticky notes with details on the margin of the page, and occasionally there are cute drawings on the edges of the book by the page numbers.

"Before we start, favorite science topic?" Hou Yi quizzes.

"Biology," she answers, grinning at him.

"Figures. I took you to be a biology or chemistry kind of girl." Hou Yi shrugs with a what-can-I-say face.

"You?"

"Physics."

"But there's so many factors in that," Chang'e complains, "Air resistance, gravity, yadayada.. you know it, physics boy."

"Yours is worse, biology girl," he shoots back, "All those terminologies.. It gives me shivers." Hou Yi hugs himself for an added effect, "So.. memorization heavy."

She laughs, "It's just different." Hou Yi shakes his head, looking back at the book as a signal for them to start. Which they almost do, but then their drinks are dished out onto the pick-up station with a shout of "Hou'e!"

"Ship name?"

"You got it. Although I tried something new." Hou Yi leaves to pick up the drinks from the counter.

He returns with two drinks in hand, passing the milktea one to Chang'e. "Thanks," she says with a shake and a pop of her milktea's plastic covering.

"Let's get started for real this time," Hou Yi chuckles, setting his fruit tea down.

"Yeah."

Then Chang'e proceeds to spend the rest of her afternoon and early evening like that with Hou Yi, studying on lavender couches under the brightness of Naicha's white ball light bulbs.