“You’d better just leave early today. On days when you need to organize your mind, no matter how much you practice, it’s meaningless.”
As a last resort, the coach ordered me to go home early. Following his recommendation, I was about to head home early when I moved to a bench near where the football team guys were practicing. Then I pulled out the laptop that Virgil had used briefly before selling it to me at a cheap price and opened a word processing program. After that, I pondered what to choose as the essay topic for my ‘Spanish and Culture’ class that I had to submit by the next class period.
Is plastic really bad? Should I write on the side that it’s bad to get a good grade, or should I present the opposing opinion to get a good grade?
“What are you doing here?”
When I had barely managed to finish the draft while distracted and was starting to write the actual essay, Nathan, soaked in sweat, approached me reeking of a musty smell and struck up a conversation. I looked at him without saying anything, then gave him a bottle of water I’d been playing with in my bag. He expressed his thanks, but instead of drinking the water, he poured it all over his shaved head.
“What’s with this water? It’s not even that cold.”
“It’s been in my bag all day.”
“My head’s at peak temperature right now, so this isn’t enough to cool it down.”
Nathan told me to wait a moment while he went to do some cold water rubdowns, then walked toward the locker room. And not long after, Liam appeared looking dejected, and I gave him a bottle of water too. He opened the bottle cap without a word and drank the contents.
“……That pro-con essay about plastic use, how much have you written?”
At my question, Liam showed a troubled smile, saying he hadn’t written a single line. Then he asked how my essay progress was going.
“The draft’s done. I just have to write it out as is.”
“Lucky you.”
“……”
“……”
Silence. As I felt the weight of it anew and wondered what to say, Liam spoke first.
“If you’re okay with it, won’t you help me today? With writing the essay.”
“Ah, sure.”
While helping with the essay, I could ask Liam. What it was he tried to say to me this afternoon but didn’t.
“I’ll just change clothes and be right out.”
Not long after Liam went in, I was surrounded by the football team guys and heard mockery about today’s incident. They ridiculously reenacted the conversation between Leda and me, and I watched it for a moment before turning off my laptop, putting it in my bag, and standing up.
“Sorry. I need to get going.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going, asshole?”
“……You’re not planning to follow me there if I tell you, are you?”
No matter how childish the type, there’s no avoiding being affected when you’re bullied. Still, if I showed I was upset it would only get worse, so the best thing was to just deal with it pretending to be calm.
“You think you’re fucking special, don’t you?”
Hazel, who had been most actively teasing me, asked me while gritting her teeth. What the hell is she talking about?
“Not at all.”
I conveyed my honest thoughts and tried to move toward the football team locker room. But the angry football team buffalo herd blocked my way.
“You’re so full of yourself just because you won a few awards at competitions. Pretending to be mature for no reason.”
“Why would I show off about that? It’s not like I won an Olympic medal like Javier Sotomayor or hold a world record.”
“Isn’t this guy funny? He’s talking like he could definitely become such a great athlete.”
When Blair asked if it wasn’t pure comedy, the others ridiculed me with exaggerated body movements.
“I could be.”
At my words, the football team guys laughed wildly, saying that since my mental state was like this, I must have presumptuously asked Leda out on a date.
“I expected to be rejected by her. But about the high jump… I don’t know why you’re laughing.”
“Ha, dude, how is this not funny? The principal keeps praising you so you’ve fallen into delusion, but what ability do you have to go to the Olympics and get a world record or something?”
“You guys don’t know because you think you’re the best in the world, but I’ve won medals at international competitions and hold a record, though it’s limited to North Carolina high school students. With that much, having such a goal doesn’t seem like something to ridicule that much.”
“……”
When I brought up my credentials, the guys hesitated a bit. I mobilized my nonexistent eloquence to continue talking.
“You guys on the football team? Yeah, you’re skilled and popular. I acknowledge that. But if you use just that to annoy people like this and act arrogant, isn’t it a bit embarrassing?”
“This little……”
“Hit me if you want to hit me.”
While I was provoking the angry buffalo herd, Nathan and Liam appeared and asked what the hell was going on. The football team guys hurled thick insults at me before disappearing somewhere, and after closing my mouth for a moment, I asked Nathan and Liam.
“Anyone want more water?”
At my words, Nathan quickly took a water bottle and this time gulped it down instead of pouring it on his head. I downed the contents of the last remaining water bottle, then faced Liam, who had been standing silently.
“I know quite a bit about human psychology, and the reason our team guys especially give you a hard time is because of envy and jealousy.”
Around the time Liam and I exchanged only glances with our mouths closed, Nathan said to me while throwing the empty water bottle in the trash.
“Sometimes I’m embarrassed for them. From your perspective, we must seem ridiculous, and when I see those absurd guys teasing you, I think why are they like that.”
“I don’t really think you’re ridiculous……”
Let’s not hide anything between us, Nathan said, then laughed while slapping my back hard. It was probably just joking around, but every time the lineman’s huge hand hit my back, it felt like my whole spine was ringing.
“Anyway, is our world competition medalist going home now?”
At Nathan’s teasing question, I told him I’d decided to work on the essay homework with Liam.
“Having to write an essay after such a tough day, that’s really pitiful.”
Nathan said while putting his hand on Liam’s shoulder.
“No. Is Coach acting like shit just a one or two-day thing?”
“‘Coach’ is nice. Marcel, that bastard should be fired right away. His personality is fucked, and I don’t know if his coaching ability is even that great. Well, rumor has it he’s too close with the principal so he’ll never be fired.”
“That’s exactly why it would be wise not to think too deeply about anything related to him.”
“I saw the track and field coach seems like a fun person.”
I nodded at Nathan and told him that the track and field coach had an excessive interest in students’ personal lives and was quite nosy, but was good-natured at heart.
“Lucky you. Marcel is just a demon.”
Nathan, who had been going on about complaints about the coach for a while, left after receiving a message from a friend living nearby asking to meet up. Left alone with Liam, I felt awkward for a moment, then asked him if he wanted to eat dinner together.
“……Dinner?”
Liam asked with a slightly surprised face.
“I’m getting hungry. I’ll treat.”
“You don’t have to go that far……”
“Sophia was supposed to buy me ice cream sundaes five times, but she said she didn’t think she could go with me and sent money instead.”
It was a lie. Promises like buying ice cream sundaes as thanks for waiting late at the party—both Sophia and I usually forget such things quickly.
“Ice cream sundae, the one they sell at Peggy’s Diner?”
“Yeah.”
“That was delicious.”
“I’ve never had anything more delicious than that.”
When I spoke unnecessarily seriously, Liam laughed heartily, saying I must really like it.
“It’s money to buy something you like that much, don’t you feel bad spending it on me?”
“No matter how delicious it is, rather than eating it five times alone, I’d rather have a proper dinner with you once.”
I told Liam and put him in the car. Then I moved to Peggy’s Diner, located in a place a bit quieter than the city center.
“……Earlier during the day, you tried to say something to me but couldn’t in the end.”
While driving to Peggy’s Diner, I brought up what I’d been wanting to say to Liam all along. Liam nodded silently, then promised to tell me the rest of the story as soon as we arrived at the diner.
In the diner decorated with primary-colored and colorful designs, Liam, who had just finished ordering, tapped his feet to the music flowing from the jukebox before opening his mouth leisurely.
“Cheicky.”
“Hmm?”
“Your training seemed to end early today. Were you staying at the field because of homework?”
“It was because of you.”
Ah. Liam made a light sound and asked if I’d waited to hear the story he left unfinished.
“That’s part of it……”
“You saw it, right? Me acting stupid and getting scolded by the coach.”
“Like Nathan said, Marcel is someone who shouldn’t be coaching. Just because he was a good player during his pro days doesn’t mean he’ll unconditionally be a good coach.”
I argued that no one can always do well, and someone who speaks carelessly about that and resorts to violence first isn’t qualified to teach anyone, then looked at Liam. He showed a slightly skeptical expression.
“No. I agree that Coach is subhuman, but today I deserved to be scolded.”
“……Why?”
“Did you just say no one can always do well? No. I have to always do well.”
Feeling suffocated by the statement that felt obsessive, I couldn’t carelessly bring up any words and closed my mouth for a moment. During that time, the finished food was brought to the table.
“I used to visit Peggy’s Diner often, but I never thought to try the ice cream sundae. There’s no special reason, it’s just that when I come here, I tend to eat other kinds rather than dessert.”
Liam said while looking over the crinkle-cut french fries without even eating them.
“I saw on your social media before that you had a picture of eating a sundae.”
“Yeah. I suddenly felt like eating it.”
“Aha.”
I reacted nonchalantly and took a bite of the hot dog with chopped pickles and mustard sauce.
