First crush

"I'll beat you" he grinned, slowly unzipping his racket out of its carrier .
I stood still, leaning against the net post while I watched him, unfazed by his statement .
He looked around with me as everyone slowly settled into the bleachers , and at the referee, also known as coach Jonas , our sports teacher settle himself on the high chair .

"And here we have the final match of the day , between Goft and Sumi. Both won all their previous matches with a clean score , with Sumi beating them on an average 21-16 and Goft at 21-12".

I twirled my racket around in my hand, slowly getting used to the lightweight grip rubbing against my hand. Then I sized him up. Tall, lanky, and too confident.  He would tire easily .

"Alright step into the court for a warm up"

At this point, a hush went through the entire gym as everyone looked at us. It wasn't everyday that the best of the best competited, Especially badminton, a sport i had held the title for being vicious at, for I was an expert with wrist flicked smashes.

Warm up ensued for 5 minutes , where we lazily hit the shuttle back and forth without giving away much of our skills. Though it was clear he did have stamina when he dived in mere seconds at a smash just beyond his net. That meant he was agile. That wasn't in my favor.

"Alright get ready , position in service courts, Rally, serve!" And with a grin , I served my shot, and unlike the high passes during warm up, this whizzed through and hit him straight on his chest, startling him .

"Sumi wins the rally. Choose your side, and start the game!" A wild cheer went from the bleachers , with my friends hollering my name and jumping up and down , while he scowled.

.......

I couldn't breathe properly . It was the 3rd match in a row. And after drawing the 2 other consecutive ones in a deuce, the coach kept ordering a rematch. We were both too stubborn, too competitive to not win , and right now , luck wasn't on my side. With him winning at 18-12, I couldn't let him have the victory especially since I had matched him blow by blow for the other 2 matches. 

"Break" I gasped,  as I collapsed on one knee. My legs were trembling.  He had figured out that I wasn't a good runner , but more of a power shooter, so having made me run around the court had given him the advantage to use my stamina. In turn, his left wrist was hanging limp , with his right slightly trembling as he rested the racket against his legs. There was a reason why I was named vicious on court. And he seemed to be experiencing it first hand , ever since I had smashed the shuttle so hard against his left the entire court heard the crack on his wrist. But he refused to give up and let me win, not even to check his wrist . 

His best friend shook his head at us, as we both returned to the court and took positions . Even the coach was tired of us.

Clearing his throat,  Goft looked at me, then at my trembling knees , and smirked . " we both know ill win,  why are you trying?"
With that, anger rushed through me at his arrogance and I glared at him. "Because I don't give up, and if I have to break both your wrists,  why miss the chance ?"

He laughed slightly and looked at me, cocking His head. "Alright. Let's have a deal. If i win, youre doing my science homework.  And if you win, I'll do anything for you in turn" I considered this,  then smiled back. "Food. I want kapaw Kai . Extra meat. And a drink. Lunch "

Everyone laughed at the bleachers as he flashed his braces. "Done"

"And question 24 , was Galileo." I murmured as he did his homework. 

That's right
I won

And guess who was stuck doing his homework while I ate delicious food. That's right , Goft.

And the wasn't the win miraculous . With a 23-22 defeat , which ended with me pushing everyone away as even the people that were just classmates not friends , tried hugging me. I hate people . His best friend even gave me a nod of respect . And him?

He walked over, shook my hand and told me to meet him at the canteen,  keeping true to his promise.

And that was the day i caught the attention of a boy names Goft,  who was too damn tall , with neon glow in the dark braces , and the only one in the entire grade who could match me in any sport.

And that was the day i realized i may have harbored a tiny crush on this stubborn, easy to please guy. 

-3am