After hustling across the crowd, we manage to find places with the perfect vision of the court which consists of the players standing on the both sides who practice stretches but the other side doesn't catch my attention as my gaze is firm on the girl in a black set."I'm gonna say it once again.If you guys are simply here for the sake of sympathy, you can get your ass back in class or some other arena, she doesn't need anyone's sympathy.",I lick my lips to lay my belief and hear scrambled responses.

"I told you.This y/n girl is fun to be around that's why I'm here.",Donghyun adjusts the sign-board on his lap, the sharp cardboard hitting jaesung's chest who lets out a growl punctuated with a string of swears."I've only known her through you but I'm interested to see how she'll play.",He gives his honest opinion which makes me shift my pupils onto the person who has set his eyes on y/n like a goddamn hawk."Here to cheer for her.",Mingyu motions his plastic hand clapper in the air so I give him a nod before getting hold of my board.I don't know why I'm sensing my hands turning clammy and my heartbeat beating in my throat. Oddly enough, it feels like I'm nervous for both myself and y/n so I redirect my gaze to my friends which ridicules me.

Jaesung munches on crisps with his elbows propped on a board which also bears the weight of donghyun's arms.It certainly wasn't my idea to design cheering boards for her and bring supplies that would attract onlookers but this eases the tension trapped inside me.I have never decked up so much to cheer someone, not even for junghee's dance competitions and she's going to think I'm bizarre for doing this for a girl that I didn't even bother knowing much a month ago but I'm enough filled with anticipation to look forward to her reaction and match rather than regretting my decisions.

"Don't we look like a little fanclub for your girlie over there?",Donghyun snickers beside me but I forsake his tease, throwing him a disdainful glare."Seriously, first you beat a guy for her and then you bring these boards to cheer her on. If I didn't know you well, I would've thought you're falling for her.",Another asshole dares to open his mouth to comment on my relationship with her when they can't even measure what I feel for her. I don't allow myself to lose hold of my mind considering how they're tracking my actions based on my past encounters but this engenders a discomfort inside me.

There's no way I'm going to put her in the same category as those girls who drop their panties if I merely look in their direction, who have no sense of other's emotions and treat me like some machine who fucks without emotions. They're wholly wrong about the latter part. I've hooked up with two or three girls apart from danbi who seemed decent but none of them has matched up the level of comfort and thrill that y/n engenders inside me. Perhaps it's the way she's considerate about me or the way she reacts around me, I feel myself involuntarily pulled by tingles and heat altogether in her presence and it's been so long since I've felt these types of sparks in my body.

My gaze narrows on the sidelines of the court where both the players join for the toss, my peripheral vision catching Donghyun and Jaesung staring at y/n with a strange gleam in their eyes, almost checking her out." Close your eyes before I gouge them out.",Their heads swivel at me instantaneously upon my warning and jaesung cracks his lips into a forced smile."What? She's hot.", He's poor in catching the hints of knowing when to shut the fuck up.

There's no denying that she's hot, desirable at the most but that doesn't give him the license to pass her through the perverted scanner installed in his eyes."I'm hot, too.Check me out all you want dude but don't look at her like you're fucked up in your head.",I don't want to fall into this vicious cycle of jealousy but this arouses a sting in the back of my spine and I can't help hating every stare that is subjected to her like she's yet another easy girl to get their hands on.

"Alright, I get it but you're going to need to look around and see the guys in the other row. They're already fucking her in their heads.",he opens his mouth and flames my chest and vexation coats my throat. My eyes shoot in the opposite direction to zero on the said assholes and when they clamp down on their expressions, I feel the aggravation in my veins. I know these guys like the back of my hands, they're friends of Joon-su and belong to the same hell as him. My eyes don't stir and I watch them sharing sneers and pointing fingers in y/n's direction to utter words that are full of boasting and sexualizing her. It takes superhuman strength to not rake a hand through my hair and fist a punch at them, only the thought of her evading me from creating a scene here until one of them catches my persistent look on them.

"Yo, is she the chick you fought for?",He dares to open his mouth so I lean on the edge of my row, my friends switching their attention to him."Shut your mouth,Juwon.",Donghyun warns him before he voices any bullshit, his head swiveling behind me taking me aback because he isn't the type to intervene unless he senses some certain boundaries are being surpassed.

"What now? You all gang-banging her? I'm sure you guys won't mind if I join, right?",He lodges his arm centimetres apart from me. What the fuck. The calm in my brain snaps,rage and hot blood streaming in my veins at once. No chance of second thoughts, I move to show him the consequences of shitting like a fucking dog when mingyu rushes past me to surge his hand on his throat.

He tames his sweatshirt causing the boy in his hold to fall cold while the blood drains from his face when his face is in the girth of my friend's hand."This is my first and last warning to you and your little boy-team here. Don't engage with anything related to her just because you think she's alone. Remember how jungkook beat your petty friend? We won't hesitate to throw the rest of your team out of the school. One funny mistake is all we need.",His fingers dig into his skin, the veins on his hand jutting from the pressure and I hear a sharp exhale heaved by Jaesung.

Never in my life have I seen mingyu losing his control in our 5 years of friendship, he's the sole reason we're still enrolled in school despite enroaching crazy incidents. I don't know if I should compose my astonishment for him or inhibit my anger on this bastard.

My hand palms my bestfriend's shoulder with half-heart while the other half wants me to force a punch out of this same shoulder."Leave him.The match is starting and we're going to attract attention.",I don't want my girl's performance to turn out drastic because of assholes like him nor am I capable of holding my anger taut any longer. They need to vacant this space as soon as possible before the toss begins. Mingyu listens to me, his squeeze on his clothing loosening eventually and his shoulder relaxes but he doesn't distance himself away.

"You need to get out of this arena with your friend and never show up around y/n, yeah? You know everything that'll happen if you do.",I give them the chance to disappear out of our sight and he takes the cue, dispersing with his friend who let out a few gasps, terrified to see my saint-like friend furious.Once they exit through the entrance, we settle ourselves onto our places in silence but there's a strange tension flaring in the air around us now. It is no longer light-hearted but thick with irk so I keep my eyes on the girl who nods along to the rules being revised by the coach.

She signals towards the service area, enquiring about something and the coach responds, making her chuckle and the corners of her lips lift in a beaming smile. This is what's supposed to happen, she should live her life happily without being bothered by pricks, whoever it maybe. I had begun regretting to let Juwon leave without getting a hit from me but this is better. I'm not willing to put her mood at stake because of him.

"Wow, this silence is more suffocating than the one at my grandmother's funeral.",Jaesung breaks the ice by his remark, emerging successful in earning chuckles from us. This guy is never going to be serious but he's also the only catalyst we need for situations like these."Alright, it's time.",I lead the attention on the court as they stand for the toss before the match finally begins.

We focus on the toss as the coin flips in the air, the moment our eyes catch a head on the big screen, all of us burst into loud roars, captivating the audience in the stands as well as the officials. Mingyu puts his whole horsepower into clapping with the plastic object while the rest of us heave the boards the air cheering for our team, our masculine voices chanting y/n's name like a nursery rhythm and the cheerful expression on her face falters.Her lips part in bewilderment, her eyes widening to stretch across our display and her arms freeze in the air. For one threatening second, I blink in oblivion at our failure but the moment her eyes crease, my heart beats crashes with a beat again.A genuine smile spreads across her whole face, radiating happiness and joy through million particles of air to reach in my direction.Her hands plant on her mouth to conceal the biggest smile on her face I've ever seen, wonder striking her face. She's even more adorable and beautiful like this. My feelings tempt me to cross the fence and sweep her feet off the ground in a hug."Thank you so much guys.",She mouths and rewards us with a flying kiss telling us we scored well in our mission before she steps on the court for the match to begin.

"Damn, I didn't know she could smile like that.",Donghyun voices deliberately, looking at me in order to piss me off but I don't give him what he wants."Thank you for doing this guys. It meant a lot to her.",I don't forget to express my gratitude. It doesn't matter how extravagant our whole display was and how we probably looked ridiculous to others in the audience, but now that I've seen her smiling, this seems like a success to me.

"Aw, don't worry, jungkookie. We can do this much for your girlie and like mingyu said, we got her.",Jaesung cooes like a brat and mingyu joins him,"Right. We're Team y/n.",He slaps the clapper aggressively like a cheerleader bringing a smile to my lips. Every stench of rage washes off my mind when these idiots come out as the biggest supporters for me and y/n no matter how they're just beginning to know her. I'm just so thankful and glad for them to be here for her so I revert my eyes back to my baby girl as the first round begins. I just know she's going to make me proud regardless of the results.

— 2 hours later —
'Y/n's P.O.V.'

Splashing the cold water on my face, I exhale a deep breath, tapping the water droplets on my face with a towel before I exit the washroom. My mind is resting in a fresh state now, I feel relaxed and the happiest at this moment. I roll my clothes, pack my essentials in my bag and proceed to leave the locker room. The moment my foot sets on the ledge of the room, my eyes catch a glimpse of masculine chest crashing against me and the whiff of a familiar scent makes me know it's the person who shouted my name the loudest when I was declared the winner.

His strong arms wrap my body in such an ease that I melt in his warmth, my arms snaking around his back as our body get pressed tightly."You're so good!",His chest vibrates with the thumping heartbeat that I'm subjected to because of his domineering height and he sways our bodies in such an excitement that he's almost crushing me with his strength but his words spiral a mushy feeling in my heart. I'm so much more delighted and happy than the moment I realised I won.

"Oh my god, jungkook. You're crushing me.",My voice comes muffled in his jacket but he pulls back instantly, making me laugh like an idiot."Oh fuck, I'm so sorry. I'm just so happy for you. I've never watched you play in a match and you literally aced that game.",All I can see is a blurting mess while he's panting that tells me he ran as soon as the match ended. His eyes sparkle in the dreamiest way and my attention glides onto his lips that smile at me as if I'm the most precious thing in the world.My heart pounding hard, the rush in my body shooting high, I have no clue because I'm so overwhelmed so I smile and lick my lips to hug him again.

He reciprocates the clasp in a reflex, squeezing my body so that I can feel my breasts crushed against his rock-hard chest and breathe in his addictive smile. I replay the moments from the match in my mind, how he cheered for me with his friends, how loud roars were consistent throughout the rounds whenever I scored points and how all of them jumped in appreciation when I won the match. I don't even know if I deserve to be this happy and proud of myself but his reactions make me feel like it's the easiest thing to be given to me."Thank you so much for coming to see me play. It means a lot, really and I just don't know how to thank you for it.",I figure no other way to describe my gratitude and happiness and he plants a soft kiss in my hair which pulsates my heartbeat as he drifts away but he doesn't lose the hold on my jaw even when his friends join us.

"You don't have to thank me, pocky. I loved watching you play and you've already earned me as your audience in all the matches you're gonna play in the future.",He makes my stomach sink down in a delicious sensation, filling my heart upto the brim. His hands on my face dip every patch of my skin in heat and I can't get enough of the wondrous feeling that he arouses in me. I still haven't recovered from what happened when I had stayed at his house for lunch so I don't know what I'll do if I lose control of my heart again.To my relief, he moves his hands away and although my mind grumbles at the loss of touch, I'm grateful to not melt into a blushing mess in front of his friends.

"Oh we're coming too. At some point, I thought you'd just hit the ball on that girl's face.",Jaesung amuses, his face shining with enthusiasm and I doubt if this is the first game he's ever been to."For real, you were amazing. You just went like bam, bam , bam.",Donghyun thrashes in the air with his hands, imitating my moves in a hysterical way while all of us laugh at his charade, adding their compliments in the conversation. I haven't known them since long nor did I expect them to be supportive of me. Honestly, I thought it was an inconvenience for them to invest almost two whole hours for a girl they barely know but watching them engage so enthusiastically triples my happiness."Thank you so much for coming,guys. I'm really glad that you watched the match and I loved the banners. Whose idea was it?",Joy flutters through my whole body, warming up my cheek like the core of a bright flame and I'm not at all ashamed to show how happy I am.

"Meet our life coach, Baek Mingyu.",Jaesung enunciates a cheer for the man who has barely spoken a word after the massive show that he put on in the audience.The said man bows like a prince, expressing his honour and looks at me with proud bolting through his eyes."At your service, ma'am.",He smiles humbly at me so I reciprocate the same but can't resist my mind from bouncing back to the hand that rests on my lower back, the featherlight touch of jungkook's fingertips rewarding my skin with a hot bliss that shoots sparks in my spine. He has my senses completely bewitched and I've started to feel the aftermath of his touch already.

"So where are we going to celebrate this victory of yours?",One of the tall guys quotes nonchalantly and before I can answer, the grumpy man beside me emerges with a frown."We?Who invited you? I thought you guys came on your own will not because you want a party.", Jungkook cocks an eyebrow at his friends, evidently closing the space between us, the heartbeat in my chest dancing rhythmically and I submit myself more within his clasp to feel the warmth that eases my nerves."We did but we kind of deserve to be included in the celebration unless you guys have your own plan.",Mingyu doesn't leave the chance to give this matter importance so I intervene before this proceeds relentlessly.

"Yeah. I have some time before I get home so we should go somewhere. What do you say?", I turn to the man hovering over my height to watch disappointment imprinted on his face."Can't. Mom and dad are gonna come home late so I've to babysit junghee.",He sighs helplessly and my chest stiffens at the loss of excitement. I can't stop my face from framing into a clear reflection of my feelings and his pupils glide onto my expressions as if he can read my heart bare on it. I'm thankful and scared at the same time for his ability to discover me which pushes my mind off the ledge.

"Hey, we can get together at your home….or not. We can go with y/n and you'll be staying at home.",Jaesung comments and I can already determine the deliberate note in his remark which he used to cave jungkook in. My eyes alternate to the man who succumbs to silence, pondering deep and his gaze retracts on me for me to glance on the loose strands of his long hair covering his forehead. There's an ache twisting in my stomach to touch his soft hair but it quickly transitions into heat when our gazes lock down in an eye-contact. A bright glow flicks in his eyes, remnant and mischievous and he licks his lips.

"You know what? Let's go to my house. I'm throwing a party.",He admits and I falter from the smirk that he flashes me before his friend lead the way for us to exit the corridor."Why are you throwing the party? It's me who should do it.",I reduce my tone to keep it between us as his friend chat about their plans once we arrive at his house.

His lips twist into a charming smile, the one that makes my heart race, not because of nerves, but anticipation of his words that will slip from his mouth and he dips his head just enough to have his lips brush my earlobe, stalling near my skin to tease the chills which cause tingling sensations to erupt in my body."You already have a lot to think about the wish that you won from the match.",He rasps steals a kiss from the side of my throat and drifts away after setting me on a blazing fire. A sharp breathe escapes through my lips and I'm helplessly sweltering from the ideas that he just insinuated in my mind with his voice and words.