"Emma? Emma! There you are! Emma!" - Mike

--

As I was sitting there, in the class, I felt just normally out of place. Everyone's different. This international elite high school, with all the latest technology, the brightest teachers, and most complete sport facilities, I didn't give much thought into being the most intellectual, nor a sport superstar, nor a country heroic politician, at least not now when I was 15 years old. 

I signed, and took out my sketchbook, started to draw. And what's on my mind was the white shirt, flying in mid-air and that skateboard. 

"Hey, you're having such a talent here, aren't you?" 

That was our first conversation. 

His name's Michael, an Aries born in April. Not that I was a fan of astrology, but he said it himself, so it's just stuck there in the corner of my mind. Later, I realized that a lot of things he said, I ended up remembering.  

"Hey, I just introduced, what's your name?" 

"Oh, my bad, I'm Emma, hmm..." I really didn't know my horoscope sign. 

"Nice to meet you, Emma!" As he said, he just sat down right next to me. "You draw a lot, don't you?" 

I nodded. 

"Wow, and that's me, right? Sorry for peeking at your drawing, but I don't look that cool though hahaha" 

Mike had pretty eyes when he smiled, something about his eyes sparkled, like it held the whole magnificent starry night in that painting of Van Gogh just within. Mysteriously mesmerizing. And then instantly, the glass guy, who was working on this notebook this whole time, turned back to us, and with a glare, he said. 

"Mike, you'd better behave yourself in the team" 

The glass guy introduced himself as Joe, which honestly reminded me of the word "average Joe", no offense. I didn't understand myself either why people always said "Joe kinda guy is average". It'd be a huge offense for this Joe, because he looked exactly like the nerdy smartypant. 

"So, I was the captain, he's on the bench" Mike said with a big smile on his face, and he's patting on Joe's shoulder "Don't mind, don't mind" 

"It's amazing you guys got in this class! I always thought that sporty people don't get good grades" 

Mike shook his head. 

"Nah, nah, Emma, don't get the wrong idea! We were top 2 national champion, this guy" he patted on Joe's shoulder again, said proudly "he's the best player of the league and I was the best, honorable, charismatic team captain out there, so we got in here without a clue, you know haha" 

Joe turned to me and smiled for the first time. 

"This guy's actually dumb, Emma, please cure his stupidity" 

Me "...." 

They started arguing over who's the better one, teasing each other non-stop. 

That was the first time I didn't feel really weird being in a conversation, although I probably very llikely sounded weird to the others. I knew what I wanted to say, and was able to say it smoothly without sweat. 

"Emma, do you play any sports?" Mike asked me while I continued indulging myself in the drawing. 

I stopped and thought for a second whether drawing was a sport. 

"I know a bit of basketball" 

"Wow! That's amaaaaazing! Do you want to try football too sometimes?" 

Now, he'd know I was lying. I didn't like running, or any sort of sports, and that answer of mine was the same one I replied to anyone. My body's going to just crumble on the football field. I was only 43kg, 156cm at the time, who barely passed sport class back in middle school. 

"I don't think so" I refused straight for the sake of my own survival. 

"Oh, is that so?" 

"Emma, you know, there's this quote, I heard, something like this, we'll never know what we're fond of until we try it..." 

Mike started to talk about different famous football players he admired. Mpappe, Kane, De Bryune, Hazard, and a lot of others that I'd known nothing of. I looked at Mike, and his eyes sparkled. He didn't look at me, and he didn't even care that I absolutely had no interest to hear what he's ranting about. This guy really loved football, didn't he? I was moved. 

"Do you have a match sometime, I want to watch how the school team play before joining" 

Mike stopped talking and looked at me, his happy face looked weirdly cute like a puppy that I couldn't help but smile. 

"Really?" his eyes literally widened. 

I thought to myself, whether this guy's really innocent and naive, or he's a wolf in a sheep disguise. 

"Joe!!! Joe!!! When's our next game? I just got our best friend to be cheering for us as well!" 

Best friend?

We didn't even know each other not until 10 minutes ago...

"Not very soon, yet! We haven't even met most of the team members, hmm but if we do, we'll tell you!" Joe told me. 

The first class ended peacefully crazily and okayishly fine. We got to know our homeroom teacher. We got our class representatives, one of them were the National Champion of Chemistry, one of them was a starting member of U-18 National Basketball Team, and another was the Silver Medal in International Science Festival for Middle School Students. I wasn't a part of anything, as planned. So when the bell rang off concluding our first day of school, I quickly said goodbye to Mike and Joe, and the girls sitting behind. Then I left the class. 

Walking among many other students, surrounded by the noisy talking, I noticed how little I'd been this whole time. So they all said, graduates from this school were the nation-changing figures, experts in various fields, successful people, so to say. Like most of my classmates would surely become, like Joe and Mike. I wondered whether I'd be one of them one day. 

"EMMA!" 

"EMMAAAA!!!" 

I recognized Mike's voice. 

"Emma! There you are!"

Seeing Mike, here on the yard, calling out to me, I was completely at a loss for words. 

"I just checked with the team captain, we'll have a practice match this Saturday, please come and cheer for us!" 

"Emma?" 

Sweats glistened on his cheek under the gazing sun. His white shirt and white skateboard shined just as bright. His eyes smiled genuinely like a crescent moon, black and mysteriously mesmerizing. 

My heart just malfunctioned, there must be no other explanations. It literally skipped a beat right the moment he called my name.