On The Bleachers

[Tapey]

MATEO ORMEÑO: PREGAME START

Mateo couldn't help but pant heavily in disappointment after watching his return got deflected by the net. He was down after losing the first set and was 5-5 on the second one before he made two mistakes in a row, ending the game with a loss.

Dammit, that was close...

Mateo grabbed the tennis ball and started approaching his opponent, who was already waiting for him at the other side of the net. He was still slightly bitter about the outcome of the game, but it is what it is.

"Good game, bro. Close game." The opponent greeted while offering his hand.

"Same to you," Mateo replied, replying to him with a firm handshake.

They then joined the others, who had been watching the game from the bench. They started talking about various stuff while keeping their rackets, the recent tennis game, some hilarious events that happened in class, and eventually they ended up talking about lunch.

"Oh yea, by the way, we're gonna have lunch at the nearby McDonald's after this. You in?"

"Nah, I'm good. Sorry but I have other plans for today." Mateo rejected the invitation in a polite manner, as he wasn't feeling like having lunch yet.

"Ahh it's fine. See you around!" The group of friends greeted as they went separate ways to the school exit, while Mateo was heading towards the bleachers. Usually, he would have head home after the tennis practice. However, since it was the weekends and it was quite a rare sight for the school to be so empty, he decided to stroll around the school campus, probably getting himself a smoothie at a nearby store before leaving.

He sat at one of the bleachers while watching across the field. There wasn't too much going on at the time, apart from the girls' lacrosse team having a training session.

Huh, that looks fun. Might wanna try it someday. Mateo thought to himself as he watches the girls practice.

[carduinal-cyn]

OLIVIA DEL RIO: PREGAME START

Mateo had arrived on the field towards the end of the lacrosse team's training session. The game itself had long since ended, and so a few training exercises were all that remained on the agenda until they called it a morning. The girls were divided roughly into three groups: some were planking, some were jumping rope, and some were doing squats and lunges. After five minutes, they switched exercises; after another five, they switched again.

Next, the coach blew her whistle. "Alright, ladies, let's circle up! Make sure you're an arm's length apart!" she ordered, and like a regiment of soldiers, the athletes wordlessly obeyed. What followed was essentially a game of Simon Says: the coach stretched part of her body, and the entire ring of girls copied her.

At the end of a long list of stretches, the circle closed in, and all the girls laid their hands on top of each other. An uproarious cheer sounded across the field as they lifted their arms to the sky. Then, they dispersed; they'd left their belongings on the frontmost rows of the bleachers. At once, Mateo got a firsthand glimpse of the lacrosse team, chatting about the morning's practice and giggling at inside jokes he could only begin to guess at.

The sea of voices seemed a nigh-impenetrable wall of noise at first. But slowly, as more and more girls broke off from the pack to leave for home, he could pick out the sound of one specific person. The voice, high and chirpy and a little bit raucous, jumped from one conversation to the next with astonishing ease. It was as though she wouldn't leave the field until even her coach had long since packed up for the day.

The last few girls, including the owner of that exuberant voice, said their goodbyes, and then the bleachers were silent. The only person left there, barring Mateo, was a short girl with a gleeful grin on her face. She had dark, shoulder-length hair that elegantly tasseled into blonde at the tips.

"Hey there!" she called, looking up at him. The voice belonged to her. "Were you watching us practice?"

[Tapey]

Mateo was lost in his train of thought while watching the group of girls disbanded and went their own separate ways, mostly him asking himself where should he go next. Well, it's probably late right now... Maybe he should start moving and went home? He hadn't had lunch yet... Speaking of which, what is he going to have for lunch anyway?

Just as he was starting to space out as the field is getting emptier, he heard a familiar voice echoing from the team. The voice was buoyant and filled with energy, though he was unable to remember the owner for a split second. A few names popped out in his head, trying to recall her name, but none really rang a bell. As the girls had left the field, leaving the two of them remaining, he could finally saw the figure that was calling for him. He turned his gaze towards the joyful figure, who was asking him if he was looking at them. In reaction, he returned her with a lighthearted smile, while coming up with a response. Wait, that reminds him...

Aha, bingo!

"Ahh, Olivia! Yea...I stopped by after strolling around." He replied joyfully with a chuckle while looking at the lively girl, "Never knew you're part of the Lacrosse team, though."

[carduinal-cyn]

"Really, Mateo?" Olivia's brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to remember all the times they'd talked in the past. Had they ever cared to mention the sports they played back then? Had this boy passed through the revolving door of "hallway friends"— those friendly faces she could match to a name, but never ventured beyond polite conversation in the halls of Mangrove Garden — and become somebody close?

Not yet. What a shame. He had an infectious, dimpled smile.

"This game is, like, my life," she explained as she hoisted her bag off the bleachers and onto her back. An extra-long lacrosse stick — the kind reserved exclusively for defenders — stuck out of it at an awkward angle.

"So, what brings you here? You play any sports?" Olivia asked, and then her smile widened into a teasing, mischievous grin. "Or did you just come to see me?"

[Tapey]

"Ahh, I see..."

Mateo answered awkwardly after Olivia expressed her interest in lacrosse as he tried to lean his back on his seat in a relaxing position, trying his best not to show any insecurities out. He could tell that Olivia was somewhat weirded out by his question, probably that she had mentioned it during one of their small talks in class. They did chat a few times whenever they meet on the campus, but along with the number of conversations he had in school, that probably had slipped out of his mind.

Oh yea... She probably did mention that before. God damn it.

His fingers on his right hand started tapping on his thigh as she got closer, thinking about how to get away with this awkward scenario. Think, Mateo, you're supposed to be good at this...

Though before he could think of anything to say, she continued the conversation, somewhat diffusing the scenario. Deep down, he let out a sigh of relief. He then leaned his body slightly towards her with interest.

"Oh, so you noticed that I was looking at you?" He joked with a smile, though it was somewhat true, he was watching everyone practicing, including her, "To be honest, it's a bit of both. I was also here for a tennis game." He answered while pointing out the tennis racket he was carrying behind his back.

"Though, I'm getting really interested after watching the training session just now. Mind to tell me how to play it? Or we could get some milkshakes first."

[carduinal-cyn]

"Oh, so you noticed I was looking at you?"

For a split second, Olivia's expression flickered from a playful smile to a look of utter puzzlement. She was so used to doing that — a little teasing was par for the course among her friends — that she genuinely hadn't expected Mateo to start flirting back. Interesting, she thought. Maybe I could get to know him a little better...

Then he offered a more serious explanation: tennis practice. That made a little more sense to her. She hadn't memorized the practice times for every single athletic team (why bother doing something dumb like that?), but she did recall that a few other sports were scheduled to train this morning. Mangrove Garden High School had a sprawling campus, after all. They could easily get away with having multiple teams in the same time-slot.

"Are you sure you want that?" Olivia asked. She decided it'd be fun to mess with him a little more.

"It's a pretty complicated game. I'm gonna end up talking even more than usual... But I guess you're gonna be hearing more of me anyway, Mateo, 'cause I'd kill for a milkshake right about now. You don't mind if I tag along, right?"

[Tapey]

"Yea sure, why not?" Mateo giggled lightly while answering. He just finished his bottle of water earlier during the tennis game, and frankly it's been a few months since his last visit to a milkshake stand, which was located a few miles away from their neighborhood.

Though, he did hear that there was a new store opening near the school area. He never got the chance to visit there, but he had heard multiple reviews about it from his friends and the Internet, most of which were positive, as much as he could remember.

Unfortunately, to reach the store, some walking is needed, including having to cross to the opposite side of the street. And as far as he knew both of them are already exhausted after the practice.

"I heard there is a new stand opening around, though we kinda need to walk there. Are you fine with going there on foot?"

[carduinal-cyn]

"Oh, it's not that far from here. I'm totally fine," Olivia reassured him. Sure, her muscles were screaming "no more, no more", but she always prided herself on her endurance. A little walk into town wouldn't be the end of her. Besides, pain was just weakness leaving the body, right?

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and drank greedily from the Gatorade she'd shoved into the mesh of her backpack. She chugged the entire bottle in one go. Letting out an exaggerated "ahhh" of quenched thirst, she tossed the empty plastic at the recycling bin behind her, which landed inside with perfect accuracy.

She sent her parents a quick text message, and then she was finally ready.

"You ready to get some milkshakes, Mateo?" she called up to him. "C'mon, you can't be that worn out yet! Let's go, let's go!" She spoke so eagerly that it almost seemed like she'd been the one to suggest the milkshake stand, not the boy drumming his fingers awkwardly on his thigh and giggling like one of her teammates.

[Tapey]

"Woah, I ain't wearing out yet though..." Mateo stretched his back, grabbed his tennis cover bag, and got up. Deep down, he was groaning in agony. Sure, he still had some energy to walk there and back, but he did not expect Olivia to be THIS energetic, even after a hard practice session. His legs are begging for mercy after the tennis game, but it is what it is.

When he was ready, Olivia was already slightly ahead of him, heading towards the exit. Quickly, Mateo chased behind.

"Heyy! Wait up!"

When he finally reached her, they were already at the main exit of the school. Mateo panted slightly in fatigue after some chasing. Damn, she was fast.

Though the store was not too far away from here. Just one turn to the right, cross the road, and voila, we're here.

"Now," Mateo regained himself, and spoke after some panting, "Let's get going, shall we?"

[carduinal-cyn]

"Huh?" Olivia stopped at the sound of Mateo's voice and swiveled her body around to face him. Her eyebrows crinkled in visible confusion. "I thought we did get going." Perhaps she had, despite the boy still catching his breath from the practice and the impromptu chase.

When the two athletes resumed their walk, Olivia kept a few feet ahead of the tuckered-out boy at all times. She walked with a confident swagger and very briskly, to the point where an onlooker might have assumed she was a very slow jogger. Occasionally, she looked over her shoulder to make sure Mateo could match the pace she'd set. She was an impulsive sort of girl: in her rush to grab a deliciously chilled shake, she jaywalked across the street without bothering to look both ways and narrowly avoided being run over by a truck.

It wasn't long before she stood at the shiny new doors of their destination. Her mouth watered with anticipation—or, perhaps, she was more tired than even she knew. In any event, her perpetual smile never wavered. A warm, sunny Saturday morning (afternoon, she quickly corrected herself), with a boy inviting her out to sample tasty frozen desserts... How could she possibly be negative?

[Tapey]

"Ahh, we're finally here..."

Mateo gave out a relieving sigh after somehow managing to drag himself behind Olivia's footsteps. He could felt sweat dripping down from his forehead, and he felt as if his legs were tied to a bag of stones every step he took. He felt pretty exhausted, and the heated weather was not helping much.

Damn, were Saturdays always this hot?

Just as he was going to space out again at the front door, he looked towards Olivia, now beside him, who was already thrilled while watching the menu. He could not help but to give out a small grin. Sometimes, he was pretty envious of Olivia for how energetic she is. It was as if the hot weather and the previous practice session did not affect her stamina a single bit.

Snapping back to reality, he opened the front door of the store, while waiting for Olivia to go in first and make her order.

[carduinal-cyn]

"Thaaaank you!" Olivia whooped as she walked inside. Her gait had slowed from a hurried race-walk to a leisurely saunter. This was not by design. The adrenaline rush of playing and stretching together with her teammates was finally starting to wear off, and with it came an ever-so-familiar burning in her well-muscled legs. The price for her boundless energy demanded to be paid. Joining a queue of eager customers, she closed her eyes and leaned her back against the wall for a moment.

Though the line was long, it moved rather quickly—Olivia wasn't getting a break just yet. The parlor's employees worked like a well-oiled machine. One by one, customers ordered from the girl behind the counter and watched their milkshake dreams be realized before their very eyes. Vanilla. Chocolate. Strawberry. Mint. Banana. Cookies and cream. Coffee. Salted caramel. Nothing was beyond their purview.

Finally, it was her turn.

Olivia hummed and read the menu over once more. All the options looked so tempting! Her tried-and-true favorite flavor, chocolate, even came in two options: regular and "Chocoholic", a decadent dessert with extra dark chocolate added to the mix. Olivia looked back at Mateo one last time. Then, she decided she'd descend into chocoholism with her order, as if he'd just dared her. The milkshake she received looked as dark as a Hershey bar and twice as scrumptious.

[Tapey]

After Olivia went into the store, Mateo followed suit and was initially surprised at the long queue of zealous customers in front of the counter, all waiting for their order to be received and made.

Ohh yeaaa, of course there was going to be a crowd full of customers, the shop literally just opened a few days ago.

Although not willing to, Mateo stood patiently behind Olivia near one of the frameless glass doors, hoping that the queue would not take too long. As he was waiting for his order to be taken, he was stuck in a loop of scrolling aimlessly on his Instagram feed and reading the menu above the counter, planning on his own order. He had followed quite a lot of friends back in high school on his social media, though he was indifferent about the contents posted. For him, it was the same repeating stuff, some random selfies, people flaunting their possessions or their next trip, some really stale memes, a few drawings here and there, more memes... Mateo dropped a few likes here and there as witnessed a few posts which gained his interest.

He glared back at the queue, which to his amazement, was moving much quicker than he expected. He had heard rumors about the employees' fast pace and efficiency, though he thought that the comments were exaggerating. Seeing that it was nearly his turn, he hastily followed up with the line, not wanting to block the customers behind.

As he finally reached the counter, he hesitated on the various options of flavors on the menu. He wanted something sweet and refreshing, but not too much flavor. He glared at Olivia, who was already enjoying her Chocoholic milkshake at a nearby table, and turn his attention back to the menu. Finally, he gazed back at the employee, who asked about his order in a warm, friendly tone.

"Uhmm, I'll have a Cookies and Cream milkshake. Thanks!"

The service quality of the parlor did not disappoint him, as his drink was made within minutes. His drink was a mixture of vanilla white, and chunks of crushed Oreo cookies. Taking his first sip, he stepped towards Olivia's table, while taking a seat on the other side, smiling as his drink was just what he expected: sweet and thirst-quenching.