Perhaps it was because she had not been fully prepared for an entire week behind the school walls. Or perhaps it was because she had missed her brother too much already. Time had passed for sure, as it had been over a month since she last spoke to him. She could clearly remember the day in court when she saw him being led away in handcuffs with the whole crusade of police behind him, making sure that he'd not escape from their custody as he did once before. She had missed his sweet and calming voice that used to soothe her whenever she wanted to sleep and would tell her stories about the adventures he had when he was her age. Tomorrow was Saturday and she couldn't wait any further.
Ingrid put a few books in her bag and exited her cubicle, bag on her back. She walked out of the dormitory block hastily and headed for the gaming block, still dressed in her full official school uniform. Some girls were already in their gaming kits and were heading towards the same block she was, for some sports action, of the countless the school offered. The season for most games was nearing and coaches wanted their players to be in the best of forms. The proud school had to hold its dominance out there. Ingrid walked over to the large building where table tennis and badminton were played. She took the stairs to the long room underground, holding onto her bag with one hand firmly, walking as if she was counting her steps.
The five table tennis tables were already filled up and were heavy with table tennis actions going on. A few of the girls present were on the side benches watching other girls playing hoping that among them, one would lose so that they would also get their chance to play and hopefully not be eliminated. Two female coaches were monitoring the hall and talking to the girls who would play for the school; that would represent it and hold its ship emblem high. Freya and Madison both wanted to take part in the competition and they would never miss a practice. Ingrid knew their favorite table and that's where she was heading. By the far end to the right side of the hall.
She found Freya in a match, playing against some skinny shorter girl. The girl seemed to be too fast for Freya as she was smashing the ball at her, with back loops and tight spins in between her game. Freya was adjusting her position now and then, in preparation for the next coming attacks. Point four seconds. That was the time it took for her to see the ball and adjust herself firmly before returning the ball to where it had come from. Madison had taught her a lot about the game. Smash. Spin. Loop. The ball went side to side of both halves of the table before Freya returned a back loop from the girl with a wrong contact of her bat against the spinning yellow ball.
The ball rose high up in the air and Freya's opponent moved a step back, adjusted her feet on the ground, twisted her hand in the direction she wanted to send the ball back; close to her chest and she waited for it to fall closer to the table. Freya took some steps back knowing that the girl wanted to return the ball with a powerful smash. She knew the girl's strike would be enough to eliminate her as they were on the advantage point and the girl had an upper hand. When the ball was on her chest level, the girl placed it just above the net on Freya's side of the table and it bounced once… Freya quickly dashed back to the table to return the ball before it bounced for the second time, almost losing her footing, and… it bounced on her side of the table for the second time and Freya was knocked out!
"Damn!" She squeaked as she lurched herself on the table, gasping for air. Ingrid chuckled a bit when Freya was beaten and when she walked away from the table, she couldn't help but laugh at her without hiding her emotions. Freya went over and shook hands with the other girl; a code of conduct of the game.
"I was sure I had her!" Freya groaned when she approached Ingrid who was standing close to the table. Freya was in her red shorts and white cotton shirt and white sneakers— basically the normal dress code for the table tennis squad. She flipped the bat in her hand several times.
"But you tried your best… didn't you?" Ingrid asked when Freya was standing next to her as they looked at the girl and another girl warming themselves for another upcoming match. Freya still had her hair tied in a ponytail and her two plaited rows hung on the sides of her face. She pushed them away before she turned to Ingrid.
"I cannot afford to be messing up now, now that the season is close. I mean it's the one good thing I'm good at." She mumbled.
"But you're good at drawing too, right?" Ingrid inquired. "In fact… I think that sometimes we win some, and we lose some." She paused for a while and looked around the long hall. She then returned her focus to Freya. "Where's Madison?" She asked.
Freya's lilac eyes drifted to the benches that were behind them, and Ingrid followed her eyes. On one of the three benches behind them sat Madison alone with a table tennis bat in her hand. She seemed like she was avoiding eye contact with them.
"So… is she talking to you?" Ingrid asked.
"No," Freya answered. "How about you?" Ingrid shook her head.
"Can we go at least say hi to her?" Ingrid asked.
"No. When she's ready she can talk to us. But I'm not forcing her to. So shouldn't you."
"But Freya… she's my friend, your ex… I mean, where's the harm?"
"You can go talk to her if you want Ingrid. I cannot make that decision for you. I, however, have made mine."
"Freya please…" Ingrid pleaded with her. "We've been behaving like this towards her since Monday, I mean we can at least see if she's okay."
"She gets up from whatever cubicle she goes to sleep in, comes in and puts on her uniform after taking a shower, and goes out. She doesn't sit or eat with us anymore so why are you going to meddle in her life when she clearly shows that she has no intention of hanging with us?"
"Because it's what friends do Freya. I'm going down to Arizona to visit my brother tomorrow and I hoped that I'd leave this place when I'm on good terms with her."
"Have it your way," Freya mumbled and walked away from Ingrid and sat on the benches next to another table. Ingrid walked over to Madison who was playing with her plaited rows. She was intertwining her fingers in them and releasing forming beautiful coils and then repeating the same procedure repeatedly.
"Hey, Maddie." Ingrid began when she was standing next to her, one hand firmly grabbing her bag. Madison did not answer.
"Maddie please," Ingrid called out to her again. Madison still pretended not to have heard her, let alone see. Ingrid huffed, eyes closed. "Madison I'm really trying to be your friend here… please talk to me."
Madison finally looked at her, with her brown eyes locked onto Ingrid's green ones. Ingrid shivered when she saw the cold look from her, as her teeth cluttered against themselves. Madison's eyes were heavy, and pink rashes were under her eyebags. Ingrid could tell that she had been crying for days.
"You have her, right?" Madison said as she directed her eyes to Freya. "So leave me alone."