Chapter 1 Late Bloomer

"You have to control your pulse or else it'll fly out of the table. Then try to smash the ball while bending your legs a little. Make sure your hand is leveled to your left shoulder when you smash. Understand?" Mark said while trying to show Mina the right pose. The girl nodded trying to take it all in.

She took a deep breath and tried her best to do what she's told. "Bend the legs and smash" she kept these words on repeat in her mind as she tried to execute the play. She wanted to get this right and show her teammates she got what it takes to be in the team. She wanted to show that Mark's trust in them won't go to waste.

After getting her composure back she tried to copy what Mark did as he served the ball towards her. Giving her a chance to execute what he had taught her.

It took her several times of trying after she finally got the hang of it. It was tough to follow the stance especially when you're already in the play itself but since she really wanted to show her mentor her eagerness to learn, her progress became impressive.

"Yes, it went in!" Did you see that, Sana?!" she smiled looking at her friend who's sitting on the bench resting after being taught the same thing. Sana smiled and clapped her hands excitedly even though she, too, was a bit exhausted. "At least, one of us is doing it right." Sana said and giggled. Unlike Mina, Sana is not that into the sport. She just said yes because her boyfriend Mark, who happened to be the team captain, asked her to join. Of course, as a supportive girlfriend she doesn't want him to be disappointed in her. Another reason she said yes is because she wanted to spend more time with her lover and look out for girls who would try to steal her man.

"Good job! You're doing great, Mina. I guess you finally found where you're good at. You really looked like you're really enjoying this. You're patience is amazing not like some cute squirrel I know." Mark gave her a goofy smile while raising his hands for a thumbs up. He then looked at her girlfriend and teased her. Sana just laughed at him and so he just went back to teaching Mina some service attacks.

Mina's smile seemed to not be leaving her face any time soon. Although her nerves are shaking due to exhaustion plus the fact she's sweating a lot made her look like she needed some rest, she chose to practice a bit more. She feels that her body is getting energized the more she moved around.

"I want to keep playing." She kept on thinking that way that her smile grew bigger every second. The sport felt an escape for her. It made her anticipate what's next. She liked the feeling of moving her body around. Figuring out what the opponent might do next is also a big yes to her competitive mind.

She still have a long way to go with this sport, she knows that but learning it is what makes it fun. So, deciding to join Mark's team for the intramurals is really a great opportunity for her. That made her proud of herself.

Mark's right. I guess I had finally found where I'm good at. Although I don't look like a very sporty person for that matter. This thought made her chuckle.

The enjoyment that she got from their practice lead her to grasp everything that was taught to her easily. It's not only Mark that saw her potential for the sport but also the other members of the team. The team even call her the late bloomer since it's their junior year already.

"I bet if you started practicing back on our freshmen year, you'll be one of the best athletes of the school, Mina." Jackson, one of the guys playing doubles, said.

Mina can't help the grin on her face when she thought about it. It's making her giddy inside. If only she can take back time and turn back to being a freshman.

Getting such a compliment from the guy was such a high boost to her confidence. Hearing such thing, means she's doing a great job at practice and so she vowed to practice more to be able to lift the girl's team at least.

Mina's head is full of thoughts about this new found sport that Mark needed to tap her shoulder first to get her attention. "Should we practice a backhand attack?" he said and let out a chuckle that made the girl blush a little out of the embarassment she felt.

For a while, he showed Mina how to properly do it and what proper stance she should do as well as how to hold the racket properly.

They continued to practice for about two more hours before deciding to call it a day.

You might be wondering how she ended up there, right?

Well, it was actually Sana's fault...

*Flashback

Two Days Ago

Mina was enjoying her lunch together with her two best friends, Momo and Jihyo. She got herself a few egg rolls, Kimbap and some macaroons.

They were happily devouring their food when they heard Sana called Mina's name as she entered the cafeteria. "Hey, Mitang! let's go to the gym. Mark's practicing. I want to watch. Pretty please." Sana said that made Jihyo cringe from the high pitched tone the girl used.

"Hello to you too, Sana-chan." Jihyo said sarcastically after noticing that Sana's attention was focused on Mina. "Oh, hi Jo and Momoring. Didn't see you there, sorry." San raised her hand and did a "v-sign" with it then went back to facing Mina whose busy munching her food.

These three are Mina's trusted friends and classmates. They met during the fourth grade when Momo went up to climb a tree in the back of the school's library trying to hide from her bullies. On the other hand, Mina was walking with a bubbly Sana following her. Sana wanted to be friends with Mina because she found Mina pretty and pretty girls should stick together she said. They kept walking until they arrived at the back of the library and saw someone above the tree. They saw Momo and saw her face and arms full of scratches. After some time of begging the girl to come down, the two brought the poor kid to the clinic where a young Jihyo was sleeping because of a fever. They stayed there and became friends and the rest was history.

Now, back to the cafeteria Sana was not with them a while ago because the girl went to her other friends, their classmates, to talk about something.

"So, Mina-chan let's go?" Sana asked again after not hearing a response a while ago. "Nah, I'm not going to be third wheeling Satang." Mina decided to tease the girl first. "Oh c'mon! we'll just watch them. Intramurals is around the corner. I know you wanted to try out some sports too, right? This could be it!" Sana clung in Mina's arms and tried to show the latter her puppy eyes hoping it'll make the girl say yes.

"Alright, I'll go." Mina said after contemplating a bit. She then hurriedly finished her egg rolls and drank her drink. Then, the both of them stood up and got ready to go to gym after bidding their goodbyes to Jihyo and Momo.

The reason behind Sana not inviting the two girls was, well, Jihyo for starters is really not a fan of sports and although she accepts Mark as Sana's boyfriend she still believed that the guy is a Playboy. So, the two of them don't really get along well. As for Momo, well, Momo is a simple kid she don't really engage in sports too because she'd rather go fan girling, binge watch Korean dramas and eat. Besides that she won't care for anything anymore.

So it's just Mina who Sana can drag and besides, Sana is well aware of the fact that Mina wanted to participate in sport activities since she was a kid but her mother is against it saying that sports are for boys and they'll just distract Mina in her studies. Instead of sports, Mina's mother wanted her to become a ballerina. She studied ballet in her grade school years but as she went through high school she quitted. Although she's good at it, her heart doesn't belong there. She felt no satisfaction everytime she does it. Especially that her mom just forced it to her.

"I guess I'll just keep this a secret from mom if ever I got accepted. Sorry mom." Mina thought that her mom will be angry if she knew Mina tried some sports so she decided to keep it from her.

When they entered the gym, they saw Mark with three other guys playing table tennis. It's the Junior's time to practice so they're just the ones in there. Mina along with Sana went to the guys and said hi. She saw Sana immediately clinging to her boyfriend so she just sat in the bleachers. After a while Sana joined her and they watched the guys practice.

Mina was amazed on how the guys play. She had trouble following the ball. It seemed to disappear because of how fast the exchange was. She also can't count the times they changed ball because it'll be broken because of how intense they practice. She and Sana was in awe of this shocking talent.

Soon after, the guys went into a water break and Mark approached the girls. "You're really great out there, hon." Sana said and Mina nodded. "Thanks, hon. Anyway, would you girls want to try it out?" Mark offered that made them widened their eyes. "Aren't we going to be a nuisance to your practice?" Mina asked making sure it's okay to try. "Non sense. You girls should try. It's fun. I'm sure the boys will be glad. Right boys?!" Mark said and shouted the last part to her teammates who nodded without knowing what it's about. "See?" He said that made the three of us laugh.

It was supposed to be just for fun but then the team saw that the girls have good control of their pulse, which was needed for the ball to not be sent flying off the table, and can learn fast enough they asked them to try out for the team. "But we're not that good. We'll be a mess." Mina said quite worriedly. She kept thinking that they will just be a burden to the team. "No, it's going to be fine. You're actually doing great for beginners, Mina. I think with little practice both of you can be a great addition to the team." Mark assured them. He was confident that the two can get better before the school's intramurals come. "Besides, we still lack two people in the girls team. If you don't join, the Junior's team we'll be in default and we can't contribute scores to become overall champions." He sadly said.

"Great! Now I'll feel bad about that." Mina thought to herself. Seeing that look on the captain's face made her reconsider the offer. There's a saying that goes, "there's no harm in trying" anyway. Mina kept telling her self that until she comes up with a plan. "Fine, I'll join if Sana will."

hearing the mention of her name, Sana turned to Mina and widened her eyes. She was peacefully resting when when she heard her name. What a clever friend I have. Sana thought as she shot daggers on Mina's way.

"Alright. So, what's it gonna be, hon?" Mark is now looking at Sana dearly.

"Uhm.. I-- we..." she seemed to be in panic as she gave Mina the why-did-you-make-me-decide?" look. Mina just laughed at her friend and mouthed "you dragged me here, remember?" Sana rolled her eyes after that response and just mumbled "whatever". She looked at her boyfriend who was waiting for an answer expectantly. "Why do you have to give me that look? How can I ever say no?" Sana thought to herself and sighed.

"Fine, we'll join but don't blame us if we lose. We're beginners." she finally decided causing Mina to give her a sincere smile which she reciprocates. The guys also nodded her head and welcomed them to the team.

"Okay. That's it then. We'll practice hard so you won't be disappointed in us. Please train us to be better." Mina said and bowed to the team members. "No need to be formal, Mina. We'll teach you to the best of our ability. Rest assured that by the time the tournament starts you'll be able to handle strong attacks from opponents." Mark said as he pumped his hands in the air. "Oh boy, there goes his dedication." Sana mumbled but Mina heard it. They looked at each other and laughed.

The guys also cheered after seeing their captain be so optimistic. They also informed the girls that they'll be excused for classes when it's their turn to practice. This made the girls very thankful to their team's support. "I just hope we won't disappoint them." Mina whispered to Sana. "Don't worry, Mitang. We're not pro's but we'll do our best. That will be enough, right?" Sana said that made Mina smile. "You're right, Sana. Let's just have fun and learn to be better." It'll be okay as long as they enjoy it.

*End of Flashback