A Five Minute Nap

Unfortunately, there were other things I had to attend to when I finally returned to school, having done so just before the term’s official resumption.

The most pressing of my commitments, by far, was the match that was scheduled for only a few days from my arrival.

It was supposed to be a relatively simple match, at least when compared to our prior game, but I quickly found myself lagging behind Ria, who had been training non-stop.

I hadn’t been lazy by any means over the break, but I certainly hadn’t been as committed as the few crazy teammates of mine whose obsession with the game was nearly inhuman.

“Will you be ready to play?” Asked Ria, looking half surprised and half disappointed at my utterly exhausted form, gasping for breath on the side of the training field.

“Oh please, that was the most intense workout of the season so far.” I muttered between deep breaths.

In all fairness to myself, despite Ria’s grumblings about how ‘Tea was going to pass out mid-match’, today’s session was indeed absurdly brutal compared to the normal, day to day sessions from before break.

I knew that it was the coach's idea to get us all into shape quickly before the match, but looking at some of the few who’d completely neglected their training around me, I was starting to wonder if this was too extreme.

The coach seemed to come to the same conclusion not far away, as she announced that we would just be doing some light drills for today, after a ten minute break.

I quickly sat up as Ria joined me on the sidelines, and I noticed that she was breathing heavier than she had been letting on as well. That made me feel a little better about how tired I felt, but those feelings soon passed as I stared at her.

There was something in her expression that I hadn’t seen for a while, maybe since before break.

She was completely focused.

Her eyes were locked on nothing in particular, but I could tell that the thoughts running through her head were fast and efficient, based on the minute changes in her facial features that I doubted anyone but me could notice or understand.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked, passively.

“The game.” Ria said, not wavering in her intense focus.

I nodded and relaxed a bit more, not bothering to stay seated upwards so I could maintain a conversation anymore.

Now that Ria was thinking our next match through like this, I didn’t want to distract her in the slightest. After our last match especially, I’m sure Ria was thinking through countless plans to help us rebound with a win.

While most of the tactics were handled by coach, I’m sure Ria had a hand in a lot of them, due to their extensive chats in the time since her becoming captain.

Furthermore, there were things she’d consider that had little to do with the team’s tactics, such as her individual preparations.

Ria had shown in prior games that her incredible skill and capabilities were often due just as much to her preparation as her actual talents.

On the field or off of it, she was in business mode now, so my five minute nap would go unnoticed.

Laying back and closing my eyes, I surprised myself a little by actually fading away from the sounds of chatter and bitter cold air, somehow managing to fall asleep.