This Side of Paradise (Megumi Fushiguro x Y/N)

6

"Right." Megumi says, flipping open the packet, already starting to read the first question. For the next hour and a half, we both worked in comfortable silence, occasionally discussing the questions, debating an answer and whatnot. It felt nice and honestly really motivating to work with someone right next to me. I've found that Megumi is really smart with biology too. Sometimes we'd talk about a particular confusing question but we always sorted it out. I don't think I can remember the last time I did homework with someone outside of school. I've used to with Brett when we first started dating but he gets distracted easily. We'd study for maybe a few minutes and then next thing I know, my shirt is off... so I don't meet up with him to study anymore.

"Okay done," I sigh, setting my pencil down. Megumi's eyebrows scrunch as he finishes the last few questions.

"For number 47, did you say protein?" He asks, looking up from his paper.

I flip my packet over and find the question. "No, I said amino acid."

"Makes sense," he nods, moving his eyes back to his paper. "Got it."

I pull out my phone and see a message from my mom checking in, a few from Brett asking where I am and one from Yuuji, asking about a homework question from calc.

Megumi sighs a few minutes later, setting his pencil down and rubbing his eyes. "Start history?"

"I think I need a breather before I jump into that," I say, taking my hair out of its ponytail and massaging my scalp.

"Can I ask you something?" Megumi says. I turn my head to him to see he's already looking. His guarded gaze wanders over my face. "And you can't get mad."

I quirk a brow, "If it's a mean question then maybe I will."

He rolls his eyes and asks anyway. "Why do you let him talk over you?"

"Who?"

"Brett."

"What do you mean?" I question.

He looks down at his paper, fingers playing with the packet's edge. "In bio, on Friday, before class started. Your little group was talking about where you were thinking of going to college."

I recall Friday. When we walked in, Nanami wrote on the board and said to form groups of a few people for an experiment. We got into groups quickly and to pass the time before class started, we talked about colleges.

"When they asked you where you wanted to go, he answered for you," Megumi says.

"So you were listening to our conversation is what you're saying." I counter, buying some time.

"You guys were loud, the whole class could hear."

I swirl my coffee cup a few times.

"Is that really where you want to go? HSU?"

I purse my lips. "It's a great school so it is one of my choices... after Friday's game, it looks like that'll be where I end up." I shrug with a small smile.

Megumi studies my face before leaning back in his chair. "That sounds like quite a convincing statement. For a rehearsed answer, I guess."

"Excuse me?"

Megumi leans forward, closing into my space this time. "You sound rehearsed. Is that really where you want to go?"

His eyes stare into mine, I can tell he's challenging me and when he does, I never want to back down. I look away and smile at my drink, "I actually... am looking into others..."

I can tell Megumi is about to say something snarky, no doubt, but I bring my attention back to him and I point a finger at his face. "But it's a secret."

"You seem to keep a lot of secrets, sunshine."

"I'm serious."

Megumi's arms go up in the air, gesturing to the coffee shop around us. "Who the hell am I going to tell?"

I scoff lightly before giggling and shaking my head. Megumi's lips move into the almost smile thing he does.

"Okay," I start, looking around to see if anyone I know is listening. There isn't. The coffee shop is actually pretty empty. "Lean in closer."

Megumi shoots a skeptical look but leans in anyway.

I whisper, "I'm actually looking into art schools."

Megumi pulls back just enough to see my face. "Really?" A surprisingly soft tone in his voice.

I nod, a grin spreading on my face. "They're pretty prestigous and the acceptance rate is really low but... I don't know... I think I just want to know if I'm capable... you know?"

I risk a glance and see Megumi is giving me his full attention.

"If I don't get in then I don't get in... but," I sigh. "If I did. That would be just amazing. I really want to get into Willowbrook."

"The top rated fine arts university in the country, I've heard of it. And your boyfriend doesn't know this because?"

This makes my smile falter. "He has a big dream and a future planned for us. I don't really see it as anything important to share."

Megumi's brows furrow. "You can have dreams too."

He says it so seriously that it makes my stomach flip. It was just a silly statement but it almost makes me want to cry. I nod and move some hair out of my face. "Anyway, what about you? You said you were saving up for college. Where are you looking?"

This question seems to catch him by surprise, his eyes soften a little before they set back into his normal scowlly expression. He shrugs, "Same places as everyone else."

I tilt my head, "that's pretty vague."

He starts to shrink away, almost closing in on himself.

"Does where you want to go have anything to do with what you're writing and reading?"

That gets his attention, he straightens up so fast that he knocks over his cup of tea. It spills onto the table. "Shit." He swears, scrambling for his papers before they can get too wet I get up and rush to grab napkins before laying them over the spilled liquid.

He holds up his bio packet, half of the pages are wet but it doesn't look too damaged. As he moves his stuff, I take the packet from his hands and begin blotting a napkin on the pages. The pages will be light brown when they dry but at least the ink didn't run too much.

"I think it'll be fine," I say, sliding the packet across the table, pages splayed out so they dry.

"Thanks," Megumi grumbles, sitting back down again. The tips of his ears are pink and it's quiet for a few seconds.

"So... history time?" I ask with a smile.

Megumi exhales, and his shoulders relax. "Yeah."

As we switch gears, I can't help but wonder what Megumi is hiding. But as we start going over history, I find my shoulders feeling lighter. It's not until after we say goodbye and I'm eating dinner alone in my house that I realize Megumi is the only person I've ever told about the art schools.

I don't know why I did or what possessed me to think that he should hear it. Maybe it was to prove that I have more to me than just being in the "popular posse," but it felt good to at least tell someone. I expected him to brush it off or call me crazy, but it was nice to be heard for once.