"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."
- John Muir
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"Riina I don't want to be rude but..." Reijo took a deep breath before finishing his sentence knowing a barrage of words will be thrown. "Why are we here?"
"Because Yuju-chan told us something so important, we need to have a private discussion about it!"
"Who...?" He looked at her confused by the nickname.
"Youko you moron!" Riina pointed out the obvious being pretty annoyed by the question "Jeez," she crossed her arms turning away and huffing. "All of those Swedish language courses you've been taking made you a special needs kid."
"Are you seriously calling me mentally defective because our school doesn't make us learn Swedish?" Questioning Riina's racial statement about Swedish people, Reijo felt slightly annoyed but also surprised that she would say something discriminatory about Swedish people in public. Especially when they're in the Ruokolahden koulu liikuntasali or Ruokolahti school gymnasium, the main place for school activities that involve physical fitness such as volleyball, hockey, etc.
The name is to avoid confusion with the Ruokolahden Liikuntahalli or Ruokolahti Sports Hall as it functions as the town's place for recreation and basic gym needs if you're going to stay fit. Although the sports hall is the main place to handle someone's needs to work out, the school gymnasium opens its doors to the public on the weekends and sometimes on weekdays if there aren't any classes using much of the gymnasium.
"Yes, I am."
"Riina you can't say in public or anywhere! If someone reported you to the police, you'd get in trouble for being racist!"
"No, I won't, watch m- MPGH!" Riina was cut off by Reijo putting both of his hands over her mouth and pushing on it in an attempt to silence her.
"Be. Quiet. Already." Giving the best death stare he could give while also lowering his tone, Reijo usually wasn't used to acting tough and all but he knew that if she continued to bladder her mouth, she would get in trouble.
He couldn't say he could tolerate her attitude nor did he like the way she acted. But he did care about his friends and if someone didn't educate or punish Riina for her stupidity and overconfident attitude, she could get into trouble with Authorities. Now that the two were alone for the first time, he now had a better understanding of why Youko liked to call her 'a Karen' but she only said this through text on their mobile phones.
They weren't rich and affording a smartphone costed a lot more than what someone would pay for a flip phone. Even if their parents had the money, Reijo knew his wouldn't and the choice by the majority of Finns was Apple phones or Nokia. Being given a Nokia 2760 Flip when he entered grade six as a present, he felt proud to be given a phone even if it was a flip phone. It didn't stand out much since at the time, the model he owned was used by a majority of people in the Nation.
Youko on the other hand used a Nokia 3720 Classic, when he first saw this, his initial idea was that Youko's parents bought her a new phone since she asked for it seeing that a better model was out. This was partially correct, Youko asked for a new phone but the reason behind this was that when she was out walking in the forest in September 2009, she tripped on an unexpected branch sending her body onto the dirt floor. But she got the new phone because her entire gut was sent into a rock shattering the phone and leaving her in excruciating pain. He remembers well that she told him on a piece of paper at the hospital 'I feel like a metal pipe slammed into my stomach at full force.' Thinking about the note gave him shivers and he expected the note to be about the butt of a rifle hitting her, not that he felt it nor did he want to ever feel it.
He did know someone who owned a smartphone that was better than what they had, the school's student council community representative.
"MMPH!" It only took a second after Reijo put his hands on Riina's mouth for the lion that's all bark but no bite to scream again in anger.
Realizing that the glare and low voice failed, Reijo decided to take the more passive approach. "Are you gonna calm down and stop being racist?" He asked this in a concerned but demanding tone.
"Mhggnhhfpghymhupifymhdhtllhmehgoh." Riina said in an actual low voice that could be considered a threat and a real death glare into his eyes. Judging from the mouth of gibberish, someone who had brain cells could realize that it was a warning that their patience line was about to snap.
Knowing that his actions were taken as a joke and the rabid female lion was about to make him regret it, he simply complied with her putting his hands back to where they were before. "I'm not good with this being mean and tough stuff huh?"
"How nice of you to notice, but you're lucky that you're my friend because if you weren't and you pulled that on me, I would've immediately pumbled you into the concrete floor here." She growled keeping her glare strong.
"Wait you seriously acknowledge me as your friend?!" Reijo spun his upper body over surprised. Riina has always said she doesn't acknowledge him as a friend, just someone who's part of the ride but after hearing the tsundere let her guard down, he felt proud and happy to know that she sees him as a friend.
Realizing that she let her guard down, the tsundere let out an obvious blush after she said the truth when she didn't mean to let it out. "N-no I didn't! What are you talking about weirdo?!" Attempting to fill in the breach, she crossed her arms looking in another direction facing her head upward towards the lights. Adding to her actions, she closed her eyes to avoid eye contact with him even though she was looking in a completely different direction, her tsundere attitude kicked in.
Giving a smug grin, Reijo kept his eyes on his friend while tossing in a small taunt. "Tsundere."
"Hah?!" Spinning her entire body around in complete fury, Riina was prepared to launch an open barrage of insults the second she opened her mouth but the sound of casual footwear stopped her.
CLOCK CLOCK CLOCK.
Shifting her attention looking over Reijo to one of the entrance doors that leads to where they are, she paid close attention to it ignoring her surroundings completely as the noise grew louder and louder.
Hearing the same sound of someone running towards them, Reijo turned his head around to stare at the same door in curiosity.
Suddenly, a female burst into sight pushing against the open metal door to gain stability and grip while her feet slid against the floor tiles outside being only a few meters from the concrete floor inside the hockey rink viewing area. Stumbling into the viewing area after almost falling from the slippery tiles outside of the rink, she was breathing heavily, most of her face was red and she could barely walk or even stand.
"I'm...here..." The girl stumbled along until she reached a seat next to Reijo, pushing the seat downward, she sat herself down completely exhausted.
Light brown hair in a half-up half-down hairstyle, brown eyes, light skin. She wore a dark green varsity jacket with the letter R on where letters are usually put. A pair of pants that would be used for all seasons but summer and strangely enough, some casual shoes that were not designed for the winter.
"Mirja, are you ok?" Reijo looked at her concerned since she sat there like a lifeless body.
Mirja Toivonen, student council community representative, good public speaker, extremely friendly and kind but always ready to scold someone to put them in place. There wasn't much to say about her apart from her being a friend.