It was around 6 o'clock when my dad finally came downstairs for breakfast. Meanwhile, I was sitting on our small couch finishing the rest of the frozen waffles. Kimi had not even taken a bite out of them when she decided she will not eat them, and when I came back in, she looked at me, then eyed the plate on the floor. Kimi and I had developed a secret language code to each other, so we can understand each other better. ^ o ^
"What are you eating there, sweetie?" he asked through the loud crunches my teeth made as they went through the crusts.
"Waiting for school," I replied between mouthfuls.
"Well, why don't you get going then? It's around...6:08." He said, then checked his watch.
"Dad, school starts at seven. I have plenty of time to have fun before then!"
"Really, or is this an excuse? You know, being nervous and all...?"
"Even you knew!?" - 0 - I groaned, 'Why does it have to show?"
"Come one, I'm your dad. You think I wouldn't know? You were the one who told me to get a hundred burritos yesterday! And you only eat a lot when you're--"
"Okay, I got it!" I cut him off, "Yes, I was nervous, but I got my friends with me!"
"Well, look who's motivated this morning!" Dad chuckled.
"It's true," I explained, "Yamato and Sana are going to be there with me, so I have nothing to worry about!" ^ - ^
"But won't Yamato be too busy being popular, like every year?"
'What do you mean?"
"Ugh!" he groaned like I did, totally mocking me - _ -, "Even you don't know! (Mocking me, again) Yamato and this friend of his, Kento right (Kenji, Dad!)? They were popular throughout your school years. so, it would be the same this year, hmm?"
I paused for a moment. This time, my dad's making sense. If Yamato won't be there...No! He promised me he'll be there to help me! And if he did not make it, Sana would still be with me, because that's what I told Dad. But boy, was he persistent. - _ -'
"Sana will be busy volunteering for other campaigns throughout the year, like always."
Again, my dad's right. Sana likes helping people, like way too much. So, she'll be busy, too. But what about me? Guess I'll have to make it through myself, then...
Dad noticed what's going on, he patted on the back and gently said, "Hey kiddo! Don't worry. A lot of students are new just like you, and they're getting through their school themselves. You're not the only one."
"Thanks, Dad," I smiled, then handed him a plate, "But if you eat these for me, I'm sure I'll be happier :))))"
He frowned at me but relented. He can't say no to his favorite child! "Thanks, you're the best!" I said quickly, ruffled his hair, skipped through the hallway, and dashed up the stairs. Why? Because I need to check my clothes again, and so is my hair, my face, making sure The Cream Desire had not worn away, and checking my bag. Everything's important for a normal reputation!
I was only halfway done, when suddenly my dad's voice rang from downstairs, "Honey, your friend is here!' A friend? I didn't plan to meet up with anyone. Who could it be? Finishing touches for the last time, I raced down the stairs, my schoolbag swinging on one shoulder, and my hair flying like there was a hurricane coming up while I jumped down three steps at a time. I only stopped to spot who this friend is, but the next second, I was just freaking out, since I knew him. Standing there, beaming brightly, was Yamato.
"No, no, no!" I mumbled as I walked out of the door and onto the pavement with him. These words kept ringing in my ear, and I totally forgot about giving Dad a farewell hug. But I'm sure he'll understand, right? Not like Yamato, though, and just as we turned around a corner, I snapped at him.
"What were you thinking, showing up like that!?" > o < '
"Huh?" he looked at me blankly. 0_0
I got even more frustrated, seeing that he clearly forgot about our "talk" earlier. He had definitely also forgot about his "amazing pep talk" too, "Don't you see? You walked me to school, which can cause attention, and I'll be threatened by your fangirls!"
He paused for a minute. I started to feel my heart tensed up with anger and then let loose, finally relieved that he finally came back to his senses. Only I spoke too soon. He just chuckled and said in a cute way, "Aww, you scared of attention? Want some company?" ^ . ^
I don't even know what's in this guy! All I know is that he's stupid and has a brain of a goldfish.
- _ - But maybe I really need some company before school starts. So, I suggested we talk a little. But Yamato starts our conversation with the stupidest question of all. - _ -'
"Do you think you'll pee again out of nervousness?" he asked cheekily.
"NO! What were you thinking? I'm much more responsible now," I demanded.
"OK, but that won't change that fact that you did." ^ > ^
"That was years ago. Stop talking about it."
"Nope."
"Have you lost any fangirls recently?" I said, changing the subject.
"Nah, not yet" he sighed, "They're too desperate for my love."
"Well, you could try and look ugly, so they won't be interested anymore. They after you're beauty, after all. Not that I say you're handsome," I added, eyeing him because he had his own eyes filled with mischievous and his mouth was about to open to ask, "You think I'm handsome?" - _ - Don't worry, we know each other too much. That's the problem when you know the guy right when you were born. That's right, our mothers arrived at the same hospital at the same time, gave birth to us exactly synchronized.
"But if that's too hard for you," I continued, "I can form my own club, and it'll be called "Yamato Haters." ^ _ ^
He laughed, 'As if somebody like you could do such a thing! You'd be too scared to even a cashier for change. And you'll be going to battle with my side. Soon there'll be war."
"But your girls' boyfriends will help me, since girls are so much weaker than boys, and so will Sana. She's great at these things. You'll just see."
"Yeah right," he chuckled, " I bet you 150 yen if that'll happen."
"Deal."
But as we slowly approached the school and it came to clear view, I spotted Yamato's flock of girls waiting for him, and I realized I stood no chance to them. There were like hundreds of those girls waiting outside the entrance, and some of them were pointing at us. I quietly took a few steps back, so Yamato won't notice. He's right: nobody will join, and I found out that boys will not hit girls, and Sana will be busy with her own campaigns. I guess I have to make it out on my own, starting by not walking with my best friend. I ran back and hid behind a large tree. As soon as I heard the girls scream with joy, I made my move. I quietly ran swiftly across, catching a few peeks of what they were doing. Some girls were tugging his shirt and clinging onto his arms. Some of them stood staring at him with their mouths hanging open, some even had nosebleeds, and some were flirting with him and begging him, saying things like:
"Hey Yamato-kun, I know that these girls are not fit for you, so pick me. I'm the girl you want, and there's no one else like me."
"Don't choose her, Yamato-kun! Choose me! I'm your perfect girlfriend!"
"LOVE ME, YAMATO-KUN! LOVE ME!" > o <
"Hey, cutie-boy, you smell nice today. Wanna hang out later? I've got the perfect place behind the school, and we could be maybe do a little somethin' somethin'." ~ O ~
I rolled my eyes and got out of there in no time. The next problem I have to deal with is where my classroom is. And that can be a big deal if you happened to be a girl like be, "quiet and timid". I saw a boy around my age with messy hair and wrinkled clothes. Judging by the looks of him, I knew this is not his good day. But just when I finally decided to ask him where my class is, I got scared, so I stood there speechless and stiff. I can only talk confidently if someone is with me and they would start the conversation first, then I could just go with the flow. And my savior happened to be Yamato, and now, I'm really grateful for all that he did for me. I really need him, but he's too busy fighting back those girls. - _ -
So, guess what? I started to look for Sana. And it can be pretty hard, since she is pretty popular as well. She's always nice and funny, so easy to make friends with. So, every day, every hour, every minute, every second, perhaps, you will spot her with a different person. It's in her nature to collaborate with everyone. ^ - ^
In the end, I have no choice but to stray alone. Nobody would talk to anyone on their first day. All I could see from the corner of my eye were glares and stares as anyone pass. It really spooks the hell out of me!!! At times, people would stop talking and looked at me like I was some dirty mouse from the sewage. What have I done? Did the cream wear off, and my dark circles had been seen? Were my clothes wrinkled, or is it my hair that got attention?
But let's focus on the main topic: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MY CLASSROOM? T - T Every one of them beside me looked exactly the same, but when I peeked in, I didn't recognize anybody in there, which I ended up embarrassing myself in the process. Why does my day have to start like this!!??
Just as I was about to give up and hide myself in the janitor's closet, attempting to skip the whole day, someone tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, there was the figure of a girl of, who looked older than me for like a year, and shorter than me. But she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen.
Her blonde bob cut had a magenta color merged with her natural flow. Her cold gaze was in her veins, which made her even more beautiful. A small mole beside her lips gave her that sarcastic impression. Her hands were perfect, with polished mani-pedis in a tangerine color on two fingers, and magenta (to match her dye) in the others. Both of her ears were pierced multiple times, which give her piercings a sparkly glow. Despite violating the dress code, she must've definitely been one of the popular girls.
"H-Hi..." I stammered. Gosh, why did I had to be so dumb?? "Hi" is way to common!!!
"Yeah," she said sarcastically, but in a flat tone, kind of like a I-don't-care voice, "By any chance you're Ai Koemi?"
"Yeah...? Why?" I asked.
"Sensei Ichiro (that's my teacher) was looking for you, since you did not show up to class, so he sent me to find you."
"Oh, okay. Can you take me to class?" I asked timidly.
"Yeah, whatever," there goes her sarcastic voice again.
We walked straight down the hallway, passing many classrooms along the way, every eye following her (thank God, not me, though). Then we took a left, then a right, another right, and many other directions until I felt like we were going in circles. But as I focus more, I soon realize there were no more classes beyond us now. Turning to the girl, I saw that she had pulled out her phone, texting someone, her nails went clank, clank as it hit the screen.
"Who are you texting?" I asked curiously.
"My girls," she replied without looking back.
"But I thought the rule said, "NO PHONES OR OTHER DEVICES ON SCHOOL GROUNDS"?
"I don't care."
"Well, you should care," I replied softly, "because who knows what the principal would do to you if--"
That does it. The girl stopped and turned around, "Can you shut up? Zip that mouth of yours!" ):<
We stayed silent for a few more minutes. Suddenly, she stopped in front of the WC, "Now wait here a bit for me to while I... you know what I mean. No running off, got it?"
I nodded, and she walked inside. I leaned myself against the bare wall, and then I found my face looking at a large picture of an old woman. Underneath her was a nailed-in golden plate that titled: "Hitomu Iwa, 14th Head Principal at this school".
"Wow, this school must've been built a long time ago," I said and walked over to it to take a closer look at Iwa. Just then I heard a squeak, and under my skirt sat a fat black rat. I freaked out and screamed. I immediately ran into the restroom, since it was my only escape. Let's just hope the rat wasn't a girl! Safe and sound in the restroom, I sighed heavily and slid down the door in relief. Just then, I noticed a cloud of white smoke was flying up from a cubicle at the end of the line. The smoke was slowly floating up into the air vents. Could that be...?
I approached the cubicle and touched the handle. It's not locked. Quickly, I pushed the door open. The girl was crouching on the toilet seat, in her mouth was a cigarette, with faint smoke flying out of it. When her eyes met mine, she was as shocked as I was. She almost choked because of the smoke, in fact. 0^0
"F--k!" she cursed between coughs, "Why the f--k did you go in here? I'm having a private moment. I told you wait outside!!"
Her voice didn't sound sarcastic anymore. It showed angriness.
"I s-so s-sorry!!" I answered. I felt my eyes watering. WHY DID I JUST DO THAT!?!?
I kept my head down all the way she led me back to my homeroom. I couldn't believe that; accidental peeing was one thing but interrupting one's privacy!! On a first day of high school!! > ~ <
The girl noticed my "strange" behavior, she said, "Girl, chill out, I was only smoking."
But that didn't help. She pondered for a little, then, not looking at me, continued, "You know... you're right, maybe I should pay a little attention to rules."
I looked up at her. But she still wasn't looking at me. I know she was just saying that to make me feel better. She seemed like a nice girl. I decided to take the chance of knowing her identity. But as usual, I held back. I know soon all right, she might be in my class.
...
Then again, she might not, and I'll lose my chance!! 0 o 0
I tried finding my voice, but it seems to be stuck hard down my throat. The sounds I could utter were grunts and moans. I know she must be thinking I'm so weird, I mean, who wouldn't think one's weird when that someone is making inaudible noises!!??
"We're here."
I finally pull myself together to see what's going on. We had stopped beside a classroom door. Above it sat a sign that said: 1 - 2. We had arrived at the real location of my homeroom.
"Quit staring, are you coming or not?" the girl asked impatiently.
"Y-Y-Yeah..." I stammered. Oh no, I'm not ready to face anyone yet! 0 o 0 But still, something must be done, right? Besides, my sensei sent her to look for me. Then again, I wish I hadn't been found! I wish I had been lost forever!!
I nervously walked into the class in the midst of Sensei's talking. He stopped and looked at me. I thought he was going to give me the yelling of my life in front of everybody for being tardy, but instead, he talked to the girl instead.
"Reina, what took you so long? This school's not that big."
"Sorry, Sensei," the girl replied, "she got herself stuck in the bathroom."
What? That was a total lie! I'm not lost (maybe). She spent the time smoking!!
Just then, she nudged me slightly. I have a thing for secret codes, so she's signaling me that it's just a lie to get her out of trouble. We looked at the sensei for a moment. Finally, he said, "All right, I'll believe you this time, Reina. Go back to your seats, girls, so we can continue the lesson."
As I passed the rows of desks and chairs, I could see every eye following me as I threw myself at the back. Some, I saw, were emotionless, a kind of I-don't-care vibe, while some showed anger, mostly girls. They must be Yamato's fangirls. He must've told them that I was his childhood best friend. Amongst those eyes, I spotted Sana, my other best friend, her black eyes shining under the overhead lamps. She's happy that I'm here, no matter the time. Yamato, on the other hand, cast a grin to match his eyes, a very mischievous grin, indeed. He's going to talk about it all recess.