Sobs echoed throughout the girl's locker room at Shisuta Middle School. Curled up in a ball in a shower was a girl around thirteen or fourteen years old. She hugged her knees and attempted to calm herself down as she glanced to her buzzing phone beside her. She took a deep breath and answered the phone, "H-Hello?"
"Hey, are you ok? Are we walking home together today still?" a boy on the other end of the call asked. The girl glanced to her bookbag, which lied there spilled out on the floor and her uniform which was somewhat in her bookbag, despite all her books having flown out. She sighed and started picking up her books and pulling out her uniform.
"Can you come to the locker room?" she asked.
"What? Uh, no, no, I don't wanna get in trouble."
"Please? Nobody's in here except for me and I really need some help, I have a bit of a crisis."
"Are you positive nobody else is in there?"
"I wouldn't have answered the phone if someone was in here."
The boy sighed, "Ok, I'll be there in a minute." The girl hung up the call and wrapped a towel closer around herself. After a few minutes, a boy with scraggly pink hair and orange eyes snuck into the room and over towards the shower stall the girl was hiding out in. He looked around before walking. "Hey, are you ok? What's the crisis- Holy hell, what the fuck happened to you?"
"It… It looks pretty bad huh?" the girl asked.
"You look like you were on the wrong side of a beat down, are you ok?!"
She held the towel around herself tighter, "I kinda was, and that's the issue… Well, part of it. I can't leave looking like this, and I can't get up… The crazy bitches took part of my clothes, and I'm not really sure what to do about that. Can you help me?"
"How are you so chill?! You need to go to the nurse's office, we gotta report this to the guidance counselor, holy shit!" the boy continued to freak out and pace the stall worriedly. "Dude, this is getting scary."
"Calm down, we need to keep this situation on the down low. The school's not going to do anything about it, we need to just focus on getting home… I'm sorry, I just need help, please help me, Bro." the girl hugged her knees and hid her face for a moment. "This situation is so stupid."
"Hey, I'm here to help you." The boy sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug. "I always keep an extra uniform in my locker. It's obviously the boy's uniform and might be a bit big on you, but you can wear it on the walk home. I'm gonna go get it, you start getting cleaned up."
"I think this is as clean as it's gonna get for right now…"
He sighed, "Come over to my house, I'll try to help you get all that gum out of your hair there. You can stay the night, my mom won't mind."
"Thanks, Umeji." The girl dried her tears on the towel as Umeji ran back to the boys locker room to retrieve his extra uniform for her. The girl wait and attempted to pull herself off the ground. She groaned in pain and held onto the wall as she waited. He returned and handed her the uniform then stood outside the shower stall while she changed. Once she was ready, she gathered her things and stumbled out of the stall. "I'm ready to go home."
"Are you ok, you look like you're having a hard time walking."
"I just hurt my leg, I'll be ok, I just wanna get the fuck out of here," she insisted.
"Ok, Miyuji, let's go home." Umeji sighed and offered his arm to her. She clung to his arm for support as they made their way out of the school.
The two sat in a bathroom in a small apartment. Miyuji fiddled with the stereo while Umeji dumped some cooking oil into her hair to work out the gum.
"So… You gonna tell me what happened?"
"What's new to say? Those crazy bitches have it out for me, you know that…"
"Was there a reason things escalated this far? Things obviously got violent."
"I accidentally walked into one of the shower stalls while someone was using it. Kokoro told everyone that I was a predator trying to watch the other girls shower. That made them feel justified in hurting me, since they were convinced I was dangerous… The girl who was showering was one of those tough girls in the gangs, and she beat the hell out of me when she thought I was perving on her. The other girls stuck gum in my hair and stole part of my uniform…Do you think that I'm dangerous?"
"Why would I think that you're dangerous?"
"Like am I dangerous to other girls for being gay?" Miyuji asked quietly. "Are they right? I honestly don't know anymore. I don't want to be dangerous, I don't want to hurt anyone, but what if I'm really a monster and too prideful to just admit it?"
Umeji shook his head and hugged his friend, "No, that's bullshit. You're not dangerous, and anyone who thinks you're a predator has their head so far up their as they literally can't see anything but their own bullshit. Don't believe them; they're lying." Miyuji hugged her friend back and quietly cried on his shoulder.
"I just want it all to end."
"Me too… But it's ok so long as we have each other, right?"
"Yeah… Friends no matter what, right?" she asked.
Umeji nodded, "You're like the sister I never had, so I couldn't get rid of you even if I wanted to." Miyuji grinned and lightly punched his arm.
"You're damn right, Bro."
Miyuji laughed as she and the rest of the Light Music Club packed up their things for the day. They were talking about their last gig, which had been a big success. The girls exchanged laughs and hugs before parting ways for the day. Miyuji waved to her friends as they left before walking out the gate. She ran up to Umeji, who was munching on a chocolate croissant.
"Hey! Ready to head home, Bro?"
"Took you long enough."
"You wouldn't have to wait so long if you'd come hang out at the club with me."
"God no, that'd ruin my image," Umeji scrunched up his face in distaste. Miyuji frowned and playfully stuck out her tongue.
"You're no fun. The girls would like you guys ya know? They're really friendly, Gita especially. She was there for me when I was really in a stump."
"I'm not stepping foot in that girly ass clubroom unless there's food involved."
Miyuji grinned, "I can work with that." Umeji sighed in defeat.
"You're the worst, Sis."
"Yeah, but bagels are the best."
"You got a point there."