Simone stared at her transcript. The words on the transcript were hard to understand but they seemed to be in her favor. Her hands traced the moon shape scar under her eye. She then looked to her father.
"Dad, do I have to go?" She asked looking at her school transcript and a brochure next to it. It seemed like a good school but not the school she wanted.
Her father sighed and nodded. "Simone, I understand you prefer your American customs than your Japanese heritage but you should know and as much as it pains me to say…your mother is dead and you know that. You will not be allowed to go back to America." He said sternly.
"Dad! That's not fair! I have lots of family over there. You know I love America! Better yet, I love Texas! I always come back to you, don't I? I should at least be able to finish my school year!"
Her father shook his head, "Simone. That's enough-"
"NO!" She interrupted, "That's not fair! Ever since mom was killed, you treat me like a baby! I don't get any choices!" She said "You need to know I'm not a-"
"Simone, I said ENOUGH!" Her father said, standing up from the table. "The decision has been made. You are going to that school and you are not going back to America!"
Simone stood up and pushed her plate away, "Mom would have let me go. I'm not hungry anymore." She headed for her room, grabbing her purse as she did. When she walked into her room, instead of crying like she wanted to, she got ready for her first day of Japanese high school.
She quickly brushed her chestnut hair, letting it fall around her shoulders. Her shoulders dropped as her hazelnut eyes looked sadly at the transcripts. The blue rings around her pupils seemed less bright. She groaned as she took a shower.
The warm water rolled over her naturally brown skin. She shampooed her hair then rinsed and repeated. She got out. She found a big fluffy white towel and wrapped it around her lithe body. After applying leave on conditioner to her hair, she sighed wistfully as her hair began to get wavy under the heat of the dryer. Grabbing her glasses, she winked at herself; she was determined to make this work.
On her bed lay the uniform that she was destined to wear for the rest of her high school education. During her slow infusion into the culture, she learned that all high schools required their students to wear a uniform. She understood why but everyone? Really that was a bit much. The predominantly navy blue and white plaid skirt was adorable and the white button down collared shirt was plain but she could work with it easily. But her favorite part of the uniform was her navy blazer. She loved the blazer and the gold buttons that fixed it together had the school emblem, Kumamato Gakuen , a K and G intertwined in something that looked to be a coat of arms. The uniform was cute alone but she didn't want to look like a Japanese student. In her mind, she wasn't.
So came the tinkering. She slipped on the skirt and saw how far down it went and was a bit amused. All the way down to her knees. Like she was gonna keep it that way. She grabbed some safety pins and pinned it up all the way to where her thigh ended, not short enough for her taste but enough to satisfy her for now, besides she didn't want to look like a bad student on her first day. Then she remembered a small sweater that went over her shirt that was a navy blue. She slid it on and determined she didn't want to go with the blazer today. Besides it wasn't that cold. Colder than Texas for sure, but not bad enough for a damn blazer too. The sweater was baggy around her arms and hands in a cute way. She smiled at herself and snapped a quick picture for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram later. A little blue tie for girls accompanied the look and she snapped it on. The socks that came with it she refused. She made her father get the loose socks that many girls were wearing. She was happy to put them on with her black loafers and looked at her self in the mirror.
No more 'Simone T. with the complicated Asian last name' but probably some number in class that her teacher called when they wanted her to do something. Life was changing for her. She grabbed a bag and went downstairs.
"Bye, Good luck at school" he said. She rolled her eyes and walked to the front door.
"Yeah. Bye Dad" she said as she walked out of the door. Eyes covered her body, and she found herself completely disgusted by the old Japanese men checking her out. Thank god she hadn't taken the subway. She wondered if the stories of Japanese men molesting on the trains were true. She quickened her pace and found herself almost running to the school building she was approaching. She made it. Thank god and looked up at the steps. The school was very nice, The whole front was made of glass windows that peaked inoto any classroom around the area and any students who were near the area. But back to te marble like stairs.
She reluctantly climbed them and unlike herself opened the door timidly. She saw something she hadn't seen before, something like lockers where people were putting the shoes they wore here in the lockers and taking out shoes they put on and walked away. Then she remembered the custom with wearing soft durable slippers in school to keep it cleaner and follow Japanese customs. Her father hadn't made her do that. She simply ignored the little step and brought her shoes to her room at home. But she walked over to a locker, remembering the number her father told her. Inside she found some soft black slippers. She took her loafers off and put on the slippers and found her schedule in there as well. She looked around and saw that some boys had stopped whole conversations to gawk at her. She rolled her eyes and popped her gum. She looked at her schedule. First class was…Someone was fucking with her. Her first class was American History. That was unbelievable but maybe it was about history or something, to her it felt like maybe an elective. Then again, the young girl felt like she was being targeted for her old home as well. She growled and stuffed her schedule into her pocket.
Angrily, she trudged to her homeroom. She walked into the door and watched as heads turned to look at her. Some stayed on her and others, mostly girls, looked away. She sat in a chair, closer to the window. Wondering what Troy was doing right now. Oh Yeah. Getting ready for bed. She was half way around the world. She looked around and thought about all her friends in Texas and unlocked her iPhone, even if she knew she wasn't supposed to have it. She could always claim she didn't know. It still displayed the picture of her and Troy smiling as she poured a bottle of water on his head. She missed her boyfriend. She felt someone standing over her.
"Hey" A boy said. In Japanese of course. She sighed, she hated to speak it but she did.
"Yo" she said breaking the language barrier.
"So what's up with you?" he asked grabbing a chair and sitting next to her. She got a good look at him. One long braid, black, and blue eyes with skin almost as dark as hers and the khaki pants that the uniform required. They sagged though, like an American's would and his shirt was untucked carelessly She had to admit though, he was cute. And he seemed to work out; those muscles in his black shirt almost looked ready to burst knew the game he was playing. The flirting game. The boys in America had it too, but were a lot better.
"Nothing much" she said looking at her phone and at him. "What about you?" she asked.
She noticed some of the girls staring at her almost hatefully, she didn't care, if she was getting attention from this boy, it must have been good publicity because, a couple of girls seemed oddly depressed by this.
He shrugged, "Nothing but talking to you, My names Bankotsu" he added. She shrugged.
"Simone" she said popping her gum.
"That's American right?" he asked leaning on her desk, glancing at her legs every now and again.
"Purely, I'm from there. I have to say, It's a bit more uhm, forward here" she admitted.
Bankotsu shrugged, "Yeah and you can do lots here, even at just 16. Its awesome" he said smiling at her.
She shrugged, "Oh really? I haven't seen to much" she said.
He laughed a bit and put a hand on her clothed leg. A small jolt of electricity went through her." How bout I take ya to see some sights Saturday?" he asked, obviously asking heron a date.
She cutely feigned thought, placing a finger on her bottom lip and pouting a bit. "Hmmmm. Sure Ban" she said with a smile.
He smirked, "Thought so" he said cockily.
She rolled her eyes, "Yeah sure mister. You better get to your seat, your little entourage is giving me a dirty look" she said poking her tongue at the jealous girls.
He looked at her, "You sure don't seem to mind, so they can wait, besides I'm talking to you right now" he said once again, a cocky statement.
She smiled, "You think you're the shit. Don't you?" she asked closing her phone.
He brought his mouth closer to her ear. "I know I'm the shit" he whispered. She giggled and put a hand over her mouth. He reminded her of Troy. Troy. Her giggled stopped. She then felt a question burning into her mind. Why hadn't se said no? She had a boyfriend.
"Got a girlfriend, Mr. I'm the shit" she whispered back.
He chuckled a bit and brought his lips right onto her ear, "Not anymore."
She blushed, well you couldn't see it. She was really just quiet for a bit. She wrapped her arms around her stomach. She didn't know how to respond. She was flattered but didn't know how to say it. Bankotsu seemed to not to notice her shock and began to play with a stand of her wavy hair. Oh now she was definitely speechless. Luckily the bell rung a very shrill trill. Good it was over.
"See ya Simone" he said getting up, letting go of the small piece of golden hair.
Simone smiled and looked up at him. "Bye Ban" she said looking around at the class. Lots of cute boys. But wasn't Bankotsu dating her? Didn't she have a boyfriend? Wouldn't Troy be angry? Why hadn't she mentioned Troy? Why hadn't she even thought of him! She heard her name after exiting her questionable dilemma. She looked up slightly curious.
"Want to tell the class about yourself?" Mr. Hausa asked. She rolled her eyes and dropped her legs and slouched as she stood up, "Yeh whatever" she said. Then she smirked as she got a devious idea
"My name is Simone Takashi" she said beginning her speech in American. "I'm 16 and I have no idea what to say to you wankers. So in an attempt to mess with your head , I'm speaking in English" she said finishing her sentences in a full English. Then turning back to Japanese. "That's it" she said sitting down. One or two people who studied English laughed, everyone else was a shot in the dark No one understood what the hell she was saying.
Mr. Hausa just sighed. , "Right okay, on to today's lesson: The American Revolution" Simone stifled a laugh. She had learned this in 7th grade. Easy A time!
