Abc-talking
All boy's academy
Chpt. 1
Today may have been the worst day of my life. Of course you wouldn't know but it has. You see this year I'm going to high school… without my best friend! I only just found out today and let me tell you, I'm freaking out.
Let's go back to lunch time today (which is a Saturday, the best day of the week, might I add.)…
--Flashback--
Koko and me, we always go out to lunch on Saturdays; it's just something we've grown into doing, like how you brush your teeth at a certain time or using a spoon for spaghetti. It's just natural.
Now, it's a very delicate process because we have a schedule that has to be followed to the exact date. Of course Koko doesn't always follow it but then that's his fault. I've adapted quite easily and it's not just 'cause I was the one who made it up.
Today we were supposed to go to the hotdog stand in the park on the south side of town across from the church, but today Koko called and said we were going to my favorite restaurant, McDonalds. I love their greasy, disgusting burgers and fries. It's my way to rebel against my mother. She's a health food freak. But that's beside the so point. So, as a recap, Saturday, Hotdog stand changed to favorite restaurant and Koko with possible negative intentions.
--
I walk into the restaurant and found Koko staring uneasily out the window. I smirked. I usually came from that side of the street but since I was already headed to the hotdog stand I came in through the parking lot entrance. Also he was in my favorite booth, the one where you can see the TV perfectly. Also, I saw that he had two very full trays. He knows I like to order a lot.
"Hey, Koko. What's going on?" I asked while sliding into the opposite booth seat.
"Nothing, I just felt like upping my cholesterol." He grinned. I grinned back.
"I'm up for that."
"Yeah I already got food and stuff and… I started eating." He grinned again. "Sorry I didn't wait."
"Nah, it's cool."
He leaned forward. "So, how's tennis practice?" He smirked this time. He knew how much I hated it, but I just couldn't stop because I loved competition and being able to hit a ball at someone was my kind of game.
The tennis team started practicing right after school got out, like literally the next week. It was about our second week of practice and we were determining who played what.
"Oh just dandy…psh, yeah right." I started my 'I hate tennis practice' speech. "Do you know who got first singles?"
"I don't know, who?" I leaned back while crossing my arms over my chest. I never eat when I'm ready to spill what's irking me.
"Um…" He started uneasily. "You?"
"NO!" I roared at him. He cringed back and glanced at the other people in the fast food joint. I didn't really care. "Luna did! Can you believe that? I'm serious! It's only because her mom is the freaking coach!" I leaned forward; I was done for now and ready to dig into my food. First, I grabbed a double cheeseburger and bit into it with some reasonable amount of force.
"Oh, well we all know that you deserve it." He was just sucking up now; afraid to have me yell at him.
"You bet I do." I huffed. "Besides, I have the whole summer to beat her before school."
"Oh cool." Koko wasn't a very talkative person well just not about tennis. Watch this.
"So how's your latest board trick?" Here we go…
"Oh, you are not going to believe this! I did it! It was, like, totally amazing! Okay see I figured that you have to do this swaying motion before you enter the tunnel and then you have to do this leaning forward thing halfway through the tunnel."
Koko's a surfer. He does all of these competitions and stuff. He's wicked good. I'm so proud of my little Koko-bun! Hehe.
"Sweet; when's your next competition?"
"A couple of months away; you better come!"
"Promise."
He looked at me accusingly. I sighed and lifted up my hands; my left one above my right. He grinned and held up his hands so that his right was above his left. We grabbed hands and shook up and down three times, while he took off my ring on my left hand and I took his ring off on his left. We let go and I stuck his ring on my thumb and he put my ring on his pinky. When we made promises we took each others ring so that they had to do what the promise was. It was childish but we've been doing it since I met him in second grade.
"Okay, now that you stole my ring can we go do something?" He shrugged and got up carrying his tray to dump it and I went and picked up mine and dumped it. We left and turned onto the sidewalk.
"Whatcha wanna do now?" He said as he stuffed his hand into his pockets.
"I don't know. I just didn't want to sit still."
"Okay well how 'bout we go to the park like we should have today, kay?" I glanced at him. So he knew it was hotdog day, didn't he?
Strike one…
"Sure, sounds cool. I didn't bring a blanket or anything to sit on."
"It's cool we can stop at my house before we go."
"Cool."
So instead of walking straight to the park we took about a two block detour to Koko's house. I love his house; it's just so home and it always smells like some kind of food. It always makes my mouth water.
On our way to his house we passed his neighbor, Mochu, who was outside waxed his surf board. He was one of Koko's buddies.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" He yelled at us.
"Nothing, just getting a blanket for the park and stuff." Koko answered.
He nodded and went back to waxing. Mochu knew better than to think that it was a date, since me and Koko have been friends for so long. Also, he's been beaten up by both of us for accusing us of 'secretly dating'. What a bunch of crap.
--
Walking through the door of his house, I took a deep breath. Yum, banana bread. Sigh, I love banana bread. It just smells so good!
"Hey, wait a sec, kay? I'm just gonna run up to the closet upstairs." He didn't even glance to see if I nodded or was okay with it. He knew. I just leaned against the wall in the hallway, waiting.
A couple of seconds later he came down with a huge blanket, his iPod, and my favorite book, Twilight. He handed the book to me. "Where'd you get this from?"
"Sister." Was all he said.
"Oh."
"I thought you'd wanted it 'cause we're prolly gonna be there for a while. You know, we usually do."
"Yeah, I guess. I'm not too excited about going home. My mom will probably be able to smell the restaurant smell of grease on my clothes."
"Yeah, if not before she smells your greasy breath." He plugged his nose and turned his face in the opposite direction. I smacked his arm playfully.
"Oh haha; very funny." I growled out. My breath did not smell that bad!
All he did was chuckle. "Hey where you wanna sit?"
"Some where in the shade. We didn't bring any sun screen, did we?" I looked at him doubtfully.
He scratched the back of his head. "Oops." I rolled my eyes. It wasn't his fault.
"It's cool, Koko. Grow a back bone, would you?" He glared at me. Then he smiled.
"How was that?"
"Perfect."
"There now that that's done lets go sit underneath that tree." I looked at the tree he was pointing to. It didn't look that bad. It was a maple and gave some pretty good shade. So, I was in.
We went over and set the blanket up and Koko started listening to his music while lying on his back with his hands tucked underneath his head. I started reading my book while lying on my stomach; propped up on my elbows.
We were content with our silence. It was never awkward or uncomfortable. We just didn't have anything to say and we got absorbed into our music and book. It was something we just did. In middle school we were like this during plus period and lunch. Students were just accustomed to it.
Koko's a huge music fanatic. His iPod has, like, six hundred songs and he knows all the words to all of them.
Unlike Koko, I'm a huge reader and it usually takes me about three days to finish a big book (around six hundred pages). I try to pace myself but it doesn't usually work.
--
After two hours or so went by I stopped reading and lay on my back next to Koko. We had a silent communication thing because whenever I lay beside him he always knew to give me his right ear piece so I could listen too. We are such good friends. .Hehe.
He doesn't listen to that rap stuff either. He listens to rock or alternative. I do too; I'm not a freak about it like him though.
--
Sometime after I moved to lay down with him, I fell asleep because when I woke up and looked at my watch it said eight o'clock. My mom was going to freak. So, in a panic, I woke Koko up. Now, this was his fault.
"Koko, wake up, you lazy arse!" I started shaking his shoulder. He slowly woke up. His house could be burning up right now and he would still wake up the same. "Do you know what time it is, huh?"
He stretched his arms above his head, while arching out his back. I could here his back cracking. I hated when he did that. "Nope, what time is it?"
"Oh I don't know, around eight o'clock P-M!"
"Oh cool." He obviously didn't get that I was supposed to meet my mom for dinner because she wanted me to meet her latest 'toy' or other people would call it a 'boyfriend'.
"Do you not remember me telling you that I had a dinner date with my mom and her 'it'?" He looked at me and started rubbing his eyes.
"Was that tonight?"
"YES, it was!"
"Cool."
"You don't understand! This is going to cause World War Three! I mean, if she finds out"-
"Just call her."
"Let me use your phone then."
"Why?" I rolled my eyes at him.
"'Cause I don't have mine, now give!"
"Fine, don't be so bossy about it." He dug into his left front pocket of his shorts and tossed his phone at me. I dropped it of course. I'm sort of a klutz. In gym… well that's another story, for another time. Anyhow…
I called my mom and waited for her to answer. "Hello?" Here we go…
"Hey, mom."
"Where have you been? I've been so worried and you missed dinner and Phil already went home and now you don't get to meet him and now you won't know how handsome, or funny, or intelligent, or handsome, or liberating, or handsome, or great he is, or how HANDSOME he is! Did I mention that he must have the most gorgeous hair, and his smile is to DIE for and his muscles! Oh don't get me started"-
"Okay, mom. I'm really sorry though. I over slept at the park with Koko and I just woke up."
"We'll talk later! I have to go call Phil to tell him that you just over slept and that you don't hate him because he's just so shy and cute and he felt like you didn't like him and that's why you dished. Oh my poor baby. It's just that he's so sensitive and sweet and kind and caring and innocent! Oh his face looks like a boys and his blond hair and blue eyes just look great on him and he's just so perfect!"
She inhaled, ready to talk about Phil some more. I don't think so. "That's great, mom. I don't want to keep you from him and again I'm really sorry."
"Its fine and your right I should call Phil! Tell my sweetheart the good news! Bye, honey be home soon. Before ten, okay?"
"Okay, mom." I closed Koko's phone. "Here." I tossed it back to him, which he caught effortlessly! What the heck! Life is so not fair. "Hey, I'm hungry. Let's go somewhere and eat." He cracked his neck.
"Sure, sure." He stood up and grabbed my hand and hauled me up to my feet. "Let's go to Applebee's, kay?" I looked at him again, but he was bent over, folding the blanket.
Strike two…
"Sure, fine by me." I replied.
"Okay, let's stop by my house so that I can put this blanket away."
"Cool."
--
We walked through his door and he yelled 'hello' to his mom. She came in through the side hallway were the bedrooms were and smiled at us. "Going back out?"
"Yeah, we're gonna go to Applebee's since we haven't eaten yet." He hollered from upstairs. A minute later he came back down stairs.
"Okay, be home by Ten thirty, okay?"
"Well Mikan has to be home by ten so I'll prolly be home around ten too."
"Okay have fun." Koko waved without turning around and I smiled at his mom before walking out the door.
--
We walked to Applebee's because, well, neither of us could drive. We were fourteen, turning fifteen, might I add.
We didn't have to wait very long; about five minutes before they could seat us. We sat in the back left corner in a booth for two people. The waitress came and I ordered water and he ordered a coke. She came back a couple of minutes later and asked us if we were ready to order.
"Are you guys ready to order?" I looked at Koko. I always ate the same thing here; a side of fries and cheese sticks. He shook his head no.
"Can we have a couple more minutes?" I asked.
"Of course." She smiled and then walked away to a different booth.
"So what are you thinking?"
"I'm deciding either a cowboy burger or something with chicken."
"Which one's winning?"
"The burger."
"Of course." He gave him a small smile. Koko loves, no maybe adores is a better word, the cowboy burger.
--
A couple minutes later she came back and we ordered. She looked at me kind of funny, but its okay. They all do.
We talked a little bit more about tennis and surfing and then our food came. We ate and then ordered dessert. I ordered a key lime pie cup and Koko ordered the apple pie one.
"Mm this is sooo good! Here try it." He held out his glass dish and I had some while I pushed my dish closer to him so he could try mine.
"It's alright." I said while shrugging.
"Alright? You did not just diss my taste buds!" I looked up at him and grinned.
"I think I just did, Koko-bun." He snorted.
"Thanks, Mikan."
"Anytime, anytime."
We sat there for a bit, eating our dessert and then Koko told me his secret. "Um… hey, Mikan, I gotta tell you something."
"Okay, shoot."
"It's about school."
"Okay, if you're worried about our schedules not matching, we can always change. Relax, Koko."
"Um… well it's not about that." I looked at him. Why can't he just say what he has to say.
"Okay, well then what is it?"
"I'm not going to South High this year."
Strike three…
"What?" He looked down, afraid to meet my gaze. "What do you mean?"
"Um, they, my parents, want me to go to an all boy's school called Gakuen Alice in Tokyo." He looked up then. His eyes had the same emotion as mind, despair. How was this happening? There was no way this could happen. It's just a dream.
"Pinch me." I ordered. I would wake up; I knew it. Holding out my arm, I waited for him to do it, but he hesitated.
"Um, why?"
"Because then I'll wake up from this nightmare." I stated. He still hesitated, but he did it anyway. Nothing happened.
I sighed. This was great; just dandy like tennis practice. I needed Koko. There was no way I was going to go to high school without Koko.
I just had to think of a plan.
--End Flashback--
So here I am, sitting up in bed at eleven o'clock. I haven't gotten an idea yet, but it'll come. So, I'm not as smart as my other best friend, Hotaru, but I could think of something. This was a crisis. Your brain always comes up with something when you panic, right?
… and then I got it. You see I haven't registered for school yet. This was perfect! I needed to call Hotaru. There was one way I would be able to pull this off alone.
Ring …
Ring…
Ring…
"What do you think you're doing, calling me at eleven?" Yep, that's her, my other best friend. Blunt as usual.
"I have a problem."
"You push the switch down to turn the lights off."
"No, not this time."- cough- "Koko's going to a all boy's school this year and I need your help." She sighed.
"What's your plan?"
"We enter the school as boys."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"You could take pictures of the boys and sell them to desperate girls for money."
"I'll talk to you tomorrow about the details."
Click.
Alright, me and Hotaru are going to school… as boys.
This should be interesting.