Authors Note: Hey guys, I'm back! So I decided to go on a different route and make a Persona 3 story. (: This has always been one of my favorite games since as long as I can remember, and who can help but fall in love with Junpei? I'm not sure where I'm going to take this one yet but lets see how chapter one does shall we?! xoxo- Sarah
Groups of girls were huddled around the front gates of Gekkoukan High, gossiping and checking out each person entering the school. I felt my cheeks burn in anticipation of the looks I would surely be getting.
Just keep walking Saki, just keep walking.
Not only did I look different with long blonde hair and a sparkling uniform purchased only a few days ago, but in a school like this, everyone noticed the new kid. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough money to attend this school, but my mom and I came up with just enough in time. My name was being flung around the walkway, used in questions and opinions. Each eye was trained haphazardly on me, letting them forget about first day of school jitters.
"Hey!" A girl with short brown hair and a pink jacket bounced up to me, glaring at each person deciding to stare.
"Uh, hello." I was unsure how to respond, usually it takes more than the doorway to begin making friends.
"I'm Yukari Takeba. You must be Saki Nakamura, I heard you were staying in my dorm." So that's why her name sounded so familiar. The door advisor mentioned a Yukari during my first visit to check out the place. Although it wasn't the only one available, it seemed the least crowded. Maybe a place I could hide when the move got too crazy.
"Yeah, that's me." She seemed nice enough, a little loud but generally a person I could get along with. I wonder who else lived there with us.
My mother and I were told that the dorm was shared between girls and boys nowadays because of a problem they were fixing in the boys dorm. Apparently they were harmless though if they all lived together without a single problem.
"I could show you around the school if you want, introduce you to some people." We were walking towards the front doors now, and had collected a hardy group of students behind us. I wasn't sure why they were so interested in me, or even Yukari, but I knew I would have to get used to this popularity quickly.
As we changed our shoes, I noticed a bulletin board swarmed with kids. That must be where we go to find our classroom. Some people were groaning and others jumped with joy. I trailed quietly behind Yukari, ready to find out where I would be placed in this mess. Silently, I begged for a good class. Somewhere I could blend in nicely.
The students parted as we approached, giving easy access to the panel that could have been impossible to see otherwise. Some people bowed and spoke to Yukari while others looked away and blushed. Was she really this popular?
My name was written clearly along the row of students in class 2-F, wherever that was. Yukari's name was also on the list, as well as a few I vaguely remember being told about before I got here. Other than that, the list seemed like a blur and I doubted my own abilities to remember any of them as soon as we walked away.
"This is the main entrance. Down that hall," She pointed to the left. "is the office and some other resource rooms. And upstairs is our class. You can just follow me today." She lead me up the tall staircases and past a small area selling food and drinks. The lady waved and smiled. This might have been the friendliest introduction I received from anyone but Yukari yet.
"So, who else is in our dorm?" She waved to random people in the halls and greeted others along the way to the class. Yukari seemed to know everyone so far.
"Oh they aren't so bad. Some better than others of course." She chuckles uneasily to herself for a moment but regains posture to point at two older students discussing something in the hall. "There's Akihiko and Mitsuru. They're both super successful and will probably beat you at anything you do."
We keep walking down the hall but I can't take my eyes off of the grace and poise that follows the both of them. I wouldn't doubt them being the best, without even really meeting them, I'm already afraid to get on their nerves. Even Yukari seems to have a chip on her shoulder about them. I wonder if something happened in the past to make her not like them as much.
"But don't worry," She winks and pokes my shoulder, "they'll like you just fine. There's no doubt about it!"
We stop at a door and Yukari gestures to the sign beside it. Voices buzz behind it, making my stomach flare with even more butterflies.
"Class 2-F, please be good to us this year!"
With a quick slide of the door, we enter the room and take in who we will be learning with this semester. A few cliques hang around the corners, made up of both boys and girls. One boy in particular catches my eye, hanging off of the podium talking with someone else. He has a baseball cap and a small goatee.
When we enter, his face lights up and he jogs over to where we stand, almost tripping over his own two feet.
"Who's that?"
"Junpei Iori at your service!" He tips his hat and bows to us, forgetting whoever he was just talking to immediately. They look back at us but simply joins another group and begins talking again.
"That's Junpei, the most obnoxious guy you will ever meet." Yukari folds her arms together and rolls her eyes. Mixed chemistry fills the room and I get the feeling that something has happened with these two in the past.
"So, are you in the dorm too?" Despite what Yukari says, I want to know how often these two will be together.
"Hell yeah I am! Isn't that lucky?" I don't answer and simply glance at Yukari who is already getting ready to walk away and take a seat. I'm not sure whether to follow her or not and find myself stuck in the middle of the two.
"You're Saki right? Everyone was talking about you coming to Gekkoukan." I looked between Junpei and Yukari, not sure who I should stay with. She was already making her way over to a few girls who pointed and giggled in my direction.
"Oh my gosh, is she actually talking to him?" One girl with dark hair and a nasally whispered in an overly loud voice. Junpei's face reddened slightly and I wanted to say something to her. I hardly knew any of these people yet and I was already fed up with girls who didn't know how to mind their own business. This had been one of the reasons I left my old school.
A lot of my classmates though it was funny to make fun of my mom because we didn't have very much money. My father had left us only a few months before and the torture started almost immediately. But a job offer came up here and Gekkoukan seemed like the best place to escape to. Maybe we were wrong.
"Don't listen to them. Girls don't know what they're saying." I put my hand on his arm, trying to show him that I really meant what I was saying.
"Yeah, ha-ha." He scratched the back of his head and twirled with the necklace he was wearing.
"So, do you-" Before I got the chance to say anything, a loud banging came from the podium up front. At some point, what looked like our teacher, entered the room and was trying to get the students attention. Once they quieted down a bit she cleared her throat and introduced herself.
"My name is Ms. Toriumi. I am here to make your homeroom experience the best it can be, but I expect your undivided attention at all times. Now, lets do attendance."
We all filed into seats as she began reading off names. The seat by Yukari was already filled by the dark haired girl who spoke earlier and I was slightly disappointed. I sat in an empty desk three spots back. I noticed Junpei lounging carefully in a group by himself and when he saw that I was alone, he jumped up and made his way to the empty seat beside mine.
"Do you mind?" I didn't know what to say but I knew it was rude to send him away, so I turned my attention to the front of the class and tried to listen to what the teacher was saying.
Within a few minutes, Junpei was asleep beside me, snoring slightly for emphasis. As the class continued and nobody mentioned it, I realized this is probably something that happens all the time. I tried to forget that he was there and focus on the lesson, but he became too distracting, especially when his hat slowly fell off.
When the class came to an end and everyone began packing up, I poked Junpei softly in the elbow. He didn't seem to be moving at all so I prodded slightly harder, making him flinch back to life.
From the door, Yukari called out to me. "Are you coming?"
She was with that same girl and a few more that had accumulated during the start of break. Although she was really nice, I didn't think I could deal with anymore gossip for a while.
"No, I think I'm just going to get ready for my next class. Thank you though."
"Okay well see ya later!" They all left and I thought I heard the brunette mention my name again with a high-pitched giggle. I gathered up my books and tried to hold my emotions from the past inside.
"Hey, you don't seem so hot. Wanna take a walk?" Junpei was replacing his hat back on his head and looked into my eyes with more sincerity than I would have pegged him to have.
I nodded slowly and followed him out the door, letting myself be taken to wherever seemed best for a moment like this.
