Turn my world around again.
Chapter 1 mixed up.
Anise Tatlin has always been a bright, intelligent young lady. Winning completions, making friends everywhere she went, and never breaking promises. Anise's life is flawless; perfect. Little did she know that her world was getting ready to get all mixed up.
As the sun rose above the horizon on the first day of April, it was just an ordinary spring morning. Not really a morning person, Anise wanted nothing more than to sleep the day away and then some, but she promised one of her closest friends, Arietta, that she'd walk to school with her that day.
Forcing herself out of bed, she stumbled and fell onto her bedroom floor, her blankets coming with her. Anise couldn't help, but laugh, her brown hair tangled in her smiling face. After she finally managed to escape the cocoon of blankets, she scrambled around her room, pulling on her favorite pink sweater and white shorts. Before exiting her room, she placed a kiss on her toy plush cat, Tokunaga. Racing down the steps and shoving a cherry poptart in her mouth, she grabbed a pair of golden ribbons from the side table in the living room.
With her swirl-pattered backpack slung on her back, she ran out the door and down the street towards the center-city park. While running to the park where Arietta was waiting, she tied both ribbons into her hair, forming two ponytails on either side of her head. As the park came into sight, Anise spotted her friend sitting on a wooden bench, dressed from head to toe in pink and a light sky blue.
"Arietta!" Anise called out, her hands on her knees, panting. She looked over at the out-of-breath brunette, her gentle face sighing lightly.
"Late again, huh, Anise?" Arietta guessed, standing up. An embarrassed blushed crossed the other girl's face.
"N-No. I was helping out my mom." Anise retorted weakly, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Knowing better than to argue with her, the pink-haired girl just murmured something incomprehensible under her breathe and started heading towards their school, the shorter one following.
The duet soon reached Daath High school, a bunch of other girls coming together near them as they entered the 9th grade hallway. At their lockers, the group than began to gossip.
"Omg, did you hear?" The girl closest to Arietta said, her blue hair pulled up into a bun. Anise rolled her eyes and closed her locker, never really in the mood for Celia's, the bluenette, gossip, especially so early in the morning. Leaving the other females, she entered her homeroom, many students saying hello as she took her seat in the middle of the English room. Soon after, Arietta slid into the desk next to her.
"….And…Hey! Anise! Are you even listening to me?" She demanded, her pink eyes flaring. The brunette looked over at her.
"Sorry. What were you saying?" She questioned, yawning loudly. Narrowing her eyes, she restarted.
"According to Celia, We're supposed to get a new student today." She said, a glow reentering her eyes. 'Real reliable source…' Anise thought. Before either one had time to reply, their homeroom teacher, Miss Sakura, stood up from her desk. All of the 9th graders' eyes traveling over to her.
"We have a new student today. His Name is Ion." Her eyes, and everyone else's, looked over at the door. "Don't be shy, dear." Miss Sakura encouraged as he timidly walked through the door. For some reason, Anise couldn't help, but stare at the newcomer. Maybe it was his dark green hair that matched his eyes perfectly, or the way he smiled at that moment, shy, but gentle. Either way, she didn't know. Glancing over at Arietta, she knew her best friend had instantly taken a liking to him. Suddenly feeling awkward, she looked down at her desk.
"Everyone, I expect you to be nice to our new student." The teacher continued, handing him a schedule sheet. "It seems your schedule is the same as Miss Tatlin's. "Anise, who was trying hard not to look up at Ion, looked back up at the front at the sound of her name.
"So, I would appreciate if you would show Ion around." Miss Sakura finished, Anise barely managed a nod, feeling small by the envious looks Arietta kept throwing at her. Soon afterwards, the bell rung. Early on Wednesday mornings, she had a gardening class, and it wasn't that easy for her. Picking up her stuff she headed over to Ion. His eyes meeting hers.
"Hello." He said, his voice very gentle and friendly.
"Hey, follow me." She replied curtly, exiting the classroom. Ion's smile faltered, but he did as she instructed. On the inside, Anise felt a little bad, but didn't want to get on the 'bad side' of Arietta. Once they were halfway there, she slowed down until she was by his side, slightly brushing up against him. She felt pretty bad, especially since he was silent the whole way so far. So she decided to at least try to spark up some conversation.
"I'm Anise by the way." She said to him, flashing him a friendly smile. Anise felt something stirred inside of her when his happy smile returned to his face. "You're Ion, right?" She watched him nod next her.
"Yes. I just moved here from Baticul." Ion said. Something about his voice made the odd feeling from earlier wash over her again. Starting to feel light-headed, she stumbled, Ion's arm wrapping around Anise's waist before she could fall.
A few other students whispered to each other as they walked past them about the little scene they were causing. Ion didn't seem to notice.
"Are you okay, Anise?" He questioned, his eyes scanning over her face. Pretty sure her face was as red as a tomato, she nodded and straighten, standing back up fully. Ion's arms reluctantly wandered back to his sides. The way he said her name caused her to feel like she was going to throw up.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I just lost my footing. Clumsy little me~!" She said, laughing, the awkwardness vanishing from her as the continued their way to class. Ion chuckled lightly next to her. Right before they entered the classroom, she looked back over at Ion who was going on about something pretty intellectual that Anise didn't fully understand, but found his ramblings amusing, and quite cute.
"Hey, Ion? Where are you sitting at lunch today?" She questioned before she could help herself. After just minutes of being around him, she took a big interest in him.
"I'm really not sure… This is my first day so…" Ion trailed off, giving an awkward laugh at the end.
"You should sit with me then!" She blurted out as the finally entered the outside classroom, a green house, filled with plants.
Something flashed in Ion's eyes that looked like nothing other than pure happiness to the brunette.
"If that's okay with you, I'd be honored." Ion told her. Anise pushed him slightly, a fit of giggles escaping her. Knowing the bell was going to ring any moment, she grabbed Ion by the sleeve of his light green coat and bolted into her seat, pulling Ion into the seat next to her.
"Almost late again, Miss Tatlin?" Anise smiled weakly up at the teacher, Mrs. Prickly. A few months ago, Anise and a few of her friends wrote a personal report called 'Some simple things you should know about Mrs. Prickly'. And take Anise's word, it wasn't the nicest pamphlet.
Since the first day they met, she had always picked on Anise and it made her skin crawl.
"I see this is the new student? Ion?" Mrs. Prickly questioned no one in particular. Glancing over at Ion and seeing how nervous he looked, Anise spoke up.
"Yes, this is Ion." She murmured simply, motioning at Ion with her hand. Her hag of a teacher nodded briefly.
"Well, Ion, I'll tell you this right now. My class isn't easy. You'd better study if you even want to receive a passing grade." She then turned her back and grabbed a medieval looking textbook and placing it below her desk. Her hands picked up a bright red plant that Anise would never touch in a million years.
"Class, can anyone tell us what this plant is called?" She questioned, figuring no one would know the answer. The class stared blankly at their teacher; most of them , including Anise, stifling yawns. Before the teacher continued, Ion's hand timidly rising slowly.
"Ion?" Mrs. Prickly called on him, her glasses sliding down her nose.
"It's a d-detalyopie plant. " He murmured quietly, red dusting on his cheeks. Everyone, including their obnoxious teacher, gaped at Ion.
"That's correct…" The teacher struggled to say as the bell rang, everyone rushing out before she could assign homework. As Anise and Ion exited the room, they sparked up conversation almost instantly again like old, childhood friends.
"Wow! That was amazing, Ion! That's the first time anyone really ever, and I mean ever, surprised her!" She said, her eyes wide. Ion looked at her face and laughed.
"It's not amazing. It's just Herbology."He answered and shrugged like it was something everyone knew.
"You're truly amazing, Ion." She muttered, shaking her head.
"I'm so happy you think so, Anise." He told her, truly happy.