Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Host Club, sadly.
I stared out the window of the taxi cab. The bustling city streets disappeared, leaving large, broad estates with huge mansions. Eventually Ouran Academy came into view. I couldn't help but curl my lip slightly at the massive pink structures. I hated pink, along with anything else society dubbed "girly".
Why did I even apply for a scholarship in the first place? I didn't think I'd actually get in… It was only partial though, so I didn't have enough extra cash to buy the uniform. That was a good thing too, in my opinion. I wouldn't have to look like one of those Easter marshmallow things… What are they called? That's right! Peeps!
I hopped out of the cab, paying the driver the amount I owed him before slinging the satchel over my shoulder, I walked through the big pink gates. Looking around, I felt like I'd been dropped into a little girl's playhouse. I stuck out like a sore thumb in my jeans and black t-shirt. I knew I was just going to love it here.
After getting lost several times, I finally managed to make it to homeroom. I wasn't able to get help from any of the other students As soon as they saw me walking towards them, they hurried off in another direction, shooting an I'm-better-than-you look at me. The teacher looked up, taking in my causal appearance before speaking.
"You must be Miss Sandoval. I am Mrs. Saitama. Now Samantha, if you could take a seat behind Mr. Hitachiin-"
"Sammy." I said, keeping my eyes glued to the floor.
"Pardon?" I looked up, meeting her gaze.
"Sammy." I repeated. "Call me Sammy."
Our gazes held for a moment longer, before she looked down, making a note on her clipboard. "Well then, Sammy, please take your seat behind Mr. Hitachiin." She gestured in the direction of two red-headed boys. "Hikaru, could you please raise your hand?"
The identical twins both raised a hand. Mrs. Saitama shot a glare in their direction, sighing at their antics. I had a feeling they did this sort of thing often. "Hikaru is the one on the left," she said, glancing down at her seating chart.
I hesitated, mentally translating what she said before dipping my head, hurrying past all of the students so I could sit down.
"Good morning class." Mrs. Saitama stood, a stack of papers in her hand.
"Good morning Saitama-sensei." Everyone replied in unison.
"Before we get started, I wish to make an announcement. As of today, we have a new student. Miss Samantha Sandoval is an exchange student from America, so I expect you all to give her a proper greeting to our country. Miss Sandoval, could you please tell us something about yourself? Where in America are you from?"
My heart flipped. I hated talking to groups. After all, my Japanese was average at best. "Well… I've lived in Maryland all my life, out in the country. I was perhaps three, four hours away from DC."
"Would you mind showing us on a map where that is?" Mrs. Saitama asked, pulling one out from who knows where.
I stood, walking up to the front of the classroom. I found DC with my finger, moving northwest until I reached Garrett County. "Right here," I said.
She rolled the map back up. "You may go back to your seat. Thank you, Miss Sandoval."
I rushed back off, catapulting myself back into my seat. But my detachment could not last long. The teacher handed out packets.
"We are starting on a new project today. You will have to build an earthquake-proof tower able to suspend an egg at least an inch above the ground. Materials involved are limited to mini-marshmallows, uncooked noodles, and tape. You have to buy these for a certain price, and you have to stay within your budget. The towers must be at least fourteen inches tall. Break into groups of four and begin brainstorming. You will have an hour. Go."
The class immediately burst into loud conversation. I guess some things about high school never change.
"Haruhi! Why don't you be in a group with us?" The redhead in front of me, Hikaru, asked in a sing-song voice. His brother echoed him.
They were directing their request at a brown-haired boy between the two.
"That still only makes a group of three. Sensei said a group of four." The boy, Haruhi, didn't even glance up from his book.
Kaoru (at least I think it was him) scanned the room, gaze landing on me. "Ame-koh, do you want to work with us?" he said, leaning over my desk towards me. I was slightly offended he used the Japanese term for Americans rather than my name.
"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice," I grumbled to myself in English, glancing at the rest of the class, already divided into groups of four. I nodded.
He grabbed my wrist yanking me over to Haruhi's desk before I could say a word. His twin grabbed my chair, sliding it under me so I was forced to sit down opposite the brunette. How could they move so fast?
"Before you two get distracted, we should get the design done," Haruhi warned, flipping to the blank page in the packet.
"Too late, I'm already bored," Hikaru (I think) yawned. "Why don't we do something fun?"
I resisted the urge to slap him. What was it with rich people? Mentally, I pushed my violent side, which I had dubbed Leili, away.
"Because we are in school. School isn't meant to be fun," Haruhi said in the same even tone. Well at least one of them was serious about their education.
"I have an idea, why don't we learn more about Ame-koh?" Kaoru slid his chair next to mine, slinging his arm around my shoulder. I felt my face turn red, and I hid it behind my bangs.
"Kaoru, knock it off!" Haruhi said, digging in his bag for a pencil.
"Haruhi, you're no fun!" Kaoru pouted, withdrawing his arm. I looked up at Haruhi gratefully.
"So about this tower…" Haruhi started. "We should make it like a skyscraper. A perfect rectangle."
"No," I voiced quietly. "Triangles are the strongest geometric shape."
Haruhi hesitated before nodding in agreement. The twins were looking at me in amusement.
"Go on," Haruhi encouraged. "What else?"
I took a deep breath. "Well… a broad base would make it more stable. If we angled the sides in, like a pyramid or a teepee, it could stand more pressure without snapping. We'll also want crossbeams to reinforce any supporting beams." I sketched a teepee, adding a small pyramid to the top of the teepee. Long support beams ran from the base of the first structure to the top of the pyramid. "The egg could nestle in here." I tapped the open spot inside the pyramid.
Haruhi surveyed the diagram. "This could work…"
"So our little birdie is a wise owl?" Hikaru commented, leaning in closer to me. Again, I had to resist the urge not to slap him.
"Looks like you've got company in the book nook Haruhi," Kaoru added, smirking devilishly. Haruhi and I both blushed.
The rest of the hour passed slowly. I had to try to ignore the twin's teasing comments while dodging their questions. I hated talking about myself. Finally, the bell rang and I snatched my satchel, taking off before those terrors could follow.
Next class was one I was sure no other freshmen were in. AP Chemistry. I ran into the classroom just as the bell rang. Again, all the eyes focused on me.
"May I help you?" The teacher, Mr. Fukui, asked, peering at me from behind his thick glasses.
"Um, this is AP Chemistry, right?" I asked, breathing hard. This class was so far away from Earth Science I had to sprint to make it in time.
"Ah yes. Yuzuru told me I'd be getting a new student. Miss Sandoval, I presume?" he asked, folding his hands.
I nodded.
"Please, take a seat anywhere in the classroom. I do not have a seating chart, so you are free to sit where you like." He gestured to the classroom.
Thanking him, I slipped into a seat at an empty table. I took out a notebook, opening to a clear page.
He stood, starting his lecture. Quickly, I wrote down notes, automatically translating to English. Still, I struggled to keep up with him. He'd just finished a detailed explanation of Avogadro's hypothesis and the mole concept when the bell rang.
I glanced at the clock. So soon? Wincing, I rubbed my aching hand. Stupid cramps. "Why does Japanese have to be so complicated?" I said under my breath.
"English is the hardest language to learn. Surely you know that."
I spun around, surprised. A dark-haired boy with glasses was looking down at me.
"You speak English very well." I commented, standing. I was mildly surprised to find I was a good inch taller than him. I hated being tall. It could be such a pain.
"It is required, in my family," he replied, walking past me. I watched him leave, slightly confused by this stranger.
I looked down at my schedule. My eyes widened in shock. A two-hour lunch period?! What was I supposed to do with all that time?
Sighing, I made my way to the lunch room. The size of it caused me to hesitate for a second. I was going to have to get used to it, I suppose. I spotted Haruhi eating a boxed lunch, and I hurried over to him.
"Mind if I sit here?" I asked gesturing to the seat opposite him.
He shook his head. "Not at all."
I sat, reaching into my satchel and pulling out my lunch bag. Inside was a turkey and lettuce wrap, a bag of goldfish, two chocolate-chip cookies, and a banana. I had just finished eating the banana and was working on opening the wrap when the twins slipped into the seats on either side of me.
"Hello, Ame-koh!" they said in unison, mischievous smirks on their face. Abruptly, I stood.
"Sorry, Haruhi, but I have to go," I said, turning to leave. Two sets of hands yanked me back down.
"Where are you going, Ame-koh?" one said, draping an arm around my shoulder.
The other snaked his arm around my waist. I stiffened, turning red.
"Guys, leave Sammy alone," Haruhi ordered, taking a bite of his own sandwich.
Their hands left as they looked across the table, pouting. "But Haruhi…"
Ignoring them, I went back to eating my lunch. It was gone within five minutes.
"You eat fast, Ame-koh," the twin on my left said.
"Someone would think you were starving," the other one added.
I packed the food containers back into the lunch bag, slipping it into my satchel. "I had to learn to eat fast. In American high schools, you get twenty-five minutes to eat your lunch."
They looked at me in fascination. I spent the next hour-and-a-half telling them all about public high school in America.
What a fun day.
A/N: I can't speak Japanese, so I'm sorry I don't have any way of distinguishing between English and Japanese in this story besides italics. In case you didn't notice, italicized phrases are meant to be English!