It All Started with Gym Class

Back when I was a kid, the biggest distress was when my teacher asked me to take a cat nap. All I wanted was the pleasure of being on my feet in every second I can, traipsing with the sand between my naked toes.

It's almost the beginning of a new semester, but before that I still have to yet complete a set of requirements that apparently involves a couple of assessment essays, problem sets, reflective reviews… and a literary toil for the school paper, Alice Times.

I haven't had a proper sleep in a week.

A week.

That's 168 hours.

I tap my pen against the table, twisting it around my fingers. In the process, the pen flies and hits me on the temple.

And then it really hits me this time.

It all started with gym class, I write.

Very original, I start to think.

So yes, it all started in gym class, because that's really the only time I can reasonably twist my ankle without shouting to the whole world what a natural klutz I really am.

Apparently, he thinks so too.

The guys were supposedly playing ball, while the girls got the choice of either staying on the sidelines or tossing shuttlecocks at each other. How a Frisbee made contact with my head, however, I don't know.

Apparently, I have the rest of gym period to figure out with Yuu, because as class president, the job is up to him to assure my safety. Or something like that.

I am holding an ice pack on the side of my head while he is wrapping a bandage around my ankle. The nurse isn't around and since Yuu's been around too much (having Mikan Sakura in your class does that).

"So how did you get hit by a Frisbee?" He's frowning; the edges of his brows are almost meeting. I notice how focused he actually is to wrapping the bandage properly around my ankle.

"I don't know either. All I know is that it turned up, I twisted my ankle and I hit my head on the post."

The frown vanishes, and his lips crinkle to a smile. "I can't see how that happened." He finishes and tucks the end of the gauze to one of the loops.

"Neither can I."

He shakes his head. "Who would've known you'd get overthrown by a Frisbee?" I don't answer, expecting it to be a rhetorical question, and he moves to ask, "How was your Math?"

I think of the lazily graded B sitting somewhere among Mr. Jinno's pile from last period. "Let's just say it's not exactly going to win me anything."

Yuu frowned. If he were any other, he would've smirked, but he doesn't do that. Yuu's too much of a good guy to even consider doing that. "Why? Math's easy."

"Hey, don't say bad words."

I like Math, but it's not my favorite. I'm more into Science.

I'm more into Mr. Misaki, if you know what I mean.

He chuckles and gets up from his seat. I ask him what he's doing, but he just snips off a piece of paper from the nurse's desk. He gets back at me and reaches for the pen on his pocket before drawing an unmistakable figure on the paper. It's the one from Mr. Jinno's test that only four people in class managed to answer: Yuu, Hotaru, Natsume and surprisingly, Koko.

"There's no point in telling me, you know," I say, "We won't be studying this anymore."

He blinks at me. "Aren't you curious?"

I am honestly taken aback by this question. Out of any counter-remark, I say dumbly, "Curiosity killed the cat."

Yuu smiles (I actually feel glad because I don't think it was even the mildest funny), and for a moment, I just watch him in wonder. I couldn't bring myself to ask why I have never noticed how brown his eyes actually are, and that's saying something as we've been in the same class for some years now. It's not even chestnut; it's more like… honey. Yeah, honey.

I don't notice it, and I don't think he has either, but we go on talking for a while, on different things. The figure lays forgotten on the bedside table. I find out that he actually hates Math, and admitted he likes Economics. He also thinks that most of the time, he feels as if he's living a dream. I assure him that he's not alone. I also finally learn that he was part of the reason why I got hit by the Frisbee, as he was supposed to confiscate it from Kitsuneme earlier.

We have been talking too long because a little while later, the bell rings, signaling the end of gym.

Yuu turns to jot our name down the 'Out' section of the logbook, while I attempt to get up. It is my surprise when he holds me by the arms and tosses one of the pairs around his shoulders.

I couldn't help but blink and stare at him.

"Is there something wrong?" He asks.

I shake my head. "Nothing."

Then he smiles, and I couldn't help but smile back. It's infectious. "Let's go, Nonoko. We have Economics left."

I smile triumphantly at my paper, penning my pseudonym at the bottom of the page. No way was I letting them find out to whose brain the story came from. I glance at my watch. I have five minutes to run down to the school paper office and submit this. So I gather my things and shove them in my bag, place the paper in a folder and bust out of the library. I haze through the students having lunch and decide to take the shortcut, which is through the quadrangle. Despite the throng of people, it's actually the easiest access to find people, and directly at the other side is the building to the office.

In my hasty dash, however, I hardly notice the bright orange Frisbee flying straight to my direction.

A/N Yes, I'm still alive! :) But apparently the person fixing my laptop thought it's a brilliant idea to reformat the whole thing. I haven't seen it yet but he said he was able to back-up some of the files... crossing my fingers that my GAFFN ones are included! I was supposed to update sometime before Halloween. So, pray with me guys? :)

And yes. Alice Times. Very original.