Title: Burnt Soufflés & Failing Grades
Summary: She was stuck in Home Ec. with a girl whose hair looked like chewed bubble gum, a burnt soufflé, and a boy that made her want to lock him in the freezer.
Dedication: Thank you to everyone who's still here reading my fiction. I am so incredibly grateful to all of you.
Info: SumireKoko. AU.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. (But up to volume nine translated to English, questionable.)
September: The Introduction to my Social Disaster
-/-
"Sorry, all the spaces for Wood Working 11/12 are taken," the secretary sat postured in her office chair, hair tied in a slick, high ponytail with black hair tucked behind her ears.
"You're shitting me," the green-haired girl replied exasperated.
"Pardon?" the woman looked up expectantly at the distressed teen whose mouth had just let a curse slip through under her breath.
"Look," Sumire dodged the explanation, "is there any possible way that I can get into that class? Or just anything that isn't Home Economics?"
"Not unless a student drops out," the secretary drawled, "but that's highly unlikely at a time like this."
As frustrated as she was, Sumire knew it was true.
So far she had asked Hoshino to switch with her in which he replied that he would if they went on a date, which lead to them having to evacuate a stink-bombed restaurant. Her next attempt was at Ruka, who objected because the Home Ec. class didn't support his vegetarian needs, and Natsume, who flat out rejected her because he wouldn't be caught dead in a frilly pink apron. This was all gathered information that derived from a simple, "Hn."
To put it simple, Sumire Shouda was screwed, done for, a total outcast. It wasn't that her reputation was the only thing she cared about (anymore, at least.) But it was one thing to hate waking up at an ungodly hour for volleyball practice in the morning and another for having to go to a class that she didn't even want to take. In her senior year! Sleep was precious in times like these.
There were her friends like Mikan, who hated waking up early just as much as she did. Except despite rising before the sun did, Mikan was one of those people who had a positive attitude about everything. Sumire didn't know how her best friend could do it, and she wasn't sure if she was completely jealous either.
Then there was Hotaru who ran like a machine and could wake up to work long and hard hours. Even with the Robotics Team on her back she still managed to go to school in her flawless pale skin. For God sakes even with gorgeous pale skin Hotaru never got dark circles under her eyes.
And lastly, there was Sumire herself who could barely get herself together when she has to stay up until three in the morning writing a stupid lab report of the relationship between the ionization and atomic mass within the periodic table for Misaki's Chemistry class. The man specialized in Biology, so what the hell was he doing teaching Chem? Overall, she was completely drained and unable to talk herself out of Gourmet Foods into any other course. What was she supposed to do now?
"Whoah, you look like someone just dyed your hair blonde, Sumire."
She snapped her neck up to glare at the masculine voice. Kokoro Yome stood there with his usual stance, leaning a bit to his right as his backpack slung heavily on his shoulder with a goofy grin she just wanted to smack off his face at that moment. She saw him around quite often lately, especially after Natsume had the guts to ask Mikan out in their Junior year (even though the sexual tension had been reeking for years.) Koko was cute enough, but she never got the chance to talk to him alone. Not that she really wanted to at this moment, anyway.
"What are you talking about, Yome?" she asked, caught off guard. It was pretty obvious that her eyes were in slits and her jaw was clenched but what type of dumbass insults a girl when she's obviously angry?
He didn't even flinch at her outburst when he replied, "Well for starters, you're burning holes into my shirt and I could hear you muttering 'I hate my life I hate my life I hate my li—'"
"Well before you start getting on my back, let's see you take some useless cooking class every other day first thing in the morning with Fukutan! A useless course with a useless teacher; freaking' fantastic, huh?" she yelled in exasperation as her knuckles turned white before she gave him one last glare and walked away down the empty hall, defeated.
-/-
A week after her attempt to persuade the stuck up secretary and her run-in with Koko (who she had been steadily avoiding making direct eye contact with during their group gatherings) on her first official day of class, she couldn't help but notice how sterile the cooking classrooms were. The countertops were a pristine metal and the cupboards were something out of a Martha Stewart catalogue. Not to mention the state of the art ovens, microwaves and stoves. Guess she couldn't expect anything less from the prestigious Alice Academy.
Sumire took a quick glance and scanned the classroom. There was a huge variety of students waiting around; the keeners like Anna who knew exactly what to do in a kitchen and create a feast fit for a king and there were students like Mochu who couldn't be trusted with plastic knives. Overall, she'd seen everybody's face before during her Student Council events even if she didn't talk to them that often.
But it was still strange, to feel alone in a crowded room.
Before coming to class, she admittedly tried to prolong the moment she had to leave her locker. Mikan tried to be supportive but Sumire could see the excitement in her eyes of having first block of Literature taught by Narumi with Ruka, Natsume and Nonoko. Sumire reluctantly told her to go before she was late, with Natsume popping up and whisking her best friend away, Sumire couldn't help but notice he was holding Mikan's orange backpack on his shoulder.
When Sumire finally dragged herself to class, here was still the buzz of the first week of school in the air as everyone talked about where they went, what (or who) they did. As much as juicy gossip about the recently-graduated Tono hooking up with some girl at a party was her thing, she couldn't find it in herself to be excited and sat down in the last seat remaining beside a petite boy with a seriously slicked down combover.
"Do you even know who I am?" combover boy asked.
Admittedly, she'd only seen him around and that was only when he travelled in a wolf-pack self proclaimed as "The Zs." But she looked at him as if slightly offended to save face and replied, "Of course I do! Do you know who I am?" Ha. That'll show him I'm not some self righteous popular ditz.
"You're Sumire Shouda. Alice Academy's Student Council President," he said it as if it were obvious, "What's my name?"
Crap. What's his name again? Kyo? Kikuchi? Kamikaze? She looked at his face for any given clue and her eyes quickly darted around the room until her eyes landed on his open notebook on the table.
"Kuonji, do you really think I wouldn't know your name after that science project you did describing life with superhuman abilities?" Sumire smiled at him knowing she would live for another day as his eyes slightly widened at the fact she actually remembered him. "Nice shirt by the way," she glanced at his crisp, clean and pressed button down dress shirt. Kuonji had always dressed like that.
He mumbled a quiet "Thanks" as the bell rang and turned back to face the front of the room.
-/-
Their instructor arrived just as the bell rang, out of breath and with no clue whatsoever on how to control a group of teenagers around fire hazards and sharp objects. He none too gently placed his dark brown briefcase on his countertop area before attempting to shout over the noise of thirty teenagers.
"Hello class!"
"-oh man, you so should've been there! She was dancing..." the girls prattled on.
"Ahem."
"...like a sloth. Who does that?"
"SIT DOWN OR I WILL FAIL YOU."
The class went silent.
"I am Fukutan and I will be your teacher for Gourmet Foods this year. I'm well assured that most of you already know how to make toast and scrambled eggs so no worries; this class will not be about the boring side details of cooking."
The class let out a simultaneous breath as he continued the introduction. Needless to say, she wasn't the only one who expected The New Guy to be totally incompetent (though he seemed to be borderline freaky.) Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she made it out to be after all.
"Now," he steadily continued, "let's discuss the many exciting ways of how to use a rolling pin."
Sumire leaned her head forward and groaned.
Author's Note:
The main ideas for this were actually written before I disappeared from GAFFN but I've been adding bits of pieces to it over time.
To be honest, it's been really difficult to write. I haven't done it in a long time and I hope you guys enjoy this. Thanks!