01. The blabbermouth, the pessimist and the useless-glasses-nerd girl
Introduction:
Disclaimer= Characters are from "Fruits Basket". In the original story, Hatori, Shigure and Ayame attended an all boys' school. In this fan fiction, however, they've been transferred to a co-ed school. Enjoy!
Let's face it. I've always loved shoujo manga. I have an elder brother and my best friend's a bit tomboyish, so I've always claimed that I love "shonen" manga more (with all its gore and blood) and that shoujo manga was for those sissies who were obsessed over pink dresses and poodles.
I mean, seriously. At the end of shoujo mangas, the good girl realizes that she had misunderstood her rival-in-love all along; they cry their hearts out, hug each other, (each get different boyfriends) and become BFFs for life. Same old; same old. But I guess it's better than shonen mangas. In shonen mangas, the good guy kills the bad guy, then loses to another bad guy, finds some sage from a mountain, powers up, then defeats the new bad guy; finds another bigger bad guy, looks for the sage's teacher, levels up or finds a new weapon, then fights the bigger bad guy…and that basically goes on and on until we're so sick off the 'fillers'.
But I do love shoujo manga. I don't like the "chummy" stuff that makes you go "aww". I mean, sometimes it's cute, but some artists can go overboard. It makes me go "eww" instead and further reinforces the idea that shoujo manga is only for princess-wannabes who are stuck in their own little bubbles.
So, what do I love about shoujo manga? I love it when the useless-glasses-nerd girl gets the attention of the basketball-or-rugby-hunk. I think artists purposely use the useless-glasses-nerd girl as a stock character 'cause only people like us would indulge in manga. I mean, if I already were a popular cheerleader, I would have a life and wouldn't spend so much time on comics. Meh. Suits me just fine. Not like I'm jealous or anything.
Fine. So maybe I wouldn't mind being a bit more popular. I'm not a total recluse or anti-social. I have great friends; I do above average; I'm a proud and happy member of the symphonic band. I'm a bit shy around strangers but once I warm up to them I can get a bit rowdy. I'm not pretty (think bland and some pimples), but I know I'm not repulsive to look at (thank goodness).
But, that's why it sucks. I'm normal. And, normal doesn't stand out very much. I'm not at the top of the social ladder, where I can get truckloads of attention (and affection), yet I'm not at the bottom of the food chain, where (in warped manga/anime logic) I can gain pity from others. And, in warped manga/anime logic, that "pity" often morphs into l-u-r-v-e after some time. Sigh.
But, maybe, that's why I was so sensitive towards that incident in my life. As if, lady luck had just passed by me and decided "it's your turn now". Haha, I think I'm reading waaaay too much into the situation. But it DID feel as if I were transported into a shoujo manga for that short period of time.
It began in my second year in secondary school. A few students had been transferred to my school. Trust me, my friend, one transfer student is rare. We had three. They were cousins but they seemed to be completely different from one another. But hey, they looked like close "chums", which is more than I can say than for myself. I never was close to my cousins, seeing as we only met each at the annual New Year get-together.
Well, a transfer student usually gets most people's attention. Some try to befriend them since they're new and all and they probably don't have many friends yet. Personally, I feel most people are driven by the nagging thought "hey, could this guy be my best buddy yet?" They form so many impressions and fantasies about the new kid round the block, until we finally see their true colours and then decide that they're not so great after all.
Another thing to grab a crowd's attention is good looks. And, like a dream come true, all three of them were quite the lookers. Not like, ohmigosh he's so pretty I can't describe him in words. (Haha, that only appears in certain vampire fairytales). More of, wow, looks great, will probably rake in the girls.
The first one you'd notice was the boy with white hair. Long, silky white hair. I stared more intently at his hair and I was impressed at how it fluttered gracefully in the air. Dang. Here's a guy with better hair than this girl here. Seriously though, it was strikingly beautiful; I bet he could be a model for Sunsilk.
It didn't take long before I heard Nicole snigger behind me. I turned just in time to catch her roll her eyes. "Is that guy gay? I bet he goes to a saloon everyday."
I let out a restrained chuckle. The last time I burst out laughing at one of Nicole's snide remarks happened to be when Mr. Kayne was going through the male reproductive system. Serious damage to my reputation.
"Sohma Ayame?" Mrs. Hanaoka fiddled with her glasses as she scrutinized the class list. "Introduce yourself, please." It was apparent that she was unhappy with Ayame's hair colour and length but just wanted to get through these introduction-formalities so she could start lessons soon.
Ayame strode towards the teacher's table, made eye contact with each one of us, and then firmly placed his fingers on the table in front of him. He shifted his weight forward, before taking a long exaggerated breath.
The heck?
"My friends…"
I blinked. Was it just me or did he speak with a little more drama than the average doe?
"I understand that we are going to be classmates for the next three years. Perhaps some of you may think nothing much of this, or perhaps some of you view this as a mere necessary phase-of-life. As if it were a tiresome chore that spans on for what seems like eternity. But friends, this hour, let me assure you that attending school shall never be a chore again; it shall never be a drag. And that is because I THE GREAT MASTER AYAME shall henceforth GRACE YOU with HIS PRESENCE!-"
"Now wait a moment, young man-!" Mrs. Hanaoka was the most shocked amongst us. Or maybe, the rest of us were just dumbstruck. "What do you think you're saying?-"
Ayame waved his second finger at her. "Madam, we have long heard of the sad plight of the youth, of how they pine to go to school. Yet we spend an astonishing nine hours a day trapped in this four walls, going through the same routines hour after hour, day after day. Does it not sadden you? Does it not break your heart?" Ayame's voice grew louder with each statement. "Rejoice then! For I have arrived to break your mundane school life and shall shower it with more fanfare and love than you can ever imagine! After all, my motto is: LOVE HIM, HER, YOU and (of course) MYSELF!"
The teacher cheeks turned blue, a little ashen, then a full-blown red. "Young man! I don't know what you're talking about-"
Ayame's eyes widened as let out an audible gasp. "Are you not a teacher, madam? How could you have been oblivious to the pines of our youth? How could you not hear the suppressed cries for someone to free them from their monochromatic world? Have you become so jaded seeing as you are a product of such an unfeeling world? Well, fear not! For my utter awesomeness and charisma will soon melt your heart and—"
"Ayame."
A pause. No one moved. Neither I nor Nicole nor Mrs. Hanaoka. Nor Ayame. Funny. The one who called Ayame's name didn't raise his voice or anything. Yet it was so loaded with authority that it even shut that fool up.
Like completely synchronized puppets, the whole class shifted its gaze towards the new transfer student at the right. He was standing slightly behind his two cousins, almost as if he wanted to be engulfed by the shadows in the corner of the class. That boy frowned, clearly upset with the sudden attention. However, without losing any composure, he motioned forwards steadily as if to take control of the whole awkward situation.
"Allow me to introduce: the one standing on your left is Sohma Ayame and the one beside me is Sohma Shigure. I am Sohma Hatori. We are cousins and had previously attended Yamagiri Secondary School. It is our pleasure to meet your acquaintances and we look forward to a fruitful year ahead."
His words were powerful, but in a very different way from Ayame's. When he addressed us, it felt like a general talking to a batch of new recruits, not pompous or condescending but commanding our respect. It instilled a sense of fear but at the same time made us trust in his words. That, plus it stirred up a tinge of admiration for him.
In complete contrast, Ayame's words were like a blaring loudspeaker, screaming and wailing into your bursting eardrums until you could only beg it to stop. Sure, it made you scared of him. Made you want to choke him to death even more. Nicole even remarked she could almost hear music from some ostentatious trumpets in the background when Ayame spoke.
Out of the corner of my eye, I took a peek at the third cousin, Shigure. He seemed unfazed by the whole situation. Maybe even a little amused. A slight shiver ran down my spine, and it wasn't due to the air-conditioning. My little intuition told me that he was the type of guy who was in life for the fun of it. Seemingly carefree but so detached that he would not hesitate being ruthless or hurtful. As if he had no worries, no concerns and no morals. A despicable cad.
"Pardon," Hatori's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Madam, could you show to our seats?"
That startled Mrs. Hanaoka a little, and it took her a few seconds before she could calm herself down. "Erm, yes, I'll allocate you your seats…"
I admit; I was a little impressed by Hatori. Directly or indirectly, he brought the class back to ease. I even crossed my finger, hoping that he would sit next to me.
Madam cleared her throat as the class shuffled in anticipation. "There are three empty seats at the back, just sit over there." I heard a few moans and even more sighs. I was upset too. There were four horizontal rows in class and I was seated at the second row.
"Wait…" Mrs. Hanaoka's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the class. "No. Nicole, you talk too much to Melissa. You should change seats with him." Nicole protested, as expected, but even she wasn't rebellious enough to openly defy our teacher. Lucky her, I thought, but did not voice that out. She gets to sit in between Shigure and Hatori.
Just that moment, a scary thought hit me. Nicole was previously seated behind me. That meant that, for the next term at least, a certain broken, screeching, loud siren was going to be stationed a mere one meter behind me.
My favourite phrase as of late was "that's life; sh*t happens". I used it whenever Nicole complained about her "D" grade in math. It was simple, witty and best of all; it excused me from wrecking my brain to find 'words of sympathy' for her. Given, it wasn't the most comforting of words, but hey, I was never the friend who could lend you a crying shoulder. I took more pleasure in poking fun at others.
Nicole packed the last of her textbooks into her bag, hastily zipped it shut then prodded my back. "That's life, Mels." She winked.
I grimaced at her.