It was the blaring of my alarm that woke me up. I jolted into a sitting position and slammed my hand down on top of the alarm, effectively silencing it. I really don't want to go to class today, I thought, as I climbed slowly out of bed. It was also Monday, which didn't help my motivation at all. Honestly, the only thing that got me moving into a shower was the reminder that I shared my first class of the day with Ichigo, Renji, and Noba, or, as I like to call them, the reds. Everybody in their apartment had varying shades of red hair, except Ishida, who had black hair. Between Ichigo's bright orange hair, Renji's auburn mop, and Noba's soft russet colored fringe, they were a spectrum of red. Since we, along with Ishida, Momo, and Toshiro, all went to the same university, we had decided to take advantage of it and enroll in as many classes together as we possibly could. It had made the year much more enjoyable, but for our professors…decidedly less so. After quickly showering, I threw on a purple sundress and contemplated myself in the mirror. How much do I care about my appearance today? I asked myself. After weighing my options, I decided that I didn't care enough to do more than the basics. I dried the parts of my short black hair that were still damp, and applied mascara to my eyes. Giving myself a final look-over in the mirror, I tried, unsuccessfully, to get the hair that was supposed to be framing my face to do something other than hang in my eyes. Why do I even try? I sighed, giving up. Looking at the clock by my bed, I rushed to grab my school books and bag. I was going to be late, again.
I didn't realize I'd forgotten my phone at my apartment until I was on the train with no music to listen to. With nothing else to think about, my brain decided to replay the events of a few nights ago, when I had spent the evening with Ichigo and his roommates. Unbidden, the memory of the unexpected hug sprang into my mind, bringing with it a strange mix of emotions I couldn't quite identify. It had surprised me, if nothing else. And yet, if I was honest with myself, there was something different about him in that moment. It was the look in his eyes, I suddenly realized. Thankfully, the train arrived at my stop, and I was too busy rushing to class to think about it further.
Of course I realized as soon as I walked into the lecture hall that I would have to talk to him. Walking to our usual row in the lecture hall, I saw that there were two open seats. One by Noba, and the other by Ichigo. I elected to sit by Noba.
"'Sup wankers," I said by way of greeting. My greetings to the reds varied from day to day, depending on my mood. Today I'd opted for insulting.
"Rukia," Ichigo said. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a shockingly dirty mouth?"
"Has anyone ever told you to wear a hat in order to prevent your hair from causing car accidents when you cross the street?" I retorted.
"Oooo… Ichigo," Renji chuckled. "Would you like some ice for that burn?"
Ichigo's face turned almost as red as Noba's hair. He sputtered for a few seconds, but before he could come up with a sufficient retort, the professor walked in and started in on his lecture, effectively quieting the room. Within 5 minutes, I was bored out of my mind. Physics had never been my strongest subject, and Ichigo was taking his usual copious notes, so I would just have him help me study later, as usual. I took out one of my notebooks, opened it to a blank page, and quickly made a tic-tac-toe grid. Putting an X in the middle square, I passed it to Noba. In the next 35 minutes of class, Noba had won 19 of the 20 games we'd played. When he handed my notebook back to me after winning yet another game, it was accompanied by a note:
Something on your mind?
His neat cursive ran across the bottom of the page. I shot a glance up at Noba, but he was staring at the whiteboards at the front of the lecture hall, impassive as ever. I'm constantly forgetting how perceptive Noba really is, which is why I didn't even try to deny it.
How could you tell? I replied in my tidy print.
You're less creative with your insults when you're worrying about something.
Really? That was what gave me away?
Huh.
Do I tell him? I thought to myself, and then mentally slapped myself upside the head. Of course I should tell him. Everybody knows that Noba is a black hole. Whatever you tell him goes in, and never comes back out.
I was thinking on the train over here about a few nights ago, when I was over at your apartment. Ichigo gave me a hug as I was leaving, and I don't know how I feel about it.
I handed the notebook back, and studied his face as he read to see his reaction. It was like trying to read a brick wall.
He gave my notebook back to me with his response.
Do you really not know how you feel? Or are you just afraid to let yourself feel something?
Who was this kid, a Confucian monk?
Before I could respond, the professor signaled the end of class and I packed away my notebook. Standing, I turned to Noba and asked, "Noba, just how old are you? Because sometimes, you talk as if you've lived for hundreds of years." Noba stared at me for a moment with his aquamarine eyes, winked, and walked away.
"What were you talking to Noba about?" Renji asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he came up next to me.
"Oh, nothing really," I replied. "I was just asking him if he'd had a good weekend." Renji just tussles up my hair in response as Ichigo joins us as we walk out of the lecture hall together.
"Hey Ichigo," I said, looking up and to my left, "will you study with me after classes today? I missed some of today's lecture."
"I'm surprised you caught any of it, since I noticed you playing several games of tic-tac-toe instead of taking notes." Renji remarked.
"Sure." Ichigo replied, ignoring Renji completely. "Do you just want to meet in our usual spot, at our usual time?"
"Sounds like a plan." I replied, as I started to head in a different direction from him and Renji. "I'll see you guys later."
"Bye, Rukia." They both said.
I sighed as I walked to my next class. Calculus. Ugh. At least I have it with Momo and Toshiro. They made that class bearable, but only just.
I really don't like Mondays.
A/N: I thought that I'd write the next chapter from Rukia's point of view. I want this story to be mostly from Ichigo's perspective, but I'll probably let Rukia speak every once in a while. Is there anybody else you'd like to hear from? Leave me a review with your thoughts.
