Tomoko Kuroki

The following day at noon, I found myself anxiously waiting for my guests. I didn't know what freaked me out the most: the idea of them not showing up or them actually being at my house. I had never had any friends over, except for Yū and Komi-something, and suddenly four girls would be here! Sleep here!

The same day as we had agreed that the sleepover would be hosted at my place, I had rushed home to take care of everything. I had called my mom and asked if it was ok and she had been strangely upbeat about the news. She had even offered to help me clean my room, order pizzas and rent movies. What did I know? Maybe mom was just really into sleepovers.

I had vacuumed my carpet while mom dusted off my furniture. It had been a long process but in the end my room sparkled like I didn't think it was possible. I had removed one of my posters, the one with the semi-naked anime guys, because I didn't want to make my guests to feel too uncomfortable. I had outgrown that show anyway.

I took a deep breath. I got this, I told myself. This was my home turf. I might be weird and awkward in school but this was my realm. I was the master here!

The sudden knock on the door made me jump and I almost puked. The nervousness crippled me but I managed to stand up from the chair in the kitchen and slowly made my way towards the hall. When I was almost at the door, the person knocked again and I almost fell over.

These people are my friends! I yelled internally. I needed to pull myself together. Just open the door.

I had almost mustered the courage to take the next step when mom suddenly showed up, stepped in front of me and opened the door.

"Pizza's here!"

?!

The pizzas… Mom paid the pizza delivery guy and thanked him before she carried the pizzas into the kitchen.

She smiled at me and put the pizzas on the kitchen counter. I just stood in the hall, stunned, too shocked to even move. It had been a false alarm. But when my friends came over, it should be me who welcomed them and not my mom. Even if the thought scared me.

I stepped into the kitchen while catching my breath. The two pizzas smelled deliciously and a light steam rose from each of them. Mom was cutting through them with a pizza wheel and I stepped closer.

"May I?" I asked.

Mom gave me a funny look but smiled before handing me the wheel. "Sure you may."

I carefully sliced through the flatbread, tomato sauce, cheese, mushrooms and the beef and made sure the slices were of equal proportions. I noticed mom was observing me.

"I'm so glad you're having friends over, Tomoko. I really think this is a good idea."

"Thanks, mom."

"I mean it. This could be very good for you."

"Yeah."

...

When I was done slicing both pizzas, I turned to my mother.

"M-mom, when my friends get here, may I please open the door?"

"Sorry?"

"When they come over, may I welcome them? - I can take care of it."

"Ah, of course, Tomoko," mom smiled as she tussled my hair. "They're your guests after all."

I smiled weakly, not really sure how to proceed. Seeing mom like this, so happy with her daughter, was really unfamiliar to me. I realized I had probably not made it easy for her being a mother. That was going to change tonight.

Mom told me she would be in the living room, reading, and return to her and dad's bedroom once all the girls were here. We could either eat the pizza in the kitchen or in my room, and come to her if there was an issue.

I sat down by the dinner table. If I was one of those food obsessed girls from those animes, I might have eaten both pizzas right then and there.

A dark thought suddenly clouded my mind. What if my guests didn't show up? What if they had never intended to come? What if it was all just an elaborate ruse to make me look foolish? Then mom would have wasted money on those pizzas. That'd make her so unhappy.

...

No. Yuri and Mako would never do that. Nemo, I didn't know, and Yoshida was more up-in-your-face kind of mean. But what if Yuri and Mako had simply forgot about it? Maybe they had so many sleepovers they sometimes forgot about them? Maybe I really had misinterpreted our friendship. Maybe we weren't as close friends as I thought we were.

An intense buzzing from my phone ripped my out of my stream of thought and I vaguely recalled it meaning I was getting a call. A call! I put the cell phone to my ear.

"Uh, hello?"

"Kuro!"

"Oh, hi Nemoto-san." How did she know my number?!

"I call because I realized I have no idea where you live!"

Her voice was as enthusiastic as ever.

"... S-so you're still coming?"

"Yes, silly! Why, did you think I had forgotten about you? Or that I'd beg to be invited just so I could bail on you?"

…

"No."

I told her my address. Nemo promised to hurry and when I told her the pizzas were getting cold, she made a frustrated chuuni-sound and hang up.

Shortly after, someone knocked loudly on the door. I couldn't believe Nemo was that fast. With a lot more courage this time, partly from the mild anger which Nemo's damned intuition had stirred in me, I went to the hall, took a deep breath and opened the door.

My courage was immediately vaporized when the person appeared in the door frame. Standing tall was Yoshida, wearing a casual yellow hoodie and an old military backpack over the shoulder. She looked bored but smiled when I opened the door.

"Hey Kuroki."

"Masaki-san."

She shifted on her feet.

"Can I come in?"

I obeyed and nervously stepped to the side so that my first guest could enter. I was reminded that I had never actually been alone with Yoshida and if she desired to strangle me right here, there would be no one to stop her.

Well, except…

"Hello there," Mom said as Yoshida stepped into the kitchen. "You must be one of Tomoko's friends."

"Yup." Yoshida replied with an informal nod. "We were in the same group on the Kyōto field trip."

They exchanged some small conversation for a short time, and that should have made me anxious, but I was too amazed by the fact that Yoshida had confirmed our friendship. I felt like I needed to reward her or something.

"P-please, have a s-slice of pizza," I said and waved one of the pizza slices in front of Yoshida.

"We should wait for the others, you idiot."

"Oh- oh. Uhm. Yes."

… Shit.

Yoshida must also had picked up on the fact that we practically had nothing in common and were only friends through mere coincidence. Unlike me though, she didn't seem to be bothered by just standing in my kitchen in utter silence until the others arrived. Without school looming over our heads, it seemed like there was no obvious topics to talk about.

I thought about asking if she had brought drugs and alcohol to my home, as a joke, but that would probably just result in me being punched. I also didn't want to risk the chance of Mom hearing. I instead picked up the next best thing which came to my mind.

"So, uhm, are you and your friends ok?"

"Not really."

"Oh."

I thought that was that but then Yoshida continued.

"I got angry over some things they said and we got into a fight. It had been a sort of long-coming thing. I guess I just didn't see that until now."

Not really sure what else to say, I just nodded. Yoshida seemed satisfied with my silence.

"Shit, when do the others get here? I'm fucking hungry."

Hoping Mom didn't hear that, I looked down at my phone. 6:33.

"They should be here any-"

Like the miracle woman of prediction I was, another person knocked on the door, this time lighter. Surely not delinquent hands who were used to knocking people down for real.

I was at the door in an instant this time and didn't hesitate to open.

"Hello," I said to the newcomers.

"Kuroki-san!" Mako exclaimed.

Mako hugged me, which was rather unexpected, though not too unexpected from a lesbo like her.

Yuri stood in the doorframe, hands in her pockets and head buds in her ears. She was looking at me, smiling, like she was actually happy to see me. I smiled back.