Chapter Two
On Friday morning, Miki was nearly tearful. The previous evening, Meiko had persuaded her into going to the party. It was an excuse to dress up! It'd be so much fun! She promised she wouldn't drink much and they'd dance all night and laugh at the boys who tried to impress them.
However, Miki was no Meiko. Of course she'd already done something really stupid. She was going to look like such a looser!
"What's wrong with you?" Meiko questioned as they slowly began to walk to their first class.
Miki looked to the floor guiltily. She didn't want Meiko to think she wasn't cool enough for this party. "Oh, Meiko, you're going to think of me as such an idiot!"
"What've you done then?"
"Well, you remember last night, yeah?" Miki's confession suddenly began to scramble out of her mouth. "And you called me and said that I should definitely come to the party? And how last weekend we bought that bottle of fake tan as a joke?"
There was a small pause. Meiko was trying to hide a growing smile. "I remember."
"I thought I'd try and tan my legs seeing as there's the party tonight…and my legs look so awful! Meiko, don't laugh at me!"
It couldn't be helped. Meiko's smile had broken through, and she was trying very hard not to laugh, biting her lip. She looked away for a second to regain herself, and then turned back to Miki.
"I didn't notice. Just wear some tights."
"Nobody wears tights to parties."
"Stop!"
Miki stopped abruptly, glancing at Meiko. "Hm?"
The brunette was crouching on the floor in front of Miki. She pulled at Miki's tights, looked at her legs and then stop up elegantly. "They don't look so bad. Not orange or anything."
"Easy for you to say," Miki sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not going."
"Hey! Come on! Don't leave me all alone at a party-"
"Yeah right, Meiko, as if none of the boys or anybody would talk to you!"
Before the brunette could reply, a group of boys called out to her. Something vulgar, probably.
Meiko looked amused, but ignored the boys anyway. "No fair. I'm still up for no drinking and dancing if you are." She paused, thinking of a way to convince Miki. "And anyway, you'd still look great even if your legs were bright purple with green polka dots. Nobody will dare say anything if you're with me, either."
The cherry haired girl paused a moment. "Fine." She smiled cheerfully. She liked it when Meiko was like this. It made her nostalgic. Suddenly, however, Miki realised they were supposed to be in lessons. "We're really late for our lessons."
"Thanks, Captain Obvious. See you around later, okay? I'll meet you after class."
A small, anxious knot formed in Miki's stomach. "You're not coming to class?"
"No thanks."
Miki paused. "Well…suit yourself then." She still wasn't used to Meiko skipping class like that. She wasn't used to a lot of the things Meiko did. "But don't smoke. You smoke way too much."
Another amused smile. Almost a sneer. "Whatever."
Meiko didn't take the advice. She never did. First of all, she went to the bike sheds; whipped out a smoke and enjoyed the relief it gave her.
Boy, she was looking forward to later. There hadn't been a good party for a while now, which was a shame seeing as she enjoyed them so much. She was also looking forward to seeing Miki at a party, seeing as she didn't usually go to them.
Spoilsport.
After a few puffs of smoke, Meiko put out her cigarette. Getting caught with a fag was always pretty irritating, so she liked to smoke them quick. She liked to get it out of her system, enjoy the calm, and then stamp the used cigarette underfoot.
It wasn't that she minded being yelled and ranted at, but she hated the way it put a downer on her smoking. Smoking was pleasant for her; her peers and teachers were stupid if they thought she gave a damn about the consequences. Live hard, live fast, be young. That was her plan.
Once she'd finished round the bike sheds, she began to wander the corridors. Most of the teachers were, of course, teaching, meaning Meiko only had to avoid the ones who went on patrol.
And even if she did happen to meet a teacher, she had a great range of excuses.
'Sorry Miss. I was feeling sick, so my teacher sent me to get some water, or go see the nurse.'
'Sorry Sir. I just had to go and get some textbooks. I promise I'll be quick!'
'Sorry Miss. Just nipping to the toilet.'
It was far too easy, most days. There was no thrill anymore in being caught red handed.
She'd just have to be naughtier next time.
"What're you doing out in the corridors?"
Meiko's head turned slowly. She had been examining a poster. Which teacher was it today?
Oh, okay. Not a teacher. Good.
"Luka, Luka, Luka. What have I told you about skipping class?" Her voice had a teasing quality, and her smile matched. "And, will you please pull down that skirt while you're here? Anybody would assume you were a common whore."
Surprisingly, Luka smiled. She then pulled her skirt a little higher: her one and only act of defiance. "I'm not skipping class, actually. My teacher needed the textbooks, from that cupboard." She pointed her finger at the door next to Meiko.
The brunette moved leant on the wall, watching Luka as she opened the cupboard and began to pile thick textbooks in her arms. "Who's your teacher?"
"Mr Hiyama."
Meiko scoffed. "What a cock."
"He's not so bad," Luka said, using her foot to close to the cupboard door. She paused for a moment. "What does this party consist of, anyway? Is it just the usual drinking, or is it all out?"
"I don't know. But if you're looking for a joint or someone to sleep with, I'm sure you'll be in luck," Meiko replied, with an absent minded shrug.
Luka nodded, looking amused. "Alright, although, drugs aren't my thing. I just wondered." She then smiled at Meiko. "And I suppose you're right. Mr Hiyama is kind of a cock."
It interested Meiko that only the drugs didn't interest Luka. It was a well known fact that around three or so weeks ago, Luka had split off from her insanely popular athlete boyfriend. "Hey, Luka. You a virgin?"
The question didn't seem to phase Luka. She continued to shift the weight of the textbooks in her arms. "Sure. If my friends thought I wasn't, they'd crucify me."
"You imply that you're not," Meiko grinned, raising an eyebrow.
The comment was once again met with vagueness. "Like I said. If you want me to be a virgin, I'll be a goddamn virgin. " Luka gave Meiko a look. "It doesn't really matter anyway. You just have to tell the right people the right things."
Of course, Luka was right. Like her friends said: she usually was.
When the bell rang for the end of first lessons, Meiko was already outside Miki's classroom. Her friend appeared anxious when she came out, looking at Meiko with a peculiar expression.
"Won't your teacher for the next lesson know that you bunked?" Miki asked, as the pair began to walk down the crowded corridor together. "And seriously, you stink of smoke."
Ah. So Miki was irritated that she'd smoked.
"She knows I skip first period on Fridays. It's okay - she agrees that physics is a waste of space class anyway."
Miki rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure." She paused a second, watching some younger kids run past them frantically. "You said you'd quit for me." Her voice was quiet, but there was also an accusing stab to it.
"You were probably moaning at me if I said that," Meiko replied breezily.
"It was six months ago. We were both sat on the park swings. You were wearing your favourite jeans and that new top you liked that said, 'I hate you' on it. You'd bought it the week before. You were smoking and I was watching and it was, I don't know, nine o' clock? And you started saying-"
Meiko groaned in frustration. "Will you just shut up? I'll quit when I get round to it." She gave Miki a belligerent glare. "Who are you, anyway? My mother?"
"Sorry for caring about you," Miki muttered, once again looking away to watch the other kids walk to their own lessons.
For God's sake, why didn't Meiko care about her education, or her health?
"It's only half a pack a day, or something," Meiko sighed. "That's not so bad. And it's not like I'm the only one who does it. C'mon, just chill out, Miki."
Miki didn't reply. Instead she thought about the younger kids, who she'd seen running to class.
Had her and Meiko ever been like that? So eager to be good?
Everything got so screwed up when you got older. Everybody around them was so screwed up and Miki despised it. Everybody had some sort of problem; some sort of huge, deep, hidden flaw.
Or they were openly flawed, like Meiko. Aiming to be awful, all day, every day.
Miki still had no idea why Meiko acted so….
Selfishly? Recklessly? Moronically?
"Miki, come on, get that look off your face. It's only a pack a day, and it doesn't harm you in any way." Meiko was irritated with her friend. So what if she liked a good smoke now and again? Like she said, it was no concern of Miki's.
Idiot.
"Okay, okay," Miki agreed, turning to face her friend again. "I won't mention it again." She then smiled, but it was an anxious expression; tight lips and sad eyes. "But, you promise you're not drinking at the party?"
Damn.
"Yeah, yeah. I won't drink at the party. Cross my heart and hope to die."
"I don't believe you."
"No. This time I promise. For you."
Miki was surprised. "For me?"
"For you."
AN: Thanks to my four very kind reviewers. Hope you guys like this chapter, and please review.
