AN: Hey! Fanfiction was giving me a weird time and it's just now let me start updating again. It must have been a glitch in the system or something like that. But here's the next chappie! It took me all day to write. As I said before, I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this. But I think I did okay on it ^_^
And thank you all for all of the amazing feedback I got on this story! 10 reviews on the very first chapter? That's amazing. It really is. It really made my day. Honestly, that was the only thing that kept me at my laptop and encouraged me to keep writing. :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot, my OCs, and my love for writing.
Enjoy!
Meet Alice Gehabich. She's kind, soft-spoken and polite. She excels in her academics and is the resident good girl of Vestroia High. Her favorite subjects are Math and Science. Alice hopes to one day go into a career that is science-oriented, much like her beloved grandfather.
Then there's Shun Kazami. He's smart, handsome, and mysterious. He excels in anything sport related and is one of the most popular guys in Vestroia High. His favorite sports are the Martial Arts and Basketball. Shun is one day going to take over his family's martial arts business and his grandfather's dojo, just like his family wants him to.
Despite their differences, Shun wants Alice and nothing will stop him.
Besides, what was that saying? Oh yeah.
Opposites attract.
oOo
Chapter Two
oOo
It was hot, and Alice was sweaty.
Very sweaty.
Of course, she was too polite to complain about it. She would just suck it up and take the heat. Unlike her, however, her two best friends were whining like no tomorrow.
"It's so hot! Why did Mr. Mariko make us have P.E. outside today of all days?" Julie groaned, wiping her shining forehead with the short sleeve of her P.E. uniform. It was soaked by now, even though they had been outside for only 15 minutes.
"Yeah, and can you believe we're stuck out here for the next half hour?" Runo grumbled right along with her. "Arg, and I forgot my deodorant today as well. I hope Dan doesn't mind a smelly girlfriend."
"It's okay, Runo. You can use mine for today." Alice reassured her friend. She didn't mind. Runo and Julie tended to forget things on a daily basis, so she was used to letting them borrow her stuff.
Julie chuckled as she tossed Runo an amused look, "Not like Dan would notice over his own stench."
Runo rolled her eyes at the teasing. Her gaze was drawn to where Dan and a couple of other guys were playing basketball. They were all drenched in sweat. How was it possible to play in 95 degree weather with the sun beating down on you?!
The boys had a lot of spectators, the vast majority being females. Not surprising, as some of the more popular guys were players. It helped that the soaked cloth of the uniform clung to their fit bodies like a second skin.
Having nothing better to do, the trio wandered over to watch the game. Fortunately, they were able to find partial shelter from the merciless sun under the shade of a tree that was a decent distance from the game.
Currently, the teams were divided up so that it was 3 vs. 3. Dan Kuso, Ace Grit, and Baron Leltoy were on one team while Shun Kazami, Komba O'Charlie, and Billy Gilbert were on the other. The score was tied, and neither team seemed to be tiring.
Julie and Runo were quickly pulled into the excitement of the game. Every time Dan or Billy was about to score, the two exploded into cheers for their respective others. When they missed or was intercepted, they fell back, one sighing with relief while the other held a look of dismay.
Alice laughed at the fluctuating expressions flickering across their faces. Indeed, the game was an intense one, and the ball moved so rapidly at times, it was difficult to keep track of it. Dan, who had the ball right now, made to shoot for the goal, but it was snagged out of the air by Shun. He quickly darted out of the 3-point line and out of the reach of the offending team.
What happened next was so quick, Alice could have debated that she made it up.
Shun's gaze slid over to hers, and their eyes connected. Alice felt her breath catch in her throat as his calm amber orbs seemed to pierce through her.
As quickly as it happened, the connection broke, and the next thing she knew, everyone around her exploded into either cheers or groans.
Blinking, she saw the look of disappointment on Runo's face and the expression of absolute glee on Julie's. Completely confused, she inquired, "What happened? Why's everyone cheering?"
Julie stared at her as if she had grown a second head while Runo had a raised eyebrow.
"You mean you didn't see?! Shun made an amazing shot and his team won!" Julie screeched, causing Alice and Runo to wince at her loud tone.
"Really? Huh, my mind must have wandered…" Alice trailed off, feeling bemused. Runo shook her head in exasperation as Julie continued to squeal about how amazing it was. Her attention was quickly diverted as her boyfriend jogged up to greet her.
"Billy! That was amazing!" The hyperactive girl launched herself at Billy while he laughed as she crashed into him. He smothered a smile when she recoiled. "Ew, you're all sweaty."
"Well, considering it's almost 100 degrees outside, can you blame me?" He chuckled, "And I barely did anything. It was Mr. Hotshot Shun here who did most of the work."
Indeed, behind the Australian boy were two other guys, one of which was waving his arms about, clearly disgruntled about something. As they drew nearer, you could make out what he was saying.
"…was in my eyes! That's the only reason why I couldn't score. Trust me; I'll get you next time!" Dan was exclaiming to Shun, who was calmly walking beside him. At first glance he seemed completely expressionless, but if you looked closely, you could see the amused glint in his eye as he listened to Dan rant.
"I'm sure Dan." Shun's voice was one that you would use to placate an over emotional toddler.
However, one could see that Dan was getting even more riled up at Shun's nonchalant tone, "Don't you 'I'm sure' me! Hmph!" He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. But despite his disappointment at having lost the match, his face brightened when he saw Runo, who was standing in the welcoming shade.
Alice supposed the two had gotten over the kissing incident, as she saw equal happiness on her friend's face as she noticed her boyfriend's presence.
Now that both Julie and Runo had their respective others, she couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. She wondered in the mysterious dark-haired boy felt the same. Risking a glance in his direction, her heart leapt to her throat as she realized he was watching her. It didn't help that he did look really handsome despite being soaked in sweat.
Alice looked down, a blush staining her cheeks. It seemed what had occurred earlier was not just her imagination. It really had happened.
But what Alice didn't understand was why. Of course, it probably wasn't all that strange seeing as the two couples were chatting, therefore the two of them were left to themselves, but it was the look in his eye that confused her. His face was one of deep intensity, as if he could bore a hole through her through looking along.
She didn't get much time to ponder this, as Mr. Mariko called them back in to dress out. She giggled as Runo and Julie let out cries of relief at the thought of the cool air conditioned building and not sweaty clothes.
The entire walk back, she could feel his thoughtful gaze on her, and she found that, for some strange reason, she didn't really mind.
oOo
Shun regarded the petite girl walking in front of him. She really was adorable, he smiled smugly. Both times when she had met his eye, she ended up blushing and looking away. Her childlike naivety only drew him in more.
He remembered how he had noticed her spectating the game, and when he had the ball, the only thing he could think of was to score. To score and to show off in front of her. He wanted to show her that he was the best.
But when he caught her eye, it seemed she was too surprised to actually pay attention when he scored the winning point. Shun wasn't sure whether to be disappointed that she missed the climax of the game, or to smirk at the fact that he had that effect on her.
Ah well, you win some, you lose some.
oOo
Even as the resident good girl who was known as a teacher's pet, Alice nearly fell asleep in math class. She loved the subject, but the teacher was not a very good one. She was an old woman, and her tone was so monotonous, it made it very difficult to stay awake and pay attention at the same time.
She looked across the room to Julie, who was still keeled over her desk and sound asleep. She'd been that way for over 10 minutes now and the teacher had yet to notice.
Sighing as she half-heartedly turned her attention back to the board, Alice rested her chin on her hand. Absently, she toyed with the little charm that hung from her neck. She hadn't taken it off since she had got it yesterday, other than to wash. Still, she wondered who would spend so much money on her.
Someone calling her name startled her out of her reverie and she blinked owlishly up at the teacher, who was staring at her expectantly from behind her desk next to a problem on the board. Quickly reading the problem, Alice sighed in relief, as it was an easy one on simple trigonometry.
"X equals 15, making angle A 48 degrees," Alice answered promptly. In response, she received confused looks from her classmates.
The teacher blinked, "Alright, even though I did not ask you to solve the problem. I was asking if you could send a note down to the office."
Alice flushed in embarrassment. Ducking her head to hide her tomato red face, she walked up to the front of the classroom and accepted the slip of paper that the woman was holding out to her. Silently making her way out of the classroom, she mentally berated herself for not paying attention. Now she had gone and humiliated herself in front of her peers.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and hopefully shake off her embarrassment, she didn't watch where she was going. Next thing she knew, she slammed into a wall and tripped as she bounced back. Releasing a small cry of shock and pain as she landed on the floor, Alice wondered how the heck she could have missed a wall.
Looking up from her position on the ground, she saw Shun standing over her with something akin to worry etched on his face. So it seemed it wasn't actually a wall that she had run into. She blinked in surprise when a hand was extended towards her.
After shaking off her initial shock, she gratefully took the proffered hand. However, Shun misjudged his strength, or overestimated Alice's weight, as he pulled her up a bit too vigorously. For the second time in less than a minute, Alice felt herself falling, but this time in the opposite direction.
Thankfully, Shun caught her this time, her petite body falling directly into his arms. Alice felt her previously receding blush return in full force. Once he had made sure she was steady on her feet, he let go of his grip on her waist, immediately missing the feel of her soft, warm body.
"Are you alright?" Shun inquired, his low voice laced with concern. He ran his eyes over her body to check for any bruises that may have appeared, absently noticing how nicely her body had grown out.
Alice smiled sheepishly, "Yes. I'm fine. I'm sorry for bumping into you…" She ducked her head, feeling ashamed of her carelessness.
"You don't have to apologize. It was partially my fault as well." Shun let his lips quirk up in a half smile. She really was adorable. The natural pink that dusted her cheeks were a nice change from the usual powdered make-up that most other girls seemed to wear. "Where were you headed?"
"Oh, I was headed down to the office to give them the note that my math teacher sent." Alice shrugged lightly.
"Hn." Shun gave her an appraising look. "I'll walk you down."
If possible, Alice felt her face get even warmer. "No, no. It's not necessary. I don't want to be a bother."
"I insist," Shun gently took hold of her slim arm, pulling her in the direction of the front desk. "Besides, I have a study hall. It's not like I have anything better to do."
The pair walked in silence for a moment. It wasn't an awkward one. Rather, it was more of a companionable silence.
Shun lightly cleared his throat, alerting Alice that he was about to speak, "So I hear you are good at math?"
"Oh, I suppose I'm decent," Alice had been taught from a very young age to be modest. Her family had drilled it into her that she should never brag.
"Hn." It was clear that Shun saw right through her, "Well, I'm having a bit of trouble in Geometry, so I was wondering if you could help tutor me?"
"Oh, that actually works out very nicely! Julie said she needed help as well, so we could have a group study session!" Alice smiled, her face lighting up at the possibility. She was now looking up at him expectantly.
Shun sighed inwardly, disappointed. He was hoping for a one on one session where he could make his feelings a bit more known, but he would take what he could get. "Sure, that's fine. What time?"
"We were originally planning for tonight at 5 at Runo's. Mrs. Misaki said we could use the diner as a meeting place. It's a bit short-notice, but is that alright?" Alice bit her lip in worry. If he couldn't make it, then they wouldn't be able to do anything until next week. After Alice had made up the excuse to get out of going out with Klaus, Runo said that it was only honorable if she upheld her promise. So now she had to cover all of Runo's shifts for the next week.
Thankfully, Shun nodded his head in agreement. "That's fine."
By now, they had arrived in front of the office. With a small wave of farewell, Alice bid him goodbye and walked through the door into the threshold of the front desk.
He watched her form disappear before turning on his heel. Shun began heading back towards the direction of his study hall. Indeed he was put out that he wouldn't have alone time with the girl, but it was better than nothing. Even with Julie there, he could pretend it was just the two of them.
He smirked. Seemed like his plan to win Alice's heart was going just fine.
After all, it was almost like a date.
AN: What do you think? I didn't really like the ending, but it seemed fitting to finish the chapter there. Also, I'm really sorry, but don't expect the next update to be for a while... Exams are coming up and I've got to start cramming for those. Stupid APs... :P But I promise I'll have the next chapter up by next Sunday!
In fact, if you can get to 20 reviews, I'll try and aim for it during the week days! ;D I know it's probably selfish to ask for so much, but after the amount of feedback I got last chapter, I think it'll be a piece of cake :) Also, don't forget to add to your alerts/favorites so you can keep up when I do update!
Thank you for reading! You all are amazing!
