Hashi no ue ni hashi wo otoshita- I dropped my chopsticks on a bridge.
"I'm alright. Just having a drink." Izuki held the cup near his cheek and smiled as if to make it look like he was drinking it. The smell was overwhelming for a drink that was probably only less than thirty percent alcohol, so he subconsciously jerked his head back and placed the drink on the counter.
She chuckled. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" She picked up his cup and took a sip from it, licking the corner of her lips when she finished the rest of it. "How old are you anyways, kid?"
He tensed up. There goes his chance. How was he supposed to know she was older? Lesson learned: Never judge a person by their height. He twiddled his necklace between his index finger and thumb and cleared his throat before answering her question. "Seventeen."
"So you're only a second year in high school. So am I."
He was stunned. How many parties has she been to to be able to drink alcohol with such ease? He wanted to be like that, to fit in and talk to new people, but he was afraid of the consequences. Getting drunk is serious and could possibly kick me off the team, he thought. His hand gripped his charm. "That's amazing. I would have thought you were twenty or something since you drank the punch with such ease. Have you been to this type of party before?" He questioned.
She placed the cup back onto the counter. "Plenty more times than you have, hot shot. What school do you go to?"
"Seirin Private High School. And you?"
"I'm home schooled. I'm pretty smart, but the school didn't like how I acted so my parents pulled me out."
"And your friends?"
"They're all here."
"Oh, I see. "
She was way out of his league. He's never known this kind of life style– And hopefully never will– so he he'll never get to talk with her about anything.
He released the charm from his grasp and let it fall to his chest, placing his hands in his pockets.
"Is that a basketball charm?" she asked, spotting the item.
"Yeah, my sister–" he momentarily turned around to check if she was still around and pointed her out to the stranger, "gave it to me since I play basketball."
The stranger's eyes sparkled. "I love basketball!"
He tried not to look extremely happy about it– he didn't want to look like an idiot– but a corner of Izuki's lips curved up at the sound of it; he couldn't help it. "Do you really?"
"I wouldn't lie about something like that."
"I guess not. We have a home game next week, if you want to come watch." If you looked closely, you could see the hint of red creeping onto his face.
"I would love to, but I wouldn't know who to cheer for. You going to tell be your name any time soon, athlete?"
"Oh." The unnatural, yet still natural, shade was now visible on his face. "Izuki Shun. And, um... Yours?" He felt like he should call her something too, but he was never good at nick-names. It was especially hard for him to think of one for her since she was so simple, yet... exciting.
"Hashio Jiyuu."
He opened his mouth for a pun, but knew it would be rude. Too keep from saying it aloud, he reached in his pocket for his notebook, but it wasn't there! Oh the agony. Luckily there was a pen on the counter, so he grabbed it and wrote it on his left arm.
"What is it?" she asked. How stupid of him again– he couldn't believe he got lost in a pun!
"Oh, it's nothing. Really..." He tugged on his sleeve to lower it but the length of the fabric forbade him from doing so, so he pulled his arm close to his body. Now curious, she strongly but gently forced his arm out so she could read it.
Hashi no ue ni hashi wo otoshita!
Her head slowly bent low enough so her face was hidden by her straight bangs– and she scoffed.
I knew she'd hate it, he thought.
With a lifted head and strands of hair in her face, she said with a smile, "That was a good one!"
A cute girl who liked basketball and puns; how much better could she get?
"Everyone makes fun of my name, but that was the first time anyone has said something like that; it was funny!"
They spent the rest of the night chatting about various things they were both interested in– they both had a lot in common– and also exchanged each other's contact information.
When it was time to leave, he thought "I'm surprised I wasn't hit at all... I shouldn't have though." He wasn't sure why he felt that way, but it bothered him quite a bit. Something about his time spent was unfulfilled, even if it seemed like the perfect night. "I need to be hit, or at least sent away." he thought again. No no no!
She was walking with him to the door when she saw his slightly agitated face, and asked him what was wrong. Izuki quickly snapped out of his trance and replied with a smile that he was fine. "Just exhausted. That was my first party and I've never had to speak so loudly over music, just the chanting crowds." He glanced down at his necklace at the mention of basketball.
"Alright... Well don't forget to remind me about your game next week. Get plenty of rest."
"Will do." he yawned.
At home, he changed into his pajamas and gently placed his necklace on his desk. He'll have to go buy a necklace rack so he'll have some place safe to put it, but he figured that could wait; his bed was calling. He crawled into bed and lied there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the party– Jiyuu especially. He liked her, he really did, but something was missing. They got along great; really well for meeting her for the first time. He knew they both still had a lot to learn about each other, but what else was there? They got along too well. Soon enough, they'll become bored of each other when there'll be nothing else to talk about. Sure, that was it. Or maybe that was just an excuse. It was definitely an excuse, he was sure of it. He knew because it wasn't the way he was.
Sleep finally overcame his thoughts and brought his eyelids to a close. He tried to imagine her face, but he couldn't get it right. All that lingered in his thoughts were her glasses. Those plain glasses that didn't bring much attention to her. At last, he finally remembered who she reminded him of. Of all the people in the world, it just had to be him.
Hyuuga Junpei.