Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice nor its characters, but this story is entirely mine.
Panicked, one girl bolted into the main building as the annoying chimes of the morning bell resounded through the Gakuen Alice campus alerting everyone that classes had begun. With her hair flying in all directions, she pulled them into tight pigtails despite the fact that she was way past the age of wearing them.
"How am I supposed to make a good impression?!" Mikan squealed, gazing upwards in hopes that a massive letter B might indicate where to go. The school hand-out was absolutely useless with its miniature map – not that Mikan looked at it anyway.
All the corridors looked the exact same – she swore there were identical swabs of dried gum against the wall in every one.
As she passed by another set of classrooms, she heard a muted sound. But she could tell from anywhere that it was a piano. She had grown up listening to it. It was a mournful song. But it was so gentle as if to comfort, as if it was to say goodbye.
Just as she closed her eyes to listen, the music stopped and Mikan collided into a muscular wall, rebounding off onto the ground. At the same time, another person crashed onto the floor.
"Oi! Watch where you're going, Polka," the deep voice grumbled.
Accustomed to such trip-ups, Mikan jumped up to her feet and bowed deeply to stare at her unlaced shoes. "Sorry!"
Without gazing at the stranger that she'd bumped into, she headed down the corridor again, assuming her original mission. She was also so easily distracted.
How odd that he would call her such a weird name. Polka? What was that? Perhaps he had mistaken her for someone else. Or would it have been -
"You pervert!" screamed Mikan down the empty corridor.
Hearing the outburst from outside his classroom, Narumi-sensei chuckled. "Alright class, our newest student has finally arrived. Please give her the warmest welcome. Mikan-chan?"
Gliding over to the door, he slid it open to reveal a flustered, half-dressed, pig-tailed teen.
"Please introduce yourself."
With a mortified expression, Mikan tried regaining her breath. How was it possible that only five minutes into her new school life that everything was getting ruined? But she composed herself quickly, brushing off her skirt, ensuring that she wouldn't show again. Then with a new confidence, she strode into the classroom, awaiting the stares of many.
"It's nice to meet you all! I'm Mikan Sakura and I hope to be friends with all of you!"
Dead silence returned her cheery introduction.
Not a single person bothered to glance up at her. The chatty girls remained in their tight trap of a circle; several people had their faces buried within the pages of a book; many had their head down, clearly seeing it as an opportunity for a nap.
There was a gentle pat on her back.
"Mikan-chan, you can sit up at the back. That's the only empty bench over there," Narumi-sensei reassured her.
Still stunned, Mikan only managed to nod gratefully as she made her way up to the top of the classroom. It was a relatively small class but even then, she couldn't spot the single familiar face that she had hoped to see.
"Alright class, free period! See you all tomorrow!"
Then the one teacher that Mikan thought she could count on pranced out of the classroom.
What was the point in waiting for any normality anyway? Everything was messed up and now she was stuck here to work as a musician. There'd be no friends for her, no social life, no romance.
Just then, squeals and cries resounded from the class.
"Natsume-kun is back! Kyaa!" proclaimed a group of starry-eyed girls as they crowded around the entrance like dogs would when their owners arrived with snacks in their hands.
"Natsume-kun, why didn't you come to school yesterday?" one of the surprisingly loud ones screamed.
He brushed them off casually, strutting over to the back of the bustling classroom while his best friend lingered, accepting the desperate calls of attention. Natsume had long since given up on that. If there could just be a day when he could just melt. Or just disintegrate.
If only he could.
Instead of the solitude he sought, a daydreaming girl with the stupidest hairdo. Needless to say, she was very familiar to him. Who he'd thought was some first-year student was in fact the transfer student. With a new sadistic urge, Natsume kicked the table.
"Oi, you're in my seat, Polka."
"I'm sorry. I'm new and –"
Mikan's head flicked up only for a second but she didn't need much time to realize who the foul mouthed boy was. It was the same droning voice. The same disgusting nickname.
"How dare you call me that, you pervert!" Mikan scowled, jumping to her feet. "I demand an apology."
"Hn."
She would be boring too, Natsume concluded. She had the generic innocent attitude and then when his defence was lowered, she'd transform into an ugly monster that only wanted to consume him. Girls like that were disgusting.
Without hesitation, Natsume stepped onto the desk and took his seat. Silently, Ruka slid up beside him while he kicked his feet up. Then Natsume just stared at her with an intensity that made Mikan feel almost nauseous. The blond, on the other hand, had conjured up a bunny from nowhere and had begun petting it slowly.
Sickened by the way he acted so scandalously, Mikan could only make a mental note to report him to Narumi-sensei. His raven hair looked like it had been dyed by blackcurrants, tiny ornaments dangled from his ears and his eyes… they must be contact lenses. They were crimson. He was one of those delinquents. Tyrants like that should learn their place – just like the rest of the class.
Chancing that the isolated person sitting in the front row wouldn't be like that, she went to join the bookworm.
"Hi! I'm Mikan Sakura –"
Swiftly, a massive black contraption aimed it at Mikan, bullets pelting at her head continuously. She didn't even have time to retaliate or say a word.
Baka, baka, baka!
"Ouch! That hu - Hotaru!" gapped Mikan as another pang of realization hit her.
That silky raven hair that never grew past her shoulders, that cold gaze that revealed nothing, those eyes that seemed more precious than amethysts. It was unmistakable.
"Thank goodness! I thought we weren't in the same class! Come on, give me a hug!"
Baka, baka, baka!
"Ow... Seriously! Stop firing!" she attempted to block the blows with her arms.
"I'm not controlling it; it's just that it's designed to hit idiots," explained Hotaru in a calm manner as she returned to her book which (apparently) was the reason why Mikan didn't recognise her from the start.
"Jii-chan says hi!" Mikan beamed at her childhood friend hoping she would give a great response. Maybe Hotaru would tell her how much she missed the countryside, the rundown school building, the watermelons that grew in the back garden.
"Okay."
"Oh."
She rubbed the back of her head gently. The pain only reminded her that it wasn't a dream. She had been reunited with her best friend only to be rejected in this way.
"A-are you alright?" questioned a timid looking boy, "I could show you to the infirmary, if you like."
Her façade was put back in place and she grinned. "It's fine! I'm used to it – doesn't hurt at all."
"That's good." He let out a sigh of relief. (Was he really that concerned?) "I'm Yuu Tobita but feel free to call me Iinchou since I am the class president. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Feeling a little more relaxed, Mikan could only be thankful of his helpfulness.
"That would be great. I have no idea what's happening. Narumi-sensei only showed me the dorms, gave me my uniform and the school hand-out. What classes do we have?"
Iinchou's thick frames tilted to the one side as he stared at Mikan in disbelief. He was like a clown with his exaggerated expressions but in a gentle voice, he whispered, "You don't know?"
"What?"
Hotaru sighed, finally slamming her book down. "You didn't check before applying? Class B only practises for performances. That's our main purpose. The first official show is the Christmas Dance. It's our assessment."
"Eh?! What about regular classes?"
"We get supported studies if we need them. But normally, you're expected to do things on your own time as long as you pass the assessment so most people don't go," Iinchou explained calmly, "So what instruments do you play?"
"P… P… P…"
"The piccolo?" Iinchou frowned, "I don't actually know many people who play the piccolo in this class. But I'm sure there are many players around the school that could help you."
Before Mikan could allow the words to slip out from her mouth, Hotaru interrupted their conversation. "This idiot only knows piano."
As if Hotaru had spoken taboo, the class gasped, glared, grimaced. The rowdy room fell into a deafening silence that only a perm-haired girl only dared to break.
"This girl can play the piano and gets to class B on her first day? The nerve of this school!" she spat out, pointing a perfectly pedicured finger at Mikan. "You are a disgrace!"
Mikan felt a bubbly feeling in her stomach with all those eyes on her as if she were being preyed on. It made her feel queasy. The room felt like it was swaying and her head felt lighter than air.
"Do you play any other instruments?" asked a pink haired girl with a genuine concern shining in her eyes, bringing Mikan back to earth.
"...Not unless the spoons count," joked Mikan nervously only to receive a depressed reply from the other girl.
"You're dead."