Chapter 2 – Bullying

Yuuta was walking home as he closed his eyes to enjoy the cool breeze. It always feels the best when you're walking into the wind.

"Tsk!"

He opened his eyes and saw a girl about a block ahead struggling. She seemed to be balancing packages in one arm looking for something in her pockets with the other. Yuuta saw something fall as another breeze crept up.

"Oh no you don't!" She stepped on something.

Is that Akemi? Talking to herself?

Yuuta jogged up to grab a piece of paper missed and paused slightly at something he saw written. Very swiftly, he stuffed it in his pocket as he ran up to help Akemi.

"Here," he said as he bent over holding the paper down. "You can move your foot, I have it."

"Oh Yuuta!" she looked down to her right. "What are you doing here?"

He held up the map she had dropped. "I live here," his finger tapping the edit he made in class just hours before. "Let's switch," he offered, handing her the map.

"Oh, I can-"

"It's okay."

She nodded in response and they traded: boxes for the map. But instead of walking, she just stood there, turning the map around.

She must not be good with directions. Waiting, he read her package markings. Tea bowls?

[sighing]

"No, turn it to the left... yeah..."

"Okay." She was silent once again.

I guess she really is bad with maps."We're over here, on the line to the right. So, you'll literally be walking straight down this way. Your house is here, on the second left."

"Oh," she smiled brightly. "Thanks so much! I would have been here for a while trying to figure that out." She reached for the boxes.

"I can carry it to your street."

"But won't that be past your house?"

Yuuta laughed, "No, I'm the third turn." He nodded toward the map. "You're not good with directions, are you?"

She laughed, a little embarrassed, "No, not at first."

They walked in silence, but for some reason, it made Yuuta a little uncomfortable. Looking for small talk, he asked "So, these are tea bowls?"

"Yes. I'm picking them up for the tea ceremony club at school. The Sensei's family are family friends. So I said I'd pick them up and bring them in."

"That far out?" he asked, recalling the address on the lid.

"Oh, I was out there anyway picking up my paycheck. I forgot it last week but needed to deposit it as soon as possible."

"For tuition," he asked, uncharacteristically chatty.

She nodded as they turned on her street.

He almost laughed out loud, nearly dropping the boxes, "Is...is your house the one with the balloons." (It looked like a child's birthday party.)

Her face flushed from embarrassment. "Umm, I think my brother is afraid I'd get lost...New house and all..." she fished for her keys. "I can take the bowls." She quickly slipped her arms between Yuuta's, her chest brushing against him as she maneuvered to secure her hold on the packages. "Thanks Yuuta." she said quickly, still flustered with embarrassment from the balloons.

Although she seemed clueless to their physical contact, Yuuta was not and quickly turned to leave without saying goodbye. Once around the corner he remembered the paper he had taken and pulled it out.

Don't think you're special because Yuuta is in your group and you had lunch with him!
-Takahashi

Well...that's childish... that's not even Rina's handwriting...He stuffed the note in his pocket as he rounded the next block towards his house.

The next few weeks, there seemed to be a pattern. Every time they talked about studying together, there would be a note. As they were leaving for home, we would see Akemi open her shoe locker, pause, and stuff a paper in her pocket. Never once did she toss them in the trash. He didn't know what it said and didn't ask her about it… but today, she missed her pocket and it fell to the ground.

Yuuta waited until she left before walking over.

YOU FAT UGLY COW

Yuuta sighed and slipped it into his pocket.

"Ready to go home," Yuuki came up with the group.

Yuuta nodded. "Shun, what is that?"

"Oh, they're books Akemi reserved at the library. But she's working this weekend, so I said that I'd read them since she went through the trouble of finding them. She even made an outline and everything."

"I didn't realize…"

"She feels really bad about not being able to get together to work as an actual group, so she's trying to do more work. I was thinking…maybe we can get together during the week, after school. We can meet at my house."

Yuuki answered this time, "Didn't you say that she lives near us. You should just do it at ours."

"What does it matter," Kaname added, "Just rotate houses. Shouldn't you be nearly done with the work anyway. It is due before summer break and it's May already."

Apparently, Shun had coordinated everything that night. The next week they would be going over to Yuuta's house and start working on a plan to make sure they don't fall behind.

Unfortunately, Shun's eldest sister made a surprise appearance bringing her daughter and husband.

"I'm sorry, my brother and older sister have been texting all day to make sure I come home."

"Its okay, Shun. You did so much already," Akemi tried making him feel better.

"But I set this all up…"

Yuuta placed his hand on Shun's shoulder. "It's okay. We can work on it ourselves. Like Akemi said, you did enough already."

"Umm, if you're sure you don't mind…"

Yuuta nodded and Akemi smiled. "We'll be okay."

Yuuta pointed at Akemi, "She is smarter than the both of us."

Akemi's face went red as she held up her hands in protest. "No, it's not that. I just work a lot…"

"…harder than we do…"

"No really…"

Shun smiled. It was nice seeing Yuuta interact with someone else other than Mary and Rina.

Ah, there he is! Rina thought excitedly. I can ask him if he wants to go out this weekend.

"Go on Rina!" her friends pushed her forward.

"Ask him, ask him!"

"N…not so loud…" she reddened and ran behind the lockers again.

"Oi, Rina, hurry up, he's got his shoes on…" another friend whispered back.

Rina gulped and clutched her bag with both hands as she rounded the corner.

[gasp]

The blood drained from her face. Yuuki was closing her locker.

"Shall we go?"

The girl was stood as she finished putting on her shoe. "Oh, you closed my locker."

"The other day you hit your head on it, didn't you," his finger gently touched the cut on her cheek.

Her face flushed slightly at the contact. "My brother always said I'm clumsy."

They started walking away before Rina had a chance to react from the shock.

"Rina what are you do—Is that Akemi?"

"What are they doing together?!"

Rina backed up into her friends… "Oh, they're going to study together. The group report…"

"Why didn't you just walk up and ask! Let her know that he's your man?"

"He's not! I mean… I dumped him last year…"

Her friends consoled Rina as they started to head home. How Rina was prettier, how Akemi was fat and ugly*, how it was just convenience that she was in Yuuta's group. .. she was weird, didn't seem to have any friends, etc, etcetc.

The next day, they ate on the rooftop.

"Where's Akemi?" Chizuru asked.

"She's doing homework in the classroom. She's got to work tonight, so she wanted to finish her homework," Shun explained.

"So, what was it like having her over your house? Eh? Eh?"

"Huh?"

"Aww come one! You had a girl at your house… all alone…"

"I wasn't alone." (Yuuta was there and so was his mom.)

"…in your room…"

"We were in the living room."

"…all close to each other…"

"We sat across from each other."

"…making excuses to touch each other…"

[smack]

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR HIM MONKEY! STOP MAKING STUFF UP!" Kaname smacked Chizuru's head.

"Well someone's gotta have a relationship! We're in our senior year and you're not making any progress with Hisako!"

"DON'T DRAG ME INTO THIS!"

They boys continued arguing about relationships during lunch.

[Final bell ringing]

"Yuuta…"

"Hey Rina."

"Umm…are you heading home?"

"Yeah."

She looked at him expectantly.

"Did you want to talk, we can walk to the station together."

Her smile brightened. "I'll go get my bag."

They went to Yuuta's locker first, and then to Rina's. She was in the middle of asking him to the movies this weekend then they heard a yell. Yuuki, not one for getting involved, just kept talking to Rina as if nothing happened, until he heard Shun.

"Akemi! What happened?"

Yuuta's head jerked up and he ran around the lockers, leaving Rina mid-sentence.

Akemi was on the floor, sobbing, her leg shaking as Shun held her and Kaname attempted to take off her shoe.

Yuuta ran over as Akemi grabbed Shun, crying in pain.

"There's blood," Kaname looked at her foot questioningly.

Yuuta reached over and grabbed the shoe from Kaname. Nothing looked out of the ordinary on the outside. He tilted the opening towards the light, still nothing looked awkward. Slowly, he reached his hand inside. Something sharp pricked his finger. Nails? Tacks? The toe box of the shoe was lined with something sharp.

"I'm sorry, Akemi, I'm going to have to take off your sock," Kaname said, blushing slightly as he reached for the edge of her stocking.

"It's better to take it off so we can get a good look, it ripped," Shun explained, stroking her hair.

Yuuki pulled out a handkerchief for Kaname to wrap her injured foot in. Yuuki heard the shoe fall to the ground. He picked it up and saw his brother pushing his way through the crowd that was forming.

Yuuta rabbed Rina by the wrist and pulled her outside behind a building.

"What is going on?"

"What?"

"You know what happened didn't you?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Yuuta stepped closer, anger on his face. Slightly scared, Rina backed up into the wall.

"I know your friends have been bullying her."

Shocked and guilt washed over Rina.

"It…it wasn't me…"

"But you knew?"

"I…I didn't…"

"You. Knew."

Rina started crying.

Disappointed and upset that this was the girl he had feelings for, he backed up. There's no point in getting mad at a girl. He turned to leave.

"I didn't do anything."

"Exactly."

Yuuta neared the corner when she called out, "Yuuta!"

He stopped.

"I like you. I like you so much. I haven't stopped liking you. I love you!"

"I'm sorry, I can't accept you're feelings Takahashi," he said as he rounded the corner, never looking back.

Author's Note:

I imagined Akemi to look something like this:
Medium length (past shoulders), slightly wavy hair.
Dark dark brown to black
No bangs, parted to the side.
Her nails are kept short.
She barely wears makeup.
Her hair is almost always down.

I imagine her height to be slightly Yuuta's shoulder.