&It's So Hard Being Sixteen

Disclaimer:: I do not own the rights to Spirited Away. I have never met Hayao Miyazaki. :( I do own the VHS tape, though:)

Chihiro's Diary

March 31

I am beginning to believe Haku forgot about our promise to see each other again...It hurts me, but I have also began to believe I dreamt the whole thing. My parents don't remember it, so maybe instead of being a result of Yubaba's magic, it could just be that it never happened in reality, but was instead just a result of my young mind, which one night had danced off even further into dreamland, and created the mystical spirit world. But how do I dream of it so vividly, as if I have been there before, and smelled its' smells, touched its' sights, seen its' people, and tasted its' food? It's too much for me to understand. In other news, I am beginning to develop a crush on the school quarterback (typical teenage case, huh?). But every time that I wish I were Tomoki Anakashi, the quarterback's girlfriend, I get a sting of guilt, like I am betraying Haku. How can that be? After all, it's not like we had a relationship, and it's not like we were old enough to know love. For all I know, he could just be a night prince, who dances into my mind at night and makes me feel as if he had been right beside me in the past. It's haunting me to think about him. I just wish I had the answers, and I wish my heart didn't ache with indecision. Should I keep waiting for Haku, or try for Shinji? Prom is creeping up slowly, and it doesn't seem like Mr. Prince-Charming-Haku is coming around to sweep me off my feet. It doesn't seem like my magical Cinderella story will ever come true, unless I do persue Shinji Garuka (quarterback). It may be my only hope for getting a date...But then there is Tomoki, Tomo for short, who is my best friend. But since I am just as popular as Tomo, who says I couldn't magically win the heart of Shinji before prom? But then comes the twang of guilt, poking and tugging at my heartstrings, brought on my ghostly memories of that boy, that boy with sorrow filling his big green eyes. I wish things were easier. I wish life weren't like this. I wish I were as carefree as my little sister, Yuri. I wish Haku were here. I wish...I wish I were in the spirit world.

"Chi!" Yuri Ogino's squeaky voice traveled up the stairway and slithered under the cracks between Chihiro's door into her room and snaked its' way onto her bed and into her ears.

Slowly, her eyes peeled open.

"Whaa—at?" Chihiro groaned back tiredly to her seven-year old sister, who was impatiently bouncing up and down at the bottom of the stairway.

"Ya promised me you would teach me how to ride my bike today! Now get up ya tortoise!"

Chihiro groaned again and stumbled out of her bed. She shuffled over to her vanity table and grabbed a hairbrush, and ran it through her dark-brown, ratty hair. She then pulled her hair high up on her head into a messy bun, which looked good on her, as did anything. She truely was beautiful. She was slender, and had high cheekbones and fair skin. She had muscular legs, from running track and cheerleading. Her eyes were chocolatey brown, and she had puffy ruby-colored lips that would make any boys' heart melt.

She threw on a pair of form-fitting jeans, and a striped t-shirt, and blinked the haziness out of her eyes.

"Hurry up, Chi!!!" her sister called up the stairs again.

"Coming, coming..." Chihiro mumbled, putting on some eyeliner and foundation. She loved her sister more than the world. She was, in fact, her favorite person by far. She loved her mother, of course, but she could pull nerves, what with the constant, "I'm fat", and the ever popular, "Do you know how many calories are in that?". As far as her dad was concerned, she couldn't live without him, either, but he could be a pain as well. He nearly always supervised Chihiro, and didn't let her hold hands with a boy until two years ago, which she knew meant he loved her and was trying to protect her, but it did get very obnoxious. Her sister was her world, her smiles, and the reason that she didn't break down and cry as much as teens these days do.

Chihiro thundered down the stairs and shoved her feet into a pair of sequined sandals.

"Oh my god, I am so HUGE!" That was none other than Yuuko Ogino, Chihiro and Yuri's mother. She was sporting khaki Capri's, a polka dot tee, and wearing blush that was much too dark for her skin tone, and of course, looking like the skinny, slender could-be-a-model she always had looked like.

"Oh hush, Yuuko!" Akio, the girls' father said, following her into the kitchen.

"I am a TANK. Absolutely GIGANTIC. I can't believe I ate that sweet-roll last night! Do you know how many calories were in that?! Why I bet—"

The girls rolled their eyes and walked outside to the garage, where Yuri and Chihiro kept their bicycles.

"M'kay, Chi, now make it simple...Show me the fundamentals of bikes!" Yuri waddled over to a tree and leaned on it, while her sister pulled out her pink mountain bike.

"Fundamentals? What're they teaching you at school? I learned that word, like, two days ago!" Chihiro giggled, and hopped on her bike and began to ride around in the driveway.

"Okay, so you just balance yourself and push on the pedals, and don't—"

At that moment, Shinji Garuka and his friends Ronin and Kashi pulled up in a red sports car, making Chihiro's heart flutter out of her chest and into the sky, like a pack of spring butterflies.

"Hey! Chihiro! Nice set of wheels!" Shinji called out, grinning and slapping each of his buddies' hands.

Chihiro blushed wildly, but luckily you couldn't tell from the mass amounts of foundation on her face.

"For your information," Yuri began, stepping towards the car, putting a hand on her hips. "Chi is teaching me how to ride a bike! Chi, show these jerks how you ride with no hands!"

Oh geez, leave it to Yuri... Chihiro thought, blushing even more.

"I don't think they want to see my 'mad skills', Yuri." Chihiro said, as usual keeping her cool.

"Aww, come on, sexy! We're always in the mood for soem entertainment!" Ronin called out, and his buddies second and thirded it.

"Well, okay. I know I impress." Chihiro said grinning. She rode around a bit with no hands, and got a roar of applause and a couple hoots from the boys.

"Well, looks like you're busy. We'll stay in touch, beautiful." Shinji said, winking, and then speeding off into the distance.

"Ooh, those guys have the hots for Chi!" Yuri said, smiling.

Chihiro laughed, but thought in the back of her head, What if he really likes me?

"C'mon, you little rascal. Let's teach you the 'fundamentals' of bikes.

::Afterword:: So how was it? I was a little distracted. Typing blankly. I think I'd better turn off the music. Tell me the difference between the first and second chapter once I get that out. Thanks!

---Always, Ely 3