One Step with Music to Life
Step 2: Rejection
Hearing those words roll out his mouth rapidly made the blood flow of my heart burst. It felt like a bee stung my heart and let all the blood rush through my veins. I wasn't sure what I was feeling… was it happiness or fear?
The low but audible mumbles from the sudden crowd echoed in my already throbbing head, causing my heartbeat to quicken and the palms of my hands to sweat.
Forgetting my manners, my mouth hung open and my eyes were wide with shock. The only thing that was ringing in my head was, 'Join my band.'
Such simple words had my mind going crazy.
Searching through the hazy crowd of people, I spotted Rima. Her expression mirrored mine and everyone else. I gave her a pleading look, hoping she understood what I was trying to say. But I knew that Rima couldn't get me out of this situation. Even though she was remarkable in deceiving men to follow any of her wishes, I doubted that her ability could get me out of this.
The air felt tense, students' eyes boring into our show. My eyes traveled to the mysterious idol. I saw amusement in his eyes, like he was enjoying this show I was putting on for everyone. I felt something burning. It was fury.
I am Hinamori Amu! I don't perform shows for people to be entertained. My cool and spicy attitude was what kept me away from people and disguised my true self.
And this Tsukiyomi Ikuto was sucking away my outer character. I couldn't let that happen.
I turned my direction to the smug looking boy and could see in his eyes a glint of enjoyment at the approving answer he was expecting. Hell, he thought wrong.
Losing the pale and fragile expression, I stared sternly at him.
"No." I refused, taking a deep breath.
Dramatic gasps escaped from the roaring audience and Tsukiyomi's smug look disappeared.
Feeling braver and my outer character slowly taking control, I rolled my eyes at his stupid assumption and lastly scanned the crowd of distressed people. I grabbed hold of Rima and walked away from that tangled mess.
Figuring it was safe now, I whirled around to see an exhausted Rima, catching her last breathes from our hurried departure. I gave her an uneasy look, my eyebrows slanted in concern at the small girl.
"Sorry Rima," I shakily said, my heart rate slowing down.
"I-It's okay," She breathed out, her cheeks bright pink as she puffed for air like a puffer fish.
After a few seconds of quietness, a burst of giggles lifted the air. I stared at the small girl who was laughing without care as if she saw the funniest comedy show.
I gave her a questioning look, my golden eyes staring worriedly at my best friend. 'Is she having a blond moment here?' I jokingly thought.
"O-Oh my god! Y-You should of se-en everyo-ones face!" She stumbled on some words as she was once again engaged with fits of giggles.
Instead of giving her the 'what the?' look, I invited myself into her fit of giggles and we both started to laugh our heads off. The concerned residents of the neighborhood swiftly shut their windows and closed their curtains to not see crazy girls make a fool of themselves.
After reaching my house, we made ironic jokes and mimicked the words, 'Join my band.' Rima had said it in such a horrible, demanding voice that only made me laugh harder, causing my lungs to feel even heavier.
I could see little drops of tears on Rima's eyelashes as she wiped them away with a large smile.
"A-And then you were like, no," she explained, giggling again as she tried to copy my monotone voice when I rejected the offer.
"W-well h-he was a making a f-fool out of me!" I choked out while laughing. Once we reached the front door of my house, I popped in the keys and unlocked the door. Our laughter's echoed inside the house as we took off our shoes and ran upstairs to my room.
"Oh! Amu-chan are you home already?" Called mama as I heard her voice coming from the kitchen.
"Yes! And Rima is here too," I called back, entering my room.
"Okay! You girls have fun; I'll bring some tea and sweets up," She cheerfully called back.
"Thanks mama!"
Entering my room, I was met with my pale pink walls and my comfy bed that was set in the corner of the reasonably sized room. I dropped my school bag on the floor, followed by Rima's. Rima delicately sat on my bed, rubbing her stomach to settle down all the muscles that were stretched because of the heavy laughter.
"God, that was hilarious," she said, her lips curled into a smile.
After a few minutes to settle and some tea with a plate of snacks, we started to talk: Real talk.
"So… Amu what are you going to do now?" Rima asked, nibbling a cookie. I shrugged at the question. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to refuse his offer," I replied back. I was currently sitting on my strawberry shaped bean bag, my legs dangling off the edge as I was sitting on the side.
"I don't even know them," I replied bluntly, taking a bite from my chocolate cookie. A few crumbs landed on my uniform and I softly brushed them off.
"Of course, don't take any candy from strangers," Rima mumbled, taking a sip of her tea. I gave her an unpleasant look, "Come on Rima, if you were in my position you would have done the same." I tried to reason with her.
"But Amu, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You have the talent," she protested, looking at me with hope. I sent her an uncomfortable look and said, "I just don't think I can do it."
She didn't react, probably expecting that answer. After a few seconds of silence, she heaved a silent sigh.
"Amu, you need to start believing in yourself. You are strong and I know if you let this opportunity pass, you'll definitely regret it," she said in a serious voice, sounding like a parent making a decision for her lost teenager.
"Rima, you know me. You know how bad I am when I'm in front of an audience," I meekly replied, taking a big gulp. "You remember primary school."
This sudden memory brought flashbacks from when I was in year five. I attended Seiyo Primary School along with Rima and Yaya. They both knew my story and didn't dare to speak of it.
It all started with a stupid dare. I remembered I tagged along with a bunch of girls in my class, as they wanted to head towards the Royal Garden. The Royal Garden was a massive glass house and entering inside, I instantly melted at the beautiful sight and the sweet yet calming scent of the flowers. Rows of roses, tulips, orchids and lilies blossomed in the heat as the fragrance powered the whole green house. Too captured with the scene, I didn't bother to interact with the other students.
But I was then suddenly pulled into a big crowd of elementary students as they chit chatted. Once I had realized who these student were, I noticed they were all in the same year level as me. Noticing this, my head instantly shot up and my glittering golden eyes went to search. Suddenly, my eyes focused on the soft blond locks, ruby eyes and the soft smile that mirrored a prince in a fairy tale. Yes, my first love, Hotori Tadase.
He was well known at school; he was admired and loved by many. He was in a fancy group called the Guardians. He was responsible as a school captain. His lenient and leadership qualities were what made me fall in love with him. And don't remind me of his gorgeous face. If I could, I would stay all day long staring at his vivid eyes. 'But no, that will be too creepy.' I thought with a faint blush.
I couldn't help but hold my gaze on prince charming until I was suddenly pulled away by a small group of girls in my class.
"Hinamori-san! Do you like Tadase-kun?" A girl straight forwardly asked in a fragile light voice, which sounded too fake to be real. I instantly blushed as she continued, "I saw you staring at him."
My face grew redder as I was caught red handed.
"So…" she said in an impatient voice. "Do you like him?" She repeated, giving me a repulsive look.
I shyly nodded, looking at the ground, not noticing the other girls snickering in disgust at my shy behavior. After the girl had heard my answer, an evil grin appeared.
The girls then whispered to each other as I continued to stare down, once in a while I looked up to see Tadase smiling and chatting. Before I could see another second of the prince I was suddenly rounded into a corner like a weak sheep by those girls.
Before I could ask what was going on, the previous girl interrupted and said, "you know I heard Tadase say something about you." This sparked my attention as my heart started to flutter at the mention of his name. "R-Really?" I asked, my voice laced with happiness, which almost made one of the girls flinch at my tone.
"Y-Yeah," the previous girl said, biting her tongue to restrain herself.
I waited patiently to continue with what they said. "Well, he said you were cute and he wants you to confess to him," the girl said, a ruthless smile forming on her lips. I instantly smiled, my whole body feeling gooey at the sudden news. 'T-T-Tadese wants me t-to confess!'
"Now, I dare you to go and confess to him," she said, her arms wrapped around her chest with a smug smile.
"W-W-What!" I exclaimed at their sudden idea, a soft pink blush grazing over my cheeks.
"Come on, isn't it obvious you need to confess? He said to me he wants you to," a second girl encouraged, her lips curled in amusement.
I blushed at the thought, but slowly took in what they said. After a few screaming matches in my head, I bashfully nodded and looked up to see the previous girl with a satisfied smile.
"Great! Then I'll get Tadase and you to talk somewhere else," she mumbled.
"Somewhere more private," she suggested as she twirled her wine-colored curls around her fingers. "O-Okay," I mumbled, my heart beating and my head swirling.
I was roughly grabbed by the arm by one of the girls as they dragged me outside. The red haired girl disappeared.
Too excited and eager to see Tadase, I didn't notice where the girls were dragging me until I noticed we were deep in the school grounds that were filled with rows of large trees and a large pond in the center. It was prohibited to be here and before I could protest, the girls had disappeared. I felt anxious yet excited that I would be able to see Tadase and tell him my true feelings. The palms of my hands started to sweat and my body felt like it was on fire. 'Is that how you feel when you are in love?' I wondered to myself.
Slowly distracting myself, I stared oddly at the view of trees and felt a cold whip of air hit my cheeks, almost telling me to escape. The wind harshly blew the branches, making a lashing sound like a whip. But I stayed put and waited patiently and keen to meet him.
A few minutes later, I heard a rattle come from the bush and immediately swirled around to see the culprit. I felt my heart beat faster and the butterflies in my stomach grow as I stared at the gorgeous blond boy.
He slowly approached me with his charming smile that caused my breath to quicken. "T-T-Tadase-kun." I squeaked, my voice small like a mouse. But he seemed to hear what I said and slightly tilted his head to the side asking, "Yes Hinamori-san?" The sight of him was too cute and his angelic voice brought courage back to my voice.
Tightly clutching the edge of my skirt, I looked up and said, "I-I l-like you T-Tadase-kun!"
He was then taken aback in surprise, like he wasn't expecting this. I quickly shut my eyes, my mouth forming a straight line as I bit the insides of my mouth. I wasn't sure if my blush was noticeable, but I definitely felt my cheeks warm. Waiting for a few seconds, I didn't get an answer. So I fluttered my eyes open and was suddenly met with an arrogant smile. Tadase had lost the charming prince façade.
"Wow, you really are stupid. I never thought you would say that," he bluntly said, his voice turned rock cold as his eyes lost the rich and vibrant ruby.
"W-What?" I asked, shocked at the sudden change of character.
Suddenly, a crack of twigs was heard as I whirled around to see what it was. Eyes widening, I instantly regretted everything. Standing before me, were all the students that were in the Royal Garden seconds ago. Loud laughter escaped their lips and a huge smile grazed over their overly happy expressions. I immediately felt my heart stop, tears forming at the sound of my heart breaking.
I turned around to find the blond boy, but his arms wrapped around the previous girl. The girl had barrels of curls nested over her shoulder, dyed a dark wine red.
"See, I told you I can trick anyone. So now are you going to give me my kiss?" The girl pleaded in a voice so innocent that it never occurred to me she had set this up.
"Of course, Sayya," he smiled sweetly at her and gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek.
I felt my whole world break. My heart stopped and the numbness and pain kicked in. All I could focus on was loud laughter suffocating me and the scene repeating in front of me. My head hurt. I wanted to run but my legs couldn't move. I was frozen still.
"HAHAHAHA, SHE LOOKS LIKE A FOOL!" Laughed Sayya as she pointed at my expression. But what had hurt me most was that Tadase laughed along and I could feel my warm tears rolling down my cheeks.
"Now, now, Sayya, we should be kind to our new friend. I should first respond to her confession," Tadase said, his tone of voice sounding very off. "I don't like you."
My heart crushed and felt like someone had crushed it into millions of pieces.
Too weak and emotionally upset, I stayed where I was until the laughter died down. People had gotten bored of the scene and went to seek more entertainment. The last to leave were Tadase and Sayya, holding hands as they walked past the trees and further towards the school.
Once I saw no one around, I dropped on the hard ground and let the tears freely escape. I cried loudly until I was sure that my lungs were going to erupt and my bright red nose was running like a tap. I didn't know how long, but I remember I felt a lot of pain and heart broken. My first love played me like a fool and the following day, the Hinamori Amu that people once knew was locked away.
I came to school the next day, confident and ready to take down any negative comments. I had changed my uniform and my appearance, causing people to acknowledge my looks and become frightened at my drastic change. I had left my shy character and invited my strong and tough one, causing people to admire my strength over the break up. But even with a new appearance or attitude, deep down I felt the lingering pain.
The following days, people had named me "Cool and Spicy." A new character was born.
The air fell silent between us as I recalled the flashback. After the painful rejection from Tadase, I was left in the woods crying until I met Rima, as she happened to appear and took care of me. Even though my love life didn't work out, a new friendship blossomed.
I shivered at the thought of if I was to never be friends with Rima. It didn't sit well in my stomach.
I was gently nudged and I turned my gaze to the small girl. "Amu?" she asked worriedly, giving me a concerned look. "Yeah?" I managed to choke out, trying to sound normal.
"You look a bit pale there," Rima pointed out as I tried to block the past away. "I'm fine," I lied, but there was no response from Rima.
It then fell silent again as I twirled the teaspoon in my tea. Before I could speak, Rima had taken the first approach. "You know, you should do what you want to do, Amu. I'm sorry for forcing you and I don't care what decision you make. I will always be there for you," she said, giving me a small smile that I knew well.
"Rima…" I whispered. "Thank you… for everything," I said, hugging her. After pulling away from the longest hug, I then said, "You being all mushy and gooey doesn't fit you."
"I should be saying the same for you, too," she replied back with a grin.
"You know me too well," I gladly said and smiled.
"Are you serious about this?" Repeated the dark haired man as he looked sternly at the familiar blue-haired teen.
"I am certain. She is perfect," Ikuto assured, smirking.
"But she has already rejected you. What makes you think she will join?" Asked a concerned woman with long thick brown hair and emerald green eyes.
"I have my ways," Ikuto said, not at all concerned by the two adults' hesitation.
"After all, I always get what I want." Ikuto smirked then walked away.
Authors Note: Thank you for reading chapter 2 and for the lovely reviews. I never expected to get this amount of reviews for the first chapter. I was really stunned, but happy! :) Also, thanks for the favorites/alerts on this story. AND, thank you to my beta-reader!
Don't forget to drop a review, until next time bye!