4/7/09

I wake up to the sound of someone pounding their fist against my door, making me cringe from the sound. I feel like someone is hitting my head repeatedly with a heavy book with every 'Thud!' against the wooden door that separates me from whoever is on the hallway. I slowly rub my eyes with my balled up fists as I start to sit up a little. I'm pretty groggy and everything in my room seems fuzzy for a few seconds. I gently push the covers back and slowly move off the bed, stumbling a little towards the door. I let out a yawn and stretch my arms over my head when I hear the voice of Yukari, practically yelling at me.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?" She calls out as I reach to open my door, only to squeak and jump back as the door flings open. Yukari walks in with a cheery smile upon her lips while she beams happily as she speaks. "Good morning. Did you sleep okay?" I blink and stare at her blankly while slowly raising my left index finger to point at the door, wondering how it is she opened it. I know the door was locked so... 'Could she have the keys to my room?' That thought disturbs me so I start to mumble a reply, only to get cut off.

"Um... How did yo—"

"Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school." Yukari states with a big smile as she propped one hand on her right hip, acting like coming into my room was a normal thing. "Are you ready to go?" She asked as she eyed me up and down.

"Totally!" I replied in the most cheerful voice I could muster, given how I was slightly irritated with the cheerfulness of Yukari.

"Okay. Then, let's go." She smiled and turned to leave my room while I ran over to my desk, grabbing my black backpack.

I ran out of my room in time to see Yukari going down the flights of stairs. I slammed my door shut in a panic and began to run after her, stumbling down the flight of stairs. I panted for breath when I stepped off the last stair and tilted my head up. I noticed Yukari reaching the front door so I didn't bother to fix my uniform. I ran out the dorm, catching up to her so we could walk to the station together. We had a small chat while we walked so I didn't notice we were on the Anehazuru passenger train until we were halfway to school. I glanced out the window as Yukari spoke to me, actually listening to her at this point.

"We have to take the monorail to get there. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?"

"Ummm... Nope. This is a new experience." I murmured softly as I caught my reflection in the glass.

"This is my favorite part... when it feels like you're gliding over the sea." Yukari murmured in awe as she smiled. "Our stop is Port Island Station at the end of the line. From there, we walk."

"Sounds like our morning routine is pretty much set. We'll get some exercise daily without a doubt." I stated and smiled while glancing at Yukari.

"Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island? It's a man-made island. They built our school right in the middle." Yukari explained before placing a hand on my shoulder and pointing out the window. "Oh, look, you can see it now!"

Her enthusiasm was starting to feel sincere now but I still think she's a bit too cheerful. We got to the station and I nearly got lost in the crowd so Yukari had to practically drag me to school. I couldn't help but mumble apologies the entire walk to school. She simply smiled as she kept showing me the sites on our walk. Once we were at the school gate, she was greeted by a few students which made me realize she's pretty popular. She stopped as soon as we entered the gates and smiled as she turned her head towards the school then back at me.

"Well, here we are... Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here!" Yukari shouted happily as she gestured behind herself and I couldn't help but smile too.

"I hope I do, Yukari." I stated and we made our way towards the glass entrance doors. I pulled the door open and followed Yukari inside, noticing the lockers immediately. Strange how they're within feet of the entrance. It sort of feels crowded to me.

"You're okay from here, right?" Yukari asks as she gives me a worried look.

"Yeah, don't worry." I gave her a small reassuring smile even though I had a feeling I was going to get lost.

"You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is right there to the left." She stated and gestured to her left before focusing her attention back on me. "... And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"Where's my classroom?" I mumbled and glanced around, seeing students walking all around us.

"I think they're posted on the bulletin board, but I haven't checked yet either." Yukari mumbled and smiled apologetically. "Hey... About last night... Don't tell anyone what you saw, oaky? ...See ya later."

I stood there a bit dumbfounded before I reflected on Yukari's words. Last night...? I don't even know what it is I witnessed last night. It wasn't something I wanted to remember, let alone talk about with someone. The last thing I need is sparking rumors about me, the new transfer student. I glanced around and saw students crowding around a wall. I made my way over and weaved myself through the bodies, reaching the bulletin posts. I couldn't find my name so I started to panic immediately before I slowly coaxed myself into giving it another try. I searched for my name again, careful to read all the names. I found my name on a small note that had been stapled into one of the papers. I noticed Yukari's name was also in my class so I was happy to know there would be at least one person in that classroom that I would know. I remembered that I had to see my homeroom teacher so I stumbled through the crowd, nearly falling flat on my face once I was out of there.

"Ummm... Yukari said to the left..." I turned and walked towards the Faculty Office slowly, afraid I'd trip since I was pretty clumsy this morning. I found the office so I walked in, closing the door behind me gently. "Ummm... Hello?"

"Oh, are you the new student?" A female teacher asked so I nodded slowly before she said my name. "Hitomi Hoshiko... 11th grade, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct." I murmured as I walked towards her desk, watching her flip through pages in a file.

"Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places... Let's see... In 1999... That was what, ten years ago? Your parents-" She gasped and I felt like I was growing tiny with every millisecond. I had always received that reaction when people read my file. "I'm sorry... I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand." She murmured apologetically and I felt uncomfortable so I managed to murmur a few words.

"It's okay, I understand."

"I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"I'm pleased to meet you." I state softly and bowed my head, hoping she wouldn't ask about my file.

"My, aren't you polite? Girls like you should be an example for others. Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2‑F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."

Ms. Toriumi led me into the auditorium and I took a seat at the back, having arrived late. The principal was already speaking but his voice sounded muffled. He was a short pudgy man and he didn't sound like a man who should be in charge of a school. I got the feeling he was a very sensitive and spineless man. I wanted to drown out his voice with my headphones but I knew if I did, they could get confiscated. That wasn't a risk I was willing to take. I heard students whispering around me and managed to catch a few of the things they said.

"I heard we got a transfer student." A male whispered in a tone that made me feel like he was prying for more information.

"Yep. I've seen her, too. She came to school with Yukari." The way that male said the last few words made me shiver uncomfortably.

I got the feeling I was going to be the center of attention for a while so I slowly sunk in my seat. I didn't like having attention on me. I felt like I stood out and that was something I hated. I couldn't deal with attention because it lead to questions, questions I could never find the words to answer with. I mean, I don't think there's anyone in the world who can look me in the eyes and say they know what I've been through. I couldn't understand my past myself... It was strange but I didn't remember much about my life. After the ceremony, I had class but it went by rather quickly. Next thing I knew, I was getting up from my desk after the students had left and trying to haul my backpack over my shoulder.

" 'Sup, dude?!" A male called out and I froze momentarily before spinning around quickly, crashing into a desk. I think this must've amused the male because I heard him laugh before he spoke up again. "Haha, you look like a deer in headlights."

"Who are you?" I asked as I slowly straightened myself out, smoothing out my uniform and trying to to regain my composure.

"I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So I thought I'd check up on you, make sure you weren't freaking out on your first day." The male stated, giving quite a lengthy introduction. I got the feeling he was the type of person who liked to talk a lot, unlike me.

A female sighed and I realized it was Yukari as she walked towards us, shaking her head before she spoke up. "At it again, huh? Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on?" She inhaled a breath before she continued. "Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But, I was just bein' friendly." Junpei stated as she gaped at Yukari. I couldn't help but stare at her blankly since he wasn't hitting on me at all.

"If you say so. Anyway, some coincidence that we'd be in the same homeroom, huh?" Yukari asked, completley ignoring Junpei now.

"I'm glad to have a friend." I replied and gave her a small smile.

"A friend? Oh... you mean me." Yukari stated and gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I... I'm glad we ended up in the same class, too." She stated but I felt like she was just saying it to be polite.

"Um, hello? Did you forget I'm in this class too? C'mon, lemme in on the fun!" Junpei whined like a child and I giggled a little. "By the way, do you guys know each other? I heard you two came to school together this morning. A couple of cuties like you, walking side by side... The whole class was buzzing about you."

"Ugh... Could you just cut it out? I hate dealing with rumors like that. I mean, I'm used to it, but she just got here, you know? Don't you feel bad, spreading rumors like that?" Yukari mumbled in annoyance before she sighed. "... Well, I've gotta go take care of some archery team stuff. Don't try anything funny, you got that, Junpei?" She shot Junpei a glare before she walked out of the classroom.

"What is she, your nanny...?" Junepi grumbled and I giggled a little because it definitely felt like she was my nanny. "Well, just to clear something up, I seriously didn't come over here to hit on you or anything. If you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol' pal Junpei about it!" He stated and flashed me a big smile as he pointed his thumb at himself.

"I'll remember that." I replied with a small smile, making him smile again.

"Heh, cool. Well, I'll be seeing you around, then." He stated with a smile and we both walked out of the classroom.

I wandered to the wrong end of the hall then came running back to the other side before stopping, unsure of which way to go. I decided to go left since that's the way I had gone up the stairs. I passed by a few students but it seemed mostly everyone was gone already. I heard a voice call my name while I was approaching the school gates and stopped. I turned around to see Junpei running towards me. He waved at me as he closed the distance between us. I told him I was heading back to the dorm and he insisted that I let him walk me there. I figured he was worried I'd get lost or something. I simply smiled a little and told him I was glad because I was sure he wouldn't take no for an answer and that there was a possibility that I could get lost.

"Whoa, check out the jocks on their run..." Junpei stated as I noticed a couple of male students running, all wearing the same uniform. "Hey, did anyone tell you about the school clubs yet? Girls can join too, so why not do it if you're interested? You'd be joining as a new member, though, so you won't be able to apply for a little while."

"That sounds interesting. I'll think about it. Thanks for the information, Junpei."

We made small talk while we walked to the station, keeping the conversation to common topics. We boarded the train and I took the seat by the window. I toyed with my headphones as Junpei told me a little about school, mostly the teachers. He kept making me laugh or smile since he has this goofy personality. I could already tell that with this guy around, there is never a dull moment. Once we got off at my stop, we walked a bit faster. The sun was setting and I didn't want to get to the dorm too late. Junpei didn't seem to mind since he kept up with my pace. Once we were in front of the dorm, we stopped talking and walking. Junpei eyed the building as I stumbled up the stone steps, pausing at the door. I waved and smiled at him but he didn't leave until I opened the door. He waved at me and walked away before I stepped into the building. The door closed behind me and I exhaled a sigh, feeling a bit exhausted.

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted me and I jumped, falling towards the counter. She blinked as she looked at me but didn't say anything else.

I was feeling pretty tired so I waved at Mitsuru before I made my way to the stairs. I practically dragged myself up the flight of stairs while holding on to the railing. I paused when I got to my floor and sighed. Today had been a pretty long day but I didn't recall having any homework. I reached my door at the end of the hall and slowly turned the knob, resting my weight on the door to open it. I stumbled into my room and quietly closed the door behind myself. I dropped my backpack beside my desk and stripped out of my uniform, laying it on my desk chair. I changed into a pink mid thigh length sleep shirt then removed my hairpins and undid my ponytail. I yawned softly and turned the light off then stumbled my way towards my bed. I peeled the covers back and crawled in, resting my head on the pillow as I replayed the events of today in my head. So far, life here was looking pretty good but I didn't want to jinx it by saying it out loud. Before I knew it, I was already drifting off to the realm of dreams...~