"Only know you've been high when you're feeling low."
(Akko Clothing ^^)
20 year old Andrew Hanbridge would like to say that he was a calm man.
He had gone through thousands of business offers without breaking sweat. He had managed to put three corrupt workers in prison and not once remove his mask. Hell, he had even talked to the president, without fainting or even smiling.
That being said, right now he was very close to ripping his hair out.
"I'm telling you Frank, i'm busy today."
"Come on.." The man named Frank called from the other side of the phone, 'You need to start going out, it's not healthy for you to be stuck up in your office all day. Not to mention, you haven't gone out in days. Every time I ask, you either say that your doing business work, or your finishing up a college assignment.'
"It's not my fault," The brunette stated, as he typed on his computer.
The man chuckled. 'I never said it was. But come on, all of us are going to the bar downtown, come and join us.'
Andrew sighed. "I really wish I could, but I do actually have something to do today.."
'What's the excuse this time?'
Andrew took in a shaky breath, before answering, "It's mothers birthday."
...
'Oh, sorry man, I didn't know.'
"It's fine."
An awkward silence went over them and Frank was the last one to speak. 'Good luck then.'
"Thanks."
Cutting the call, Andrew rubbed his temples. He had a minor headache and yet he still had to finish a few hundred pages of work. Getting up, he smoothed his suit, before calling for the maid. After informing her that he was going out, the young man took out his wallet and walked out the door. Stopping briefly at the 'Fairy Flower Store', he bought a bouquet of Daisys', before heading over to the cemetery his mother laid in. He entered through the arch and walked quietly along the stone path, dreading what was to come.
The sun was shining onto the heads of the grave stones and the weather was nice, but around the graves a dark aura appeared.
Clearing his throat, Andrew walked over to the center grave.
Atlanta Hanbridge
December 25th, 1972 to June 5th, 2006
Loving Mother, Wife and Daughter.
"If a man expects a woman to be an angel in his life,
he must first create a heaven for her.
Angels don't live in hell."
- Unknown
"Don't need an angel on the top of my tree.
I already have one in heaven,
whose looking out for me. "
- Unknown
"We will fight,
or we will fall.
Until the angels,
save us all."
- Unknown
His mother always had some sort of obsession with angels.
One that Andrew never understood.
Usually he would ignore the sign and just place the flowers down, but today he felt an unpleasant anger bubbling up in his throat.
"You always believed in Angels," Andrew thought to himself.
"But where were the damn angles when you died?" He muttered before taking in a deep breath.
Placing the Daisy's down, the brunette stepped back and left the cemetery, his headache pounding in his head and his heart heavy. Going to his mothers grave was supposed to make him feel better...but in reality every time he went it only makes him feel worse. The guilt always tugged at him.
His phone buzzed.
Bumblebee: Andrew, I wanted to tell you that Father has asked us to have dinner together tonight. He wanted me to tell you.
Andrew: Really? That is truly odd.
Bumblebee: It is the death of our mother Andrew. I hardly find it odd that father would want to eat dinner with us.
Andrew paused and sighed, before shooting out a quick test.
Andrew: He's never cared before, why would he care now.
His phone was silent for a few minuets, before it started to ring. A screen appeared in front of the cover and he realized that he was getting a call from the same girl. Picking it up, he mumbled.
"Hello."
'Andrew, please don't start with this again,' His sister Diana, spoke from the other side.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
The phone was silent for a few second, before Diana sighed. 'Fine, ignoring that, I expect that you shall attend dinner?'
"Yes," Andrew said, after a moment of hesitation.
'Good, now Frank's been telling me how you haven't gone out in a long time. This really isn't health- '
Stifling a groan, the emerald eyed brunette quickly said, "Diana i'll call you later, I got a text from father."
It was silent for a few minuets, before the blonde finally spoke up. 'You have to start working on your lies. I'll let you off this one time, but not again. See you tonight.'
With that, the young man sighed and switch off his phone. His headache intensified and it didn't help that he got another email from his assistant. Apparently, his father had assigned for him to sit through two more meetings that day. Coughing violently, the brunette shoved his phone into his coat pocket and walked along the stone paved road. When he reached the first seat, he didn't hesitate to sit down and place his face into his hands, not seeing the person sitting next to him.
A warm chuckle came out from his right.
"You okay?"
Shocked, the young man suppressed a moan and turned to the side. Sitting nest to him was a crimson eyed, brown haired girl. She had fringe covering the top of her face and her hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail. Her eyes were twinkling with mischief and her pink lips were quirked up in a smile.
"I sincerely apologize! I didn't - I um." Andrew had never lost his composure before.
Instead of wrinkling her nose in disgust, the girl laughed and Andrew found himself relaxing at how genuine it sounded. Unlike the fake, practiced laughs he heard everyday, this one wasn't resigned and drab.
"That's alright, we all have those bad days, don't we?"
Andrew's posture dropped. "Yeah."
...
Akko was late.
Very, very late.
"Ugh, stupid Sucy. Waking me up late!"
Pulling on her uniform, the young brunette grabbed her bags and ran out the door. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably, but she paid no heed as she rushed into the front gates of the school.
Luna Nova University, was a prestigious college. Only fit for the best of the best.
Akko's friends often wondered how the hell she got into it. While Akko wasn't dumb, she was no Einstein...or Diana Hanbridge.
Both Akko and Diana had been on each others nerves since day one. It was no surprise however, considering the fact that they were yin and yang. Diana was the best student at Luna Nova and a complete teachers pet. She was charming and if she got below an 100%, she would freak out. But the girl didn't have a single athletic bone in her body. Akko on the other hand was the star of the sports stadium, but not too keen with the grades. The only reason why she even bothered about them, was that her overall grade couldn't drop below an 80% or else she would be kicked off of the field. While Diana was reserved and stern, Akko was outgoing and bubbly; so they often clashed.
"Shit, shit, shit, Crap! Fuck nuggets!"
"Hey Akko!" Amanda O'Neil, one of Akko's teammates and friends, called out to her.
The crimson eyed girl waved to her, before sprinting past the green eyed girl, missing what Amanda was about to say.
"Hey Akko teach' wanted me to tell you that - "
"No time, gotta run!"
The redhead watched as the bubbly girl ran past her. Sighing, she smirked before muttering, "I was going to tell her that class was canceled. Oh well."
Akko rushed down the corridors, before stopping in front of room 122. Grabbing the handle, she burst into the class, happy that she made it on time. Just to find the lights off.
"Hello, professor Finnelan? Anyone?" Akko squinted in the darkness. Her eyes landed onto the whiteboard before a groan came out of her mouth.
Dear students, I shall be absent for today so class is dismissed.
- Anne Finnelan
"Ughh!" Akko screamed in frustration.
Why didn't anyone tell her!
Akko wanted to pout, but her stomach rumbled in hunger. Making up her mind, the brunette decided to go to the cafeteria. Walking down the hall and humming cheerfully, Akko walked past room 210, before pausing and peddling backwards.
She heard sobs.
Frowning, she placed her ear at the crack of the door and listened. Sure enough, loud sobs were echoing out of the room and sniffles where heard. Hesitating, Akko reached for the door, before yanking her hand back.
Unlike what many others thought, Akko did use her brain. She thought often and was pretty sneaky when she had to be. The naive girl that she once was, died long ago, but she still was bubbly and kind.
Making up her choice, the brunette pushed open the door and said a quick hello. From the light of the hallways, she could outline a blonde haired, blue eyed girl. Her uniform was crinkled and her pale face was streaked with tears marks.
"Hanbridge!?"
The girls head snapped up and her blue eyes shone in surprise. When she responded, her voice was tight. "Kagari."
The two girls stared at each other, before Diana cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, uncomfortably. Akko blinked, before reaching out and turning the light on.
"What are you doing here?" The blonde asked, after blinking to adjust her eyes from the light.
Akko snorted. "I should be asking you that."
"Well I asked first."
Akko stared at her, before sighing and saying, "I walked past the hall and I heard crying, so I decided to check it out."
Diana sighed. "Of course you did. Honestly Kagari, think with your brain. If someone closes themselves into an abandoned classroom to cry, don't you think that they'd want to be alone?"
"I just wanted to see if I could help!" Akko said, defensively.
Diana laughed, a high pitched one and Akko found herself slightly worried. The brunette had never seen the other girl so unhinged, so she suppressed the urge to flinch.
"Like you could even help ! Not everything can be solved with a dumb smile, Kagari! You're so naive!"
Akko could feel a anger bubbling upwards, but instead shoved it down. Taking in a deep breath, the brunette said, "Look, I get you don't like me."
"No really?"
Gritting her teeth, she continued onwards. "You can't bottle things up for your entire life, you need to let your emotions out, or one day you'll explode."
The blonde made no move to deny her statement. Instead she raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "And you expect me to tell you?"
Akko exhaled, before speaking, her voice growing soft. "Better me than your friends."
The young Hanbridge hesitated, before sinking into a seat and slouching her shoulders. Akko slowly made her way over and leaned onto the desk.
The blonde, then started to talk. "My father called today, apparently he saw my grades. He was so upset with me. "
The girl began to puff out her cheeks.
"Why?"
Diana started to mutter, harshly, " Because I got a A - on my test ! It's my first A - and he's so disappointed. Not to mention, today's the day my mother died, and that sick man brought up the fact that she would've been disappointed in me! "
Akko slowly, brought her hand to Diana's back and massaged her shoulders. "At least he cares, " The brunette muttered. A bitter taste was left in her mouth, but she swallowed it quickly.
Diana took in a deep breath before sighing and saying, "Yeah, he does, but sometimes he just goes overboard. I think i'm bad, but my brother gets the worst treatment."
Curiosity settled in her eyes, but Akko pushed it down. She was in no place to ask questions. She just stayed quiet and waited, until the blonde calmed down.
After a few minutes, Diana spoke up once more; her voice soft. "Sorry for calling you naive and I appreciate, what you did for me today. "
Akko paused, before letting a wide smile go over her face. "What?"
Diana squirmed under her gaze. "You heard what I said."
"No, no, no. I NEED to get this on camera! Say it again!" Akko exclaimed clapping her hands together.
"Kagari!"
"Call me Akko," The brunette said, before winking and heading out of the door.
Before she shut it however, she heard Diana call out to her. "We aren't friends!"
The brunette laughed. "Sure."
...
Skipping along, Akko stopped by her favorite Cafe and picked up a coffee. Heading out, the brunette looked both sides before crossing the road. Sipping on her coffee, Akko shivered clutched her green jacket closer to her body. The air wasn't so cold, but Akko wasn't a huge fan of the fall or winter season, for that matter. She gulped the rest of her coffee burning her mouth in the process. Afterwards, the crimson eyed girl threw the cup away, before heading on her way.
Checking her watch, she realized that she still had an hour and a half hours until her next class. Sighing, the brunette walked across the busy street, before turning right. Making up her mind, Akko decided to head over to her park.
Well, it wasn't really hers, but she often went there when she was stressed or for a break. Not to mention, it wasn't very busy,ever; so in her own mind it was hers. Walking along the familiar stone path, Akko found the first empty chair and plopped down on it, satisfied. She was glad that she had managed to become friends? Acquaintances? With Diana Hanbridge, and she also realized that the girl wasn't as bad as she pretended to be. Akko could now understand why she was so stuck up, but that didn't stop that small amount of bitterness from settling into her heart.
Akko would take the overachieving father every single day, then have the father that left.
Inhaling a deep breath, Akko was about to stand up, when another figure came hurling into her view. It was a man, he had brown hair and was around 5'11 feet tall. He was speed walking down the pathway and only stopped for a brief moment to sit down next to her. Slightly shocked, she realized that he didn't realize that she was sitting there.
Chuckling slightly, she watched as he tensed up. Deciding to make herself known, Akko spoke. "You okay?"
The brunette dropped his arms from his face and straightened up. When he turned, Akko could get a closer look at him. His brown hair was slicked back and his pale skin was flawless, other than the bags underneath his eyes. What surprised Akko however, were his eyes.
They were emerald.
Huh, that's a strange color.
"I sincerely apologize! I didn't - I um. "
In order to ease the boy, Akko let out a chuckle. When he stopped stuttering, the brunette figured that it worked out.
Opening her eyes, she smiled before cheerfully saying, "That's alright, we all have those bad days, don't we?"
Akko realized that she seemed to have hit the point, considering the fact that his posture dropped and his shoulders sagged.
"Yeah," He muttered, sounding oddly defeated.
Akko paused, before sighing. "You know, I haven't seen you around here."
"Do you come around here often?" The brunette shot back, avoiding the question.
Akko smiled. "Yeah, a lot. So you don't come around here often?"
The man groaned, before grumbling under his breath. Akko just smiled and spoke again. "Your annoyed, I get that a lot."
The brown haired man seemed to furrow his eyebrows slightly at that. "What do you mean?"
"Hmm? Oh, well most of my friends say that i'm too energetic. But how can someone be too energetic!" Akko puffed out her cheeks at this.
The brown haired man just raised his eyebrows, before chuckling softly. The gesture caused Akko to pout. "Hey, quit laughing!"
The man just shook his head before asking, "Do that say that you talk a lot as well?"
Akko, practically wilted. "Yes."
"I wouldn't expect any less from that stranger that just randomly asked me if my day was fine."
"Waaw, you just looked upset so I thought I'd ask..."
"It was appreciated," The brown haired man assured her.
Akko opened her mouth, before snapping it shut and glancing at her watch.
For the second (and most possibly, not last time), she was late.
"Arrghh!" She screeched, as she jumped up; causing the other man to cringe from being startled.
"What's wron -" He started to ask, but was cut off by; "I'm late!"
The emerald eyed man, watched as the brown haired girl hastily bid him goodbye, before running off, not allowing him to speak.
Huh. The man thought, as he started at her fading outline. What a peculiar character.
As Akko ran back to campus and slid into her seat, just as the bell rung.
"Akko, you were almost late!" Her friend Lotte exclaimed, from the seat across.
"I made on time!" Akko denied, as the teacher walked in.
"Were where you anyways?" Her blonde friend whispered.
The brown haired girl stilled, as she thought back to the man. Hesitantly, she settled on,
"With a friend."
The teacher gave both girls a stern look, one that had them hasitly turning away from each other.
However, a single thought, entered Akko's head.
Oh! How odd, I never asked for his name.
Puffing out a breath, Akko sighed.
Oh well, it's not like I'll see him again.