Ugh, this chapter's so boringgggg Dx It's crazy how short the LiT chapters are, and how mindbendingly long these ones are. But don't worry, all the cliché RetPai moments are coming up :0 :shot: Haha, just kidding.
:cough:
I'll update ASAP, so pretty please review! (even if you do skim through some parts. It's okay, I do that a lot, too)
Chapter 2.
"Very good for your first paper, Retasu-san," the health teacher commented, handing the green-haired girl back her essay. "You need to elaborate more on the concepts, though." Retasu glanced down at the red B+ on the top of her paper and smiled up at the teacher.
"Arigato, sensei."
It had been almost a week since Retasu had started high school, and she was progressively getting used to the system. Wake up, get dressed, walk to school, try not to get in trouble with other students (always harder than it looks, she'd learned quickly from her mortifying experience in P.E.). She hardly ever got lost anymore, and now knew the names of almost all her classmates. Zakuro was sort of kind of her friend, and Ryou was really nice, too. When Ichigo (currently single and hopeless) heard about the blonde teenager she'd begged for his number.
Retasu didn't have time for a boyfriend herself. She was in high school to learn, not to date.
Okay, listen up, guys," the teacher, a middle-aged man in his early 40s, shouted over the talking. "As you know, we'll be starting a new unit today." The students only grumbled in response, and one girl look as though she was about to cry.
"Oh, be quiet," he snapped. "It's not that difficult."
He shuffled through the stack of papers on her desk and pulled out his reading glasses as he read.
"Blah blah blah. . .Okay, this next unit will be on the different aspects of parenting, and all work after today will be done outside of school. You will each be given a partner, and there will be no time to work on this project during class-"
Groaning.
"-And absolutely no extensions, unless you and or your partner is dead," he concluded, pointedly ignoring the class. "Each pair will be given an electronic baby on Monday and you will have to attend to its every need for two weeks. You will keep a log of its actions. At the end of three weeks you will each write a 750 word paper on your experience."
A brunette boy in the front row raised his hand. "Why the weird project all of a sudden?"
He only shrugged in response. "The district administrator says we must 'better prepare our students for the real world.'"
"Will we be required to spend time with our partners?" Zakuro asked.
"Yes. Probably a couple hours after school every other day."
The class scrambled to find partners. Girls hurriedly latched onto the arms of their respective boyfriends.
"Fat chance, kids. Remember last time I let you choose your own partners? The science teacher's still on my case about those lab rats. No, this time it's random."
Retasu sat impatiently, suddenly curious.
The teacher pulled two scraps of paper out of a box, revealing the first 'couple'. The class representative handed out papers while he did so.
"Hikari. . .Li." A girl cheered.
"Zakuro. . .Takuto." Silence.
"Pai. . .Umi." More silence.
"Ryan. . .Mai." Sobbing.
Retasu stared at the off white walls as the sound of her teacher's irritated voice washed over her. Her desk was right over the vent, so she was constantly freezing in health class. She silently decided that she'd have to do something about that.
"Retasu-san, hellooooo?" a girl waved her hand in front of Retasu's eyes.
"Eh?" her head snapped up, meeting the eyes of her teacher.
The class representative handed her a paper. "You're Ryou's partner, alright?"
Retasu accepted the paper. "But isn't Ryou on vacation in Italy right now?"
"And Umi has the chicken pox," Zakuro reminded the teacher from several seats away.
". . .Right, I forgot," he admitted, scratching his head in embarrassment. He took out a clipboard and wrote something down. "So Retasu, you'll just have to be partners with Pai-san. Is that okay with both of you?" Pai said nothing, so Retasu figured she couldn't have very well said anything without looking like a jerk, so she remained silent. The teacher dismissed the students to plan.
Retasu slowly approached Pai, as he was reading and didn't look like he was going anywhere anytime soon.
"So, um, should we work on the project at your house, or mine. . .?" Retasu asked, sliding into the desk next to the older boy. Despite the fact that they sat next to each other in two classes, Pai had literally said not a dozen words to Retasu in the week she'd been attending Tokyo high school. And even then his vocabulary had consisted of 'excuse me' and 'no'. She still clung to the desperate hope that they could become better acquainted through this project.
He shrugged. "I don't care."
This wasn't working at all.
"Um, how about we work at yours. . .?"
"No."
"So we have to work at mine?-"
"I didn't say that."
Pai leaned forward, tilting his head as he stared down at her through dark eyes. She blushed slightly and averted her gaze. 'What's wrong with me? He pretends I don't exist and when he does look at me I get embarrassed!'
"I think that it would be easier for each of us to hold on to the doll for a week. After all, we don't really need to waste each other's time, correct?" he continued.
Retasu bit her lip. "But isn't this project about, you know, teamwork? After all, I don't think married parents would raise their child like that. . ." she trailed off.
"Well it's a good thing we're not married then, isn't it?" Pai said shortly, before returning to his book.
Retasu opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything to say. After several minutes it became evident that their conversation had ended. Hesitantly, she returned to her seat and worked on her geometry homework, occasionally glancing over at Pai. 'I wonder why he's so unsocial?' she thought, furrowing her eyebrows.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't notice the bell ring, and didn't realize the class was over until the students around her began to pack up.
"Could you come here for a second, Retasu?" the teacher called from his desk, waving.
"Y-Yes, sensei?" Retasu stammered, stopping several feet away.
The man paused, turning in his swivel chair. "Would you like to switch partners? I know Pai-san can be difficult to work with."
Retasu smiled. "It's alright, sensei. I don't think it's very mature of me to run away from every problem. I'm sure I'll think of a way to overcome our differences."
Her teacher snorted. "I wish you luck with that, Retasu-san."
After health was social studies and then school ended. After turning in her historical map she had no homework, leaving the rest of her Friday night free.
"Retasu-chan!" Minto shouted over the crowd of students outside the main building. "We're going to see a movie- you coming?"
The green-haired girl weaved through the crowd to her blue-haired friend, who, as always, was easy to spot with her odangos. "Sorry, Minto-chan- I was planning on going to the library for a bit today. You guys go ahead without me, okay?"
Retasu pulled on a jacket over her school uniform, still shivering in the wind. Small groups of people hurried past her while she went through the parking lot.
"Hey, Retasu, have a good weekend," a boy from science shouted, biking past. She waved frantically in return, feeling like an idiot as she grinned back at him.
Tokyo had had unnaturally clear weather lately. As she looked up at the sky, Retasu couldn't even remember the last time it had rained. Clouds were barely visible against the horizon of the bright blue sky. She smiled, shielding her face against the sun. She was looking forward to this weekend, when all she'd have to do was sit down and read Romeo and Juliet, one of her favorite plays.
Upon reaching her apartment complex, Retasu wasn't surprised to find it completely empty. Her eight-year-old brother didn't get home from school for another hour, and her parents didn't get off work until five.
Retasu dropped her bag off in her bedroom before making her way to the kitchen-On the fridge was a bright blue sticky note as per usual from her mom. She read it while pouring herself some tea (she personally hated coffee, nasty stuff).
Retasu-chan,
Your father having an important meeting tonight and I'll be attending, also, so we won't be back until late. Don't worry about Uri-kun, he's staying at a friend's house tonight. Do something fun while we're gone!
Love,
Mom
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the little hearts scribbled around the paper, turning around to find a total stranger raiding her freezer.
"Do you guys have any ice cream in here, na no da?" the girl asked, her blonde head of hair barely visible above the drawer.
No, wait, it was just Purin.
"Purin-chan!" Retasu squeaked, taken completely off guard. "What are you doing in here!?"
The small girl looked up, several frozen cookies in one hand. "Your door was unlocked, so I let myself in, na no da!"
Eleven-year-old Purin Fon was a tiny, over imaginative fifth-grader who had once lived down the street from Retasu. Retasu had met her while she was doing one of her numerous street performances, and a (strange) friendship had blossomed, despite the fact that they were complete opposites. Purin was wild and uncontrollable, whereas Retasu was shy and mild mannered. It just went to show that opposites really did attract. Sometimes the only reason she continued to put up with the younger girl's antics, though, was because she struggled with raising five siblings while she was at home.
Retasu sighed, taking the cookies away. "Purin-chan, it's rude to help yourself to people's fridges without being invited to."
She smiled broadly. "Awwww. . .But I knew you wouldn't mind, Retasu onee-chan, na no da!"
Retasu followed her as she skipped into the living room, her bare feet padding against the wood floor. "So why did you drop by, anyway? Did you have something to do, or did you just want to say hi?" Purin jumped over the back of the couch and landed on the cushions with a soft thud. She was wearing a bright orange mandarin shirt with matching pants, and, as always, her short hair was braided.
"I just wanted to say hi, na no da," she chirped, flipping the television on. She sped through the channels, finally stopping on a Spanish soap opera.
Retasu sat down next to her friend. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"
Entranced by the television, Purin replied in a dull voice, "I called in sick today, na no da."
Retasu frowned. "You can't just skip school to take care of your siblings, Purin. And education is very important."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, na no da," Purin said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, Antonio! Mi amor!" she repeated, the words slurred by her thick Japanese accent. Retasu giggled, watching in amusement as Purin did poor imitations of the whole cast. Soon, she couldn't help but join her, and they both began spouting God knows what in Spanish.
After Purin left, Retasu always felt kind of sad in the empty apartment. She loved staying at home by herself, but the younger girl's loud presence had grown on her, and she always missed her. But it was barely five o' clock, and Retasu still had a few hours to herself.
Retasu found dinner in the fridge, just as a second sticky note had predicted. She heated up the mysterious casserole in the microwave, eating it on her bed while she read. The low hum of the radio faded into the background as she became immersed in the enthralling tale of Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet, was, of course, the tale of a love that could never be. Retasu considered herself a romanticist, and loved romance stories of all kind (even the kind where the main character commits suicide at the end). And she could really relate to Juliet about the not being able to be with her true love. Because, in Retasu's case, her true love didn't exactly exist.
Oh well.
Taking off her glasses, Retasu held them in one hand, unconsciously twirling them. Still wearing her school uniform, Retasu lie sprawled out across the bed sheets, completely oblivious to the passing of time. Outside, the sun set in the distance, and the birds flew back to their nests. Her food got cold and the phone rang several times, much to her unaware.
Retasu eventually glanced up from the paperback when she heard the doorbell ring, realizing her mom was locked out. She hopped of the mattress, hurrying down the stairs to greet her parents.
"Hi, Mom!" Retasu smiled, helping her parents carry the groceries. "How did your meeting go?"
Mr. Midorikawa smiled, revealing perfect teeth. "It went really well, actually! The boards going to consider the idea of expanding the medical wing at the university."
"That's great!" Retasu exclaimed. Her father was a medical professor at the nearby campus. Her mother, a pediatrician, at the local clinic had actually met her dad when he'd taught her nearly fifteen years ago.
"Isn't it?" Retasu's mom appeared in the doorway, more plastic bags draped over her thin arms. "If they approve the plan, they can probably open a dozen more teaching positions." She wrapped her arms around the older man. It was common knowledge that Mrs. Midorikawa wanted to teach like her husband.
Retasu was the spitting image of her mother, who, at only thirty-four years old, was mistaken as her older sister a lot of the time. Her thick dark green hair was pulled into a braid, and, like every other member in the family, she wore glasses. She still hadn't taken off her white medical coat.
Since Uri wasn't going to be back until tomorrow, Retasu and her parents put away the food and went to bed. They were both tired from the long day, so Retasu hugged them goodnight before returning to her room.
She smiled at the thought of her parents hugging and grinning in the kitchen.
'I hope I get married someday,' Retasu thought dreamily.