Kay, I know I updated a little too quickly, but I couldn't help myself! I had too many good ideas. Sorry. ;A; (Once again, looks best in 3/4.)
"So, I guess you've had a pretty crappy first day, huh?"
I stroked my golden ponytail uncomfortably as I attempted to make conversation.
"Eh."
Wow, what a chatterbox.
"I..I really am sorry for hitting you. I hope it didn't hurt too much."
He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh it did. I was sure I was a goner."
Oh ha ha.
We continued to walk for what seemed like forever until we reached the end of the hall where the nurse's office was.
I bit my lip and pushed open the door; a feeling of relief washing over me as I did so. We found Nurse Megurine sitting in a rolling chair behind her white desk. She was bent over a stack of paperwork, her pen hastily scrawling down notes and whatnot.
"Good afternoon, Megurine-san."
I greeted her formally, something she apparently wasn't used to.
She jumped and looked up from her desk, pausing to adjust her elegant - looking glasses.
"O-Oh, hello, Akita-san. Is everything alright, are you not feeling well?"
I smiled and shook my head. "I'm fine, thank you. But Kagamine-san is hurt."
Her blue eyes widened at the sight of Len covered in blood, and she put her hand up to her cheek in concern.
"Oh my, you poor dear! What happened? Wait, never mind that, come into the back room! We'll clean you up in a jiffy, don't you worry!"
I watched in amusement as Luka-er, Megurine-san shoved Len onto a hospital bed and attacked him with wet rags.
I couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"What was that, Akita-san?"
Luka looked back at me curiously, a bloody towel dangling limply from her hand.
"Oh, I didn't say anything. Sorry."
She smiled kindly at me, and returned to her work. I could see Len staring at me inquisitively from behind her waterfall of pink hair.
He raised his eyebrows; I scowled and looked away.
Whatever.
"Okey dokey, we're all done here!" Luka clapped her hands together and stood back to admire her work.
He looked a lot better than before, but his shirt was still stained with crimson splotches.
"As soon as you change into your uniform, it'll look like nothing ever happened!" She gushed cheerily.
"Thank you, Megurine-san."
He stood up and dusted off his clothes casually.
"You're most welcome, Kagamine-san. And please, call me Luka."
Len returned Luka's smile and extended his hand.
"It was good meeting you, Luka."
Ok, enough is enough. I cleared my throat, hoping to hint that it was time to go.
"We should go. The period is almost over."
Len let go of Luka's hand and shoved it back into his pocket.
"Ok. See you later, Luka."
"Good-bye, Kagamine-san."
Kay, screw this. I wasn't about to sit around all day and watch them exchange farewells.
Briskly, I turned around and walked out of the nurse's office, making a bee line for the locker rooms.
I was halfway down the hall when I heard someone call my name.
"Neru! Hey Neru, wait up!"
I wrinkled my nose in contempt. How rude. We hadn't even known each other for an entire day, and he had already dropped the honorifics.
Instead of waiting, I decided to quicken my pace and speed walk down the hallway.
I could hear the sound of sneakers squeaking against floorboards coming closer and closer from behind.
Almost to the girls locker room…just a few more steps and..
"Hey Neru-chan."
Chan?
Oh no, he didn't.
I spun around on one foot and clenched my hands into tight fists.
"What? What could you possibly need?"
Len stopped in his tracks for a moment, obviously intimidated by my icy glare before taking a few cautious steps forward.
"I-I just wanted to say thanks for all your help and.."
"And what?" I snapped viciously.
"And I was wondering if you were busy this weekend. Because.."
I could feel a hot blush creeping up my neck and spreading to my cheeks.
Was he about to.. ?
"I was going to ask you if you wanted to go see a movie or something."
What?
"E-Eh?"
I couldn't help but jump back slightly. I admit, I was shocked. I had been nothing but rude to this kid all day long and he suddenly has the hots for me.
Plus, he hadn't even been here a full day. He could have at least waited before 'making his move'.
He chuckled, and took a step forward. "Aw, you're blushing. That's cute. So I'll take that as a yes?"
"I AM NOT BLUSHING! It's just sunburn!"
Wow, that was lame. Way to go, Neru.
"And that is most definitely NOT a yes! I would never, ever go out with you! Ever. Even if I had the time, which I don't! You have a lot of nerve asking me out on a date, and I find it rather rude that you have done so."
I noticed that my breath was coming out in small pants, and I looked up to find that he was still smiling. How irritating!
"Wow. A simple 'no' would've sufficed. But okay, I get it. Message received."
"Good." I crossed my arms and turned my nose up. It was a little over done, but what can I say?
He tucked his arms casually behind his head and smirked.
Grrrr.
"And please note" I began snottily, "That I will never say yes. So don't bother asking twice. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get changed. I have a student council meeting in ten minutes, and you're holding me up. Good bye."
And just like that, I walked with my head held high into the locker room, flipping my long side-ponytail as I entered.
Hah. What a joke.
~ x o x o x o x o ~
"Brrrrrrr."
My teeth chattered together noisily as I stopped to readjust my scarf.
Winter sucks.
But my city doesn't shut down because of a little snow and low temperatures.
Neither does my job, which I hate with a burning passion. Yeah, I work at a video rental store in Shibuya. Sure, it's nice to have spending money, but let's just keep it between you and me.
Anyways, back to me freezing.
I wrapped my ebony pea coat around my body tightly, and tried to prevent my body from shaking violently.
S-So F-F-Freaking C-C-Cold..
As I approached Shibuya Crossing, I could see the blaring neon lights of the video store tinting the sidewalk and the people on it an ugly shade of barf-yellow.
Everything about that store was bleh. It was huge, cold and fluorescent. And don't even get me started on the freak shows that come in there.
I jogged across the crosswalk, skillfully dodging through the throng of people that competed with me for space.
"Bing Bong!"
The electronic bell signaled my arrival as I walked into the video store.
I proceeded towards the back of the store where I kept my uniform and other random crap.
The break room is..less than homey. There's an old worn out couch, a television and a long row of aluminum lockers that hold employee uniforms and 'personal belongings.'
And a nasty coffee machine that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.
"Hey there, kiddo!" Haigo-san greeted me casually, or should I say, soberly from the couch.
"Good evening to you, Haigo-san. How long have you been on break?"
Haigo-san laughed loudly and took a sip of her soda. Alcohol wasn't permitted on the grounds, but if it were, oh boy.
"About ten minutes. And kid, I told you, call me Meiko. None of that formal crap is necessary around here."
I blushed awkwardly, due to the fact that I was not used to being treated as an equal by an adult.
"O-Ok, I guess."
Meiko smiled warmly at me, and then turned her attention back to a rerun episode of Durarara! that was currently on TV.
I normally don't watch anime; it's not really my thing.
Although, I have to admit, a mysterious black biker who trolls the streets of Tokyo would be pretty cool to see in real life.
Plus, I wouldn't mind running into Izaya on my way to work.
Teehee.
After I had slipped into my uniform, I headed out the door and trudged towards my assigned cash register. Manager-san called my register "Ol' Bessie" but I renamed it "shit head" because it was a piece of junk.
The store was unusually quiet for a Friday night. I silently patted myself on the back for taking my phone with me to the register, something I don't normally do.
Discreetly, I flipped my phone out and signed into my instant messenger.
A mere five seconds passed before my phone spat out an electronic 'blip!' from my pocket.
Daughter_Of_White: hey! whatz up? :)
KatanaGirl24: work. U shud no.
Daughter_Of_White: o ya lol. so tell me all about ur romantic expedition with len!
KatanaGirl24: there is nothing 2 tell.
Daughter_Of_White: hmph! dont make me tickle it out of u!
XxBaguette_LuvrxX Has Joined the Chat
KatanaGirl24: sup teto
Daughter_Of_White: Teto-chaaaan! :3
XxBaguette_LuvrxX: hey yall! OMG so how about that new kid ;) me and miku-chan spent all of 1st prd staring the back of his gorgeous head!
KatanaGirl24: Miku-chan and I, Teto. Not me and miku-chan. and I noticed. U were giggling the whole time.
XxBaguette_LuvrxX: shut up u! u no grammar is not my strong point.
Daughter_Of_White: lol relax Teto. Ru-Ru's just butthurt like that. But I concur; the new kid is a total hottie!
KatanaGirl24: I am not butthurt, and dont call me ru-ru. Itz a dumb nickname.
XxBaguette_LuvrxX: Yet u've put up with it since the 3rd grade.. LOL!
KatanaGirl24: w/e
Numbr1Diva Has Joined the Chat
Daughter_Of_White: Miku!
Numbr1Diva: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG TODAY WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!
XxBaguette_LuvrxX: OMGOMGOMG I NO! SO FRIKKIN HAWT!
Numbr1Diva: sup Neru. sup haku. Haku-chan, we shud call u ku-ku b/c thats wat u r! :P
Daughter_Of_White: OMG i am not cookoo!
KatanaGirl24: lol that is debatable. Ku-ku for Coco Puffs!
KatanaGirl24: that wud b a good advertisement. Haku the cuckoo bird, crazy for chocolaty cereal!
Daughter_Of_White: OMG no way! :(
NarutoFan768 Has Joined the Chat
Daughter_Of_White: lol hey Neru's lil bro.
Numbr1Diva: quick every1 get your G-rated on!
NarutoFan768: hey
KatanaGirl24: OMG homo get out of our chat! :(
Daughter_Of_White: not cool, Neru. We dont use some1's orientation as an insult.
KatanaGirl24: sry orz
NarutoFan768: shut up stupid. Im only here bc u misplaced my hair gel again!
Daughter_Of_White: im not stupid. :(
NarutoFan768: not u haku. neru.
Daughter_Of_White: LOL YAY!
KatanaGirl24: its in the top right drawer dumb bunny. y didn't u just call me?
NarutoFan768: idk
NarutoFan768 Has Left the Chat
KatanaGirl24: lol what a faggot
Daughter_Of_White: Neru! :( :(
KatanaGirl24: sry I 4got.
KatanaGirl24: crap I gtg, the boss is coming. bye everyone!
XxBaguette_LuvrxX: thats wat she said!
I rolled my eyes at the last message and snapped my phone shut, and then tried to make myself look busy by adjusting the posters behind me.
"Good evening, Akita-san."
Hello, asshole.
"How's ol' Bessie running for ya?"
I put on my politest smile and turned around to face my boss. He's a middle aged man with a beer gut and a strange fetish for suspenders.
Ick.
"Good evening, manager-san. It's running fine, thank you for your concern."
My boss chuckled and tucked his thumbs under his suspenders. "Have you seen Haigo-san? Her break ended 5 minutes ago and I didn't see her in any of the aisles."
Aw crap, Meiko. You're the only person who makes this job bearable, and you're about to get your ass fired.
"Well, it is a big store, so I'm sure she's just somewhere you didn't look. That reminds me; I left something important in the break room. Please excuse me!"
I bowed respectfully and walked briskly towards the back of the store. When I was sure Manager-San couldn't see me, I broke out into a run towards the break room.
"Meiko!" I yelled as I burst through the door, "Get your butt out here, Manager-san's looking for you! Your break ended a while ago!"
A lazy Meiko looked up at me, dazed for a moment before realizing what time it was.
"Oh shit, thanks Neru-san! I owe ya one!"
She quickly got up and pushed past me, racing towards the right side of the building like her life depended on it.
I shook my head affectionately and walked slowly back to my post before my eyes landed on something that made my heart skip a beat.
Len and his entourage (which currently consisted of Gakupo, Kaito and Gakupo's little sister, Gumi) were walking into the front of the store, laughing and talking rather loudly as they did.
Aw, damn! Just my luck. I couldn't be seen in here. Not by them, and especially him after what I had done today.
He would never let me live it down.
Quickly, I darted behind a standee and considered my options.
A: I could sneak out, get fired, and save my behind at school.
B: I could suck it up, keep my job, and lose my dignity.
Honestly, neither of those plans sounded very good.
I thought hard for a moment until the only choice was obvious: I was going to have to ninja my way to the front and hope that the girl who worked the night-shift would come in early, which was highly unlikely. I checked my watch:
9:20
She usually didn't get here 'til around 9:45.
I sighed quietly, and began my epic quest to the cash register.
As if planned, the theme song from Mission Impossible began to blare from the loudspeakers, and I was off.
Anxiety coursed through my body like a rampant virus as I ducked, dodged and rolled through the endless maze of home entertainment.
Customers were beginning to give me funny looks, but I didn't care.
All that mattered was reaching my destination without getting caught, which was proving to be a challenge, being that the four moved through the store rather quickly.
But I, Akita Neru, mistress of stealth, watched their every move and planned around them accordingly.
I felt like a ninja. An immortal ninja.
As I neared the front of the store, a sense of accomplishment swelled inside of me like a hot air balloon, and with a final leap, I tucked myself safely under the check-out counter.
I glanced at my watch, which read 9:32.
There might be hope yet.
I waited there silently, praying that other customers wouldn't need assistance between now and the departure of my peers.
9:35..9:40..9:43…
"Bing Bong!"
The familiar sound bounced against my ears, and I cautiously peeped around the corner to see who it was.
Oh, there was a God.
A lovely vermillion-haired girl (who was also my co-worker) walked through the doors, clad in a private school uniform and tall, leather boots that clicked harshly against the tile.
Why she had to work at a movie rental store when her parents were paying her tuition to go to one of the most prestigious schools in Tokyo was beyond me, but I didn't ask.
She stood at the entrance for a moment before turning to walk towards what I assumed to be the break room.
But we didn't have time for that.
"Psssst, Miki-san. Miki-san, over here!"
I waved my hands frantically and signaled for her to come to me.
She cocked her head to the side for a second before jogging over, her boots "click clack click"ing as she did.
"Akita-chan, what's the matter?"
"I need you to do me a favor. Do you see a purple haired kid, a blue haired kid, a green haired girl and a blonde boy walking anywhere near the register?"
She looked up for a moment, her ahoge bouncing jubilantly before leaning back down to give me the report.
"Yeah, actually. They're coming this way. The blue-haired boy's kinda cute."
"Kaito? I guess, but please. Take over for me for like, two seconds. It would mean the world to me."
Miki raised a perfectly-plucked eyebrow. "But why.."
"Please, Miki-chan." I pleaded, and put on my best puppy-dog eyes.
Miki smiled wearily, and took her place behind shit head.
"Welcome to Reel Movies, how can I help you?" She greeted them brightly.
"Uh..here." The plastic sound of movies-cases clattering against the counter could be heard, followed by the "Blip!" "Blip!" of shit head.
I was going to have to take Miki out to the most expensive restaurant for this, even if I couldn't afford it.
She was my red-headed angel.
"Miki-san!"
Oh no. Please, not now.
"Y-Yes, Manager-san?" Miki squeaked uncomfortably.
"Why are you not in uniform?"
"W-Well, I.."
No. No no no. You terrible, awful man.
"And where is Akita-san? Her shift doesn't end for ten more minutes."
"Akita-san? As in Neru?" I heard Gakupo whisper quietly.
"She..she's.." Miki's voice trembled. I didn't want to be responsible for getting her fired. I was going to have to say something.
I shot up with a—
"THUMP!"
God, I'm such an idiot. Why did I stand up directly below the counter?
Dazed and in pain, I rose up slowly. "I-I'm right here, sir. I-I was organizing. I asked M-Miki-san for help."
I was too ashamed to even look at the four customers to my right.
"Hm" Manager-san stroked his flabby chin for a moment.
"Miss Miki, please get in uniform immediately. Miss Akita, please do your job and help these customers."
Scolded twice in one day. What are the odds.
"Yes, Manager-san." We both said simultaneously. Miki raced to the break room, her crimson locks flapping smoothly behind her, and I turned to help the four 'customers'
who waited 'ever so patiently' in line.
I scanned the last two movies, bagged them and handed them to whoever's hand was outstretched.
I was suddenly aware that manager-san, a.k.a the biggest retard I'd ever been forced to come in contact with, was still watching me.
I hesitantly made eye contact with the person in front of me, which happened to be Kaito.
Gumi and Gakupo were standing awkwardly behind him, and Len had his hand over his mouth; his shoulders shaking with laughter.
"We hope to see you again"
I said through gritted teeth.
Actually, I hope I never see any of you ever again. But that's highly unlikely.
After they had left the store, my watch beeped repetitively, signaling the end of my shift.
Still in a state of shock, I returned my uniform to its locker and walked out the front of the store.
"Akita-san" A small voice called as the automatic doors parted for my leaving.
I turned around to see Miki standing nervously behind the counter.
"I-I'm sorry I failed. I hope you're not angry with me."
I gave her a tired smile. "No, I'm not. I'm very sorry I put you in that position, you didn't deserve it. Goodnight, Miki-chan." I nodded and walked out the door.
It wasn't until I reached the front gate of our house that I collapsed in a lifeless heap on the side walk, buried my face in my hands and started to sob uncontrollably.
I watched my tears trickle off my mittens and splatter onto the frozen ground.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself. Everything was ruined.
And it was all his fault.
Welp, there's chapter two. xD
I hope the text speak wasn't too hard to read. I never use it (I type out complete sentences when I text) so I wasn't really sure what I was doing lol.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate your support! :3
