DISCLAIMER.

Average is the new black.

Trying not to break.

God has given you one face, and you yourself, make another. - William Shakespeare


Mikan POV

My day at school wasn't normal at all, hardly normal. In fact, it was like – stepping into an alternate universe. The minute the bell rung I was virtually much ambushed by this pretty raven haired girl with violet eyes. The eyes scrutinizing me in a way that made me feel like prey. When she looked at me, a thoughtful look was plastered on her face like she had just found the best meat in the market and as I coughed at the awkward moment; her eyes shimmered back to reality.

"Hey," she says in a stoic voice, only a hint of excitement shown in her tone. "Let's be friends."

Now if you ask me, that hardly gave me a choice. Like no-one here ever does. The teacher doesn't wait for me to answer, the class doesn't really give me the chance to push out the first impression of myself in the minds, and now I'm practically ordered to become friends with someone who looks at me like a piece of meat to eat?

Heck with that.

"Why should I?" I ask in my sweetest voice, with a hint of malice edging itself forward. I look at her, and I smile brightly. "I'm the laughing stock of the school."

"You'd be a lot more if you don't become friends with me." She says.

So now she was starting to sound a bit more immature, like those kids who chuck tantrums in the middle of a shopping isle if you don't buy them the toy they want.

As the whole class swarmed out of the classroom, my patience had already run low, and I was going to crack soon – no doubt about it.

"Sorry, I don't make friends with people who threaten me." I say turning to walk out hoping that walking out of here; will be walking out of her life.

"Threaten?" She scoffs. "Mikan Sakura that was hardly a threat." I stop in my tracks, aware of the malice in her tone that was dead serious. "You want a threat?" She says, clearly angry, her stoic façade broken. "Here's one for you," she says as she leans into my ear. "You don't be my friend, and I expose your little Ms Princess Façade to everyone you know, every old school, every new school, and you won't see the end to it. No-one will like you; no-one will be friends with you…no-one except me."

She's crazy. Psychotic. Serial Killer like.

All in all, she was desperate to have a friend, and unfortunately I was that chosen one. My little "princess façade" is what got me all my friends over the years, and I was definitely not going to let that be blown away by some crazy freak that is desperate to have me as her friend.

"Do you have proof?" I say.

"Proof?" She says a bit surprised by my nonchalant reply.

"Yeah, if you don't show me proof that you know what's going on," I point to my head, hoping I looked a bit more smart "here, then there I won't be your friend."

She smirks, like she had already won. "Mikan Sakura," She says, "You are definitely not normal."

"Oh," I snap sarcastically "Are you talking about my super powers?"

"Really?" she muses, as she reaches into her pocket and takes out a remote. "Will your super powers get you out of this?"

A projector pops out of fucking nowhere and screens what happened in the last few minutes that well may shatter my whole social life.

The screen shows me from a little innocent angel being pestered by some bratty classmate into a complete bitch in a matter of seconds and I was then well aware, I was being tested.

"What the fuck is this?" I spit under my breath glaring at her. "Am I some sort of fucking game to you? What the hell did I ever do to you?"

She sighs, annoyed as she seats herself into the closest seat to her and points towards the screen. "That is your proof." She murmurs in the captain obvious tone that makes me want to punch her in the face. "You are hardly a game, Mikan Sakura and you're a friend." She looks at me, her eyes ice cold. "You did nothing to me, which is exactly why I had to."

"So this is what you do to your friend?" I scoff, watching the projector play the exact words right after I do. Like her patience for me had completely diminished in a few seconds she glared at me, her cold eyes boring into mine.

"You wanted proof, I gave you proof. That was the deal, so don't you go saying what kind of friend I am, you asked for this. If you just agreed to be my friend, there was hardly a need for me to resort to this sort of thing, so don't you dare complain to me about how I should be treating you." She stopped for a second, panting and focused to compose herself. "A deal is a deal, Mikan Sakura." She says leaving the classroom as the projector disappears. "You're my friend now, and don't you dare try to make it otherwise." She glances at me and smirks. "You should already know I'm not one to mess with."

As she left, I felt my whole body just crumble beneath me as I fell to the floor.

It's over. My whole social life is over.

I felt the tears fall from my eyes and I groaned, and sat there until the end of lunch, trying to compose myself.

I wasn't going to look like a person who comes and goes as they leave, but I definitely wasn't a person who uses pity to get what I want. That will never change.

The image I worked so hard to build will definitely not falter to some crazy chick who wants to be my friend, I worked for this, and I will have this.

I don't even know this girls name, but she will be my friend and she will shut her trap.

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Hotaru POV

Right after class had ended, I approached Mikan Sakura quickly to ensure I was the first classmate, besides Natsume that talked to her and leave an impression. As I approached her, I was surprised by how innocent she really did look, and I continued to look for a flaw in her face but apparently found none that would expose her to any evil cackling witch behind the scene. I recomposed myself as soon as I heard her cough awkwardly, and I probably looked like a complete loser, which I never do. Well, except today.

"Hey," I said quickly, hoping she would forget. "Let's be friends."

Her face didn't seem to shift much from my words but I could see the light in her eyes flash curiously and her mouth curve slightly in an angry manner.

"Why should I?" She said in her I'm-trying-to-be-sweet voice as she bites her lip and smiles. "I'm the laughing stock of the school."

Well, it was only the class, but instead of correcting her drama queen act, I just decided to be straight forward.

"You would be a lot more if you don't become friends with me." I say nonchalantly.

I watched her as she watched the whole class leave, eyes curious at our exchange but mouths saying nothing. Just thoughts and nothing more. As the class left, her pretense started to fall and break as apparently I was pissing her off. Still, determined to be a cute girl in front of me, she smiles and nods at me as she steps out of my way to leave the classroom.

She may be an act, but she was an idiot.

"Sorry," she says in a sincere sounding tone, "I don't make friends with people who threaten me."

That was a stupid comeback. She obviously didn't want to be my friend, and she was just making puny excuses to make up for it? Mikan Sakura was annoying; not the cute girl annoying, not the bitch annoying, but she was a mix of both and a lot more. Like a light switch in a room, the patience I didn't know I was trying to keep started breaking and I hissed at her.

"Threaten?" I scoff, "Mikan Sakura that was hardly a threat." I move my hair out of my eyes and glare at her back, as she comes to stop in her tracks, now fully aware that I wasn't going to be nice anymore. "You want a threat?" I whisper, maliciously not giving a flying cow if someone walked in and saw me like this. "Here's one for you," I say leaning closer to her, "You don't be my friend, and I expose your little Ms Princess Façade to everyone you know, every old school, every new school, and you won't see the end to it. No-one will like you; no-one will be friends with you…no-one except me."

I may have sounded a bit desperate at the end, but truth is, I know I am.

I know I am, and I know everyone in this damn school knows I am.

I know everybody here is happy I am not their friend, nor do I consider them worthy enough, because they all know: Hotaru Imai wants a unique friend.

And why I chose Mikan Sakura, they don't understand. And they wouldn't need to.

Of course, I hardly intend to blackmail her and send her halfway across England, because by now she should be contemplating, should she be friends with me? Or should she lose her whole social network because of me?

Average people, would instantly, choose the first choice. First and wisest.

"Do you have proof?" She whispers quietly. Forgetting for a second who I was dealing with, I almost scoffed in surprise as I remembered, Mikan Sakura was not the norm. Why would she choose either choice?

She was a fighter.

This is why I want to be friends.

"Yeah, if you don't show me proof that you know what's going on" She points towards her head, looking like an idiot as she rolls her eyes sardonically. "- here, then I won't be your friend."

I feel the corner of my lip curve into a smirk and although I had not planned on using this, she brought it upon herself.

"Mikan Sakura," I say fumbling with my pocket for the right instrument, "You are definitely not normal."

"Oh," she snaps sarcastically, and my smirk grows more pronounce as her façade completely shatters in front of me. "Are you talking about my super powers?"

I stare at her annoyed expression, and I had to admit, it was really amusing – funny even. "Really?" I murmur as I take out the remote from my pocket, "Will your super powers get you out of this?"

The projector that I had installed secretly into the ceiling reveals itself as the images of Mikan Sakura from angel to devil is filled in every corner and crack as the room.

I observe her again, and watch as her eyes widen in surprise and then, like I finally expected to happen, complete and utter rage.

Except I didn't expect I'd be angry right back.

"What the fuck is this?" she snaps glaring at me with her chocolate orbs, "Am I some fucking game to you? What the hell did I ever do to you?"

And with the amount of obscenities directed at me, I just snapped. Not only did I accomplish in breaking her angel act, I succeeded in breaking my own act.

The act that protected me.

I try to compose myself, as I feel the blood rushing through my veins, adrenaline pulsing through and I sit down to relax my muscles. I point towards the screen and stare at her.

"That is your proof, you are hardly a game, Mikan Sakura and you're a friend." I can feel my eyes glaring into hers. "You did nothing to me, which is exactly why I had to."

She laughs angrily and flips her hands in the air and yells at me. "So this is what you do to your friend?"

And the last composure I had for anyone, for her – especially, evaporated into thin air.

"You wanted proof, I gave you proof. That was the deal, so don't you go saying what kind of friend I am, you asked for this. If you just agreed to be my friend, there was hardly a need for me to resort to this sort of thing, so don't you dare complain to me about how I should be treating you." I start panting and I know I had said too much. I was usually a person of few words, and I felt like I had run a marathon. I noted, mentally to start exercising. Finally, deciding I've had enough of this broken mask, I turned on my heels, as I clicked the projector back into the ceiling.

"A deal is a deal Mikan Sakura." I say, "You're my friend now and don't you dare to try to make it otherwise." I turn at her feeling my whole body go back to the cold stoic state it's usually in and I smirk in triumph. "You should already know – I'm not one to mess with."

As I walked out of the hallway, I saw a little group of people down the hall staring curiously at me and then run off at eye contact. I scoff under my break and as I take a turn towards the cafeteria, I feel a warm hand tap me on the shoulder.

Just as I was about to turn around and punch the person's face, I noticed it was Ruka and Natsume. Natsume, with an overwhelmingly amused expression, and Ruka with a worried one.

"You're more edgy than usual, Imai." Natsume states, and even though we're probably best friends, it just felt right to call each other by their last names. Ruka nods in agreement and my eyes narrow.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ruka murmurs ducking his head again to hide his blush.

I roll my eyes, and punch Ruka in the arm, a sign to tell him to man up. Natsume laughs and he pats me on the head.

And if he wasn't my friend, I would've burned his hand off.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I murmur looking towards the classroom. "Just had an encounter with Mikan Sakura, that's all."

Natsume stares at me and smirks. "Thought she was average."

Ruka smiles, "So you noticed too huh?"

"What am I, to you two, an idiot?"

"Somewhat."

"Shut up Hyuuga, or I'll burn your hair off."

"With what Imai, a blow torch?"

"That could be arranged."

He laughs, "So, enough about how incredible my hair is does Mikan Sakura pass?"

I look at him and turn towards the cafeteria, well aware I was craving crabs.

"With flying colours," I say offhandedly, although I knew that there was so much more to it.


My gosh, that is the longest chapter i have ever written in my life.

So, instead of boring you to the ends of the earth, i truly hope you enjoyed it.

Note: I may have started the first few chapters with Mikan and Hotaru POV's, but later on hopefully i would be able to insert other characters, such as Natsume, Ruka, Tsubasa, Youichi?

But no promises just as yet.

Please Read and Review!

Thanks many, Helplessly Lovestruck.

Oh, and PS: Sorry for any grammatical problems and errors within the text, i have read it over a few times but i do tend to miss alot.

So apologies to that, and please, bear with it !