Of Actresses and the Rich.

Chapter 2- First Day Among the Rich

Hikaru's POV

Kauru and I are waiting for Mizuki to come into class. Haruhi is actually paying attention. Yes, class has started. She is so late. I look at Kauru to see him paying attention to the teacher too. Well then, maybe I'm the only one waiting for her. Suddenly something yellow comes shooting in on wheels and slams into my desk. Unlucky for the person who crashed, these desks don't budge. They're bolted to the floor. I look at the ground to see Mizuki rubbing her head and trying to retrieve her skateboard.

"Mizuki Wanakano!" the teacher yells.

She jumps up and says, "Present!"

Unfortunately, also at that moment, her foot found the skateboard and her feet went shooting out in front of her. She landed in my lap laughing.

"Nice one." I say to her as she attempts to stand up.

"Thanks Hikaru!" she said, flicking me in the forehead.

What? I'm sure it was a lucky guess. She hasn't known us long enough to be able to tell us apart right? I'm sure of it.

"Take your seat beside Kauru and take out your history book." the teacher said.

"Can do!" she says, flashing a smile that sends the boys around her into a tailspin.

She walks over towards Kauru but the teacher stops her.

"I said beside Kauru." he says.

"But this is Kauru." she says confused.

Kauru looks up at her in awe.

"Then beside Hikaru! Just sit down!" he yells, going over the edge.

"Jeez sorry." she says, sitting beside me and kicking her feet out.

"Why aren't you wearing your uniform shoes Ms. Wanakano?" the teacher asks, exasperated.

"Well you can't very well ride a skateboard in those. I'm sorry." she said, frowning and looking puzzled.

I swear I saw hearts pop into the boys eyes. She could be a host if she were a guy. The only difference is that none of the hosts can tell us apart. Only Haruhi. How can the new girl tell us apart but people we've known since first grade can't? Soon, the bell rings and I look over at Mizuki only to see her sleeping on the desk. I sigh and shake her shoulder. She only groans and buries her head in her arms. Kauru smirks and grabs her bag. He takes out her schedule and finds that we have the next class together. He picks up her skateboard and turns to me.

"It looks like you'll have to carry her." he says simply.

"What? No! Why can't you?" I ask.

"I have her stuff." he says, shrugging.

I sigh and he helps me get her onto my back. I take her arms and wrap them around my neck. I pick up my bag and hear the warning bell ring.

"Shoot!" I say and Kauru and I run out of the room towards our math class.

We slide in at the last second and Kauru sits in his chair. Not sure where to put Mizuki, I stand beside my desk. Yeah, she's still asleep. Even after I ran down the hall with her on my back. The teacher looks up, surprised at me holding the new girl on my back.

"Is that Mizuki Wanakano?" she asks.

"Um. Yeah." I say, "Where can I put her?"

"Wake her up!" the teacher says.

"We've tried." Kauru says sadly.

"Well put her in that desk right there. Beside Hikaru." she says.

"I'm Hikaru." I say.

"Then put her beside Kauru!" the teacher says.

I set her down in a desk beside of Kauru and he puts her skateboard and bag down. I shake her shoulders again but she doesn't even move this time. I get frustrated and knock her in the head with my fist. She wakes up with a start and looks around.

"Hikaru? Kauru? What class is this?" she asks.

"Math." Kauru whispers as I sit down on the other side of him.

She nods and pulls out her math book. We get through the rest of our classes with her awake and then we drag her to the club. Or more she skates behind us. Haruhi used to walk with us bet she's taken to walking a different way on her own. Whatever. We pause outside the big double doors and swing them open.

"Whoa." is all she says as roses came out and encircled us, as usual.

"Yeah." we say.

She puts her hands on Kauru and my shoulders and just stands on her board and lets us pull her in.

"Mizu-chan!" Hani-senpai says, jumping on Mizuki and knocking her to the ground.

"Hey little dude!" she says in a surfer voice.

Hani-senpai giggles and asks her if she likes cake. She nods and he gets off of her stomach, dragging her up and towards his table. Kyoya-senpai follows, dragging Tono who is hanging onto his ankle. We walk over too and sit on the sofa with Mizuki. Hani-senpai, Mori-senpai, and Tono sit opposite us.

"Yay! Everyone is eating cake with me!" Hani-senpai says, overjoyed because no one else usually eats with him.

"Here Mizu-chan. Have some chocolate cake." he says, handing her a plate with a huge slice on it.

"Thanks!" she says, taking a fork and taking a huge bite.

"Mizuki, you realize you aren't part of the club right? If you would like to stay here during activities then you must request a host to sit with." Kyoya-senpai says.

"Fuh. Whabebba." she says around another huge bite of cake. (translation: Fine. Whatever.)

"Request us Mizuki!" Kauru and I say together.

"Sure. I don't care. Can I have another slice of cake?" she asks.

"No way! You're finished? Do you normally eat like that?" I ask.

"Um, yeah." she says, looking at me weirdly.

"Where do you put it all, you're so thin!" Tono says, very blunt as usual.

"I don't know. Don't really care either." she says, taking another bite of cake.

"It's time for us to start. Everyone, places! Mizuki, just follow Hikaru and Kauru to their station." Kyoya says, breaking up our party.

Haruhi comes out of the back room with a tea set. I didn't even realize she came in! Kauru and I go to our place and Mizuki shoots over on her skateboard. She crashed into the arm of the sofa and flips over, landing upside down at the other arm.

"Mizuki! You're wearing a dress!" Tono yells from the middle of the room.

"Sorry!" she yells back, flipping over and sitting like a proper lady and stashing her board and bag under the sofa.

The doors swing open and the roses start blowing out.

"I really want to know how that's rigged." Mizuki mumbles.

"Welcome!" all of us hosts say from our stations.

Kauru and I gasp silently when we see boys in the crowd too. Why are they here? We listen to their mumbling.

"Are you sure Mizuki-chan came in here?"

"There she is!"

"She looks so cute!"

"Beautiful, more like it!"

Mizuki? MIZUKI? No way. Everyone requests hosts and I see all of the boys heading towards us along with a few girls.

"Mizuki-chan, why are you sitting with them? Don't you have your own table?" one of the boys, Juko I think, asks.

"Oh I'm not a host! I'm sorry." she says, smiling a dazzling smile.

"B-but Ootori-san let us request you." Juko says, stuttering in awe.

"Oh, well here. There's a clear space over there. If you all don't mind sitting on the floor, I'm sure we can sit over there." she says, cocking her head to the side, thinking.

God, she is good at this. Stupid acting.

"Oh, we don't mind." one of the other guys says.

"Well then let's go!" she says, excited.

She links arms with Juko and one of his friends and leads them over to the empty space. She might as well have been a piece of bacon and them dogs. Crazy. The girls sitting with us mumbled among themselves for a few minutes before they started talking to us. After about fifteen minutes, Mizuki excuses herself to use the restroom. Jenita, pretty much the head girl in the clique that usually chooses us, excuses herself too. I tell Kauru I'm going to the bathroom and apologize to the girls and walk out, hiding behind a wall. Jenita is sitting on a window sill. Waiting. Mizuki walks out of the bathroom and walks past Jenita, saying hello and smiling. Jenita smirks at her and trips her. What? This is why I followed, I expected something going on. Jenita bent down, level with the now sitting Mizuki.

She grabs a lock of Mizuki's hair and growls, "You stay away from those boys. And the hosts. I may have been friendly this morning, but I hated you from the beginning."

Mizuki smirks at her and makes a silent motion that only I could see. She must have known I was there. I start walking around the corner, acting oblivious.

"Oh, there you are Mizuki! What happened?" I ask, eying Jenita.

"Oh, she just fell. I was trying to help her up." Jenita says quickly.

Mizuki stands up and winces.

"God, I think I wrenched my ankle. Shoot I'm such a klutz." she says sadly.

I see what she's doing. Messing with people's minds. My specialty.

"Ah, let me carry you back." I say, moving to pick her up.

"Nah, I'm fine." she says, taking a step and crumpling to the ground, "Ow."

I pick her up and carry her back around the corner, leaving a gaping Jenita behind us.

"You probably shouldn't have done that." I whisper as we walk back to the room.

"But it was like right there! I had to take that!" she says.

I sigh and shake my head as we walk back in, acting like nothing happened. She didn't hurt her ankle at all. I thought maybe she had hurt it a little at least, she's a good actress. We finish the activities for the day and have the meeting where Kyoya tells Mizuki that he will be ordering her a table of her own. Evidently she brought in a big enough profit.

"Really? Yay!" is her comment about it.

Now, it's time to leave.

Mizuki's POV

I say goodbye to everyone and skate out of the school. I'm skating along, oblivious. Then I slam into someone's chest.

"Oh, hey Souko! What's up?" I say, Souko is the director at UAR.

"What did you do?" he asks, helping me up.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Everyone quit!" he yells, "All of the actors other than you."

"Hollywood or Bust? It's opening night tonight!" I say.

"No, Of Actresses and the Rich." he says.

"Why did you assume it was me?" I ask.

"It's always you." he says simply.

"Oh yeah." I say sheepishly.

"Where are we going to find seven guys to act with you before first read through next week?" Souko shouts.

"Hmmm. Can one be a girl who passes as a guy?" I ask, getting an idea.

"Anything!" he says.

"I've got it! The hosts!" I say.

'I've got it! The hosts!' Oh line, how do I love thee? I have wanted to use thee, dear line, since I thought of you. About five seconds ago. Yeahhhh.