Chapter 2:
I was out the door before he could start talking again. When I arrived home I expected to be scolded by my parents, but they had bigger problems to deal with. My father was having troubles at work and had decided last minute that we were going to move. Even though I didn't understand his reasoning I went along with the move.
By Friday afternoon we were on the other side of Shizume City with a different surname. As I transferred schools I couldn't help but feel completely out of place. We had moved so far up town that visiting Totsuka at the hospital and returning home before curfew was impossible, but his free will and what he told me about his "King" kept my mind busy while my parents tried to stay hidden. I'm not entirely sure when it started, but I stopped following the routine I had lived by for so long. I started wandering the streets after school, attempted a few clubs during high school, I even tried skipping classes like Totsuka had done.
As the years past my parents had become disappointed in me, my grades having dropped severely and myself becoming much more disobedient. I didn't want to stay hidden like they were, I wanted to explore and try things I had been ignoring since I was little. I wanted to find where I belonged. After one particularly bad fight with my father I decided to skip my morning classes by relaxing on the roof of the gymnasium. I had bought a can of juice and was using it as an icepack for my bruised and swollen cheek.
"Give it back you stupid monkey!"
I wasn't alone on the roof. Walking around the closed off stairwell I spotted two underclassmen arguing over a video game. I paused there for a moment just watching the two of them wrestle one another.
"Shut up. I'm about to win," the other said with a softer register.
"You two were are gonna get us caught if you're that loud," I broke in.
They both froze mid struggle as they stared at me. The smaller one who had brown hair flushed as he clamped his mouth shut, while the one wearing glasses just gazed at me with half-lidded eyes.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to rat you out. I just need a place to hideout for a while." I said.
I took a seat against the wall a yard or so away for the glasses guy. It felt weird speaking with a fat bottom lip, it made my words sound slurred.
"Just ignored me," I said.
Though the can separated my vision of them I could still feel both sets of eyes on me. After a while my cheek had gotten so cold from the juice that it began to go numb, so I moved it to my lip hoping that it would stop the throbbing there too.
"Whoa," one of the guys gasped.
"Stop staring stupid," the other muttered.
I peeked sideways at them, and the brunet adverted his gaze. Was the bruise that bad? I wondered. I didn't want to think about it, I was still angry about the punch, but there was nothing I could do about it now.
Lowering the can from my face I said, "Do you guys know how to play Sevens? I have a deck with me."
"Yeah," they both said slowly.
"Great," I smiled.
Pulling the cards out of my blazer pocket I removed them from the box and began shuffling. It took a few rounds, but they eventually loosened up -well except for the brunet, who's face held a consistent light pink blush.
The one who broke the silence was the guy with glasses. "Senpai," he said.
"Nao," I corrected.
He gazed at me for a moment before looking back down at his playing hand. "Nao-senpai," he began again.
And I interrupted again. "No, just Nao. I'm hardly a senpai."
"Nao, what happened to your face?"
His friend smacked him in the arm hissing, "Fushimi!"
"It's okay," I waved off his concern. "I just got into a disagreement."
"That's hardly a disagreement," glasses stated.
"He's got a point Senpai," the shy guy added.
"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing. Sort of," I laughed. I did it like Totsuka would in this sort of situation, and it worked. The boys let it go and we continued to play.
I learned their names as we went. Fushimi Sarukiko won the first hand, and Yata Misaki complained about it during the entire second round throwing a bigger tantrum when glasses won again. We met off and on for the next couple of weeks playing games and exchanging snacks while hiding out on the roof. Yata continued to call me senpai even against my complaints, while Fushimi continuously asked about each bump and bruise I turned up with, but I dodged the question every time.
"Saru-kun, you ate the last cookie," I whined.
I was pouting into an empty foil wrapper that held chocolate crumbs at the bottom. They were my favorite triple chocolate cookies, and I was saving the last one for when I finished my bitter coffee drink as a delicious treat.
"So?" Fushimi mumbled around a mouth full of chips.
We were sitting on the roof after school just like any other day. Today Yata had brought a new video game and we were taking turns trying to out do the others. It was Yata's turn now, and I was aimlessly chatting with Fushimi.
"That was my cookie," I said.
I dropped the cookie foil as I turned my pout on him. His expression didn't change from the slightly amused look he normally wore.
"You had six of them," he said.
"Yeah and you seven. I really wanted that cookie too," I complained.
Yata was grumbling at his game, barely paying any attention to us. I reached across the mess of wrappers and snagged the last of his salted caramel candy. His eyes widened momentarily as I popped it into my mouth, but he quickly reacted while I munched away on the delicious candy. He launched himself across the clutter tackling me to the roof's ground. We wrestled, Fushimi ruffling my hair, while I tugged at his blazer. We tumbled a ways from Yata trying to pin each other. I lost.
With Fushimi smirking victoriously over me I couldn't stop laughing like a fool. It was such a childish thing to do, but I had fun just joking around. It took a moment before Fushimi joined in my ridiculous laughter.
"What are you two doing?" Yata exclaimed. "Get off of Nao-senpai you stupid monkey."
"Relax Yata," I laughed. "We were just goofing around."
Yata didn't listen as he yanked Fushimi off of my while he was still laughing. Running a hand through my black hair I sat up getting my laughing fit under control. Yata and Fushimi were now the ones wrestling like children. With a sigh I got to my feet, dusted off my uniform, and used my foot to stop their rolling.
"Do you guys want to get some donuts on the way home?" I asked.
It was getting late, and food was the only way I knew how to calm these two. Yata looked up at me having Fushimi pinned under him, and his face flushed. My foot was on his shoulder which seemed to surprised him.
"Can't," was all he said as he adverted his gaze.
Fushimi, still on the ground, shrugged and said, "No."
"Okay," I smiled. Grabbing my bag from next to the wall I readied myself to leave. Waving over my shoulder I accepted the rejection and made my way over to the roof door. "Bye-bye Saru-kun, Yata."
Several months passed and fall was coming to an end which meant the roof was becoming too cold to hang out on, but we milked every last day to its fullest. It was a particularly cold day when I arrived first on the gym roof, so with my scarf wrapped tightly around my neck I decided to take a nap. I had had a pretty bad fight with my parents that morning and I had a growing pain in my side. I knew I should stop arguing with them, it would make everything simple in life again, but I didn't want simple or easy. I wanted what Totsuka had, and he had broken bones to follow it.
I was half awake when I heard the roof door open, but I couldn't find the energy to greet the arrival. I could barely find the strength to open my eyes.
"Nao-senpai!" Yata called. He was full of excitement, and loud like always. "Oh, damn," he muttered when I didn't answer him.
I tried, but I just wanted ten more minutes of sleep. I could hear him slowly make his way across the roof, and for some reason I snapped my eyes shut. It would have been smart to keep them open and let him know I could hear him, but part of my brain said to pretend to be asleep.
"Geez why is she asleep up here? It's too cold to be napping," he sighed.
His footsteps stopped right in front of me, and I could feel his gaze, and I could feel his gaze directly on me. Because I was tired. I thought at him.
"Nao-senpai is too unguarded. What if that dumb monkey had found you?"
His voice dropped, the blush obvious in his rough tone. Was this really the Yata I knew?
Saru-kun would have probably kept calling to me until I woke up.
"I like senpai," he said under his breath.
Huh? I could feel my own face flush.
"I really like Nao-senpai," he said again.
What? I shrieked inside my head.
Yata fell silent, but I could feel his presence move closer. Then there was a warm pressure on my forehead. It was either his fingers, or his lips, and I was really hoping Yata had insanely warm hands in this cold weather.
"Misaki! Nao! Hurry up," it was Fushimi who called.
Yata gasped, and I could feel his breath on the top of my head. Definitely was not his fingers.
"What are you doing?" Fushimi's voice turned a devilish, and I could just imagine the cat-like grin he was bound to be wearing. "Misaki?"
Yata could be heard stumbling backward while stuttering in response. "I-I-I wasn't . . ."
I finally managed to find the energy to move, and didn't hesitate to play up my act. "Oh wow, I was really out," I yawned stretching my arms over my head.
"Nao-senpai?" Yata questioned.
He was sprawled across his back just a few feet away. His face was cherry red and his eyes wide like he was afraid of a scolding. I glanced over at Fushimi who was snickering merrily by himself as I slowly got to my feet.
"Sorry, were you trying to wake me?" I asked Yata. "I'm a pretty stubborn sleeper. You'd need an alarm bell to wake me up," I laughed.
I offered him my hand, but he stared up at me for several long seconds before nodding and climbing to his feet. I knew he wouldn't accept my hand, Yata avoided all contact with girls, so that encounter just moments ago was more than shocking. Once on his feet Yata hurried over to his friend and kicked him in the shin while mumbling something very serious to him.
Gathering my senses I took a deep breath then started laughing at the pair as I jogged over to them. "So where have you two been?"
"Not freezing to death," Fushimi replied.
"We sent you a message about the new hangout, but you never responded," Yata added.
"I um," I paused. Flashing back to that morning with my father. "I forgot it at home. Oops," I giggled.
"You're so troublesome, Nao," Fushimi sighed as he turned for the roof door.
"I know. I'm sorry," I said.
I followed after him with Yata right on my heels.
"You dumb monkey," he hissed.
The new hangout was a rarely used storage closet on the top floor of the main building. The three of us continued to play games and chat idly like any other day, but if I had known how this day was to end I would have talked more. I would have asked more questions, gotten to know them better. Asked them to be friends, but I missed my chance.
When I returned home that night both of my parents were drunk and upset. My father was screaming at me for not being the child he wanted. I tried my hardest not to yell back, but once he smacked me across the face I lost it. I exploded back at him and returned a swift kick to his crotch before I ran off to my room lacking the door behind me.
My mother was banging on my door yelling, "Yamanaka Nao! Open this door."
"My name isn't Yamanaka!" I yelled back.
I was throwing clothes into a bag along with whatever I could grab. I had to go. I couldn't stay here anymore.
"Damn right," my father growled. "You are no child of mine!"
"Good! I don't need parents like you."
With my bag full I jammed the zipper shut, and opened my window. I didn't bother second guessing myself as I climbed out the window and made my way down the fire escape. I didn't look back.
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