GOOD PEOPLE
Chapter Three
"You have pretty eyes."
That's what he told me.
He was an oxygen thief having taken everyone's breath away with his incredibly symmetric looks. A warm smile was on his face which was currently located ten centimeters away from my own face as I laid on the ground staring up at him with my wide "pretty" eyes.
"Hazu, why in the name of all that is holy are you still in bed?!"
I moaned in agony, hoping Ajun would go away. And she did, leaving me to sleep in to wallow in my misery the rest of the day.
Not.
"Up! Up! Up! Up! Up!" Ajun shouted jumping on my bed.
"Be gone, demon!" I yelled making a cross out of my pillows. "Come out, Shamoo!"
This only made Ajun even more irritated. "Hazu-chan, I do not know who this "shampoo" is-"
"Shamoo."
"Whatever!" Ajun roared. "We have ten minutes until we're late and I already promised everyone I'd show them my cool American roommate! Where is the cool American I saw yesterday?! How am supposed to show you off with those huge bags under your eyes and messy hair?"
Sitting up in bed, I glared at her. "Okay, one, I am half Japanese, half Arab. And two, you will not be doing any of this "showing of." Now leave me alone! I'm never getting out of bed again!"
"And why the bloody hell not?!"
"I'm dying!"
"Oh, come off it!"
I don't know what hurt more. The fact that Ajun didn't believe me or that she attacked me with a brush.
My curly, knotted bloody red hair was fixed into a high pony tail and I think Ajun dressed me.
I'm not sure. It's all a blur.
I was herded out of the room and outside into a huge crowd of students. Ajun took my hand and lead me through the groups and to our classroom where I was talked to as though I were mentally-challenged, people pronouncing each word slowly.
I was often reffered to as "the foreigner," something that only further spoiled my mood.
It was only at lunch, though, that Ajun noticed this.
Hazu-chan," she said. "I feel it is my duty as your new best friend to ask why you have been looking scarier than usual."
I couldn't help but stare at her. It was close to the end of lunch and I guess it was just then that Ajun realized me groveling in my depression. But still...
"Best friend? I don't remember agreeing to--nevermind. Scary? What are you talking about?"
"That," Ajun waved her hand around the cafeteria. "Is what I'm talking about."
Looking up I immediately saw the whole cafeteria turn away and suddenly became aware that no one occupied any of the tables within a ten foot radius of Ajun and I.
"None of my friends want to eat, let alone sit, with us because you've been glaring and cursing at everything," she cotinued meeting my gaze. "So I would advise that if you don't want to end up with a bad reputation, I suggest you loosen those face muscles and be a little nicer."
"What?" I blinked. "I am totally being nice! And I am not glaring!"
Ajun rolled her eyes, "When Yukari offered to help your homework you said, and I quote, "Screw you." And as for the facial expression, you're right, maybe your face is just like that, but your eyes are creepy and are giving bad vibes, if you know what I mean."
Uh, no, I did not know what she meant. This was all news to me.
"It was her own fault! She was talking to me like I was retarded!" I replied, defensively. "And my eyes are fine!"
"Then you should have just explained to everyone that you knew Japanese."
Oh...why hadn't that occurred to me?
"As for your eyes," Ajun continued. "They're yellow."
They were not. They were topaz, but when I said this she waved me away with a "whatever" and the bell rang.
Fuming, I followed Ajun out the cafeteria and met the gaze of a girl in hall. Trying to smile at her, she let out a shriek that instantly told me never to do that again.
Great. Just great. My confidence had now reached a new all-time low.
Thank you, Ajun.
I, the scary, yellow-eyed creature with flaming red hair, had planned to lock myself in my room the moment school got out, but Ajun, the miniature confidence-killer, had no intention of letting me leave.
She brought me to the opposite side of campus. And by "brought" I mean "dragged."
Standing in the cold, shivering in my skirt I was so sure this huge rally or whatever was going to be the death of me. Hence tried to escape.
Three times. Each time Ajun tackled me in the nick of time looking more and more annoyed until she clung to me and I was trapped.
But I did feel a little better, my roommate turning out to be a human-heater and all.
"So, what're we doing?" I shouted over the screams and chants.
"IIIIIIDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL!!!!!" was my reply.
Great, I was now semi-cold and deaf.
It was then that I was surprised to find that I was a little lighter. Spotting Ajun ducking through the crowd a stupid grin spread on my face. Turning around, I saw a path through the bodies of hundreds of people, light seemingly shining at the end.
Freedom!
But just as I was about to dive to make a run for it, the mob followed Ajun's lead and screamed their heads off. I suddenly understood the pain and suffering of a pin-ball as I was thrown in every direction, unable to tell the difference between the sky and the black skirts around me.
In the middle of vowing never to play pin-ball ever again, I received an extra hard shove and flew through the crowd.
"Woah!" I shrieked falling to the ground. "Ow..." I moaned and just like this morning I closed my eyes hoping that everyone would just go away and let me die in peace.
And they did, leaving me to groan about the pain I felt in my back.
Not.
"Are you all right?" A soft voice asked.
"Shamoo," I whimpered.
There were several repeats of "shampoo?" which made me want to jump to my feet and scream, "No! Shamoo! From Sea World!"
But that would require physical effort, so it was a "no-no," as Sabin would have said. At the thought of my adorable little sister I forgot all about my misery, a soft smile gracing my lips.
"You're so cute..."
"Thank you."
Forgetting about my decision to stay put, I opened my eyes, "No. Not you. My little sister."
The face so close to me shocked me and I froze on the cold ground staring up at him with big eyes.
And that's when he said it.
"You have pretty eyes."
Like a fish I laid there with my mouth opening and closing, trying to think of something to say.
"They're yellow," I replied in the same displeased voice Ajun had had at lunch.
"No," the boy shook his head thoughtfully. "They're topaz."
"That's what I said!" I nodded furiously.
Instantly I realized what an idiot I sounded like. Mentally kicking myself, I laid there fuming and ignoring the laughing and whispers until a familiar one caught my attention.
"Hazu!" Ajun's voice called. "Psst! Hazu!"
Turning my head to the side I saw Ajun Omida on her knees a meter away from me. Her face looked a little excited for reasons I didn't know, but didn't really care about. What she said next though, sent me mentally smacking myself.
"It's the Night Class!"
Snapping my neck back around, my "pretty" eyes goggled as I tried to back away from him, but you can only go so deep into the dirt without a shovel. He must have noticed my cringed and pained look because he frowned reminding me of Sabin staring at the signs on the highway and asking why we drove in a parkway and parked in a driveway.
He stood up and backed away a little allowing me to sit up and scoot closer to Ajun, my "pretty" eyes never leaving him.
"What's holding up traffic?" An obnoxious voice called and another blond appeared behind the symmetric boy. His eyes focused on me while my "pretty" eyes focused on his uniform.
The Night Class.
"Ah," he smiled advancing on me. "I've heeeeeard of youuuuuuu. The foreigner. Weeeelcome to Japaaaaan."
When I think about what happened next, I shudder and wonder what possessed me to take Ajun's advice just then.
"I'M NOT RETARDED! I CAN SPEAK JAPANESE AND I'M NOT A FOREIGNER! MY MOTHER IS JAPANESE!"
Smooth, Hazu. Smooth.
"I...see," he said while the symmetric one tried to control his laughter.
I was never one to blush but after that my face turned as red as my hair. I thought I was going to be grilled with glares and laughed at until the end of time, but the pureblood appeared beside me.
"Ali-san," the Kuran tipped his head before outstretching his hand.
I flinched and was about to get up myself but Ajun let out a huff, grabbed my hand and slapped it in Kaname's. I almost screamed at her what an idiot she was, but bit my tongue.
"It's good to see you again, Ali-san," Kaname smiled politely. I think he was punishing me for causing such a scene because he didn't let go of my hand, noticing my discomfort.
"Have you decided on joining us?"
Forget being polite. Snatching my hand away, I glared at him with my "pretty" eyes, furious.
He didn't wait for an answer and moved on toward an on-looking Yuuki who seemed a little flustered about something.
Too absorbed in my anger I didn't notice the rest of the white uniforms coming closer until it was too late. I was surrounded by the enemy. Taking deep breaths I tried not to get too caught up in their looks.
Their eyes all traveled down to my neck and stopped.
"Oh," a girl with long brown hair muttered. "It's only her."
"Be nice, Ruka," the symmetric one smiled. "I'm Takuma Ichijou, it's nice to meet you, Ali-san," he greeted holding out his hand.
Ignoring the hand, I backed out of the circle, pushing into a confused Ajun.
"Have a nice day," I replied, turning away to leave, Ajun shadowing me, trying not to explode with questions.
Never turning around, I walked as fast as I could back to the dorm and entered my room, Ajun closing the door behind them.
"What was that about?" Ajun asked calmly.
"I don't want to talk about it."
And for once she shut up.
There. Done.