Her classes go by slowly.

Once she got into the swing of things, school became much less exhausting in the sense that she was no longer falling behind in every class and rushing to catch up to everyone else. Unfortunately, adjusting to school made her see it for what it really was all along: incredibly boring.

Most of her classes consist of her teacher droning while half the class falls asleep, though she has the decency to at least look like she's taking notes. Mostly, she does; after all, she knows how awful it feels to behind and she's not looking to repeat the experience. Some classes aren't as bad, she concedes. Some teachers are the type who actually teach because they're passionate about it, and none of her electives have ever been particularly terrible.

Her classes have put her asleep so effectively that she doesn't notice Jo in her gym class until the other girl passes her while running laps. To be fair, it's the first time she's seen Jo without her jacket and scarf, and even while she's running circles around everyone else she still manages a sort of languid air about her, the same apathy from before.

When Jo comes around again, Meg decides to get a good look at her. She hadn't realized how much of Jo's form had been obscured by the large, red jacket, and it's easier to see her face with the wind pushing her bangs out of her eyes. She looks strong, Meg notes, watching the muscles move in her arms and legs as she passes by. In fact, in terms of muscles, she's probably one of the strongest people Meg has seen, which comes as a surprise. She'd thought that Jo would be scrawnier, somehow, like many of the other kids that were out on the street.

Her gaze is drawn to the bandages wrapped around one of Jo's arms, gauze covering everything from her shoulder to her wrist. Before she can think about it too much, Jo starts slowing down so that she's running next to her.

It surprises her that Jo even noticed her, much less decided to run with her, but Jo acts as though it were completely natural, stepping in sync with her as she continues along the track. The taciturn girl greets her with a nod, moving a hand up to flick the bangs away from her face as she jogs.

Jo's gaze seems completely focused on the path in front of her, so Meg decides to take advantage of her proximity, studying her face. Jo's face is surprisingly kind of childish, almost cherubic if she's feeling poetic about it, though something about her expression makes her seem older. Either way, Meg notes, she's actually pretty cute, even with those unsettling red eyes of hers.

Looking closer, she notices the faint imperfections in her dark skin, small scars scattered about her face and a few more impressive ones along her arms and legs. They look like they were serious, once, far more grave than the countless scraped knees and unfortunate cuts that had constantly plagued Meg and the others. Looking at the scars decorating Jo's skin, she knows no wayward piece of glass could have caused any of that.

"Something wrong?" Jo asks, and Meg swears her soul almost leaves her body from the shock, not having expected Jo to notice her staring. Now it's Jo that's staring at her, gaze unwavering as she meets Meg's eyes.

"No, not at all," rushes Meg, and Jo turns her attention back to the track. "Why do you ask?"

For a second, Jo's eyes flick back towards her again, and she pauses a bit, as though considering something. "You slowed down," she states, and Meg feels herself blush a bit, knowing she'd gotten distracted by the other girl. She's almost certain Jo knows too, though if she went out of her way to not mention it then she might be nicer than Meg originally thought.

Maybe.

"I got tired," she says, and then realizes it's not entirely untrue. She never had the best endurance, and civilized life hasn't given her half as many reasons to run as life on the streets had, so her stamina can't match up to Jo's. It must show in her voice, because Jo nods, slows her pace just a bit more to give the other girl some time to breathe.

The silence this time is more along the lines of companionable than awkward. Meg is grateful.


She doesn't see Jo again until after school.

She finds her by accident on her way back down from her locker when she passes the math wing, surprised to see the girl having a conversation with a teacher in the hallway. She bites her lip nervously; if Jo's in trouble on the first day of school, that's bad news for her. After all, Takane's got her eye on this new girl, and there's no way she'll be happy if Jo's getting in trouble this early on in her school life.

When Meg gets closer, though, she doesn't hear the normal scolding tones she hears from most teachers when they're lecturing a student. In fact, the teacher - a man she recognizes as one of the math teachers in the school - seems to be almost happy as he speaks. He's animated, gesturing while he talks, and Jo surprises Meg further because she actually seems to be listening, her red eyes sharp and focused while he prattles on.

Meg stops a few feet away, not sure if she should intrude, but Jo's eyes flash towards her the second she brings herself to a halt. The teacher stops when Jo's focus shifts, and he turns to Meg as well.

"Ah, Meg, right? You need something?"

This is Mr. Jinno, she realizes belatedly. She remembers going to his classroom in her first year a lot; after all, he offered some pretty great tutoring for any students who were struggling. She shouldn't be surprised to find Jo here; the other girl is new after all.

"I was actually just trying to check up on Jo," Meg confesses, now a bit sheepish. Her eyes flit between Jo and the teacher. "Sorry if I interrupted something." The end of her sentence lilts, makes it sound more like a question than a statement, but Mr. Jinno shakes his head, waving his hands as though trying to physically dismiss her worries.

"Not at all, no, I was just trying to talk to Jo about the class. Girl's got some serious potential, you know?" Meg nods, remembering Jo's work in her notebook. "Of course, I gotta say, it's a pretty one-sided conversation. You don't talk much, huh?"

Jo half-shrugs. "Not everyone has to prattle on like you, Leo." She uses his first name casually, but not with an air of familiarity. It's a pointed lack of respect, but said so apathetically it can hardly be seen as a direct affront to the teacher's authority. Still, it makes Mr. Jinno's smile falter just a bit.

"Alright, fair enough. How about this; I'll try to keep my word count to a minimum, and you call me Mr. Jinno like every other student in the building?" His tone is only half joking, and he seems to hope to get something at least resembling respect from this girl.

"I'll think about it." Jo turns to Meg while Mr. Jinno deflates. "I think I'm done here," she notes, and walks away from Mr. Jinno while the older man mumbles a goodbye and slips back into his classroom. As she moves, she gestures for Meg to follow her. The redhead complies without a second thought.

"So, how'd your first day go? Do you have any questions?" she asks as they make their way to the entrance. She doesn't think to question how Jo can weave through the often convoluted hallways of the building to the exit without so much as a glance at her map; at this point, it seems like expecting the unexpected from Jo is the way to go.

"Maybe just one." Meg looks at her expectantly, and Jo sighs so deeply that Meg winces in sympathy. "Are classes always this long?"

She hadn't seen that coming. She finds herself laughing, having to stop in the hallway to do so, nearly doubling over. Jo frowns, but Meg doesn't think she's mad. In fact, she looks more disappointed than anything else. Meg does her best to reign in her laughter, gesturing for Jo to wait for her to catch her breath.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just kind of expecting a… real question."

"That was a real question."

"Well, I mean, sure, it's a question I ask myself almost every day." Meg giggles, shaking her head. "Sorry to tell you, though, but yeah, classes are always this long. I know they can kinda drag a bit."

"Well…" Jo seems to think a bit, as though analysing her current situation. After a few seconds, she seems to come to a conclusion. "That sucks."


A/N: Hey, sorry for not updating sooner. In case anyone forgot, Leo Jinno is actually a character; I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm trying to stay as far away from OCs as possible.

See you all next time!