Day two did not go well.
Actually, it started off well enough. It's great, it's swell, my hair looks bomb af, I slayed my eyeliner, and I was on time for school. As I was walking with Haruhi, I remarked that it was looking to be a nice day.
I was wrong. I was very wrong.
By the time I had made it to English, I was in a good enough mood that being blindsided by a pop quiz had very little impact on my psyche (that and the fact that it's my native language, like how hard is that shit). What did have an impact on my psyche, however, was failing said pop quiz.
"What the hell do you mean I got a 47%?"
"I mean that you got a 47%."
"How?"
"I should be asking you that."
"No seriously," I demanded, exasperated, "how did I fail this test? It was a review on advanced personality adjectives and the conditional tense. I speak the language natively god dammit! This is objectively impossible."
"Maybe you're just not as proficient as you thought." Challenged the teacher, irritated.
"I really don't think that's it."
"Well, I really don't care."
"Well, you're really starting to piss me off, you know that?" Before the fight could turn into a mob wives-level catfight (and with the amount of tension between the two of us, it was getting there), Honey bounded up, stuffed rabbit in one hand and a pink crayon in the other, the friendly giant trailing behind him.
"Kae-chan, why don't you come color with us!" I looked down at the kid coldly.
"Look pipsqueak, I'm really not in the mood for your cutie pie bullsh-" My sentence was cut off as I suddenly wheezed, both in surprise and physical exertion. I was airborne, Kaeden had officially reached 0 G's. And then, just as quickly as air entered my lungs, it was forced out by the boney protrusion of a shoulder digging into my stomach. Needless to say it was the most uncomfortable I had ever been in the span of about four seconds.
The now not-so-friendly giant had straight slung me like a sack of potatoes over his back and was making his way back to our desks, the hobbit in tow.
"Mori!" I shrieked, pissed that a) I wasn't able to finish my argument with the teacher and b) I was being manhandled, "Put me down this instant!"
"No." He stated solemnly. I tried to wiggle free, but for all of my height and strength, Mori had four inches and about seventy pounds of pure muscle on me. I was toast.
I scoffed and angrily crossed my arms (or tried to as best I could when I was being carried like a fucking knapsack) and resigned myself to being carried like a child back to my desk.
We continued on past our desks and when I asked just where the fuck he was going, he all but dropped me onto a chair in the back corner of the class and I couldn't help but feel like I had chipped off a portion of my tailbone.
"Fucking ow…" I muttered under my breath as I glared up at my captor, who had pulled up a chair in front of me.
"Mitsukuni, why don't you go back to coloring," Mori said lowly, his tone suggesting it was less of a suggestion and more of an order. Honey looked quickly between the two of us and shrugged before bouncing off to get more paper.
"What the fuck did you do that for?" I spat, properly crossing my arms this time. He just stared at me, and under his gaze I felt like a little kid who got caught with their hand in a cookie jar.
"What?" I snapped, irritably. I hated being called out. "I was trying to fix my stupid test with that idiot of a teacher, and now no thanks to you, I'll be stuck with a fucking F."
"You would have been sent to the office. Again. And most likely suspended." I gasped and dropped my jaw in irate incredulity.
"How did you know about that?" I hissed, my eyes darting around the classroom. I couldn't very well have everyone in the school aware of my current…disciplinary standing. It would completely invalidate all of my threats. Mori was unfazed, and didn't bother to answer.
"Well, I didn't need your help okay?" I scoffed, "I could have handle it. I'm not stupid." He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head.
"You were one wrong word away from suspension." I sat in silence for a moment, replaying the conversation I had with the teacher. Was it really that bad?
I widened my eyes and closed my mouth. I had sworn at a teacher! Fuck! I was lucky my ass wasn't in the office right now!
"Mitsukuni was trying to keep that from happening." I then replayed my cruel words to the kid.
"And I…" I replayed my harsh words, cringing. Mori nodded solemnly, "Oh god," I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. Why was being nice so goddamn hard for me?
"I'm sorry…" I offered weakly. He nodded but then shifted his gaze to the small blond sitting at his desk a few rows up. I made to get up but was reminded of my… less than soft landing and all but grabbed my lower back, groaning.
Mori grimaced slightly, and I took it as an apology. I shook my head.
"Nah it's my fault anyways. Kind of deserved it if we're being honest," I extended my hand, "Truce?"
"Truce," he agreed quietly, lightly taking my hand. I then made my way back to our desks.
"Honey…" He responded with a hum as he colored a flower with crayons. 17 my ass.
"I'm sorry for being mean earlier. That wasn't very nice of me." He looked up from his drawing and giggled.
"It's okay Kae-chan, I know you were mad about your test score. Do you want to color?"
"Yeah, I think I do. Is that okay?"
"Of course!" Honey beamed and handed me a piece of paper and some crayons. Mori took a seat across from us and took out a small leather-bound notebook. I needed to remind myself to ask what was in it.
"Are you mad at me?" I asked, hesitantly. I wasn't used to straight forgiveness, and if I ever got it (or what looked like it), it came with a whole week's worth of passive-aggression.
"Of course not! We're friends!"
"We… are?" I asked, confused. Hadn't I met him yesterday?
"Aren't we?" Honey asked, crocodile tears welling up in his huge puppy dog eyes. I looked up to find Mori watching me passively. I winked.
"Of course we're friends silly!" I answered cheerfully. Honey squealed and gave me a huge bear hug, Mori nodded solemnly and returned to whatever he had been writing.
Honey and I colored together until the bell finally rang signaling our release, and I made to book it out of class. However, I found the hobbit holding on to the hem of my sweater, giving me the largest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen on a living creature – human or otherwise.
"Honey… I've got to go to my next class…" I pleaded quietly, remembering how far of a walk it was.
"Will you promise to come to the host club today? Pleaseeee Kae-chan?" He begged.
"Well…" I cycled between Honey's adorable face and Mori's blank, if not a tad inquisitive expression – he was as curious about my answer as Honey was. I rolled my eyes and sighed melodramatically, as if it were the biggest inconvenience in the world. "We're friends right? I guess I have to go now." I grinned. Besides, I wanted to walk home again with Haruhi. It wouldn't be too bad of a time. Maybe I'd even sit with them today.
Honey cheered loudly and glomped me once again before skipping off. As Mori made to follow him I caught him by the arm.
"Thanks for setting me straight." He nodded silently, before leaving to go find his small companion.
I sat down on the desk and groaned and I dug my hands into my hair. I needed to learn how to behave if I wanted even a chance of surviving this place.
I rubbed my eyes and checked the time on my phone as I finally left. I had literally three minutes to get to my class across the school. Great. Well, if I'm going to be late, might as well make it fashionably.
I really only was two minutes late because I'm a pussy bitch who can't deal with the consequences of my actions, but apparently two minutes was enough to make a spectacle of myself. All eyes were on me as I trudged into class and took my spot front and center, hoping to avoid confrontation. I was wrong.
"Miss Hale, would you care to explain why you are late?"
"Not particularly," I answered, opting instead to put my head down on my desk.
"Then, unfortunately, I'm going to have to give you detention for lunch today." The class 'oo-ed' dramatically at the threat, but I merely rolled my eyes.
"Oooh, you know, I'm going to have to take a rain check on that one. I'm all booked up for detention this week. So if you're going to punish me, make sure to aim for next Monday at the earliest." The teacher narrowed his eyes at my sass, but his gaze was quickly diverted to the clock.
"You have a week long detention already? How- no, you know what? I don't want to know. I have to get through the Crusades in the next hour. You have detention on Monday." I clicked my tongue and resigned myself to the fact that I may very well be forever doomed to lunch-time detention before deciding that, for the second day in the row, today was not a day for concentration.
By the time our break rolled around I was ready to die of boredom and greatly relished the ability to stretch my legs. However, as soon as I made to get up, a certain asshole was posted in front of my desk. He placed a decorative box with a bow on top on my desk. I was immediately suspicious.
"For you," he gestured sweetly to the gift. What the fuck? Welcome to left field I guess. I narrowed my eyes and scooted back as far away from the desk as I could.
"Well if it isn't my favorite asshole. Is this a bomb?" I asked, apprehensive. His laugh was light, but the accompanying smile was tight.
"Of course not; it's a gift for you." I could tell he was trying his best to act sincere, but his smile had a sort of Ken-doll quality to it that said otherwise.
What motivation would this thundercunt have for giving me a gift if not to brutally murder me? I mean I didn't think he'd be so blatant about it but I guess you can't judge a person by their murderous thoughts.
"Why?" I asked, determined to figure what fucking dimension I had just fallen into. At this point, a small group had gathered around my desk, which was a little annoying, but at least there would be a bunch of witnesses if it were a bomb. I could see Tamaki watching from a few students back, strangely silent and impassive.
"Why not mademoiselle?" I narrowed my eyes.
"I can think of exactly five day's worth of reasons why." I retorted, referring to our first meeting last Thursday.
"Perhaps I want to extend an olive branch." I snorted.
"Sure. And I'm a monkey's uncle."
"I can neither confirm nor deny that fact," I rolled my eyes, at least he still had it in him to be a little snarky, "Just open it." He ordered; I could tell irritation was creeping in. I studied him for a minute or two, trying to determine what kind of trap was contained in this box.
I hesitantly pulled the lid off and braced myself for an explosion, a spring-loaded knife, anything. It was rather anti-climatic.
I peered inside to find no weapons, only nauseatingly pink tissue paper and… jewelry?
It was a necklace and a pair of earrings. A very expensive looking necklace and pair of earrings – they were borderline gaudy. All of the girls surrounding my desk immediately swooned. And I was immediately suspicious again.
"What is this?" I asked, baffled.
"A gift." Kyoya answered matter of factly.
"And this is your peace offering to me?"
"Yes." Jewelry. How impersonal. I sat and thought for a moment about this gutter slag's sudden "change of heart."
I wasn't buying it. Not a damn bit. I didn't know what the fuck this is all about, but I really didn't want to find out.
"Well I don't want it." I answered, pushing the box away from me. The girls in the crowd around me gasped comically, and Kyoya seemed slightly surprised as well.
"If these aren't your taste, then what would you prefer. I'd be happy to get you something different." He answered. It was fake. It was so fake. His smile was fake, his words were fake, the stupid necklace and earrings were fake (well I think they were real and very expensive, but they were metaphorically fake).
"I don't want anything from you. You can't buy me." He sighed impatiently and glanced around at the crowd of students standing around him, obviously trying to weigh his options in order to avoid causing a scene. He leaned close to me to avoid being overheard.
"I'm not trying to buy you. Just take the damn jewelry." He said, low and tight. I could tell I was getting under his skin.
"Ooh does your Daddy know you use those dirty words, Kyoya? Naughty naughty." I smirked. He gritted his teeth angrily.
"Take. The fucking. Jewelry." I leaned in to whisper my response in his ear.
"No."
When I sat back, I honestly believed he was ready to strangle me, but luckily, I was saved by the bell, and all of the students, including jolly ole' gift giving St. Nick himself, returned to their seats, whispering amongst themselves the entire way. However, that stupid box was still on my desk, and I didn't want it.
I turned around and went to leave it on his desk but was stopped by his harsh whisper.
"I promise you they are worth a lot of money, money you no longer have. And I wasn't lying when I said I'd get you something else. What do you want? A laptop? A car? A trip to Disneyland?" I rolled my eyes.
"Unfortunately I'm not nearly as materialistic as most of the people you deal with. And you weren't listening. You can't buy my forgiveness, and if you think you can, you don't deserve it."
"I'm not trying to buy your forgiveness." He once again insisted impatiently.
"I think that's exactly what you're doing. You can't bribe me like the rest of your…associates." I whispered back hotly, "Now are you going to take back this shit or not?"
"No, I told you it's a peace offering. Keep it, sell it, do what you wish." I groaned, annoyed. If he didn't want it, that's fine. But I'm not taking it.
And I'm making that pretty damn clear.
I got up out of my chair and dumped the box in the trashcan loudly, shooting him a pointed look. I could see Tamaki watching with wide eyes in the seat next to him, and I was surprised that he had remained silent the entire time. The teacher stopped talking at the noise, and as I silently made my way back to my seat I could see many of the girls staring at me, shocked.
As I returned to my seat, I leaned into him again to angrily whisper, "I don't want your 'friendship'," I quoted the air with my fingers, "I want you to leave me alone." Kyoya looked about ready to gut me and resorted to tightly shutting his eyes and pinching his nose bridge. He took a calming deep breath before being able to face me again, and I was proud that I had gotten under his skin that much. But he still didn't give up.
"I am determined to mend this rift between us."
"Why? I don't like you, you don't like me, why can't we keep it at that." I could not understand for the life of me where he was coming from. Once again, hello left field.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot."
"I think we got off on the wrong surprise-marriage-proposal-that-destroyed-my-family thank you very much. You didn't seem so kind and forgiving then, now did you?"
"Perhaps… I've recognized the error in my ways." It sounded more like a question than a statement, and the insincerity of it all bleed through every word. I rolled my eyes.
"And what do you think of this Tamaki." Tamaki looked shocked that I had brought him into this and his wide eyes quickly flickered back and forth between Kyoya and myself. He had a look on his face like he was trying very hard to keep from throwing up, but after a few moments of frantic thinking, it looked as if the floodgates had been thrown open. Immediately he began waving his hands wildly, his attempt at being quiet ending up as more of an exaggerated stage whisper.
"I told him it wouldn't work I said 'that's not how you win back a lady' that's what I told him and did he listen to me? No, he didn't! And I was right! I knew that if he wanted to get back into your good graces that he'd have to apologize-"
Kyoya immediately clamped a hand over Tamaki's mouth, and I grinned.
"Yeah Kyoya. Why don't you apologize?" I taunted. His glare hardened, but he remained silent. We stared at each other for a few moments.
"Yeah… that's what I thou-"
"Kaeden Colleen Hale, I sincerely apologize for my actions last week. I hope you can forgive me." My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at his declaration. Well, it was less of a declaration and more of a monotone recitation
"Apology noted. Forgiveness denied."
The rest of class was noticeably tense, not just between Kyoya and myself, but apparently a good portion of the female population of the class now had some sort of vendetta against me. Not that I'm surprised, considering the host club has the entire fucking school wrapped around their fingers, but it still kind of sucked.
On the bright side, all the guys in class seemed to really dig my sass. Between the fact that I punched Akira in the face yesterday in gym (who apparently is a really unpopular and disliked guy – who would've guessed?) and the fact that I just straight rejected a host in the most blatant (and, if we're being honest – disrespectful) way possible, I guess I was on their good sides.
"Geez, you're like, the first girl to not fall for their hostly charms." One kid, Akihiko I think, commented sarcastically on our break between classes. I laughed and rolled my eyes.
"Yeah they're not really all that great. More of a nuisance if you ask me." The small group of guys near me nodded and let out loud "Amen!"s. Apparently, there had been a lot of problems with girls getting starstruck for the perpetually unavailable hosts and leaving a lot of the rest of the male population of Ouran in the dust.
"I mean, how do you compete with a club of men tailored to fit every girl's need?" I nodded.
"They're selling a fantasy. Of course reality doesn't measure up." I replied.
"Exactly!" Another guy exclaimed, "And the worst is when they've confessed and been rejected (which they always are), they come crawling back to us, still expecting to be treated like they're at the host club. We just can't keep up!" He was exasperated, and it was kind of funny how bent out of shape all of these guys were getting about the host club. I wonder if Tamaki knew his peers felt like this?
"No I totally get it. Maybe you should start a "mediocre boyfriends" club to lower the girls' expectations," I joked. Most guys laughed but I got worried when I saw a couple seem to take it a little seriously.
Geez, between the hosts, their fangirls, and the fangirls' desperate "mediocre boyfriends," I'm kind of worried about these Ouran kids.
Just kidding, that's not my fucking problem.
By the time I was out of that hellhole they call a class, I'd had already received a death threat or two on my school email (which is available to the entire school population – how convenient) and more nasty looks than I could count.
You know I usually aim to piss off one or two people a day, but at this rate I've already met my entire month's quota! I tried to avoid making contact on my way out of the classroom, and while I never want to look like I'm, god forbid, enthusiastic about anything, I straight rushed out of the class and straight to detention. I never thought I'd be thankful for a week's worth of detention, but since it gave me a pretty great excuse for not having to face any of my pissed-off peers, I was pretty hype.
When I arrived, I was under the impression I'd be cleaning a classroom, or "Uncle's" office or something. What I was not expecting was the woman in a pantsuit sitting on the couch, "Uncle" nowhere to be found.
"Um… hi. Do you know where I can find the Chairman?" I asked. Maybe he went to the bathroom?
"Kaeden Hale, right?" She asked sweetly, looking down at the legal pad in front of her. Now I was mega confused. I nodded my head slowly. What the hell was going on here?
"Hi. I'm Shime Osmai. I'm a counselor brought in by Chairman Suoh to help you work through some of your anger issues." I was immediately fuming.
"Where is he?" I asked, barely containing my anger.
"He has left us so that we may talk in private." She answered.
"Okay, well can you call him or something? Because I think there's a misunderstanding here. I don't need counseling. I'm not angry. Well, I am angry now. But I'm not like, chronically angry. So thanks but no thanks?"
"Kaeden!" I jumped at the sudden noise of a door flying open. To my (honestly misplaced) surprise, it was the Chairman bursting out of what seemed to be a coat closet, of all the ridiculous things…
"Yes sir?"
"It's 'Uncle' dear, and I really want you to talk to Miss Shime here for the duration of your detention this week."
I sighed and rubbed my temples, "Can't I just… wash the chalkboards or mop floors or something?"
"No-"
"What about scraping gum off the bottom of desks?"
"No, Ka-"
"What about scrubbing toilets with my toothbrush?"
"Kaeden! That is certainly not a very suitable punishment for a student."
"I'll take it, and all of the others, over sitting around for an hour talking about my 'feelings'." I spat the word in disgust. Ew. Emotions. Gross.
"I really think it would benefit you to talk with Miss Shime about some of the home difficulties you've been having…" He trailed off suggestively, hinting at what I can only assume to be some sort of secret knowledge (or not so secret, if you ask the rumor mills) of my recent estrangement from my father. Needless to say I was pissed.
"How…How dare you–" I began to round on him but by the time I was within maiming distance he had yelled a hasty "Good luck!" (to which of us it was directed remains a mystery) and slammed the door shut. I think I heard the click of a lock too.
Well, shit.
Now I was locked in here with a crazy therapist. Great.
"Listen lady, if you think I'm gonna sit here and blubber about my Daddy issues and tell you about my emotions, then you've got another thing coming."
I was about to let her have it.
