Chapter 6

Shun

"I'm WHAT?!" Shun gasped. "Grace! What did you do?!"

"I signed you up for the talent showcase!" Grace cheered. "You're welcome!"

"I'm not thanking you," Shun muttered. "I can't sing in front of people! I can't even sing in front of myself!"

"What if nobody exists? Would you sing then?"

"Grace, that's impossible."

"Only if you BELIEVE it's impossible!"

"This is serious, Grace!" Shun snapped. "Help me find a way out of this."

"The others couldn't get out of it," Grace pointed out. Shun groaned.

"The others are Kyoya and Chazz. Kyoya likes annoying people, so he'll probably go up and mess up on purpose. And Chazz will be asleep for half of it," Shun said.

"So why won't you mess up on purpose?" Grace wondered aloud.

"Because..." Shun trailed off. "Because...of Irene."

"Who's Irene?" Grace asked. "Do I know her?"

"Not yet...but you will," Shun assured her. "She's in all six like you."

"Hey, is she that green-haired peppy adorable chick who's always the first to go up these days and who draws unicorns and puppies and alien torture machines in art class?" Grace asked.

"Yep, that's Irene all right," Shun said, smiling slightly.

"Why would she care if you sing or not?"

"I...want to see...if she'll harmonize with me." Shun blushed and turned away.

"Aw, you like Irene!" Grace squealed. "That's so cute!"

"Not so loud!" Shun pleaded. "Chloe might hear. She's right across the hall."

"And why would Chloe care if you have a crush on Irene?" Grace prompted.

Shun blushed harder. "She...kinda has a crush on me."

"Of course." Grace stood. "Well, I'm gonna go ask Miss Raven which room Irene's in so that I can introduce myself."

"No need!" a shrill voice exclaimed. A girl with long, poofy green hair and blue eyes skipped in merrily, plopping down next to Shun. "I'm Irene. Are you Shun's roommate?"

"Yeah, I'm Grace," Grace explained. "It's nice to meet you!"

Irene looked at Shun. "Hi," she said simply. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and crossed her legs. Shun blushed even more and Grace beamed.

"AWWWWW!" she cheered. "I'm leaving now! Have fun without me!" Then she ran out of the room, down the hall, towards Jo's room.

"Oh, we will!" Irene called. She turned back to Shun. "Are you okay? You're all red."

"I have...pollen allergies," Shun explained quietly.

"There's no pollen in here," Irene pointed out.

"...It's...invisible pollen," Shun said.

"Silly! Pollen can't be invisible!" Irene scoffed.

"It can if it's from...the...South African invisible pollen plant..." Shun said, trailing off. "We got one here last week."

"It would die on the trip," Irene said.

"It lives forever."

"That's impossible."

I need another excuse! She can't know how I feel, Shun thought hopelessly. "Um...only if you believe it's impossible." Real smooth.

"That's right!" Irene gasped.

"It is?" Shun asked, tipping his head. Irene nodded.

"I hope you get over your invisible pollen allergies soon!" she squeaked, standing. "I have to go now. Bye, honey!" Then she was gone, leaving Shun blushing on his bed, thankful that his excuse had been believed. Grace ran into the room, smiling like a maniac.

"So, did you kiss her? Or did she kiss you?"

"N-neither!" Shun insisted. "Just...leave me alone."

"NOOOO!" Grace squealed. "It's just too CUTE!"

Shun jumped up. "That's it. Go away."

Grace blinked. "This is my room, silly!" she chuckled. "I'm looking forward to hearing you sing, by the way." Shun moaned.

"Stop reminding me," he ordered. "Just...take a bath or something."

"Okay! Bye-bye!" Grace hustled into the bathroom, shut the door, and sang softly. Shun listened to her match all the notes, and for once felt a tiny twinge of jealousy for his crazy roommate.