I woke up feeling kinda gloomy.
Must be from what happened yesterday…
I thought sadly as memories from yesterday are still good as new.
Will everyone still accept me when they found out the truth?
I got in the shower and turned the knob. I let the water soothe my body while hot tears roll down my cheeks. I stood there motionless while I think things over. I got out as soon as I found out that the more I think, the more I get depressed.
I got dressed and sat down for breakfast. Surprisingly, I saw Ryoma there. I quickly smiled the widest smile I could.
The widest but not the real one..
I tried to be myself today. Talking like nothing happened yesterday. I smiled every time I could but I find it so hard to. It's like I'm hurting inside. To make things worse, Ryoma told me that he had to go earlier than usual for some earlier practice. Now, I'm walking alone to school thinking..
Why would it hurt that much? What was it that made them so important?
I finally admitted to myself that during the last couple of days, they seem to get close, closer to my heart that if something happens, I could get scarred for life. I laughed silently as I thought of what they did to me for me to think of them 24/7.
They accepted me even if I am a complete stranger to them.
Would confessing the truth make things better? I'm so scared of making the wrong decision..
I'm afraid I could lose them….
I strolled bitterly towards the tennis courts. I tried to look for the regulars but they were out of sight. I heard a gruff voice behind me.
"You must be Hinotoko-san.. My team talks about you a lot.. Please come to the boy's locker room.. You have some concerns to attend to…and apparently, the boys like you so much that they had to come to this.." A woman in he fifties said..
"The boys like you so much…"
So they really accepted me after all. I bade goodbye to the woman and ran to the locker room. Surprisingly, I found it dark and empty… that was when..
"SURPRISE!!"
The lights opened and confetti flew everywhere. Eiji surprised me with the most deadly hug ever..
"Rei-chan!! Thank you for being a true friend to all of us.. to all of seigaku regulars!!" Eiji shouted that my ears might be bleeding by now.
For being a true friend.. I thought sadly.
I'm not as TRUE as you think I am, Eiji...
I tried to smile and give Eiji a quick kiss on the cheek on which he bounced after blushing a few thousand shades of red..
They've got food and ice cream too! I wonder what's the occasion..
"Anou.. Eiji.. what's the occasion? My birthday's next month..." I asked.
"You don't need a reason for a celebration, nya!"
"Saa, Think of it as a payback for the cookies and the ice cream.." Fuji said while having that sadistic smile STILL plastered on his face.
His smile never fails to creep me out...
I decided to stop being an emo and enjoy the rest of my life. I took little chats with everyone and learned a few things about them. I knew Kawamura-san run a sushi parlor. I learned that Momo enjoys burgers more than ice cream but enjoyed it nonetheless. I also knew that Fuji has siblings too! The younger one was also a member of the tennis team in St. Rudolph. I decided to get some fresh air since it was still VERY early in the morning. When I was about to enjoy the ambiance of the morning, a voice so familiar interrupted,
"Hinotoko-san.."
Only one person can call me that name with such formality...
I turned around and saw him..
Tezuka..
"Go eat ice cream, Ice-man.. Make yourself fat!" I said while sticking my tongue out.
"About yesterday..." He said while re-adjusting his glasses.
Always re-adjusting his glasses.. Urgh! I'm getting sick of his routine...
"Uhmm.. Yeah.. What about yesterday?"
"I thought things over..." He said while being so nervous and stuff..
Man, everyone seems to like suspense!
Apparently.. I don't...
"Get straight to the point, Ice-man.." I asked in an annoyed tone.
"If you have problems in anything, you can tell me.. I can be your.." Tezuka said while pinching the bridge of his nose.
Man! Fast forward please!
"... I can be your friend.." He said while trailing off and looking up at the sunrise..
He looked at me as if waiting for an answer. I decided to stay silent for a while longer and looked at the sunrise as well.
"Now, that wasn't so hard was it?" I said while looking at him with my head tilted a bit.
I walked up to him and pinched him hard on the cheek.
"I guess if you wanna be my friend, you SHOULD smile a lot!!"
We hurried back inside as if nothing happened. Nobody seemed to notice that we were gone for a while.
That's a good thing. I don't wanna get assumptions..
Nobody noticed except one..
"Saa, this is interesting..."
-Fast Forward -
I felt alot better after what the regulars did. I decided to think that sulking won't do me any good. The whole day went well and even if Mr. Fujima showered me a bazillion math problems, Ice-man was ready to help. Somehow, I felt kinda guilty. Ice-man is being a true friend to me. He helped me with math and he helped cheer me up in ways he couldn't see. I felt kinda guilty that I wasn't able to help him that much.
Finding his happiness, eh? That's kinda hard to do...
I took my regular stroll to the courts and sighed. I greeted them like everyday but at the back of my mind, I'm still thinking on how to make Ice-man happy.
"Yoohoo!! Earth to Rei-chan!!" Eiji said while
I quickly snapped out of thoughts.
"Uhmm.. Yeah..?"
"Come on! Let's go to the cake shop Oishi and I found! Our treat!!" Eiji shouted while glomping me.
"Our treat.."
You have to wait a bazillion years for Eiji to say that..
I laughed and said, "Are you guys serious? I eat alot.. I don't know if you could..."
"Don't doubt us, Rei-chan!! Of course we can pay, nya!"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!! You too, Ryuuzaki-sensei!!" I said while dragging them. All of them I mean.
Since I don't know the way to the cake shop, Oishi and Eiji led the way. As soon as we entered, I was off to cake land.
Ohh.. That sweet smell.. The scrumptious taste and oh so sweet frosting...
We got a table and ordered. Since they said that they would pay for it, I ordered 7 different slices:
Black Forest, Triple Chocolate, Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu, Strawberry cheesecake, Oreo cheesecake and Ice cream cake.
They each ordered a slice except for Momo and Eiji who seemed to order a bit of extra serving in everything they eat.
At least they've got tennis to burn those calories.. I thought.
While they're staying fit and healthy, I, on the other hand, am starting to get fat. I stopped wolfing down my cake and stared for quite a while.
If I get fat, would my clothes still fit me? What would happen if I wore super skin tight clothes during a concert? omigosh...
Ice-man seemed to notice and he stopped eating. One by one, the regulars stopped eating. (Eiji being the last one to stop!) I looked at all of them and asked,
"Guys.. Tell me.. I mean as honest as you can ever be.."
"Fire away, Rei-chan!!" Eiji beamed.
"Am.. I..." I said while keeping them in suspense.
"You are what..? Enough suspense, Rei-chan! I wanna eat my cake, nya!"
"Am... I... Fat?" I finally dropped the bomb.
They got shocked and couldn't talk for a few seconds. Unknown to me, Fuji had come up with a sadistic plan..
"Saa, come to think of it, Rei-chan, you ARE starting to get fat.. Must be the appetite.." Fuji said.
Since when did he call me "Rei-chan"?
"Really...?" I said while going oogly-eyed.
"Hai.. Maybe tennis can help you loose some extra calories..." Fuji stated while his creepy sadistic smile grew wider than the earth's equator.
He HAS got to cut the "creepy-sadistic-smile" crap... It's freaking me out!!
"Come to think of it, if she's Ryoma's cousin, she might have talent.." Oishi said while rubbing his temples.
"Rei-chan might even be a genius!!" Eiji shouted as he stood up while some icing got to his mouth.
I sweatdropped.
"Uhmm.. guys.." I said.
"There! Rei-chan's gonna admit it!" Eiji said louder.
By now, everyone is listening to what I have to say.. even Ryuuzaki-sensei.
"The truth is... I don't know how to play tennis.." I said while looking down
They stared with bigger oogly eyes.
"Truth be told, I haven't even held a racket before!" I protested.
Somehow, I saw Fuji creepily smiled the widest..
"Saa, why don't one of us teach Rei-chan how to play?" Fuji decided to burst the bubble.
