Waking up was hell. My alarm went off, but all I wanted to do was stay in bed and just sleep the day away. I've learned that the best way for me to overcome any lingering feelings of anxiety was just to go out and face it head on, although I would do it reluctantly.

Finally pulling myself out of bed, I realized that I wouldn't have enough time to take a shower and pick an outfit out without being late for school. Sighing in defeat, I walked over to the closet and stared into it once again. Today I would dress simply. I grabbed one of the few day-to-day dresses I owned, an off-the-shoulder black dress that ended near my knees in the front and flowed to my ankles in the back, with two small pieces of lacing on the bodice. Paired with some plain nylons and my mary-janes, it would be a safe outfit to wear.

I donned my clothing and glanced into the mirror. As normal as my outfit was, it was missing something. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and added black bow as well. After debating for another moment, I grabbed me Howlite pendant and put that on too. Finally, the look was complete.

Seeing it was almost 7.15, I gathered up all my school supplies, and ran out of my room, barely stopping in the kitchen long enough to grab a bottle of water before meeting Haruhi outside.

She smiled gently at me and held out a thermos. "You always wake up late the day after an attack, so I brought you some coffee."

I grabbed the thermos from her and practically downed the whole thing in one go. "Thanks babe, I needed that."

We continued walking in silence for a moment before she spoke up. "Sen, what are you planning to wear to the dance tomorrow?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. I figured I'd go to the thrift store after school today, see if I can find something suitable to wear. Although, I might have to ask around and see what will be passable. This isn't like our old school, where we could find some cheap here-ya-go that looked nice, I mean. These people are pretty high-class, as much as I loathe to admit it."

We stopped just outside the classroom, as always. I shrugged at her, not knowing how to express my thoughts, and entered the noisy room.

Girls, as always, were hanging around the desk Kyoya and I sat at, but today I didn't have the energy to face them. Instead, I made my way over to a desk in the back corner and sat there, taking out my new book and trying to immerse myself in it.

Which ultimately failed. Even without sitting with Kyoya, all I could hear were girls talking and chattering and just being all around annoying. Of course, hearing my name circling around the room didn't exactly help me concentrate. I glanced towards the front of the room and looked at the clock, realizing that advisory still had 5 minutes left. Man, 20 minutes could pass by so slowly sometimes.

Giving up the pretense of reading, I put my book away and just lay my head in my arms, urging time to move faster. It doesn't help. It lets me hear exactly what the other girls are saying.

" -heard she was pulled from school yesterday."

"When she was dismissed yesterday, Kyoya escorted her to the Dean."

"Maybe she's getting expelled."

At that, I whip my head up and glare in the direction of the girl who said that. Goodness, these people gossip worse than the kids back home. Seeing my glare, the girl had enough sense to blush and look away. I keep my glare up for a moment, moving it around the group of girls, silently daring one of them to speak about me again. None of them do.

The bell finally rings, and I let my glare drop so I can gather up my bag and leave. As everyone cleared the room, a hand wrapped around my arm keeping me from leaving. "You know, dressing in darker colors isn't going to stop them talking. If you want them to leave you alone, continue to be yourself. Keeping up with appearances and routine goes a long way in keeping the balance."

I glanced back to Kyoya. His voice was even, but I could feel a bit of irritation coming from him. His glasses were reflecting off the lights, so they were hidden from me. I gave him the best smile I could and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind for tomorrow, but I just need a day to kind of get my feet wet before diving right back in again. Just... give me today."

After a moment of silence, he let go of my arm and walked ahead, holding the door open. "Then I suggest you get to class Miss Hagaroshi. Restart your routine by getting to class on time."

I nodded and headed for class. Algebra is an excellent distraction from reality, after all.

So that was a really sucky chapter 11, but hey anxiety bull is over with. I know it's been a hot minute since I've updated but I promise I'm not dead, my inspiration for... everything just decided to go on a vacation without me. But it's back, and I promise to get another chapter out as soon as I can! ~IAE