A/N: Late as evarrr~! Sorry guys. But Chemistry has as of the past week really killied me, and it's frustrating because science is my subject and Chemistry is my high. But I guess me and equilibrium concentration constants have nothing to do with each other. That's okay. Next chapter is acids and bases, which I can do with my eyes closed. Or open, while I write a new chapter in this series :)) -whoosh19
Izuru Kira, Momo Hinamori, and Orihime Inoue sat in the USS Library, all studying for Ms. Matsumoto's World Studies exam that was coming up.
"So…" Momo began. "Has anyone, uh, noticed anything funny with Hiyori?"
Izuru shook his head. "I don't really associate with her."
"Shh! Keep your voices down; this is a library," Momo reminded him, even though he had whispered. He rolled his eyes.
"What do you mean funny?" Orihime probed.
"Well… like, she seems… annoyed more than usual," Momo informed.
"I haven't noticed anything."
"Ugh, you're no help, Hime! Both of you aren't helping," she complained.
Izuru snickered.
"Tell us what you know, then."
"Doesn't she like… like Dr. Kurosaki?" Momo whispered.
"What?!" Orihime interjected.
"SHH!" she cried. "No one's supposed to know!"
"Wow, Hinamori. I've never seen you gossip like this," Izuru said, feigning shock.
"I'm not gossiping; it's just that… well like, you guys heard what happened with Neliel, right?"
"… No?" Orihime said confusedly.
"Like, remember the day she got a ride from him?"
"Oh, okay, yeah. Tatsuki told me."
"Oh boy." Izuru yawned, uninterested.
"Shut up, Kira!" Momo harshly whispered. "Don't listen if you don't care. Anyways," Momo leaned towards Orihime, who was across from her. "Hiyori threw a fit when she found out. I was there. Now every time some unfortunate person mentions Nel, she goes crazy. And Hiyori's my friend, but so is Nel. All she did was get a ride. So what's the big deal with Hiyori?"
Orihime sat quietly for a second.
"I don't know. Maybe she does like him. I mean, I don't really pay attention to that kind of stuff," she finally admitted.
"Oh, well," Momo said, sighing. "I just hope she gets over whatever it is."
Grimmjow was at a local supermarket buying energy drinks. He grumbled inside himself because he pictured only gay twenty-some year old men shopping at supermarkets. He subconsciously stood straighter and flexed to "add masculinity" to his appearance.
In line, a woman with two toddler twins was loading her items onto the conveyor belt. One of the female twins was awake. She looked at Grimmjow and smiled.
"Momma! Momma!" she cried, pointing at burly man.
Aggravated and under stress, the woman grumbled. "What is it, Romi?!"
The girl's smile grew wide. "Blue!"
The mother just stared blankly at the kid before she followed the toddler's waving finger and turned around, surprised at what met her gaze.
Grimmjow huffed.
He knew it was bound to happen.
"I-I'm sorry about that," she said quickly to him before turning around and scolding her child about her lack of manners.
She then briskly paid for her items and left the awkward scene, her girl still smiling and murmuring at the head of blue hair she had seen.
"Kids," the cashier muttered, shaking his head as he scanned Grimmjow's items. "How are you today, sir?"
The tall man stared at the awkward-looking cashier before answering. "Good; how about you?"
"Never been better. Your total is $27.44."
As Grimmjow swiped his card, he looked at the cashier again. There was something off about him. Usually Grimmjow never cared about things like that, but, this wasn't a usual case.
The cashier looked like he belonged in high school with the rest of the ugly "Loners" in Soul Society.
"Something you need, sir?" he asked as he caught the blue haired man's gaze.
"Nope."
Grimmjow caught the name on his tag.
Pesche Guatiche.
… What kind of dumb ass name is that?! he thought to himself.
"Have a good day."
"You too."
I swear, Grimmjow grumbled in his head. You won't ever catch me in a supermarket again.
"Hello."
"Hi, um, Tesla."
Neliel stood at the register of Starbucks, Tesla Lindocruz in front of it.
"C-Can I help you?"
"I'd like to speak with the manager of this restaurant," he told her.
"… Okay."
She ran through the "Employees Only" door and knocked on the manager's room, wondering why in the world Tesla Lindocruz wanted to speak with her boss.
Wasn't he… wasn't he with Mr. Jiruga?
Neliel involuntarily shivered.
"Yes, come in!"
Nel nudged the door open and smiled at Miss Mayumi.
"Um, somebody requests to speak with you," Nel told her.
"Oh? I'll be right there, okay?"
The green-haired woman walked back out to the front of the store, her insides buzzing with confusion and slight fear.
"S-She'll be right out. Sorry for the minor wait."
Tesla nodded and sat at a booth in the corner of the restaurant.
Nel couldn't keep her eyes off him.
It wasn't like she admired him or anything.
It's just that… well…
He wasn't supposed to come near her, ever again.
At least that's what she remembered Mr. Jiruga telling her a long time ago.
But she wasn't supposed to trust Mr. Jiruga, either.
Right?
She couldn't remember!
All she knew was to stay far away from them both, otherwise…
Well, something would happen.
She just didn't recall what.
Her eyes scanned the restaurant in a bored fashion, since there were no customers at the time. It was then that her manager walked out through the "Employees Only" door and steered towards Nel.
"Who's here?" she whispered.
Nel bobbed her head in Tesla's direction, watching him intently as he tapped on an electronic in his hand.
"Ah, okay."
The green haired woman observed with anticipation as her boss walked up to and shook hands with someone she'd deemed as 'dangerous'.
After fifteen minutes of painful patience, Tesla and Miss Mayumi shook hands again and exchanged good-byes.
Nel's eyes followed the blonde man as he stepped out of the restaurant.
"Neliel," Miss Mayumi sang quietly. "I think someone likes you!"
Nel's heart beat erratically; not because of what her boss had just come up with, but what lay behind it. When she heard those words, the "He mentioned you!" she asked her what he said about her.
"Oh nothing," her boss bluffed. "He's just thinking of applying here, and he wanted to know if he'd be working opposite or same shifts as you. I told him you're here only Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so he should consider that into his schedule, whether same or opposite works for him. But I think that was just a round-a-bout way to see how many times he can visit you in a week!"
Miss Mayumi winked at the now shocked Nel, walking back into the rear of the restaurant.
It was just a round-a-bout way…
That made so much sense.
