Wednesday, January 22
Afterschool (5 pm-ish)
"Hey! Wally! Wait up!"
Wally turned and painted a crooked smile across his lips. He knew that voice. Lisa. He had noticed her in the ice cream parlor, but she wasn't confident enough to talk to him in front of Abby and Hank. But now that she had him alone… oh boy. "Hey Lisa," he greeted, obviously feigning enthusiasm. He hoped his bad acting would give her the hint, but you have to remember that when a girl is love struck, nothing else matters.
She jogged until she was in front of him, a shy smile in place. "Hey, what happened in there? You seemed upset."
Thank you Captain Obvious would you like a medal? "Nah. Everything's bloody perfect. Just didn't want to hang around with that dipstick around." Wally carelessly crossed his arms behind his head and shrugged coolly. He did his best to seem careless, but he couldn't hide annoyance from showing on his face.
Lisa's smile widened and she grabbed for one of Wally's arms, curling her arms around it. Wally blushed and leaned away from her, not exactly comfortable with her being so close to him… or touching him. But what could he do? Brush her off? He could but… despite his discomfort he didn't want to. Some company would do him some good… "Hey, let's just forget about him, k? He's just some wannabe anyway, right?"
For some reason, it still irritated him when he heard people think poorly of Nigel. He may think a lot of things about the guy himself, but that's because he knew him… Lisa didn't. "Yeah… I guess."
Lisa seemed to sense his change in mood, because she immediately dropped the flirtatious act, instead choosing to act like she actually cared. "Hey, don't worry about it," she said tenderly. "C'mon, let's get a burger or something. I'm sure that'll get your mind off of it. My treat."
He thought about turning her down and walling away… but hey. Who went better with an actor than an actor. Perhaps if he let her continue to act, he could forget. Wally pushed his hands into his sweater pocket and shrugged acceptingly, shooting her a charming half smile.
That was all the confirmation she needed before smiling like it was Christmas morning and pulling him towards the nearest burger joint by the crook of his arm. He walked in almost complete silence, with her pushing forward, never losing that excited smile or excited chatter. She never once looking back to see that unlike his smiles, Wally's eyes were cold.
Kuki Sanban sighed inwardly. She was doing it again. Her skill outdid the others' and now she stuck out like a sore thumb. And then when she tried to recover and lower herself down to their level, she underestimated the others and now she would look inferior. She bit her lip and tried to focus on the girl in front of her, and limit her own flexibility to hers.
But she was having a hard time with that. She wasn't used to dulling down her skills, even though she's been doing it for weeks now.
Kuki suddenly grimaced as she noticed the girl ahead of her ended in the fourth position instead of the third –a mistake that would have been dealt with without mercy in her previous studio. Her fellow dancer must have noticed her grimace in the mirror because she glared at Kuki. Kuki blushed and dropped her gaze, not wanting any trouble.
Kuki allowed her face to fall once she began to spin –only twice, something she could do in her sleep –and she had to bite her lip to prevent a pitiful groan when one girl stumbled on her feet. It wasn't that she was upset at the girl for messing up. No no, not at all! She didn't think less of anyone. But… she knew they would look at her, and hate her because she had completed the move perfectly. The only problem she had with the routine was she went through it at a slightly faster pace than everyone else because she had better flow than the rest of them, so she had to constantly remind herself to slow down.
It was so different from her previous class. The fight to keep up, the embarrassment of not being able to bend as low as everyone else, not able to kick as high as everyone else, not able to move as quickly as everyone else, not being able to jump as high as everyone else…
But now, she was lowering her foot with more control, from a height no one else here was able to reach, and bending forward in a bow with more skill than anyone else in the room –even the teacher.
The instructor applauded loudly, a kind smile on her lips. "Good job everyone, good job! Amy, you need to stretch a bit more. Caroline, remember, third position, not fourth…" Kuki stopped listening, choosing to focus on the floor rather than the whispers and glares aimed to harm her.
They had all noticed it as well… the instructor's criticisms had increased since her arrival. These girls, the girls who did ballet for simple pleasure and fun, were used to being accepted and rewarded despite minor mistakes.
Kuki gently cradled herself in her arms and looked up at the mirror, where her mom was watching her with her seemingly neutral expression… but Kuki could see it. The pity and apology in her eyes.
6-ish
The ride home was mostly quiet, Kuki focusing on the buildings flying by, getting lost while imagining the man running along the fences and in the lamp light, running on roofs when need be. It was a childish game, but right now all she wanted was childish games.
"I thought you did very well during that last run through. You did well in all of them actually," her mom said in her normal tone.
Kuki could tell she was trying to make her feel better, and she was happy for it. She turned back to her mom and smiled at her. "Thanks mom."
Her mom nodded curtly, and Kuki's mouth twitched upward just a bit more. Her mom wasn't good with "moments", but she didn't mind. She was usually peppy enough for the both of them. But for now Kuki just turned back to the watch streets, resting her head atop crossed arms. The man ran slightly ahead of… them?
Kuki cocked her head curiously as she noticed a blond head and orange sweater ahead of them as well. The running man forgotten, Kuki's heart started to pick up ever so slightly. She lifted her head up, admittedly excited to see the funny wrestler. He seemed to be stopped in front of a house… his maybe? That was weird though. Why would he be waiting in front of his own…
As the car approached them, Kuki could see someone was standing with him, someone smaller. A girl? Maybe. He must have gone out with a couple of friends after she left him. Maybe she should ask her mom to stop the car so she could apologize and give him a ride-
But as the car got closer, Kuki quickly pressed her back against her seat in the car, eyes wide, unable to breathe.
"Wasn't that Wallaby?" her mom asked.
"I think so," Kuki answered quietly, not trusting her voice.
"His mother didn't mention that he had a girlfriend," her mother mentioned matter-of-factly.
Kuki swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to calm her heart. "No… I don't think he does. He dates around a lot though."
"Ah."
Kuki sighed and opened the window, defaulting back to her original position, using the wind as another distraction.
For whatever reason, seeing Wally kiss that girl made her day a lot worse than her dance practice ever could.