A/N: Wow. The word count for this is 666. Don't you love me for updating so soon?
Friends
Sumire has a few people that she thinks of as best friends, some more that are just dubiously friends, and a whole lot more that she thinks of as idiots.
Hana, Mari and Wakako are the group of best friends that she has known almost since she first came to Alice Academy. Well, Hana came a few years after she did, and Sumire has no idea when Mari came, but that's not really the point. They're the friends that Sumire says things like, "You know, I think Koko is actually kinda cute," to, and the kind of friends that she sets up Fanclubs with and writes silly lists of Hotness with. (Which reminds her, where did Luca's list go?) And even if Wakako is annoying, and Mari is just boring, and Hana is permanently depressed, and Sumire just has to shout at them in real anger every now and then, she can't imagine life without them.
And then there are the group of "friends" that hang around on the outskirts of the disbanded Fanclub. Sumire knows all their names and their exact relationships, thoughts and crushes with anyone and everyone, but she doeesn't exactly talk to them. Mari says that they're actually really nice, but to be honest, Sumire doesn't really care what they're like. As long as they don't bother her, it's all fine. If they DO bother her, well, they asked for it.
Mikan Sakura is probably a friend. Sumire doesn't know why she cares about that idiot so much, but she does. She cares whether Mikan has to stay in a hospital and she cares about how her relationship with Natsume and/or Luca is progressing. But Mikan isn't the person Sumire likes to talk to (except in irritation) - she's just sweet, and hyper, and innocent, and very very nice, like some kind of typical cute anime character.
And on that note, Natsume and Luca are almost probably friends too. She doesn't see them as often as she did before; it's probably to do with the non-existance of the Fanclub. She's known them for absolutely ages too, so it makes sense to call them friends (like those drifters on the outskirts of her in-group), but she's not really certain. Sure, Natsume does care deep down inside, but how is anyone meant to know if he doesn't show it? At least I make it obvious how much I care (in both good and bad ways), Sumire thinks. And Luca has always been a bit weird to her after she broke up with him that time a couple of years ago. Sheesh, get over it already.
But one thing she does know is that Hotaru is not really her friend. That girl just weirds her out. As do the forever-inseparable couple of Anna and Nonoko.
Koko is her boyfriend, which is like a best friend, but with kissing and stuff. Koko is annoying, and says the most irritating things, but somehow she doesn't mind it that much. And Koko (thanks to his Alice) actually gets what Sumire wants to say and what she does say, and he doesn't get offended or make Sumire explain in slow baby terms what she means. There's no stepping around carefully, or the painful annoyance of thinking, "Is this offensive in some stupid, roundabout way that I didn't even mean?" before everything she says. And maybe he's an idiot, but he's still kinda cute. Even when telling scary stories about crossdressing murderers with a gigantic grin on his face.
Sometimes Sumire just wants to run away with Koko to a faraway land and leave everyone else behind. She'd still email them occasionally, of course. And maybe meet up with Hana and Mari and Wakako whenever they fly over. Obviously. (But that's not running away then, interjects Koko, and Sumire rolls her eyes.)