Chapter Twenty-Five
As soon as we get into the lunchroom, Miku sighs at me. "This totally sucks, not being able to choose our partners like last time," she says, looking down.
"I know. So, uh, what do our outfits look like… for the band competition?" I ask her, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.
"Oh, well, I wanted them to go with your song, you know, but then, I started throwing things together, and I found something totally different," she admits. I nod for her to continue. "And I happened to think that bright orange looks really good with my hair, your hair, Len's hair, and Gumi's hair!" she smiles.
"What about Yuma?" I ask.
"Well, not so much, which is why we all have diverse outfits," she explains. I smile at her idea, but I still don't get the whole picture. "Here, if you want to see them exactly, I could call everyone to come over tonight," she suggests. I nod.
"Okay. I have to admit, I'm excited!" I say, grinning widely as we sit down at Miku's usual table. Around the table, next to us, sits Luka, Len, Gakupo, Kaito, and… a strange silvery-haired boy who I instantly recognize as Piko, from English.
"Oh, hi, Piko," I say, sitting down next to him and Len.
"Wow, Madoka-sama, is it really you?" he asks. I furrow my eyebrows.
"Yeah," I say.
"Len talks about you all the time," he says. I blush at this. "You're even prettier in person," he sighs, leaning forward. Len shakes his head and chuckles.
"What do you mean?" I ask, "You're in my English class," I remind Piko.
"Oh, that's right. Sorry. It's just… I never really pay any attention," he shrugs.
"Why not? How are you supposed to keep your grades up?" I ask. Piko pulls out an oversized USB cord from underneath his uniform.
"This. I've kind of got the internet built into me," he admits, laughing. I laugh as well, but in disbelief. I look to Len for confirmation, and he nods.
"Seriously? That must be so cool! Was this like… a birth defect?" I joke.
"Oh, no, I had it installed during surgery," Piko admits. I want to ask more, but instead, I just laugh it off.
"Hey, Len, Miku's got our band outfits picked out," I say. A gentle smile grows on Len's face. I see his mood has improved since the Spice incident.
"Yeah, I heard," he says, his mature voice finding its spot in my ears. "We're coming over her house later after school," he says, "I can't wait to see them. She's been great at this kind of thing every year."
"Really? You mean, she hasn't dressed her entire band up in sparkly dresses each year?" I ask, in a low voice. Len lets out a laugh.
"I hate to say it, but there's more to that diva than meets the eye," he hints.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she's the only person in the grade with an A+ in Conversion Art," Len tells me. I wouldn't know, since only Meiko, Luka, Lily, Gakupo, Yuma, and Oliver are in my Conversion Art class.
"The only one? In the grade? Wow, she must be really good, then," I say. Len nods his head quickly.
"I wonder where Teto is," I almost whisper.
"Huh?" Len asks. Oh, I guess he heard.
"Uh, Teto. I haven't seen her lately," I sigh, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Good point. Maybe we should go check on her," I suggest.
"Oh, uh, I would, but I um, I uh, Piko and I were talking about the math test," Len says, fidgeting with his shirt. His azure eyes refuse to meet mine.
"Len, you're a terrible liar, a terrible staller, and you're still awkward," I tease.
"What? It's true! He was giving me the answers," Len admits, a little softer.
"Uh-huh. I'll go alone, then," I sigh, standing up from the table, and taking only myself and the rest of my lunch with me. My dark brown tresses bounce behind me as I find my way to the garden.
"Teto?" I call as I swing open the door. Suddenly, my olive eyes widen in shock and fear as I realize that Neru has beaten me to it.
"You're so weak and defenseless! With all the talent you guys have, I would think you'd be a bit stronger!" Neru taunts to Teto. I bite my lip as I step forward heatedly. Teto sees me and a look of uneasiness shadows across her fallen face.
"Neru, can't you leave her alone for once?" I ask, throwing my hands onto my hips.
"Oh, cute! The UTAU's friend is here to help!" Neru smiles, placing her hands over her heart with a pout on her face. Then, she drops the act and scoffs. "It's not like you can do anything," she growls. My eyes narrow.
"Neru, just leave her alone! This is enough!" I grimace.
"Wow, how long did it take you to come up with that?"
"Shut up, Neru!"
"Shut up, Neru!" she mimics, the pout finding its way back onto her face.
"Madoka, stop," Teto says quietly.
"Don't you ever listen?" Neru yells, stabbing her finger in Teto's face. "You are useless! Do I need to spell that out for you?" she asks. I breathe brokenly.
"Akita, you little-" Suddenly, I can feel a pair of hands pulling me back just in time as I swing at Neru's plastic face. I quickly turn around, surprised to see that it's Miku and Len.
"Ah, it's Leek Freak and Len," Neru says, "and just in time to save another suspension from a stupid little girl."
"Don't talk about my sister like that!" Len shouts, stepping forward.
"And Leek Freak? Really?" Miku asks, seeming to be only about as strong as Teto. Her face contorts into a hurt, yet irritated expression.
"What, your stupid, ugly excuse for a sister?" Neru asks. "She hates you, though I don't blame her. Nobody likes her anyways."
Even though she's not talking to me, Neru's words shoot into me like bullets.
"Stupid? Ugly? Excuse?" Miku asks, repeating her words. "I'm sorry, but I didn't see any mirrors around lately," she taunts.
"And besides, she has way more friends than you'll ever do," I add. Teto looks away, her crimson eyes full of discomfort.
"Friends? Neither do you, except for Len, who is really more like your pet," Neru hisses. Miku has to hold me back from tackling her.
"You know, I choose to hang out with her!" Len starts.
"Why? Because she's a good owner?" Neru teases.
"No," Len retorts, "Because she's sweet and kind and more beautiful than you'll ever be!" Silence follows. I turn around, noticing Teto is gone.
"Guys, where did Teto go?" I ask. Neru sneers.
"Nobody cares. She's probably off somewhere crying because she's such a worthless piece of-"
"NOBODY ASKED YOU!" Miku suddenly screams, pulling furiously on her teal twin tails.
"What, you wanna join her, Leek Freak?" Neru dares Miku, a rough edge of maliciousness in her amber eyes.
"I don't care," Miku glares, "In fact, I do. Anything to get away from you." Len and I exchange a glance at Miku's sudden burst of irritation and rage. Miku yanks on Len and my arms, and drags us down to the door and out into the hallway.
"M-Miku…" Len stutters, standing upright. His blonde hair is ruffled and his eyes are full of shock.
"I'm sorry…" she starts, "I swear, that girl can turn anyone into a monster."
"Yeah, are you guys okay?" I ask, adjusting my shirt sleeves. They both give hesitant nods. "Wait, we have to find Teto!" I say, suddenly remembering.
"No, it's okay, I'm right here," says a choked-up voice from behind. From behind a wall emerges a tear-stained Teto with dark, puffy red eyes.
"Oh my gosh, Teto, what happened?" I ask, throwing my hands to my lips as I gasp in shock. Miku, who seems to know, runs up and gives Teto a warm hug. Len stands there awkwardly (as usual), but I can tell he feels sorry for her too.
"Neru is what happened," Teto almost whispers.
"Teto, you can't just let her do this to you!" I start. "Don't you get it? You have a choice! She can't just control your life-"
"You don't understand!" Teto suddenly bursts, her twin drills bouncing as she does so. Miku breaks away, her face loosening.
"What do you mean?" I ask, not sure what to say anymore.
"What if I did stand up for myself?" Teto asks, her voice shaky and rough. There's a strange moment of silence- I'm not sure what to call it.
"Teto… you'd be lighting the way for the other UTAUS to-"
"Don't you understand?" Teto cries, "Neru is right! We're all just worthless and untalented!"
"Teto, stop! Don't say that about yourself! Why do you even believer her?" I ask, cutting in. My throat cracks and begins to feel arid and sore.
"Do you know why we're even labeled with this name UTAU, Madoka?" Teto asks, pacing back and forth. Len and Miku exchange a glance, almost as if they know something bad is about to happen. I bite my lip in order to keep from interrupting as a dark, heavy silence fills the air. Teto suddenly stops walking and stares at me, her beautiful crimson eyes now cold. She clears her throat and begins to sing.
Beyond the setting sun tonight
A dazzling star shines oh, so bright
It falls and falls from cosmic heights
Until you're blinded by the light
Upon singing the word "blinded", Teto's strange, harsh voice cracks on a rather high note. Miku fidgets with her skirt. Len shuffles his feet. I begin to get the feeling they've seen all this before. "See?" Teto says. My eyes instantly drop. Teto's voice was a little robotic, and shaky, and strained…
"Those lyrics were wonderful," I complement her. "What song is that?"
Teto nearly bursts into tears. "Was I really that bad?" she half-yells. My eyes form two huge circles.
"What? No, you were wonderful! I didn't even ask about your voice, I asked about the song!" I answer in shock. My throat is stinging even more. "Teto, I don't understand why you're so-"
"So what? Untalented?" she automatically fills in, clenching her fists.
"No! Teto! This is all just a big misunderstanding, I swear!" I cry out. She shakes her head, bringing her clenched fists into her skirt pockets. "Just hear me out!" Teto scowls, but doesn't reply. "I only had one question," I continue, my words feeling forced and my throat becoming hoarse. "Why do you even let her control your life like that? Just… give me an honest answer," I implore.
Teto's bloodshot eyes find their way to her shoes. "Because, I don't want to end up like the rest of the UTAUs, coming here to sing, but leaving here in tears," she admits, back to her soft-spoken self.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know-" I whisper in return.
"No, it's not your fault. It was mine for not listening to you," Teto sighs, sliding down against the locker wall. Len exhales, looking at Miku. Miku stands across from him unnervingly. Suddenly, something in Teto's eyes makes itself present, flickering all across her face. "I have to do something. I've got to make this right," Teto abruptly says, standing up and brushing off her charcoal grey skirt.
Miku, Len and I follow Teto into the garden, where Neru stands, yelling at Piko! The look on Len's face suddenly darkens, and his eyes narrow into slits. "You were supposed to do my homework!" she yells. Piko looks down, itching to hide.
"Nothing on the internet tells you how to do Conversion Art!" Piko defends, "It's supposed to represent who you are!"
"I don't care about all that sappy stuff!" Neru groans, crossing her arms. Suddenly, she spins around on her high heels as she sees Miku, Teto, Len, and I walking up to her. "Look who's back," she smiles deceptively.
"Neru, get-" Len is cut off.
"Get away from Piko. He doesn't care what you tell him to do. He IS NOT going to do your homework. How cheap. Are you really that lazy that you can't do your own homework by yourself? And Conversion Art? They don't even assign homework in that class unless you finish a project late or you're falling behind. Plus, everybody has an A in that class anyway!" Teto half-yells, her sharp voice piercing straight through the room as she steps right in front of Neru. I gasp at Teto's sudden antagonism. Neru seems taken aback as well, and says nothing for a silent second as we take this all in. Suddenly, Neru lets out a scoff.
"I'll have you know, I have an A+ in Conversion Art, it's just… I want Piko to do my homework," she says in a matter-of-factly way.
"You don't have an A+ in Conversion Art," Piko interrupts, earning him a silencing dirty look from Neru. Teto perks up.
"No, Piko, go on," she says, raising her eyebrows pointedly.
"She has a D- in Conversion Art, a C in Vocal Strengthening, an F in Acting, a C- in Dance, and in Songwriting, she has a C," Piko recites. "Sorry, I was on her grade report page on AcademyNet," he admits. Neru breathes in and out heavily, clenching her fists. The snowy-haired boy gives a sorry look.
"Piko, don't be sorry," Miku adds in, reading him like sheet music. Piko looks at her uncertainly, and back at Neru, who looks like she's about to punch someone.
"Yeah, come on, let's go. Hopefully Neru's bad grades don't rub off on us," Teto growls, signaling us to follow her. Piko slouches behind us, leaving Neru with a stunned face. All of her hostility has vanished and been replaced by a look of complete shock as the deafening sound of the door slamming resonates around her.
- A/N -
Guys, sorry for my uploading schedule being so random and unorganized. I forget about writing sometimes . and I am distracted by homework and watching animes... Pretty much. This chapter might be a bit unorganized too, considering I wrote the end of it like... twenty years later than the beginning. However, if you could leave me a review, that'd be good (because reviews are author food... and I haven't had lunch yet), telling me who your favorite characters are, pairings, what characters should be in this more, you know, bla bla bla, any plot twists or ideas... if you want a sequel after this is over... you know, normal review stuff. Thanks! *yawns*
Sorry, I've been a bit of a lazy otaku today. More chapters coming soon!