Keep on trying
Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or any of it's characters.
Chapter 37
Been cast away
Everything has changed. Kyoko could feel a shiver running down her spine, each time someone looked at her. Which basically meant that she trembled the whole day. The angry glances were endurable, but she couldn't stand people avoiding her. Ever since Sho came, Kyoko was unable to spot Azuma brothers anywhere. She didn't have any lessons with them that day, so she guessed that they must have been busy. 'They can't be angry at me, right? I'm aware of the fact that Sho's appearance interrupted the usual day scheme, but he came back to his work in a matter of ten minutes.' However Kyoko felt guilty. There must have been a reason, why they were avoiding her. It brought back some bad memories.
Lory promised to himself that he would not interfere, but still he was interested in that girl's past. He didn't know a lot about it, which made him frustrated. Usually everything that he needed was given to him on a silver platter. Now most of his spies (he would never admit having ones though) gave up their investigation. 'It must be Akatoki Agency's fault. I wonder if they were just discouraged or bribed.' No matter the reason, he managed to get one photo of her. It gave him a food for thought.
The lessons were horrible. The teachers gave their best to make them act properly, but almost everyone was distracted. It was not an everyday event to see someone as popular as Fuwa Sho. Not to mention that they were able to meet Tsuruga Ren lately as well. 'Yup! It was definitely worth attending this course!' thought one of the girls. And most of the other group members. Kyoko quickly became in the centre of attention, unluckily – it was the bad kind of attention. She tried to ignore all of the whispers, but she had already heard at least seven new gossips about her, none of them was true. Mogami-san sighed. 'I should be used to it. Good thing that they don't harass me physically. Yet.'
Uneki ignored her on purpose, indeed. Even with his brother's encouragement, he didn't feel confident enough to start to fight for her heart. Moreover he didn't want to be compared to Fuwa Sho. It was probably better to let his presence vanish slowly. 'Now that I think about it, it may not work, if she's living with him. But last night she stayed in Kotonami-san's house. Does it mean that they broke up?' He let his hopes rise, but then he remembered the conversation that he heard by an accident. 'Right… they made up…' Feeling more and more depressed, he decided to give himself a day-long vacation.
The last lesson had finally ended and Kyoko dreamt of coming back home. 'Maybe I should cook something special? Sho may really appreciate it!' She was making a shopping list in her mind, when she heard some steps behind her. Kyoko closed her eyes, hoping that it's just her imagination and the moment she opens them, there would be no one around. But she could sense their presence. Memories flashed in her mind. Girls putting pins in her shoes, bedaubing her desk or leaving a white flower on it. Kyoko clenched her fist to bring herself back to the reality. 'It must be something else. Maybe they just want to ask for his autograph?' But they didn't. 'I will start running in three, two, one…'
Lory smoked his favourite cigarettes, holding the photo delicately. It was one of those classroom photo's that always make an impression that everyone is ugly, except the popular kids. He didn't like the way Kyoko posed. However the fault was not in her facial expression or body posture. It was her placement. She was standing in the end of the row, smiling as if everything was OK. But it wasn't. The girl next to her tried to be as far away as possible form Kyoko. Moreover each girl was hugging at least one friend. She was the only one to stand still. 'But her posture is full of grace. As if she was not from the same era as the rest of the class. Dear Kami… kids these days are so obdurate!' There was a story behind that photography and Lory was willing to get to know it.
They were fast. If they weren't in this acting school, Kyoko would guess that they were some kind of athletes. Luckily for her, she was faster. Maybe it was the result of her biking skills? She wasn't sure. Nonetheless Kyoko felt the adrenaline in her veins, making her feel invincible. And then she stumbled. She desperately tried to stand up, but her leg hurt like hell. Kyoko realised that her ankle must have been sprained. 'Why now?' she thought frightened. There was not a possibility that those girls had some friendly intentions. She was to have a hard time.
He didn't plan to appear in that school out of the blue. However when he heard that he had a free hour that day, he found himself searching for the address. Trying to come up with some kind of explanation of his actions, he asked his manager to take him there. 'I want to meet someone I know.' he said in order to stop the possible questions. It didn't work the way he planned, but it was good enough to convince himself that there was a reason of his strange behaviour. He had never been a superstitious person, but he felt as if there was some kind of force pushing him towards that place. As if there was a cause of his decision. Having some sinking feeling, Ren came into the acting school building hesitantly.
AN/ OMG. I just noticed that "Kouki" is also the name of Lory's son. Fail! I hope you have a nice day and see you soon~!