Sketching Tomorrow: a Clannad Fanfiction.

Chapter 43: Becoming distant.

James glanced at himself in the mirror playing around with his hair making sure it was neat and tidy before placing his flat-cap onto his head his eye's were a pinkish red from lack of sleep his entire body felt tired and he struggled to keep himself balanced.

He straightened himself up thumped his chest and cleared his throat "Right! Off I go then!"

Just as he was about to open up the door and leave a sheepish looking Kappei walked in from the front room still dressed in striped green pyjamas.

"Hey James-" Kappei yawned "You must have come back late last night."

"Well I was busy." He grumbled turning the knob as Kappei rubbed his eye's "Your mum and I were waiting a while for you I take if she's still asleep?"

"Probably." James grumbled again now desperately wanting to end the conversation and to be alone so he could think.

"I'll let her know you came home." Kappei grinned "So you say you were busy last night eh?"

Opening the door James stepped out "Yeah. I was working."

Kappei raised an eyebrow still grinning "Oh? I thought perhaps you and Miss. Ichinose might have gotten a little busy at her pla-"

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!" James slammed the door causing it to hit the wall with a loud thud marking the paint upon impacting the brick-work. "KOTOMI AND I ARE JUST FRIENDS! I LEFT HER PLACE AND MET UP WITH ANOTHER FRIEND TO WORK ON SOME DRAWINGS!"

Kappei took a step back in shock "I-I was only joki-"

"WELL DONT!" James shouted slamming the door shut and headed down towards the long flight of stairs.

...

Later James sat hunched down at his desk with his arms folded trying to get some sleep before the lesson started. Keeping his eye's closed in darkness he heard the sound of metal scraping the floor from behind and realised that Tomoya Okazaki had entered the classroom.

"Hey James!" Okazaki greeted tapping him on the back. James grunted under his breath and moved himself forward a few inches ignoring Okazaki who raised an eyebrow curiously "James?"

But James just continued to ignore him.

...

DING DONG DANG DONG.

The bell rang across the entire school and everyone immediately stood up from their seats to leave.

Under normal circumstances James would wait patiently for the crowd to thin out before he left but this time as quickly as he could he gathered all of his things and ran towards the door much to the surprise of both Okazaki and Ryou accidently knocking a few students with his sketch-book as he left the room and headed out into the over crowded corridor.

"F***ing prick!" One student shouted.

"That James guy sure is a weirdo!" Another whispered as a few others nodded in agreement.

As the crowd departed Ryou walked over to Okazaki with a look of worry "What do you suppose is wrong with James?"

"I don't know." Okazaki replied "He'll probably tell us later."

"Kotomi's big performance is today and I'd hate for him to miss it."

"Um...yeah-" He replied as he personally wasn't looking forward to the violin recital that was to occur in the afternoon. "He should come dont worry!"

Okazaki headed towards the door with Ryou following him worriedly in pursuit as they began their walk to the drama-club room.

...

"Where can I go?" James thought walking through the corridors with his head down past the seemingly never ending crowd of students. He wanted as best he could to avoid Kotomi after the events of the previous day as well as all his other friends who were no doubt already meeting up inside the drama-club room.

"I know!" a bulb suddenly lit up inside his head "I'm sure the reference room will be free! Maybe I could have a word with Yukine about my current fru-"

He was too deep in thought to concentrate on where he was going and without realizing it crashed straight into another student and accidently dropped his sketch-book onto the ground.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" he apologized as he bent down to grab his fallen sketch-book "Seriously it was my fault and-" he looked up at who he had bumped into and saw that it was none other that Sekai Tsugumi grinning at him alongside her friends Hana and Chiaki."

"Oh-" James began to feel even more awkward and embarrassed than he had before "Hello!"

"Hello!" Sekai grinned straightening her glasses as Hana and Chiaki watched curiously.

"So-" James darted his eyes around the corridor "What're you up to?"

"We're just going outside for some fresh air." Sekai replied "I take it you're off to see Ichi-" She suddenly thumped her chest and loudly cleared her throat "I take if you're off to see your friends?"

"Actually-" James sighed "I'm wanting to keep my distance from them for the time being." He frowned as Hana and Chiaki both muttered "Oooh!" in a whispered tone "For personal reasons I might add!"

Sekai couldn't help but chuckle at James's reaction "Well if you're not really doing anything how about you hang around with us?"

"Um-" James stared at the floor as his stomach tingled with anxiety "I'm not sure-"

"Don't worry it's fine isn't it girls?" She turned her head towards her friends who nodded in agreement.

"Well if you're all fine with it." James shrugged. "I don't really have anything better to do."

"By the way-" Sekai gestured her hand towards the two girls. "These are my friends Hana Nagami and Chiaki Mai."

"Hi!" The two girls waved.

"H-hello!" James stuttered hurriedly removing his flat-cap and bowing his head "Pleased to meet you both ladies!"

The two girls laughed as James straightened himself up and placed his flat-cap back onto his head.

"Come on flat-cap!" Sekai chuckled as she turned him around and pushed him forward down the corridor "You know the way to the grounds."

BBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

James's phone suddenly began to vibrated and he hurriedly searched his pockets.

"Someone calling you?" Sekai asked as the four stopped in their tracks.

James pulled out his phone and looked at the screen.

Incoming call from Kyou.

"Just a spam call." James rolled his eyes as he ended the call and placed the phone back into his pockets.

"Come on girls." James sighed feeling guilty that he'd just deliberately ignored one of his best friends.

As they began to continue their walk through the corridor James's phone vibrated again and he quickly checked his phone.

You have one text from Kyou:

Where are you?

James ignored the text and turned off his phone as he continued to follow Sekai and her friends.

To be continued.