CHAPTER TWO: Ouran's Host Club
"You go here?!" I squawked.
Kyoya laughed and gave me a smug look. "Who do you think suggested this school to your grandmother in the first place?"
I let out an exasperated sigh and gave him a look that said how unimpressed I was with his little scheme. "I should have known you had something to do with this. It's been too long since you stuck your nose in my life."
"What can I say Herajika-chan, I was bored. I'm not the one who kept causing problems for your poor mother. How is she by the way?" He tried to change the subject.
"Nuh-uh, you're not getting out of this that easily. And don't call me that! I was five, let it go!" I tried to stomp away angrily but i realized i hadn't the faintest idea where i was going.
"If you're looking for the main office, you won't be needing to go there." He said Coolly, brushing by me.
"What? Why?" I bumbled, struggling to keep up in my boots.
"I took the liberty of picking up your class information in the event that you weren't able to retrieve it."
"Seriously? What if i got there and they didn't have it? That's so obnoxious of you to assume-" I began to fume but Kyoya cut me off.
"But I was right." He said smugly, pushing his glasses up once again.
"Uh...okay yeah maybe this time but-"
Kyoya continued to strut down the hall as I followed along.
"Let's get a move on, your class has most likely finished attendance by now."
My eyes wandered over the vast windows and beautiful views outside as we made our way to my classroom where the Class A First Years were gathered. I pulled at my choker and straightened my pony tail as we became closer and closer to my brand new peers for the year. Kyoya sneered at my choice of accessories.
"I refuse to believe Ichika-Sama would allow you to wear that." He shook his head.
"She didn't. I changed when I got here." I mumbled.
"Well i hope to see you dressed properly after classes." He said nonchalantly, gazing down at the notebook he always seemed to be writing in.
"Not likely. Wait, after classes?" I questioned.
"Yes, your grandmother asked me to keep an eye on you and help you decide on a club."
"Well i've already decided, i'm not taking any clubs." I huffed.
"Not even music? Last time i heard you were still playing the piano."
"In New York where I could pursue a music career. Here i'm just trying to survive the school year."
Kyoya looked at me thoughtfully, as if the cogs in his brain were working overtime and passed me the stack of books he had been carrying.
"Come by Music Room 3 after class ends, there's a piano. At the very least you can practice while i get some work done."
"Do i have a choice?"
"No."
"Well then i guess i'll see you there." I reached my hand toward the classroom door and stopped. "How will I find my way…" I trailed off as I turned to see Kyoya was already out of sight.
The school day seemed to drag on and on and I struggled to stay awake for most of it. At one point the boy behind me, Haruhi Fujioka, had to tap me on the shoulder to tell me it was time for lunch. It definitely wasn't the place you would want to be when you were overtired, especially having already studied the material. The classes were a bit more advanced compared to what I had taken in Brooklyn but the curriculum was generally the same. Except for the Japanese portions which had me completely baffled, thankfully the books Kyoya gave me had some sort of cheat sheet with the English translation of the lessons. Luckily for me a good portion of my peers seemed to be mixed and spoke fluent English.
Once the final bell rang for the day I let out a grateful sigh and the boy who sat behind me laughed.
"Long day, huh?" Haruhi smiled, his big brown eyes lighting up as he spoke.
"Yeah." I rubbed my neck sheepishly. "Jet Lag will do it."
Haruhi's eyes lit up even more at my words.
"I knew you were a new student but I didn't know you moved from far away!" He gushed.
"My mother's from here, but I was raised in America."
"Wasn't it obvious?" One of the red headed twins who sat next to Haruhi piped in.
"Yeah Haruhi, she clearly isn't from around here." The other twin added.
"Hikaru! Kaoru! Don't be rude!" Haruhi barked, then turned to me with a genuine smile. "I couldn't tell at all." He comforted, only to be shot down again by the snarkier twin.
"That's because you're a commoner." He declared.
"I TOLD YOU GUYS NOT TO CALL ME THAT ANYMORE!" He fumed.
"Not to mention that it makes the pair of you sound like pretentious snobs." I crossed my arms and shot them a look.
The quieter twin raised an eyebrow. "Who are you calling a snob? We saw you talking to Kyoya earlier which means your family must be pretty famous or incredibly wealthy."
I took a deep breath. I had a feeling that being seen talking to Kyoya wasn't going to go well for me. "My grandfather and his father have worked together for decades, so when we were small they used to group us together at parties and family gatherings. So it's not that my family is famous, I've just known him since we were in Diapers."
Haruhi put a hand over his mouth to stifle a giggle. "Kyoya-Senpai in Diapers? Why is that so hard to imagine?" He was so cute when he laughed, almost like a girl.
"Oh I have photos if you ever need evidence." I snickered, sending the three boys into a fit of laughter.
"We'll be holding you to that." Hikaru warned, reaching out his hand.
"I'm Hikaru Hitachiin, and this is my brother Kaoru." He introduced himself proudly.
"Hey! I can introduce myself you know!" Kaoru whined.
I was taken aback a little from the sudden mood change, but by the lack of reaction from Haruhi I assumed this was completely normal behaviour for these two.
"It's nice to meet both of you, I'm Adeline." I shook Hikaru's hand and smiled at Kaoru. "I should probably get going though, I'm supposed to meet Kyoya in one of the music rooms." I started to fumble through my papers for the map he had slipped in.
"Let me guess, Music Room 3?" Haruhi confirmed, rather monotonously.
"Yeah that's the one!"
The twins exchanged a mischievous look and put their arms around my shoulders. "We can show you the way."
"Uh, are you sure? I have a map and I can probably-" My cheeks were getting hot from the attention as I choked on my words.
"Of course, no problem at all." Hikaru purred.
"Yes of course, not a problem." Kaoru repeated.
"Okay you guys are freaking me out and I'm not the one getting sandwiched here." Haruhi pulled me out of their grasp.
"I'll show her the way." He declared, taking my hand.
"Aww! Haruhi you ruin all the fun!" They complained in unison.
"Are they always this weird?" I asked Haruhi once we were out of earshot.
"Mhmm. Just wait until you meet the rest of the club." Just as she said that we reached a large set of double doors with a sign hanging above that read "Music Room 3".
"The rest of the...club?" I could barely finish my sentence before the doors opened and a bright light shone into my eyes and I could swear something came flying out of the room.
Rose Petals?
After a moment I was able to open my eyes and let them adjust to the brightly lit club room, which also looked like it came straight from a parisian palace.
Grandmother would love this place.
To call it a room seemed like an understatement as it stretched out as far as i could see with several doors that I assumed led to smaller rooms. One of them was black and stuck out like a sore thumb among the soft decor. The walls were covered in marble inlay panels, and intricate designs in gold littered the pink and white ceilings. The seating area visible from the door was furnished in burgundy upholstered chairs and couches, and large wooden coffee tables with extravagant vases of red roses. The placement of the furniture seemed odd, in a handful of smaller clusters like it was meant for smaller groups of people to meet all at once. What was most impressive were the large crystal chandeliers that adorned the intricate ceilings. It really did feel like a room fit for royalty.
"Adeline-San?" Haruhi waved a hand in front of my face to pull me out of the trance I had fallen into, taking in the clubroom.
"Sorry! I've never seen anything like this before..." I trailed off as my eyes caught the large floor to ceiling windows at the opposite end of the room.
"Yeah it takes some getting used to, doesn't feel real does it?" Haruhi smiled.
"Only a commoner would say something like that." Hikaru mumbled under his breath, catching up to us.
"I heard that!" I growled, bonking Hikaru on the back of the head with a book.
"Hey!" He howled, sending Haruhi into a laughing fit.
"I like her already." He let out between laughs.
I suddenly noticed as we were standing there at the entrance that it wasn't just the four of us anymore.
"Well I'm glad she made a good impression on somebody considering she just assaulted the son of a celebrity." Kyoya gave me a look from over his clipboard that made his feelings toward my behaviour very clear.
"To be fair Kyoya-Senpai, Hikaru deserved it." Haruhi defended.
"A celebrity?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Be that as it may, our new classmate needs to learn that kind of outburst won't be tolerated here at Ouran Academy. I would hate for someone to report her behaviour to the head master." Kyoya ignored my question and continued on his quest to scold and embarrass me all at one go.
"You wouldn't dare." I grumbled.
"Try Me." He muttered evenly.
"Two Words; The Zoo." I declared smugly. Kyoya's face turned white instantly.
"Surely you wouldn't share a private family memory with individuals you've only just met." He was pleading with me to shut up with his eyes, and from what I had seen of the twins thus far I knew that he would never be able to live down the story of little Kyoya Ootori's first trip to the Central Park Zoo.
"Try Me." I mocked, strutting past a baffled Kyoya into the club room.
"She's awesome." Kaoru muttered to Haruhi in awe.
"What happened at the zoo?!" Hikaru asked excitedly, practically on the heels of my Doc Martens.
"That, Hikaru-Kun, is a story for a different time." I smiled complacently.
This is fun.
"Oh c'mon Adeline-San! Don't be a tease." He whined.
"You guys can call me Addie, only stick in the muds like Kyoya call me Adeline."
"Actually, I call her-" Kyoya began and I knew what was coming. Stupid Herajika-Chan.
"Zoo! Don't forget about the zoo!" I warned. He glared at me defeatedly and went back to his notebook.
"The ladies will be here any moment, so if you don't mind i'm going to need you to make yourself scarce. Wouldn't want you scaring off our guests with your poor choice of lipstick and treacherous hairstyle."
I swear this guy took lessons on how to offend people.
"Ladies? Guests? What kind of club is this?" I looked to Haruhi, he seemed like the smartest of the group.
"A Host Club."
"Am i supposed to know what that means?" I looked at the group skeptically.
Almost as if on cue, another ridiculously attractive boy emerged from one of the back rooms, rather dramatically at that.
"The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands." The dramatic blonde explained, sounding totally scripted and more than slightly insane.
"Wait, what?"
"Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful." He winked at me before taking my hand in his.
"Now tell me dear, what is a beautiful princess like you doing with these two scum?" He gestured to Hikaru and Kaoru, but didn't drop his sugary sweet act for a second.
"Uh, are you trying to tell me you guys are male prostitutes or something?"
Like flicking off a light switch the blonde withered and stared at me open mouthed as if I had said the most offensive thing I could think of.
"What's up with him?"
Haruhi grumbled. "Snap out of it Tamaki-Senpai, they don't have host clubs in America."
Almost as quickly as he fell into his funk, he came out of it.
"An American,eh?" He continued his merciless flirting as if he hadn't stopped. "That explains your mysterious beauty." He winked again and I almost threw up in my mouth.
"Can you cut the crap already? I'm not here as a guest or whatever you call it." I was losing my patience.
There goes that switch again.
"Tamaki-Senpai?!" The twins ran to his side as he crumbled to the floor.
"What's with all the theatrics anyways?" I scrutinized the blonde they called Tamaki, wondering what was going on inside that big head of his.
"That's Tamaki for you, he's what you Americans would call 'extra'." Kyoya explained. "However his feelings do get hurt very easily so it would be best to make amends sooner rather than later."
"I'm sorry if i offended you Senpai." I grumbled under my breath.
Tamaki heard my half assed apology and bounced back instantly.
"Apology Accepted!" He declared.
"Now Men, I believe we have some ladies waiting to come in so we must hurry so as not to keep them waiting. Adeline-San it's been a pleasure meeting you." Tamaki bowed his head curtly before grabbing the twins and pulling them toward the tables.
"I guess that's my cue to leave!" I declared, slinging my bag over my shoulder and trying to make a break for the door.
"Not so fast." Kyoya called. "Haruto-San will not be picking you up until Five Thirty, and if my watch is correct it's only Three Thirty now."
My heart sunk.
Two more hours?!
"What am i supposed to do until then?" I looked at Kyoya incredulously.
"You have your books, you can study. Or you can practice on the piano in the back room. Besides, I have someone coming to talk to you about club options sometime in the next hour."
"Why can't you just talk to me?" I whined.
"I would, but I have guests of my own to attend to so if you don't mind the back room is just over there." He pointed toward the door in the far back corner of the room as he made his way to the front doors.
Of course I mind. I thought as I began to slink to the backroom out of sight.
I stopped at the door to turn and watch as the guests began to pour in. I watched in shock as nearly ten girls made their way into the club room and sat at the different tables. One girl sat with Tamaki at a small coffee table, another with Kyoya, two with Haruhi on the sofas and three with Hikaru and Kaoru. I noticed another table and chairs set up that nobody sat at and wondered if someone was missing. I shrugged it off and opened the door to the back room.
Unlike the main room, the back room was dark and barren with only a few spare chairs against the walls and the gorgeous grand piano by the windows which were shrouded by long curtains. The musician in me couldn't help but to sit at the grand with my hands poised over the keys, basking in its glory. I was contemplating playing something when I heard the door squeak.
"Hello?" I called out but no one appeared to be there.
Instead of a response I heard maniacal laughter coming from behind me. I quickly turned to see a girl about my height with long dark blonde hair and a large pink bow in her watching me.
"What the heck are you doing in here?" I screamed. "You scared me half to death!"
The girl laughed her crazy laugh again. "I just wanted to see Kyoya-Senpai's childhood nemesis for myself." She answered innocently.
"How did you know about that?"
"Silly girl, I'm the Ouran Host Club's manager; Renge Houshakuji. It's my job to know everything there is to know about our hosts and their acquaintances."
"Don't you find that a bit creepy?" I raised my eyebrow.
She hardened and pointed a finger toward me. "What's creepy, Adeline Hozumi is the way you've chosen to accessorize! Black, Black and more Black! But i can help you with that!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"Wait what? I don't want any help, I like the way I'm dressed!" I crossed my arms protectively.
"Doesn't mean it can't be improved!" She said in a sing-songy voice, pulling out a large suitcase from behind her.
"Look, i don't know what you're trying to do here but i don't need a makeover or anything so just leave me alone." I stood up from the piano and made my way toward the door. At that point i didn't care if the club was in session, i needed to get away from that weirdo. As I tugged on the door handle it wouldn't budge.
It's locked.
I could feel myself start to panic as I was locked in the back room with a potential psychopath. Even worse, a potential psychopath armed with a case full of what I could only assume was makeup and girly accessories.
"What is this?!" I pressed my back against the door and kept my eyes locked on Renge at all times.
"I Just want to show you your full potential." She gave me puppy dog eyes and pouted her lips.
I glared back at her, unphased. "Not happening."
"I'll give you dirt on Kyoya-Senpai." She smirked mischievously.
Damn. Now she's done it.
"What kind of dirt? Something spicy?" I wondered, my interest sparked.
"Oh don't worry, it'll be worth your while." She assured me.
"Alright, I'm in." I grinned.
This won't be that bad. Just a simple little makeover and I can change before anyone even sees me.
Renge giggled excitedly and slammed her suitcase on the piano bench before unzipping it to reveal an entire cavalry. Makeup and accessories were the least of my worries as my eyes feasted upon the neatly folded clothes and bags of blonde wigs at the top of the case.
Who knows what's even underneath all that.
"On second thought, i don't think i really need to know." I chuckled nervously, gunning for the door.
"A deal's a deal." She sang happily as she began to pull a frilly pink dress out of her case.
I cringed. "Okay but this stays in this room." I warned.
"Oh absolutely." She said sweetly.
I'm going to regret this, aren't i?