~Chapter Three~

Gimme the Marauder's Map!

Everybody hurts some days.
It's OK to be afraid.
Everybody hurts, everybody screams.
Everybody feels this way and that's OK.

~Everybody Hurts, by Avril Lavigne

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

Oh, hell no. He couldn't possibly mean… No…

My stomach sank. "Oh, dear God," I muttered, eyes clenched tightly at this revelation. "You're all a bunch of sadists, aren't you?"

I hadn't thought it possible, but his smirk widened. Stormy gray eyes twinkled with mischief as he said, "Only those of us at Ouran."

Turning towards my new math teacher, I timidly inquired, "Is it too late for me to transfer to Lobelia?"

Sammy's P.O.V.

No sooner had the final bell of the day begun to ring and my ass was outta there! A trail of fire consumed the path that my shoes had melted into the floor, just like in the old Speedy Gonzales cartoons. The faint sound of coughing and wheezing could be heard in the resulting cloud of smoke.

No, really… I was literally the first one out of the classroom.

In retrospect, it was honestly a rather stupid move. I had no way of knowing where the hell the entrance to the school was located, or even where I currently was at this particular moment in time! There were no conveniently located You are HERE signs or anything of the sort.

And that pile of paper I was given this morning by the secretary? Yeah, I hadn't even been graced with a map. An entire forest was destroyed to tell me about the necessity of listening to my teachers and following the rules and being punctual…and no one had bothered to give me a damn map.

I thought this school held certain higher standards for its staff and students. Shouldn't an average intelligence be one of them? I was beyond irritated at this point. Guess I'll just have to go in search of someone willing to help me. I wish I had the Marauder's Map; that thing would be SO useful right about now. Sigh…

Biting my lower lip, I stopped in my tracks and did a quick survey of the now empty hallway. Well, there was no one around to assist me with my little problem, so…now what?

"Ow!"

I yelped and threw my hands outwards in an attempt to catch myself. Even so, I ended up on the floor in a rather undignified manner. My arms were pointed outwards and my legs were tangled together: I looked like a human sacrifice. Or Jesus.

With I sigh, I muttered, "That's gonna leave a bruise."

"I am so sorry! I didn't see you there!"

Wincing, I sat up and blinked at the hand that had been placed in my line of sight, palm open and up. I smiled and took the offered hand, letting the stranger to help me to feet.

After dusting myself off and gathering my scattered belongings, I said, "No harm, no foul." At her startled expression, I added, "Nobody got hurt, so I'm not bothered in the slightest."

Her brown eyes softened and she bowed. "Still, I apologize. May I at least know your name?"

She was obviously a very well-mannered, traditional citizen of Japan. So what did the strange, witty American do in response? Well, this might surprise you, but…

"'Give me your name, and I shall give you mine!'" I declared whilst striking a heroic pose.

…yep, I just imitated Lloyd Irving.

"What?"

I visibly deflated at her completely blank stare. Sighing, I said, "I'm guessing that you've never played Tales of Symphonia…"

The small brunette shook her head in the negative. "Sorry. I'm not really interested in video games. I do, however, like to read." A wistful expression flitted across her face.

"Me too!" I cheerfully stated, before showing her the books that were currently in my bag – Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and Lisa Mantchev's Perchance to Dream. "Anyway, my name is Steel, Samantha. But I'd prefer it if you called me Sammy."

"Samantha?" She pursed her lips in thought, and then her tawny eyes lit in recognition. "Ah! Then you must be the new foreign student?"

I nodded happily and asked, "So what's your name, stranger?"

"I'm Fujioka, Haruhi. You can call me Haruhi, if you like," she said with a shrug. With a small sigh, she adjusted the obviously heavy books in her arms into a more comfortable position.

She refused my offer of help, so I asked, "Where are you going with all of those big books anyway?"

Haruhi sighed again, but this time she honestly sounded annoyed. "I was going to study a little before heading home, so I decided to go to the library. But it was full of people and everyone was…was…talking!"

Her tone was appalled, as it should be. Libraries aren't for socializing; they're for reading! And for those of you giving me strange looks – yes, I am a nerd. Deal with it!

"And this school has over four different reading rooms. But every single one is so noisy!"

I snorted at her words. "You didn't honestly think that these people studied, did you? Stupid rich bastards…"

Hypocrite! A tiny voice screeched in the back of my mind. I ignored it in favor of the happy one cheering, New Friend! And, NO! I am NOT schizophrenic. Yes, you are. No, I'm not! Yes, you –

To my great surprise, Haruhi dissolved into giggles. She covered her mouth with one small hand, all the while balancing her books under her other arm. Her lips were twitching and there were tears brimming in her eyes.

Blinking rather owlishly, I asked, "Find something funny, did we?"

After collecting herself, she coughed into her fist and nodded, short brown hair dancing around her ears as she did so.

"I am so glad that I could amuse you," I drawled, channeling my inner Draco Malfoy.

Thinking that she had offended me, she apologized. "I'm sorry. I just find it funny that you said the exact same thing that I've been thinking since I set foot in this school."

At that last statement, I had to admit that I was a little confused. "Hold the phone. Are you saying that this is your first day at Ouran, too?"

She nodded sheepishly, her smile openly apologetic. "I thought you knew."

After digging in her pocket, she showed me her school ID and I offered her mine in exchange.

Name: Fujioka, Haruhi.

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Blood Type: O

Height: 155 cm

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown

I glanced over the information printed on her pink, plastic ID, storing it for later use. Pink. Why does everything in this damn school have to be freakin' PINK? To my left, I was aware of Haruhi doing the same with my information.

Name: Steel, Samantha.

Gender: Female

Age: 18

Blood Type: AB

Height: 165 cm

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Blue

I quickly recalled the information that she would be learning. To be honest, I hadn't believed that we would have that much in common. Not at first glance, at least. After all, I was American; she was Japanese. I was a little on the plump side, with curves and a large chest. She was slim, with a straight figure and barely noticeable female assets. I was light and she was dark. Complete opposites. The only common physical trait we shared was our gender.

But from our current conversation, brief though it has been, I have come to realize that we were more alike that I had previously thought. And I hoped that we could be friends. I really, really hoped so…

Snapping out of my reverie, I cheerfully said, "Well, let's look on the bright side, shall we? At least we're both in the same boat!"

"…pardon?"

Ah, right. She probably wouldn't understand that.

"Hmm… How should I explain the meaning behind that phrase?" I tapped my lower lip in thought. "I suppose that one might take it to mean that we are in the same predicament. So we might as well help each other find our 'sea legs,' so to speak."

Haruhi smiled at that and, with obvious gratitude, said, "I'd like that."

I smiled back at the shorter brunette. "Me, too," I said softly.

"So what were you doing here anyway? Based on your age, you should be one of the third years and their wing is on the other side of the school…" She trailed off at my horrified expression. "Is something wrong, Sammy-chan?"

"I…I…I managed to walk through the entire school without once finding the exit?" I shrieked, fisting my hands in my hair in frustration. My red barrette loosened and I made a mental note to fix it later.

Haruhi sweatdropped at my display of craziness. "Right…"

Hanging my head, I mumbled an apology, which she dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "My dad does that all the time."

Now, I sweatdropped. Oh, Haruhi…you have such a way with words, my friend...

"Oh, look! A music room. I doubt it's even being used…" Haruhi mused. Her hand rested on the golden doorknob, and it was clear that she was debating on whether or not to open it.

I heartily agreed. "And I'm willing to bet that it's the only room in this place where you can study in peace." Please say yes, please say yes!

Haruhi glanced back at the door, a contemplative expression on her face. She tugged at the sleeve of her old sweater. "It's probably not a good idea to just enter a room without a teacher's permission." And with that observation, she withdrew her hand and stepped back.

I, however, had no such reservations. "Ah, come on, Haruhi! Live a little, will ya?" At her annoyed expression, I nervously added, "Would it help if I opened the door first? That way, you can blame me if we get in trouble."

Oddly enough, she shook her head in the negative. "If we get in trouble, we both get in trouble," she stated firmly.

My heart warmed at her kind words. "Thanks, Haruhi…"

"You're welcome," she said, voice soft and a small smile on her face.

It was clear that no one had been that nice to her today either. She was small, dressed in commoner clothing, and appeared to most to be a male student. It was sad really, what people did when someone didn't fit into their cookie-cutter world. Haruhi and I…we were different. And different wasn't always appreciated.

But we could be different together, and for that I was grateful.

"Ready?" she inquired.

"On the count of three!" Feeling playful, I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

Rolling her eyes, she started the countdown…

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

We smiled at each other and, at the same moment, grabbed a separate handle. With a soft creak, the door swung open. A bright light filled the hallway and a handful of rose petals floated gracefully through the gap in the door.

"Welcome~!"

***Author's Note***

I know. Two chapters...in the same week. Not to mention the complete reworking of the first part of the story! XD Oh, well.

C: Please READ and REVIEW! :D