Taiki woke up a couple hours later to the sound of her grumbling stomach. She slowly sat up in bed as she remembered she'd been supposed to make supper for her and her mom that night.
That made her shoot of bed as she raced downstairs, hoping her mom was still out of the house and that she still had a little bit of time left before she got home. When she reached the kitchen she saw that it was still empty and that she was still alone in the house. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was slowly beginning to sit, the sky starting to turn a pretty pink and orange.
She calmed down at the realization that she was alone and she walked deeper into the kitchen as she tried to decide what to make. She walked over to the cupboards and opened them, staring at the contents before deciding on a can of tomato soup.
She took out one of their pots and set it on the stove, pouring the soup into the pot as she turned on the stove on high.
As she was standing there she could feel herself getting dizzy so she had to steady herself against the counter as she tried to stir the soup. It was done within a few minutes and she took the pot off the hot burner and turned the stove off before grabbing two bowls out of the cupboards.
She filled both of them and grabbed two spoons before carrying them over to the table. She set the one down in her mom's usual spot even though she knew it would probably be cold by the time she got home and the other she cautiously she carried to her own seat.
She really didn't want to eat but she knew she was hungry and it wasn't that much anyways and she could handle it. She ate slowly as she stared at the sunset, thinking about her day and how Haruka seemed like she was trying to be friendly towards her.
The thought made her smile but she tried to brush it off as she knew the other girl could just be using her as a charity case, it might not be genuine. It was best not to get her hopes up.
She took her empty bowl over to the sink and rinsed it out before putting it in the dishwasher and heading upstairs to work on her homework, hoping to distract herself.
But try as she might she couldn't stop thinking about that stupid blonde.
/
The next two days passed by in a similar routine. Taiki would get to class early and Haruka would show up late and she would pass her her notes to copy. They didn't talk much but once or twice Haruka would give her a small smile of appreciation which was enough for Taiki.
The brunette sat alone at lunch those days but she was totally fine with that as she didn't want other people sitting next to her watching what she ate. Although it was during those time periods when she would overhear everyone's gossip and she picked up on some interesting information about Haruka.
For one the blue haired girl she'd seen Haruka with was actually a girl named Michiru who happened to be her girlfriend. From what she'd heard it sounded like Michiru came from a rich family and was a very talented pianist. She also heard people saying that Michiru was a snob and was very uptight, it sounded like people either loved her for her beauty and talent or they hated her for being so pretentious.
She'd also heard rumors that Haruka came from a troubled family and that her parents had disowned her for being gay. She'd heard a few different rumors about her but that was the most common one she'd heard. She couldn't tell what was true since she barely knew her but she was a little curious as to what the real Haruka was like.
Those two days were normal but Friday morning was different. She had arrived to class on time as usual and Haruka showed up 5 minutes late, messy hair and uniform as she sheepishly greeted their teacher.
The class passed by as normal, Haruka copying Taiki's notes while the teacher droned on and on, but at the end just a couple minutes before the bell was about to ring, Mrs. Aki decided to announce a last minute weekend project.
"This assignment is due by Monday, it is to be completed by you and your desk partner." she said as she passed out the assignment to each and every student.
The bell rang just as Taiki received hers and as she tried to gather her stuff together for her next class she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She spun around to find herself face to face with Haruka.
"Do you maybe want to meet up after school today to work on this assignment?" she asked as the rest of their class began trailing out.
"Well I don't have a car..."
"Don't worry I can drive you if you want."
"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother to you. I could always do the assignment at home over the weekend." she said, her eyes drifting around the room before finally stopping on Haruka's blue eyes.
The blonde laughed and gave her a small smile. "It's really no problem Taiki. Just meet me after your classes in the parking lot and we can go out for a bit."
Taiki sighed, reluctant to go anywhere unfamiliar with her classmate but too tired to put up a fight. "Ok, I'll meet you then."
"Sounds good, see you then." Haruka replied before picking up her binder and walking off leaving Taiki behind at their desk alone.
/
The day passed by slowly and at the end of it all Taiki was exhausted but she knew she had plans to meet up with Haruka so she had to push through. She grabbed her jacket from her locker and headed out into the parking lot, binder held tightly against her chest.
She wandered around the parking lot for a few minutes, not sure which car was Haruka's, before she heard a car honking from behind her. She spun around to see Haruka waving from behind the window of a red pick up truck a few cars away from her.
She hurried towards the truck, desperate to get out of the cold wind and into a warm car. She climbed into the passenger seat and gave the girl beside her a grateful smile.
"Thanks for the ride." she muttered as she put her seat belt on.
"No problem." Haruka responded as she put the key in the ignition. "It's really cold out there anyways. Do you normally walk here?"
Taiki nodded. "Hai and its usually pretty cold in the mornings."
"Yeah I know. Thankfully I don't have to walk it, I don't know how you do it." she said as she began driving. "I hope you like milkshakes by the way."
Taiki gulped. She knew milkshakes were really high in calories and the thought of drinking one terrified her. She'd never been much of a fan anyways but after she'd started struggling with her eating milkshakes became a huge no no for her. "I don't have any money on me though." she said nervously, which was actually true since she had left her wallet at home.
"Don't worry about it, this place has the BEST milkshakes. I'll pay for yours."
Taiki's cheeks flushed as she stared down at her lap knowing it would be rude if she tried to tell her no. "Arigatou." she replied quietly.
A few minutes later they pulled up to a small cafe and Haruka found a parking space near the door. "This is Clarks." she said as she got out of the truck, Taiki following suite as she hopped out. "They're a small little place and they're really not that well known but they're the best. I come here all the time when I need a breather." she added as she led Taiki inside.
The inside of the cafe was nice and cozy, there was only a handful of people inside and the majority of the shop was empty. "Go pick any seat and I'll order for us." Haruka said as she walked off to the counter to order.
Taiki looked around for a minute before walking over to an empty booth at the back of the cafe. She pulled out her binder and sat down, opening it up and taking out the assignment from class. She looked over it for a couple minutes before the sound of a metal glass being set down in front of her startled her. She looked up at Haruka who had set the tall vanilla milk shake down in front of her.
"I hope vanilla is ok. I didn't know what flavors you liked."
Taiki stared at the drink for a moment, anxiously trying to imagine how many calories were in it before brushing the thought aside, telling herself she'd write it down later. "Vanilla is perfect." she responded, giving her classmate a smile.
Haruka sat down at the other end of the booth with her milkshake and the two began working on the assignment together.
The two worked in silence for about half an hour, the only noise was when Haruka would occasionally ask a question about the work and Taiki would have to explain it to her. But after a while Haruka decided to break the silence again, but in a somewhat different way. "You're new to Maple's right?" she asked.
Taiki looked up from her paper and looked at the older girl who was watching her intently. "Hai." she replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering since I'd never seen you around before."
"My old school transferred me to Maple's because of my grades. They moved me up a grade and sent me here since they have more advanced classes."
"So you must be pretty smart then?" Haruka asked with a smirk.
Taiki shrugged. "I guess. But I could do better."
"Hey you're probably way smarter then me. I don't even know why I'm at Maple's, I barely pass my classes anyways." she laughed.
The brunette let out a small laugh as well before trying to return her attention to her homework.
"You're really quiet. You don't talk much."
Taiki cocked an eyebrow at her. "And?"
"I don't know. There's so much I don't know about you. You're intriguing. The smart new girl who nobody really knows anything about."
The bulimic girl. Taiki thought to herself. "I wouldn't really say I'm anything special. You'd be disappointed if you saw the real me. I don't live up to expectations."
Haruka shook her head. "No, I don't know you well but I have a feeling that there's more to you then meets the eye. I want to get to know you better if you'll let me."
"Well..." Taiki began but trailed off, a small smile on her face. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"I'm up for the challenge." Haruka replied as they both locked eyes for a split second, before they both returned their attention to the assignment, a warm feeling lingering in Taiki's heart.