Chapter 4: Harsh Words
„Ouch!" Haruka yelped while Michiru cleaned the three long scratches Noriko had inflicted to her cheek. The two girls were standing on the toilet; Harukas fight with Noriko had ended in Noriko walking away with a black eye and Haruka sitting down with a scratched face. "Sorry." Michiru now apologized. "You shouldn't have started that fight, Haruka." The blonde just shrugged while Michiru dipped her handkerchief into cold water and went on with cleaning the wounds. "It was necessary to show Noriko how the wind blows for once. Maybe she'll stop being such a bitch now." "I don't know about Noriko, but I'm worried that she'll send Hiroshi at you." Michiru replied, surprised that she talked so much to Haruka all of a sudden. Of course, the blonde noticed that too. "Hey, in the last five minutes you talked more than the days before all together." Michiru gave the blonde a little smile, but she flinched when Haruka placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Something is bothering you, Michiru, I can tell. Want to talk about it?" All of a sudden, Michiru returned to her old, defensive self. "Not really. Why would you care, anyway?" she asked, sounding cold. "Don't let get anyone close to you." She thought to herself. "Nobody will hurt you if you stay alone." "Wha…?" Haruka asked, surprised. "Why shouldn't I care?" she then defended herself. "Maybe I like you." "Maybe you want me in your bed." Michiru shot back, desperately trying to hurt Haruka, to make her go away, to make her leave her alone. She couldn't take the risk of getting hurt, neither her body nor her soul. Harukas eyes bulged out at the aqua haired girls remark. "What? Michiru, I…" "You are gay, right?" Michiru interrupted her. "Well, I'm not. So stay away from me!" "But…but, I…" Haruka was lost of words, something that hardly happened to her; Michirus words stung into her heart like glowing knifes. Michiru knew that her next words would hurt Haruka deeply, but the aqua haired girl said them, out of pure self-defense. "I don't want to get the reputation of being a sick dyke like you and your friend, so stay away from me." Harukas jaw met the floor; she then quickly collected herself, shot one last look at Michiru and then dashed out of the toilet. Michiru was left alone, staring into the mirror and hating what she saw there. "I'm sorry, Haruka." She then whispered. "But I can't trust you…I just can't." A single tear fell from her eye, she wiped it away and left the toilet.
"She said what?" Joes irritated voice echoed through the café where she sat with Haruka, causing several of the customers to look at her. Haruka sadly nodded and stared into her coffee, as if the black liquid would tell her what problems Michiru had. "I can't believe it." Joe mumbled. "First, she accepts the ride home you offered. Second, she accepts the invitation for lunch you offered. Third, she cleans that nice scratches in your face, and now that?" Haruka sighed and nodded again. "She doesn't want you to get close to her." Joe stated matter-of-factly. Haruka finally looked up from her coffee, her eyebrows raising. "But why? Because I'm gay?" Joe shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but I don't think so. There has to be something more behind her actions." Haruka sighed again and replied: "Maybe I really should stay away from her. After the things she said…" "You fell for her, didn't you?" Joe suddenly asked, her usually fierce voice suddenly surprising gentle. Haruka blushed, and after a few moments, she nodded.
While Haruka and Joe had their little talk, Michiru sat at home, staring at her cell phone in pure horror. When she had arrived at her apartment after school, the cell had read "One new short message", and when she had opened it, it had turned out that her stepfather had sent it. "You think you got away, little bitch? I'll find you, and then I'll fuck your brains out." Michiru read. She closed her eyes, and her whole body started to shake. "Oh God, don't let him find me." She prayed out loud. "Please, don't let him find me…" That was when the doorbell rang, causing the aqua haired girl to jump. He found me! He's here, and now he'll take me back to him! Her mind raced while the bell rang again. "Hello?" a voice suddenly called out, and relief swept through Michirus heart. It wasn't her stepfather. The aqua haired girl walked over to the door and carefully opened it, peeking out. The young man who stood in front of her smiled nervously and held up a newspaper. "I read your announcement about private lessons in mathematics and wanted to ask…well, if you could help me a little." Michiru forced a smile and replied: "Sure. Just come in, we can start right now if you want to." The boy smiled, nodded and entered. Michiru closed the door behind him, hoping that he would pay the amount she wanted him to. Otherwise, she would have to take another job.
Haruka arrived at home with Joe in tow; the two of them wanted to test out the new game Haruka bought for her Playstation 2 ™, and Haruka had promised Joe a fine cigar from Vienna. While Joe turned the TV and the Playstation ™ on, Haruka went into the bedroom and took two cigars from the box her father had sent her. She returned to Joe, who was busy with admiring the graphics of the new game, and handed one of them to her. "Here. They are great, I smoked one yesterday." "Thanks." Joe grinned, took the cigar between her teeth and allowed Haruka to light it. They sat in the living room for two hours, playing their game and smoking the cigars, and when Joe left Haruka wasn't so sad about Michirus words anymore.