Chapter 5 is up!
Cowardly turtle… cowardly turtle… cowardly turtle…
She closed her eyes tight. The words had been ringing in her head since yesterday, determinedly floating around in her cerebral cortex. At home, at sleep, at Social Science, at recess and now, at her locker. She stuffed her books inside violently, suddenly angry all over again.
Cowardly turtle… her eyes glazed. That bastard. I was NOT being a cowardly turtle. Why would he think I'm a cowardly turtle? I definitely did NOT shrink, and I positively did NOT kneel! She glared at her innocent Chemistry textbook. Who's the cowardly turtle anyway? At least I don't need nine hooligans to back me up like that no-good Ika Kirani! At least I don't huff and puff about my wealth just so I'd stand out from the crowd!
Okay, so that was because she had no wealth to show off in the first place. But even the Sultan of Arab didn't gloat about his oil plantations, did he?
Cowardly turtle! She hissed silently. How dare he! That stupid block of utter dumbness with blind eyes and that mop of black hair! HOW DARE HE??
She headed for the school gate, wrenched the heavy door of the building open and came face-to-face with the previously mentioned stupid block of utter dumbness with blind eyes and that mop of black hair.
He was on his way inside – to the gym, still in his uniform, looking slightly sleepy and lazy. He assessed her for a second, turned to look at the wide-open getaway (gate) behind him and looked back. "Going home?"
She seethed. Why she thought he was amazing and talented baffled her. Did she really stay back and lingered like a fool just to watch him? What on earth for?
Hormone burst, she blamed. Just a moment of infatuation. Her eyes are open now. Glaring at him, something she had never done before, she muttered, "Actually, I'm going to the sea. I'm going for a swim with the rest of the turtles."
He started to walk away. "Humph."
She stayed where she was, fists clenched. That brush-off seemed worse than all the brush-offs she'd gotten from Ika combined. What was that 'humph' supposed to mean? What's there to 'humph' about anyway?
At that moment, the D.U.L.L. stepped in through the same door. Her spine stiffened and she practically snarled. They noticed her, raising their eyebrows, lips curving. No, she heard herself think. Not today.
She turned and walked straight for the gym.
The D.U.L.L gasped, taken by surprise at the unplanned reaction. "I think she's going to stay, Ika," one girl helpfully supplied.
Ika pursed her lips stiffly. "Not for long."
They marched into the gym, spared a moment to look at the light in their lives making a successful toss before scouting for their victim.
He saw them too. Anticipated what was about to happen. He'd been surprised when the cowardly turtle stomped in, all but shooting knives from her eyes at him. She had settled herself at the usual place, looking ready to battle. That puzzled him a bit. Was she trying to pick a fight with him?
But now he knew.
He pretended to practice dribbling. From the corner of his eyes, he watched the ten girls crowd around her. Saw one of them saying something apparently very cutting, because he saw the same animal flash on her eyes he'd seen yesterday.
Glares and death looks were shooting from all directions, he thought, slightly amused. The girl was not responding, but merely listening to what they had to say to her.
Coward, he scoffed. Why can't you say something?
However, his eyes widened excessively when the girl's hand snaked out and made contact with the face of her insulter. The first analogy that came to his mind was of a volcano, suppressing and then erupting without warning. Cowardly turtle be gone, he thought. The sound it made echoed through the gym and the entire basketball team stopped practicing, suddenly distracted and interested.
Not that he blamed them. The girl was standing now, looking down at the girl she had just slapped who clutched her cheek in shock. Her voice rang out, loud and clear, contrasting with the dead silence enveloping the place. "I've hit you once and I've hit you now. No doubt I'll do it again if I felt like it. You can leave me alone and go away, or you can go to hell." She shook with rage. Then her eyes snapped to the other frightened faces. "And for the rest of you followers, if I can hit her, then I can very well hit you too." She shook her fist to prove it.
That threat seemed to have an effect on them. Ushering their leader to her feet, they quickly scurried away, embarrassed at having caused a scene and being the joke of it. The girl who was slapped screamed, "Damn you!", gathering what seemed to be the last of her posture. The reply came immediately, "Yeah, and damn you too!"
Behind him, his fellow teammate chuckled. He wanted to do so too, but decided not to. Instead he walked over to her, still pretending to practice dribbling the ball.
Her eyes snapped hotly to him. He enjoyed it, for some unknown reason. "If you say something, anything," she hissed. "I'll hit you too."
He judged the difference of their strengths and decided it was impossible. "Feels good, doesn't it?"
She started to say something rude to him, but then stopped and pondered. "Yeah…kind of." A smile spread slowly across her face. She was smiling at herself, replaying the image of Ika's red-and-pink face and her black-and-blue cheek. He watched as it abruptly turned saucy. "Get them back here. I want to do it again."
At the stunned look on his face, she laughed. Then she suddenly stopped, as if realizing something and the awkward silence fell between them. She shifted left and right. It was better, she thought, being angry with him. When she was angry, her head was crowded with curses and nothing else. But now her head was clear, and she started to see again why it was that had hooked her to him.
He was not a stupid block of utter dumbness anymore. He actually looked warrior-like, all masculine and male in that sports gear of his. His dark blue eyes peeked through his messy fringe, seeking and claiming attention – did she actually call them blind? Why on earth did she do that? He's got the most brilliant of eyes…
"I'm Kaede." He saw the confusion seeping into her eyes. "Kaede Rukawa. It's my name."
Is that a subtle form of an insult? She thought vaguely, seething up again. "I know. I'm Akima Hanashi. It's a name too."
He believed he was beginning to like that clever mouth. He must be out of his mind.
From the other end of the gym, his team captain, the cute and not-so-lengthy muffin-head roared at him to start shooting baskets. He turned to leave when she abruptly stopped him. "Thanks," she said. "If you hadn't provoked me, I wouldn't have lost my head and did what I did. Just now, that is. I mean -" she blew a breath. "Slapping them… I mean, her – the one with that long ponytail. She deserved it. I –" Good riddance, why is this so hard?? "Thanks." She finished lamely.
My pleasure. But he didn't reply.
Aiming a three-pointer, he snuck a glance to see her settling comfortably in her seat in a more relaxed posture than the one earlier on. Akima. He started to visualize her in his mind. Then, realizing what he was doing, he quickly blinked and shook his head. Shit.
He sent the ball and watched.
It went in.
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