//* A Story Different From Before *//

~ By: aelaishia ~

Note: Standard disclaimers applied.

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Part Three – When you came into my world

            Excuse me but who are you talking about?

            I remember I said those words too. It's funny though, me not knowing you existed in my world. I didn't even know you were in the same class. Silly me. I've never been out of the loop before but oh well, it seems you've been out of the loop yourself too. Doesn't that make us equal?

            You see I wasn't present when you gave your speech during the first day of school. I know I may sound like an irresponsible student and maybe you would even think that I have no right to be beside you as one of the Class Representatives knowing how well organized you are, but I wasn't my fault that I was absent. Really, it wasn't. Believe me. I wanted to go to school that day too. If I did then maybe things would turn out different for the two of us. Right?

            I first heard of you three days before our adverse meeting. I just came from the faculty room to report to the teachers what happened to me and explained to them why I was absent when I heard one of the teachers talking about you.

            You know, Takahashi-san is so responsible. I'm so glad she decided to attend here in our school. It seems we won't be having much trouble from the students anymore. She handles the other Junior High students so well.

            Those were the words that caught my ear. To think that someone like you had already gained the teachers trust and admiration in just a week is enough to spark my interest. I wanted to see you. I wanted to meet you. Most of all I wanted to know you. I know this sounds stupid to you. You probably even don't care about me. After all, there are many other guys there who must have thought the same about you. And you don't seem the type to listen to these kinds of things either so I guess I'll just keep it inside.

            When I came to the gym that day to practice, I don't know how much other people were talking about you that I was surprised to hear them saying this and that about you. About how nice you are, how you helped this certain person with his or her seatwork, how you answered every question right and recited when other people don't want to. You don't know how stupid I felt for not knowing you. I felt like I was suddenly in a different world and I began to feel panicked knowing how much your world affects mine. I didn't like it. How could someone with barely a month of existence in my world have this much influence on it already? I didn't understand.

            Who is this Takahashi anyway?

            I didn't know whether to ask someone about you or not, but in the long run I decided to play deaf. I decided to ignore your existence. I thought that maybe if people think I haven't heard of you then I wouldn't look dumb. I used my absence as an excuse. People knew I had an accident so I used that as an excuse for pretending to not know you, or even heard of you.

            I bet you don't even know how shocked I was to discover you were also the Class Representative. I tried to avoid. I avoided every meeting that I knew you would be in. I accepted every task the teachers asked me to do in order to have classes with you. But don't get me wrong. I didn't do it because I didn't like you. I don't even know why I did it. Even after knowing who you are did not make it less confusing. I just feel like I'll drown into you if I did. I don't know. I know I'm not making any sense but I don't know how else I could put it.

            Avoiding wasn't hard. It didn't cost me that much at all. I just had to take copies of notes from one of our classmates, do all the assignments at home then hand it to the teachers in the morning. Meetings in the afternoon weren't that hard either. I'd either excuse myself because I had to practice or just tell the committee that I'll just to what I need to do at home. I thought that somehow not seeing you would make it all better.

            You intimidated me. Your mere presence intimidated me that I feel like if I see you I would make a complete fool out of myself. I'd rather like to be killed than be humiliated.

            It rather surprised when I had bumped into you not so long ago. Of course I didn't know who you were yet at that time. If did then I might have killed myself right then and there. You looked at me with those kind hazel eyes and smiled sweetly at me like nothing ever happened. I wondered to myself who you were. I've surely hadn't seen you around the campus before. I absolutely had no idea that you were the one that most of the people are talking about in school. But it seems that you also didn't have any clue to who I was at that time. Or maybe you did and you just acted like the way people always say you would to save me from feeling more humiliated or so that I would not lose face. I don't know. I hope you'd fill me in on that sometimes. I really didn't mean to bump on you like that. I know it must have hurt you and I'm really sorry if it did. I was just so angry with myself at that time and you were part of the reason why I was.

            It was during lunch break, inside the locker room that I heard one of the guys from the soccer team talking about you.

            You know what, I really envy Mitsui. He doesn't even have to sit around in class and listen to the entire boring lectures the teachers give us. All he does is just practice for the coming tournament or do something for the coming sports festival. I wish I could be just like him.

            I smirked when I heard that. So I guess I still have my own world after all. I decided to keep quiet and listen more to what they were saying.

            But he's wasting so many opportunities.  He could be sitting together with Takahashi-san in class already if he doesn't have all those things to do.

            That's it! Why does she have to get involve with me? Who is she anyway? That was when I decided to let them know I heard them.

            Excuse me, but you are you talking about? I asked.

            The guys simply stared at me with disbelief in their eyes.

            You don't know who Amika is? One of them asked.

            I shook my head, feigning innocence. Well, I've heard of her but I'm not going to tell them that I had practically been avoiding engaging in conversations about her so I really don't know much about her at all. But I missed my chance at that time. I glanced at the watch and saw that I was already 15 minutes late for my practice and left them in a hurry without even waiting for them to tell what they know about her. They've been mumbling incoherent words anyway and they didn't make enough sense anyway. I wish Amika-san would notice me was all they kept on saying. And then they started pestering me and were unreasonably begging me to not add you in my ever so growing legion of fan girls. As if I cared.

So I guess now you know why my mind was drifting while I was hurrying up towards the gym. I kept on pushing the thought about you at the back of my mind and at the same time wondering what I would say to our coach fro being late. Of course you helped me a little when I used our mishap of a meeting as an excuse for being late. I really didn't thought about who you until the fifth period came. I wanted to meet you again, and perhaps asked for you forgiveness. I didn't even get your name when I bumped into you.

To say the least, when I saw you standing there talking to the teacher when I came in to class late, I was very glad that my heart began to beat so fast. I thought that finally I could know who you are and I was glad to even have you as my classmate. I thought, things aren't so bad after all and thought that I could finally erase all thought of Takahashi Amika out of my mind.

But I was wrong.

When the teacher introduced us, I didn't know whether I feel happy or scared. You are Takahashi Amika? I just couldn't believe it. I didn't know whether I expected something better or worse. But I was contented all the same, even though I haven't sorted out whether I hate you or like you. So you were the one people was always talking about, you were the one who the girls wanted to be, you were the one the boys are crazy over, you were the one who I had bumped into a while ago. You. You. You. So many thoughts raced into my mind. When I knew you didn't know who I was, I felt relieved. Maybe because I thought that I was only fair for me to feel that and they we are on the same grounds after all and I did not need to feel intimidated be you. When I finally shook your hand and greeted you, I felt something burn inside of me that when I greeted you and looked at you in the eye, I realized then what I feel for you and why I had wanted so badly to know you and why I was afraid of you at the same time. When you came into my world, you don't know how much you changed it. And for that I wanted to challenge you, not the kind where we get to see who's better in the end, but a different kind of challenge. To be honest, challenging you is just a part of it, a part of what I feel. The rest? Well, I'll just keep that to myself for now. Maybe someday you would realize what it is and I don't have to tell you anymore, but until then, let's just keep things the way they are and see what happens next.

Life's full of surprises after all.

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Author's note: This part is written in Mitsui's point of view. I hope it didn't confuse you. Again, thank you so much for reading my fic. Comments and reviews are always welcome. Stone, bricks, rotten fruits, knives, flames, death threats? You know where to throw them. Ja ne! ^^