"Do you think people would look down on me if I went out with a grade nine?" Van asked at lunch time.
"Van," Millerna said, "you're seventeen, and a senior, don't you think that would look a little odd?"
"I dunno," Dilandau commented as he reached over and grabbed a half of Hitomi's sandwich. He brushed some of his white-blonde hair off his face and took a bite. "It depends on which Minor Niner, I guess… Thanks 'Tomi," he added.
"What about her?" Allen asked as a girl with bright red hair went walking by. "She's pretty hot for a grade nine. Anyone know who she is?"
"Yeah, her name's Yukari," Merle said. "She was held back a grade so she's supposed to be in grade ten. She lives half a block down from me so I see her all the time."
"Merle," Van looked completely serious, "I'm in love with you, can I come live at your house?"
She scoffed at him. "No. You just want a piece you asshole."
Dryden detached his lips from Millerna long enough to say, "So?" She gave him a playful shove and he grabbed her and started to tickle her.
"You'd look like a cradle robber, why don't you go out with someone our age?" Hitomi asked.
"Hitomi," Dilandau said, putting his arm around her and stealing the rest of her sandwich. "Which girl our age, hasn't Van gone out with?"
"Hey!" Van said loudly. "I haven't gone out with these three beautiful ladies."
Merle flipped him off and Hitomi just rolled her eyes. Millerna and Dryden were so busy making out that they hadn't even heard the rest of the conversation, which was lucky because if they had, Dryden would have punched Van in the face.
"So Merle," Van smoothly said, "what did you say to me earlier about Attack of the Killer Slugs IV? Why don't we go see that?" He grabbed her around the waist and she slugged him in the stomach. "Aw, c'mon, Merle, I was just joking! See, Hitomi lets me do it!" He wrapped his arms around her, careful to avoid her bruised back. He grinned at her childishly and she smiled sarcastically back.
"Hey, dude! Back off, Hitomi's mine! She gives me all her food, clearly she loves me more!"
"Fuck off Dilandau, she loves me more!"
"You guys!" Hitomi held up her hands. "I love you both equally. See?" She gave them each a kiss on the cheek and Dilandau happily went back to munching Hitomi's food.
Van hugged Hitomi and behind her back he poked Dilandau. He turned to look at Van. "Dude, she loves me more."
"Okay, that's it!" Dilandau threw his bottle of Coke at Van, who cowered behind Hitomi. She shrieked and stood up, covered in Coke.
"DILLY! This is a new shirt! Urgh, you're impossible! VAN! You knew he was going to throw that at you! Why did you hide behind me?! You know what? I love Allen more than BOTH of you." She paused. "PUT TOGETHER! This is what you get!" Hitomi picked up a bowl of pudding Merle had bought and shoved it Dilandau's face. Then she took a carton of milk and dumped it on Van's head.
"What the HELL?" Merle screamed as she watched both her milk and pudding land on the offending boys. "Hitomi!" Merle threw an apple at Hitomi, who caught it and threw it back. Merle caught it, looked at Drydan and Millerna, and threw it at Dryden's head.
"Ah, dude! That hurt!" Merle pointed at Hitomi. Dryden picked up Millerna's gum she had stuck on some paper and threw it towards Hitomi. She ducked and it hit Allen in the back of the head.
"Shit! That's gum, man!"
Van looked at Hitomi and picked up a bottle of ketchup. Her green eyes widened to huge proportions. She shook her head at him but it was no use. Soon Hitomi and almost everyone else in the area was covered in ketchup. Dilandau let out a yell and tackled Merle. He pinned her and dumped salad, complete with dressing, down her shirt.
"Oh, you bastard!" Millerna said as Allen shoved her face into a plate of macaroni.
Van grabbed Dryden's arms and held him while Hitomi sprayed the remaining ketchup all over his face and glasses. He brought his foot up backwards and kicked Van in the shin.
"Ow, you son of a bit -"
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
Hitomi turned around to see her and Van's science teacher, Mrs. Walker, standing there watching the food fight going on between the seven of them. Van came up behind her and put a hand on her hip. She could feel his suppressed laughter. Dilandau burst out laughing and soon the cafeteria was full of the sound of their laughter.
"Detention for all of you," Mrs. Walker said sternly. "NOW!"
They marched out of the cafeteria in a line. When they got to the library, which was used for detention, they all sat down. Yukari was already there. She was flicking a lighter open and closed over and over again.
Almost immediately, Van slid his chair a little closer to her and said, "Hey, what're you in for?"
"The teacher, like, caught me smoking," she said simply. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, my God, you
totally smell like milk."
Dilandau and Hitomi burst out laughing when they heard that. Van gave them a dirty look and then said, "Yeah, we're in here for throwing food around in the caf. I had milk dumped on my head."
"You deserved it!" Hitomi said in a sing-song voice.
"So, 'Tomi," Dilandau whispered to her, "what're you doing this Friday?"
"Not much, Dilly. Why?"
"Uh, you wanna come over to my house? We could hang out. Watch a movie or whatever."
"Sounds great, who'd be there?" She tapped her nails on Dilandau's wrist gently.
Dilandau looked down at their hands so close together. He flipped his arm around and grabbed Hitomi's hand. Swallowing he said, "Uh… I dunno. You… me."
She watched him play with her fingers tenderly until his words finally seemed to sink in. "Dilandau!" she cried, a little too loudly. Hitomi lowered her voice. "Dilly, are you asking me out?"
Coughing, he nodded. "But I understand if you'd, y'know, wanna stay friends or whatever."
Hitomi put her hand on the side of Dilandau's face. Looking over at Van and Yukari, who were now have a heavy make out session, she said, "I'll come, but I don't want to promise you anything. I'm sorry Dilly…"
"Hey, it's okay, man. I'll live. It's cool if you like someone else or something."
"It's not that. You know my parents are getting a divorce, hey? Well, I've been having a rough time with that stuff so…"
Dilandau put an arm around Hitomi and pulled her closer to him. He gave her a hug and said, "Yeah, I get it. The rough times will pass. They always do."
Yeah, Hitomi thought, watching Merle and Allen pass a ball of paper back an forth, but you have no idea how rough it actually is.
* * *
On Wednesday morning, Hitomi was at her locker, getting her science books out and waiting for Van to appear when Yukari approached her.
"Like, hi Hitomi!" she said brightly, throwing her hair over her shoulder.
"Er, hi Yukari."
"So… I was like, just wondering if Van is like, totally good in bed?"
Hitomi dropped her books on the floor and yelled, "WHAT?"
"I said, is Van like, totally good in bed?" Yukari twisted her hair around one finger and chomped on her gum.
"Why are you asking me?" asked Hitomi.
Yukari laughed. Hitomi almost had to cover her ears to keep from cringing at the sound. "Because, like, I found this like, bra in his room and when I asked who's it was and he was all like, 'Oh, that's like, just Hitomi's.'"
"Oh. We've never had sex," Hitomi said. "That was there because I slept there last weekend."
Yukari's face hardened when she heard that. "Well, I like, totally don't know what was like, between you guys but whatever it was is like, totally over, okay? He's with me now, you like, got that?"
"Uh," answered Hitomi, "yeah, I 'like', got that."
"Okay, like, see ya later, Hitomi!"
And with that Yukari stalked off, high heels pounding on the ground and short skirt swaying back and forth. Just as Hitomi was going to give up and head to class, Van decided to make an appearance. He shoved his bag into her locker, as usual, but didn't seem to notice she wasn't talking.
"Yukari came over last night," Van commented to no one in particular.
Hitomi made an indistinct noise in her throat. "How long's this one going to last, Van?" she asked with uncharacteristic bitterness.
Van looked up when he heard her tone of voice. "Something wrong, 'Tomi?"
"Oh, no. Everything's great. Perfect. Fucking peachy."
Van watched her, puzzled as she walked to class scowling. He wondered why she was so mad. Little did he know that Hitomi was wondering the exact same thing. It's not like Van had never had a girlfriend before. And it's not like they hadn't told her to back off either. What was it about this one that rubbed her the total wrong way?
(A/N: Dun dun dun! *SCARY MUSIC* Hummm… what's gonna happen? In a chapter soon-to-come: an appearance by Melanie, the co-author of Pain and Sorrow! Hope you like it so far! Review it, PLEASE!)