Title: Gossip Girl Goes Japan
Author's Notes: Another chapter of GGGJ, guys! Whoo-hoo! Anyway, not much to say except this chapter is pretty short... . Sorry about that, guys! But I hope it keeps you longing for more! 'Cause now I've decided to include an additional set of characters that should keep the story interesting. Eh. Here we go again! Usual disclaimers apply!
"Rei. I just don't understand why you're freaking out over this. You have a million sweaters–a lot better than the one dripping with latte."
Purple eyes flitted threateningly at the blonde-haired girl attempting to soothe the angry teenaged female. It had been a day since 'The Incident', as it was now to be aptly called, but Rei Hino had not recovered from the shock of that day. Being covered with a sticky liquid that attracted flies and bees, and not extremely cute teenaged boys, was not a commendable experience. Not at all.
"It's not about the blasted sweater, Minako–it's all about the principle of the matter," Rei huffed, settling into her red bean bag couch.
Minako raised a blonde eyebrow. "And you, Ms. Rei, have 'principles'?"
Rei smiled slightly. "I never said they were the good kind."
Minako's mouth tilted into a half-grin, half "would you get over it?" kind of smile. She stood up from the chair, and smoothed out her silk skirt, before settling down on the mahogany surface once again. "Well, any way... what do you plan on doing? I know you. Revenge is always number one in that brain of your's. Well, next to a black-haired, blue-eyed boy, of course..."
Rei ignored the allusion to her crush and clucked. "So impatient we are. But time shall reveal what my adversary's demise shall be." Lacking a pet to stroke in times of evil brilliancy, like Dr. Evil with his cat Mr. Bigglesworth or whatnot, Rei stroked a plush pillow with one finger, nodding appreciatively at her own evil wit.
Minako snickered. "You just haven't thought of anything, have you?"
And a pillow was thrown to cover the blonde's smirking face.
Elsewhere in Tokyo, a blonde-haired girl paced around her room, her pigtails flying about her half-hazardly. "It's just so weird, Naru. I understand that I got her sweater dirty, but a few good scrubs and a couple of cups of bleach will take that stain right out." Usagi Tsukino looked imploringly at her new friend, Naru Baker. Naru was a brown-haired, half-Japanese, half-American girl who Usagi had just met the same day of 'The Incident'. Molly had been cordial enough to welcome Usagi when seeing her sitting alone at lunch, and find that they both had the makings of becoming good friends.
"Oh, it's just Rei Hino's way of being her drama queen self," Naru explained, rolling her eyes. She leaned back on Usagi's bed, closing her eyes. "Besides, you shouldn't care what she thinks. She's one of those shallow bimbos who thinks of nothing but make-up and boys."
Usagi smiled, glad she had befriended someone in this town. It didn't seem like anyone else at her new school was friendly at all. Today at school, which marked Day One of life after 'The Incident', everyone seemed even more frigid than the day before. If she asked someone for a pencil, their eyes would dart madly about the room, and then settle on one spot, where Rei Hino and her friends sat, staring...
"Naru? Does Rei Hino have control over the school or something?"
Naru allowed one eye lid to flutter open from her relaxation time. She smiled slightly, amused at how much Usagi needed to learn–and fast, if she hoped to survived high school. "Yeah. Something like that. She has joint ruling though. With Minako Aino, Ami Mizuno, and Makoto Kino. All three much nicer than her. But still brutal. So watch out for them too."
As Naru settled back into her sought-after nap, Usagi sat at her study table, reflecting on her friend's opinions on the four girls who she had that nasty encounter with at Café De'LuXE. The quartet couldn't be as nasty as Naru had posed them to be, could they?
Usagi smiled to herself, then set her head down on the table, wrapping her arms around her head. Tomorrow was an altogether new day. And she'd win them over... she was completely sure of it. And this thought remained a comfort to her as she descended into Dreamland.
The next day...
Usagi skipped to school, an air of happiness surrounding her. When she had awoken today, a lot earlier than usual, she had spotted her horoscope in the paper:
"You, oh emotional Cancer, shall befriend new people today."
Her baby blue eyes had perked up at this tid bit of news. She was sure that these new buddies would come in the forms of Rei, Minako, Ami, and Makoto! She laughed softly to herself. After their differences were settled, she would have to invite them over for some of her mom's awesome lemon pie!
She arrived at her home room, a huge smile plastered over her face. She heard giggles immediately being suppressed as she waltzed into the room. She glanced questioningly at the majority of her class mats, her gaze reflexively sweeping over Rei and Makoto–half of the group she wanted to win over. She smiled at the two and wiggled her fingers in a greeting. Rei did the same, but her lips formed a smirk. And that's when Usagi turned around.
On the board was a question, printed in block printing: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF USAGI TSUKINO?
Below the query, lay answers to the above statement. Obediently, the students belonging to Ms. Wasabi's home room had written:
SLUT! WHORE! B-TCH! AIR HEAD...
The insults continued to wear on, Usagi's blue eyes taking in each carefully printed letter. She even noticed the small imperfections made by her fellow classmates.
She noticed the white smears made by clumsy hands. That was it. For the rest of her high school career, she'd be nothing more than a SMEAR on the chalkboard of social standings. She'd be nothing more than a mistake.
Usagi's hands started to shake, and the joyful blue eyes she had entered this new world with were gone–only to be replaced with two blue pools continuing to flood. And the only sympathy she got was from the uproarious laughter made by everyone behind her.
And from a corner of the room, Rei Hino let her voice ring freely, mocking Usagi's naivete. "Now you know your place, Tsukino. I suggest you go to the back of the room–where you belong." But beside her, Makoto said nothing. It was this silence that actually made Usagi spin around, facing all those who mocked her. She faced the vile, the gossipers, the followers of "Mistress Hino" for a split second, but turned her attention to the brown-haired girl casually popping her gum. With a voice full of hope she asked, "Makoto-san... you don't think all this, do you?"
The full attention was given to the Amazoness. What she said, agreeing to their taunts, or disapproving of them, would decide quite a few social standings.
Makoto stopped popping her gum and put on a grim face. "I may not have written any of those things, Tsukino–but that doesn't mean I disagree." Then the sound of gum-popping, and hideous chuckling continued.
"What the he are you up to now, Hino? Being the same btch we all have come to know, again?"
The giggling subsided. A few girls sent glares towards the doorway, as if challenging the newcomer to speak ill against their master again. Rei Hino stared coldly at the tall figure looming in the doorway. "Tenou–I believe you should be in your home room right now. I know your brain may be crammed full of naked women or whatever, but I do hope you'll allow the rest of us a chance to a bright future."
Usagi examined the girl framed by the doorway. She was tall, even taller than Makoto. She had chopped sandy-blonde locks and icy, light green eyes. Someone Usagi would have pegged as the neighborhood bully. But right now, this supposed bully was proving to be the only thing distracting the other girls from tearing her apart. And for that, she was extremely grateful—she'd have to give this girl some lemon pie later!
The tall blonde shrugged. "Hey—at least I have something in my brain." she smirked then glanced over at Usagi's tear-streaked face, then glanced over towards to the board. She sighed. Then she sent Usagi a reassuring smile and walked out. Usagi's heart seemed to sink–faster than the cruise liner, Titanic had. She couldn't have felt more miserable if she had watched Leonardo sink deep into the depths of the Pacific...
"Yo Muffin-head. You coming?" Usagi looked up to find the Tenou girl looking at her quizzically from the side of the doorway. Usagi blinked. She had class, but... she looked behind her, back at her tormentors and nodded. "Yeah... yeah I am."
Usagi soon found herself lounging under the trees, somewhere behind the school complex. Ditching school. What a weird, rebellious feeling. She found herself surrounded by four girls, all four possessing a type of mystical beauty. Was she ever in awe.
"So who's this, Haru?" An aqua-haired beauty asked, smiling warmly at Usagi. Usagi smiled back appreciatively, already hungering for this type of positive attention. So, kindness wasn't too scarce in this area of Japan.
"This, Michiru... this is Muffin Head," Haruka proclaimed brightly, giving one of Usagi's odangos a squeeze. Usagi proceeded in laughing at the nickname placed upon her. Muffin head. She would have said Meatball head, but...
Another girl, this one with black hair, streaked with green, announced, "She's Usagi Tsukino. A Sophomore. Just transferred here from Juuban High." Usagi glanced at this all-knowing young woman. How did she know all this...? The blonde-haired girl coughed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Was this girl one of those stalkers discussed on t.v....?
Haruka laughed. "Setsuna works on the school computers. The only student here with enough skill to put Bill Gates to shame. So, of course, she does the naughty thing and look up info on other students." Usagi felt her muscles relaxed, as she received a sly wink from the girl named Setsuna. Good. So she wouldn't have to file any type of report to the police...
"And this girl buried in the books is Hotaru Tomoe," Haruka explained, ruffling a smaller girl's jet black hair. The girl issued this action with a half-annoyed, half-bored stare at Haruka. "She's really supposed to be a freshman. But this girl is our local Einstein, so she's a Senior with the rest of us."
Usagi stared in awe at the girl hiding behind a book on Kafka. Amazing! They'd have to start a study group or something!
"So, Usagi. What was going on with you and that blackboard back there?" Haruka asked, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. Usagi seemed to freeze at the question. Here she had met a group of people who she could very well be friends with. And now she had to inform them that she was the most unpopular girl in school? What would they think of her? Would they ditch her like she was some sort of dreaded STD? But then again, Usagi recalled, staring into Haruka's eyes, Haruka doesn't seem to be on good terms with Rei either. Maybe she'll understand. Maybe they all will. Taking a daring plunge, Usagi took a deep breath and said,
"Rei Hino hates me. So, basically, she turned everyone against me," she drew her knees in to cover her face, "so I won't blame you guys if you don't want to be seen with me. I'm, like, completely hazardous to your social health."
Then the quartet laughed. Usagi flinched at the sound, remembering the ridicule she had experienced in the classroom just a mere fifteen minutes ago. But something was different about this giggling. Something warm, lively, compassionate.
"Oh, man, Muffin-Head! Do you seriously think we care what that brat thinks about us?!" Haruka exclaimed, laughter completely racking her body.
Michiru continued her light bell-like giggling, her hand fluttering to land on Usagi's shoulder. "Rei Hino," she managed to say, "is nothing more than a superficial, spoiled, little girl, Usagi-chan."
Usagi looked away from the four's humored faces and whispered, "Well... I just wanted to be friends with her. My plan completely back-fired. I mean, in this school... you're like nothing if she and her friends hate you, right?" she paused, searching for the words, "Besides, they seemed like really nice people... always smiling and..."
The laughter began to dissolve away once this statement was heard. Setsuna looked at her strangely, a long finger starting to point in Usagi's face. "You, my dear, need a complete wake-up call from this dillusion. Hino, Kino, Mizuno, and Aino are definitely four girls who you probably shouldn't befriend." Then she looked towards Haruka questioningly, "Should we show her the wall, Haru?"
Haruka nodded. "Definitely."
A minute's walk around to the other side of the school found Usagi staring at a white-bleached wall. She looked at the others, confused on the significance of this bland-looking structure.
"Why are we here?" she asked, looking at the extent of the great white wall.
"This is called 'Hate Wall'," Haruka murmured, letting a hand stroke the texture of the flat surface.
When this explanation still left Usagi looking as confused as ever, Haruka continued, "If someone has some beef with someone else–they graffiti some rumors and other crap like that here." here she paused, letting the words sink in deep, "I was on here once."
The rest of Haruka's companion didn't interrupt, feeling a long unraveling of the past coming along.
"Here, they called me a dyke. A lesbian that should die. An immoral stain on earth. And all because I had to piss off Rei Hino."
Usagi looked to the ground, seeing the weeds pop up in the unattended patch of earth. "Then Rei's opinion matters. You just proved it."
Michiru sighed. "But don't you get Usagi-chan? Hino and her clique may have tried to ruin Haruka's reputation and destroy her... but she's still here, isn't she? Better yet, she's still here among friends."
Setsuna smiled, wisdom flashing through her purple eyes. "Usagi-chan, you've got to realize–gossip, sure, it can kill your 'good' rep. But you've got to move on after than and not care about what anyone else thinks."
Haruka tore her eyes away from the wall and grinned at Usagi. "Besides, as Michi said–you're among friends. Even better–you're among friends who know how to plot the best methods of revenge."
Setsuna slapped her forehead, groaning aloud, "So much for the high road."
Haruka grinned, her eyes dancing mischievously within their respective sockets. "Oh shut up Setsuna–you know the high road doesn't exist here at Osaka. Only pure and unadulterated revenge does."
Usagi gulped. What had she gotten herself into this time?
Author's [Concluding] Notes: Another chapter is CAPUT! Write to me, people... I need to do that bonus section fo this story that I mentioned earlier...