Chapter 2:

The day had turned into dusk as we stepped out of the dorm's hall and walked casually down the footpath. The college was like a deserted ghost town. I shivered and pulled my coat tighter around me in the cold breeze that made music through the leaves in the tree. It really was a beautiful campus. When I first arrived here I was amazed by the greenness of the lawn, and I had the compulsiveness to just lie down on it and roll around, but luckily I was able to contain this urge. Out on the lawn stretched huge oak trees that seemed as old as time, standing tall and brave around the college guarding it. Tradition and history seemed to whisper quietly from every corner of this place. You could feel it in the architecture, in the trees and in the people. It really wasn't that different from where I came from, what in geographical sense (damn I sound like my SOSE teacher), or weather wise, but... I don't know, it just has a different air to it. Oh, home is Germany, or Deutchland as we call it. Yeah... home of over 500 types of beer, brutwursts and huge pretzels.

Don't get me wrong, I love the country but as I walk through the College grounds of London University, I can't help but feel a wave of refreshment. It's hard to explain, I know that's not the right word, but to me it feels like another chance. Another chance to meet new people, another chance to be who I want to be, away from people who think they know me, who have expectations. A new life.
"You know, it's funny," he comments breaking my train of thought.
"What?"
"You haven't asked where we're going. For all you know I could be leading you round in circles," he says gesturing with his hands.
"Well I kind of figured you knew this place well enough not to get lost."
He laughs, a warm rumbling laugh that is almost touchable.
"You've got wit girl, I'll give you that." He stops suddenly and I have to retrace my steps just a little. "I'll also shout you a pizza if you're hungry."
I look up to see a sign with a smiling typical fat Italian chef and as the wafts of freshly cooked pizza and tomato paste reach my nose, I suddenly realize how hungry I am.
"Famished."

The bell tinkles as we open the door, and a rush of heat and carefree conversation hits me. He takes my hand, and I can feel a tingle running through my arm at just the touch of him. It is official, somehow I have managed to travel back in time and am 16 again. He leads me over to a table in the corner with a very stereotypical white and red checkered table cloth. Actually, stereotypical pretty much sums up this place, from the Italian music playing in the background, to the Italian chefs in the kitchen with those ridiculous looking hats.
"This is one of my favourite places in the whole world," Hayate says looking round the restaurant with an expression of fondness I had not seen yet. And I didn't have the heart to tell him I thought it was the most ridiculously over the top restaurant I had ever set foot in.
I pick up the menu and bite my tongue instead, thinking give me a bowl of rice any day, instead of odd pasta parcels filled with yesterdays left overs, or perhaps worse. I shudder and decide to order something safe.
"Hayate!"
I look up, half in shudder wondering what tuna lasagna would taste like. The voice came from a girl with the biggest smile I have ever seen; whatever she's on... I want some. And someone should advise her that too many 'happy pills' at once isn't good for you.
"Leifang, what a pleasant surprise," he returns a smile, however it doesn't seem to be a smile at all compared to hers, more like a bare of teeth.
A confused, look comes across her face.
"Who's this?"
Oh great now I'm 'this', that's just great. Well at least 'this' doesn't have the word Fang in it. I shall name her Fangs, to remember her name.
"This is my new room mate Hitomi."
"Well that's, an unusual name," she comments still positively beaming. And your isn't? I roll my eyes and hope she didn't see…note: bad habit must stop…one day.
"Where's Jann Lee?" Hayate asks before I can bag out her name.
"Oh, he's over there," she points to the opposite side of the room. And Jann Lee raises his hand, making no effort to get up, rather he seems relieved that he has 5 minutes break with out having Fangs beam at him. As Hayate and Fangs chat about things I for one have no interest in and two don't have a clue what they're on about. I make my first impression of what I think of Fangs, knowing that I will be introduced to about another 50 million other people this week, and I have to distinguish them some how.
Apart from her fangs the next noticeable thing about her was her hair. I could have sworn I'd seen her on one of those shampoo commercials. You know the ones where they flip their glossy straight hair around while smiling seductively at the camera, making women envious of their hair, and the men enjoying the pleasure of a gawk without a slap of a handbag from their wife. Although of course she hadn't, as I would have definitely remembered her beaming fangs. It was not only her camera perfect hair that made me think she must have been a shampoo model, but to add to it she had flawless skin and a body that just screamed carrot sticks. Hadn't she ever heard of anything called a doughnut? I didn't even have to glance at her table to tell that she had ordered the 'garden salad'. But although her body was run way ready it surprisingly enough did not fall under the category of, 'if you've got it flaunt it.' Her clothes were clothes that my mother, or any mother for that fact, would have been proud of. I hated people like that, people so naturally beautiful that they could wear a 10 year old stained with sweat tracksuit (there goes my appetite) with high heels and still turn heads for looking absolutely breathtaking. Damn her. I hope she falls into a deep hole with Mary Poppins and heavy suitcases. Note: must stop being so negative…I roll my eyes at the thought…oops!
"So what are you studying?" Fangs beamed, obviously having run out of social chit chat with Hayate.
"Primary teaching," I replied halfheartedly.
"Oh, that's so fantastic! That's what I'm doing! We're going to have so much fun," she clapped her hands and reminded me of someone out of playschool. Oh God.
"Yeah, it's going to be a blast," my voice couldn't have been more unenthusiastic.
"Don't you just love kids?"
"Yeah, great little buggers."
Suddenly, despite Fangs' neon bright beams the evening had taken a somewhat sour turn.

I pushed the horrid pasta parcels around on my plate, my thoughts of jamming the nauseating meal down Hayate were only acted out in my head. It was of course the chef's special meal for his 'favourite customer' and Hayate had insisted I try it, as it was 'magnificent.' It's true that I felt rude, as he was paying for it and all, but at the same time I made a mental note to always order for myself.
"You're not too fond of tortellini, I'm gathering?"
"Why would you think that?" I ask trying to look as innocent as possible.
"Because you're playing soccer with it." At that comment the piece I had been maneuvering round my plate flew out of my control and landed on the floor.
"I'll grab the bill," he simple said laughing as the people on the next table stared at the parcel with utter confusion.
"Good idea."

"Promise me this," I say as we walk home.
"Okay, but as long as it's not converting to folding toilet paper because that's just not right." Our laughter spills into the night.
"Next time we go out to tea, I choose."
"That's fair. But just out of curiosity what do you have in mind?"
"Does the word sushi mean anything to you?" I ask.
"It only conjures up imagines of... yum!"
"Oh my gosh... are you serious! Everyone back home in Germany thought I was crazy for liking it, they were like, 'No girl you need fatting up, here have a beer and a brutwrust.'"
"Well people in Japan... thought I was normal for liking it," he smiles cutely and it almost breaks my 16 year old heart.
"So you come from Japan? My mother was Japanese hence the weird name," I say feeling myself beginning to open up to this guy I've known for less then a couple of hours.
"No, I like it."
"Really? Because all through highschool after being named Hit-on-me. I kind of began to loathe it," I laugh.
"No it's pretty. Hitomi." He says it in such a way that it is now my favourite name ever. Even if I did have to stare at gross parcels for like an hour, I must admit this evening has turned out pretty well.