"Umm… okay…" I whispered.
"So, are you sitting here or with your friends?" Haruko asked.
I looked back at Tetra… she was beckoning me to go to her…
"I think I'll stay… with my friends…" I said hesitantly.
I walked back to Tetra.
"So… what happened?" Tetra squealed.
"Nothing…" I whispered.
Flame looked at me with total confusion. I was afraid Flame may have already found out. Even though he's a 1st year… he's real sharp…(Japan has 3 years high school.) I'm a second year (just like Tetra and Haruko) but I've never seen someone as clever as him. I hope he doesn't find out that I'm related to Haruko. (Now, Haruko Fujiwara…)
AFTER SCHOOL…
(3:00)
"We have to go to work...!" Tetra told me.
Both Tetra and me work part time at a bookstore. (We love 3 books.)
(Lots of Japanese high schoolers have jobs.)
We walked a few blocks down from the school. We got to the Yamato Bookstore. Ms. Nekoi… our boss was sitting in her office. We put our uniforms on and I walked over to the register. I sighed. I love books… but hate working for money. I can't believe I agreed to pay for half of my college tuition… with my own money.
"Amiku!" I heard Tetra whisper.
I turned around. My amber hair moved all over.
"Look!" she half-whispered while pointing outside the window.
I looked outside the window. A motorcycle was outside. Although it was dark… I knew who the figure riding the motorcycle was… it was Haruko. I didn't know why he was there… he was still wearing his school uniform… I'd recognize it anywhere… blue shirt with long sleeves, blue pants, and a tie…
I wonder why he's here? He's not coming in or anything… so he doesn't want to talk to me… I wonder why?
8:30- (the time me and Tetra get off) "Ms. Nekoi! That was our last customer! We're leaving!" Tetra said.
"Amiku can go… Tetra… you come here and put these books in the right places." Ms. Nekoi said pointing to a few books.
"Go! I want to hear what happened after dinner! So call me!" Tetra said.
I walked outside.
"Umm… Haruko… why are you here?" I asked.
He sighed. " I was told to pick you up…" he said.
I knew it… he would never pick me up… intentionally.
"Get on. And hurry up already! You're about as fast as a snail..!" he said.
I got on his motorcycle. I didn't even know he had one.
About 5 minutes later…
We got home. I opened the door and walked to my room. I flopped down onto my bed.
"Hey…" I heard a voice from outside my door.
"Yes?" I asked. It was Haruko.
"I'm sorry for that rude comment back in front of the bookstore," he said.
Was he made to apologize..? Because the Haruko at school is not like this one. Did I find a more sensitive side to Haruko?
"It's okay…" I said quietly.
"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked.
"Why do you care?" I asked.
"Because I just do." he said gently.
"I will… later." I said.
"You should really eat now." Haruko said softly, different from the loud, obnoxious Haruko from school.
Why can't you just stop caring? Why didn't you care about me… or even notice me before our parents were married? I can't help but notice that…
"So?" he asked sympathetically.
I stood up and opened the door. He was there… just standing there… instead of beginning to eat without me… he chose to persuade me to eat. He's just wasting his time…
I walked down the stairs. I ate dinner without a word. I jumped back onto my bed after dinner…
My cell phone rang. I picked it up.
"So what happened?" Tetra asked.
"I'm not really in a mood to talk… sorry Tetra… but I can tell you tomorrow." I told her sleepily.
Haruko is nice after all… I looked at one of my posters… It was a big heart that said daisuki (I love you) Inside there were loads of names of the people that I wuv (love)… I stood up. At the left-bottom corner of that poster, I wrote in small letters, H-A-R-U-K-O. I wrote it tiny just in case someone saw.
THE NEXT DAY…
I woke up astonished… Haruko was in my room looking at the heart poster…
"Umm… excuse me!" I said loudly.
"It's a snow day… don't worry… mom and dad still had to go to work… and I was thinking of ways to piss you off…" he said.
"Can you get out of my room?" I asked angrily.
I stood up. I drew open my curtains and saw about 6 inches of snow.
"Get out!" I said annoyed.
"Wait! I'm almost done… just the bottom left corner," he said.
I opened the door and pushed him out. This time… I locked my door. I can only imagine the humiliation I'd be in if he saw. I walked back to the bed and fell asleep again.
I woke up an hour later. I sat up. On my computer chair, Haruko was swiveling around and around.
"How'd you get here? I locked my door!" I said surprisingly.
"The door in your closet…" he said.
I stood up.
"Well, can't you get out?" I asked.
"I have a question," he asked.
"Yes..?" I asked nervously…
"On that poster thingy… On the bottom… does that say-" he said. (till I cut him off)
"Why are you snooping around in my room anyway..? You know that it's wrong!" I told him.
He grinned at me. "I don't have the ability to tell what's right from wrong…" he said.
"That's it… get out!.. Get Out!.. GET YOUR ASS OUT OF HERE!" I screamed.
"Jeez… don't get all worked up…" he said.
"Just go…" I said.
He walked to the door. Right before he left, he said " You know… if I ever wrote your name on something (like he would)… I would just tell you if you asked…" he left and walked downstairs.
Does that mean that he knows that I wrote his name on my poster?
My cell phone rang.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Amiku… I'm bored! Can I come over?" Tetra asked.
If she came over and finds Haruko… then she'll find out we're (gulp) siblings… if I tell her now… then Haruko… (gulp) might beat the crap out of me…
"Well… I'm kinda…" I was saying…
"Thanks!" she said.
"Wait! Tetra!" I said but… she hung up.
Oh no… Haruko is gonna kill me… if not… Tetra's continuous squealing will…
The doorbell rang a few minutes later.
"I'll get it…" Haruko coolly said.
"No! I'll get it…" I said from on top of the stairs when he was right in front of the door.
"Why?" he asked curiously.
I ran down the stairs and pushed him away… FAR away… I opened the door and walked outside. It was freezing cold but it was better that a long lecture and getting beat up by Haruko.
"Who else is in there? I heard someone else in there!" she said.
"No one…" I said in silence.
"Come on, Amiku… I've been your friend since… forever! I know when you're lying or not… so…" she said looking at me as if expecting an answer.
"Can… you wait here a bit?" I asked.
I went inside and bumped into Haruko.
"You can let her in… I don't care… I know that keeping it a secret forever won't work anyway…" Haruko said.
"O… okay…" I said faintly.
I opened up the door. And Tetra stood there… open-mouthed.
A FEW MINUTES LATER…
"So… you guys… are step-sibs?" she asked incredulous.
I nodded while looking a t the tiles of the kitchen floor.
"I can't believe it!" she said.
"It's true… I am now… Haruko Fujiwara… instead of the more famous Haruko Aizawa…" he said.
Tetra took a deep breath. I sighed.
"So… where are your parents?" she asked.
Before I could respond… "Work… what's it to you?" Haruko asked.
Tetra's phone rang.
"Hello? Flame?.." she sighed. "I'll be right over…" she said.
She stood up.
"Sorry, Amiku… I know I just got here… but call me later, 'kay?" she said happily.
She left and left an awkward silence in between Haruko and me.
"I never asked… but why is her brother named Flame?" Haruko asked.
I sighed. "It's just a nickname… it's not his real name… he's called Flame because when he was little… he was seriously burnt… he was sent to the hospital… and he lived… Tetra blamed herself because she was watching him… but she was only 5 years old… what can she do?" I said. I sighed again.
That's why she'll help Flame out or stand up for him or anything. She's called overprotective of her brother at times… but it's not really her fault… now is it?
I went up to my room and went on my computer… a few minutes later… I heard Haruko playing his electric guitar…
"Grr… I can't IM anyone without peace… or better music!" I said.
I walked into his room using the closet door and unplugged his guitar from his amp. He stopped.
"What? I can't even play my guitar in peace?" he asked.
"It's noise!" I screamed.
My ears were still ringing.
"No! I was playing my favorite song… "Dirty Little Secrets" by-" he said (until I cut him off)
"I don't care! Can't you just…grr…" I said.
"Fine… I'll stop…" he said.
"Good…" I scoffed.
"On one condition… since I'm playing the song "Dirty Little Secrets" by The All-American Rejects… why don't you tell me a dirty little secret of your own?" he asked.
I turned around looking at him.
"Why the hell should I?" I asked furiously.
He started playing his guitar again… except louder.
"Okay! I hate noise!" I said.
"If you want… I'll start…" he said with a grin.
"I don't think I want to hear it… but if it would buy me some time to think… then okay…" I said.
"There's this girl in school… she-" he was saying.
"Doesn't notice you?" I asked, feeling similar.
"Yeah… I suppose you can say that…" he whispered.
What was I expected to say? I used to think that you ignore me and hate me?
"Umm…" I said.
"Well?" he asked.
What? It's like he wants to hear me say a certain thing… a certain secret…
I started thinking… now that he's my brother… I don't think he'd mind… if I say…
I sighed. "I used to have a crush on you when I started high school… happy?" I asked.
His left eyebrow rose after I said that. "No kidding?" he asked.
"No… I'm not kidding at all…" I said.
"Then answer one more question for you" he said.
"Sure." I said calmly. I didn't think I'd be as calm as I am now… I thought I'd be too embarrassed to tell him all this personal stuff.
"So… I wasn't imagining that my name was on that poster thing you have in your room..?" he asked uncertainly.
"No… not at all…in fact … I didn't think you could imagine things in that little head of yours…" I said.
I walked back into my room. His head stuck in from my front door.
"You know… that girl… that I was talking about…umm… you know her." Haruko said quietly.
"Is it Tetra?" I asked curiously.
He was especially quiet right now.
"Don't… you have to go to work? It's already 3:00." Haruko said.
I looked at my watch. It was 5 to 3:00.
I grabbed my things, pushed Haruko out, and dressed. I ran out and down the stairs.
"Amiku…" Haruko said quietly. "I'll… drop you off…" he said.
I know that when he picked me up last time… he was made to… does he really want to… or is he being made to?
A FEW MINUTES LATER…
"Umm… thanks… Haruko…" I said fortunately.
I started walking away.
"Hey! Amiku… it isn't Tetra… I lied…" he looked away at the snow. "I'll pick you up if you want me to…" he said. It's his nice side again… did I set it free?
I smiled at him. "Please and thank you…" I said.
He got what I meant and drove his motorcycle back home.
I was smiling so much when I got in the store.
"Ms. Fujiwara… you're late!" Ms. Nekoi said.
"I… I'm sorry…"I said.
"Just be sure not to do it again!" Ms. Nekoi said.
I was still smiling. I dressed up in my uniform and stood behind the register. Tetra walked to the register near mine. (mine was closer to the window.) She started working on that register.
I scanned books and did my job… but I didn't look up… or at Tetra.
When the bookstore was quiet and no one was in line for the register… I sat on my stool and just looked out the window. I don't know why… but I'm feeling… different…I think that I'm-
"Amiku… focus… on your job… register #1…remember?" Tetra asked.
That seemed to have snapped me away from my dream world… but… I still didn't understand this… feeling… this… emotion…