CHAPTER 10: HATE CAN BE JUST AS BLIND AS LOVE
(Love is blind)
Blair
While Blake is busy taking the kid I bribed to the clinic, I'm out here on an errand to fetch my potential future sister-in-law. According to Keagan, Natalia's group is in the science lab, which is only like two rooms away, right next to the bathrooms.
"And remember children, don't try any of this at home, or else you'll burn your house to the ground," Natalia finished her lesson with a flourish.
Peeking into the room, I find it odd that Natalia and Damien are teaching the lesson while Shizuke's just quietly mopping the floor. Oh, and Fiona's there too, glaring daggers at Natalia and Damien. Keagan told me they're not on friendly terms, but I didn't think it would stop Shizuke from teaching kids like he's been raving on about last week.
But heh, not my problem.
I went in the ladies' room and hid in a stall. It's only five minutes 'til dismissal and knowing Natalia, she'd go straight to the nearest mirror as soon as the bell rings. That's when I'll casually walk up to her, chat for a bit, then ask her to join us for lunch.
"This is too much work. Why don't you just text her?" Plagg whined, his head popping out of my purse.
I shoved the kwami back down. "Because Plagg, I don't want her catching on to my plans."
"Meh. If your brother is as hot as people say he is, he shouldn't have a problem asking her out."
"Well unfortunately, my brother has a tendency to chicken out whenever he tries to ask her out himself. Haven't you been listening whenever he moons about how hopeless he is around her?"
Plagg picked his ear. I didn't think he can reach them with those stubby little arms, but he's actually doing it. "My ears automatically tuned him out. Centuries of having lovesick idiots for charges made me develop that reflex."
"How I wish I can do that too."
While I'd take a bullet for him in a heartbeat, there's only so much pining I am willing to put up with from my dearest brother.
The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break. Not long after, the door creaked open and I saw just the person I was waiting for. I flushed the toilet, walked out of the stall and pretended to be surprised when I saw her.
"Oh, hey 'Talia! It's been a while!"
Natalia pulled her eyes off the mirror and plastered on her standard friendly smile for me. "Hello, Blair."
"Fancy meeting you here."
"Well, we're both assigned in the same building, so we're bound to meet at some point," Natalia said, in that know-it-all tone like she's reciting trivia to children.
"How do you know?" I asked, easing us into small talk before I go in for the kill.
"Shizuke won't stop complaining about how he wishes he can switch places with you twins so he can be teaching History with Keagan instead," she huffs, blowing her bangs up. She went back to fixing her hair in the mirror and continued her rant. "The weirdo thinks we can't hear him mumbling about it out loud as he mopped the floor right next to us. I swear his parents must've dropped him when he was a baby and his brain-to-mouth filter never fully recovered."
Well, at least the guy's honest. If there's one thing I don't like about Natalia, it's her 'two-face-iness'. It's something she developed at some point during puberty. But Blakey still likes her, warts and all. And she's not that bad, once you get to know her. Like, really get to know her. It gets easier once you can tell apart her jokes from her insults.
"Speaking of, I heard some crazy rumors floating about how you're interested in that nerd," Natalia laughed so hard, she was clutching her stomach. "Crazy, isn't it? As if you'd go for a guy like him! You have better taste than that!"
Oh 'Talia, if only you knew. Honestly, I'm not quite sure if I like Shizuke that way. He's always fun to tease, and I'd like us to hang out for reals, but is that enough to count as a crush? I'm not entirely opposed to the possibility but… Wait a minute, this is a good opening! Time to put my modelling skills to good use!
"Hahaha. Now that you mention it…" I said, willing my cheeks to fluster as I try to look coy. I can imagine what that photographer from the other day would say: 'That's it, seniorita! Smile like a pure maiden experiencing amor for the very first time'.
Natalia looked scandalized. "No way."
Hook.
I nodded with a dopey grin. "Tee hee."
Natalia's gaping mouth morphed into a frown full of grim determination. "Girl! We. Have. Got. To. Talk. About. THIS."
Line.
"Sure thing."
Natalia hooked her arm around mine and practically dragged me out towards the cafeteria. "Let's have lunch together! I'll even treat you!"
Sinker.
Nothing lures Natalia in like a love story. The girl's such a hopeless romantic, almost as bad as Keagan. I didn't even have to invite her to have lunch with us if I had a good love story to bait her with.
Operation TaliaBlake is a go!
0-0-0-0-0
Shizuke
Much to my relief, Natalia didn't return from fixing her makeup when the lunch bell rang. Damien and the kids ran out of the lab, leaving a mess for me to clean up. Sigh… So much for working together as a group. At least Fuyu's here to help me. She's cleaning the white board while I'm wiping the desks.
I heard the clinking of glass, so I looked around the room and spotted Dylan putting the used beakers into a tray.
"You don't have to do this," I said as I took the tray of beakers out of his hand and placed it into the sink. "Didn't you say you were gonna meet up with your brother for lunch?"
"B-but I want to help you," Dylan insisted with puppy dog eyes. "It's the least I could do after you helped me make that bracelet."
Aww… He's such a nice kid.
"Okay, fine. The more of us cleaning up, the faster we finish. Just be careful, alright?"
Dylan nodded eagerly and went to work. Whoever has this kid for a younger brother sure is lucky.
0-0-0-0-0
Blair
"Hey guys! Look who's joining us!"
Keagan and Blake looked up from their respective phones to see the guest of honor this lunch.
"'T-T-Talia?!" Blake's face was growing redder with each step Natalia took to our lunch table.
"Hey Blake!" Natalia cheerfully waved and then she noticed our other guest and gave him a stiff smile. "Keagan."
Should I take her lack of enthusiasm in greeting the school prince as a good sign? Like, I should be happy that princey here isn't gonna be a love rival even though he's kinda her type?
The school prince himself threw an equally artificial smile at her.
"Hello to you too, Natalia."
Is passive-aggressive anger a running trend among Shizuke's group of friends? Then again, Keagan was pretty thrilled at setting up Blake and Natalia, so I don't think he's holding a serious grudge against her.
I sat myself next to Keagan so Natalia will have no choice but to share a bench with Blake. Natalia looked like she was about to start grilling me about my love life, but Blake beat her to it by standing up and grabbing me by the arm.
"Excuse us," he said as he dragged me away from the lunch table.
"WHY?! What do you need to talk about that can't wait 'til later?" Natalia whined, upset that her latest source of love gossip is slipping away.
Blake shot Natalia his best poker face.
I shot Natalia my usual grin.
"Twinly matters," we said at the same time in completely different tones.
0-0-0-0-0
Once we ducked into a corner, Blake glared at me.
"What are you scheming?" he said with narrowed emerald eyes that could've intimidated anybody. But I'm not just anybody so I just I shrugged.
"I'm just giving you the golden opportunity to ask out the girl of your dreams, bro."
Blake's eyes narrowed even more. "No."
I pouted. "Why not? I'm an awesome wingwoman!"
"Remember the last time you tried to set us up?"
Oh I remember it like it was yesterday…
0-0-0-0-0
Two months ago…
"Thanks for coming here to help us 'Talia! You're a real life saver!" I said, ushering the blonde girl into the Liungs' apartment.
"It's no big deal. Science is my best subject and I'm always happy to help a friend," Natalia cheerfully said.
I resisted the urge to smirk. I may not be the best at that subject, but I'm not bad enough that I need a tutor. No, she's here for something much more important.
"C'mon! I have everything prepared for our group study."
We went into a room that looked identical to mine… except where I had a mini-fridge and a shelf of action figures on display, this room had two bookshelves full of comic books. I let her settle down on the woollen rug with plenty of pillows I threw in at the last minute and laid out her coat over Blake's bed. Everything is set. Blake should be coming up here in 3… 2… 1…
"Blair! Where did you hide my clothes?! This isn't funny!" Blake's shouts can be heard from outside before he slammed the door open, stomping into his room soaking wet and wearing nothing but a towel, completely oblivious to Natalia who was sitting in a corner turning redder by the minute while biting back her 'squee'. "Natalia could be here any minute and I'm not even-"
Blake paused when he noticed a very pink and very girly coat spread out on his bed that can't possibly belong to moi. He turned around and spotted Natalia, standing there gaping at him, her face as red as our hair. As embarrassment and mortification was fighting for dominance over his face, his grip on reality loosened as well as his grip on his towel.
Natalia squeaked and blocked her eyes. Or rather, that's what she was trying to do but forgot to close the gap between her fingers that's wide enough to let her see my half-naked brother anyway.
Luckily for me (and maybe unfortunately for Natalia), Blake remembered where he is and managed to salvage the last scrap of his decency.
I broke the long and awkward silence by saying, "I'm just gonna go get us some snacks."
"Let me help you!" Natalia squeaked, scurrying out of the room to follow me.
For the rest of the study session, Blake and Natalia couldn't look each other in the eye, blushing madly whenever they so much as hear the other speak. In a twisted sort of way, my plan worked. There's no denying there's a spark there. This is the beginning of my brother's rom-com!
0-0-0-0-0
"Look on the bright side; now she knows your abs from last year's summer swimsuit collection weren't Photoshopped,~" I gave my bro my best optimistic smile and a pair of finger guns.
Blake merely rolled his eyes at my teasing. "And what exactly does that achieve?"
I grinned like a Cheshire Cat at my poor clueless twin brother.
"To get the ball rolling. Because you're too chicken to ask her out yourself, I'll give her reasons to consider asking you out instead."
"Clearly, nothing came out of that ploy."
"Really, bro? That was actually the most progress you made in months."
Blake was about to retort when I went on to explain why I'm right and he's wrong.
"She seems attracted to you, even if it's just your looks. Shallow, I know, but isn't that where it starts for most people? You can worry about deepening your reasons when you actually have a relationship to make a fuss about."
Blake stood quietly, taking a minute or two to mull over my words. Then he finally said, "Since when are you a love expert?"
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I'm no love expert. But I know that like in anything else unrelated to love, you won't get anywhere if you don't take any steps towards it."
Blake looked like he wanted to fight me more, if only for his pride as the 'wiser twin'. But logic was on my side and he gave in. "… Fine. I see your point."
"Great! Watching you moon about her but not do anything was getting old. So for my new plan, I had to enlist some help…"
Blake gave me an unimpressed look. "Who did you get?"
"Keagan."
Blake made a sourpuss face. "So you told him about my crush on Natalia?"
"Yep."
"And by proxy, Fiona and Shizuke know too."
"Probably."
Blake let out a long suffering sigh before returning us to our lunch table.
0-0-0-0-0
Things were going smoothly… Until they were not.
As soon as we returned, Natalia bombarded me with questions about my feelings for Shizuke. Keagan was putting on a good act by happily taking notes on my so-called crush on his best friend. At least, I hope it's an act. I did warn him that my crush on Shizuke is just a ruse. Blake only pretended to pay attention to his dearest sister's love crisis while rolling his eyes for every sappy remark I made. Natalia kept saying I've lost my mind to be crushing on that nerd, very disapproving of our possible connection despite how interested she is about my love life and kept asking for more details.
"It's a novelty experience," Natalia explained.
Blake quietly nodded in agreement with a dry look on his face. I tilted my head in confusion.
"Huh?"
"It's not every day I could get you to talk about boys with me, even if the boy in question leaves a lot to be desired," Natalia huffed, oblivious to Keagan's frown at the shade thrown at his friend. "You sure you don't want me to help you look for someone cooler? I know a few guys who are interested..."
"No. Just no," I firmly said, leaving no room for questions.
"Wait, wait, wait," Keagan butted in. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've never had a crush before?"
"Pretty much," I said with an eye roll.
"Not even a celebrity crush?"
I shook my head.
"How about superheroes? Don't you think Ladybug has the cutest butt?"
I snorted. "What's so cute about butts? I don't get it."
This is just like that time I was utterly confused when some girls in the comics named Dick Grayson's butt cheeks 'Jim' and 'Juan'. Yeah, they each get separate names. Weird.
"How about Chat Noire? She's hot."
"Please. I'm way hotter," I said on reflex whenever anyone mentions another girl is hot to my face. Blair, what are you even saying?! You're Chat Noire!
Blake snorted to the side. I stuck my tongue out at him like a child. Natalia was giggling at our antics. Glad to see someone finds this amusing.
Keagan furrowed his brows at me questioningly. "You're fifteen, right?"
"Sixteen."
Keagan was looking at me with disbelief. "Seriously? You never found anyone even mildly attractive at this age?"
"Besides Shizuke? No. My orientation is now officially Shizuke-sexual," I flatly said, shooting him a glare as his cue to stop before he ruins my Talia-bait. "Happy?"
Schooling his features, Keagan muttered a whiney, "Happy."
When that line of questioning died down, I shifted the conversation towards catching up with her. Then Keagan and I could weave in stuff about Blake and talk him up for her. I thought talking about Christmas break was an innocent subject.
I. Was. Wrong.
"My prince gave me this headband last Christmas! Isn't it cute?!" Natalia tilted her head to show us a glossy black headband adorned with a cute little white bow on the side.
I heard my brother choke. I ignored him and kept my eyes locked with Natalia's so she wouldn't notice his pitiful face. I entrust Keagan to take care of him for me.
"Last Christmas? Prince? Do I know this guy?" I pressed.
No time to cry over spilled milk. Better gather as much info as I can about my brother's love rival to assess how much of a threat he is and figure out what's the best course of action.
Natalia was practically bouncing in her seat as she giddily spilled all the info I asked for and more. "I'm not sure if you've met him, he's a model just like you. He's also a freshman from the senior high school department. He's gorgeous! We met at a costume party last Halloween. I was a princess and he was a prince. We really hit it off. He's so sweet, smart, and handsome! Like a true prince out of a fairy tale book! It wasn't long before we started dating. He asked me out by the Ashworth Castle's fireworks display last month. It was so beautiful! It was snowing that time, the fireworks bursting like blooming flowers in the sky and the lights were reflecting off the snow in a way that made it look like the stars were falling, then he pulled out a colorful bouquet of roses and… Kyaaaaa! So romantic!"
The rest of her romantic spiel was spoken in gibberish. She's stuck in her own world. She didn't notice how my brother is sinking down with his heart right next to her, failing to put on a brave face. She didn't notice Keagan's eyes ping-ponging between the three of us nervously, having the sense to keep quiet lest he further humiliates Blake in front of Natalia. She didn't notice my plastic dining utensils have snapped in half, the only outward sign of my frustration. If an akuma would attack now, I doubt she'd notice it.
I planned for almost anything, except this. It's our fault for not actively keeping in touch with her over the long break. Some friends we were.
My excuse was because being Chat Noire is distracting and the thrill of having superpowers hadn't quite worn off. I spent most of the winter holidays fighting akuma, experimenting with Cataclysm, sparring with Ladybug, and parkouring over the city during my free time.
While Blakey just didn't have the guts to message her. Not even to send a lame cat meme. Because he was taking forever-and-a-half to ask her out, Natalia ended up dating someone else and that someone sounds like he's the perfect Prince Charming-shaped package complete with the confidence to actually ASK HER OUT.
But sadly, my brother doesn't have the guts to ask out a girl who isn't taken, much less steal a girl who just word vomited how in love she is with her boyfriend who sounds too good to be true. Blake would never steal from anyone. This battle is already lost before he even had the courage to step into the battlefield. I should get the cake and ice cream ready tonight.
"Oh, is that Shizu and Fuyu over there? I better go! See you later!" Keagan grabbed his bag of lunch and gracelessly dismissed himself from the awkward mix of Natalia's saccharine love monologue, the sounds of Blake's heart shattering into a million pieces, and my crackling disappointment. He shot us one last pitying glance before running off with his besties. I can't blame him.
At the mention of Shizuke, Natalia stopped her long-winded speech about her prince and her mood instantly soured. She glared after the bespectacled boy and stabbed her fork at her lunch, radiating pure unadulterated loathing.
"Yeesh. The way you're glaring at him, it's like he kicked your puppy out in the rain or something," I said.
"He didn't, but I think he's cruel enough to do that if given the chance."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Somehow, I highly doubt that."
"Take off your rose-tinted glasses and see past that 'nice guy' façade, Blair! I'm telling you, that guy's nothing but a social climber who uses everyone around him then dumps them once they've stopped being useful!"
Psh… Leave it to 'Talia to think I can't tell apart the guys who are only there to use me from the guys who aren't. I'm a model, remember? I deal with those kinds of guys when I'm not doing the same to other models myself. Showbiz is business, nothing personal. I doubt Shizuke could handle a cutthroat world like that.
Letting curiosity get the better of me, I asked her, "And what makes you say that?"
"Damien used to be friends with Shizuke. They were friends for most of third grade. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's a huge softie. And he's rich too, just not as rich as Keagan or Fiona. As soon as Shizuke met those two, he ditched my friend like last season's fashion and never talked again. He couldn't even look at Shizuke without that pained expression on his face."
"… Somehow, I don't think that's the whole story," I scooted a few inches away from Natalia. She looked like she's just about ready to explode.
"Just look at the people he surrounds himself with! He's clearly using them for his own gain!"
Natalia pointed towards the trio, as if that would make her point any clearer. I would've scooted away again, but I don't want to direct her eyes any closer to my semi-dead brother.
"Keagan got him a recommendation into the scholarship program. Perks of being the friend of the mayor's son, didn't have to fight tooth and nail for a spot here like the rest of us," Natalia growled, jealousy rolling off her in waves.
Oh right, she's got a scholarship too and I heard the screening process for the scholarship program was tough… Must be grating on her nerves to see some other kid get in easy when she had to work her butt off to get here.
"Fiona, the little monster, has gotten into a lot of fights with a lot of other delinquents over the years and has never lost. With her by his side, no one would dare bully him."
And thus the legend of Fiona the bully hunter was born. The other students around us were moving away, probably used to Natalia yelling about how much she hates Shizuke. I wish I can join them.
"But what do they get out of him? Nothing! He's not even there for them when they need him the most! You don't see him risking his life around akumas like they do!"
That's one way to interpret their group dynamic. Keagan and Fiona are like school royalty; rich, powerful, and they stand out in a crowd. Shizuke's like a peasant in comparison; lower middle class, average face, and generally unremarkable. If Keagan was the sun and Fiona was the moon, Shizuke's a dingy little street lamp: try as he might to shine, he'll never reach the sky.
It's easy to see where Natalia got that idea from. From what I've observed, that seems to be the general consensus of people outside our class.
I eyed their trio in the distance. Shizuke was nagging at Fiona to eat her vegetables and telling Keagan to put away his phone like an overbearing mom friend. There was a pause before the three of them laughed together for who knew what reason.
"I'm sorry Natalia, I just can't see it."
Natalia groaned, and started muttering to herself in between eating her lunch.
"Stupid love. Making you blind to all his faults."
I could say the same thing about hate making her blind to the obvious, but I know she wouldn't listen. I decided to save my breath. The rest of lunch was spent in silence before we went our separate ways.
0-0-0-0-0
Shizuke
Cleaning the lab took us about ten minutes with the help of Dylan.
Kaji greeted us as we found an empty table and joined us for lunch.
"What were you doing with Natalia?" Fuyu asked, icy blue eyes glaring at my blonde rival.
The twins are one thing. Kaji's actually friends with them and they're in the same group. Fuyu doesn't actually hate them, and I would've been fine with them if Blair wasn't possibly Hawkmoth. But Natalia's a different story. She's not hostile towards Kaji like she is to me, but that doesn't change the fact that Kaji's my friend and she doesn't like it for some reason.
"Blair was trying to set up Natalia with Blake."
Fuyu looked just about ready to say something when Kaji held up his hands defensively and rushed to explain himself.
"Hey, calm down! I just thought that if she and Blake were dating, maybe Blake's niceness would somehow rub off on her!"
Fuyu rolled her eyes. "Kaji, how many times do I have to tell you? Shipping isn't the answer to everything."
"Yeah, yeah," Kaji deflates. "The plan didn't work out anyway. Turns out, Natalia has been dating some guy since December."
Fuyu's eyes soften quickly with pity. "Ouch. Poor Blake."
Kaji nodded solemnly. "He should've confessed to her months ago but he didn't have the nerve. Natalia's completely oblivious to Blake's feelings and how she brutally murdered his heart by bragging about her boyfriend."
Being a famous teen model with a cool attitude, I always thought Blake could get any girl he wanted. The magazines paint him as a womanizer leaving a string of broken hearts. Girls are said to be attracted to his tragic but handsome appeal.
"… I didn't think a guy like him ever had to worry about rejection."
Unlike me, went unsaid. I was wrong about him.
"I told you he's a just shy dork," said Kaji, seemingly reading my mind but what I was thinking was probably just written all over my face. "I know Blair's gonna make sure he's okay, but…"
"Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to get him to go on an outing with us and help him get his mind off of Natalia," I said, guessing what Kaji was thinking.
"Actually, I was thinking we could help him find a rebound by putting him on a blind date with one of my internet friends, but yeah, your idea sounds steadier so let's go with that first," Kaji said with a huge grin and two thumbs up.
"Romance isn't always the way to get over a heartbreak, idiot shipper," Fuyu chided, lightly jabbing Kaji with her elbow.
Kaji gingerly rubbed the part Fuyu jabbed and pouted. "I know. It's just that some people kept choosing people who aren't good for them and I wanted to make sure Blake falls for someone better than Natalia next time."
"We can't choose the people we fall for, much less choose for others," I scolded, fully relating to that.
Letting out a sigh, Kaji sounded defeated when he said, "You're right. Man, Shizu, that was deep," he perked up and shot a grin my way when he said, "Where the heck did you get that gem from? Is there a girl you're secretly seeing that we should know about?"
I stuttered out an excuse, which made Kaji laugh and admit he was only kidding. He doesn't believe I can keep that kind of secret from them if it were true. Oh, the irony.
"I'm sure you're just talking about your crush on Chat Noire," he said in between catching his breath from laughing, unaware of how close to the truth he was.
Our peaceful lunch time was disturbed with Natalia's high pitched yells.
"- I'm telling you, that guy's nothing but a social climber who uses everyone around him then dumps them once they've stopped being useful!"
It's not like I haven't heard people say that about me before. Those kinds of rumors only got worse since Kaji got me a recommendation, an easy slot into this prestigious school's scholarship program. I try to tell myself it doesn't hurt, that their opinions don't matter, that I work my butt off every day to prove I deserve to be here like everybody else, but…
"Just look at the people he surrounds himself with! He's clearly using them for his own gain!"
There are days when I feel like I really am taking advantage of my friends. They're both rich beyond my wildest dreams. Sometimes I wonder why they even hang out with a guy like me. Damien's words from a long time ago often haunt me whenever I think of stuff like this… That I'll never be good enough… I'll always be worthless…
"Don't listen to her, Shizu," Kaji's voice broke me out of my train of thought.
"Yeah. While Kaji gave you a scholarship, you're the one who's keeping him focused so he can stay in this school too," said Fuyu, keeping a straight face as she shoves her vegetables into Kaji's lunch.
"And Fuyu protects you because she's protective of everyone she gives a hoot about. You don't owe her anything," said Kaji, also keeping a straight face while playing with his phone, the loud game music telling me he's playing that colourful new puzzle game.
I felt my face twitch. These two…
"Fuyu! Stop shoving your vegetables into Kaji's plate and eat them yourself! You need them! And Kaji! Put away your phone! It's lunch time and it's not polite to have it out while talking to others!"
I was breathing heavily after scolding my two best friends for their lack of table manners when I noticed the two looked completely unabashed as they grinned at me, like they got the reaction that they wanted… Like they were exaggerating their usual bad habits on purpose.
"This is what we like about you. You're not afraid to tell us what you really think instead of kissing our butts like every other rich kid," said Fuyu, with a rare reassuring smile on her face. "We're all honest with each other, which lets us truly get to know and trust one another."
"Trust me, Shizu. A friend like that is hard to come by when you're rich and powerful. Almost everyone else only likes us for what we could give them," said Kaji with a serious tone which was ruined by the impish smile on his face. "You've driven it home that you're not like that when you fought me when I gave you a recommendation and refused to accept it until you succeeded in annoying my father into letting me attend school like normal."
After a pause, we all burst into laughter. These two… Sometimes, I can't believe we're friends.
"Seriously guys? Will you ever let that go? So embarrassing," I said, as soon as I could breathe normally again.
Kaji put away his phone and shoved Fuyu's vegetables back into her plate. "No way. Seriously. I've never met anyone so against getting a favor in my life. Even if you couldn't get me out of home school, I'm not taking back that recommendation."
"But Kaji, it's a huge favor and it wouldn't be fair if you're–" I was cut off when Fuyu bopped me on the head.
"That's what friends are for, stupid," Fuyu said. She took a spoonful of her vegetables and cringed as she swallowed, then followed it up with the eggrolls I brought. "We help each other out not because we owe each other, but because we want to."
And just like that, eight-year-old Damien's voice in my head telling me that I'll never be good enough went quiet.
0-0-0-0-0
Lunch passed by without anything else going on. Kaji went back to look for the twins to check on Blake and discuss their plans this afternoon. Fuyu went ahead to carry my stuff up to my next class on the second floor, while I went to the men's room. On my way to my class, I saw Damien with his back turned, facing the playground's elephant slide. I was going to walk away, glad that he couldn't see me, when I heard a child crying in his direction.
"Just hand over the money, and I promise you won't get in trouble."
Taking a better look, I saw that there was a skinny little boy with short silver hair crying. He was trapped between the stone slide and Damien's looming figure. The scrawny boy reached for his back pocket and pulled out some money. It's like third grade all over again…
I can't just stand here and watch. Not this time.
"Just what do you think you're doing?!"
The two startled and turned their heads towards me. I marched towards them and put myself between Damien and the little boy.
"Extorting a little boy for lunch money? I can't believe you're still doing things like that."
Damien scowled, looking down at me like I'm some sort of insect he can step on. The old me would've shrunk back, but now, my blood just boiled. I'm not the same kid he can just push around back in third grade.
"Midorikawa, calm down. I was just-"
"If you think I'm just gonna back down and let you keep stepping on others like you did before, then you're wrong!"
Damien flinched back. A small part of me wanted to hesitate but I can't let up now. I'm no longer the same weak-willed boy he used to push around… I'm stronger now. A superhero! I'm not gonna let him get away with it this time! Justice must be served!
"Who do you think you are, picking on people who are weaker than you?! Why do you feel the need to do that?! When you're not using your family connections and your intimidating size to scare people, you resort to mind games, making people think they owe it to you to give you what you want!"
The words came easier as I went on. It's like a dam just broke. All my thoughts that I've been keeping to myself, all my hate and frustration, just flowed out.
"You don't care that you're hurting others, or crushing their self-esteem, or make them question their worth! What's worse is you don't apologize for it! You never show remorse! All you care about is yourself!"
I was breathing hard by the time I was done. I identified too strongly with Damien's latest victim that at some point, my words were less about defending the poor boy and more about avenging the boy I was.
"I should've listened to Fuyu sooner all those years ago. You were never a friend. You were a bully. You still are, and I don't think you'll ever change," I coldly said.
For years, I imagined how it would be like to finally stand up against Damien. I imagined I'd be at least half as strong as Fuyu, use what I learned from Judo and throw him down to the ground. Or maybe an eloquent speech as I verbally crush him in front of a crowd - let him know how it feels like to be humiliated. What happened instead was a less than elegant scolding full of hatred with only us and this random kid as witnesses… I thought I'd be happier than this.
But Damien didn't fight back like I expected him to. He didn't even defend himself. Not even a little. He took everything I said without a word out of him. Is he trying to make me feel guilty? I shook my head. No. I won't fall back into that kind of twisted logic again. I'm the one who deserved an apology here, not this bully.
I took the frail silver haired boy by the arm and pulled him away from such a toxic person. If there's one good thing that came out of this, I at least managed to save this kid from him.
"Uhm, sir? Could you please let me go?"
"Sorry!" I said, letting go of the silver haired boy's arm. "Was I hurting you?"
The silver haired boy shook his head. "No, but I have to look for Dylan. Y'see, I've done something bad…"
Before the silver haired boy could finish his sentence, the curly haired boy from my class appeared before us with tears in his eyes. He looks like he's been running.
"Mister Sh-Shizuke!"
I was about to ask him what's wrong when he stomped closer to us with a glare. A pitiful glare, nowhere near as intimidating as Fuyu's, but it still sent a clear message: he's mad. And we're about to find out why.
"I heard everything! How could you say that to him?! You didn't even let him explain himself!"
"What?"
"He was just helping me look for the person who took my lunch money!"
The silver haired boy shot him an apologetic look and gave him the money - the same money he was going to give to Damien.
"Sorry, Dylan…" he mumbled.
The curly haired boy, Dylan, didn't seem to hear him and just grabbed the money without looking. His glare never left me.
"I thought you were nice! How could you be so mean to my big brother?!"
Big brother? He means Damien?
So wait, the silver haired kid stole Dylan's lunch money?
When Damien said he'll be forgiven if he gives him the money, he's not twisting words and making him feel bad on purpose…?
For one second, the silver haired kid was standing next to me. The next, he went flying towards the lockers, wrapped in a net that looked to be made of blue yarn with wooden weights. The wooden weights started to glow and lifted him off the ground.
"No one else will have to suffer because of a bully! I'll capture them all and see to it that they're all justly punished!"
I looked over my shoulder and saw a sight that made my heart twist in guilt. There stood a large akuma, dressed like a bounty hunter from an old western film. He had a fedora, a poncho with red and blue target symbols lining the edges, a utility belt, and a pair of thick brown leather cowboy boots, all colored a light golden brown. His only exposed arm was holding a gun that had a large canon-like barrel. More tellingly, around his wrist was a familiar red and blue yarn bracelet with wooden beads.
"I am Bully Hunter! Here to protect the weak!"
I messed up big time.
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