Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I think I forgot this in the other chapters…I don't own anything, yadda-yadda-yadda. This applies for the whole story and shall not be repeated. Thank You.
AN: Here it is people, the shocking continuation of my story "Not that Social." Or, you know, not that shocking. You decide. I think I'm doing pretty well with my updating, what do you have to say about that?
Thank you everyone who has reviewed. I really appreciate it. It's not as many reviews as I'd like, but I can't complain…
S.E.L—Thank you for you're review, it means a lot to me. A beta reader is a bit like an editor for fanfics. They read your story before it's posted and clean it of mistakes. Some beta's specialize in different things, too. (i.e. accents, foreign languages, grammar, etc.)
Laurell-chan—I hope the character introductions are good, thanks. I'm just a little worried that I'm not describing them well enough. It's different with fanfics, I know, because you are already familiar with the characters and what not. My strategy so far has been to introduce them slowly, allowing them to reveal who they are. Does that make any sense?
Inu yasha lover144183—I don't think I'm a very good author, but thank you!
Kura-chan15—I'm so glad that you can easily relate to Kagome's character. I know she's a bit OOC in this fic, but it works with the plot line. I'm the same way, so I just tried to base her a bit off of me. Although, I would never step in between to feuding teenage boys! Lol
Megumi15—Thank you, I'm updating as fast as I can!
The bowling alley was surprisingly packed for a Thursday afternoon. The parking lot was jammed full of teenagers looking for something to take their minds off of school, the neon lights casting an artificial glow over the concrete.
"So, other than bowling, what else is there to do here?" Kagome asked as they pulled up in Miroku's red Chevy, taking in the sight of the bowling alley.
"Well, there's a concert hall the next town over that we sometimes hang out at," Sango explained, looking over her shoulder from the passenger seat. "But other than that…there's pretty much nothing. Small town, you know?"
"Yeah," Kagome nodded, continuing to look out her window. This would be the first time she was around so many people outside of school since she moved, and she felt a knot tying itself in her stomach. There was a high possibility that something could go wrong.
"Kagome?" She heard Miroku's voice call her. "Kagome, are you alright? We're here…"
Looking around, Kagome realized that they were parked and Sango and Miroku were already climbing out of the car. 'Whoa, what just happened?'
"Sorry guys, I must have zoned out for a minute there," she smiled, unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out as well.
If Kagome thought there were a lot of people in the parking lot, then she was in for surprise when she entered the building. It was packed; practically every lane was full. There were couples bowling together, groups of friends hanging out and laughing about something monotonous. There were more people bowling than Kagome had ever expected.
They went up to the counter and got their shoes and headed for the only lane open at the end of the building. It was while picking out a ball that Kagome realized how long it had been since she last went bowling. She was twelve and it was for a birthday party that a girl down the street was having. She remembered it like it was yesterday.
A small chuckle escaped her lips. 'I'm going to look so stupid,' she thought, picking up a pink ball and heading over to where Sango and Miroku were tying their shoes.
"I love these babies," Miroku smiled. "They look like clown shoes and they glow under a black light. They're pimp." Kagome laughed and sat down to put her own shoes on. 'He's right,' she thought. 'They do look like clown shoes.'
"Is something wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked. "You look a little nervous about something…"
"Oh," she smiled. "It's just that I haven't bowled in five years. I'm afraid of making a fool of myself."
Miroku jumped up and stuck his tongue out. "You don't have to worry about that, Kagome! You're amongst friends, and good company, if I might add."
They all shared a quick laugh before beginning their game. Kagome was relieved to find out that Sango and Miroku were just as bad at bowling as she was, and that there was no real competition. They spent hours at the bowling alley that night, playing four games and laughing the whole time. Kagome had forgotten what it was like to be happy, and the feeling was starting to return. She felt it filling her heart like a beaker her heart—these people were her true friends.
The next day at school Kagome felt genuinely happy. She knew that she had someone to sit by at lunch, people to chat with about her day, friends to bum homework answers from. She knew that she was one step closer to leading a normal life. All of the pieces were falling into place, and she couldn't be happier.
As she walked down the halls of the school that day, however, she noticed something that shot her back down to the level she began at. While she passed people she observed them shooting her glares and whispering things. Straining her ears, she managed to pick up a few of the crude sentences.
"Did you hear about the new girl?"
"I heard she stuck up for the freak yesterday."
"I saw it first hand."
"Who does she think she is?"
"Who would stick up for that loser?"
'Maybe they're talking about some other new girl,' Kagome tried to think positively, even though she knew that she was the only new student in the building.
"Her name's Kagome." She heard someone whisper.
"God, she's totally blown her chances."
"Pathetic, really."
Hanging her head and walking faster, trying to block out the whispers and the stares, Kagome practically ran to her locker. Her combination stuck and she felt the frustration building up to a boiling point. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Wiping it away quickly so not to mess up her makeup, she slammed open her locker and grabbed her things for first hour.
Just as she banged her locker door shut with a loud crash and turned around, she collided with something solid, causing her to drop her books. She felt herself falling, and just before she hit the ground two strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her to her feet.
"Hey, watch where you're going," she heard a gruff voice growl out. She knew that voice. Looking up, she was confronted with none other than Inuyasha, his arms still wrapped around her. They stayed that way for several seconds, just staring at each other, as the rest of the world seemed to fade away. Kagome found herself once again spellbound by his golden eyes, unable to pull her glance elsewhere. Luckily for her, he was the one to break the silence. "Sorry about that."
"N-no, it was my fault," she mumbled, bending over to pick up her scattered belongings. She was surprised when Inuyasha bent over also, scooping up her books and handing them to her. Smiling, she accepted his help and turned around to leave.
"Kagome, wait." She stopped and turned around, confused and wondering what he wanted from her. 'He knows my name?' she thought when she turned to him. "Listen, those losers don't know what they're talking about. Don't listen to them."
Before she could respond he turned around and headed back down the hallway. 'Could he have meant the kids that were talking about me?' she thought. 'Did he hear what they were saying?'
"Kagome!" She twirled around to see Sango running in her direction, dragging Miroku by his sleeve. "Kagome, I'm so happy I found you. What's going on? Everyone's talking about you."
"I don't know, I heard someone talking about me and Inuyasha when I walked into the building today," Kagome answered, running a hand through her hair. "Why would they do that?"
"Well," Miroku spoke up with a know-it-all look on his face. "Inuyasha's not exactly the most popular person in this school, Kagome. You probably saw that yesterday. Standing up for him was a big blow in your popularity, I mean, now you're associated with him…"
"What's so wrong with that?" Kagome asked, slightly angered. "What did he ever do to become the school's reject?"
"I heard he killed his ex-girlfriend," Sango answered, tapping her index finger against her chin. "And someone once said that he went to jail before."
"Rumor is," Miroku joined in, "that his girlfriend was cheating on him and he killed both her and the guy she was cheating with. They found their bodies buried in his backyard."
"You guys are horrible," Kagome gasped. "I can't believe you would buy into that rubbish. You're no better than everyone else." She turned around and was about to stalk off to class when she heard Miroku call her name.
"Hey, we never said we believed any of the rumors," he smiled.
"But you're just as bad as them to be spreading them about!" Kagome practically yelled. "How would you like it if people were spreading rumors about you?" They didn't seem to have an answer for her. Deciding that they weren't worth her time, she turned and headed off to her homeroom.
Kagome noticed that Ayumi, and all of her friends, didn't even make an effort to talk to her in homeroom that day. Not that Kagome wanted to talk to them, but it still hurt. Every time she would look in their direction they would turn around and start mumbling something, most likely about her. She wanted to get up and yell at them for talking about her behind her back, but instead she just turned her eyes to her science book and finished up the previous night's homework.
The rest of the day pretty much followed along the same path. In all of her classes she received strange looks and she noticed several people talking to themselves. She had no proof, but something told her that they were talking about her. They had to be, she was the gossip of the school.
'I could have told you this would happen,' her inner-voice chided. She was beginning to wonder where that voice had been all day. 'You completely ruined your chances of fitting in…again.'
A strange feeling of déjà vu swept over her. She had been in this situation once before, and she was determined not to let it happen again. The memories threatened to flood her mind and she felt a terrible headache coming on. 'I need to get out of here.'
"Teacher?" She raised her hand, gaining her Mr. Myamoto's attention. "May I please go to the bathroom?" He nodded, giving her the bathroom pass when she walked to the front of the class. The second she was out the door she sprinted down the hallway.
Passing the bathroom all together, she kept running until she reached the doors to the common outside. Through the glass doors she could tell that it was warm outside, the kind of weather that called to a person. Opening both doors together, she stepped out into the common and took a deep breath. It smelled like summer.
She smiled when she saw the tree she sat under the first day. Halfheartedly hoping to find Inuyasha sitting amongst its branches, she sat down at the base of the tree and just concentrated on the environment around her. She could feel the stress leaving her body as the wind caressed her cheek, a warm reminder that there was a light at the end of every tunnel.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" she heard someone call out, and she immediately recognizing the voice as being Inuyasha's. Looking up, expecting to see him sitting in the branches of the tree like the last time, she was disappointed when she didn't see anyone. Her heart began to sink at the thought that maybe she had imagined the voice, that maybe she truly was all alone out here. And then he called out again, "Hey, over here."
She looked up and in the direction of his voice, a small tear brimming along the edge of her right eye. He was walking towards here from the parking lot, hands in his pockets and a cocky smile on his face.
"So, are you going to answer my question, or not?" he asked when he reached her side and sat down beside her. Kagome had to think back for a second to what it was he asked a moment ago. Part of her was too shocked to answer him; she couldn't believe that he was actually sitting there talking to her.
"Well, uhm—" she tried to think of an excuse that wouldn't make her sound crazy. She herself wasn't too sure what she was doing outside in the middle of the school day. 'What the hell do you think you're doing?' her inner-voice screamed. 'What if all of the rumors about him are true?' "Just sitting."
He gave her a knowing smile and turned to look at the sky. They sat like that for several seconds, just sitting and enjoying the day.
"Let's go." He broke the silence, standing up and dusting off his pants. She looked at him for a moment, not understanding what he meant. "I know you don't want to be here, so lets leave."
She had never skipped school before, but the prospect of breaking a rule caught her attention. 'I have nothing to lose,' she thought with a shrug. He reached down his hand to help her up and she accepted it, getting to her feet and following him to the parking lot.
AN: Don't worry, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku will kiss and make up. Well, without the kissing. It's just there for…dramatic affect. They shall learn the error of their ways, just like you shall learn the error of your way for not reviewing my story. (Mwahahahahaha!)
I had a really hard time with this chapter. It just wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to and I had to restart it like six times. And then, when it was finally turning out good, we had a power-outage and the computer shut down. My computer, being gay, couldn't recover the document. So I had to start all over AGAIN. Needless to say, I'm still not happy with it…so if it sucks major monkey balls, then there's a bit of an excuse. Or it could just be because I'm a horrible writer; either way, I apologize.
