Okay, I'm back!

Simone: Thanks for the criticism. I appreciate it. Really, er, I'm not sure how to make this story much more interesting, cause I think that I find it interesting, but if you can suggest stuff, you're more than welcome.

Hala: I'll try to spice things up. You're so nice to me...

caelestis-wolf: I know she was a jerk. She's suppose to be a jerk. What I actually did is read it backwards, and you're right, there are a lot of errors. If you find some more here, let me know and I'll edit it right away.

Anyway, thanks for the criticism guys! Feel free to criticize, tell me if you're getting bored, if my writing sucked, or any other thing in the sun! Thanks!

Photograph

Chapter Four

The teacher cleared her throat. "All right, settle down," she started.

Mira looked up at the front of the class. She had been thoroughly depressed for the past week, and it was Friday, the end of a horrible week. She had lost any enthusiasm for anything, she had not participated in class discussions, she had done homework half heartedly, stopped watching basketball practices, and basically walking around spreading gloom in the world, glaring at anyone who would dare to look at her straight in the eye.

The weather was mocking her. She had always thought that it was a weird thing that the sun and the clouds do in a foolish attempt to cheer her up, only it always turned out that she would hate the world more as the result of their futile if not brave attempt. She saw that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, the sun shining brightly outside. The sky was a rich forget-me-not blue, and it irritated the hell out of her.

Looking out the window meant that in her line of vision, Sendoh Akira can also be seen. He had not talked to her after snapping at him Monday morning, but there were times that they catch each other's eyes. Mira didn't care much, but did feel guilty for shouting at him. Her conscience has been scolding her for the past week, citing the fact that he was only trying to help and he was only trying to be friends and that she should stop acting all sad and misunderstood and just apologize to the guy.

Mira was doing a good job of ignoring her conscience. Eventually, it just gave up, although it does make snide remarks whenever Sendoh was on her line of vision. She hated it for it.

"Okay, class," said the teacher, finally Mira had managed to shake out her thoughts and turn an attentive ear to the sensei, "we're going to do a project, done as partners."

Immediately, all of the girls except Mira clamored out of their seats and rushed to Sendoh, shouting in his face to be their partner. Mira looked away pointedly, and stared at her desk instead.

"SIT BACK DOWN!" the teacher shouted. The gaggling girls all stared at her and sulkily went back to their seats. All of them then turned and cast longing and obvious looks at Sendoh.

Sendoh smiled weakly and seemed to be contemplating a way to get out of class unscathed.

"Okay," said the teacher, breathing hard, "now that we've started to act like civilized human beings, I will assign your partners –THERE WILL BE NO OBJECTIONS AND MY DECISION IS FINAL!" she yelled again as all the girls, save Mira, started voicing out their objections.

"SHUT UP OR IT'S DETENTION FOR ALL OF YOU!"

The girls all sat back down and looked at the teacher sulkily.

Sensei looked at Sendoh, who looked utterly bewildered and confused. "Now, Mr. Sendoh, since you're so popular with the ladies, let's assign you a partner first." She looked around. Mira heaved a sigh as she looked at the girls in her class. They looked like they were mentally willing the teacher to pick them. She smirked, and looked down at a piece of paper in her desk, and started doodling.

"Ah, Sendoh Akira, you're partnering with Hiroshi Mira."

Silence reigned for five seconds, then -

"Her?" asked Sendoh.

"Me?" stuttered Mira.

"HER?" chorused the rest of the girls.

Mira stood up in protest. This was bad, very bad. Not only is her conscience dancing the conga in her stomach, but she had a feeling that she won't be leaving this classroom alive."But sensei –"

"My decision is final, sit back down Ms. Hiroshi before I put you in detention!" snapped the teacher. Mira blinked twice, then sat back down slowly, slightly shocked and scared for her life. The girls in the class were looking murderous once again. It was now Mira's turn to comtemplate how she would be able to leave this classroom unscathed.

Mira didn't hear the rest of the partner assignments, she stared widely at the board in front of her, taking in what just happened. She's been partnered with Sendoh Akira, why? Why her? Why now?

Why the heck would she be partnered to someone who just a few days ago, she snapped at to go away, someone who made her drop her precious camera? Why, she thought looking up at the ceiling, why do you punish me so? She then remembered a line from the Simpsons (no copyright infringement intended) in a shirt, and as she was still looking at the ceiling, she cried it out loud in her mind. Oh, cruel fate, why do you mock me so?

Someone cleared their throat. Mira looked up, and groaned.

"Hey, partner."

As soon as his greeting came out of his mouth, he felt like he said it like a pathetic cowboy. He inwardly cringed at the indiffent look in Mira's face. A second ago, she was looking at the ceiling, as if demanding to the heavens what bad thing she has done to deserve this. He just thought it was funny as he smiled at her, cocking his head to one side. Mira's original seat mate had moved to sit next to his partner, so Sendoh gladly took his chair, and sat.

He was surprised that he was being partnered to Mira, and his vehement exclamation a minute ago was more of a delighted surprise than open revulsion. Once the shock had worn off, he thought that it couldn't have turned out better. If he had been partnered with one of the other girls, he would be doing all the work while the girl would just stare at him and giggle.

Mira looked like she was still digesting the information, although it had been announced more than ten minutes ago. She would not look at him, instead she was glaring at her desk. Finally, after a minute, she raised her head and looked at him.

She didn't say anything. She just looked.

"So," said Sendoh, feeling slightly uncomfortable, "we're partners."

She nodded, then sighed. The hard look in her eyes was slowly disappearing, and was being replaced by a warmer look, a look he was more comfortable in. "I'm sorry if I snapped at you," she said, "last Monday, I didn't mean it, I was still a bit pissed off at you, to be honest."

Sendoh waved a hand. "Think nothing of it," he said, "I guess I shouldn't have been so forward. Maybe I should've listened to you. Don't worry, next time you tell me you don't need my money, I won't take it as code for 'help me out as much as you can'.

Mira looked down and laughed lightly. Sendoh smiled as well, thinking that she looked infinitely better when she smiles.

"So, shall we get to it then?" he asked, thinking more lightly of the situation.

"Erm," she started looking apprehensively at him, "what are we supposed to do?"

Sendoh laughed. "You didn't listen?" he asked.

"I was in shock until you cleared your throat," she said, smiling weakly, "Sorry."

Sendoh smiled again. "Well, we're supposed to do a collage."

"I thought this was English class!"

Sendoh looked incredulous. "Erm, no," he said slowly.

Mira looked confused, then took out her schedule. She glared at the column marked 'Friday', and looked at the class they were having now. "Art class…"

"That's right," said Sendoh, thoroughly amused. "Art."

He smiled even wider when he saw that Mira was slowly developing a faint pink tinge in her cheeks. She looked up at him and said, "So when's English?", in a high pitched, trying to be casual voice.

Sendoh bit back a grin. "Later," he said, "last class."

"Oh."

Sendoh looked at her pointedly.

"Hey it's only the second week of classes!" she said incredulously.

Sendoh raised both hands in surrender. "Fine, fine," he said, "I won't hold it against you."

Mira raised an eyebrow at him, and then asked, "So what's the topic?"

"Moments," he said promptly.

"Moments," she said coolly.

"That's right, moments," he said again, smiling, "it's due in a month. Any media's cool as long as both contributed."

"Any media?" she asked, her eyes brightening slightly. She sat up straighter, then slumped back again.

Sendoh knew what she was thinking. In his mind he already knew that she would do this project in the media of photography. For a moment, she seemed to have forgotten that her camera was no more, but just as quickly as it came, it disappeared just as fast.

"Don't look so glum," said Sendoh cheerily.

Mira glared at him.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, "we can do photography, but you don't have a camera, so it would be no use. Maybe we can paint, but I suck at painting, maybe we can just cut out pictures from magazines, but I don't want to cut out pictures, that sounds like a fourth grade project and we'll be making a complete and utter mess, and to be honest, clicking a button sounds a lot easier to do."

Despite her icy stance, a flicker of a smile appeared on her lips.

"I think it's time you take me up on my offer," he said.

"What offer?"

"Use my camera any way you want," he said, a slight pleading in his tone, mingled with insistence, "you know the one that you practically shoved back to my through my throat?"

Mira, played along, feigning a look of comprehension in her face. "Oh, that camera," she said, "well actually, I was gonna shove it up your ass rather than your throat."

"If you want to touch my ass that bad, all you have to do is ask."

Mira stopped playing along and glared at him.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he said hastily, putting his arms up again, "that glare, sheesh, it's scary…"

Mira looked at him, not glaring this time, and took out a piece of paper.

"So," she said, pen poised on top of the paper, looking in his direction, "how do you propose we do this?"

Sendoh smiled. "Well…"