Popularity Isn't Everything
By: Fumi

Chapter 7: Reflections and a Last Minute Introduction

Anna slowed down when she had walked a good block or so away from the school.

"Anna!" Pirika cried before clutching her knees. "Warn… me… next… time… you… pull… something… like… this…" she wheezed.

Like I'm going to answer that. "I thought you were practicing your running," Anna remarked ignoring what Pirika had said in the first place.

"I… was…" Pirika coughed and then straightened out. "That's better…" She began again, "I was, that is until Oniichan found out that my personal trainer was a teenaged boy. I swear he is soo paranoid!" Pirika moved her arms in a big circle to emphasize simply how annoying Horo-Horo was. Oniichan even threatened to remove the eyes of the poor guy for looking at me… "GOD!"

Anna thought through the information that Pirika gave before shrugging. "Well, it can't be helped. But you need to get into shape. How else are you going to master the quick, yet classy, exit like the one I just made?"

Pirika gave a weak smile. "You're right of course. I'll look into getting a female trainer…" I'll have to put an ad on the bulletin board to find someone. I just don't have Anna's domineering presence to randomly tell a person to train me. Wait Anna? She frowned, "Wait… how did this become about me? What about YOU? You just totally blew off, like two really cute boys."

"Your point being?"

"What if they were popular?"

The blond frowned. "They couldn't be. They were losers."

"You never know… Oniichan always claimed to be semi-popular and lord knows he's a loser," Pirika pointed out.

"You know I never believed that he was popular."

"That's not the point!" the bluette was growing impatient. "The point is that you don't know! For all we know that short dork was the most popular guy in the school!"

Did she just say… Anna's eyes uncharacteristically widened at Pirika's words.

Pirika paused and thought about the words she had just said before bursting into laughter. "Hahahah! That midget? POPULAR?"

Anna's eyes reverted to their normal coldness, but you could see just a hint of a smile. "What were you thinking?"

"Hahaha! I… haha… don't… hahahahahah… know…" the Ainu finished.

The stupidity that I have to go through… Pirika's an okay person, but she says the dumbest things at times. Shorty? Popular? That day could never come. Anna eyed Pirika with a look of annoyance. And she laughs too much. This is what? The hundredth time today? Okay, not that much, but still… Doesn't she know how to keep those kind of things to herself? I do admit… I smiled at the idea of it… but I'm not crying like she is!

And indeed Pirika was crying. Oh… my… god! How could I have said something like that? Hehe. Uh oh, Anna's pissed at me. I guess I've been laughing a bit excessively… Okay, a lot. But I can't help it! She's just too great to hang around! I need to laugh a little bit less. Pirika wiped away the tears from her eyes. Yup! If I laugh too much I'll never get a super hotty boyfriend! With that decided Pirika abruptly stopped laughing.

Anna waited to make sure that she had officially stopped laughing. "Pirika, if you can't control your laughter you'll never get a boyfriend," she tapped her foot impatiently.

Well, what do you know… both girls thought as a certain greened-haired boy walked towards them lost in his thoughts.

Anna flashed a look in Pirika's direction. "Here's your chance to prove me wrong."

Pirika grinned. "Yup, my only chance," she muttered. The Ainu cupped her mouth with her hands calling, "Lyserg-kun! Yoo hoo! Over here!"

"Huh?" Lyserg asked just now noticing the girls that demanded the attention of all around. "Do I know you?"

Pirika giggled and ran up to him looping her arm through his. "Of course silly! We met just a short while ago, you remember my friend Anna right?" she asked pointing at the groaning Anna.

Anna? Why do I always seem to get into these circumstances? Lyserg thought. Oh well gotta keep up appearances… Lyserg de-tangled himself from Pirika, pasted a smile on his face, and turned to face said girl. Oh! He started. It's her! This really isn't my day… "Kyouyama-san! It's such a surprise to see you… what two blocks away from the school?"

"It's three blocks," she promptly replied. "I think you are just making small talk to be polite, and I don't like that. The real question is what are you doing so close to the school having already left your shift."

"Anna!" Pirika hissed.

The blonde ignored the call for her attention. "Well? I'm waiting," she stated radiating an aura of impatience.

"W-well, you see…" Lyserg stuttered. Oh lord she makes me nervous! "I- I uh… I forgot my jacket!" he cried. The rest of the explanation came pouring out. "I was so busy ensuring that you would be properly served with your needs that I completely forgot to take my jacket with me." Lyserg looked at his wristwatch. "That said, I really must go before it gets any later."

Pirika pouted. "Surely you could spare twenty minutes or so to have coffee with us?"

"Surely not!" Lyserg cried. "It will be getting chilly soon and at that time a jacket would be essential." Plus I don't think I could handle twenty minutes under the watchful eye of your friend…

Pirika hung her head and sighed. "Of course… Ja ne Lyserg-kun…" Another day… She looked up to see no one in front of her.

"He already left," Anna 'helpfully' said aloud to clarify the thoughts of Pirika.

Anna's right… I'll never get a boyfriend… Pirika hung her head again only to notice in her peripheral vision that Anna had left her. "M-matte! Anna! ANNA!"

The blonde didn't stop walking but she did slow down enough so that Pirika could follow and eventually catch up. They walked to the nearest coffee shop ordered their usual drinks and had sat down when Anna's cell phone rang.

"Who could that be?" Pirika asked.

"…" Anna looked at her phone thoughtfully. "It says it's you."

"ME!" Pirika incredulously cried out. "But I'm right here!"

"…" Anna opened her phone and said, "Moshi moshi." Her eyes widened. "YOU!"

I'm sooo sorry! I didn't mean to leave you like that! But I completely forgot to finish this chapter up for Christmas until Christmas Eve and then I was busy being a lazy bum! Another two parter -:thumps head on wall:- forgive me… please… and next chapter when you ask what drugs I'm on I'll answer with "allergy medicine, don't ask," okay?

If you didn't understand the paragraph above, basically I didn't finish the chapter so I'm leaving you at the half-way point. I really wanted to give you people something for waiting so long…

12/27/05