She stepped outside her door, bag over her shoulders. Her Pa wasn't awake early today, so she didn't get to say goodbye to him before she left. She enjoyed the mornings they would have coffee and a chat together. Anya wished they could do it every day, but her Pa needed his rest. The ground was still a little wet from yesterday, but not unmanageable to walk through. The puddles had mostly dried up, but there were a few scattered. She was careful to bring her new umbrella today, just in case the rain picked back up. Her uniform was carefully wrapped in cloth between her books to keep it safe. It barely fit in the bag with all of her books, but she made it work. She wore her sneakers on her way to school, but her mary-janes were packed in the already stuffed bag. Between her science book lay the apology note she had written for Tamaki. She couldn't shake the nervousness of how he might react to it, so she decided to shake the thought away as much as she could. The walk to the bus station in her neighborhood wasn't a very long one, and she usually enjoyed the quietness. When she left her house, the neighborhood hadn't quite come to life yet. Her first walk was usually quite peaceful. She knew most of the people in her neighborhood and could enjoy the scenery on her way there. The birds serenaded her each morning, and the sun guided her way. Today wasn't quite as pretty as usual, due to the previous day's rain. It was still nice to see the trees blooming and the sun shining through the clouds. A few blocks away, she arrived at the bus station. There were a few people already waiting there. She boarded the crowded bus and grabbed a pole to steady herself. Around her were all different kinds of people, on their ways to their own respective lives. There were people of all ages, from middle school students to elderly adults. She recognized a few of them, but only by face.

Multiple blocks passed before the bus slowed to a halt, ready to let its passengers off. She pushed her bag back over her shoulders and stepped in line along with the others. She followed the file of early morning travelers to the front of the bus. So early in the morning, not many of them had a smile on their faces. Many did, however, have warm cups of coffee clutched between their hands. She assumed they must be on their way to work. She walked down the bus steps, and onto the pavement. Around her was no longer peaceful birdsong, but bustling city noise. Around her were many people with briefcases and office attire. The busy city streets rang with horns and general city chatter. There were public school students walking to school together. Many young children were accompanied by the older ones, all carrying umbrellas at her side. She figured it was a good idea she had brought her own with her. She was usually on her own walking to school from the bus stop, as most of the Ouran students were chauffeured or drove themselves. Even then, very few actually drove themselves. It'd be nice to have a driver, and never have to worry about the weather. The weatherman did say it shouldn't rain today, but she didn't want to be caught in a situation like yesterday. She'd like to hold the weatherman to his promise.


She headed down the street, passing stores, and a cafe. There were towering office buildings and many bus stops on her way. Her walk from this bus station to the school was a further one, often halted by crosswalks and traffic. She made her way through the busy city and arrived at the school gates. She usually got there a little early, to avoid seeing a crowd of people before she changed into her uniform. She didn't want to be teased for her clothing as well as for simply existing differently than the other students. Few other students arrived early, but when they did they would often gather in common areas to have coffee and breakfast with each other. She stepped through the open gates and walked around the sidewalks to go to a side entrance that was near a bathroom. She entered through the side doors and quietly stepped through the halls to find the nearest bathroom to change in. The more she thought about giving Tamaki the note, the more she disagreed with herself about delivering it. She even considered throwing it in the trash and letting him go.

"Anya!" Someone called her name loudly. Food steps approached her, and the voice echoed through the empty halls. Startled, her bag slipped from her shoulders and onto the ground. She turned to see who had called her name and saw Tamaki walking quickly towards her, with a large grin on his face. As he stood in front of her, he reached down to grab the overly stuffed bag from the ground.

"I didn't mean to scare you!" He laughed, "You dropped this." He lifted her bag off the ground and over his own shoulder. He looked at her curiously. She supposed he was surprised at her outfit.

"Do you have gym first period?" He questioned. She wore a large gray sweatshirt and a pair of leggings for her walk to school. On her feet were her pair of old, heavily worn sneakers. She didn't like to think of them as beat up but heavily loved. Her face grew warm, and she shook her head no. He looked a little puzzled as he slowly passed her bag back to her. He reached his hand behind his head and chuckled at her get-up. She remembered she had the note in her bag. She was more nervous than she had been before to give it to him, but part of her yelled inside for her to just hand him the note. Her heart began beating fast, and her face grew redder and redder. She held her bag with one arm in front of her as she reached in for her science book. She laid the bag on the ground, which must have confused Tamaki further, as he watched her. Anya opened her science book and slid the note out from between its pages. Her hands shook, almost as fast as the beat of her heart. She stuffed her book back into her bag and held it tightly in both hands.

"Is this for me?" Tamaki asked, with a smile. She wasn't sure if he was amused or bewildered. She took a heavy breath and held it, wondering if she should give it to him or not. Ultimately, she decided so and nodded her head. She pushed the paper towards him, and almost like instinct, grabbed her bag and ran to the nearest bathroom. She was in such a rush, she hadn't even bothered to zip her backpack back together.

Her heart was still beating wildly as she entered the girls' bathroom. She hardly felt her legs beneath her and shook like a leaf in the wind. She stepped to the furthest stall to change into her uniform. Most of the stalls here were quite nice, as were the bathrooms altogether. The girl's bathroom had large mirrors and spacious stalls with shelves and extra hooks for bags. She hung her non-uniform clothes over the stall door. She began putting her layers on, starting with her white stockings. She then slipped on her yellow dress and reached into her bag to grab her black mary janes. As she bent down to grab her shoes, she realized she had a run in her stocking. Thankfully, it was in a spot where it wouldn't be seen. She shook her head at the thought of buying a new pair. She didn't have much money to spare, as her grandfather didn't want her to work during the school year. She finished dressing and folded her clothes neatly into her bag, wrapped in the cloth that previously held her dress. She looked in the mirror to tie the red ribbon around her collar and saw two matching red cheeks staring back at her. She couldn't help but feel such anger and shame with them. Tears welled in her eyes before she wiped them away and finished dressing for the day. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down. She wanted to know what Tamaki had thought of her letter, but her embarrassment caused her to run once again. She left the restroom and peeked around the corner. Tamaki was no longer there. He must have headed to his first-class or gone to grab breakfast. She started towards her locker, careful to avoid the flow of students filing into the school. At her locker, she hung her bag on the metal hook and placed her carefully folded clothes on the top shelf of her locker. She pulled her required books out of her bag and zipped it carefully. With her books in her bag, and her cheeks returning to a regular temperature, she headed for her first class.


Classes felt much longer than she remembered them being. She did her best to focus on her schoolwork, but it was hard to think about anything other than rushing off away from Tamaki again. She was also distracted by the thought of the Ootori boy. She knew he and his family were none of her business, but she was intrigued by his knowledge. He seemed like he knew far more than he should. She was thankful her teachers rarely called upon her in class. Usually, she would know the answers, but today she felt like she had learned nothing. There was no room in her brain for math equations or language studies, or even science, her favorite subject.

After what felt like forever, the school bells rang for lunch, and the students' chatters filled the room. Shortly after, the halls were full of students on their way to lunch. Most of the Ouran students ate lunch in common areas, though some ate in classrooms. There were a few lounge areas with tables scattered across the school, as well as a lunchroom. Shegathered her things, and heard giggling outside of her classroom.

"Hello ladies," a familiar voice spoke outside of her classroom, "Would you happen to know if Anya Lambrecht is in this class?" The girls giggled and told him that she was. He thanked them and walked into the classroom. Her classmates that remained in the room looked at him. He commanded attention, she noticed. The guys greeted him and the girls rushed to him.

"What are you doing here, Tamaki?" A tall girl with long dark hair asked cheerfully.

"I'm actually here to visit a friend!" He smiled and pointed towards her. This didn't quite stop the girls from swooning towards him like he was a celebrity. She pulled her lunch box out from her desk and carried her book in her other hand. Her teacher smiled at her and went to sit with a group of students at the desks, papers in hand.

"It was nice talking with you, ladies!" Tamaki flashed a toothy smile and headed in her direction. It wasn't until he grew closer that she saw the note she had written in his hand. She wished a neatly folded white piece of notebook paper didn't have so much power over her, yet it did.

"I read your note," he said to her. The girls in the classroom stared, with a shocked look on their faces. They probably thought it was a love letter. The boys in the class snickered, and Anya's eyes grew wide. There were students peering into the classroom to see what was going on. How did one boy command this much attention?

"Oh, right," he nervously chuckled, "Come with me." He headed towards the door and she followed suit. As they walked through the halls together, the students whispered and chattered, their eyes following the two of them. She had a knack for flying under the radar, and most certainly was not used to being watched by so many people.

After walking for a moment, they arrived at his club's room. She was very nervous, clutching tightly to her schoolbook and her lunch box. She loosened her grip on the lunch box and realized she had indented the designs of it into her hand.

"Sorry about that," he said while opening the doors to the club room, "I just wanted to talk to you about your note." Anya wished he would just say what he thought of the note, instead of singlehandedly causing her stomach to twist into an impossible knot. He shut the door behind him, as some students were in the hall and sure to peer in as the others did. He stood in front of her, still holding the note. She hadn't realized how tall he was. She looked up at him, and he looked down at her. She felt a little silly having to tilt her head up to speak. She usually spent her time looking downwards towards the ground. As she looked towards his face, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I read your note, and I want you to know I do want to be your friend, Anya. You don't have to apologize for running yesterday. I was going to apologize to you this morning, I thought maybe I or my friends scared you. You don't have to worry about them, they're actually quite nice. I know they can be a lot sometimes," he chuckled, "I know I can be, too." She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until it escaped her lungs as a large sigh. She felt a wave of relief wash over her. She hadn't lost the only opportunity she had for a friend. He looked at the lunch box and books in her hand and grew a smile over his face.

"Well, now that you're here," he motioned towards the box, "would you like to have lunch with me here?" She nodded her head and he motioned to the table they shared yesterday. The cloth had been replaced from a cream-white one to a pale blue. This color reminded her of the walls in her father's room. Her mother loved light colors and refused Anya's request for a black room when she was twelve. She was adamant that the color of a room could change the mood of whoever entered it. Her mother was rarely wrong, but she thought if that were true, her father would be a happier person.

He unfolded his lunch from his own box of lunch. She wondered who made his lunches. She figured it was probably his mother, or maybe a private cook. She wondered what his parents were like. He seemed like a warm person, but an extravagant one. She thought of how everyone looked to him when he passed and greeted him. He must be a good person for everyone to look up to him the way that they did. She opened her boxed lunch and didn't realize until then that her lunch was far less fancy than his. She almost wished the guys had stolen her lunch again so that Tamaki wouldn't see what she had brought. She had leftovers from dinner the night before. She was hungry, though, so she opened it and began to eat it. As she took a bite of her lunch, the door swung open. A few feet away from her stood the red-haired twins from yesterday. They looked at her with matching cheeky grins on their faces.

"Hey, it's you!" One exclaimed,

"Thought we had scared you off!" the one on the left said.

"Yeah, didn't think you'd come back after yesterday!" the other twin jeered.

Her face felt hot, but she didn't want to run away again. Instead, she smiled at them and nodded.

"No need for teasing," Tamaki laughed at them. They redirected their attention to the blonde-haired boy that sat across from her. Behind them entered the other three boys. The tall one was closely trailed by his small companion, and the Ootori boy followed.

She looked over Tamaki's shoulder and saw Kyoya flash a quick smile at her before adjusting his glasses and continuing his conversation with the two. She felt quite uneasy with so many people around. She had worked up the courage to apologize to Tamaki earlier, but she wasn't sure how she'd apologize to everyone all at once. She hadn't even thought of writing them apology notes.

"We just came by to see if you wanted to go grab some lunch with us Tama-Chan!" The small boy held tightly onto his rabbit's arm while swinging it around.

"I appreciate it, but I'm having lunch with my new friend again today," He turned to her and showed most of his stark-white teeth with a goofy smile.

"You sure you don't want to come to have lunch with us, boss?" One twin asked, with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"I'm sure, Kaoru, thank you though" he raised his lunch box to show them. It was a very fancy box. It was metal and white with gold caps on the corners. She didn't doubt the gold could be real, either.

"Suit yourself, today is taco day. You guys coming?" Kaoru asked his twin and the other three boys.

"I've got some work to do with the inventory for our party next weekend, I'll find something to eat in a while," the Ootori boy smiled and adjusted his frames.

"Let's go, Takashi!" The small blonde boy exclaimed, "We need to go before all of the sweets are gone!"

The tall boy, whose name was 'Takashi' apparently, nodded and put the small boy on his back and left the room with the twins. Left in the room were Kyoya, Tamaki, and Anya. Anya felt a little uneasy with Kyoya. She felt like he could read her mind if she thought hard enough.

"What did you bring for lunch today?" Tamaki asked, unpacking his very fancy lunch himself. He unwrapped the paper to reveal a steak, vegetables, and a pastry in its own wrapping.

Sheepishly, she turned her box where he could see her lunch.

Tamaki looked confused, but before he could answer, Kyoya chimed in, "brown bean soup, I heard it's quite good."

"Oh! Did you make it yourself?" Tamaki grabbed her lunch box and inspected it carefully. She extended her arm towards it, slightly embarrassed by her less-than extravagant meal. He laid the lunchbox back down in front of her and laughed. She shook her head, he seemed quite interested in everything around him. It was like watching a child discover something new every day. She wondered how he could be so excited by life when she was so drained by it. She hadn't felt excitement in so long.

"I bet you're a really good cook. You should bring some of your cooking one day!" Tamaki excitedly exclaimed, "Don't you think so, Kyoya?"

"I think that'd be quite nice," Kyoya was marking things off a checklist while walking through the large room. He looked into the boxes and occasionally marked something down. There were so many things, she wondered how he knew where everything was. Maybe it was his sixth sense.

Anya looked at the golden-haired boy, then around the room at the many stacks of boxes. He looked up from his plate and smiled at her,

"You're wondering what all the decorations are for!" He stood up and dramatically moved his arms. As he lifted himself, he smacked the table with one hand. Startled, she jumped back, nearly dropping the bite she had taken from her mouth. She thought he was trying to pose, but he looked a little silly doing it.

He lifted his arm above his head and exclaimed, "The Host Club is having a party!" His finger pointed toward the sky. Maybe this is what he meant by him being a lot. She didn't think he was a lot, just that he had a lot of character. She wished she could see the world through his eyes, where everything must be so bright.

"We have parties and fundraising events a few times a year, for various reasons," Kyoya said, checking another thing off of his list. Tamaki held his dramatic pose. Anya couldn't help but let out a giggle. He did look very silly. She realized she had laughed and quickly covered her mouth. He dropped his arms and looked at her, his mouth sat slightly agape. She thought she had hurt his feelings. Her face dropped and her cheeks warmed. He slammed both of his hands excitedly on the table with more ferocity than last time. She jumped back, eyes open, heart beating fast. She froze at the loud noise and stared at him with a bewildered look over her face. He must not have seen her face. He was looking at Kyoya with a huge grin on his face. She calmed down, seeing him smile. He wasn't upset, just excited. She knew he was the type of person it took getting used to. She felt like she was reading a new book when she was with him.

He looked back at Anya, "You should come!" Her eyes grew wide again. She shook her head no and continued to shake it.

"I know you probably don't like groups of people, but it will be a lot of fun!"She didn't want to say that she couldn't afford a dress, or that she couldn't ask her grandfather to go to a party with a boy she had just met. She had never been to a party, aside from birthday parties in grade school. She was used to being alone and alone was usually quiet. She didn't want to have a moment like she did yesterday and ruin the party for everyone. She lowered her head to avert his gaze.

His face dropped and was replaced with an awkward half-hearted smile.

"Right, no worries!" he awkwardly chuckled and sat back down.

She felt bad saying no, but there were just so many things stacked against a 'yes.' Honestly, how could she tell her grandfather she was going to a party? He would likely want to meet him, and she didn't want Tamaki to see her house. He probably lived in a mansion, whilst her family lived in a 3 bedroom apartment across town. She didn't mind it, but she was already embarrassed that he saw her in her walking clothes and well-loved sneakers. She felt a bit of envy towards him, that he more than likely lived such an extravagant life. She wasn't resentful, but ashamed of herself for knowing she lived a much different life than he did. Kyoya looked at her with a raised brow, and she couldn't help but feel like he was reading her thoughts. She looked away from him, and back to her brown bean soup.

Tamaki changed the subject by reaching for a scoop of her lunch. Her mouth dropped open, with amazement at this boy. She allowed Tamaki to try her soup, which he swore was wonderful, but the look on his face wasn't very convincing. She laughed at him, covering her mouth each time she did. Laughing is something she hadn't done in a while. After a while of her covering her mouth as if she'd been caught doing something wrong when she laughed, Tamaki began to laugh too. He teased her that she didn't want to admit just how funny he really was. They had a nice time together, and occasionally Kyoya spoke up and chimed in a word or two. It was a pleasant conversation, though she wasn't very good at conversing. It felt a lot more natural being around Tamaki, though. She didn't feel quite as embarrassed as she had the day before, or even when she handed him the note. It was like sitting with a friend.

"I guess we should get going to class," Tamaki said as the bell rang through the halls. He put his wrappings back in his box with his utensils. She wrapped hers up as well and tidied the table.

As he turned to grab his bag, she tapped him on the arm. She wanted to see him again, though she didn't know how to ask.

"Yes?" he had a cheesy grin on his face, and before she could get the words out of her mouth, he said, "You want to have lunch again with me, don't you?" He laughed joyfully. Her face turned red. She nodded and reached for her lunch box and book. He playfully swiped them before she could.

"Of course! See, you're not bad at making friends! You've already made two of them," he said, handing Anya her schoolbook and box. He smiled and waved at her as he exited the club room, on his way to his next class.

"Two?" she thought. She looked awkwardly over at Kyoya, who had just laid down his clipboard.

"I suppose he means me, as the other friend," Kyoya said without much of a smile. He adjusted his glasses. As often as he pushed his glasses up, she thought he should get ones that didn't slide so much. She felt a little uncomfortable that Tamaki had referred to Kyoya as her friend, but he did often seem a little clueless. Not that she didn't like Kyoya, but she didn't think he'd consider her a friend himself.

"I don't know what it is," he said sitting in the chair Tamaki had previously occupied, staring at Anya inquisitively, "but Tamaki has taken a liking to you. He spent most of yesterday talking about how terribly he felt when you ran out. He even spent a while looking for you yesterday. I don't know exactly why, but I do know this," He leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table, "He has a big heart. You'd do well to be careful with it," he looked so serious as he said this. It didn't sound like a threat, but more of a warning. She didn't intend to do anything with his heart, she only wanted a friend.

She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him he had the wrong idea. She had only wanted a friend in Tamaki.

"I'm not implying you have romantic intentions with him, but he is very generous with his love. He's almost like a puppy," he shook his head, "Like a puppy, he is easily disappointed and let down. I hope you will reconsider joining us at the party. If the dress is the issue, that's not something hard to fix. Hikaru and Karou's mother is a fashion designer and often provides the club with clothes for events,"

She felt like she had gone white. This boy must really have supernatural powers. She didn't feel safe, even inside her mind with this boy. As much as she appreciated the gesture of generosity, she couldn't accept another hand out from Kyoya.

"Just consider it," he smiled and lifted his bag off of a table and over his shoulder. He headed towards the door before stopping to tell her, "Oh, and please tell your grandfather my father, Yoshio, says hello." He relinquished their conversation with his all-knowing smile and an exit from the door.

I guess her family did know his own in some way. It was a weird thought that a family like his and one like hers had crossed paths at some point. It was a small world, indeed. She left the room herself, shutting the door behind her. She wasn't sure what he meant by telling her she should be careful with Tamaki's heart. She only meant to be his friend. Still, she didn't want to let him down. The drop of his face when she said no sat on her own heart. She wanted to go and see what a party was like. She didn't think her grandfather would be alright with it, and she knew her father wouldn't be if he heard her asking about it. She decided she would have to sleep on the idea. Even if Kyoya didn't mind allowing her to borrow a dress, she still felt guilty accepting favors. Accepting favors made her feel like more of a charity case than she already did. She was here because of a merit-based scholarship. The school waived her locker fee and book costs because of her family's financial situation. Even if she did accept, there was little to no guarantee she'd be allowed by her family to go to a party. Her grandfather might agree, but her father never would. He denied her from joining any after-school clubs or sports. He wanted her home as soon as she could be from school. She envied the students here that knew their place, and fit so well. She felt like a piece to an entirely different puzzle.