Entry Number Fifty-One:
"Ahh…Bijou?"
"Yes, 'amtaro?"
"Is everything alright?"
Not with that leech attached to your arm.
"Of course it iz, 'amtaro! Why zoo you ask?"
"Because you've stabbed your salad with your fork about fifty times, you dolt!"
"Sparkle!"
"What?" She looks so intimidated under Hamtaro's glare. I don't blame her: I'd turn that same shade of red if Hamtaro ever looked at me like that…
…wait a minute!
I thought she was just pretending!
Entry Number Fifty-Two:
I hate field trips, especially ones that are outside.
Entry Number Fifty-Three:
"Welcome to the Akiko Mountain Range, kids!"
"…."
"We at the Akiko Mountain Range hope you enjoy your hike!"
"…."
Entry Number Fifty-Four:
We've been put into groups of three.
I'm working with Pashmina and Sandy.
Incase I've been too busy to mention, they're my two best friends.
They're the only girls who aren't fake like a certain someone who's going awfully close to Hamtaro right now.
Grr…Get away from him, Sparkle.
Entry Number Fifty-Five:
"Oh, Bijou! Sandy! Pashmina!"
"Yes, Miss Koto?" Sandy replies to our teacher.
"There are an uneven amount of people in the class, so I have to add Sparkle to your group. Is that ok?"
"Sure, Miss Koto!"
….
"Hey? Bijou?"
"Yez, Pashmina?"
"Your vein's about to burst."
Entry Number Fifty-Six:
We're walking up the stupid mountain.
Entry Number Fifty-Seven:
It's not even a pretty mountain.
Entry Number Fifty-Eight:
We're supposed to be sketching plants, but everybody's too cold to pay attention to the foliage.
Darn it! The teacher should have told us we were going to such a high altitude. I would've brought an extra sweater or something.
Entry Number Fifty-Nine:
"Hamtaro, I'm so cold!"
Welcome to the club, Sparkle.
"Would you like to wear my jacket, Sparkle?"
"If you don't mind?"
"Hey, Bijou. You French Ham-Humans are an awful lot like teakettles, aren't ya?"
I turn to the source of the voice to avoid the sight of Sparkle in Hamtaro's jacket. "Why zoo you ask zat, Howdy?"
"Because there's steam comin' out of your ears."
Entry Number Sixty:
"Bijou, what plant is that?"
She knows very well what that plant is. "It iz a weed, Sparkle. There iz nozing special about it."
"But I want to know it's name!"
"No. We are not going to sketch zat plant, anyway."
"Bijou…" Oh no. Miss Koto is talking to me. "Do you not know what that plant is called?"
"I zoo, Miss Koto."
"Then please enlighten the whole class on its name."
Here goes everything.
"It iz a zhisul."
"A what?"
"A zhisul, Sparkle."
"What's that?"
We've had this conversation before! I will not tolerate this again.
"Sparkle!" Boss's voice calls out before I can say anything. "She said it's a thistle, and you should know its name anyway since it was one of the first plants we studied."
That shut her up.
Entry Number Sixty-One:
During our lunch break, I go up to Boss.
"Merci, Boss." I put my hand on his shoulder to make him look at me, but his body gets tense at my touch.
Did I do something wrong?
Entry Number Sixty-Two:
"What am I going to zoo, Dexter?"
"I don't know, Bijou. You just came to me and yelled 'What am I going to do, Dexter?'"
"Why are you asking him, Sweet Bijou? I have the answer to all your problems!"
"Zoo you, Stan?" I ask hopefully since I'm desperate to pry the Fake One off of Hamtaro.
He takes out something from his backpack. "Is it someone or something that's bothering you?"
"Someone."
He wiggles an extremely red pepper in front of me. "This little thing right here, I got from a wandering Ham-Human. He said this stuff will make the biter go crazy with spice. What do you say, Bijou? I'll give it to you for a kiss!"
"Ahh…no zhank you, Stan." And I start pacing again. Stan looks disappointed, but then Dexter breaks the silence.
"Does that pepper really work that strongly?"
"There's only one way to find out, Dexter!"
…..There's a rather mischievous glare in Stan's eyes as he says this.
Entry Number Sixty-Three:
"AHHHHHH!"
"What iz wrong, 'amtaro?" I run over to him, noticing that Sparkle is nowhere nearby.
He points to his tongue. He's motioning for water, or something to drink, I think.
Then I look at the éclair he just bit into. Oddly enough, there's an extremely red pepper nudged in his pastry.
Somewhere, hiding in the trees, Dexter and Stan are enjoying a good laugh.
Entry Number Sixty-Four:
There's a note attached to my locker. It's red.
Entry Number Sixty-Five:
The note is open for everyone else to read. Whoever put it there didn't mean to put much effort into privacy.
Dear Bijou,
You have to be one of the most beautiful Ham-Humans I've ever seen, from your emerald eyes to the snow-like hue of you hair. Your laugh rings like bells, and your voice itself is like a foreign melody. I only wish I could tell you how I feel, but I am too shy right now to say anything. Maybe one day.
-Your Secret Admirer
Entry Number Sixty-Six:
Pashmina and Sandy circle my room as they come up with a plan for Operation De-Sparkle.
"So it seems to me that Sparkle's challenging your ability to get what you want."
"But I zhink she actually likes 'amtaro, Sandy!"
"So there's one thing we have to do."
"What?"
"Get what she's good at. Get it, master it, beat her at it."
"But what iz she good at?"
"…"
Five minutes later…
"…"
Ten minutes later…
"…"
"Wait! Isn't she a singer or something?"
"Oh yeah…she has that international record deal, right? I can't believe we forgot that."
"You want me to sing?"
"Yes Bijou, and not only do you have to sing…"
"…you have to sing to blow Sparkle and Hamtaro away!"
Entry Number Sixty-Seven:
"Bijou, there was a note attached to your locker."
"I know." Why does Hamtaro care?
Omg! What if he was the secret admirer?
Entry Number Sixty-Eight:
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Entry Number Sixty-Nine:
"Ok, Penelope, I am going to zeach you your first word that iz not 'Ookwee', ok?"
"Ookwee."
"I am going to take zat as a 'yes'. Zee zhis picture of me? Say 'perfect'!"
"Ookwee."
"No, 'perfect'!"
"What are you doing, Bijou?"
"Uhh…Nozing, Pashmina!"
Entry Number Seventy:
What sounds better? Bijou and Hamtaro or Hamtaro and Bijou?
o.O "…Bijou?…" My mother is looking strangely at me.
Did I think out loud again? Oh cats! I can feel my face getting redder!
"Yez, your face is getting pretty red."
Zut! Zut! Zut! I really must stop doing that.
"Yez, you must. Now calm zown and eat your string beanz!"
Entry Number Seventy-One:
"Bijou? Did you go anywhere near the dictionaries in the school library recently?" Maxwell's holding a bunch of dictionaries in his arms.
"No. Why?"
"Because somebody whited-out all the definitions for 'perfect' and wrote 'Bijou' in its place."
I make a face and he apologizes for blaming me. "I should have known you wouldn't do something like that."
Hmm…so that white out and dictionary thing wasn't a dream?
Entry Number Seventy-Two:
I told you, I am the dictionary definition of perfect.
Entry Number Seventy-Three:
Maxell can prove it to you!
Entry Number Seventy-Four:
Boss and I are working as lab partners for chemistry. He is quite good at this class, actually.
"Bozz? What waz zee reaction with zee chloride?"
"Just look at my notes, Bijou."
His handwriting looks familiar.
Entry Number Seventy-Five:
Cats! I know from where, too.
Oh dear.