Angst ahead. You've been warned.
Chapter 18: Cracks and Crevices
The rest of the weekend passed by quickly and soon enough it was Monday again.
With a faint yawn, Mizuki tapped her fare card before getting off the bus. She checked her watch, it was still early. She wondered how Sakuragi and the others are faring, considering it was almost midnight when Ohkusu's party ended. Mito was still snoring when she left the house before heading to the hospital.
She had fun last night. It was the first time that grim, shadowy thoughts didn't plague her mind. A day gone by without the guilt from the accident tormenting her. Lately, she had to juggle her time with school, part time jobs and writing the Rukawa article - the latter causing her so much stress these past few days. But truthfully, she welcomes these distractions as it helps to numb the pain she felt every time she remembers.
Mito's words floated through her mind. That her father wouldn't want her to blame herself and that she should let go of the guilt before it tears her apart.
Mizuki had decided that starting today; she will not wallow in self-pity. Perhaps in time, she will truly heal.
The tinkling bells from a shop door being opened interrupted her musings. She stopped in her tracks and contemplated on her next action. She's been passing by this little sweet shop every morning on her way to school, but she resisted every time. Today, she thought that she will allow herself a little indulgence. Besides, she just received her first salary from her job at the restaurant. She could give the guys a treat and crave in to her sweet tooth calling.
In what seemed like an eternity (as she can't decide which cupcakes to choose) 'Everything looks yummy!' Mizuki found herself in her sanctuary – the school garden, carrying a box with a dozen cupcakes in it.
One cupcake for her, and the rest of the gang. She'll also give one each to Haruko, Fuji and Matsui. Since it was Satoshi who recommended her for the job, she ought to express her gratitude for his help. The same goes for Ayako-senpai….Now, there's only one piece left. Mizuki tried to pretend that the idea of giving one to Rukawa didn't cross her mind but knew she was fooling herself. Truthfully, he was the first person she thought of when she bought the cupcakes, even considering which flavour he prefers.
She wondered what will be his reaction when she offered him one. Will he think that she's slowly turning into one of his overzealous fans?
With a sigh, she lowered herself to the grass with her back against the tree. Maybe giving him one was a bad idea as she did make a promise that she would leave him alone once the interview was done. So far she had kept her side of the bargain and had steer clear from him after the interview.
Her stomach suddenly growled - a reminder that she only had a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast.
She eyed the array of delectable confectioneries inside the box, pondering which one to choose.
In the end, she decided to try the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. She was about to take her first bite when a shrill voice broke her concentration.
"Yohei Mizuki!"
She turned around at the sound of her name and her eyebrows rose in shock when a horde of extremely pissed off looking girls suddenly surrounded her. She reluctantly returned the cupcake back in the box before standing up.
Gripping the confectionery box securely with both hands, Mizuki shifted her attention to the swarm of girls before her, who are all radiating with hostility.
Nobody spoke and feeling utterly uncomfortable with all the death glares being thrown her way, Mizuki finally asked, "Uh, can I help you?"
A tall figure emerged from the crowd and stepped towards her.
Mizuki had seen her around - the girl was hard not to notice, as she was undeniably the tallest girl that ever set foot in Shohoku High. Her cousin Mito had even dubbed her as Khalifa, obviously for her height.
"You've got a lot of nerve." Said the girl nicknamed Khalifa in an icy tone, arms crossed over her chest in an attempt to intimidate her.
Mizuki looked at her in confusion, not knowing what to say and what she was getting at.
Her reaction only made the taller girl more pissed off, her square jaw tightening noticeably. "Don't you dare act so innocent. You know fully well why we're here."
Irritation replaced her momentary confusion. "Actually, I don't." Mizuki replied with an indignant huff.
"How dare you disparage Rukawa-sama's reputation?!"
"Eh?" Mizuki said, more surprised by the deep word that she used than by the mention of Rukawa's name. But she never got the chance to say anything more as she was suddenly shoved to the ground, making her fall, resulting to the box being crushed by her weight.
A few snickers erupted around her as she stared at the now ruined cupcakes, its colorful frosting splattered on the grass and on her uniform.
Anger stirred within her and Mizuki instantly saw red.
xxxxx
Contrary to what many others believe, Rukawa's not completely oblivious to his surroundings.
In fact, he's fully aware of the multitude of heart shaped eyes that followed his every move, the sigh escaping their lips, the twirling of hair or excessive fluttering of lashes whenever they greeted him.
But today was different.
The moment Rukawa stepped off his bike; he immediately sensed something was amiss. As he walked into the corridor, there were hushed murmurs and curious glances thrown his way.
Upon arriving at his classroom, he noticed the guy with the fake blonde hair anxiously pacing the corridor, and when he saw him approaching, blondie suddenly stopped in his tracks and opens his mouth as if to say something. But then, he abruptly snapped them shut and averted his gaze before resuming his mindless pacing.
The guy who previously had an annoying moustache was leaning against the railing and looks at him with an expression he couldn't quite discern.
Right. Something was definitely amiss.
Plus, it didn't escaped his attention that rooftop girl is not yet in her seat.
It's not like he keep tracks on her whereabouts, he was just simply being his usual observant self.
Besides, her seat was diagonally across from him, that's why he had noticed right away.
An unbidden frown formed on his brow.
Rooftop girl was never late for class. She always arrived before him; often saw her either with her head stuck in a book or doodling away on her desk or having mindless chatter with her seatmates. Sometimes, she would even greet him good morning before pestering him about the interview.
Rukawa didn't understand why it bothers him that she's not yet in class.
The guy sitting in front of him, who's so thin he looks like he's not eaten for days, was fidgeting on his seat and keeps glancing back at him and throwing him nervous looks.
Rukawa wanted to grab the guy by the collar and demand to know what the hell's going on. He was stunned by the sudden surge of anger he felt. He was usually not a violent person, except, of course, when a certain Dou Ahou is involved. Sakuragi's stupidity never fails to make his blood boils.
Rukawa realizes he's still standing and he plops down into his chair and began rummaging in his backpack for his discman and earphones. He scowled when he can't find them.
Monday is officially shit.
He buried his face on his desk, eager to get some sleep, when his pesky seatmate decided to ruin it by opening his mouth.
"Have you read it?"
He pretended not to hear him.
"She's in big trouble." His seatmate said in an almost sing song voice.
Rukawa's stomach began to churn. Somehow, he knew who he was referring to.
"Rukawa Kaede."
He turned as the voice of their teacher - Yamada-sensei sounded in his ears and he gave her a blank look.
"Please come with me to the Headmaster's office."
Murmurs filled the room. Rukawa reluctantly stood up and proceeds to follow Yamada-sensei who began to ask the rest of class if anyone has seen Yohei Mizuki.
Rukawa's stomach began churning again.
When the students answered they haven't seen her, the teacher informed her students, "If she arrives, tell her to go directly to the Headmaster's office."
That got him intrigued. If all thoughts of sleep evaporated from his mind, then yes, he can say he's definitely intrigued by this.
The Headmaster's office, where he was a frequent visitor – along with Sakuragi, is located at the ground level.
As they made it down the stairs and turned the corner, Yamada-sensei almost got run over by a student running way too fast. Rukawa managed to pull his teacher away from the impending crash.
"What is going on here?!" The brunette teacher asked as she straightened herself.
"We heard there's a fight happening in the garden, sensei."
Yamada-sensei slowly massages her temples and let out an exasperated sigh. "Happy Monday to me." He heard his teacher mumbled to herself before instructing the students to get back to their respective classrooms. She then began walking at a brisk pace to where the school garden is located, leaving Rukawa behind, much to his confusion. She probably has forgotten him.
He was about to follow her when she froze mid step and abruptly turned on her heel to face him.
"You can go ahead now, Rukawa-san. I'll be there shortly."
He gave a low nod before turning and walking in the opposite direction.
Within a few minutes, the door to the Headmaster's office came into view. Heedlessly, he turned the knob and pushed the door. It swung slightly open but Rukawa suddenly remembered - for some unknown miracle - that he should at least show some courtesy since the man in charge of the school was the one seeking him out. Rules say you should knock first before entering.
He was about to close the door when he unintentionally became privy to a conversation going on inside the door.
"She has such exceptional credentials from her previous school in Chiba, consistently among the top ten of her class." He immediately recognized the voice belonging to that of the Headmaster.
"But now, she associates herself with those delinquents." Replied another voice harshly.
Although not one to eavesdrop, Rukawa remained standing behind the door. He was never the type to get curious about something either, so it surprised him as to why he is acting so out of character today.
"I heard her cousin is one of them." The Headmaster said.
"Ah, yes. That Yohei Mito is certainly bad news." The name was uttered in obvious disdain.
Whatever doubts Rukawa had before quickly disappeared from his mind, he was certain now that they were talking about rooftop girl.
"Is her dad still in a comatose?"
A chill ran up his spine as he listened, his grip on the knob tightening.
"Yes, such tragedy."
Rukawa was overwhelmed with so much foreign emotions that flooded through him.
"Is it true that she's the one who's driving the vehicle when the accident happened?"
There was no reply and only the sound of someone coughing was heard.
"Her father allowed her to drive? Knowing that she doesn't even have a license in the first place?" said the other man's voice in an accusing tone.
"Poor thing. And her aunt told me she blames herself for what happened."
"A-hem."
Another cough was heard, nearer this time. He turns around and notices a short guy, whose face was set in a scowl standing behind him.
"Aren't you going to come in?" The guy asked, somewhat dryly. But his overconfident demeanour diminished abruptly when he received the Ace's icy glare.
Rukawa ignored him and tapped his knuckles on the door.
"Come in," came the reply from the inside of the office.
The Headmaster, a kind looking man with balding silver hair, greeted the two of them as they entered the room. "Ah, Mr. Rukawa, ."
The other person in the room, who now Rukawa recognized as one of the professor, (he can't recall what subject he was teaching) was standing near the window, arms crossed against his chest. The professor didn't bother to acknowledge any of them. Instead, his eyes were full of hostility which was obviously directed at Rukawa.
"Please, take a seat. Both of you." The Headmaster gestured to the two chairs across from his large, mahogany desk.
"I'm sure you might have already heard what is going on today." Elbows on the desk and hands clasped together, the elderly man stated calmly, his words mostly directed at the stoic basketball player.
Rukawa simply stared at the Headmaster.
"Hmm.. No? Haven't got the time to check your email last night?"
He shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
The Headmaster suppressed a sigh as he leaned back on his chair."You did an interview with Ms. Yohei for an article to the Shohoku Times, am I correct?"
Rukawa nodded his head.
"And may I know how did the interview go?"
Again, he shrugged his shoulders in response which earned an annoyed huff from the professor.
The Headmaster, used to dealing with difficult students, remained composed. Knowing he wouldn't get any reply from him, he then shifted his attention to the other student, who began to straighten on his seat.
"Mr. Iwata, if I'm not mistaken, you are the Editor in Chief of the Shohoku Times, right?"
"Yes, sir." Iwata answered in a high pitched voice.
"As Editor in Chief, isn't it your main responsibility to check – proofread all articles before publishing?"
The short guy paled visibly.
Rukawa couldn't help but snort at the guy's agitated reaction. The look on his face was comical.
"I swear I checked the article, Headmaster! I requested a copy from Yohei-chan, and the article that she sent me was not the same one that was being circulated."
The short guy's outburst piqued his interest. And when the guy requested for rooftop girl's removal from the newspaper club, his hands clenched into fists on his lap. He stared daggers at the guy named Iwata as he continues on putting the blame on her. Rukawa never thought the day will come when he will dislike someone more than the Dou Ahou.
And as if he had summoned him, the door to the office suddenly hurtled open and in the doorway stood the spawn of the devil himself, Sakuragi Hanamichi. The redhead stays bent over for a few moments, as he struggled to catch his breath.
"I.. have….a…con..fession to.. make." Sakuragi said between gasps of air. Behind him, his minions started arriving, all looking equally winded.
Rukawa observed that the fat boy was not with them.
The headmaster regarded the group of young boys in front of him warily, his hands clasped on the table. "What is it this time, Mr. Sakuragi?" The elderly man asked with a sigh. The redhead was a frequent visitor in his office, and it was only a few days ago when the boy was summoned for raising a ruckus during biology class.
Sakuragi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before standing straight. He was about to explain when his eyes landed on Rukawa.
"The heck?!" Sakuragi roared; face almost matching the crimson of his hair. "What are you doing here?"
"I asked Mr. Rukawa to come here." The Headmaster explained. "And please, do continue what you are saying."
Sakuragi crossed his arms against his chest and answered petulanty."I won't talk with that stinky fox here in the room."
Iwata let out a shock gasp at the redhead's rudeness. "Uncivilized brute." The diminutive guy muttered under his breath. Sakuragi heard his remark and narrowed his eyes at him. "And who are you?"
The Editor in chief shrank back into his seat, too scared to speak. He hadn't realized he had spoken the words loudly.
"He's Iwata Gorou, editor in chief of the school newspaper." The Headmaster supplied.
"So, you're the moro -, Mito kicked his shin, reminding him that he was in the presence of the Headmaster and that he should watch his mouth. Not that it stopped him before. But since Mizuki was involved, he decided to control his tongue. He cleared his throat before speaking. "You're the person who pressured Mizu-chan in doing the interview?"
Iwata began to sweat even more at Sakuragi's hard stare. His face was flushed and bathed in perspiration, his body visibly trembling.
"Oh- gg-g-ggosh, look at the time." He turned to look at his wrist but didn't even realize that he's not wearing a watch. "C-can I go now, Headmaster?" He stuttered as he stood up from his seat. "I don't want to….uhh… miss any lecture for..uh.. Physics. You know how difficult that subject is."
The Headmaster gave a slight nod, massaging the side of his head in the process.
He was out of the room in a matter of seconds.
Sakuragi's face twisted into a smug grin of satisfaction. He then turned to Rukawa. "What about you, Kitsune?" Aren't you going to leave? Go curl up in a tree or somewhere?" He let out a loud laugh at his own joke.
Rukawa just folded his arms and leaned back against the chair.
Sakuragi gritted his teeth as he quivered with barely restrained rage.
"Would anyone care to please explain to me why the four of you are here in my office?" The Headmaster asked, rubbing the side of his forehead like he's having a severe headache.
No one responded.
It was Mito who finally answered.
"It was about the article." Mito said, drawing everyone's attention to him.
Rukawa's eyes snapped up to meet his. A look of curiosity passes in his cobalt orbs but it was quickly replaced by a mask of indifference.
Sakuragi whined loudly.
"The article?" The professor, who had been silent during the discussion, finally asked. "You mean the article about Mr. Rukawa that Ms. Yohei published?"
"Well…Yes…" Mito paused, running a hand through his hair. "And no.." He was about to explain further when a soft knock interrupted them.
"Come in."
The pretty, brunette teacher Miss Yamada began speaking as soon as she entered the room. "Sir, there's been an incident in the –" she faltered when she took notice of the room's occupants.
A tall, muscular girl whose long, dark hair was looking completely dishevelled walked behind Yamada-sensei. One of her hands was clutching at her nose, her face contorted with fury.
A short haired girl followed, her head was bowed down while she attempts to wipe the stains on her blazer and skirt. She looks much worse than the first girl, with her cheeks smudged with dirt and bits of twigs and grass cling to her hair.
Loud gasps were heard inside the room.
A simultaneous shout of "MIZU-CHAN!" filled the Headmaster's office while a lone voice shrieked "Rukawa-sama!" followed by a barrage of questions.
"What happened?!"
"Who did that to you?"
Rukawa didn't realize that he had stood up from his seat. He ran his eyes over her, realizing that the smudges on her cheeks he'd taken for dirt, was in fact, bruises.
"You!" Sakuragi shouted as he points his index finger at the other girl. "What did you do to her?!"
The girl flinched slightly but managed to hold her ground. "She started it!"
'She's got guts.' Rukawa thought when the girl didn't back down from the redhead's death glare. And she was the tallest girl he'd ever seen, probably of the same height as him. 'She should donate some of her height to Ryota. And to that Iwata guy.'
"Started it?" Mizuki repeated incredulously, her shock at seeing her friends and Rukawa in the room momentarily forgotten. "A whole lot of you were ganging up on me!"
"Because you insulted our dear Rukawa-sama! We will not allow you to put a stain and defile the image of our beloved Rukawa-sama!"
"Rukawa-sama?" Sakuragi gagged at the honorific. "Is she for real?"
"Fanatic." Noma said with a fake cough while the blonde haired boy Ohkusu stifled a laugh.
Insults were exchanged between Sakuragi and the girl.
"QUIET! Be quiet, all of you!" The male teacher shouted, slamming his palm against the Headmaster's desk.
The pair stops their bickering, but they continue on throwing murderous looks towards each other.
"Tell us what happened, Yamada-sensei." The Headmaster asked, somewhat tiredly.
"It would seem that majority of the girls were upset at the article that Ms. Yohei had written," At her statement, Sakuragi and Mito exchanged troubled glances. "And they decided to confront her about it, and it eventually ended up with a fight between these two." Yamada-sensei pointed to the two girls standing on her right.
"She punched me in the nose!" The giant girl hissed, pointing at her bruised nose.
"Woohoo!" Sakuragi cheered, raising one fist in the air. "Way to go –" He abruptly stops and lowered his arm upon seeing Yamada sensei's disapproving look.
"Because you keep on provoking me!" Mizuki said defensively.
"The RFC will not tolerate anyone damaging his good reputation!".Everyone could see the veins on her neck bulging.
"I would never do such a thing!"
"Liar!"
"I'm not a liar!"
"Ladies! Please! Cease your shouting." pleaded Yamada-sensei as she positioned herself between the two.
After an uncomfortable silence, the Headmaster spoke again. "I believe the reason you are all here in my office was because of the article published by Ms. Yohei featuring Mr. Rukawa."
"Tell me, Ms. Yohei, are you satisfied with the article that you've written?"
Mizuki stiffened, caught off guard by the question.
"I – ummm," she faltered, throwing a glance at Rukawa, who was watching her intently. She dropped her gaze to her feet and fiddled with one of the buttons of her stained blazer. "I think it went fine?
The male teacher scoffed at her response, earning a confused frown from the short haired girl.
The Headmaster looks around the room before returning his attention towards the girl being questioned.
"Tell me, ," He said as he slid a paper on his desk, "Is this the article that you've written?"
Mizuki took the paper from the Headmaster's desk, and read it once, twice, and then a third time, a look of disbelieving horror in her face.
"No." Mizuki exclaimed. "It's not – I didn't – I never wrote that!"
"If it's not written by you, then who wrote it?" The professor inquired, eyeing Sakuragi suspiciously.
"I'd also like to know the answer to that." The Headmaster stated, giving Sakuragi a knowing glance. "Perhaps Mr. Sakuragi and his friends can enlighten us."
Sakuragi fidgeted under their scrutinizing stare. He let out a nervous laugh as he rubbed the side of his neck. For once, he was out of words.
As all the occupants in the room watched the jittery redhead , waiting for his explanation, Rukawa's eyes were focused on Mizuki, watching as her face morphed from confusion into shock. Hurt and betrayal crossed her face as realization sinks in. The paper she was holding fell to the floor, but she didn't seem to notice.
Rukawa clenched his fists and turned to stare daggers at the Dou Ahou. He had never felt more angry at Sakuragi than in that moment.
xxxxx
'How could you?'
Mizuki wanted to scream, to lash out, to hit Sakuragi with the Headmaster's desk and then punch him into oblivion. Most of all, she wanted to cry, wishing for the pain to go away.
But she remained frozen to the spot, too tired to even move. Her whole body ached from her unexpected brawl this morning and now this. She didn't know which one is more painful.
Her chest constricted and her blood pounds loudly in her ears.
"We altered the article to prank Rukawa." Her cousin, Mito, replied on Sakuragi's behalf.
Her head snapped up to look at Mito. She was positive that Mito was not involved on the botched up article. She was certain because he was with her at the grocery store, buying a chocolate flavoured (at her insistence) cake for Ohkusu's birthday. She arrived at blondie's place much earlier so she can work on the article as the desktop they had at home was currently broken. She remembered sending the final draft to Iwata-senpai and the rest of the Newspaper club, and her Editor in chief making a few remarks and then giving the go signal for the article to be published. She decided to send it later to the printing press as the rest of the gang finally arrived at Ohkusu's place and then she dragged Mito to the convenience store when she learned that there's no cake. But the trip back took longer because they got a flat tire. She blames his decrepit motorbike for the delay but Mito insisted that it was because she took forever to decide which cake to buy.
Her hunch that it was during their lengthy trip to the convenience store that the alteration occurred was confirmed when Ohkusu and Noma then took turns explaining their misdeeds. Sakuragi just stood silently and nodded his head in agreement to their statement.
She could hear Khalifa's disapproving growl, Yamada-sensei's sigh of disappointment and the male teacher 's repeated muttering of "misfits and troublemakers."
She blinked back the tears that threatened to blur her vision, wishing all of this was nothing but a bad dream.
"Are you even aware of the repercussions of your actions?" Yamada-sensei said, a scowl marring her pretty face."Mizuki was scorned, condemned by her peers while you have made a laughing stock out of Rukawa."
They all looked away and averted their teacher's eyes, unused to seeing their teacher angry.
"Please remember that your actions don't just reflect on you, they also reflect on your school." Yamada-sensei continued in a stern tone.
The Headmaster presses a hand to his forehead with a sigh. "What am I going to do with all of you?"
"I say we expel these perpetrators from Shohoku. They are an unruly lot." The other teacher, Akira-sensei suggested.
Fangirl nodded her head vigorously in agreement whileYamada-sensei voiced out her objection.
A chorus of pleas and arguments filled the room, as everyone wanted to have a say.
There was a brief pause when Sakuragi mentioned his good deed of freeing the frogs from getting butchered. All stared incredulously at him for a couple of seconds before continuing from where they left off.
Surprisingly, it was Rukawa who put an end to their argument.
"I don't give a damn about the article."
Every eye in the room turned in his direction, shocked by his unexpected outburst. It was the first sentence he uttered since he enters the room.
Mizuki averted her eyes when she met his gaze.
"So, he caaaann talk." Akira-sensei drawled sarcastically. "And please mind your language, Mr. Rukawa."
Rukawa blinked at him, unperturbed.
"How can you not care, Rukawa-sama? It's your reputation at stake here!"
Mizuki would have join Sakuragi in rolling his eyes at fangirl's remark but she was too upset at the moment.
She tries to appear nonchalant when Yamada-sensei mentioned that Iwata requested for her removal from the Newspaper club but she knew the trembling on her voice gave her away.
"It'alright." She swallows the lump on her throat. " I'm – I'm planning on – uhh, quitting anyway."
"Ms. Yohei, there's no need for you to quit. I will have a discussion with Iwata after this and clear up any misconceptions."
"Really, it's fine, sensei." She was looking down at her hands now, which were twisted together. "I've been very busy anyway, with my part time job and –" she caught herself before she divulge anything about the hospital, "and school and stuff." She finished lamely.
Gathering all her courage, she then turns to give a slight bow to Rukawa, who was caught off guard by the unexpected gesture.
"I am deeply sorry Rukawa-kun for all the trouble it had caused you."
She could hear Mito and Sakuragi's protest but she ignored them.
"You shouldn't be apologizing, Miss Yohei. You're as much as a victim here as Mr. Rukawa." Yamada-sensei told her.
"If anyone needs to apologize, it is that red haired monkey over there." Fangirl scoffed, glaring at Sakuragi.
Sakuragi's eyes narrowed and glared back at the tall girl. "Nobody asked you to speak, Miss square jaw."
"What did you call me?!"
"That's enough!" Yamada-sensei's voice reverberated through the room.
Sakuragi quickly snapped his mouth shut, and hunched his shoulders, looking like a small child being scolded.
"Miss Tatsuhiko is correct; the four of you owe Mr. Rukawa an apology."
"What?!" The redhead sputtered as he gaped at their teacher. "No way! NO! Absolutely not!"
"Hanamichi…" Mito shot him a warning look.
But Sakuragi pay him no heed and kept going," "There is no way I am going to apologize to that smelly fox! When hell freezes – HEY!"
"We are sorry, Rukawa. Please accept our apologies."
He stood aghast at the sight of Mito apologizing to his arch nemesis.
"What are you doing Mito?" He asked when his brain finally kicked in. "Joining his fans club now?"
Ohkusu and Noma followed suit, much to the redhead's displeasure and confusion.
"I didn't hear the Dou Ahou apologize." Rukawa's voice cut through the silence.
Fury bubbled within Sakuragi, and he lurched forward. "Why you-"
Mito grabs his arm, stopping his attack and gestured his head towards her direction.
Sakuragi's gaze snapped over to hers, all his anger flooded away to be replaced by fear and concern as he studied her.
He took a deep breath and clenched and unclenched his fists, struggling to say the words out of his mouth.
After what seems to be an eternity-
"S-Sorry."
The words were barely audible.
Rukawa cups one hand around his ear.
Sakuragi gritted his teeth as anger bubbled within him once more.
"I said I'm sorry."
Rukawa shakes his head. "Still can't hear you."
Sakuragi had steam coming out of his ears. "Can't hear me, huh?!" In a few strides he was in front of Rukawa,"How about this," grabbing the raven haired boy ear, he shouted, " I'M SORRY,YOU STUPID FOX!
Rukawa punched him in retaliation for shattering his eardrums.
The redhead let out a huff. "I already apologized. Are ya happy now, you ugly fox?"
"Admitting your mistake is a brave thing to do," The Headmaster interjected, leaning forward and resting his clasped hands on his desk. "But you must realize that every action has consequences. And what the four of you did – defaming another student's character – was something the school will not tolerate. There are repercussions for your actions and be ready to answer for what you do." After a short pause, he added, "Of course, the same goes for Miss Yohei and Miss Tatsuhiko." The arrogant smirk on the fangirl's face dissolved at the mention of her name.
"I and the rest of the teachers will have a discussion regarding today's events and warranted punishment for all these transgressions.
We will call you again later. You can all go back to your respective classes."
The students offered a low bow before exiting the room.
Mizuki flees the room as fast as her legs would carry her, Sakuragi trailing behind her and calling out her name.
"Mizu-chan!"
She ignored him and quickened her pace.
"Wait up! Just – just let me explain!"
She started running to increase the distance between them but she didn't stand a chance with those long legs of him.
She reached the end of the hallway and took the flight of stairs two at a time.
"I'm sorry!"
She was in the mid-stair landing when she heard Sakuragi shouted, "
"It was just a prank, Mizu!"
That was the final straw, anger boiled up in her chest at his insensitive remark and she whirled around to face him.
"Just a prank?" She was seething with anger now. "Just a prank, Sakuragi?"
The redhead flinched at the hatred in her voice when she said his name, and he took a step backwards, nearly tumbling down the stairs.
"I'm sorry." The words were whispered this time.
"You're sorry?" her voice cracked, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. "You're sorry?"
"Do you have any idea what your stupid prank have done?" She cried out, not caring about the tinge of hysteria in her voice. Mito and the rest arrived at the foot of the staircase but all her attention and rage was focused solely on the guy standing a few steps below her.
She curled her hands into fists to stop them trembling. "You know that I've worked so hard on that article, yet you completely had no disregard whatsoever on other people's hard work and feelings!"
Sakuragi opened his mouth, but no words came out. He snapped it shut and cleared his throat, rubbing his shaking fingers at the back of his neck.
Mizuki closes her eyes in pain, taking a breath to fight back the tears. "Do you know what it feels like to be condemned by everyone? Do you?" Scenes of her return from the hospital and the accusing stares cast in her direction from the townsfolk flashed painfully through her mind. She was barely aware that her words were straying off topic, too lost in her own thoughts.
"I'm sorry." Sakuragi mumbled, his head bowed in apparent misery.
Her vision blurs and she realizes she's crying. "I wish sorry can fix everything. I must have said that a million times," She half laughs, half sobbed. "But It. Doesn't. Change. Anything."
"Mizu." She glanced down and saw Mito gazing at her with concern in his eyes as he hesitantly addressed her. She hated seeing that look on his face.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Old Sayo was right."
"That dried up old prune?" Sakuragi asked loudly, his face scrunched up in confusion.
"She said I was cursed. That I… I bring death everywhere." It came out as a mere whisper but Mito caught every word.
Her cousin let out an angry snort. "And you believed her? Don't be stupid, Mizu."
"I'm the reason he's lying on that hospital bed, Mito!" She shouts at her cousin. The tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now, snapping the last thread of her emotional restraint.
"It's not your fault!" Mito shouts back. "Stop blaming yourself!"
"Who should I blame then, huh?" She says through gritted teeth, her eyes flashing as she looks at him. "Tell me, Mito. Who's to blame for what happened? I know Uncle blames me. Even you, I can see"
"Stop making fucking assumptions!" Mito snapped, cutting her off. He released a harsh breath, trying to regain control of his emotions and temper. He scrubbed a hand down his face before meeting her gaze. "It was an accident, Mizu, so don't go blaming yourself. Please just stop." The desperation was evident in his voice.
"And if anyone should feel guilty, it should be me. Because.." He swallowed hard, hesitating. "When I learned that it was uncle who was.. I felt relieved - that… that it was not…not you." He choked out as he struggled to say the words. "I cannot bear the thought that we almost lost you."
She stared at her cousin- the closest thing she had to a brother; an overwhelming sadness filled her at his revelation. It was the first time she had seen him look so lost and vulnerable. She averted her eyes from his pain stricken face.
She wanted to tell him that she wished that it was her in a coma instead of her dad. That it was better than the guilt clawing at her soul.
She jolted as a hand touched her shoulder. "Uncle's going to be okay, Mizu. Just wait."
She wanted to argue that she's been waiting for months, but she's too exhausted, all her energy sapped.
Even Mito's voice sounded weak and lack motivation.
She pulled back from his grasp and voiced out her most fearful thoughts, "He's not going to wake up."
She stares at him, pleading silently, wanting him to deny it, but she could see the hesitation in his eyes, the sagging of his shoulders, and she knew that they shared the same fear.
"Mizu. Please-" he begins but she didn't let him continue.
A strangled sob escaped her throat as she flees away from them.
She didn't want to hear any more. She had to stop hoping that one day her father will wake up.
Because hope is such a cruel thing.
xxxxx
In order to forget this miserable day, Mizuki threw herself at work. She even requested for an extra working hours to Uozumi but he downright refuses her and as soon as her shift ended, he literally kicked her out of the restaurant.
Muttering curses and insults at her boss, Mizuki stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants. She then pulled her hoodie over her head and began walking towards the bus station. She was just a few steps away from the resto when she heard someone call her name.
"Mizuki-chan."
She blinks and looks at him in confusion. "Satoshi-kun?"
Satoshi raised up his right hand in an awkward greeting.
She adjusted her sling bag as she approached him. "What's up? Are you here to talk to Uozumi? I suggest that you stop by another day, he's in a grumpy mood today."
"Actually…" Satoshi trailed off, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "I came here to talk to you."
"Oh." Her brows knotted as she replied, "What about?"
"Can we…uh, talk somewhere more…quiet?" He asked, bouncing nervously on his heels.
She was about to protest but seeing the pleading look in his eyes, she relented.
They weaved their way through the busy street and paused at the pedestrian crossing, waiting for the walk sign to light up. The brief stop made Satoshi even more agitated, biting his nails every so often.
After a few seconds, the light turn to color green, signalling they could walk. They were halfway through the pedestrian lane when all of a sudden, Satoshi blurted out "It was me!"
The throng of people passing by turned to look at him, surprised by his outburst.
"Satoshi, what are you doing?" She hissed at him. But Satoshi was unaffected by the baffled looks being thrown their way.
"It was me who emailed the article to the entire student body! And it was also me who had distributed the hard copies this morning. "
She stood frozen, shocked by his revelation.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Mizuki-chan!" Satoshi begged as he bent low at the waist and bowed, repeating his apology like a mantra.
The sound of cars honking and curses from a few drivers startled the two teenagers out from their stupor.
xxxxx
Mizuki closed her eyes and breathe in the ocean breeze that permeated the night air as she sat on the seawall. The scent of ocean and the gentle waves lapping against the seawall was like a balm to her frayed nerves.
The sound of the ocean and comforting sea breeze brushing her cheeks was soothing, enough to lull her to sleep.
If only Satoshi would stop speaking.
"I swear, Satoshi, if you don't stop apologizing, I will jump into the water and swim to the other shore." She said through gritted teeth.
"I'm sor-"
She whirled around to glare at him.
His shoulders sagged and he hugged his legs tightly to his chest, the point of his chin resting on his knees. Mizuki took pity on him as she noticed his distraught, worn out state. In the dim light, his face appeared more gaunt than usual.
They remained silent as they watch the gentle ripples below their feet.
"Why?" She asked at last, her gaze never leaving the darkened water.
Satoshi inhaled deeply before replying, "Have I mentioned that Rukawa and I were classmates in Junior High?"
Mizuki's brows furrowed as she pondered on this information.
"He was already good at basketball back then." Satoshi continued in a bitter tone. "Popular, attractive ace player Rukawa Kaede."
"You forgot to mention spoiled, stoic rich boy." She added in a jest.
"And heartless." Satoshi said with a hint of venom in his voice.
Mizuki turned to look at him. She never thought he held a heavy grudge against Rukawa.
After the interview, she saw Rukawa in a different light. Sure, he might be rude but she never thought of him as heartless. Heck, she even told him that he's beautiful inside and out, the memory of his smile forever etched in her brain. She didn't know why she blurted out those words, maybe because days before the interview she accidentally saw him petting a stray cat. A small, fluffy white thing, the tip of its tail colored someone who was kind to animals will not be considered as heartless.
"I always wanted to become a basketball player." Satoshi confessed afterwards, a faraway look in his eyes. "I was the shortest kid in class during elementary and I didn't hit a major growth spurt until I reached my last year in Junior High. The experience was uncomfortable and exciting at the same time. People began to notice me, and they encourage me to join the basketball team. Eventually, I tried out for the team. But guess what? Rukawa was the captain at the time. How he became captain, I absolutely have no idea." He said as he pulled on a loose thread at the edge of his shirt.
"I was a nervous wreck when I stepped foot in the gymnasium. And you already know what happened. I made a fool out of myself. Everyone was either laughing or throwing me pitiful look." A pained expression crossed his face as the memories returned.
"And then he came up to me and said that I… t-that I don't deserve to be there." His voice cracked and he wiped his eyes hastily with his sleeve.
Mizuki watched him in silence, heartbroken at the sight.
"So.. when ..when an opportunity to get back at him - to humiliate him, presented itself, I took it without hesitation. But… I have no idea that it will backfire on you." He said, his eyes pleading with him to believe her.
"Mizuki-chan, I swear I didn't –"
She raised a hand to prevent him from speaking. "Stop, Satoshi. Please just stop."
She copied his position - knees pulled closer to her chest to guard against the sea breeze and gaze out over the silvered moon sea, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Have you ever hated someone so much?" Satoshi asked after a thick moment of silence. He was now staring down at his fidgeting hands.
"Yes." Mizuki said, so quietly he thought he missed it.
Satoshi's head shot up to stare at her, completely taken aback by her reply. He simply cannot believe that she's capable of harbouring ill feelings towards other people. She's a kind hearted girl, the only person who reached out to him and befriended him.
"May I know the reason?" He asked without thinking, his voice tinged with both curiosity and scepticism. But he quickly apologized when he realized how intrusive he had been.
She surprised him again when she answered his question.
"That person was responsible for my dad's accident."
There was an emptiness to her usually cheery voice that he hadn't been expecting.
"Oh." was the only reply he could manage. He had accidentally heard Noma and Ohkusu talking about it. The truck driver fell asleep, and crash into another vehicle, resulting into her father's comatose.
"Do you think…" He said timidly while wringing his hands. "Wi…will you ever forgive that person?"
"I don't think I'll be able to forgive myself." She whispered. Guilt flooded her, a feeling that had surrounded her for several months now.
"What did you say?"
But she ignored him this time. She stood up and grabs her bag.
"See you at school tomorrow." She said to him before turning on her heels to leave.
"Wait!"
Mizuki stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.
"Are you… Are you mad at me? For what happened?" Satoshi took a deep breath as he struggled to get out the next words. "Do you…do you hate me?" He asked in a frightened whisper.
"No." Mizuki answered, still not facing him. She's tired of feeling hateful all the time. But she can't seem to stop.
Her shoulders lifted as she drew a shuddering breath.
"I hate myself more than anything."
