Classmates

Part Two

"You really didn't have to skip work to walk me to the mall, Mom." Terra glanced up at her mom. The older woman was taking happy strides with a seemingly unshakable smile on her lips as her heels tapped the sidewalk.

"I don't mind. I'd love to meet some of your classmates." Tomoko gave her a sideways glance. "You could invite them over, you know."

"No thanks." Terra shook her head. "You know that wouldn't be a good idea."

"Of course it's good idea." Tomoko huffed. "They can stay above ground. The elevator is hidden well enough. And I doubt they'll go snooping around. Besides they can't get in our real home without us taking them there or being keyed into the security system. Well, I suppose they could also hack the security system… but I doubt they have that kind of skill."

"I don't want to chance it," Terra said with a touch of harshness in her tone. "Please, Mom, let it go."

"Fine." Tomoko sighed. "But only for now. I'll let you get more use to being around them before I start whittling on you to invite them over. Oh, look. We've made it."

Terra turned her eyes to the multilayered building. It was a cross between an outdoor and indoor mall with a fountain in the direct center of the ground level. Stairs led up to the next level of stores. It was the first of its kind that she had seen. All the malls she has seen on TV or the internet were fully closed in.

"Terra!" Ashido waved. "You made it!"

"Yeah." Terra nodded as she walked up to the girls. She cocked her head, noting it was odd seeing them out of their school uniforms. All but Jiro and herself were wearing skirts.

"Oh, hello, ma'am," Ashido said when she noticed the woman standing next to Terra.

"Hello, girls." Tomoko smiled. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Terra's mom, Tomoko.

"Nice to meet you," the girls said before giving their names to Tomoko.

"Thank you for letting Terra come with us." Uraraka bowed to Tomoko.

"Not a problem. I'm glad she's making friends," Tomoko said then looked at her watch.

"Will you be joining us?" Asui asked.

"No, I have to get back to work soon. I just wanted to meet the girls my sweet baby was going to spend the day with." Tomoko stroked Terra's hair.

"Mom," Terra said in a pleading tone.

"Okay, okay. I'm going now." Tomoko walked away from them while waving. "Have a good day! Remember your uncle will be picking you up later!"

"I know." Terra waved back. "See you back home."

"Well, your mom seems nice." Yaoyorozu crossed her arms with a smile. "I'm glad you're here. For a while I thought you wouldn't come."

Terra stared at her for a moment before replying. "Yeah. She's great, if not a little crazy at times. I'm, uh, glad to have been able to come." She looked at the mall and all the shoppers scurrying around. Her heart raced. She gulped. "I think. This is the first time I've been to a mall."

"Ribbit. Really?"

Terra nodded. "Never had a need to come."

"You seem to be warming up to everyone," Jiro said. "You're talking more openly with us. And without babbling."

Terra shrugged. "A bit, I guess." She glanced around again. People scurried from one shop to another. A few stood around talking with each other. All seemed happy and unaware of UA students in their midst. She hoped it stayed that way. "So what are we going to do? I'm assuming this mall is like all the others? Clearly there are plenty of stores to shop in. Is there an arcade? A food court?"

"Shop!" Ashido and Hagakure cheered as they jumped into the air.

"Shopping would be nice," Asui said. "Then maybe we can get something to eat at the food court if everyone brought enough money. What about you, Terra?"

"Yeah. I have plenty of money. Mom even gave me her credit card." Terra patted her hip pocket to make sure the card and cash was still there. They were. "Though I doubt I'll use it. I don't really need anything."

"It's fine. It's fun to look around whether you buy anything or not. So let's get started," Jiro said leading the way. "I need some new guitar picks."

"You play?" Terra asked.

Jiro nodded. "My family is really into music. My dad taught me. Do you play an instrument?"

"No, not really. I did when I was younger for education purposes. But it never grabbed my attention," Terra said.

"Same here. I don't have the patients to sit down and learn something like that," Ashido said.

"I can play the flute," Hagakure said. "But not a good as I use to be. Since I decided to become a hero I haven't had much time to play."

"I don't play either," Asui said.

"Same. I've dabbled with a harmonica once before." Uraraka rubbed her head. "I was terrible."

"So how is everyone's training going?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Exhausting." Ashido's shoulders slumped.

"Same," the girls said with nods of their heads.

"How about you, Terra? How is your training going?" Asui asked.

"It's going well. I guess." Terra glanced up at the sky and thought about Midoriya and their training. Things were definitely changing. Though she didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Then her past flashed back into her mind. She grimaced.

"You don't sound very convincing," Yaoyorozu said.

"Well, I've trained a bit with Midoriya."

"You have?" Hagakure asked. "Can we do that?"
"There's not rules saying we can't," Yaoyorozu said. "All Mr. Aizawa said is not to expect teachers to help."

"It was actually my uncle's idea," Terra said, careful not to mention who her uncle was. Though she was sure they didn't know All Might's civilian name she still didn't want to chance it right now. She was sure they'd meet him soon enough. He was coming to pick her up after all. She licked her lips. Would they notice any similarities between him and All Might? "He's a bit concerned about me making friends now that I'm in a public school. He likes Midoriya and thought we'd make good friends. So he arranged for us to practice together."

"And are you getting long with him now?" Jiro asked.

Terra shrugged. "Making friends is still new to me. But I think things will be okay. We exchanged phone numbers a few days ago."

"That's good to hear. Sounds like you two have come to an understanding." Jiro smiled. "I'm glad all of our classmates are nice."

"Except for Bakugo," Ashido said. "He's so snappy and loud."

"And intense," Asui added. "His quirk and personality really match well together."

"I think he's just prideful," Yaoyorozu said. "Too prideful."

"I hope he doesn't hurt Midoriya again," Uraraka said. "Their fight during hero class was too intense."

"You didn't even see it," Jiro said.

"I heard about it," Uraraka said. "Deku told me about it later when we spoke."

"It was. But I'm sure All Might won't let it happen again. I'm not really sure why he didn't stop the fight immediately. But he's a good man. I'm sure he had his reasons. Though I'm not so sure what would happen if the rest of the school faculty found out about what he did. I wonder if All Might would get fired." The girls started laughed. Terra looked at them. "What?"

"You're babbling again," Jiro said.

"Oh. Sorry." Terra spotted a store displaying records and instruments in their window. "Is that the music store you were looking for?"
"That's it." Jiro headed for the store.

Terra stepped into a rush of cool air. The girls instantly fanned out. Ashido and Hagakure put on headphones and listened to music as they danced in place. Jiro went to the picks while the rest of the girls eyed the merchandise in the store. Terra moved closer to Asui, who was looking at an album of a rock band she's never heard of. "You like rock music?"

"A little bit," Asui said. "My tastes in music are a bit all over the place. What do you like?"

"Well, mostly soundtracks with soft music. One of my favorites is of a rainforest. It's very soothing. It calms me down when I'm stressed," Terra said.

"Sounds nice."

"Would you like to hear it?"
Asui nodded.

"Birdie, play calming soundtrack." Birdie's beak fell open to soft music.

Asui hummed and closed her eyes. "That is nice. Very soothing. I can see why you would use this to calm down. Makes me want to curl up and take a nap."

"All right! I've got my picks!" Jiro walked over to them. "We can move on to the next store now."

They left the store and walked into another. Fabric filled the air. Yaoyorozu clapped her hands together. "Oh, that skirt is so cute!"
Terra watched the girl rush up to a mini skirt.

"I think this one would look very cute on you." Yaoyorozu grabbed a dark red skirt off the rack and held it up to Terra.

"I agree!" Ashido grabbed a white shirt with a couple yellow dots on the chest. "And with this shirt!"

"You think?" Terra asked.

"Totally! You should buy it!" Ashido nodded.

"Do you even wear skirts?" Asui asked.

"Sometimes." Terra took the shirt and skirt and stepped up to a mirror. She had to admit that she did look good in the clothes. The skirt reminded her of Christmas. With some black leggings the skirt would make a cute holiday outfit.

"Are you going to get it?" Uraraka asked.

"I guess so." Terra picked out her sizes then followed the girls around as they continued to pick through the clothes. When they were done they paid for their purchases and headed for the next store.

One by one they popped into one store or another, trying on clothes or just looking around before they finally stopped at the food court. Terra took off her shoes and rubbed her throbbing feet. "I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life."

"So how did you like your first trip to the mall. It was amazing, wasn't it?" Ashido's grin brightened.

"Well, it was definitely an interesting experience."

"We'll have to do this again some day," Hagakure said. The girls agreed.

Terra nodded but thought if every trip to the mall ended up with her feet throbbing so hard she was going to do her best to avoid it at all cost.

A minute later Jiro and Asui walked over with their smoothies. "Here you go."

"Drink up while they're nice and cool." Asui sat beside Terra.

Cherry flavor coated Terra's tongue. "So good."

"So, Terra, what's it like being best friends with Todoroki?" Ashido asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Terra blinked.

"Is Todoroki as stiff at home as he is at school? Have you seen his room? What's it like?" Ashido rested her chin in her palms, elbows on the table in front of her.

"What's Endeavor like in person?" Hagakure asked. "Is he as scary as he looks?"

Terra swirled her straw in her smoothie. Why did they have to ask about him of all people? She knew well enough that Sho-chan wasn't one to tell others about his home life. And she was certain he wouldn't want her to tell them anything.

"Come on, spill girl," Ashido said.

"Why are you so curious about Sho-chan?" Terra had to deflect their interest in her best friend.

"Because she thinks he's the cutest guy in school," Asui said. "Ribbit."

"Do you blame me?" Ashido fidgeted in her chair. "He is the cutest guy in school!"

"So is this what girls typically do when guys aren't around? Talk about them?" Terra asked.

"Haven't you ever hung out with a group of girls before?" Hagakure asked.

Terra shook her head and dropped her eyes to her drink. "Being homeschooled didn't leave much time for socializing with others my age. The only others I've been around is Sho-chan and his siblings."

"That sounds so lonely," Uraraka said.

"Not really." Terra swallowed. "I'm more of a loner anyway."

"I could never be that way." Ashido slumped in her chair. "I crave socialization."

"Me too." Hagakure nodded.

"I would be able to handle it for a while," Yaoyorozu said. "But after a while I'd miss others, especially shopping."

"I could handle it for a while, too," Uraraka said. "I like my alone time to chill out and clear my mind."

"Same here. It gives me time to work on my music without interruptions." Jiro took a swig of her smoothie.

"Oh!" Ashido pumped her hands. "So does anyone here have a crush on a guy yet?"

"Ribbit. I don't think we've had enough time with guys at school to have developed crushes yet," Asui said. "At least not seriously."

"I've seen plenty of cute guys at school." Ashido grinned. "I wonder if we'll have time to go dates."

"Does the school even allow that?" Hagakure said. "I know some schools don't."

"I haven't heard or read anything about limitations on dating," Yaoyorozu said. "But we could ask Mister Aizawa about it later to be sure."

"I think we'll be too busy with lessons to go on dates," Uraraka said. "At least while classes are in session. I suppose we could do things like dating during breaks."

"I'm personally too busy to date." Jiro twisted her ear jack around her finger. "I'd rather not get into all the problems of dating right now anyway. Maybe during our second year when we have more experience with our classes under our belts I think about it. Now's not the time for me."

Terra exhaled with relief internally. It appeared she managed to get off the subject of Todoroki and on dating in general. She hoped it stayed that way.

"Okay!" Ashido jumped into the air. "Now that we're finish loading up, let's get back to shopping!"

Terra bit back a groan but slipped her shoes back on and followed the girls anyway. Store after store she trudged along, listening to the girls talk about whatever topic popped in their heads as they tried on clothes, looked at makeup, or speak to some guys. In the current store Terra broke away from the girls and sat down in a chair near the changing rooms. Her leg muscles gave a grateful throb the second she sat down.

"Terra." Asui walked over.

"Hm?"
"Are you upset?"

"No. Why?"

"You seem a lot quieter than normal since we had our smoothies." Asui sat down beside Terra. "Is it because the girls were pressuring you about Todoroki?"

"No, it's not that." Terra paused before speaking again. "Well, maybe a little. I don't mean that in a bad way. I'm not sure what the proper etiquette is for that type of talk." She twisted her lips. That and I'm fairly sure Sho-chan doesn't want people to know about abusive his dad has been to him. I really should talk to him about this.

Asui nodded. "That's understandable. I think we all forget that you were homeschooled. Things will be different between us for a while. But I'm sure you'll get use to how things work in a public school and all the socialization that goes with it."

"So people keep saying." Terra sighed.

"Ribbit." Asui tilted her head but said nothing more.

…

A couple hours later the girls made their way to the front of the mall to say their goodbyes and head home.

"Terra."

Terra turned to the call of her name. She spotted the familiar blonde hair of her uncle working his way over to them.

"Who's that guy?" Asui asked.

"This is my Uncle Toshinori. He came to pick me up."

"Nice to meet you, sir." The girls bowed when he reached them.

"Nice to meet you all, too." Toshinori smiled with a wave then looked at Terra. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes." Terra nodded. The girls said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"Did you have fun?" Toshinori asked as they walked away from the mall.

"I did. It was… nice. I guess a little bit." Terra slumped forward as she walked along side Toshinori. "Even though I only bought one outfit. But I am exhausted. I don't ever want to see another mall again."

Toshinori chuckled. "I'm glad to hear you had some fun. We should think about increasing your leg exercises. You're going to need more muscle know that you're in UA." He put his arm around her shoulders. "I knew you'd do great at UA."

Terra snorted. "Maybe for the moment. But that remains to be seen."

"Admit it. You like it at UA." Toshinori tightened his arm around her.

"No. I don't."

"You do to."

"Not."

"To!"

"Not!"

…

Terra forced her body the last few feet to the Todoroki's bed and fell face first onto it. Birdie flew off her shoulder and landed on his desk. "I think my legs are going to fall off."

"A little bit dramatic, don't you think?" Todoroki flickered a glance at her before going back to his homework.

"You wouldn't say that if you were in my place." Terra rolled onto her back. A few moments of silence settled over the room. The girls attempted conversation about her best friend came marching back into her mind. "They asked about you and what you're like at home."

Todoroki's pencil paused. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. I managed to avoid answering. I didn't think you'd want me to say anything."

"Thanks."

More silence fell over the room. "Are you going to tell them?"

"Are you going to tell them?"

Terra didn't answer.

Todoroki sighed then joined her on his bed. "We don't have to tell anyone anything right now." He took her hand in his. "But if you want to tell them at any point in time I'll be there for you, Ter-chan."

"I know, Sho-chan." Terra curled her fingers around his. "Thanks."