(Our world)

The neatly folded piece of paper was becoming a little wrinkly as I tightened my hold on it. My heart thumped loud, as if it was a timer about to go off any second. Thump... thump... thump... I took a step foreward, then stopped. There's still a chance that he won't see you here, and you can just walk away and go home, I told myself. I took notice of a big oak tree beside of me and stepped behind it, hiding myself from being seen.

Thump... thump... thump...

I clutched a hand over my chest, trying to steady the pace of my heart. It seemed to work a little, but I couldn't rid the thoughts of what would happen after.

Sorry, I just don't like you that way! He would say. I inhaled, exhaling a few seconds after, since I heard his footsteps close by. I thought about his smile; they would make anyone happy. That cheeky little grin that would melt my heart everytime I saw it.

Everytime.

"Ne, H-"

I let out a small yelp in suprise. How could I have been so careless about being quiet?

"Gomen! Did I scare you?" There was concern laced in his words.

I shook my head, but not looking at him. I stared at the note in my hands, debating in my thoughts: Give or don't give?

"Why were you hiding? Was it because of me?"

I shook my head again. An obvious lie, but he didn't suspect anything. I could feel a blush coming onto my pale cheeks. My heart beat enhanced three times than before, the blush becoming even stronger.

"I'm going to go now, nice bumping into you-" I shoved the note into his hands and ran off. Mentally, I slapped myself for giving him the note. I could see his face now, laughing at each word he read. Then he would probably throw it away on the floor carelessly where another person would find it, tell everyone and tease me. I stopped and hid my face in my palms. They were cold against my cheeks. Backing up against a wall, I stood still like that for a while.

Tears were pricking my eyes, my vision becoming blurry. I'm an idiot! I scolded myself inwardly. You know that he likes someone else! People passing by gave me strange stares, making me feel queasy. I was aware that I wasn't popular in school, maybe not all that pretty (though I have been asked out on dates before, but they were probably out of pity), and had a very small amount of friends.

I played with the end of my checkered scarf. The pattern made me feel calmer, its black and white squares giving me an illusion to play with. I could smell the aroma of instant noodles in the chilly air, with some tea lingering near. The food made me hungry, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything that afternoon due to the nervousness building up inside me. But I couldn't eat. Not now, not after what just happened. What if he came back looking for me? He wouldn't know where to look.

Though, he wouldn't come looking. I groaned. What was I going to do? I had to face him in school, and I was sure that I couldn't hide forever.

To put it simply, I was a nervous wreck.

Then, my ears pricked up. I thought I heard someone yell me name. Just my imagination, I hoped.

I heard it again, this time louder, clearly indicating that the voice was getting closer.

"Ah, there you are!"

I stumbled sideways, his loud voice vibrating in my ears. I looked at him, not believing this.

"I read it," my eyes widened, "and I think it's sweet."

The blush on my face was darker than blood.

"A-ano, I wasn't really thinking when I wrote it," I managed to get out.

"Still, we should have lunch together some time. How about now? I'm sure hungry!" He was so blunt, a trait I liked.

"There's the new cafe that the schoolopened. I heard that the food there is great," I said timidly.

He nodded furiously. "I wanted to go eat there, but didn't have time. So, let's go now!"

His grin was so big I felt like fainting right then and there. He took my hand and tugged me along. "Come, we have to hurry before it closes!"

"It's so nice that the class leaders decided to have a small cafe built next to the school."

"You're right. I thought the school board would refuse, but I guess they thought it would be a good idea to raise money that way."

We arrived shortly and had our meals. I didn't eat much; my appetite having already gone due to the shock of having lunch with him, my crush. I was careful not to spill anything on my shirt; it was hard to wash. The water had to be percisely ten degrees celcius for it to be washed perfectly. My skirt, which was part of the uniform, crumpled when we stood to leave. I would iron it later.

The waiter smiled and opened the door for us.

"Have a nice day! And don't forget, the class leaders elections are coming up! The sign-up sheets will be sent to your houses and shown to your parents for agreement."

We walked in silence until we were a block away from my house. "I had a great time today. Arigatou."

"I guess we should do it again soon, then!" When we got to my house, he walked me right up to the dark, shiny steps.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I bowed slightly, "thank you for walking me home."

The grin was thrown into place again. "No problem."

I was about to walk up the stairs when he grabbed my hand. It was the second time he held my hand today... I turned around, looking curiously at him. The sun was glowing orange, giving the effect of him glittering orange. It made me blush hard. He looked so handsome, the way he looked into my eyes. His perfectly shaped eyes, with a passionate glint in them.

He leaned in, kissing me on the cheek.

"Later, Hina-chan. Oh, by the way, next time, it won't be on the cheek." He ran off with a wave.

I blushed for the billionth time today, hand touching my cheek. His lips felt warm. I heard a snicker above me. I looked up and saw my sister, Hanabi, smirking behind the window. I'm gonna tell Dad, she mouthed. I felt panic rush through me. I had better warn Naruto-kun tomorrow!

--

About the school: The class leaders, who are usually very organized and get good grades, are in charge of activities in and out of class. They are elected every semester, and some are the same people every term. They are like the student council, but have equal positions and don't rank people based on grade and ability. They are expected to keep the class in order. If the classroom is messy, it is the leader's responsibility to have a solution at hand. After each term, the classes are inspected by teachers of other classes. They are graded afterwards.

Uniforms are important in the school. If one person's uniform is in bad shape, it gives the rest of the school a bad image. First and second year students are to wear a tie around the collar, males normally and females loosely, for most of the girls don't know how to do ties up, so if they wear it loosely, they can easily slip it on and off. Third and up do not wear ties, instead, they sew a small badge on the left side of the shirt. The school's crest is on the right side, printed in black and gold. Females wear black skirts that are pleated with two gold stripes along the bottom. Males wear trousers that also have two stripes.

Everyone is equal in school. Doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, everybody is expected to be respectful to others (in cases like Hinata and Naruto, they come from different classes but are still normal when talking to each other).

I just had to put that in. I guess I like explaining things -cute face-.