Chapter One: Casualties
Her
This time he had Spider Man.
Tenten watched as he flipped a page after another. She seemed to notice how fast he could read, too. She wanted to grab it out of his hands and read it herself. She wanted to stand and walk over to his side so she could read it with him. She wanted to. It also made her wonder how many books he actually owned. Every day he had one, a comic book, a novel, school book, or whatever.
She didn't know what to do, so she just stared. The cover was so pretty, she thought.
Him
She was staring again, he saw.
Before he realized it, he was already too busy watching her stare at his comic book than continue reading it himself. He wondered if she wanted to read it with him. But then he realized he couldn't be seen in public with her. It was bad enough they shared the same train to and from school, what would people say if they actually saw them together, beside each other, sharing a comic book?
When he reached the last page, he got up, intending to go to her spot and give it to her.
But then a group of students from another school boarded the train.
He backed out, and went back to his seat.
Her
The group of students who boarded the train was no strangers to her. They were the same people whom she picked a fight with in middle school—one large dude, a girl with flashy red hair and skimpy clothes, and a tall skinny guy who always had an intimidating look. She looked the other way, avoiding any kind of contact with them.
But then it was too late.
Tanya, the redheaded girl, had noticed her the time she got on. She smiled, rather wickedly, at the brunette. "If it isn't Tenten." She came in closer to the girl. Tenten felt her heart beat faster as soon as Tanya got her arms around her head. She was close. Too close.
"Been a while. How've you been?" The girl whispered to the brunette's left ear. Tenten knew there was going to be a fight. She knew they were going to pick a fight with her. Tenten tried her best to ignore them, but it was no use, they'd already seen her. And now they were already mocking her.
"Remember the good old days, bitch? Remember when Tom rejected you and when you slept with all those guys, you ugly slut."
Tenten couldn't take it anymore. She could take the insults and name-calling, but when someone brings up what happened to her before, she loses it. "Get away from me, you whore."
Tanya snapped, and before Tenten knew it, Sam, the big guy, was already backing Tanya up.
She couldn't fight them inside the train.
Him
Neji couldn't bring himself to ignore what was happening in the back of the train. People were already staring, some cowering in fear, some whispering how sickening it all was. When he saw how they had cornered the brunette, he stood. But he didn't have a plan. He needed a plan. When he could think of the options he had, the train had stopped. It was already at his stop.
He went up to the gang and grabbed her by her hand. He pulled with all his might and as fast as he could. "Sorry, but we're getting off."
And as if on cue, the doors closed as soon as they got off.
He has never been so proud of himself before.
Her
Her face went pale. His grab on her was tight, a little too tight. He was too fast, she couldn't keep up. He looked so confident, so high and mighty, that it made her sick. And when they got off? She looked at him as if she was about to punch him in the face. He seemed confused about her look. "Why did you fucking do that?"
His expression turned from being confused to shock, and disgusted maybe. She couldn't quite tell. He wasn't always someone who showed such emotion.
"What is your problem?"
"I mean, why? Who are you to do that? God damn it, let go off me." Her voice rose when she shook his hand from hers. She kept her distance too, "I didn't need any help. And that hurts, you know." She stormed off, away from the train, away from him.
She never wanted to see him ever again.
Him
No girl has ever cussed at him. No girl has ever rejected him or his help. Ever. He stood still as he watched her walk away. He could still feel the warmth of her hands. The way she violently shook his hand off—the feeling went through all over his body. He never wanted to help her. He never wanted to be acquainted with her. He never wanted to have to do anything with her. But why, why did he save her?
The way she talked to him made him angry though, and he suddenly didn't want to go to school. He suddenly didn't want to ride the train anymore.
He suddenly didn't want to see her ever again.
But he secretly wanted to.
Her
She reached English a little too early. Sakura was the first to greet her. And notice how she was in a bad mood. "You look like a if the vending machine ate your money. What happened?" She asked, just as soon as Ino and Hinata joined them.
"I… don't really want to talk about it."
Sakura pushed her bright pink hair out of her face. She always did that whenever she felt something was wrong. "Are you sure…?" She asked, Tenten reassured her it was nothing.
There were way too many things inside Tenten's head. She couldn't talk to her friends about it, she didn't want to. One of her problems included the finals exams coming up, and another was the fact that her father was going to pick her up from school today.
Tenten felt her shoulders go heavy. She waited in front of the school gates, her hands inside her pockets, apparently freezing. She never did like her father, he was always so uptight and reckless, and he was always cheating on her mother. She leaned her head on the brick wall behind her, trying to think of a way to convince him to let her go home early.
She couldn't think of anything.
