Chapter 3

I was finished going to music room #3. That's what I told myself as I hurridly left the room and went down the hallway.

"Ayume"

I paused and turned around to see Chou chasing after me. I swallowed hard. Rushing out, I had forgotten that she was in there. "Ayume, what are you doing here?" She asked not bothering to hide her anger.

I frowned and I looked at the ground "I...I just got a little lost in direction." I said

She placed her hands on her hips "I hope that was the reason why."

I nodded my head "Of course..."

She placed a hand gently on my shoulder and I lifted my gaze to meet hers, it seemed more pleasant "I know how, socially akward you are, so maybe it's best if you just do not come back to this part of the school. I bet you can find some really good friends in your class's." She said it in a caring manner, but I heard the undertone of command.

"Chou...I..." I paused and sighed "I think that's a good idea"

I felt pathetic not being able to speak out against my sister, she had been my only friend for so long, I would tell her everything, I would do everything she told me. I sighed again, and she dropped her hand "Good choice."

She walked around me heading back towards the other side of the school "Don't be late back to class." She called back to me.

As she disapeered around a cornor I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned back towards the music room, Hikaru was standing at the door, his hands shoved in his pockets, and his gaze was on me. My heart hammered more and he walked towards me.

"What a strange relationship for twins." He stated stopping infront of me. My face was burning bright red. "I wouldn't allow it if I were you."

I wasn't sure what to say. He had heard everything she had said "She's right."

He cocked his head to one side "Is she?" He asked

My gaze dropped to the floor, I could feel my heart hammering in my ears.

"I just came out here to say sorry." He seemed a little bummed as he said it "Truth is...Haruhi made me say sorry"

I looked back up at him, and this time his gaze was away from me, as if to avoid me.

"Oh please...don't apologize!" I begged of him "You did nothing wrong."

I placed my hands on my cheeks hoping they would stop burning.

He looked irritable "Ugh, this is such a waste, will you just accept the apology?" He asked

I was startled and dropped my hands "Y...yes...thank you." I stammered

He rolled his eyes "Why are you so shy, it's annoying"

"Im sorry" I wasn't sure what else to say. He didn't seem like he was a bad guy and I started to smile, he just had a rough exterior.

"What are you smiling for?" He asked

"Thank you...that's all" I said , clasping my hands behind my back

He rolled his eyes again "Okay...well you come back again."

He turned and went back towards the room, and I watched him go before turning on my heels and heading the same way my sister had gone. I felt lighter and I deffinantly felt very happy.

In class, I didn't feel so miserable. I had my notebook out on the table and listened to the teacher speak and scetched on the side of my paper. Maybe my problem had been, I had expected him to remember the twin girls from so many years ago. That would have been silly, we were very young then. I smiled to myself at the thought and the bell rang relesing us to go home. As I gathered my stuff, my smile faded. I was being silly, Chou would throw a fit if she knew I was even thinking about him, or if he even spoke to me. I sighed and frowned once more. What a silly notion. I grabbed my books and headed out the door behind everyone else. Father would be working late, so we would have to walk home from school. I stepped outside the building and looked around. Finally my sight caught Chou getting into a car with one of her friends. I looked up at the cloudy sky. How typical of her when it looked like it was going to rain. Father also wanted us to pick up some grocieries since he wouldn't have time. She probably forgot that as well. I stepped down the stairs onto the sidewalk and watched the car pull away. At least this would give me some alone time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear about the boy she was after. I wasn't sure if my heart could take it right now.

I started off down the sidewalk, hoping that the rain would wait until I got farther I walked, the less people I was surrounded by. Most of the students had limo's to get into, we were one of the few that did not, the very few.

I made it to the store a few blocks over and went in. I got a basket and put my books at the bottom before going through to pick up a few items that supper could be cooked with. About midway through I heard the rain begin it's heavy downpour on the roof. I sighed. I couldn't decide if it was a lucky day, or an unlucky one. There had been too much of a rollercoaster so I simply sighed and went over to check out. That's when it hit me, Chou had the money for the grocieries. I asked the shopkeeper to hold them while I went home to grab the money. knowing me, he agreed and I quickly ran out in the ran, immediatly getting soaked. Our apartment was a couple blocks away, so I took off at a run towards it. I took the stairs two at a time, and finally fumbled with the keys I kept on a bracelet on my wrist, to unlock the door. I stepped inside drenching wet. Chou was nowhere to be spotted. I pulled off my wet shoes and hurried to the bedroom so I could pull off my wet dress and stockings. I went over to the bathroom and grabbed a towel, going back to the bedroom again and drying off. I pulled on some dry jeans and a little blue shirt the gathered in the front of at the top, and hung down a bit. I pulled on some dry socks and tennis shoes and pulled my soacked hair into pig tails, trailing down my back. Next I put on a knee length rain coat, and pulled the hood over my head. In my fathers room, I found the extra money stash, and got what I needed to pay for the grocieries. I ran back out of the house and through the pouring rain, lightning struck out across the sky and I winced but reached the store safetly, paying for the items and putting everything into a plastic bag.

I felt more relieved now that everything had been taken care of. I could go home and work on homework. I walked more slowly this time to get home. I didn't care to slip in the water that was growing ever deeper and traveling down the the gutters to disapeer. I rounded the cornor to my house when suddenly I felt the bag lighten it's load. I stopped to find a hole had ripped in the plastic bag and my books fell into the puddels. I gasped. and quickly began scooping them up and tieing off the hole in the bag so nothing else would fall off. "no no no!" I said to myself. Grabbing them all into my arms I ran the rest of the way home. I almost tripped on the stairs and quickly caught myself before I went and unlocked the house and went inside, dropping the bag of grocieries on the floor beside the door.

I went to the bedroom and hastily began shedding my coat and shoes and throwing them to a cornor before I looked over the drenched books. Thunder rumbled, shaking the apartment and I shook my head. The pages were sticking together and the covors were dark in color due to the wetness of them.

I slammed my fist on the ground, hurting my hand. I shook it and whined a little. before I let myself fall backwards onto the floor where I lay staring at the cieling "Father is going to kill me" I said to myself "Somehow I have to get the money for new books. If Father finds out, he will be so mad." At the moment I felt the door open and paniced, I grabbed the books and shoved them in my chest that I kept all my valuables in.

"Ayome, why are the grocies laying by the door?" My sister called out.

I stepped from the bedroom and looked at her "Sorry, I forgot.."

I hurried over to grab them, and opened the bag up putting everything in it's right spot. Chou, made her way to our bedroom and a few moments later "Ayumi!"

"Yes?"

"Why is your wet stuff all over our floor?!"

I sighed "Sorry"

I put up the last item and went to grab my stuff from the bedroom so it could be hung up or plaed beside the front door to dry.

I couldn't let Chou know what happened to my books.