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This entry has 2,503 words.

Chapter Two: Handicrafts Club

The morning sunlight peeked in through the white curtains of Ayame's bedroom. She rose from her bed to stretch. The light blue camisole lifted to expose her small belly button. Ayame shook her head, her hair bouncing everywhere until she stopped to brush it with her fingers. She sat up in bed and withdrew the curtains to reveal a peaceful morning. A deep sigh of comfort and ease left her lips. There was nothing like waking up with the warm sun on her face.

Ayame stepped off her bed, her arms behind her so she could mess with her hair some more, and walked to her quaint closet. Inside the closet hung a new Karakura High School uniform that her grandmother washed and ironed yesterday. She took it out and laid it on her bed. Before she put it on, she dressed out of her pajamas and into a clean pink-and-white striped bra with lacey frills and matching panties. The uniform fit perfectly and did not bulge out anywhere, and she admitted to herself that she liked the skirt. Ayame put her hair up, some strands

She set her bed up for another night's sleep. The curtains were left open until she would come back home. On her desk was a yellow bag with notebooks and a pencil case. Ayame grabbed the bag then headed downstairs for something to eat. "Ohayou!" She found her grandmother putting a plate of eggs on the table and a glass of milk. Ayame put her bag down on the table and headed into the kitchen for a jar of honey. She sat down at the seat prepared for her.

"I was hoping you'd wake up soon! The eggs were getting cold, and your granpa and I already ate our share," the old woman said.

Ayame chewed on her breakfast after she drizzled honey all over her eggs. "Gomen, gomen," she managed to say between mouthfuls of egg. Her grandfather was sitting in the living room. The television could be heard from the table, and it did not sound good.

Sirens rung in the background as a reporter informed, "The incident occurred near the main street outside Karakura Station." Ayame stood up and took her dishes to the kitchen where she placed them in the sink to be washed. "Locals say around 7:30am, the ground shook and there was a crash as the walls of buildings exploded." She hummed as she walked over to her grandfather, and leaned over the back of the couch to kiss him on the cheek. "Experts are working with investigators to discover the cause." The images they showed on television were not pretty. Ayame stood to watch the rest of the report.

"Don't forget your lunch!" Her grandmother came to her side and held up a bento box wrapped in a yellow plaid cloth.

Ayame stared at the television screen, worried about what happened and what could happen. She was sure that the incident happened not too far from her grandparents' home. It took her grandmother several tries to get Ayame's attention. "Oh, sorry, obaa-san," she apologized and took the lunch. With her mind off the screen, Ayame went to the table to pick up her bag, and then headed for the door. "Sayonara, obaa-san, ojii-san!" She put on her Mary Jane flats and opened the front door.

"Have a great day at school!" Her grandmother shouted after her, waving with a smile.

Ayame jogged down the small street until she got to a four-way intersection. She stopped to look at where she needed to go. The school loomed before her after she ran in one direction for several minutes. When she got to the gate, she slowed down to a walk. Her chest rose and fell with each deep breath for air after her run. She entered the school quietly – changed her shoes at the lockers, received a paper pass from a faculty member – and then headed to class. The door she came to had a rectangular window she peered through to look at the class. Only one student stood out among the others. A tall boy with spiked orange hair in a sea of natural hair colour sat in her view. Another student, a girl, with long orange hair stood out, too. Ayame's gaze wandered to the girl's chest. She put her hands on her own chest and looked down at the average bust. In comparison, the orange-haired girl was a porn goddess. Ayame pouted and squeezed her breasts together to see if it made any difference.

"Ahem," a voice cleared in front of her.

She looked up with her hands still pushing her chest in and up. An awkward silence thickened the air as Ayame looked directly at the teacher holding the door open for her. "Ano… ano…" Ayame fumbled to remove her hands from her breasts, and retrieved her slip of attendance to the teacher. The paper was taken with haste, and she was permitted entrance into the classroom.

"We have a new student," the teacher wrote the name Kawano Ayame on the board as he spoke. "It is her first time in a public school, and she will be with us until graduation. Please, give her a nice introduction."

If not all of the students had not been looking at her earlier as she was adjusting her chest, all eyes were on her blushing face now. She had a feeling some might still be looking at her chest. This thought made her blush more. The class greeted her as enthusiastically as it could – a few of the girls cheered her up with their happier hellos as most of the boys mumbled more than talked coherently. "Ohayou gozaimasu!" Ayame bowed to her classmates. The room quieted after her greeting. She looked to the teacher, her eyes glancing over one of the male students as he looked at her, for instructions on what to do next. The teacher pointed her to her seat, and finished the morning announcements. He sounded agitated for the interruption she had caused; the faculty must not have informed him of the new arrival.

Ayame took notes on everything she could without looking at her books. The mathematics, social studies, and language classes passed without any disruption. A few times she felt eyes staring at her. She glanced around once in a while to see who stared, but no one was paying her any attention. When lunch time came around, Ayame was relieved to put away her books and pencil. The students all gather into their groups of friends. Ayame sat alone in her seat, her bento box opened to a meal of teriyaki and rice with apple slices. She sat up straight, broke her chopsticks in two, and then started eating.

Being alone was never any fun. She looked at the students who were seated and eating together. The orange-haired girl stood up and walked over to Ayame. Realising she had been staring; Ayame went back to her food.

"Hey, do you want to eat with us?" The girl gave Ayame a compassionate smile, and her heart melted right away.

"Really?"

"Yeah! And we can share some food! I have some – "

The orange-haired girl was interrupted by a tomboyish female student who stood behind her. "Orihime, I don't think she could stomach anything you made for today. Hey, I'm Tatsuki, and this here is Orihime," she said.

"Hi," Ayame replied with an awkward smile. She had a hard time coming up with what to think of the orange-haired girl as she giggled with Tatsuki now standing next to her. "I'd be happy to join you." She stood up and brought her lunch with her over to the small group of girls. Inside, her heart was pounding furiously; Ayame never had a real group of friends like this to eat with. She sat quietly and the girls chattered about lessons and upcoming school activities. Her eyes wandered over the classroom and landed on a bespectacled student who sat alone.

One of the girls stopped jabbering to poke Ayame in the shoulder. "You looking at Ishida-kun, are we?"

Ayame's face was quick to turn pink. "Ishida-kun?"

"Isn't he in the same club as you, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked.

"Yeah, but I barely know him," she answered. "He doesn't say much."

Ayame stared at Ishida a little longer. She liked his glasses. It hurt her to have to turn back around and finish her apple slices. Once they were finished, lunch was over the class. The rest of the lessons that followed dragged on too long. She wanted school to end. Maybe, she hoped, there would be time to talk to Ishida before he left.

Orihime approached Ayame after the class finished cleaning the room. "Ayame-san, are you in a club? You can join the handicrafts club if you'd like!" Ayame considered the opportunity to socialise. It would make her first day of school all the better. She nodded to Orihime, gathered her bag, and answered, Okay, I'll join!" Orihime grabed her by the arm and showed her to the classroom where the handicrafts club hosted.

"We have a new member!"

Ayame smiled and waved to the few people in the room. She remembered Orihime, of course, and Ishida. A couple of the girls in the club came up to her to greet her and informally welcome her to the class. Ayame caught glimpses of Ishida over their shoulders, but found that he put more interest in his sewing than meeting her. She reluctantly put him in the back of her mind.

"So do you know how to sew or draw?" The questions piled on Ayame. "Do you woodcarve?" "Paint?" Ayame opened her mouth to answer one question, but was interrupted by another. She was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. When she could finally mention she knew a bit of crochet, they dispersed to find her yarn and needles. Orihime put her in a chair up front, a few seats away from Ishida, and then moved away to talk to one of the club members. The seats had been arranged in an oval just for the club. She had a clear view of Ishida.

Ayame set her bag on the floor, pigeon-toed her feet, and placed her hands in her lap. She watched Ishida's hands as they worked delicately with the fabric and string. Her club-mates came back with supplies for her. The yarn was the best quality the hosting teacher could afford, and the needles were lent by one of the girls. She thanked them with a smile. They did not make any motion to move away or start a conversation. Ayame found this hindered her chance to start on a project.

"C-could I get some space?" She asked as sweetly as she could, and they obliged. The green yarn laced nicely around her fingers. Both needles were worn but good. Ayame started her first row, and continued with a second row. She concentrated on not making the rows too loose or too tight. By the time she reached her tenth row, the club meeting was almost over. She stopped and put her crocheting down. There had to be something else to do with her time. Ayame looked over toward Ishida again.

She was spooked when he finally spoke. It came off as rather rude, too. "Are you going to keep staring at me or say something already?"

Ayame gaped, trying to think of something to say. "Ano… what are you sewing?"

"I'm repairing something for a classmate."

"Oh, okay."

Ayame's heart pounded hard enough to jump up her throat. She felt her face get hot in the quiet that fell between them. Instead of staying there to possibly make a fool of herself, Ayame got up and moved to Orihime and her group. They did not talk about anything that interested her at that moment. Her mind was set on Ishida, his hands… his voice. She was asked about why her face was flushed, but she danced around the subject of the colour of her face until they dropped their curiosity.

She was left alone at the lockers. Her school slippers fit nicely inside her locker, and she put on her own shoes. From the other side she heard a locker being closed and locked. She thought she was alone. Ayame tried to ignore the other person. She was bending at her side to put her second shoe on when the other person approached.

"Excuse me," came a familiar voice.

Ayame slowly turned her head up to face the bespectacled student. She swallowed because something caught in her throat.

"You left this in the classroom," Ishida said. He held out to her the scarf she started to make but stopped after a dozen rows. "You're gripping the needles too hard, and you made a few mistakes." Ayame stood on both of her feet before taking the project from him. He adjusted his glasses at the bridge after his hands were freed. The glass reflected a beam of sunlight as he looked down on Ayame.

She did not know what to say, but muttered, "Thank you." The unfinished scarf was stuffed into her bag. As she bent over, the Pisan cross hanging from her necklace fell from behind her top. "I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow." When she stood up again, Ayame saw a look of surprise slapped on Ishida's face; almost like he had seen a ghost. She excused herself, squeezed between the edge of a bench and Ishida, and left the school.

The night at her grandparent's house was quiet. The dinner was good, and there was leftover shortcake for dessert. Ayame excused herself to retire to her bathroom early. All of the anxiety she had experienced in the day tightened her muscles. As she sat chin-deep in the water, she thought about her day. She had her Pisan cross in her mouth, but did not chew on it, and twisted it back and forth between her lips. There was too much she could think about at once. Ayame huffed, spit her charm out, and then submerged herself.

Ayame finished her bath later than last night. She lied in bed earlier than last night. The one thing she could not get off her mind was her last interaction with Ishida. When she looked back, the moment she took her unfinished scarf from him lasted longer than it did in reality. She felt a tingle on her fingertips where she had very briefly touched his skin. The touch might have been imagined, but Ayame was convinced that she felt something for him. His face of surprise threw her off thought, however. She could not think of anything that would make him react like that. Was there something on her face? There was no telling now – she had a bath.

She sighed, turned on her side, and gazed at the stars outside her window. Tomorrow, she told herself, she would talk to him more.