She means to whisper, I know. To her credit she does. But sometimes whispers are louder than thunder. And some whispers scare me almost as much as thunder, not that I'd let anyone know. This whisper scares me. If this girl whom I have never before seen has guessed my secret, how long before everyone else does, too?
Hikaru laughs sharply. "That's a good one, Lucy-chan!" He nudges her with his elbow. "I see you're a joker, like us!"
Kaoru catches on, "How clever of you to pick up on the fact that Haruhi looks so feminine, he could almost be a girl."
Hikaru rolls his eyes at Kaoru's attempt to write off the incident nonchalantly.
"Of course," Hunny adds, "he isn't! He's a boy through and through."
Lucy looks embarrassed. Poor thing. It's hard being different. If a commoner sticks out like a sore thumb, I can't imagine how noticeable every move a foreigner makes is. I'm about to say something, but Lucy speaks first.
"Gomenesai, Fujioka-kun. My mistake." She inclines her head slightly.
"Please," I say, "Just Haruhi."
Lucy nods, the picture of shyness, but I see in her blue eyes stubborn defiance. She knows the truth, but what will she, what can she, do about it?