Wings to Fly
''She told her family, she would only take a short walk. The streets are all full of people in the evening, so no one worried. They're not sure but the driver said that she came out of nowhere. He tried to avoid her, and stop his car, but it was too late. He got her from the side. She's still in coma.'' Explained Anna, her voice, and eyes empty, while she was sitting next to Mikan's bed in the school infirmity.
Mikan was brought to the infirmity when she collapsed in the middle of the corridor. Ironically, it had been Natsume Hyuuga, who gathered her in his arms, and took her to the nurse, two teachers and a few students right behind him. Mikan woke up a few hours later, Anna sitting on a chair next to the window. The pink-haired girl who finally calmed down explained what happened and Mikan could not help but cry.
The teachers could not call her mother because she was in the middle of a very serious operation in the hospital and the doctor needed her by his side. Mikan was all right with it; she collapsed because of shock not because of any health problems.
''Nonoko's parents called the teachers this morning and then they called me, because they wanted to tell me themselves. I received the news the moment when the teacher wanted to tell me. I'm glad everyone was around to hear it. I want them to know what they caused.'' Anna continued, still staring at Mikan's hands, which she held.
''How did everyone react?'' Mikan wanted to know.
Anna shrugged. ''The teachers had to continue with the lessons and the principal drove to the hospital to meet the parents.'' She looked at Mikan then. ''But I did notice Sumire gasp in horror. The rest of the gang stared at the teacher in shock and they haven't done anything to anyone today.''
Mikan did not mention the incident in the loo.
''And Hyuuga rushed to you when you collapsed. He checked if you still breathed and then he picked you up and brought you here. I can't believe he…'' Anna glanced at Mikan's frowning face, still wet from the tears.
''He can rot in hell, for all I care.'' Mikan whispered with venom. Anna nodded; not mentioning that he had stayed here until the nurse was sure Mikan was all right. The two girls went silent and looked out of the window.
They watched some students play baseball and run circles. It was not a beautiful, sunny day – it was grey and it looked like it would rain. Mikan's mood was the same as the weather; heavy and dark.
''Do you think she will be all right?''
Anna was silent for a moment. ''I don't know. We can't visit her yet. She's still in critical condition.''
''I hope she'll be ok. If she dies…'' she did not end the sentence, making a hateful grimace. Anna caressed Mikan's hand. ''Shall we go home?'' she asked her, standing up. You're free of class and I'll accompany you.
Mikan nodded and sat up. Slowly, she stood up and made a few steps forward to see if she was all right. She was. Anna gathered Mikan's bag and a few books, and they both walked to the nurse to tell her, they would go home. The woman took a good look at Mikan one more time, noticing the fresh cut on her lips, and let them go. Both girls walked through the silent corridors towards the exit. They put their shoes and jackets on and went home.
Once Mikan arrived home, she texted her mother that she was home and prepared dinner. She thought about Nonoko. She thought about her friend for the rest of the day, trying to imagine what she must have felt that she tried to harm herself. She threw herself in front of a car and almost died. What if Anna did the same one day? What if she, herself did the same one day?
Is it easier to die than tell people what was going on?
No.
It was not.
She would not do something like that. She had her mother to think about. And her future. This was only high school. It would be over some day.
Her mother ran home as quickly as possible to check on Mikan and she was glad her girl was all right. They ate dinner together, but then Yuka was called again, because there was another emergency at the hospital.
Mikan was now home alone. She was sitting in the living room, hugging her knees, staring through the window into the dark evening sky. What should she do now? Would the gang still bully people after what happened? No one has ever tried to commit suicide. It was the first time. And if that was not a shock enough to stop them, then they deserved to be locked up in an institution.
And Hyuuga…
She remembered how he looked at her. He usually smirked or laughed in her face; sometimes he came very close to her, just to scare her off – she usually did not let him get to her; but today… Today he scared her to the bones. For a second she thought he might snog her or even try something more. She thought he would rip her clothes off and…
She hoped he was not like that. He did never do that to a girl, as far as she knew. He played around with a lot of them, that was a fact, and he and his friends took many pictures of their bullying victims, even filmed their actions just to put it on the internet – but they, not one of them, had ever sexually abused a girl or a boy.
She hoped it would stay that way. Because the look Hyuuga gave her was one of a man that was attracted to a woman. She never had anyone like that, but she knew how it looked like. She recognized it right away. And it frightened her more than the bullying.
She slept like a baby that night and the next day school was very different. No one bullied anyone. There was tension in the air, fear and concern, but no bullying. Mikan and Anna had to pass the gang a few times and Mikan felt Natsume's eyes on her. She wished he only wanted to bully her and not… something else.
As days flew by, the atmosphere became a little more relaxed and the peace remained. Mikan felt a lot better, and she and Anna went to visit Nonoko, who was still in coma but stable. Only after seeing her in that hospital bed, drain tubes all over her body, her face pale, and her body weak, they realized how serious the situation actually was. They brought her flowers and a memory card with a short poem the two wrote during class.
Mikan's mother was put on charge for Nonoko and so it was even easier.
One day, Mikan felt confident enough to try out the make-up her mother bought for her the day before. She was not sure if it was a good idea – who knew when one of those evils would lose his mind again and push her face into the toilet. But… Maybe…
So she walked to school with make-up on her face. No one really noticed, except for Anna. She approved with a smile, confident that this could be a new start. Mikan felt a lot better these days. She was still careful to avoid the gang, but it seemed they calmed down. There were no incidents anymore.
She was just about to go around the corner, when she collided with someone. She did not fall down, but stumbled back. She quickly apologized and looked up, only to flinch back in shock. She collided with Natsume Hyuuga. He was alone, and looking at her in that strange way again. He did not stumble; he was too strong for that. Mikan stared at him, fear evident in her eyes and stepped back, taking a huge breath.
''Careful Sakura.'' He told her with his deep voice and Mikan realized he was giving her a half-smile. She blinked at him in confusion and put her hand on the wall next to her to regain her balance. He did not move away or do anything to her.
''Uh… Yeah… All right…'' she stuttered and moved away. He followed her with his eyes. She became so confused that her legs wobbled and she almost lost her balance again. Natsume grabbed her arm and pulled her up before she would fall. Their faces were very close and Mikan's heart beat so fast she thought she might die. She did not know if she was so scared or simply nervous about the sudden change.
''Thank y-you.'' She stuttered again and waited for him to let her go. He did not right away. He watched her for a few seconds, and still held her arm. Mikan hoped that this was just a momentary weakness of his and not a long-term plan. She started to breathe a little faster, her cheeks were blushing, and confusion was obvious on her face. Natsume finally released her, letting his fingers glide down her arm and touch her fingers, and then he stepped back. He gave her a half smile and saluted her goodbye.
''See you around.'' He told her, while he passed her and disappeared around the corner.
Mikan stared after him in shock, her back leaning on the wall, her breathing and her heart still racing.
''What just happened?'' she whispered under her breath, trying to calm herself down. She shook her head in disbelieve, and quickly rushed towards her classroom. She did not mention anything about this to Anna. She was sure she just imagined things and that Hyuuga finally manipulated her into thinking he was attracted to her.
But then, moments as this one started to happen more often. She often passed Hyuuga in the corridor and whenever she did, he caught her eyes and gave her that half-smile that made her nervous. He often bumped into her when she was alone and took advantage of the moment to touch her shoulder, or graze her arm. Mikan was sure she understood the signals, but did not want to admit it to herself. That Natsume Hyuuga took interest in her in a complete different way than up until now.
And she was not sure how to feel about it. She felt scared of course. He was a horrible human and a dangerous bully, and even if he looked very good, even if he was extremely attractive, Mikan was simply too afraid of him to respond to his obvious attempts to catch her attention in a different way.
But she was not just scared. She was horribly angry. Throughout her whole high school life, he bullied her and her friends. And now he expected she would simply forget about it and… and… Kami-sama, she could not even think about it, les even imagine it.
And in that one moment, her fear vanished. What she felt for the boy was pure anger – not hatred; he was not worth such strong feelings; anger – how dare he? How dare he do this? Who the hell does he think he is? Does he think he can do whatever he wants, and then wrap her around his little finger? Was he actually that arrogant?
Mikan felt suddenly very confident. She straightened up and walked down the corridor with new confidence. She would take it upon her and do something about this.
In the next few days, Mikan did not avoid Natsume; when he glanced at her, she glanced at him; if he touched her arm, she did not move away or flinch; if he passed her and starred at her, she starred right back – not in that welcome way, but blank, simply blank. She would see how he would react after that.
And then came the day, when Nonoko finally woke up. She did not remember a few things, but she was, at least physically, all right. She did; however, have huge psychological problems controlling her fear. She had a few panic attacks, but the doctors told her parents they would help her.
Mikan and Anna could finally talk to her.
''And they really stopped?'' Nonoko asked again, surprised at the revelation. Both of her friends nodded.
''It's like they got scared about what they caused.'' Anna explained. ''No one is currently being bullied. And I hope it will stay like that.''
''Will they do something about it?''
''I think no – if no one speaks up, then…'' Mikan replied, already thinking about her own words. Would they really stay silent? Would no one tell on the gang?
They were silent for some time.
''I'm not going back to this school.'' Nonoko suddenly said and made the two girls look at her. ''I'm going to do the exams at the education institute and then decide which university I'll be attending.'' She explained further, waiting for the reply.
It was Mikan who spoke up first. ''That's a good idea. Have you already thought about which university you'd like to attend?'' she smiled and broke the tension. The girls finally laughed – it had been a long time since they last behaved so carefree. They chatted the day away and bid goodbye with a smile.
On Monday, after school, Mikan received the surprise of her life. She knew that Natsume paid a lot of attention to her for these past months, but that he would ask her to meet him after school in the school park – that was something she never expected. And now, she was sitting next to him at the bench, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted. She just hoped she was wrong in her assumptions.
''Sakura…'' He started, looking at her a little nervous. He was obviously aware of the fact that what he wanted was something she would not give. But he had to try.
''Mikan… I'm sorry for what I – we have done to you up until now. I lost track of what we were doing and wasn't aware it went that far. And the thing is… I started to realize this some time ago. I think I like you. Would you like to hang out with me in the near future, as in go on a date? Perhaps this Saturday?''
Mikan's eyes widened and she starred at him in surprise. She did not expect this. She really did not expect this. She was speechless for a moment and Natsume waited for her answer patiently. He watched her think it through and noticed the different emotions playing on her face.
She blinked at him, glancing away for a second and then straightened up.
''Thanks, but no.'' She replied and Natsume was silent for a moment, hardly believing what he heard. He blinked in confusion and looked at her. ''What?''
''I said, thank you, but I'll decline.'' Mikan told him with a tight smile on her face.
''You can't go out this Saturday?''
''No, I mean I won't go out with you. Ever. But thank you.'' She waived her hand, stood up, and turned around to walk away. But he grabbed her arm and spun her around. ''What do you mean you won't go? Why?'' he was frowning in confusion and slight anger.
''I mean that I don't want to.''
''Why not? I already said sorry. And no one has ever said no to me.''
''Well then, I'll be the first. Goodbye.''
''Wait. Please give me an explanation.''
''Why would you need that? Just go ask someone else.''
''But I asked you. I want to go with you.''
''Hyuuga.'' Mikan pulled her arm out of his grip. ''You bullied me and my friends since the first day of high school. That's almost four years. You let your gang beat up my friend until he was unconscious. You wrecked my bicycle, knowing very well I have nothing else to come to school. And after I put on some makeup and throw a few smiles around, you suddenly pay attention to me for completely different reasons than before, and you expect me to like you enough to go out with you? Really? I'm not sure if you're simply being ignorant or do you have a mental illness. I'll finally press charges, Hyuuga if you as much as glance my way. Got that?''
She walked away then, leaving the boy behind. He did not stop her. He stared after her, thinking about what she said. For a second he got angry, like he usually did if something did not go his way. But what she said was true. And he was the one spitting over people who did not stand for themselves. She did. She finally did.
And he felt awful. He knew that Mikan saying yes to him would be the miracle of the century. She was far from stupid or weak. And he had been attracted to her for a very long time – he was just too arrogant to admit it to himself and start behaving like a normal person.
Mikan walked home, feeling great. She felt powerful and strong. She finally told Hyuuga off and if he had the guts to do something again, she had enough proof against him to put him and his gang in jail for some time.
The bastard can rot in hell for all she cared. He could die now and she would laugh at it. He would deserve it. And if he hurt anyone one more time, she would kill him herself.
The next day she walked into school, there was something strange going on. It was quiet. The halls were peaceful. Students walked and looked around, unsure of what was going on. Natsume and his gang were not parading and bullying people.
People noticed Ruka, Koko and Sumire and a few boys talking in the corner. Even Natsume was there, but he was sitting on a window shelf and reading a manga. Ignoring the people around him. Mikan had to pass those people and she carefully glanced their way.
Nothing.
No one reacted.
Not even Natsume.
It seemed he finally took her seriously. And he better did – because she will no longer let him do whatever he wanted. She pulled out her phone, just to be prepared if he glanced at her. She was serious; she would call the authorities if he did something. Anna still had bruises on her hand.
Once she was out of sight, Mikan stopped and leaned on the wall.
Just what had she been thinking?
She should not just threaten them; she should call someone. If she did not do something, this could continue. Bullies will always stay bullies. They do not change. They adapt, maybe, but they still do things that hurt others.
She should call someone.
Her hands were shaking, when she looked at her phone.
She would have to tell everything. And all these guys would end up in juvenile. She would have to explain every detail of what she and the others experienced. And if she did not, it would all happen again. Bullies do not stop with the bullying. They take a break, find another victim and then one day they look at you, smirk, and raise their fist again. It never stops unless you do something about it. If you do not, no one else will.
Mikan took a deep breath.
''Sorry Hyuuga. I won't wait for you to make the first move.''
And she reported them.
Finally.
It finally came out.
The truth finally came out.
The inspectors received all photos, all videos, and all statements needed to press charges against students who bullied other students. There were many victims. Almost half of the school. And the main culprits were finally taken care of. Sumire, Koko, Mochu, Ruka, Natsume, and many others. While the others tried to get themselves out of it, Natsume did not. Once the inspectors asked him to come with them, he did not mutter a word and simply stood up to go with them.
Mikan watched them being taken away from a corner, not really being sorry for them. They deserved it. If nothing else, people will not be bullied anymore. She did not care about what happened to these bullies. She just wanted peace. She just wanted to graduate high school. She just wanted to live without fear.
And if she had to be the one to make it happen, then so be it.
For a second she did think about Ruka not being one of them, but… He always just watched them do whatever they wanted, never saying anything – he was one of them. Simple as that.
Mikan sighed and walked back to class. She did not need to watch that. She was happy knowing it was happening. When she sat down, she realized she was alone in the classroom. Everyone was out of class, watching the guys being brought out. The inspectors even took teachers to ask them about the whole thing – the bullying could not have gone unnoticed, so therefore, the teachers had to be punished too. They did not help the students in need and ignored the situation completely. A teacher was not allowed to do something like that.
Mikan was sure the whole school would close down for a while so they could put things in order again. That would take a long time, she was sure. Because this place was sick. It was ill and the students were ill, as well as the teachers. It would take years to make things right again.
Finally, after a long time, students started to return to class to gather their stuff. The teachers were under inspection. Mikan gathered her bag and without words, like the rest of the students, walked out. She saw Anna in the hall and they looked at each other. It seemed Anna realized that it was Mikan who did all this. But she did not say a thing. She simply accompanied her friend home. When they arrived they put their stuff down and took a long walk through the park.
After a long hour of silence, Mikan finally opened her mouth and told Anna what she did. She told her everything, every detail. Anna cried, happy that Mikan did what everyone was so afraid of doing. She broke through. She spread her wings and flew into the sky.