Chapter Sixteen

During the entire Language class, between doodles and sketches of Len and Miku, I work on the chorus. As soon as I sit in my seat, I open my notebook and start writing.

Create a song and let me sing

And all those times you wanted to cry and scream

They always passed you by

And make a stand

Believe in me

I'll never let them hurt you again

For saying what you feel

And then you hear the voices of that "Odds and Ends" sound

Ringing out my message they can never keep down

Let me hear it now

The power of your voice

I smile at what I wrote. "Madoka-kun!" I hear. My Language teacher stares at me fixedly. I smile guiltily.

"Sorry, I uh- nothing," I stammer.

"En español, por favor," he commands.

"Lo siento," I say, looking down and shutting my notebook and shoving it in my bag. At least I have it written- and the lyrics mean something. I think back to Len's drawing and Teto's ripped notebook. Soon, I find a smile on my face.

When the bell rings, dismissing me to Specials, I nearly jump out of my seat. I'm extremely excited to ask Gumi to play guitar for us! I grab my notebook, stuff it in my bag, and start running to our Dance Committee meeting room. In the hall, I stop at my locker to drop off my Language book. As soon as I shut it and turn around, Len stands right in front of me. I almost scream. He starts tickling me again in the ribs. "Len! In public?" I yell, in between irrepressible giggles. He laughs as well, letting go of me. "Len, we're not little kids anymore!" I laugh.

"Soma-sama, will you walk with me to class?" he asks, playing with my name. I punch him in the shoulder.

"We're not even in the same Specials class," I say.

"Please?" he asks, looking into my eyes.

"Quit doing that!" I laugh, swatting at his arm, "You know I hate that, Len!" Len nudges me and chuckles.

"Why?" he asks. I shrug and shake my head. "That is something I really don't get about you, Madoka. Why don't you like my eyes?" he asks.

"It's not that I don't like your eyes, it's just- It's probably the other way around, Len, if you really had to know!" I confess. Len seems a bit taken aback by my sudden response.

"Walk with me," he says, taking my hand and walking to the band room.

"Len!" I start, sighing from laughter. "The Dance Committee meets in the faculty room," I say.

"I know. Wait, you're on Dance Committee?" Len asks suddenly. I nod.

"Yeah, why?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing. Uh, but do you have to do anything with knowing who goes with who?" Len asks me, looking into my eyes.

"Len, you're doing it again!" I drone, looking away. "Plus, what kind of question is that?" I ask, shaking my head. My eyes suddenly widen and a crazy idea pops into my head. "Len, is there a girl?" I toy with him.

"A-A girl? Maybe. No! Why?" Len stammers. I giggle as his cheeks turn bright pink.

"Are you okay, Len?" I laugh, playing it further. This only makes his face redder. He runs his hand through his blonde hair. "You know, just like our lyrics say, you trust me with anything," I say, my laugh fading into a more serious face.

"Anything?" Len asks. I nod.

"Anything," I repeat. Len looks into my eyes and motions for me to follow him. I follow him as he ducks into the janitor's closet. The lights are off in the tight space, and I have limited sight and room to move.

"Soma-sama, will you go to the dance with me?" Len asks, his sweet low voice ringing through my ears.

"Ah, so I'm the girl," I joke. I can hear Len chuckle. "Of course," I answer. Suddenly, I can feel his wet lips on mine as he pulls me closer to his chest. I feel his strong hands on my soft pink cheeks. Soon, I close my eyes, only for him to pull away, out of the void he brought me into in the first place.

"Don't tell Rin," I hear Len say suddenly. Great way to end a kiss, Len.

"R-Rin?" I ask, "Why not?"

"She'll kill you! She already doesn't like us together," Len whispers, "Haven't you noticed?"

I let go of him in confusion. "But… why not? It's not like… I don't get it."

"Me neither. One minute she hates me, the next… It's ridiculous." There's an awkward silence as a strange aroma fills the air.

"Why'd you kiss me?" I hesitantly ask. Silence answers. "Len?"

"I don't know," he mumbles, "Sorry."

"Len, I really like you… But if you know that other people don't, why'd you-"

"Because, just like our lyrics say," he starts. I'm already smiling. "Don't give up, even if they're laughing at you. There's always someone who's not," he finishes.

"Len, that's incredible," I breathe, leaning forward. We both close our eyes, lean in, and reach for the perfect k-

Suddenly, the door creaks open. Standing, a mere silhouette in front of the hallway window…

is Rin Kagamine.