Chapter 9: Welcome to Class A….Sort of.
Beep! Beep! Beep! I groan as I slam my hand onto my alarm clock effectively shutting the contraption quiet. I stare at the time, slit-eyed, before rolling back over in my bed. Before too long, I hear a knock on my door. "Kotoko, wake up. We have to get to school." Irie-kun's voice resonates deep within me. I moan, sitting up in bed. I stretch my arms above me, yawning.
"I'm getting ready, Irie-kun." I call back. Quickly changing into my school uniform, I grab my hairbrush, running it through my hair. I sit down, contemplating how summer seemed to have passed so quickly.
That summer, Irie-kun and I spent most of our time together. I received text messages from Kin-chan, Satomi and Jinko wanting to hang out and gossip about the exam results and hand out. Each time, I managed to find an excuse one way or another. The best part was when Dad and Mr. Irie we're invited to their high school reunion. It was a camping trip and they were gone for two weeks. Around the same time, Mrs. Irie received a sudden phone call about her mother having been in an accident, she never specified what kind, and took off with Yuki-kun to go stay with her. She called the next day saying her mother was fine but she wanted to stay for a couple of weeks to make sure, which left the house to Irie-kun and I for a peaceful two weeks together alone. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Irie lied about her mother being ill though I muse humorously.
Humming to myself I walk down the stairs, I join Irie-kun at the table. He's reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. The other seats remain empty. "Where's everyone else? Weren't they supposed to be back late last night?" I ask as I help myself to some toast.
"Mom called this morning, she and Yuki met up with our dads. Since Yuki doesn't start school till next week, they decided to stay a few more days to make sure my grandmother's doing well before coming back." He states flipping a page. I nod my head, finishing my toast and pouring myself a small cup of coffee. We finish breakfast in silence and I stand up afterwards to clean the dishes before we head to school.
On the way to school, I start to feel jitters settling in my stomach. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath… Arms grab my bicep halting my movement. "What was that…?" I open my eyes, "Oh…Sorry, I must have been spacing out." I apologize to Irie-kun. I had been mere centimeters from stepping off the sidewalk right into oncoming traffic.
"Geez, you're going to get yourself killed." Irie-kun sighs.
"Sorry" I mumble my apology again.
As we approach the school gates, I begin to drift behind Irie-kun steps, appearing as though we hadn't come to school together. I soon lose him in the crowd of students loitering around the gates waiting for their friends. Sighing, I pull my bag higher on my shoulder, pushing through the masses to find the class list on the school bulletin board. Hunting through the list of names, I spot mine: Aihara, Kotoko: Class A. I groan, rolling my eyes. Perfect, this is just perfect. I shoulder my way out of the crowd, breaking out only to crash into a small group of girls. Looking up at their faces to apologies, I nearly knelt to pray God why was he punishing me.
"Oh, it's you. Didn't you get expelled for cheating on the final exam?" Kobayakawa-san sneers in disgust. I sigh mentally. Why me?
"No I didn't. I never cheated in the first place. I was actually just checking to see what class I was in this year, since I've been doing so well in the last couple of years. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to meet up with some friends. I guess I'll see you in class Kobayakawa-san." I nod my head at her, striding away from her posse group. Behind me, I could hear them arguing the disgrace that I manage to get into their class, as they leave to check the bulletin board. After stopping by the school office to pick up my new textbooks, I walk around to the back of the school where I spot Satomi, Jinko and Kin-chan and his friends near a bench.
"Hey, guys, how was your summer break?" I call out as I approach them.
Kin-chan looks up from where he's being comforted by his friends, Satomi and Jinko, a pained look on his face. "KOTOKO!" He cries, jumping up to smother me in a hug. "We're not in the same class this year. You're in a class with Mr. Genius and I can't protect you from him anymore." He pulls back, grabs my arms, and looks seriously into my eyes. "We have to declare our relationship to the school so nobody pulls any funny business while you're away from me." I yank my arms out of his tight grip.
"Ow, Kin-chan that hurt." I shoot back at him rubbing my arms, "I'm not going to declare a fake relationship with you. Why does it matter that I'm in a classroom with Irie Naoki or not? He already refused to accept my love letter because he has a girlfriend." I shrug my shoulders sitting down between Satomi and Jinko.
"So where were you all summer?" Satomi asks curiously. "Every time we invited you to hang out with us, you always had an excuse."
I laugh nervously. "Sorry about that, the family I'm staying with wanted some help with a project of theirs, and parts of their family were ill. I was helping out all summer, you know, for volunteer work."
They all stare at me strangely, "Kotoko, why do you need volunteer work?" They ask, creases forming on their forehead.
My jaw drops open. "You guys, you need thirty hours of volunteer work or a paid work experience in order to graduate high school. I've been collecting them since the beginning of grade eleven."
"WHAT!?" They all scream.
I shake my head. The warning school bells rings, alerting students to proceed to their class. "Look I have to go. My class is on the other side of the school now. I'll meet up with you guys for lunch ok?" I call over my shoulder as I jog off to the Class A classroom.
Inside, I stop dead; the classroom is so much more different from Class F. The walls are blank, the desks are pristine and proper the chalkboard has been wiped down and cleaned over the summer. A piece of paper hangs from the board and a crowd of students swarm it. I spot Watanabae-san sitting by the window, I plop my bag on a desk near him, only to pick it back up when he shakes his head. "Check the board, we have a seating arrangement." I nod and make my way slowly to the front of the class. Whispers from my classmates reach my ears, gossiping about my class change. Spotting my name on the sheet of paper, I place my bag down on my new desk in the front row. I draw my notebook and pencil case from my bag just as the bell rings and the teacher walks into the class.
"My name is Mr. Takashima. Open your French text book to page 74 now." He says as he closes the door behind him, and begins to write on the board.
A rustle of pages breaks the silence of the class as the students flip the pages of their textbook. Les verbes subjonctif is the title of the chapter. I mentally groan. I hate verb conjugations with a passion last year and this year would be no different. Luckily for me, Irie-kun is usually really good at it. Speaking of which, I didn't see him when I walked into the class. At that moment, the door opens. Everyone's head turns at the sound. Irie-kun walks in closing the door behind him. "Sorry Mr. Takashima, I was meeting with the school councillor." He apologizes.
Mr. Takashima nods, scanning his seating arrangement. "Your desk is here behind Ms. Aihara, whom I don't believe I've met." His eyes shift to meet mine. I nod my head.
"Yes sir, I moved up from Class F." I state, sensing Irie-kun shifting into the desk behind me. Mr. Takashima nods his head slowly, realization and understanding reflects in his eyes.
"Well done getting into a higher class. I should let you know that in this class we take our education very seriously. I don't know how class F teaches but I do not want any trouble in my class. Is that understood Ms. Aihara?" I nod my head. Turning his body, he continues to write and teach the lesson filling the board from one side to the other.
By lunch my head was nearly pounding. We had reviewed everything from last year in French and Chemistry and were taught several basic concepts for Calculus. I was astounded at the pace and attitude of the class. There were no jokes or laughter, no comments or questions. The students seemed to simply take in all the information the teacher taught. As the bell rings for lunch, the students reopen their textbooks, comparing the contents to the notes they took. I turn around in my desk to face Irie-kun who was reading a novel. Sighing, I tap quietly on his desk. His eyes look up at me. "Are we allowed to leave the classroom for lunch?" I ask quietly.
He nods his head. "Class starts as soon as the bell rings." He warns before lowering his eyes to his book. I nod my thanks, grabbing my lunch. As I walk pass, he drops his right hand to brush against mine. Walking down the hall, I smile contently.
Hey I'm back...exhausted and ready to fall asleep for a few years but I'm here. It's been a hectic week so I'm surprised I managed to finish the chapter. Teachers in the last week of school before marks are due are torturous! Anyhow, Kotoko and Naoki are in the same class, but can she fit in. Let me know your thoughts, expectations, likes and dislikes. I'll write to you guys next time. Ciao.