CHAPTER 10

One in the afternoon. School had two more hours until it officially finishes for the day, but Yuri was already home. She had no idea how long she had been holding the door open and staring inside the empty house. Okasan and Otosan were at work, as usual, and she was where she wasn't supposed to be.

She snapped to, eventually, went inside and closed the front door quietly. Her feet maneuvered to remove her shoes while her arms securely clutched the books against her chest. She then arranged her school shoes as neatly as she could with one foot before heading for the staircase.

As she climbed up the steps, Yuri briefly recalled the look on her classmates' faces the moment she entered their classroom after coming from the library.

Well...after encountering Fujima and his piece-of-dirt friends at the stone steps leading to the library building. Whatever look she had on at that moment, she can tell that it wasn't very pleasant.

"Hajime-san, dosh tano?" one of her female classmates had asked when the once boisterous room fell silent the moment she slid the classroom door open. Yuri ignored the question and brisk-walked towards her seat; gathered up her books, bag, and jacket; and then turned back to leave.

Just as she got went the doorway, she saw Kenji Fujima at the corner of her eye to her left, running, and then being stopped by another male student. One of his friends, she assumed, but didn't really look. She couldn't. He was yelling her name, but he sounded miles away. He was still trying to go after her when she turned right and bounded down the steps to the first floor.

Then Yuri found herself face-to-face with Yoshihiro, her band vocalist and classmate, walking up with their Art teacher, Hirahara-sensei. The puzzled look on Yoshihiro's face changed to concern when he saw she was carrying all her things. Before any one of them could speak, Yuri tore her gaze away and continued down the steps. She didn't stop running even after passing through the closing gates of Shoyo Junior High.

Yuri's bedroom door was wide open, the harshness of the sun illuminating the disarray that wasn't there anymore. Discarded clothes, lyric sheets, borrowed books, and fallen stuffed toys—all of it. Her bed was made, too. The corners of it neatly tucked in, the top creaseless, thanks to a loving mother who—she apologized for this—decided to be 10 minutes late from her work every now and then to attend to her daughter's room.

Because she knew her Yuri always gets home tired and hungry from volunteer work.

Because her Yuri doesn't sit in front of the television anymore but stays up late to finish homework and write music.

Because her Yuri wakes up very early in the morning to study and practice more with her guitar.

...Okasan, Yuri thought, the books in her arms dropping to the floor one after the other. Tears started streaming down her face as she collapsed beside her bed and cried. Okasan, am I...

I told you before that I can make any girl fall for me. Kenji's voice suddenly rang in her head, crisp and clear, as if she was back at that place again. And Hajime Yuri is not that special to be exempted.

Her right hand curled into a ball, gripping the duvet under it, as she continued to sob loudly.

She's all that, just like the rest of them. He continued, haughtily as she noted, to the very people whom he conspired to play a bet with to prove to them that he still has what it takes to make any female in their school fall for him.

What hurts Yuri the most is that Fujima may be right all along.

Am I really...just like the rest of them?

That night on Asuka's birthday, and what happened between her and Fujima on their way home, invaded her mind. The feel of one of his hands on the small of her back, the other coming up to her nape, his tender lips on hers, the comforting warmth of him, the frigid wind on their skin...

Yuri jerked her head back as if waking up with a jolt and pushed the thought away angrily. There was no comfort from that night now. Nor the hint of want she thought she detected from his kisses and touch. They were mere illusions now, and nothing anyone can do or say to her will make her believe otherwise.

She heard the soft warble of the phone in the downstairs kitchen. Yuri suspected that it had been ringing for a while, but she was too preoccupied in thought to even realize it the first time.

A deep sigh escaped her lips first. "Oh, please stop," she muttered to herself and looked up before removing her glasses. She wasn't sure if that was a command for her tears to cease gushing or for that thought threatening to come back to seriously eff off.

She pulled two wads of tissue from the box of Kleenex on her bedside table to dab her eyes. Yuri put her glasses back on, stood up, and jogged down the stairs leading to the kitchen counter where the wall phone was.

"Hello."

What Maya heard from the other end of the line didn't sound like a question but more of a statement. The lifelessness in her best friend's voice made her turn to Mitsui Hisashi with concerned eyes. He was sitting in the living room, hands gripping both knees in anxious wait, caught Maya's look, and his brows furrowed deeper.

"Hey, Gorgeous!" Maya said, her voice deliberately chipper. "Hirahara-sensei and two more of your teachers called me to the Teachers' Room after school to tell me that you were AWOL in their classes. Before that, Yoshihiro-kun expressed some concerns for you, too, but he was rather vague about it. Are you alright?"

There was a pause before Yuri answered, confused. "After school?"

Maya wasn't sure if she heard everything else that she had said. "Yes, after school. It's 3:05 now. I called you as soon as I got home."

She heard some rustling at the other end of the line. And then, "Oh. I just looked at the clock by the landing, and you're right. Sorry, I wasn't aware of the time…."

Maya's heart went out to her. "Yuri, what happened? People are telling me you just walked out of everybody." She was suddenly distracted by Mitsui, who was now standing up and mouthing the name "Fujima" at her. Annoyed, Maya mimed to her now-official boyfriend to cut it out by swishing four fingers across her neck in a slicing manner.

"Everybody?"

"Yeah. Everybody—"

Mitsui was mouthing that name at her again, his mouth bigger and his persistence more adamant this time.

"—including Fujima-san." The instant she mentioned his name, Maya already regretted lying. But what can she do? Mitsui was prodding her with all his might, which isn't helping in an already tense situation. And she knew in her gut that whatever is happening with Yuri, it has something to do with Shoyo's heartthrob whom she already started dating. All Maya needed was confirmation.

The pause took longer, although she can hear more rustling in the background, so when Yuri replied, the impact on her was equally resounding and heart-breaking.

"It's over, Maya."

There was constriction in her best friend's voice, probably from doing her best not to break down.

Maya absent-mindedly ran a free hand through her hair and looked at Mitsui again. He looked confused as he didn't know what that look meant. She forced a wan smile and slowly shook her head, knowing full well that she couldn't mouth the words back to him without breaking down herself. She sniffed quietly and turned away as soon as she felt wetness in her eyes.

"Wanna talk about it?" Maya felt a touch on her right side. She gave Mitsui her free hand. He knitted his fingers with hers and pressed his head close to where the phone's earpiece was.

"There's really nothing much to talk about," Yuri began, "Fujima he…he made a bet with his friends in the basketball team to prove to them that he could make every girl—any girl—fall for him."

"He what?!" Maya yelled at the mouthpiece, her anger and annoyance instant. Of course, this made Mitsui jerk away and stick a finger to his hurting ear.

"You heard it right, Bestie, he did," Yuri confirmed, now sounding quite indifferent. "I was the patsy."

Maya let her hand holding the phone drop to her side as she tilted her head back, eyes closed, and let out a deep sigh to the high heavens. Dear God.

She brought the mouthpiece back to her lips as she recovered. "So you're saying that everything—"

"—was a farce." Yuri finished for her.

She sighed once more, not knowing what to say next. Somewhere at the back of Maya's mind, there had been a constant pinging that was now beginning to bother her. Something was definitely up, although she couldn't say for sure what that one was. To her, things just didn't add up.

"Yuri, I know you think that everything is crap right now, and I understand that. I also know I will sound like a terrible person for what I'm about to say," Maya hesitated, but she'd be kicking herself if she didn't speak up now. "To be honest, I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it. Do you know what I'm saying?"

Her best friend was silent.

"I've heard all your stories, and I've seen you together at least once. You even told me at one point that you noticed Fujima-san was being a bit elusive to the basketball team about you. If you've observed this, then why was he avoiding yet at the same time conspiring with the same set of friends on a bet?"

Yuri said, "Most clever fakes look and feel real, Maya."

"I know, but is this really the case here?"

Silence.

"I'm not getting through to you, am I?"

"No, you're not."

"Yuri..."

"Maya," Yuri snapped, her tone a bit stern now. Then Maya sensed a little guilt, because Yuri's next tone sounded tired but tender. "Look, I...I know you look at things and argue about circumstances with fairness in mind, but I'm sorry. He agreed with his friends to do this. Fujima doesn't deserve to be treated as the one at the losing end here."

It was Maya's turn to be quiet. "You're right. You're absolutely right." She said, stealing a glance at Mitsui who is now looking intently at her, his arms crossed. "I guess I have no choice but to tell Hisashi about this. I swear to you he'll—"

"No!" Yuri practically shouted at her. "Onegai, Maya, please don't tell him."

Looking at Mitsui who now appeared deeply confused, Maya placed the phone back to her ear. "You know I don't keep secrets from him, right?"

"He doesn't have to know." Yuri said grimly. "You know what would happen if he knew. I don't want things to get worse than what they are now, please..."

"Okay, okay." Maya said. Out of habit, she placed a hand inside her pocket and felt a piece of folded paper. She took it out and opened it fully. It was the flier that a volunteer handed to her on her way out of the school gate to meet Hisashi. It was a miniature version of the event poster that was put up all around school today. She mentally read the print: A Night to Remember.

"Yuri," Maya was beginning to say, "I'm going to bring you to the dance party this weekend. I think it'll do you good if you start meeting and being with more people sooner to get over this."

"Not sure about this dance party you're talking about, but staying at home looks so appealing all of a sudden."

"Nope! You are going to the dance with me, ok? I am not going to let you mope around in your house with your cat as your companion."

"Hey, what's wrong with being with Snowball?"

Her best friend was referring to her 3-year old Siamese. And if Maya isn't mistaken, the sudden change of subject already made Yuri forget about what happened today. At least for now.

"You can't dance with a feline. And," Maya continued before Yuri could protest, "You can't sulk all the time. Where's your party spirit?"

"Maya, please…"

"No arguments, Yuri. Go for our sake if not for your own. Besides, I already know where we can buy a dress!"

She heard Yuri sigh. "Fine, I'm going."

Maya ignored the obvious reluctance in her voice. "Yosh! We'll get dressed here at my place." She said, back to her old, cheery self.

Maya prattled away about the dance and how great it will be just to keep the positive spirit of the conversation going. She even added funny what-ifs that might happen during, referring to some mishaps she and Mitsui had encountered during their lengthy courtship period. Yuri was giggling at the other end of the line when she noticed that they have been at it for more than an hour now. Maya excused herself, saying that she'll begin preparing snacks as Mitsui might already be hungry. She doesn't want to let him go for his usual basketball practice with an empty stomach. They exchanged goodbyes then hung up.

Maya replaced the phone back to its cradle. She felt instantly melancholic after the call, and whatever face she had on then when she turned to Mitsui, he responded with a friendly smile and opened his arms for her.

Maya leaned forward and collapsed into his arms. She clung to him like a helpless child with her head buried in this chest, and he welcomed it with an equally tight hug and a long kiss to her hair. She wished life would be like this forever.

She looked up at Mitsui and said, "Let's do whatever we can for her, okay?"

Her boyfriend smiled at her then nodded. "I like that you took it upon yourself to help her see what she might miss in all this. Fujima's a school rival and arrogant as hell. But I don't think he's a big enough dickhead to screw this up pretty badly."

Maya rested her head on his chest again. "I know. I believe you," she said.

What she didn't say to her boyfriend or to her best friend was, as she was dismissed from the Teachers' Room, she overheard the fuming basketball manager at the head teacher's table complaining about his star athlete, Fujima Kenji, for tearing the entire sports gymnasium upside down for unknown reasons and picking fights with some of his teammates who dared step forward to stop him.

DISCLAIMER
Slam Dunk is not mine but by Inoue Takehiko.
You know this already, so don't sue me.