Getting Credit
Chapter 5
Sitting with Sasuke isn't half bad. This I think to myself as we practice dialogue from the textbook. I fumble with the hiragana, kicking myself.
He replies evenly. "Hawai no tenki wa yokatta desu. Tabemono wa oishikatta desu. Takusan sakana o tabemashita." I find myself watching him; his black lashes lowered, lips moving. His reading is flawless and I realize it's the first time I've heard him speak. His lashes lift and black eyes are stuck on mine.
"Anata no me…" he murmurs, tilting back his head. I blink. That's not in the textbook. I frown. He's looking at me. "…wa sora no you de aru." His lips turn up a little.
What a weirdo. I give him an awkward grin, fidgeting with my pencil.
I return my gaze to the thin yellow textbook and feel him watch me before turning away with a snort. I spy on him from a corner in my eye. He is frowning at the wall, as though deeply offended by its off-white color and lack of adornment. Then he turns back and catches me looking. The flash in his black eyes chases mine away, and I throw my eyes at the door.
Kiba has gone. I can see out the door from my seat; he ditched after the first few humiliating minutes of being an "outstanding student." Can I blame him? It's just… the air feels cold around the empty seat, like a ghost on my skin. This I think to myself as I scratch clumsy characters into my notes. I almost miss him.
------------------------------
Kiba's bag is heavy on my shoulder. I take it for him on the off chance he comes back for me. I shuffle the band over my collarbone, hunting for a place where it doesn't dig in. I don't realize I'm being followed until Sasuke catches a wayward elbow.
"Are you following me?" I squint suspiciously at him.
He smirks at me. "Class is over, dobe. We all use the same door."
I try a sneer back on him. He's too amused for my taste, and I turn away. His hand on my arm stills me again.
"What?" I say it more curious than cold. His mouth tilts up. His hand is still on me.
"Your friend left. Would you like a ride home?" He says it cool and uncaring, but his eyes say different.
I cast a glance out the door. The sky is a thick, curdled grey like old gravy but a weak light shines through, as though outside our city it's a beautiful day.
"Thanks," I say, "but I think he's coming back for me." I make to leave, but his fingers tighten on me, keeping me close. He holds me for a moment before letting me go, silently, wordlessly. The tingle in my skin is all that remains of him as he vanishes across the parking lot.
* Hawai no tenki wa yokatta desu. Tabemono wa oishikatta desu. Takusan sakana o tabemashita. = boring textbook sentences, used to teach students the correct use of past tense verbs and adjectives.
*Anata no me wa sora no you de aru. = silly, rather unfortunate pickup line. In awkward Japanese.