Hallways. (tie me to you)
Intertwining corridors.

Tuesday Morning

"You're such an idiot Junpei."
"Hey, I thought that you were meant to be the good student here!"
"Yeah, that's why you're the idiot in this situation."
"Who told you to throw those elastic bands back at me anyway eh?"
"Well, you started it… besides, Junpei, you know I never back down from a fight."
"Even an elastic band fight. Do you think sensei will forgive us for ruining her new hairdo with elastic bands?"
"Hopefully…"
"She looked pretty annoyed… urgh, my legs are killing me from standing in the hall way for so long."
"If I were Yukari I'd tell you to man up and stop being an idiot."
"Well, I'm glad that you're not Yuka-tan then, and also she'd call me Stupei."
"Fine then, man up Stupei."
"I'm telling you to... man down then?"

The brown haired girl looks at her friend and breaks out in a laugh, the red earphones around her neck swaying from side to side as she holds her sides struggling to be quiet. The boy tries on his exasperated expression but it soon breaks into a smile as well. It's hard to be angry at your best friend over something so idiotic.

She makes a strange noise, something between a 'ktchoow' and 'ptchoo' while she flicks her fingers out so that they form the shape of a gun in order to tip up the brim of Junpei's cap. "Hey!" He calls out, readjusting the hat with a laugh before slumping against the hallway, reclining against the wall and the ground. There's something… "I'm sick of this standing business."

"Don't worry I'm sure we'll be let in sooner or late…" her words trail off as she raises her arm in a slight waving motion.

Junpei looks at where her red eyes are trained and sees Akihiko Sanada, captain of the boxing team, every girl's dream and king of the third years, or so he had heard. He looks back to his friend, her mouth is moving, but she isn't saying anything. Her lips are forming a single syllable word, a name, but then she catches herself and stops.

She stops, and starts again. "Hey there Akihiko sempai! What are doing in the second year hallway? I never see you around here."

He is more honest… more blunt than Junpei had anticipated he would be. Nothing like… someone else, a blue eyed boy who had been smooth with words and moved away just as soon as he had come.
"I need to get some paper from the student council room. Something about the accounts for the boxing club." The silver haired young man looks at his kohais outside the classroom. One sitting, the other standing and can't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
"Oh… We got kicked out for rabble rousing in class, didn't we Junpei? Although mind you, he started it." She laughs good-humouredly. "So, as punishment, we are currently standing outside, as you can see."

The sitting boy looks up from his spot and flashes a quick smile, "yup, that's pretty much it. Although, if we're being honest she was the one who got caught."
She turns and pouts at him, "You just didn't want to admit that you were losing and got me in trouble.
"As if I would lose!"

Akihiko laughs as the lively babble continues making his way to the right room. He finds it funny, and at the same time he is… No that's not right… The young man shakes his head.

And she looks at him in the corner of her vision. She can see his retreating back, moving further and further away, and she can't stop straining her eyes until he closes the door behind him and leaves the walkway. She barely notices when Junpei passes her, saying something about needing to use the bathroom. The standard response is echoed, "I didn't need to know that," but without any fluctuation of her voice.

"Know what Miki kun?"
"Hidetoshi san!" She is startled, isn't it still class time? "You wouldn't be cutting class would you?" She laughs at the incredulity of the thought.
He smiles as well, that half smile half smirk that people sometimes mistake for arrogance, but she knows better than most.
"No, I'm going to pick up some handouts from the faculty office. You on the other hand, appear to be in trouble."
"Mm… But I'm being given a strict punishment for it aren't I?"

When Akihiko walks out, files in hand she is still there, standing, and this time bidding farewell to someone else. A boy that he doesn't know very well apart from for the armband that designates him as part of the student council. Her smiles are so easy and forthcoming, that's the face that she shows to everyone isn't it? Those cherry lips upturned into curves. Her smiles are expected and she delivers, almost always. It's hard for her, not to be so… it irritates him. The way she so casually pats his shoulder as he walks away and the way he looks at her, almost as if… Something rages inside him, and he can't calm down. What in the world is wrong with him? Akihiko wants to turn around and walk in the other direction just as much as he wants to walk past as if nothing is wrong. He know that he isn't very good at the whole socializing thing, but this is…

She makes the decision for him. "Sempai." She waves at him again, the arm motions a little wider than before. Well… it's not like he has much of a choice anymore.

In the empty corridor, she smiles, brighter than before.

And when he sees that smile, some small part of him whispers that when it comes to her, there was never a choice to begin with.

I actually had this written and planned for the second chapter at first, but uh, somewhere along the line I decided to add other things. To be honest I'm writing all of these out of order and then putting them together.I was also thinking about keeping this as the fourth chapter and writing a different third chapter but uh... I don't know. Self confusion. XD

Writing this chapter made me realize that I do not do dialogue very well. I usually try to avoid it when writing but uh… Circumstances called I guess.

Also I love the social links and all the other SEES members, so uh, I'm trying to write them in here as well. This ended up with a lot of Junpei didn't it?

I kind of hate the ending, but I couldn't think of anything else. OTL.