Chapter Three:
Well,...our first day as a team seemed...
Nope. I'm not going to lie to myself and say it was alright. It was chaotic.
After having to "consult" with our stalker in the nurse's office and carry my twice-fainted friend to her house, with little help from Ella, I was tuckered out. I'd never dealt with a colorful character like "Gou", the ginger boy who made a bold enough statement about loving female swimsuits to shut the trap on Angelina Jolie. I might have overreacted but it's hard to come by folks like that. So I let the poor soul go with a "slap on the wrist".
Ella wasn't happy with me about that, but then again she wasn't happy with anything not going her way. Especially when I had to drag her with me to take Kasumi home. She kept complaining about her wrists while carrying all of the bags on the way there.
Kasumi's mother was kind enough to let us stay with Kasumi until she woke up. She was about as tall as my grandmother and had dark-colored hair. I could've sworn it looked as deep blue as a raven's in the sunlight, but I didn't get a good look. Though she had a nice little smile. Like mother, like daughter.
"Didn't Kasumi have a change of clothes? The nurse could've at least given us a towel for her," grumbled Ella as I set Kasumi down on her bed.
"Well, we'll just have to leave it as is. It's a wonder she wasn't woken up to the cold breeze outside."
"She's passed out. I'm sure she wouldn't feel it."
Ella rolled her eyes at me before turning to Kasumi's desk. I sighed as I watched lil' Kasumi sleep, thinking that she'll catch a cold if she's left like that.
And Ella's complaining won't make it better. She really didn't have any place to say something before like that.
I didn't see any other alternative other than to leave her be and wait in her room, so I stood by Ella and looked at Kasumi's room. It was neat and tidy with very little displayed other than text books and journals on her desk and a half-way open closet. Even her clothes were as adorable as her personality. Her room and everything she had was oozing cute and girly. I wondered if it were too girly to be true...
"Hey, you think Kasumi will mind if I get into this box?"
My mind switched back to Ella as she bent over and opened the lips of a cardboard box sitting by the chair. Inside were neatly stacked books.
"Ooo. Manga!"
She plucked one out of the box that had a girl with neon pink hair punching through a cement wall on the cover. Ella read aloud the title, "Aino-chan! Let's go!". Apparently it was an oldie from a couple years back.
In spite of leaving alone other people's personal belongings my curiosity took over and made me take a book. Like Ella I opened to the first page and read, but I sat against the wall instead of on my stomach on the rolling chair. I warned her, and only got a scoff in response.
The art in the book was great, real eye candy. One problem: I couldn't translate the first kanji I saw. I was stuck on that dang thing for twenty minutes.
Man, I shoulda' paid more attention to Daddy when he gave me those language lessons..., I thought.
Over the sound of my brain frying in my skull I heard something stir on the left. Kasumi sat up looking confused.
"Oh, hey, you're up. We were wondering about you," I said.
Ella noticed her after me. "Look who decided to join us!"
Anyone would assume that a friend would ask what happened or how their friends took them home...I don't think Kasumi was one of those people.
A noise sounding like a gasp crossed over to an inhale to a hairball came out of her small mouth. I'd'a thought that she was possessed by the devil if her eyes were rolled back. But she looked sick.
"Hey, you're lookin' a little pale there, Kasumi-chan," I tried saying with a friendly chuckle. "You still woozy?"
"U-U-U-U-"
"Maybe she didn't want us to read her books from that box?" Ella offered.
That was when I noticed that she was looking at the box.
"Oh, I'm sorry. We'll put 'em back if you don't want us to read 'em."
"Yeah, we didn't know that you'd freak out about i-agh!"
Before I could react, Ella tried leaning into the box on her stomach but fell right over.
"Oo-gh...Bollocks...That's gonna hurt in the morning..." she grunted.
"Are...are you okay, Takemono-chan?" squeaked Kasumi.
"I'll be fine..."
"I thought I told ya' not to do that the first time," I told Ella.
"Oh, bug off, you wanker," she huffed.
I didn't care if she cursed at me in her funky British terms, but it did sounded funny coming out of her mouth. I laughed right back at her and tried skipping over the fricking kanji I couldn't read.
"Umm," Kasumi tried to say as she pinched her nose, "You're...free to read...the books..I'm..not upset..."
"You're not?" I asked. "Okay, then. I'll keep readin' 'cuz this is getting interesting."
"Yeah, this is pretty cool what you got here..I guess."
Kasumi sat next to me and said, "You don't think it's...weird?"
"Not really, no. My daddy has a whole bunch of these in the attic at my grandmother's, so it doesn't really faze me. Why?"
"Not a lot...of people think...it's okay."
"Having manga?" interrupted Ella. "What's so bad about reading comi-hey, what the hell is this?"
She pulled out an old notebook worn-out, Sharpied in black, and drawn-over with gruesome letters and a pentagram. If my grandma were to have seen that-oh, gosh, would she birth a cow and a calf!
But Ella didn't stop there.
" 'Socery Guide to the Perverse and Divine'. 'Written by Osana Magische Flugel'..."
"Did you just say something in German?" I scoffed.
Kasumi hunched over on her stomach and bowed, saying in an embarrassed, scared, high-pitched voice I could barely understand, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to see that!"
"You mean you wrote this?" Ella inquired.
Kasumi rubbed her head into the carpet as a nod.
"It's too embarrassing..."
"Oh..my gosh..so basically, you were a 'chuuni' in junior high?" said Ella.
"What's a 'chuuni'?" I couldn't help to ask.
"It's like this...it's kind of like...ugh-okay. So, really, it means 'eighth-grade syndrome'. Some eighth graders either act stuck up and think they know better than others, or...some of them believe that they have supernatural powers."
"Oh..."
So I guess it was too good to be true, her being really girly. But it's not like I wouldn't have expected this. And it's not right to judge her.
"Kasumi, you can sit up."
She obeyed, and I repeated it again to her so she'd understand.
"If you didn't want us to know about it, then we can put it back and pretend we never saw it."
"...You mean...you don't find it weird?"
"Not really, no."
Man, I'm at a loss for words...
"This is a secret...but...when I was in elementary school, I used to pretend that I was a princess. Kids used to make fun of me until I stopped in middle school. So I understand...in some manner, I guess."
And to Ella I said, "We understand, right, Ella?"
"Yeah...sure..." she replied complacently, "I mean, I never had that kind of imagination..but sure, let's say I understand."
She put the notebook away and gave all of us a peace of mind. With that out of the way we could focus on how well Kasumi was and if she'd be alright to go to school the next day. With few words she reassured us everything was fine, so the conversation dropped shortly after. I guess the whole "chuuni" thing wasn't a good card to pull out of the hat...
Both Ella and I left at sunset. We waved goodbye to Kasumi and her mother at the door, then split up by the beach. I didn't leave right away because of the view. Back home I hadn't gotten the chance to visit the shore as often as everybody else. The only time I came close to a body of water was a pond and the neighbor's mud hole for the pigs. But the ocean...gosh, was it gorgeous. It just sparkled in the sunlight like a sequin dress and hummed with the waves to a soft tune I hadn't heard before.
I sat down on the sidewalk and took my shoes off. The sand was warm on my feet, and the breeze was just right. The whole day seemed to wash away with the water...
"Mueller...-san?"
Next I knew there was Tachibana-kun standing behind me with his school bag in hand. From down below he looked like a giant, even when he was already that tall to begin with.
"Oh, hey, Tachibana-kun," I said with a smile, brushing off the dirt on my skirt. "You can call me 'Samantha', if you'd like. What with the whole talk we all had in the nurse's office..."
"Oh...'sore ja' (well, then), hello, Samantha-chan."
The way he said my name was...cute? Or was it heart-pounding? I would say both because I loved how he said it and made my heart go, as they say, "dokidoki". I even had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from blushing so hard. It didn't work.
"Okay, 'Makoto-kun'," I replied, finding myself smile gleefully, "what're you doing out here in the evening?"
"I'm running errands for the family dinner. Just to the 'konbini' (convenience store). Are you going there as well?"
"Sure! Why not?"
It was close by, and my grandmother had (surprisingly) texted me to go there at the most convenient of times. So Makoto and I went together. Just as friends. To the store. Together.
I mean, he probably didn't think of it as anything serious. Makoto certainly didn't show it. And, you know, I had to get my grandmother her...cabbages and tomatoes? (I checked my 'keitai' and I could've sworn that that's what it said. But she never put any of those in her stew) So, this wasn't a big deal.
Nope...
But I gotta say, when I talked to him about our families and he talked about his younger siblings so tenderly. Their names were Ren and Ran, one little boy and girl (I think he said they were twins?) who loved their big brother and Haru. I made sure not to smile at him too fondly. It was be a dead giveaway that I was marveling at him.
"How about you, Samantha-chan?"
"Hmm? Oh-my family...Well, most of them are in the US. My mother, father, uncles and aunts, um..my older sister..."
"You're the youngest?"
"Mm...yeah..."
My sister Trish, Tristine, was in college-well, on and off majoring in agriculture and theatre. I wasn't even sure if she even liked acting as much as she loved getting hungover at parties and come home to relieve herself in my bathroom in the middle of the night, but her Ag. professor fought with her about crops and fruits enough for her to change her mind too many times at the bottom of a shot glass. But that was Trish for ya': stubborn, snarky, sarcastic (in a funny way most of the time), and, of course, popular. Her "charm" and party girl attitude in high school got her all of the attention from the crowd and the trouble packaged with it. And she loved teasing me. Horribly.
Other than talking about my wily sibling Makoto helped me translate my grandmother's text at the store. What she actually needed were noodles and vegetable oil (well, hey, I'm not perfect. But the kanji wasn't my strong-suit). He didn't laugh at me when I asked for help or for screwing up two different letters. I guess it was because it wasn't in his nature to be rude like that, but that's what was so good about him. He showed me the aisle to look through and which products were the best to go for. There couldn't be anyone as kind as him in this country. And not back home, at least...
He wouldn't cheat on you behind your back with your best friend...
Ugh...
That's it. No more pity party for Sammy. I'll blow a gasket or something if I keep feeling sorry for myself.
"Samantha-chan?"
"Hmm?"
" 'Daijoubu'?"
"S-sorry. I'm fine-"
I looked around. Both of us were walking down a block with our groceries.
"Oh, dangit..."
"Something wrong?"
"Err...I think I missed my usual turn..."
I told him that I could find my way home, but he quickly jumped onto walking me back. That time I really blushed like a schoolgirl in front of him.
"Thank you...for walking me home. You didn't have to..." I said at the doorstep.
"Don't worry about it. It wouldn't feel good to let you walk in town by yourself when it's dark. You can easily get lost."
Aww..he's looking out for me..wait-looking out for me? Is that just him being polite or-or-
I bashfully grinned, trying to play it off so I wouldn't get my hopes up. He gave me the same courtesy and wished me good night; I did the same.
And that's how it ended. A few chuckle-headed smiles and "good-nights". Awkwardly. As friends. Just how it should've gone.
But I felt disappointed in the outcome. Good thing that grandma made us her utterly delicious stew for dinner.
"Hot damn! Look at that puppy sizzle!"
That's how she was when she made food.
"Mm-m! I can smell it from in here, grandma!" I hollered from the living room.
To my fortune the two of us didn't have to speak Japanese in the house. Grandma said her text was practice for me to get used to the language barrier and all, but a free-for-all at home.
"Well, Sammy-Dean*, we all deserve a break from rice and curry. Gotta remember some of the wonders we have back home!"
Sammy-Dean was her nickname for me. Samantha Deanne Mueller. Mom and Daddy couldn't think of any other name besides Samantha since they thought of it as a spin on my great-grandmother's name Sawako. Deanne was this grandma's given name, born and bred in Utah. She and grandpa didn't meet until she moved to my hometown in Texas, and my parents didn't meet until my dad moved in with grandpa after college. Out popped Trish, then me a couple years later. That's as much as the Fat Lady will sing, anyway...
"I know I'm up for that."
"You sound tired, darlin'," she stated when I leaned over the counter next to her, chin in my hands and watched the stew boil.
"Oh, I just had a long day is all," I yawned.
"So havin' some boy walk you home is so much fuss for a school day?"
"Grandm-"
"I ain't blind. I can see out the front window...
"Mm-m-m...he reminds me of your grandfather. But he wasn't as tall as that honeydew. Not even like your last-"
"Grandma..."
I pursed my lips, trying to pretend that I couldn't think of "his" name.
"Goodness gracious, child..."
She sighed and told me, "Never mind, doll. Now smile for me so I can see the room light up."
For her I did so, only because I needed an excuse to change the subject.
"There we are! Breath of fresh air for me!"
I gave a little laugh before reaching for the "taster" spoon.
"Hot damn, grandma! Tastes as great as ever!"
She hit me over the head with her ladle and told me, "Don't use that potty talk in my house, Sammy-Dean!"
"Alright, so it's decided! Samantha-chan will be the girls' captain!"
"Excuse me?"
"Ii-choo!"
"I'm already treasurer, Sam. And Kasumi-chan seems to be preoccupied at the moment..."
"Wha-ii-choo!"
"C'mon, Samantha-chan! You'll be a great leader!"
Saturday afternoon and I got out of school and visited Nanase's house to get together with the team. Not only was I trying to sink in that I had to have a half-day on my weekend and that I couldn't use the old phrase "You're like school on Saturday-no class!", but that I was being pressured into signing our club forms as the girls' team captain. I thought it was a joke until after I lost to Kasumi in rock-paper-scissors (or "janken" over here) and Nagisa began harping at me. Ella was more concerned about keeping her "treasurer" title, Kasumi was obviously too sick to voice her opinion, and the other two boys there just sat back and listened!
Makoto! I thought you were my knight in shining armor! Why can't you help me now! I thought. And where's Kou? Out of all days she gets to try takin' her pictures of the boys...
But in Kou's stead was one other who had the same habit as hers.
"Samantha-senpai, you'd do great as captain!" Gou piped in.
"Eww, who invited you in?!" demanded Ella.
"I've been here the same time you have..."
Ella was clearly still upset with him after the "incident". He apologized over and over all day before following us to Nanase's house. Now I had to step up and lay some ground rules so Ella wouldn't try to chop his head off. But that meant...
"I guess if no one else can do it..." I started to say.
That was enough to please Nagisa and hush the other two up. Kasumi and Nanase sneezed at the same time, so that was probably a good sign.
Makoto didn't say anything to me privately 'til it was time for us girls to go. By then I was regretting my decision to take the captain position when I heard Nagisa talk about future competitions we had to train for, but Makoto smiled ever so sweetly at me and said, "Since you and I are captains, let's do our best together for the team!"
Now how could I deny a face like that?
So I told him, " 'Hai'!"
And as my first act as captain I made the choice to give in and acknowledge Gou.
"I know I was wrong, " he pleaded as he walked home with us, "but if you give me a chance I promise I'll do you rig-I mean, umm-"
"You pig!"
I had to pull Ella back several times from clobbering him.
"You say you want to be the manager, but what do you have to be a good manager?"
" 'Sono'...well..I can talk to Kou-chan about scheduling the pool for you and creating charts for practice routines. If you need me to I can recommend swimsuits for you-"
Ella wanted to leave, but I had her stay.
"Give me a chance...Misuzu-chan, will you take my side?"
She couldn't give anything but a stutter.
"Gou-kun, you don't need anyone to side with you."
I couldn't believe myself say it, but I continued.
"Give me one reason to cut you off as manager and I will. After that you can't say that I never warned you."
He was happy about my decision and ran away with many "thank yous", but it made Ella huffy all the way home. I knew she'd sleep it off that night, but even Kasumi was hesitant. She kept quiet until Monday when Gou officially signed the club application form. Both of my friends weren't happy. Was I even qualified to be a captain?
I was handing out fliers at lunch and going to the pool after school with the others, but I didn't feel right. A new member met us Monday and seemed real sweet, a pretty little thing with a small face, petite figure, and long, wavy teal hair, and I tried as best I could to make her feel welcome. Then I realized that it was the girl from the first day who helped me to the teacher's office, though her real name was Ryuko Michiko (last to first) instead of the opposite. I guess she was referring to my foreign culture then...
She answered the few questions I could think of that were meant to be friendly, but she still had some distance put between us as though she were scared. That sort of thing put me down. When I was on the gymnastics team as a kid I loved getting together with my friends and I was offered a position like "captain" and took it. Then all of those friends acted distant towards me because I had to put my foot down at times.
But I can made things right here. It's different with my new friends and teammates. We're all close-knit!
And we were...sort of. I guess I could call it "my first strike" for screwing up that made it different between Ella and Kasumi and I. I had to admit that the new "manager" was slacking in the up-keep. We weren't in the pool yet, no thanks to the weather, but Kou had talked to a captain at Samezuka Academy for joint-practice, and Gou was more focused on swimsuits than teamwork. Again, my first strike for allowing him on the team too quickly. But I wasn't going to let that stop me from making my best effort as captain.
After all I made a commitment to my friends. And to Makoto.
So, at the end of that week after school all of us got together to ride the train to Samezuka. I had to wipe away the classroom grogginess out of my eyes to keep it together since I had been losing some sleep and my usual pace in studying, but I was perfectly ready to train with the others. And on the plus side-I could dive into cool water and wake up faster!
Before leaving we had to wait for Nagisa and Ella to bring the classmates of there's who were interested in our club. First came Ella with Ryuko (after the quiet period that passed since she was last with us) and quickly following behind was her butler (I forgot to mention that. Nagisa had the whole team go down to the track and see this other guy he wanted on the team, and suddenly this man in a "penguin" suit addresses her as "Lady". It was pretty obvious that she was wealthy even when she tried to deny it and left right away). Then Nagisa and the guy he finally sunk his claws into, "Ryugazaki Rei". He was a studious young fella' who kinda touched his glasses too much and was embarrassed to be around our cherub-faced little swimmer. But beggars can't be choosers.
I just wish that I could put that manager on a leash..
Gou wasn't as had as he could be on the train, but as soon as we entered Samezuka's natatorium he perked up like a kid in a candy store (and not in any other way than it sounds like. Y'all just nasty...). It was my responsibility to keep him close by as Makoto had the same issue with Nanase (not with looking at girls awkwardly like the boys' captain Mikoshiba, but with keeping Nanase out of the pool. Unlike earlier when he managed to dip his head in the water like he were going to somersault in). Then taking care of the shy Kasumi cowering behind me, Ella still upset with me, acting encouraging and welcoming to the new members, and greeting the other team captains present.
Right...that'll be something to organize.
Gou. Kasumi. Ella. New kids. Other captains. Stay awake. Remember to go to the store later. Remember to study for the next test. Homework. Shower. Bed.
Just can't catch a break, now can I?
"So, who here is the captain of the boys' team and the girls' team?"
I made my presence known to the red-haired girl like Makoto with a polite bow. She smiled, introducing herself as the Samezuka girls' captain Chie Emi and talked with us girls separately as the boys went to go change. Chie made small conversation with me as an ice breaker starting with my name.
" 'Mueller-san', 'hai'?"
" 'Hai'."
"How's it going with the girls' team so far?"
Oh, you know, I've got a small-time pervert who I allowed to be our manager running around and having to babysit him without being paid.
"Well, we recently cleaned out the pool and recruited only one new member. There hasn't been a lot of practice, to be honest."
"Ah, I understand. Our team was recently formed as well. But it's good to know where to start off with this time trial."
"Exactly."
Oh, if only I had your kind of grace and poise, Chie, then maybe I could be able to tackle one of my issues.
In many ways she looked the part of a respectable, elegant young lady. And her teammates treated her like an older sister, some more incorrigible than others, but overall...kindly. So I could be like her and succeed, right?
Then again, Makoto was another case. As a friend he was a sweetheart by default and could be himself, yet as a captain he could say when it was time to be serious and they'd listen. So, maybe it was his bonds with his friends that made him more leader-like?
But Mikoshiba was also different. He could get away with acting like a gym coach and holler orders, and his teammates respected him. Little did he ever cut some slack as far as I could tell.
Too confusing. I had one captain who took control by being "the friend", another who barked orders, and another who walked the fence between each opposing element. Where was I to fit in?
I didn't have a clear head for the practice as we girls changed out of uniforms. It didn't bother me to undress in front of them because I was too preoccupied by my "captain crisis" to care, but I knew by a second nature that Kasumi would have been very embarrassed and wrap a towel around herself then change underneath (which she did as I could recall). Our swimsuits on the other had weren't the greatest of choice for competitive swimming (mine being the lime green plaid bikini that I had for a couple months, and the others' as either old one-pieces-Ryuko's being the nicest of them all. She had a dadgone slick one-piece, chique lavender and black with a lacy cover-up to make it even more modest. How could anyone not see that she was Richie Rich rich?!).
That wasn't the situation at hand. I had to try and be a captain in front of Ella, Kasumi, and Ryuko.
How about as friendly like Chie?
"Alright, girls, let's go watch the guys. Kou, I need you to not drool over their muscles."
Okay...this is good...
"I don't drool."
"No, but you stare. I already have a pervert as a manager to babysit. So silently marvel at them o-"
" 'Nii-chan'!"
Kou then left. Without letting me finish.
"Okay, that's fine. You know what to do, so I'll let you be you," I said to her (well, myself, really). "Guess that just leaves Gou-"
Who was glancing back and forth at each girl close-by. It's one thing to stare, but I saw something shiny and rectangular sticking out of his coat pocket.
A camera!
The team was fine without me while I approached the manager, calmly asking him what he was holding in his pocket.
"It's my 'ke-' umm, my pencil case..."
"Gou-kun, I trust that you know that this joint-practice is important to everyone, but remember that I do keep my end of the deal whether it works-or fails..."
I wanted to hint it more than say it bluntly. It was his first mistake, so a reminder was okay in my book.
"I-I understand..."
He held his head low. He was making a sad puppy face...My heart was breaking...
Oh no...not the sad puppy face...
"Thank you, Gou-kun. As your first job as manager can you keep tab on our times for practice? We'll need to know where to start from here."
Not even a second after and he was back to his cheery self and pulling out a notebook and pen from thin air.
Goodness, I'm a bleeding heart for any person...At least this tackles one issue.
SPLASH!
There went Ryugazaki. And then SPLASH! Ryuko and Ella slipped on the edge of the pool and into the water. Everyone else gawked.
I ran to their side of the pool and looked in. They were fine, just dazed. But I still asked to make sure none of them sprained anything.
"We're good, Sam. My knee just hurts like hell," Ella called back.
"Ryuko-san?"
"I'm quite alright, thank you."
Thank the Lord! I sighed on the inside.
The other captains were trying to recollect their thoughts and everyone else's while the two climbed out of the pool. Some girls went to go find a mope and talked to themselves or Ella and Ryuko, but the guys stayed together. I wouldn't have been surprised.
"Is everyone alright over there?" Makoto asked as he walked towards me.
"We're all fine, thanks. Just surprised is all."
"What a relief! It wouldn't have ended well if someone were hurt..."
"Yeah, thank goodness."
To my relief, Makoto stayed close to me as we watched Nanase hop onto the diving board next. He dove right int and swum around as content as frog in a pond, not even trying to make a record for the time trial. And I guess it was just our team that seemed to notice his calm demeanor in the water. Somehow it was refreshing since we didn't have to tie him down from jumping in.
Calm, huh? Nanase's just himself in the water...wait a minute! I can be myself as leader..not fear by other or too much the friend, but take control as I would every day..Would that work?
The only way to know was to try.
After Nanase finished I talked with the girls and then mentioned who'd go up next. But someone beat me to the punchline. Kasumi went up to the diving boards.
But she can't handle the water yet like last time? Could she?
"Misuzu-san!"
"Kasumi!"