Tittle: After School
Universe: AU
Rating: T
Genre: Highschool Romance
Summary: "Hey, let's make a bet, whoever gets the lowest score for the midterm test should date Orihime Inoue." After school, Inoue overheard the guys were talking about her. She couldn't do anything, after all this could be the only chance for her to have a boyfriend…
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5.
I wasn't a shy girl. Though I didn't have many close friends, I didn't find it was too difficult to talk with someone new. I was never a social butterfly but I did talkactive too. Even when I was with Kurosaki-kun, the scariest guy in Karakura High, I could talk with him normally, without getting scared or trying to run away from him. Well, he did scare me when the first time he talked to me, but now, I knew (or rather, I always knew) that he was not a bad guy like what everyone told me.
There was only a little problem. His eyes. Whenever he looked into my eyes, I lost my ability to speak. Talk to him was easy, as long as I didn't have to look into his eyes. It was unfair because most of the time he would look into mine and I ended up awkwardly speechless. That orange haired guy was a wizard. I should have realized it sooner. Maybe he'd really eat me one day...
Not that I would mind if he wanted to eat me.
Oh, no, not THAT.
Bad Orihime! Thinking about unthinkable thing. That was definitely inappropriate
"You're red."
"A-am I?"
We were on our way to my apartment. Ichigo was walking me home like usual today and yes I was speechless. I did say I lost my words ONLY when he looked into my eyes but apparently this had become worst. Lately, even walking beside him could make my tongue numb. Something about him absorbed me completely, I couldn't even think straight.
"You're not sick right?"
I shook my head quickly, "N-no." I laughed nervously, "I am sorry Kurosaki-kun I didn't mean to space out when you're here."
He sighed, "Fine."
I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. He was looking straight ahead. I was tracing his jawline with my eyes. This guy was really beautiful. Why would people call him scary? I mean, no matter from which angle I look at him, he would always look handsome. His eyes, nose, mouth, and even his scowl... He was the most handsome guy I'd met in my life. I was lucky that he lost the bet.
I think it was a little unfair though.
Losing his bet meant bad lucky for him, but from other perspective, it was very lucky of me because I finally had a chance to have a boyfriend. Though he didn't love me. It didn't matter. I had a boyfriend, and he was Kurosaki-kun. I'd never ask for more. He didn't need to love me back to make me feel happy, really.
I wondered how he would react if only he knew that I fell in love with him. Maybe, he'd get angry again.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
My apartment was still fifteen minutes away from where we were. I decided that I should say something. I didn't want to be swallowed by the awkwardness. I wondered if Kurosaki kun were in the mood of chatting...
"Do you..."
...like me?
Ok, forget it.
I would never be able to ask him that straightforwardly. Not if I knew the answer was no.
"What?"
He sounded rough but I knew he wasn't angry. I'd learned that when he snorted, shouted or scowled, that didn't mean he was angry to me. Well, not always. I knew sometime he would hate me because I was really sloppy and noisy. I was also know, another reason why he might be angry at me.
"...hate me?"
"He hates you, he definitely hates you..."
"What? W-why!"
"Don't listen to her, Orihime, if Tatsuki were here, she'll beat her."
"But it's true!" Chizuru put her hands on her hips, trying to tell the other that she was right.
They were putting their shoes, get ready to get home. As usual, Tatsuki was really busy so Orihime would go home with Ichigo again. However he had been waiting out there for her by the school gate. Orihime still couldn't say anything as Chizuru kept saying things about Ichigo,
"Listen to me, my Princess," Chizuru glared at Mahana once before back to Orihime, "you're dating right? Normally, people do things when they're dating."
Orihime put her other shoe on, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing, "Kurosaki-kun never did anything to me. He's always nice."
"See?" Chizuru pointed her finger, "THAT'S exactly what I mean?"
"What do you mean?" Ryo rolled her eyes, she had done putting her shoes, now waiting for her other friends so they could walk together, at least to the school gate.
Chizuru smirked, "Well, he hasn't kissed you, right?"
"Oh boy," Mahana rolled her eyes, "If Tatsuki heard you said about this, you're dead, Chizuru."
Chizuru ignored the other girl. She watched the girl with long wavy hair blushed at her question. She knew the answer already without Orihime saying anything. Oh God, did it easy to read Orihime...
"Don't you think it's weird?" Chizuru started again.
"The only weird thing here is you," stated Ryo coolly. Mahana nodded at that smart statement.
"Right, Orihime?" Chizuru ignored those two again, "since the beginning, it has been weird why he would ask you to go out with him. There's something fishy," she coughed, "he must be planning something."
Orihime laughed nervously, of course she couldn't tell them that she knew why he wanted to date her. If those people knew that he only dated her because of losing a bet, or if he knew that those people knew... She had fallen in love with him. If they knew about this, she had a feeling that he would leave her, and she wasn't ready for that.
"There's nothing wrong with us, Chizuru-chan..." Orihime managed to keep her voice even. "he didn't mean anything bad."
"He is dangerous, Orihime!" Chizuru spat, "Kurosaki is the worst guy, he could make you cry!"
"Don't say something like that," Orihime pouted, "Kurosaki-kun isn't like that!"
"What about me?"
Orihime jumped a little when someone patted on her shoulder. Her friends were also surprised because none of them had realized that there was someone else there. Ichigo was standing there behind the auburn haired girl, scowling like usual.
"Ah, Kurosaki-kun, what are you doing here?" Orihime tried not to sound panic, she hoped that he didn't hear what Chizuru had said about him. She knew that Chizuru and Ichigo kind of... despised each other.
"You took so long so I decided to come here to pick you up," he asked again, "so, what did she said about me?"
Orihime saw Chizuru was about to opened her mouth to say something. She thanked Ryo and Mahana secretly because they also saw it and quickly used their hands to stop Chizuru from saying anything that could endanger her own life. Orihime took the chance to grab Ichigo's hand and pulled him away from her girl friends.
"Oh, it's time to go home, see you tomorrow all!" Orihime ran leaving her friends, stlll pulling him with her.
"What's it again?"
I gulped. We stopped about three blocks from my apartment. I really regretted saying something like that. I didn't know what I was thinking at the time and now I wished I could just take my words back, but it was impossible with him standing there, looking at me with a serious scowl on his face.
"No, it's just..."
"Was it something your friends had said earlier?"
Orihime bit her lower lip, tried so hard not to meet his eyes.
"Oi, you have to answer when someone asked you something."
"No, that's not it..." she lied, "I... Just wondered..."
He narrowed his eyes, "Yeah?"
"You know, since we're going out you almost never have time to spent with your friends... You always walk me home, you know... You can just go out with your friends after school... You don't have to worry about me..."
He sighed. It sounded weirdly like a relieved sigh.
"So, you thought I'd HATE you because of that?"
She blushed.
She had lied but that was half truth too.
"Yeah..."
There was a long pause between us.
Far away I could hear the crows. Ah, I had said something wrong, hadn't I?
He took my hand suddenly and continued walking with his hand holding mine, "Stupid."
I felt like my heart was ready to jump out of my chest when we continued walking to my apartment. I had to remind myself that this was only a bet. I shouldn't put my hope too high. He wasn't serious about me, it was a punishment game... I...
When I realized it, we were already in front of the apartment building. I tried to invited him in, and actually I was rather relieved when he said no.
"I would go back now."
"Oh, okay..."
"Oi, look at me."
I tilted my head shyly. Kurosaki-kun was scowling just like usual but something I couldn't explain was different with him. His expression was a bit different. He looked a bit... soft?
I was still thinking about why he looked different at that time when he slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. It was a kiss.
I was so stupid.
That was my first kiss and it was from a guy I liked the most but I was really stupid so I just stood there like a stupid girl I was, letting him kissing me. Slowly, his hands were on my cheeks, pulling me closer to him. I closed my eyes after four seconds and then his tongue...
That was the best kiss I ever had. Oh, not that I had any before. I just knew that this was the best kiss ever.
When he pulled away I wasn't able to look at him.
"I go now," he said casually, as if the kiss had never happened, "see you tomorrow..."
I nodded but refused to look at him.
He kissed me... He kissed me... He kissed me...
Did that mean he might like me?
I hope so...
The school festival... Maybe I should really confess my feeling to him?
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TBC
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
:D i will update sooner if you review ;)