Dreams
Her long slim legs swiftly yet gently touched the concrete ground as she ran past multiple classrooms along the corridor. She heard the discipline mistress shouting her name from afar but she did not care about that. She had to look for him. Only him.
Her heart was pounding against her chest rapidly due to many reasons. Firstly and obviously, she ran. Secondly, she was going to see him. Thirdly, she had a piece of good news to share with him.
Only him.
"Len!" she shouted as soon as she stepped into the classroom but her cheery mood diminished almost immediately upon seeing him standing in front of his homeroom teacher with a stunned look on his face.
"What did you just... say?" his voice sounded weak and unstable as he spoke to his teacher.
"Kagamine, I'm sorry. Your mother... is in the Emergency Unit."
She covered her mouth in shock, muffling her gasp. He turned his head around and stared at her with dull blue eyes.
"Len..."
He hung his head low and walked briskly towards her.
"Excuse me."
Obediently, she stepped aside and watched him ran out of the classroom. Her heart ached upon seeing how hurt he was and she could not even do anything to help him. She guessed she would tell him the good news next time when everything was better.
However, little did she know that these were the last two words he had said to her before their relationship started to fall apart.
Chapter 47: Excuses
It was probably the strangest thing that could ever happen in Gakupo's life. He swore that his eyes were perfectly fine and his mind was perfectly sane. No matter how many times he had rubbed his eyes and shook his head, the new and weird image of Meiko was still right before him. She had a pair of large brown oval glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, her previously long fringe was cut till very short, and her usual hipster clothes were replaced with a piece of plain white dress which was oversized and loose for her small frame.
Noticing his intense gaze, she sat down in front of him and asked in a fierce tone, "What?"
"Hold on. Chill," Gakupo said. "I was just wondering..."
"You're thinking I'm weird, right? Figures." Meiko shrugged and waved to a waiter who was heading towards their table.
"Not really..."
Meiko stared groomily at him as if telling him that she had already read his mind. When the waiter came to ask for their orders, Gakupo requested for a glass of orange juice while Meiko requested for a cup of hot milk tea.
Gakupo nearly gasped in horror. For the first time, Meiko did not order alcohol!
"Okay, this is weird. This is definitely weird!" Gakupo exclaimed as soon as the waiter left. "Did you have your head bang so hard that you have changed totally? The Meiko I knew would never forget her vodka!"
"Quiet down, will you?" Meiko hissed and looked around the bar for fear that people would look at them weirdly. "You mean I can't drink milk tea for a change, huh?"
"But even your looks have changed!"
Meiko blushed and immediately covered her forehead. "That's because I accidentally snipped my fringe too much! Now I'm left with an inch! A pathetic inch of bangs!"
Gakupo stifled a laugh and pointed at her glasses instead. "Explain the glasses then."
"This?" Meiko removed the pair of glasses and held it in front of Gakupo. "I want to look smart for once."
"Not a really good reason though. Now, explain your dress."
"This dress is my mum's," Meiko replied.
Tilting his head a little, he asked in puzzlement, "Huh? Why are you wearing your mum's dress?"
"I threw mine away. The whole of my wardrobe... well, except my undergarments." Meiko flashed a sheepish grin.
Gakupo's jaw dropped. Meiko had definitely banged her head against the wall many times. Why would she throw all her clothes away? Was she that devastated because of Kaito's rejection? If he had known better, he would have cancelled their usual hangout at the bar and let her rest at home instead.
"Sakine, are you all right?"
"Yes," she answered without hesitation and smiled.
"I don't think so..."
Meiko interrupted him, "I know what you're going to say, Kamui."
Gakupo frowned. "Huh?"
"I've already decided."
"Decided what?"
"To move on." Meiko stood up and stared at the ceiling with determination. "To become an asexual being and a consultant for the heartbroken!"
Gakupo gawked at her before smacking his palm against his face.
"She definitely banged her head so hard that she lost a screw..."
-:-:-:-
"What do you think about the offer?"
"It's a great opportunity."
"Then, did you agree?"
"Nope."
"Rin purposely omitted some information about you so that JUAFD will consider you."
"I know she meant well but concealing information doesn't help me at all." Len turned to look at Haku and smiled. "They will find out quickly anyway. During most interviews, they will first ask for your qualifications. If you don't meet an interviewer's expectation, the rest of the interview is just a pass-time."
Haku narrowed her eyes at him and then looked away with a grouchy look. "I wish Rin was like you. Full of pragmatism."
Len smirked. "I know. Great minds think alike."
Haku felt goosebumps all over her arms when he spoke like that with a smirk. She quickened her pace and walked towards the entrance while Len followed behind slowly as he looked at the posters and banners of different artistes on the wall. Many of them were bands, idol groups and models. He barely knew most of these people but there was one who caught his eye and made him stop in his tracks. Realising that Len was no longer behind him, Haku stopped walking too and turned to look at him, only to catch him staring at a model's picture on a large poster.
"Are you a fan of her?" Haku asked as she headed towards him.
Without leaving his eyes on the poster, he replied softly with a small smile, "No... just wondering... if Miss Kagamine will be as successful as her."
"She has tried so hard... so I know she will be successful. What matters is time."
Len quietly nodded and looked away from the poster.
"This girl here... she has never give up on herself. That's why she is here today, so successful." Haku stared at the poster longingly. "She grabs and fights for opportunities to make her dreams come true. Her efforts have made her what she is today."
Len listened quietly as he looked down with no emotion shown on his face. On the other hand, Haku's face slowly showed hints of sadness which was not caught by Len at all. Her right hand reached her cheek and slowly trailed up towards her right eye.
Then, she continued with a soft voice, "She really deserves to be a model... an idol whom everyone respects."
"Luka Megurine, huh..." Len mumbled to himself as his voice went unheard.
Removing her hand from her face, Haku turned to face him and said, "That's why... please think about the scholarship offer. Rin told me about your current situation and I think... you're still young and there are many opportunities waiting at your doorstep."
"I know..."
"Fashion designing is a cool job but not many people are offered this chance to work in reputable industries. You have one right in front of you now. That one is willing to pay for your school fees and give you monthly allowances. Isn't that great?"
Len raised his hand to stop Haku from rattling on and interjected calmly, "Enough... Please... Who is going to support my mother when I have to study?"
"Do you want to stay as a taxi driver for your whole life? With a meagre income?"
"I don't mind. As long as she's fine... being a taxi driver is nothing!"
"Well, I'm sorry if I'm poking my nose into your business but... can't you sacrifice just three to four years of your life studying further and get a higher paying job?"
Len scoffed irritability. "Three to four years? That's a long time."
"No, it's not. I'm sure that spending those few years to study will make a lot of difference in yours and your mother's life."
"My mother's health is my priority now so I've no time to think about studying," he stated casually as he waved her words aside.
"Really?" Haku clenched her fists and then snapped angrily, "Stop using your mother as an excuse! You're just running away. I bet you're always complaining about the lack of opportunities but now... you're not doing anything even when there's a huge opportunity!"
Len glared at her and bellowed, "Who are you to say this to me? What do you know about me? You know nothing."
"True. I know nothing. Just like a male teenager who knew nothing about me made me realise to take opportunities and fight for my real dreams."
"Teenager?"
"Yes, I met him when I was serving my internship. He was blonde and was under the care of an unemployed single parent, just like you. But he was determined and strong to fulfill his dream. Dreams aren't made by others, not even your mother, but you. Who you will be in the future is how you work on it now." Haku narrowed her eyes and lightly punched his chest with her balled fist. "There's no such thing as no opportunity when you don't fight for it."
Len brushed her fist off his chest and muttered, "That's just... plain stupid."
Haku snorted and pressed her forefinger on his chest again. "The stupid one is you. Even a young boy could fight for his dream despite knowing how bad the situation he was in at that time. I don't know how he's doing now but if he continues to be determined, he will definitely succeed."
Once again, Len brushed her hand off and moved away from the poster. He knew it very well not to put the blame on the poster. True... He was stupid. He wanted to blame everything on the poster. If not for the woman in that poster, Haku would not pester him and he would have left ALICE Studio sooner. If only, he had ignored that poster...
"Le... Len?" a familiar female voice, definitely not Haku's or Rin's, which he had missed dearly but did not wish to hear the most. "Is... th... that you?"
... of Luka Megurine.
He froze on the spot as his eyes fixated on the pink-haired woman standing a few metres away from him.
He knew it. It was all the fault of that poster.
Yes! I update on time :)
- You may want to skip this whole chunk of rants -
I like Haku in this chapter, especially her words. Even though I was the one who wrote this (written many months ago but it was not proofread yet), recently reading her words again reminded me to be strong. This year wasn't a really good year for me and my dreams were crushed... just like that. Despite getting a decent GPA (more than enough to go into a list of my dream courses), I could not get into any because of many factors: 1) parental disagreement; 2) lost mails (which contained my resume and letter of recommendation); 3) failed interviews.
The lost mails were the most devastating and confusing thing ever. My lecturers sent my letters of recommendation (together with the other applicants in the same folder). And guess what? Only mine were missing and I ended up not being called down for interviews. But I didn't give up and physically came down to the universities to submit all the letters again. This was to make sure that the schools really received my letters and resume. A week later, I received two calls for interviews and the interviews went very well. Right after the second interview, I overheard from my director (who was also part of the recruiting committee) that the interview which we were called down was actually conducted to 'clear the papers'. The courses were already full since 11th April 2016. And my interviews were on 28th and 29th April. So, yes, I was too late.
Many people told me that perhaps God has a plan and maybe these strange events were telling me that those courses were not meant for me. I really did not know what to think or feel anymore during that period so I shut myself up (the reason why I was missing from the fanfiction site since March). While I was lamenting about life, my father was the one who 'kicked my arse' telling me to wake up and without my permission, he applied an Australian university (and an entirely different field from what I have always been studying). "There's an opportunity now, isn't it? Stop being depressed. Grab it or lose it," he said. I wasn't really keen but yeah... I ended up studying the course he applied for me. Life's good (for now) TT_TT #AsianDad
Some of you have PM-ed me what happened and all, and I am really touched to receive such concerns even though we are far apart from each other. Thank you *virtual hugs*
In case some of you are also facing school problems and other stressful events, don't give up alright? When things seem to go the opposite from what you wanted them to be, don't be afraid to try another route. Who knows, you may reach the destination one day no matter how long that route is. What matters isn't time, but is our effort :)
- End of rants (and words of encouragement?) -
Special thanks to the reviewers:
- mitsu-hisoka
- Neame kke
- SnowQueenStya
- Yuu da best
Next, I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story. You have made my day!
Preview of the next chapter:
Chapter 48: Luka Megurine
"Looking back isn't going to do you any good."
"But what about you? You can't break our promise just like that!"
"Think about it realistically. What was in the past is the past, what's present is the present. Things change, so do we."
"But promises don't change... Len."
"Liar."
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