Chapter Two
I nervously open the door to the roof, where Gon told me to meet him and Killua. We're technically not allowed to be up here, and knowing that Gon isn't one to break rules, I know it must've been Snow White's idea. I cringe as the door shuts loudly behind me.
"Kou!" Gon calls out, waving at me. I shyly smile, hating the fact that I have no say in whether or not that snob can hang out with us. If Gon says so, there's no arguing. You won't get your way, not with those doe eyes of his staring into your soul.
"Look, Kou! Killua's teaching me how to ride a skateboard," Gon says, one foot on the board. He lifts his other foot onto the deck, and awkwardly wobbles back and forth like a baby deer learning to stand. I glance at Snow White, who looks back at me with dull, uninterested eyes. He quickly looks away, just as Gon falls and catches himself with his feet. The skateboard rolls away and hits the cement wall surrounding us. Killua jogs up to it, with Gon close behind.
"Here, Gon, like this."
Killua places his foot onto the board and swiftly stands, straight and solid like a rock. Gon studies the stance closely.
"Now, you try."
He steps off and gestures for Gon to practice. I walk to the bench where their things are, and take out my lunch.
This is so boring.
I take a bite of my sandwich, and watch Gon fail and attempt for a few minutes, with Killua quickly instructing the 'correct' ways. The sun is beating down upon us, and I can already feel myself sweating. I really don't like being outside on such hot days, mostly because I can pass out from heatstroke. I pause, taking another look at the two, and shove my sandwich back into my box.
"Gon. Gon!" I yell from my spot.
He quickly turns around.
"Yeah?"
"...I'm going to go inside."
"Whaaat? Why?"
"Um, it's too hot to function. And..."
And I'm bored as hell. And I really don't like your new 'friend'.
"And yeah. I'm just burning up out here."
I feel Snow White's eyes trained on me.
"Oh, okay. Do you want me to go with you?" Gon asks, moving towards me as I sling my bag over my shoulder.
"No, it's okay. I know you were looking forward to hanging out with him," I say, looking at Killua. He looks away, and starts messing with his skateboard. A lump starts to form in my throat.
"Okay, then. I'll see you in class!" Gon chirps. I wave, and turn to walk away. I feel a pit in my stomach, like my heart has fallen.
Some first day...
I hurry down the stairs, my shoes tapping loudly, and enter the halls. They're are littered with remnants of food and drink containers, and unknown girls and boys chatter loudly amongst each other. I feel extremely anxious and uncomfortable alone, but I couldn't ask for Gon to go with me. He was having too much fun.
Where do I go now?
I glance at all the signs hung around for different rooms. There are many club rooms, and their attendees are hanging around the entrances, fretting over the upcoming chess competitions or piano recitals. I feel like everyone's staring at me; and while in the back of my mind I know it isn't true, it's all I can think about. Hesitantly, I pull open the door to the library. It's surprisingly empty, except for the librarian and a rather handsome blonde boy sitting by himself at a table, book in hand. The librarian looks at me, and motions to a journal sitting on the counter in front of her.
"Please sign in," she says in a soft, mellow voice. I do so, and walk around, looking at all the books stacked around. I place my bag on the table next to the boy, and pull out my jacket.
It's freezing in here, but I guess it's better than being outside in the heat.
I sit down, and pull out my lunch box.
"Ah, no eating in the library," the librarian quietly and quickly calls out, like she was waiting for it to happen. I let out a sigh and shove it back in my bag. I glance at the boy, whose eyes haven't moved from the text.
"Akira's Principles."
I don't read often, but that one was one of my all-time favorites, a recommendation from my aunt Nami. She said it was amazing. I wasn't let down.
I look at the boy again, not-so-discreetly. This time, he looks up and meets my gaze, but quickly sticks his nose back into the pages.
Is he shy or something?
I think about sitting next to him, but concluded it would be awkward and uncomfortable for both of us. Besides, I'm certainly no extrovert. I'd probably come off as more annoying to him than friendly, especially when he's so absorbed in such a great book. What kind of person would I be to distract one from reading?
I shift my eyes to the right, at the clock hanging on the wall. There's still a little over thirty minutes of lunch left, and I'm stuck here alone in the freezing library. I decide to pick out a book from the fiction section. As I scan over the titles, I see one that catches my eye.
Look at that. Another one of Nami's "must-reads".
I select A Silent Spark from the shelf. The dark, navy blue cover is worn and bent. I flip through it, and musk rises from the old wrinkled pages riddled with water stains.
As I sit down again, book in tow, I can see the boy peering at me from the corner of my eye. He softly clears his throat.
"That's a good one," he murmurs. I look, and make eye contact with him.
"O-Oh. Yeah. I heard it was good."
He nods with agreement, and before returning to his book, I speak up.
"...That's... Akira's Principles, right? My aunt and I love that one."
"Yes, it is. I really like it so far. The plot is quite intriguing."
"Isn't it? And the way the author writes it makes it just all the more interesting."
We ended up talking until the end of lunch.
"What I haven't quite figured out yet is why Akira wouldn't take the gift from Masaki. Wasn't that what she wanted?"
"Oh, I remember that! I can't say anything, though, because that would be spoiling one of the best parts."
When the bell rang, he shut the book, and neatly placed it in his bag.
"An intelligent conversation is always refreshing," he says, pushing in his chair.
"Indeed."
"By the way, I'm Kurapika. A third year."
A third year? Wow. Makes sense.
"Kou. First year."
"Are you, now? You're quite mature for your age, then."
"...I get that a lot," I shrug, messing with a loose thread on the end of my sleeve. He looks at me a little longer, and lets out a breath.
"Well, then, Kou, I'll see you around."
"Ah, yes. See you around."
With that, he leaves, and I giddily rock back and forth on my heels.
That wasn't so bad at all.
I make my way into the halls again, dodging body after body.
He seems complicated. The good kind.
After school, I sit on the bench beneath the large maple tree out in front of the school, where Gon and I agreed to meet to walk home together. I turn my head as I hear his voice, but my smile quickly fades as I see Snow White ambling along next to him.
"Hi!" Gon says gleefully, stopping in front of me. I wearily stand up.
"Is... Is he coming home with us?" I ask, trying not to sound too offensive or disappointed.
"No," Killua says, answering for him, "I have business to take care of at home."
Guiltily, my heart jumps a little with relief.
"Oh," I mumble, "Alright, then."
He waves at Gon, glances at me for a second, and turns around, walking away from us with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"Killua told me his family is really mean," Gon whispers as we begin to walk.
I nod, "Mm. Well, he isn't the only one with a 'mean' family."
Gon makes small face of sadness, focusing his attention on his footsteps. All is mum but the wind rattling the leaves on the trees.
"I hate him," Gon says. I don't say anything, for I have no energy to start this conversation.
"Well, he's still locked away right now, so... It doesn't matter if you hate him or not. He's gone regardless."
"But... Didn't you say he was... Getting out soon?"
I take a deep breath.
"Three months."
I check to see if his fists are clenched, which they are, and I can't help but smile.
The sun is already beginning to fall from the sky.
Just for clarification, the titles used in this chapter are made up, but, for a little 'spoiler', they will be referenced often in upcoming chapters.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!