Hey guys, long time no see! I've forgotten my password for this site for the longest time lmao ;; buuuut, i was reading up on what was supposed to be my first chapterfic, which i had written like TWO YEARS AGO. anyways i realized while it was okay, there was more i could have added to it and stuff, so here i am! I'm gunna re-make the whole thing. well.. first chapter, anyways, seeing as there isnt anything else lol. hope you all enjoy!

The first day of school was always a little stressful for Gumi.

Although she had been dealing with it for the past two years, the first day of school was never easy for her. It always brought an anxious feeling to her stomach, making it difficult for her to fall asleep at night. When she woke, she was in a hurry to prepare for the day, and her OCD took over, making her make sure everything was perfect before she left the house. This included brushing her teeth for an extra few minutes than she usually would, or making sure that not a single knot remained in her short hair, or being sure that she felt fresh and clean.

However, when Gumi put that uniform on for the first day, all that anxiety washed away and was replaced with excitement. Today would mark the first day of being her being a junior. She was going into Grade 11! Gumi was growing up, and that very thought made her feel both excitement and worry-some. Being a junior came with all new responsibilities, and soon enough, she would be a senior within time.

Gumi was more than ready to tackle this year though. The past two years of school had been rather rough, but in that time, she had learnt alot. She had learnt alot about herself, too. No more would she be that weird shy kind who sat in the corner in classes-although, argueably, she was still rather weird. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew deep down, she still was.

However, she was going to work on that!

Gumi smiled to herself, at that thought.

'That's right.' She thought. 'No more being awkward. I'm just gunna be myself, I'm gunna speak my mind... and I'm not gunna let shyness, or anything get in my way, this time around! ' That, was her goal. And she was going to make sure she followed through it.

Albeit, although Gumi had sworn to try and change herself this year, many of her old habits still remained. She was still late running out of the door, nearly forgetting her bag or lunch, tripping over her untied shoe-laces. She was still clumsy as ever, and still very forgetful. As she looked down at the time on her phone, the more she thought she was going to be late, and miss the bus.

"Aw, jeez..." Gumi mumbled under her breathe, as she came to a halt where the bus normally stopped.

Nobody was there. Not a single person in sight.

Gumi took another look at her clock, and she could feel her heart racing. She let out a deep sigh, as she clutched the straps of her bag tight in the palms of her hands. 'Hope I didn't miss the bus...' She thought, trying to shove that thought to the back of her mind. She didn't want to give herself unnecessary anxiety already, on the first day. So, Gumi looked around again. She never knew, the bus always came at different times each first day-she tried to force herself into thinking she was just over-reacting. Gumi knew the bus would come, but that thought of it not coming made her feel sick to her stomach. She scrunched her eyebrows together, and feeling frustration taking over, she stumbled down over to sit on the curve of the sidewalk. Gumi squeezed her eyes shut, balling her hands into fists to cover her eyes. "No... no... no..." She mumbled to herself, trying to take in deep breathes.

However, Gumi stopped abruptly as she heard foot steps behind her. She froze, and looked up from her hands, and looked behind her. Her face was beat red, and her eyes were already bloodshot from trying not to get too upset. She just felt herself getting all the more hotter, seeing the taller figure standing behind her.

His red hair was unkempt, and his posture was lazy. His expression was a mixture of boredom and worry. "Uh... are you.. okay?" He asked, his voice was deep, and he sounded unsure of what to do. He was stiff, and his vision remained on her. She felt helpless under his gaze, so she just nodded without a word. Gumi brought a hand up to wipe her eyes, and forced herself to smile. "Yes...?" Gumi laughed nervously. In the heat of the moment, she asked, "Hey, do you know if the bus has come yet?"

The confused look on his face made her realize what she just asked. She felt her cheeks light up again, and realizing that he was wearing the same uniform she was, and that he was carrying a bag-he must be a student at the same school she was going to! Gumi quickly realized that if he was here, clearly, she hadn't missed the bus! She shot up from where she was sitting and began to laugh nervously, turning away from him. Her ears felt hot, and she had no words to say. Her throat felt dry, and in that moment, she just wanted to hide.

However, she could hear chuckling from behind her. She glanced back to him, to see he was covering his mouth to try and hide his laughter. If it was possible, her cheeks became even !more redder. "Hey! It's not funny!" She spat out, feeling her throat clearing up.

He just shook his head. "Well, then don't ask a question you already no the answer to!' Gumi felt herself fuming-but he was right. She simply scrunched her eyebrows together-she was off to a great start today.

"You're kinda weird, you know that?" As much as Gumi just wanted to avoid this guy now, it seemed she had no choice. If he went to the same school as she did, never the less, ride the same bus she did... she was going to have to deal with this for the rest of the year. And she knew she was weird. She knew fully well she was weird. Her friends reminded her all the time. Gumi had stated her goal to try and not be as weird this year, and already, she was being called weird! By a stranger, no less.

"Whatever..." She mumbled under her breathe. Maybe if she just ignored him, he would back off.

She heard him chuckle again. "That's not a bad thing, you know. Weird girls are sorta cute."

Gumi looked back over to him though, and he flashed a grin. "I'm Akaito. Who are you?" He asked, as he pulled a smoke out of his pants pocket. Gumi scrunched her eyebrows together. "Ich. A smoker."

"Gumi." She mumbled under her breathe, keeping her eyes off of him. "I'm Gumi." She spoke up a little louder.

Akaito smiled.

Gumi looked back up to him, as he took a puff of his cigarette. She rolled her eyes slightly, and upon looking away, she could hear the rumble of wheels on cement. The bus was just around the corner, and was coming their way. A genuine smile came to Gumi's face, and she felt relieved. She wouldn't be late, after all! "Phew, there's the bus." She announced, as it came to a stop, the doors opening.

"Damn it..." Akaito mumbled behind Gumi's back, as he let the cigarette hit the ground, crushing it under his foot as he followed after Gumi.

"So, Gum-Gum!" Gumi gasped slightly, looking next to her as she picked her seat out. Akaito had plopped down right next to her.

She scrunched her eyebrows together again. "What do you want?" Her tone was playful, in a joking manner. Still, she had to wonder, what could he want? He looked older than her. Did he not have other people to sit with? People he actually knew? Why did he have to bother her of all people? He seemed rather odd, and she couldn't be so sure of him just yet.

He gawked at her. "Ouch. I'm offended."

Gumi's blank stare gave him nothing to play off of. "Don't you think I'm weird, Akaito? What do you want?" She asked him. If she was so weird, why was he still talking to her? What an odd ball.

He laughed. "I never said that was a bad thing." He shrugged.

Gumi just rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, what grade are you in?" Akaito asked, trying to make conversation.

"Well... I'm going into-I mean... I, uh... I am in Grade 11. Now." She chuckled nervously.

Akaito grinned. "I'm grade 12. So I'm your senior."

There was something Gumi didn't like about that grin, or that cheeky way he said it. She didn't want to make bad judgement from what she didn't know, but the vibe Akaito gave off was... weird. Gumi wanted to think that he wasn't a bad guy, but something didn't seem right about him, either. It would be hard to avoid him, too, since they shared the same bus. There was no getting out of that, no matter how much she wanted to. At least they weren't in the same grade, so it would be unlikely they had the same classes.

Gumi didn't say anything to him. Instead, holding her breathe, she looked around the bus, searching for different faces. Anything, to distract herself from the redhead who sat beside her.

Sadly, the bus was nearly secluded-until, Gumi noticed a girl, who sat a few seats down across from Gumi. She was looking out of the bus, and had ear plugs in her ears, muffled pop music blaring from them. Her long teal hair was tied up into pig tails, and her skin looked so soft and smooth. Her green eyes shimmered in the morning light, as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She was tired.

And she was beautiful.

Gumi felt like her stomache had dropped. There was something about her, that made it hard for Gumi to keep her eyes off of her. She was lovely! Gumi felt amazed by her beauty, and she didn't even know her! Further more, in that moment, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be her, or be with her. Compared to Gumi's scrawniness and hair that could never stay straight, this girl looked like she had it all. And Gumi felt envious of her, in that moment! But Gumi had been questioning her sexuality for the longest time, and she always felt so unsure about everything when her eyes landed on a pretty girl.

Gumi wouldn't call this a crush, either, because she barely knew this girl. But she also couldn't deny that there was a strange feeling that lit up inside of her upon seeing her.

"Psst..." Akaito's cheeky whispering brought Gumi out of her chance, and she felt her cheeks lighting up on instinct of being caught. She glanced back over to Akaito, who grinned, and Gumi knew she had been caught staring. He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "So..." Akaito chuckled. "Miku, huh?"

More people were getting on board, as the bus came to another stop. It was starting to get slightly louder, making it easier to drown out Gumi's shock as she and Akaito spoke about Miku. "W-what?" She gulped.

Akaito laughed. "Pretty, isn't she?"

Gumi shrugged, trying to play it off. "Yeah.. sorta, I guess..."

Akaito just laughed, as he shook his head. "Aw, well don't be so modest about it! Hey, Miku!" He called out, turning over to where she sat. She shot a glance over to where she heard her name being called, pulling her earbuds from her ears.

"Akaito?" She asked, as a smile lit up her face. She sounded, and looked shocked to see him on this bus. Grabbing her bag, she moved up to sit next to the seat Akaito and Gumi resided in.

"Miku!" Akaito announced, reaching from across her seat to hug her. Miku was stiff in his grip, and her arms hung in mid air, unsure of what to do. Her eyes connected with Gumi for a moment, and she scrunched her eyebrows together, mouthing, "What do I do?" Gumi, speechless, just shrugged her shoulders. Miku let out a nervous chuckle, as she hesitantly patted Akaito's back. "Uh, I missed you too! I guess..." Her eyes still connected with Gumi, and the greenette giggled silently.

Akaito pulled away from Miku, taking a seat again. "Sorry, it's just been a while. I've missed you, alot."

Miku chuckled. "I can tell. Although, I must admit I'm surprised you're going to this school now... what with your past, and all. They really let you in, huh?"

Gumi felt her heart drop, and her eyes widen upon tuning into their chatter. Was Akaito a criminal, or something?! She could feel herself going faint at the thought, and yet, she was still curious. Gumi tugged at his sleeve, and whispered to him, "What did you do that was so bad?" She wondered.

Miku looked over Akaito's shoulder, and raised a brow, upon noticing Gumi. "Is this your new friend? You forgot to introduce me." She ignored Gumi's question.

Akaito looked down at Gumi, looking at the confused look on Gumi's face. "Eh," He shrugged her question off, before looking back to Miku. "Sorry, this is Gumi... but I call her Gum-Gum!" He linked an arm around her shoulder, as if they had been friends for centuries. Gumi just looked back and forth between him and Miku-she was so confused! "Gum-Gum, meet Miku. Miku, Gum-Gum!" He introduced them, laughing. He gave Gumi a bit of a nookie, before pushing her away, off of him, his focus returning to Miku.

However, Miku's attention was on Gumi now. "Gum-Gum?" She raised a brow, and looked back to Akaito for a minute. She looked just as confused as Gumi felt, but she humored Akaito by letting out a laugh.

"A-actually, well-It's Gumi..." She felt the need to make sure Miku knew what her real name was. She did not want to be remembered by some weird nickname Akaito gave her.

Miku just laughed. Gumi froze, watching her interact with Akaito, and she wasn't too sure if Miku had even heard her speak up. "Aw, Akaito! You made a new friend? That's so sweet. Good for you!" Gumi felt her cheeks lighting up again.

Akaito grinned, as he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah. You know me. Always trying to befriend oddballs, eh, Gum-Gum?" He humored, as he nudged Gumi in the shoulder. She was fuming. Her glance fell back on Miku, but she hardly seemed interested in the greenette. "My name isn't Gum-Gum..." She mumbled under her breathe, letting out a sigh.

Akaito and Miku chuckled among themselves. The bus soon haulted to a stop, announcing their arrival at school. Gumi felt relieved, and let out a long sigh. At least now she could get out of Akaito's sight...

As everyone pilled off of the bus, Gumi clutched at the straps of her bag. The first day, first bus rides, and new acquaintances. And she still managed to feel embarrassed, one way or another. "Wonderful..." Gumi mumbled under her breathe.

Before she got the chance to get to far, however, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, along with a chuckle from none other than her favorite. Beside him, she could heard Miku complaining, and her cheeks grew warm to realize Akaito had grabbed the two of them into a forced hug. "Ah..." He sighed happily. "Look at us! We're the greatest of friends, hey?' Akaito chuckled, looking down at the two girls.

"Jeez, you may be worse than your brother. Let me go!" Miku complained, shoving him off herself and Gumi. Akaito didn't seem to take offence, however, and just laughed it off.

"Whatever. I'll see you two lovely ladies later, then. Peace out!" Akaito gleamed, before he took off in a different direction, dissapearing into the crowd.

Gumi and Miku resumed their walking into the school, trying to avoid being swallowed by the crowd. Miku threw her bag behind her back, as she rolled her eyes. "He can be so annoying." She announced to no one in-particular. She then looked over to Gumi, who was quietly following beside her. She smiled gently, and Gumi could feel her heart skip a beat. "Ignore him. He may seem weird... and he is," Miku laughed, stopping to face Gumi in the crowd of people. "But he means no harm. He's just... extremely obnoxious."

People were rushing past them, walking around them. Chatter drowned out the silence between the two girls, and all Gumi could do was stare in awe, almost in disbelief that Miku was actually talking to her. Miku tilted her head slightly, smiling delicately. "Your name is Gumi, right?"

Gumi felt her cheeks go red. So she did hear Gumi trying to justify her name from Akaito's odd nickname... that made Gumi feel happy. Gumi nodded wordlessly. Miku giggled. "Good. Also, ignore Akaito's nicknames, he comes up with new ones for everyone." She justified. "Anyways, you already know my name, so it's nice to meet you." She held out a hand for Gumi to shake.

Gumi managed a smile, and hesitantly held out her hand, taking Miku's offer up on the handshake. She nodded, and the only thing she could think of to say was, "R-right... I'm Gumi." Her thoughts were too preoccupied with the soft feeling of Miku's hand in her own that she hardly acknowledged the strange look Miku gave her when she introduced herself again.

Miku abruptly pulled away, forcing Gumi to realize she hadn't tried to let go of her hand since the shake was initiated. Miku nodded. "Right... so... what grade are you in, Gumi?"

"Oh, uh... grade 11." Gumi answered.

A genuine smile came to Miku's face again. "Ah, so it appears I'm your senior."

She was in grade 12.

Just like Akaito.

Gumi tried to think of something clever to say, but all that came out was a nervous laugh. Miku chuckled. "I'll see you around sometime." She said, reaching out to give a gentle pat on Gumi's shoulder, before she turned her back, walking off and leaving Gumi dumbfounded.

As soon as she was out of sight, Gumi snapped out of her trance, and looked around. A smile came to her face, as she began to move with the crowd that was dying down. She had to go to her locker and get ready for her first class. But that thought no longer bothered her as much as it did. As it stood, all she could think about was the fact that she may have just made a new friend.

Her smile widened at that thought. "This... might be a good year, after all."