Till I'm Gone

Sora Matasuki

Chapter Three

Ms. Clarke, Hiro's homeroom teacher, was a fairly young woman who had been aptly nicknamed the English Dragon by the general school populous. She ruled with an iron fist and held a firm stance on what she deemed was appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. This sense of fierce fiery opinion rolled off the red head in droves and when Hiro was the first to enter, she simply nodded at him with barely a second glance at how tiny he was.

This, alongside her firm battle ready stance, made Hiro minutely relax. If there were any problems, he was sure she would catch them. With her no nonsense demeanor, the probability of the older generations finding a way to do some sort of mischief on his small person had greatly diminished. If Hiro had to give an estimate, that percent was now at a 66 instead of an anxiety inducing 80.

Tentatively, Hiro tagged homeroom as a safe haven. It was tentative, because of the lack of true data gathered to make a solid conclusion. But based off of statistics, the twelve year old could make a hypothesis that he would be safe in this class. Slowly, students filed into the back, and Hiro tensed from his seat in the front row. The trial run to see if his hypothesis was on the right track had begun.

Most of his fellow Freshmen barely even gave him a second glance, too involved in chatting with their friends, which Hiro was grateful for. He'd hate to have the spotlight on him for something he couldn't control from day one. So far, so good.

"Alright!" Ms. Clarke announced, clapping her hands in an attempt to call attention to the fact that Homeroom was starting. Everyone kept chatting to their neighbors and Hiro could sense that a storm was brewing under his homeroom teacher's skin. The twelve year old watched in stupified facination as Clarke's face darkened and her eye twitched.

"Every year…" she muttter to herself before taking a deep breath, "HEY! IT'S NOT TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS TIME, IT'S PAY ATTENTION TO THE ANNOUNCEMENTS TIME! I WANT TO HEAR MY ANNOUNCEMENTS!"

Despite Hiro's ringing ears, a giggle wanted to escape his lips as the whole classroom full of unsuspecting Freshmen went quiet all at once, the audible clicking noise of students shutting their mouths resounded loud and clear in the absolute silence.

"Thank you."

At this time, the speaker crackled to life. "Goood morning, Shibuya Wolves! This is yoooouur principal, Mathew Henriiicks speaking with a speeecail message! Welcome back from the summer months and I hope that this year will be grrrreat!"

There were muffled snorts from the back of the room to which Ms. Clarke leveled the perpetrators with a dark glower. Silence was once again restored. Just in time for an announcement that made Hiro's blood run cold.

"Also, we have the honor housing our very own, local genius and robotics prodigy - HIIIRRRROOOO HAMADA! Younger brother to our very own Science Starrrrr, Tadashhhhhi Hamada, our Hiro - "

Why… why did they have to announce that he was smart in front of the whole school? He had the right to share his smarts at his own discretion! They… He… Henricks had no right to announce it - to blare it - all across campus! That was something private!

Giggles and confused whispers met his ears. "Who names their kid 'Hero'?" a girl sitting next to him muttered, tossing her long blonde hair back over her shoulder and observing her nails for imperfections.

A boy from the back of the room laughed, sharp and mocking, his black hair spiked with gel poking out from a red beanie. "Were they trying to convince him that he was some sort of hero? How lame is that?"

"Mr. Alexander Andrews that is enough!" Ms. Clarke said sharply, "I will not have that kind of language in this homeroom class."

Andrews leaned back, looking unimpressed. "Pffft, whatever you say Mizzes C."

Hiro bit down on his lip savagely, focusing on his desk as Ms. Clarke worked her way into a rage whilst regaining order n the classroom due to the majority of the classroom burst into raucous laughter at Andrew's disrespect and uncaring demeanor.

Don't… don't listen, Hiro! the twelve year old instructed himself, in a voice that sounded remarkably like Tadashi. Okaasan and Otousan chose your name because it means generous, tolerant. So use that tolerance that they hoped for and don't do something stupid!

" - ordinarily starting ninth grade but our Hiro proved too smart!"

"Like that's a good thing. He should've stayed witht he other loosers and played on the playground like a good little brat." Andrews said snidely.

Hiro's lip ached from the pressure he was using to bite down on it to keep from saying something that would get him punched in the nose. That sense of not belonging from the parking lot hit him like sledgehammer to the chest, making it hard to breathe.

"So give him a grrreat big welcome, I'm sure our Hiro lead us all to greatness!"

I'M NOT YOURS, SO STOP SAYING 'OUR HIRO' I DON'T BELONG TO ANYONE! Hiro screamed in his head. A sharp pain made him jerk as the metalic tang of blood filled his mouth. He had bitten through his lower lip.

Eyes wide, Hiro covered his mouth with his hands and fought to keep from swallowing the hot liquid. The screech of his chair sliding back brought an unwanted ammount of attention to his short stature and whispers flooded the room in his wake as he quickly rushed towards Ms. Clarke who upon seeing the blood leaking through his clenched figures, nodded towards the door.

"Go see a nurse, Hiro." she isntructed with dark sympathy in her eyes and flashed him a sympathetic smile that held no pity in them before turning her head to sharply glare at Andrews who was staring at the twelve year old with an unreadable expression. The entire class gasped at the fact that "Hero" Hamada was in their class and had heard all the cutting remarks. The girl with blonde hair looked down at her desk, wide eyed.

Hiro debated bowing to her - even though he hadn't dipped into his faded memories of Japanese customs in ages - and settled for an awkward dip of the head that caused his upper half to give a half bow. He couldn't really speak with all the blood in his mouth anyways. The twelve year old spun on his heel and tore out of the room, using his shoulder to push the door open.

"Did you see his face!" he heard Andrews bray.

He tried to ignore the mocking laughter that had sprung up because of that bow, of that drawing of his cultural heritage. His eyes burned as he fled the scorn of his fellow year mates, and tried to convince himself that it was because biting his lip was painful enough for them to water like they were.

Tadashi choked on his spit at the unexpected turn the announcements had taken.

"Your brother's pretty smart, right? Think he'd be able to do my homework for me?" Thomas Matthews leaned back on his chair, the chair's front two legs up in the air, grinning as he brushed his hand through yellow hair.

Tadashi frowned and pushed his friend's chair back on all fours. "My little brother has an honor code, Thomas, he wouldn't do that. Don't try to get out of your own work you lazy bum." the sixteen year old scolded, reaching over to swat the seventeen year old in the back of the head.

Thomas pushed away his hand with a scowl. "But work is so booorring!" he protested.

Tadashi rolled his eyes.

"You'll never get a job and get into college that way." Tadashi reminded him.

"Bluh. You and your drive to go to college." Thomas made a face at the thought of more school, as if tasting something sour. " Live in the moment man, stop thinking so far ahead! Party a little! Live life!"

"And be a highschool dropout like you?" Tadashi smirked before sighing. "College opens so many doors, Thomas. You have no idea how many opportunities you're missing out on by not getting at least your high school diploma."

"You sound like one of those stupid counselors. 'Get good grades!' 'Don't do drugs!' 'Don't drink until you're 21!' It's like…" Thomas paused for a moment to try and think of the words, "It's like they think we're irresponsible or somethin'."

Tadashi grinned. "Well you know, back in the 2000's, there was a famous study that found that teenagers are actually losing grey matter in the prefrontal cortex-"

"Stop! Stop! Stop! I don' wanna hear about your sick fascination with medical science!" Thomas yelped, before his stomach growled. "Ugh… I'm hungry…. I can't wait until lunch…"

"You had five breakfast burritos from Machirin's Tacos for breakfast." Tadashi deadpanned. "That's like more than five hundred calories. How are you still hungry?"

"He's a bottomless pit, that's why."

Both Tadashi and Thomas jumped at the sudden female voice that had chimed in from behind them.

Thomas twisted in his stead and scowled furiously, "Really Morris? Eavesdropping? That's low even for you."

The eighteen year old rolled her eyes. "i'm right behind you, I'd have to be deaf to not hear your conversation."

The blonde senior groaned as Tadashi nodded thoughtfully. "She's right you know. We were talking pretty loudly."

Thomas huffed. "Whatever, dudes. I'm takin' a nap. Peace out and all that jazz." Without further ado, the senior who prefered surfing to being in school, laid down his head on his folded arms and in the matter of two minutes started snoring softly.

"Does… Does he always fall asleep that fast?" Morris whispered, eyes wide. "Tadashi nodded with a weary sigh.

"It makes it hard to have a study partner when he's always falling asleep at the drop of a hat." the Japanese-American said ruefully.

Morris smiled. "You really care about your education, don't you?"

Tadashi shrugged. "I've said it before, but it opens doors."

"We just need to escape the Hell known as High School." Morris agreed before adding, "Not many teenagers think about education the way you do, Tadashi."

The sixteen year old sighed and dragged a hand through his bare head. "I want to help a lot of people, but I can't do that where I am here." he looked up at Morris amd stuck out his hand. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced, I'm Tadashi Hamada but… you probably already knew that though, huh?"

Morris took it firmly and shoot it with a bright grin. "Evelynn Morris. Most people just call me Eve."

Tadashi nodded, his grin matching hers. "Nice to meet you, Eve."

Hiro was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, day.

Instead of the preferred anonymity when he left the nurse's office to go to his next class after his lip had finally stopped bleeding, he was pelted with strange looks and questioning whispers.

"Think he'll do my homework for me?"

"What's a shrimp doing here?"

"Yeah! Go back to the sandbox, where you belong!"

"Quiet! Don't you realize who you're calling names at? That's Tadashi Hamada's little brother! If he hears you saying stuff like that, who knows what he'll invent to get revenge on you!"

"Like Hamada would care, he's probably called his brother worse things. What big brother doesn't?"

"I-I dunno man… Hamada's really protective. Don't stir up a hornets nest when you don't have someone to aim them at."

Hiro stumbled into class and slumped into a seat, burying his head in his arms with a weary groan.

"Hiro Hamada… tired of your fame already?" his science teacher questioned, raising an eyebrow as the twelve year old started.

"Uh… I n-never asked for Principal Henricks to do that, sir." Hiro stuttered, nerves shot to kingdom come and back as he fidgeted.

"Hmn…. well don't expect to get any special treatment here, Mr. Hamada. I had your brother for Physical Science and it was… how shall I put it?" his teacher, a balding man in his late fourties hmmed and hawwed for about a minute before drawling, "Exasperating."

Hiro blanched. "E-Exasperating, sir?" he asked for clarification.

But the science teacher moved on, turning around to write something on the board. "I pray you won't be so… difficult."

Hiro felt his face drain of color as he read the two words that had filled his nights with dread whenever Tadashi would come home with a tale of horror about highschool grade science classes: Mr. Hanndelst. With a groan, he buried his head into his arms again. It was official, he hated high school.

AN:Okay, first things first, sorry if this is crappy, I'm really tired so any mistakes I've made, blame the people in charge of Physical Education at my school... they're evil... Anyways! Big thanks to Blue Torpedo, Silverstream, BlueD, Highcrest Tomoko (was that OC what you meant? If not I'm supper sorry! But your request gave my muses ideas that scared the crap out of a friend so... double thanks are needed!), Miss Efffie T, and Baylee1100 for reviewing! You are all wonderful and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!