Monday, June 02, 2008
Edit: Saturday, May 15, 2010
In the previous chapter: After moving back to Japan for the first time in nine years, Hikari manages to survive her first day of school—she even makes a new friend! However, her once overly friendly classmates quickly begin to turn a cold shoulder towards her. Meanwhile, Takeru's life continues as normal as he snuggles with his picture perfect girlfriend, Miyuki. After a run-in in the hall, the two head their separate ways: Hikari to swim tryouts and Takeru to basketball.
Disclaimer: If I owned Digimon, would I really be sitting at my computer writing fanfictions about it?
All-American Girl
By ebacusta
Chapter 2:
Team Tryouts, Popularity Contests, and Other Time-Consuming Things
Hikari sprinted into the pool area and exhaled a sigh of relief upon seeing the relatively long line of boys standing by the pool. Ducking behind the bleachers, she dashed to the locker the room, already unbuttoning her shirt. (She was in such a rush that she nearly yanked it off before she entered the private sanctuary of the girls' bathroom.) Her panic was apparent. What if they'd already called her name?
Breathing in short, quick spurts, she hopped on one foot, struggling to get the other through the leg hole of her one piece bathing suit. She just had to be a suck up and raise her hand when the teacher asked for assistance grading papers after school. Now she was late. A rough, exasperated sigh escaped her cherry-tinged lips. Last time she made that mistake. Stuffing her school uniform into her gym locker and grabbing her swim cap, she burst back out into the bright sunlight and jogged over to a group of girls seated on the bleachers.
"Have the girls gone yet?" she asked a girl with bleach-blonde hair and light brown eyes.
"No. Just finishing up the boys and then it'll be our turn," she responded.
Hikari sighed. "Good." She hadn't appeared too late—rather, she'd arrived right on time. She settled back and watched the last group of boys dive into the water. Within seconds, her mind flashed back to the incident in the hall that had taken place just five minutes prior. His strength impressed her. She could feel his muscles rippling from the strain of holding her in that awkward position for so long. His face had been filled with genuine concern for her, and his eyes swam with some unrecognizable emotion. She didn't know how, but he understood her. He knew she wasn't the icy girl everyone painted her as. And while she'd never had a problem talking to others back in California, here, she seemed to freeze up (a task made even easier now because of the people blocking her out of their conversations). She felt trapped. How could she make her peers understand that she was just like them? If she could get close to him, she knew it would all figure itself out. Unfortunately, there seemed no way she could act on that desire without appearing like the boyfriend-stealing witch.
"Hey." The voice jolted Hikari from her thoughts. Startled, she looked around. "The girls are starting." It was the girl from before, staring at her with curious eyes. "You okay?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Hikari replied before flashing her one of her biggest smiles.
The girl smiled back. "When Coach calls your name, you go swim. You put your name on the list, right?"
"Yeah, I think so," Hikari replied, nodding.
"Then you're set. The name's Yamanaka Sachiko, by the way." She extended a hand towards Hikari, smiling again.
Hikari stared at the hand, puzzled, but reached out and took the girl's hand uncertainly, giving it a shake. "Yagami Hikari," she said, quietly.
"What?" Sachiko asked.
"I thought you didn't shake hands in Japan," she replied.
Sachiko stared at her a hand a minute and then retracted it, laughing. "Haha! Either or, I guess," she said. "My dad's a business man, so he often deals with foreigners and has them over for dinner. We always shake hands, and I heard you're from America, so I just assumed…but then again, I suppose this isn't' your first time in Japan. Sorry."
"No, my apologizes. I just…wasn't expecting it," she said, with a short chuckle. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you t—"
"Hikari," a vaguely familiar voice interrupted the conversation. The brunette turned to see a familiar looking girl approaching her. She glanced back at Sachiko to apologize, but it seemed the blonde had back away. Hikari turned her attention back to the dark-haired beauty walking toward her.
"I'm sorry, but…" Hikari began, stammering slightly. She was surprised by the forward manner in which she'd been addressed (though she supposed it didn't really bother her).
"Miyamoto Yumi," came the terse reply. The girl climbed into the bleachers and slid onto the bench beside Hikari.
"Oh yes, we're in the same class! I'm so sorry I forgot your name."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I haven't personally introduced myself before today." She too extended her hand in greeting, though she provided her reason upfront. "This is how you Americans do it, isn't it?" She smirked at Hikari's surprised facial expression. "I was a foreign exchange student."
"Oh," Hikari gasped, grasping Yumi's hand. With a firm handshake, the two solidified their greeting. 'Her hands are so soft! I wonder what she uses.' "In America?"
Yumi smiled. 'Smooth as butter,' Hikari thought. "No, in England. But the cultures are somewhat similar from what I understand."
"Um, slightly, I guess."
"So, how are you faring so far? Not too overwhelmed, I hope. With all those boys interest in you, though, I wouldn't be surprised if you are."
"Interested in me, huh? I guess that's one way to put it…" Hikari fingered her cheek in thought. Yumi laughed. The sound bubbled up from her throat and cascaded from her lips like a waterfall. She turned back to watch the second group of girls but Hikari regarded her closely from the corner of her eye. She could tell the Yumi was the type of girl blemishes ran from, screaming. She stood tall like a bronzed Amazon with flawless skin. Her eyes resembled choice emeralds and sparkled as such with some unvoiced idea. Her hair, the color of coal, tumbled down her back like a silky stream, glimmering in the light.
Realizing she was staring, Hikari shook her head and grasped for something to say. "Are you trying out for the swim team?"
"Yes. Swimming is a favorite pastime of mine." Yumi stared at the a pool, a bored look on her face.
'I guess that means this conversation's over.' Hikari frowned. Only one word that could describe Miyamoto Yumi: perfect. And even that didn't do her justice. Hikari turned back to the girls tucking their hair under their swim caps and traced her cheek with her index finger in wonder. 'I've had experience with her type, but she seems completely different than the others I've encountered. She's nicer than Miyuki led me to believe. I don't understand why the two don't get along. They seem to have the same interests.' Absentmindedly, Hikari let her eyes swoop over the line of girls stepping up onto the diving blocks, and nearly lost an eyeball when her eyes bugged out upon landing on a certain girl tucking wisps of lilac hair into her cap. "Miyako?" Hikari exclaimed. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts and conversations, she hadn't even noticed the girl when she'd been sitting in the bleachers.
Yumi turned, interested again. She flashed her faultless teeth. "Yeah, didn't you know? Miyako's one of the best swimmers on the team."
"I can't believe she didn't mention it to me," Hikari grumbled. They'd talked several times since they'd first met a couple days ago. Yesterday afternoon, they spent three hours together after school, drinking coffee and flipping through gossip magazines—or rather, Miyako flipped; Hikari mostly glanced.
"Well, I'm sure she doesn't count swimming as the most important thing in her life. Especially when she has more fascinating interests," Yumi replied. Hikari nodded and watched in awe as Miyako dived into the water with perfect form. Hikari found herself mesmerized by the arched arms, going in and out of the water in timed intervals. Within two minutes, she completed her 200 meters and began drumming her fingers on the wall, waiting for the Coach to signal she could get out of the pool.
"Amazing," the brunette whispered in admiration.
"Isn't it?"
Hikari wanted to congratulate her, as she climbed out of the pool on the opposite side, but the Coach called her name. She flinched. Her turn all ready? Furthermore, had doubt creeped into her heart? She hesitated. What if she didn't have the speed or talent to make the team? She realized that her best time in California did not come close to matching Miyako's. (She used the phrase "close to" relatively loosely. In the world of sports, two seconds difference could not come "close to" the best score if those two seconds could have changed the victor.) Slowly, she stood up.
"You'll do fine," Yumi called after her. "The boys can't get enough of you either way."
Hikari tried to take Yumi's encouragement to heart, while simultaneously trying not to flush red from the girl's second comment. It was time for a mental pep talk. So what if her time didn't match Miyako's? Whether that held truth or not, she felt confident that she had a time that would earn her a spot on the team. Nodding resolutely, she carefully pushed her hair under her swim cap and lowered her goggles securely over her eyes, taking her place behind diving block number two. Sports were going to be the one thing in her new life that she could control. It wasn't an option. She was going to make the team.
Stepping up on the block with the other girls, she repeated her resolution and bent down, preparing to dive. She could hear the whispers of the people watching, some trying out for the team, others just friends of people trying out for the team. She knew they were all wondering what she could do. They knew about everyone else but her. She chuckled to herself.
"Ready!"
Hikari knelt. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Ah, how she'd missed this feeling!
"Go!" The starting gun shot echoed, but Hikari didn't hear passed the initial sound. She exploded off the block and felt her muscle tense, only slightly, as she eased into the cold water. She stared at the bottom as she tried to get as much propulsion from her dive as she could, and then she surfaced and started swimming. Right arm, left arm. Right arm, left arm. She focused on keeping her form and her speed. Flipping over, she hit the wall with her feet and pushed off. It did not take long for her to tag the starting wall and flip over to start her second lap. Before she knew it, she had tagged the wall for the last time and surfaced, gasping for air. She could hear splashing behind her, so she knew she had not finished last. Lifting her goggles, she grinned and turned around just as the other girls touched the wall. How had she done? Something seemed different. She looked around for any indication of how she'd done, but only saw other tired girls clutching the wall of the pool.
"Come on out!" the Coach yelled. Her voice sounded strangely clear and sharp. And then it hit her. It was completely silent. Aside from the splashing as the girls swam to the side, of course. No one was talking. Unnerved, Hikari climbed out of the pool and gratefully accepted the towel offered to her with a watery grin. Wiping her face with the towel, she turned to see if something was wrong, but instead found the Coach grinning at her, like a kid in a candy store. Slowly, Hikari walked back to the bleacher and sat beside Yumi again.
"Did I do something wr—?" Hikari began, but was cut off when Miyako bounded into the bleachers and tackled her, squeezing out what little air Hikari had.
"Hikari, that was amazing!" she exclaimed. "You were so fast. I mean, the heat started and you were—gone!" She quickly brushed her hands together, adding emphasis to her statement with the loud clapping sound they made on impact.
"So I… So I did okay?" Hikari asked, breathlessly, a smile sneaking across her lips.
"Okay? If you were anymore 'okay' you'd be the letters spelling word, Hikari," Miyako sniffed incredulously. The brunette chuckled at Miyako's analogy and pulled off her swim cap.
"Thanks."
Takeru scraped a sweatband-clad wrist across his forehead. Goodness. If he sweat anymore, he'd drown in it. He knew he was supposed to be standing on the sidelines. He knew he was supposed to be watching. He knew he was supposed to be constructing the new team. Coach Richards had promised him as much. But five minutes into tryouts, Coach changed his mind, and now, two hours later, Takeru found himself staggering up and down the court, playing against a rookie defense. Feigning to the right, Takeru sidestepped his opponents with ease and took the shot. It hit the rim, teetered on the edge and fell through the net.
A whistle blew. "Takaishi!" Takeru would have recognized the Coach's voice anywhere. It had a certain twang to it that the young basketball player had not heard anywhere else. Coach Richards had moved to Japan from America just over two years ago after marrying famed Japanese gymnast, Hitsurita Kichi. His accent remained just as pronounced now as it had been when he first arrived in Takeru's native country. The blond suspected Coach Richards' accent would always be there.
"Coach?" Takeru gasped as he jogged over to the tall man. The Coach towered over the sweaty blond. The team often compared their Coach to a tree. Absurdly tall, resilient, and stubborn. Whenever he formed an opinion about something, he set down deep roots and became unmovable in his thoughts. While it frustrated the team to no end, the Coach continued to do it—perhaps, Takeru reasoned, to get his boys irritated enough to work that much harder. Takeru stopped beside him and bent his head back so that he could look the man in the face. Easier said than done. Richards towered over Takeru as a human would over a dog or cat.
Richards jerked his thumb toward the bleachers. "Go on and siddown." Takeru nodded and collapsed on the metal bench beside his friends.
"Nice work out there, TK," Toshi grinned at him.
"Don't patronize me," came the tired response. He lay completely still, like a lump on a log.
"Hey, my sister just texted me and said that Hikari just swam 200 meters in just over two minutes," Akari interjected, his fingers flying over his phone's buttons. He added in a voice just above a mumble, "I didn't know Hikari swam."
"200 meters in two minutes?" Toshi repeated. "Are you sure?"
"Postive. Fumiko said her speed shocked everyone."
"What? She can't have athletic abilities, Toshi?" Takeru asked.
"No! Just… 200 meters in two minutes. She'd have to be really fast to do that!" Toshi repeated. "I can't even do that."
Takeru rolled his eyes. "Yes, because girls can't be fast. Just because you can't do it, doesn't mean it's not possible."
Akari voiced Takeru's thoughts without looking up from his cell phone screen. "You have a problem with accepting the fact that girls can be better at stuff than you. You still can't admit that Fumi beat you in table tennis that time that we went to that resort with Ryuji and his family."
"I went easy on her because she was your sister," Toshi replied, throwing up his defenses. Akari and Takeru looked at each other.
"Whatever," Takeru mumbled. He allowed his head to drop back onto the cool metal and his eyes to close.
They sat in a heavy silence for several minutes. When Akari next spoke, Takeru knew it was to him. "It makes sense though. She has such a slim figure, I should have known she has swimmer's body."
"She's lithe, yes, but she has too many muscles on her legs for swimming to be the only thing she does. She must do something else," Takeru said.
"Something else like what?" Akari wondered aloud. "Ballet?"
"I bet she's amazing at ballet," Toshi piped up.
'Ballet's a sport he doesn't mind girls being better at than him,' the blond snapped in his mind. Toshi's chauvinism grated on his nerves. He nearly voiced his opinion. Instead, he reminded him, "You don't even know if she does ballet, Toshi."
"She's got the body for it. You said so yourself." Takeru decided not to repeat Akari's assertion that she had a swimmer's body, not a dancer's.
"I thought you three were supposed to be assembling our new basketball team," a new voice chided. Takeru shot to his feet. The voice sounded like honey, tantalizing his senses with its sweet, sticky flow. The voice, of course, belonged to Miyuki. Just like the rest of her, it was golden.
"Miyuki." He embraced her and brushed his lips against her ear. "What are you doing here?"
"Cheerleading practice ended. I thought you might like to walk me home."
"Of course." He turned to invite his friends, but stopped. The last time he'd done that without asking, she'd gotten mad at him. Akari looked at him expectantly. "Well, see you guys later."
"Unless you want to come," Miyuki added, peeking around his shoulder. "We could grab a cup of coffee or something." Always the saving grace, her heart rivaled the size and the warmth of the sun. Takeru smiled back at her, gratefully. Akari accepted the invitation and stood, though his slightly slumped shoulders suggested he felt somewhat dejected. Toshi stood as well.
"I'll walk out with you, but then I have a prior engagement." The group shrugged and headed for the door, all of them ignoring the fact that practice had not yet finished.
"Where's Ryuji?" Miyuki inquired.
"Cut practice. Didn't feel like watching little squirts run around the gym," Takeru responded, airily.
"Coach, we're cuttin' out. See ya tomorrow," Akari yelled over his shoulder. Richards just waved and returned to torturing the wannabe basketball players.
"Yeah, Yumi's pretty," Miyako agreed.
"Pretty? Is that all you have to say about her? She's gorgeous—practically a goddess—and she's so nice. I don't understand why more people don't like her." Miyako regarded the brunette with a form of pity, but Hikari didn't notice. She was too lost in thought. "I wonder if it's jealousy."
"Look, Hikari," Miyako started slowly. "I'm sure you had people at your old school who God blessed with a beautiful face. Yumi gets kind of carried away with herself sometimes, and she's fairly self-absorbed. She doesn't notice when she steps on other people's toes and what's more, she doesn't care. I don't know if you can tell—actually, you probably can't, because this is all you know about these people—but they're all putting their best foot forward to entice you into joining them and their friends. They definitely aren't all as nice or gentle as they appear. Take everything they say with a grain of salt."
Hikari considered this a moment, slightly taken aback. Miyako had, in a roundabout way, just called her classmates liars! Hikari gazed at her with guarded eyes. Miyako was right. Not everyone was what he seemed. Maybe she'd just misunderstood, but her friend had sounded… resentful, for lack of a better term. But what did those kids have that Miyako didn't have? She was pretty, popular, well-liked among virtually all her classmates, and she was a year older than them, which meant, she got all the perks of being young before they did—makeup, driving, drinking, it all stopped at her door before it stopped at theirs.
'Maybe I should have let her figure it out on her own,' Miyako thought. Hikari's strange glances depressed her. 'Clearly, she misinterpreted what I meant. I wonder if she was this naïve—no, that's the wrong word, I should say… this optimistic at her old school.'
"You wanna grab a cup of coffee?" Miyako suggested. The rise and fall of Hikari's shoulders as she shrugged them told Miyako all she needed to know. Miyako's statement had shaken Hikari's trust in her, but she didn't want to part ways, and a cup of coffee sounded good. "My treat," Miyako added a moment later, as they entered a busy café on the corner of the street.
"Long line," Hikari mumbled, as the two high schoolers stepped in behind a college couple, holding hands. The girl had brown hair cut like a boy's, and large eyes that held a promise of love spelled out in her delicate, flowery gaze. Her boyfriend's countenance held an expression so tender and gentle, it seemed like he was touching her, cupping her cheek in his hand and memorizing every aspect of her childish visage. So intense was the sentiment of love that Hikari suddenly had the sensation she'd invaded on a very private moment and turned away, embarrassment burning in the pit of her stomach. She felt as if she'd just walked in on them consummating their relationship.
After a moment of examining the wall, Hikari couldn't help herself, she snuck another look. She wanted a relationship like that. A bond so strong, that one glance could tell her intended everything he needed to know.
"Oh, I didn't expect to bump into you two here!"
The two lovers broke their gaze and turned back to see the source of the exclamation. Hikari inwardly cursed. In a second, the moment had been carelessly shattered by some callous heart. Though the voice sounded friendly and innocent, Hikari turned around ready to cause serious damage on the face of the offender. She was surprised to see Miyuki standing behind her, tapping her fingers curiously (Hikari could not tell if it was in impatience or not) on her bicep, flanked by two handsome boys—Takeru and one she only vaguely recognized. Instantly, she thought back to their encounter and felt a blush rise in her cheeks. She could tell it had popped into his mind too.
Ah! But she mustn't let Miyuki know! Tearing her eyes away from the blond, she smiled, "What a pleasant surprise. Do you come here often?"
Miyuki gaped at her as if she'd just suggested Miyuki dump her designer shades for a pair purchased at the 100 Yen Shop. "Yes, it's my favorite café. The croissants here are to die for." On the word 'die' her gaze flittered over to Miyako.
"They're that good, huh?" Hikari asked. "Is their hazelnut coffee of any repute?"
Miyuki tore her stare away from Miyako and returned it to Hikari with gleaming eyes. "Their hazelnut coffee is like a gift from Heaven."
'A gift from Heaven? What a lame thing to say,' Hikari thought. 'And her actions seem so exaggerated.'
"A gift from Heaven, huh?" Miyako finally spoke. "Just like you?"
The corners of Akari's mouth twitched. Miyuki tensed, and took in a sharp breath. "Oh, Miyako," she began, her voice liltingly light. "Always the charmer, aren't you?"
Miyako answered with a smile. "I try." Miyuki gave a strained smile in return.
"You know, I don't feel much like coffee anymore," Miyuki said, suddenly, whirling around to face her two male companions. "For some reason," she shot a glance over her shoulder at Miyako, her voice momentarily tinged with disgust, "I've lost my appetite. Why don't we just head on home instead?" Takeru and Akari looked at each other for the second time in the past hour. "Don't you think that's a good idea? I don't feel too well," she added, her voice sharpening with each word.
"You don't feel well?" Takeru asked, his voice laced with concern. "Yeah, you probably should get home as soon as possible. Come on." They turned away and headed for the door; Hikari frowned. Akari caught her gaze and raised his eyebrow ever so slightly as he stepped across the threshold onto the street. Before she had a chance to react, the door slammed shut behind him, and she watched as he shoved his hands into his pockets and loped after his friends.
"Hikari?" Miyako questioned. "All right there?"
The brunette spun around. "Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine." One more glance at the door, and she faced the front again, wondering if, perhaps, she dreamed the whole thing, and Akari had just left with his friends. No arching eyebrows involved.
ShoeBunny91: I just don't understand why she'd say that, Angela. Miyako's fine just the way she is.
SurferBabeXOXO: Kari, I'm in no position to tell you what to think about your friend because I've never met her, but I trust your judgment. And from the way you've been raving about non-stop for the last two days—maybe there's some truth to what she's saying. She may be trying to alert you to something.
ShoeBunny91: Something like what?
SurferBabeXOXO: Aside from the language barrier, do you really think girls here and girls there are that different?
ShoeBunny91: No, but what do you mean?
SurferBabeXOXO: I don't pretend to be an expert, but based on your experiences here. When has a girl who could easily be categorized as a "goddess" actually been nice to people outside her group?
SurferBabeXOXO: And sometimes, she isn't even nice to girls in her circle. Remember Alexandria?
Alexandria. How could Hikari forget her? She was responsible for trying to make Hikari's days at high school completely unbearable. Without the support of her Triple Threat buddies, she might have buckled, but together, the three of them had fought back against her obsequious minions—or rather, her "friends." Alexandria, a modern day Aphrodite, with hair so golden, kids joked it had been strung by God with pure gold, and a single strand would make a person rich. At least that was the story. Made up by someone who didn't like her. She relished the (sarcastic) attention anyway.
ShoeBunny91: Ugh. Of course. How could I forget her? Her venomous face is forever burned on the inside of my eyelids.
SurferBabeXOXO: Haha!
ShoeBunny91: But what are you saying?
SurferBabeXOXO: I just mean that I don't think you should throw away this friendship over a misconception. Miyako's (did I spell her name right?) known these kids a lot longer than you. And it's highly likely that Nami isn't as great as she seems.
ShoeBunny91: Yumi, Angela. Not Nami. :P
SurferBabeXOXO: Oops. Well, I tried. Just don't jump to any conclusions yet.
Hikari's phone sprang to life on the desk beside her.
ShoeBunny91: I'll try not to. But, hey. I gotta go. Tai's calling.
SurferBabeXOXO: No worries. I gotta run too. School and all that jazz. I think Chase wants to stop by Starbucks on the way there too. Tell Tai hi for Chase and me. :)
ShoeBunny91: Can do. Have a good day.
Snagging her cell off her math notebook, she flipped it open and raised it to her mouth. "Hello?" she asked, signing off messenger.
"Hey, Kari. It's me."
"No way! Are you sure?"
"Har har. I need to ask a favor of you."
"Sure, you haven't come by to see me. I should reward you for it," Hikari joked.
"I know, I know. I haven't forgotten," Taichi replied, sounding genuinely distressed. "School's a mess. I don't remember ever working this hard. I should cut back."
"Taichi…"
She could practically hear the Cheshire grin in his voice. "I'm just kidding. But that brings me to what I wanted to ask you about. I need a model for an advertising project I'm doing with Yamato and Sora. Since Sora wants to make clothes, I thought we could advertise her designs, and you could model her clothes. Yamato's gonna help me with the graphic designing and such. I suck at that class anyway."
"Sounds interesting. Count me in."
"Great! I'll be by the house tomorrow—this time, for sure!—with the others to get the pictures. What time will you be home from school?"
"Whenever I stroll home I guess. I don't have swim practice until Friday, so I'll come home by 5:30 if I can catch the subway."
"Okay. I'll try to come over a little early so I can talk to mom before we get started. How did your tryout for the swim team go, by the way? From the sound of things, you made the team."
Hikari could not stop herself from grinning. "Oh I made the team all right. Coach said I had the fourth best time on the team!"
"Fourth best? That's awesome! Congrats. But weren't you first at St. Claire's?"
"Yeah, but I haven't swam competitively for a while. I just have to get back in the swing of things. And fourth best isn't bad. Swimming does not dominate my life either."
"But track does?"
"Didn't say that."
"But I know it, dear sister," he replied in a sing song voice.
"Taichi, don't make me have to smack you tomorrow."
"I wouldn't dream of it!" he exclaimed, the mock horror dripping from his voice. Hikari chuckled.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Tai."
"Good night, Kari. And tomorrow, you're going to tell me if there are any boys at that school of yours that I need to go smack around for getting too fresh."
Hikari laughed. "Good night, Tai."
"I'm serious, Kari. If you don't tell me, I'm going to have to cut class and come see for myself."
"Okay, okay. We'll talk tomorrow."
"Good. Catch ya later."
If there was one thing Hikari appreciated about going to school in Japan, it was the fact that she could walk there every morning. By herself. Attempting to do something like that in California would have earned her a spot on the evening news for being mugged, kidnapped, or worse. Well, not all the time, but it was more likely to happen there.
She inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh scent of the flowers and water as she passed through the park, the morning dew slowly accumulating on the tip of the flower petal and sometimes dripping ever so elegantly on to her skin. It felt extremely clean in the park. Hikari enjoyed coming down here for her daily jogs.
Sighing, she stepped off the grass and crossed the street, taking to the concrete sidewalks for the rest of her walk. The hustle and bustle of the Tokyo in the mornings certainly resembled the morning rush back in L.A., but she preferred the leafy vegetation of the park to the sweltering heat caused by all the moving bodies and cars, particularly in the afternoons. At least she had a chance to sort her thoughts out and put together her resolution for the day before she made it to the classroom.
"Hikari? Is that you?"
So much for that idea.
"Oh my god, it is you!"
Hikari sighed and turned around. Miyuki stood behind her, Takeru at her side, grinning from ear to ear. Hikari returned the smile, though only half-heartedly. How did she keep running into this girl? The girl tired her out! Was she being stalked? 'No, no. Mere coincidence. Let it slide, Hikari. Let it slide.'
"Good morning!" she exclaimed, brightly, instead of running away like she wanted to. Miyuki looked stunning, as usual. Today, her hair was wavy and tousled, as if she'd just rolled out of bed with it. The hairstyle suited her. If not for the fact that her eyes roved about taking in every detail around her, Hikari would have believed that the hair had come naturally and she hadn't spent half an hour in front of the mirror arranging it. She had an angel's face. Hikari knew if she reached out to touch it, she'd be rewarded with soft, smooth, flawless skin—and a layer of makeup. She almost complimented the girl on her appearance, but decided against it. Miyuki's eyes gloated, whether she meant for them to or not; Hikari could tell she was a little full of herself. "You both look well this morning," she added, instead.
"Thank you!" Miyuki replied, giddily. She cast a glance up her boyfriend, but the blond hardly paid any attention.
He greeted Hikari with a small smile. "Good morning."
Miyuki studied him a moment longer and then turned back to Hikari, still grinning widely. "Thanks for noticing." She stared at the brunette expectantly. Hikari knew she wanted a compliment. Something cheesy along the lines of, 'You looked so beautiful, how could I not?' Well she wasn't going to get one. Hikari didn't say anything. She merely nodded. Undeterred, Miyuki continued, "I heard that you swim really well. Word in hallway is that you're among the top five on the team."
Hikari didn't like the tone in her voice. "Yes, I am."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you." Where was she going with this? Her voice reminded Hikari of the voice Alexandria used whenever she was preparing to attack. Hikari allowed her eyes to flicker quickly to Takeru's face. He looked slightly uneasy as he looked at his girlfriend out of the corner of his eye.
"Of course. And you can only go up from there right? Maybe you'll be able to beat Miyako in the time trials and knock that fat-headed moron off her high horse. I, of course, will cheer for you. Absolutely," Miyuki continued. Though Hikari was certain Miyuki meant to compliment her by indirectly offering her the top spot on the team (though it was not hers to give), Hikari didn't appreciate it. Miyako had taken a hit in that 'compliment.' A quick glance at Takeru revealed that he didn't feel too good about her last comment either; his mouth hung open. Miyuki hadn't finished. "I think my friends would really like you. They love to watch swim practice." An invitation to join Miyuki's circle? From what Hikari could tell, her grade fractured between Miyuki's group and Yumi's crowd. They held the top spots as the two most popular girls in school, mostly because they commanded the positions. Hikari supposed she should have felt honored that Miyuki deemed her pretty enough to join her little posse, but Hikari was in no mood to spend the year playing suck-up.
"Thanks, but no thanks," she interrupted, boldly, anger flashing in her eyes. "I don't take well to people who speak rudely of others because they're jealous of their abilities." Miyuki stopped talking and gaped at her, surprised. In an instant, her astonishment faded into something else. There was no mistaking the look in her eyes.
Venom.
Pure venom.
o-o-o-o-o
Thanks to pandabear24, Storyteller of dimensions, puasluoma, Makmay04, Aki Midoshi, Pebbles, Shire Folk, Final Genesis, SoV, and LiLTakariGirl aka Yami Aro for reviewing. I forgot how much I enjoy hearing from you guys.
Pebbles: I know, I know! I'm so sorry. I don't want to say I've lost interest. I hate it when other authors just decide to up and leave without finishing their stories, so I certainly don't want to do that either, but every time I sit down to work on it, my mind wanders onto other things. And I feel like it's so poorly written at the beginning. But I will try. No promises, but I will try.
Preview of chapter 3: Hikari tries to deal with the aftermath of blowing Miyuki off, Miyako formally makes the acquaintance of the eccentric Akari, and Taichi finally gets his rear over to visit his family, bringing his friends, Yamato, Sora, Mimi, and Hideki, along for the ride.
Get excited!