Chapter 2

The second the school bell rang, the sounds of the shifting desks and chairs chimed in. Sayumi grabbed her bag and walked out the classroom door and down the stairs. Upon stepping out of the entrance, the bright light immediately blinded her.

It had been a while since she had nothing to do after school. If it wasn't a part-time job or walking back with her friends, it was watching the basketball games. But today, there was nothing. Her friends had their own club activities. She got demoted to "on-call" for her part-time job ever since school started. Basketball practices were not open to the public. It had been a long time since she felt so free.

Sayumi began walking down the hill, but stopped when she saw the little hidden route that led to the park. Having nothing particular to do, she once again headed towards the park.

'Would he be here?' she wondered and immediately blushed. As if taking up her whole yesterday wasn't enough, the same blue-haired boy had to occupy her mind the whole today. The way he played. The passion. The intensity. The confidence. It was like he played his entire life, but with the same excitement you feel when you just started. With the thoughts of him increasing, the girl picked up her pace and found herself running in the direction of the basketball courts.

Boom. Sayumi's eyes glistened. The tall figure released his large hands from the basketball rim and went to retrieve the ball. The girl was again mesmerized by the solo player. Her eyes never left the athlete until she couldn't bear the heat. After tying up her light brown hair, she glanced at her watch. 5:02. She popped up when she saw the time. She unconsciously spent the last two hours watching a handsome stranger play basketball in the scorching sun. Upon the sudden realization, she focused in on the energetic boy getting ready for another dunk. His tan skin was now glistening in the sun. His hair was dripping water like a faucet.

Sayumi dragged herself unwillingly from her seat and trudged towards the exit. It was late and she needed water. She caught a last glimpse of the boy and pulled herself away before she was hypnotized to return to the seat she occupied. To her disappointment, the water fountain was sealed with bright yellow tape and a sign that read "Temporarily Out of Service" was posted right on top. She really didn't need the fountain to be broken today. It could have broke tomorrow, or the day after, or not break at all, but it had to be the hottest day of the month. The frustrated girl turned to leave for home, but after taking two steps, turned around and ran in the direction of the convenience store.

Everyone stared as the school girl lugged two gallons of water and waited in line to pay. Well, almost everyone.

"Next customer please," the cashier said indifferently. The panting girl lifted her right arm to place one of the gallons on the counter, but was suddenly shoved aside where she lost balance and fell to the floor. She got up and was about to apologize to the stranger standing at the counter, but stopped when she remembered. She was next in line. She was positive that it was her turn to pay.

"Hey!" Sayumi shouted at the giant that stood almost two heads taller than her. "I'm pretty sure it's my turn," the girl said in a softer tone when she realized who she was up against.

"You were the one who cut in front of me," the purple-haired stranger replied dully. As if nothing happened, the boy placed his basket of candy on the counter and pulled out his wallet. Sayumi was about to let it go if he apologized, but this was unacceptable. Not only did he blow her off, his basket of Nerunerunerune candy could take a good few minutes to count.

Sayumi immediately looked for some support, but all the customers who were previously in line either all wanted to shop more or decided that they could buy from elsewhere. Left alone to defend her pride, she mustered up all her courage to tap the rude boy.

"Nerunerunerune candy is cheaper at the convenience store across from here." The boy's ears pricked up a little. "Students occasionally get discounts, but you need your ID card." At her last words, the boy smiled at the cashier and walked out of the shop abandoning his pile of candy. Satisfied with her improvisation, the girl happily reclaimed her spot as the "next" customer and dropped off the exact amount before dashing out of the store. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to out run that sluggish-looking giant if he were to chase after her. Thus, while carrying the two gallons of fresh bottled water, Sayumi sprinted to the park.