CHAPTER TWO
"Ne, ne, Suzu-cchi!" Kise bounded over to her as soon as he saw her come in the classroom door. Suzume ignored him and walked over to her seat, plopping down with a sigh. "Have you done any more drawings? I wanna seeeeee!"
"Go away." She said in a flat voice, completely poker-faced as she took her books out and placed them neatly on the table.
Kise pouted. "But I sit here, Suzu-cchi~" Then, as quick as lightning, he grabbed Suzume's sketch book - which was also on her table along with the other stuff - and shot out of reach. She gave a low growl and stood up, her face a mixture of worry and anger.
"Give that back, dumbass."
"No~" The blonde happily flicked through her best and most secret drawings ever (not even her parents or her sister has seen them) and came to a stop when he saw the eyes. "W-who is that?"
Suzume took the chance to snatch her precious sketchpad out of Kise's hands. "No one you know." But he could see her hands shaking a little as she quickly slid the book of drawings back into her bag.
"S-Suzu-cchi?"
She was saved by the teacher coming in through the door. Suzume really didn't want to talk about Shinju with him - after what he said last week, she didn't want him to know any of her weaknesses. And Shinju was definitely a weakness. She wasn't sure if it was because she didn't have any other friends, but she really cared for Shinju.
"Miss Kikuchi? If you would care to solve the equation?" Suzume snapped back to attention, looking at the question on the board, and after a while of thinking, replied,
"Q equals ten and P equals eight."
He glared at her and turned away. This has happened many times, especially with this particular teacher. Whenever she zones out they always pick on her, but gets nothing but a correct answer back every time. They obviously didn't know that she actually studies very hard at home.
Suzume drew peacefully on the rooftop of the 1st year building. She thought that Kise wouldn't be able to interrupt her here. Boy, was she wrong...
"Suzu-cchi! I searched a long time for you, you know!"
She gritted her teeth and kept her head down, ignoring the blonde model. He peered at her newest picture, a simple sketch of the view from where she was sitting.
"Woah, so awesome..." The finishing touches were done and Kise grinned happily. "Draw me?"
Suzume grumbled something inaudible but then glared up at him when he didn't move. He brightened. "Yay~" And then he sat down, leaning on the railings in a casual 'model pose'. He watched as her hands moved rapidly, perfectly capturing the moment.
After only mere minutes, she stopped. "Done." Kise scrambled over to have a look.
"Suzu-cchi! Even the look in my eyes is like, real! It looks like a...a photo of me!"
"Yeah, well, it's supposed to, Banana-Head."
"If you sold it to my fangirls the would pay hundreds for it!"
"No way do I ever sell or give away my drawings... Except for my friends." The last part was so soft he barely heard it.
Kise's eyes widened. "Y-your friends?"
Suzume turned away. "Let's go back to the classroom now." He watched, mystified, as she grabbed her book and pencils and left without another word.
So she does have friends... But why wouldn't she talk about them? He sighed and hurried after her. Too confusing, he thought. He'll have to figure it all out later.
~Suzume's Point Of View~First Person~
Whenever I walked around the school I would receive glares and pointed looks from the girls. I never really knew why and didn't care either. If they all wanted to hate me for no specific reason, then I'll let it be. It would even help with me with my do-not-make-any-friends plan.
"Kikuchi, is it?" One of the bolder girls came forward. Some of her shirt buttons were unbuttoned so that way too much was showing and her makeup made her look like a clown.
"Yeah. What do you want?" I was too tired for this business.
She sneered. "Don't think you can say what you want just because my dear Ryo-kun has taken an interest in you. He'll dump you before long, you'll see."
"..." Who the hell is Ry- oh she means that Banana-Head... She's got it all wrong... "Ok."
She seemed surprised. "So stay away from my Ryo-kun, or else there'll be consequences, okay?"
"I would appreciate it if you tell him to stay away from me." And with that, I left the annoying fangirl staring after me and started walking home.
"Jesus." I mumbled to myself. "That girl was so...pushy. If she told me to stay away from...anyone that wasn't that Banana-Head, I wouldn't have listened."
I pushed open the door of my house, dumping my bag by the door. Today I stayed at school slightly later than I normally do because I got caught up in the school's art gallery. There was some really cool work that I felt inspired by so I wanted to start working on something right now.
"I'm home, Sora."
"Suzu-nee-chan! I've finished my homework!"
"That's great. I'll go make something for dinner and you...can go do whatever." I ruffled her hair lovingly. My sister was the one person I can really be myself around.
"Yup!" She gave me a salute and went to open the TV. Just when I finished dinner, she called to me again. "Suzu-nee-chan, your phone's ringing!"
I went over and picked the vibrating device up. "Hello?"
"Suzume." A familiar voice said on the other side of the line.
"F-Father?"
"Yes. I have called you today to tell you about a job I have decided for you."
"Yes?" My dad was always so distant, so stern.
"Well, I don't want you to laze around doing nothing all day, so I called a few acquaintances. A fashion magazine company would like to have you as a model."
"W-what?"
"Yes, a model. Now I'm sure it'll provide plenty of money, and I heard a famous model works there. Kise Ryota, was it? Anyway, work starts in two weeks' time, and I expect you to be there. Now I have a meeting, but I'll send the photo studio's address to you."
"Wait, I d-" And then he hung up on me. "Argh, I don't want to be a model." I growled, slamming my phone down onto the table angrily. "It's always 'oh I'm sure you'll get heaps of money from it' and never 'oh I'm sure it'll be fun'. It's always for the good of you, but you never care about what I think."
"Suzu-nee-chan, dad's forcing you to be a model...?" Sora looked up.
"Mm-hm."
"B-but...but that's awesome!" She squealed, eyes shining as she jumped up and down.
"No it's not. Go eat dinner now." My voice trembled slightly. I have to work at the same place as Kise Ryota? And as a model?
"O-kay, Suzu-nee-chan." Sora did her famous pout again. "But it'll really be cool if you were a model."
And then my phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Suuuuuuzzuuuuuuummeeeeee!" My jaw dropped open as I heard yet another familiar voice that I hadn't heard in ages.
"Shinju..."
"Hah? Don't tell me you've forgotten about me, I mean like we've only separated for a few weeks!"
Hearing her voice brought so many memories flooding back, the good ones and the bad ones together.
~Flashback~
Suzume grinned at her middle school friends, Sayuri and Amaya.
"Hey Suzu-chan, we have to go to ballet now, see you tomorrow!" Sayuri got up, stretching.
"Sure! See ya!" She suddenly decided to play a prank on her friends. After they disappeared, she got up and followed them, close enough to hear but not close enough to be spotted.
"Jeez, that Suzume is really a bother." She felt her eyes widen.
"Yeah, I mean I'm only hanging out with her cos mum said that her dad is important for business."
"She is soooo annoying, she thinks she's our FRIEND, huh?" Suzume sat down hard on a bench nearby.
"Sayu, Ama-chan?" She called loudly, breathing in.
"Suzume?" Amaya turned around.
"I-I heard what you said before. Is it...true?" Something like this has happened before in elementary school, and she'd felt so sad that she had cried for a week and not made any friends since. Finally, in middle school, she had gotten over it and made some friends, but...this is what she gets?
Sayuri sighed. "Eavesdropper." She made a disgusted face. "I've been standing you for so long."
"I know right, I can't pretend to be your friend anymore. Mum can't expect any more out of me." Amaya examined her nails.
"But...but I'm your friend, right?" Suzume said softly.
"No way. You were just a useful acquaintance. Let's go, Sayu." And then they snickered and turned away, leaving her on the verge of tears.
~Flashback End~
"No... I haven't forgotten you, Shinju. I remember when Sayuri and Amaya just left but you were there to comfort me..."
"Aw, how sweet. It sounds like you missed me a lot!"
"No way." But Suzume was grinning.