Author's Note: Yes, the title of this story is napped from the song "Stars and Chimneys" by Kalaido, whose music you should most definitely go check out, by the way. It's good, I promise!
But, anyways! Welcome to the first chapter of "Stars and Chimneys"! I really wanted to write about these two, so here I am! Plus, we really need more male/female friendships out there.
Also, warning: this story contains themes of child abuse/neglect and bullying. If you are not comfortable with reading that, I suggest you click out now.
Alright, I think that's it for now. I hope you enjoy the story!
She really should socialize more, Mikan Tsumiki admitted to herself.
It wasn't that she didn't want to, of course. It was more so that when she did try to socialize, it either ended in A.) the "best-case" scenario: an awkward but otherwise semi-normal encounter, or B.) the absolute worst-case scenario: she ended up completely and utterly embarrassing herself somehow.
In short, it was just easier to avoid social interaction.
However, something inside of Mikan must've finally snapped because, one day, she decided that she wanted—no, had—to change that. She didn't want to be known as the girl who let opportunities pass her by because she was too afraid to speak up, the girl who always cowered and whimpered in fear. Mikan wanted to be the girl who had an active role in her own life, the girl who could stand up for herself and articulate her thoughts clearly and confidently.
...Unfortunately, Mikan had not a clue on how to even go about doing that.
Crap.
How to socialize
And that was how Mikan found herself scrolling through article after article on her phone late that same night. She laid comfortably in her bed (a rare occurrence these days), blanket swallowing her whole, as she considered the advice the internet gave her.
However, the more websites she scrolled through, the more hopeless Mikan began to find herself. Most, if not all, people wanted nothing to do with her—how was she supposed to talk to them, let alone people her own age?
Disappointed with the results, Mikan was ready to turn in for the night.
Just as she was about to shut off her phone, however, a flashy ad that had popped up in the middle of the website she'd last been on caught her attention. "FriendPal", was what was being advertised.
It was fairly popular, given how many of Mikan's peers at school used it alone. From what she'd heard, it was a messaging app where you were matched with a random stranger based on info you inputted.
Actually, trying that app out wouldn't be a bad idea, Mikan decided, the longer she thought about it. Granted, it probably wasn't the best way to overcoming her problems, considering she wouldn't be talking to anyone face-to-face, but it was at least a start (plus, she was kinda desperate).
And so, deciding to delay sleep a bit longer, Mikan went ahead and tapped on the ad, which prompted her to the app store.
The app only took a few minutes to download, and once it was ready, she clicked on it and she had to squint her eyes, as a blinding white screen popped up, complete with a simple smiling face emoji in the middle. It soon dimmed, and a welcome message popped up:
Welcome to FriendPal!
Mikan had kindly been given a random username, "fluffybunny", but was told that it could be changed later.
The app then prompted her to put in the basic information such as her age and email address, along with a few app-specific things like her personality traits and interests.
Please wait a moment...
...
Congratulations! We have found a match for you!
Would you like to swipe right?
[Yes] [No]
Below was a small overview of their profile. Going off the description he put, the user behind it was a 16-year-old guy—good start, Mikan thought—so they were around the same age. His personality traits were listed as "confident", "ambitious", and "energetic", and his interests were "space", "helping others", and most amusingly, "plants".
Mikan pondered over her match for a minute. There was no reason to not talk to him. Plus, she was the last person who should try and be picky about who she talked to.
So, she tapped the "yes" button, only to freeze up as it took her to the messenger, where it expected her to type the first message.
What was she supposed to say? She'd never messaged anyone before! And making a good first impression was absolutely crucial.
Then, it occurred to her:
She could come with a persona. It would help Mikan build up the courage to talk to people in real life, and it wouldn't be as awkward when they chatted. It was a win-win situation, really.
And so, Mikan began to eagerly type in the text box.
fluffybunny: hiiiii|
Mikan bit her lip, backspacing. No, that came off as super weird.
fluffybunny: yo|
Mikan cringed, backspacing once again. She wanted this persona to be different from her actual self, but not that different.
Finally, after a long internal back and forth, Mikan typed out a decent message and forced herself to send it before she could debate it over like her previous ones.
fluffybunny: hi! you seem like a pretty cool person so here i am! :)
The response came fast, startling Mikan a bit.
starchild: hey! 😁
fluffybunny: hold on
fluffybunny: i wasn't expecting you to reply that fast rjfifngjfjfk
starchild: haha
starchild: fair enough
starchild: im usually on here at night so yknow
fluffybunny: really?
Mikan didn't want the inner nurse in her to come out, she really didn't, but it came out nonetheless.
fluffybunny: that's unhealthy
fluffybunny: you should be getting 8 hours of sleep at least
fluffybunny: don't you go to school?
starchild: yeah but i go to a school for talented students
starchild: so academics arent priority there
starchild: all i have to do is focus on my talent
starchild: and id like to think im pretty set on that
starchild: which means i get to set my own bedtime
starchild: also arent u on here on night too
starchild: assuming u arent in a different timezone
fluffybunny: ...
fluffybunny: fine you got me there
fluffybunny: but you should still be getting enough sleep
starchild: okay MOM
starchild: ill start
starchild: next week
fluffybunny: :(
fluffybunny: fine
Silence followed, without so much as a "... is typing" bubble popping up. Mikan immediately began to freak out; maybe she shouldn't have lectured him about sleep? After all, why else would be have disappeared like that?
The next few messages he sent when he finally replied didn't exactly help calm her anxiety:
starchild: nvm u win
starchild: i gtg
starchild: my sisters yelling at me to get off the computer
That was clearly an excuse to get away from her as soon as possible. Why do you always have to mess everything up, Mikan?!
starchild: it was fun talking to u tho starchild: we should chat again starchild: :)
Huh. That was unexpected. It even made Mikan a bit hopeful. A small smile quirked Mikan's lips as she texted back:
fluffybunny: yeah definitely!
fluffybunny: goodnight :)
The smile never left her face even after Mikan shut off her phone and laid down in her bed.
Maybe, just maybe, she had found a new friend.
Author's Note: So... This was the first chapter. I'm sorry if the ending was kinda over abrupt; this chapter wasn't intended to be very long, just to establish Mikan's character and introduce the friendship. Next chapter should be longer, though!
Please let me know what you thought if you made it this far. Thoughts and feedback are always welcomed!
And that's it (for now). If you're interested in chatting about the story, or just talking to me in general, free free to follow my Tumblr at strawberrymixt. I hope to see you next time!