Sweet and Sour [An OHSHC Fanfic]

Chapter Three

A/N: I can’t recall if I’ve mentioned this before, but unless it’s specifically mentioned that it’s not, it’s safe to bet that anything that’s said to Elias, or by Elias, is in Spanish.

“Do you want some help?”

I jumped, glancing towards the doorway. My mother stood there, a bright, curious smile on her face. With a frown, I turned my attention back to the full-length mirror in front of me. My hands were settled on the red ribbon that completed the Ouran uniform. I didn’t need to wear it today- I was only going in for a tour- but I knew it was a good idea to make sure that the uniform fit before I started classes. The real outfit I planned on wearing was already laying out on my bed.

“If you want,” I told her. “I know how to tie a ribbon.”

“You do?” she mused in return, sounding slightly amused. “Show me then.”

I rolled my eyes, slipping the sides of the ribbon over each other. A second later I’d secured the ribbon in place and shot her a ‘see?’ expression. She laughed then made her way over to where I stood.

“You can,” she agreed. “Not very nicely, though.”

I frowned, turning my attention back to the mirror. She was right, it was rather sloppy. It looked like I’d tied my shoelaces, not a ribbon. Without a word, she slipped her hands up to the ribbon and pulled it loose. My frown deepened as I watched her reflection slowly retie the ribbon.

“See? That’s how you do it.”

“I would have figured it out,” I muttered, then caught sight of the way her expression dropped slightly. “But thanks.”

The bright smile returned as she stepped back, studying me thoughtfully.

“It looks nice on you,” she decided. “You’ll fit right in, not that I ever doubted that. You’ve always made friends easily.”

I shrugged, studying myself just as she had done.

“Mostly because if I didn’t make friends with people I wouldn’t have anyone to back me up when Elias did something stupid,” I informed her. “Like the time he thought it’d be a good idea to sneak onto the roof of our school.”

She blinked, then laughed.

“How’d that go?”

“I was friends with the principal’s daughter. She convinced her dad that Elias was retrieving…” I trailed off, attempting to recall what it was. “A kite. None of us even owned a kite, but she somehow made it work. Afterwards Elias was called out to help with a kite-flying unit in one of the grade-school classes. He really did get a kite stuck on the roof by the end of that class.”

When she laughed this time, it was even harder than before.

“Goodness, it sounds like you have a lot of fun with him at your side.”

“Loads,” I replied dryly, then, after a moment’s thought, spun to face her. “Have you heard anymore about my being able to take classes in the college?”

She seemed surprised, but nodded.

“They were reluctant, of course, but Shou’s name holds a lot of weight. It took a bit of work, but we managed to convince them to allow you to enroll in two courses. We’ll just have to call them to set up a meeting with an advisor so that you can select your courses.”

I nodded, a smile appearing this time.

“That’s perfect, anymore and I might have problems in my other studies,” I informed her.