Scale - Tsukishima Kei

Chapter 11

I don't know how long I spend like that, underneath my blankets. But it's long enough that I'm no longer crying.

I sit up, rubbing my eyes and letting out a sigh. At that moment, a knock comes at my door. I stand up, unlocking it before sitting back down again. They can open it themselves. The doorknob slowly turns, and in comes my father.

"I don't want to see you right now." I mumble, looking away from him.

"I know you don't." He sighs, taking a seat at my desk. "Mei...I'm very disappointed in you. I don't like that you're keeping secrets from me, and doing things that grown people do. You're a child."

I don't say anything. What am I supposed to say? Why do I have to have this conversation with him?

"You like him a lot, don't you?" He asks quietly, and it's only then that I meet his eyes.

"Yes." I respond almost in a whisper.

"You two have had sex, but you're still friends? Mei, I know you don't want to hear this, but doesn't that sound fishy to you?" He runs a hand down his face. "Sweetie, I just want what's best for you. You've gone through so much, and I just want you to be happy. I don't want some guy to pretend to like you just to end up breaking your heart. You have to understand that." He lets out a heavy sigh, letting his hands fall to his lap.

"But dad, he makes me happy. Even if it's just going to be temporary. Even if he breaks my heart, at least I'm happy for a little bit. Right?" My bottom lip quivers and I swallow the familiar lump in my throat. "He's patient with me, he doesn't get bothered when I have panic attacks in front of him, he doesn't look at me like I should be dead, he makes me smile, he makes me feel like I'm worth something."

"Darling...what are you going to do when you lose that? Nothing lasts forever. You have to see that I'm only trying to do what's best for you. If he's so good, why didn't he defend you at school?"

"Well, I did lose it. So I guess we'll just see what happens, right?" Sarcasm laces my tone and I bury myself under my blankets again. "Goodnight." I don't even want to answer the rest of his questions. Maybe because I don't know the answer myself.

"I'll be taking your phone, that will be your punishment." He says, and walks out a minute later.

I turn around to see that my cellphone that was on my desk before, is indeed now gone.

How perfect.

~

The next two weeks are awful. I spent most of the time in my room, and my father has been working from home ever since. I felt trapped.

Right now though, he's taking me to my school so that I can pick up more work. The drive has been silent, and as soon as I see Karasuno High School come into view, I gulp.

This places makes me more nervous than before. I feel my hands about to shake, so I clasp them in my lap.

"I'm coming in with you, so nothing happens." My father says and I just give a quick nod.

Once he parks, we walk through the gates and I lead him to my classroom. I'm not sure why my father made me wear my uniform if I'm not staying the whole day, but he did. Wearing it now feels wrong. I hate it.

"Hello Yuna-San" My teacher says when I walk in, then makes eye contact with my father. "...and Yuna-San?" She chuckles.

"Good morning." My father says blankly. He's always keeping things professional with women who aren't my mom.

"I'll have your work done in just a minute, though class may start before that so you can just take a seat and wait." She says and my father looks at me.

"I'll stand in the back of the classroom." Is all he says.

I walk to my seat, seeing that Tsukishima's desk is still pushed away from mine.

If class starts before I get my work, that means I'll get to see him!

I try not to look at the people who walk in the room, but I'm eager to see when Tsukishima will come.

I can feel people giving me weird looks, staring at me. I glue my eyes to my desk and keep them there. In doing this, I noticed something. The distance from my stomach to the desk looks like it got slightly bigger. A small smile comes over my face, the pills must be working.

A loud screeching sound pulls me out of my thoughts, making me wince at the noise. I look up to see Tsukishima dragging his desk along the floor, and he pushes it right up against mine like it's supposed to be. He sits down with a sigh, then takes out a paper and pencil.

My eyes widen when he sits down and I stare at him in shock, much like the rest of the people in the class. He looks up at me, and then around at everyone.

"They're at staring at me. They all look like idiots with their mouths hanging open like that." He mumbles so that only I can hear him.

"T-Tsukishima. Move your desk right now." I beg and he frowns.

"Why?" He asks, writing his name on the top right of the paper.

"This isn't okay. You-You'll get made fun of for sitting next to me like this." I stand up, beginning to move my desk away. He grabs the back of the chair which is connected to the desk, holding it in place.

"I don't care if they talk about me. It's pathetic if all they have to discuss is who I choose to sit next to." He says loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I don't want to embarrass you." I say quietly and he sighs.

"If you don't want to embarrass me then sit down and stop making a scene." He responds and I slowly slide into my seat, casting my head down.

"O-Okay, class." My teacher clears her throat and begins to say things that I don't pay attention to.

"How have you been?" Tsukishima whispers as he begins to take notes.

"Are you sure it's okay to talk like this?" I mutter and he huffs out a breath.

"How have you been?" He repeats.

"I've been managing." I say after a moment of silence. "How have you been?"

"I want to talk with your father." He says and my neck snaps to look at him.

"That's a horrible idea." I whisper yell. "He'll just get mad. He already took away my phone."

"Ah, I figured after you didn't respond to my text the day after everything happened." He mutters and I nod.

"When will you come? I want to be able to see you too. If you come when I don't know, my father will do whatever to make sure I don't see you." I frown.

"Yuna-San, I have your work ready now." The teacher calls and I stand up, walking over to her. She hands me a couple of big folders, and my father comes up to us and takes them away from me. She also hands me a small bag. "Alright, you're all set. I hope to see you again." She smiles softly at me.

"You too." I bow, and I begin to walk away with my father.

"Oh, Yuna-San." I hear, and turn around. It's Tsukishima who called me this time. He isn't making eye contact with me though. He's looking at my father. "Everyday." He says.

Everyday? He plans to come everyday?

"Let's go." My father says quietly, though his voice is full of annoyance.