I would go to the Raging Bulls every day to hang out with Shu. Sometimes Stella would accompany me. Sometimes she would not.
Stella thought that Shu was boring. 'All he does is play with that Beyblade toy every day,' she complained.
'That's because you don't know him,' I said. 'Give Shu a chance.'
But it seemed that Stella really didn't enjoy watching me with Shu. Was she jealous or something?
Most of Shu's teammates were pretty rude. Once, I was sitting in the cafeteria with Shu during lunch. I stood up to get cutlery when I felt someone trip me and I fell down. Shu ran to help me up, but most of the other Raging Bulls laughed at me. Like what on earth was funny?
However, Howard was still the rudest. He refused to call me by my name, instead calling me Ariel. And every time he called me that, his friends would laugh. I didn't get it. Calling someone the wrong name on purpose is hardly an original joke. Maybe Americans just have a crap sense of humour.
Valt still sent me texts explaining what was going on in Spain. The European League was going to begin soon in Spain.
Shu even took me to his dorm. I almost mistook it for a hotel room. There were two queen-sized beds, a TV, and some nice furniture. There was a door leading to the bathroom.
I asked Shu why there were no girls at the Raging Bulls. But Shu's guess was as good as mine.
I noticed that Shu had two photos on his bedside table. One photo had all the members of the Beyclub in it. The second photo was of Shu and me at the Valentine's Day dance.
'Aww, that's so sweet of you,' I said.
'I'm glad that you like it,' said Shu. 'Howard has threatened to shatter the photo frame more than once.'
'Shu, you should report Howard for his behaviour,' I told him.
'I don't want any trouble,' said Shu. 'I came here to become a better blader, not get wrapped up in drama.'
I thought of all the drama Shu got himself mixed up in in the original show. And I had a feeling that he was going to get into more drama here.
Just then, Howard came into the room. He looked most displeased to see me.
'Shu, why did you bring Ariel here?' he asked.
'Her name isn't Ariel,' said Shu.
Howard rolled his eyes. 'I thought that I didn't want to see her in the dorms.'
Shu stood in front of me. 'Rose is my girlfriend. I won't have you picking on her.'
I felt uncomfortable. 'I think that I will go now,' I said. I quickly slipped out of the room.
Just then, I noticed three boys at the end of a corridor whispering amongst each other. One was a fair boy with long hair called Dylan Summers. The second boy had dark hair, dark skin, and was called Bruce Code. The third boy had curly black hair and bright green eyes. His name was Michael Gray.
'I don't understand why that Japanese boy should be allowed on our team,' complained Bruce. 'We're an American team for a reason.'
'That's because he's a good blader, dummy,' snapped Dylan. 'You know how Mr Glass always makes sure to have all the best bladers on the team. I have heard that he is trying to get Free De La Hoya to join us.'
'Well, I can't stand him,' said Michael. 'He's just too goody-goody for me. The other day he asked me if he could advise me on my launch. Like I would take advice from him! He's a child and four years younger than me. I don't care that he's acts twice his age.'
I couldn't believe the disrespect. How could those guys brush Shu off just because he's an Asian and one of the youngest members of the team? They were being racist and... Ageist (I don't know if that's a thing)?
'Hey!' I yelled. 'How dare you disrespect Shu like that!'
The three boys stared at me in surprise. Dylan was the first one to speak.
'Well, we think that his name is stupid. Who names their child something that sounds like shoe?'
'For your information, his name is Japanese for first-class! And you guys should be ashamed of yourselves for making fun of his age. He's a thousand times more mature than you! In reality, you're the children!'
And without another word, I slapped Dylan across his face. He looked furious. 'How dare you...'
I quickly ran away. I just hoped that Shu wouldn't suffer for what I did.