"I do not want to go back Minako."
"What happen?" She looked up concerned into the angry face of Ebere.
"Some guy grabbed my butt. He was moving and stuff on me. I wanted to clock him."
"He was inappropriate?"
"Yes!"
"Ah," Minako bit her lip.
"Ms. Marshall,"
"Ebere please."
"Ebere-chan, we women are not really protected."
"What do you mean?"
"It is not like America."
"So am I just going to let that guy touch me?" Minako shook her head.
"You do not want to make trouble for yourself your second day of school. Please just try to go on with your day. If it happens again, go to the principal." That was not good enough. That was inexcusable. Swallowing hard, she turned and threw her shoes on.
"Try to have a good day today Ebere-chan."
"See you later Minako."
When she got to school, she eyed Uota who winked at her as she came into the classroom.
"Disgusting creep." She murmured as she sat down in her spot. What was so wrong that this had to happen to her already? She had barely stepped into the school. A part of her wanted to cry. She wanted her father. Her brothers. Somebody to come to her defense. Back home, what Uota did would have been a death wish. And what was with school on Saturday? There would be no time to even relax during the weekend. Sighing, she tried not to groan and got her materials out.
"Excuse me." She looked up to find a guy standing in front of her desk. She huffed.
"What?"
"You're in my seat."
"There are so many other seats in this classroom. Can't you find another one?"
"I prefer this one." Sucking her teeth, she got up and sat in front of him.
"Thank you."
"Whatever." More students started to file in and soon, the teacher came in. Here we go... day two.
****
Seeing her first thing in the morning was a unexpected surprise. At the sight of her, he thought about yesterday. The thought infuriated him. Was she not a human? Unlike the rest of the world, he hadn't been so susceptible to stereotypical influences. He looked at this girl and saw a confused, struggling person. He looked up at her.
She was so worked up that she didn't notice that he had spoken to her in English. Perhaps she didn't care. Either way, she was interesting. She was like the black sheep in the mix. And... so was he. Or at least... he was trying to be. He looked up at the back of her head and wondered if her big curly hair was just as soft as it looked.
"Good morning." The teacher greeted as he set his materials down. They all stood up and bowed.
"Good morning."
"Be seated. Today we are going to learn about algorithms." He heard the crack of a pencil and saw a small brown hand clutching one. She had broke her pencil.
"Marshall, please come and demonstrate how we define algorithm." Quiet.
"Marshall!"
"Oh, yes!"
"Come here and show us please."
"What?"
"Go define algorithm." He spoke quietly behind her.
"Huh? Um..." He sighed.
"Teacher may I demonstrate instead? I don't think she knows the answer."
"Iwase just wants to help his girlfriend." He met eyes with a smirking Uota. This guy was getting on his nerves. You are so very miniscle. Stay in your place. He thought irritably.
"Iwase, please come up so we can move on."
"Thank you." He got up and quickly wrote the answer before returning to his seat.
"Uota, you come forward and solve the first problem." He hid his smirk as he groaned before getting up from his seat. He was growing tired already. Of this. The smirk slid away. He already knew everything. It was a waste of time to be here.
"I have to leave early class. I have an emergency. We will pick up our lesson on Monday. Review chapters 1-3 and be prepared for a quiz." Most of the students groaned in collective disdain.
"Now I can get out of here." He heard her murmur. She grabbed her bags and cautiously walked by the classmates that grinned at her.
"Hiroto-kun," He glanced at Tobu who was frowning.
"Mm?"
"Why do they have to be so mean to her?"
"Tobu... she's a foreigner. And she looks different. I will give you one guess why."
"But..."
"If I'm not mistaken, even you said you wanted to "cruise the jungle"." He said getting up and gathering his belongings.
"But at least I see her as a human being. A very sexy human being."
"See you later." He called, walking out. He didn't have the patience.
"Iwase!" Turning, he found Atsuhara Yu one of the most popular girls at school standing in front of him.
"Hello."
"Hey." He lifted an eyebrow.
"Can I help you with something?" She reached out to move hair out of his eyes.
"You can help me yes." He took a step back.
"With?"
"Um...my computer! In the lab! It's broken!" He tried not to sigh.
"Atsuhara, there is a technician in the classroom."
"He's gone. I really need your help! I have a big assignment and..." She must have thought he was stupid.
"If this is your idea to seduce me, it's failing." Her cheeky smile faded and her face grew pink with embarrassment.
"I... what?"
"Yu, I know you like me. But I find you boring. There's no chance with me." He turned to walk away.
"Piece of advice: stop watching so much hentai. Real life is nothing like that." He left her spluttering in the hallway and as soon as he felt the warmer air, he sighed.
"That was harsh." He saw the new girl standing against the door. He leaned back against the wall.
"What was harsh?"
"The way you shot that girl down. You ain't have to do her like that. A simple no would have sufficed." His lip twitched in a smile.
"Oh so I should have been nicer you're saying?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Ah," She glanced up at him.
"You're the desk guy who helped me yesterday."
"Your memory is impeccable."
"Well... thank you. You didn't have to do that."
"Those cowards deserved it." She smiled a little.
"What's your name?" He leaned towards her and watched her.
"You don't know who I am by now?"
"I wouldn't have asked if I did." His lip twitched again. He liked this girl. She had spunk.
"Iwase Hiroto."
"Ebere Marshall."
"Ebere...that's unique." She smiled.
"Yeah well there has to be someone unique in this world." The wind picked up her curls and the faint scent of a sweet fragrance drifted his way. She had turned from him and was clutching her jacket.
"How do you know English?" She asked quietly, her eyes on the trees ahead of her.
"I learned early. Haven't been able to use it until now so it may be bad."
"No. It's... really nice. Refreshing. It reminds me of home."
"Where is home?"
"Brooklyn."
"Brooklyn, New York?"
"Yeah."
"What made you come here?" She turned to glance up at him.
"So many questions. You takin notes?" He let his grin come out.
"You intrigue me Ebere."
"I see."
"I must have gotten too personal. Forgive me." She smirked and bit her lips. They stood in silence until a car pulled up. That must be her ride. She nodded at him before getting in the car. He watched her drive away. He did not want this to be the last time he spoke to her. She had not been here two days but for the first time in years he had smiled. No one had made him smile. Not even his parents. He definitely wanted to know more about her. Suddenly, the fresh wind seemed so much colder. Closing his eyes, he inhaled it. Waiting until there was no one else in the lot, he started walking in his secret way.
*****
The blur of the trees whirred past her but her mind was far from the greenery. Today was not a bad day. She was expecting it to be just as horrible as yesterday. But, it seemed that there was at least one person there that was nice. She appreciated that guy. Iwase Hiroto. He was alright. He mostly held a frown on his face the couple times she had glanced back but he did have a nice smile. Pity he didn't show it. She wondered what his story was, what it was like.
"How was school?"
"Fine."
"Just fine?"
"Yeah."
"It's only second day. You make friends!" She smiled as Minako's sweet voice assured her.
"Thank you Minako."
"That guy didn't touch you did he?"
"No."
"Good. If he bothered you, I would have called my brother."
"Your brother?"
"To speak for you." Smiling, she nodded.
"I appreciate it." She nodded.
"You want to help me cook dinner?"
"Sure." She leaned her head against the cool glass and sighed contently. She was so grateful for Minako. It made her transition in Japan so much easier. Even though she was older than her, she was so very much appreciated.
"Minako, when is my family coming?" She grew quiet.
"....I don't know. I haven't heard anything."
"Ah,"
"It's still so early... maybe they come later in year." She blinked back tears. She wanted them now.
"Okay." Minako smiled at her, making eye contact with her in the mirror.
"Your family misses you too I am sure of it." Then why aren't they here?
"What's for dinner tonight?" Minako hummed.
"Hamburger Steak, Hijiki no Nimono, Onion Salad, Miso Soup with Wasame and Tofu and Genmai."
"That sounds like a lot." She laughed.
"No, not a lot. Smaller meal." Her stomach growled. She knew what hamburger was. She was happy to hear foods that she had heard of before. It made her slightly more receptive.
They pulled up to the house and entered the house. She grabbed some grocery bags and soon, the news was on.
"Go wash hands and get comfy." Minako sweetly grinned at her and when she came back down, she had pans, knives and everything equally set apart.
"Ready?" She smiled.
"Yeah."
*****
"Hiroto," He looked up into the face of his father. A instant scowl came on his face.
"What?" At his brash behavior, his father tightened his jaw.
"Have you talked to Emi?" Emi. All they ever talked about was Emi.
"No. Would you like to stand here while I call her?"
"Watch your tone." He sighed and looked away. After a while, his father spoke again.
"How is school?" His father's attempt at small talk was starting to irritate him.
"Fine. It's a waste of time to even be there. You know I know everything." Ah yes, his father never failed to brag to the first person he saw that he was damn near a prodigy. He had intellect far exceeding others his age.
"You are quite gifted Hiroto. But, you have to socialize. You have to make friends."
"You can just pay to have people be friends with me. You've done it before." His father was quiet.
"Besides, I don't want any friends. Friends are a waste of emotional energy."
"What about that boy Nakamura Tobu? You two seem to be friends." Tobu was the only exception he had made to his no friends rule. But his father didn't need to know that. After no response, he sighed and got up.
"Your mother is making dinner. Come downstairs soon." His door closed and he once again was in silence. This was making him sick. All the expectations, all the grandiose, all the money, fortune and influence. You would think someone like him would like it. On the contrary. He hated it. Every time he had to paste a plastic smile on his face and brag about his father, their family or about himself. Every time he had been pressured to associate himself with "influential" teenagers like himself. Every time his parents tried to get him to start thinking of marriage.
He got up and put on his shoes. Opening the door, he walked downstairs.
"Where are you going?" His mother asked, looking up from the stove.
"Out."
"Dinner is almost ready."
"I'm not hungry." Before he uttered something he would regret, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
His shoes hit the pavement hard as he ran and he breathed harshly, letting the air come into his lungs. He could feel sweat warmly heating his shirt and forming at his forehead but he kept going. Harder. He pushed himself to run faster. Huffing, he focused on the road ahead of him and blurred everything else out. The night sky was clear and you could see the stars. Smiling to himself, he slowed down, his knees and legs burning. That felt good. The burn meant he was still alive; still here. He stood in the empty street, lit by the dim street lights and sighed. It was nights like this that made him feel free. It made him feel alive when all else made him feel dead.
He wouldn't dare tell his parents that he had thought about it. He had wanted to rebel against them. He wanted to do so many things just to see if it would hurt them. He couldn't lie if he said he hadn't thought about fucking as many girls as he could in a night just for the hell of it. They all wanted him anyway. He wasn't bad either. With just one stroke, he could have any girl he wanted hook line and sinker. Addicted. Yeah, he knew he held that kind of power. But never did he abuse it. Hell if he hadn't thought about it. He'd thought about getting so high he couldn't feel his face. So drunk he floated to another dimension.
His parents wanted to let them in to his mind. But, they would not be prepared to handle what he thought about. No, they would never forgive him if they found out. Looking down at his watch, it read 2:00 am. He'd been out all night. His stomach growled and he ran a hand through his damp hair. The only thing open now was ramen shops. He licked his lips. He hadn't had ramen in so long. Not instant. No, the real deal. He began to walk down the dark street, hands in his pockets.
The next day at school, he had the same apathetic frown on his face as he sat, watching his classmates chatter.
"Leave me alone!" His ears perked up at the English and turned to see Uota towering over the new girl... Ebere Marshall. He groaned. The teacher had yet to arrive and it was fair game for everyone.
"Stop touching me. I won't tell you again."
"You like this. Let me just..." His eyes found them again as Uota leaned down and whispered something into her ear. He watched as her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and disgust.
"You asshole!" She reached up to slap him but he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the classroom. He stood up and the need to bash his face in hit him hard in the chest. He didn't know what it was about the new girl but he felt protective each time he looked at her. More than likely it was her size. She was the size of a pea. He got up and shot the guys chuckling in the corner a glance.
"If I started to harass your girlfriend, would you just stand there like some brainless waste of a human?" He hissed. Their faces paled.
"You are too much Iwase. Just let him have his fun. He's just intrigued with the new girl."
"Let him have his fun?" He chuckled but nothing was funny.
"Give me your girlfriend's number. I'll have fun with her too." One of them clenched his fists.
"Iwase stop it."
"She might like it so much she'll leave you for me." Before he could punch him, he snarled.
"Iwase! What is your deal? Do you want to fuck her too?! Jesus, just do it and leave us the hell alone." His condescending smirk left his lips and he felt his face grow cold. He swallowed his words.
"Watanabe. Don't get on my bad side. I promise you it'll be something you regret. I don't like repeating myself. Leave the girl alone. Or you'll find yourself hurt."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Don't do anything to find out." He turned and mentally cursed. Where was the teacher? Surely, class should have started by now. Everyone was growing restless and rowdy. Stepping out into the hall, he eyed the crowd. Where had they gone? He heard a scream and it sounded muffled. Coming from the end of the hall. He clenched his fists and walked down to the last door as calmly as he could. He needed to breathe. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to find her on the floor with him pinning her arms above her head.
"Uota," He turned to look at him.
"Iwase."
"Get up."
"No. She's so wet man. She must want it." He slid his fingers underneath her skirt and she bucked against him, trying to get him off.
"Uota," The next time he looked, his fist smashed into his face and he slumped over her. Her face was wet with tears and she pushed at him. He was silent as he yanked him off of her and shoved him on the floor. She laid there, still.
"Marshall, are you..."
"Did you come to get some too?" She looked up at him. He eyed her skirt which had been hiked up, her smooth brown thighs and crisp white panties exposed. That bastard had nearly ripped her shirt and her breast was hanging out of her shirt.
"No." He took off his uniform jacket.
"You keep getting yourself into trouble Ebere." He mused as he covered her. She huffed.
"Fix yourself. We are late for class." She stared at him incredulously.
"Shouldn't we be going to the Principal's Office?!" He nodded.
"Whatever you wanna do." She sniffed and he grabbed her hand and helped her stand.
"Why is this happening to me?! What the hell is going on... Why..." He watched her and swallowed thickly.
"You seem like a strong girl Ebere. Don't give in."
She scoffed.
"What would you know about me?"
"Absolutely nothing. Besides the fact that you must have some sort of aphrodisiac on you. Ever since you came here, the guys have lost their minds."
"Blame television. All they see anyway is half naked black women. Type black woman in google and you get millions of naked pictures of us." He stayed quiet and observed her. He would be lying if he said he didn't find her attractive. He couldn't help admiring her thighs but he looked away from her exposed breast. He wouldn't violate her like Uota had done. She deserved that much.
"Would you like me to come with you?" She shrugged.
"I just want to go home. Not here. I want to go back to the States. I wish I never was forced to come here." She said with a frustrated sigh. He stepped over Uota's limp body carelessly and opened the door to peek out. The hallway was clear.
"Is he... dead?" He bit back a chuckle.
"No. Unconscious. There's a difference Ebere." She sucked her teeth.
"Smartass." He grinned and glanced over her appearance.
"Button up my jacket." She did quietly and soon they made their way to the principle's office. At the sight of her in his jacket, his lazy tie and her messy hair, it appeared that they had been the ones being naughty in the storage closet. He bit back a smirk as the man looked them over again. He cleared his throat and Ebere tightly clutched the edges of his jacket. It was quite big on her and nearly went past her skirt.
"What can I help you with?" She took a nervous breath.
"I've just been... molested." He scrunched up his eyebrow. He licked his lips.
"She said she was just molested." His eyes grew wide.
"What would you have to do with this?" His voice was hard as he directed his question to him.
"I didn't do it. I found Daisuke Uota all over her. If I hadn't gotten there, he probably would have raped her." His face grew even paler and he wondered if he was going to vomit. His hand shook as he looked at her.
"Tell her to tell me what happened."
"Ebere," She came out of a daze and slowly looked up at him.
"He wants you to tell him exactly what happened." She looked down.
"My Japanese is not that good..." He slid his hands into his pockets.
"I'll translate." She took a shaky breath.
"So, here is what happened. I've been having problems with this fool-I-I mean guy-classmate.." He tried not to chuckle as his translation stopped. He looked at them in confusion.
"Try again." She nodded.
"I've been having problems with this classmate from day 1 of my arrival. The first day he touched me inappropriately and was quite lewd in his movements. That's when Iwase stepped in. He got Uota to stop. But he kept making comments. Fast forward to today. I thought that it was over. I was prepared to let it go. But this morning, he was trying to slide his hands underneath my shirt in front of the class and I told him to stop. He began whispering really dirty things in my ear and when I reached up to slap him, he grabbed my arm and near dragged me to the storage closet..." She sighed, feeling a release. He finished translating and then spoke on his own.
"When I arrived, he was on top of her and had nearly torn her uniform off. He was..." He stopped.
"...He was?" He glanced at her again before continuing.
"He was touching her private. And told he she was..."
"Iwase, spit it out." He didn't know why it was so hard for him to speak suddenly. Perhaps, this whole thing made him sick to his stomach.
"I'm going to tell you word for word." He warned. The principal nodded.
"He touched her and made a comment about how wet she was. And by that logic, it meant she wanted him. He's been coming for me since she came here. I do not know why but my patience is running thin. He's made remarks about me secretly wanting to do what he tried to do." He was silent.
"His friends are equally as dumb. Today, they requested that I let Uota have his fun with Marshall because he was intrigued and she was foreign. Not to mention that I must have wanted to have her myself. Ridiculous." He sat, fingers steepled. His expression was unreadable.
"Ask her if she wants to press charges." His blood chilled. Uota deserved it. But would Ebere do it?
"Ebere," She had been quiet and looked up at him, disoriented.
"Ebere?" He tried more gently this time.
"Huh?"
"Do you want to press charges?" Her head spun.
"I-I don't know. I don't want... I don't know what I want right now." He turned back to the man at the desk, resisting the sudden urge to pull her into his arms.
"She isn't certain right now Sir. Could we try tomorrow once she clears her head?" He took a deep sigh and waved.
"Yes. Where is Uota?"
"Still in the storage closet."
"I'll have someone get him. You two are relieved for the day. Go home." He slid fingers into hers and pulled her out of the office. He meant to let go of her hand but she tightened her grip, not looking at him. He swallowed and led her back to the classroom.
When they entered, a shocked hush fell over the class. Curious stares and whispering. They eyed her in my jacket and our hands intertwined. The teacher froze, chalk hovering in the air.
"Where have you two been Iwase, Marshall?" Some of the class chuckled as if they knew. She was quiet.
"We came to get our belongings." Dodging his question, he led her to the cubbies. She released his hand.
"Iwase, what did you do with her?"
"They look like they had sex!"
"Look at the way she held on to him. She must think they are an item."
"I wonder if he'll pass her on to me next." He was glad that she didn't understand any of this. Anger was rising up in his chest and he bit back angry words. He looked over to find her ready. She reached out and gingerly lifted a finger of his in hers. He swallowed and slowly they walked to the door.
"Hold it! You didn't answer my question! Where were you all this time? Why have you come back to class looking like you-" He turned his chilly gaze on him.
"Looking like we just got done (doing something ) fucking in the closet?" His teacher shut his mouth.
"..."
"The principal will explain when you see him next." He pulled her out of the classroom, leaving the laughs, whispers and judgements behind.
****
She just wanted to go home. She didn't want to be here anymore. She was abandoned it seemed, sent to another country and for what? To be harassed, taken advantage of and judged? She could have laughed. Looking up, she watched Iwase Hiroto walk ahead of her, his arm slightly extended back, his pinky holding on to hers. He was the only one who had cared, the only one who gave a damn about her being here. Why was that? Why did he have to show up seemingly at the right time EVERY time?
She felt butterflies fill her stomach and tried to push them away. His jacket felt warm and big. Cozy. It faintly smelled like cologne, a cologne she wanted to smell on him more often. She peeked down. She bet she looked like a midget next to him, being swallowed up in his jacket. His hand holding hers was just as warm. Comforting. He kept his nails manicured and neat and she was pleased to see he wasn't a nail biter. Call her crazy but she was fascinated with the way her brown skin clashed with his paler skin.
Blushing, she tried to look away. Why was she so observant of him lately? Admit it Rae, he's fine. Super fine. Shaking her head, she sighed.
"We're outside." She heard his deep slightly husky voice announce in a soft tone. He turned around and their eyes met. Why was he staring at her so... intensely all of a sudden? What was going on? She cleared her throat.
"Um... thank you for... for what you did." He nodded.
"It's no problem." He let her pinky go and slid his hands in his pockets. They remained quiet for a long while.
"Ebere," She shyly looked up to find him looking down at her with such an intensity it almost made her hide behind her hands.
"Y-yeah?"
"Let's go somewhere."
"Where?" He shrugged and looked away.
"Anywhere." She tried to wrap her mind around everything that happened today. It ended up making her head hurt.
"Sure." They started walking out of the school gates and slowly walked side by side. Thoughtfully.
"What happened in there... I would have did more if I could have." His voice said lowly. She detected anger.
"Iwase, let me ask you something." They eyes met. His a light sienna when the sun hit them.
"Shoot."
"Why do you keep saving me? What are you, my superhero?" That made him chuckle.
"You could say that huh?" She didn't laugh. At her seriousness, he let the grin fall from his face.
"What man wouldn't want to protect you Ebere? You're tiny. You look vulnerable as hell. And... you're growing on me." He mumbled the last part but she caught it. Things grew quiet.
"You always fall for girls this quick?" She couldn't help but tease to try to ease up the somber mood.
"No." His grin was back and it made her smile. He glanced down at her.
"But you're something else." Those butterflies were back.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"A place that you can't tell no one about." Her eyes widened and she slowed down.
"Hold up homie. What do you mean a place I can't tell no one about?! I will turn around with the quickness." At her expressions, he felt the laughter rise out of his stomach and soon he couldn't stop. She crossed her arms but smiled at him. He felt tears at the corners of his eyes. He hadn't laughed like that since... since... He straightened up and dapped at his eyes.
"Oh my God... You are hilarious you know that?" She pursed her lips.
"Well,"
"Relax Ebere. It's not like that. It's just... it's a special place to me." She lifted an eyebrow.
"That you want to share with me?" His cheeks grew pink.
"Yes." She sighed.
"Okay fine. Are we almost there?"
"Here actually. Turn around." She turned to find a big beautiful tree and a pond, sparkling water that held little ducklings. She gasped and went over to them, who were trying to keep up with momma duck. He came behind her and knelt beside her.
"Not so bad huh?" He said with a soft smile as he watched the ducklings. She gawked at him before looking back at the water.
"It's beautiful Iwase."
"Hiroto," She turned to find his eyes on her.
"Call me Hiroto." Her eyes dipped to watch his lips form the words and she felt dizzy. Clearly, she was not in her right mind today. She sighed and looked away.
"What's... your favorite thing about this place... Hi-Hiroto?" The new level of personal on her tongue was a shock but she found that she liked his name. It sounded solid. Strong.
"When I need a moment to clear my head. I come here." He said as he stretched out his legs on a flat rock.
"It's really peaceful here."
"Mm." They sat in silence and the spring air rustled their hair. She breathed in a lung full of air and closed her eyes. Tilting her head back, she let the sun fall on her neck. It was so nice here. Just quiet. Peace.
"Hiroto?"
"Yes?" His voice sounded a little bit more husky than before and it made her eyes snap open.
"You okay?" He ran slender fingers through his hair.
"Never better."
"Can you bring me here again?"
"Yeah." She pulled her hands out of his pockets.
"I guess I should go. School probably ended hours ago." They had not been aware that they had been there all day.
"Sure." He stood up with her. She reached up to unbutton his jacket and she pulled it off of her.
"Thanks for this."
"No problem." He took the jacket and easily slid back into it, leaving it unbuttoned. He reached down and began to button her shirt, taking her breath away. She was still, the presence of his hands far too close on her mind that she'd have liked it to be. When he was done, he fixed her collar.
"All done." He stood back and smiled. She returned it weakly.
"I'll see you tomorrow right?"
"I might skip." She joked.
"No you won't."
"And you know this because?" He grinned.
"You want to see me again." She playfully hit his arm.
"Oh please. Get out of here. Go home Hiroto." He chuckled and the flutters were back.
"Will you be okay on your own?"
"I do not need a bodyguard Hiroto. I'll be fine." He playfully lifted his hands up.
"Point taken." She gripped her purse.
"See you tomorrow Ebere."
"Just Rae." He blinked.
"Call me Rae." She smiled and began to walk away.
"Alright. Bye... Rae."
"Bye." She couldn't keep the stupid smile off her face. Maybe this year wasn't going to be so bad after all.
A/N: hehehehehehehehehe okie, I'm sorry LOL. *ahem* I love them. Simple lol. Let's keep going.