I left the house early the next morning and got to Neru's locker about half an hour before school started. All the girls were there. Well, except for Miku.
"Gumi!" Teto called out to me and I nodded.
"Gumi, you're late," Neru said.
"Well, you never told me when to show up. You just said to be here early."
"Well, anyways..." Neru showed her phone to me. Her calendar was open.
"What am I looking for?" I asked.
"Miku's birthday!" Luka hissed. She startled me. "How could you forget?"
"Well, I..." I scratched my head. "I don't know...you know I'm no good with birthdays."
"Aww! We're here for you, Gumi!" Teto grabbed my arm and grinned. I patted her head.
"Anyways, we need to plan something," Neru said. "It's less than a month away."
"It's on a Monday, too," Luka said.
"I have tuition on Mondays," I said. "What if we planned something over the weekend? Like, before her birthday?"
"Hey, ladies," Len showed up, seemingly out of nowhere, leaning against a locker. Luka screamed, but I don't really know why.
"What are you doing here?" Neru asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Len grinned.
"No, what she means is, if you're here, then...Miku must be here."
"Oh? Yeah, I dropped her off at her class," Len said. He looked at me. "What's going on here?"
"D-Did you hear what we were talking about?" This was Teto.
Len furrowed his brow. "Something about planning something?"
"I think we should tell him," I said. "It'd be easier to coordinate that way, don't you think?"
"Hmm..." Neru thought about it, examining her fingernails as she did.
"Does it have to do with Miku's big d..."
"Shush!" Luka snapped. Len shushed.
"Yeah," I said. Teto nodded, still holding onto my arm. I think she loved it or something.
"Well..." Len ran his fingers through his hair. "What are you guys thinking of doing?"
"It's on a Monday," Neru said.
"I can't do Mondays," I said. "Not until six or something, at least."
"Intensive tutoring, eh?" Len looked up at the ceiling.
"And besides, you probably want to go out with her on her actual birthday," I said.
"But I want you to be there," Len was almost whining.
"But...it'd be a date!" I said.
"Miku would want you there, too."
Neru cleared her throat, very loudly. "Anyways...we're thinking about the weekend," Neru said.
"Ooh, can we all go out?" Teto's eyes sparkled. "Huh, Neru? Like, to a fancy restaurant! We could blindfold her and...and..."
"What, we'd take the bus?" Luka wrinkled her nose.
"No...well, Gumi's mom could drive us!" Teto said. "My mom's horrible with directions..."
"I don't know if my mom can," I said.
"Hey, you guys should hire Gakupo," Len snickered. "You know, to be your chauffeur."
"Hmm," Neru glanced at her phone. "We can figure out the details later, I guess. There's not much time till class starts."
"So, lunch with Miku?" Luka asked.
"I guess so," Neru nodded. "I'll find a few nice places and text my suggestions to you all. We're arrange for someone to get us there."
"Sounds good," Len said.
"But we're not telling you where we're going," Neru said.
"What? Why not?" Len said.
"You might tell her."
"I won't!"
"She might get it out of you," Teto said.
"Consider it a surprise for both of you," Neru said.
"Well...okay, I guess," Len said. "You wanna get going, Gumi?"
"We don't have first period together," I said.
"Well, that's alright." He tousled my hair as the girls split. "I'll drop you off."
We walked down the hall and turned.
"This way, right?"
"Mhmm." We stopped at the door of my classroom. The crowds were significantly more packed now. People walked in. Len had his palm against the wall as he leaned.
"By the way, Miku might like a lovey-dovey date and all, but..."
"...but you could totally dig it, right?" I grinned. His cheeks reddened.
"N-No, what I was going for was that..." He took a moment to recompose himself. "Well, Miku would probably like it more if we all hung out."
"But I can't do Mondays," I said, still smiling. "So you'll have to give Miku a good time on your own."
"But you'll be free by six, right?"
"I can't say..." I teased.
"It's the first birthday I'll be spending with her like this," he mumbled, a hand over his mouth.
"Are you nervous?" I asked.
"Of course!" The end of his sentence was drowned out by the bell.
"Maybe we should continue later," I said, spotting the teacher far down the end of the hall.
"Sounds like a plan," Len high-fived me and then he hurried down the hall. I slipped into class and sat down, next to Kaito.
"Hey, Gumi," he said.
"Hey!" I said quickly, making sure to smile. I pulled my things out, my hands shaking as I did. Maybe sitting next to him wasn't such a good idea.
"I didn't see you yesterday," he said.
"Huh?"
"At the bus stop," he said.
"Oh." I couldn't meet his eyes. He noticed that I wasn't there? "You noticed that I wasn't -- "
I covered my mouth with my hand before I could finish. He stared at me.
"That you...weren't in the bus?"
I nodded. He laughed, very softly. Made me think of leaves in the wind.
"Of course I noticed," he said.
"W-Well...um..." I bit my lip. "Thanks for...caring..."
I turned to the front and stared diligently at the board, even though there was nothing really on it. The teacher stepped in. Yuma strolled in, taking his sweet time, like he wasn't late at all. Actually, like he was early.
He nodded at me, waved to someone a few seats away, IA, and then walked up to Kaito and messed up his hair. The teacher pretended like he wasn't even there.
"You're late," I said.
He gestured towards the teacher as she started to write on the board. "She doesn't seem to care."
"Well...still, you're late. You must've taken your time, walking, stopping to smell the flowers."
"Actually, I drive," Yuma said.
"Oh."
He grinned. "Bet you weren't expecting that."
"N-No..." I really didn't.
"It's my dad's car," he said, sitting down. "He's out of the country. I don't really use it much, though."
"Yuma's not someone you want in the driver's seat," Kaito said.
"Hey!" Yuma scowled at him. I laughed.
Oliver scampered into the classroom and sat down in front of me. The teacher was glaring at him. He slumped, then turned to look at me.
"I slept in," he explained.
"It happens," I said. We all settled in. My cell phone buzzed.
Neru: are you going to get anything for her birthday?
Gumi: probably. I'm almost broke...
Neru: ok so I was thinking we could all go to the mall together, but she'd probably figure it out.
Gumi: I'll go today. I don't have to stay after school.
Neru: alright.
Gumi: also...about how you texted me to meet at your locker this morning...
Neru: yeah?
Gumi: why didn't you just text us? It seems more like you. ;D
Neru: ...I don't always text, you know! Some things aren't meant to be texted.
"Lesson's starting, pumpkin," Yuma looked at my screen as he spoke. I shoved it into my bag. He winked at me.
"What?" I asked.
"A birthday, I see," he whispered. "Is it one of your lovely friends?"
"She's taken," I said. He leaned back in his seat.
"That's not what I asked. Anyways," he motioned towards the front of the class. "Shall we learn?"
I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Hey, focus on the board," he said. "Though I know I'm quite the distraction..."
That made me turn around immediately. I could hear him snickering softly.
"Sorry he's so stupid," Kaito mumbled.
"It's alright," I grinned widely without wanting to. He nodded. I blushed. His eyes were down on his notebook, so he didn't notice.
"Ooooooh," Yuma teased. I glared at him for a second and then faced the front again. The lesson started and I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the period.
At lunchtime, Miku and I were heading over to the place where we usually ate. We got there earlier than Teto and Neru.
"So, no staying after school today, right?" She asked me. I started fiddling with my bag's zipper.
"Yeah," I said. True, I didn't have to hang around after school today, but that didn't exactly mean that I was going to be 'free.'
"That's great, because I was thinking, we could..."
"B-But I should probably get home early today," I cut her off, almost visibly cringing. Lying wasn't something I could get away with, without feeling heavy.
"I'm kind of tired," I added. That was a bit of honesty.
"Oh..." Miku nodded slowly. "Maybe we could plan something next week, then, or on the weekend."
Teto and Neru walked in at that point, saying hi to us and then sitting down. The former had her cheeks puffed up.
"What's up with you?" I said. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"She noticed a sudden spike in traffic on her blog," Neru said.
"You have a blog?" Miku asked. Teto let out the air in her mouth and nodded.
"She's a nobody on the blogging scene," Neru said.
"Hey, I do it because I enjoy it!" Teto said. "Besides, nobody really read it, anyways...until..."
She squealed at that point. Neru showed me her phone.
"That's her blog," she said. I took the phone and scrolled through Teto's posts, slimming them. They were recipes, recipes for all sorts of dishes and desserts. I saw a video thumbnail and stopped scrolling. Miku peered at the screen from behind me.
"Ahhh, Gumi, stop!" Teto buried her face in her hands. "T-That's one of my cooking videos..."
"Really? You make videos, too?" I asked. "That's pretty neat."
"Let's watch one," Miku said.
"No, please don't! It's...ugh, it's so embarrassing!" The redhead took the phone from me. I frowned at her.
"I bet they're great," I said. "Maybe you'll make it big. And hey, videos. That makes it even better. Videos are trending these days."
"Videos have been trending for ages, Gumi," Neru said. I shrugged.
Teto just kept shaking her head at me. "It's way too embarrassing. Like, just the thought of you guys watching me cook in those while I'm right here is just too much for me right now."
"She's either going to fangirl or hide under the table from embarrassment," Neru said.
"Well, for the record, I think Teto would make a great chef," Miku said. "I think she could have her own cooking show. Weekday mornings at eleven, once all the moms are back from grocery shopping and dropping off their little ones."
"Teto will bite your feet if she hides under the table," Neru said. Teto nodded.
"Seriously though," Miku patted Teto on the head. "You'd be amazing. No, wait. You already are. You'd just be even more amazing."
"Amazinger," I said.
"You'd be the amazingest," Miku said.
"Am I hearing someone butchering the English language?" Len walked in and put a hand on Miku's shoulder. "Oh, it's just you. Didn't expect that kind of crass class from my lass."
"What, have you been working on your rhyming?" I smirked at him and he shrugged. I could hear Teto exhale, presumably because Len had taken the heat off of her and her blog.
"Maybe, maybe not. Though, I guess I'm rhyming a lot."
"...You should stop now," Miku said. He laughed.
"Well, come on, then," he said to her before looking my way again. "She wants to go for a walk."
"I see," I said. "A little bit of alone time?"
"Something like that," Len chuckled, and then he leaned close to whisper something in my ear, but it was one of those loud whispers, where it's a whisper only in name. "She wants to hold my hand."
I giggled a little. So did Teto and Neru. Miku blushed and started walking towards the door.
"Well, I'm heading out now, so hurry up, Len! Bye, you guys, I'll see you after school, maybe!" She waved to us and kept walking.
"I better follow her," Len said, giving me a quick wave before hurrying out. "See you, Gumi!"
"You know, we should go for a walk, too, sometime," Neru said. We sat down and started to eat. "It'd be nice."
"Definitely," I said.
"But let's make sure we see Kaito first," she laughed. "It's become a regular thing."
"We should have a picnic before it gets cold," Teto said. "I could make sandwiches and cupcakes!"
"I like that idea. It's still pretty warm, though," Neru said, looking at her phone. "A warmer September than I remember."
"It'll be cold before we know it," I said.
It was kind of funny, I guess, how cold it had gotten after school that day. We were all flapping around in the wind.
"I feel kind of jealous today," Miku said to me. She was loud, because the wind was making a ruckus. "You'll be nice and warm in the bus."
I grinned at her. We were approaching the bus shelter. It was me, her, and Len was trailing behind. Miku's pigtails were flying in his face.
"I guess I will be," I said, stepping into the shelter. They waved to me before walking off. I shivered, huddled in a corner.
A couple minutes passed and I was fishing for bus fare in my pant pockets when Kaito came by. We made eye contact when he was still fifteen feet or so from the shelter, and he waved to me. I nodded but quickly returned to counting my quarters, so that I wouldn't keep looking at him for too long.
But you know, I still did. Kind of. I found myself suddenly looking up from my fistful of change to his face every ten seconds or so, as he walked into the shelter and started to comb through his wind-whipped hair with his fingers.
"What's up?" He asked me all of a sudden. I was careful not to drop my change all over the pavement. That would have been embarrassing.
"Nothing much," I said. I kept telling myself to be casual. If I thought of him as a friend, it would work out. I'd get over him. "Just...you know."
I motioned to my handful of coins so that he'd get the idea. He nodded. I smiled a little.
"Y-You?" I asked. He shrugged.
"Just thinking about how I should've brought a coat with me," he said. I nodded.
"I feel the same way."
"I think most people do right now, in the city," he smiled. "But what can we do, right?"
"Exactly..."
"I just hope it lets up by tomorrow. I want to make the most of the last of this year's warmth."
"Mhmm..." I stared at him. He was talking a lot. At least, it felt that way to me.
"What is it?" He asked. I furrowed my brow.
"What?"
"You're staring."
"O-Oh!" I slumped, perhaps a bit too much. "Sorry, I...you were just talking and I was like, well, you don't really talk too much and it just seemed kind of strange...i-in a nice way! I like it...I mean, it's nice. Hearing you talk. Well, it's nice no matter what you do, it's just...ah, no, that doesn't sound right..."
I looked back at him hopelessly. He was looking at me with wide eyes. The expression on his lips was a tough read, something between an amused smile and a concerned frown. "Sorry," I said. "It just felt new to me."
He nodded. "I guess it takes me a while," he said softly.
"I understand," I said, looking down at my shoes.
"So you should take it to mean a good thing."
"Huh?"
"It doesn't bother you, does it?"
"What?"
"Talking to me," he said.
I looked at him again. "Of course not..." I pursed my lips. "Why would it bother me?"
He shrugged. The bus stopped in front of us and we climbed in. It wasn't too warm inside, but since the cold outside owed itself to the winds, which we now had shelter from, it was a lot better.
"Oh, right," Kaito said as I sat down, taking the last vacant seat. "Gumi, the tennis team's going to be having their tryouts soon. There's still a few weeks, but I thought you might want to know."
"Isn't it boys only?" I asked.
"Yeah," he smiled a little. "But remember how you said you wanted to watch?"
"...I did?" I tried to think back. "I remember asking about the team...I didn't say I wanted to watch, though."
Though, I wasn't going to lie that it sounded interesting.
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry," he said. "I meant, you can come by if you want."
I nodded. "It's okay."
"I think it'd be cool," he said.
"What, me, cool?"
"Yeah. It was nice playing basketball with you. Sure, you won't be playing this time, but it can be nice to have someone on the sidelines, spectating."
I didn't exactly know what to say to that, so I just tied up the topic. "Thanks for the heads up."
He nodded. I looked out the window, smiling, just 'cause. We could totally be friends, I told myself.
Absolutely, positively.
"You're getting off here?" Kaito asked me as I got up from my seat in the train, about ten minutes into the ride. I nodded, clutching the metal bar as the train car swayed, making me sway along with it.
"I have to do something," I said. "At the mall."
"Hmm." He looked down at his shoes. He looked so pretty, just...pretty, in this boyish, lax, quiet way, sitting with his bag in his lap, feet pointing in opposite directions. "Meeting up with friends?"
"Nah," I laughed a little. "It's kind of a secret."
He grinned. "I see," and then he whispered, "Girl stuff."
"W-Well, kind of," I said. The train started to slow down as the station came into view. "Except not really..."
"Well, either way, you should probably get going," he said. The doors opened as I nodded, stepping out. He waved to me.
"See you," he said.
"Mhmm!" I grinned widely as I walked out.
The doors slid shut. I walked down the platform as the train charged past me. It was gone by the time I reached the stairs.
Walking out, I was in the mall itself. The station was built pretty much into the mall because it made it easier for people who were travelling, or visiting.
This was one of the bigger malls in the city, carved almost right into downtown, a little south of some of the rich neighbourhoods, like Len's, and a few stops east of our high school. It had sort of just become one of our hanging out places over the years. The heart of the city was built in and around it, but the mall itself definitely had its own little communities and its own heart, in a way. At least, that's how it had always been for me.
I checked the time as I walked in, blending into the clustered groups of shoppers. The crowds would grow in a matter of hours so I told myself to work fast.
Sure, I was here to get something for Miku, but honestly, I didn't know what. A handmade card is one of the first things that pops into anyone's head (right up there with gift cards, cheap jewellery and socks) but a handmade card is exactly what gift cards, cheap earrings and socks aren't: store bought. Unless you happen to knit socks or are an expert at making cute bracelets and things at home. I happened to be pretty bad at both.
Try to tell everyone "it's the thought that counts." If nothing else, other people will just think you're cheap. Not that I should really care, but...come on, I'm not cheap...I guess.
I found myself staring at a map of the mall for a good ten minutes, trying to come up with a mental plan. What to do, where to go first. My stomach growled ever so slightly. The food court might have to be first, I told myself.
But then I glanced to my right and saw a shop lined with cute dresses.
And wouldn't you know it, they were having a sale.
I headed right over, telling myself to not think about where I was heading too much. I'd get around to browsing everything else, eventually. Besides, I wasn't buying anything just yet. I could start with this sale on dresses. Miku liked dresses, and I liked a not-empty wallet.
I browsed for a bit, after telling a sweet lady with a "Can I Help You?" shirt that I was fine on my own. There were dresses of all colours, shapes and sizes, but as it turned out, only one of the racks was actually on sale. I guess that kind of made things simpler, in a way.
I left the store when my stomach growled again. The nice woman said bye to me and I smiled, kind of feeling bad for not buying anything. The feeling passed as quickly as it had come, and soon I was in a specialty candy shop, thinking of maybe also getting chocolates or candy for the birthday girl. Everyone liked chocolate.
Well, okay, fine, not everybody. But most people.
And at this point, as most would wonder, what was wrong with getting her a few leeks from the supermarket? Well, for one, it wasn't like she needed any more leeks in her life. At least, according to me, she didn't. They wouldn't exactly be special enough.
They didn't have any music playing in the shop, but that didn't mean it was quiet. People were talking and whispering and examining. I had nobody to talk or whisper with right now, but I could definitely do some examining.
And maybe buy a little something for myself.
I smiled at the thought. I could get something cheap for myself. I was happily browsing the shelves lined with taffy and popping candy when I heard a scream. Pretty much everyone turned towards the sound.
"You jerk!" I heard someone yell. It sounded like a boy, or a young man. One of the employees walked over to the ice cream aisle, where the scream had come from. People got back to doing whatever they were doing.
"Alright guys, if you're not buying, then I'll have to ask you to leave," the employee was stern. "And one of you better pay for the ice cream..."
I slowly headed over to the ice cream aisle as the employee called another one over, telling him to bring a mop with him. In the aisle, Piko stared back at me.
"You?" I asked. I saw Gakupo behind him, the remains of a smile left on his face. He looked at me.
And here I thought I was alone in this stupid, gigantic mall. How could I have ever been alone?
These two animals were here, too.
I'm trying to update regularly from now on!! Thanks, guys. I just have a lot on my plate...