Monday came. And all I want is Monday won't come, but no one can stop the time moving, so I have to face it. My confidence to go back to school is fleeting, yet I promised Kei.
I wasn't able to sleep well, being interrupted by some nasty memories and flashbacks in my head.
I get off the bed early, earlier than Michi-san usually does; she constantly wakes up at five. It's three in the morning and I plan to take care of the chores of this household. Cooking breakfast, preparing the lunchboxes for Dad and Ukiyo, and baking some simple sweet treats for Aina and Michi-san. I am about to finish preparing the lunchboxes when the mother of this house greets me.
"Aren't you pretty early?" she cues, awed by my works. "And wow, you've done all the works and I have nothing left to do."
I laugh, feeling all sheepish. "I wasn't able to sleep properly, so."
She offers me a warm smile while giving me a lopsided shrug. "Is there something bothering you? Could I be a help?"
I shake my head politely. "Not really, I just . . ." I play my thumbs as I try to soothe myself from the awkwardness. "I have a favor to ask you."
"Anything," she replies gleefully. "What it is, dear?
"Can I get a haircut from you?"
Michi-san laughs, slightly amused of me. "I would love to, Raine-san."
Her voice is so gentle, glazed like honey in a warm, cozy summer in the midst of the autumn season. She has a very loving heart and golden drips of words flow on her mouth.
"Thank you very much," I mutter gratefully.
"Can I know why? I see that your hair is very long now, but very beautiful, why do you want me to cut it?"
I make face by pouting a little. "Uh, well . . . For comfort and practicality. I'm using many hair conditioning products and spending much time on it to keep it healthy."
"I can't argue with that, child," says her. By this time, I feel we were on quite familiar terms and have expected warmer response. "But is it not such a waste? You've grown it nicely, though."
I only purse my lips. "I thought so, too."
Later that day, we're in the salon of Michi-san. I'm seated in front of a vanity mirror and a salon apron is covered on my body.
"What kind of haircut, Raine-san?" she asks me while getting her scissors.
"Hmm . . ." I hum, "I'm thinking of a bob-cut or pixie cut, something like that."
"Raine-san, aren't you making decisions out of impulse?"
"Don't worry, Michi-san, I'm not." I chuckle as I smile to convince her. "Besides, I always have long hair, it won't hurt that much if I try to change my looks."
"Fair enough." She shrugs. "Then, shall we start?"
I smile once again and then start cut my hair. It kinda scares me about the result. Short hair might not suit me. *insert pouty emoji with a lol* Kidding aside.
Hair-dressing must be Michi-san's cup of tea, and she is able to cut my hair in just a few minutes. I have thought that I'm not gonna like the finished outcome, but it turns out that I love it.
A faint genuine smile is drawn on my lips, but because I am too overwhelmed inside, my face brightens, reflecting the joy my heart is giving me too. I jolt up from the chair cheerfully and give her a grateful embrace.
"Thank you, Michi-san," I express my gratitude. "I really love it."
"I'm glad that you love it." She returns the hug with the same amount of feels. "You have school, right? You better start prepping up."
I chuckle and pull the hug away. I say okay to her and dash to the room they gave me and get my uniform. I took a bath, fixed my looks, ate breakfast with the whole fam, and Dad offered me to drop me to school. I accept it, since he will be coming to work as well.
When we are about to go, I give Aina a kiss on the cheek and hug Michi-san. Then Ukiyo and I get inside Dad's car. While Dad is driving, Ukiyo starts talking to me.
"Nee-chan, what has gotten you and you're going to school?" he asks.
I shrug. "No choice. Exam days."
Ukiyo knits his eyebrows closely. "I never saw you picking up your books and study, then you're gonna take the exams?"
I roar out, laughing. "Well, I don't plan to take the exams, in the first place."
Ukiyo makes face, giving me an unpleasant frown. "I don't understand why you're acting so dumb when you have so much talent in you."
I'm a bit flabbergasted as I hear him tell me that. It was brutally blunt, but it might be the truth and I can't argue with it. How can a primary kid have the guts to slap those words in my face? I wish I have Ukiyo's strong constitution.
My little step-brother is the first one to drop off. A few more minutes before we reach Karasuno High School. Silence lingers inside the car and I'm just tapping my right foot on the surface unconsciously—just to relieve some anxieties in me.
I have thought that I prepared myself from this, hardening my resolve to move forward, yet I'm still weak after all. As far as I know, I'm being hated in that school. I haven't even unraveled the knots between me and Mom. After all the words I spat to her, I don't think if I could still look her in the eyes again.
I'm too occupied in my own bubble of thought, and Dad has to snap me into consciousness, telling me that we have arrived at Karasuno already.
The pulse in my veins has doubled and I sincerely pray that I won't get a heart attack.
Inhale then exhale. Calming the nerves in me, I face Dad with a smile. "I . . . I have to go."
Before getting out, Dad grabs my hand to halt me from leaving. I look at him as he said, "You've decided to go back, haven't you?"
Dad has read right through me. I'm way too obvious, probably. I only look downcasted, sighing. "I couldn't just live as a freeloader, and I ought to connect what I have cut."
I see him nodding, holding my hands dearly. "You're making the right choice, child, though I wish to be with you longer."
I laugh, but I'm on the edge of crying. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll still pay you a visit." He only paints a smile on his face and I reach to him and hug him. "I wasn't able to say goodbye to everyone, please relay it for me."
"Surely, dear," he answers. "And be sure to make amends to your mother."
I nod and say, "I will do my best."
"Your new hairstyle suits you, by the way." I let out a hearty cackles once again, and after a deliberating moment, I let go and exit the car. I only watch my Dad drives away, until it leaves my sight. Every moment with them is certainly precious. And those memories will always be in my heart.
I have no time to be sentimental, thus I face the entrance of the school. Gathering a huge amount of air to my airways, I step inside. I have never walked long enough, but I already sense the hostile atmosphere in me. The air feels like it's made out of toxic waste and inhaling it is a poison to my bloodstreams. Most of the students have a negative aura shrouding out of their gaze as though I gained an ugly reputation in this place.
I continue walking, reaching the main building of the school. As I change my shoes and walk on the hallways, the insults have gotten worst.
"She's still here?"
"I pity her. At this rate, she'll definitely grow up as a worthless person."
"Hey! Keep quiet! She'll hear you!"
"What's the point? It's the truth, anyway."
Their words have reverberated in my ears, white noise in my head. Darkness engulfs me quickly. It's hard to walk, staying here with their words lingering in my mind, makes my ears bleed. I want to turn around and run away from here, just like the loser I am.
Yet a sudden presence blooms behind me.
I sense something padded gently on my ears, muting all the noises around me.
It's a pair of headphones.
The first thing I heard is a song:
And it was you . . . who proved me wrong.
My eyes widen, gaining a leap in my heart. I jerk around, eager to see the person who appeared to purify the melancholic ambiance.
Kei.
My inner voice calls, hoping that he hears me.
He's just staring at me with his soulful, stirring eyes, and the way he could make me smile just by standing in front me, it feels like I'm secured—reassured.
Then he speaks to me using a head gesture.
Let's go.
The words he wants me to reach. He starts to walk, making passed of me. I only watch him, both of my feet involuntarily moves on its own, following the trails he walked upon.
I'm just behind the moon, head bows down, stepping on the same step he took. I'm listening to the song playing on the headphones as he becomes my guide. I don't need to lift my gaze up to reach the classroom where we belong. Being him near calms me, and I'm somehow grateful for he understands me more like no other.
I'm aware of the judging stares of my classmates ripping right through me, but I've got immune into and I don't care anymore.
It's exams day, and I promise him to take it. I never have the chance to have a conversation with Kei, and I like it this way. Afraid if a single word is drawn out, it may ruin this kind of atmosphere that the two of us only know.
Sometimes, silence is the language of comfort.
The headphones of Kei is still with me, listening to the playlist of him. The pieces are too nostalgic, listening to them can make me lost in memory lane—daydreaming about everything and nothing.
Soon, our adviser has arrived with the papers. I took my sticky notes and my pencil case from my bag, then I wrote something. Slipping the headphones out of my head, I post the note on it. In secrecy, I reach my hand behind and put the headphones on his desk without looking, but I know that the note will do.
Thank you.
It says. He never says back, but it's all right.
As we are waiting for the test papers to be distributed, my teacher darts her gaze at me. She must have uttered her thanks to the heavens for appearing once again.
At long last, the exams have started. The first subject was Math. It has a hundred points in total, fifty problems, and each problem has designated points, depending on how hard it is.
I only stare at the paper, contemplating if I still have to do this. Every exam has a fifty-minute duration, ten minutes break. So, each problem has to be solved in a minute. Math is too cruel.
But I guess I have to do it. I close my eyes, trying to enter a deeper level of consciousness. I inhaled and exhaled, taking advantage of the silence in the surrounding.
I start to answer them, afterward. I'm too focused on answering, jotting down all the solutions that my brain is dictating me. I let myself wanders in the zone as my hand is moving on its own. A certain time comes and I don't notice right away that I'm done already.
As I put my pencil down, all the noises have returned. The sound of pencil grating against the paper, loud exhales of frustration, shoes padding on the floor, and brains being fried.
I check the time. I still have twenty-three minutes to spare. Sighing, I slump my face on my desk silently. Well, I mustn't waste time, so I try to recall the periodic table. Chemistry will be next.
After a while, Rie has finished the Math exam as well. She approaches me, asking, "How do you even calculate without a calculator?"
I sigh, answering, "It's called Trachtenberg Method. That's the secret."
We didn't talk after and only waited for the Chemistry exam to start. After Chemistry, English, and then time to go home. The other subject will be taken tomorrow.
And so, dismissal time.
I'm currently fixing my stuff when Tadashi draws near me. A smile is already crept on my lips just seeing him. "Yukizome-san! I'm glad that you're here!"
"Yes, someone forced me to," I simply tell him.
Then I hear Kei standing up from behind. "Your Highness must be tired. Leave her be," he says while walking on the aisle.
"Oh, right, we still have practice," says Tadashi, "Let's talk some time, Yukizome-san!" Then he waves his hand, and before leaving, "That haircut looks really great on you," he compliments.
I laugh. Tadashi is a man of culture.
As they were about to go, the door of the room slides open.
A middle-aged woman stepped inside with eyes seething with spite. I have no idea the reason behind her grave rage, but her eyes are locked on mine. "How dare a shameful, disgraceful wench as you have the face to show up here?!" she says in a high-pitched voice, personally attacking me.
All of the confusions inside my head have dissolved once seeing Shea Hiou tailing the woman. She must be her mother. How dirty, using an authority to settle a point with me.
Her mother, without second thoughts, pulls my hair to make me stand. I stand up, unwillingly, feeling the sting on my scalp. My classmates are surprised with this commotion . . . Who wouldn't be? "You think I'll let you pass from harming my daughter! I will make you pay, you lout!"
"Ma'am." It's Rei, trying to calm the raging mother. "Violence is prohibited in this school."
"Shut up!" Then she pushes Rie away harshly. "My family owns this school, I can do whatever I want!"
Her temper is getting out of control. I catch a glimpse of Shea smirking. A real drama queen she is.
Wordlessly, I grab her hand, resulting her to let go of my hair. This ruckus they have made is no longer an act of anger, but a show-off how mighty her family is and humiliation for my part. No one these specters dare to straighten up their backbones to stop this shenanigan. And it annoys me deeply knowing that high-horse-status-like still matters in this society.
"Don't touch me, you filthy rat!" It's her dismayed remark.
She tries to take back her hand, but I'm not letting her. I'm holding it tight, to point of hurting and almost breaking her wrist. My head is bowed, eyes being hidden by my hair. I can feel her wincing in pain, yet I don't care anymore.
"I normally don't give even a rat-ass's shit about you and all of your bullshits, but you sheltered fucks seemed to not know your place," I start to speak full of grave malice, very silent and each word is coated by a thick venom. "It's even pathetic to see that you, bullshitters, only did nothing but to flaunt your arrogance. All the worst in life deserves you most."
Then I yanked her hand away. Whenever I confronted people belong above the marginalized line, I can't help but flip my hostile side towards them. It's like a different persona has taken control of me. People like them sicken me, let alone the word f give respect.
The woman stood frozen, her jaw drops, flabbergasted. Once she recovers . . . "What kind of education that this school employs?! Is this what these teachers teach you?! I'll fire all those worthless imbeciles!"
I never knew that her brain is connected to her ass. "I thought this is your school?" I scoff. "You're embarrassing yourself. Now, do me a favor and get out of my face."
No one may fathom the smoldering words spewed out. Even Shea is taken aback.
And I know that it's coming, yet the pain is still unbearable. I've just received a stinging slap on my cheek. It's painful enough that I tasted the bitter sting of blood in my mouth.
"I have never been insulted in my whole entire life!" she hysterically admonishes, her lips are quivering because of her wrath. "You imbecile, terrible person! I can't believe I'm letting my daughter go to this wretched place!"
"Aw, what a downer." A new voice arises from the fiery drama. "That should be my line."
I shift my head where it comes from, and it only blew me apart upon seeing my mother in the scene!
Why . . . Is she here? Did she witness what happened?
It's like the world took a pause running in circles just to emphasize her beauty. Even I, myself, got stupefied by her overwhelming presence. It's not just her $20,000 designer outfit and $1,000 hairstyle that make her captivating, but her pride.
"Who are you?" The Hiou woman scowls at her. "Why are you here?"
My mother only smiles, indicating pure sarcasm. "You'll know later, for now, we should head to the conference room. My meeting with you will start at fifteen."
"Cancel the meeting!" The attention of the Hiou woman is distracted by my mother's presence, but she's still into me. "I'm not going," she emphasized, "I still have a business to this disgraceful little shit!"
My mother only smiles very cunningly, and it is easy to detect that there's something dark going through her mind. "Of course you will, a minute after saying that I will take this school down, along with your family." She only smirks triumphantly and turns around, taking an exit.
After dropping that statement like a bomb, all of us are bitten in the legs, realizing how powerful she is. I know she's capable of doing that, but I don't know the reason why she's doing that.
Before leaving, Mom added, "You're coming, too, Lorraine."
I'm full of questions, but all I have to do is to comply. When I'm about to follow her, Kei goes in front of me. "Hey," he utters, his stares stills, stalls, never breaking.
Looking at his eyes is unhinged for me, too hard to form words.
"Do you know where the conference room is?"
It's almost as if a proverbial brick falls on my head. It's just me, but I want to hear something meaningful than that.
I only smile. "Yes, I know."
Then I head out of the classroom. Mom isn't here anymore, she left me. The Hious also rush to the conference room.
Once reaching the place, the school director of this school is here, as well as the Hiou ladies. I heard that it's Mom who set this meeting up . . . Did she really mean what she said a while ago?
I walk silently to to reach her and sit properly. It kinda feels awkward.
"What's this meeting all about?" The Hiou woman bawled out, temperamental. "Is she your child? Then I must let you know how much insolent she is!"
I steal a glance at Mom, she looks so unfazed. In fact, she's still smirking. She then pulls her black briefcase and put it on the table with a thud. Opening it, she takes an envelope out and throws it to the persons in front of us.
"What is this?" The woman across us is bewildered.
Mom pushes the briefcase aside and rests her arms on the table. "Pieces of evidence about how insolent your daughter is," answers her. That ignites the anger of the Hiou woman again. "Yes, Lorraine is my daughter, but I didn't come here to be her mother, but her lawyer." Then a smile of contempt etches on her pretty mouth. "Atty. Glaciel Ashford to kick your asses."
☔
halu, halu, halu~
im so glad that ure still reading this
hav u listened to the song posted on the multimedia section? it's a good song, isn't it? and i ssssssssss much love mica caldito 💛 stan mica caldito 💛 he's one of my hidden treasures and im sharing him to you 💛 and he also collaborated with hiroyuki sawano, the man responsible for aot soundtracks 🥺🤍
question: who's your favorite music artist?
that's all~ have a good day 🌻
- handtheirend 👉👈