One Too Nervous

Chapter 2 - New School, New Bully

Mikan shifted in her seat, anxiously darting her eyes around the classroom to make sure no one was staring at her. And even though every time she checked that nobody was looking at her, she still felt this uneasy presence that somebody was secretly judging her. This tense anxiety caused Mikan to lose focus of the lesson. She was constantly looking over her shoulders and finding things to fiddle with that paying attention was practically impossible.

"Tsumiki, you haven't answered a thing yet. Do you know the answer to 6. A)?" Ms. Yukizome called. Mikan flinched and froze in place. I forgot to switch out my books at lunch, she thought, with sudden tears welling up in her eyes. Ms. Yukizome read the room and called on another student, leaving Mikan to rest her head on the desk and cry over such a small thing as forgetting her math textbook. Focusing on the lesson was literally impossible now.

The school bell reverberated throughout the school speakers, and students of Hope's Peak Academy were finally let home. A petite girl wearing a yellow, floral printed kimono was the first to grab all of her things and leave the classroom. And Mikan wasn't too far after her to leave.

Despite the small girl having such a childlike appearance, she was as nasty as the stars could imagine, and Chiaki was aware of that. So she, too, quickly gathered her things and waved goodbye to her teacher, because she knew if that girl threw one insult at Mikan, it was something no one would hope to deal with.

She wasn't too concerned, but she kept an eye-out just in case she would spot the short girl or Mikan.

"Watch where you're going, skank!" A girl with a high pitched voice screeched. "How are you this clumsy?! Get up from that ridiculous position!"
Chiaki knew exactly whose voice that belonged to, and silently followed the noise to find just the girl she was concerned about overlooking Mikan, who lay on the polished tile flooring of the school, pulling her skirt down and attempting to speak through sobs.

Mikan whimpered and cried, "I-I-I'm soorrryy!!" She bawled. "I— I didn't m-mean tooo!"
The girl rubbed her temple and scoffed. "No matter how many times you apologize, you'll just do it again. What's the point?!"
The girl in the floral kimono continued to shout nasty words at the poor girl, and every time Mikan rubbed her eyes, they became redder, and puffier.

"Um, Saionji," Chiaki intervened, tapping on the smaller girl's shoulder. The girl known as Saionji shot her gaze onto Chiaki, clearly irritated. "What is it?" She hissed. "Tsumiki is new. She probably got lost. No need to scold her." She explained in the most nonchalant voice, assuming that Mikan had bumped into Saionji just as she'd bumped into Chiaki that afternoon. Saionji fixed her posture and scoffed again, feeling defeated. "Whatever, tell this girl to watch her step next time, nasty bitch." Saionji muttered her final insult, turned around and continued walking, her ponytail wrapped in a magenta bow bouncing behind her.

Once Saionji was far from sight, Mikan dug her hands into her face, sobbing harder than before. She must be really sensitive. I hope she'll get used to it, Chiaki thought pitifully. Chiaki trudged towards Mikan and sat down beside her, caressing her back.
"I'm sorry about her. She's like that to everyone." Chiaki explained with soft words. "You've just got to get used to it... I guess.."
Mikan lifted her head with sad puppy eyes, "S-she h-hates meeee!" Mikan cried, supposedly ignoring Chiaki's words of comfort. "I-I'm sorryy!"
Chiaki knew this was going nowhere, but all she could do was repeat those same words of comfort. "Saionji doesn't hate you." She reassured the young doctor, "Just give her some space." Chiaki enveloped Mikan in a quick hug and wiped her tears before coming up with an idea. "Do you have time to hang out? After school I mean, which is like, right now." Chiaki swallowed a chuckle, as she knew it wasn't the right time to be laughing. Mikan's sobs became quieter and quieter until she was able to respond to Chiaki. "I-I'll have to ask my mom a—bout that.." she muttered. Chiaki smiled and nodded, which comforted Mikan. She pulled out her phone from the pocket of her apron and the first thing she saw was a message from her mom that read, "I'll be late tonight. There's leftovers from last night in the fridge. Help yourself." Mikan smiled at the text. This is the best she's ever been to me, she thought. "M—my mom is going to work late tonight... I can talk to you f-for a little bit, i-if you want..." Mikan felt anxiety wash over her once again at the very thought of her mom finding out she wasn't home after school. And she was anxious that Chiaki was just pulling a huge prank on Mikan, and that she was gonna laugh and mock her later. But upon looking back on the smile that lay strong upon Chiaki's face, she felt safe for the first time in a long time, with somebody she barely knew.

"That's so nice to hear." Chiaki said, almost in a whisper. "Oh, but do you mind if I tell my friend I can't make it to our meeting today? I wouldn't want to leave him hanging."
Suddenly Mikan felt a wave of guilt cloud over her. "O-oh! Y-your meeting is probably way more important t-than spending time w-with m-me!" Mikan excused in a panic. "I-I don't wanna-"
"It's okay Tsumiki. We just play video games by the fountain, it's nothing too serious!" Chiaki interrupted Mikan's burst of negative thoughts. "Are you sure? I- I mean-"
"It's already way after hours, shouldn't we get going?"
Mikan was taken aback when she heard Chiaki say it was getting late, so she checked her phone to see the time. "Ah! Y-you're right! I'm so sorry t-that I wasted your time like t-this!" Mikan flushed with shame, but Chiaki couldn't care less. She got up and offered a hand to Mikan. "Let's go before we have to stay here overnight." Chiaki let out that chuckle she'd been holding in, and it warmed Mikan's soul to the core. Has she made a friend? Mikan couldn't have known. But she knew she felt welcomed when she was with Chiaki, and she longed for more of this loving comfort for the near future.

( A/N )
I changed up the end of this chapter from them parting ways to talking after school, so I'm gonna replace the bonus chapter with their hangout. I actually love how I wrote this chapter. Also idk if you could tell but I was running out of ways to describe Hiyoko until Chiaki said her name 😭