HE'S MINE

009

Hanma tripped Mikey down and passed over him, gagging him. We were shouting out and crying, and no one stepped in to get them apart.
 
Mikey, who was under Hanma, locked his arm around Hanma's neck and drew him downward.
 
I was weeping at full volume, and Yuzuha was howling for help, but no one wanted to piss on either of them.
 
"Mikey leaves him," Yuzuha yelled when Mikey began choking the guy to death.
 
"Let him go; you are proceeding to kill him." Yuzuha ran towards Mikey and tried to break free the guy from his grasp, while I had no strength or courage to be near them.
 
Hanma passed out, and that's when Mikey realized that he had messed up. He got up promptly; he was strong, and he knew that too. His wide eyes surveyed the surroundings anxiously to capture the reactions of the bystanders.
 
"Let's go," Mikey ordered, grabbing Yuzuha's hand and pulling her along with him.
 
He didn't ask me if I was alright or not, not for love, but at least as a human, as a person who lives with me, he should have been at least a little worried about me since he was once again making his way out of the mess and leaving me behind.
 
I didn't move, feeling lonely and unloved, and when I lifted my face, Mikey ceased upon his spot, his neck turned to see me, and he said, "Y/n, come on." He was staring deep into my eyes as he pulled his hand out, leaving Yuzuha's hand.
 
Feeling better, I ran and held his hand. I know it probably wasn't the right time to think about it, but his touch made the back of my neck's hair stand up. Mikey began the car's engine, leaving behind the mess he had started.
 
"Why are you such an idiot, Mikey?" Yuzuha yelled, rubbing her palms nervously. Mikey was driving fast; he knew Hanma's gang would be after him.
 
"Mikey, it is all your fault." Yuzuha continued in panic and anger. She had her cheeks still stained with tears as she fussed with him about the incident in the cafe, infuriated.
 
"Why did he come in front of me?" Mikey passed a lame excuse and kept his eyes on the road. It was no secret that Mikey bugged the guy first; none of that would have happened had he kept his mouth shut.
 
"Like it was his fault that he was in a public cafe, Y/n, why are you silent? Back me up." Yuzuha has never learned to quit; she was only a moment away from hitting Mikey, and his obedience towards her was getting on my nerves, but I would never want them apart; I would never want Yuzuha to go through a breakup.
 
I knew I was wrong for even fantasizing about sizing my friend's boyfriend now, but at that moment, it didn't hit me.
 
"Are you okay, Mikey?" I questioned, ignoring their argument. I saw the blood from Mikey's lip and my heartfelt pain.
 
Seeing him in pain was like spending a night in hell for me. Mikey swiftly looked through the rear-view window, watched my face, and averted his stare back onto the road.
 
"I am fine. Don't worry, Y/N." He murmured very softly; he needed comfort, which Yuzuha should have provided him.
 
"But you are bleeding," I mumbled in my mouth, if only I could take his pain away.
 
"But that's his fault; he started it." Yuzuha slapped his chest and shook her head like the blood coming out of his lips was no big deal.
 
"Y/N, can you please teach her to be kind?" Mikey joked awkwardly; if he knew I was such a nice person, why didn't he fall for me?
 
"Says the guy who is so kind that he almost killed another human for fun," Yuzuha muttered in annoyance.
 
"Drop me here; I can't tolerate your brother's spiteful eyes." Yuzuha was never shy about how she felt about Shinichiro; he didn't like her.
 
Even though Yuzuha was pretty loud about her opinions on Mikey's brother, he never objected or talked back to her. He dropped her where he asked her to and continued to drive in the same direction.
 
"Thanks!" he whispered, stopping the engine in front of the house.
 
He took a few minutes to express his thankfulness; he might have been thinking about it this whole time.
 
I head straight into my room, spending a few hours studying and watching Lucifer.
 
It was almost 9 p.m. when I heard yelling coming from downstairs; it was Mr. Grandpa shouting.
 
I rushed down and saw the family gathered, with the town's sheriff, Levi, present too.
 
"There she is," Mr. Grandpa pointed towards me. I saw Mikey standing in the corner with his head down.
 
"So what were you saying, Mr. Sano Manjiro?" the Sheriff mumbled, watching my face and looking at Mikey again.
 
"Tell us everything that those orphans did," said the sheriff.
 
You must be wondering why they called Hanma and his group The Orphans." Well, those kids were never adopted by anyone, as this family took me in but nobody adopted them, and sending an orphan outside the town wasn't allowed, so they kind of lived their lives in an orphanage owned by Mr. Takeomi, who was Sanzu's older brother.
 
So these kids had a pet hate for the town, as they thought if they had allowed them to be adopted by someone outside the town, their life would have been so much better. But I had heard the news that every orphan has a father who never met them but would spend money on their education and expenses, but these were usually the very rich people outside the town.
 
"Hanma was harassing her, and that's when I stood up for the right. He was molesting her; how do you expect me to stay silent?" Mikey yelled aggressively, Shinichiro covered his mouth, and Emma shook her head. For a moment, I was lost; what he said shook me. What happened? Who molested who?
 
"Is it true, Miss?" the Sheriff interrogated, his eyes watching the color of my face fade away. They were talking about me.
 
Mikey lied; he dragged me into this mess while keeping Yuzuha's name out of his mouth.
 
I watched their faces for a moment; Mikey denied having eye contact with me, and Shinichiro was watching me like he wanted me to agree with Mikey.
 
I gulped; lying about something so sensitive would ruin that boy's life. Without uttering a
 
"Why did you leave like that?" My door slammed open, and Emma stormed in. I watched her face and cleaned my tears, to which she scoffed.
 
"Because it is a lie, he didn't say a----." I stopped when Shinichiro came inside with tears in his eyes; he began sobbing and crying.
 
"It is okay; you don't have to lie," Shinichiro said through gasps; his voice was low and coming out in murmurs.
 
"But Bro, what about his football team?" Emma was going to add some more stuff when Shinichiro showed his hand and gestured for her to keep quiet.
 
"He will get what he deserves even if I die of sadness. I don't know why he did that, but if this incident changed his future, I will die, and I will be—" he sobbed, covering his face and slowly dropping to his knees on the floor.
 
"Shinichiro pleas---." I ran to help him get up, but Emma pushed me back.
 
"Don't act as if something happened to my brother; you will be responsible for that." Emma pointed a finger at me and helped Shinichiro up. But what have I done?
 
"It is okay; we can't blame her; she hasn't loved someone enough to do anything for them." Shinichiro denied watching my face, and his body began falling again when Emma held him tightly.
 
"Bro, are you okay?" Emma's voice was shaky; I couldn't stand there and watch him feel sick.
 
I admit it all seemed too manipulative, but with Shinichiro being involved, I highly doubted he was lying.
 
He was the eldest brother, and his feelings were true. This man has always stood up for me, and now it was my time to not only repay him for his kindness but also save Mikey's future.
 
"I will go and give my statement against Hanma," I quickly announced and ran downstairs without wasting a single minute. I couldn't see them in pain.
 
Apart from everything, how can Shinichiro question my love for Mikey when he knows I have loved him unintentionally?
 
After I gave my statement, the Sheriff left, and Mr. Grandpa advised Mikey to be careful next time and not take matters into his own hands. I went back to my room, and Shinichiro was still there.
 
"I am so glad and thankful for you. See, that's why I want you to be with Mikey." He rubbed my shoulder and marched outside.
 
There was this guilt in my heart for lying; that guy, Hanma, was innocent as he didn't start all that.
 
How long am I going to sacrifice to show Mikey my love, and why would I care what he thinks of me now? I mean, isn't it gross that I am trying to impress my friend's boyfriend? minus that he made me lie.
 
I was dying with guilt; why can't I get out of this imaginary world of mine? When will people stop using me? Why was I so badly stuck on Mikey? Now that all the whispering about how good I am and weeping noises had disappeared, my brain began to work against my decision to help Mikey and how cleverly they made me state it in his favor.
 
Me: He told the Sheriff that Hanma was harassing me.
 
I texted Yuzuha; she has always been there for me, and despite being jealous of her, I still knew she would be there for me.
 
Yuzuha: What? But that's not what happened.
 
Me: "Well, but he said this in his statement.
 
Yuzuha: Tell me you didn't agree with him.
 
Me: I can't see Shinichiro crying.
 
Yuzuha: I should have known that bitch would do his emotional spell on you.
 
Me: Hey, respect, please.
 
Yuzuha: Does he respect you? No, then no, I am not respecting him.
 
Me: Thanks, but there is nothing we can do about it now.
 
Yuzuha: "Damn, I am so mad at him.
 
We had a little more chat, and then we said goodnight. I was still not sleepy, but I didn't want to keep her awake with me. I kept changing sides and feeling alone; a part of me knew they tricked me, but the other part refused to believe it. I was living with them; they were the only family I recall from my childhood. My actions were directly or indirectly influenced by them.
 
In the morning, Mikey decided to drop us off. Emma didn't join us, which was strange because usually she takes a ride to school with us every day. We were halfway away when he stopped the car on the side of the road.
 
"What happened?" I mumbled, looking out of the window. He has never done that, so obviously I was shocked and afraid too. He got out of the car and opened the door to the back seat; my heart instantly missed a beat. He slid in, perching inside with me, and his scent filled my nostrils quickly. Hesitatingly, I moved away, but his body was all turned towards me.
 
"I wanted to talk to you, Y/N," he mumbled, demanding eye contact. How can I look into his eyes? There was so much wrong with that. First, he was my friend's boyfriend; second, what he did has upset me badly.
 
"Y/n!" He called my name to get my attention; I was not in the mood to go through all the pain from last night.
 
"Y/n, I know you are mad at me, and you have all the rights to do so, but hear me out first," he begged, sliding close to me. His closeness was bringing shivers down my spine, and I had no idea why he was noticing me now when he had never acknowledged my presence before.
 
"Okay," I said, giving him the chance to lie on my face. What could he possibly say to make things better? To justify his actions?
 
"You know why I took your name instead of Yuzuha's?" he questioned, slowly pulling himself closer to a point where our bodies slightly touched. I gasped and turned around only to see his beautiful eyes staring at me. "Because I knew you would save me no matter what," he said huskily and deepened his stare. I couldn't get my eyes off of him.
 
"Why?" I was only able to utter; my cheeks felt the heat as I looked away.
 
"Because nobody is you and nobody cares for me as much as you do." His words and the way he pulled himself closer to me froze my body.
 
Shyly, I looked away and bit my lip, hiding the smile trying to appear. At least now my heart was at ease; he expected me to speak for him, and he knew I would.
 
"When Yuzuha was accusing me and lecturing me about right and wrong, you were the one who asked me if I was hurt or if I was okay." All of a sudden, I felt his fingers tugging a strand of my hair behind my ear, and the world stopped right there.
 
All my life, I have wanted his attention. I wanted him to look at me in a way that makes me blush, and now it was time, but he was dating my friend.
 
Y/N, he is dating your friend, my mind snapped.
 
"Yeah, because I care about everyone," I snapped, moving my body away from his and looking outside the window. I don't know what he was thinking, but he was silent for a moment.
 
"Does that mean you have forgiven me?" Whatever took him so long to respond, his voice was back to normal.
 
"Y/N, look in my eyes and say it aloud," he insisted, his voice sounding husky again. Part of me knew he was taking advantage of my feelings, but the other part yelled, "Y/N, he doesn't even know how you feel about him."
 
"Yes, Mikey," I turned my neck to him and whispered, my head down but my cheeks all red. Why was he so attractive, dammit?
 
"I knew you couldn't be mad at me for too long." He smiled flirtatiously and walked out of the car. He took his seat and started driving again.
 
I couldn't process what had just happened. Our bodies touched; he stared into my eyes, said sweet things, and even brushed my hair with his fingers. Too much good happening in a single minute was killing me with happiness.
 
I got out of the car, and the minute Mikey stepped out, Yuzuha approached him.
 
"Hey, Yuzuha!" I greeted, and seeing her face made the guilt rush back at me. Well, she didn't bother looking at me as her eyes were fixated on Mikey.
 
"Hey babe," he called her, and I looked away as the feeling of being hurt was getting visible on my face.
 
"Don't babe me," she showed him her palm and made him stop in his tracks as he tried to fill her in his arms.
 
"Why did you use her to save your a***?" she folded her arms and stated annoyingly. Mikey quickly watched my face and then Yuzuha's, who, by the look of it, looked pissed.
 
Mikey scratched the back of his neck and stole his eyes from her; he didn't say any of the words he said in the car.
 
"It's okay," I interrupted. Mikey sighed in relief and shrugged his shoulders at Yuzuha.
 
"Maybe you should adopt a few things from her," Mikey commented on Yuzuha as he walked past us.
 
All his comments made me think about Shinichiro's advice; he was right about Mikey seeing the good in me one day, and lately, he has praised me a lot for my goodness.
 
"Are you kidding me?" Yuzuha approached me angrily, watching my face and waiting for an answer.
 
"Yuzuha, there is no point in fighting about it now." I stole my eyes and kept walking towards the class as Yuzuha continued to follow me.
 
"There is so much that he thinks twice before pulling you along in a mess again," she commented, and we both entered the class. Everyone looked at me, and the whispering began. It was weird how everyone was watching me and then talking in whispers.
 
"Why are they looking at me like that?" I whispered in Yuzuha's ear, who had no idea. When they came to know about Yuzuha dating Mikey, they would stare at her and even try to be friends with her, but these were some different kinds of stares they were giving me.
 
"I have no idea---," Yuzuha whispered back and halted. "What?" she waved her hand aggressively at one of the girls talking about me with her friend.
 
"Nothing." The girl drowned her head in the book and pretended to be studying.
 
The rest of the day was awful, as wherever I went, everyone looked at me and then whispered something in their friend's ear.
 
...................
 
Yuzuha's voice startled me as I was trying to peacefully enjoy my sandwich while sitting in the cafe.
 
"You scared me." I held a hand on my heart and mumbled. She sat across the table and rubbed her face in her hands. "What's wrong?" I inquired.
 
"Do you know why everyone was staring at you?" she questioned and waited for me to respond. I shook my head, and she continued, "Because they know what happened here the last day and they know that Hanma harassed you." She said everything in one breath, which I don't get as a reason for her surprise, as obviously they were going to know one day, if not by us then by Hanma and his friends.
 
"I knew this was going to happen," I mumbled, not thinking much of it. I made a mistake, and this was my punishment.
 
"But here is why they were staring at you," she lowered her tone as if there was a big storm in her news, "a few days ago, my uncle received multiple reports on the orphans, so my uncle and the mayor decided to transfer the orphans to our school rather than sending them out of the town to a new school. And now with an orphan harassing you, they thought it was best that they introduced them here soon so they could educate them and let them know the kids here." Her words shook me,
 
"So that means Hanma will be joining our school in a day or two." Now that was where my body began shivering. Dammit, so everyone was kind of worried for me as Hanma would harass me more now, but he hadn't before, and now that I have lied to him, I am going to be his target.
 
"I am doomed," I uttered in my mouth, my heart beating in my head and my vision getting blurred. Why can't I be at peace for a day? just for a day at least?
 
"I know it is bad, but we will be by your side every minute, Y/N." Yuzuha, who was genuinely worried for me, squeezed my hand in her hand to drag me back from the hell where Hanma was chasing me to death.
 
I was nervous and shaking badly. I just wanted to be in everyone's good books, but now with Hanma coming here, everyone would know I lied and caused an innocent so much trouble.
 
"Oh hello!" We two turned our necks to see Baji's twin standing at our table, along with her two minions.
 
"What do you want, Baji's twin?" Yuzuha, who disliked her because she was Mikey's friend and was always trying to steal him back, rolled her eyes and tied her hand across her chest.
 
"I just want a friend like Y/N." She smiled, treating me like I was a kid who would be happy to hear that. I can't even blame her, as I have acted like a child myself.
 
"Really?" Yuzuha, who was doubtful of Baji's twin intentions, raised her brow.
 
"Yeah! but it is so sad that she loves the same guy you are dating." Baji's twin, in a spur of the moment, faked a sad tone. I lifted my face in surprise, and my eyes bugged out in shock. Yuzuha stared at him blankly. What the hell? How the hell did she come to know about it?
 
"Oh, you don't know? Well, I have something to show you." Baji's twin, sure of what
She pulled her phone out of her purse, and after looking through the screen, she turned it towards us, and my mind just blew out. My whole world shattered under my feet. This was bad; it was not supposed to happen.