Crossed

「 4 」

     I woke up thinking it was all a dream, how wrong I could have been, because tomorrow instead of getting dropped off by my parents, I was walking to school with him. I did not expect to have to give up my luxury of a car for this. 

     I glare at his hands stuffed deep into his cardigan's pockets. He looks to the side, seemingly aloof, his bag slung over his right shoulder, and his hair that swishes whenever a slight breeze comes out of nowhere. His pale skin is brought out by the sunlight and for a moment I forget I'm staring, lost in my thoughts.

     He turns and meets my eyes, but it takes me a moment to realize, "falling for me already?" He smiles, but it looks too good to be true. 

     "No, I was-" but I was staring, so that would be a lie, "thinking."

     "About what?" He asks but doesn't really seem to care. Like instead of asking out of sheer curiosity he's asking because he feels like it's an obligation, and not gonna lie it kind of irritates me.

     "Boundaries," I say calmly, "we should establish them."

     He blows a piece of hair out of his face then nods, "okay, we should walk to and from school together, eat lunch together, and I'll get you something for Valentine's Day, buy me chocolates or something."

     He really doesn't seem to think this is a big deal, "well," I begin, "I was thinking more like: we should establish what we give up."

     He looks at me with a roll of his eyes, "what?"

     I bite my lip in order to keep myself from saying something I'll regret, "I could have been driven to school today. Now I have to walk in this damned snow." Asano had shown up at my front door this morning, thank god I'd opened the door, who knows what my parents would have thought or done. I know I agreed to date Asano because of them, but I want to ease it onto my parents, not just have them find some kids at the door, right after they told me about their stupid tradition. 

     "Okay, then what would you prefer to do? This needs to be believable."

     "Let's start off with the truth, what's in it for you?"

     "I really don't think that matters-"

     "I think it does," I stop walking, forcing him to face me.

     "Fine." 

     "Fine?"

     "Fine, I asked you to be my fake girlfriend because I thought it would get the girls at school off my back. Is that all?"

     "One more thing," I say, "rules."

     He drags a hand down his face, "and by that you mean?" 

     "I'll agree to eat lunch with you and walk home with you, but I get driven to school."

     He nods, "okay fine."

    "I also agree about Valentine's Day. I'll give you some sort of mushy chocolate during lunch or something." I see him nod, then take a deep breath in and continue, "I also think that maybe we should plan a breakup, like a set date and time."

     Asano nibbled his lip a bit, it's funny, I've never seen him thinking like this before, not that I have much to compare to, but it seems out of the ordinary for him. "Okay, how does March 25th sound, about a week and a half before Summer?"

     "Okay, that's good." I nod, taking in this new information.

     "Come on, we're almost there." Asano walks on ahead, leaving me behind a little, but after a few seconds he stops and turns his head, "we need to show up as a couple, remember? That means we walk in together."

     I glare a little and catch the slightest hint of a smirk at the corner of his lips, but it disappears faster than it appeared like it was never there in the first place, " then walk a little slower please."

     "As you wish, but I really would prefer it if we were not late, I do have somewhat of an appearance to keep up."

     "Who knows, it might add to our lie," I mumble, knowing Asano couldn't hear me.

     "We should hold hands as well," Asano says suddenly, holding out his hand. 

     I stare at it for a few seconds, contemplating the decision I'm about to make, then reluctantly set my hand on his palm. He stares for a minute, as if stunned, then lightly grips it and begins walking again.

     Our walking looks a little awkward because while we're holding hands, we're also trying to stay as far away from each other as possible, which is something we should have thought about before this: it'll be awkward as hell.

     "Move closer to me," 

     "What?"

     "Do it," he pulls my hand, pulling my arm and me closer. His bag rubs against my arm. Couldn't this technically be considered assault?

     "Because this isn't awkward at all."

     "We'll get sued to it." We'll? As in we? Does that mean he's uncomfortable too? 

     "One last thing," we come to a stop in front of Kunigigouka.

     "Like I haven't heard that one before," he rolls his eyes but I could care less.

     "We should start calling each other by our first names."

     Yeah, that's what a normal couple would do, I think he's forgotten something: we aren't. "Okay, Gakushu." His name rolls off my tongue, slick and bitter.

     "Y/n." Not sure what he tried to do with that, he was probably just testing out how it sounded on his tongue, probably how he felt on mine. I wouldn't put it past him. It's weird to act so familiar with someone you've just met or I guess, are getting to know. Or something? I don't really know where we stood before, I don't even know where we stand now.

     Friends? Acquaintances? Fake relationship partners? That seems a little far-fetched, and yet here we are.

     "Meet me by the fountain during lunch," I say.

     "The fountain?" He looks a little confused.

     "Around the back of the school? Behind the big cherry trees?" Wow, even the son of our principal didn't even know we had a fountain. Makes me kinda wish I kept it to myself.

     I noticed the stares a while ago, but again I could care way less. "Then at lunch that's where we'll meet."

     "Yes, that is what I said." His eyes sharpen a little and it makes my skin crawl but in a sort of a good way. Because in that millisecond, I knew I'd gotten under his preppy skin. Not that I'm one to talk, but I don't know it just felt good to be able to see his way too happy-go-lucky face change into something dark for a minute.

     "Bye." I head off toward my class.

     "See you later, Y/n" When he said my name it felt odd like it was something out of place, not supposed to be said by his voice, but it also felt kind of good. Someone else saying my name other than my parents.