You don't have to be so mean

Haruhi Tokaji

Haruhi lived with her mother, and her father had been out of the picture for many years. Haruhi never knew exactly why. Her mother was a sweet woman, though she was rarely home because of her job. Haruhi spent most of her days after school playing with the neighborhood kids. She had developed her quirk in elementary, like many of her classmates. Her closest friends were Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo. Midoriya was a kind but naïve boy who always saw the good in everyone, and he wanted more than anyone to attend UA high to become a hero. Midoriya never developed a quirk. Bakugo was a hot headed yet driven boy who some would even call a bully. Everything seemed good until the day Bakugo developed his quirk, then everything changed. Soon he began to hold himself above the other kids in the neighborhood, and even school, and he gained a burning hatred for Midoriya. Nobody really understood why, but his hatred seemed to burn hotter with each passing day.

One day during her last year of middle school after class, most of the students had packed up and left for the day but Midoriya was still sitting at his desk looking at his notebook. Haruhi was about to leave the room when she saw Bakugo and his stupid little followers walking over to Midoriya's desk. She decided to stay and watch from the doorway. Just then Bakugo took Midoriya's book out of his hand, burned it with his quirk, and threw it behind him out the window without regard for the other boy's feelings. "Here's a word of advice, nerd, don't even think of applying," Bakugo taunted the shaken Midoriya with a sly smirk on his face. Bakugo and his brats started walking towards the door of the room so Haruhi quickly sped out of the room before they saw her. From the hallway she could hear Katsuki say "You know if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there actually might be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life- and take a swan dive off the roof of the building." His little friends chuckled as they walked out of the room, leaving Midoriya. How could he say something like that? Haruhi thought to herself as she stood around the corner from the classroom. She thought she knew Bakugo better than that. For years he had hated Midoriya, but he'd never said anything like that before. He crossed the line, she thought. This time I have to say something. She saw the boys leave the school just a few yards ahead of her, so she decided to follow them until she could confront Bakugo.

After following the boys for a few minutes, they walked into an alleyway and Haruhi finally caught up to them. "Kacchan," Haruhi called after him as she got closer. She put her hands on her knees to catch her breath, he and his friends turned around to face her as she stood up, breathing heavy. "You shouldn't have been that harsh with Midoriya," she spat at him. He frowned. Haruhi stepped closer to him. "I know you've always hated him, but that was too far," she said back in a serious tone. "Why do you care how I talk to that nerd?" He questioned looking down at her. She stepped closer again. "Because we used to all be friends, and now you think you're better than all of us," she said, her frustration growing into anger. "I don't just think I'm better than you," he started taking a step towards her with a grin. "I know I am," he said in confidence. Haruhi looked up into his glowing red eyes. Her hands balled into fists and she clenched her teeth. He noticed. His grin grew into a fowl smile as his eyes mocked her, making her even more angry. She could feel every muscle in her body tense. "Hah. What're you gonna do? Hit me?" He teased. Haruhi scoffed. She pushed his chest as hard as she could- he didn't move. "Is that all you got?" He teased again, only frustrating her more. She could feel her anger grow and her heart race speed up. Her cheeks got hot and she felt her eyes start to water.

"Uh," one of the other boys interrupted. "Guys?" Haruhi and Katsuki looked over at him yelling "what" in unison. The boy lifted up a shaking arm and pointed behind Haruhi. She turned around and finally they all saw it. It was a tall and slimy looking sludge monster grinning back at them. "You'd make the perfect skin suit," the villain laughed looking at Haruhi. "Nobody would ever question a little girl walking down the street," the villain continued just before lunging at her. Before Haruhi could react, Bakugo grabbed her and throw her to the ground behind him and the villain took him by accident. Haruhi quickly pushed herself up and saw the other two boys running away as fast as they could. "Hah, this is fine. I like a skin suit with some fire," the villain said as it continued to tighten its grip on Bokugo, trying to cover his mouth. Haruhi took a step back in horror. Her classmate fought to get his face free before yelling at her, "run."

She did as she was told and the villain began to chase after her out of the alley and into the city. Bakugo began using his quirk to try and fight off the villain, which just ended up causing explosions. Soon there was fire everywhere, then civilians and police flooded the scene. Not too long later, some pro heros showed up. Haruhi was whisked away into the crowd. She tried to fight her way to the front, but it was no use. "Katsuki!" She shouted as loud as she could, still not able to see him. She kept pushing through the crowd as best as she could. Finally she found herself at the front of the crowd, and she ducked under the arms of the police just in time to see All Might now standing in the middle of the action. Just then he punched the villain sending air waves through the city, and with his other hand he grabbed Bakugo and- Midoriya.

Midoriya? Why is he here? How did he get here? Haruhi took a step back in confusion with tears streaming down her face. As the aftershock from All Might's attack dissipated, it began to rain sending Haruhi to her knees, still staring. All Might threw his arm in the air, sending the crowd into a desperate cheer as the villain was taken into police custody. Haruhi forced herself back to her feet and ran over to Bakugo who was sitting on the ground in the aftermath. "Kacchan," she pleaded as she dropped to his side. "Leave me alone," he muttered without looking at her. "Kacchan are you alright?" She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to him. "I said leave me the hell alone!" He shouted, sending her back. Haruhi stood up, she took a step closer to him and looked down. "I just asked if you were alright," she said without emotion. "You don't have to be so mean," she sighed as she walked away with her head down. As she left, Bakugo lifted his head slightly and watched her walk away with a slight frown. She disappeared into the crowd and he looked back at the ground, feeling small.