A "Bad" Crush | Tododeku

Chapter 1

"I Saw Someone Strange"

I saw someone leaning over the rails of a bridge like a ragdoll. I would have though they were going to suddenly plunge into the river below them if not for feeling burning daggers stare into my back as soon as I passed by. His stare was strong and intense, feeling as if someone was pushing two chilled metal balls into my shoulder blades. This someone was a boy that looked to be about my age, with zany green hair that prodded and poked out at every angle. I had never seen this boy before, and yet his stare left me feeling like I had a personal connection to him, one in which I had wronged him.

That school day was the same as it had always been, jotting down notes and doing worksheets, however, it was not as monotonous as it normally was; I could not stop being reminded of the strange boy on the bridge. Though he was wearing a uniform, it wasn't at all the same as mine, I wondered why he wasn't headed to school, "Maybe it wasn't a school uniform after all?" I probably reasoned to myself. I thought maybe I knew him, but I knew this wasn't the case. Maybe I looked weird? Maybe it was something personal? He left me feeling, wondering about what I did wrong.

Before I knew it, a few days passed and it was soon Friday; everything was still the same as it had been days before. Even the boy on the bridge and his stare did not seem to waver, and neither did the guilt it left me with. The old repetitive schedule I was used to before had been replaced with a new one. Although only slightly different, I had started to grow a disdain for the small changes in my week. The negative feelings I had gained from the seemingly one-sided interactions I've had with this strange green-haired boy had only grown, and his uncomfortable stare was starting to become bothersome. I had considered asking him why he looked at me with such disdain, but after all, who was I to ask that? "Maybe I truly did wrong him", I thought, although I knew I had never seen this boy before, and I knew that whatever I had done to him, I was not at fault for whatever feelings he had towards me. Even if I knew this was true, the guilt kept growing, and it would be many more days till this feeling would stop spreading, but eventually, it would.

A morning that had stuck to the same routine that had replaced the old, started to show its differences. The odd boy was not hanging over the railing of the bridge, instead he was standing, waiting for what I could only assume was myself. Surprised at this change in posture, the strange boy's gaze suddenly locked onto me as he noticed my approach. His uncomfortable stare had changed, and his sour expression had become softened. Although I was relieved at this new expression, my guilt changed to dread as the green-haired boy began to approach me. As he came closer, I began to notice his finer features: alongside his green hair, he had wide emerald eyes that, although a bright shade, seemed almost dull. He was pale, however, you were able to tell that he had some sort of tan, his neck fading into a lighter tone. His face had freckles that spotted each area of his exterior, most prominently on his cheeks. He was somewhat short, but clearly having a somewhat built physique. I couldn't help but think that his typical bitter expression didn't match his good looks.

The boy suddenly called out to me, stopping me only a few feet away from where he stood.

"You're Shoto Todoroki right?" the odd boy asked.

I paused for a moment, the dread I had felt, sinking lower into my guts, "How do you know my name?"

"I-I remember your face!" he responded, his demeanor now completely different than the look he had given me for the past few days. For a moment I might have thought he could have been a fan of my father's, but I quickly decided against that possibility. A stalker?

Concerned, I cautiously continued the new dialog he had opened with me, "What's your name?" I asked.

"Izuku Midoryia!" He continued talking as he began guiding me to walk alongside him. Midoriya only kept talking, asking me things I didn't care to answer, then continuing on. What he talked about I could not say, as now walking side by side with this person, who only moments before I was sure had some sort of directed towards me, I felt a slight distress.

In a moment of slight panic, I stopped walking, him stopping in front of me, becoming startled by my sudden halt. Midoriya asking why, I insisted for him to stop following me, him not saying anything in turn, though for a few moments he looked me in the eyes and opened his mouth to speak, he closed it after nothing came out. I continued to walk forward, the green-haired boy no longer following me, leaving him aghast as I walked away. I quickly looked back at him moments later, seeing him still standing where I left him, finding that his mood completely shifted from when he was talking, from peppy and excited to almost lethargic. Did he honestly expect me to simply keep talking to a stranger as if I knew him personally?

Others in my class seemed to notice that I was thinking about something, as people who never seemed concerned about my well-being before, had suddenly become concerned. Yaoyorozu, one of these people, kept pushing me to tell her why I was so in my head, why I seemed so upset. I eventually told her about the weird boy who approached me and she insisted on wanting to know who it was. After turning down her requests for more information, she stopped asking, but I knew that she wouldn't let it go. Chances are she'd ask some of our peers that I talk to regularly for clues, though, it's not likely that she would gain anything from asking, considering I hadn't mentioned the strange boy to anyone else.