BLOOM [OHSHC]

Chapter 27 - Deliberately Accidental

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Maybe it was the bad sleep and anxiety and guilt ever since the onsen... especially knowing my attacker got away without penalty...

But I found myself lost in class, daydreaming about a life without worry.

Since my first day at Ouran Academy, I always told myself that as soon as I graduated I'd run off, scrub myself from the internet, and disappear into anonymity... but that didn't seem as feasible anymore. I had responsibilities now. I had reasons to stay. I had to be mature about such a big decision... If I gave up my life of acting, how would I pay for rent or food or transportation? What would I do instead? Where would Mei go? To live with our "parents"? Pardon my French, but there was no fucking way I would ever let those two goddamn idiots take care of my baby sister.

Plus... now I had friends. As much as I wanted to drop the club altogether and ignore them all for their safety, I knew them now, and I knew without a doubt that they simply wouldn't listen. Thanks to the Host Club, I had a real support system, and, honestly, I didn't want to just chuck them in the trash when or if I ran. Sure, I got Hikaru stabbed, but otherwise, I thought I was a pretty good friend to everyone. There was no way that I'd let any of them get hurt. Not again.

Because at its core, I think, what I really wanted... was a fresh start.

Despite the shit show of my life, I still held out hope. Things could change at any moment. I could be a new me... as soon as high school was over. But I knew I could find a fresh start... even with Mei, even with my friends, even with my responsibilities. I just had to figure out how.

One thing I knew for sure: my fresh start began with an apology for Hikaru.

He returned to school on Monday with a snarky shit-eating grin, and I knew why almost instantly. Our classmates swarmed all over him, asking questions about his sling and his cast and what happened because talk about drama. He went from 'interesting enough' to the most popular boy in school... all because I'd gotten him fucking stabbed by a psychopath.

He didn't seem to see it that way, though. For every person who asked what happened, Hikaru invented a new lie. "Car accident on the autobahn," he said to the students who hounded him during lunch. "Shark attack in the Bahamas," he told a few classmates in our Japanese Poetry class at the end of the day. "Ziplining in Costa Rica," he lied to a gaggle of girls in the hallway that afternoon.

The thing was... I didn't understand why.

"Come here," I hissed. Somehow, I managed to corner him on our way into the club room, pulling him off to the side by his good arm.

He followed me with a dopey smile on his face, even while his cast banged against his chest. "Michiyo, I have you to thank for my newfound stardom!" he laughed, even as I pushed him into the corner. "Everyone thinks I'm mysterious and debonair now, and way better than that awful Kaoru. Don't know why you kissed him and not me—"

"I'll kiss you if you want, you idiot, but that won't solve a thing," I said, rolling my eyes. "I wanted to apologize... for, well, the whole weekend."

Hikaru frowned at me. "Michiyo, it's not like you asked that weirdo to stab me."

"I know that, but he was there for me and I—"

"Shut up. Right now."

I closed my mouth, feeling thoroughly chastised by his uncharacteristic gravity.

"Listen to me, Michiyo," Hikaru said, his good hand landing on my shoulder, "This is not your fault." He waggled his cast and sling at me for emphasis, like a half-hearted chicken dance. "Even if I knew that that man was in the changing room, I still would've helped you. You're my friend, and you were in trouble. Easy as that. Got it?"