*:･ﾟYou Bet I Stare ･ﾟ:*

CHAPTER 1 - you bet i stare

KOU
—❁—

I sat in my desk, staring off into nothing per usual. It felt like these lessons were just getting more and more boring by the days; and it was getting more and more difficult for me to show any sort of interest for what was being talked about. I glanced at the pink-headed boy that was sitting in the desk in front of me. We talked every now and then, but it wasn't like we were best friends. I always felt guilty for that for some reason, though. He never really spoke to anybody, so it's not like I could just randomly spark a conversation with him- I didn't want to come off as some weird creep that's desperate for attention. I squinted my eyes as I looked at the 3 different clips he had situated in his hair, before looking over to where my good friends Yokoo and Satou sat. They were having some sort of weird conversation amongst themselves. The kind where they only used their lips to do all the talking without actually speaking words, but Yokoo was awful at reading lips--so it mostly consisted of Satou trying to make Yokoo understand whatever the crap it was that he was saying, while Yokoo had a dumbfound look on his face.

I shake my head and scoff, staring at the chalkboard as Sensei keeps scratching things on it, before looking down at my notebook. I obviously had nothing written down after the date. I let out a subtle groan before rubbing my cheek as I yawned, just as the lunch dismissal bell rang. "Alright class, I expect everyone to have chapter 7 read by the beginning of class tomorrow so that you'll be ready for the class discussion." I stood up and packed up my things, taking a quick gander at the scrawny boy in front of me before walking over to Yokoo and Satou.

"Hey, Kou- did you by any chance get the last bit of notes for the last section we went over just now?" Yokoo looked at me, but I was too busy watching the pink-headed boy leave the classroom. Mitsuba was it?

"Kou?"

I snapped out of my trance and looked at him, "Oh, no.. I didn't write anything down actually." I rub the back of my neck as I let out an awkward chuckle. "It's because you're probably too busy staring at the boy in front of you. You really should focus more in school you know-" Satou shook his head and walked out of the room between Yokoo and I. "Yeah, yeah I know.. and I wasn't staring... I was—" I squinted as I tried to think of a logical response to what he just asked me. "—uh... I wasn't staring!" To be completely honest, I couldn't even tell you what I was actually doing looking at him like that if you paid me all the money in the world. That Mitsuba boy is just.. oddly pretty to look at, but if I said that out loud Satou and Yokoo would think I was completely nuts.

As we made it to the lunch room, I began looking around like a total moron. Why was I on the lookout for that boy anyway? Was it because I just felt bad that he doesn't have anyone to talk to? Or is it something deeper than that? Hell, I can't even answer those questions either and they're my own questions.

"Looking for someone?" Satou looked at me, and Yokoo of course butted in. "I bet he's looking for a girllll~! Oooh~!!" He turned his back to us and began to act like he was making out with somebody. "Oh Kou~! You're so hottt~!!" Satou smacked him in the back of the head with the notebook he hadn't put away yet. "Ow!" Yokoo turned back around as he rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Knock it off you weirdo-" Satou said with a cheeky smile, still finding the joke he cracked a little bit funny. "No actually-" I shoot a glare at the two with squinted eyes, then I cross my arms and smile. "I'm actually just trying to figure out what I'm gonna get for lunch!" I open an eye and glance at the two, hoping that they fell for my sorry excuse for a lie. "Uh... sure." Satou suspiciously looked at me before turning forwards in the line, and Yokoo just wasn't really paying attention in the first place. I set my umbrella-disguised staff on my shoulder before continuing my search for the Mitsuba boy, trying to convince myself that he would conveniently be in my line of sight; but I eventually gave up with a sigh and went on with my lunch period.