Escapism °• | NANA Fanfiction

[Chapter 11] Alcoholism is for suckers

Nanami stared at the textbooks sprawled open on the kitchen table. She had been up all night, and now all the words looked the same, not making any sense anymore.

Nobu yawned, coming out of his bedroom and heading to the sink for some water. He initially didn't notice the ball of blankets sitting at the table.

"Morning, Nobu," she greeted him, her voice laced with nerves.

"Morning, Nanami!?" Nobu jumped, finally seeing her. She looked like a small troll, struggling to stay awake with bags under her eyes.

"I can't see anything anymore..." she muttered.

"Shin!!" Nobu called out.

The two of them dragged her to her bed, where she promptly fell asleep.

"Was she up all night?? Is the exam that important?" Shin asked, confused.

"I do not miss this part of high school. It's probably worse in university," Nobu said with a sigh.

Shin walked up to her room, looking at the table full of books and papers, her pink pencil case left open. He picked up a book and tried to read it, but he couldn't understand anything.

"What is she studying again? I thought she went to work in the morning. Don't tell me this entire time she was in school?" Nobu muttered.

"Yeah, she has to go every day. She has a lot of lectures," Shin said as he began to put her books away like he was used to it. "If she passes this exam, she can relax for the rest of the semester, so she's been studying hard."

"Maybe she needs a break. She should come to band practice with us," Nobu suggested.

"Yeah, I'll ask her when she wakes up," Shin agreed, closing the last book and tidying up the table.

.

Hours later, Nanami woke up feeling slightly more rested but still groggy. She wandered out into the kitchen  where Nobu and Shin were playing card games.

"Hey, you're awake!" Nobu said, pausing the game.

"How are you feeling?" Shin asked, looking up from his deck of cards. 

"A little better, thanks," Nanami said, rubbing her eyes. "Sorry for the table; I left it a mess."

"It's fine. We were just worried about you," Nobu replied. "You need to take care of yourself too, you know."

"Yeah, maybe you should come to band practice with us tonight. It could be a good break," Shin suggested.

She looked at them, almost tearing up. Were they worried for her?

"Alright."

.

"Why are you stressed about what to wear? Everyone is dressed normal," Shin said with his arms crossed. They were running late because she was stressing about her outfit. He stood in front of her door, waiting for her to emerge.

"This is my first time seeing Yasu since the performance. He needs to see me and go 'WOW,'" she explained.

"I thought you got over him?"

"Well yes, that doesn't mean I don't want him to feel intense regrets when he sees how hot I am. How do I look?" She finally stepped out of her room, and Shin's eyes widened.

Nanami stepped out of her room, finally ready. She wore a cropped white sweater with long sleeves, tied delicately at the front to reveal just a hint of her midriff. The sweater's texture was soft and cosy, complementing her overall look.