Swans (itafushi)

Dedicated to the sea

Megumis focus lingers on the sounds around him as he listens to the occasional squeak of shoes and scribble of pencils in the silent room. He hears the tap of feet and patter of fingertips on wood. He looks at the papers sprawled out on his desk, all filled out and finished.

He glances around the room and sees people doodle on the side of their own paper, noting that most of them draw these pictures on the left side of their sheet. Then his eyes drift to the marker stained white board, in the corner the big letters that the teacher must've written when he wasn't looking star back at him.

'Please turn in as soon as finished with essay.'

He feels a little embarrassed for not seeing it earlier and pushed his noisy chair back to pass in his work. It screeches and his peers look at him for just a moment before turning back to their work.

As he walks to the front of the room through the thin spaces of the desk, he sees in the corner of his eye two boys who he knew were close friends glare at him.

With some type of offense displayed clearly on both their features they looked back at one another from their respective desk.

He doesn't think about it for long, it's already forgotten when he sat back down in his chair.

And for the rest of the class, he lays his head down in his arms and turns it to the window where he sees the other students working through the glass of their own room.

___________

Next, his 6th period science class.

His least favorite time of the day, but not because he doesn't like science. But because he has been assigned a partner to work with.

Which is bad in of itself, he could do 10x better with only his own input, but his partner is a girl named Lisa who won't leave him alone or give him any quiet for even a second.

She talks and continues on without anyone even listening. While chattering she just scribbles on her paper instead of working, forcing Megumi to do it all while still having to collaborate with her. He's already asked to switch partners and even asked to work without a partner at all, being denied both requests.

Again today she talks about her day, her family, and whatever she can think of first.

He sits next to her in one of the many desks that had been pulled out for the big and loud class to work in smaller groups so it wouldn't be so noisy. Even without all the cacophony of the normal class room, a voice still pierces his eardrums and leaves them withered up.

The teacher can't even see how little she does in the duration of the period while out here in the hall, maybe if she did she would let him switch. But for now, he'll just have to deal with it.

"So Megumi, what about you, hey megumi? Are you even listening?" Waving her hand in front of him.

He rolls his eyes then turns his head to her. "What is it?"

She goes to put her hand on his shoulder and it makes him remember one thing.

She always does this when shes about to ask him out.

This exact girl who happens to be his science partner has asked Megumi multiple times to go out with her in the short time they have been back in school. Every time she's tried to win him over, make him say yes, she puts her hand on his shoulder.

Already knowing what's gonna happen he just stays quiet, letting her talk makes it go by faster.

"Do you want to go out with me" Lisa pouts her lips and squeezes his shoulder a little.