Blame It All on Me. Part 2

Chapter 8. Cruelty for Kindness

The slap stung Kakashi. He pulled away reflexively, letting go of Arina, resulting in her falling over backwards.

"Arina... wha... why?.." He managed, pressing his palm to his cheek, as if in disbelief that this had really happened.

"Get away from here!" Arina attempted to snap, but her throat still didn't obey her properly, and, as a result, she only managed a broken loud whisper. Trying not to lose the blanket, she crawled away, pressing against the wall and grasping herself convulsively with trembling hands.

"But..."

"Get out!" Arina interrupted him. There was fury in her gaze, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Arina..."

"Leave me alone!" the girl cried out in despair. She slid along the wall and lay down, curling up in a ball. "Leave me alone, all of you! What did I do to you? Why, why can't I just live in peace if I'm so "lucky" to be stuck here?! And it's always either him or you! I should have just perished back then!"

She clutched her head and burst into tears, burying her face in the bedsheets.

Kakashi stared at her with a mixture of incomprehension and concern.

"But I only... Hey..." He stretched out his hand to her, touched where her shoulder was under the blanket, but immediately pulled his hand back again: at his touch, the girl shuddered visibly and fell silent. Then she slowly turned her tear-stained face towards him.

"If you don't leave right now, I'm going to get the whole dorm up," she muttered with striking calmness and clarity. "I said, get out. I don't want to see you. Pervert!!"

Kakashi almost jumped at the last word.

Arina hid her face in the bedsheets again.

Kakashi was so startled that he couldn't think of anything to say, and chose to leave so as to not unnerve her any further. Besides, Tekiro was in the yard, knocked out, – it was necessary to deal with him, now that he'd made sure the girl was alright (at least relatively speaking).

☙ ❦ ❧

Arina could not cry anymore, so she ended up just lying idly with her face tucked in her forearms. She wanted to fall asleep, disconnect, forget about everything more than ever, but her nervous system, strained to the limit, made it impossible.

There was suddenly a light knock from the direction of the window. The girl flinched and opened her eyes.

"Arina..." she heard, "I'm sorry, it's me again..."

Arina turned her face in the direction the voice and looked over her arm at the young man. Kakashi slipped into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed with some caution.

"I see my window is like an open door for you. I think I warned you," Arina said, propping herself up on the elbow.

Kakashi belatedly realized that he indeed should have used the door. He held out his hands hastily in front of him:

"Wait! Please let me speak..."

But the girl interrupted him, her irritation rising again:

"What do you want from me? That's what you came for, too, isn't it? I will never believe that you were just 'coincidentally' strolling right under my window! I know where your block is, and where mine is! Thought you'd make a hero out of yourself? That I'll immediately fall into your arms if you save me? Oh, to hell with it! Really!" Arina laughed theatrically, sat up and abruptly pulled off the blanket, exposing herself. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly for a moment. "One has already groped me all over – really, can be none the worse... After all, I owe you one!" She announced with exaggerated vigour.