Why exactly I was on Koichi's side I don't know. But now I was beginning to regret it as I watched him show himself around my house rather... energetically.
"Please try not to break anything... All the money for replacement and repairs come straight out of my paycheck." I sighed as Koichi continued on, not paying me any attention.
"Will you listen to me?" I ordered, my voice raising a little. Koichi still didn't even glance at me. At the rate he's digging through my life now, he's gonna fi-
"YOU DRAW?!" Koichi exclaimed, producing a black sketchbook.
"Yeah, so?" I scoffed, trying to pass it off as no big deal.
"You're awesome!" Koichi commented, flipping through page after page. Luckily, I rushed over and ripped the book from his hands, closing it and putting it away.
"Look, I understand you don't want to go home, but I didn't let you follow me so you could dig through my own personal life, alright?" I felt stupid, scolding him like a child. He flinched.
"Okay..." he answered.
I told him he could stay the night if he needed, but I wouldn't be planning for that. He answered sulkily by saying that he probably needed to.
"When these kinds of things happen, Takumi stays this way for a little while. I... usually end up staying the night," he explained sheepishly. I sighed, reluctantly agreeing.
The next morning, Koichi left the house with me. It reminded me a little too much of the night I failed at killing Sayuri, but I tried to ignore it while I walked towards school. Neither of us talked, and a heavy, uncomfortable silence fell.
"So, uh... Isn't there a test today?" I asked, trying desperately to make small talk - and failing, horribly.
"Mm." Koichi only grunted in response. It was clear, based on his posture and the air about him, that he was nervous about seeing Takumi again, in case he hadn't gotten over yesterday.
We walked in silence for another few minutes before I noticed that Koichi had stopped a few paces behind me. I turned around, staring at Koichi for a few seconds before beginning to talk. "Are yo-"
"I-I have something to tell you!" Koichi yelled suddenly, cutting me off. I stood back a little, a bit surprised at this sudden outburst.
"...Okay, shoot."
"I..." Koichi trailed off, leaving a heavy, tension-thick suspense swirling about in the space around us. "I..."
"You... what?"
"...I forgot what the test was on. Can you remind me?" Koichi laughed nervously, placing his hand on the back of his neck.
I sighed. "Sure." The rest of the way to school, I filled him in about the test and various other things that were due that day. As we approached the school, I checked my watch, making sure that I- we were on time. The first couple of classes passed by quickly. I soon found myself in art, which was the only class that no one I knew was in.
"Yo, guys!" Mr. Hagiwara, the art teacher, rapped his knuckles on the nearest desk, snapping the class to his attention. "Hey, you can come in now," he called to someone outside the door. Everyone turned to the door to see who was gonna walk in. A girl, who looked about nineteen years old, walked through the door. She had light blonde hair, unnaturally bright blue eyes, and this really bright smile that was extremely creepy at the same time. What made it creepy was the thoughts behind it. It wasn't insane. Just... really, really... LOUD.
Well, yeah, BUTTHENNO but I have to have him. WAITNOWHATIF He's too alone. THERE'SNOWAY sure there is. ITSJUST shush. there's absolutely no reason-
"Class, welcome Kokoa Kagome to our class!" No one said a word.
DOESHENOTSEE- sure he does come on. WHATIF no, its not- OHYES. I tried blocking the girl - Kokoa - out but her thoughts were too loud and intrusive to ignore.
"Uh, how about you go sit next to Tamotsu?" Oh, dear GOD no. That was me.
hell YESTHEHOTTESTGUYINCLASS!!! That was Kokoa.
Shifting away in my seat a little as she sat down next to me at my table, trying as hard as I could not to listen to her thoughts. But that was extremely hard. Imagine sitting next to someone yelling into your ear. That would be hard to ignore, no?
Especially when she just called you the hottest guy in class.
Well, I can tell this is going to be an extremely awkward year.
---
Kokoa would not stop following me. She somehow ended up lost in the first half of the day, so she wasn't there for the test in Ms. Kawaguchi's class. But, of course, she ended up in that class. I knew because we had Ms. Kawaguchi again in the afternoon. Sayuri still hadn't shown up, which made a full week she had been gone.
"How dare you, Sayuri." I muttered as I watched Kokoa waltz into the class, sitting down in Sayuri's seat behind me. Suddenly defensive, but I don't know why, I turned around and told Kokoa that someone was sitting there already.
omigodOMIGODHETALKEDTOMEEEEEEEE!!!!! Kokoa thought loudly. "Well, um, then, uh, wh-why isn't anyone sitting here?"
"She's not in school today."
AGIRLCOULDSHEBEOUTTOGETHIM Um, no, hopefully not."Oh! S-Sorry. I guess I'll move." She gathered up her things and moved to a different spot in the class, fortunately away from me.
I sighed again, for about the fiftieth time today. This year is not only going to be awkward - it will be long.
-----
A/N: AGH IM SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS OVER A DAY LATE IM SO SORRY I WAS BUSY WITH TUTORING AND STUDYING FOR A TEST AND THEN WHEN I FINALLY HAD TIME I STARTED WATCHING LORD OF THE RINGS AND THEN IT WAS TOO LATE AND I FELL ASLEEP AND THEN THIS MORNING I DIDN'T GET UP UNTIL NOON AND THEN WE WENT AND BOUGHT A LOT OF STUFF THAT I NEEDED FOR SCHOOL AND THEN I WATCHED THE SECOND MOVIE OF LOTR AND I DIDN'T GET TIME UNTIL NOW
*deep intake of breath*
Okay. I'm done ranting now. You all will be happy to hear that I've come up with a new writing schedule! I'm going to post every week now on Saturday (exact time will vary a bit) so that I'll have the last chapter up by Christmas! Literally on Christmas day. December 25. MARK YOUR CALENDARS, FOLKS!
Which means oMIGOD ONLY SIXTEEN WEEKS TILL CHRISTMAS
Ahem. Anyways.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was short and rushed, but I got in what I needed to before I need to get off. I wrote over half this chapter in twenty minutes be proud peasants.
Expect the next chapter soon! Bye!
-Rainflight
YOU ARE READING
Kokoro no X (I) ~EDITING~
Novela JuvenilTamotsu was the only Korei Elemental left. This was a truth he'd known for a long time, ever since his mother left him to rot underneath what remained of their apartment building. He needed no one. When he met Sayuri, everything - his truth, his pa...
