(what to do when) under duress

Second-Hand Narration

Authors Note: Hello again! And welcome to the new and improved, "(What to Do When) Under Duress"! Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. I know I promised to revamp my old Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood fanfiction but the truth of it all is that that anime is too much of a masterpiece for me to mess up, and I don't really think I'm touching that fandom ever again.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love FMAB, but I just really... don't see myself writing that thing. Sorry to disappoint. On the other hand, you have this! Which I will attempt to update every now and again just for the sake of things. (I'm a very, very bad authoress if you didn't already know.)

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It was just another ordinary day in your not so ordinary life, but when you woke up to the sound of your alarm this morning, you somehow knew that today would be different.

Now, don't ask why, you just sort of get these strange premonitions once in awhile, and when they strike, they develop into these epiphanies. And so, you prepare yourself for the worst. Although the worst case by far was when a boy had asked you out on a date, which was rather sudden for you, as you had never seen him in your life. Ever. He had just confronted you at school one day and said, "Hey! Let's go out!" Of course, you wouldn't accept a date as quickly presented as that one in a million years, not even out of desperation. From the looks of the fogged up glasses on his face and his attire, one can probably guess why you high-tailed it out of there as soon as the moment presented itself.

Girls are much cuter in your opinion anyway.

In any case, that was back in Junior High. So, as you rose up from your bedsheets and glanced at the clock that conveniently rested atop of your nightstand, you let out a sound of panic when you realized that today was actually your first day of High School. The time clearly said 8:30 am, and you mentally scolded yourself for sleeping in. Being late for the first day and missing the Freshman Orientation always made for a good combination!

You scurried your way to the school as quickly as you possibly could, without risking making a fool of yourself. Public appearances are vital, even though you were pretty sure that there was no one around who would remember you from the fleeting encounter of meeting eye to eye. No, everyone else was at the Orientation, like the good little High Schoolers they were. Not you, though, you enjoyed living my life in the fast lane, and no, waking up late has nothing to do with the fact.

As you arrived at the school, you saw a rather large amount of students making their way out of what could only be the auditorium, and you were quite surprised to see that the Freshman Orientation Assembly had just ended. Perhaps if you were faster, you would have managed to catch the last little bit of the boring speech the Freshman Representative was most likely giving.

You suddenly considered yourself lucky as you effortlessly blended into the crowd. At least, you wouldn't have to deal with barging in late to the classroom and having everyone's eyes on you. They always assumed you had just murdered a person. You're not a wanted criminal... or so you swear.

The High School's name, as the author neglected to mention, was, in fact, North High. And, as you entered your designated classroom, you noticed that quite a few of the people you knew from your previous school, East Junior High, were in the same class as you were. Even though you should be pleased by the sight of familiar faces, you couldn't help the frown that had suddenly made its way on your face. Out of all those faces, not a single one resembled any of your friends from last year. What a pity that was. Oh well, making friends shouldn't be too difficult, and making new acquaintances was the least of your concerns, right?

However, fate seemed to smile down on you when a familiar girl with blue colored hair suddenly walked into the classroom, a piece of bread hanging out of her mouth. The typical Japanese schoolgirl who ran late for her first day would never forget her quick breakfast. Besides, Sayaka was always more on the dramatic side.

You had no need to wave her over, as her blue eyes quickly met with yours, her face lighting up with complete and utter joy. How adorable. She was absolutely delighted to see you! "[Name]!" She quickly made her way over to you, and took the seat behind you as fast as she could, as if she were afraid that someone was secretly planning on taking her seat and plotting her demise in the shadows. "It's so cool that we're in the same class! I was afraid I'd have to be in here all by myself."

Yes, dramatic, just as you remembered. Now that you thought about it, Sayaka Miki hadn't changed much from when you had last seen one another. She was taller, a little more defined, but one thing you noticed, in particular, was the little hair clip in her hair. You don't recall her wearing a hair clip. Was it new? Had she bought it specifically for today?

"Glad you asked, [Nickname]." But you didn't ask, at least not aloud. "I found this beauty when I was out shopping for some school supplies. It was pretty expensive, so I had to use all of my savings to buy it." Was this thing pure gold or something? And she spent all of her savings? How did she buy her school supplies? "I didn't get to buy any supplies, but it was so worth it because it's really cool looking."

"It's the music symbol for fortissimo, right?"

"[Name], you're the first one to get it right on the first try! I'm so proud of you!" She reached over and hugged your form, nuzzling your cheek with hers. Sayaka was cute, but there were times where you thought enough was well, enough. Personal space was a precious, precious thing. Besides, you were sure you had caught the attention of the entire classroom with her shouting. Thankfully, she retreated back to her seat quickly, and her expression turned serious. You were almost scared to hear what she had to say.

You glanced around and took in the fact that your homeroom teacher was now arriving and settling in. And so, the classroom settled down. Eventually, your instructor had made you introduce yourselves to the class one by one. You had finished your introduction, which was quick and to the point, nothing too impressive. And then it was Sayaka's, and then the guy behind her, who was named... Taniguchi? That was his last name, or was it his first? Whatever, it didn't really matter in the end.

The rest of the introductions were rather boring and overly practical. You began to nod off, but then, that's when it happened. The sound of a girl's voice had reached your eardrums, and you found yourself turning around in surprise when you started to comprehend what it was she was saying.

"My name is Haruhi Suzumiya. If there are any Aliens, Time Travelers, or Espers, come see me. That is all."

You were rather sure she was completely serious, and judging by her scowl, it seemed she had no tolerance for nonsense, despite the fact that what just came out of her mouth was pure nonsense in itself. Unfortunately, Miss Suzumiya turned out to be the only eccentric highlight of your day. How disappointing. You probably were going to see more of her, but there was no harm in crossing your fingers, right?

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Republished on: 3 / 17 / 16
Edits: Changed to Second POV