Swing That Way

Chapter 1

Karasuno high school was large. Intimidatingly large. The Montessori family had moved to the Miyagi Prefecture at the beginning of the summer to become familiar with the area before school or work got in the way, and their only son was confident enough in his skills that nerves were replaced with the tickley, cold feeling of excitement.

Walking to school was new, in America there were school buses, but it took only fifteen minutes and the community was the perfect mixture of a village for Aaron's liking. His mother had insisted he memorize the path to school a month prior, and he is thankful for it. This was a huge change of pace and the new experiences to be made seemed as close as the warm pavement of the sidewalk that slapped against his school shoes.

Everything was different and exhilarating to him, even something trivial like wearing a school uniform, because it was something he had never done before in the fifteen years of his life. He had done enough research to understand the flow of school in Japan, though when he walked down the bustling hall to his classroom, his legs suddenly felt boneless and heavy.

Aaron pressed his back to the wall, out of the way of migrating students. His contacts burned as he stared at the linoleum floor and clutched his bag feeling sick. If he were asked to speak he felt like he would completely forget the Japanese language.

Blinking out of his stupor and turning around, he admired the way the sun gleamed across the clouds from the window opposite his destination. The reflection of the binary clock that hung next to the 'Class 4' sign stole his attention.

Aaron had three minutes before the school day began.

Pushing his fingers through the dark chocolate roots of his hair, he took a deep breath and moved between people heading to class. The door slid open with ease and a few students looked up to see him before their attention was pulled back to the conversation or phone that they were absorbed in.

Half the seats in the room, he guessed, were taken. Maybe eight or nine more people would show. He sat his bag on the floor beside a desk fairly centered in the room. The windows of the room drew his eyes in longing for the view from before, but instead his interest was captured by a paler boy with headphones ruffling his blonde hair. His height frustrated Aaron, who was five foot, three inches, but that's to be expected. The stranger was obviously of Asian decent but somehow it calmed him to know that he wouldn't stand out too much.

A boy slightly shorter than him with longer brown hair was in the desk to his left. It seemed to be a relationship where 'opposites attract' comes to play.

Everyone hustled into their seats as the teacher walked in and introduced herself. She was a middle aged woman and her black hair was straightened and pinned back in a professional bun. He thought of how he might make the blunder of one day of calling her Miss Ichijou instead of Ichijou sensei, and other faults because of his American background and pulled himself into his worry before the teacher even began checking attendance. He quickly ran over some basic etiquette in his head, as the list was read in alphabetical order.

"Montessori Aaron"

At the sound of his name Aaron jolted a little, remembering that they do in fact go by last names first here.

"uh here, sorry"

Some heads turned at the accented Japanese in reply to such a western name. At least three girls were giggling and sharing glances in his direction. He hoped that they weren't whispering anything bad among themselves and the back of his neck singed with nerves and his cheeks glanced a reassuring smile, to himself mostly, and everyone's gaze went back to the teacher and the list. This wasn't that bad of a start to him, he could have accidentally replied in English and he thanks goodness that he didn't. He would enjoy this year, and at the end of the day he would be able to join a school club.