Guys Don't Like Me

Chapter 1

***
Kazuhiko walked down the hallway, hands in pockets, looking straight ahead but without much strength in his gaze. He'd learned early on that staring at the floor meant eventually staring at bruises in the mirror. Guys beat up weaker guys; it was a cycle of high school, of life, he supposed, but he didn't see why he to take part in that cycle (especially as the victim). Nonetheless, none of the guys he'd ever met seemed to care about his feelings, probably because of what he considered to be his curse.
This had been happening to him since he was little, but it wasn't that much of a problem back then. If a five-year-old girl confessed her love to a four-year-old boy, it was just seen as cute or funny.
The problem was that the older Kazuhiko and his admirers became, the more attachments they brought with them - aka boyfriends. Kazuhiko still wouldn't take notice of the girls, but they chased after him (even though they already had boyfriends), leaving all of the boys in his school to hate Kazuhiko.
And yet, all I've ever wanted is a friend...Kazuhiko thought sadly as he paused outside his new classroom. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside the classroom.
"Everyone, please welcome Kazuhiko," the teacher, a bespectacled middle-aged man, announced, and Kazuhiko bowed respectfully towards him before finding his seat, a back corner window seat that let him gaze into the courtyard while he was supposed to be doing his studies.
Suddenly, he was shaken out of his daydream by a hand on his elbow. He pivoted quickly, finding a boy his age smiling at him. "It's nice to meet you, Kazuhiko. I'm Taro."
Kazuhiko gave a shallow bow. "Nice to meet you, Taro," he said, his voice fairly soft as his heart was saddened by the fact that Taro would no doubt hate him in a day.
"If you need a friend, you've got me," Taro promised, and Kazuhiko felt that twinge of regret.
"Thanks," Kazuhiko replied, forcing a smile even while knowing that it wouldn't last long.
"Can I tell you something?" Taro asked, leaning in and eyeing his surrounding classmates.
"Sure," Kazuhiko said, leaning in.
"I'm sure you already know this, but you've got awesome hair. I'm kind of jealous," Taro admitted, laughing, and Kazuhiko could see straight into the slight bitterness in his soul. "Look at all of the girls. They're all totally staring at you."
"Hmm," Kazuhiko replied less than half-heartedly, all enthusiasm or interest lacking in his tone. "Is that so?"
"But I bet you get that all the time," Taro added, and Kazuhiko could see how although Taro was just being honest with himself, his jealousy would slowly twist his friendship into hatred.
"It's no big deal," Kazuhiko said, trying to clear it over with Taro that he wasn't interested in the girls, but he winced, realizing that he sounded arrogant. With a sigh, he excused himself and sat back down to eat his lunch alone.
Not half a minute later, three girls surrounded his desk, two of them giggling and the more dominant one batting her eyelashes. "Hey, Kazuhiko. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Megumi."
Kazuhiko barely nodded before standing up and walking away, ignoring the trio and leaving his lunch behind as he exited the classroom, barely refraining from running away at a dead sprint. After bumping into another student (a female) and asking for directions, he headed to the roof and laid down, feeling tense all over from the annoyance of dealing with girls he had no interest in. He was just starting to fall asleep when someone nudged him with their shoe.
Kazuhiko blinked open his left eye first and then his right to see a boy a year older than him looking down at him. "Yeah?"
"What are you doing here?" the kid asked, crossing his arms.
"Sleeping."
"Well, this is my area, so beat it."
Kazuhiko sat up with his knees bent in front of him as he squinted up at his senpai. "Can I borrow it for a while then?"
The older boy leaned against a railing thoughtfully. "Why do you need it?"
"Everyone's annoying me."
The older boy actually laughed. "Our thought processes are similar. Fine, then. Just for today, we can share. Got it?"
"Yep," Kazuhiko said, already lying back down and shutting his eyes with his arms crossed behind his head.
"I didn't notice before, but you're not bad-looking, are you?" the older boy asked as he laid down next to Kazuhiko, but by then, Kazuhiko was already asleep. "Ha, you brat," he muttered before going to sleep himself.