Guys Don't Like Me

Chapter 2

  Kazuhiko dragged himself out of bed for school the next day and took his seat by the window, ignoring everyone and the looks they sent his way (particularly the girls). About ten minutes before class started, Taro came over and sat down in the seat next to him.
"Hey, Kazuhiko. What's up?" he asked, shoving a hand through his hair and sending a cursory glance over his shoulder, then looking back at Kazu and playing it off casually.
However, Kazu had seen the same gesture performed so many times that he knew exactly what Taro was up to. He wants me to hook him up with someone, doesn't it? Still, Kazu didn't let Taro know that he'd already caught on. "Nothing much. Tired. You?"
"Same," Taro said, laughing fluently and making small talk for a few minutes before finally asking what was on his mind. "Hey, Kazuhiko?"
"Yeah?"
"You see, there's this girl that I kind of like..."
"Yeah."
"And I was wondering...do you think maybe you could just ask her for me? You know, like, if she wants to go out with me on a date or something?"
Kazu sighed internally before flicking his cool eyes to meet Taro's. "I don't know..."
"Please?" Taro begged. "Just this once. Then I'll owe you forever, okay?"
Kazu knew that nothing good would come of it, but the yearning to have a friend, even a friendship based off of a stupid favor, loomed before him. Sighing and looked away, he shrugged. "I'll try."
"Thanks, Kazuhiko! You're the best!" Taro said before taking his own seat.
His words only made Kazu feel kind of sick inside.
***
At lunch break, Taro sent Kazu a pleading glance, so with great reluctance, Kazuhiko stood up and walked over to where a cluster of four girls were sitting.
"Hey, Yuki. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Kazu asked the girl with the longest hair, the one Taro had pointed out to him earlier.
She winked at the girl on her right and stood up, flicking her hair back over her shoulder. "Sure thing, Kazuhiko. I've been waiting for you to come over."
By the way she walked and talked, Kazu could tell that she was probably the princess of the class. Great, Taro. Could you have picked a worse target?
Kazu sent Taro a glare as he followed Yuki out of the room, and Taro just smiled back at him with two enthusiastic thumbs up. Damn it, Taro. You should be doing this, not me. Still, he followed Yuki onto the roof.
"What did you want to talk about, Kazuhiko?" she asked, not-so-subtly moving closer to him. He looked away instead.
"Taro wanted to know-"
"Shush," she said, leaning even closer. Kazu took a step back, and she took a step closer. "Don't you know that you're not supposed to talk about another man in a woman's presence?"
Kazu finally met her eyes. "Look, Yuki. I don't really care about you one way or another. This is just a favor for Taro. So go back and either tell him that you'll go out with him or break his heart. Whatever. I don't care. Just leave me alone, got it? I have no interest in you."
Yuki frowned at Kazu, her lip curling slightly. "You don't have to be such a bastard about it. I already knew that Taro has a crush on me. He has since kindergarten. And I've rejected him every time. However..." She tilted her head, her eyes analytical and calculating as she smiled thinly. "If you come with us on a date, I'll consider your offer."
"No thanks," Kazu said, moving back yet again. "Just stay away from me."
"But think about Taro's feelings. He's your friend, right?" she asked, pursing her lips in a way that she no doubt thought was somehow irresistible. "You don't want to make your friend upset, do you?"
Kazu's jaw clenched, and he looked away. Somehow, with only talking to him for three minutes, she'd managed to find his Achilles heel and pinpoint it in the scope of her deceit. "Fine. I'll come with you guys on one date, got it? After that, we're through."
"Oh, Kazu. You're so cute like this," she said, reaching towards him, but he caught her wrist.
"Get away from me. Right. Now," he said, fighting the urge to push her down the stairs.
Casting him a final frown, she waved and left him standing by the railing on the roof. Just as he was about to head down himself, the senpai he'd noticed the other day sat up from where he'd been lying down and no doubt sleeping away the morning.
"Nice show," he commented, stretching. "Didn't I tell you I was only sharing the roof for one day?"
"Sorry," Kazu automatically responded. He hesitated a second then sat down next to the boy. "Can we extend that?"
He laughed before eyeing Kazu suspiciously. "Where did you even come from, anyway? I've never seen you around here before."
Kazu shrugged. "I'm new here. I just transferred."
"That explains it. What's your name?"
"Kazuhiko."
"I'm Ryuu," he said, nodding in acknowledgement. "Hey, Kazuhiko?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I call you Kazu? It's a bother to say Kazuhiko all the time."
Kazu laughed. "Sure thing." He looked around at the roof. "Hey, Ryuu. Do you come here often?"
He paused and laid down before answering. "Only every day. School's a waste of my time."
Kazu laid down beside him. "I feel the same way."
Ryuu just smiled, eyes closed. "Well, if you're anything like me, your teacher will try to stick a tracking device on you. Try to avoid that."
The two boys laughed softly and fell asleep under the afternoon sun.