A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Eighteen: Part Three

I glared at the script I held in my hands.

“Hotaru, aren’t you going to get lunch?” Amanatsu arrived to the table with a plate full of assorted foods.

“Not hungry,” I mumbled, eying the script in bitter confusion.

“Did something happen before class? You’ve been wearing that face all day.”

Yes, I thought. Something did happen! Something absolutely, positively depressing!

I shouldn’t have spoken at all. I’d probably be feeling happier if I was believing something false than knowing about the truth of all of this.

I brought this upon myself.

“No,” I stated. “Nothing happened.”

“You’re a liar.”

I shot Amanatsu a glare and he quickly held up two hands in defense.

“Dude, you’re so easy to read.” Amanatsu objected, giving me a frightened look. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Everything is right!” I hissed, gritting my teeth hard. “I now know everything I need to know! I’m not the stupid one anymore!”

“And what you now know is . . . ?” Amanatsu placed down his hands, and he let his question ring out into the universe waiting for me to finish his statement.

I tightly folded my arms against my chest. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Amanatsu sighed. “I promise to secrecy that I will not tell a single soul what you’re about to tell me.”

My lips curled. “Let’s change the subject. Did you memorize your script for theatre class yet?”

“Yes,” Amanatsu proudly took the new subject into account. “I’m totally prepared to be the most obnoxious man ever. I had some training with Mikan.”

“Well you’re luckier than I am,” I pressed my palm against the side of my face. “I don’t understand a thing about my script.”

“You still don’t understand?”

“Nope. It’s so weird! Through the whole script, the guy keeps saying sorry and the girl keeps saying no, but at the end, she gives up and says yes.”

“Maybe the girl has feelings for the guy.”

“What feelings? If I was that girl and I had feelings, I’d feel completely and utterly annoyed.”

Before I had a chance to say any more of my thoughts, Mikan quickly sat down beside Amanatsu with a plate with closely similar to his.

“Hotaru, where is your food?” Mikan glanced at me with a look of confusion. “There’s food everywhere!”

“I’m not hungry,” I stated.

“Not hungry? What did you eat today?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I drank a glass of iced water this morning.”

“Water doesn’t count! Is something wrong with you today?”

No one had any idea of how much I wanted to answer that question with “yes”, but instead, I answered with, “Nope.”

“Whatever you say,” she replied as she lifted her fork to her plate and began to dig at the pile of chicken that sat over her place.

I couldn’t help but become curious. I knew that Mikan and Keita were both in the same class.