Impending Devotion

Chapter Four

As I arrive in school today, everyone just seems so restless, like something amazing has happened. Or rather, someone amazing has come to our school.

I could hear the traveling whispers everywhere in our classroom.

"Who's that?" – girl one.

"Was there a guy like that in our class?" – guy one.

"That's Takabayashi!" – guy two.

"What?! You mean THAT's Takabayashi Kei?! OUR Takabayashi Kei?!!!" – girl two.

"I guess people really do change their perspective of you once they see another side to you..." I mumbled to myself.

After Takabayashi took off his glasses and fixed his hair up a bit, he stood out remarkably wherever he went.

"He's that guy who always reads right?" – guy three.

"No way! He might be kind of cool~!" – girl three.

He gets good grades, I know he excels in sports as well, and to top it off, he's good-looking! It's like he's a different person than who he's been up to now...

"Don't you think that Takabayashi-kun is cool?" – girl one.

"I want him to tutor me on some subjects!" – girl two.

"He's a little cold, but that's what's so nice!" – girl three.

I had made a huge miscalculation...

In most schools, as soon as something new pops up, the old things get dumped or are ignored. Namely me as something old and Takabayashi as something new.

It's lunch break now and I am somehow still left unnoticed. Even my two closest girl friends are nowhere in sight. I see Takabayashi's surrounded by the girls again... Then I thought, 'Why am I treated like some has-been? I told him to make some friends, but I didn't mean for him to take everyone away! Give me a break Takabayashi-kun!'

I then hear someone snicker in the background. "You're so lame!" says one of the girls who bad-mouthed me before. They were just passing through the halls as I was walking towards the comfort room.

"I can hear you!" I told them.

"I said it loud enough for you to hear!" she retorts, "It's because you got carried away with your cute looks and daddy's influence that you're this way now."

The other girl laughs and strikes me down too, "Serves you right!"

Like hell I'm going to get hurt over this at this point!

I don't expect anything from people who only look at what's on the outside. And I knew that they would get bored of me soon enough. I was the one who didn't expect this kind of impact in spite of all that...

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It's lunch hour and I am on the rooftop alone again. This time, I don't cry, but am pissed at how things turned out to be. My tummy then grumbles, and snaps me back into reality, "I'm starving." I mutter to myself, "I should really try to cook for myself now... Or just go through the trouble of buying lunch..."

"Hanazawa," someone calls out to me, "Did you eat lunch yet?"

Honestly, his appearance annoys me right now, "Not yet." I spat as I continue sulking.

"You almost ended up not eating lunch yesterday too!" says Takabayashi in a concerned tone.

Keh! It's all your fault!

"Do you want these?" Takabayashi hands me the gifts he got from the girls earlier. "It doesn't do me any good to receive stuff like this. It's creepy getting things that others made, and so if you're not going to eat them, I guess I'll throw them out. Those girls are weird. So annoying. Just a change of my appearance and they act all friendly? How lame. You're something else for having to put up with all that attention."

I feel mad, and pour out my rage unto him, "If you don't want them, then don't take them! And don't call something someone made creepy! If you don't want them making a fuss over you, then stop showing off! Wear some glasses, put down your hair, and go read by yourself!"

I say all of that then run away to try and get away from him. I somehow feel a little guilty for being angry at him too though. But, I couldn't escape, as I feel him grabbing my arm, "Hold on a minute!"

"What do you want?!"

"Why are you mad at me?" he asks as he reels me in to look into my eyes while still having a firm grip on my wrist, he continues, "You're the one who told me to make some friends. Didn't you say that for my sake?"

I somehow feel my cheeks warming up, and my sight then begins to blur, "That's right!"

You had looked lonely, but in spite of that...

I shake him off and stomp towards the door. Takabayashi then yells out to me, "Hanazawa! What about class?!"

"Shut up! I'm skipping it. Don't follow me!"

How embarrassing... He's seen right through me...

He thinks I'm jealous of him! That makes me... the same as those girls...

I then come by my shoe locker to change into my outdoor shoes to go anywhere but here. But as I opened my locker, I was shaken to not see my shoes inside. I then hear people in the background laughing about some show they've watched while I freak out from my missing belongings.

Panicking from all the events that happened today, I crouch down on the floor feeling sad and a little nauseous.

It's no good... It's like I thought...

Nothing's changed... It's just like back then...

Suddenly, I hear someone in the distance shouting out my name. I turn around a little to find Takabayashi running my way and falls to the floor to support me, "Hanazawa! What's wrong?! Are you okay?"

"I feel sick."

"Let's go to the infirmary!" he insists as he tries to pull me up, but I grab on his shirt to stop him.

I really feel unwell, but I really didn't want to go to school today, more so, go to the infirmary. "I'm not going..." I whine as I feel my emotions rambling up inside of me, "Haa! I hate this... I don't want to... be here anymore..."

I then feel Takabayashi's head on mine, but I didn't mind as I was really feeling unwell. He was supporting me even though I treated him so badly earlier.

Am I really that bad at keeping friends?

As I calm down from my sadness, I feel him get off and pet my head. I then slowly open my eyes to stare at him and he shows me a warm smile, "Shall we go elsewhere then?"

I feel my cheeks blushing, and I nod once.

Takabayashi then volunteers to carry me on his back until we reach somewhere more subtle to rest at.

If only he could be the man to support me throughout all my ups and downs...