Strawberry Milk [COMPLETED]

❧Chapter Twenty

"Manabe-San, we've arrived."

"Thank you, Takeda-San."

It was Monday.

A perfect day for a fresh start. After this week, I'd forget the one prior. I wanted to become a better, more outstanding woman and student. I wanted to excel, make my way to the top, push my limits for once. I had Hajime to thank for that. I wanted to look like a princess for her prince.

The driver steps out into the rain with an umbrella, holding it over my door as he pulls it open for me. I step out under it, sliding my new, shiny backpack onto my back. Today I was wearing the uniform a bit more properly with a full face of makeup and my hair pulled into cute space buns.

Looking into the mirror this morning, I was a bit stunned. I looked glamorous. Too glamorous. Head turning glamorous. I had literally gone from 0 to 100 in looks. Such a drastic change would draw a massive load of attention, which I wasn't sure about at first.

But then I remembered...I had a ton of attention as it is. The whole school knew me as the uncivilized, disheveled, sad excuse for a girl they felt they could pick on 24/7. The only way to not be that girl anymore was to change for the better.

I knew images meant everything in that school — so something would change. I wasn't sure if it would make me more likable or not, but it would certainly boost my self-esteem.

Plip...plop...plop...

The soft sound of the rain hitting the smooth surface of the umbrella was soothing enough to help me stop and calm my own nerves. I close my eyes, letting out a shaky sigh.

Alright, Ichigo. Remember what Chisame said..Walk in...chin up, never down...no eye contact with anyone, straight ahead...walk into class..and if anyone talks to you...mean or nice..compliment them back with a smile.

"You look lovely, Manabe-San."

I open my eyes and turn to smile gently at the warm-eyed driver. He always told me I looked lovely when he saw how nervous I was when we'd arrive at school. Everyday when I'd sit in the backseat completely dreading the next school day, he never failed to compliment me.

"Thank you so much. But I told you to call me Ichigo!" I gently took the umbrella from him and he simply shook his head. He thought it to be disrespectful.

"Have a great day, Manabe-San." He closes the backseat door and gets back in the car, driving off in the rain. I turn back around to face the school. Sucking in a breath, I lift my leg and take a step.

It's easy. You look the part, now all you have to do is act.

I take my other foot and put it in front of the other, releasing the breath. Slowly, I begin to make my way toward the entrance of the school. In mere moments, I was gliding down the hallways, my steps falling into a gentle tip-tap rhythm. They echo down the hallways, demanding everything else silence around them. In the corner of my eye, I saw heads beginning to turn.