Seven Weeks: A Seven Days Fanfiction

WEEK FOUR: Friday (Yuzuru)

My throat burned every time I swallowed, like a bee had stung my tonsils. My head hurt too much to even be bothered by the random people snapping pictures of me as I got off the train and walked to school. My phone was dead, because like a dumbass I had left it out in the hall last night. I was sure Seryou was waiting for me to respond to his morning text—Yuriko said he'd called last night—but I couldn't turn the damn thing on. I wanted to see him more than anything.

I was running late to school, though, so I couldn't even take the longer route to homeroom in order to pass by his classroom for a glimpse of him. I had to race up the stairs, and managed to get through the door just as the bell rang. Watanabe gave me a scowl. I ducked my head, hurrying to my desk and dropping my bag by my feet, amid whispering and snickers from my classmates.

What, had there been more pictures posted this morning? What were they all looking at?

Akaike was doing roll call from the front of the classroom, and I dropped my head on my desk. I was so tired, my nose was running, and I needed more sleep—about a million years' worth. But it was Friday, and there were only two more exams left before winter break started tomorrow.

Not that I'd be getting much of a break; Houka's classes would be in recess but that just meant I'd be going to cram school all day every day instead. As our teachers had so helpfully reminded us last night, as of today we were exactly one month away from the national university entrance exam. The stress of midterms might be over, but the university exam would dial up the pressure about a hundred thousand times. It was the thing that we had all been preparing for, not just this year but literally our entire lives up to this point.

That was, of course, if I was even still a high school student after today. I felt so crappy I almost didn't care if they expelled me. At least then I could go back to bed...

Akaike called my name and I raised my hand without lifting my head. There was more giggling and whispering, and I cracked one eye open in annoyance. Couldn't they just let a guy nap in pea— What the hell is that?

The surface of my desk, right in front of my nose, was covered in dark pen marks. I blinked, and those marks swam into the shape of a dick and balls, pointed right at my face. Sitting up quickly, I gaped down at the top of my desk. It had been covered in pen and permanent marker, and the penis doodle was tame in comparison to most of the others. Words like Homo and Cocksucker and Go Die!! were scribbled all over, in different colors of ink. There were diagrams of naked asses, cocks with smiley faces, and a pen sketch that was good enough to be recognizable as cartoon portraits of me and Seryou. Cartoon-Seryou was doing something to cartoon-me that was most definitely not appropriate for school.

I heard Tanaka burst out laughing. He'd probably been dying for me to notice since the minute I sat down. Several other kids joined in, while others sat uncomfortably at their desks giving me cautious side-eyes.

It didn't really bother me, except for that cartoon. I didn't like that at all, especially the way my body actually tightened for a second in response. Cartoon-me wasn't screaming, he had hearts floating over his head. I quickly dug my homework out and slapped it down on top of the drawing. Tanaka guffawed again, only turning around when Watanabe barked his name angrily.

If this was what they were doing to me, what was happening to Seryou? I could only hope that if Tanaka had spent his morning redecorating my desk, he wouldn't have had time to bother Seryou downstairs. I needed to talk to Seryou, though. I needed to make sure he was okay. I couldn't believe I'd fallen asleep last night without even texting him back.

My eyelids felt so hot that every time I blinked they burned. Somehow I made it through first period math, and as soon as the bell rang I staggered from my desk over to Koike and Utsumi. "Do either of you guys have a phone charger? My battery died."