Who Will Save Me? (temporary title)

Scene I

"Hey Mai, snap out of it!"

"What?"

"Do you think we'll be able to convince Ryuichi-san to speak today?"

Kana, my best friend, was pacing in front of the school. The morning sun made her short red hair seem on fire. I joined her by the entrance and grinned.

"No guarantees, but we've definitely got to try!"

Pushing open the entrance, we slid in among the steady stream of students. It wasn't until I was halfway to the science class, eleven bumps and jostles later, that I realized that Kana was no longer beside me.

"Where has she gone now?" I sighed as I retraced my steps.

A small gasp escaped my lips as Ryuichi-san swept by. His shoulders bent under the weight of his textbooks and his face was pale with exhaustion.

"Huh," I thought. "I wonder if he's okay."

Before I had any more time to dwell on the subject of his well-being, a fresh wave of students washed into the hallway, obscuring my view of Ryuichi-san. Kana was not among them. Five minutes later, I found Kana still standing in the lobby, looking worried and utterly confused. Her expression eased as she saw me coming.

"Thank goodness, Mai!" she whispered. "My spatial awareness skills are absolutely zero."

"I can attest to that. Though I don't know how, you've been in this school for a whole month!" I teased, receiving a playful glare.

Despite the unfavorable detour, science class passed with little more excitement. The only other notable event occurred when the geography teacher asked Kana to describe a temperate climate zone and she responded with a dreamy "Rice!" My guess is that she was hungry and despite the class's giggles, the teacher wasn't too impressed.

The next period is my absolute favorite: lunch time! Skipping excitedly, bento in hand, I slid to my desk chair with a thud. When I opened my bento, I discovered a little face formed from vegetables atop a bed of rice, and best of all, dorayaki! My grandmother always knew how to make me smile.

"Mai, is this my desk?"

I whirled around, my mouth full of dorayaki.

"Of corf!"

As Kana revealed the contents of her lunch, I inwardly cried. A couple average cherry tomatoes and a very sad orange stared up at me. Across from us, the wealthy sisters Akina and Keiko exchanged horrified glances. Kana noticed and colored slightly, looking away. They quickly recomposed their smug expressions after noticing my warning glare. Before turning away from us, Akina sniffed and whispered something to Keiko, who nodded in agreement. Beside me, Kana slumped and dejectedly surveyed her meager lunch.

"Don't worry about those idiots," I told her. "Want a dorayaki?"

Her expression rippled as she considered my offer. Finally, she thanked me and reluctantly took the snack. After several minutes of munching in silence, Kana suddenly perked up.

"Hey, look! Isn't that Ryuichi-san?"

I followed her gaze to the desk in the corner. Ryuichi-san was just sitting down; long blue hair fell into his dark eyes. He hadn't brought any lunch, only a book, a notebook, and a pen.

"Wow, he must be really smart!" breathed Kana.

"Yeah, but why didn't he bring any lunch?!" I gasped in horror.

No lunch was a terrible disaster!

"I'm going to take him a dorayaki," I announced. "Want to come with me?"

"Oh no, I can't; I'm too... shy," she finished.

"Okay... then I'll be back in a sec."

Weaving through the crowded room, I finally reached the lonely corner desk. The book in Ryuichi-san's hands was on organic chemistry, a topic one wouldn't normally begin learning until the next year!

"Excuse me."

Ryuichi-san looked up from his book, studied me for a heartbeat, and promptly returned to reading. Heat flooded my face as my awkwardness became apparent to the students nearby. Trying to ignore the murmuring of my classmates, I turned back to the silent boy.

"Hey, Ryuichi-san," I began, nervously playing with my sleeves. "I noticed you didn't have any lunch, so I brought you a dorayaki, if you'd like it. I know it isn't much."

Ryuichi-san glanced up at me again. His eyes traveled from my face to the snack in my hands, as if he were trying to process what I'd just said. The awkwardness became unbearable.

"Uh, I'll leave it here in case you decide to eat it."

My skin prickled from his gaze as I fled the scene.

Back at my desk, Kana was fidgeting with anticipation.

"How did it go? What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything. He just looked at me, but wouldn't say anything."

The disappointment was evident in Kana's face. I giggled.

"Don't look so glum. We'll keep trying!"

A sudden thought occurred to me.

"Next time, you can invite him to your parents' shokudo!"

"Nooooo!" she squealed. "What if I mess up? What if he gets insulted? He's so serious!" She leaned forward, her eyes huge with worry. "What if he doesn't like me?"

I couldn't believe it. My sweet, scatterbrained Kana and the quiet, sulky Ryuichi-san? I shook my head, then looked back up at her.

"It'll be okay. Even though he seems aloof, and can be a bit impolite, I'm sure he's nice in there somewhere."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely!" I smiled and patted her back.

However, my certainty in my statement dwindled a couple hours later as we exited Chigusa High. Ryuichi-san passed nearby without acknowledgement, even as I greeted him. He was certainly a tough nut to crack. Kana came up beside me. "Farewell, Ryuichi-san," she breathed. When she saw the incredulous look on my face, she drew back in indignation.

"What, I can be refined, too!"

"I never said you weren't! I just would never have guessed you'd get all romantic over Ryuichi-san."

"I... I'm not romantic!" spluttered Kana, flushing deeply.

"Uh huh."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again for helping me."

She waved and hopped on her bicycle. While I watched her form recede into the distance, the rest of the students shuffled around me, leaving for their own homes. The breeze ruffled my violet pigtails, brushing my bangs into my eyes. I shivered as a sudden chill entered the air. Not being one to become scared over foolish things, I climbed onto my own bicycle to begin my journey home. However, I could not shake the uneasy feeling that I was being watched.