The Sound of Snow

Chapter Ten: "Ice Breaking"

A couple songbirds hopped through the branches of a crate myrtle tree outside the window to his right, just starting to bud at this untimely February spring. While the mathematics teacher called Ryuuji-san to stand and solve the equation on the blackboard, The Boy's eyes followed her.

"Ow!" The Boy rubbed his temple and picked up the paper airplane that had hit him. Unfolding it, he read "LOSER!" scrawled messily over it. He sent a glare at Ushio-kun in the desk beside him.

The latter teen leaned and tugged The Boy towards him. "Head out of the clouds, lover-boy. You don't want another detention do you?" The red-haired boy whispered teasingly . "And you should probably know there's rumors going around they're thinking about bringing back corporal punishment here. I say they should - a bruised ass would go great with that shiner on your cheek."

The Boy sat straight back, fuming and turning his face so Ushio-kun couldn't see the black and purple wedding-band welt. The last bit in that jar of ointment the baker gave him he used up yesterday morning. After three weeks free of teasing for his bruises, the feeling of sticking out like a sore thumb was infinitely more infuriating now that he'd tasted normality.

The other boy snickered and whispered louder. "Come on, man, the chicks would dig it! Especially Ria-chan... she'd think it was a real turn on-"

"Shut up!" The Boy crinkled the paper and chucked it at Ushio-kun's face before he could think to stop himself.

"Young man!" Nishioka-sensei shrieked at The Boy, seeing only his outburst and not Ushio-kun's aggravation. "One more peep from you and you're in detention for twice as long this time. Pay attention!"

Ushio-kun stifled his guffaws and finally let off. As the woman continued her lesson The Boy slumped back, wishing he could melt into his chair and disappear.

"Not much longer." Glancing at his wristwatch, "Eight more minutes. Then it's back to collecting..."

In January he almost wanted to hope he could make a new start this year. But so far this year wasn't exactly giving him high hopes going into middle school in two months. His mind constantly went back to the day he met the baker, utterly unsure if he made the right choice, if he should have gone back to the bakery after school that day. Mom definitely would have loved to see him earn his money honestly like that. He felt a lot like he did when he had refused Watanabe-sensei's help. But what did it matter now? Whether he could have trusted her or not, that weird old coot and all her solutions were long gone now; just like Watanabe-sensei.

When the bell finally rang a stampede of children hurried out the entrance doors, spilling into the cool crystal sunshine. Some of them immediately grabbed their bikes and rode home or hopped into their parents' waiting vehicles; but most sprinted to the corner of the crosswalk. Jostled to the back of the mob, The Boy stood on his toes to see what they were all running to. When the bulk of the mass was down the steps, he lingered at the door peering after them. There on the lawn was a little baked goods cart parked under a big umbrella. Behind it was the tiny old lady taking things out of a cooler. His gut went tight, like it held a couple ends of the same magnet to revolt each other.

"It's fine, she senile. She won't remember me."

He stood motionless in the flow of traffic for a little too long.

"Move it, midget!"

Shoma Ushio and another bigger-than-The-Boy classmate raced down the steps shoving him into the metal railing. To his dismay but not surprise, the aged metal bars crumbled like tin foil under his light frame. He didn't get even a second to cuss before he found himself face first in the weeds and bushes that crawled up the side of the building. He tried to jump up before anyone saw but the thorny shrubs had already swallowed him. Snickers arose all around. Of course. Of course he had to take a fall just as the entire school was walking by.