My Best Friend Is a Monster

Chapter four

Asami walked beside Gaara, noticing how he kept a reasonable distance from her. It didn't matter that she had already told him that in her eyes, he was not a monster. He had been betrayed before, and it was understandable that he didn't want to get too attached.

"do you want to play ninja?"

The blond girl looked at Gaara, surprised that he had made the first move this time.

"Sure! But i have to go back to the orphanage in an hour or two, or the Matron is gonna

whoop my ass."

He nodded happily. "that's okay!"

.....

"Why are you still hanging out with that freak?!"

Kin yelled. The black-haired girl had tormented Asami's life for the better part of a year now, and she sure wasn't gonna stop.

"Why do you care?!"

The little brat had the audacity to roll her eyes.

"Hasn't anyone told you that he's dangerous?"

"See, unlike you, I'm capable of forming my own opinions and I don't have to rely on other people to think for me."

Kin huffed.

"don't say i didn't warn you."

the insufferable girl and her pack of brainwashed minions finally left Asami alone. There were only about 30 minutes left of lunch, and Asami intended to make the most of it.

Her plan was working out well until someone

scooted up beside her, and spoke so quietly Asami barely heard them.

"If you don't mind me asking, Why do you hang out with him?"

She recognized the girl as Namida Sanako, a quiet clan kid who rarely spoke in class and had a heart attack every time someone spoke too loud. They had spoken a couple of times, with the two of them being the outcasts and all.

"hmm. That's a good question." Asami took a second to organise her thoughts.

"I suppose it's because i wanted to form my opinion on him without other people influencing me. I've heard from a lot of people that he is dangerous, but after hanging out with him for a while I've realised that he's actually a pretty cool person."

Sanako nodded, not uttering a word.

"you are lucky to be able to do that."

"Do what?"

"be able to form an opinion without being forced by other people to think like them."

"Why can't you do that?"

"It is not that i cant do that specifically, it's just that if i act differently than what is expected of me my clan will be severely disappointed. Bad things happen when the clan is mad at you"

Asami had a vague idea of what that meant.

There was a loud ring, signifying the end of the lunch break.

She hurriedly scarfed down her lunch, put the empty container inside her bag and rushed inside the classroom (the back of the class always filled first. she never again wanted to sit in the front seats.)

...

The walk home from the academy was boring and hot. The temperature during summer in suna was comparable to the devil's armpit, and even Asami, who barely drank any water found herself losing count of the number of times she had to go and have a drink.