What I'm Not

Chapter 1

Takara became my friend when three boys cornered me in a janitor's closet in junior high. They were grabbing me. I tried to scream but the cloth over my mouth forbade anything louder than a book drop. Somehow, Takara heard the guys through the door and opened the room door. It was passing period and one hundred students got to see the boys's nude from the waist down and me, tied up with my boobs exposed and tears streaming from my eyes. The boys ran away without their pants out of shear embarrassment.

I still remember Takara's first words to me: "Do you want me to cover you?"

He stood in front of the door while I put my clothes back on. I heard him shoo off several students. When I stepped out the halls were empty. The bell had rung five minutes previously and we were both late. A security guard approached us.

"What are you two doing here," she asked with irritation in her voice.

"This girl was molested by three students in the janitor closet," Takara said with a matter-of-fact tone in his voice. "I stood guard while she put her clothes back on."

"Where are these boys?"

He grinned. "Running around without their pants." He opened the door to reveal the pants laying scattered on the floor.

The guard laughed. "I'll notify the school. As for you," she turned her gaze to me. "Will you come to the security office with me to fill out a report. We need to verify everything they did so we know how to punish them and help you recover."

I nodded and started following her. Before we turned a corner, I took a look back and saw him standing there, matching my gaze.

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I never got to see him again until about a month later when I saw him accessing his locker an hour before school started. I was headed toward breakfast but seeing him again stopped me.

My feet led me to him. "H-hi."

He looked up at me. It was the first time I got a really good look at him. Short black hair with spiky bangs hovering above his hazel eyes. His cheeks were hallowed out and his body structure was thin.

"Oh, hi!" He turned his full attention to me. "You must be Brooklyn. I'm Takara Katzuko."

"Nice to meet you. I just wanted to thank you for the incident that happened a month ago."

He shifted uncomfortably. "I-its... no problem. I was just... passing by and..."

I shook his hands with both of mine. They were as thin as comic book. I gasped and he looked away. He was paper thin.

"Are you eating," I ask.

"Of course I am," he answered nervously. "I eat... bread... every... night..."

"Bread? Every night? Why?"

He smiled and looked me in the eyes. "So how have you been. I heard that you've made many friends."

He was dodging the question. I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the cafeteria. He said nothing until we got in line.

"Hey, I don't want you paying for my food." He started to step out of line but I grabbed him. "Think of this as repayment from that incident."

I bought him a package of Pop-Tarts and a cinnamon roll for myself. We sat across from each other and started eating.

"Wow, this is good." He started eating a little faster.

"Why are you eating so poorly," I asked. "You looked a little bigger a month ago."

He stopped eating and closed his eyes. "I live by myself. I try to buy lunch but I get robbed before reaching the cafeteria."

"Security doesn't know!?"

He sighed. "Since I don't know their names, security can't do anything about it." He rubbed his right arm. "I buy bread on the weekend and pay the apartment bills through work."

I thought about the incident and compared it to Takara's life style. "How aweful."

He opened his eyes and put on a smile. He rubbed his arm as he laid back in his chair. "It's not so bad when you get used to it."

"But you're bone thin."

"Its fine. It comes in handy when something falls into a tight space."

I invited him to my house. Invited him to join me at lunch. Even invited him to work under my dad. And after long debates, he said yes.