Vocaloid: SHADOWS IN THE SPOTLIGHT [Miku X Luka]

Jinxed Misfortune - #62

Miku's PoV

"Miku, are you okay?" Yukari asks as I take a seat opposite her in the canteen, a thoughtful, concerned expression crossing her face as she speaks.

I turn to her, the question agitating me. "Do I look fucking okay?" I scoff, slamming my hands against the table and glaring at her through narrowed eyes. Passers by stop and stare at me, but right now, I couldn't care less about that.

Yukari averts here gaze, looking hurt by my sudden raise of voice. She looks towards IA, who shrugs her shoulders and raises an eyebrow, before biting her lip and slowly bringing her gaze to meet mine once more. "Is that a rhetorical question? No, you don't look okay," she sighs, before resting her head in her hand and looking at me through upturned eyes. "So, that being said, what's bothering you?"

I sink down further into my seat, head spinning. "You wouldn't understand," I grumble through gritted teeth.

So much shit is going down, and I honestly don't know how to deal with it. I know I'm acting scarily out of character, almost as if something inside of me has snapped; I never yell, never push. Instead, I cower in the corner, hiding from the bad, tears streaming down my face as I cover my eyes and screw my eyes shut. That's the Miku everyone knows.

Maybe this is the new Miku?

I'm sick and tired of everyone's bullshit. I'm tired of feeling lost and getting hurt, of losing my voice when I need it the most. Hell, I might not be here much longer — why should I abide the rules I lay down for myself, when it doesn't matter anymore? It's silly.

Right now, I just don't see the point.

IA waves a hand in front of my face, causing my train of thought to crash. "Hey. You don't know if we won't understand. Not until you tell us, at least," she states, trying to be optimistic and forcing a smile.

I keep a grim expression. "Yeah, okay. Because you have an abusive father behind bars and a mother who upped and left the moment you needed her the most, I'm sorry, I forgot."

IA and Yukari exchange alarmed glances — I suppose this is the first time they've heard of my troubled past. "Oh," IA mutters, suddenly looking incredibly awkward.

"Yeah," I jeer. "Oh."

As far as I'm concerned, IA and Yukari both have perfectly functional families, something I long for. How are they supposed to understand my situation having never faced such problems?

"Well," Yukari starts, her voice significantly more gentle, "what about Luka? You two have stuck together like yin and yang since all this went down, haven't you? So why is that all of a sudden so foreign?"

I throw my head back, groaning. "Why does everyone keep mentioning her? I don't want to talk about it!"

Yukari glances at IA, clearly beat. "We are just trying to help you, Miku." IA sighs.

"Breaking news: you're not helping in the slightest. So just quit it." I mutter, rising from my seat and grabbing my bag.

IA mutters something under her breath. I glare at her before turning on my heel and darting out of the canteen, angry at the world and everyone in it.

Blind sighted, I run through the main corridor and towards the exit of the building; all I can think is 'I need to get out of here'. Pelting rain thumps mercilessly against the double-glazed windows, a raging storm outside as well as in my head.

I'm about to make a run for the door, though I'm stopped abruptly by a firm hand on my shoulder, and a booming voice from behind me. "Hatsune Miku, where do you think you're going?"

I'm fucked. Slowly, I turn my head to see the school principal looming over me, staring down at me, belittling me. His waistcoat is neat and tidy, tie just the right length. He looks smart, though the look in his eyes is enough to intimidate me. "Nowhere," I mumble, before clearing my throat and standing tall. "I'm not going anywhere, sir."

He narrows his eyes and crosses his arms, still looking down at me like I'm nothing more than dirt under his shoe. "I should hope not," he responds, glaring at me through those thin, beady skits. "Which reminds me. I've had a recent report from someone regarding you in the PE locker rooms, threatening another student and using foul language towards them, which is simply unacceptable."

I freeze, completely caught off guard. I wouldn't be surprised if Meiko played the victim after the earlier incident and went running to the school faculty to try and land me in trouble — after all, she's desperate to see me break down.

I don't want to give anyone that satisfaction anymore.

"Who told you that?" I inquire after taking a deep breath and trying to remain calm under the pressure. "I'm sorry, but there must have been some kind of miscommunication, because I didn't—"

"I've heard what happened, Miku." He roars, shaking his head disapprovingly. "I heard that you got physical with Sakine Meiko and gave her verbal abuse. That is not to be tolerated in this facility!"

I bite my lip. "Can't you take my view into account?" I ask, trying my best to remain polite and ignoring my swiftly increasing heart rate. "Meiko targeted me first. She was the one giving me verbal abuse, not the other way around! That's crazy..."

His expression remains the same. Instead of responding, he pulls out a small card from his pocket and hands it to me. "Detention for you," he growls. "If you keep this up, you'll find yourself in temporary exclusion."

Before I can protest, he turns around and walks away, leaving me staring down at the detention slip in my hand, wondering if the day could get any worse.

"This is utter bullshit..." I hiss through gritted teeth, scrunching up the slip before tossing it into a nearby bin in pure frustration.

A/N: I'm sorry this is such a short chapter, though I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless!!
out of interest, do you guys prefer longer chapters or shorter ones? I'd love to hear your feedback!
it's so hot in the uk, summer is finally just around the corner!! It's really nice weather, it's just a shame there's not much we can do in it haha. Remember to stay safe and maintain social distancing rules! They're important :)
As always, see you all in the next chapter! Baibaiiii~