Mirrors, the Girl and the Smoke

Chapter 3: Taki, the regular school boy

6:30 AM
I think im gonna be late again for school, who knows i might get expelled for being tardy these days.
Hey, you cant blame me for working my ass off for my tuition fee. But today, it might have been my fault for watching that girl on the glass, as she consumes 2 packs of cigarettes in one sitting.
I covered the glass mirror or what should you call that I dont know-- because Hanako usually cleans my room and I dont want her to see that her super nice neice has a capability to watch girls undress at night.

She gave me this new scarf that she knitted, which is rather thicker and I realized that its black, which she knows that its my style and color. I thanked her for her generous offer and wore it. Maybe she realized that winter is near and Im freezing everyday outside. Also, she kept making me these pastel colours in the past that im too embarassed to wear, like yellow and even pink-- its either im gonna die of cold or embarrassed to death. So, I chose to be embarrassed for the rest of the past winters because I cant afford to get sick.

A lot of boys made fun of me in the first phases, like when I was wearing the pink one-- but I just shrugged it off. Then I heard that a small gossip in my class spread that these scarfs are actually knitted and made by my pretty girlfriend. People just invent stories and see it as reality, just wow. And then the boys stopped making fun of me and gave me more respect for having a girlfriend, which they never had. Well, I dont actually care and I dont pay attention much to people in school. I just see them as temporary people who will just vanish after we graduate anyways, so im cool with whatever they thinking.

But im still glad for the fact that Hanako made a black knitted scarf for me, even if shes a little bit senile and old. I can still see her effort on giving me things that i would likely appreciate, i mean yeah Pink is fine with me but making something that I like is very heartwarming for me.

As I said my farewell to old aunt Hanako, I got out on our apartment and looked up in the sky. I can see fog's coming already. I should run faster for school, or else im gonna be late--

"Hey" someone called me in a distance, and I realized that it was the girl.

And I cant help but to remember everything last night and I started to feel a burning sensation on my cheeks out of embarrassment or guilt idfk!

"You understand English right?" she said, as she started to approach me.

Afcourse, English isthe only subject that is not troubling for me. Maybe because of the American televisions that I keep watching since childhood and up to my convenience store time.

"Yeah. Yeah.." ugh im such a weirdo. I realized i dont speak to girls often except to Hanako and other elderly woman, but girls my age, thats a big no.

"Can I ask for directions? Mrs. Nagasaki is pretty nice but I cant really understand a lot of what she said to me this morning because im a bit of not a morning type of girl, know what I mean hehe-- ugh, so i didnt really understood her and im too shy to ask again so here i am lol" she said,

Afcourse you smoked and danced and sang for the whole night, i wouldve said that but no.

I told her the directions and wrote it in a piece of paper so that she would not get lost along the way.

Just what I expected, shes going to that expensive university here and shes wearing their uniform that i think costs my whole semester in our school.

And here I am wearing a very tacky one from a very cheap school.

"Thank you-- its Taki right? Sorry bout last night. I was a little bit of scared when I got here, you know haha" she said and smiled,

My heart was gonna burst or so i think, maybe for the fact that she knows my name but for the fact that when she smiles, the whole world would just stop and i would focus on how her dimples would show everytime she laugh--