24Sorry about the last chapter's shortness. I was in a hurry to get it out kinda. Haha. But I wanted to make sure everyone knows what a ganguro is before we start the second chapter.
Taken from Wikipedia
Ganguro (ガングロ, Ganguro) is a fashion trend among Japanese girls which peaked in popularity around the year 2000, but remains in evidence today.
The basic look consists of bleached hair, a deep tan, both black and white eyeliners, false eyelashes, platform shoes (usually sandals or boots), and brightly-colored outfits. Also typical of the "Ganguro Gal" look are cell phones covered with purikura stickers, mini-skirts, hibiscus flower hairpins, and lots of bracelets, rings and necklaces.
Chapter 2
During their ten minute break between classes, the ganguro girl talked to her.
"Hi! My name's Otsuka Hitomi, what's yours?" she said cheerily.
Taken aback by the other girl's sudden urge to make friends, Michiko blinked. "Kawasaki Michiko…"
"What a cute name!" Hitomi squealed, causing her to get annoyed looks from the entire class. "Wait, are you related to the Hinobe Princess? Her last name is Kawasaki also."
"Well, no…of course not. She's really pretty and everything. I'd never be related to someone like her." Michiko lied. She knew that if she told anyone that Aiko was her sister she'd get chewed out for it later.
Hitomi flipped her long bleached hair over her shoulder and smiled. "I saw you being escorted by Iwasawa this morning through the door window. How lucky!"
"Lucky?"
"Yeah, Iwasawa's one of the hottest guys in school, not to mention the richest."
Michiko's jaw dropped. "S-Say what?" She couldn't believe a hot rich guy had actually been so kind to her. Her of all people. "There's no way, he was so nice to me."
The other girl giggled and twirled her hair playfully. "He has a soft spot for girls." Her voice took on a sad tone. "He's always been that way…"
"You're friends with him?"
"Huh? Oh, no. Well, used to be, let's put it that way. Back in Jr. High."
"Ah…"
The rest of the class was chattering busily along with them. Scanning around the room, Michiko didn't find one fat girl among them besides herself. What a major bummer. It looked like she'd be an outcast in high school as well. What else was new? But at least she might be making a friend with this Hitomi girl. That was a plus.
She recalled how her sister had acted that morning and cringed, knowing it was just a taste of how the rest of her years there would be like until Aiko graduated. What a thing to look forward to. Something caught the sunlight from the corner of her eye and she glanced at Hitomi, who had an ipod in hand.
Hitomi offered her an earpiece, "You like Ayumi Hamasaki?"
"Yeah, she has a beautiful voice."
"Oh my God, I love Blue Bird."
"Me to!"
The two girls listened to music until the teacher announced that class was restarting. Hitomi put her ipod away. This class was basically note taking it seemed, so Michiko spent a lot of the time daydreaming. All she could think about was that guy, even though she knew she had no chance in hell with him. He'd probably never talk to her again if they saw each other. He was the type of guy her sister could get with the bat of an eye, and only someone like Michiko could dream about.
A clicking sounded through the room as the intercom came on. "Will a Kawasaki Michiko please come to the office right away?"
"Huh?" Michiko looked up, the image of Iwasawa Tetsuya leaving her mind.
"Miss Kawasaki, do you know where the office is?" the teacher asked.
"Yeah…." I wonder what it is, she thought. Maybe they're having trouble with my transfer papers.
She left the room quietly, hoping it wasn't anything too serious.
"Tee hee," Aiko chuckled as she and her girl friends walked down the hallway towards the lunch room. "Did you guys see her cry? What a complete loser."
"Yeah, definitely, Aiko-chan." said a snobbish girl. "I can't get over how fat she was, either. I mean, doesn't she know when to stop eating?"
Aiko was about to say something when something caught her eye. "Hey! There she is now!"
She pointed a manicured finger at Michiko, who currently walked up the stairs. Her eyes were downcast as though she didn't want anyone to look at her. An idea popped into Aiko's mind, causing her to grin from ear to ear. If this worked her ugly younger sister would never set foot on the second floor again. She'd go running home and ask to be transferred to another school, one Aiko didn't attend.
All it would take was a little push.
Aiko licked her lips. What a perfect way to get that girl out of my territory.
"What're you doing, Aiko-chan?"
"Shhh! I've got an idea, but we have to hurry."
The girls began whispering furiously amongst each other as Michiko ascended the stairs.
Ugh, why does the office have to be on the second floor? So dumb. It should be on the first floor…
Michiko's shoes scrapped against each step as she walked, unknowing of her sister's plan. Her eyes remained focused on the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone after what had happened that morning. Aiko would've made sure everyone knew about it by now. What an awful idea it had been to go to this school. What had she been thinking?
Studying for the entrance exams had been grueling and time consuming. The few friends she had were neglected to the point of loosing them. Now she was wondering if it had all been worth it. Hinobe High was a well known prestigious school that expected top scores from those wanting acceptance. She'd honestly been shocked when she got the letter stating their approval of her test scores.
However, all Aiko did was complain.
The girl had complained about how embarrassing it would be for her fat little sister to go to the same school as her. For weeks she'd went on and on about it until their mother told her to shut up and deal with it. That was one of the very few times Michiko had seen their mother go off on Aiko. It wasn't hard to guess who the favored child was in the family.
Things were far worse when their dad came home on the weekends. He considered Aiko to be 'his little girl', and Michiko to be the mistake. In fact, she'd once overheard her father and mother talking when she was very little about how he hadn't wanted a second child. Only Aiko and no other. Aiko was the perfect daughter, or so she played the role of one at home.
The sound of footfalls, quick and light, broke the contact her eyes had with the floor. She looked up just in time to see someone's arms shoot out towards her, pushing into her shoulders. Weightlessness filled her mind as she tilted backwards. Her eyes went wide with shock and confusion. As her heart beat faster, the realization of what was happening struck her.
Then she fell.
Her fall was short, however, as her body crashed into someone almost directly behind her. Someone that lost their balance and wrapped strong arms around her middle as they fell together.
A scream was heard above her and someone yelled, followed by the scampering of feet. Meanwhile, Michiko lay in the arms of someone she didn't even know in a complete daze. She started to get up when a low groan emitted beneath her. Shaking the hazy feeling from her mind she scanned the person below her for any injuries. She herself wasn't in any pain, surprisingly. This person had to have completely broken her fall.
A deep blush spread across her cheeks as her eyes met a pair of startling green ones. The face surrounding them was beautiful yet masculine. The only downfall was that currently the face was contorted into an expression of dull anger. Along with those intense eyes, Michiko felt a cold chill run down her spine.
"Uhhh…I didn't mean to…." Her voice came out raspy and weak.
The boy shoved her off rudely and stood up, checking himself for damages. Michiko blinked, careful to keep away from him. She was about to try apologizing again when he caught her in his gaze again, making her body freeze unconsciously.
"What's the deal, bitch? Loose your footing or what?"
Tears sprang to her eyes from humiliation. She tried to step back but found she couldn't. His eyes remained steady on hers, blatantly challenging. What was she going to do? This guy looked ready to beat her up. The way he wore his uniform confirmed her belief that he was trouble. The black pants were ripped and torn a few places near his knees, the white dress shirt was untucked and wrinkled looking, the tan blazer was worn looking and his plaid tie was undone.
How does he get past teachers looking like that without getting in trouble?
He seemed to notice her staring at him and his frown deepened. "Hey, are you listening to me?"
"Huh? Y-Yes-"
His hand shot out and closed around her upper arm, tightening until she winced. "Listen, girl, you better stay out of my way, you got that? If I see you again you'll regret it."
The look in his eye immediately told her he wasn't kidding. Oh, God, what a predicament.
"O-Ok, I understand….I'm very, very sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"Shut the fuck up." he said curtly, letting go of her. "Remember, I better never see you again. Hear me?"
"Yes!" she squeaked, bowing as far as she could without getting on her knees.
With her agreement the boy shoved his hands in his pockets and continued on his way up the stairs, leaving Michiko behind. She let the tears fall once he was out of sight. There was no way she could go to the office now. She'd have to go back to her class room for now and go to the office after school to avoid being beaten up.
What if he would try to kill me? He sounded pretty mad…I hate this school already.