RP Chasing Dreams

That's good, but be sure to get plenty of sleep tonight!

Seika wrote, adding a little smiley face to the end. She leaned in to try to catch what Ayano was writing through her hand, but she didn’t catch much until Ayano finished writing anyway. A quick smile crossed her lips when her friend finally lifted her hand and Seika caught her eye.

I’m free, show me all the cool spots around town
 
Cool spots around town… There weren’t many of those. They could walk around the park with dry grass and broken cobblestones, visit the one coffee shop in town or the ice cream shop with five flavors of ice cream. Ayano was mostly looking forward to the company, and when the bell finally rang after biology class, she’d already planned a route that’d take them to not the coolest, but the least lame places in Iwami.

“What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” She asked on their way to the shoe locker. Strangely, their homeroom teacher was there, accompanied by the vice principal, and they were standing right in front of Seika’s locker.

“Yanagi-san, could you please come with us?” Fujisawa-san asked gently, while the vice principal eyed the new student with an angry stare.

“What’s this about?” Ayano asked, sensing trouble though she couldn’t understand why. She looked at her friend, a huge question mark plastered in her face. The teacher hesitated on saying something, but the vice principal wasn't as hesitant. He held up a small plastic bag with green buds in front of Seika's face.

“Care to explain to us what this is doing here?”
 
“Favorite flavor? I’ve always liked cookies and cream.” Seika said with a grin as the duo neared the shoe lockers. Her smile soon morphed into mild confusion when she caught sight of their teacher and another adult standing near her shoe locker. Was there a problem with one of the lockers? The other man looked pissed, so Seika readied herself to ask if she could step by then to get her shoes when the teacher spoke first. “Huh? Was all Seika could manage before a baggie full of… marijuana?… was shoved in her face by the irate man.

“What? Why would I know?” Seika said, confused, turning her gaze to their homeroom teacher. “Fujisawa-san?”
 
It was clear as day that Seika was as surprised as Ayano, and the blonde thought it should be enough proof that it didn't belong to her.

"That's not hers. Anyone could've put it in there." She said, glancing between the vice principal and the teacher, who had her lips parted as if searching for the words to say.

"Why would anyone do this?" The vice principal asked, but it was rhetorical. "Our students don't bring drugs to school! I don't know how liberal your old school was, Yanagi Seika, but this is enough reason to expel you!" Ayano's chest tightened.

"Usui-san!" Fujisawa exclaimed, but before she could argue against it, he backtracked.

"You're lucky you'll only get a suspension. Two weeks. And no more club activities for you."

"What?! That's unfair!" Ayano shouted. Some students had gathered around to watch the scene, that would've been bad enough if it had been happening in private.
 
“Two weeks? No clubs? What?” Seika repeated with a blink. The shock only lasted a few moments before Seika bristled as an air of defiant indignation took her. She set her jaw as she drew her shoulders back as she stared back at Usui-San. “Why are you punishing me when that isn’t mine? Shouldn’t you be figuring out who it belongs to instead?” Seika said, acid dripping into her voice. Her left hand caught a bundle of her skirt and she squeezed so tight her knuckles turned white.
 
This was wrong and the teacher seemed to be thinking the same thing. Why wasn’t she saying anything.

“If it isn’t yours, explain why it was in your locker!” Usui-sun answered, with an equal amount of acid. Ayano’s chest tightened when she remembered the conversation she’d had with Ryuu the previous night. He couldn’t have done something like that… He wouldn’t have.

“It’s mine, Usui-san.” The words left her mouth before she could stop herself, and it was too late to go back now. “These are my drugs. Punish me, not her.” Ayano reached for Seika’s hand, that held tightly to the rim of her skirt.
 
“Huh? But that’s—“ Seika fell silent as she felt Ayano’s hand close over her own. She looked at her friend, her eyes wide and her lips parted. If Ayano took the blame then wouldn’t she be kicked off the team and suspended instead? That was wrong too! Seika felt her heart beating quickly, and the back of her neck felt warm. Her grip on her skirt loosened as her mind went blank. There had to be some way to explain didn’t there?

“Ayano… but your team…” Seika bit the edge of her lip as words failed her.
 
Ayano regretted her words the moment she said it. She couldn’t get suspended and kicked off the team, it’d destroy everything she’d ever worked for. The touch of Seika’s hand helped her to stop the tears that threatened to escape her eyes.

“Usui-san…” Fujisawa-san said, touching the vice principal’s shoulder and pulling him to the side. Ayano couldn’t hear what they were saying, entwining her fingers with Seika’s and forcing a small, defeated smile.

“It’s fine. We’ll figure this out.” She whispered past the lump on her throat. When the two adults returned, the man’s face was still red in anger but he seemed a little calmer.

“You’re both suspended until we get to the bottom of this. And I’m calling in your parents tomorrow.”
 
Seika squeezed Ayano’s hand tightly as the two adults stepped away. Her heart fluttered high in her chest as she turned to look at her friend as Ayano whispered a few words of encouragement. Would it be fine? It didn’t seem like Usui-San was very keen on getting to the bottom of anything. Still… Seika set her shoulders and gave Ayano a little nod. They’d just need to figure this out, together.

“Thank you.” She said, her own voice small as the two adults returned. She winced as Usui gave his final judgment, but she bit back any retort. Instead she interlaced her fingers through Ayano’s and squeezed again. She didn’t know who would have done this, but she felt certain the two of them could find the answer.

Right.

“Okay.” Seika said, her voice still small, but her gaze sharp. “Can I get my homework ahead then?”
 
Usui-san waved them off as he walked away, followed by their homeroom teacher.

I’m calling in your parents tomorrow. Ayano tensed up, dreading the idea of having her mother around, and having to explain this entire situation.

“Show’s over.” She told the students who were still staring, her brows furrowed. Ayano let go of Seika’s hand, touching her shoulder instead. “Someone did this, and we’re gonna find out who it was. Okay?”
 
As soon as the adults left Seika’s shoulders slumped and she released a shaky breath. They were going to call her mother about this tomorrow? She’d need to tell her tonight then. Seika’s heart hammered high in her chest as she looked up at Ayano. She could feel the eyes of the watching students against the back of her neck, and she reached out and placed a hand on Ayano’s arm.

“Let’s just get out of here” Seika said softly.
 
Ayano nodded and accompanied Seika to the school’s front yard, where she stopped.

“Sorry, I- go ahead. I need to talk to Haruhi.” The blonde said, taking a few steps back. She didn’t know how long they’d be suspended for, and Ayano couldn’t leave the club without at least an explanation. “Let’s meet where we first met later. 7PM?”

***

Ryuu hadn’t been around the lockers when It happened, but the rumors had already gotten to him. He waited for Ayano outside, and was surprised when the new girl stepped out first, and by herself. The teenager decided to take the chance to get to know her better, following her down the street until he was able to catch up with her step.
 
“Right, I’ll be there.” Seika said, catching Ayano’s eye. How mad was her mother going to get about this though? Seika could feel butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it, but she resolved to meet up with Ayano even if she got grounded. They needed to clear their names before this went too far. “Good luck.” Seika added with a strained smile before she turned away and headed outside.

The brunette walked quickly as she stepped outside. She was distracted as she walked, her mind busy trying to figure out the best way for her to break the news to her mother. She didn’t notice Ryuu’s footsteps until he was almost next to her, and Seika barely managed to keep from yelping out in surprise, though her hand did catch her shirt over her heart as her shoulders flinched.

“Oh, hi, I didn’t see you there.” Seika said, with a thin but polite smile. “Are you going this way?”
 
Ryuu chuckled at Seika's surprise expression. She was cute, his type even, but he didn't like how little attention Ayano was paying to him since she came into the picture. He didn't like the way she looked at Ayano either.

"I heard about what happened." He said, hiding his hands inside his pockets. "Do you think it's fair to drag her down with you?"
 
“Mmh?” The corners of Seika’s eyes narrowed, but she maintained her smile at Ryuu’s question. There had been plenty of witnesses for the whole scene, so she wasn’t surprised that he had heard about what happened but how he worded it caught her ear wrong. Her eyes flicked down to his hands for a moment, but she tried to mask the glance by running a hand through her hair.

“I’m sorry, I don’t quite know what you mean. This is just a misunderstanding we need to have cleared up.” She said, her tone still polite.
 
Ryuu walked ahead of Seika and turned to face her, standing right in front of her. They were far enough from school that there was no one around, so he didn't worry about how it'd come off when he leaned down to intimidate her.

"Stay away from Ayano and her track team." He said. "She got suspended because of you, and is probably gonna lose the scholarship she's been working so hard to get. Stop being so selfish."
 
“Yeah? Is that so?” Seika said. She drew herself up to her full height as Ryuu stepped into her space. She stared back up at him, her jaw set and her thin shoulders squared. The street was quiet, and her skin prickled as she felt his breath. She didn’t back away as she held her school bag in a white knuckle grip.

“That seems like something Ayano should decide for herself.” Seika said, coolly. Ayano had a scholarship on the line? Then why did she… Seika felt her nails biting into the palm of her hand as she squeezed her hand into a fist. She had to make sure to clear her friend’s name. “If that’s everything, I need to get going.” She said, trying to step around Ryuu.
 
After putting Haruhi in charge, Ayano ran back home. Her school uniform wasn't the best for running, but it was the only way she could take her mind off of things, especially of what her mother would say once she heard the news that she'd gotten suspended. Not that she'd care about the track team.

"The vice-principal called." She said nonchalantly, laying on the couch with a back of chips as Ayano walked in. It was only the two of them since her father left, so Ayano's mom didn't have to turn around to know it was her walking through the door, face covered in sweat. "Are you smoking pot now?"

"It was a misunderstanding." Ayano answered, putting her backpack down and trying to make it to her room as quickly as possible to avoid that conversation.

"You should've hidden it better!" Her mom shouted, right before Ayano slammed the door to her room shut.

***

Ayano cried in the shower, and spent the following hours trying to think of an explanation. She had no reasons to doubt Seika, but couldn't think of why anyone would do something like this.

"If there was a new soccer player in town who was better than me I'd break his legs."

Ryuu's words kept coming back to her, but she didn't want to consider it as a possibility. Laying in bed, Ayano stared at his contact on her phone, trying to decide if she should ask him about it or not.

Hey. - She typed, but didn't get a response. Of course, he was in soccer practice. Letting out a sigh, Ayano pulled herself up and sneaked out of her room, hoping she wouldn't meet her mom on her way out. She found her napping on the couch with the tv on and closed the entrance door behind her, quietly so as not to wake her up.

It was just a while past 6 PM, but Ayano could no longer stand still. She jogged to the street she'd first met Seika at, stopping at a grocery store on the way to buy them something to drink.
 
There was a smile her mother always gave when she was listeningbut clearly didn’t believe a word she was hearing, and it was that smile Seika had just spent the last hour sitting across from. There was no explosion of anger, just little nods and a tone that made Seika squirm in place. She wasn’t mad, sure, but something in how her mother asked her to not do something like that againmade her want to scream. Why did adults never listen? Seika maintained her composure at least until she got into her own room where she could bury her head into a collection of pillows and scream some frustration away.

*** *** ***

Seika woke up sometime after five and rolled out of bed. She didn’t feel any better after the nap, and she pulled off her school uniform with groggy fingers and tossed it onto her bed. She changed into a light blouse and a pair of shorts before carefully stepping out into the hallway. She crept down the hallway doing her best not to make a sound as she made her way to the entrance. Luckily for her the lights of the living room were off and the same was true of the kitchen. Seika breathed a small sigh of relief as she slipped her shoes on before quietly sliding the front door open and slipping outside.

She stretched before jogging down the drive and to the street. It wasn’t far to get back to the road she had met Ayano, though nothing was really far away in this town. She felt a lump form in her throat as she caught a glimpse of the blonde, and she blinked away threatening tears. She slowed to a stop, and before she could think about she she reached out and pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you” She said, quietly.
 
Ayano leaned against the streetlight, with a grocery bag hanging from her hand. She could hear Seika's sneakers kicking off the pavement before she even turned the corner - it was how quiet Iwami was, even that early in the night. She walked a couple steps to meet the brunette, and was surprised by a hug that made her heart skip a beat. Her face heatened up but she ignored the sensation, gently touching the girl's back.

"It's what friends do." Ayano said. She didn't pull away, and didn't encourage Seika to do so. The hug lasted a few more seconds before it dissolved naturally. "Here," She picked up a can from her bag and gave it to Seika, then proceeded to grab the other one. "I didn't know what you liked… If you don't like grapes we can switch."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top