I Hate Him, But You Can't Have Him!

 In the middle of class, Miko sat at her desk with her head laying down, as though she was pretending to be asleep.

“This sucks. My dominant hand got cut, so I can’t hold my pencil properly to take notes.” She thought to herself with a listless expression.

Peeking out from her arms, Miko tried to take a look around the classroom. Everyone was either focused on the class, talking to one another, or goofing off.

Taking a quick look to her side, Miko jolted slightly after noticing Ren was staring right at her from the corner of his eye.”

“Don’t stare at me you creep! Pay attention!” Miko’s mind demanded in a disgruntled tone.

The moment the lunch bell rang, Miko quickly grabbed her lunch, and hastily left the classroom.

In her normal spot, hidden under the stairwell, Miko opened her lunch, sighing to herself from her pent up stress.

“Whatever. It’s not like I want to blow a blood vessel thinking about that guy.” Miko muttered to herself, grabbing her chopsticks.

Immediately Miko dropped them clutching her hand, as pain from the cut seared her hand.

“Great! How am I supposed to eat comfortably like this?” Miko muttered to herself in an annoyed tone, her face scrunched up in pain.

Miko sighed in annoyed acceptance, and started picking up a clump of rice with her fingers, before eating it all in one small bite.

“I guess this is fine.” Miko sighed, feeling uncomfortable with the feeling of using her left hand.

As Miko ate her lunch like that, she listened to all the girls passing by talk about her being too close to Ren. Some spread rumors, some planned on jumping her, others joked about how ugly she looked.

“I mean, I can’t blame them for thinking I’m not attractive in any sense of the word, but still…” Miko whispered to herself, while eating a clump of rice, trying her best not to cry.

“I never did anything except exist…. Why does everyone…. Hate me?” Miko asked herself in her mind.

She thought back to her parents, and her older sister. They had decided to make Miko live by herself, and paid for her expenses, because they couldn’t stand being harassed for being associated with her anymore.

“They kicked me out, just for being hated by others…. It’s why I know for a fact, that despite what I’m like, it’s better to hate everyone, because they will always hate you.” Miko’s mind felt heavy as those thoughts crossed her mind for the first time since her transfer.

“I’d rather shut myself off completely, than risk being betrayed again.” Miko muttered under her breath, finishing her bento, getting up to head back to class.

“So, Ren, why do you let that weirdo Oni girl hang around you?” a female voice asked above Miko on the stairs, forcing Miko to quickly hide back under the staircase.

“What do you mean?” Ren’s voice asked in a cheerful tone.

“It’s not like she’s interested in me.” Ren continued, in a cheerfully bleak way.

“I knew it.” Miko’s thoughts began, “I knew he didn’t actually like me. He’s just like everyone else, anyways.” Miko thought with a frustratedly pained expression.

“So… why did you carry her through the halls? She definitely forced you to, right?” the girl asked in a mockingly sarcastic tone, as though she was making fun of Miko as though she was right there in front of her.

“Her hand was bleeding, someone put a razor blade in her shoe locker, and her hand got cut extremely badly. So I took her to the nurses office, but she didn’t want to come with me, because she wanted to clear her locker, and still change into her indoor shoes.” Ren responded casually, as though someone asked what he had for lunch.

“So.. She made you carry her, because she was wearing indoor shoes?” the girl asked in a confused sounding voice.

“No, I carried her, because she refused to go with me. So I just picked her up, despite her protests.” Ren responded bluntly, as though he was explaining a joke.

“Why would you help her though? She’s weird, unpopular, and ugly on top of that!” The girl snapped in confused frustration.

“Exactly. Why would you ever help me if you have nothing to gain?” Miko thinks to herself, looking down at her bandaged up hand with tears welling up in her eyes.

Miko suddenly nearly gasped, as a loud slam sound came from above her on the stairs.

“R-Ren, you’re so forward…” the girl said, as though embarrassed about something.

Miko leaned over, just enough to peek over at the commotion through the railing rungs, to see Ren had wall slammed the girl he was talking to.

“Oh… makes sense. She’s pretty looking, and part of the popular crowd.” Miko thought to herself, not noticing the pain in her chest.

“Let me tell you one thing.” Ren said, his voice like ice and as clear as day. “Never call the girl I fell in love with ugly again. Especially to my face.”

The scene was almost frozen in time, The girl, frozen in fear. Ren, his icy stare bringing a chill down one’s spine. And Miko, who was frozen in shock at what she had just heard.

“W-w-w–w-w-w-w Wait! What? Are you telling me, he was seriously thinking about me in that way, and NOT like I was a gullible idiot for a sick joke?” Miko’s mind was running wild, as her heart pounded furiously in her chest. Both out of fear, and an emotion she couldn’t quite figure out.

While Miko was freaking out internally, Ren had let the girl go and began to walk back to the classroom, while the girl slumped against the wall, with a face as white as a ghost out of seeing the scary side of Ren.

“Get a hold of yourself Miko!” Miko shouted to herself inside her own mind. “Remember? It’s his fault you’re being outed more than usual, remember?” she continued, literally slapping herself out of it.

“You promised yourself to never trust another person for as long as you live. Don’t take his words seriously.” Miko muttered to herself, walking back to her class, with a face that screamed “deep in depressing thoughts”

As the rest of the day went by with seemingly no incident, Miko found herself behind the school, to take out the trash from her classroom.

After dropping the last bag, Miko started to head back to get her bag, but quickly found herself getting soaking wet from falling water.

“SORRY! That was- oh, It’s ok guys! It was just oni! No one important got wet!” a girl shouted from the third floor window above Miko.

“Great. Ju~st great.” Miko muttered to herself out of annoyance while wringing out her skirt a little.

Walking to her shoe locker, Miko grabbed her bag, making sure to search for any stolen or extra items.

“Good. Everything is still here. That’s good. Even my phone hasn't been tampered with…. Wait, I shouldn’t have any contacts. My parents didn’t want me calling them, so they never gave me their number…” Miko thought in a confused look at the notification reading “one new message from contact” on it.

Looking through the message left by said contact, Miko read the following “Hey, This is Ren. Ren Hassa? Anyways, some girls were talking about stealing your bag, so I hid it in your shoe locker after everyone left. I left my number in your phone, so call me in case of emergencies, or to possibly hang out! Also, if you delete my number I’ll force you on a date with me!”

“This is blackmail!” Miko thought angrily, trying to resist the urge to delete the number, knowing full well she doesn’t want to go anywhere with him.

“Whatever. I’ll just go home.” Miko thought to herself, taking a different path from her normal one she used 2 days in a row home, to avoid getting jumped by angry fan girls.

As soon as Miko got home and reached her front door, she froze. Her hand was shaking, and sweat dripped down her cheek.

“I locked the door. Why… why is it unlocked?” Miko thought to herself panickily, too scared to move.

Looking around, Miko noticed an unmarked van across the street that had never been there before, and the sounds of footsteps in her house.

Miko quickly ran down the block, and hid in a bush.

“Why! Why! Why! Why! Why is someone in my house?! I live alone!” Miko screamed internally, too scared to cry.

Miko began finicking with her phone, looking for some kind of solution, before stopping at her only contact. Ren.

“Do… Do I HAVE to call him?” Miko muttered to herself.

Taking a deep breath, Miko called Ren.

“For once in your life, please don’t be clueless!” Miko desperately muttered, remembering he never noticed her when they first met.

“Hello?” a voice on the other side picked up.

“Is… Is this Hassa? Ren Hassa?” Miko asked, her voice shaking, as she tried not to break down.

“Oniwara? Are you ok? You sound off.” Ren’s concerned voice asked.

“I’m scared.” Miko whispered, nearly breaking down.

“Someone is in my house… I live alone! I ran away down the block, and just started hiding, but I’m scared…” Miko muttered into the phone, tears streaming down her face as she fully broke down.

“Where are you? I’ll come to you and check it out for you.” Ren responded with a comforting tone with a sharpness to his words.

After explaining where she lived and where she was, Ren arrived ten minutes later, nearly breathless with a worried expression.

Miko walked up to him, shaking and clutching her arms with a look of fear in her eyes.

It’s ok. I’m here now.” Ren comforted her in a soft voice, hugging her protectively.

Miko broke down, crying into his arms, until there weren’t any tears left to cry.

“Can you take me to your house?” Ren asked in a soft tone.

Miko just nodded, and took him to her house, and showed him the open door. Footsteps could still be heard in her home.

“Wait here.” Ren ordered, looking into Miko’s home with eyes of seething rage.

Miko waited outside for what felt like a few hours, looking into her own home like it had betrayed her.

Suddenly a loud slam could be heard, along with the screams of what sounded like a girl. Out of panic, Miko ran into her home, towards the source of the sound, her room.

Bursting through the open door, Miko panickily looked through her room to find two people on the floor. Ren, who was looking at the person on top of him like they had just killed his dog, and…

“Talia?...” Miko asked, her voice quiet and fearful

On top of Ren, with a look of both anger and lust was a girl with short black hair, purplish blue eyes, and was currently pinning down Ren, albeit struggling a bit.

“Oniwara! You know this nutcase?! She was rifling through your clothes, and when she saw me, she suddenly pinned me down demanding I give her my body!” Ren shouted, looking over to Miko with a stressed panicked look.

Miko just sighed, clutching her head, collapsing so she was sitting on her knees.

“I was so scared. But it was just my bitch of an older sister! I called Ren for nothing!” Miko shouted internally in relief and annoyance.

“Talia… could you please go home? I thought a kidnapper broke in.” Miko muttered, averting her eyes from the situation.

“What? I came to grab some clothes you won’t ever use so I could wear them! Now stop acting like you matter, and go away! I’m making this guy mine.” Talia argued in a bitchy tone.

“But YOU’RE in MY house!” Miko screamed internally, her eyes furrowed in anger.

“I’m sorry miss, but… I already like Oniwara.” Ren stated in a blunt yet kind manor.

“You idiot! She would have left if you just turned her down harshly! Now she’s just gonna-” Miko’s internal monologue got cut off.

“Really? What’s so good about my pathetic little sister?” Talia asked in a defiant tone. “You could date any hottie you wanted to with your looks, so why settle for dull, boring, and ugly little Miko, when you could have her hotter older sister?” she asked, emphasizing the comparison by walking over to Miko, and poking at the flaws she listed.

“You’ve stayed long enough. Get the hell out.” Miko muttered, her fist clenched tightly.

“Excuse you? What did you say to me?” Talia probed, poking Miko’s chest hard enough to hurt.

“Let me make something clear.” Miko began, raising her voice to a quiet speaking voice. “He chose to love me. So if you don’t get the hell out of my house right now….” she continued, looking down at her feet in a serious tone.

“I will make your death look like a suicide. Do I make myself clear?” Miko threatened, looking at her older sister with pure rage in her eyes.

Talia attempted to back off, feeling fear towards her younger sister as she found herself backed into a wall, with Miko standing directly in front of her, close to her face.

“Do I make myself clear?” Miko asked again, this time louder as though she had run out of patients.

“O-okay! I’ll leave! Just please, don’t hurt me!” Talia cried out, pushing past Miko, running out of her house crying.

With a sigh, Miko pinched the bridge of her nose, irritated.

“If you read too much into that, as me liking you… I will punch you.” MIko said to Ren who was sitting behind her, hugging her anime plush while looking at her in awe.

“I never said anything.” Ren replied, stifling a giggle.

“I swear I hate you.” Miko whispered to herself, sitting next to Ren, and stealing the anime plush to hide her face.

“But I guess it might be ok to…. Yeah, no way in hell.” Miko thinks to herself, suppressing the unknown feeling she feels whenever Ren is near her.

They both sat together in silence, watching an airing anime. Ren being completely unaware that Miko was staring at him more than the anime itself.