Kaede Mizuno

As I made my way to my seat the next morning, I was thinking of how glad I was that I got hit in the head and not the face. It’s so bothersome making up a story that I fought some college kid or something. Though when I made stories up like that from other injuries, everyone actually believed me, they were even scared to come near me.

I took out my notebook and started doodling a picture of my sister as an angry monkey yelling and waving a banana. I started to giggle to myself as I took a box of pocky out of my bag and put one in my mouth like a cigarette as I drew some more. I don’t know why they call me stupid when I rank in the top 10 of my grade. I grabbed the pocky stick and bit a piece off, they must think that because I miss school so much that I’m not passing, though they probably would know if they were actually interested in my school life in the first place.

“Good morning class” I could hear Ms. Noya talking but I kept drawing and eating pocky. “Today we welcome into our class a new transfer student-” 

A new transfer student? My curiosity peaked, so I looked up from my desk only to meet eyes with the girl with the lavender hair, she was staring right at me. The pocky stick fell out of my mouth, but I didn’t bother to pick it up… 

“Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Kaede Mizuno.”

I spoke out loud without even noticing, “Kaede Mizuno…”, I then noticed Ms. Noya’s face in shock, as my eyes drifted to the other students, who were also staring at me in shock. Probably because I had never called someone by their name before, and just rude nicknames, but at this time I didn’t know what to do, so I just blurted out. “Kaede Mizuno, is that what you said Ms. Noya? I can barely hear you from way back here, usually teachers are taught to speak louder for the students in the back, so why can’t you?” The crowd’s faces turned to disgust and Ms. Noya’s face washed over with an expression of annoyance, but that didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the face next to hers, Kaede’s smile disappeared, and an expression of sadness and disappointment rolled over her face. Which I usually wouldn’t have cared about, but for some reason I felt guilty for insulting Ms. Noya.

“You may find your seat in the back, by Mr. Kataoka, unfortunately that’s the only seat we have left vacant. My sincerest apologies Ms. Mizuno.” Ms. Noya stared directly into my eyes while saying that.

As Kaede walked down the aisle towards me, I shifted my head to look down at my notebook again, since I felt somewhat embarrassed by her reaction. She sat down so gracefully in the seat next to me, that I could barely hear her. She seemed to carry a form of elegance in whatever she did. Without lifting my head half the class, I heard a whisper from beside me. “What a waste of a pocky stick…. Strawberry is the best flavor…”

I turned my head towards her and saw her pointing down at the pocky stick that had fallen out of my mouth earlier. I could feel my face turn red, but she just smiled. I couldn’t even reply to her, I just stared and looked down at my desk again quickly, feeling like a total idiot. Don’t ask me why I didn’t answer her, I don’t even know why myself! She didn’t seem to care though, since she giggled and continued writing in her notebook. I sat through class without making a word, of which stirred up whispers throughout the rows of, “maybe he’s sick…” and “he hasn’t said one snide remark…” as well as “this might be the first time he hasn’t been kicked out.” The whispers were like a hundred bees buzzing in a field, which was driving me crazy.

Before the bell could ring notifying the end of class, I closed my book and left. No one was surprised really, since I usually never stayed for the entirety of class anyway. I switched my shoes at the lockers and walked out the front door as the bell rang. I almost left the premise when I heard the screech of a gremlin behind me. I stopped dead in my tracks, it was Ayame.

“KATAOKAAAA! WAIT FOR ME!!”

I could hear her footsteps quickly approaching and within a second, I snapped, I turned around and let out all the built-up anger I had. “STOP FOLLOWING ME YOU INCOMPETENT LEECH! YOU’RE CRAZY AND NEED TO BE INSTATUTIONALIZED! IM NOT MEAN BECAUSE I LIKE YOU, I STRAIGHT UP DESPISE YOU AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE! LEAVE ME ALONE GOD DAMNIT!” I could feel the steam spewing from my ears and the pressure in my eyes from the strain of screaming.

For the first time, she didn’t say anything quirky, she actually didn’t say anything at all. She just stood there; I then noticed a crowd of students surrounding her from behind just staring at me but the only face that caught my eye was Kaede’s. Though she didn’t look disappointed this time, she looked hurt, but not by my words. I felt as if she could feel all the pain inside me, like she knew everything I had experienced in life… no, that’s just crazy.

I looked back at Ayame. She looked like she was holding back, but not from crying or anything sentimental, but from anger. Although the only way she responded to my outburst was a bow and an apology.

“Forgive me Kataoka, I have been quite a nuisance lately.” Though she bowed and showed manners while doing so, it seemed as if the words she was saying were insincere and fake, as if she was struggling to say it. I didn’t pay much attention to that odd fact but was more interested in Kaede’s reaction, which didn’t change, and that made my chest hurt. I took a deep breath, turned around and left.

I didn’t feel like going home today, so I just walked to the park and sat under a tree, leaning against its rough bark. It was blossoming with pink cherry blossoms and the pedals fell down with each burst of wind that hit its branches.

I then heard, “if you like strawberry pocky, then you must like strawberry ice cream.” I leaned my head forward and saw Kaede leaning towards me with her hand holding a strawberry swirled ice cream cone, and the other hand holding another. Instantly my face turned hot and red. I don’t understand why this keeps happening to me around her! Her smile was so warm though, it gave off a feeling I once felt before, but from where? With that thought came a flashback of my grandma who would also get me strawberry ice cream, before she passed, and then I realized they shared the same warm smile. Wait… it’s kind of weird to compare an attractive girl to my deceased grandma… so I shook my head trying to rid the thought.

“Oh?... you don’t like it?” I opened my eyes to a frown on Kaede’s face. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

My arm automatically reached out for the cone, without my control, even I looked at my arm in an odd way. I looked up at her, “I do actually, thank you.” Her smile came back, and it was more radiant than before.

I was more entranced in her smile that I dropped the cone as soon as our hands touched, dropping strawberry ice cream all over her shoes. Both now looking at her shoes with our mouths open, I went to apologize, but she spoke before me. “I think they look better in pink huh?”, she giggled as she shook off the sticky ice cream.

“IM SO SORRY! PLEASE TAKE MINE-“, I scurried to give her my shoes, which at the moment seemed nice. She grabbed my hand and put the other ice cream cone in it.

“I will be right back!” She skipped back to the ice cream man for another, which is then when I realized offering a girl a boys oversized, sweaty shoes was probably stupid and embarrassing. I leaned my head back hard against the bark, which sent a sting of pain into my fresh wound, I flinched but didn’t pull it back because I felt I deserved it.

When Kaede came back she sat next to me under the tree. She ate her ice cream, and I, of course, creepily stared at her until mine melted onto my hand. She didn’t insult me though; she just giggled, gave me a napkin, and said, "my mom would always tell me, ice cream makes everything better, even the hurt we have inside us." 

That comment made the hairs on my arm stand up and my chest hurt, but maybe because it was really weird to feel kindness from a stranger, or to feel kindness at all.