Someone no less than perfect

“I’m sorry – who are you again?”

She doesn’t answer. Instead, she gets up and, armed with a bloodthirsty glare, proceeds to analyse me.

“What are you doing?” I chuckle nervously as she plucks a piece of lint off my socks. From there, she gives my legs, stomach and arms an appraising squeeze each, scans my uniform for wrinkles, tears or sutures, then gets on her tiptoes and begins examining my face.

At this point, I should add that I’m as stiff as rusted tin. My body’s natural response to someone so unhinged they’ve flown off the doorframe. I turn to Daisuke and give him a nervous grin.

“Help. Me.”

“Do I have to?” he replies, stuffed full of metaphorical popcorn. “This is so fun to watch.”

Easy for you to say! Your mouth isn’t getting probed by grubby thumbs!

“Please.”

Daisuke looks at me, takes a deep breath, then exhales with a snicker, “Sasaki-san, what the hell are you doing?”

“I was with my parents at Makuhari the other day,” she says blankly. “Father was talking business to the head chef, mother was berating our restaurant’s staff, the usual. For a change of pace, I decided to take a walk around the venue, see what’s on offer. And just as I was about to order some carbonara, I heard a familiar giggle. And when I turned around, I saw Hibana. Dolled up like a movie star – and holding hands with you.”

She would’ve spat on me if she could, if I were worthy of her noble saliva. Instead, she digs her heels into the ground and retreats, clutching herself and shivering at the mental picture of Hinata and I’s –

“We’re not together,” I say as confidently as I can sound. Which on a scale of emo girl to buff dudebro is around a geek at a spelling bee.

“Oh, I know,” she says. “Guy like you couldn’t earn more than a pity date out of her. Which I commend you for getting, by the way. Shows tenacity in the face of adversity.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Sasaki laughs, a witchy cackle with enough vitriol to corrode any attempt at retort. “You’re not good enough. A girl like Hibana needs someone no less than perfect by her side. Not some bumbling foreigner who leaves her on read, can’t eat her food and doesn’t even know why she’s absent –“

“Sasaki-san,” Daisuke sinuously intervenes. “You’ve got gym class now, don’t you?”

His voice is sharp, cuts deep. Sasaki squints at him, but she’s got nothing on Daisuke’s calm leer.

“Best get going then, no? Don’t wanna ruin that perfect attendance of yours.”

Sasaki scoffs, “Right,” and shrinks into herself. With an uneasy grimace, she stomps out the door, but not before lancing one last hateful look at me. And with her gone, I’m left to deal with the fallout of her nuclear claims.

“You alright there, buddy?” Daisuke asks as I sit down, head in my hands. A dejected sigh escapes my throat, which only signals him to get closer. “Please don’t tell me that toad got to you.”

Someone no less than perfect. If she had said anything else, I wouldn’t have cared at all. But with the last couple of weeks that all came to a head last night, I hate to admit that –

“She was right, you know? I’m not –”

“The hell she is!” Daisuke roars. “All that monkey does is bully everyone that gets even remotely close to her precious Tachibana.”

“Speaking from experience, again?”

Daisuke clears his throat, “Point is – I’ve known her for 5 years. Trust me, she’s a complete moron.”

“She’s also her best friend,” I counter, ripping a frustrated groan out of Daisuke.

“Wow, biggest fish in the smallest pond. What an achievement.”

“Still –”

“Still, Sasaki is a blue blood with an explosive temperament and enough insecurities to fill a top-ranking cram school,” Daisuke drones on. “Let me ask you this – what do you think she’s doing right now?”

“Changing clothes?” I try.

Daisuke shudders in disgust but composes himself soon after, “All the while bragging to Tachibana over text about how she’s shot you down on her behalf. And you of all people should know damn well how that’s about to go down.”

Thing is – I’m not. Between Kisaki’s foreboding instructions and Sasaki’s insane ramblings, I can’t rule off the possibility that Hinata could very well cave in to all the pressure. Slow things down to a halt and render our relationship into something professional and – well, too platonic for my taste. But as Daisuke places a comforting hand on my shoulder, I realise that, really, it doesn’t matter.

Because before I can ask myself if I’m the perfect match or even good enough, I need to commit to seeing things through. Not let anything or anyone scare me off. But even though, I’ll admit it, I’m scared pissless right now, I’ve never been more determined to be by her side. And, I’m not sure I could’ve done it without Daisuke helping me out of my own head.

“Can I ask you something?” I say, his smile infecting me. But whereas mine is schadenfreude at imagining Sasaki’s impending failure, his is gentler, purer. “What’s your deal? Are you a shit-stirrer, or just a genuine guy with a caustic streak?”

“Can I not be both?”

“You can. But that’ll make it hard to call you a friend.”

He smirks, “Let’s just say that I empathise with you,” then his eyes lose their lustre. “Romantic struggles are kinda second nature to me, heh.”

“I don’t like her,” I say with half a mouth, just as my phone buzzes. Six times in quick succession. And the second I unlock the screen, I feel my heart skipping several beats all at once, one for each text from –

Hinata (08:44): SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY

Hinata: I’m gonna kill Ichika when I get back. I hope she didn’t say anything too dumb … I’ll make that dummy apologise (・`ω´・)

Hinata: Also sorry for not replying earlier. I was busy helping my mum get ready for her doctor’s visit and it just… slipped my mind…

Hinata: I’m still onboard with the whole communicating thing tho, so don’t worry!

Hinata: I should be back by lunch, if mum's tests come out all right. We'll talk more then

Hinata: Hope you like sausages (=^-ω-^=)

“Yeah, right,” Daisuke sneers, as my clammy fingers scroll for the perfect sticker to send back. “Not even Sasaki would believe that.”