Smile with Me

The weekend was a blur, like it never even happened.

I vaguely remembered my sisters consistently yelling at me to get the hell out of my bedroom and me only obeying once they offered food and a decrease in the volume of their voices.

Before I knew it, I was trudging down the cherry blossom-lined pathway towards NZ Academy, trying not to crawl up in a ball and pretend to be a hedgehog or something along those lines. Quite tempting, but I'd rather not look like a freak in front of the entire school. The whole idea of returning to school was so, so frustrating and tedious.

Why?

Because school meant Kaito. Kaito meant awkward greetings. Awkward greetings meant communication. Communication meant socialising. Socialising meant effort and care.

I didn't have any effort left in me, and I stopped caring after nearly being pummelled to death by a tumbling lorry all those years ago.

Capisce? Capisce.

Fortunately - actually, rather unfortunately, now that I thought about it - a pair of familiar teal-haired twins were loitering near the entrance to the locker rooms, talking in hushed voices. Once I entered their line of vision, a grin broke one's face while the other's darkened significantly.

Begrudgingly, I approached them and together as a trio, like the earlier days, we strode into the locker rooms and began fixing our stuff and arranging our respective cubbies. I decided to break the ice. "Where have you been—" I purposefully kept my gaze away from their's, "—imbeciles."

"Family conflict, blah blah blah," Miku responded, bored, throwing her shoes into her cubby. "Another thing: my brother's an imbecile, not me."

Mikuo grinned, brighter than my phone when I turned it on at 3 this morning. "It's been done and dusted, Rin. Our parents just needed to sort out Miku's disappearance with the school and the incident at the last hockey practice - but nothing really serious."

Only an imbecile would think that his sister's disappearance and his panic attack was "nothing really serious", I thought with a listless eye roll. "Anyway, both of you have missed a lot of things," I faced them, countering their mirrored gazes with my own. "And y'all need to catch up."

Miku frowned, scrunching her nose, disgusted. "Two transfer students... Luka told me about them. One British, one American. Ugh, and I thought I left behind all the foreigners when we stepped foot on the plane to Japan - jeez."

Upon mentioning a certain British transfer student, I really wanted to blurt out the revenge plot and the plan of attacking Mikuo so bad - but not when the actual target was right beside us. Mikuo was pretty frail, sensitive. I honestly can't bear to imagine the way his smile will fall after hearing someone wanted him dead.

When students started showing up in the locker rooms, squealing irritatingly as they reunited with friends, we immediately retreated to the back of the school, near the infamous dumpsters, where the twins started switching to their fake selves. With a final tug, Miku secured her high ponytails, smiling sweetly. "I'm ready to get my idiocy and obliviousness on!"

On the other hand, Mikuo stuffed his tie into his backpack, undid all his shirt's buttons and rolled his cardigan's sleeves way past his elbows. He practiced his grimace five times before being completely satisfied. "Ready to be Gordan Ramsey's Japanese doppelgänger."

I sighed, watching the scene unfold in front of me as if it were normal. It was normal - just - not for other people. It was normal for me, and Avanna, probably. However, it had been a while since I saw it happen. Felt foreign, but strangely familiar.

After re-adjusting my bag on my shoulders, I beckoned for them, getting ready to twist the door handle which led back indoors. I turned to them, raising my eyebrows questioningly. "Ready?"

Miku squealed, "Ready ready!" while Mikuo grunted soullessly.

Had to admit, albeit weird beyond weird, these times were ones I've, admittedly, missed.

"Are you sure?"

I could feel Miku's warm breath practically assault my cheek as the three of us huddled behind some dumpsters at the back of the school. (Yet again, we were hiding.) Undoubtedly, it was Miku's plan. She was the only who'd be shameless enough to throw away comfort for secrecy. Not that it would've, considering our hair colours weren't exactly the typical Japanese blacks and browns.

"I'm sure," Mikuo responded with a firm nod. "I want to go to hockey practice today."

"Then it's settled," I hissed, grinding my teeth in pure irritation. "Now can we get out of this place? It smells like the aftermath of a Mexican taco."

Miku ignored me. Rude. "You want another panic attack? You want another disappearance? You want more problems?"

"I can't keep avoiding hockey like this," Mikuo reasoned, a little desperately. "Luki'll stop giving me second chances."

His sister remained unfazed. "Then quit."

"No."

Miku let out what sounded a lot like a furious growl. "Goddammit, why is hockey so important to you, Kou? It's just a bunch of sweaty dudes tumbling on ice, waving plastic sticks! It's one of the most useless sports ever!"

"It's important because I like it," Mikuo answered, raising his voice, which meant shit was about to go down. Mikuo never raised his voice, especially not when his sister was around. To be honest, the last time I saw him raise his voice was when he dropped his ice cream cone.

"Who cares about your feelings, you incompetent twat," Miku jabbed his chest, glaring. "It's your safety that matters."

"I'm not getting in-between this argument," I stated, slowly wiggling my way to freedom when Miku grabbed my wrist and held me tight. She sent me a warning glare. I didn't attempt to escape again.

"If you're worrying so much, attend my practice. That way, if something goes wrong, you'll be there to fix it, okay?" Mikuo outstretched his hand about 4cm to compromise with his sister. Hesitating, Miku used her free hand to shake it.

"Fine. I'll go."

Although I felt absolutely touched by their sweet sibling moment, I wanted to get out of the cramped hideout more than anything else. "Good! Great! It's settled now, right? Let's go get lunch then!"

Mikuo adjusted his grimace on his face before shifting and turning towards the opening out of the back of the dumpsters. "'Kay, I'm ready. Both for the fangirls and the pizzas."

Entering the ice rink instantly hit me with bad memories.

The chilly winds that always sent shudders down my spine, the thick aroma of sweat, and the scratching of ice brought me to another time, when Mikuo got injured. It felt like it happened years ago, but as I stepped inside, it felt like it had only happened yesterday. Except, this time, Miku's here to make sure nothing goes wrong. Well, hopefully.

"It's nice seeing you here!" Lenka exclaimed when I passed by her at the entrance. "Thanks for delivering the message to Rinto, by the way. I owe you one."

My breath hitched, but I managed to reply, "Yeah, no problem."

Thankfully, Lenka didn't notice as her eyes slid past me to look at Mikuo, eyes twinkling at the sight of the boy. "It's good to see you here, too, pal! I hope you're feeling better because you've missed a couple of practices, so you'll need to catch up."

Mikuo only nodded absentmindedly.

After Miku briefly discussed her reasons on why she was with us - which went a little like, "Blood is thicker than water, blondie" - we, I, said goodbye to Lenka and made our way inside. The hockey team were already down on the ice, lined in a single file, facing the pacing Luki. He looked a little disheveled, his hair and uniform a mess, his expression was solemn yet sunken.

I guided Miku to a seat on the highest row, then turned to the dazed Mikuo. "We'll be here, ok? Just go down there and don't screw up." The boy nodded, clearly not listening, and he descended down the stairs and went onto the rink after taking off his shoes first. The team were happy to see him again, and Luki's face seemed to lighten up a tad bit.

"This place reeks of perspiration," Miku remarked once I sat down next to her.

A smirk formed on my face. "You get used to it."

"I want a coffee," Miku stated, eyes never leaving Mikuo. "But I feel like he'll probably drop dead if I turn my back to him. A klutz, that"s what my brother is."

"As you've said before, 'He's a clumsy, but he's not helpless.'" Standing up, I grinned down at the sulking girl. "I'll get you coffee."

"Two sugars."

"Got it."

Unknowingly, a smile was widespread on my face as I merrily skipped to the kiosk. For once, everything was going smoothly. I'm not entirely sure how long this peaceful era will last, but right now, it rocked. However, it took approximately three seconds and a familiarly miniature human being to turn my grin upside down.

Kaiko's eyes lit with a flurry of fluffy emotions as I awkwardly slowed my skip into a shuffle by her side. The caramel macchiato in her hand was soon forgotten, along with the flustered second year behind the counter trying to hit her up, and faced me with a beam assumably made of rainbows and childrens' laughter. Instantly, she opened her arms in a form of a greeting. "Rin!"

Hesitantly, I hugged her back, then rigidly pulled away. "Kaiko... Ahaha..." Memories of last Friday quickly replayed - mostly me rejecting her older brother and accidentally stealing a presumably expensive party dress.

"Where did you go? I lost you on Friday!" Kaiko asked, eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Zeito wanted to see you! Everyone in the family was looking for you at the midnight dinner!"

I stuttered while making up a lie. "My sisters called! Um, I forgot to tell them about the party, and—uuuuh—curfew, and stuff..."

Kaiko's smile wavered a little, disappointment washing over her features. "Okay, that's understandable."

When I felt the atmosphere thickening with uncomfortableness, I managed a lame reply, "I'm really sorry for taking your dress, by the way. I'll return tomorrow—"

"No, it's alright," Kaiko's face swiftly went from sullen to beaming. "The dress looks better on you anyway."

I was reluctant, skeptical. So, basically, Kaiko was telling me that I got some sort of designer dress for free, and I didn't have to deal with any financial consequences? Albeit kind-hearted, Kaiko was a little too generous. Especially to people who've hurt her. In an attempt to change the subject, I finally ordered Miku's coffee and my latte from the neglected second year. Once he was busy preparing the beverages, Kaiko spoke up again."What brings you here, hm? It's been a while since you've stopped by."

Without answering, I beckoned to the rink where Mikuo clumsily tugged on his protective gear. Kaiko understood immediately.

"He's well enough to practice again," I stated the obvious just to keep the conversation afloat. The guy behind the kiosk handed me the two cups of coffee once I paid. I brought my lips to my ice latte, and took a sip, peering over the cup to look at the short girl. "So. What brings you here, Kaiko? I know Luki's your lover and all—but don't you ever not want to visit?"

Kaiko joined me in my sipping event. "Well, I usually walk home with Luki, and besides, I don't mind watching their practises." She stopped sipping to pause, and then admitted, "Also, Luki said there'll be a newcomer, and I tagged along because I was curious."

Subconsciously, my eyebrows rose. "Newcomer?"

"Yeah—look, Luki is introducing him right now," Kaiko pointed at the rink, where Luki had his arm lightly around a shorter boy, showing him off to the rest of the team.

The ice latte in my hand fell, and splattered all over my shoes. A silent mixture of a gasp and a scream stuttered out of my throat. All sorts of emotions were rushing through my veins; shock, confusion, surprise, astonishment, speechlessness, distress, horror—but most of all, anger.

I made eye contact with the newcomer, who initially had an innocent and cheery smile on his face for the team, greeted me with a sly and secretive smirk. His, admittedly, pretty lips opened and closed to mouth, This is just the beginning, Rin.

My blood boiled and my stomach churned. My face heated with rage and my heart pounded erratically. The tips of my fingers tingled with a desire to clench and punch someone in the face. I was ready to cause a fistfight at the very sight of the newcomer.

Oliver, in all his weaselly glory, smirked and silently beckoned at Mikuo, licking his lips.

I didn't wait another second to march back to Miku, and, by the hair, dragged her outside.

"That hurt, bi—" Miku cried, rubbing her hair soothingly, but stopped when she saw my red cheeks and trembling shoulders. "What's with you, Kagamine? You look sick, Ebola-ishy. Is that why you dragged me out? To tell me about your weird disease?"

Steadying my voice, I managed to ask, "Did you see the newcomer? The blond boy?"

Suspicion etched itself onto Miku's face, but she, nevertheless, replied, "Yeah. The shota stick."

"He..." I prepared myself for the revelation. "...wants to kill Mikuo."

Miku, at first, looked skeptical. "You're hallucinating on some shady weed, girl, this isn't a soap opera." But she stopped and said, solemnly, "Wait, you actually serious? That twig is after my brother?"

I only nodded.

Before Miku could reply, and possibly rage, a voice called out from behind her. I craned my head to see Avanna rushing towards us, wearing tight jeans paired with an equally tight tank top. She seemed distressed, panting, her eyebrows knitted in worry. Once she reached us, she confessed in-between intakes of breath, "You - guys - need - to - leave - the - school - immediately."

We stared at her with a mixture of panic and puzzlement. Miku spoke for the both us. "Why? What's going on, Avanna?"

Avanna finally regained her breath, and told us, "There's a guy on these grounds that is very dangerous, and he might be after Mikuo."

I sent a knowing glance at Miku, who just gulped audibly. I stepped forward, saying, "I'm glad you know, Avanna. Oliver is really—"

"Rin!"

Upon hearing my name being called out so urgently, I immediately cut my sentence short to turn towards Len, who sprinted towards us. When he's standing in front of us, breathing shallowly, I asked, "What's wrong? We're in the middle of something, Len."

From the corner of my eye, Miku scanned Len from head to toe, grimacing distastefully. However, I'm too busy trying to get an answer out of said boy to remark on Miku's obvious disgust. Eventually, he chocked out, "Gumo told me you met him..." Once I impatiently beckoned for him to get to the point, Len blurted out, "He's sneaky, Rin! He's up to something, I know it."

Now Len was just being ridiculous. With a sigh, I calmly replied, "He is not up to something, Len. He is our childhood friend. How can he possibly be a threat?"

Once again, annoyedly, an interruption occurred, piercing through the atmosphere with a voice that held hints of a British accent.

Simultaneously, we all focused our attention on the man marching out of the school building, a shorter boy trailing behind but still upheld a confident stride.

I recognised the man, my neighbour—Piko.

To my dismay, I also recognised the shorter boy behind him—smirky, sly Oliver.

Under her breath, Avanna swore. Honestly, I've never seen her so shaken and panicky. Her eyes were wide, her teeth anxiously ravishing her lower lip, her whole body in a defensive stance... I never thought her weakness was a grey-haired man with mismatched eyes.

Piko continued his bold march until he was standing face to face in front of Avanna. In a hushed voice, he whispered, "Vanessa."

The moment the name rolled of his tongue, Len made his way to stand next to Piko, staring at Avanna in bewilderment. "Anna...?"

At that very moment, everything and everybody was zeroing in on Avanna.

She stared at nobody in particular, and eventually let out a sigh, accompanied with an irritated, "Crap."

23/4/15 - I don't even know anymore.

- Next chapter is Avanna's! (Since y'all didn't solve the tie, I just decided alphabetically.)

- I know this chapter is stupid and the ending is absolutely lame but, whatevs.

- Next update is I don't know when. Okay? Okay.

- Thank you for all your favourites, follows and reviews! I really appreciate you kind-hearted papayas! :3

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- question: why is algebra so hard? D':