Academy of Drama

As she walked through the halls everyone stood, gazing, staring, some way that their eyes were made to point her way. Still no one messed with her. She was a tough guy's dream, and those guys following her acted as her royal servants. As everyone stared at the girl, one didn't. He was quite afraid, but he wasn't ready to gaze at the meanest girl in school. Besides, he'd probably get beat up from THAT. She hated him. He was probably the least popular guy in school. That is, if he wasn't so CLUMSY. It made him *bold* . But that morning he'd made a wish. And that wish was about to come true...

He'd wished, for TRUE LOVE.

Sora walked out of the office, her pink her trailing behind her. Her bangs covered her face, for which she was glad, so that she couldn't see anyone's faces---Only their shoes. She looked down at the paper ap the Office lady had drawn for her. Sora walked over to her locker and tried to open it. Her fingers kept fumbling, and all she ended up with is a closed locker and a frustrated face. She gave a heavy sigh, and tried again.

Kenji saw the "new girl" everyone was talking about. He thought about talking to her, but he decided not to. She was beautiful to him. He walked to class anyway.

When he sat down in class he realized that the new girl sat next to him. He sat beside his best friend, Kaoru, who he felt was really close to him. She was nice, he guessed.In front of him Ruby turned around. She looked at the long, pink haired girl. She turned back, and giggled a bit. Then she started whispering. Kenji frowned at her reaction.

"Achoo!" Sora's head dipped down, and she covered her nose with the inside of her sleeve. She heard someone talking, and now she was guessing it was about her. Ohhh, if only I hadn't died my hair pink.. Maybe that's what they're talking about. Maybe I should've left it the way it was. And Sora was surrounded with self-doubt once again.

Kaoru poked Kenji a few times, blinking her blue eyes and pursing her lips. "Kenji. Ken, Jiiii." The more she poked, the harder they were. The harder they were, the more the hurt.

Kenji turned to Sora. "Bless you." Then he looked back at Kaoru, poking him to death. "What? Ow, Kaoru that hurts!" Kenji whispered as class began to start.

Sora stiffened when she heard Kenji. She just decided she wouldn't reply. She'd make a fool out of herself if she did.

"Who's that?" Kaoru pointed towards Sora's long ponytail. "I don't think she came from the same Middle School. Do you know her? Is she a neighbor?"

"shhhh...." Kenji whispered at Kaoru. "Class is starting and no I don't know her..."

Kaoru pouted. "But Kenjiii--"

A man stood at the front of the room, looking in Kaoru and Kenji's direction. "That's not the best way to start off the day, Kasumi-sama and Aru-sama." He tapped his foot impatiently in a quick tempo.

Kenji sweat. "Sorry, sir!" He looked at Kaoru, but only a glance. He wasn't really angry, just...annoyed.
.

"Sorry sir!" Kaoru replied, a little too loudly. "We were just wondering who that girl was and what school she came from! We're not exactly familiar with her, and I like new faces. The ones here get a little dull after a while. Even mine!" The teacher looked at Kaoru oddly, but his gaze turned to Sora. As did the rest of the class'. Sora could feel her face turning the color of her hair. She wanted to hide it, but how silly would that look? You're in 9th grade now! This isn't so bad. You can do this!, she thought. .. Do what? There's nothing to do except sit here like a deer in a headlight..
"Kaoru seems to be right," the teacher said, adjusting his glasses. "You do look new. Where're you from, dear?" Sora swallowed the giant lump in her throat.
"From Sapporro," she stammered softly.
"Ehh, I'm afraid.. I don't know of any Sapporro in Okinawa.."
"I'm from Hokkaido, teacher."
The teacher's eyes widened a moment, but he readjusted himself. "Oh yes, of course, Hokkaido." He walked back to the front of the room to start the repeatedly interrupted class. Without turning around, he said, "Welcome to Kyoto, Yumiko-sama."
Sora collapsed in a heap of her arms, glad that the class was finally going to move onto another topic.

Kenji looked at Sora nervously. She was from Hokkaido? Different, it was. WHy had she moved here? He could feel the nervousness emanating off her like a cloud of smoke. He turned back to the teacher, who was stating a question. Nobody raised their hand. The teacher's eyes bored into Kenji.
"Considering your ready to talk in the morning, Kenji, how about answering this question?" he tapped the question with his piece of chalk. Kenji stuttered. He finally blurted out a random number, only to be rejected by a noise coming out of the teacher that sounded like the sound effect of a game.
"Seems you haven't been listening, Kenji. Yet nearly straight A's." The strict shriek of the ruler banging against the table made Kenji flinch. "Pay attention students! Next time I expect a hand."
Kenji turned back to the girl with pink hair, still silent. As the rest of class continued, the teacher didn't even glance at the girl.
AT the end of class, RUby stopped Kenji. "WHo is that girl?" she asked him. Kenji shrugged nervously. "Well, find out. I wanna know. There's no way she's getting popular on my watch!" Ruby shuffled down the hallway soundly.
Kenji wasn't going to tell a word of truth that would give her any chance to take down this girl. He just wanted to meet her. Kenj ran down the hallway after Sora.
"Hey you, wait up!"

"Hey you, wait up!"

Sora hoped it wasn't her. She kept walking, even though she recognized the voice that called after someone. She started walking faster, away from her locker and to her next class. She really hoped the someone wasn't her. Sora couldn't remember whose voice it was.. But it was someone in the last period..

Oh! The boy he told her 'bless you' at the beginning. He didn't seem so bad. It wouldn't hurt. Right? He was just trying to be nice, after all. She slowed down until she was just standing in the middle of the hallway, and turned in the direction of the voice.

It was almost impossible to see anything, because the hallway was so crowded. But she could make out the top of a short, black-haired person - A boy, maybe. It was probably the one who was asking her to wait up. If he was asking her at all.

Kenji caught up to Sora. He panted hard and fast, until he finally managed to aske her a question.
"You know, it's hard to call somebody unless you know their name, so, what's your name?"

Totally caught off guard, Sora flinched when she realized she was right. He was calling after her.

"Sora," she said. "Like... Um, like, 'sky'." She was feeling rather awkward, just standing here. "Um, let's get to class..?" she said, and started to walk off to her next class. Secretly hoping that the boy was in it. She liked him. Next time she saw him, she would ask for his name. But not right now. She had a class to attend.

"Oh, that's a nice name," Kenji smiled, though he knew it was probably wierd because of his nervousness. He felt his stomach turn a way it had never turned before. WHy was it doing this?
"What's your next class? I might be in it. My class is this way too," Kenji followed Sora until he fell into step beside her. He felt his cheeks getting hot.

Suddenly Sora felt a whole lot more comfortable. She didn't fumble with her folded schedule in one of the subsections in her tidy backpack. She unfolded it with ease.

"Um, Science. With Mrs. Ooka?"

Kenji smiled. "I'm in that class too! But Sora," Kenji looked behind him. "You don't have your stuff from science."

Sora yelped. She turned on her heel and sprinted back to her locker.