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Growing Up
by Brem
Part 1 : Before The Storm
"Youhei Mito..." Youhei stood from his seat nervously and walked towards the sensei handing out the results slip. He thought he saw her give him a smile as he took over the result slip. Walking back to his seat, like he was carrying a piping hot potato in his hands, He sit down on his chair with a big slump. The rest of his friends had done well enough to gain entry to a High School, even Hanamichi. What about him?
Youhei peeled the sides of the result slip carefully and finally open the result slip. He forgot to breathe the minute he saw his grades.
WOW!!! He blinked his eyes a few times, refusing to believe.
He closed the result slip in hurry and gasped for breath.
"How was it Youhei?" Hanamichi peered over in great concern.
"How badly did you do?" Yuuji, scratched his mane of golden hair and a look of worry was visible on his facial features.
Youhei shook his head...and looked down. He could not believe the results which he got....
Yuuji gingerly took the result slip from Youhei's limp right hand which was holding the result slip. He opened it and the moment his eyes scanned through the row of grades, he had an aghast expression on his face and his mouth hung wide open! "Oh my gosh~!" Yuuji exclaimed, "This can't be true!! Is this the correct result slip??"
The rest of the Sakuragi gundan by this time were all dying to know Youhei's grades. They stood behind Yuuji to peer over his shoulders to see the grades.
"Youhei Mito! What's the meaning of this? Distinction for every subject and you shook your head!" Hanamichi yelled, deafening everyone's ears.
Youhei looked up at him startled. Nozomi walked towards Youhei and gave a friendly punch in the stomach while he said: "Lunch's on you, Youhei..."
Yuuji gave back the result slip with a wave of his hand and said: "Good job chap!" His smile at the end of that sentence showed that he was happy for his friend.
Chiyuchiro rubbed his black mostache and said: "Wow man! I think you topped Wakou Middle School...."
The surrounding classmates were things like: "Youhei got all distinctions!" and things like that. Everything seemed to take on a dreamlike quality as Youhei's mind seemed light and he actually had a funny sensation of joy.
At lunch, Youhei had to treat the gundan. But it did not bothered him so much as he had just got his pay yesterday and could well afford it. Hanamichi was tucking into his plate of food when a familar face walked past the window of the resturant. The familar face belonged to a girl in our class. In fact, she is the last girl in class which Hanamichi had not tried to asked as his girlfriend. He hurriedly gulped down his drink and made a vague excuse that he needed to go to the toilet. He left the table and headed for the door, towards the direction where the girl headed. Youhei winked at the rest with a wicked smile and we left the table too. We followed Hanamichi closely and saw what they wanted to see.
Pure Visual Entertainment.
Hanamichi had cornered the petrified girl and was saying: "Please be my girlfriend...."
The girl looked away and said: "I'm sorry Hanamichi, but I like the school basketballer, Oda...."
This was when the Sakuragi gundan sprung into action. They came out at this moment and started to blow party horns and throw confetti about.
This was the FUN part. Celebrating Hanamichi's heartbreak.
Yuuji: "That's the 50th girl who rejected you...."
Youhei said: "That ~ is a record....being rejected by 50 girls in a row....nobody cann break this incredible record....You can leave the Wakuo Middle School in peace now...."
Hanamichi cast a deadly glare at all of us and said: "You bastards..."
Youhei and the rest knew what was comming next. "Oppss..." All of the gundan chorused.
Suddenly all of the gundan members were head-punched by Hanamichi. Hanamichi left alone and went home. All of the gundan headed home too after they got up. It was best to leave Hanamichi alone when he was just ditched otherwise...^^
It was a few days after before Youhei called Hanamichi up to check how he was.
"Hello?" A tired voice answered the phone. Hanamichi's voice.
"Hey man! Want to go out and watch a movie or something?? My treat." Youhei said gently over the phone.
"Okay...see you at the usual place...er...Youhei..." Hanamichi said.
"Yes?" Youhei queried, Hanamichi's voice seemed to be trembling. Youhei got a bit worried and continued: "Need my help about something?"
"Er...Youhei....can I meet you alone? I don't feel like hanging out as a group today...." Hanamichi sounded a little jittering saying that.
Youhei heaved a deep sigh of relief, he had expected something worse.."That's nothing....Okay, a promise....".
"See you there Youhei...I...I have got something to tell you, Youhei...." Hanamichi's voice alerted Youhei.
Youhei had a gut feeling that something was wrong with Hanamichi today. Something was very wrong....very wrong... Getting very worried, Youhei then said: "What time you want to meet? What about half an hour from now?" He wanted to see Hanamichi as soon as possible. His voice sounded like he got something important to tell him.
"Okay...er....Youhei...See you there...*Click*...." Hanamichi put the receiver really quickly without saying goodbye.
Was Hanamichi really alright? Youhei thought as he changed out into his streetgear and walked towards the usual meeting place, about 20 minutes walk away from his house. Youhei stopped by a small store and had a brainwave.
He decided to get some of Hanamichi's favourite candies. Walking into the store, he picked up a tube of Polo-mints. Youhei then paid the cashier the exact change and continued his journey to usual meeting place. A bus stop. Youhei saw Hanamichi from a distance and started to wave to him. Hanamichi appeared startled to see him. Youhei walked faster towards him and said to him when he was within an arm's reach: "Guess what I got for you?"
Hanamichi: "Nothing?"
Youhei said: "Wrong! Polo-mints! Tada!" He then stuffed the tube of Polo-mints into Hanamichi's right hand and gave him a smile.
Hanamichi looked at his right hand dumbly and then took in what was happening. He then peeled the wrapper off and gave Youhei the 1st mint candy before he took the next one himself. "Thanks Youhei. I was thinking about these mints just a moment ago..." Hanamichi looked away.
Youhei thought to himself: "Hanamichi seemed a little more quiet today for some unknown reason. Was he still upset about himself being ditched 50 times?"
"Hey Hanamichi... Let's take a long walk to the beach or something..."He finally said.
A long walk means that Hanamichi would have enough time to warm up and talk about his troubles. Hanamichi nodded and the pair started to walk side by side in silence after a while. Youhei decided to lighten up the atmosphere with some talk: "Yo man. Why so quiet?"
"I.... I..." Hanamichi stuttered.
Youhei paused and looked intently, directly at Hanamichi's eyes.......
End Part 1
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