Matchmaker - Soukoku

Chapter One

Chuuya pov

My second alarm of the day sounds, telling me to wake the fuck up. If I don't get out of bed soon, Kouyou will probably drag me out herself. I groan, rolling halfway out of bed and slapping my phone blindly, hoping my fingers land on the snooze button. They don't and I knock my phone off the nightstand. It hits the carpet with a thump. The alarm continues to yell at me.

I blink open my eyes slowly, adjusting to the light. It's dim in here, but tiny cracks of light peek through the blinds, illuminating the floor of my room in stripes. My backpack is sitting by the door of my room, propped against the wall. I slump back onto my bed. Jesus, they need to make the weekends longer.

There's a knock on my door. "Chuuya, you better be ready in there! I'm leaving for work now, if the dishes aren't washed when I get home again, you're gonna regret living, I swear to god!" Kouyou yells.

"Jeez, I know, I'll wash the fucking dishes!" I yell back, sitting up.

"Language! Have a nice day! I love you!" Her footsteps fade down the hallway and disappear. I get up and open my dresser drawer to pick out my uniform. Jesus, she's so annoying sometimes. After changing and checking myself in the mirror quickly, I grab my backpack and fling open the door to my room.

Kouyou and I live in a small house a few blocks away from the school. It only has two bedrooms, and a set of narrow stairs leading from the living room to the second floor. It might be the smallest house in the whole town, considering everybody else here is fucking rich for some reason and lives in huge houses. We don't have enough money for that.

My parents just dipped when I was like 11, and Kouyou was 21, and left Kouyou to take care of me. From what I remember, Kouyou was a better mom than my real one ever was. She works at an ice cream place in the center of town.

I make myself a piece of toast and wolf it down while checking over my homework from last night. This looks good. I can't fail any of my classes now, not with college applications coming up. My goal is to get out of this stupid town and get into an ivy league college so I can get successful and give Kouyou a buncha money because she fucking deserves it so much.

I start washing the dishes, not a lot since there are only two of us. When I'm done, the clock reads 8:07. I sling my backpack out of my shoulder and exit the house, locking the door behind me.

Everyone is just waking up, grabbing bikes or getting into their cars and heading to school or work. Which, like, why the fuck would you need a car when you can just walk, Jesus. The sun is unusually bright for late October, but a cool breeze ruffles the leaves on the trees and knocks down one of the fake skeletons my neighbor has put up in her yard for Halloween. I prop it back up for her.

The walk to school isn't long, only about 5 minutes. Soon I'm in front of a large brick building with the words Norbury High engraved into a plaque over the double doors. I yawn, still half asleep. Someone pats me on the back. I whirl around.

"Hey." Akutagawa says. His earbuds are only in one ear, the other dangling down his torso, as usual.

"God, you scared me!" I say, swatting at him.

He blinks before looking down at his phone. "Okay? I just patted you on the back."

I sigh. Why is he like this?

"Where's Gin?" I ask. The two are twins, usually joined at the hip, but she doesn't seem to be here this morning.

Akutagawa glances up at me. "Oh, she had to do something, I think. I don't know. She's just late."

"Ohmigosh! Chuuya! Akutagawa! Hiiii! I missed you guyssss!!" Higuchi runs over to the two of us, pulling us into a group hug.

"Higuchi, I just saw you on Friday." I choke out. She's hugging me so tight, it's a little hard to speak. I swear, that girl could kill somebody with her death grip.

She lets go of us. "I know right? Friday was so looong agooo!" She spots something behind my shoulder and her face lights up.

"Gin!!!!" She runs towards the black-haired girl, enveloping her in a hug. "I missed you!"

"I saw you yesterday, Higuchi." Gin says in her quiet voice.

Higuchi smiles at her. "I still missed you."

Gin blushes a little and looks away. I roll my eyes. Jesus, just get together already. I look around the courtyard, scanning it for a familiar redhead.

"Guys, do you know where Tachihara is?" I ask. Please tell me he's here today.

Akutagawa shakes his head, still staring at his phone.

"He's probably late or something." Higuchi says, her arm around Gin.

Danggit. "Oh yeah, you're probably right."

The bell rings for the first time, warning us to go inside.

...

Today is just a normal Monday, work, work, and more work. I mean, it's junior year, so it makes sense, but Jesus, can you give us less homework?

My only friend that's in any of my classes is Akutagawa, and he never wants to talk anyways. Sometimes I wonder how I even became friends with the guy. He's a good friend, though. He's there when you need him.

I'm a good student, one of the best in my class. I think the lowest grade I've ever gotten is probably a B+. I can't get into a good college if my grades are bad. Although, this year has been a little hard so far.

By the end of the day, I still haven't seen Tachihara. Whatever, he's probably just absent. You don't care. Maybe he just doesn't want to see you. I hope he was just late.

I push open the large double doors to the gym. Today is Monday, so I have basketball after school. I'm actually surprisingly good at it, considering I'm like, 5'3, which my friends constantly make fun of me for. Screw them. I can jump.

I wave hi to Coach Oda before going into the boy's locker room to change. It smells like sweat and cologne. Gross, as usual. Several members of the team are already changing in here. I open my locker, taking out my basketball sneakers and setting down my bag inside and rifling through my backpack to get my gym clothes. They're not there. I look again. Still, gone.

"Shit." I say, slamming my locker shut.

"What's wrong?" Kenji asks. He's a freshman, new to the team. He's pretty good, actually.

"I forgot my gym clothes." I groan, turning my back to the lockers.

"Oh, I think I have an extra pair, do you want to borrow it?" Comes a familiar voice from the doorway. It's Tachihara. I swallow.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks, man." I say, sitting down on a bench to put on my shoes.

"Yeah, no problem." Tachihara zips open his bag and pulls out an extra pair of clothes. He walks over to me and places them in my lap before patting my shoulder and turning away to change himself.

I freeze, my fingers unconsciously trailing up to the spot where he just touched me. My stomach does a few somersaults.

Tachihara is our team captain, insanely good at basketball, another one of the top students in our grade, one of my closest friends...

...and the guy I'm hopelessly in love with. 

1283 words

A/N: Ok bear with me yall this is a soukoku fanfic youll see- 

idk when updates will be im gonna try to as much as i can <3