Alice Academy (Rewritten.)

Chapter 7

          Today was the night we celebrated the Christmas party.

     I walked with Naoki, slightly cold from the weather. I sneezed, obviously starting to get sick. Naoki noticed that I was getting sick, and he gave me a dry smile, taking off his jacket and giving it to me. His jacket was big, but when he put it on me, the warmth transferred to my body.

My face flushed. Hopefully, the freezing air gave me an excuse for that. "Th-thanks.."

"Come here," he says, smiling at me. I walked closer to him, and Naoki wrapped an arm around my waist, keeping me close to him.

     My heart thumped in my chest as I was enveloped in his warmth, another blush making its way up my face. I looked away, unable to look into his eyes. Naoki was really sweet..

     The two of us made it into the ballroom where the party was held. Sparkling snowflake garlands hung around the perimeter of the room. The Christmas tree was decorated lavishly, complete with ornaments, candy canes, gingerbread men, string, and the star which shone at the tip. You could tell that the decorating took painstaking effort.

     Hana and Daichi had already arrived. They were waiting and looking around for us. When Hana noticed what we were here, her face brightened up, but when she noticed that Naoki's arm was around my waist, hurt flashed through her eyes for a split second. She covered it up and plastered on a fake smile. Even Daichi was frowning a little bit due to the fact that Hana was hurt.

"Hey, guys!" Hana chirped, wearing a green pullover and bright red jeans. Christmas colors.

"Hey," I smiled wryly back at her.

"You ready to pig out?" she grins, looking at Daichi, Naoki, and I.

"Sure, but you and Naoki and go without us first," Daichi and I mused at the same time. I looked at him with wide eyes.

     Hana shrugged it off, obviously happy that she got to spend some alone time with her crush. Naoki's expression seemed indifferent. Daichi and I stayed behind, and I looked at him, waiting for him to talk.

"So what happened on the way here?" I ask, curious.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Daichi replies, flustered.

"You know," I say, leaning closer, grinning, "What did you and Hana talk about on the way here?"

Daichi's eyes drooped. "Nothing, really."

"Don't lie."

".. Hana-chan talked to me about how she likes Naoki-kun. She asked me to do a favor for her — to find out if Naoki-kun likes her in return."

I stayed quiet and then gave Daichi a sour smile. "Well, that's gotta hurt."

Daichi sighs. "I'll just get over her."

"It's not that easy, you know."

"Yeah, I know," he smiles wryly back at me.

"Enough of this depressing talk," I say and extend my arm out.  "Care to join me for some food?"

Daichi immediately grins and takes my hand. "You bet I am."

     So.. We went to get some food. More like eat a feast. There was so much food; I honestly just can't describe it to you. The smell of all the food was enticing, and the flavors were amazing. Man, am I loving this school! I sat down in a chair in the corner, my stomach full of food. Definitely gaining some pounds.

     Daichi emerges from the crowd of people, two cups in his hands, a cheeky grin on his face. He hands me one cup and downs his own, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.