After School

Heat Haze

Damn, it's hot.

Inoue Natsuko pushed a harsh stream of air through her fritted teeth. Beads of sweat glistened across her strained forearms as she moved a collection of hurdles back into the equipment shed, back arched in effort. Being much stronger and taller than most and supporting a boyish frame, she was always left for clean-up. In the sweltering heat of the approaching summer, it was borderline torture.

"Natsuko-san, can you grab the hurdles over there too?"

The blonde jumped, the low ponytail adorning the back of her hair shuddering at the action. Two hurdles from her swollen armful slipped from her loosened grasp. Damn, not today! With a sharp twist of her heel, she stooped and caught the escaped two before they clattered to the ground, completing half a circle in her agility. She was now staring at a pair of athletic shoes.

"Huh?" Her gaze followed the pair of dusty shoes up passed two milky white pillars to a glistening bespectacled face framed by a dark brown bob. A faded lighter brown was visible at the ends, suggesting it was once dyed. Natsuko vaguely recognized her. What's the track team captain doing out here? "Oh, Himetori?"

"I can split half the burden if you would like." The offer was tempting, but Natsuko wasn't the type to accept help openly. Instead, she scoffed and straightened to her full height. At this angle, she easily loomed over the smaller girl, despite being her kouhai.

"Nah, I got it."

To prove her point, she spun back around on a heel and took a haughty step forward. She was quickly reduced to a scrambling mess when the troublesome two hurdles slipped out of place again. C-Crud!

"If you're sure you don't need any help, then can you please carry these jump ropes, too?" The captain's voice fell quietly upon her back.

Natsuko cast a weary glance back at the girl, the colorful serpents dangling just before her face. This girl really had a way of manipulating others... She heaved a sigh. Guess it can't be helped... "Fine. Hold out your arms."

When the girl slung the jump ropes in a secure location around her neck and obeyed, the blonde angled her arms to slip a heavy portion of the hurdles into the others arms. The girl seemed to buckle a little under the weight at first but hastily straightened her posture as to avoid alerting the other. It was almost laughable. Why is she even out here? The track team didn't have practice today... She turned back around away from the girl.

"I guess I'll get the others." She announced in her usual gruff slang.

With her dyed hair and rough way of speaking, it wasn't very often that she didn't get labeled as a delinquent. That misconception lead many teachers to be unfairly strict with her and many students to cower in fear whenever she walked by. Just as many were there also who admired her uncut edges. No one had ever came forward, though, but that was how Natsuko preferred it. She was more of a loner and would rather do things alone than with others. It was just her nature, she guessed.

Natsuko jogged to the remaining two hurdles left on the track. Being reasonably skilled herself, she was able to do so without dropping the heavy set of ones in her arms. They clattered nosily with each jolting step. She hoisted the other two with a soft grunt atop the unsteady arm full and trudged in a diagonal path to the equipment storage room. She was surprised to find the track captain waiting for her in the same spot. The afternoon sunlight flashed off her squared, narrow glasses, giving her an ominous, more mature look. She fell into step beside the blonde as she approached. The silence was awkward. Natsuko had never had anyone help her like this, even if it was from an indirect origin. Blue eyes drifted to the head of dark brown hair bobbing beside her.