The Prince And The Delinquent

Chapter 1

I writhed in my covers when the morning sun's blinding illumination met my half-lidded eyes. I am fond of school, homework, exams, responsibility, and a little bit of challenge in my mundane life. Unfortunately, there's no other way to end and start by our day other than sleep. Don't get me wrong, I'm also fond of sleeping, but I despise its alternate latter.

Waking up.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to leave your bed? Well, you probably do, but it sucks either way. At night you refuse to sleep, and when morning comes, it seems merely impossible to leave your bed.

The sun's orange rays lit up my dull apartment unit. It's nothing special actually. I have a bathroom, a mattress with no sheets, a stove with no vents whatsoever and a coffee table in the middle of the whole room. In other words, I'm broke. I'm not even in the right age to work, yet I have no choice to live alone.

For those who're wondering, my name is Sumiko Shinohara, a 16 year old who is already living on her own. My mother died last month because of a car accident, and ever since then, I blamed myself. Why? I know this is ludicrous but, the only day I didn't get to say these words; 'Bye, always stay safe!' is the day that she wasn't safe. I never knew if my words meant good luck, or a bad omen and I have a lingering feeling that it's partially my fault. And because of me living alone, a lot of stress piled up and became impossible for me to properly mourn. Maintaining your place to be part of the rank five and finding a job that accepts kids in illegal age to work is harder than you think.

You're probably asking 'Don't you have any friends you could live with?' or 'Where the rest of your family? Surely your mom is not the only one left?', I have tons of reasons. After my mom's death, I had nowhere else to go but at my paternal grandfather, the only one left of my relatives. But his house was.....uhm....how do I say this delicately.......dilapidated?

Years of heirloom and it finally fell apart. He asked me to live with my friends, but Mikoto also lives in an apartment, and Kyouko has a six membered family. No matter how much of a sweetheart they could be (does a former gangster and lone wolf count?) I didn't want to be a heavy burden for them. They swore an oath to my mom that they'll protect me with all their might (I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself). I don't have a lot of friends, but I'm no lone wolf either. It'll take a lot for a person to be granted a title as my friend, and no I'm not conceited. And no I don't have trust issues. I just prefer less drama in my life, considering that I'm in a dire situation, and I like to keep my circle small. The others are just kind associates, which I consider pleasant.

I used to work as a housemaid and it didn't last long. The owner pitied my jobless status, and gave me the job, but when I started to often get sick and frail, he fed me and then fired me. And also gave me a complimentary gift basket filled with canned goods, fruits, and hygiene supplies, and now, only a little of that is left.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, school. I kicked of the covers and scratched my waist long hair. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, ate toast, and head to my nightstand, where a portrait of my mom smiling stood. The nightstand didn't have anything else rather than flowers, her wedding ring, and her personal belongings, so I'm not surprised if it'd be mistaken as a shrine. On the contrary, no one knows that I live in an apartment. It's not that I'm hiding it or either ashamed of it, but no one actually asked. And I'm grateful for that. My reticence pretty much holds me back and explaining is not one of my best.

"I'll be going now. I'll leave the place to you, mom!" I chirped and sent a flying kiss to the shrine before walking out. Still half an hour early so I don't have to rush to school, like most days.

I headed out of the building and took the route to school. Small, numerous clouds hovered the blue sky, the lush green leaves perfectly contrasted with the cherry blossom's pink petals, that glided with the breeze and met the warm asphalt. Students with different uniforms passed by, some with the same as mine. Our uniform consists of a white Polo shirt with a jet black blazer on top, a red ribbon and a red tie for boys, and finishing it with a dark gray, plaid patterned skirt and for boys, dark gray slacks.