𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦

chocolate bitter-sweet

I open the locker to find chocolate spill out of it like something out of a high school flick. I've never imagined I'd be that popular. Even if I'm not that scary at school, I don't make a huge effort to talk to everyone. I'm foreign, but not outrageously good-looking like other so-called Sohmas in school.

I sort through them to find my friends', then trash the rest without much care for who they're from.

"W-wait!" an obnoxious voice I know too well stammers, following after me. It's Kaito, once again. "You threw out my box too, I'd put my sonnet in there! Did you think I was joking?"

"There were too many, and I know I don't have that many friends so I only kept my friend's. It's buried now by the fan club's shenanigans." I begin walking again, putting my valentines in Nanami, Tohru, and Kyo's locker. "I'm not interested in flirts. If you want to get to know me so bad, approach me like a friend and not a gross fetishizer. Capiche?"

"Wow, you're a lot cooler than they make you out to be! Hey, teach me to talk all tough like you, I'm smaller than most my friends as well."

I turn red. "Don't call me small!!" I huff, ready to run off.

"Ah, wait! I didn't mean that! Why don't we have lunch on the roof top?"

I stop in my tracks. "I'm gonna make a rule. No comment on my cheeks, my height, my appearance, nothing! It's weird and gross, you don't talk to girls like that! Do that, and then we can try to be friends. Got it?" I'm definitely trying my best at intimidation, but my face is bright red as I point a finger in his face.

"Makes sense. It's a date!" His face becomes all flowery.

"No, it's not." I then head on my way.

I glumly walk over to Nanami, dropping my head on her shoulder. "I agreed to lunch with Kaito. He caught me throwing out his chocolates."

Kyo growls. "Wait? Chocolate? Why chocolate today, wh--- What day is it today?"

"February thirteenth. Valentines is on the weekend..." Nanami informs.

"I'm leaving!" Kyo says, trying to storm out only for the teacher to hit him with his clipboard. They began to argue incessantly, even the vice rep (Nanami, the sympathetic) didn't want to step in for once.

"Ha! Throwing out his chocolates. An ice queen you are," she continues our conversation. "I wish for an iron grip like you to take over the school. But I don't think I have it in me to upkeep such a persona."

"You already manipulate everybody to your own ends. They think you're evil. Give me some of that, so I can tell people what to do."

She laughs awkwardly, pretending to not have heard me at all. "Your love life in comparison to Kyon... so hopeless."

I had lunch with the kid and had myself wrapped up in another little 'hangout'. Kaito, I mean. The more and more we talked, I realized this kid was all frickin genuine and not such a wide flirt-- he was up for meeting people and talk about really being honest with his admiration for me. And no comments on my appearance.

"Why are you so flamboyant? Can't you put things directly?" I ask, pointing my chopsticks at him.

He turns red. "Well, I wish I could be blunt like you. But not so many people can be so plain and be noticed."

I blink. I can't really tell if that's an insult or not. "You're co-captain of the soccer team, aren't you? And my year?"

"Hey, how do you know so much about me?"

"I did my research. I'm not above talking with other students. I called you senpai cause I thought the co-captain was older, but turns out you aren't."

"Well, I said just call me Kaito, didn't I?"