Amajiki x Reader: Blossoming Romance

Chapter 3: Malicious Planning

The crowd was boisterous and rowdy, and you could hear the sound of marching band drums and horns interspersed between cheers. You strolled through the entrance gate in a lovely sparkling dress, a small clutch purse dangling by your side. The electric energy was contagious and it was easy to smile upon hearing waves of excitement echo down the bleachers. The metal seating structure was tall, a dark underside blocked off by ropes to keep people from walking underneath it. You wandered, socializing every now and then, but still weren't sure what exactly you were looking for.

"There's something in your hair." Nejire pointed to you.

"Eh?" You pulled the soft thing out of your hair and examined it. A petal. Your glance traveled upwards to the top of the bleachers, where Tamaki and Izabel must be sitting. From your angle, you could only see dangling feet and shaded metal.

You separated from Hado without knowing it, walking to the far side of the seats where you could view the audience. There Amajiki sat, adorned in a raven-black tuxedo, a matching eggplant-colored bowtie and boutonniere as fitting accessories. You couldn't tell from that distance, but you were sure that shade of purple would bring out the periwinkle hues in his eyes. 'Wait... when did I notice his eye color?'

He was smiling while she talked, allowing her to soak in his full attention since she was the more bubbly of the two. It seemed unfair to you, that someone like her retained the spotlight despite her two-faced nature. Honestly, you were a little jealous of her. Not because of Tamaki in particular or anything.... but you wanted a sweet devoted boy to fawn over you too. Granted, you couldn't think of any other boys off the top of your head that acted like that besides Tamaki. But it wasn't him though... it was simply the concept of it...

'I wouldn't take advantage if I had him... THAT! If I had THAT, not him...' Luckily, something drew your attention away before you had time to dwell on that thought.

"He'll definitely learn his place after this." You looked down over the metal staircase at a group of whispering individuals.

"Did you switch out the ballots?" One of the girls asked.

"Check." He held up a handful of familiar voting cards. You narrowed your eyes, wondering what they were talking about.

"You sure tentacle nerd is gonna win?" A pang of dread hit you.

"It's taken care of. Relax. Jeez."

"This is gonna be hilarious!" A smaller girl in the class squealed. You had suspected that Izabel and her entourage were up to something, but you didn't think a cruel plan would formulate so SOON.

'There's no way they'd rig Tamaki to get elected unless they had something mean planned. Not after what they said about him the other day...'  You had no other ideas but to find Tamaki again and warn him.

Fortunately, when you did, he was separated from Izabel, the obstacle you were afraid would interfere. He was standing alone watching the game by the sidelines of the track. "Amajiki-kun." He turned and you got an up-close glimpse of him. His usually-unruly hair was slicked over to one side, framing his face in a pleasant way. "You look really nice." Was the first thing that came out of your mouth. 'Wait, that's not what I came over to say.'

"Thank you..." He scratched his arm bashfully. "You look really nice too."

"I... have to tell you something..." You weren't sure how to break it to him. 'Hi, you don't really know me, but the girl you have a crush on is totally playing you.' That would definitely not go over well.

"Tell me what?" He tilted his head at you, dark hair shining in the blaring stadium lights.

"Uh... You know Izabel?" He blushed at the ground and nodded. "Well... I overheard some of her friends talking about playing a prank on you. I... think they switched the Homecoming Court votes."

"What are you talking about?"

"You need to listen to me. If you get called as the winner, you can't go up there. Something bad will happen."

"Where did you hear all of this?"

"I overheard Izabel's friends."

"MY friends?" A shrill voice put a dent in your progress. "My friends would never do such a thing." She cooed with her default flirtatious tone, hooking arms with Amajiki. "You must have misheard."

"Well, I'll be proven right when Amajiki gets elected, won't I?"

"What will that prove? Tamaki could get elected anyway. Or do you not think he's good enough for people to vote for?" She accused.

"That's not what I'm saying!"

"Then what exactly is this 'evil plan' you're talking about?" How condescending her tone became.

'Shit.' "I... don't know all the details..." You fell speechless but quickly found your way back. "Well why don't you tell Amajiki what you said the other day after reading his note." Her perfect poker face faltered for an instant.

"I said that I'd LOVE to go with him." She emphasized with a squeeze to his arm.

"Don't lie! You and your girlfriends laughed behind his back and made fun of him!"

"Well we're here together so it would appear that you're the liar here."

"I-"

"Listen to that, Tamaki. She was eavesdropping on my conversation about you. How sneaky..."

"You just admitted that you-"

"And after hearing that she asked you out the other day, one can only conclude that she's making up rumors because she's jealous." You saw a spark of realization in Tamaki's eyes: he believed her. Every word.

"It's not like that!" This was falling apart before your eyes. 'Oh, god, this is bad! Why didn't I get proof or something?!' A wicked smile spread across Izabel's face. She knew she had won. "I did this on your behalf, Amajiki. Don't let her trick you!" The desperation was evident in your tone. "There's a devil in that angel face of hers! You've gotta believe me!"

"I... think you should go..." A thick silence followed Tamaki's words. You bore Izabel one last contemptuous gaze before taking your leave.