Fire Emblem: High School Years (High School AU) Freshman Year

The Talent Show

Chrom

...Who am I kidding? She's not going to come...

I sighed as I sat down next to Frederick. "Is everything alright, Chrom?" he asked.

"Yeah...it's just...nothing..."

"As you say..."

We were currently at the talent show, waiting for all the acts to check in. Most of them already did, and Frederick and I had to take care of the stragglers. I haven't seen Anna anywhere, and I'm starting to doubt if she'll even come.

"Chrom, the show is starting in a few minutes," Frederick said, "we should head into the auditorium."

"Yeah... Let's go..." I got up and pushed in my chair, my disappointment clearly showing on my face.

Before I could go anywhere, Frederick placed a hand on my shoulder and sighed. "Something is clearly wrong. What is it?"

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and kicked at the floor. "Well... I was expecting someone to participate in the talent show...but it seems like they decided not to do it..."

"Ah, I see... Do you mind telling me who this person is?"

"Her name is Anna. Anna Komodori," I replied.

Frederick brought his hand to his chin. "Anna Komodori... That name sounds very familiar..." He shook his head. "Ah, well, as disappointing as it is, we need to oversee this talent show. I'm sure you'll be able to hear your friend perform sometime soon. Now, let's get going."

"Sh-she's not exactly my friend!"

"What was that?"

Stop fixating on her so much! There will be plenty of acts that will distract me from her! I just need to stop focusing on her so much. "You know what...nevermind. Let's get this over with..."

...

I couldn't stop thinking about Anna no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't stop imagining Anna in the place of every performer. ...Why am I thinking this way? She's not even my friend! She doesn't want anything to do with me! Gods...I wish I could say the same... I want to know why she acts so cold, why she avoids conversations, why she refuses to make friends... This girl will always be a mystery to me...

Not only could I not take my mind off of her, the thought of her was enough to send my heart racing. Why do I feel this way? I-I'm not interested in her! Not in a million years! I glanced over to Katie; she glanced back and smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile, though... It looked like she was trying to be friendly, but it still looked forced. She's REALLY hung up on this dating thing...

As the next few hours of the performance drew on, everyone got ready to leave. Thank the gods it's almost over... I don't know how much more of this I can take!

Just as the last act finished, someone turned on the loudspeaker. "Our last act is a late entry. Please welcome Anna Komodori!"

My heart stopped.

Anna walked onto the stage with a confidence I've never seen before. She wore a dark blue dress with black flats, and in her hand was the folder of sheet music. I...I can't believe she actually came! As soon as she sat down, she placed the folder next to her, not taking any music out. Wait...what? Why isn't she using her music? As I glanced around, I could see that everyone else was just as confused as I was.

Before I could think of anything else, she began to play. Everyone was immediately mesmerized by her playing. I didn't recognize the song, but it was beautiful nonetheless. I was a bit disappointed that she decided not to sing, but I'll take what I can get.

When she stopped playing, everyone was speechless. Then, the whole audience erupted with cheers and applause. Anna got up and bowed, and then exited the stage. My smile still remained even when she was out of sight.

I'm so glad she came... Maybe this is the start of her coming out of her shell! I really hope that that's the case...

...

"Chrom! There you are!" Katie caught up to me in the hallway. "I was looking for you!"

I internally groaned. "Hey, Katie," I greeted her. "Sorry, but I'm kinda looking for-"

"Have you thought about it?"

I gulped and tried looking away. "Thought about what?"

Katie stomped her foot on the ground. "About being boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"Um, I...er..." Just then, I saw Anna emerge from the green-room. "Ah! There you are!" I completely ignored Katie and ran up to Anna.

She looked around for a second. "Oh...are you talking to me?"

I chuckled and smiled at her. "Of course! You sounded great!" I exclaimed. "I'm so glad that you came! I almost thought that you weren't!"

Anna's cheeks flushed pink and she looked down. "W-well, I almost didn't!" she spat. "I didn't have anything going on..."

"Well, I'm really glad that you did!" I glanced at her folder. "Hey, what song did you play? It sounded really cool!"

She clenched her fists and looked up at me. "Why are you trying to start a conversation with me?!"

I was taken aback for a moment. "I...I just thought that maybe you'd like to talk..." I muttered.

She glared at me. "Well, as you know: I hate talking and being around other people!" she fumed.

I felt a weird pain in my heart. "B-but-"

"Will you stop thinking that you know what's best for me! You don't!" As she yelled at me, I saw that tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. "I... I'm going home... Have a nice night..." She quickly brushed passed me and ran away, storming out of the building.

"Woooow... What did you say to make her so upset?" Katie slid up to me and smirked.

"N-nothing! I don't know why she's so upset!" What did I do?! What did I say?! What can I do to make it better?!

Katie scoffed. "Don't worry, I know you didn't do anything." She winked. "She's such a weirdo. I have her in Honor's English class and she never talks to anyone."

She's in an honors class...? ...Maybe she isn't some sort of delinquent from another school... I shook my head. "Th-thanks..." I sighed. "Sorry to cut this short, but I have to find Frederick. He's my ride home."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. See ya on Monday."

"See ya..."

As I pushed through the crowd to find my friend, the feeling of guilt only filled my heart more and more.

Did I make her too uncomfortable? Gods...I shouldn't have asked her to attend this thing... I want her to open more...but not at the cost of her feelings...

___________

Oh, Chrom...you sweet, oblivious boy. Anyways, I sorta like this one chapter a week system and I think I'm gonna keep it. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to post next week because my week is slamming me in the face with business. I'll try my best. Thank you so much for reading and look forward to reading more!

Currently listening to: Lone Digger: Caravan Palace