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4: Basketball and Ice Cream

I was sitting around with the girls at lunchtime. We were finally talking about something besides the school's heartthrob and the change of topic of our conversation was more than welcome, for me at least.

"We should buy some nice dresses," Miku grinned as she chewed on a leek. Her eyes were alight with excitement. That girl adored shopping almost as much as she adored Kaito.

Neru nodded, not looking up from her phone. "Yeah, summer's coming real fast and I need a new shade of yellow in my wardrobe."

Miku looked at me. I had just finished my sandwich and was working through my bag of carrot sticks. "What about you, Gumi?"

I shrugged. "I guess it'd be fine. Something simple, though, and only one. You know I don't like dresses."

"Yeah, Len always teases you when you wear them, huh?" Miku asked. I nodded.

"He's an idiot," I smiled, "Always complaining about how the dress is too short or that the colours are too hideous."

"They're not," Miku said, "You'd look very pretty in a blue or green summer dress, Gumi. Don't let him tease you!"

"Yeah, just slap him across the face if he starts becoming more than the usual nuisance," Neru mumbled as she typed away.

I laughed softly, shaking my head. I would never even think of hurting Len, even playfully. These girls, on the other hand, would pinch him or slap him liberally. Miku's smacking him with a leek was a good case in point.

"Fine, fine, I'll buy a dress," I said, "But only one...maybe two."

"Yes!" Miku pumped her fist in the air, "When should we go?"

"Saturday morning?" Neru offered, "Today's Thursday, anyway. I've got a test tomorrow..."

"Saturday morning at ten?" Miku tried.

"You're a morning person," Teto was eating a cookie as she said that, "You know I can't wake up on weekends before one in the afternoon!"

"Fine then," Miku said, "One-thirty?"

"It takes Teto two hours to get her hair done every morning," I reminded them. Teto nodded. It really did take her that long to do her hair. Those corkscrew curl pigtails of hers didn't come easy.

"How about around three-thirty?" Miku was getting impatient. I could tell by the way she was beginning to swing her legs back and forth like a child.

"We're doing all this 'cause of you, Teto," Neru scowled, momentarily letting her gaze drift from her phone's screen, "You better bring some snacks!"

Teto clapped her hands together. "Of course I will!" She grinned, "I just made some brownies last night and I'll bring those, okay?"

When it came to baking, Teto was a natural. She was always baking sweets and breads and things, and occasionally, she'd bring them to school to share with us. However, she had never mustered the courage to offer so much as a cookie or a slice of homemade chocolate cake to Kaito, though it was something that she wanted to do...someday.

We often joked and teased her about how she would make such a great wife. She didn't like talking about that sort of stuff. She'd insist that she was still young, but we couldn't help it; she was such a motherly, sweet and responsible figure sometimes.

We were just finishing up with our plans for Saturday when Oliver and Len walked in. The girls frowned at them and I quickly got out of my seat.

"Sorry we're late," Len grinned. I shook my head.

"It's fine, we were just talking," I said.

"About what, Kai..."

I cut Len off. "About shopping," I said. He and Oliver groaned and rolled their eyes.