After School

1.2 Carter

September 3, 1946: After school

Yuta was a strange boy, Carter noticed.

He first scrutinized Yuta during homeroom, when he had to introduce himself in front of the class. His voice was soft-spoken and he carried himself as if he was shouldering a heavy burden. The boy seemed more fragile than the glass ballerina that sits on his mother's dresser at home. Carter wondered if he swam intensely, would his limbs snap? The boy held himself like he's trying to take up even less space than he already does and his clothes look at least a size too big, as if he wanted to hide his skinniness.

It was hard to get his attention under that mop of black hair that dominated his narrow face, although Carter knows his almond-shaped eyes are hidden there somewhere. He had never met an introverted person like Yuta before, so perhaps that's what was strange about him. Nevertheless, the new kid looked so lost, that Carter had the sudden urge to redirect his path. It was just the type of guy he was. There are certain guidelines and rules one must follow, and Carter felt that it was his duty to help the newbies.

Carter arrived at Yuta's last class of the day, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets as he trodded through the halls, acting like he owned the place. He had a smug look plastered on his ivory face, grinning at the thought of winning another medal for his swim team. Right after school was the swim team's first meeting of the year, and Carter was proud to be captain. He had been on the team since freshman year and was extremely happy that the seniors allowed him to be the captain of the team in his junior year. Although, Carter knew that the only reason why was because the team hadn't been gaining a lot of members lately. Mrs. Gill was so desperate for members that she allowed anyone to join, no tryouts necessary.

He stood outside the classroom door, as the bell rang and students poured into the gray hallways. The door beside Carter burst open, and the mischievous boy decided to stand in front of it, planning to scare Yuta. "Boo!" he shouted, his hands splayed in front of him. It took a couple of awkward seconds for Carter to realize that the person who received his scare was not Yuta. The dark-skinned boy looked at him like he was a lunatic, and walked away without a word. Carter blushed with embarrassment as Yuta walked out of the door next.

"So, where's the pool?" Yuta asked, unaware of what just happened. As Yuta neared him, Carter noticed that his eyes were black, although not soulless nor lifeless. Instead, they were like two pristine stones of onyx, that would light up with a purple flare when touched by candlelight.

Carter blinked his eyes rapidly, still slightly flustered. Or perhaps he was flustered by the closeness of Yuta, but he couldn't tell. "Uh, upstairs. Follow me," he answered, hoping that the awkwardness would wash away soon.

As they marched forward, Carter observed Yuta as he began to fill him in on his first day. Carter couldn't help but also think he was like a cute child. The way he shuffled nervously around the halls reminded Carter of a wandering puppy, making him feel all the more obliged to help the new kid out. He quickly noticed that Yuta had an airhead personality and was quite aloof at times, but that was what made him adorable.

He also felt slight pity for the new kid, which is why he decided to talk to him after class. Although, Carter mainly decided to talk to him just so he can use the new student as an opportunity to get another member in the swim team. He wasn't going to admit that to him anytime soon, but he was sure Yuta would enjoy the team anyway so it wouldn't matter... Besides that, there were many things about Willesden Yuta didn't know, and Carter intended to fill him in on it.

They reached the change rooms and left their bags on the benches in the room. Once they were inside, Yuta asked Carter a question. "Why is the swim team short one member anyway? Isn't swimming a sport that's popular with the jocks and Jacksons alike?"