Chapter 1 - Part one

1.

“This thread is called ‘the thread of fate’. The legend says that this is the way to find your fated person”, I murmured. I put aside the book and thought about the past. When i first heard this story my grandma was still alive. She was the one who always read the love legends for me, probably that was the reason that i am still waiting for the big love. I sighed. „It’s a really beatutiful story, sadly it doesnt exist in real life.“

„NAO! Where are you? Are you reading your books again? I just don’t understand you! What’s so great about those myths? They are all made up anyway.“ It was Mia. She was a really earnest person. She wouldn’t ever understand why it is that I get caught up in these books. Furthermore compared to me she doesn’t believe in real love. Myths and legends aren’t real is what she says, that’s why they are myths and legends.

My name is Nao Aizawa. I’m 15 years old and live in Japan. I am visiting a local High School, which I chose because my teacher recommended me to. It is a special school, people all over the country want to be here. I always see the envious looks of other schools’ pupils when they see my school uniform, but I never understood why they are. Alright, this school had a really difficult entrance exam, which you can just pass with a lot of luck, or skill. Some people can avoid taking it, like me, if they get a recommendation letter. The class order is exceptional too. In class A are the 20 almost best people of the year. For the freshmen it’s the best from the entrance exam. For the sophomores and third years the year end exam of the year before counts. The classes after that, B to however the distribution of the pupils is, consists of around 30 students who are mixed randomly. But those aren’t all classes. In each grade is a special class, which consists of special students. Those are either students with recommendations or they are the best students of the school. And the students in the special class, also called SA, are admired by students, from same school and other schools. Right now in the freshmen class there are 12 students and 6 of 7 students with recommendations are in there. The 7^th person is me. That’s why my school uniform is different from the others, my ribbon is blue with silver stripes, although all other girls have a simple red design and the guys have red ties, too. Just the people in SA have the same colour on their ribbons and ties. But their uniform is different from the “ordinary” students. We have grey uniforms with white shirt and the SA has black shirts.

I was in class 1-A with Mia, my best friend. I wasn’t one of the best students in school, even if I was in that class, but I had a recommendation. That’s why I had the privilege. Compared to that Mia was one of the best students, even if she didn’t behave like a nerd.

“Sorry, did I miss our appointment?” I asked her.

“Not yet, that’s why I came to get you. Come!” Mia pulled me out of the school library. It was the middle of February, cold. I wrapped my muffler tighter around my neck. “Nao, hurry! I don’t think that Kento will wait for long” Mia and her guy problems, I thought. Every week she found a new guy. Compared to her I was still waiting for my true love – if something like that existed. With 15 years and no boyfriend you are something like an alien for other girls who just think of guys. Mia, who is turning 17 in 2 days, had, in my opinion, for a 16 year old too much of experience. She was exactly 5 month older than me, and just in the last month she had 4 different guys.

“Mia, just calm down! He’s waiting there, look at the entrance” I saw how it sparkled in her eyes. Hopefully this time it was a real relationship. Then I don’t have to worry about her for not always finding good people, bruises were the smallest problem I saw, but Kento looked like a good guy.

“Isn’t he cute?” she asked.

“If I say yes, you’ll break up with him so no comment” I complained.

“No, that just happened once. You don’t have to always bring it up” She grinned at me. Yeah, I remembered, shortly after I met her she introduced her boyfriend to me. When she asked this question I just agreed with her on him being cute – two days later she had a new boyfriend and tried to play the cupid for us after breaking up with him. Truthfully I understood her, she was just too beautiful. When a wallflower like me is with her all the time, it just enhances her. A lot of guys looked our way, but I was convinced it’s just because of her. I wasn’t envious, nor jealous, but I wouldn’t mind a little bit of attention. Why I know it’s her? Because no one tries to pick me up on the streets, just her. I am just asked about the time, or if I want to be a model. But everyone knows that those model offers are fake.

We ran the last meters to Kento and Mia immediately got lovey dovey with him. When they finally finished he turned towards me, with a charming smile. “Nice to see you again Nao! You look good” he winked. Of course, what did I expect, I got bright red and murmured a little thanks to him.

We three went to a nearby café to let our noon break pass by.

“Finally we can take a break. I already thought I’ll choke in that classroom.

“It wasn’t that bad” I replied.

Now Kento grinned even more. “I thought you’ll find something positive in everything, Nao.” I don’t know why, but everytime he looked at me like that I got a strange feeling. As if he didn’t see me as the best friend of his girlfriend, but as something else. It could be my imagination though, who would look at someone like me if Mia was there? – at least I thought so.

“I have to go somewhere shortly” while talking Mia stood up and ran towards the toilets. After that there was a break at our table. What should I talk about with Kento?

“Hey Nao, do you have a boyfriend by now?” he started.

“No, why do you ask?” I wondered about his question. It didn’t had to do with him, he had Mia.

“I don’t know, I am already thinking so long about this. How about I break up with Mia to be with you?”

I abruptly looked up. Directly into his eyes. “Wait, what?! Are you alright in the head?!”

“I am serious. I just went out with her to be nearer to you!” he hardly said those words and already his hands were grabbing my face to pull me closer.

“Stop it! You have Mia..”, I couldn’t protest more, because his lips already covered mine. He pressed his too hard on them, so that I didn’t know how to react at first, then I just lunged out and slapped him hard. No sooner than him letting go of me to touch his own face I ran out of that café.

OH…MY…GOD!! That was my first kiss!!! I just couldn’t believe it! My best friends boyfriend just kissed me. What an asshole. How could he do that? And I thought he was a nice person, different from her Ex-Boyfriends. And I was wrong again. I had to tell her about it, just how should I do it? Her being friends with me was really important to me and I didn’t want to ruin it, but I didn’t want to lie to her either. When she hears about it from somewhere else she will hate me anyway so I decided to tell her myself. For now I should just calm down and concentrate, I thought. And then I’ll think about Mia. But the part about the calming down was harder than I thought.

I ran as fast as I could back to the school. On the way I fell down two times and hurt my knees. Meanwhile tears were running down my cheeks. When I finally reached the street which was leading to my school I almost fell a third time. At full tilt I bumped into something which I couldn’t identify, and my collision was stopped by two hands.

“Everything alright with you?” a soft, manly voice asked. I didn’t dare to look up, I didn’t want anyone to see my face like this that’s why I just nodded without facing him. He still noticed it. “You are crying!” he sounded shocked. He gave me a handkerchief which I took. When I just wanted to wipe my tears I heard how Mia was calling out to me. I panicked and just started to run away again. “Hey, wait!” the guy called out to me, but I didn’t look back and just continued running, to the bathroom which was the farthest away from the entrance and looked myself up. When I calmed down I went to the sink and washed my face. Then I went to the window and looked out for awhile. I was still holding the hanky in my hand, tightly. It helped me to calm down a little, like an anchor which I am holding on to.

“Like I thought, you are here!” I didn’t notice that Mia came in. I started to panic again and sniffed. How should I explain what happened?

“Nao, just stop crying. I know what happened. I had the assumption that he was like that and what he’ll do to you and that’s why I left you both alone for awhile. I even watched you. I just didn’t know that he would use the first opportunity he got”

I looked up. She didn’t look at me as if she was despising me.

Then: “Why did you let him do that? And why did you have that assumption? Damn Mia! Do you know how bad I am feeling right now? I was scared how to explain this to you. I didn’t want that your relationship breaks. I thought: FINALLY IT IS SOMETHING SERIOUS! And anyway: IT WAS MY FIRST KISS! And that with such an idiot.” I continued sobbing. Mia took the hanky from my hand – or rather she had to drag it out of my cramped fingers – and wiped my tears. “I am sorry” she murmured. “if I knew it would end like that I would have broken up with him a long time ago. I am really sorry.” After I calmed down, and put more water on my face, I felt great. At least how great you can feel in such a bad situation. Together we went back to the classroom and sat down on our places. We were on time for the afternoon classes.