The hall that connects the Yamaku Foundation offices to the school proper rarely sees much foot traffic. The official business of the school takes place in one part and the academic studies and teaching takes place in the other with little reason for the two to interact during the normal course of a school day. The only time it sees much traffic is as a shortcut for students running back to their dorms after class lets out. It is used as a hang out, though, an out of the way section of the school used by certain students to avoid teachers and responsibility, a bolt hole to avoid homework, scholastic studies or the prying eyes of faculty.
 
Hallway is a bad word for it. It's more of a connecting tunnel as one whole wall opens up onto the school gardens, filled with flowers and trees that blossom in the spring time with pink petals. It's one of Saki's favorite places to spend time, to get away when everyone starts to get on her nerves and she just needs a chance to collect herself. It's also a good place to hide when she needs to rest or her legs get too shaky to stand, when she needs to wait till her knees stop feeling like they're made of gelatin and her back starts to feel like hot coals are being dragged down her spine.
 
She just wanted to take her lunch here by herself and ended up staying the whole afternoon. She really should be getting to the fashion club, but with so few members, it seemed stupid to drag herself halfway across the school so she and three other girls could waste away two hours. They only end up talking about magazines and who wore what anyway. Without her, there really wouldn't be a fashion club, so it was okay to skip every so often. Besides, that way she won't run into that creepy Mr. Nomiya. She hated the way his eyes followed her everywhere she went during club meetings. He should stick to his little freak stump girl and leave her the hell alone.
 
Saki munches on the remains of her lunch, a melon bread, the last few bits starting to get a little stale. She hates wasting food. She grew up with little enough of it, to let any of it go to waste was unforgivable. It was her favorite flavor. Dad used to bring home big armfuls of the stuff from his job at the grocery store when he still had work. It was about the only thing he could afford with his crap job and measly paycheck. Then he started missing days when he got sick and even that dried up.
 
Thinking of her Dad, she starts to feel lonely.
 
Saki finishes the bread and throws the wrapper in a nearby trash can.
It misses horribly.
 
“Brick,” someone says nearby.
 
Saki looks around with an angry glare. She doesn't like it when people point out her clumsiness.
 
Coming through the garden, a tall, long legged girl with dark skin passes under a tree and joins her, a can of soda in her one hand. “Hey, Enomoto. What's up?”
 
Oh. It's just Miura.
 
She gives the girl a nod. Of all the people at the school, Miki Miura was one of the few she could tolerate. “Hey. Please, call me Saki. I'm just skipping class. What are you doing here?”
 
Miura smiles, her teeth bright and smile wide. “Miki. Just like you, playing hookie. Mind of I join you? I don't have anything to do. Mutou started talking about numbers and I zoned out.“
 
“Sure, of course. Not afraid to miss classes, huh?”
Miki grins even wider. “Nah. I just tell Mutou I have girl troubles and he lets me scamper right out of there.“
 
“I do something like that. Use that excuse too much and he'll start to get suspicious, though. I don't have to worry about that anymore myself.“
 
“How do you avoid them catching on?”
 
Saki smiles, folding her hands in the lap, cane resting across her legs. “Well, when the teacher stopped me at the door and asked me what I was doing, I gave him a very level look, gave him my best smile and I told him in a completely neutral tone that I'm, 'slowly dying an agonizing death and need to go to the bathroom.' He's doesn't ask me that question anymore.“
 
Miki sputters, covering her mouth, laughing at the story. Then she looks shocked and her shoulders clench, dropping her arms to her side. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at that. That wasn't right.“
 
Saki has a very pretty smile when she wants to. “It's all right. It was meant as a joke. It's okay to laugh at a joke, isn't it?“
 
Saki pats the bench next to her. Miki hesitates, but sits, stretching her arms above her and crossing them behind her head, trying to relax after her awkward outburst.
 
Saki eyes the girl next to her up and down.
 
“Why do you wear the boys uniform shirt? You'd look a lot better if you wore the regulation uniform.”
 
Miki looks down at her chest and shrugs. “I like it. It's roomier. And I hate those little puffy things at the shoulders they put on the girl uniforms. What are those even for?“
 
“Well, the uniforms are based on military wear, so they're reminiscent of epaulets,“ Saki says in a mater of fact tone.  ”A puffy sleeve can accentuate a tiny waist or willowy frame by drawing the eye upward and convey a sense of confidence. I guess that's why they make students wear them, to make the girls look more broad shouldered than they are. The waist line on these things are practically corsets, so I guess it's to compensate.“
 
Miki blinks at the explanation. “Really? Do you know a lot about this stuff?“
 
Saki smirks. “I'm president of the fashion club for a reason. You should be thankful you're even allowed to wear the boys shirt at all. Yamaku is pretty laid back on letting students customize their uniforms. A lot of the students here may not be able to get themselves dressed in the morning otherwise. At least the boys wear those nice, green blazers and not those stupid looking gakuran a lot of the schools have.“
 
Miki rolls here eyes. “I hate those things! It makes them look like...robots or something! You'd never catch me in one of those.“
 
Saki laughs, a nice sound, imagining Miki in one of the dour, black uniforms.
 
“It's the high collar. It makes them look stiff. It's based on Prussian army officer wear, so I guess that's what they were going for. Looks like they succeeded.“
 
“Well, then answer me this; why can't I get a shirt that my boobs can fit into?“
 
Saki looks over at Miki, eying her bust. It is noticeable how she sometimes bulges out of her top.
“I thought you just wore that to show off your cleavage. I just assumed you were a little slutty.“
 
Miki's face turns red and she nearly crushes the can in her hand. Saki smiles deviously at her reaction. Miki is cute when she's embarrassed. “I am not! The girl shirts are too small, that's all! I kept busting buttons and those are expensive to replace! Every time I reached up for something on a shelf, my top flew open! Right in front of class for everyone to see!“
 
Saki laughs, covering her mouth with a shaky hand. “I heard about that little episode. The guys wouldn't stop talking about it for a couple weeks.“
 
Miki looks pissed. “I wanted everyone to forget about that.”
“They have, but I never forget about that sort of stuff. Every little embarrassing thing that happens I try to hear about eventually.“
 
“Why?”
 
Saki looks out at the garden, a little smile on her face. “I like being at the center of the school's gossip. I think I like to know what embarrasses people, all their mistakes. It makes it easier to nail them.“
 
Miki blows a lock of hair out of her face. “Remind me to never piss you off. The last thing I want is for people to remember that incident. Teach wouldn't look me in the eye for a week.“
 
Saki taps her cane on the cement floor absentmindedly. “Gave Mr. Akio a show, huh? I bet he liked that.”
 
“Ew, gross. He's all old and stuff,“ Miki says taking a drink.
 
Saki smiles, looking at Miki out of the corner of her eye. “You like younger guys?“
 
Miki nods with a shrug, taking a large gulp.
 
“Like...the Nurse?” Saki whispers.
 
Miki practically spits the can out all over herself. She stares at Saki with wide eyes. “What the hell! You weren't kidding about gossip! How did you...where did you hear that? Who said that!?“
 
Saki twiddles her fingers like a puppeteer, her fingers trembling. “Sleeping Beauty told me.”
 
Miki stands up from the bench, arms tensed, the can shaking in her tightened fist. “That's a lie! Suzu would never tell someone I said that! Never in a million years!“
 
“Calm down,” Saki says with a dismissive wave. “She didn't mean to tell me.”
 
“Then how did you find out?”
 
“I caught her passed out in a classroom a while ago. She says some pretty interesting things when she's mumbling in her sleep.“ Saki puts a finger under her chin in thought, her hand still trembling. “She talked about you a lot. That seemed weird. Is there something going on between the two of you?”
 
Miki tries to ignore both Saki's comment and her hand and it's unsubtle shaking. “No, that's gross. We're friends, that's all, I help her out. So what, you just wait for the opportunity to listen in on people and learn their dirty little secrets? That sounds like a bitchy thing to do.“
 
Saki shrugs. “It sort of is. You dress slutty, but that doesn't make you a slut. I do bitchy things, but that doesn't mean I'm a bitch. Well, not a total one.“ Saki leans over and smiles. ”Don't worry, I won't say anything. I can't blame you. The Nurse is hot.“
 
Miki blushes, a strange, but pleasant feature on her dark skin.
 
Saki grins widely. “Come on, admit it, he is. I'll tell you a secret; sometimes I fake my symptoms just to visit him.“
 
“Can't he tell?”
 
“Kind of hard to fake dying. People tend to believe you when you tell them about it. If I want out of work, I just stumble a little and everyone starts worrying themselves over me.“
 
Miki finishes her can and throws it one handed into the trash.
 
“You should recycle that,” Saki chides.
 
“I don't see him too often, but he is really cute,” Miki says, continuing the conversation. “He's really nice, too. Ibarazaki spends more time with him, though.”
 
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”
 
Miki shrugs, not answering.
 
“I see,” Saki says. “Still pissed you lost the track meet to her?“
“It's not fair,” Miki pouts. “She's got robot legs, how am I supposed to compete against that? I may not have a hand, but that's like, what, a pound? She's got no legs, she's lighter and smaller.“
 
“And she's got no boobs to weigh her down,“ Saki says, eying Miki's bust line enviously.
 
Miki looks down at her chest, lifting them slightly. “Unfair.”
 
Saki smirks. “Don't worry, you're hotter than she is. If she's lucky, she'll find some creep with a loli fixation.“
 
Miki blinks at being called hot by another girl, but she takes it as a compliment. She crosses her arms over her chest protectively. All this talk about her boobs is making her self conscious. “I hate her,” she mumbles.
 
Saki ponders for a minute, considering her next words. “Do you think she's sleeping with Nurse?”
Miki recoils from the idea. “Ew! Gross!”
 
“It's a legitimate question. She spends more time with him than any other student and from what I hear they knew each other before she started coming to Yamaku. On top of that, from what I hear, all her relationships end badly. It wouldn't be all that weird, she is nineteen last I heard.“
 
Miki shakes her head. “No way. Not possible! Nurse wouldn't do something like that.“
Saki turns to her. “Do you really hate Ibarazaki?”
Miki shrugs, looking away. “Sometimes.“
 
Saki smiles and it is a wicked look. “If you wanted me to, I could get people to think they're sleeping together.“
 
Miki turns back to Saki and her jaw drops.
 
“It's true,” Saki continues, still smiling. “Just say the right words to the right people and anyone will believe whatever you want them too. Everyone always trusts the popular kids. If they start saying something, then everyone starts saying it because they want to be just like them. Then it's only a matter of time before a concerned adult gets wind of it. If everything works out, you'd be the fastest girl on the team and you'd get to spend as much time with Nurse as you wanted.“
 
Miki stares at Saki for a long time, shocked at what she's just implied. “You wouldn't do that, would you? That's terrible!”
“I thought you said you hated her?”
“I don't hate her! I just...I'm jealous, that's all! That's no reason to say something like that! I don't want to ruin someone's reputation just because I lost some stupid track meet!“
 
“You sure?”
 
“Yes, I'm sure! I can't believe you would suggest something like that! And besides, that would hurt Nurse too! He could lose his job if people started talking about that sort of stuff!“
 
Saki thinks about it for a moment, considering, Then she nods. “Okay then. I won't say anything. I think he's dating her Mom anyway.”
 
Miki watches Saki for any sign of remorse and sees none. “What is wrong with you? You say something like that and totally drop it the next second? Do you actually like jerking people around like that?“
 
Saki looks at her from the corner of her eye. “A little bit.”
“Why?”
“Because it's fun.”
 
Miki glares at her. “That's terrible!”
 
Saki glares back, a smile on her pert lips. “Life is terrible. Why should I be any different?”
 
Miki stares at the girl in front of her, trying to come up with an argument, then crosses her arms and slumps back against the wall and onto the bench. She wants to say something to fight back, but what could she possibly say? The girl sitting next to her is slowly dying. It's not likely she could convince her of anything with the way she's going.
 
The wind blows, carrying with it the smell of the garden. The two girls remain silent before Saki breaks it.
 
“You know who else is pretty cute?”
Miki is a bit surprised they're still talking about this after that last mood killer. “Who?”
“That new kid in your class. What's his name? Nakai?“
 
Miki nods. “Hisao Nakai. Yeah, he's new.”
 
Saki has a little grin on her face. “Yeah, he's really cute. I wouldn't mind getting to know that boy better.“
 
Miki laughs, easing up. “Good luck. He's been spending all of his time with Shizune and Misha.“
 
Saki scoffs. “Did she rope him into that failure she calls a Student Council?”
“I think so. He does some work with them, but I don't think he's in the Council yet.“
 
Saki shakes her head, her tiny red earring bobbing. “What a shame. That's a waste! Figures that bitch Shizune would get her claws in him as soon as he showed up. Isn't it bad enough she ruined the Council for everyone, does she have to drag all the new kids into her little vendetta?“
 
“Vendetta?”
 
Saki nods. “You don't know the story?”
Miki shakes her head.
 
Saki leans forward, relishing the opportunity to show off how much she knows about people they'd rather not broadcast. “That's right, you're new, aren't you? The Student Council used to be one of the best clubs in the school! You got to hang out with all the popular kids, screw around. Sure there was some work involved, but it wasn't much and you could do it whenever you wanted. It was great! Lilly Satou used to run it mostly, but she was easy to work with. I hate her personally, but she practically let everyone make up their own deadlines.“
 
“What, you hate Satou? Why? She's like the nicest, most polite person at school!“
 
“She's a stuck up bitch from a rich family with too much money. Besides, no one who's blind should be that pretty. It's like a cruel joke from God, and I know about cruel jokes.“
 
“You're such a liar!” Miki says. “You don't like her because she's popular and rich! You just hate her on principle!“
 
Saki bites her lip. “All right, maybe a little. I'll admit, she is very pretty and she does seem to have a lot of little followers. I just think she's a little fake, okay? She treats everyone like they're either children or beneath her, but she's so disgustingly polite about it, no one notices or calls her out on her crap. Not too mention I can't stand most of her crowd, like that Hanako girl who follows her around.“
 
Miki scoffs. “Man, you have a problem with everyone, don't you? What's wrong with Hanako?
 
Saki shrugs, a little look of disgust on her face. “First of all, she follows Satou around like she's got a crush on her. Second, it's impossible to have a conversation with her. I tried to talk to her once and she bolted on me. I don't have the time to waste on people who spend their whole life running away from things.“
 
“Hanako is pretty friendly if you get to know her. I've talked to her a couple times. You just have to be patient. She's pretty cool.“
 
Saki shrugs. “Maybe. I wanted to invite her to join the fashion club. She may have a face that looks like beef jerky, but she has excellent taste in clothes. I thought she would be interested in the club, but all she does is read. It's a shame; once you get past the scars, she has a great figure and she wears clothes that fit her perfectly.“
 
Miki flinches at the meat comment, but nods. “I like her hair.”
 
Saki gasps, bouncing a little. “Oh, my God! Yes! Her hair is amazing! And what does she do with it? Long in the back, straight bangs over her face! What the hell? If I had hair like that, I would never stop doing stuff with it! I bet a pony tail would reach to her butt, which is pretty nice too!“
 
Miki snorts.
 
Saki shrugs. “What? I'm not going to lie! I bet she keeps it in shape with all that running away from people she does.“
 
Miki laughs and shakes her head. “You are so forward.”
Saki smiles. “I don't have time to dance around issues with people. Best to stick it to them right away and get it over with.“
 
The dark girl looks over at her. “You could still be a little nicer.”
Saki seems perplexed. “Why? I'm not saying these things to be mean, it's just what I think. It's the truth. I don't have any reason to lie just to be nice to people.“
 
“Still, it's weird. You're pretty, you're popular and yet you treat people like dirt.“
 
Saki waves her off. “People will always forgive you if you're pretty and popular. I don't have to be friendly with people I don't like. If I want someone to be my friend, I'll be nice to them. If not, I'll treat them however I think they should be treated.“
 
“What about me?”
 
Saki looks at Miki, eying her. “You're pretty cool.”
Miki grins. “Good to hear I have your approval.”
 
The conversation lulls as the two of them pass time together.
 
“I noticed something.“
“About what?“
“Hanako.“
Saki grins. “Oh, really? Do tell.“
 
Miki sits up and leans close to the other girl. “You ready for this? I think she has a crush on Hisao.“
“No way! Really?“
“Yeah. I see them talking and stuff and Hanako tries to hide it, but she just watches him whenever he's in class. I think she likes him.“
 
Saki huffs. “Like she'd ever do anything to let him know.“
Miki taps her chin. “I think I'll ask him.“
“Playing matchmaker?“
Miki giggles. “Maybe a little. She could use a friend. Nothing wrong with sending a few cute boys her way.“
 
Saki leans back and shrugs. “Well, good luck with that. From what I hear, Hisao is kind of a ladies man. He's only been hanging out with girls and I think that mean he's a little bit of a heart breaker. I thought about introducing myself, actually, we'd have something in common.“
 
A look of worry passes over Miki's face. “He seems nice. You don't think he'd hurt Hanako, do you?“
“Maybe. From what I've heard I think he's just a little lost being the new kid. I say go for it. I think they could both use the extra push.“
 
Miki nods, a look of thought on her face. The she blinks in confusion. “Wait,” Miki says, “what were we talking about?“
“When?”
“Back before, before we started talking about Hanako and Lilly. We were talking about...oh, God, I feel like a moron.“
 
She scrunches her face up in concentration. Then Miki snaps the fingers of her one hand. “Student Council! Ugh, God! I feel stupid! You were telling me about the Student Council!“
 
Saki giggles, something she doesn't do very often. “Oh, my God, you're right! I totally spaced out!“
 
Saki shakes her head, her hair bouncing. “Right, anyway, like I was saying, Satou was easy to work with because she let you do whatever you wanted during Council time so long as your work got in eventually. I loved it! No one was forcing me to hurry up. I could take a day off if I needed it or wanted it, it was a great club. Not too mention I could get a little more funding for the fashion club by working on the Council. Fabric and supplies are expensive.“
 
Saki adjusts her seat, moving on the bench, trying to get the throbbing to stop in her legs. “But then Little Miss Dictator showed up. She's Satou's cousin, right? You knew that?“
 
Miki shakes her head.
 
“They are. What I hear is they used to be great friends, but things fell apart between their families. Well, Shizune made a bee line and joined the Council when she became class rep for 3-3 and then got elected President. How she managed that, I'll never know. I certainly got enough people to vote against her. I bet she stuffed the ballot box like she stuffs her bra! All of a sudden everything had to be done her way! She started making these bull regulations, everyone had to attend every meeting and wear name tags, meet every one of her little deadlines! I may be lazy every now and then, but I can't meet a schedule like that! Shizune thinks everyone should be able to do the same amount of work as her, but they can't, not in this place. Does she care? No! All she wants is to be the boss! People started leaving the Council! I had a huge argument with her about funding for the fashion club and she practically slashed it too nothing! All my girls left and my club got cut because of lack of members! I can barely scrape together a few girls now with the money that bitch trickles my way and we're still not recognized by the school as an official club anymore! Satou was the last one to leave and I'm amazed she stuck around as long as she did. Serves Shizune right for ruining what was a fun hobby, she can go ahead and have all that work with her little lap dog Shiina.“
 
Miki shakes her head. “I'm amazed they can handle everything by themselves. Misha must be a trooper to stick with Shizune this long.“
An evil smile passes over Saki's face, but she smothers it. “Yeah, right, I bet she is. That must be why she still hangs out with Shizune, right?“
 
Miki turns to Saki, leaning against the wall behind them, crossing her legs. “Still, if it's as bad as you make it seem, it sounds like Shizune has Hisao under her little finger already.“
 
Saki taps her foot against the floor. ”What is he here for anyway? I mean, at Yamaku?“
 
“I don't know. He doesn't talk much. Seems kind of mopey to me, like a lost puppy.“
 
“I wouldn't mind bringing him home with me,” Saki says slyly. “We'd have to work on his fashion sense. I mean, he wears sweater vests! Ugh! Gag me!“
 
The two girls laugh.
 
“I know he started running with Emi, but I don't think he's keeping up with it,“ Miki adds. ”It's too bad; I would have liked to see him down at the track every so often,“ she says, grinning.
 
Saki smiles back. “I like to watch the boys sweat too.”
 
Again, they laugh together.
 
“You know, you should come down to the track sometime,“ Miki offers.
 
Saki shakes her head, tapping her cane. “Running isn't very good for me. I have a hard enough time getting from place to place. I try to avoid stairs whenever I can. I don't know when the knees are going to stop doing what I tell them to and tumble me down. I'd rather not end up with a snapped neck. I've still got a few years left, I'd like to waste them the way I want.“
 
Miki flinches uncomfortably. “Well, okay. But if you ever needed help, I give Suzu a...uh, hand when she needs it.“
 
Saki glares at Miki suddenly. “I don't need help.” The hard eyes soften. “But thanks for offer.”
 
Saki looks down at her feet. “You know if you wanted, you could bring in some of those tight little girl uniforms to the fashion club. I could let them out a little so they wouldn't be so uncomfortable. It would give the club something to do at least.“
 
“I'll...think about it.”
 
“You should,” Saki adds, “you have the figure for it. The girl uniform would be far more flattering on you.“
 
Miki blushes. “Thanks.”
 
The school bells ring, both Miki and Saki looking up.
“Wow, that late already?” Miki says. “I should get going.”
 
She stands, dusting herself off, turning towards Saki. “It was...interesting talking to you, Saki.”
“Yeah, likewise. Don't forget my offer.”
“I won't. I may just take you up on that.“
 
Saki hesitates. “You know I usually eat my lunch here. If you ever wanted to, you could drop by and we could swap stories again.“
Miki shrugs. “I usually take lunch with Suzu.”
“You could bring her. She seems pretty cool, if lacking in interesting conversation, on account that she'll probably sleep through it.“
 
Miki smiles at Saki and nods. “Yeah. Sure. Sounds like a plan. If she passes out, we could even talk trash about her!”
 
Saki laughs. “Careful, I'm starting to rub off on you!“
“Maybe I'll rub off on you too!”
 
Saki lowers her eyelids alluringly.
 
Miki's face turns red. “Oh, God, that sounded nasty!”
 
Saki snickers. “Run away, Miura, before you say something worse.“
 
Miki starts her retreat “See you later, Saki.”
“Bye, Miki.”
 
Miki starts to walk away.
“Hey, Miki?”
The dark girl turns back. “Yeah?”
“You really have a crush on the Nurse?”
 
Miki grimaces. “You're not going to spread rumors about me now, are you?“
 
Saki shakes her head. “No, not at all. I just wanted to say that you shouldn't let yourself waste time with admiring things from afar. If you like something, you should take it, no matter what gets in your way. You never know when you'll lose the chance to have what you want.“
 
Miki thinks for a little while, regarding the strange girl's words. “I doubt a confession would go over well. But thanks for the advice, Saki.“
“Sure thing, Miki. I'm happy to talk anytime.”
“I'll remember that. See you later!”
 
Saki watches the tall girl walk away.
 
As Miki walks towards her dorm, she goes over the strange conversation with the troublesome girl.
At first she thought she was just mean, but it seems there's more to Enomoto than she thought at first.
 
Lunch should be interesting tomorrow, at the very least.
 
Back at the bench, Saki thinks she could get up and walk to her dorm, but there seems little reason to do so. Her legs still don't feel right.
 
Saki sighs, leaning against the wall, already starting to feel lonely again.
She smiles.
At least she has lunch to look forward too.