“Have a good day honey!” My mom smiled and handed me my lunch box by the door, "My little boy is growing so big! Oh, I have to take a picture!” She ran up the long steps to grab her camera.

“Hurry up Mom I don’t want to be late.” I called up after her.

“That’s mathematically incorrect,” my dad paused to push up his glasses, “If you take into account that your mom is a very energetic person and the density and the speed of the-"

“Dad I know, but you can never be sure.” I looked out the window impatiently. Surely no one else’s parents were doing this to them.

“I found it!” I heard as my mom came running back down the stairs. “Now make a good pose, and smile like you won the lottery. One, two, three, CHEESE!” the camera light blinded me for a second, and I was pushed out the door. “Have a good day honey! Oh! And don’t get kidnapped!”

I smiled back as my dad tried to explain to mom the likelihood of my kidnapping. The first day of High School. What a mess.

My friend David waved me down at the bus stop. “Yo, person over there! How was your summer?!”

“Okay I guess.” I called back. When I finally stood next to him the bus arrived. I sat by the window and David skidded in next to me, “Sheesh, the sun hasn’t risen all the way yet and we’re already on the bus.”

“Oh.”

“This is insane, I mean, no one should have to get up this early. College students don’t have to get up as early as us.”

“You said the same thing last year you know.”

David leaned back in his seat. “Oh yeah. And what makes you so smart Shouta.”

“I was just making a statement.” I pulled my backpack closer to my chest.

“Do you like to get up this early?” he asked.

“No, but I don’t mind. Just go to bed earlier.”

“What kind of teenager goes to bed early?! I don’t know about you, but I would rather go to bed at one and get up at twelve.”

“Hey David! Why are you bringing an elementary kid on the bus?” One of David’s friends called from the back. It was an upperclassman.

“Hey, don’t be dissin’ my friend.”

“He’s not in elementary school?”

I blushed and looked at the ground, but I was used to it. A lot of people did that in eighth grade too. I’m not a midget, but puberty just didn’t happen for me. I’m probably the shortest kid in the school.

“Yo kid.” I looked around and the upperclassman from the back was kneeling down in the aisle, “I’m truly very sorry, I shouldn’t have called you an elementary schooler.” He didn’t look sorry. The whole bus erupted.

“Knock it off Aron.” David stood up and Aron put his hands in the air.

“I was just apologizing. You don’t have to get so worked up David.” The bus pulled over and everyone got out. “Are you okay Shouta? I don’t think he meant it. He was just joking around. You know Aron would never do anything to hurt you.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I answered. I didn’t think Aron was just joking, but I didn’t want to have to deal with that. I had to find my locker. That part should be easy, just how to find my classroom?

After stuffing his things in his locker Shouta looked around. Okay, just like in orientation, I kept saying to myself, room 606. Mrs. What's her face. But, it was impossible to see the room numbers. Everyone’s head was in the way. A large guy with a football jersey knocked me into some lockers, and I dropped my books. “My stuff!” all I could see were a stationary pair of feet, no books. Wait. Stationary? I looked up. There was a really tall guy looking down at me. He had pointy white hair with black highlights and black roots. He did not look like someone you wanted to run into. And he was holding my stuff.

“Freshman?”

“H-huh?”

“You a freshman?”

“Y-yes.” This guy was going to beat me up. I knew it.

“Room?”

“Um…606?” He glared at me some more and then grabbed my hand. I was dragged left and right, side to side, and up and down before we ended up in front of room 606. He didn’t even stop there; he dragged me all the way in the room and in front of a table with an empty seat. The group of kid’s sitting around the table stopped talking and looked up. The tall guy dropped my stuff next to theirs and told me to sit. “What?” I couldn’t believe I was alive.

“I said sit.”

I slid into the plastic seat afraid to do anything else.

“Seimei! What are you doing? I told you to guide the freshman not harass them!” A teacher ran in the room.

“I'm guiding him.” He put his hands behind his head and leaned back. “I even found him a seat.”

“Whatever.” She looked at me, “Your name?”

“S-shouta,” was all I could manage to stutter. She looked satisfied and went to check in some more students that had just popped in.

“How old are you?” It was one of the kids from the table.

“Fourteen.”

“Really? You didn’t skip any grades?” Another one piped in.

“No, I promise.”

“Oh, I know…” They spent the whole rest of the period trying to figure out why I was so small. Even during announcements. I was actually quite glad when I was allowed to go to my next class. The whole day was pretty much the same thing. I would run to the next class and people would question my height. I was in pretty much all GT classes except for History. I hate the subject. They could replace the subject with nap time and it would still be the same. Everyone found their own way to fall asleep. First there were the kids that would droop and then snap their head back up as an attempt to stay awake. Then there were the people that drooled all over their papers and woke with them stuck on their face. Lastly there were the people that put their heads down as soon as the bell rang and didn’t get up until it was time for next class.

The end of the day finally came. First day, over, completed, done with. Now I can go home and have my parents sign ten-thousand forms. Someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

"Huh?" I looked around. It was the tall kid Seimei.

“Ciao,” he smiled slightly and disappeared in the crowd charging for the door. That was an interesting gesture. He didn't look like the kind of guy that would do that.

I met David at the bus. He was starring out the window. That’s not like the David I know at all. He looked a little pale. What happened?

I sat down and the bus jerked when it started to move. I looked at David, not finding anything good to say, we sat in silence while the bus continued its stops. I had to yell at David to get him off the bus. He stopped at the sidewalk letting all of his friends pass by. The bus drove away.

“Isabelle broke up with me.” He said as I caught up with him. He looked up at the trees and then back at me, “Not only that, her new senior boyfriend was there to watch.”

I wanted to say something, anything to comfort him. But all words had escaped my mouth.

“I threw up in the bathroom.”

I had seen Isabelle in the hallways sometimes in middle school, she seemed nice, but right now that didn’t matter. Somehow I had to make David feel better.

“Who was the senior?” I asked hoping to get his mind off of Isabelle for a little.

“Some jerk. He was tall and laid back; I don’t think he even noticed me.” David shrugged, “It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s my problem to deal with, not yours.”

I starred at David. Was it really him? Was it possible?

“What? Why are you starring at me?" David gave me a confused look, "I just said…”

“Did he have white hair?”

“Huh? I think so. Why? Do you know him?”

“Um…well, a tall guy with white hair showed me to my classes today, and he was kind of laid back.”

“What?! Really?! You should have told me earlier! You could ask him to break up with Isabelle so I could have her back!”

“What! I can’t do that! It might not be him!”

“Of course it’s him! How many seniors do you know with white hair? Ask your dad to calculate it for you!”

“That’s beside the point, I can’t ask him anyway.”

“Why not? You know him right?!”

“Well…yes.”

“Than you can do it!” he patted me on the back, “You are my best friend aren’t you?”

“Well…yes.”

David turned and started walking in the direction of his house. He paused and yelled, “You’re the best Shouta!” and bolted, skipping a little, the rest of the way to his house.

“Well…yes.” I paused watching him enter his house, “What have I gotten myself into?”

Another week went by and I didn’t see Seimei at all. I was kind of glad; the thought of asking him to break up with his girlfriend was terrible. But at the same time I wanted to make David happy. I’m such a twisted person.

David has always been a lady’s man. He has had a girlfriend since he asked a girl out in second grade. I haven’t been so lucky. The only girl I have a strong relationship with is my mom. Then there comes “the nice girls that say nice things if you let them borrow a piece of paper”. Otherwise I am completely girl-less. But I don’t mind, just like being small, you get used to it.

My last class is science. We had to make a rap song about minerals, I got a D-. I stayed late wondering if I could compromise, but it didn’t work. I just wound up missing my bus. Great. I sat out on the curb wondering where I could find a phone. I almost jumped out of my pants when someone honked their horn. It was Seimei again.

“You need a ride?”

“Is that okay?” I asked.

“Sure.”

I glanced around, bolted to the car, and slipped in the back seat.

“You’re very energetic.”

“It comes from my mom.” I gasped out of breath.

“Where do you live?”

“Um…on Beaker Drive.” This is your chance. Ask him about Isabelle! Now! I didn’t say anything.

We drove up to the street and he pulled over.

“Why…did you pull over?”

He looked straight into my eyes. I found it very difficult to look back. “Hmmm…” he mumbled.

“Um…what are you doing?” I asked.

“You never told me your house number.” He said matter-of-factly.

“Ah!” I felt my face turn a deep red, “…1…757.”

The car pulled out and he drove up in front of my house, glancing at me the whole time.

“Here.”

“Um…do you know a girl named Isabelle?”

“Huh? I wonder…maybe. She your girlfriend?”

“No. I’ve never had one.”

“Okay.”

“Um…” I could feel my face get so red I swear it was melting.

“Yes?”

No, I didn’t have the courage to say it. “Well goodbye.”

“Ciao.”

I ran inside so embarrassed. I think I wet my pants.

Sleep was impossible that night, and the next day I felt even worse. David noticed when we were at the bus stop. “Dude, you don’t look good. What did you eat?”

“I talked to Seimei.”

“Who? You mean-”

“Yes.”

“Well, will he break up with Isabelle?”

“I don’t know.”

“Was he the guy?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did he know who you were talking about?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you find out anything?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean ‘I don’t know’ you talked to him right?”

“Well, sort-of.”

“Come on Shouta I need you to be reliable here.”

“I know. I’ll try harder. I promise.” What am I doing? I don’t have the courage to do this!

I decided to try out for the math team. It sounded fun, and it was a little break from the Seimei thing. Some basic reasoning always helps in confusing times like this. They put us in little cubes and had us take a test. As soon as they saw my score they begged me to be on the team. I agreed. What harm could be done? When all of the scores were accounted for and all of the kids not good enough went home, the leaders started explaining the rules. Before the end we got to compete in groups a little. Our group didn’t win, but it was fun anyway. One of my group members approached me when we were packing up. “There’s a guy looking for you outside the classroom.”

“Huh?”

“Just go see yourself.” A little confused I went to go see who it was. It surely isn’t David, he said Math gives him a rash, and Mom and Dad are at work…

It was Seimei.

“Come here, I have something to tell you.” He said.

“Okay.” I blushed a little and followed him into a deserted hallway. Stop! You don’t need to blush! He just wants to talk. That’s all!

“You know,” Seimei forced me against a row of lockers, “I,” he got closer, “don’t care,” Our noses were almost touching now, “for Isabelle.”

I tried to scoot away, but Seimei held me in one spot. "I have another crush.” He starred straight into my eyes. I tried to look away, but found that my body was frozen. “You know who that is?” again I tried to move, but it was hopeless, he was practically on top of me. He got even closer and whispered, “It’s you.” His lips were soft, and his hair smelled sweet like it had just been washed. He held me for a while. It was hard to believe we had just met. Then he released me.

“Ciao.” He whispered, and left.