six

Akira; that was the name of the boy with black hair and the pretty smile.

He was always hanging around Kiyoshi, always smiling and telling jokes. He seemed like a very lively person—I've always wanted a friend like that, who made me smile. At first, I thought Kiyoshi was lucky to have someone like him be his friend.

But, once again, I was quick too judge.

I was in the library again—the only place I went to outside of school and my home when he came up to me. "Aoki Ren, right?" he asked with his pretty-boy smile. I nodded and he sat down in front of me. "You're Kiyo's girlfriend?" I almost choked at the sound of that word. Girlfriend, right—I was his "girlfriend." And Kiyo. It was a cute nickname for someone like Kiyoshi.

"Yes," I mumbled quietly, burying my face deeper into my textbook. He chuckled and I heard him mumble a faint, "cute."

When he didn't leave, I looked up again to see him smiling at me. "Uhm," I started. "Can I help you?" He shook his head, "Oh. Okay."

"I've never seen you around," he said, "and you're so quiet. How did Kiyoshi manage to notice someone like you?"

"What?"

"You're obviously not very social," he pointed out. "I'm guessing you don't have many friends, am I right?" He laughed silently to himself while I stared in him in disbelief. I could feel my face slowly start to burn up, but in anger.

I knew that I wasn't the most talkative person and that I had no friends before Kiyoshi (if he even considered me as one), but to see someone laugh at me right in front of my face for something as little as that? I had never been more angry in my life.

"What did you say?" He stopped laughing when he saw my face. He blinked once, then twice, then smiled. I'm guessing he was hoping that his smile would made me lighten up and suddenly swoon over him, but I had seen him do it to so many girls, and I wasn't going to be one them.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he said. "I was just, you know, stating the obvious."

"What's obvious is that you're an asshole." By now, his smile had disappeared and he was looking at me with surprised eyes. "Who do you think you are to walk up to me and call me a nobody? You should be ashamed and disgusted with yourself."

Suddenly, he cracked a smile. "Wow," he said, laughing to himself once again.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing," he said. "It's just that no one's ever spoken to me like that before." He looked up at me, "It feels.. refreshing, you know?" He stood up and leaned over the table, patting my head. "I like you, Aoki," he said. "I'll see you around." He turned around and walked away.

Akira wasn't normal.