Suspension?!

It took him three hours just to complete the homework.

Ukito was getting impatient. He wanted to watch his favourite show at 6pm but he missed. He recently got into Korean dramas. They were too addictive. He also had to study for the upcoming term exams. His mind was blank. He couldn’t focus at all. His eyes wandered off to his cat sleeping on the small window sill. He smiled. He got up to kiss her, only to receive a scratch across his face.

His mom called him for dinner and he quickly threw his assignments and ran. His father was chatting happily with her and as soon as he saw Ukito enter, he grinned. “How was your day? Did your homework yet?” Ukito winced. “You didn’t? Doesn’t matter! Your mother made-” His mother cleared her throat suddenly. “Do your homework, first.” But Ukito already sat down and served the food. “Thanks for the food, mom. I love you so, so, so much.” He ate his dinner in seven minutes and ran to his room. He threw himself on the bed. In a few seconds he was fast asleep. How was that possible? God knows. Some people are made different.

Ukito forgot to close the windows and his cat, wanting to explore the world, left without a note. It was only next day when he noticed his missing cat. He was heartbroken and rightly so. He just sulked in his room the whole day, not bothering to go the school. His mother was furious but he ignored.

Unfortunately, Umi didn’t have such an understanding dad. He didn’t even have a dad around. He was working in some foreign country for past six years. And never had he ever called him or Takeru. But still, to Umi, his absent father was better than his mother.

His mother was the epitome of strictness. And he hated her with passion. Takeru was his annoying, know-it-all sibling who did nothing but tease him. He didn’t have much friends. Maybe one. Ukito? He was an unpredictable guy. Akihide? Weird. Sumiko? Maybe… He had successfully talked to her last year when she asked the date and he replied the correct one instead if saying ‘you too’. He definitely and very confidently sat with her while trying to note down something from the black board, five months back. And he even said ‘sorry’ to her when he accidently bumped her while walking. This means they are friends, right?

He still couldn’t let go of his middle school self. He never meant to be like that. He had a million reasons to explain his situation. But most people didn’t talk to him. He couldn’t explain. And this whole thing with Takeru hanging out with his only friend, Sumiko, it made him uncomfortable. He usually went home, sulked for an hour and studied hard till it was late. That was his routine for years. Studying for entrance was tough, emphasis on tough. He hated it. But he hated himself more.

Nothing out of ordinary ever happened in school, everything was monotonous. It was boring. All classes were same. He didn’t want to live such a life. Days passed and exams began. He scored good enough. But it was meaningless to him. He just sat around doing nothing during lunch. He refused his mother to make his food and never took any lunch money. Eating food was meaningless as well. He just looked around.

From the corner of his eye he saw Akihide the creepy guy talking to Sumiko and her friends. Obviously his curiosity rose.

“We have club today, don’t we?”

“Yes! Finally! Oh God, I missed clubs.”

“I’m in gourmet club, you know. I resigned from art.” Said Hoshiyo. Akihide winced and said, “Knowing very well that art club doesn’t have enough members to function?” Hoshiyo frowned, “I partially left because you are a weird club president. Creepy and unhygienic.” Yasami burst out, “Pfft- This guy? No wonder it’s not functional.”

Akihide smiled, “It’d be really great if any of you could join.”

The trio refused and Akihide was dejected. Umi couldn’t control himself and blurted out, “Can I join?” Akihide broke into a scary grin and said, “Of course! Then I can stalk you.”

“Uh what?”

“Nothing, my dear friend”

“Look, you’re actually kind of weird. Please just shut up.”

“I will.”

Sumiko frowned and looked at Umi, “Really Umi? You’re going to join a weirdo club?” Umi nodded, “I’m not in a club right now, so I thought why shouldn’t I give it a try?” Umi smiled very softly, just a slight curve of his lips. He was able to speak a proper sentence without messing anything.

“Well, do what you like the most. And you should really consider smiling more. You look sweet.” Sumiko muttered while tying her mass of black hair.

Akihide’s eyes just bore into Umi’s skull, “Come join me in the club room and I will get you a form to fill. That will seal our contract.”

The trio left to their respective clubrooms, giggling as usual.

Sumiko went to the literature club.

It was almost spring, the sky was light blue with clouds like cotton bolls, occasionally hiding the sun behind a silvery veil. It was the typical weather you see in movies. Sumiko couldn’t believe this existed. The breeze was cool and the leaves whirled gently like a lullaby. Winds rocked the leaves as if they were children sleeping.

There were five people. Rui from her class, Seiya and Midori from the third year and a kid from the first year, who hardly attended any meetings at all.

“Rui didn’t come to the club today, that’s strange.” She spoke to Seiya and Midori who just nodded and said, “Rui is going to be suspended.” That was news.

She furrowed her eyebrows and said, “I just overheard this in the staff room. Something about Rui hitting Bin yesterday, Otoyo-sensei’s assistant. Seiya stuffed a cookie in his mouth, “Apparently this Bin dude beat a friend of Rui and he hit him in retaliation.”

Sumiko frowned, “Harassed? For real? Shouldn’t he be, like, fired or something?” Midori sighed, “The thing is, there’s no proof that Bin did anything. And who knows if this whole harassment issue was a false accusation? A lot of those happen.”

Sumiko folded are arms, “But…we can’t wait for a full-fledged investigation to check the truth.” Seiya closed his eyes, “What’s the point? The school won’t do anything. It never does. You remember middle school didn’t you?” Sumiko shuddered at the memory, “But still…Rui shouldn’t be suspended like that…”

Seiya got up and said, “I’m done for the day. See you both next week.” Midori face palmed her face, “He just comes in and eats all the snacks and leaves. What the hell?” Sumiko got up as well, “Let’s end the meeting. It’s of no use.”

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