Chapter 1 - The Autumn Flower
A smell? The smell of autumn. It feels so familiar. I could fall into a deeper sleep just enjoying this smell. My nose twitches as the scent of fallen leaves and spice seem to fill the my head. The faint sound of footsteps echo in the halls. I can hear doors open and close in the distance. Ahhh, this is bliss. I could sleep forever.
I hear a loud scrape of a chair jarring me out of my bliss.
“Oyyy”….
“Oyyy”
My eyes slowly open up to a finger pressing on my nose with a blurry person across from me leaning over the clubroom’s desk. But I don’t need my glasses to know who this is.
“I was having a nice nap, Fujisaki-Senpai…”
“Take-kun!!!” she pouts.
“Ya, ya, I know Aki. Just wanted to see you mad.”
She smiles brightly. So worth waking up for. “sooo, did you dream about anything today?”
Why does she always ask me that? How she says it always seems like she expects a different answer. I close my eyes again and rest my chin onto my crossed arms in front of me.
“I told you yesterday, and the day before that… I don’t dream.”
“Ah so… how could I forget.”
“Why do you always ask me that?” I slide my glasses back on to see her slender figure looking out the window lost in thought. Her long amber hair flowing in the wind. Was she always this beautiful? Wait, I always thought she was beautiful. Why is it so surprising right now.
“Sometimes life just feels like a dream, I wonder if this is the real world. Maybe our dreams are the real thing, maybe it’s just something else…”
Lost in a daze she continues to stare out the window. Aki Fujisaki wasn’t always like this when we were kids, but recently she just randomly stares out for a while or says really weird things. She was my next-door neighbor, a year older than all our friends, beautiful and outgoing so naturally was always the leader of every group. A shining idol in everyone’s eyes. Even through middle school, she was revered by everyone. And there I was, always by her side. I couldn’t imagine life without her pulling to rest of us to new heights. It was like we were famous but I knew it was only her and we were like her entourage. But I personally didn’t enjoy the limelight. On the other hand, Ryuu and Hana…
A cough breaks my thoughts to see Senpai staring at me, staring at her. Our eyes lock and I look away blushing. Shit how long was I staring at her… stupid mental monologue.
“Hmm,” she walks over and leans in close, “Checking me out again, Ta-Ke-Kun?”
“Who doesn’t check out the beautiful Fujisaki-Senpai?” I smirk back at her. “I have to take off my glasses to make sure I don’t stare to much.” As I pull my glasses down, she pushes them back over my eyes.
“Don’t stop then,” her face moves closer. Her eyes dead set looking into mine. Man she’s so close, I could probably smell her but the smell of pumpkin spice filled the room, “I don’t know why you act like this when your face is beet red, stupid.”
I slide my chair back to brake the connection and look away as she laughs like she always does. She always picks on me. But that’s how childhood friends are.
“So what do we got planned today Take?”
“Well we’re about to enter summer break so you’re fan club wants to see you for your pre-summer meet and greet.”
“Ugh, do I haaaave to?”
“Well I mean, that would stop all the letters we get every morn…”
Senpai interrupts me with a groan as she kicks her legs in the chair. “I don’t wanna…” she looks at me with a pouty face.
“If only everyone could see you when you act like this.”
“I wouldn’t like that since this side is just for Take.”
“And you’re mom and sister,” I laugh. “I mean how many times have I seen you rolling in the floor whining about eating your veg...,” I stop speaking when notice Aki looking like a lost dog, she turns back to the window.
“I wonder how they are doing… I really miss them.” She starts to tear up.
“Woah, what did I say?” I give her a puzzled look. “You had to see them last night at home, are you guys on bad terms? Did you and Akane-nee get into a fight again?”
She gives me a angry look, “You’re talking to much…”
Fingers snap
The smell of autumn leaves fill my mind. Adjusting my glasses so I can focus on what’s in front of me, I find a teary-eyes Senpai right in front of my face. Surprised I slide my chair back. That was way too close.
“So what do you wanna do today, Take?”
“Huh… uhh well we’re about to go on winter break now that autumn is ending. You’re fan club wants their pre-winter show.”
She groans and sighs. Was there tears in her eyes? Does she hate the idea of meeting her fans that much? No, she had tears before I brought up the issue.
“Hey you ok, Aki?”
As if she was brushing off the question, “I guess that’s ok, you and the gang gonna keep me company?”
I guess it doesn’t bother her that much, maybe I was imagining things.
“Well Hana and Ryuu are busy with their clubs. I haven’t messaged Hotaru yet but I’m sure if you’re there, he’ll come.”
Senpai pushes my phone into the desk as I unlocked the screen, “You don’t have to text him.”
She was right though, Hotaru was always like that since we were kids. We all knew how he felt about Aki but she always would tell him it would mess up the dynamic of the group. Then he would always tell us, “But she technically doesn’t say no!!” I mean, ya she doesn’t but come on, read between the lines man. I mean she wouldn’t keep telling him that if she did like him, right? To ignore these thoughts I just look out the window to see the leaves falling from the trees. I love the fall. Definitely beats the winter cold.
Walking through the halls it’s always the same ole, same ole.
“Fujisaki-senpai.” “Fujisaki-sama.” The voices and ppl bowing as we walk by always annoyed me a bit, it got to the point where I just take off my glasses and put on my headphones to tune out the blurs of bowing heads. All I needed to do was follow her figure and I would be fine. I didn’t need to really see anything else. Just her.
“It’s Kurosawa-san, he’s so handsome.”
“Shh, don’t let Fujisaki-senpai hear you, she’s overly protective over her group.”
“She must want every boy’s eyes looking at her,”
I bump into Aki as she abruptly stops in the hallway. Pulling off my headphones,
“…ve what it takes to have people follow you around.”
Aki’s piercing gaze at the small group of girls sends shivers even down my spine. What I just miss? The three girls walk away quickly. The hall fills up with mumbles and laughs as the girls retreat. I guess Senpai so popular now that she can say whatever she wants. Once again, she was never like this before. Now it seems no matter what she does, everyone just goes with it and accepts it. She’s such a powerful presence. I put back on my glasses as we continue walking but all the faces of classmates still seem just as blurry when I wasn’t wearing my glasses. Odd… I guess maybe I need to change my prescription… ehh it’s not like I really care to see anyone else. I restart my middle school playlist. I just want to focus on the girl leading me to the cafeteria and the smell of autumn coming from her. Just her. Lately I’ve been realizing that she’s the only one I really want to focus on. It’s like she’s my whole world now. But honestly this is a dream come true for me.
