"You okay mister pop star?" Crap my caring parental instincts kicked in at the wrong moment, but it's not like I could just get him up and run back down the stairs, that's just rude.
For an odd reason I could feel my chest getting warmer, but it wasn't me. We then proceeded to fall on my back on the second flight of stairs. Our faces were so close to each other. From this distance I could feel his heart beating.
"Uh could you please get off of me?" He starts blushing and quickly gets off of me. As both of us were getting up off the ground a sharp pain was shooting from my ankle.
"Ow my ankle!" I couldn't get up and my ankle was beginning to look like someone super glued a plum on it. As snobby and irritating as he was I peered over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of his tiny concerned face. For all of that bravado he had before he was generally concerned about me. I mean in the manga the heroine (me) falls for him because of his charm and confidence. This was a side to him that was foreign to me.
Aston crawls over to me and helps me walk over to the nurse's office. During our brisk limping to the nurse Aston started displaying his usual snooty rich kid persona. Saying things like, "You know for a dancer you're actually pretty clumsy you know." or things like "I would've been fine even if you didn't save me you know. You getting hurt was entirely your fault." Was he a tsundere or was he actually this obnoxious? Either way I was in way too much pain to be concerned about his character analysis.
We make it to the nurses office and the nurse calls my dad from work. Dad also worked as a nurse at a nearby hospital in town so the school nurse told me to go home and have my dad check out my ankle later. Guess that means I'll just have to miss the big showcase after lunch. Oh well.
"ELI!! ARE YOU OKAY SWEETIE!?!" That strange man in the blue scrubs and an unkempt dull crimson colored head was my dad.
"Good afternoon Mr. Greyson. Your daughter got into a little accident this morning. She tripped and fell at the top of the stairs." Sure I fell. Guess she's just protecting the little genius's ego. From what I can tell it's a lot more fragile than it was in the manga. Most of the time he seemed so suave and smooth, even in the beginning when he was just a kid.
"I knew going to this prestigious place would only cause you trouble. Those damn rich kids are just jealous that my daughter is so adorable." My dad said as his face was sanding my face with his beard.
"I'm fine, seriously daddy. It's just a minor sprain." I was lying a little of course, my ankle was really swollen.
"I'll notify her teacher that Eli will be going home for the day. Aston you should be heading back real soon too. It's almost time for your class's big performances." The look on his face said that he didn't want to leave until he was certain I was ok. Guess the little guy was too prideful to let a girl get hurt because of him. Even if he did say all of that rude stuff before. That or his sense of chivalry made something in his brain made hammer away at itself from the inside. Like the moment when you regret saying something and just something in the back of your head just wants to keep reminding you of that thought and moment over and over again.
"I don't want to. I want to stay with-" He suddenly had a this blank clueless expression on his face while he was just staring at me.
"What was your name again?" YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS FAMOUS TRANSFER STUDENT KNEW WHAT SHE LOOKED LIKED BUT NEVER EVEN BOTHERED TO ASK WHAT HER NAME WAS?!?! So much for chivalry. Guess he's just plays the gentleman for the public. In reality he was just a clueless idiot.
I wanted to tell all of that to him but doing that would cause way too much of a headache later. Remember my goal, NO SNOOTY RICH PEOPLE PROBLEMS. QUIET LIFE FOREVER!! I grit my teeth and politely reject him.
"I'm sorry but I'll have to decline again. If you were gone then the whole school will be in a panic." Dad looked over to Aston and immediately recognized who he was. He then started whispering in my ear, "That's very mature if you Eli but that's Aston Izumi. The child magic prodigy everyone's talking about. I hear that he's also one of the heirs to Izumi International. They have a lot of influence in just about everything."
Dad wasn't wrong. Getting him in my good graces would secure my future. Izumi International is a world class financial group who has stock in just about everything from technology and science to even the food industry and the arts. Be that as it may, I know how this whole scenario ends..... I don't want to be the wife of that asshole!! I would rather work hard for my future than just be labeled as the mistress of the young genius of Izumi International. Thanks but no thanks dad.
"Sir if I may interject, it was my fault that your daughter got injured. Please at least allow me the-" Before Aston could finish his sentence dad was passive aggressively jumping on him. He was so fast as to get in front of him that even I was caught surprise for a moment there. I had forgotten, in this universe Elizabeth Greyson's father used to be a mixed martial arts champion. Li Greyson, three time national champion in judo, taekwondo, and wushu and runner up in worlds for those three martial arts. He quit the pros for a more quiet life outside of the spotlight and used his knowledge of muscles and the human body he learned while fighting to earn a degree in sports medicine and then decided to become a nurse. Worst of all, he was also the overprotective doting type of parent.
"Oh so you were the one who made my little girl fall and break her ankle?" He wasn't actually even touching Aston. He was just smiling with his eyes closed. Classic anime trope. A menacing question with a passive aggressive smile coupled with an aura that would make a bear back off. The smile is to seem less intimidating than he actually is and the reason why their eyes are closed is because they can't stand the sight of the one they are directing this menacing aura at. Dad would never actually hurt anyone unprovoked and even then he would never punch first. No all dad wanted to do was scare the living daylights out of the poor fool. Too bad for Aston it was working.
"Uh yes but it was entirely accidental."
"Oh so you're not blaming me anymore? While we were walking up here you were pretty much insinuating I was an incompetent dancer for not tripping while you were in my arms." Uh oh, my personality from my previous life was kicking into overdrive. Did I actually say that out loud?
"You insulted my little girl?" Dad was more focused on that part then the complete switch in personality? Guess he was really pissed off. So much so I could almost hear a faint whistling coming from his head. He was pissed. Then as soon as his rage reached its peak, the intense aura faded and my dad look up from the ground and put his hand on Aston's should and said with a smiling face, "That's very chivalrous of you son. I like that. Why don't you come with us since you are so concerned. I'll even contact your guardian myself to inform him."
Obviously this was a complete and total lie. He didn't want Aston anywhere near me. Truth was he wanted to keep an eye on him and let Aston know it. Engrave the image of his passive aggressive smile into Aston's brain. Dad then proceeded to piggy back me over to the car and grab a hold of Aston's arm just tight enough that it would instill fear but not a lawsuit. You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.