Chereads / What lies beneath your shell, Hoshiko? / Chapter 4 - Pure and Utter Panic

Chapter 4 - Pure and Utter Panic

"I-I love you!"

Not exactly the words I expected to hear today. But none the less they are the ones that I was told behind the gymnasium. By a girl I barely knew.

Let me rewind a little.

After I got that letter, curiosity got the best of me and I had to go to the meeting spot, and of course Fuyuko wasn't exactly being much help with her incessant nagging of what I already knew was going to happen. Though then again this had never happened to me before- For all I knew I was going to get murdered.

Not sure if I have mentioned this. But I have never been in a relationship. Or been asked out before. Or asked anyone out before. I've honestly never had a crush either, now that I think about it.

Well despite my undeniably sad backstory, I made my way back behind the Gym at 4pm promptly and saw who I thought possibly wrote the letter. She had long blue hair going down to at least her lower back, and golden eyes that looked big and as if they might start crying at any moment. She came up to at most my collarbone level, so she wasn't exactly the Lady Dimitrescu of her grade.

The moment I saw her face fully, I recognized her as an underclassmen I had seen around campus a few times...

"...Hoshiko? Airi Hoshiko, right?" I said a little hesitantly to try and get her full attention.

With my words, she seemed to come out of whatever little trance she was stuck in. And her face immediately gained a red tint of what I can assume was embarrassment. In truth I wasn't fairing much better either. My brain was trying to get wrapped around this whole situation. Was she going to be my killer?

She finally glanced up and made brief eye contact with me, but it seems as she saw my eyes, her words fluttered away from her.

After a few second of a silence which felt like a few hours, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the light blue colored envelope and held it out where she could see it...well she could see it if she was actually looking up at me instead of fiddling with her hair.

"Did you send me this?" I wait a moment for an answer. It seemed like my words had reached her ears but they didn't seem to illicit any reaction. After another few seconds of hours, she shyly shook her head yes in response to my question. "I see..." I say, giving a small pause after my words, "Um...Well, what's up?" This conversation is just so enthralling.

She eventually opens her mouth and finally begins to say something...well 'something' is a bit of a strong word. "I...um, j-j-just...um, I..." She cuts herself off after she makes those few sounds of attempt.

I give a small sigh, not audible enough for her to hear, but this is going to be troublesome if she doesn't say something. "Here, I think I have a pen and paper if you would like to use th-"

"I-I love you!" She interrupts me.

...Well fuck.

Suddenly I'm frozen completely still and the bag I was reaching for is now somewhere at my feet. Is this lasting seconds, or hours? Who can tell really? Why am I freaking out so much. Just calm down... But what does she want me to say...?

She looks up at me expectantly, her face is flushed so red it could put a tomato to shame. "Um...Will you g-go out with me...?"

Well it seems she has some nerves now... I can't even think straight, my mind is everywhere right now. What do I say? What the hell do I SAY?

ISNT THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ROMANTIC?

I try to calm my breathing. My eyes cant help but drift to hers and see the light reflecting off of her golden eyes...well if you look at them from here, they are really pretty... Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad to date her... She's really cute after all...

What am I saying, I DON'T KNOW HER! I can't just think that cause a girl is cute that means I should say yes, I have no idea what she's like, where she's from, her family-

"I would love to." I suddenly say, as if my mouth is delayed from my thoughts. WHY DID I SAY THAT?! I'm going to die here, I was right. This patch of grass is my deathbed.

Her eyes light up, even more so than a minute ago, and suddenly she has this glow of relief coming off of her. It's surprisingly calming... It helps my thoughts get in order all of the sudden and I can suddenly think a little straighter than before. I take in a breath and prepare to say something to her about how that was a mistake and I would have to let her down...and then-

She run's off.

"What."