#I'm not dead but I'm also not at 110% energy wise

[reki-of-the-valley]

Red Hair and Freckles

“He’s so handsome.”

“And cute!”

“He could be a model with a face like that.”

The three girls giggled over their phones as they waited for class to begin. They always came a little earlier, though the reason had always been unknown. At least until now. Now that he was sitting a few desks away from them, Reki finally understood why they were always huddled up together at a desk, giggling together, eyes shooting up every time someone walked through the door.

“Imagine how cute our babies would be!”

“Imagine if they got his eyes and your hair!” She – Kotone if Reki wasn’t mistaken – pulled on her pigtails as she squealed, sounding a thousand times more ridiculous than those girls in those K-dramas Koyomi insisted he watched with her did. 

“Deep blue eyes just like him.” A sigh from Minako this time. “Our babies will be on the covers of every magazine, because obviously,” she flipped her hair, “I’m gonna be a famous idol.”

“Maybe when you stop letting mommy dress you, you might get a chance at being my backup dancer.” Yuka grinned smugly at the offended-looking Minako. “Oh, and lose the baby face. You gotta look like a real woman to impress him, which is why I’m gonna marry him, and not you.”

The bickering began between the two girls, but it quickly died down with Kotone’s voice piercing through.

“How about we ask Reki who he would prefer out of the three of us?”

The sound of his name echoed through the classroom, causing him to drop his pen. Oh no, they were not going to involve him in their little girly games of fantasy marriages.  He was not going to help them set each other up with some poor guy who probably wanted nothing to do with them – not that they were bad girls or anything.

“Reki.” She was there, leaning over his desk, batting her eyelashes at him. “You’re close with Langa, right?”

Langa. They were talking about Langa. They were talking about which one would have a shot at getting Langa to themselves and Reki felt his cheeks burn. They were trying to get with his best friend and he knew for a fact that Langa had no idea of their plans and that he wouldn’t be interested in either one of them – again, not being they were bad girls or anything.

Reki nodded hesitantly which might have been a mistake, but denying his friendship with Langa would have been too obvious a lie. Everyone knew he and Langa were close; everyone knew they hung out constantly at school and after school. But given the way the girls were squealing, now crowding his desk, Reki wished he wasn’t as close to Langa as he was. Or rather, he wished people ignored it, the same way they had ignored him for years.

“So, what kind of girls does he like? Pretty and poised like Yuka, a future idol? Or cooler and more mysterious, but also pretty like Minako?” At this point, Kotone was in Reki’s face, her deep brown eyes wider than he’d ever seen them. “Well? Who has a shot with Langa?”

“Uh,” Reki rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he cast his eyes down onto his notebook. “I don’t know? You’re all pretty awesome, so…” He glanced between the girls. “I think you won’t have problems getting nice boyfriends if you talked to the ones you like.”

“That’s not an answer, Reki!”

“Yeah, you’re just dodging the question.” Yuka rolled her eyes as she turned away from him. “I knew it was a waste of time asking him. Not like he ever knows anything. But clearly, he’s just too scared of offending you girls because we all know that Langa likes me.”

“Sporty.” The three girls snapped their gazes back onto Reki, Reki with his voice that had never been so sharp. “He likes the sporty type. Someone who isn’t afraid of getting dirty outside.”

The three girls looked among themselves. From the look in their eyes, that was not the right answer. Or at least, not the answer Reki was supposed to give them.

A darkness cast over Yuka’s eyes, a darkness that almost made Reki recoil. She had expected him to say something along the lines of “Langa wants a girl who’s just so pretty and whose hair is always perfect” but that wasn’t the truth. Langa liked being outside. Langa liked being reckless. Langa liked not having to wait for anything, out the door whenever he deems the right time.

“I told you,” the girl’s voice was sharp as she grabbed her friends’ arms, tugging them away, “he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“But Yuka, I think—”

“Shut up, Kotone! You’re just as bad as him!”

The girl recoiled, shrinking down as she let herself be pulled away. Something glistened at the corners of her eyes, a shine that pulled on Reki’s heartstrings. It was like watching a child having her favorite plushie ripped out of her hands. It was watching the most pathetic scene, but for once, Reki wasn’t going to sit back and watch it happen. Not when he knew the feeling so well.

“You’re the bad one, Yuka.” The girl whipped around at the sound of her name, glaring daggers at the boy who was standing up to her. “I know what Langa likes in a person and I even know who he likes, not that it’s any of your business. But it’s not you. No one likes you. You’re mean and bossy and everyone is just scared of you. So if you think you can guilt or intimidate my best friend into dating you, then you’re wrong. Also, bullying your own friends? Really?”

“Who do you think—”

“He’s right, Yuka.” Minako’s voice a sharp knife cutting Yuka off. “You’re always bullying Kotone. And everyone else that disagrees with you or says anything that you don’t like. Not everything will be how you want it, so you might as well let Reki finish if you don’t want to make a fool out of yourself in front of Langa.”

Yuka’s face burnt a bright red as she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and walking away.

“Not even a response.” A sigh from Minako. “I’m gonna go catch up with her before she throws a tantrum. You coming, Koto?”

Pigtails whirl in the air as the girl shook her head. “I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.” A nod from Minako before she disappeared after Yuka, leaving Kotone with Reki. “I’m sorry about Yuka. She’s… something.”

“Don’t worry about it. Used to it anyway.”

A stifled laugh escaped from the girl as she pulled a chair to Reki’s desk, now sitting across from him. “We should form a club.” More laughter, bitter sounding, but it quickly died down as her eyes met Reki’s. “Sorry, not funny. I just… Can I know who Langa likes? I promise to not tell anyone. Pinkie promise!”

The girl held up her pinkie which Reki gladly linked his with. He had always liked her, after all. “But this is our secret.”

There was a pause, one which let their hands fall apart. It gave Reki just enough time to think about what he was going to say.

“Well, he likes someone sporty. Someone who will go out skating with him. And someone who will laugh with him and who will let him just be himself. He doesn’t want a princess or someone that’s just…”

“High maintenance like Yuka?”

Reki muffled his snort as he nodded. “Langa likes the opposite of Yuka.”

“What she like? What does she look like?”

“She… Well…” Reki hummed a little, contemplating if he should reveal such information. But given the way Kotone was looking at him, he couldn’t resist spilling just a little. “Red hair and freckles, but you really, absolutely cannot tell anyone.”

The girl nodded as she looked around the empty classroom. “Red hair and freckles. Red hair and freckles. I don’t know a girl who fits—” Her eyes widened as they fell on Reki’s face. “Red hair and freckles! Red hair and freckles! Langa likes—!”

Reki quickly shushed her, eyes widened with panic. “Our secret! You can’t tell anyone!”

“You’re—”

“Sh!”

The girl grinned at him as she held a finger to her lips. “Your secret is safe with me! But you’re just! You’re so lucky! Langa! Of all people! And—” She snapped her mouth shut, thinking for a brief moment before whispering once again. “Are you two dating? Are your parents okay with it? How is it—”

“Yes, and everything is fine. Just. I don’t want anyone else to know, okay?”

“I promise to tell no one. Not even Minako. I pinkie promised, after all!”

And with that, people started filing into the classroom, voices filling the air. Langa wasn’t far behind, his blue eyes smiling at Reki. And as he took his place next to Reki, Kotone jumped up, grinning at the two before skipping off to the desk, but not without shooting Reki a wink which pulled a laugh out of the boy. Who knew if his secret was truly safe with the girl, but it was still nice telling someone who wasn’t his closest friends.