behind those eyes [c]

Oh, those kids would pay. Those arrogant, stupid kids who called her names and didn't even care for how she felt. They left her practically reduced to tears, and while Mi told herself not to pay attention to them, that she didn't need to take it, it still left her crying. Mad at everyone, her attitude had been sullen all afternoon.

Mi needed to be alone. That much she knew. Think it out, relax, and compose herself. The classroom seemed like an ideal place. As soon as everyone left, there would be no one there until the janitors came through much later. By then she'd be out. Missing her bus didn't matter. It wasn't that far a walk. Of course, Mi didn't expect anyone to come in before the janitors.

When hearing her teacher ask if she was okay and that she'd miss her bus, without a second thought, the little girl spat "Go away. I can walk. Leave me alone." The last thing she wanted was Lucie to actually comfort her. Mi thought should figure out her problems on her own. If other people knew of her problems, it would just cause issues later.

@lucie

Right after Lucie spoke again, Midori went back to the reason she was crying in the first place. During recess, a bunch of the self-proclaimed "popular" kids had said the fact she was reading a book was stupid and threw it in the dirt, proceeding to call her a little smartass. Naturally, she'd run away, telling herself she wasn't one, though Mi knew it was probably true.

Snapping back to reality, the girl started choking back her tears. She knew Lucie was probably just trying to be a good teacher and do her job, but Mi didn't want to be helped. If I can't get through this myself, I'm useless, she thought, and couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

Her gaze turned to Lucie, and with tears dripping down her face, she said "If I want to go to the buses, I can. And I can always come up with excuses if need be."

@lucie

Going outside would mean the few lingering kids would see her and laugh. Although she knew Lucie ment well, Midori didn't want the other kids to see her like this. It would make her the subject of more attacks.

Grudgingly, after realizing that staying inside probably would get her in trouble, the little girl's head nodded slowly, the tears sloshing down her face. They tasted foreign in her mouth, crying being something that she hadn't really done since injuring herself as a little kid. Mi got up slowly, her hair (which was rather messy) fall over her face, obscuring her vision, which caused her to stumble on the carpet. She was a bit of a wreck.

Composing what was left of her dignity, she pushed her hair out of her face, and straightened up a bit. "A-alright then, let's head outside. It's a nice day, I guess," Mi said. She neglected to mention that her book was still where the kids had thrown it during recess and needed to collect it.

@lucie

Her things. Right. Mi had completely forgotten about them when she came back in. She was pretty sure that her backpack fell off in the hall. No matter. The girl could grab them on her way out.

The book, however, was another matter. If she told Lucie where it was, it would mean that she'd have to go in-depth about what happened. Name names, get kids in trouble. Then they'd get in trouble and call Midori more names for tattling. "I left it on the playground during recess," she said, figuring that there'd be suspicion from Lucie but it wouldn't go farther then that.

Quickly accepting the tissues, Mi took one and cleaned up her face, stowing the rest in a pocket. She'd probably need them later. Remembering her stuff, she added "My backpack fell off in the hall." There was no emotion when she spoke.

@lucie

She didn't notice that Lucie had picked up her backpack for her until it was right in front of her. Midori accepted it with a nod and a "Thanks." Swinging it onto her back slowly, she continued towards the door with her teacher.

Did she even care about her book at this point? It wouldn't surprise her if it was dirty and the pages were ripped. Kids were like that. All Mi did was push open the door and shuffle towards the playground, her feet dragging on the concrete. 

"My book should be somewhere over in the dirt by the bench," she said unhappily. Her backpack fell off again. It wasn't very secure, only hanging by one strap off her left shoulder.


@lucie

There was a clear footprint mark on her book. You could see the dirt spread in the pattern of the sole of a sneaker. It had been squished flat by the step someone took onto it, and the inside spine was visibly torn and the pages folded. 

"Oh, it's alright. You can barely make out the pages and the pages would probably fall out as you turn it. Lovely condition. Best of all, it's a library book." Midori was very explicit with her sarcasm. Maybe she'd get some kids in trouble.

The book itself was a classic. She didn't even randomly pick her books from the library or bookstore. "Mmm. I pulled it off the senior's reading list. It's wonderful, except now I can't read it anymore."

@lucie

Hew jaw dropped. No one ever did anything this nice for her, except her parents. She'd never gotten in trouble at the library. If anything, she returned them in better condition.

"T-thanks," Midori said, amazed. She accepted her backpack and swung it onto her back with renewed energy. The little girl tightened the straps so it wouldn't fall off again.

Temptation to tell Lucie who did this to the book and her lingered at the edge of mind. Sure, it'd feel great, but they'd hate her more. Instead, she got creative. "I've got a riddle that would give you a nice answer: x 4, y 3, x 3, y 3, x 2, y 3." Midori had given her the desk coordinates of the three kids. 

@lucie