Third Period: Problem and Solution
3a: Problem
“How dare you make fun of my test score! I worked really hard to get a 70 on this math test!” Usagi was an inch from yelling, but Mamoru evidently didn’t notice the bright spots at the corners of her eyes and just kept pushing. He snorted loudly and rolled his eyes before turning away.
“Right, I forget sometimes that you actually have to work at almost failing. You’d think they’d just give up and put you in remedial math already.” He looked over at her just in time to see the glass of water he’d been drinking upended on his head. She set the glass down and stomped past him, but before she could get away he grabbed her arm. “What is your problem, Tsukino?!”
She whirled toward him and for the first time he noticed the tears streaming from her eyes. When she spoke, it wasn’t the loud shrieking he expected. She spoke in a low, almost wounded voice.
“My problem, Chiba, is you. You don’t seem to care how hard I study, or how much I try, and no matter what I do it’s never going to be good enough, and I’m sick of trying to convince you that I’m not just some slacker who doesn’t care. You’re not worth the time I could spend on being a better person.” She shook her arm out of his grasp and left him gaping after her. He had never realized that he had the power to upset her that much.
He turned to Motoki, his one true friend who would surely understand and be able to help him sort through what just happened. “Motoki, can I get a-” he cut off as a towel hit him square in the face. He grabbed the towel and looked up to see Motoki walking off toward the back.
“For such a smart guy, you sure are an idiot.”
3b: Solution
“What…what is that vile concoction?” Mamoru resisted the urge to actually hold his nose the way Usagi was. She lifted the cup full of brownish-green liquid to her mouth and took another big gulp, wincing as she swallowed it. Her voice sounded strained when she spoke.
“It’s a health solution designed to help me lose weight and enhance my outer beauty. It will make my hair more lustrous and my skin softer.” She gagged and picked up the glass again, still pinching her nose. She attempted to take another drink but instead forced the cup away, trying to keep from heaving on the counter. Just the smell was making Mamoru sick.
“Why would you do that to yourself? That’s disgusting!” She frowned at him.
“You’re the one who’s always calling my ugly and fat, creepazoid. I thought you’d appreciate me trying to better myself.” She took another swig, coughing vigorously. He grabbed the glass out of her hand, stood up, and threw it in the garbage despite her protests. He walked back over to her, put his hands on her shoulders, and spoke softly.
“No matter what I say, you don’t need to eat weird things or starve yourself or go to crazy extremes to feel better about yourself. I may be a jerk, but it’s not worth watching you make yourself sick over it. You’re fine just the way you are. Motoki, get this girl a milkshake on me.” Usagi gaped openmouthed at him, but he simply sat down and opened his paper as Motoki brought her a milkshake. After one sip, she drank it down like a dying woman in the desert.