"Alright, you have my attention." I pulled Asami aside during a combined gym class. "What do you want?"

The girl, pretty with long black hair bearing locks of red, looked up at me in a straightforward manner. "I want us to be friends again." She spoke boldly. "I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to make up for what I did to you back then. Now that we meet again, I can't waste this."

I nodded. "Apology accepted, then. Now stop hounding me." Considering the matter done, I brushed her off and started walking away.

"Shuu, wait!" She reached out to grab me, but as soon as I felt her hand on my arm I shoved her away. Roughly.

"Don't." I snarled. I was so goddamn tired of women thinking they could touch me. Maybe I had no right to be so angry about it given my chosen profession, but being rational was hard when the only kind of feminine touch I'd ever known was possessive and greedy. 

Asami was forced three steps back and seemed almost scared. Of me. And that's what snapped me out of it. My rage, so sudden and swift, fled. But I couldn't bring myself to apologize. She still had that look in her eyes, hidden just behind the fear.

"I've already forgiven you for the past," I hadn't, I just stopped caring. "But you're a fool if you think you can come begging for anything more when you've been here for weeks and all you've done is make people think up even more rumors about me."

"Rumors?" Her eyes widened. "What rumors?" She asked after a shocked pause.

Christ, she didn't even fucking notice? How self-absorbed had she been?

"Forget it." I didn't bother to explain. If she really didn't know, that in itself said volumes. The girl wanted second chances for her lies in the past, but was so careless that she didn't even understand what her actions were doing to me now. 

"No!" She exploded in anger herself. "What rumors? Tell me! I'll fix them! I'll do anything, Shuu...so please!" Asami pleaded. "I was wrong, okay? Hayato was exactly the kind of person you said he was. I never should've trusted him, but--"

"Trusted?" Just like that, the rage was back. Colder, harsher. "You have some fucking nerve saying that," I shook my head in disgust. "You knew damn well what he was doing, the type of scum he was. So don't you dare pretend you were a victim, too,"  I stuck a finger in her chest, hard. "You outright told me you liked the things dating him gave you. The popularity, the little gifts."

Asami stammered out a reply. "I don't care about those things anymore!" She spoke forcefully. "I just want my friend back!"

I felt like I'd been slapped. Like I'd just been called garbage

" You don't have the right to want me back." I replied slowly. My eyelids stung and I could feel my jaw clenching so tight it hurt. "I was your friend, sure. But you decided I wasn't enough. That your new ones, who never even bothered to learn your name before, were more important." I hated how pathetic my voice sounded just then. How raw, hurt. I took a moment to calm myself. Breathed in before continuing.  "You know what? Fuck off. I want absolutely nothing to do with you." 

Every word out of her mouth made me feel utterly worthless. Old scars ached and all I wanted was to never see her again.

***

"It's done." A few hours later and still feeling rather shitty, I informed Ryoko of a mission accomplished. "I doubt she'll be coming around anymore." 

If she did, Ryoko would deal with her. I'm through.

The woman stretched as she looked up from grading a stack of papers. It was after school and they were the only ones left in the room. "Good. That brat was really causing me a headache. Tsk." She clicked her tongue. "I hate popular kids. Always surrounded by people, always so rowdy and full of energy. It's detestable." 

"You want to be called sensei, then say something so unsenesei-like." I chastised her. "Even if you think as much, do you think it's fine to say that in front of one of your own students?"

She waved me off. "It's alright, you're hated by everyone anyway. Who'd you tell? Who'd believe you?" The woman snickered. "I can say anything I want with you and no one would ever take your word against mine, you know?"

The words stung a bit, but I knew she didn't mean them to. I'm not sure if that didn't make it worse, though.

"What a two-faced teacher," I scoffed. 

The woman huffed. "You should be grateful. Because I'm two-faced, and because you're an outcast, we can talk freely like this. It's your life's fortune to be able to speak so comfortably with a great beauty like me." She stated rather arrogantly.

"A great beauty, yet you're still single in your thirties."

"I'm 28." She glared. 

I offered a shrug. "Close enough."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're talking quite boldly, kid. You're single too," She reminded with glee. "In fact, have you ever had a girlfriend, hmm? I bet not. Just a little virgin boy still sucking from his mother's teat." 

I burst out laughing. It wasn't funny at all, the truth of the matter, but somehow...it was in this situation.

"Hm? What?" Ryoko's cheek twitched. "Why are you laughing? Get embarrassed, damn it!" She waved a fist.

And that made me laugh even harder. Of course, that irritated her. 

"This brat...daring to laugh at me..." She ground her teeth. "Fine, it's detention for you! Grab a stack and sit down!" The woman's cheeks were dyed in the most beautiful of red. For anger, but it was lovely nonetheless. 

"And hurry up with it! I'm meeting friends tonight, so let's get this done already."

I was in shock as I picked up some papers and an answer sheet. "You have friends?"

"Shut up." She handed me a red pen. "Even I've been known to have a friend or two." Her tone was a touch defensive. "If you can, how can I be unable?" She muttered under her breath.

"...Because you're short-tempered, stubborn, vindictive, and petty?" That earned me an eraser to the forehead. 

"I'm taking ten points off your next exam."

I opened my mouth to protest. 

"Shall we make it twenty?"

See? Petty.