To save any confusion, there's been a time jump! The previous chapter took place in early September, and it's now late October 
I would also like to introduce you to the inside of Akari's judgemental mind ;)
Chapter 4 - The Girl in the Mirror
Akari
The girl in the mirror had splotched cheeks, red, puffy eyes and glistening tracks mapping her face like contour lines.
Sighing, Akari swiped her blazer sleeve across the worst of the mess and unscrewed the cap of her foundation. Nothing a spot of makeup couldnât fix.
It had worked out quite conveniently, all things considered; slotted in perfectly at the start of her daily morning routine. Step One: have a wonderful, cathartic cry in the schoolâs grottiest toilet cubicle. Step Two: apply makeup in the mirror of the schoolâs grottiest toilets. Step Three: look awesome throughout the day. The grottiness of the toilet was a key factor. It ensured almost certain privacy, both for the crying and the makeup.
She rubbed in the foundation with her fingers, not having had the foresight to bring a makeup sponge with her. Akari wasnât a regular foundation-wearer. Mainly because she didnât like the feel of it on her face. Her complexion certainly wasnât flawless, but she had grown used to it that way. There was a reassuring familiarity in seeing the dark circles and acne. In a way, they felt like battle scars. Yes, her stress levels fluctuated; yes, she had to endure her period every month; yes, she was sleep deprived every now and then; and yes, all of the above wreaked havoc on her skin. The girl in the mirror dealt with all that and was not ashamed to show it.
But tears... Tears would invite too many unwanted questions. That was where Akari drew the line.
Foundation applied (as evenly as her fingers would allow), she painted dimensions back onto her face, combed through her brows and, with a small, fluffy brush, applied her favourite eyeshadow. She had already hit bottom on the circular pan, and had to scrape the remnants of pigment around the edges. The opalescent dust dispersed into the air as she tap-tap-tapped her brush against the pallet. The particles shimmered and floated about, colliding amongst themselves before scattering wildly, yet there was a surreal beauty to it. Like a carefully executed dance.
Akari supposed that she was doing the school a favour by flouting their uniform rules daily, bringing a little added glamour to the girlsâ toilets in the form of shimmering unicorn farts.
Her eyelids suitably sparkly, she brought her face as close to the grimy mirror as she dared and, mustering her focus, dragged the tip of the eyeliner across her lash line. It was disastrous. The aftermath of crying had left her hand shaking like a leaf. Her two eyes looked so disparate that she would end up looking like an Asian Cleopatra by the time she managed to even them out.
She plucked a half-parched makeup wipe from her schoolbag, rehydrated it under the tap, and scrubbed her eyelids raw. The remainder of her face looked clear, but bare. Akari didnât trouble herself with reattempting the eye makeup. Mascara alone did not make much of a difference, her lashes being naturally stubby and dark. So she finished off the makeup with some tinted lip balm and let her hair hang loose. If her fine motor skills werenât up to the task of applying eyeliner, she didnât trust herself to pin up lasting space buns either.
It seemed as though a natural, âI-woke-up-like-thisâ look would have to suffice. Ironically, it was anything but natural. It was more of a facade than Akariâs usual routine of piling on so much glittery eyeshadow that she left teachers with light spots in their vision. It didnât feel like her. But, at least sheâd achieved her main goal of covering up the evidence of this morningâs sob-session.
She stuffed her makeup bag at the bottom of her backpack and glanced at her phone. Fifteen minutes before registration. Plenty of time to arrive in the canteen for breakfast appearing as though sheâd got ready at home like a normal person.
Akari was pleasantly surprised when she saw Kai there, sat behind a bowl of porridge. She grabbed a hot bacon roll, banana and coffee, and slipped into the seat beside him. âI thought you hated English breakfasts?â
âWhen did I ever say that?â Kai replied innocently. He scooped up a spoonful of the porridge, thick and congealed from sitting out in the cold, and shovelled it into his mouth. Akari laughed at his barely masked disgust as he chewed and swallowed.
âYou know, it tastes better if you add something to it,â she said. âLike sugar, or fruit. Here, you can have some of my banana if you want?â
Kai shook his head. âItâs okay. I didnât come here for the breakfast.â
âSo, why did you come here?â
He shrugged one shoulder, and ate another spoonful. Clearly it was a question he didnât want to answer, otherwise the unflavoured porridge wouldnât have been the lesser of the two evils. Akari didnât push him. Sheâd known Kai for almost two months now and, though he had become significantly more talkative around her, he still had a habit of reverting back into total silence when he needed a break. For him, speaking was not an effortless activity; there was still an anxiety that he needed to overcome every time he opened his mouth. Akari had grown accustomed to the long silences in their conversations, even if it meant that many of her questions about him remained enigmas.
She had drunk half of her coffee, scalding her tongue in the process, by the time Kai spoke again. âYou look different today. Your hair. Eyes.â
âYeah. Thought Iâd try something new. A more low-key makeup look.â It was close enough to the truth.
âItâs nice. Less, um... Sailor Moon.â
âWhy, thank you.â
There was another bout of silence, during which Kai suddenly became fascinated by the breakfast queue.
âCan I ask you a question?â he said, out of the blue.
âHit me,â she replied easily.
âHuh?â Kai looked shocked. Akari had no idea why, until he explained, âI donât want to hit you.â
âOhh.â She laughed, silently berating herself for her carelessness. Kai took most things literally, not being familiar with the many idioms that native speakers tossed around without a secondâs thought. âI meant, yes. As in, hit me with your question.â
âAh,â he said, in understanding. âMy question isâsee that boy, there?â He pointed to the till, where a student was paying for his breakfast. Akari recognised him as one of the Year Tens, though she didnât know him by name.
âYeah, I see him.â
âDo you find him... Good-looking?â
âUm, heâs alright, I suppose.â The boy was kind of cute in a scruffy way, with a brown complexion, dark curls sticking in all directions and half his shirt untucked. The skinny end of his forest green tie was about two inches longer than the front, as though he had tied it wrong but figured it was still passable. She paused her analysis, taking no satisfaction from it. It always felt diminishing to judge someoneâs appearance before knowing them. âWhy are you asking me this?â
Kai waved the boy over, who waved back and began heading to their table.
âWaitââ Akari said. âYou know him? Youâre not trying to set me up, are you?â She hoped to God that he wasnât. Akari had zero interest in that sort of thing. Especially not with a boy in the year belowâthat would just be weird.
The Year Ten sat down opposite them, carrying several triangles of napkin-wrapped, buttered toast. âMorning,â he said. He sounded kind of bleary from morning-induced grogginess, which probably explained the uneven tie.
âAkari, this is Jerry,â Kai introduced. âJerry, Akari.â
âHi. You can call me Curry, if you want,â Akari said
âHey, Curry. You have a brilliant name,â Jerry said to her, around a mouthful of toast. She had no idea if that was supposed to be flirting, sarcasm, or a genuine compliment, but she was already being put off by his handling of the toast. He was eating it like a sandwich. Efficient, maybe, but no. Just, no. The schoolâs toast was the one, genuinely good mealâhot and buttery and satisfying. It deserved to be eaten properly, slice by slice.
Well, what could she say? Akari stood by her principles not to judge people by appearances, instead, choosing to judge them by their toast-eating habits.
âHow do you guys know each other?â she asked, deciding to play along anyway.
âWe sit next to each other in maths,â Jerry explained.
âJerryâs really good,â Kai added. âHe got moved up a year.â
âNot as good as Kai, thoughâhey, itâs true!â Jerry said, in response to Kaiâs head-shake. âI make silly mistakes all the time! You get everything right.â He turned to Akari. âHeâs so accurate. Itâs actually scary.â
Akari laughed. Sheâd had no idea that Kai was a good mathematician, but it didnât surprise her; he had impressive attention to detail. The makeup and hair, for instance. She wasnât used to guys noticing things like thatâAkari could go and get twelve inches of her hair chopped off, and her father wouldnât bat an eyelidâbut today, Kai seemed to have pointed out the changes in her appearance easily.
âJerry, um.â Kai hesitated, nervously. âDo you want to do the Year Eleven team maths challenge with me?â The nerves could easily have been from stringing together a sentence longer than a few words. But Akariâs instinct told her that this was something else. There was no tenseness in his shoulders, just anxious, hopeful fidgeting while he awaited a response.
âSure,â Jerry replied, and Kaiâs resultant smile was so bright, it could rival Akariâs eyeshadow pigments. âSounds fun. Do you have a team?â
Kai shook his head. âWe need two more people.â
Both boys turned to Akari.
âNo way,â she said. âYou guys are nerds. Anyway, Iâm in set two. Doesnât your teacher want people in top set? You know, to actually stand a chance of winning?â
The maths challenge was where a team representing Mordley High competed against teams from other schools to see who could answer the most maths problems correctly. Beyond that, Akari didnât know the details; she had never been exceptional enough to be considered for it. And that was how she wanted it to stay, at the discontent of her father. There was less pressure in mediocrity.
âMost people in top set canât be arsed at this point,â Jerry said simply. âAnd second set is still really good.â
âPlease, Akari?â Kai asked. And, God, how could she say no to those stupid puppy-dog eyes?
âFine. Iâm not doing extra practice, though. And you still need a fourth member.â
âWhat about Prati?â Jerry suggested. âSheâs in set one. I could ask her?â
Akari chewed on her lip, no doubt erasing any remnants of tinted lip balm that had withstood the coffee. âShe probably wonât want to. I donât know what Iâve done, but sheâsâ sheâs not really talking to me right now.â Despite being in different form groups, she and Prati had become friends in Year Ten, having chosen the same subjects. Now, in Year Eleven, for some inexplicable reason, that had all changed.
âThatâs odd,â Jerry said, eyebrows furrowed. âI know Prati. She doesnât usually hold grudges unless itâs for a reason.â
âIâm sure weâll find someone,â Kai said optimistically, though his face dropped a little when he added, âDo you need to go, Jerry?â
Jerry had finished his barbaric toast sandwiches, and was sweeping the crumbs onto the floor. âYeah, Iâm gonna head to my form room. It was nice meeting you, Curry.â He swung his rucksack over his shoulder and gave Kai a cheeky grin. âAnd I will see you in maths. Trigonometric equations today, yeah baby.â
Akari didnât think it was possible to make a sarcastic-yet-lowkey-serious maths joke while finger gunning without it being tragically awkward but, somehow, Jerry managed to pull it off.
Kaiâs puppy-dog eyes trailed Jerry through the canteen door until his figure was a tiny, distant speck. Akari had to repeat his name three times before he snapped out of it.
âOh my God. How did I not see this earlier?â she said. Kaiâs face was practically a spitting image of the heart-eyes emoji. âYou like him, donât you?â
âHeâs easy to like,â Kai replied nonchalantly. âVery friendly.â
Akari rolled her eyes. âDonât play dumb, Kai. I know you understand exactly what I mean.â
He had the gall to continue acting clueless for another few seconds, while Akari stared him down in expectation. She knew him well enough by now not to underestimate his intelligence.
âOkay,â Kai relented, at last. âYouâre right.â He gave her his best unimpressed face. âStop looking so pleased with yourself.â
Akari laughed gleefully. âAnd here I was thinking you were trying to set me up. Did you seriously come to school early and eat the disgusting porridge just so you could see him this morning?â
Kaiâs reddening complexion was answer enough.
She smushed the heels of her palms into her cheeks. âI canâtâThatâs too adorable.â It really was. It nourished her with a sincere joy that pushed away almost all the lingering feelings from that morningâs emotional breakdown. The thought of her little (same age as her) Kai, potentially finding true love... God, she was sappy.
âWas it that easy to guess?â Kai asked, the blush on his cheeks still lingering.
âYeah. You have no tact, Kai.â
Kai scowled, though there was no malice in it. âNeither would you if you had to talk in your second language!â
Admittedly, he was right. If Akari had to flirt with someone in Vietnamese, she wouldnât have the faintest clue of what to say. In fact, she wouldnât know what to say in English either.
âAre you going to tell him?â she asked.
Kaiâs eyes dropped and he stirred his porridge, which had basically become a fidget toy at this point. âI donât know. Probably not.â
âWhy not?â she cried. Jerry had seemed to get along well with Kai. And Kai had looked absolutely smitten. âI think you two could be great together.â
âYou met him for five minutes,â Kai retorted. âWhat ifâwhat if he only likes girls? What if heâs dating already? Itâs too...â He faltered, searching his brain for the word he wanted.
âRisky?â Akari offered.
âYes. Exactly.â
Risk factor could usually be lowered if you understood whatâor whoâyou were working with. âI think I can find the answers to your questions,â Akari said, with a crafty smile. âDo you know his full name?â
âJeremiah Adams,â Kai answered straightaway, as though the name had its very own display cabinet in his brain.
âRight,â she said. âMeet me in the computer suite at break time. Weâve got some stalking to do.â
Notes~
Kai's crush is official!! 
Well done to everybody who called it!
At this point in the story, Kai's still learning English so his pronunciation and grammar aren't going to be perfect. Initially, I tried writing the dialogue "grammatically incorrect" to show this but it ended up just reading weirdly and coming across super patronising to his character (big yikes). So, I've decided to write all of his dialogue to be correct, and hopefully you guys can just imagine the accent / mistakes in your head
Also, any thoughts on Akari's POV?? She was so much fun to write 
I put a lot of myself into her character, compared to any other character in this story, so she's pretty special to me <3 In some ways, we're the same, but in other ways, we're polar opposites 
(I, for one, have no makeup skills whatsoever lol.)
Edited by midget7, 11 April 2021 - 05:54 AM.
I honestly cannot remember what I was learning in maths at their age xD
