Your mind races as you try to hurriedly weigh the pros and cons of going with Akane. Pros. Get to hank out with athletic girls, eat food, have a good time. Okay. On the con side though, there's the worry that mom might get... weird. Well, weirder. Or that Erika might be upset again (though why she'd be upset you have no idea) and that wouldn't be good either. You exhale sharply and Akane looks at you expectantly.
"...Hanako? Earth to Hanako...?" You blink and look up. Oh. Were you really taking that long? You try to smile and glance around the two of you for a moment.
"Oh! Sorry. Got lost in my own head for a minute. Um..." You probably can't go. Or at least, maybe you shouldn't go. But can Akane be trusted to know why you're hesitant? The real reason? You study here a moment longer and something in the back of your mind says 'yes.' You take a breath, double check that no one might be listening in on the pair of you, then shakes your head.
"...I can't go, I'm so sorry Akane." You bow a little, trying not to feel too embarrassed. "It's really kind of complicated, but I'll do my best. Um..." How do you say this? Just blurt it out? Try and lead into it? Come at it obliquely? Your head starts to swim a little and you give a shake, ears flattening. No! Keep it together, Hanako. Akane looks a little confused and a little hurt.
"You can't? Why?" She frowns and crosses her arms, though she's doing her best not to come off too put out.
"It's... okay, this is going to like. Sound weird, but... Um.." You can do it Hanako. You can do it. Your heart is pounding quickly and you really, really hope that you aren't making the biggest mistake of your life telling Akane this, but...
"...I have a girlfriend," you mutter, trying to keep the sound from carrying too far beyond yourself and Akane's keen ears. She blinks, flicks an ear. She doesn't seem put out, just.. confused? Maybe? You're having a hard time telling. Her weight shifts and she leans back on one heel.
"Wait, really? You do?" Akane seems... surprised. "...You didn't strike me as the type, Hanako." She's actually smiling a little now.
"Huh? What's that mean?!" You feel your cheeks burning a little. Of all the reactions you were expecting (or dreading) this one wasn't particularly high on the list.
"...You're not that boyish. I mean, I have shorter hair than you." She runs a hand through her still sweaty hair. Akane's right, though. She has a short haircut, almost as short as a boy. But it's still feminine in a cute way, you think. You're not sure you could pull it off and she's still sweaty, geeze-- You're getting off track.
"I--Are you supposed to be boyish? If you like girls?" The thought is a bit surprising. You'd never thought about it like that before.
"Um. I guess not. Sorry." Akane laughs and rubs the back of her neck. "...So I'm guessing you think she'd be jealous if you went to dinner with the volleyball captain." You blink. She is... remarkably astute on that point. You give a little nod and look down at your feet.
"Ah. Yeah." Akane smiles and looks away from you. Are her cheeks pink? Nah. Must be left over from the game.
"I totally get that. I'd probably feel the same way," Akane laughs, then hurriedly adds: "...I mean. Not that I'm into girls that way." That's what I thought, too is what you want to say, but instead you just smile awkwardly. There's a long, pregnant silence for a moment and then she stares at you, her eyes getting wider.
"OH MY GOD!" She covers her mouth with both hands as a sudden realization hits her. "I asked you to come to a game in front of your girlfriend! No wonder--Oh my GOD! I'm such an idiot, I'm sorry Hanako!" You wince and your ears flatten as you glance to the side, grateful that the noise of the post-game chatter means no one can really eavesdrop on the conversation. More importantly, uh. How did she know who your girlfriend was?! DID YOU GIVE IT AWAY? Oh God you're the worst girlfriend ever, you outed her without her permission. You want to sink into the earth and be swallowed up right now. Oh God. Oh. God. Your face burns bright red and you stare at your feet.
"...I can't. Say if you're right or not," you mumble, knowing that just saying that is enough to tip her off and hating it. "...We're not really out--I mean open--about it or anything. So. I don't... I don't wanna like. Give her away without her permission." Akane gets a little red in the face now, then she reaches out and grabs you by the arm to tug you out through the doors of the gym and past the milling players and spectators in a hurried motion, putting the two of you in a quiet space. She looks horribly embarrassed now.
"I am so sorry. I didn't know that asking about that could--I just keep putting my foot in my mouth today, huh?" Akane groans and slaps a hand to her forehead before she bows to you, deeply.
"Please forgive me! And I promise I won't tell anyone without asking!" You bite your lip. The image of her bowing like that is almost comical, like something out of a period drama or something so you can't help but giggle.
"It's okay! I forgive you! I'm just glad you understand." Akane straightens and lets out a sigh, hands on her hips.
"Okay, good. Cool. We're still friends though, right? Maybe explain to her that I'm just being friendly and that's it?" She laughs a little, though the sound is still nervous, then she hurriedly adds. "Can I ask you a question?"
"I'll try," you say, then nod. "Uh, yeah. Of course? What's up?"
"How did you know you like... Uh. Liked. Girls?" Akane isn't looking you in the face now, her arms crossed tight across her chest. "Just curious."
"I..." You blink. No one has asked you that question before. How did you know?
"I don't know? Like, I just kinda did even if I didn't like, know it? I mean, how do you know you like boys?" Akane looks thoughtful.
"...Good point. Thanks, Hanako." She grins, seeming a little more at ease now for some reason. "I won't keep you from your sweetheart, then~." Ugh she's teasing you now.
"See you at school?" she adds.
"Definitely. See you Monday. The game was awesome. Hopefully I can come again another time. You guys are great!"
"Ha! Thanks! We give it our all, you know? Take care, Hanako!"
"See ya!" You wave and she heads back inside to organize the team while you turn to head off towards the station. Your step feels lighter, happier now. That's cleared up. Hopefully Erika is feeling better by Monday and things can just. Get back to normal.
Home feels half a refuge and half a minefield. Mom is being weirdly chipper lately which you're not sure you like, but you can always retreat to your room with the excuse of homework and keep out of the way that way. When Monday comes, Erika is still a little brittle until you pull her aside at lunch to explain the misunderstanding. She takes it... pretty well. You decide it's best to stick to the basics and let her know that Akane is only a friend and that you're pretty sure she's straight (straight from the horse's mouth so to speak). That seems to calm her down and things slowly return to normal after a day or two more of touchiness, which is a relief because you have so much else to focus on as June turns into July and the festival approaches with shocking speed.
*******
Before you know it, it's the last weekend before the summer holiday--the culture festival weekend. The club is running around like crazy getting the haunted house together--thankfully setting up the room is old hat to you by now, but there are so many little things that need to be tweaked or changed or adjusted to make sure it works out right. Sound effects, lights, fog... It's all so much. As the organizer, you're running around trying to get everything done before the haunted house is supposed to open and of all things you left your costume in another classroom this morning while you were working on *other* stuff, so you have to leave the others and head off to pick up the spooky, ethereal robes that you spent painstaking hours sewing gauzy wisps to in order to make you seem indistinct and spooky.
As you head back down the corridor, you suddenly hear familiar voices just around the corner and you freeze. It's Akane and Erika--what the hell? WHAT THE HELL? WHY IS AKANE TALKING TO ERIKA?
"Hey, can we talk for a minute? I need to talk to you about Hanako." Akane, sounding confident as ever.
Oh. Hell.
[ ] Stay where you are and eavesdrop. This might be serious and you want to be able to be prepared in case things go badly. Erika is still a little shaky. Or it kinda seems like it to you.
[ ] Get back to the classroom and forget this nonsense. You don't have time for drama in your life today and you have a haunted house to finish organizing. You can trust them to be mature, right?
