Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter 23

The First Forty Minutes

Ai's POV

Ran seemed to have zoned off as she passed the street leading to the elementary school. Probably talking to Kudo-kun in her head. How lucky of her.

I headed down the street by myself, thinking about ditching on my first day. Who even said I had to go to school? I already knew everything they would teach me. Kanji, English, Math, Science…. Science would be the easiest. I worked with it my entire life, I'd like to see a teacher who knew more than me in that subject.

I walked silently into the school, ignoring the pointless chit chat around me. Several groups of kids passed me, smiling and laughing with each other. Were they all friends with each other? I'd never had a true friend unless my sister counted. But even then, there was nothing to laugh or smile about.

Ran had told me to go to the office to find the teacher, Kobayashi-sensei. She would then take me to the classroom and introduce to all of my new classmates. Like I couldn't find the way to the room myself. Within a few minutes, I was standing in front of the door. I opened it, and looked in to see about twenty first graders talking to each other before the teacher came. All happy and smiling. All innocent and carefree. I shut the door so I didn't have to see anymore. I was skipping school today.

As soon as I started walking back down the hallway towards the exit, I ran into who must have been the teacher, Kobayashi-sensei, because she asked if I was the new student Haibara Ai. When I nodded, she led me to the classroom, even though I clearly showed that I didn't want to. I was forced to stand in front of the class, while she introduced me.

"Hello class, this is the new student, Haibara Ai. She'll be studying with everybody starting today. Say hello everybody!" The teacher said cheerfully.

"Hello!" Everyone said, smiling.

"Hello," I replied quietly. "I hope to get to know you all very well." I made sure there was no sincerity in my voice. I walked down the aisle and planted myself in the first empty seat. Big mistake. The girl sitting there instantly launched into a conversation with me, and it would be very rude if I got up and left.

"Hello, Ai-chan," she greeted me. "I can call you Ai-chan, right?"

"It doesn't really matter what you call me." I looked straight forward, trying to ignore her.

"I'm Yoshida Ayumi, but you can just call me Ayumi!" She was still trying her best to make conversation with me. "Where are you from, Ai-chan?"

"From a different part of Tokyo." Would this girl just shut up? Was it that hard to tell I didn't want to talk?

"Which part?" she asked.

"Akiruno." It was the first part of Tokyo I could think of off the top of my head.

"Ayumi's been there before!" Looks she also had a habit of talking in third person. "It's really fun."

"Mm-hm." The teacher had started talking about basic math and how to add numbers.

"Do you have any siblings? Pets?" Siblings… I did have a sister. But that was none of this girl's beeswax.

"Nope, not one." I started taking notes, showing her that I really did not want to talk to her.

"Neither does Ayumi. Ayumi has goldfish, but they don't really count as pets. Why'd you move here?" she continued.

"I don't know. I didn't ask my parents." Like I had any parents. They'd been killed in that car accident years ago, and I hadn't even shed a tear for them.

"Yoshida-san," Kobayashi-sensei called, saving me from another pointless question. "Can you answer this problem for me?" She pointed to the addition problem on the board.

"Ayumi knows! The answer is three!"

"That's right, Yoshida-san. The answer is three." She moved on to the next kid, leaving me once again vulnerable to the girl sitting next to me.

"So Ai-chan, where do you live? Is it nice?"

"Nice enough." I added this girl on my extremely long list on why I should commit suicide the moment I had the chance. It continued like this for the next forty minutes. Then, I couldn't stand it anymore. Why was she so annoying? So open? So friendly?

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I shouted, standing up. The entire class turned in my direction. "I can't stand you anymore! All you've been doing is asking me pointless annoying questions this entire stinking time! And I am sick of it! Sick of it I tell you!" My anger had reached its maximum point. The insults started flowing out ceaselessly, and it wasn't until the teacher pulled me out of the room when I stopped.

"Haibara-san!" She scolded harshly. "What could Yoshida-san possibly have done in one hour to make you react like that? Answer me!"

"She kept on asking me questions, and it was so annoying. I just wanted her to shut up! I couldn't stand it!" I answered honestly, still screaming.

"I'm going to have to tell your guardians. You're going to the principal." She escorted me to the office, where everybody looked at me curiously. The curiosity quickly turned into hostility as Kobayashi-sensei explained the situation. I sat silently on a chair until Ran came in about ten minutes later.

"What did you do, Ai-chan?" she questioned me.

"She had a tantrum during class," answered Kobayashi-sensei. "She was screaming and shouting insults." A tantrum. It made me sound like I was three years old. I was twenty.

"I'll take her home to calm her down." Ran grabbed my hand. "It won't happen again. Right, Ai-chan?"

"Hmph," I snorted. Why would I even have to come again. She squeezed my hand so hard it hurt. "Ow…"

"I'm sorry, sensei." She dragged me out of the office and out the front door. "Your first day didn't go so well it seems, Ai-chan."

"Just the opposite. That girl wouldn't shut up. She kept on asking me about my family, where I came from, what I liked, it was just so annoying. I can't stand people like that," I fumed.

"You sound like a three year old, Ai-chan." A three year old? "You should be trying to act maturely at least. Not throwing temper tantrums, or having anger issues. I know you've been having a really hard time, but you don't have to act like that."

I realized how stupid I'd acted, but I refused to admit it. "Fine, I'll apologize when I go back to school tomorrow. Is that good enough for you?"

"Well, it's a start. I'm going to drop you off here. I still have to go back to class. See you later, Ai-chan." She ran off towards the high school, leaving me alone on the empty street.

What a great first day of school.

*So, what do you think? I might take a little longer for the next chapter, because I have to finish the Magic Kaito series so I can actually write accurately from Kaito's POV. Wish me luck! Please review and continue reading!*