Blonde, slow, and a little dumb. That’s how Mina would have described Momo Hirai. The girl was the definition of popular, basically running the school with her clique of friends. She’s never had direct contact with the girl, if anything just passing observations.

If not surrounded by her friends, Momo would always be spotted with the school’s queen bee, Sana Minatozaki. They were joined to the hip those two. Mina wouldn’t say she was the most observant person, but she was certain that Sana held her friends always within an arm’s reach as if they were her dearest possessions.

Rumours had it that Sana was the reason for the disappearance of a girl from a year above them. No one knows what happened to the girl, just that she had snuck into their classroom and stole something of Momo’s. Out of spite, jealousy, or just a fangirl of the blonde, Mina had yet to clarify. It was rumours, but rumours spread like wild fire as if it were a cold, hard fact.

Besides, the damage had been done and no one dared to face up to Sana Minatozaki. Worse, Mina swore people avoided Momo like she was the plague.

But that’s what Mina thinks, and Mina was no Sherlock Holmes.

Now, on the other spectrum of their school’s hierarchy is where she’d be.

Head down and indoors, that was how Mina lived her school life thus far. To say she was quiet was an understatement. If it weren’t for teachers picking on her as a last resort, or out of sheer desperation because she was their best shot of getting a correct answer out of a room full of teenage girls who seem to have better things to do, everyone would have continued their assumption that she was mute. Hell, even her roommate barely heard a whisper out of her.

Mina was content with being a loner. She found her own company more than enough. Plus, people watching was satisfying for her. She could live people’s experiences without having to deal with the trouble of teenage drama.

Mina Myoui was happy with being the school’s outcast.

So, when any little disruption in that small bubble of her self-isolation occurred, Mina was quick to notice. She felt paranoid, like there was people staring at her. She wasn't one to warrant staring. She lived under the radar.

It was during gym class when her paranoia was proven correct. As sad as it sounds, Mina would usually have to pair up with her teacher, having no friends to partner up with. Oh, how she wished for those normal, albeit awkward, days back.

Mina got up from the gym’s polished floor, ready to head to her teacher to pair up. Before she could cross the room, she felt fingernails ghost over her waist, fingers moving to clutch at her gym polo shirt. The action rendered her frozen, also the grip on her shirt keeping her in place, leaving her mind in a flurry of questions.

Who stopped her?

Why did they stop her?

Her body fell back a bit from the tug on her shirt, causing her to step backwards to keep balance, her back falling into someone’s front. The hand gripping her shirt releases the material, sliding under her right arm to encircle her waist.

Mina couldn’t stop her breath from hitching at the movement. The action was so intimate, touch very intrusive.

A head appears in her peripheral vision, coming to rest on her left shoulder.

Momo Hirai.

Surprisingly, her initial reaction wasn’t surprise but fear. Eyes leaving Momo’s very endearing, and dreamlike, smile, Mina frantically scans the gym trying to find Sana. She wouldn’t be happy with Momo’s interaction with her. Not one bit, Mina could swear on it.

And she was right. Standing a good distance in front of them was a very upset looking Sana. Mina gulps at the furrowed brows that push down to create a glare directed straight at her. It was time to pack her bags and flee from this school, Mina thought to herself, before Sana could conjure up a plan to rid her from Momo. It was that or Mina could help Sana and plan her funeral, because if looks could kill, Mina was certain Sana would already be stepping over her dead body to reclaim her possession.

When she feels a palm push lightly into her stomach was when she broke eye contact from the girl who could easily turn her world upside down. Fingers spread over the thin material of her gym polo, a tingle sparking up her spine when fingertips around her stomach, through her shirt, curling in between the , scraping against her. The very public display of affection, if she could call it that when she’s receiving such affection from a stranger, leaves her feeling uncomfortable.

Mina moves her right hand up to grab at the assaulting hand’s wrist, tugging at it to pull the hand away from her. She finally lets out a sigh of relief when the touches stop and the tingles cease.

“U-Um,” Mina closes her eyes for a second, feeling a blush run up her neck from her stutter.

Before she could recover from the embarrassment, the wrist she still has in her now light grip wriggles in her hold. Turning in her grasp, she feels Momo’s palm slide into her own before fingers move to slip in-between hers.

“You feel a little warm,” a warm breath brushes against her ear. Mina jumps from the feeling, the hairs on the back of neck standing up from the small chuckle that sweeps across her skin. “You okay there, partner?”

When in hell did she become Momo’s gym partner?

Mina’s eyes move from Momo’s easy grin to the girl abruptly turning away from them, stomping towards their gym teacher.

Great, Mina thought. Sana Minatozaki is going to kill her.

When and how did everything go so wrong in her life?