Hebe was used to special treatment. She knew she wasn't strong; her body was weak, no matter what anyone said to deny this and make her feel better. She was so used to it that she didn't even turn her head when someone offered to help her--do something for her even though she was supposed to do it herself. In fact, she was so used to it that she expected people to do things for her.

"Hebe, let me get that for you," Aaron offered generously, smiling sparkling like gold. Hebe dropped her stack of papers into his hands, faintly smiling. Without a word of thanks, she continued off silently to the classroom.

"Oh, Hebe, do you need help with your homework? Give it here." From Hebe's hands, Selina grabbed the textbook and pulled out a pen from her case. Without protesting, Hebe watched as Selina filled out every single question without hesitation. She chatted while she worked. "Oh right, did you hear? There's a new guy in our class. He's supposed to be absolutely gorgeous." She lowered her voice, in case Jiro heard her.

Hebe shrugged, and sat back as the teacher began the lesson. A knock came from the door, and a boy stepped in, his expression neutral. Hebe could feel her classmate Rainie--she was the one who bought lunch for her--stiffen beside her, straightening her back and raking a hand through her dark hair. Hebe, personally, couldn't see why this new kid was so gorgeous. He had hair and eyes, a nose and a mouth, like everyone else. They were just more sculpted, weren't they?

"My name's Chun," he said curtly, and went to sit down beside Rainie. She murmured hi shyly, and smiled. Chun ignored her, and paid attention to what the teacher was saying, instead. Hebe wondered how other people could pay attention--but then, if they didn't, then who would help her with her schoolwork? She figured it was fair trade, and buried her head in her arms, drifting off to sleep.

--

Chun watched. He saw lots of things, and he didn't quite like having to explain these things to other people. When they asked him about something, he wondered why they didn't get it the first time it was explained. He watched, as per usual, as people busied themselves around the classroom, doing things. He saw the one girl who slept through the whole lesson without a care. The lunch bell rang, and suddenly, everyone was crowding around the sleeping girl, helping her out of her chair and taking her books.

He was frustrated. Why were they all helping her so closely? She could carry her own books and push in her own chair, couldn't she? Deciding it wasn't any of his business, Chun sat down at a table and ate his noodle cup in peace, until a flock of girls came around to say hello to him. He sighed and said hello back, staring at them as they giggled ecstatically and squealed. He was almost afraid they'd take the available seats by him, but instead, the girl from before sat there without a lunch, looking as if she were waiting.

"Hey," he said, waiting to see her excited reaction. She looked at him and said hello back politely, and then went back to waiting. She drummed her short--with the exception of one extra-long pinkie nail--fingernails on the table surface. Then another girl came by, sitting beside this girl and handing her a brown lunchbag. The girl didn't say anything, just nodded and smiled, and opened the bag to grab the food.

Chun was astounded--and slightly disgusted. The girl who'd gotten the lunch wasn't even surprised that she didn't get a word of thanks, and she'd probably bought the lunch with her own money. This sleeping girl had some deranged power, he decided, and he would investigate into it.

--

"Hebe," Chun called. He'd learned her name by way of the many people that worshipped--in his own words--her. She turned around and waited for him to catch up with her, eyebrows raised in question.

"Do you need something?" She asked. He walked with her, and from where he stood, it almost seemed like she was waiting for him to take the binders she carried. He didn't. Hebe cocked her head to the side, and held the binders out ever more so slightly. He kept walking, ignoring the embarrassing actions that she'd executed. Was she expecting him to be her servant? Regardless and undaunted, Hebe continued to walk, slowly now, and he knew--knew knew knew--she was trying to find someone to take her books.

"Carry them by yourself," he said, irritated at her laziness.

"What," Hebe answered, but nonetheless, she continued on, hugging the binders close to her chest. When they got to the classroom, finding nobody in there because it was too early for class to start, Hebe dropped her books down. "I don't understand."

"What's there not to understand?" Chun asked. This was what was so annoying about people not understanding. They always depended on someone else to give them all the answers.

"You refused." She said this as a statement, not as a question of why or why not, even though that was what she was getting across.

"They're your own binders, you carry them by yourself like everyone else does."

"Everyone else does, but not me," Hebe replied haughtily. "They carry my things for me, because they don't think I can do it myself."

"Can you?" Chun was now intrigued by this girl who didn't do things by herself, depending on others to do things for her.

"I don't know."

--

Hebe tossed in her bed. She didn't get it. What was Chun talking about? She ran her hand through her hair, flicking on her fully-recharged iPod lazily and slipping the bud into her ear, and then putting the iPod into her pillowcase. She didn't need to understand. Someone else would always be there to catch her; no questions necessary.

She fell asleep after her iPod battery wore out.

--

"I don't get it," Hebe stood in front of Chun, her hands planted on her hips. He put his book down and looked up at her with an annoyed expression.

"Again, there's nothing not to get. If you have something to do, you should do it yourself, and if someone else does it for you, you say thank you, at least." At this, Hebe furrowed her eyebrows. She obviously didn't understand, but somehow, Chun found it kind of cute the way she looked so lost.

"So, I'm supposed to do this all by myself, when there are this" --Hebe waved an arm around the room, filled with people talking freely-- "many people who will happily do it for me, even with no obligations."

"W--well--th--that..." For once in his life, Chun was at a loss for words. How could he counter the fact that with a single wave of her arm, Hebe could get anyone to do anything she wanted? The answer was that he simply couldn't. There was no counter for this. They'd spoiled her because she was Hebe. He'd learned by now, from their phys ed periods, that Hebe could barely handle running for ten minutes without passing out, that she was simply terrible at sports, and that anything physical was basically impossible for her. There was no counter, he repeated in his head.

"You can learn to do things by yourself."

"You're going to teach me, then?" Hebe smiled deviously, and this made Chun's heart pump a little faster. He'd never seen her really smile.

"Yes, I am. I guess I'm your new teacher, then."

--

"Hebe, do you need help with getting your stuff?" Already, Aaron began reaching for Hebe's binders and cases. Before he could take them, Hebe pulled away gently.

"Nah. Thanks anyways, Aaron."

"Sure." Aaron nodded and walked away.

Chun came around. "You finally got it, huh?"

"Thanks to my wonderful teacher." Hebe beamed to him, and smiled even wider when he smiled back, slightly embarrassed, his cheeks pink.

"Well," he coughed, "Your teacher must be a pretty great person."

"He is, he is. You want to know something?" Hebe pulled Chun's collar closer to her, taking time to whisper in his ear. "I think I'm in love with this teacher of mine."

And before Hebe's teacher could react, she planted a quick kiss on his nose and skipped off.

Chun stared after her; bewildered, which would have been unlike him until he met Hebe, and there were still days that he wondered how Hebe had managed to transform from the girl who had to snap her fingers to get anything she wanted--to this girl, who finally understood.

--
eh heh heh. twice in a day, lucky.
i wasn't feeling too great about my past stories; they lack character, so i tried putting more of it into this one. ii don't think it worked too well, but i'm getting somewhere, hey? ;D

march 20, 09.
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