Hagita's POV:
Yawning, I sat up on my tatami mat and stretched, making my back and shoulders crack. The alarm clock read 6:15 AM, giving me about an hour until I had to walk to school. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I grabbed my glasses and put them on, pushing them up when they slid back down my nose. I stood up and went into the wash room. I wrinkled my nose when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a wild mess and my eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. My skin was pale and I was so thin it stretched across my bones.

I huffed and grabbed my toothbrush, squirting on some toothpaste and brushing my teeth. I nearly choked on the brush when a shout reached my ears. Two voices, male and female, were having a shouting match. Their voices were muffled so I couldn't hear what they said, but I knew who they were. My shoulders slumped as my parents continued to shout and scream at each other.

"Shut up," I muttered under my breath, feeling my lip starting to quiver. "Both of you, just shut up." I wish I had the courage to say that to their face, but I didn't dare. If they treated each other horribly, I didn't even want to think about what they'd do to me. I mean, I knew they loved me and I loved them too, but they had terrible tempers. The shouting died down and I almost let out a relieved sigh when I heard a loud crash. Flinching, I strained to hear what they were saying.

"You think you know what's best for him?! That's bull! You only care about yourself!" my mother screamed. "Oh, you're one to talk! You've always wanted Saku all to yourself! Now you expect him to live with you?!" Father replied. My breathing hitched. They were arguing about me...? And what did he mean, live with her?!

"When we go through with this, let Saku decide! It should be his choice anyways!" My choice? What was my choice?! "No, the court will decide which of us will get custody. He can't choose!" Father replied harshly. Court...? What was going on?! "To be honest, I'm just counting down the days to this divorce. I don't care about Saku. He can live with whoever! I just need to get away from you!" Mother growled. The door slammed as she stormed out, probably going to work.

"D-Divorce?!" I stammered, my eyes widening in disbelief. I felt tears beginning to trail down my cheeks and I whimpered softly. They couldn't be getting a divorce...sure they fought, but things hadn't gotten that bad yet! At least, I didn't think so. Then again, I had no idea how they treated each other while I was at school. You only care about yourself! I don't care about Saku! He can't choose! ...get away from you! More tears welled up in my eyes and I wiped them away quickly, forcing myself to stop crying.

I finished brushing my teeth and hair and went back into my room, getting my uniform out of my closet and changing into it. I sighed at how scratchy the material, but shrugged it off and picked up my school bag, heading to the kitchen. Father sat at the table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper as if nothing was wrong. I resisted the urge to slap the mug out of his hand and give him a piece of my mind. Instead, I sat at my usual place and picked up my chopsticks, eating my simple breakfast of eggs and pickled vegetables.

"Good Morning, Saku. Did you have a good rest?" Father said, practicing his English on me. I rolled my eyes. "I slept just fine, thanks," I replied. He nodded and turned back to his newspaper. I picked at my food, my appetite escaping me as it slowly became time for me to leave.

"You should go. Suwa and Kakeru will be waiting for you at the park a few blocks down," Father said, his eyes never leaving his newspaper. "I know father, that's where we've always met. Since we were six." He shifted uncomfortably and shrugged. Finishing my plate, I grabbed my manga off the table, shouldered my bag, and left. Gravel crunched under my feet as I walked, and a warm breeze managed to ruffle my hair. As I walked to the park, I passed through a grove of cherry trees. The blossoms had appeared not too long ago. Despite my serious atmosphere and somewhat bad attitude, I really enjoyed simple things like this. And besides, it was a nice break from my usually hellish life. I stood and stared at the blossoms as they floated down from the trees, mesmerized. Slowly, a small smile etched into my face.

"Hagita! Hagita, there you are! What are you doing?" a voice said behind me. I tilted my head slightly and turned. Two of my friends, Kakeru Naruse and Hiroto Suwa were running down the blossom-ridden path. Suwa had his signature grin while Kakeru remained straight faced. Their question made me blush slightly with embarrassment. I probably looked like a total girl, looking up and staring at the blossoms.

"None of your business! What about you two?" I said, trying to sound indifferent. Suwa rolled his eyes and laughed. "What we do everyday. Meet at the park, and wait for you! Because you're always late!" he said with a snicker. Offended, I quickly replied, "I am not! I usually get to the park first!" Kakeru shuffled uncomfortably.

"Hagita, he didn't mean it." I rolled my eyes at his words. "Oh, shut up Kakeru," I huffed. Suwa and Kakeru exchanged an exasperated glance before walking past me and down the path, leaving me to trail behind. My face fell and I followed them slowly. It had become pretty clear that they disliked me. Moments like these were the first signs. Then, they had avoided talking to me and spending any time with me. Simple teasing and insults from at least Suwa had become a part of my daily life. And then...the texts started. I hadn't known who it was at first. I didn't recognize the number. Eventually, I traced it to Suwa's mother's phone. I knew her well and she definitely wouldn't cyberbully a junior in high school, so it had obviously been Suwa himself. On top of my school and home life, those actions certainly added up.

I looked ahead at my ex-best friends and my blank face became twisted into a scowl. I hated them. Their very existence sent me raging. I once would have been glad to call them my friends, my brothers even, but that had changed. When we had saved Kakeru in our sophomore year, the future had changed drastically from what our future selves had experienced. I had warned them, all of them, but they wouldn't listen to me. Like usual!

"Hurry up or we'll be late to class because of you!" Suwa suddenly snapped, turning and glaring at me. I gulped, nervous how angry he seemed. "Th-Then go ahead of me! You're not really walking with me anyways!" I snapped. Suwa's scowl deepened. "Fine! Come on Kakeru!" Suwa said, grabbing Kakeru by the arm and stalking off towards the school. Kakeru looked behind him at me with a pitying glance before turning back to talk with Suwa. I scuffed my shoe into the ground, waiting until I couldn't see them to keep walking. I growled numerous insults under my breath, things I wish I had the courage to say to those two, to my parents, to everyone who treated me like a third wheel.

Ha. A third wheel. How fitting. Even when Kakeru hadn't been here, I'd always been left out of things. Or ignored. Or picked on. Even Azu, the girl I loved, who everyone thought was so sweet and kind, teased me to no end. I didn't understand it. Was I too different from everyone else? Maybe even a freak? It would explain why my parents didn't want me. I shook my head and growled softly. Don't think like that. Everything's fine. Nothing's wrong with you, you're like everyone else. I almost scoffed. I was nothing like anyone.

"Hagitaaaaa!" a voice called, snapping me out of my daze. Azu, Takako, and Naho were running towards me. Azu had a big smile on her face, and my heart nearly leaped into my chest. Stupid emotions... "Hagita! Why aren't you with Suwa and Kakeru?" she asked. My fists clenched. It was like she actually cared or something. Even her eyes held a small glint of concern.

"They went on ahead. I was slowing them down. They got ticked off and left me," I said, shrugging indifferently. Takako raised an eyebrow at me, tapping her foot. "Oh really? That's it?" I nodded, backing away slightly. Dang, she sure could look scary if she wanted to. Naho gave me a kind smile. "Maybe they were just in a hurry today, Hagita. I hear they had the soccer club this morning!" I nodded, grunting in reply. When they weren't looking, I smiled slightly. Maybe some people liked me after all...