Summary: His working in a movie store over the summer caused him to meet the idiot who had nearly performed a hit-and-run on him in the school parking lot. That's how it started. Threeshot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice and I don't think I ever will.

Perfect July

Chapter 1 - Hit-and-Run

"Hyuuga, we need you at the front counter!"

Hyuuga Natsume, who had managed to spend the better part of an hour stacking new movies on the shelves (read: hiding from the customers), cringed when he heard his boss, Serio, call his name.

He hated working at the front counter because it involved actually talking to people—mostly women, which he found out as he worked there longer and longer—who just loved to hit on him whenever they had the chance. Which was pretty much all the time. The other small portion of the male customers gave him venomous looks and spoke to him curtly (really, was it his fault that their girlfriends/wives were hitting on him?). Why couldn't they get Matsudaira, whose idiotic personality charmed both genders and could actually tolerate even the stupidest questions about a movie that he was asked, to go to the counter for him?

Natsume fucking hated his job.

"Hyuuga!" Serio called again.

Natsume rolled his eyes at Ibaragi Nobara, who happened to be standing nearby counting copies of movies and fixing displays, who shot him a sympathetic look in response, as he turned on his heel and took his sweet time making his way to the front counter. Serio was tapping his foot impatiently by the time Natsume finally leaned against the counter and drawled, "What."

Serio pierced him with a death glare before regarding a young brunette beside him who was smiling pleasantly with a trace of amusement in her eyes. Great. "This young lady would like to know all of the best films we have in stock."

Natsume paused for a moment before slowly lifting a finger and pointing to the sign at the entrance of the store. "They're all listed right there." If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead in an instant under Serio's evil eye.

"Hyuuga," Serio said slowly, "she wants your opinion."

The hell?

"Why can't Yakumo or Amane do it? Or Matsudaira? They're not doing anything right now."

"Neither are you. Amane's picking up the new movies. Matsudaira and Yakumo are out sick." Little bastards. Of course they'd choose today, of all days, to get sick.

"What about Ibaragi?"

"She's fixing the displays for me." He always did show favoritism towards Nobara, he noticed. Just because everyone else wasn't as polite and compliant as her...

Serio sighed, obviously pained at what he had to say next. "Hyuuga, she specifically requested you."

Natsume glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She had that same innocent little smile on her face, but she didn't look familiar at all. In fact, he was sure that he'd never seen her in his life. So why would she—

"I have to do paper work," Serio said before turning on his heel and leaving him with Miss Possible Stalker. Apparently he wasn't going to be working the counter today.

An awkward silence hung between them. Then the girl smiled and spoke.

"...You're in my chemistry class, right? Last period? I know you from school." Natsume looked at her blankly. "I'm new there. You helped me with my worksheet last week, remember?" she pressed, then sighed in frustration at his expression. "You really don't remember? Or are you playing with me?"

Then again, now that he thought about it, he did remember helping some girl out who was struggling with the easiest worksheet in the world. But that was because he was forced to partner up with her or something. Honestly, all he remembered was sleeping through that class.

But what he did remember- clearly, that is - was something about seeing her in the parking lot after school, and...

"Wait a second. It's you."

"Hm?" Her eyes lit up. "So you do remember me!"

"Yeah, I do," Natsume snorted with disdain. "You're the girl who almost hit me with her car in the parking lot after school yesterday."

Yesterday afternoon, Alice Academy school parking lot...

Natsume made his way slowly to his best friend Ruka's car. Ruka had offered to give him a ride to pick up his little sister Aoi from her school, which was too far for him to walk. Normally his father would do it, but he worked overtime that night. And his mother, well...

Ruka was leaning against his car, and waved with a grin when he saw Natsume approaching. Of course, he was, until he saw a car careening across the parking lot, heading straight for his best friend. His eyes widened.

"Natsume!" Ruka shouted a warning.

Natsume turned his head to the side just in time and took five rapid steps backwards, managing to avoid the car unscathed but tripping over his heels and landing flat on his back. The driver of the car—the girl he recognized from his chemistry class—stuck her head out the window.

"Sorry!" she yelled before racing off without another word. Ruka stared after her in shock.

Natsume swore under his breath.

The girl's eyes bugged out of her head. "That was you?"

"Noo, it was the boogeyman," Natsume said sardonically. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to hit me and missed."

Almost instantly the girl's face turned bright red and her pose got defensive. "First of all, I didn't do it on purpose—"

"—But screaming a quick apology out your window and speeding off didn't make it any better," he drawled. "You could've made sure that I was actually all right and that you weren't going to get sued before making your escape."

Her jaw dropped. "Could you be any more one-sided? I was running late! I had to get home because—because I had to make dinner for my cousin. My mom works late. Look, can you at least let me apologize for real?"

Natsume pretended to consider. "I don't know. Will you grovel?"

The girl shot him a dirty look. "I didn't know it was a habit for the employees to be rude to the customers here. Is that your boss giving you the stink eye over there?" She crooked her finger over his shoulder, and he turned around and saw Serio glaring holes into him. His look said do it and you're fired. Natsume scowled as the girl smiled triumphantly.

"So are you going to show me the movies or what?" she asked jubilantly. "I did ask nicely, you know."

This girl.

He was definitely taking next week off.

LOL I'm so rusty it's not even funny :"D

This is sooo short. Now I have to lengthen it to a threeshot, though (the next chapter most likely being significantly longer to tell what this chapter did not). And I guess it was a littleeee OOC? (On Natsume's behalf that is. I mean, c'mon.) Ugh I need to start writing again. Summer is getting to me. Mehblargghhh.

Also, I meant to post this in June...but I fail. So I changed the title. It can be my fourth of July tribute. I'll just merge this idea and another one I had. And the excuse for them still being in school in July is the Japanese school system. So there.

So. Review? :)

~Ariisha-chan