Coffee Prince

-coffee-

Type, type, type.

That's all they wanted me to do. I never really understood why humans wanted domination but I don't blame them; I want to be the best or at least someone that others can praise like Amu. She's my best friend but even as a person, she stands out. It never really occurred to me until recently that I'm not good enough to be someone like Amu. At least nobody made me feel that way.

She naturally has that aura to affect others around her. I attract others too but only because of my looks; it's not the same. Maybe that's why I've come to a realization that I've changed. She helped me when I was lonely but there was something about her that affected me. I used to rely on others to do the work for me but now I see myself trying to help others more.

I nodded my head down to the keyboard and smiled slightly. I guess that explained why I was sitting here in a coffee shop, preparing to write out my latest edition to my advice column. Honestly, I never saw myself doing this type of thing because I was more fond of comedy and the theatrical arts. Oh well, times change.

"Let's see, who needs help?" I said, clicking on the emails I got.

Dear Mashi,

There's this idiot that keeps bothering me to no end. Ugh, don't even let me begin to mention about how everyone thinks he is so perfect. He keeps trying to hang around me but he just won't get the vibe! I wish he would leave me alone because he's only trying to become popular. Jeez, and even my friends are telling me that he's not a bad person. So what? I see with my own eyes and he's definitely a poser. Why do you think he keeps hanging around me though?

Sincerely,
Confused Bystander

I stared at the letter for a second and somehow Confused Bystander's situation was similar to a situation I had before. Tapping my fingers, I sighed and thought back to middle school. That idiot... Nagihiko. I don't know why but he thought he could waltz back in from Europe anytime he wanted to. Although we were on good terms, I still did not accept the fact that everyone was giving him all of this praise or whatever.

Sometimes I thought he seduced half of the student body by crossdressing as Nadeshiko, but then again, I could be wrong. However, they loved him so much that the idea made sense at the time.

Dear Confused Bystander,

Are we related in any way? Because I feel like we have the same lives. I remember in middle school there was a guy who bugged me to the ends of the world and to be quite honest, his perfection irritated the crap out of me. I learned one thing though. This guy that is trying to hang around you is most likely wanting to be your friend. I know it's hard to translate that into your mind very well but what other objective would he have? Unless he likes you then you have a much bigger problem. I may not know a bunch about romance but I know a lot about friendship; he wants to get to know you more on a friendly level.

Try, or at least make it interesting. You're not an easy person, no?

Best of luck,
Mashi

I can't help but wonder why my middle school years were worse than my high school years. Maybe it was the fact that I was on a somewhat friendship level with Nagihiko or when Yaya transferred in during my eighth grade year and made the halls much louder than it was. Hm, although I suppose Amu's puberty stage was humorous as well, what with the mood swings and wacky wardrobe changes; everything was just unclear. Looking out the window, I noticed the sky turning gray. All of this memory flashback were making me thirsty. Honestly, I thought I ordered my drink half an hour ago.

"One hot chocolate with extra whip cream and cinnamon sprinkles for the lovely Rima-chan." said a voice, as if they were on cue.

Are you kidding me? I looked up to see that annoying, flashing smile and sparkling eyes. Grunting, I closed my laptop and shoved my trash in his arms. He deserved it after all.

Oh, because it was middle school all over again.

a/n: After much thought and such, I decided to focus on this new story for a while. I have a lot of time on my hands this summer so I can update faster. I wanna explain a few things first: yes, this will be in first person point of view, specifically Rima's, and there will be countless flashbacks regarding middle school. At this point, Rima is not very pleased with Nagihiko and the fact that he's showed up.. again. I think you can guess what Rima's job is right now. Anyhoo, I'll update this on the 19th!

Preview for 1st chapter:

I did not have time for this at all. I needed to get my drafts into the newspaper for my column anyway. Getting up, I put my laptop back up and grabbed my cup, desperately hoping he wouldn't call my name.

"Rima-chan, wait!" Nagihiko said.

I was wrong. Turning around, I gave him the best glare I had saved after all of these years. He really had the nerve to come up to me and call me lovely. Is that seriously the first thing you say to someone you haven't seen in six years?

I think not.

"Wait? That's what I've been doing for the past six years, Nagihiko. Take a hike, girly boy." I said, turning back around and heading for the exit. However, Nagihiko beat me to it and opened up the door for me. Gentlemen or not, I wasn't buying his nice act.

"What do you mean, Rima-chan?" Nagihiko asked.

I sighed and stared up at the skyscrapers that surrounded me. The city was busy as usual with the traffic jams and busy workers walking the streets. But my feelings were as busy as ever.

"You can't just waltz in whenever you like, okay? It's quite irritating actually." I said, whistling for a taxi in the meantime.

"But Rima-chan I-" Nagihiko begun.

"Too late for excuses, don't you think?" I said, eyeing him while opening up the taxi door.

He had it coming for him anyway.