Destined to be - Chapter 4 In USA Beverly Hills Los Angeles It was Hontokoi’s last semester holiday. After she had followed her father to Hiroshima for the all country match with the Itaka players she went straight to America like she always did during her long holidays to visit her cousins Lawrence and Lorraine; her mother’s sister’s children. Lorraine was the older one. She was five and Lawrence, the younger one, was only three. During the holiday in America, she either stayed at her grandma’s house or her aunt's house in Beverly Hills. She usually preferred to go over to her grandma’s house for she couldn’t bare with the formalities at her aunt's household. Hontokoi was at the ice skating rink. She was playing ice hockey with her American friends in the last match in the peewees ice hockey game. She usually played ice hockey when she was in America. She got the puck at the last minute. She skated over to the opponent’s net and shot in a winning goal. Hontokoi’s group the Starlings had defeated the Eagles. Everyone jumped up hugging one another. “Well done!” Steve, the captain of the team, cried. “We wouldn’t have gotten that goal without you, Belle!” After the match she and her teammates went to their favourite cafe to celebrate. Hontokoi had actually spent an extra week in America and she had actually missed a week of school in her beginning week in Tomigaoka Secondary School. That was how she managed to play in the Finals. This time Hontokoi didn’t mind missing school for she won’t be in the same school with Haruko now and besides she was a bright girl she could easily pick up the lessons she had missed. “It’s not like you to agree to miss school,” Angela said another girl in the team. “So what with the new Belle?” “Well...” Belle put her arm around Angela who was also as tall as she was. In America Hontokoi looked like any ordinary girl. For the height she was really normal in America. “I don’t know. Just thought of playing in the Finals that’s all. It is a good thing Papa let me stay on.” “Really. So when are you leaving?” “Tomorrow,” Hontokoi said. “Well, I was told that I could only miss one week of school and no more or nanny will really fly here to drag me back.” “Why so fast?” Steve suddenly came beside Hontokoi pulling her closer to him. Hontokoi struggled in his grip. “Don’t you think that the captain and co-captain should stay together longer? We are always such a couple.” “When were we ever a couple before?” Hontokoi asked pushing him away from her. “Get your hands off me!” “Aw. Don’t be like that.” Steve said. “Give her a break, Steve.” Angela said. “I got to go. I need to meet my boyfriend.” “I need to go too.” Hontokoi said. “See you, Steve.” “Wait...” Steve cried but Hontokoi quickly rushed away with Angela. Outside the café, they both went their different ways after saying their goodbyes. Hontokoi made her way back to Beverly Hills where she stayed. That evening she had to move over to her grandma’s house. She usually spent her last night at grandma’s place. When she entered the house her cousins came to greet her jumping up on her. She carried them both in each arm. “So have you two been good?” Hontokoi asked. “So where’s Aunt Betty?” “She went out with Dad for a guest meeting or something.” Lorraine said. “Our baby-sitter is in the living room.” “All right, I have to go pack my stuff.” Hontokoi said and let them down. “I need to get over to Grandma’s in a minute. “Don’t worry.” Lorraine said. “I had told Maria to get in all packed. Mr. Robinson will get the car ready.” “Thank you, Lorraine.” Hontokoi said. “I guess Maria has also got my things into the car too right?” “Yeap.” Lorraine nodded. Maria was the housemaid and Mr. Robinson was the chauffeur. Quickly, Hontokoi got upstairs to do another round check if Maria had missed anything and then came down again after she did. When she reached her grandma’s it was already late in the evening. As usual her grandma greeted her in open arms. After dinner with both her grandparents she went upstairs to the attic where her grandma kept all her mother’s belongings. Her mother played ice hockey too and she had also won many trophies except one at the juniors. Her mother left that spot empty. Hontokoi didn’t really know the story why. She liked to sleep up at the attic during her last night in America. There was a mattress on the floor beside the window with a converter and pillow too. The attic was the place she could feel really close to her mother. Hontokoi went over to the window and took out her flute in her bag she had brought up with her. She slowly lifted it up her mouth and blew that usual melody. As she stared out the window watching the sky as it changed colours when the sun sets. Hontokoi reached Japan on Sunday. Monday would be the day she would start school. During her stay in America, her father had moved over to the new house to surprise her. Her room was very big with a walk in closet and her own bathroom. There was a glass sliding door that led out to a balcony. Her queen size bed was place on the left when she entered the room. Her bed was place higher up then the rest of the floor and also with carpet there were two steps up to her bed. Beside her bed was a window that reached down to the floor with a wide window seal she was able to sit on. On the right was her desk with her computer, cordless phone and dressing table. Hontokoi was a little stunned by the room her father had designed for her. She walked around her room slowly, a little light-headed to think that this huge room belonged to her. She went up to the sliding doors and pushed it open. The cool wind immediately blew into her room. She stepped out and she faced her neighbour’s house opposite the road for her house was the corner house. She looked curiously at the side window of her neighbour’s house. The curtains were all close tightly and not even a single gape was seen. She wondered who lived there and who was staying in that room. When the phone rang in her room she quickly went back into her room to answer it. It was Haruko. She was so happy to hear from her and to hear she had made friends with two girls. Matsui and Fujii, girls from her class. She went back to the balcony to shut the doors when she spotted two bicycles leaning at the side of the house. One was a pink bicycle with a white basket in front and another was a Panasonic racer bike. That racer bike looked so much like hers she thought as she turned away from the sliding doors. She had two bicycles too; one was a black metallic bicycle with a gray basket in front. Her father had bought for her so she could cycle to school and the racer bike was the one she used when she went out to practice basketball with her father, who had his racer bike as well. She talked to Haruko until they both had to go to bed. Hontokoi hung up the phone slowly and went over to the sliding doors to pull the curtains closed. She looked at that strange window with curtains drawn tightly close and wondered who would want to keep their room closed up all the time. Hontokoi paced back and forth in the living room nervously wearing her new uniform. It was her first day of school and something like this had to happen. Her father had taken dreadfully ill and taken to a nearby hospital and she had to stay behind to wait for her nanny to get back from the hospital. She was already late for school and had missed the Monday assembly. When she heard the front door open she ran over to see her nanny walk in. “Nanny!” Hontokoi cried. “How’s Papa? Can I go see him now?” “Of course not!” Nanny said sternly. “Your father is fine. You have to go to school now! You have already missed a week of school and I am not letting you miss another day of school. You needn’t worry about him.” “But...” “No buts.” Nanny said firmly. “You will go to school now. I will write a letter to explain why you are late today. I have to go back to the cafe as well.” Hontokoi had no choice but to obey Nanny. She took the letter Nanny produced for her, grabbed her briefcase and ran out the house. She quickly tied her briefcase behind her bicycle where there was a passenger seat, hopped on her bike and cycled off quickly. When she reached school she parked her bike at the bicycle shed next to a pink bicycle with a white basket. It was exactly like the bike she saw at her neighbour’s house. These neighbours went to the same school as her? She wondered, and then she laughed at herself. Many people had bicycles like this one, not only her neighbour. Might be someone else’s. She quickly untied her briefcase and rushed indoors. Rukawa was trying his best to stay awake in class. He was sitting in the middle of the classroom and the teacher could always easily spot him when he dozed off to sleep. Rukawa rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the blackboard but soon his eyes gave him away. When his head was about to drop on his desk, a sharp knock on the door made him jerk right up again. He heard a girl behind him giggled. He cursed under his breath wondering why there would be an interruption in the middle of the class which was very unusual. When he was about to doze off again the sliding doors of the class slid opened and a tall girl in their school uniform walked into the class. He didn’t get a proper look at her and was about to sleep again when the class started to whisper to one another. He looked again and found himself staring at that girl he met last year. Hontokoi walked into the class calmly and gave a note to the teacher. She heard the students in the class commenting about her height but she ignored them. The teacher took the note from her read through it quickly and then turned to the class. “Class, we have a new student,” He said and the class whispering became even louder. “Class, quiet down! This is Hontokoi Yatsunaga. She couldn’t make it for the first week because she had just come back from America. Please, everyone be nice to her.” “How do you do?” Hontokoi bowed slightly and quickly scanned through the class. A tall boy with black messy hair in the center of the class caught her attention. She stopped at him for a second before she continue to look at the others. She knew that he was the boy she met before. “Hontokoi, you can take your place now,” The teacher pointed to the second last seat at the side the class beside the back door. “That empty seat on your left.” Hontokoi walked to her place confidently ignoring all the remarks the girls were saying about her. She quickly sat down on her place her face straight and expressionless. Her eyes moved over to the other side of the class at the side row near the window a petite girl with very short hair and tan skin gave her a little smile. Hontokoi smiled back with a nod and then she face the front again. Rukawa watched Hontokoi’s every move. He could not believe he was actually looking at her again. He had already put her aside and never thought he would see her again and now she was in his school and amazingly, in his class as well. 'Her name is Hontokoi Yatsunaga,' he thought. His eyes did not leave her until she went to her place and sat down. Then he turned back his face to the board again. During break, the petite girl that had smiled when she saw Hontokoi approached her and introduced herself as Yuko Nate. She became friends with Hontokoi and they both talked. Hontokoi found out that Yuko was an excellent swimmer and diver. She was on the school team. That reminded Hontokoi she had to go sign in to the basketball club after school. There was a practice then. They both stayed in class chatting until the bell rang for their class to begin again. Rukawa did not return from his break and Hontokoi wondered why. He then came in when the class had started fifteen minutes later. Hontokoi made her way to the gym slowly where the basketball practices were held. She did not change because she did not bring her outfit. When she came close to the gym she saw a bunch of girls outside the door screaming and rooting for Rukawa. Hontokoi raise an eyebrow and walked closer. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Rukawa suddenly dunked the ball into the basket right in front of the door. The girls beside Hontokoi screamed then and Hontokoi quickly covered her ears. Rukawa stood there watching her for a second before he turned away to continue with his practice. “Rukawa is sooo amazing!” A girl said. “I’ll be his fan all my life.” “Me too,” The second agreed and everyone cheer for him again. Hontokoi rolled her eyes and walked into the gym. Everyone turned to her with surprise to see a girl walking into the gym. Usually Ayako was the supervisor but after she had something else to do, she had to quit the team so it was a lucky thing Hontokoi came in that semester. The captain of the team Hishoro knew who Hontokoi was and smiled when she came in. He was about to step closer to her when a boy in the secondary one got to their first. He stopped Hotonkoi from walking any further on to the court. “Girls aren’t allowed here,” he said. “You are asked to leave this place.” “Are you for real?” Hontokoi asked with a raise of his eyebrow. She turned to the captain. “Who’s he?” “That’s Nakashi Tora,” Hishoro replied laughing out loud. “So, Hontokoi you are late.” “Got held up, captain,” Hontokoi grin. “So Nakashi it is very nice to meet you. I’m the new supervisor of the team after my cousin Ayako left.” “You came in just a nick of time too,” Hishiro said. “So everyone group up.” “You’re the new supervisor?” Nakashi said staring at Hontokoi who was the same height as he was. “That is unbelievable.” “Why, you have a problem with that?” Hontoikoi retorted. “Anyway if you do you still have to live with it.” After Hishoro had introduced Hontokoi to the rest, the new comers went on with the practicing and Hontokoi only took a few minutes to know where everyone stood. She separated everyone into two groups; those who could play excellently like Rukawa, and those couldn't. It turned out Nakashi was a good player as well and could join the seniors. Those still rather poor in playing were supervised by Hontokoi. Hontokoi read through Rukawa’s background in basketball when he was in primary school and was amazed at the score he got in matches. Hontokoi taught some of the new comers how to shoot for some were still not very good at their shooting skills. Rukawa, who was playing with the seniors did catch a few glimpses of Hontokoi and noticed that she was quite a good coach. He found himself attracted to her but quickly shook off that feeling and continued with his practice. After the practice, Hontokoi quickly got everything down into report and then passed it to Hishoro before she left for she was rushing to the hospital before the visitor’s hours ended. Rukawa watched her run out the gym in a hurry and then went on with his practice. He played on even until everyone had left the gym. To be Continued... **Previous ** Next**