It was lunch period now, and Trevor and I had just sat down at the table with Juri. Juri hadn't been in line like us, because she was carrying an odd three-layered black box of some kind. When I sat down, I asked, "So, what is that exactly?"

"You've never seen a bento box before?" Juri asked as she opened the box up. She pulled each layer out and sat them in front of us. "It's basically a fancy Japanese lunch box. Every few days, Mom makes us lunch before we go to school. 'Your school doesn't feed you enough. If we had the money, I'd always make lunch for you.' That's what she always says. Well... she says it in Nihongo..."

"Ni... what?"

"It's the proper name for the Japanese language. Just like how Mandarin is the proper name of the Chinese language."

"You know... I always wondered that..." I paused to think. "Like... do people call their language the same thing we Americans do? Like, do Japanese actually call themselves and their language 'Japanese'?"

Juri shook her head. "Nope, having a Chinese father and Japanese mother, I can tell you that neither of them use those words unless talking to people outside of their country. Even the countries aren't named the same thing. China, for example, is Zhongguo which translates to 'Central State', and Japan is actually called Nihon which translates to 'Land of the Rising Sun'."

"Wait, really?" Trevor asked in shock. "That's such a better name than 'Japan'. How the hell did we end up calling it 'Japan'?"

Juri shrugged. "I never looked it up, so I haven't a clue." She grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the box, took a bite of something, then pointed the chopsticks at Trevor. "It's quite confusing, too, you know? Having to remember to call it 'Japan' in your language when my default is to call it 'Nihon'."

Our conversation was interrupted when a voice nearly shouted out, "Look, I'm just saying, you don't just draw a girl naked for no reason."

"She isn't naked! I'm just not done drawing her, yet!" I recognized that second voice. It was Allea's.

I turned around to see Cynthia and Allea carrying food trays. I assumed they were going to their own table, but I soon realized differently when Cynthia once again slammed her tray down on our table. "Hello, everyone," Cynthia spoke up.

"What do you want this time?" Juri groaned as she rolled her eyes.

"Please don't fight!" I quickly called out. "I'd really prefer not to miss another school day."

Cynthia glanced at me, then put a hand on her hip. "I won't fight if Julie doesn't. Besides, I just wanted to come see you again, what with you being new. Especially since someone couldn't stop talking about you all day." She gave Allea the side-eye.

"Because you keep bringing her up!" Allea grumbled at Cynthia.

"Well, maybe don't draw such lewd things of her, then."

"'Lewd things'?" Juri and I both responded in unison.

Allea turned beat red. "W-well... it wasn't supposed to be lewd..." She shifted her feet nervously. "I just thought... you were pretty and all... and I like to draw... So I started drawing you..." She huffed up. "But I hadn't finished it yet when Cynthia saw it and snatched it from me."

"U-umm... is it okay... if I see it?" I asked.

Allea turned beat red again as she sat her food tray onto the table. She reached into her purse and pulled out a sheet of paper which she then handed to me.

Sure enough, as my eyes fell upon the drawing, it was very clearly me! It was a bit stylized and cute, but it was absolutely me. I was standing in a confident pose with a big smile on my face. Just as Allea had said, I wasn't technically naked in the drawing if it was unfinished, but there were definitely lines I didn't think should be there if clothes were meant to be added to the image.

"Th-this is..." I stared at the image. I could sense both Trevor and Juri hovering over it to look at it, too.

"You... uhh... did plan to add clothes... right?" Juri questioned.

"O-of course! I just hadn't decided what, yet."

"It's certainly good," Trevor spoke up. "You've got a real talent for it."

"Th-thanks..." I barely heard Allea respond.

I held the drawing out to Allea. "It is really nice. I'm flattered you wanted to draw me. Do you like to draw other people from school?"

Allea looked away and she muttered something. With how red she was, I wasn't going to try to ask her what it was.

Cynthia grinned and got close to Allea. She whispered something in her ear.

And almost instantly, Allea's entire demeanor changed. She went from shy and nervous to visibly angry. "No!" she shouted. "I don't even know her that well!"

Cynthia seemed to be just as shocked by Allea's outburst as we were.

"I can't believe you would even suggest that!" Allea shouted. "I know how I act, but after all these years... you think I'd be that careless?! I'm not actually stupid! Or did you somehow forget?!"

"D-Ditzy..." Cynthia started.

"Don't 'Ditzy' me, you... you...!" Allea crumpled up the paper, tossed it on the floor, and stomped on it. "Who am I kidding...? I am stupid..." She turned around as I saw her face change to sorrow. "I'm a total idiot!" Suddenly, Allea rushed off.

"Stupid..." Cynthia smacked her forehead. "I'm so stupid! I got too comfortable! What the fuck was I even thinking?!" Cynthia ran off, but in the opposite direction.

"What... just happened...?" Juri questioned.

I grabbed my backpack. "I'm going to help Allea." I didn't wait for a response or anything. I rushed in the direction I had seen Allea go, hoping I would find her.

I had managed to catch up to Allea, but not before she ran into the girls' bathroom. I hesitated for a moment, staring into the vestibule that separated the hallway and the bathroom. The first two times I had gone in there, I had ran in without a thought. For the first time, I suddenly found myself questioning if I even deserved to go into the girls' bathroom.

Then, I heard Allea crying. In that moment, all of those thoughts vanished as I once again ran inside. "Allea?" I called out. I didn't see her immediately, so I could only assume she was in a stall.

"Go away!" I heard Allea shout.

"Allea, I..." I began as I walked towards the stall I had heard her voice from. "I don't exactly know... what happened back there... but I can tell that you and her care about each other."

"Oh sure, we care about each other, alright. Apparently not enough to remember the last four years, though."

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I needed to keep my own anxiety under wraps. "Could you... tell me what exactly happened?"

"You wouldn't understand."

I bit my lip. "Why do you think that?"

Allea scoffed. "Because you're pretty. You've probably never had issues with liking someone who doesn't like you back."

Memories flooded back to me. I remembered what had happened with Danielle and how we had fallen apart once I was diagnosed with autism. "You'd... be surprised... There was this one girl I liked as a kid, but..."

"You liked a girl?"

Aw nuts, I hadn't even thought about that! I tried to think up something, something to try to pretend I just misspoke, but nothing came to me. "Y... yeah..."

There was silence for a moment, then the stall opened up a crack and Allea poked an eye out. Allea's eyes were already red. "Then... you don't think it's wrong... for a girl to like other girls?"

Wait, was she...? "Not at all. I think people of the same gender can like each other and even fall in love. My brother has a boyfriend, and we're both proud of that."

Allea opened the door a bit more, just enough for half of her face to be visible now. "And... what if you found out a girl liked you?"

So, that was it, wasn't it? "I'd be really flattered. I mean, I don't exactly know what I like or don't like myself... I've only ever really been attracted to the one girl... well... maybe two girls..."

We stood there in silence for a moment as Allea stared at me through the door.

"What if... there was an ugly, stupid girl that maybe liked you but also maybe didn't... because she's too stupid to understand the difference between friendship and romance?"

"You're not ugly at all!" I shouted without thinking.

Allea closed the door a bit until it was only open a crack. "I am... I'm ugly, and I'm stupid, and everyone makes fun of me all the time. And I play it off as if it doesn't hurt to constantly be called 'the Resident Clutz', but that's just because I'm half blind... And people pretend to get close to me just because they know I'm easy to get into bed... Then they dump me and tell all their friends, 'Look, everyone, I fucked the dumb blonde slut.'"

I winced. "I don't think you're dumb or ugly. The first time I saw you, I was completely enraptured by how pretty you are." I placed my hand on the door of the stall.

"But you didn't see my eye that day," Allea retorted. "Surely, now that you can see the stupid look my right eye gives me-"

"You're absolutely beautiful!" I shouted. "I mean it! Your eye doesn't make you any less beautiful to me! And who cares if guys try to get with you just to have sex with you? I'm not even sure if I want to have sex, so I'm not going to try anything!"

"Why wouldn't you want sex?" Allea opened the door enough to show half her face.

"I'm autistic... Sex looks... sticky... and the sounds bother me. Everyone says its fun and that they enjoy it so much, but I can barely even manage to watch it... I don't know if I could... do it..."

Allea opened the door a bit more. "We could try... and see if you dislike it...?"

My face burned red immediately. "W-we just officially met for the first time, though."

"I told you... I'm a slut..." Allea looked away. The door to the stall opened fully as she removed her hand from it. "All you'd have to do... is say the word... and I'd get naked right now..."

I quickly brought my hands down to my lower body. It was moving down there, and it was going to come untucked very soon at this rate. "A-Allea... I..." I turned my head as I tried to think of any way to change the situation. "You like me, right? Or you think you might?"

"That's right."

"Then... l-let's go on a date! A-and maybe... we'll see how things go from there?"

"I'd love to go on a date with you, if you'd like." Allea stepped out from the stall.

I nodded. "Then let's do that! I'll... talk to my Aunt about it and we can make a plan?"

Allea nodded softly. "I'm okay with that."

"Hey... if I can ask... what did Cynthia whisper to you that made you so angry?"

Allea shifted her leg as she looked away nervously. "She... said I should ask you on a date..."

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. My jaw just hung open.

"Yeah... feels kinda silly now, doesn't it?" Allea looked up at me. "I'll talk to her. I'm sure we'll make up pretty quickly."

I nodded as I shut my jaw. "So, what is it between you and Cynthia, anyway? Why are you two always together?"

Allea looked away, going silent for a moment. "She saved my life. I think I'd have killed myself if it wasn't for her."

"That's... kind of heavy..."

Allea nodded, then turned to me. "Just tell me the plans for the date when you come up with them, alright?" She put her arms around me and pulled me close. "I'll be waiting." And with those words, she stole my first kiss! I won't say I didn't enjoy it, though. She then walked off as she waved to me.

From what I understand, Allea and Cynthia made up almost immediately. Cynthia was apparently extremely distraught at having upset Allea and offered to buy her a plethora of things to make up. Allea politely refused to let Cynthia spend money on her, but was more than willing to return to being friends.

Little did I know, this was only the beginning.