The next day at school, Minoru was drawn to you like a bee to honey. She buzzed around you incessantly. Let me hold the door open for you! Let me carry your books! Let me, let me, let me...!

You let her do nothing of the sort, shrugging off any and all of her attempts to help. You wouldn't need her help if not for the fact she all but ordered Oshiro to break your arm. It was just like her and her drugs. She invented a need so she could be needed. She hated things she couldn't control. Well, you weren't going to let her control you.

Oshiro grabbed you after school, dragged you behind the school as soon as you walked out the front door. You didn't know how you would fight her off with a broken arm, but you were willing to try if the alternative was just taking the beating. Strangely enough, she didn't immediately start throwing punches, though.

"You're making me do things I don't want to do!" She said through gritted teeth. Her eyes were glossy with tears. It seemed like sheer willpower was the only thing keeping them from spilling over. But her fists were clenched at her sides, ready to swing at a moment's notice.

"I'm not making you do shit," you hissed, cradling your broken arm closer to you instinctually. "Take some fucking responsibility for your actions for once in your life, Oshiro. Minoru's not holding a gun to your head telling you to hurt me. You're doing it of your own free will."

"You don't understand!"

"You're right, and I refuse to extend sympathy and understanding to the bitch that broke my fucking arm." You think you used to really like Oshiro. Not anymore.

"I don't want to do this," she cried. She took a step toward you, and you took a step back. It was almost as if you two were dancing. You snorted. You wished your fights were choreographed. Maybe then they wouldn't leave behind so much lasting damage.

"So don't. Just walk away."

"I can't... Come back."

"No," you said, firmly, leaving no room for argument or compromise.

"Please, I'm begging you."

"No."

She looked away, off into the woods on the edge of Haruki High. Then she ran her hands down her face and exhaled hard. "I want you to remember this. That I gave you an out and you refused it." She may not have meant it to come across as a threat, but it did.

"When this is all over, and I'm miles away from here, I won't even remember your name." I'll forget all about you. That is a promise.

"I hope you're right," she whispered. Then she grabbed your head in both her hands and slammed it against the nearby brick wall. You went out like a light.

...

You awoke some time later to the feeling of being jostled. Oshiro was carrying you slung over her shoulder.

"Where are you taking me?" You asked her. She said nothing, so you looked around. You were in a forest of some sort. It had to be the one on the outskirts of Haruki High. You couldn't have been out long enough for her to transport you to a secondary location, right? Right?

Before you could take in anymore of your surroundings, Oshiro didn't just drop you. She threw you to the ground. Like you were garbage. Like you were nothing.

You landed on one of your sides, your hip and elbow taking the brunt force of the fall, bruising and cutting them up real bad. You're just lucky you didn't hit your head again. You couldn't afford to lose any more brain cells.

Your vision swam with bright lights and colors as you looked up at Oshiro in fright. Her expression was a blank slate. She didn't look happy, angry, or even sad. She was dead behind the eyes, like she'd shut herself away behind a wall.

"Is this the one?" A man asked from somewhere behind you. You immediately sat up and turned around to see half of the soccer team, all boys from Oshiro's little gang, lounging around the woods. They were smoking, having a laugh at your expense.

What were they doing here? You shivered. If Oshiro could do this much damage to you over the course of a couple of weeks, you didn't want to know what she and her cronies could do in a couple of hours.

"Hey, little girl, I heard you were looking for a good time!" He laughed, pushing away from the tree he was leaning against and taking a step toward you. You scrambled away, wide-eyed and scared. "Don't be like that. There's no need to be shy. Why don't you take off your blouse, let us see what we're working with?"

That was when you noticed the hungry look in their eyes, the filthy smirks they were throwing your way, the strange gathering of their pants around the crotch.

A bolt of realization ran straight through you. You shook your head, tried to deny it. Oshiro was evil, without a doubt, but there was no way she would... Give you to her boys like you were just something to play with. That was...

That was exactly what was happening.

"No?" The boy asked, tilting his head to the side and crouching down in front of you, hands on his knees. "Oshiro said you were a bit of a pillow princess. Just lay back and let us do all the work..."

Then he reached forward, hands big and hairy like twin tarantulas, so close you could see the dirt underneath his fingernails.

You did the first thing that came to mind. You kicked him between the legs, got your feet under you, and ran. Oshiro tried to grab you as you sprinted past her, in the exact opposite direction of those beastly boys, but she couldn't catch you in time.

There was a beat of silence before you heard the same boy who'd been talking to you snap, "What the hell are you fuckers waiting for?! Go grab the little slut!" Then there was the repeated thudding of sneakers on the ground, right behind you.

You didn't look back. It was a waste of energy. Instead you ducked around trees and ran like your life depended on it.

You were so close. The forest started to thin out. Once you reached the tree line, it was a quick dash to where your mom's car was waiting for you in front of the school. After that, this nightmare was over. You'd skip school until the transfer was approved. You'd never see these woods or this school again.

Then you ran into something. You thought it was a tree at first from how unyielding it was. But trees didn't wrap their branches around you. Trees weren't warm and soft and didn't smell like vanilla.

"Sweetness! What's wrong?" Minoru asked as if she really didn't know.

"Minoru, let go! I've got to- I've got to-" You fought against her hold, kicking her shins and beating her chest.

"You've got to what? Use your big girl words." That was Minoru. Always so condescending.

You didn't have time for this. Oshiro was right behind you last time you checked.

"Let go! Let go, let go, let go-" You screamed over and over again, starting to cry.

"Don't cry, cry baby! You've got no reason to cry." Minoru shushed you repeatedly, rocked you back and forth in her arms a little.

You quieted down long enough to hear the stomping behind you slow to a stop. You moved to look behind you, but she pinched your chin between her thumb and forefinger and forced you to keep your eyes on her.

"Now, you've got a choice to make. Them or me, Aina. Them or me." Time seemed to freeze as her words sunk in. You screwed your eyes shut and gritted your teeth.

"You," you said at last. She wasn't really giving you a choice, but... "I choose you."

Minoru let out a laugh like she couldn't believe it, jumped up and down twice, before leaning in for a kiss. You wanted to sink your teeth into her lower lip, bite down until you tasted blood, but you didn't. Instead you stood still and let it happen.

"Minoru...?" Oshiro asked from somewhere behind you. You burrowed into Minoru like a tick, in case Oshiro tried to snatch you away, drag you back into those cursed woods.

"Aina changed her mind. Take care of your boys, will you? Meet me at my house when you're done. I've got to take care of my stubborn little baby." Minoru nestled into you in return, resting her head in the crook of your neck. "Put your arms around my neck, m'kay?"

Then she leaned down, grabbed you behind your knees, and picked you up. You scrabbled to put your good arm around her neck, lest she accidentally drop you. Your bad arm was still pinned to your chest.

"Good girl," she cooed, pressing another kiss to your cheek before turning around and carrying you away.