There's No Problems, Right? [Flashback Thread; Scarlett]

Izaya gasped and gave an audible squeak as she was pulled back. She looked up to Ryoko, the sheer look of disbelief and fear on her face and in her eyes. "S-Sei's my cousin! I can't like him m-more than that!" She said softly, looking to Shizuka and frowned. "Please, I don't want to leave the school. I-I'll help with your homework i-instead." She offered as her grip tightened around her bag and looked down. 

Why do I have to get myself into these messes!? 

Ryoko raised a brow at Izaya's words and reactions, keeping a careful hold on the smaller girl's arm so she couldn't leave the room just yet. "Hmmm," She mused thoughtfully, trying to Izaya hope. "I don't know...what do you think, Shizuka?" 

Shizuka crossed her arms and looked thoughtful as well. "With how the semester is almost done, I don't think that will work, Izaya. It seems you really do like your cousin, a little more than you should." She said feigning a look of pity for Izaya. 

"I-I don't!" Izaya said feeling her eyes watering and closed them. She couldn't let herself cry here...not in front of them and not in front of the whole class. 

Izaya was not expecting it when one of the newer girls, Scarlett had stepped up and gotten Ryoko off of her. She looked to the other girl and took a step back from them. She didn't say anything but she kept her head lowered, still trying keeping the tears at bay. Her breathing had picked up a bit, hoping that she could calm down. 

Ryoko's brows furrowed when she felt her wrist slapped and saw Scarlett step up next to Izaya. "W-What!?" She said when she heard Scarlett say bedwetter, her face going red. "Why you little!?" 

Shizuka was not amused when she saw Scarlett interfere. "Look, Scarlett, there's not much that you can say that'll..." But she was cut off when Scarlett said that she had a crush on Sho. "S-Stop! Don't tell him!" 

Izaya was amazed to say the least. Scarlett was standing up for her against them! Izaya blinked though when she noticed Ryoko seemed to move closer to Scarlett and stepped up as she tripped Ryoko. She didn't want to hurt her too much but at least make her back off from Scarlett. 

Shizuka was not happy. She was about to say something before Izaya tripped Ryoko. "Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" She said pointing a finger at Izaya. 

Ryoko blinked as she started to her the murmurs after Scarlett spoke, paling a bit at the accusations...even if they were true. She felt herself picked up by Shizuka, looking to her friend before silently leaving the room. 

Izaya cringed a bit when she heard and saw that Shizuka was looking at her, having seen what she did. When they left though, she sighed with relief and looked to Scarlett a little nervously. "Umm...thank you, Scarlett....I-I'll be going now though." She told her classmate, still feeling like she wanted to cry. 

Izaya was surprised when Scarlett gently grabbed her elbow. She looked up to the girl and gave a simple nod, following the other girl to the desks and sat down. "O-Oh...I...I know that I can stay here. I really was trying to leave when they stopped me." She said softly. When Scarlett mentioned that she might look guilty though after leaving right away, that made her frown, having never realized it. "I...I didn't know that made a person look guilty...." 

She looked down then, her bag in her lap and  sighed heavily. She could still feel those tears sitting in her eyes but soon enough, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Scarlett was holding out a single tissue. Her head rose and after a minute of thought, took the tissue. "Five more years...I hope I can get more confident." She said but definitely understood why Scarlett said what she did. She lightly dapped her eyes with the tissue, feeling a little better though something her classmate said confused her. "Fake it?" 

"Ah, I don't go to a car, Scarlett." Izaya said giving a small smile. "I live here in the dormitories. My parents thought it'd be better interaction with any friends that I make." 

Izaya listened to Scarlett, nodding lightly and overall looking better now. "I see...I don't know how well, I'd do...but I think I can give it a chance." She said giving another small smile to the other classmate. Izaya was rather surprised when Scarlett told her to find her if acting confident didn't help her out with the girls. 

Though Izaya noticed that Scarlett looked away from her for a minute and seemed a little pink. "Are you alright, Scarlett? Did I say something wrong?" She asked her voice still low but not pausing now in between words like she had been before. "Ummm," She said before opening her own bag and looked through it as she pulled out a small travel case of medicine. "I tend to get headaches often, I don't know if you're feeling ill but this can help a bit." She said holding it out to the girl. 

"Oh...umm, I've never really walked with anyone back to my room..." She thought about and blushed lightly. Was it really okay to take her up on the offer? Izaya would like to know how it feels. "I...I'd like that actually, Scarlett. But what about your friends that you were talking to first?" 

Izaya blinked and nodded. It did feel a little warm today. She took the bottle back placing back in her bag. "You're welcome, Scarlett."

When Scarlett called out to her group of friends, she could help the look of sheer surprise and awe on her face. "Huh?" She asked when it was mention that she knew the way to her room. "Oh! Yes!"

Izaya quickly got up, putting her bag over her shoulder and followed Scarlett out into the halls. "Me? Well...I've been here since the start of middle school. I was kind of a shut in back home and my parents wanted me to be around more people I could be friends with."