Kaori, the Bully's Pet

The weeks and months following her transfer were brutal for the naive geek and everyone knew it. There wasn’t a single day that went by where she wasn’t pranked, picked on, or just made fun of. No one ever stepped in to help her, lest they damage their own social standing in the process.

Eventually, she learned to hide her natural sense of wonder and excitement, so they couldn’t be used against her anymore. In class, she became quiet and reserved. Her only defense against being picked on was treating the cooler kids, boys and girls both, with deference and servility. That she was doing the homework for nearly a dozen other students was an open secret.

It was the male bullies who took particular joy in tormenting the simpering, helpless girl. The crack on her glasses lingered as evidence of one occasion when they were stolen from her. Their collective amusements made up the bulk of the overt bullying. Among the popular girls, they merely turned their noses up at her and only engaged with her for the purpose of mockery.

{if Female = true}Yet, you sat on the sidelines, unsure if you should help her. You were even chided on a few occasions for wasting time thinking about her. Didn’t you know that the boys had decided she was their new pet? It was “best to stay out of it” according to your friends. {if Meek = true}

(Meek) Part of your interest in her came from a certain similarity between the two of you. She was the first other asian girl to join your class, a fact which instantly made you feel less alone. But, you also just had a very similar outlook on a lot of things. She was also not very socially adept. You imagined that you’d be able to make friends with her if you had the guts to ignore the social dangers.

What’s more, she was cute. Diabetes inducing sugary sweet cute. And cute girls were definitely your type. You loved the shoujo mangas with two sweet looking soft girls in frilly outfits holding hands and kissing. You daydreamed once or twice that it was you and Kaori.{endif}{if Romantic = true}

(Romantic) But, for you, she was perfect. Love at first sight. You were drawn to the silly little mannerisms she had, the soft and proper way that she spoke, and the way her voice grew louder and louder the more excited she got about a topic. She was cute, soft, and sweet. The perfect princess who would match all of your fantasies.

Whatever dire consequences it threatened for your social standing, you knew that you had to make her see your feelings for her. But, you were left indecisive at first. What if she turned you down? What if she thought you were only showing interest in her as a way to mock her?

…What if she wasn’t gay?

These little fears kept you back from her, at least at first. But, your growing crush on her soon won out over your misgivings.{endif}{if Normal = true}

(Normal) Try as you might, you couldn’t **** yourself to stay away from her. Something about Kaori just drew you to her. You developed a habit of occasionally diplomatically distracting her bullies when you felt she was about to be targeted. It probably helped in a small way, but it hardly solved the core problem.{endif}{endif}