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               “Hey, you got any gum?”

            (Name) jumped in her seat, the novel she was struggling through tumbling to the floor with a dull thump. It would take her forever to find the page she left off on. She stifled a groan before looking to see who had spoken the two students in front of her were tipped back in their chairs, presenting their identical faces to her. Upside-down faces.

            She gulped as she mentally replayed their inquiry. “Uh, gum?”

            They nodded upside-down. “Yeah.”

            “You like mint?”

            “Whatever,” was the simultaneous reply, punctuated with simultaneous shoulder-shrugs.

            Fumbling, (Name) clumsily unhooked the school-issued schoolbag off her desk and commenced rummaging through the wads of notes in the various pockets. Gum, gum, where was it again? In her wallet. Which had most likely taken refuge either in the Forest of Crooked Spiral-Bounds or among the Black Lagoon of Three Years’ Worth of Overdue Library Notices. Crud. She ought to get radar for that thing. This would be one of the times she missed her overweight but well-organised backpack from home. This tiny thing was bursting at the seams with workbooks! A notebook toppled from its perch in her lap and she felt the blood flow to her face. It would certainly help her nerves if they wouldn’t stare at her like that.

            “Ah!” (Name) shook two minty tablets from a small zip-wallet (along with a $2.70 fine for three books she never ended up reading), and offered the contents (minus the note) to them with much relief. They made no move to take it, but continued to inspect her with four identical upside-down eyes. Her brow furrowed and she waved her hand in front of their faces. “It is here. Is gum. You want it now?”

            “Your eyes look really big,” said one.

            “You get surgery or something?” said the other.

            “Do not choke,” said (Name).

            A few minutes passed as the twins hacked and coughed curled beneath their upturned desk chairs, result of (Name) shoving the gum into their upside-down throats. She wiped the saliva off on her skirt and coolly returned to a worksheet, ignoring the snickers and alarmed stares of the surrounding classmates.

            She was still only granted a few minutes of peaceful study.

            “Is this your book?” the twins’ heads popped up once again at her desk, the fallen paperback between them. (Name) opened her mouth to reply, but they beat her to it.

            “Isn’t it kind of short?”

            “Isn’t it too easy?”

            “And why is the print so big?”

            “Do you read this stuff for fun?”

            “Isn’t this for, like, eight-year-olds?”

             Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she snatched it away. “No, it is for hitting the faces of rude boys. Do not make fun of my the Japanese. Or my face,” she added, already feeling her cheeks start to burn.

        Ironically, it was they that appeared offended. “We weren’t making fun of you.”

        “Then you were saying things rude. Next time you may not get gum.”

      "Yeesh, aren’t (nationality) supposed to be fun-loving?”

        “Are not the Japanese polite?” she snapped irately. Her hand flew to her mouth with a smack, shocked at herself. “S-s-s-s-s-s--,” she began. “S-s-s-s,” Of all the times, her stammer had to come out now. She screwed her eyes shut with concentration. “S-s-s-s-s-s.”

        Her eyes flickered open at the scraping sound of the twins turning their chairs to face her desk. Aw, man, they were settling down residence. Just to experience her humiliation in all its glory.

        “S-s-s-su-m-m-mimasen,” she gasped out. “I have say rude things. Nihon is still very new, and has there lots of persons who are of me better, so sometimes I get scared and say rude things. I have act rude. G-g-g-g,” tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. “Gomenasai.”

        “…and we’re supposed to be the polite ones?”

        (Name) looked up from her wringing hands in surprise. The real-life mirror images were leaning with their arms against her desk, wearing the same concerned face. They glanced at each other, then turned to her.

        “We tease people a lot--” one started.

        “—but usually it’s only people who are asking for it--” the other continued.

        “—or our friends, you know, people we--”

        “—feel comfortable around, and I guess--”

        “—you’re super comfortable to be around?” they finished in unison, looking surprised at their own words. They sheepishly slid their gazes away from her. “So, sorry if we’re too mean or whatever.”

        (Name) blinked at them, quickly swallowing what might’ve become a breakdown. Oh. Huh. They’re nicer than they look. No, that wasn’t right. They’re nicer than the front they put up. Of course, they are highschool boys, so it goes without saying that they’re silly and clumsy. And they said ‘comfortable’? Clumsily sweet, silly boys. Even at the decision to forget about the whole ordeal, (Name) couldn’t stop one haughty little comment from slipping out.

        “Is it that you will say thank you for the gum?”

        They blinked at her, surprised. Then their lips curled into identical grins. “Arigatou-gozaimasu, Hime-sama.”

        Without warning, a long giggle jumped from deep inside her chest. “Doitashimashite,” she said bewtween chuckles. “Shinshi,” she added with a twinkle in her eyes.

        “So, uh,” their faces softened to more amiable expressions. “Need any help with your reading?”

        “Oh, ah, well,” (Name) stammered, flustered. She was awful embarrassed of her Japanese, and these were troublemaking boys…could she really trust them not to laugh? She sighed and laid her book down flat to a page. “…This word here. What is its meaning?”

        They peered hard at the novel for a long time, before apparently deciding that they couldn’t read upside down and scooting so that they were on her side of the desk, one twin on either side of her, leaning close to her to read her book.

        “Wait, you can’t read that?” One said, incredulous.

        “Kanji is difficult! I cannot make sounds for kanji!” she replied rather hotly.

        The other one shook his head. “But that is, like, such an easy word!”

        (Name) pouted. “You said you were to be nice…”

        “But—okay, the word is ‘run’.” The first one sighed.

        “Eh?”

        “Run! Like this: Jik-ko su-ru,” the second one sounded out slowly for her.

        “Oh! Yes! I know that word, but not how to read! Thank you, er, uh…” she paused then looked between the both of them. “What are your names?”

        They gaped at her for a few moments, and then burst out in chaotic laughter. “Pff! What are our names…nice one!”

        (Name) stared at them. She shook her head. “Rich people and theatrics.”

        “Wait,” he stopped dead, looking at her in alarm. “You mean you really don’t know?!”

        “I have been here in country for two week. I cannot learn all in two week.” she giggled at their dumbfounded expressions. “Is it that you are saying you did not know?”

        “Uh…yeah.” The second one said, braving a shy smile. “No idea.”

        “Yeah, ‘cause you’re really pretty. Normally when people first get here they are scruffy beyond words and help.”

        “Hikaru, be nice!”

        “Ah-ha!” (Name) beamed and gestured (gestured, because she nearly forgot pointing is something you do not do in Japan) to the person on her right. “Your name is Hikaru! Hikaru…” she tilted her head in thought for a few moments before her face lit up. “My friend says that the name sometimes! And the name she says next to it is…” she gestured to the person on her left “…Kaoru! Right? Is it that I am right?”

        To her surprise, this boy made a solemn face and shook his head slowly. “You’ve got us all wrong. I’m Hikaru,” he said sincerely.

        “And he’s Kaoru,” said the other earnestly.

        (Name) waited a few moments for them to get off the floor and stop clutching their heads, result of her smacking them none too gently with her paperback novel. She flipped open to her page and continued deciphering the sentence, yet again ignoring the snickers and alarmed stares of her classmates.

        “Okay, you were right the first time,” Hikaru gasped out, struggling to climb back into his seat in a most dramatic fashion.

        “We’re the Hitachiin twins, nice to meet you,” Kaoru sputtered, mirroring his brother.

        “Hajimemashite,” she murmured, turning the page smoothly. She glanced to the side at both of them, a small, sly smile upon her lips. “Tomodachi desu ne?”

        The Hitachiin twins’ faces turned a few pinks darker. “So desu ne,” they muttered under their breath as they straightened themselves out. (Name) laughed, a sweet sound, they thought. They would like to hear such a sound more often. They hardly got to finish this thought when a shadow fell upon them and they looked over their shoulders.

        “Are you two bullying (Name)-san?” Fujioka Haruhi, (Name’s) first friend in this new country, appeared behind them, a stern expression on her face.

        “Us? Bullying?” said Hikaru, a look of exasperation on his face. “We’re the ones being bullied!”

        “First she insulted us! And she assaulted us!”

        “And then she assaulted us again, even after trying to help her with her studies like any good student would do!”

        “And then she even has the audacity to forget our names!”

        “Sh-she thinks it’s funny to push around delicate pretty boys like us!” They whimpered, puppy eyes glittering as he tugged on Haruhi’s sleeve.

        (Name) could only giggle hysterically as this account of events. A joyous grin bloomed on her face as she looked to the two boys, “Hitachiin no Baka!!”

         Haruhi smiled as the Twins gaped at the new student, and then took her place beside (Name). “Good to see that you’re learning fast.”