1-05 Conditional

	"What is the third conditional?"

	Tapping my pen on the desk, I silently mouth the question again and again. On any other day, I'd have finished the entire exam by now, but today it may as well be in another language. I mean, it is, but that's not the point. Pushing the English test across the desk, I lean back in my chair and sigh. Looking around the classroom, most people are done already and are chatting about plans for lunch. The teacher had to run out to take a phone call, so the classroom is as noisy as the cafeteria, despite the test conditions written in big letters on the blackboard.

	'It's about the past, you know.' A voice from the desk beside me announces. Saki tilted her head at me, tapping my sheet with her own blue glitter pen. 'The third conditional, I mean. Something that could have happened.'

	'You know I hate asking for answers.' I say, frowning back at her. She simply shrugs in response.

	'I didn't hear you ask.' Saki replies with a coy smile.

	Summoning up the best dirty look I can give her, I resolve myself to writing it down. No point pretending I didn't hear her now. "Could have, would have, should have", I jot down. Looking at the remaining questions, of which there are a little under half the entire exam, I admit defeat. Either I can't read them at all, or I'm simply drawing a blank. My mind is foggy today, and I don't think it was just skipping breakfast.

	Nakai's bracelet is still in my bag under the desk. My own is in the drawer at my bedside table. Looking at it, all I can hear is the frantic beating in my ears from that day on the grass. All I can see is the sky, the sky and the faces of the other students who had gathered around, and especially the face of Emi, screaming for an ambulance. The thought makes a chill go up my spine.

	'You alright, Rika? Your hand's trembling. Should I go get the nurse?' Saki's hand rests on my own to steady it, her big brown eyes heavy with worry. Ever since I returned from the hospital this morning, Saki has been fussing over me; she'd have me resting in bed all day if she had her own way, piled high with blankets and with a thermometer in my mouth.

	'No, no, I'm just a little cold is all.' Saki might fuss over me even more if I told her the truth.

	'Well no wonder!' She exclaims, pushing herself to her feet, and slamming shut the window beside my desk. 'I told you to sit closer to the radiator.' Looking indignant, Saki furrows her brow. She doesn't get a chance to scold me too much, as the teacher chooses now to reappear. The class goes dead silent and stares at their tests, fumbling for pens to put on the usual act of being dedicated students. With an incredulous frown, the teacher shakes her head and returns to stand in front of her desk.

	'Time's up, kids. Bell isn't gonna' go for another five minutes, but you're free to go. Pass your papers to the front but don't run out the door just yet, I have some applications for you guys to fill in.' She explains, as the students at the front pass forward the tests, and pass back the applications. Most people don't look twice at it before shoving it in their bag and running to the cafeteria before the bell rings, but the big bold letters at the top of the page freeze me in place.

	"COLLEGE APPLICATIONS: PLEASE LIST FIVE COLLEGES OF YOUR CHOICE IN DESCENDING ORDER".

	It's the third conditional all over again. I'm reading the words, but my brain won't process them, although this time there's a distinct undertone of panic in them. Hearing a shaky breath beside me, I see Saki holding hers in front of her, looking like she's taking the news as well as I am. Resting my hand on her shoulder, I try to give her a reassuring look. Saki slowly looks up at me like she forgot where she was, but her usual grin flashes back on her face in no time.

	'Wasn't expecting this so soon, huh?' Saki says, the tremble in her voice betraying her smile.

	'At least I can rule an English major off my list after that test.' The joke was awful, but Saki's face lights up again. Folding the sheet in half, I slip it in my bag and offer her my hand. Still giggling at the cheesy joke, she grabs it and pulls herself to her feet, picking up her cane from the desk and taking my lead out the door. Saki is more than capable of walking by herself, but she usually appreciates the support with our arms linked together.

	'Why don't we head to the library? We can worry about that silly sheet of paper together.' Saki suggests. Nodding in agreement, we head up the stairs. On the next floor, we can still hear the droning of various teachers from the classrooms that are still in session. Pushing open the door at the end of the hall, we emerge into the library. As empty as the halls were, it's dead silent in here, save for the usual cluttering noises of Yuuko sorting book beneath the desk.

	'Good morning, Yuuko!' Saki and I tunefully announce in unison. There's a bang and a crash, but Yuuko pops her head from behind the desk, hand rubbing where she's smashed into the desk.

	'G-good morning, Rika. Good morning, Saki. Is it lunch already?' Yuuko stammers, looking out the window as if to tell by the sun.

	'Not yet, Yuuko!' We call back over our shoulder, walking to the beanbags at the back of the room. One of them is already occupied by a dark haired girl buried in a scruffy looking copy of 1984. She doesn't even notice us until we plop down on the beanbags to the left of her, causing her to squeak in fright and drop the book.

	'Good morning, Hanako.' I say, on the seat closest to her.

	'G-g-g-good... good m-morning.' Hanako mumbles to her shoes.

	'You always have time for some light reading, don't you?' I tease, and she turns her head up, still avoiding eye contact at all cost.

	'S-sure do.' She manages to force out, just as the bell goes off. Taking this as an excuse, she jumps to her feet and flees, leaving her book behind her. 'IGOTTAGOEATLUNCHNOWSORRY!' She yells as she runs out, doors swinging behind her. Still not warmed up to me, I see.

	'Ikezawa sure is something.' Saki muses, watching the double-sided doors slowly stop swinging.

	'Don't be mean, she's delicate.' I scold her, jabbing her shoulder.

	'Everyone here is delicate, it's Yamaku.' She sighs back, reclining into her beanbag. 'What are your plans for this troublesome little form, then?' She asks, waving the form loosely side-to-side.

	'I haven't even begun to think about it, to be honest. It always seemed so far away.' I answer, retrieving it from my own bag. Nakai's chain shines up at me as I fold the clasps of my bag back in place. 'You?'

	'I've thought about it. I've thought about it a whole lot, actually. I just...' she trails off, studying the words at the top again, 'I just can't make my mind up. ' Looking back at my own sheet, I feel myself frown. How do you make a decision that will affect the rest of your life when you're seventeen years old? Whatever I choose now, I could be stuck in until I'm old and grey. Well, grey-er. And Saki...

	She catches something in my eye when I look back at her. Her own eyes narrow for a second, but just a second. 'Don't worry, I'll make it through college. Physiotherapy's been going great!' Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, she laughs. A little too hard. There's no point bringing Saki down, I'm sure she doesn't need reminded of her situation. 'I've actually been thinking a lot about an art major. Don't laugh, hear me out. It doesn't involve a lot of moving around, but it involves enough of it to keep my quacks happy. Plus, I've actually been enjoying the art club.' Saki says, as though she were revealing a dark secret. Maybe it would be to her other friends. They're pursuing fashion colleges, or acting schools, or something else equally vain I'm sure.

	'You don't need to make excuses for wanting to paint, Saki. I still have that portrait you drew of us when you started on my mirror.' I tell her with a wide smile.

	'I know, I keep asking you to at least put it in a drawer or something every time I'm over.' She grumbles in response, before her eyes light up again. 'Hey! Why don't you do history? You love reading about Ramens!'

	'Romans?' I ask, raising an eyebrow.

	'Romans, ramens, whatever. You love that junk, is the point.' Saki happily gushes. I've been much more interested in the Gauls lately, in truth, but she has a point. Being paid to read history books to a classroom mightn't be so bad, not very intensive at any rate. Maybe I could write my own books eventually, I have some interesting theories on the fall of the Byzantines.

	'You know, you might be on to something.' I reply, thinking about what font I'd use for the book title. 'You could illustrate the covers of my best selling series.' That makes her laugh.

	'It'll take a long while of college before I can do anything like that.' She replies, waving me off. I just wrap my arm around her and move the other one along imaginary text in front of us.

	'Think about it! Crumble of Byzantine: The Hands of Gold! Written by the keen and clever Rika Katayama, illustrated by the talented beauty Saki Enomoto!' Saki laughs harder as she follows my hand tracing the non-existent title.

	'Maybe some day,' she says, trying to calm down, 'but for now, how about the keen and clever helps the talented beauty to the courtyard? My stomach's grumbling and lunch will be over before we know it.' I oblige, helping her out of her beanbag and handing her cane to her. We walk out of the library, still giggling. Out in the hall, there's a sudden shock of yellow hair and I'm knocked flying off my feet by some sort of blonde high speed train. I land on the ground hard, the contents of my bag spilling open beside me.

	'Oh, sorry! This is the second time today!' The train apologizes, before my vision returns to me and I see it's Emi. Her eyes widen when she sees who it is. 'Rika? Oh my gosh, Rika! Let me get the nurse!' She begins tot run to bolt down the hall, but I catch her by a leg-blade.

	'I'm fine, Emi, really. No need for that.' With a groan, I pull myself up. Aside from a minor pain where I was hit, my heart feels normal. I gather the stuff in my bag back up, and manage to get to my feet. Checking through my bag to see if I've got everything, I notice that something's not here.

	'Is this yours?' The voice from behind me asks. I turn to see Nakai, with his bracelet in his hand.