Don't Turn Around
Chapter 1

Another busy lunchbreak had come for the students at the Arabashi School for Girls. Itwas a time to not only fill their hungry stomachs, but a time for thegirls to put aside scholarly subjects and discuss topics that were offar greater importance.

As was customary, Sayuri and her friends were eating lunch in room3-B. From the third story one could see the entire schoolyard. Andit was from that vantage point that Sayuri's closest friend, Hana,liked to stare down at the other students and see them as nothingmore than insignificant little bugs.

Had Hana nothand-picked her to be her friend, Sayuri surely would never have chosen to be friends with such a girl. For Hana was as cruel andmean spirited as anyone Sayuri had ever had the misfortune ofknowing. And it was only the fact that Sayuri's father was aprominent businessman that made her desirable to Hana.

Rounding out theclique were Aika and Nami. Nothing particularly stood out about thetwo other than the fact that they also came from money. And whatHana especially liked about them was their constant desire to pleaseher.

Had Sayuri beenblessed with more confidence, she surely would have broken free fromthe group. But she feared Hana would have her blacklisted and leftwithout friends. And that would have made her just like Shizuko.

“Hey, look atShizuko,” said Aika. “She's asleep again.”

Shizuko was wellknown as one of the least popular girls in school, and she had onceagain fallen asleep at her desk.

Shizuko kept mostlyto herself, rarely ever saying more than a few words unless spoken tofirst. And for some reason that made Hana loathe her.

“What a lazydog,” said Nami.

ButSayuri knew the reason behind Shizuko's constant school time naps. She had once overheard Shizuko while she was taking a call from heremployer. It was then when it became known to Sayuri that Shizukowas always exhausted at school because she worked nights cleaningoffice buildings.

“Ifound out the other day that her father works at the same hospital asmine,” said Hana, who was staring coldly at the students in theschoolyard.

“Ishe a doctor?” asked Nami.

Hanaimmediately began laughing. “Oh, you were serious?” she asked. “Of course not. He’s just the janitor. I saw him eating at arestaurant one day with Shizuko. I knew he looked familiar, then Iremembered where I had seen him. I had seen him taking the garbageout of my father’s office. I bet one day his daughter will bedoing the same for me. It would only make sense, seeing as she’sjust a piece of trash herself.”

Sayuriwould never admit it to the others, but when she was younger she andShizuko were very close friends. But Shizuko’s father moved thefamily when he was offered a very high paying job. Years later,Shizuko returned and was transferred to Sayuri’s school. But shehad made no attempt to rekindle the friendship. Sayuri knew it wasbecause of the company she now kept. Anyone familiar with Hana wouldhave to assume that anyone associated with her was just as cruel andjust as vindictive.

“Ihate that girl,” said Hana, now burning a hole through Shizuko withher stare. “Just knowing that she exists offends me. The worldwould be a better place if people like her just disappeared. Wouldn’t you agree, Sayuri-chan?”

Itwasn’t immediate but Sayuri eventually answered the question. “Uh,yes,” she replied, her voice little more than a whisper. Likeanyone who knew Hana like she did, Sayuri couldn't help but live in constant fear of her best friend.