Nagisa Hazuki {D4}

Nagisa Hazuki

I hate studying.

The rhythmic tapping of his pencil kept him distracted from the sloppily-scribbled notes in his notebook. Something about the square root of this number divided by that number, multiplied by neglected strawberry cake which is sitting on that desk over there. An exaggerated sigh emptied his swimmer's lungs as he leaned his head all the way back against his bedroom wall, dark eyes fixed on the white ceiling. When were his parents going to let him paint his room a new color? White was so boring. He wanted some flare! That was the kind of boy he was - loud and colorful, stylish and fresh. His room needed to match his personality, but his parents insisted that he prove himself by earning close-to-perfect grades for another semester. That wasn't fair, though, because he was already trying his best at school just to stay in the swim club with his friends; another demand his parents had slapped onto his shoulders. Why couldn't he paint his room now?

He hummed in annoyance and slammed his notebook shut. Schoolwork could wait, he wanted that slice of strawberry cake. It was his favorite flavor.

He stepped over the various garments and textbooks strewn across the floor, and plopped himself onto his desk chair. As he swiped his finger across the whipped cream coating of the cake, he listened to the thumps of his older sisters' footsteps as they sprinted down the hallway, their chipper voices squealing incoherent gossip that he was only somewhat curious to hear. He still remembered that when they were children his three older sisters would dress him up in girl's clothes and parade him around the house for fun. One time they had even switched out his swimsuit for a girl's swimsuit when he had left to go swim in the ocean with his friends. It was pretty embarrassing, but he could laugh it off. He could laugh most things off, actually - it was a specialty of his, always seeking the humorous and optimistic points of any given situation.

By the time he finished the slice, there was whipped cream decorating the corners of his lips and his reading glasses were resting in the corner. He had always been a bit of a messy eater; his sticky fingers were proof of this. His best friend Rei always nagged him about his lack of manners. The way he would speak with his mouth full, and constantly have to clean up after himself after he ate, and who can forget his horrible sweet tooth diet? His sweet tooth had nothing to do with manners, but it was another habit he was always being chastised for. Not that he minded, of course. Friendly bickering with Rei was always fun, because while Rei could be so uptight Nagisa was just a ball of sunshine that lived to tease him.

Speaking of Rei, he was feeling the urge to spontaneously visit him and prod him about how studying math was hard. But Rei was probably already too absorbed in his studies to be distracted by his rambling.

With a quiet groan he leaned back until the chair squeaked and glared at the study materials on his mattress. He didn't want to learn about math or about how district six was the district of science and medicine and all that stuff. He just wanted to hang out with his friends. He wanted to go out for strawberry ice cream and pester Rei about the latest news on Panem TV and pet cats with Makoto and laugh with Haru even though Haru always wore a stoic expression. He wanted to dive into the ocean and swim with them. That was the whole reason they had become friends, after all, and the reason why he had tried so hard to start a swim club with them. Swimming was their thing, the reason they could bond. The hobby they could share. It made him feel like he was a real athlete, despite the most notorious being the ruthless careers that sweated pure rage and stress hormones in the training centers. His family had never really been into career training, so he usually stayed away from those places.

Time for a study break.

He shrugged on a loose-fitting jacket and crept quietly out of his bedroom, careful not to shut the door too loudly in case his sisters took notice. Downstairs, his mother was washing dishes and his father was hooked on the television, back facing the stairwell. They didn't notice him slipping by to sneak outside and procrastinate studying for another hour.

He took the long way to the fish market, purposely passing by Rei's house (which wasn't far from his own). His rebellious edge reminded him that it would take only a few steps and a bit of climbing to knock on Rei's bedroom window and surprise him with his signature beaming grin, but he decided against it at the last moment and continued on. As he strolled past the fish market - the atmosphere alive with the wafting smell of freshly caught seafood and the boisterous chatter of excited customers and business people - he considered buying mackerel for Haru as an excuse for paying him a visit, but realized that he forgot his wallet. He sighed through chapped lips; it would've been nice to spend this evening with someone else. His friends kept his soul grounded and his heart happy. The thought of losing any of them to a reaping was worse than any beating he would receive if he were to stumble into a career training center. His entire world revolved around them.

He cared more about them than his own future, and he was sure his parents had taken notice by now.

He combed his fingers through his mussed up hair and headed for the docks. The familiar odor of salt water made his nose twitch and his eyes light up. He regretted not slipping on his swimsuit, because fitting in some extra swim practice would take his mind off of his boring studies and further train his muscles. He was not as tall, wide or bulky as his friends. He was the shortest one, actually, with a rather dainty body. He had the right bumps and ridges for a swimmer, with powerful lungs and a preference for the breaststroke. He was stronger and faster than the average boy his size, and he was proud of it despite how small his stature appeared compared to his friends. He wasn't the best swimmer, and he probably never would be. But he loved swimming, and for the most part he loved himself.

He dipped his toes into the water and watched the stars.