I sat at the small table in my three room apartment. My head was held up by my hands as I thought of the events that happened before I left home.
My family owned a large private business. I had two brothers, one older, one younger. Being the middle child, I was often ignored. My older brother was to inherit the family business, and my younger brother was often told to try harder, so he may out shine my older brother. Mainly, there was no time for me.
But recently, I was told my father planned to buy a large business. I was sent away with a small amount of money and my tuition to Ouran paid. So I rented this small apartment not far from the school. With most of the money spent on uniforms, I depended on the weekly small amount of cash my father promised for food. No more fancy sushi or crab for me.
I got so little because all the money was needed to buy the business, but I had no clue what business he planned to buy, though it didn't bother me. Plus, maybe if I could show that I could live like a commoner, maybe my father would pay a little more attention to me.
Just then I heard a knock on my door. Getting up, I opened the door. There stood Haruhi, holding a box of sushi.
"Hi! I heard I had a new neighbor, and..." she stopped when she saw me. Quickly, she hid the sushi behind her back. "Oh! Zaphea! I didn't expect to see you here."
"I live here now," I told her casually, "Please, come in." Haruhi's eyes widened in surprize. I waited for her to start laughing, but she never did.
"I'll explain as we eat that sushi that I suppose you ment to give me as a house warming gift."
"You're going to eat commoner food?" she asked. I laughed.
"I'll be eating it the rest of the time I attend Ouran." So we sat down and I explained to her why I lived here and why I had to eat commoner food.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" I asked, almost pleading. Should word of this get around, I would be the school laughing stock.
She just smiled, "You keep my secret and I'll keep your's." I smiled back. That was a real relief. My mind drifted to Kyouya and what he would think, but I pulled it back to reality.
After Haruhi left, I sat on my bed. I was about to get up to get a shower, when the phone rang. Picking it up, the voice on the other end belonged to my father. My eyes widened in surprize.
"I will give you more information now," he said, "then I need you to do something for me. I would have asked one of your brothers to do this, but I need you in particular."
So I listened. All I could tell him at the end was, "Yes, father, I understand."
