End of junior high school
As the junior high school was coming to an end, my health was declining. I had lost 2kg (4.5lb) during the LA trip and didn’t gain it back. I looked slim and felt pretty for a while, but my period stopped. I had always had cold blood, but the winter that year was particularly unbearable. Poor blood circulation caused frostbite on toes. They itched terribly at first, then turned purple and throbbed. Acne got worse. I started taking Chinese herbs, used different face wash and lotions, went to a dermatologist, and so on, but my skin kept breaking out.
Izumi, Kei, and I decided to go to the same high school. We lived in the prefecture that separated public schools for boys and girls. Our school was at the top of the girls’ schools in the city. My second cousin, Shuji, and another boy went to the top boys’ school. I could go to a better school in a different district, but I didn’t push myself out of a lack of confidence and ill-health. Most others went to the only high school in town, which was pretty much a continuation of junior high school, but with the addition of people from two other schools in town. It’s not that I particularly looked forward to high school, but I couldn’t wait to leave junior high school behind.