I woke up unusually early that day.
Maybe I was still scared. Nervous. Everything that happened yesterday kept replaying in my head.
A part of me wanted to go to school, find Nakahara-san, and tell her everything beg her to stay away from Kinoshita-kun before he hurts her someday.
But another part of me whispered, Don't get involved. You just met her yesterday. Will she even believe you?
To calm myself down, I wore my headphones and played some music.
Mom and Dad had already left early for work. They left a small note on the table:
"Don't go without eating your breakfast, okay dear."
I went to the dining table and pulled open the food container.
Inside were one egg sandwich, a still steaming meat bun, and a pack of orange juice.
Just seeing the meat bun made me smile a little. I always loved them.
I ate slowly one bite of the bun, a sip of juice.
Somehow, food really does help. The nervousness squeezing my chest earlier felt a little lighter.
When I finished, I washed the container, placed it on the rack to dry, stopped my music, and put my headphones back in my drawer. Then I grabbed my bag, wore my shoes, locked the door, and left for school.
On the way, I kept thinking and thinking.
In the end, my conclusion was simple:
I should tell Nakahara-san everything that happened yesterday.
Whether she believes me or not. it doesn't matter.
She is my first friend the first person who ever took my side.
I couldn't let her heart be broken by Kinoshita-kun.
When I reached the classroom door, I froze in surprise.
I was the only one there.
Well I did leave the house pretty early.
I placed my bag on my seat and realized there were still 30 minutes left before class.
I didn't know what to do with that much time.
Before I knew it, I fell asleep at my desk.
I woke up to the sound of voices. Blinking slowly, rubbing my eyes, I looked around.
My first instinct was to look for Nakahara-san but she wasn't there yet.
Instead, my classmates were suddenly greeting me.
"Good morning!"
Happiness flooded my chest at their voices.
I panicked and greeted them back a little too loudly:
"GOOD—Good morning!"
They laughed, and I apologized for shouting, which made them laugh even more.
That moment laughing with everyone, exchanging greetings,
It was something I always dreamed of.
And it was all thanks to Nakahara-san.
After that, I excused myself and went to wash my face.
But while I was washing, I heard some girls whispering in the background.
I couldn't hear what they were saying, and I didn't feel like asking, so I ignored it.
I dried my face with my handkerchief and walked back.
When I entered the classroom, I saw Nakahara-san sitting at her desk.
Without thinking, I ran towards her with a smile.
"Good morn—"
Before I could finish, she stood up and slapped me.
The sound echoed through the classroom.
The atmosphere froze.
My cheek burned so violently I couldn't speak. I couldn't even breathe properly for a moment.
A boy near us whispered, "Nakahara-san is something wrong? Why did you slap Aoyama-san? Did she do something?"
She glared at him so sharply he immediately sat down.
Then she turned to me and said coldly:
"Never ever come in front of my eyes again."
My heart shattered.
Why…?
Why was she suddenly hating me?
Why did she slap me?
What happened?
But judging by the anger in her voice, the only thing I could do was silently walk back to my seat.
A moment later, Kinoshita-kun entered.
Our eyes met, and he was smiling almost enjoying it.
Then he went to Nakahara-san and acted like he was consoling her.
All I could do was watch helplessly.
Homeroom started after that.
Math class, then a sudden surprise test, then English.
Finally, it was break time.
I gathered my courage and walked toward Nakahara-san.
The whole class turned silent, watching us.
But before I could speak, she said:
"Meet me at the second backyard of the school."
For a moment, I felt relieved.
Maybe I could finally explain everything.
I quickly ate my lunch and rushed to the backyard.
Nakahara-san was already there.
As I walked closer, to my surprise, Kinoshita-kun also stepped into view.
Why… was he here?
I reached them and bowed slightly.
"Thank you so much for calling me, Nakahara-san. I—"
"Why?" she yelled.
"Eh…?" I managed to say.
"WHY?" she shouted again, louder this time.
Fear froze me in place.
"Why the hell did you propose to Kazuya-kun even though you knew he's my boyfriend?!"
My mind went blank.
"P–Propose? Me? To Kinoshita-kun? What..... what are you saying, Nakahara-san? I would never do that! You're my friend!"
"Friend?!" she snapped. "Don't joke around! If you considered me a friend, you would've never done something like that!"
Her eyes were already wet with tears.
"Yesterday while going home, he told me everything! You called him after school, forced him to meet you, grabbed his hand tightly even when he told you to let go, and then you told him to break up with me and be your boyfriend! You even tried to kiss him!"
My body trembled.
"He said he had to push you away and run!"
Her voice cracked.
"I thought you looked lonely…..so I helped you. I thought you wanted friends. I even planned to make cookies to celebrate our friendship and this is how you repay me? By stabbing me in the back?"
Everything inside me broke.
"N–No… everything you're saying is the opposite of what happened yesterday," I said desperately.
"After we said goodbye, I was walking home when Kinoshita-kun called me. I stopped and asked what happened. Then he grabbed my hand so tightly it hurt. I was the one who told him to let go. And then he said I looked cute and told me to be his girlfriend. I told him I wasn't interested and asked about you, and he said you'd cry and move on. Even after telling him multiple times, he wouldn't let go, so I pushed him and ran away. I was scared, I couldn't even sleep properly. I came early today just to tell you—"
Before I could finish, she slapped me again.
I fell to the ground.
"Don't you dare lie!" she shouted.
"Kazuya-kun said you'd say all this to make him look bad! He said you even threatened him that if he told anyone, you'd frame him with a fake statement tomorrow!"
My eyes slowly shifted to Kinoshita-kun.
For the first time in my life,
I looked at someone with pure anger.
My voice trembled.
"Please believe me. Why would I do such a thing? He was the one who—"
"Enough!" she interrupted.
"Why would my boyfriend lie to me?! He would never do something like that! And don't you dare speak ill of him again! Don't ever come near us!"
She rubbed her eyes, stopping her tears, turned around, and walked away with him.
Before leaving, Kinoshita-kun smirked.
"Yesterday was your fault, so this much is natural," he whispered.
I felt something break inside me.
I couldn't defend myself.
I couldn't protect Nakahara-san from this bastard.
I couldn't do anything.
My chest felt painfully tight, but no tears came out.
My cheek burned red from her slaps.
And there wasn't a single reason I could think of to justify why I deserved any of this.
When I returned to the classroom,
I find out almost everyone had been eavesdropping on what happened in the backyard.
The same faces that greeted me warmly in the morning,
Now stared at me with cold, sharp eyes.
Eyes full of hatred.
If you've made it this far, it truly means a lot to me. Thank you for reading.
And I'm sorry to say this, but I know my novel isn't that great or anything. Still, writing a story has always been one of my small dreams, and that's why I'm doing it.
Because of my exams, the novel will go on a break until May. The next chapter, which will come out then, will be the conclusion of Miyu's backstory. Miyu really had gone through a lot😭
So if you don't mind, please tell me who your favorite character is. I'd be really happy to see your answers.
As for mine… it's Aoi.
So, let's meet again in May. 👊