𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐭 ❄️

22: You Look Well . . .

"Huh? Tohru, you failed an exam?" I stared at my sister in surprise.

Tohru didn't look at me when she nodded, continuing to hide her face behind a curtain of hair as she hung her head in shame. She always studied hard and the recent midterms had been no exception. But even with her studying, she'd still failed the exam. She'd never failed an exam as long as I'd known her.

I could tell Uo was surprised too. "How many subjects?" The blond asked.

Tohru held up a single finger in response. "That's not bad. Just one is no big deal," I said. "I know it's your first time failing an exam, but don't take it too hard. We all know you'll ace that test when you retake it." After all, her grades were usually nowhere close to failing.

"That's right," Hana chimed in. She put a comforting hand on Tohru's back and smiled gently at Tohru. "You're amazing compared to me. I've failed every subject."

"Now, you're the one who ought to be depressed about failing." Uo commented. But Hanajima fails on purpose because the makeup exams are easier . . .

A soft voice spoke up. "Honda-san, you have to retake the exam?"

Tohru's expression went from being mopey to an expression of absolute despair when she realized Yuki heard about her failure. She fell to her hands and knees and turned away from him, unable to look at him. "I'M SORRY!" She cried loudly.

Yuki was at a loss. "Uh, Honda-san . . . ?"

I frowned and spoke quietly to him. "She feels bad because she failed the exam even after you helped her study."

"Oh." Yuki knelt down beside Tohru. "Honda-san, don't let this get you down. We all have bad days. And the questions on the makeup should be a lot easier than the original test, so you'll be fine."

Hana nodded in agreement. "Yes, you'll pass with flying colors," she said as she knelt down to comfort Tohru.

Uo squatted down too. "I don't think you should be the one to say that," she quipped at Hana.

I was the only one who was still standing at this point and couldn't help noticing the stares from our other classmates. "Hey everyone's giving us weird looks . . ."

Tohru became flustered when I pointed it out and quickly pulled herself together. She assured us she was fine, but it was clear she was still bothered by her exam. I thought she'd recover after time. Sure, she'd get sad over things like this sometimes, but normally she'd take a positive spin on the situation and say "I'll try harder next time!" But it seemed like this had really gotten to her. She was also eerily quiet and could barely force a smile when I asked if she was okay. By the end of the day, Tohru had basically stopped talking.

But it didn't seem like Kyo had gotten the memo. "So I heard you have to do a retake?" He asked as we started walking home.

He had probably noticed that Tohru was a little more quiet than normal and wanted to make conversation, but Tohru immediately froze mid-step and put her forehead against the wall surrounding the school.

Kyo kept walking, but stopped when he realized Tohru and I weren't following. "What are you doing? I'll leave you here."

I shot him a look. "Can't you see she's upset?" I asked. "She's never failed an exam before, so she's really sad about it."

Kyo frowned when he saw my expression. He looked at Tohru, then sighed. "Let's get home. Then, you can mope as much as you want."

I rolled my eyes as Kyo's words, but helped peel Tohru away from the wall. Kyo and I talked on the way home, but Tohru remained quiet no matter how much I tried to include her in the conversation. In the end, it was just Kyo and I talking.