(FEATURED)
It's been months since the unceremonious fall of Kimie Sato's older sister. The whole of Ridgerock High knows it, and by now, the majority have moved on. But Kimie still watches those who had a hand in it continue to walk free, and the mo...
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My ceiling was therapeutic to stare at.
It was a Saturday, I had nothing to do, I was worried, and I also felt bad. And the only thing that could tolerate having me around was my room. So I stared at my ceiling all day, only getting up to get snacks from the pantry and pee.
The main reason I was restless was Axel. Between last night and this morning, I'd thought about him so much that I'd started to feel bad about the way I acted. Couldn't I have just cooled it for a second and talked to him like a normal person? I saw the look on his face as he walked out of Sprinkles, and I knew he sensed something was wrong.
What if he thought I didn't want to speak to him even though that was the truth?
After going downstairs for my third snack—crackers and a glass of orange juice—I figured I couldn't live with this feeling any longer; I wanted to have my peace back and sleep well at night, and I wanted some weight to leave my shoulders.
So when I got back to my room, I picked up my phone and called him. I imagined him not picking up, because lately everyone had been ignoring my calls, but at the same time, I tried to stay positive.
"Hey," I heard after a few rings, and goosebumps rose on my arms immediately my mind registered his voice.
"H—hi, Axel," I stuttered, after which I drew in a deep breath and told myself to be calm.
"What's up? I wasn't expecting your call."
"Yeah, well." I shrugged, even though he couldn't see me. "I just wanted to ask if you're free to hang out."
There was silence for a while before he asked, surprised, "Now?"
"Y . . . eah. Of course."
I heard him laugh. "Are you sure, Kimie?"
"Hundred percent," I replied, but, really, I was only about forty-nine percent sure.
"Okay. Um, I'll pick you up in ten?"
"Sure," I responded quickly—a little too quickly.
If I wanted to get to the bottom of this, then I had to talk to him. I was unsure of how I'd bring the topic up, but I figured I'd find a way before the day was over. If I knew even a little about Axel, then I knew he'd talk to me. It would be an uncomfortable topic, nothing to deny there, but I was willing to take the risk.
I wore a cute, sleeveless mauve-colored dress, put on white canvas shoes, then tied my hair up in a high ponytail after standing in front of my full-length mirror for two minutes, debating on what to wear.
When I got downstairs, everywhere was quiet, a stark contrast to the way the house was when my mom was still alive. You'd either hear the professional sound of a knife against a chopping board from the kitchen, or Kairi's evening workout music from upstairs.
