Dark Places | S. Tendou

YOU KNOW I'M THE ONE

Usually, as soon as the last bell of the day rang, Maeko was among the first students out the door and on her way home; but this time she sat outside, awkwardly fumbling her fingers and resisting the urge to chew on her nails, while she waited for Tendou to finish volleyball practice.

She used to sometimes wonder why he rushed to meet up with her, and why he was so insistent about accompanying her on those short walks—now, with a somber look on her face, she realized he wasn't necessarily in a rush or insistent because of her. He just didn't want to go home. Anything was better than that. No wonder he spent so much time in that run-down arcade.

In moments like this, moments that felt stuck, Maeko's thoughts tended to be too much for her otherwise mouse-like nature. She was waiting for Tendou because she wanted to see him, to spend time with him, but a nagging voice in the back of her head, akin to the devil that sits on your shoulder, said it hoped that she wasn't doing any of this out of a sense of obligation now that she knew so much about him. It would be utterly cruel to turn her back on him now. She had no choice but to sit where she was, stagnant, waiting for him.

They were not thoughts she was proud to have.

And, decidedly, they were thoughts nowhere near the truth.

All it took was one look into his bright eyes and smiling face to confirm that. When he walked out the front doors of their school, one strap of his backpack lazily slung over his bony shoulder, to see Maeko waiting for him, he looked like a child might've looked on their birthday when the cake was brought to the table. He instinctively straightened up into something more presentable, holding his head a tad higher as if to say that as long as she was looking, then he had a reason to be his best self.

"My, my..." Tendou collapsed into the seat next to Maeko, his weight knocking into her side like a fast-approaching tornado.

It knocked a small breath of air out of her lungs, bracing herself with the palm of her hand laid flat against the bench.

"It's about time you waited for me. It was quite burdensome to have to go for a run right after practice just to catch up to you, y'know." He wagged his pointer finger in front of her face as if to scold her for it.

"I was thinking about going to the park across the street for a bit. Want to swing?" Maeko asked, purposefully dodging his dig for sympathy.

Tendou quirked an eyebrow. "I never took you for a swinger. Just who do you plan on exchanging me for—"

Maeko bolted out of her seat and made a beeline for the park before Tendou could finish his sentence. She was deeply uninterested in sticking around to hear where he took that.

"Hey, wait up!" Tendou called from over her shoulder, jogging to catch up.

His change of subject was quick and nonchalant. It didn't seem to faze him whether his jokes landed or not, but he'd continue to make them, completely unapologetic for his sense of humour, regardless of Maeko's level of receptivity.

"I had a very interesting practice today. Ayume seemed tense and unlike herself."

Maeko quickly glanced in Tendou's direction at mention of Ayume's name. It was obvious that she was hooked on whatever was coming next. It was even more obvious that Tendou expected her to be hooked by the mischievous look in his eye.

With a silly grin that Maeko thought it would've been nice to wipe off his face, Tendou sauntered ahead to claim one of the swings, humming a tune she didn't recognize under his breath with no intention to explain further unless prompted.

Maeko, with arms crossed, stood as menacingly as she could in front of him, just barely out of reach of his extended legs while he pumped the swing.